The Seventh Element of Harmony

by Scarlet Wonder

First published 8th of November, 2013

A human boy is transported to Equestria in order to save it by using the power of the lost element of harmony that has been passed down through the generations. Will he succeed in mastering his powers, or will he fall to the evil that awaits him?

One night, Celestia is plagued with a horrible nightmare given to her by an ancient being who warns her of an impending danger that will one day destroy the land of Equestria. Fearing the worst, Celestia seeks out this being to discover that there is hope for them. Their only hope is to use the power of the lost element of harmony, lost in another world to keep it safe from evil. Seeking the aid of Twilight Sparkle and her friends, they use the power of their six elements to summon the seventh element to Equestria, bringing its current user with it. Unfortunately, their lives are now in the hooves of a boy who doesn't want anything to do with them or their world. But Twilight and her friends aren't going to give up that easily, together they're going to help their new ally see the wonders of friendship and hopefully find a way to get his element to activate before it's too late.

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

It had been two nights since Nightmare Moon was defeated and Princess Luna returned to her normal self. Princess Celestia was in the throne room completing the last of her royal duties for the day. She mailed the last of the scrolls with her magic and breathed a sigh of relief as she could now head back to her own room and rest. As she made her way to her chambers, she felt a cold wind coming from behind. She immediately turned around to see if there was anypony there, but she saw only the guards marching through the halls. She convinced herself it was nothing and continued to make her way back to her royal chambers once again.

"Greetings your highness, off to rest at last?" asked one of the guards who was patrolling the castle halls.

"Yes, it has been a very long day for me. How goes the night patrol?"

"It goes well your highness. No suspicious activity to report."

"Very good, please carry on then." said Celestia as she continued forward.

"Yes your highness." said the guard as he went back to patrolling the halls.

"Please help me."

"Excuse me?" asked Princess Celestia as she turned around again.

"Your highness, Is something the matter?"

"Did you...say something just now?"

"No, not at all your highness."

"I see. Then it's nothing. Carry on." she said as she went on her way. I must have imagined it. She thought.

"Very well then your highness."

Princess Celestia continued down the hall until she found her way to her room, and immediately entered. She then proceeded to lift her bed sheets and climb into bed, as she laid her head down onto her pillow and closed her eyes. She then suddenly heard a loud bang and immediately reopened them only to see that her room was in shambles. She quickly climbed out of bed and rushed to the balcony. Canterlot was in pieces, fire engulfed the castle, and there were no ponies to be seen. Celestia flew off from the balcony and looked down at the destruction from above.

"What is happening?!" asked Celestia. "I only just closed my eyes for a moment!" She then heard a loud bang coming from far across the land. As she looked towards the direction of the noise, she saw the small town of Ponyville engulfed in fire. "Oh no, I must hurry!" Celestia rushed towards Ponyville as fast as she could only to find that it was in the same state as Canterlot. She flew above the town, desperately searching for her student and her friends. When she had finally arrived at the home of her student, her eyes were full of horror. The bodies of six ponies lay on the ground near the shattered remains of what could be seen as the elements of harmony, however she could not approach them as the fire quickly surrounded the area. "This cannot be! What could cause such destruction?!"

A loud roar then came from the mountains towards the east and four colossal shadows rose from the ground. Celestia stared in horror at the monsters. Then before she could see anymore, she awoke in her room and was covered in a cold sweat. After she rose out of bed, she noticed a pony flying towards the balcony outside of her room. Princess Celestia walked towards it to see that it was her sister, Princess Luna. She opened the doors to the balcony, allowing her sister to enter her room.

"My sister, what brings you here?" asked Celestia.

"Celestia, I...I have received horrible visions in my dream! Fire and destruction...horrible creatures...and death, but I can see fear in your eyes. Did you have the nightmare as well?" asked Luna.

"Yes I did. I don't know what it was that we saw, but if we both had the same dream then it can't just be coincidence."

"What do you suppose it means?" asked Luna.

"The future is what you see. If you wish to prevent it then you must help me." said a voice that echoed through the room.

"Did you hear that?" asked Celestia.

"Yes, I've heard this voice earlier but I wasn't sure whether or not it was real." said Luna.

"As did I. I don't like this. We must find the source of this voice immediately!" said Celestia as she ran out the door.

"Sister wait! Are you sure about this?" asked Luna as she followed her sister out the door.

"This voice is trying to warn us about something. We must find out what it is." said Celestia as she ran through the halls of her castle.

"This way...come this way..." said the voice.

Celestia and Luna ran through the halls of the castle, following the voice as it got louder and louder. Eventually they followed the voice all the way back to the throne room.

"What do we do now?" asked Luna.

"I don't know. Whatever it is that's trying to speak to us, it must be somewhere in this room."

"The throne..." said the voice.

"The throne? What do you mean by the throne?" asked Celestia. There was no answer though, so she walked up to the throne and stared at it for a while. "I do not understand. What is it trying to tell us?"

"Below."

"Below? Is there a way down from here?" asked Luna.

"I do not think so. I've never seen any entrances heading downward from this room before."

"Perhaps there was a way but it was concealed after time." said Luna.

"Perhaps, but where would one hide such an entrance?" asked Celestia as she stepped down from the throne. "The throne room has always looked like this since we were children. The only thing that could hide an entrance would be..." Celestia looked down at the red carpet that stretched across the throne room. She then used her magic to remove the carpet from the floor. "Nothing."

"Celestia, look at this!" said Luna.

"What is it Luna? Have you found something?" asked Celestia as she ran to her sister’s side.

"There are makings on the floor here, almost as if they slid something across the floor."

"Wait...the throne! Perhaps we must move the throne?" Celestia suggested.

"Yes of course! Let us try it." said Luna. Together with her sister, the two used their magic and moved the throne forward. It revealed a secret entrance that led underground. "How did we not discover this sooner?"

"There is no time to think about that. Let us make haste Luna. Something is coming, and we must discover what that something is." said Celestia as the two began heading down the stairs.

Meanwhile

Somewhere in another world, a boy was sitting at a desk with a drawing that he had been working hard on for several weeks now. He looked at a nearby clock and noticed that he had been drawing for hours. *Yawn* "Aw man, it's really late. I better get to bed if I plan on waking up in time for school tomorrow."

The boy then went to brush his teeth and soon came back and climbed into his bed. He laid in his bed thinking about how he couldn't wait to finish his drawing that he had been working so hard on. His eyes slowly began to close and he drifted off to sleep. He felt a strange sensation overcome his body and opened his eyes to find himself in an empty void. "Not again. It can't be. It's...the dream."

Back in Equestria

"How much longer do these stairs go on for?" asked Luna. The two sisters had been walking down the stairs for what felt like hours. The moonlight had eventually faded away from the stairway and the two were using their horns to light the way.

"I'm sure it's not much farther." said Celestia. They continued walking down what seemed to be an endless amount of stairs. "Wait, I think I can see the bottom!"

"At last! Perhaps now we shall finally get the answers to the horrible nightmare." said Luna. However when they reached the bottom of the stairs, they found nothing but a wall that blocked their path. "No! This cannot be! Is this some kind of joke?!"

"Calm yourself Luna! I'm sure we did not make any mistakes in coming down here. There must be a way to progress forward." Celestia began scanning the wall until she noticed a small indentation in the wall. "What is this?"

"It seems to be a small hole in the wall. What of it?" asked Luna.

"Perhaps not Luna. In fact, it may be just what we're looking for." said Celestia as she pointed her horn at the hole. She gave it a small blast of her magic and then the wall suddenly lit up and began rising. They could then see that the wall was hiding a secret chamber. "Incredible, I never knew this room existed within the castle walls."

"Yes, I wonder what secrets this room holds within." said Luna.

"Now then, let us begin our search." said Celestia. The two of them entered the strange room, Celestia began wondering when and why this room was built.

"Sister, look at this!" said Luna.

"What is it Luna?" asked Celestia.

"The walls. There are carvings on the walls!" said Luna.

Celestia focused the light emanating from her horn onto the walls and she could see the carvings that Luna was talking about. "Amazing, what is all this?"

"History." said the voice.

"Who said that?!" asked Luna.

"Where are you?" asked Celestia.

"I am here." said the voice.

Celestia focused the light on her horn towards the direction of the voice. Her horn illuminated a strange crystallized formation in the back of the room. "What are you? Are you some sort of crystal?"

"No, I am imprisoned inside of the crystal." said the voice.

"Inside of the crystal?" said Luna. She squinted her eyes to carefully look through the crystal. She then saw a small orb like shape inside of the crystal. "I see something!"

"Why have you been imprisoned in the crystal?" asked Celestia.

"I was sealed here by an evil king for disobeying him. His lust for power led him to spread pain and destruction everywhere. I tried to save a friend who was only being used by the king, so he imprisoned me here as punishment."

"How horrible, but how did he imprison you in the crystal? Did he use some kind of spell?" asked Celestia.

"No, this is no crystal. He imprisoned me in solid magic. That way nopony but him would be able to release me."

"So, how do we release you?" asked Celestia.

"Sister! You can't really be considering releasing him?! How do you know that he even speaks the truth?!" asked Luna. "Tell us something! Why should we release you? Just who are you?"

"A being that has existed long before the two of you were ever born. I have always aided Equestria during it's time of need. Look around you, these walls tell of the ancient legends of Equestria's greatest rulers. I am known as...the Gospel."

"The Gospel? I have never heard of you." said Luna.

"Of course not. I haven't been seen for so many years. Ever since I was imprisoned here I had no way of communicating with the outside world. My magic was taken away from me. It was obvious that I would have to recover it in order to free myself, so I entered a deep slumber. Throughout the years I've been slowly gathering what little power I could, waiting for the right moment so that I could be rescued. I'm using what magic I've gathered so far to communicate with you telepathically."

"He's telling the truth Luna." said Celestia. "Look around us, these walls do tell of Equestria's kings. Not only that, but from what I can make out here." She pointed to ancient writing that was left upon the wall. "This inscription specifically mentions the being known as the Gospel. Not only that, but it speaks about how together, he and the king were able to defend their kingdom from harm. There are several of these carvings, each one with a different king."

"I see, so you are telling the truth." said Luna.

"Right, so how do we release you?" asked Celestia. "I thought you said that only the evil king could release you?"

"Yes, because he was the only existing alicorn at the time. So the two of you must use your alicorn magic. Only the magic from another alicorn would have any effect on my prison. I would have asked for help sooner, but I've had no way to reach the outside world until today."

"Very well, we shall try our best." said Celestia. Together, the two alicorn sisters focused their magic and blasted away at the Gospel's prison. The magical prison then began melting away from their combined power and soon enough they released the Gospel.

"At last! I am free!" said the Gospel.

"You...what are you?" asked Luna. She gazed upon the Gospel as he floated towards them. He did not seem to have a body, he appeared to be some sort of orb made of light.

"I am a being of pure consciousness." said the Gospel.

"Gospel, we must ask you. We both received the same dream tonight, and right after the dream you called for us. Did you create that dream and give it to the both of us?" asked Celestia.

"What you saw was the future. However, I was not the one who created it. I sensed the danger, and transmitted the dream to you from another. And unfortunately this can only mean one thing. Darkness is spreading throughout the land once again, and it will threaten the lives of everypony in the world." said the Gospel.

"The whole world?! Surely there is a way to defend ourselves?" asked Celestia.

"Yes. There is a way. This isn't the first time that this has happened, your world has been caught in many disasters before. Every ruler had sought me out for my help. And just as I did back then, I will show you the key to saving your world." said the Gospel.

"Not so fast. Before you show us key, I would like you to tell us something. Why did the elements of harmony fail against this darkness?" said Luna.

"Yes, please tell us. Why is it that the elements of harmony lost?" asked Celestia. "We always believed that there was no evil the elements could protect us from. So why did they fail against this dark force?"

"That is because you only have six of the elements of harmony." said the Gospel.

"What do you mean? There are only six elements of harmony. Even my sister and I know that." said Luna.

"That is where you're wrong. There are more than six. What you seek is the seventh."

"There are more elements of harmony?!" asked Luna. "I do not understand. My sister and I have used the elements before. We discovered the location of where the elements resided, so why is it that we only found six?"

"That is because the seventh is not in Equestria. To keep the seventh element safe, we sent it to another world. The only way to bring it here is to use the other six elements of harmony. The chosen user of the seventh element was the one who had the nightmare, I simply showed it to you to warn you." said the Gospel.

"Luna, gather the elements of harmony." said Celestia. "I will head for Ponyville in the morning!"

"I am going as well!" said Luna.

"No Luna. The citizens of Ponyville might get suspicious if we both go. I will go alone. Gospel, I have many questions to ask you."

Back on Earth

The boy looked on as strange images flashed all around him as he slept. He could hear voices calling out, but he couldn't make sense of what they were saying. Then came the cries. He knew that even though he couldn't understand what they were shouting, it wasn't anything good. It didn't matter where he looked; the images and sounds all surrounded him. He had been having this same dream for some time. Every time he rested his eyes he had this dream. At first he thought it was just another random dream until he fell asleep during class the next day and he began having the same dream again.

He continued watching the images flash in front of him until flames rose from below, just like the last time he experienced this dream. Suddenly the boy was engulfed by the raging fire. He then felt himself falling down until he was pulled out of his dream by his alarm clock. He turned to turn off his alarm clock and looked at the time.

"Six forty five...wonderful. Time to get ready for school." he said as he got out of bed. Every time it feels more real than before. When will they stop? He thought as he wiped sweat from his forehead.

Back in Equestria

"Another wonderful morning in Ponyville!" said Twilight Sparkle as she prepared to enjoy another day with her new friends in this wonderful town. She left her room to find Spike who was already busy at work fixing the books on the shelf when she had entered through the stairway.

"Morning Twilight!" said Spike from atop a ladder. He was fixing the library books on the shelves.

"Good morning Spike!" said Twilight as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Going into town today Twilight?" he asked.

"Yup, our new friends took me on a tour of the town yesterday. So I want to get them something to thank them. Would you like to come with me?" she asked.

"You bet! Just give me a second!" said Spike as he climbed down the ladder and ran up to Twilight. "Alright, let's go!"

Twilight and Spike left the library and walked through the wonderful town of Ponyville. They could see the Pegasus ponies clearing the skies. They saw the town ponies tending to their flowers and having conversations with each other. A lot of ponies were still talking about what had happened during the summer sun festival. As they continued down their path, Twilight and Spike arrived at SugarCube Corner.

"What are we doing here?" asked Spike.

"I told you already Spike, I want to thank our friends for showing me around town yesterday. So I thought what better way to thank them then with a batch of delicious cupcakes!"

"Oh I see. That's a great idea Twilight!" said Spike.

"I know." said Twilight as she stepped into Sugar cube Corner. "Hello Mrs. Cake!"

"Oh! Why hello there Twilight! How are you today?" she asked.

"Fine, thanks for asking!"

"So what can I do for you?" she asked.

"I want to thank my friends for taking me on a tour of Ponyville yesterday. So I thought about buying them some cupcakes!"

"Well isn't that sweet? Here, let me get you the best ones we have!" said Mrs. Cake as she left to grab a box. She then placed a box full of cupcakes before Twilight could even blink.

"But...I...I didn't even order any yet. How did you...?" she asked.

"Oh I've been taking their orders for years Twilight. So I know which cupcakes they like the most." said Mrs. Cake.

"Thank you so much Mrs. Cake!" said Twilight as she gave Spike the cupcakes to hold. "So how much is that?"

"Don't worry about it dear. It's on the house for saving all of Equestria from being covered in eternal darkness." said Mrs. Cake.

"Thank you!" said Spike as he was about to sneak a taste from one of the cupcakes.

Twilight quickly closed the box before he could grab one. "No eating the cupcakes Spike! We have to wait for the others. But like he said, thank you for the cupcakes." said Twilight as she turned around to leave. "Goodbye Mrs. Cake! Come on Spike, let's get back to the library and get everything ready for the girls. And no eating the cupcakes!"

"But they smell so good!" said Spike.

"Goodbye Twilight! Have a nice day!" said Mrs. Cake as she left.

Twilight and Spike made their way back to the library while keeping an eye out for their friends so they don't ruin the surprise. Once they arrived, Twilight closed the door behind them and placed the box of cupcakes on the table. "Spike, give me the cupcake."

"Can't I just have one?" he asked.

"Spike, those are for our friends. How about I get you some nice crunchy gemstones once we finish the cupcakes with everypony?"

"Really?! You mean it?" asked Spike as he became excited by the thought of eating gems.

"Of course Spike!"

"Thanks Twilight! You're the best!" said Spike as he gave Twilight the missing cupcake back.

"Okay, now we just have to get everypony here." said Twilight.

"I'll go and get them! Be back in a flash!" said Spike as he ran out the door.

Twilight giggled as the young dragon rushed out the door. "He's so excitable when it comes to gemstones."

*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*

"He's back already? That was...fast." said Twilight as she grabbed the box of cupcakes. She walked up to the entrance and lifted the lid off the box so as to surprise everypony once she opened the door. She then opened the door with a smile on her face, but immediately lost her smile once she saw who it was at the door. "Princess Celestia, what are you doing here?" She quickly noticed her looking at the box of cupcakes and immediately put them back on the table with an embarrassed look on her face.

"I'm sorry, I would have tidied up a little more had I known you were coming down for a visit." said Twilight as she bowed to Celestia.

"Forgive me Twilight, but I'm afraid that I did not come down for a friendly visit." said Princess Celestia.

"Is something wrong in Canterlot?" she asked.

"My faithful student, I'm afraid I've come with dire news." Everypony in Ponyville looked at Princess Celestia with smiles on their faces. She smiled back so as not to concern them. "This isn't something we can discuss in front of everypony though, it would only cause them to panic." said Celestia.

"Of course Princess Celestia. Please, come in." said Twilight. "My friends will be coming soon."

"Good, we'll need to speak to them as well. Guards!"

"Yes your highness?"

"Make sure nopony else but Twilight's friends enter. Is that understood?"

"Yes your highness!" said both guard's as they saluted. Celestia grabbed a nearby chest with her magic as they began walking inside.

As they entered the library, the Gospel came out from behind Princess Celestia. "Hmmm. So this is one of the chosen ones?" he asked.

The Gospel floated in front of Twilight, almost as if he was studying her. "You, you have been chosen by the element of magic have you not?"

Twilight looked at this strange entity, "Y-yes. Princess Celestia, what is this thing?"

"I will tell you what I can for now until your friends arrive." said Princess Celestia as they both sat down on the couches in the library. "We believe that something is endangering Equestria and all of its inhabitants. We need your help."

"What can I do?" asked Twilight.

"We need you and your friends to bring us something." said Celestia.

"What do you need?" asked Twilight.

"What we need is-" The door to Twilight's library opened and her friends rushed in.

"Twilight! Is everything okay?! I saw the guards outside! What's going on?!" asked Rainbow Dash as she barged into the library. Following behind her were the rest of Twilight Sparkle's friends.

"Girls, I'm glad you're all here!" said Twilight as she went to greet them. "Princess Celestia needs our help."

"Oh dear, has something happened?" asked Rarity.

Celestia walked towards them. "I'm afraid that Equestria is facing a crisis like no other. It seems that sometime in the future, Equestria will be destroyed along with your elements. We cannot allow this knowledge to reach the ears of the other ponies or their will be wide spread panic."

"Hold it right there!" shouted Rainbow in disbelief while attempting to keep their conversation quiet, "I don't understand. How could our homes be destroyed? I thought that as long as we believe in our friendship, the elements can stop any evil that tries to fight us! I don't see how we can ever be beat, we're pretty much invincible!"

The Gospel then flew right towards Rainbow, "SUCH INSOLENCE!!! Just because you have the elements on your side doesn't make you invincible! The elements have their limits as well! Even the original users of the elements of harmony knew better then to simply rely on the power of the elements themselves! Honestly, why does the element of loyalty always have to pick the difficult ones?" With that said he floated back up to Celestia's side while Rainbow sat down with her mouth shut.

"Thanks to the Gospel here we have discovered a way to save Equestria, but we need your help."

Twilight looked at Princess Celestia with hope in her eyes. "What do we have to do princess?"

"We need you and your friends to summon the seventh element of harmony."

All six ponies just stared at her with wide eyes. Finally Twilight spoke first, "A seventh element of harmony? I don't understand, since when has there been a seventh element?" she asked.

"It has existed since the day I was born." said the Gospel.

"How long is that?" asked Applejack.

"Let's see...I cannot recall. It has been so long since I have been out of my prison. It must have been hundreds of thousands of years ago."

"How are you still alive?!" asked Rainbow.

"I am a being of pure consciousness, I do not age. Now please, let us get back to the matter at hoof."

"He's right. We need to focus. We need to find this element, and according to the Gospel only you can bring it here. Will you help us?" asked Celestia.

The girls all looked at each other with determination in their eyes, "Of course we will princess, but how do we bring it here? Where is the element?"

Celestia walked forward and opened the chest she brought with her. The chest contained their elements and she began giving each pony their element as she explained the plan, "According to the Gospel the seventh element was sent to another world. So the only way to bring it here is with a powerful spell that requires the combined power of your elements."

"Another world? What other world is there besides Equestria?" asked Twilight.

Back on Earth

Back in the other world the boy was on a public bus heading home from school. He stared out the window and stared with a disappointed look on his face. *sigh* Why is it that I feel so empty? Is it because of my nightmares? I don't know why, but the voices I hear fill me with worry. Why do I even care? It has nothing to do with me. He thought. He kept staring out the window until he realized that it had begun raining. Oh great, and I didn't bring my umbrella. I just can't seem to get a break.

The boy stepped off the bus and began walking home in the rain. He began walking along the sidewalk to get onto his street; he stopped before a crosswalk as a car was driving out. After it left he continued walking forward. He then turned left into his neighborhood and began making his way across another crosswalk, he blinked his eyes and when they opened again the world around him had suddenly become covered in a thick fog. What's happening? It wasn't this foggy a moment ago. He thought. Then out of nowhere, fire burst from out the ground and the world around him had become a torched wasteland. I-It's my dream! But I never fell asleep, so why is this happening now?!

He continued looking around until he spotted a few objects on the ground. He gasped in shock when he realized that they were bodies. He wanted to run, but his legs wouldn't move. He then heard a loud roar come from behind him. He turned his head to see four large shadows rising up from the ground. He wanted to wake up from this horrible nightmare. The flames had engulfed him entirely and the heat soon became too unbearable for him. He fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around himself in fear. Make it stop..."PLEASE MAKE IT STOP!!!"

"Don't be afraid. It's only a dream." said a voice from behind.

The boy lifted his head and turned around to see a girl standing there. He never saw anyone like her before. She had long flowing hair, half of it was a bright blue, but as you continue downward her hair soon fades to a dark rose color. Her hair also had these bright dots scattered along it, they almost resembled stars in the night sky. She wore a beautiful long dress and her eyes were a bright sapphire. She then extended her hand out for him to grab. He reached up to grab her hand, and the moment they made contact the world around him turned back to normal.

"What? What happened? Who are you?" he asked.

"You looked like you were in trouble. So I came to help you." she said.

"Help me? Why would you want to help me?" he asked. She continued staring at him as a smile grew on her face. "Uh...can you please stop staring at me?" he asked.

"My apologies. It's just that it's been so long since we last met face to face like this."

"We've met before? When? Where?" he asked.

She then gently carried her fingers across the palm of his hand. "I can see that it's time. Danger is coming, and they need you Alexis."

"Danger? What are you talking about? And who are 'they'?"

"Your friends Alexis. They need your help."

"I don't understand. Who are you?"

*BEEP!* *BEEP!*

Alexis jumped and noticed that he was still standing in the middle of the street. He turned to see a car honking at him for standing there. "HEY! What are you doing?!" shouted the driver in anger.

"Uh...sorry!" he said as he ran to the other side of the street. He turned around to see that the strange girl was gone. "What was that about? Who was that girl?"

He walked up to his house and placed the key inside the lock as he dried his shoes on the welcome mat. As he opened the door and entered the living room he glanced over at the kitchen and noticed his mother sitting at the table. "Welcome home." she said.

"Hey mom." he said with a smile.

"Oh look at you; you're all wet from the rain. Here, let me get you a towel." She entered the garage and soon came back holding a striped towel and handed it to him. "How was school?"

"Oh you know...good." he said as he began drying himself.

She let out a sigh as she sat back down in her chair, "I know what that means. You didn't talk to anyone, did you?"

"...No."

"I've told you before that you have to talk to people. If you don't talk then you won't make any friends."

"I can't mom! Every time I try to talk to people I stutter. I clam up and I can't...I just can't talk to anybody."

"You can! You just have to try harder!" she said as she got up from her chair.

"I don't know mom. Those people are weird; they just don't...get me. They look at me like I'm different...like I'm a freak."

"That's only because you're letting them make you feel that way. You have to be strong and have more confidence in yourself. Don't you want to make friends?"

"Of course I do mom, but..."

"What's wrong?"

"I...never mind. It's not important."

"Come on, tell me." She looked at her son as a frown came across his face. "Look, I know it may seem bad now but you'll see that things will get better soon. Now then, I'm tired from work. I'm going to take a nap and we'll talk about this later, okay?"

"Okay mom." he said with a smile as she headed into her room.

He let out a deep sigh and headed for his own room. He opened the door and dropped his backpack to the side. He closed the door behind him and lifted the towel over his head again. He then began drying his head once more with the towel until he took notice of the drawing he had been working on. It had been moved from his desk to the top of the dresser he kept near the door. He picked it up and smiled as he stared at it. It was a drawing of his family standing next to each other with smiles on their faces.

His eyes then narrowed as he began to think about the strange girl from earlier. "Friends...I have got to stop staying up so late. I don't want to have more hallucinations of strange people."

Back in Equestria

Each pony stood across from each other in six different corners. The Gospel then floated towards the middle of the ponies. "This is not like other spells girls, you must synchronize your thoughts. You must look deep inside of yourselves and believe that the seventh element will come to you. It may sound easy but it's quite difficult once you attempt it, especially since you four are not unicorns and thus you've never attempted to use magic before."

"Alright girls are you ready to give this a try?" asked Twilight.

"You bet!" said Rainbow.

"Absolutely!" said Rarity.

"Let's do this!" said Applejack.

"I'm ready, I'm ready!" said Pinkie Pie.

"M-me too." whispered Fluttershy.

Then one by one they each closed their eyes and began to follow the Gospels instructions and started to look deep inside of themselves and tried to synchronize their thoughts. The girls stood there for over ten minutes until their elements began glowing. Princess Celestia then began smiling, believing in the girls as their elements began glowing brighter and brighter. Then the glow of the elements became so bright that six lights shot out of their elements.

"You've done it girls!" shouted the Gospel, "Now go and bring us the seventh element!"

The six lights burst out of the library as a great big hole opened up in the sky. All six lights flew into the hole and the citizens of Ponyville came to the library to see what was happening. The girls all rushed out to watch the portal and waited in anticipation to see this new element.

In the human world

Alexis was about to place the drawing back onto his dresser. But then he heard a sound coming from below his feet; he could have sworn he had just seen sparks running along the floor. Then just as soon as he looked back up, the floor beneath him opened wide. Alexis let out a scream that caused his family to burst out from their rooms. He was floating above a hole when six lights came out and surrounded him. What are they? What's happening?! His mother screamed as she looked upon him, fear and worry consumed her. Then as the lights began to spin around him, Alexis' body began to flip over so his head was now at the entrance of the portal.

He was scared and so he reached his hand out so that someone could help him, but it was no use. An invisible barrier was put around him so that no one could intervene. He just stared down into the void that seemed bottomless and without warning he was shot into the portal with the entrance closing behind him. The lights then began swirling around him as though they were guiding him somewhere. Alexis then looked down at himself and he was being enveloped in a white light, he looked forward again to see another light off in the distance. "Oh man, wherever I'm going I'm going to get there in a hurry!" he said as he felt his speed increasing.

All seven lights then exited the portal back into Ponyville and began flying in all directions performing what the citizens believed to be a light show.

"It's here!" shouted the Gospel.

The girls could hardly contain their excitement! They were about to see something that not many ponies have the chance to see in their lifetime. The blue light flew back into Pinkie Pies element of laughter, red into loyalty, orange into honesty, pink into kindness, purple into generosity, and finally magenta into magic. All ponies kept their eyes on the white light in the sky as it began to head towards the ground. As it crashed into the ground it released an enormous cloud of smoke covering the entire area in a thick fog.

"I've got this!" said Rainbow as she flew into the fog and began clearing the area.

Alexis began coughing due to all the smoke created by his arrival. "What...what happened?" He opened his eyes, but his vision was still blurry.

"Did it work?" asked Twilight.

"Yes, it worked perfectly. Good job girls." said the Gospel. At last the cover of smoke had been cleared away and they all noticed the figure in the center.

"But...who's that?" she asked.

"The element brings the user with it."

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's go say hello already!" said Rainbow Dash as she flew above them.

"Please wait Rainbow Dash." said Princess Celestia. "I would appreciate it if you all stayed back until the Gospel and I have spoken to him. "We want to be sure he feels welcome."

"Of course Princess Celestia, we understand. Right girls?" asked Twilight.

"Forgive me for interrupting, but...wasn't there a pink one with you?" asked the Gospel.

"You mean Pinkie Pie?" asked Applejack. "She's right...uh...Pinkie Pie? Where did that pony go now?"

"Oh man...wh-what happened?" asked Alexis as he slowly lifted his head. He then tried to lift his legs but he suddenly felt a surge of pain come from them. "Wha...what's wrong with my knees?!" His vision began clearing up and he turned around to look at his legs. When he saw the problem, his jaw dropped. "W-w-w-w-what's going on?!"

"Hi there!"

"What? Who said that?!" asked Alexis as he faced forward.

"Hi there! My name's Pinkie Pie! What's your name?" she asked. Alexis just laid there frozen, staring into the eyes of the pink pony before him. "What's wrong? Did you forget your name? That happens to me sometimes."

"What are you doing?!" asked the Gospel. "Did you not hear the princess give the order not to approach him yet?!"

"Huh? Did you say something?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"Do not worry Gospel. No harm was done. She simply wanted to greet him." said Celestia as she walked towards them. "Now then, greetings visitor. I understand that you come from a far off land. Welcome to Equestria! I am-"

"P-p-princess Celestia."

"Y-you...know my name?" she asked in shock.

Alexis then quickly covered his mouth with his hands, but didn't feel his fingers. He then brought his hands forwards and saw that he didn't have any fingers. What is going on?! What happened to my hands?!

"Are you alright?" said Celestia. "You seem distressed. Tell me, what is bothering you?"

"W-w-w-w-" He couldn't form his words as he tried to speak to her.

"Do not worry." said the Gospel as he floated towards him. "Everything will be fine. Just tell me what's wrong."

"What's going on here?!" he finally asked.

"I...don't understand your question."

"Where am I?! What's going on?!"

"You're in Equestria silly! Princess Celestia just told you that!" said Pinkie Pie.

"B-b-b-b-b-b-"

"Calm yourself." said the Gospel. "What do you mean?"

"But that's impossible! I was in my room...and then this big hole opened up...what happened?!"

"We cast the summoning spell to bring you here. Surely you knew that someday you would be brought here?"

"What are you talking about?!"

"Oh come now, surely your parents have told you?" Alexis just kept staring back the Gospel in shock and disbelief. "Your grandparents?" Still he kept staring. "Great Grandparents?"

"...What?"

"This...this cannot be."

"What's wrong Gospel?" asked Celestia.

"Princess Celestia...how long ago was the reign of King Shirard?" asked the Gospel.

"King Shirard? Goodness, that was a very long time ago. I believe that was around a hundred thousand years ago. Why do you ask?"

"He...he was the one who sealed me away. I don't believe this, a hundred thousand years. How could this be?"

"Princess Celestia, is everything okay?" asked Twilight as she and her friends walked up from behind.

"I believe we may have encountered a problem."

"Oh no, did the spell go wrong?!"

The Gospel finally spoke up. "No...the spell didn't go wrong."

"Then what's the problem?" asked Rainbow.

"The problem is that it's been too long since the spell has been cast." He floated up to Alexis. "Forgive me, I have failed your family."

"What are you?" he asked.

"I am known as the Gospel. I have existed for many years, and I have sworn loyalty to your family. Loyalty...to the seventh element of harmony."

"Wait what? There are only six elements of harmony."

"And how do you know that?" asked Rainbow Dash as she rushed towards him. "If what the Gospel says is true then there's no way you could've known that! So what's the deal?"

"I-I-I...um...."

"Rainbow Dash! Leave the poor guy alone!" said Applejack as got in between them. "Ah'm sure he's having a hard enough time without you getting in his face over something like that."

"But he knows about the elements of harmony! You don't find that even a little bit weird?"

"Ah'll admit that is a bit strange right now. But we're supposed to make him feel welcomed, remember?"

"Oh yeah." She turned to face Alexis. "Sorry."

"I-I-I-I-"

"I believe he's trying to say that he accepts your apology." said the Gospel. "Am I right?"

"Yes...that."

"How come he only talks to you?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Perhaps deep down he still carries the bond I share with his family. But now we must focus on the matter at hand. You know of the six elements of harmony, was it your parents who told you about them?"

"No."

"Then how do you know of their existence?"

"I...I'd rather not say right now."

"Very well. So judging from your earlier reaction, I'd say you didn't know that there was a seventh element of harmony. Does that also mean you don't know about your transformation?"

"Transformation? What transformation?"

"Perhaps this will help you." The Gospel's center then changed to a reflective surface. As Alexis stared into his reflection, his face overcame with shock as he stared at the pony face that stared back at him. He then looked over his body and found that he was no longer a human being. He had been turned into a red unicorn pony with a golden mane and tail.

"What happened to me?!"

"I was afraid of this. I take it you don't know the truth about your family then?"

"What truth?! Why am I a pony?! I'm a human being!"

"No...you're not."

"What? What are you talking about?!"

"You are not entirely human. You are, in fact, half pony."

"Half pony? That...that doesn't make any sense!"

"That is only because you don't know the truth." said the Gospel as he floated closer to him. "Your ancestors were rulers of their own kingdom. A pony king, and a human queen. I remember them so well...I wish I could have done more for them."

"What do you mean? What happened to them?"

"That...that is a story for another time. For now we have more important matters to discuss. What are we..." As he spoke he felt something go through him. He then noticed that Alexis was poking his hoof through him. "Please don't do that."

"Sorry." he said as he lowered his hoof. What the heck is this thing?! I didn't feel anything from it just now. Is this thing real?

"Now then, what to do with you. You don't know why we summoned you here do you?" he asked. Alexis shook his head. "This is troubling. It has been so long since we last summoned the seventh element here. May I see your element?" Alexis simply stared at him with a blank look on his face.

"Are you talking to me?" asked Twilight.

"No, I am talking to him. You cannot see it, can you?"

"No, not at all. Where is the element?" asked Twilight.

"It's right on his head." said the Gospel as he floated up to Alexis. He began shining brighter as an object appeared on Alexis' head.

"What's happening?! What's on my head?!" he asked.

"It is your element of harmony. A very powerful one at that. Hmmm..."

"What element is it?" asked Twilight.

"This element goes by many names. To most ponies this element is known as the element of light, hope, life, but its original name is the element of love."

"The element of love?! Take it off. Take it off! TAKE IT OFF!!!" shouted Alexis as he shook his head.

"Why? What's wrong?" asked the Gospel.

"I don't want this thing! Here, you take it!" he said as he attempted to lift the element off his head. "This is what you wanted right?! So take it! I don't want it!"

"I cannot. It is yours, and only yours. We brought you here because we need your help. Equestria is in..." The Gospel stopped as he felt another hoof go through him. "Please don't do that."

"It's not me!" said Alexis as he continued struggling to use his hooves.

The Gospel then realized that the hoof was pink. "Please don't do that."

"Sorry." Pinkie Pie giggled. "You're bright!"

"...Indeed. Now then, if we can get back to the task at hand. Equestria is in danger, and we need your help."

"No!"

"I...beg your pardon?"

"I said no! This is just crazy! This can't be real! Being dragged into Equestria, being half pony, seven elements of harmony! This has to be a dream!" shouted Alexis. "It has to be."

"It's not a dream." said a voice from nearby.

Alexis lifted his head to see a familiar face. "It's you...the girl who saved me from my nightmare earlier today!"

"What?! What is this feeling?!" asked the Gospel.

"Gospel? What's wrong?" asked Celestia.

"There's something here. I can't see it...but I can sense an enormous presence from somewhere nearby."

"You can't see her?" asked Alexis.

"No, only you can." said the girl as she walked towards him.

"So then I'm right! This is just a dream! If you're here, then this is all just a hallucination...right?"

"I'm afraid not. This isn't a dream. This is all real." She grabbed Alexis' hoof and held it in her hand. "I know you're scared right now, but what these ponies are saying is true. It's just like I said before, they need your help. So right now, you have to listen to them...alright?" She let go of his hoof and backed away. "I'll be watching you Alexis. I look forward to our next meeting." She then disappeared in a flash of light.

"She...she's gone."

"Yes. I can feel that they're gone." said the Gospel. "You could see who they were?"

"Yeah...she told me to listen to what you have to say."

"Will you listen to me then?" asked the Gospel. Alexis nodded. "Thank you. Now then as I've said before, Equestria is in danger and right now we need your help."

"What makes you think you need my help?" he asked.

"You've been having nightmares, haven't you?"

"Yes...how did you know?"

"I too have sensed the danger. Last night I showed Princess Celestia and Princess Luna the same nightmare that you've been having. That is a warning, informing you that danger is coming and that you are needed. Darkness is coming, and without your help the elements of harmony will fall. But..."

"Is something wrong?" asked Celestia.

"The element...it cannot be used."

"WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT CAN'T BE USED?!" they all shouted.

"I mean that the element is not active."

"Not active? What do you mean?" asked Princess Celestia.

"Take a look. The element has no power. It's supposed to gain its power from the user."

"How does the element gain power from the user?" asked Twilight.

"The element feeds on the strong emotions that come from deep within. Specifically emotions of love, but this...I can only recall one other time where the element was inactive like this. You...something happened in your past, am I right?" he asked.

Alexis' eyes grew wide and he quickly turned away with an angered look on his face. "Leave me alone."

"It seems I was correct. I'm sorry Princess Celestia, but it seems that the boy-"

"Alexis, my name is Alexis," said Alexis as he turned his head to face them. "Though I'd prefer it if you'd call me Alex."

"Yes, it seems that something happened to Alex that has caused him to shut himself away from others. He has closed his heart, and because of it the element is useless." explained the Gospel as he floated towards Alex. "Forgive me my prince. This is all my fault for allowing myself to be trapped in a prison."

"PRINCE?!" they all shouted.

"What? Were you not listening when I spoke of his ancestors?"

"Uh, no! You two were having that little private conversation so we couldn't hear a thing!" said Rainbow Dash.

"So this boy is a prince?" asked Celestia.

"Yes. Although he does not seem to know this. I'm beginning to wonder just what could have happened since the last member of his family was brought here."

"Wait, there were others?" asked Twilight.

"Yes, so many others. Great warriors who wielded the element of love with amazing courage and strength."

"Is there anything we can do to help him?" asked Celestia.

"Hey, I have an idea!" whispered Rainbow Dash, "What if he lives in Ponyville with the rest of us?"

"Have him stay here?" asked the Gospel. "The boy is a prince, he should be brought back to the castle with us."

"But maybe if we become his friends then he'll open up to us and we'll have ourselves a working element! Plus, I feel bad for yelling at him earlier and I don't want to leave him with a bad impression of me."

"Oh yes I must agree!" said Rarity. "I want to help the prince in any way possible!"

"Oooooooooooooh!!! Yes! Please?! Please?! Please?! Please?! I can throw him a welcome party and invite everypony in Ponyville!" shouted Pinkie Pie.

Applejack squeezed her way through her friends, "Ah think it's a good idea as well, he should stay here and we'll teach him about Equestria."

"I don't know what I can do to help, but I'll do my best to help him too." whispered Fluttershy which they could barely hear because her normal voice wasn't very loud to begin with.

"I can teach him everything he needs to know about living here." said the Gospel.

"Are you kidding me? You said it yourself that you've been locked away for a super long time! Times have changed. This isn't the same Equestria you remember." said Rainbow Dash.

"She does bring up a good point." said Celestia. "Perhaps you should come back and see how much Equestria has changed Gospel."

"Hmmmm...I suppose so. However I cannot just leave the boy without someone to teach him. He'll need a mentor..."

Twilight wasn't paying attention to them. She was more focused on Alex who was looking over his body once again with a sad look on his face. "Hey..."

"Huh?"

"Are you...okay?" she asked.

"I...I-I'm fine."

"I'm sorry we had to force you to come here and help us, but we could really use your help."

"I don't know what you're expecting from me. There's nothing special about me, I can't do anything."

"That's not true. You were chosen by the elements of harmony, just like I was."

"But...I'm not like you. We're more different than you think."

"So what? I'm different from them." she said as she pointed at her friends. "But it was thanks to them that I discovered how wonderful it felt to have friends, and together we stopped the world from being covered in eternal night. We may be different on the outside, but I know that deep inside we're all the same. I know you wouldn't be here if there wasn't something special about you."

"You...you really think so?"

"Yes, I do."

"I...you......thank you." He looked down at the ground as a small smile came across his face. Just then his element began to shine for a split second.

"Princess Celestia, did you see that?" asked the Gospel. "His element, it reacted. How did she...perhaps...perhaps we should have him stay here in...what was this villages name again? Ponyville if I'm not mistaken."

"It's a town. Not a village." said Rainbow Dash.

Princess Celestia pondered over the Gospel's idea for a minute and nodded back at him. "Pardon me young prince, but what is your full name?" asked the princess.

Alex turned to face her, "Me? I'm Alexis, Alexis Beltran."

Celestia opened her wings, "Very well! Prince Alexis Beltran, I have a request of you." Alex felt a little uneasy inside, "I would appreciate it if you were to live here in Ponyville and learn about the magic of friendship alongside my faithful student Twilight Sparkle."

"Wait, what?!" he said as he attempted to stand. Unfortunately he had lost his balance and fell.

Twilight stepped up beside him and helped him off the ground, "Princess Celestia, where will he live? I don't think there are any more houses here for him to move into."

"That is correct Twilight, which is why you will now be sharing the library with him from now on." she said with a smile.

"WHAT?!" Everypony shouted except for Fluttershy whose silent scream could not be heard over everypony else's.

"Wait just one moment please!" said the Gospel. He then immediately floated up towards Alex. "I'm afraid that I cannot stay with you to teach you about this world and guide you. It seems that much time has passed and this new world is unfamiliar to me. So I'm going to leave you with someone who will act as your mentor and teach you the essentials for living here until I can teach you properly. However...I wish I had more time to find someone better suited to teach you so I'm going to have to rely on an old...associate of mine." His body then began glowing brighter than ever as everypony covered their eyes. When the light dimmed down, they looked forward to see a small black object on the ground.

"Uhhhh...what is that?" asked Alex.

"Please excuse him." said the Gospel. *Ahem.* "WAKE UP!!!"

The creature on the ground then slowly lifted its head and yawned. Alex then discovered the creatures’ identity. "You're...leaving me with a cat? Is...is this some kind of joke?"

"I understand it may seem a bit...unconventional. But I'm sure he'll get the job done."

"Get the job done? It's a cat! What could a cat possibly teach me?!"

"Hey watch it kid. I have more knowledge in my tail then you do in your entire body."

"Did...did that cat just...talk?" asked Alex.

"Yes I did. Now if you'll excuse me, I have very important matters that I must get back to." said the cat as he lied back down.

"Wake up you!" shouted the Gospel.

"Why should I?" said the cat as it turned around. "Gospel! You're alive! H-h-hey! It's been ages! You're looking good!"

"Don't push it. This is Alex, current heir to the element of love. I'm leaving you in charge of him. Make sure you teach him well!"

"This kid? Yeesh, we're really scraping the bottom of the barrel aren't we?" said the cat as it stood.

"Oh my gosh! A talking animal!" shouted Fluttershy as she dashed towards him. "Aren't you just adorable!"

"Hey, although I may look like the most amazing cat you'll ever see in your lives right now. I used to be a pony like the rest of you."

"You were a pony?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Yes, until I lost everything in one fell swoop."

"Oh you poor thing. What happened?" asked Fluttershy.

"I was but a humble hard working pony, until the king and Gospel here sentenced me to an eternity behind whiskers. To forever serve under the family of the seventh element of harmony. And for what?"

"I don't know. Why did they turn you into a cat?" asked Fluttershy.

"He attempted to steal the king’s crown." said the Gospel.

"I thought you said you were a hard working pony!" shouted Rainbow Dash.

"I was! I just happened to work hard on stealing...is that so wrong?"

"Yes!" they all shouted.

"So you punished him by turning him into a cat?" asked Alex.

"He should be thankful. The king wanted to execute him, but it was thanks to me that his life was spared."

"Yes, but soon after the Gospel disappeared and I was left as an enemy of the law. So I ran away to live my eternal life as a cat...and now I'm here."

"So what's his name?" asked Alex.

"Don't have one of those either kiddo. The good king took my name away from me after I was turned into a cat. Now I can't even remember my name even if I wanted to."

"Everyone needs a name." said Fluttershy.

"How about liar?" said Rainbow Dash.

"What? You never asked me what my job was so that doesn't count as lying." The cat said.

"So are you just going to be nameless forever?" asked Alex.

"It seems that way. With no memory of my old name, I'll never have a name ever again."

"Actually," The Gospel began, "You have authority over him, so you can bestow a new name upon him if you so choose."

"Really? I can do that?" asked Alex.

"I can have a name again?" asked the cat. "Why didn't you say something sooner?! Come on kid! Name me!"

"Uh...I can't really think of anything right now. Do you think you can give me some time?"

"Take all the time you want! As long as I get a name I don't care!"

Rainbow Dash then walked up to Alex. "Oh well, welcome to Ponyville Alex! I hope you and I become good friends!" said Rainbow Dash with her hoof out to shake Alex's.

"Um, a-a-are you trying to give me a handshake?" asked Alex.

"What's a handshake? I'm trying to give you a hoofshake!" she said still holding her hoof out.

"Um, t-t-thank you?" he said as he tried to perform a hoofshake.

They successfully managed a hoofshake until Alex fell over once again. "I think I'd appreciate it if you could show me how to walk around." said Alex.

"Sorry kiddo I can't help you there. I'm a cat, not a pony." said the cat.

"Ah'd be more than happy to show you." said Applejack. "It looks like ah'm going to have to work real hard if you're going to learn how to walk on four hooves from now on."

With that said and done Applejack began teaching Alex how to use his hooves right there in the middle of town. Thankfully hardly anypony was paying attention to them anymore. All the towns’ ponies had left and continued on with their daily lives. After many hours the sun was beginning to set and Alex was shaking all over trying to catch his breath. "O-o-o-okay, I think I'm starting to get the hang of this!"

"Ah'm glad ah could help!" said Applejack.

"Hey, um...you." Alex pointed at the Gospel.

The Gospel floated towards Alex. "Yes your majesty?"

"Look, I understand that they want me to live here but...I don't think I can do that. Can you send me back home now?"

"I..."

"What?! But you just got here!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Hang on a second." said Twilight. "The spell we used was made to bring the seventh element here, but if we cast the spell a second time it wouldn't send him back to his world would it?"

"What...what do you mean?" asked Alex.

"I'm afraid she is correct. The spell only goes one way. There is no way to send you home." said the Gospel.

"What?! But...then how do I get back home?! My family is probably worried sick about me! I can't just stay here! What will I do?! Will I even be able to go back home?! What will I...what will I..." Alex soon fell over and collapsed onto the ground.

"Oh no! What happened?!" asked Twilight as she ran up to him.

The Gospel floated over him. "He's just passed out. Poor boy, he's already been through so much already. I suppose he just couldn't handle that information."

"What do we do now?!" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Now his life in Equestria begins. It's up to the six of you, and the cat, to help him through this. Now that he's learned he's stuck here he is going to depend on you for guidance. So please be patient with him."

"What about you?" asked Twilight.

"I'm afraid that now Princess Celestia and I must return to Canterlot. I have much work that needs to be done."

"Yes I agree. I too must get back to the palace." said Celestia. "I look forward to hearing about how you're both progressing with your new lives. I'm certain that you seven will become the best of friends."

"Yes Princess Celestia." said Twilight as she bowed. "And don't worry. We'll do our best to help Alex as much as we can."

"I know you will." said Celestia with a smile. She then made her way to her chariot with the Gospel and they began heading back to Canterlot.

"So now what?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Do you think you girls can help me carry him inside of the library?" asked Twilight.

"Ah'd be glad to help you Twilight." said Applejack. "Here, ah'll lift him from this side, Rainbow Dash you take the other."

"No problem." said Rainbow Dash as walked over to Alex's left. "So where are we taking him anyway?"

"The library has a second room in the basement. It has a bed in there, so we'll take him there."

"A basement? You're throwing us in the basement?!" asked the cat.

"Be thankful you even get to live under a roof." said Rainbow Dash.

"Alright then. Let's get going then!" said Applejack as she slowly lifted Alex's body off the ground.

"Huh? Is that Spike?" asked Twilight as she turned around. "Spike! Where have you been?!"

"I've been running around Ponyville looking for them all day!" said Spike as he pointed towards the girls.

"You've been looking for them this whole time?" asked Twilight as she raised an eyebrow.

"Well...I might have gotten a bit...distracted." he said with a blush.

Hours Earlier

"Hi Mrs. Cake!"

"Hm? Oh hello Spike! You're back awfully quick."

"Yeah, I'm looking for Pinkie Pie. Have you seen her?"

"Pinkie Pie? I think she might be in her room. You can head on up and take a look."

"Thanks Mrs. Cake!" Spike then ran around the counter and headed up the stairs. He walked down the hallway and began looking at all the doors. "Oh no, I didn't ask which room was Pinkie Pie's!" He then heard a strange sound coming from one of the doors nearby. "Pinkie Pie? Is that you?" asked Spike as he slowly made his way to the door. He moved his claw onto the door, carefully opened it, and stared with wide eyes and his jaw dropped.

"It's so pink." He entered the room to see hundreds of balloons inflated, walls covered in pink, hundreds of stuffed animals, tons of cake, and several pictures of Pinkie Pie with the ponies she's thrown parties for. "It's like a party in here!" He walked towards the bed and sat down to find that the bed was very bouncy. "Hahahaha! This is fun! Wheeeeee!"

~~~~~~

"Heheh. I guess I lost track of time." said Spike.

"It's okay Spike. But you did miss a lot. So we're going to have to talk once we get back home."

"Okay, can I still get my gemstones?" he asked.

"Of course Spike." she said with a smile.

"Yes!"

With that said and done they began carrying Alex back to the library. As they walked, the shine coming off of Alex's mane caught Rarity's attention. "My...Alex's mane is beautiful." said Rarity.

"I can't argue that it's interesting." said Twilight. "His mane is gold. I've never seen a pony with a mane like his before."

"I wonder if he'll let me experiment with it!" said Rarity as ideas began flowing through her head.

"Hey, can somepony get the door?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah, I'll get it." said Twilight. She quickly moved ahead of them and opened the door, allowing Rainbow Dash and Applejack to carry Alex inside. "Here, the basement is this way." said Twilight as she ran across the room and opened the door to the basement. "Be careful when taking him down the stairs."

"How far do the stairs go?" asked Rainbow Dash as they neared the door. "Oh you've got to be kidding me! You know what? This will be a lot easier if I just fly him down there."

"Do you think you can?" asked Applejack.

"No problem, I've carried heavier things then him!" said Rainbow Dash.

"Okay, just carry him to the bed and I'll tuck him in." said Twilight. Rainbow Dash then hooked her hoof around Alex's neck and gently carried him down.

"Be careful with him Rainbow Dash!" said Rarity.

"Relax Rarity, I've got him." said Rainbow Dash as she carefully placed Alex on the bed.

Twilight then placed a blanket over Alex's body and carefully lifted his head so that she could place a nearby pillow underneath him. After she did, she signaled the others to start heading upstairs. As she turned to leave, she noticed the cat had climbed up onto the bed. "What are you doing?" she whispered.

"What does it look like? The Gospel put me in charge of him so I'll be staying with him. Now if you don't mind, I have to make up for the nap I didn't get to finish earlier."

"Fine. But I'll be the one who teaches him about Equestria. I don't trust somepony like you to teach him." said Twilight as she left.

*Yawn!* "Be my guest." said the cat as he laid down.

With Alex resting peacefully in the other room and Spike now informed of what had happened during his absence, the girls took this chance to talk about what to do next with Alex. "Now Twilight dear," began Rarity, "I understand that we're all supposed to take care of Alex, but do we really need to have that horrible cat here?"

"I don't think we have a choice Rarity. If the Gospel says he can help then I have to trust him. He's been honest with us so far so I have no reason to doubt him."

Rainbow turned towards Twilight, "Hey, what were you two talking about earlier? I saw you talking to Alex about something while the rest of us were trying to convince Princess Celestia to let him stay here."

"He seemed really upset after he had arrived, so I wanted to apologize and make him feel better. I think it worked until the Gospel told him he couldn't go back home." said Twilight. She then looked up and raised her voice slightly, "Alright girls, what's important now is that we make Alex feel welcome here in Equestria and help him activate his element."

"How do we make an element activate? We've never done that before." said Rainbow Dash.

"She brings up a good point Twilight," said Applejack, "His element isn't like ours, it's not like we had to activate our elements when we got them. So how are we supposed to help him if we don't know how his element works?"

Twilight pondered her thoughts for a while, "Maybe we do." The other ponies looked at her waiting for her to explain what she had meant. "Well if I remember correctly, the Gospel did say that the element responds to his emotions of love. His element isn't active because he has shunned away these emotions. So maybe all we have to do is show him how great it is to love?"

"You're saying that thing is going to work if he feels love?" said Rainbow Dash.

Twilight spoke up again, "Uh, maybe? I'm not too sure about it. I guess that could be one way we can get him to use his element."

"Well then this is going to be easier than I thought!" said Rainbow with confidence. "I just have to give him a little of the Rainbow Dash charm and we'll have that element working in no time."

"Well hold on their Rainbow." said Applejack.

"What's up Applejack?" asked Rainbow.

"You really think it's going to be that easy?" asked Applejack. "Ah mean, that poor guy couldn't even complete one sentence without stuttering when he was trying to talk to us. He could only talk to that Gospel fella."

"You're right. How are we supposed to get him to open up to us if he can't even talk to us?" said Rainbow.

"He spoke to me just fine." said Twilight. At that moment all ponies in the room turned their attention to Twilight. "...What?"

"He actually spoke to you?" asked Applejack. "Ah don't understand, why did he stutter at us but not to you?"

"Maybe he has a thing for you Twilight." said Rainbow.

"This is no time for jokes Rainbow Dash!" said Twilight.

"Maybe he knows you from somewhere?" said Applejack.

"Impossible. The Gospel said he's from another world, so there's no way we would know each other."

"I don't think it really matters. As long as he talks to one of us then it's a good start." said Rarity. "Not only that but he's also a prince! We have a prince living with us in Ponyville!"

"Yeah, but that's beside the point Rarity. Besides, what does it matter if he's a prince or not?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"What does it matter?!" snapped Rarity. "It matters because he is royalty! A prince has finally walked into our lives and you pass it off as nothing?!"

"Girls please!" interrupted Applejack, "Ponies lives are on the line! We have to focus!" Both Rarity and Rainbow backed off and apologized to each other for their childish behavior, "Besides, ah think Alex should have a say in this anyway don't you? Now come on, how about we forget about what happened here and we go on with our lives and let things take their natural course, agreed?" They all nodded in agreement and left for their homes.

As Twilight prepared to head up to her room, she heard a knock at her door. She opened it to see Fluttershy standing there. "Hey Fluttershy. Did you need something?"

"Oh, um, I almost forgot to give you this." said Fluttershy as she held out a piece of paper. "I saw it fall out of the hole with Alex."

"You did?" Twilight took the paper and looked at it carefully. "Huh, it looks like a drawing. Thanks Fluttershy, I'll be sure to give this back to him."

"Okay, goodnight Twilight." said Fluttershy as she left.

"Bye! See you tomorrow!" said Twilight as she closed the door.

That night Alex had awoken to find himself sleeping in the basement, "Where am I?! Am I...in a tree? Oh right, I fell asleep in the middle of town." He turned himself to face the roof of the room that he would now call his new home. He began to think about his family back home; as he looked around the room something had caught his eye. It was his drawing; he was still holding it when he went through the portal. He assumed somepony must have picked it up since he didn't even think about it at the time. "I want to go home, I don't belong here in Equestria." he said. Just as he had finished his words he remembered the Gospel telling him that he was actually half pony, he then felt tears falling down his face again. Alex lifted his head and looked up at the moon. Was everything he knew a lie? Was the Gospel really telling him the truth? He decided to go back to sleep hoping he would wake up in his old room when he opens his eyes the next day.

Author's Notes:

Finally! I'm back baby! It's the return of The Seventh Element of Harmony! I hope you all enjoy it much better now that I've taken the time to fix certain mistakes I made when rushing out the originals. Please let me know what you think! Feedback is greatly appreciated.

Chapter 2: Something To Fight For

Author's Notes:

Alright! Chapter 2! So right now I'm going to explain the use of the italics in my story. Normal italics are the thoughts of the characters that are the focus of that paragraph. If italics are written alone without being identified to any specific character, then it's Alex's thought. If it's both in italics and in quotes, then it's speech through telapathy like the Gospel did in chapter 1. As for the other chapters, so far the they're being edited smoothly. Please let me know if you're enjoying the new re-writes so far. And remember, feedback is greatly appreciated!

The morning sun began to rise over the land of Equestria and ponies everywhere were getting ready to start their day, well almost all of them. Twilight was pacing back and forth in the living room of the library, Alex hadn't come out of his room yet. Twilight knew that this was his first official day in Equestria and it began to worry her. She was wondering on how she should approach him, but she couldn't decide if she should go in the room or wait for him to come out. Just as she was completing her twentieth lap around the room she took a deep breath and headed towards his door.

"Okay, I can do this." said Twilight as she opened the door. "Good morning! How are you feeling? I thought maybe today I could teach you about Equestrian history! So how about it Alex?" As she stepped up to his bed, she noticed the cat waking up and looking at her.

"Do you mind? We're trying to sleep here!"

"Well I'm not here for you, I'm here for Alex. I'm going to teach him about Equestria's history."

"History? He doesn't want your history lesson and neither do I! Now beat it lady!"

"Excuse me?! This is my library!"

"Not anymore! Celestia is making you share this library with Alex! And since I'm his mentor, that means I get his share! So beat it!"

"Why...you!!! Fine! I'll just wait for him upstairs then!" shouted Twilight as she stormed out of the room.

"You know...you didn't have to be so mean." said Alex as he lowered the bed covers.

"You asked me to get rid of her and I got rid of her."

"I asked you to tell her I wasn't feeling well. And you go and get in a fight with Twilight Sparkle."

"Well it worked didn't it?"

"Look, I think I'm going to get up. Do you think you can move over?"

"Fine, but make it quick." said the cat as he made space for Alex to get out of bed.

"Thanks, I'm guessing you're going right back to bed?"

"Yup! I'm sure you'll be fine on your own for a little while right?" he asked as he lied back down.

"Yeah, I think I can manage." said Alex. "Hey, I've been wanting to ask, how do I use my-"

"ZzzZZzz..."

"-magic..." Alex sighed and began walking around his new room. "Great, nothing but shelves full of books. At least I have a couch for myself. And...wait, what's that?" He headed towards the other side of the room and moved some of the boxes that were left there. "Hey, there's another door down here. I don't remember seeing this on the show. I wonder where this goes." He attempted to open the door but could not grip the door knob. "What is with these hooves? I can't even grab a stupid door knob anymore."

He decided to ignore the mysterious room for the moment and began looking through the boxes that covered it. "Hmmm...more books. What's this?" he said as he stared at one of the books. "Tales From the Everfree. This looks like something Twilight would enjoy reading." He turned away from the book and began walking away. "Wait a minute...what?!" He immediately turned back and looked for the book again. "This...this is impossible! This book isn't written in English...but I can read it as if it was second nature to me!"

~~~~~

"That stupid cat! Who does he think he is?!" shouted Twilight. She had returned to pacing around the living room again. It took some time before she realized that somepony had been knocking on the front door. She tried to calm herself and focus her breathing more. She made her way to the front door and opened it to see one of her friends. "Oh, hey Applejack! How's it going?"

"It's going fine Twilight. Thanks for asking." Applejack walked into the library, "Is everything alright? You look a little upset." she asked.

Twilight looked over to the basement door, "It's that cat! I went inside to wake up Alex so I could start him off on his first day here, and that cat has the nerve to kick me out!"

"Ah knew that cat would be trouble! Well, don't you think you should check up on him either way? Ah'm sure he's awake by now and ah'm positive he wouldn't mind having a bit of company right about now." said Applejack as she walked toward the door.

Twilight wanted to stop her but it was too late, Applejack opened the door and began to walk in with Twilight right behind her. Once Alex heard the door open he immediately rushed towards the bed and forced himself under the covers, sending the cat flying off of the bed and onto the floor. "Can't a cat get a little shut eye in this house?!"

"It's a library!" said Twilight.

The cat turned around to see Twilight again. "Oh, it's you. I thought I told you we weren't interested. I see you brought your friend."

"That's Applejack to you, cat."

"Whatever. The point is, we don't want to be interrupted and it would be much appreciated if you two HAGS left us alone!"

"...You got a spray bottle?" asked Applejack.

"Brought it with me just in case." said Twilight as she pulled out a squirt bottle full of water.

"No! Not the squirt bottle! Please, have mercy!"

"Sorry, but bad kitties must be punished!" said Twilight as she began spraying the cat.

"Aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh! I won't forget this!" said the cat as he ran for the door.

"You can't run from my magic!" shouted Twilight as the squirt bottle followed the cat out the door.

"Nooooooooooooo!!!"

"Wow, that felt really good." said Twilight.

"Let me try it next time." said Applejack.

Twilight then turned to the bed and shook it a little. "Hey Alex, are you awake?"

Alex remained silent underneath the covers. Please go away. Still...I can't believe I'm inside of the library! Twilight's library! No, I have to focus! I don't belong here! I need to find a way home! But...it's still pretty cool.

"Here, let me try." whispered Applejack. *Ahem!* "RISE AND SHIIIIIINE!!!"

"OWWW my ears!" shouted Alex as he jumped out of the bed. "Why?!"

"Because the sun is up and you're still in bed sleepyhead! It's time for you to get outside for a change!" said Applejack as she pulled the sheets off of Alex.

"Not only that, but this place is a bit dirty." said Twilight. "I think it would be a good idea for you to get outside and take a walk around Ponyville while Spike and I clean this place up a bit. I mean look at this." Twilight picked up the drawing that was left on the desk.

"Leave it alone! That's mine!" said Alex.

Applejack walked up next to Twilight, "What are they?" she asked.

"Are they some kind of animal?" asked Twilight as she carried the drawing to the bed.

"They're my family back in my world," he said as he pointed to one of the people in his drawing, "And that's me right there."

Their eyes grew wide, "That's you Alex?!" asked Twilight.

"Well it used to be me," he said as he turned away, "What do you want anyway?"

Before Twilight could speak Applejack interrupted her, "We're here to get you out of your room and into the sunlight!"

Alex narrowed his eyes a bit, "W-w-w-w-"

"Come on pal, you can talk to me." said Applejack.

"W-w-w-what do you mean?" he asked.

Now we're gettin' somewhere. she thought. "Ah mean that ah'm going to get you outside for your first day in Equestria! Didn't you hear me say it the first time?"

"S-s-s-sorry. But someone shouted into my ear and I couldn't hear anything. Thanks for the offer anyways, but I'm going to have to say no." said Alex as he began climbing back into bed.

Applejack went for her rope, "Sorry bud, but ah wasn't asking whether you wanted to or not."

Alex lifted the bed sheets, "W-w-what's that suppose to me-aaauuuggghhhhh!!!"

Before he knew it Applejack had hogtied him and made sure the rope was tight so he couldn't escape. She began to drag him out of the basement against his will and pull him outside. Alex had a very annoyed look on his face as she was pulling him, and he felt really stupid that he didn't see this coming. As they exited the library, Applejack informed Twilight that she'd have him back in no time. Finally she released him, and he began wiping all the dust his body caught as it was dragged across the floor.

"So why did you drag me out here?" he asked.

"Well," began Applejack, "Since you're going to be living here with us from now on, ah thought what better chance to give you a tour of the town!"

"Oh great, woo-hoo." he said while rolling his eyes.

Applejack gave him a big smile, "Ah knew a tour would get you excited!" and with that they set off on their way.

She brought him by the shopping center where everypony bought their fresh produce from, while informing him that she herself sold apples down here from time to time and that she would give him a good deal on apples if he were to stop by. She took him around the cafes in town but she didn't really know much about them since she's never really been to one before so they just went on. As they continued their tour she often took glances at Alex and he always kept the same upset look on his face. She took him by the school where they were able to see the young fillies enjoying their recess. By three o'clock they had finished their tour through Ponyville but Alex still had that look on his face, so she took up to a hill that was a little far from Ponyville.

"So," he started, "What's next on this grand tour of yours?"

"Am ah doing something wrong?" she said.

He turned to face her, "What's that supposed to mean?"

She turned to face him, "It means that you've had that same look on your face all day! Ah'm beginning to think you didn't really like mah idea of a tour."

"No! What could have possibly given you that idea?" he said sarcastically.

Now she was getting mad, "What is your problem? Ah went out of my way to help you get to know your new home and maybe put a smile on that face of yours but you won't give me even the slightest grin! Have ah violated some rule from your world?"

"Oh! I'm sorry!" he snapped, "Sorry if I'm a little busy wondering how my family is doing back home and if I'll ever get the chance to see them again! I never asked you to bring me here you know!"

"We 'need' you here! Besides, this 'is' your home! The little fella made of light told that your family came from Equestria. That is proof that you belong here with us ponies!" she yelled.

"Proof?! He didn't show any proof! He just spit out a bunch of garbage!" he shouted, "I'm a human! You're a pony! I don't belong here!"

She started moving close to him, "So what? You don't care about what happens to us? You don't care about everypony here who's counting on you to save them from that disaster the princess was talking about? We have families too you know! Ah have a family, but ah guess our lives don't mean anything to you do they?!"

"Well what am I supposed to do?! I can't do anything! I can't fight! I can barely walk on my own legs! I can't pick up a stupid book! And I can't even use magic! Even if I wanted to do something, I can't! I can't do anything! Besides, I have no reason to help you! I don't have any friends or family here!"

"What about me?" she asked, "Aren't we friends?"

"Friends?!" he shouted, "You kidnap me from my world. Force me to live here, with no way of seeing my parents ever again. And you think that makes us friends?! I've never heard anything more stupid in my entire life!"

Applejack had heard enough, she raised her hoof and punched Alex in his face and she made sure it hurt. Alex was sent crashing onto the ground; he quickly put his hoof over where she had punched him as he looked up at her in anger. She looked down at him angrily with tears running down her face. Alex managed to get himself up and they just looked at each other.

Finally she spoke, "Ah can't believe you!" she screamed at the top of her lungs. "How could you be so heartless?! Ah try to do something nice for you and this is how you act?! Ah thought you might have been a nice colt who would be more than happy to help us but now ah see that you're really just a huge jerk! You don't deserve to have an element of harmony, especially not the element of love! Ah hate you!!!" she shouted as she ran off.

Alex was alone now, watching her walk away from the hill. Her words just echoed in his head, was he really heartless? He lifted himself off the ground and started walking in the opposite direction which sent him into the Everfree forest and he began to think about the things he had just said. It wasn't their fault he was brought to their world, they just wanted to protect their loved ones. At the same time he thought about his reasons for not wanting to help them protect their home. He started to feel like the biggest jerk in the entire universe when he suddenly began hearing noises coming from some nearby trees.

"Hey, where am I? I really need to start paying closer attention to where I go. This...isn't this the Everfree forest?! And...wait...what's that sound?" He looked over to see two young Pegasus ponies in the air while a little orange one with a purple mane was trying to climb the tree that they were flying by.

"Come on guys! Give them back!" she said.

Alex stared in disbelief. Isn't that...Scootaloo?!

"What's wrong, can't fly yet?" said the first Pegasus

"Of course not, she's too weak to fly!" said the second Pegasus as they began to laugh at her.

Scootaloo began to cry at how they were laughing at her. Bullies. thought Alex. I should just leave them alone; it has absolutely nothing to do with me. He then turned around and began walking away.

"Please!" she shouted.

At that moment, Alex felt a surge of rage coming from deep within. At the same time, Applejacks words echoed through his head causing him to grit his teeth. He turned around and headed toward them.

"Hey!" he shouted, "What do you two think you're doing to her?"

"Who are you?" asked the first Pegasus.

Alex gave them a mean look, "Who I am is not important. What is important is that once I'm through with you, you're never going to forget me. Now then, who wants to be punished first?! Or, would you prefer that I tell your parents?!"

"No, please! My mom would kill me! We're sorry!" The two immediately flew away as fast as they could in fear.

"Are you alright?" he asked without looking at her.

She walked up to the tree they were flying by and pointed her hoof to one of the branches. Alex scanned the branch with his eyes and saw 3 toys sitting there.

"Here," he said, "Let me get those for you."

He walked over to the tree and stared straight up at the branch the toys rested on. Okay, maybe I can knock them down with a kick. He turned his back to the tree and gave it a good kick with his rear legs which caused the toys to fall off. Scootaloo was then overjoyed to have her toys back and gave him a great big smile. Alex felt a warm feeling inside for having stepped in to save her from the bullies.
Scootaloo wiped the tears off her face, "Thanks mister...uh."

"Alex, just call me Alex." he said. "And uh...don't mention it. I'm just glad I could help."

She nodded, "Thanks Alex!" She looked up at him with wide eyes as though she had just seen her idol standing right in front of her.

"Well...I should get going. You shouldn't go too far into these woods, they're dangerous." he said.

He made his way back into Ponyville trying to keep himself from running into Applejack when he started hearing a strange sound. He stopped walking, and then the noise stopped. He started walking again and sure enough he started hearing it again. What is that? He thought. He started to get a good idea of what was happening and he began to run until he moved around the nearest corner and quickly turned around waiting to for a certain little filly to follow him around it. Sure enough Scootaloo came running around the corner right after him and stopped her little hooves before she would crash. She looked up at Alex with an innocent smile hoping he wouldn't be mad at her now that she had been caught. Alex didn't know why, but she just made him want to smile.

"Are you following me?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Will you tell me why?"

"No."

"Are you going to stop following now that I know you're following me?"

"No."

"Okay...suit yourself." he said as he continued making his way back to the library. He occasionally took glances behind him to see Scootaloo following him. What's with this kid? Why is she following me? As he thought about it he couldn't help but laugh a bit. Alex had at last returned to the library, he was almost afraid of opening the door fearing that Twilight had heard about what happened with Applejack. He knocked three times with a sinking feeling growing in his chest. The door began to open and he felt like throwing up. Twilight opened the door and Alex didn't see any sign of Applejack anywhere so he let out a sigh of relief, he was safe for now.

"Welcome back! Where's Applejack? Who's this?" she asked.

Scootaloo hid behind Alex trying to cover her head using his tail, "Hey! What are you doing to my tail back there? Uh...don't mind her, she's a little shy...I guess?" He stepped off to the side a bit so Twilight could see her clearly. "Go on, say hello."

She slowly turned to face Twilight. "Hello, my name is Scootaloo."

Twilight lowered her head to speak at Scootaloo's level, "Well it's nice to meet you Scootaloo. Why is she here?" she asked.

"Uh...I'm not exactly sure. She keeps following me around and she won't tell me why." He turned to see Scootaloo give him a warm smile.

"Aw! How cute! It's almost like she's your little sister or something."

"Hahaha, very funny. I'm serious here, she won't leave me alone. I don't need some kid following me around everywhere." he whispered.

"Oh come on, she's not hurting anypony. Besides, I think it's great to see that you've made a friend."

"Friend?! She's not..." He quickly lowered his voice before Scootaloo could hear. "She's not my friend! She's just following me, probably because I saved her from those bullies."

"Oh come on. You're telling me you don't like having her follow you everywhere?"

"Well...I guess that little smile of hers kind of warms my heart a bit."

"You see? I'm glad she makes you happy, but what happened to Applejack?" asked Twilight.

Alex took in a deep breath and then exhaled, "We got into a little argument, and I'd rather not talk about it. Anyways, I figured I'd just go back into my room. I'm...kind of exhausted from earlier."

"Oh...okay. Spike and I finished cleaning up in there. It should look a lot neater than before."

"Yeah...thanks Twilight." said Alex as he made his way towards the door.

Twilight wasn't sure what had happened between them so she just assumed it was something the two would eventually work out by themselves. Alex walked down the stairs back into his room and when he reached the bottom of the steps he could hear someone else coming down the steps. He turned to see a familiar face. "Are you really following me into my room?"

"Yes." said Scootaloo.

"Why are you following me?" he asked. Scootaloo just replied by smiling at him. *Sigh* "Fine. Do whatever you want, just don't make a mess please."

"You...would not believe what they did to me!" said a voice from his bed.

"Oh hey cat, how are-OH MY LORD WHAT HAPPENED TO YOU?!" he asked. Alex stared in shock at his furry mentor. His fur was completely soaked and hanging down.

"The bottle...she wouldn't stop until it was empty. Please...help me."

"I'll go find a towel." said Alex.

"Oh cool! A talking cat!" said Scootaloo as she walked towards the cat.

"Who's the kid?"

"Um...that's Scootaloo. She followed me here." said Alex as he continued searching for a towel.

"You brought a stranger into our home? Are you crazy?! Didn't they tell you to never bring strangers home from where you came?"

"Of course they did! But she's a child. What can she possibly do? Oh! Here's a towel!"

"I got it!" said Scootaloo as she quickly snatched the towel before Alex could figure out how to grab it. "I'll dry you kitty!" She then began to rub the cat with the towel.

"Gah! She's choking me! I can't breathe! I think I'm going to suffocate! Make it stop! Make it stooooop!" he begged.

"Scootaloo stop! I think he's dry!" said Alex. As Scootaloo released the cat from the towel, they both saw that the cats’ fur was now a complete mess.

"What? Why are you looking at me like that?" asked the cat. He then looked down at himself. "Gah! I'm hideous! Groom me...please groom me!"

"I can't."

"What do you mean you can't?!" asked the cat.

"I don't know how to grab things with my hooves yet! You haven't taught me how!"

"Oh great! Well I can't go around looking like this! Think of something!"

"Okay! I'll be right back!" said Alex as he ran up the stairs. After a short while he returned. "Okay, I've got you covered."

"Great! So...what's the plan?"

"Hello." said Twilight.

"You!" said the cat.

"I hear that kitty needs to be groomed." said Twilight with an eerie smile on her face. "I'll make sure kitty looks nice and pretty." She then pulled out several combs and bows.

"No...no! Not the pink bows! ANYTHING BUT THE PINK BOWS!" he screamed as he ran out the basement door.

You're not getting away from me!" said Twilight as she chased after him.

"Well that takes care of that problem." said Alex as he turned forward to see Scootaloo again. And that leaves me with this problem. "Um... look." He began searching the room. "There are some paint buckets over there, draw some pictures or something. I don't really care. Just don't make a mess." She began doing just that. Alex laid on his bed and watched her use her tail as a brush and began painting. Huh...she's quite artistic. Kind of like me. He then closed his eyes and tried to fall asleep.

"Alex, look! I made this for you!" She said.

Oh great. What now? he thought. He opened his eyes to see the painting she had made him. "Oh...hey not bad. That's pretty good for a kid."

"I'm bored now. Let's play!" she said as she tossed the picture to the side.

"Uh...I'm a little tired. Maybe you should go home?"

"No! Come on! Let's play!" she said as she began jumping. Just then both the cat and Twilight ran back into the room and began running around all over the place causing chaos.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" asked Alex.

"Keep me away from me she-witch!" said the cat.

"Spike! Get down here and help me catch this cat!" said Twilight.

"Hang on Twilight! I'll get him!" said Spike.

"Will you all stop?! You're going to make a mess!" shouted Alex.

"Yeah! Let's play!" said Scootaloo as she began running around the room as well. Just then Twilight and Spike kicked over some of the paint cans spilling its contents onto the floor.

"Oh no! Stop! You all have to stop!" shouted Alex.

"This is fun!" said Scootaloo as she kicked one of the paint cans. Alex watched as the paint can flew up into the air and headed towards the desk where his drawing lay. The moment the paint can had landed on the desk the entire room went silent and everyone stared at the desk.

Twilight gasped once she remembered that Alex had kept his drawing there and turned her eyes to see him get up out of bed. He slowly walked towards the desk and looked down at the puddle of paint that now covered his drawing. He stared down in disbelief and his mouth opened as though he was about to speak but no words came out.

"What's up? Why did everypony stop?" asked Scootaloo.

"What...what did you do?" asked Alex.

"We're having fun! Come on and join us!"

"Fun?...FUN?! YOU CALL THIS FUN?!" he shouted as he tossed his drawing onto the floor.

"Wh-why are you yelling?" she asked with a scared look on her face. "Wh-wh-what did I do?"

"What did I tell you?!" he shouted, "I told you not to make a mess right?! And what did you just do?!"

"B-b-but they-"

"Don't 'but they' me! Yes they were making a mess but that was an accident! You did it on purpose! You went ahead and began throwing things around everywhere!"

"I...I'm sorry." she said as she began stepping back.

"Why did you ignore me?! Huh?! Because of you I've lost the only thing I had left to remember my family by, do you realize what you've done?!!" He started to feel tears running down his face.

Scootaloo just looked back at him with a sorry expression across her face. She slowly began to walk toward him so she could apologize for what she did.

"Go away," he said, "Go away! I never want to see you ever again!"

Scootaloo stared at him as his words echoed through her head. She started to cry and began running up the stairs and out of the library as fast as she could. The room was quiet as Alex turned to stare back at the now ruined picture of his family. Twilight slowly made her way towards him. "Alex...I'm sorry. This is all my fault."

"I'm leaving." said Alex as he headed up the stairs.

"Leaving? W-where are you going?" asked Twilight.

"I DON'T KNOW BUT ANYWHERE'S BETTER THAN HERE RIGHT NOW!!!" he shouted as he slammed the door shut.

"Poor kid." said the cat.

"Can't we get the paint off the picture?" asked Spike.

"It's too late. The paper's already absorbed so much paint, I can't get rid of it." said Twilight. "This day has been nothing but horrible."

Alex strolled through Ponyville ignoring what other ponies were doing and saying. He just kept walking, not looking at any of the buildings he was passing along the way. He walked as though he was lost in a trance. He continued walking for what felt like hours. He looked at the sun and it appeared as though it was going to set in an hour or so. As he made his way through Ponyville he came across an orphanage, he noticed some of the children looked troubled.

"Have any of you fillies seen Scootaloo?" asked the pony in charge.

The children all shook their heads at the pony. Alex just kept on walking trying not to think too much about it. As he continued to make his way home he overheard a conversation between two mares. The first mare appeared to be Bon Bon and the other seemed to be Lyra.

"I saw her with my own two eyes Lyra, the little filly was crying as she ran by. Poor little thing." said Bon Bon.

Crying? Is she talking about...wh-what do I care?! She ruined my drawing! It was all I had left of my family! She can take care of herself! he thought. But...she's just a kid. I shouldn't have yelled at her like that. She was just playing. What have I done?

She ran right into the Everfree forest alone? Are you sure?" asked Lyra.

The Everfree forest?! But...those woods...they're dangerous! She wouldn't...she... Alex immediately rushed up to the two of them. "Tell me! Was the filly you saw orange with a purple mane?!" he yelled.

They stared at each other then back at Alex, "Yes, how did you know that?" replied Bon Bon.

Alex didn't have time to answer; he took as fast as he could. He didn't know why he was running after Scootaloo but something in his heart told him that he needed to find her no matter what. As he ran through town he was seen by a certain cyan Pegasus that couldn't help but wonder what Bon Bon had told him to get him so riled up. He finally exited Ponyville and picked up his speed, it was as if something was pulling him towards this little filly.

Why do I care so much? She's just a pony. She has nothing to do with me... "No! Not this time! I don't care if she's a pony and I'm a human! I don't care if I'm not from this world anymore! I don't care if she ruined my drawing! It doesn't matter anymore! Right now she matters to me and that's what's important!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

Scootaloo was deep in the Everfree forest lying against one of the trees crying, she didn't want to go back ever again. She felt horrible for ruining Alex's drawing but she couldn't apologize now that he hated her. She picked up one of her toys and looked at it for a couple of seconds before she began crying again. She wished she could take it all back, so she could be by his side again. After he had saved her from those bullies she got this feeling of warmth and safety from him as long as he was around. She rolled herself up with her toys and tried to rest there in the middle of the forest. Suddenly she heard growling coming from somewhere near her.

"H-h-hello?" she called out, "Is somepony there?" She began hearing the bushes shivering all around. Something was nearby, but she couldn't see anything. She then began to hear a low growling, followed by the sound of footsteps. Whatever it was kept moving at an incredible speed, she couldn't tell where the footsteps were coming from. At first they came from the left, then the right, her eyes darting everywhere trying to catch a glimpse of the creature.

Then, in front of the poor filly, stepped out a timber wolf. It's horrible gaze instilled fear in Scootaloo. She felt scared, helpless, wishing it was all a dream. The timber wolf stared at her, jaw open, drool dripping from its mouth. It was hungry, and before it lay its next meal. From a few feet away, Alex stared in shock at the creature.

T-t-t-t-that's a timber wolf. That's a real timber wolf! W-what do I do? WHAT DO I DO?! I CAN'T JUST CHARGE IN THERE! THAT THING WILL KILL ME! Maybe I should just go and forget this ever happened. No! I can't do that! She's just a little girl, and right now I'm the only one who can do anything!

Just then the timber wolf prepared to lunge at Scootaloo. Oh no! I have to act now! This is going to be the craziest and the most dangerous thing I've ever done!

The timber wolf charged forward at Scootaloo as she screamed at the top of her lungs. Just then she heard a voice come out from the forest, "Get away from her!"

She heard a crashing sound and then it got quiet. What happened? She thought. She opened her eyes to see Alex standing there in between her and the wolf. He came! He really came! She thought as she began to smile. It seemed like Alex had tackled the wolf to the ground.

"Oh my god. I actually did it!" He turned to see Scootaloo and ran up to her. "Quick!" he shouted as he lowered his neck, "Get on! We're out of here!"

"Yes sir!" she said as she climbed upon her savior.

The moment she was on, Alex took off like a bullet. He was running as fast as he could to protect the life of the small filly he carried on his back. Is this it Applejack? Is this how it feels to want to protect somepony important to you? He thought. As he made his way through the forest he heard the wolf cry out for help. He could hear more timber wolves running after them. He could see the exit to the forest and began running faster than ever before, at last they were out but the wolves hadn't given up yet. As he was running Scootaloo accidentally dropped one of her toys which ended up tripping Alex. He crashed to the ground which flung Scootaloo off of his body.

"Scootaloo!" he shouted as he got back up, "Are you okay?!"

She lifted her head to look up at him, "I'm fine....Alex look out behind you!!!"

A timber wolf had lunged out at Alex; he barely had enough time to respond. He lifted his hoof in an attempt to shield himself but he didn't make it in time. The timber wolf ended up taking a bite off of Alex's leg. Blood was spilling out of his leg at an alarming rate as the wolf kept digging its teeth into his skin. Alex let out a huge scream of pain as Scootaloo could only watch in horror while Alex was suffering. She started to blame herself for his pain, if she hadn't messed up then none of this would be happening right now.

Alex lifted his other hoof, "Get off of me you freak of nature!" and smashed through the wolf's neck severing its head from its body. Whoa, did I really just do that?

He managed to pry the head off of his leg but he could no longer walk with his wound. He looked back as he saw Scootaloo beginning to run toward him. He then looked forward to see three more timber wolves headed for them.

"No Scootaloo!" he screamed, "Get back...you have to...get to safety!"

"I won't!" she screamed back, "I'm not leaving without you!" She desperately tried to help Alex get back on his hooves but it was no use. Suddenly the lead wolf was about to attack.

"GET DOWN!!!" he shouted as he shielded Scootaloo with his body.

Just then a voice came from above. "Hold on!"

Right as the wolf had lunged toward them, it was tackled down by a quick blur that resembled a rainbow. He looked up to see that Rainbow Dash had dived in to save them. He then looked at the other two wolves that had stopped in its tracks. He looked behind him to see Twilight standing there, scaring them off with blasts of magic from her horn. You can do that with magic?! he thought. With Twilight and Rainbow there to back him up, the wolves decided to retreat back into the Everfree forest.

"Thanks girls." he said trying to hide the pain.

"Are you.....Alex your leg! It's bleeding!" shouted Twilight.

Alex's eye squinted due to the pain he was feeling from the bite left on his leg, "I..I think I'll be fine." he said as he lifted his body, "Are you...alright Scootaloo?" She had this scared look on her face having experienced all that, she burst into tears as she wrapped her hooves around Alex. "It's alright now, there's no need to be afraid anymore, they're go...n........e" was all he could say before he passed out.

Scootaloo screamed out loud and desperately tried to wake him up. Twilight looked at Rainbow and vice versa, they immediately picked him up and they all headed for the hospital as fast as they could. There they applied medicine to the wound and wrapped it up with bandages. He laid in the hospital bed with Twilight, Rainbow, and Scootaloo waiting for him to wake up. Rainbow noticed the little filly had these toys with her.

"Are those yours?" she asked.

She nodded as she placed the toys together on a nearby table, "These were with me the day I arrived at the orphanage. My parents left them for me. This one's me. This is my mom, and this...is...." she began to feel her eyes heat up again.

"Your father?" asked Rainbow.

When she said the word 'father' Scootaloo just stared at Alex lying there unconscious in bed. Rainbow and Twilight then began to understand why Alex was so important to her. Twilight walked up to Scootaloo, letting her know that everything was going to be alright. Scootaloo walked up to Alex and placed the toy that represented her father into his saddle bag. It was at this moment that Alex had begun to open his eyes. "Aaaaaaaahhh!!! What?! What happened?!"

"You're fine! Everything's okay. How do you feel?" asked Twilight.

"Where am I? Where's Scootaloo?" he asked.

She didn't respond with words, instead she leaped up onto the bed and started to hug him with all her strength. Alex did the same thing as he held onto this little filly that caused him to have quite the eventful day.

"Let me get out of this bed, I can walk." he said as he tried to hide his pain.

"Are you sure about that? The doctor says you should rest that leg for a couple of days." said Twilight.

"I'll let it rest back home, right now I have to take Scootaloo back home to the orphanage." he said.

Scootaloo opened her eyes in shock as she looked up at him. "When did you find out?"

"What? That you're from the orphanage? I overheard the pony in charge ask all the fillies if they had seen you so I figured that you must have been from there." he answered.

Alex climbed out of bed and they made their way out of the hospital where they parted ways. As soon as they left he lowered his neck and hinted Scootaloo to climb on. She climbed on him again and they began making their way to the orphanage. It was a quiet walk back as the moon was out and everypony was asleep in their homes. Scootaloo thought that if she was going to apologize then she might as well as do it now.

"I'm sorry." she said.

"What for?" he asked.

"I'm sorry I ruined your family drawing even though it meant a lot to you. It was an accident, I didn't mean to do it on purpose!" she said.

"It's okay Scootaloo; I'm not upset about that anymore. However, I did tell you not to go into the Everfree forest didn't I?" he said as he turned his head to face her, "Yet you chose to ignore me once again." Suddenly he stopped walking and Scootaloo got off of his back and looked down to the ground.

"Are you mad at me?" she asked ready to cry again.

"I'm not mad." he said as he pulled her in close. "You really scared me you know. You could have been killed if I hadn't gotten there in time. I'm...I'm glad you didn't get hurt." He quickly turned his head away as his body began to quiver.

"Alex? Are you crying?" she asked.

"No, of course not. It's just really cold out here, and it's bothering my eyes."

Scootaloo began to nestle in his arms until they decided to continue their way to the orphanage. At last they had arrived, Alex knocked on the door as Scootaloo lowered her ears knowing that now she had to go back into this place that reminded her everyday of how her parents had left her here alone. The door soon opened and Alex came face to face with the mare in charge. She was a pony Alex was unfamiliar with which surprised him. Her name was Sunny Day, her fur was peach with a red mane and green eyes.

"Scootaloo!" she shouted, "Where have you been? We were all so worried about you!"

Scootaloo just dropped her head and started heading inside. Once Alex saw that she was inside he started to walk away until he felt something poke at him from inside his bag. He decided to look inside his saddle bag to see what had been poking him. Several minutes later Scootaloo had made her way to where all the fillies slept and walked over to her bed. She placed her two toys on her bed and began climbing into it when the door to the room opened.

Sunny Day stepped in and walked up to Scootaloo with a smile across her face. "Scootaloo," she began, "There's someone here who would like to adopt you."

Scootaloo almost couldn't believe what she was hearing, was this really happening? Emily walked over by the door and signaled for the pony to walk in. Scootaloo's heart began to drop as several thoughts flew through her mind, What if they live far away? What if I have to leave Ponyville? I don't want to leave Ponyville! She closed her eyes as the pony walked into the room preparing for the worst. Then she heard a familiar voice speak to her.

"What's wrong?" the voice said, "I thought you'd be happy to see me."

She opened her eyes and looked up in disbelief, "Alex?" she said, "Really?"

He moved in closer, "Really." he said as he took out the toy that Scootaloo left in his saddlebag, he flipped it over and it had the word 'father' written on it “Look, I'm not the best with words. But...I've thought about everything that's happened today. And, I've kind of enjoyed your company. So, I figured maybe you'd want to come...live with me and everypony else at the library?"

She stood frozen there in disbelief at his words, and then she began to put on the biggest smile he had ever seen. "Yes!" she screamed at the top of her lungs waking all the other fillies in the room. She didn't care though she was busy jumping for joy around Alex, he had to stop her in mid jump using his magic so he could calm her down before she woke the whole town. Alex and Sunny Day went up to her office so he could fill out the necessary paperwork and once he was finished he showed Scootaloo the adoption papers and placed them in his bag. Scootaloo said her goodbyes to the orphanage and followed right by Alex's side.

"Look." Alex began, "Although I did just adopt you, I'd like to get something straight."

"Okay."

"Now I don't think I'm...okay with being labeled as your 'father'. So I think for now maybe we could just have like a brother and sister kind of relationship? Is that okay with you?"

"I guess so." said Scootaloo.

"Good."

As they continued walking down the streets of Ponyville, there was a figure standing in the moonlight. Alex couldn't make out who it was until they turned around. It was Applejack and Alex started to get a sinking feeling in his stomach and he started rubbing the spot where Applejack had punched him earlier. Once she saw him walking her way she began to approach him. Alex thought he was done for this time, but she stopped right in front of him and they just looked at each other in the dead silence of the night.

"Hey," Applejack started, "Listen...ah just...I wanted to apologize for hittin you earlier. But you have to understand why ah got so mad, ah'm just scared about what could happen to mah family and friends if this danger really is real."

Alex let out a deep sight. "It's okay, I forgive you for hitting me." he said, "And I can understand why you'd be worried, but can't you see that I'm scared too? I can't just...pretend to act like I'm okay with everything that's been done to me. I've been taken away from my home, I have literally lost everything because of you and the other ponies."

"But we did it with good intentions!"

"How can you say that? You didn't even think about how I'd feel after being brought here? You didn't think that maybe I'd have a life that I wouldn't want to leave behind?"

"Ah know, and ah'm sorry. Can you forgive me?"

"I...I don't know. At this point it all depends if I can find a way back home or not. I'm still mad at everypony for bringing me here, I won't try to hide that from you after what happened between us. But even so I can't just keep trying to move on in this world without help from other ponies, and right now you six are the only ones who can actually help me now. So even if I'm mad at you, I still need your help."

"So...what about being friends?"

"We...we're not friends Applejack. You can't just expect people to become friends so quickly. But that doesn't mean we can't work on becoming friends. Although it's going to take time."

"Ah understand, at least we've made some progress with each other, right?"

"Yeah, some is better than none." Alex felt Scootaloo tug slightly on his tail. "Oh, sorry. We were heading home weren't we?"

"Who's this?" she asked.

She slowly walked up, "Hello, my names Scootaloo."

Applejack just stared at this little filly then turned to Alex. "What's going on Alex? Why do you have this little filly following you around?"

"I adopted her from the orphanage after I got out of the hospital about an hour ago." Suddenly he felt a spark of pain from his bite wound and lifted his hoof off the ground to keep pressure off of it.

Applejack covered her mouth with her hoof, "Alex, are you okay? What happened?"

"We were attacked by a pack of timber wolves and one of them got me really bad." he said. "It was the worst feeling of my life."

Applejack stared cautiously at the wound. "Are you going to be okay?!"

"Yeah, the doctor says I just need to take it easy for a bit and it should heal. Still, I hope nothing like this ever happens to me again. Well, I hate to rush this but we should get home. It's late, and I really need to get to bed."

"Right! Ah'm sorry, ah got distracted there for a bit. Well, ah hope you and ah manage to get along better in the near future Alex. And take care of that leg!"

"Yeah, and thanks Applejack I will. I'll see you later." Applejack nodded her head and turned to walk back to her farm. As she walked away he took in a deep breath and let out another sigh. "Well...that went a lot better than expected." said Alex.

"Hey Alex, who was she?" asked Scootaloo.

"Uh...well...she's..." Alex looked off in the distance. "...I'm not really sure yet, but I think I'll find out soon."

~~~~~

Back in the library Twilight was waiting for Alex to get home. She began to worry because it was so late and he still had a wounded hoof. She began to fear the worst had happened to him. She wondered if she should go out and look for him, but before she could she began to hear the front door open.

"We're home!"

Twilight immediately rushed towards the door, "Welcome back...Scootaloo? What's she doing here? I thought you were taking her home?" she asked.

"She is home." he said. He took out the adoption papers and showed them to Twilight.

*Gasp!* "You adopted her from the orphanage?! Are you crazy, why didn't you consult with me first before you adopted her?!"

"Since when did I need your permission to adopt a child? Wait; is that some weird rule of Equestria? Do you have to get the permission of everypony you live with before you can adopt a child?"

"Well no, but, I wish you had talked about this with me sooner though."

"Hey Alex?" said Scootaloo.

"Yes Scootaloo, what is it?" asked Alex.

"Is she your wife?" asked Scootaloo as she pointed at Twilight.

Both of their faces immediately began to burn with embarrassment. "No Scootaloo, she's not. She...she's like Applejack. I just happen to be living in the same house with her."

"Oh, so is she your girlfriend then?" she asked.

"No Scootaloo, she's not my girlfriend either." said Alex. "I think it's getting a little late. Hey Spike, do you think you can show Scootaloo where the washroom is? I think it's about time we get ready for bed and we need to wash up." said Alex.

"Sure thing, this way please." he said as she began to follow the baby dragon.

Alex looked back at Twilight slightly embarrassed, "Haha...that was awkward. Sorry about that."

"T-that's okay, I'm sure it would look that way to anypony. I mean, who's ever seen two ponies living together that are not a couple?"

"Yeah that is weird. Um...I think I'm going to head downstairs. My hoof is starting to bother me."

After Scootaloo came back down they said their goodnights, and went down into the basement so they could go to sleep. "Hey cat? Are you down here?"

"Over...here."

"Over wh- oh....wow..." Alex stared at the cat. He had his fur all combed nice with bows all over his head. Twilight even put him in a little cat sized dress with shoes to match. "Uh..."

"You laugh, you die! And why is that kid here?!"

"Hi kitty cat! Did you miss me?" said Scootaloo.

"Nope. I do miss having you gone though."

"Well too bad! Because I live here now!"

"What?! Tell me she's joking!"

"I'm afraid not. I kind of adopted her from the orphanage." said Alex.

"We're going to have lots of fun kitty!" said Scootaloo as she hugged the cat.

"Noooooo! Release me! What kind of sick and twisted joke is this?!"

After some time had passed, Scootaloo finally decided to leave the cat alone. She noticed Alex staring at an empty picture frame on the wall and walked up next to him. "What goes in there?" she asked.

"I think Twilight brought it here so that I could put my family portrait there." he said.

As soon as he mentioned it Scootaloo had begun to frown remembering what she did to it until Alex lifted her chin up with his hoof, "It's okay, because I've got an even better portrait for the wall."

He reached into his bag and pulled out the painting that Scootaloo made for him. It was a painting of the two of them up on a hill playing together. Scootaloo didn't know he would actually keep it after what she did to his drawing. He then used his magic to lift the painting up and placed it inside the frame.

"There," he said, "Now I'll never forget what my 'new' family looks like." He turned to give Scootaloo a smile.

Scootaloo was so happy that her painting did cheer him up after all. Alex had the bed prepared for Scootaloo while she was washing up. He tucked her into bed and turned out the lights. After he shut off the light he walked over to a nearby couch that had been left there and laid down on it deciding that he would sleep here for now until he could buy another bed. A couple of hours passed by and Scootaloo woke up to a sound coming from inside the room. She looked over and saw that Alex was shivering; she got off the bed and grabbed the sheets. She hopped over to the couch and climbed right next to him placing the blanket over them both as she nestled into his hooves. She looked up at his face which now had a smile on it, "Goodnight Alex" she said. She closed her eyes and thought to herself. I hope someday...I can call you my dad.

Alex was awake at the time and as Scootaloo fell asleep he couldn't help but look at her. This is my home now, he thought, and I guess I have to get used to it now. I wish I could see them again, but now I have other things to worry about. Now that I have this kid with me, somehow things don't seem as bad as I thought. And tomorrow...I begin my training to use magic.

Chapter 3: Believing in Yourself

What? Where am I? He thought. Alex found himself in the dark, he didn't know where he was, nor could he see anything. He tried looking down at himself but he only saw darkness, he tried to touch his own face but felt nothing. He looked around hoping to see something he could use to familiarize himself with the area. Suddenly he saw a silhouette from a distance on the floor; it seemed to be backing away from something in fear.

"No!" said the object, "Please! Have mercy!"

"What's wrong?" said a second voice coming from another silhouette, "Aren't you having any fun? Hahahahahahahaha!"

"I'm sorry!" said the one on the floor, "Please no more! Don't do this Alex!"

Alex couldn't believe his ears; did he hear it say his name? Was he doing something terrible to somepony? He looked on as the silhouette of Alex approached the one on the floor. He didn't know what was happening, what was he going to do to this thing begging for mercy? Why was it acting as though its life was in danger? Alex knew he would never hurt anypony because he was against violence; he hated the very idea of fighting. He still couldn't make out either of the objects and continued to question what was happening.

"You shouldn't have lied to me, you brought this upon yourself. You deserve this!" said the shadow of Alex.

"I surrender! Did you hear me? I said I surrender!" the other one shouted.

"I heard you, but I don't care. You hurt me and my friends, and for that I'm going to..." Alex paused.

"What are you going to do?" it asked as the shadow of Alex climbed over pinning it to the ground.

"I'm going to kill you!!!" he shouted at the top of his lungs.

“Nooo!” Alex screamed at the top of his lungs which woke him up from his sleep. Was that a dream? He thought. It must have been a nightmare. He was covered in sweat and looked around; he was still in his room. It was the middle of the night; he looked over to find Scootaloo sleeping there. He then looked up to the ceiling and saw that something had scorched his roof. There was no fire, but it looks like it was blasted by something. He ran his hoof across his head to wipe the sweat off and felt that his horn was hot which meant only one thing. Did I use my magic in my sleep? He thought. But, it doesn't feel right. It feels wrong.

He went back to sleep in hopes that it was all just his imagination. It has been five days since Alex first arrived in Equestria and ever since he had that talk with Applejack he's been spending more time with her. Twilight was happy that he was opening up to her more but she always wondered whatever happened between the two. Twilight was in her study room when she suddenly heard crashes coming from below the floor. Once again it seemed that Alex was having some trouble with his magic practices.

"Come on Alex, just one more try!" said Scootaloo ad she was hopping on the bed.

Alex was trying to catch his breath, "Scootaloo, I've tried five times already. I think five is enough."

"Hey, you wanted me to teach you how to use your magic and now you're saying you want to stop?" said the cat.

"Yeah, and you're so close too! Just try one more time, please?" She looked at him with begging eyes.

*sigh* "Fine I'll try one more time but that's it. No more after this okay?" he said.

Scootaloo looked on with anticipation in her eyes. Alex had been practicing levitation magic for the past couple of days. He's been successful in levitating small items, and now the cat has been training him to lift heavier items starting with himself. Five times this morning he has been able to lift himself a few inches off the ground but each time he ended up throwing himself back down onto the floor. He was starting to feel a little dizzy and was worried that he might break a leg if he kept trying to force himself into the air any more than he already has today. He got himself into position and closed his eyes so he could focus. His horn began to light up and soon enough he enveloped his body in magic and began to levitate himself a couple of inches higher than before setting a new record for himself.

"You're doing it!" exclaimed Scootaloo.

"Keep focused! Don't lose that feeling!" said the cat.

"It's hard to keep focus when you're...oh no. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhh!"

*Crash!*

Instead of flinging himself down onto the floor, this time he had flung himself upward into the ceiling. He kept his eyes closed for a few moments to shield his eyes from any broken shards of wood. He then opened his eyes to find that he had actually crashed completely through the floor boards and into the room above him. He noticed he was in a shadow and looked up only to find out that he was about to die. It seems that he had crashed right underneath Twilight Sparkle and suddenly she looked down and noticed his head popping out of the floor getting a full view of her body. They stared back at each other for a moment while Alex believed his life could be over any minute as Twilight began to blush and let out a scream.

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh! What do you think you're doing?!" she screamed.

Scootaloo looked up to see his body flailing at every direction trying to free itself from the hole he made. Eventually he managed to pry his head out of the hole and ended up crashing on to the floor anyway. Scootaloo looked down at him and noticed several bruises across his face. She looked up and noticed Twilight was looking down at them.

"Sorry!" said Twilight, "You startled me and I hope I didn't hit you too hard! Are you alright down there?"

Alex lifted his head slowly to look up at her, "Ask me again once I've replaced my skull with one that isn't broken."

"Can you really do that Alex?" Scootaloo asked.

He struggled to lift his head to face her, "Sure, why not? Watch me." He knew he couldn't actually do that but it never hurt to spark Scootaloo’s imagination. So with that said he lit up his horn for a few seconds, not actually doing anything, then stopped and looked at her, "See? It's that easy!"

"Wow Alex, you're so cool! You can do anything huh?" she asked.

"Anything but levitate myself it seems." he said.

"You can, you just haven't tried hard enough yet!" she said with a happy look on her face.

"I'd hate to agree with her, but she's right. You're making progress with your magic practices. Though I think it would go a lot better if you didn't have a broken face!" the cat shouted up to Twilight.

"Quiet you! I'm sorry Alex! I'll come down right now and fix you up." Twilight said as she disappeared.

She came down with a medical kit and began cleaning his bruises. Scootaloo helped by handing her whatever tools she might need. Alex flinched here and there due to slight sparks of pain coming from his bruises. He still had his bandages from when he got bit by the timber wolf but it didn't hurt him as much as it used to. Twilight placed bandages on his face and used her magic to take away some of the pain but he was still upset with her.

"Scootaloo." he started.

"Yeah?" she said.

"The next time I tell you that I've already tried enough times, please listen to me and leave it at that." he said as he looked at himself in the mirror.

"How did you end up crashing through the floor anyway?" asked Twilight.

"Well you see," the cat began explaining, "Alex here has asked me to teach him about magic. So we've been practicing on levitation magic first. We began with lifting small things at first, but now I'm having him use his magic to levitate his body."

"You mean like flying?" she asked.

"Kind of." said Alex. "But I'm having some problems and I just can't seem to get it right, no matter how hard I try."

"Isn't that a little too difficult for you? You're just a beginner after all."

"We're not trying to get him to fly, we're just trying to get him off the ground by an inch." said the cat.

"What for?" she asked.

"It helps his mind. It forces him to focus harder because now he is the target of his own spell." said the cat.

"By the way, what time is it?" asked Alex.

"What time is it? It's about six thirty. Oh yeah, you start your new job today!" said Twilight.

"That's right! I wish I didn't have to show up on my first day looking like this though." he mumbled.

"Did you say something?" she asked.

"Nope, nothing at all." he said.

Alex decided that he didn't want to bother Twilight with his money issues and decided to look for a job. He managed to get a job helping Applejack buck the apples at Sweet Apple Acres. She was the only other pony, besides Twilight, that he felt comfortable to talk to. He headed upstairs with Twilight and Scootaloo right behind him. He began to open the door to find Applejack standing there about to knock on the door.

"Applejack?" he said.

"Alex? What happened to your face?" she asked.

"N-nothing, so why are you here? I was about to head over to the ranch and meet you there." he said.

"Well you see ah kind of need a little extra help bucking the apples so ah was wondering if Twilight wouldn't mind lending us a helping hoof just for today?" she asked.

"Of course Applejack," she said, “Do you mind if Spike tags along?"

"Ah don't mind one bit, you can bring Scootaloo too Alex. Ah'm sure she doesn't want to have to stay home alone through the entire morning do ya?" she winked.

"Not a chance! Can I come with you Alex? Please?" she asked with pleading eyes.

He looked down at her, "Nice try Scootaloo, but you start school today remember?"

She lowered her head, "I was hoping you had forgotten about that."

"Sorry, not a chance." he said.

"What about me? Aren't you going to invite me?" asked the cat.

"No way. Ah don't want you anywhere near my home!" said Applejack.

"Oh come on. Like you really want to come?" asked Alex.

"Hah! Not a chance!" the cat replied.

"Then why did you even ask?" asked Applejack.

"I just like the attention."

"Grrrr! Come on! Let's get out of here!" said Applejack.

"Goodbye! See you later!" said the cat. "I have to whole house to myself. I can do whatever I want! MuahahahahahahahahaHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I think I'll take a nap."

They left the library and dropped off Scootaloo at school and Alex let her know that he'd be picking her up once school was over. With that they all left for Sweet Apple Acres. Once they reached the barn, Applejack gave Alex and Twilight some baskets so they could carry the Apples once they bucked them off of the trees. Since Alex didn't have any experience at apple bucking Applejack took it upon herself to show him how. Spike watched them as they bucked apples throughout the morning. After they had gotten the apples from the last tree they started making their final trip back to the barn. Spike was on Twilight's back digging through her baskets looking for a good apple.

"Thank ya kindly for helping us out Twilight." said Applejack. "Ah bet big Macintosh that ah'd have these golden delicious in the barn before lunch time, and if ah do then he's going to have to walk down Stirrup Street in one of Granny Smith’s girdles!"

"No problem at all Applejack, it's my pleasure to help." said Twilight, "I'm just glad the goal is lunchtime, I'm starting to feel hungry."

"Really?" asked Alex, "I'm not feeling that hungry at all."

"Aha!" said Spike as he held out the most perfect apple they had ever seen.

"Wow spike!" said Twilight, "That looks delicious!"

*Chomp!*

"Spike!" she yelled.

"What?" he asked.

Suddenly Spike began to look like he was about to throw up right then and there. He opened his mouth to let out a small green flame that was followed by a letter written by the princess. He grabbed the letter and began to read it aloud to all three ponies. Alex was the only one who didn't have a good feeling about this.

"Hear ye, hear ye!" he began, "Her grand royal highness Princess Celestia of Equestria is pleased to announce the Grand Galloping Gala to be held in the magnificent capital city of Canterlot on the twenty first day of blah blah blah, not important....cordially extends an invitation to Twilight Sparkle plus one guest. We would also like to announce that at this year’s Gala we will be having a very special guest attending, Prince Alexis Beltran."

"What?!" Alex walked up and took the letter with his magic. "Prince?! Since when did I become a prince?!" he asked.

"The Gospel told you the day you came, remember?" asked Twilight.

"No! I don't remember that!" said Alex.

"You probably forgot because you passed out." said Applejack.

Then just as soon as she had finished, Spike let out another green flame accompanied by three tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala. Two went to Twilight and the other one went to Alex though he didn't seem very excited to receive it. As soon as he saw his ticket he noticed that it said, 'guest of honor' imprinted on the ticket. The girls didn't know why but this made him feel even worse on the inside.

"What?" he said, "I hate going to fancy parties. I'm no good at them. Actually, I'm no good at any kind of party."

"Well I still have my extra ticket to give away." said Twilight. "This is so exciting, I've never been to the Gala before have you Spike?"

"No way, and I plan on keeping it that way. I don't want any of that girly froo froo stuff." he said.

"Ah can't believe you got a ticket to go to the Grand Galloping Gala!" said Applejack, "Ah'd love to go. Why ah could open up a shop up there in Canterlot and fix up Sweet Apple Acres with all of the profits ah'd make."

Twilight began to walk up to Applejack, "In that case do you want to go to the Gala with us?"

"Whoa!" screamed Rainbow as she crashed onto Applejack and Twilight.

After the dust cleared Alex moved in to help them all up. "Are we talking about THE Grand Galloping Gala?" asked Rainbow.

Applejack gave her a suspicious stare, "Rainbow Dash, you told me you were too busy to help me harvest the apples. What were you busy doing? Spying?"

"No," she said honestly, "I was busy napping." She pointed up to one of the trees.

Alex walked up to her, "Huh, I've always wondered how it would be to sleep on a tree branch."

"Oh it can be very comfortable." She moved in closer to whisper in his ear, "Especially if you're with a friend, want to try?"

"I-I-I-I-I-I-I-" he stuttered while backing away.

"Leave him alone Rainbow Dash." said Applejack. "It looks like the poor guy can't talk to you yet."

"Oh come on, you can talk to me buddy." said Rainbow Dash as she walked up to him.

"W-w-w-weren't you t-t-t-talking about the g-g-g-gala?" he asked.

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot! We'll talk later!" she said as she ran towards Twilight.

Alex let out a sigh of relief and went ahead without Twilight or Applejack because he didn't want to get involved with Rainbow Dash any further. Not that he didn't like her but he never really spoke to her before so it felt like he was meeting someone new, which he always had a hard time doing. Finally he made it to the barn and he unloaded his baskets. He didn't see Applejack on his way out which he found strange. He went over to pick up Scootaloo since school should have been over by now. He saw her waiting for him outside the door with a very bored look on her face.

"So how was your first day?" he asked.

"School is so boring!" she shouted.

"Oh come on, at least you're done with school for today huh? Come on, let's go into town and get something to eat. What do you say?" he asked.

Scootaloo gave him a little smile, "Okay."

When nopony was looking she gave Alex a little nudge on his leg and he looked down to see a face that he would forever recognize. Whenever Scootaloo gave him this particular face it meant that she wanted to ride on his back. So Alex lowered his head and let Scootaloo climb on and they left the school. As they were leaving he couldn't help but notice a familiar looking Pegasus with her daughter taking off to the skies. He could have sworn that he knew her from somewhere but he just couldn't place a name.

"Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yup!" she cheered.

They made their way into town as Alex told her about the ticket he got to the Gala. Scootaloo began to ask him a million questions when she heard that he was supposedly a descendant of royalty which made him a prince. One question he knew she was going to ask him was that if he was a prince, does that make her a princess? Before he could answer he noticed a crowd of ponies looking in between two buildings with upset looks on their faces. Alex moved in to get a closer look when he saw a little mare stuck in between the two buildings and he rushed over to see what had happened.

"What's going on here?" he asked a random pony.

The pony turned around revealing to be Lucky Clover, "I'm not sure, I heard that this little filly fell from the sky and got stuck in there and she can't get out."

"Have they tried to get her out of there?" asked Alex.

"They want to bring down the walls around her so they can get her out but the owners of these shops aren't too happy about that idea so right now it's not looking too good." he said.

"That's crazy!" he shouted. Alex raised his voice, "Everypony get back! Let me through!" he shouted.

They all did as he said and he made his way closer to the little filly. "Hello there, what's your name?" he asked.

The little mare sniffed as she looked at him with tears in her eyes, "I'm...I'm Dinky."

"Why hello Dinky, my name is Alex. Don't be scared Dinky, I've heard that some very nice ponies are doing their best to get you out of there." said.

Dinky began to panic, "Nopony can get me out! I'm going to be stuck in here forever! I want my mommy!"

"Dinky you need to calm down okay? Panicking out isn't going to help." he said.

What am I going to do? Somepony needs to help her now. These stupid shop owners, can't they see that she's more important than their stupid walls? Dinky was too scared and kept screaming for her mother’s help. Alex didn't know what to do but he didn't want to abandon this little filly in need of help. "Dinky!" he shouted, "Listen to me! You're going to be fine! I'm going to get you out of there right now! But I can't do that if you don't calm down, okay? Do you understand me?"

Dinky seemed to calm down a bit, "Y-yes." she said.

"Okay," he started, "Now I want you to close your eyes."

She did as instructed and closed her eyes but she still feared for the worst.

"Alright I need everypony to be absolutely quiet, do you all understand?" he shouted.

All ponies nodded in unison waiting to see his plan in action. Alex had Scootaloo climb down from his back because he needed absolute focus and having her back there might cause a problem. He began to close his eyes, Okay Alex; you can't afford to screw up this time! You've been practicing for days now! It's just like lifting that quill, except this time you're lifting another living pony. You're not lifting an adult size pony though, you're lifting a child so this should be slightly easier. He lit up his horn and began to focus his magic, Dinky soon became enveloped in his magic and she began to rise a bit but she kept her eyes closed. Tch! This is getting really hard! I don't know if I can keep this up much longer! I can feel my magic...draining fast! He eventually managed to lift her out from between the two buildings and placed her gently onto his back. He then opened his eyes to find out that he had successfully performed his levitation spell without sending her flying away.

"Dinky, you can open your eyes now." he said. His body felt weak from using too much of his magic.

Dinky opened her eyes to see that she was out from her small prison and on the back of her savior. She couldn't help but cry tears of joy while the ponies that surrounded them began cheering his name while calling him a hero. Nopony knew you could use magic to lift another pony from off the ground. Alex began to blush at the applause he was getting from everypony and looked down to see Scootaloo giving him a very big smile.

"You did it! You did it! You did it!" she cheered while hopping around him.

"Hey Dinky, would you mind telling me how you got in there in the first place?" he asked.

Dinky looked at him, "My mommy was picking me up from school and we were flying home when a strange wind sent us flying away from each other, when I opened my eyes I found myself stuck inside there and began calling for help."

"A strange wind sent you flying? What do you mean?" he asked.

"It looked kind of like a rainbow flew right by us." she said.

Rainbow Dash! He thought. "Hold on, Dinky......you're Dinky Hooves aren't you?!" he asked.

"Yes that's right." she answered.

"So your mother must be Derpy Hooves!" he shouted, "Tell you what Dinky, how about I help you find your mother?"

"Really?" she asked.

"Absolutely!" he said. Finding Derpy Hooves? This will be a walk in the park!

After getting through the large crowd of ponies that wanted to congratulate him for saving Dinky, they began their search for Derpy. The first place they searched was SugarCube Corner since that was where they sold muffins; unfortunately they didn't find any clues about Derpy. Pinkie Pie happened to be in and decided to say hello to Alex by dropping down from the roof like a ninja.

"Hey Alex!!!" she shouted.

"Gaaaaaaaaahhhh!!! D-d-d-d-"

"Aw! You're still too scared to talk to me huh? Just do what I do!" she said as she walked forward and closed his eyes.

"How is this supposed to help me? Hey...I'm talking! I'm not stuttering!" said Alex. "How did you know this would work?!"

"I didn't!" she said cheerfully. "What are you doing here? I haven't seen you since that day you were brought to Equestria and oh my goodness I still have to throw you that welcome party don't I?" she said.

Alex took in a deep breath trying to relax, "We're looking for Derpy Hooves. If you happen to see her could you let us know?"

"No problem! I'll help you look around town!" she said as she ran out the door at light speed.

"Pinkie? Are you there?" he asked.

"She ran out the door." said Scootaloo.

"She did?" asked Alex as he opened his eyes.

Alex opened his eyes to see that Pinkie had run into Twilight sending them both crashing onto the ground. Alex could only think. Huh, it never did explain why she burst through the door during that episode. Could I have...no. That's not possible. They decided to take the back door out and continued the search. Almost three hours had passed and they decided to take a quick break with some ice cream. Then suddenly it started to rain and Alex knew. Twilight must be trying to eat right now. He looked down at Dinky who had a sad look on her face.

"What's wrong Dinky?" he asked.

"Are we ever going to find my mommy?" she asked as she turned to look up at him.

"Of course we will." he said. I hate to admit it, but I thought we would have found her by now. Where could she be?

"But we've been looking all day and we still haven't found out anything about what happened to her." she said as she began tearing up.

"Dinky, we will find your mother. I promise." he said.

"Yeah!" shouted Scootaloo, "Alex can do anything! So if he says he'll find your mom then he will find your mom! He's a hero, remember?"

Dinky looked at them both. "Okay then." She began to smile once again.

With that all said and done Alex lowered his head to let Dinky ride on his back again. Scootaloo started getting a little jealous of Dinky for getting to ride on Alex's back so much. She nudged him gently and he looked down at her, he took a quick glance at Dinky then back to Scootaloo.

"Wait a little longer Scootaloo, alright? I need Dinky to help us spot her mother and it'll be much easier for her if she has a better view." he said.

Scootaloo couldn't help but frown at his words, sure they had to find her mother but couldn't they just take turns on his back? As they began their search again Alex decided it was time to start asking random ponies on the streets to see if they had seen Derpy at all. Alex wasn't too comfortable with his idea but he knew if he was going to help this filly then he had to get over his anxiety of socializing with others. They didn't find out anything that they didn't already know so it wasn't looking too good. Then all of a sudden, it seemed like Lucky Clover showed up looking for Alex.

"Hey! You're the one who saved that filly that was stuck! I heard you've been looking for Derpy?" he asked.

"Yes!" he said, "H-h-have you seen her?"

"Not exactly, but I heard that her wing got injured earlier so they're trying to fix it at the hospital." he said.

"The hospital?" said Dinky, "Is my mommy going to be okay Alex?"

"Don't you worry Dinky, I'm sure she'll be fine." he assured her. "Thanks a lot Lucky Clover, come on Scootaloo!" he shouted.

With the news of Derpy's location they rushed to the hospital at high speeds. While they were running, Dinky looked down at this stallion she just met today and how he took it upon himself to help her so much. She knew that as long as he was there then everything would be alright. Finally they arrived at the hospital and Alex went up to the window to speak with nurse Redheart.

"Excuse me; we're looking for a Miss Derpy Hooves. Do you know what room she's in?" he asked.

"Are you a family member?" she asked.

"Uh...no."

"I'm sorry." she said, "I'm afraid I can't reveal that kind of information to a total stranger."

Oh you've got to be kidding me! We're so close! "Do you know who I am?" he asked.

"You are Alexis Beltran. You were brought in a couple days ago with a bite on your hoof. Is that correct?" she asked.

"Yes, and I need to see Derpy right away!" he said.

"I'm sorry sir but you have no relation to this patient so I can't just give you the information you're asking for." she finished.

"Look, I've brought her daughter here and we've been searching for Derpy all day! Can't you please just tell me where she is?" he asked.

"I'm sorry sir. But at the moment we have no way of verifying that the child is in fact Derpy's."

"Aw come on!" he shouted. Think! There has to be something! I just need...I just need to calm down and think. How can I get her to understand? He stood there thinking for a few moments and then looked at his saddle bag. Wait...don't I still have... He began searching through his bag to find the scroll from Celestia that had arrived from earlier. "Yes! Excuse me! Can you please look at this?" Alex showed her the letter and let her read it.

"Let's see...gala...tickets...special guest..." Her eyes widened and she stared at Alex and back at the letter. "I'm so sorry your majesty! Please, follow me." she said as she returned the letter.

"Yes! Come on you two. We've found her." he said with a smile. Thank you Princess Celestia!

The nurse led them down a couple of hallways and they saw many different ponies with different injuries but none seemed too bad. Alex noticed that compared to his bite from that day, these ponies had it easy. Finally they had arrived at Derpy's room and the nurse stopped before opening the door, she signaled Alex that she wanted to speak with him privately. Without their knowing both Scootaloo and Dinky walked in before them.

"Uh...is...everything alright nurse?" asked Alex.

"I'm afraid not, you see...Derpy was in a bit of an accident."

"Yeah I know, she was knocked out of the air by a very harsh wind."

"Then you know that she won't wake up?" she said.

Alex's eyes immediately opened wide. "She won't wake up? What do you mean?" he asked.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you knew. You see...after she had crashed from whatever sent her flying, she suffered major head trauma and has fallen into a coma. We don't know if she will ever wake up from her sleep." she finished.

"Oh no. Can nothing be done for her?" he asked.

"We've done all we can but, it doesn't look too good for her." she while turning away.

"But that...that is...oh no. Where did the children go?" he asked. They noticed the door had been opened and assumed they already went inside.

"Mommy?" Dinky was standing over her mother, "Mommy wake up. Open your eyes."

Alex just watched as Dinky desperately tried to wake Derpy from her slumber. Scootaloo watched them as they entered the room. Dinky noticed them entering as well and turned to the nurse.

"Why won't she open her eyes miss? How come she can't hear me?" she asked.

The nurse closed her eyes and turned away, "I'm sorry."

Alex walked up to her, "Dinky, your mother is...asleep, or rather she's in a deep sleep, and she can't really hear any of us. I'm sorry, but the doctors say that she might never wake up. She might be stuck like this, forever."

Dinky stared at Alex in disbelief and ran towards her mother. Alex felt that he had failed this small filly, he promised her that he would bring them together but not like this. He began to turn around and was about to head out. He lowered his head and had Scootaloo climb onto his back and he began walking. Derpy...how could something like this happen in Equestria? I thought this place was supposed to be peaceful, and happy.

"Please." he heard from behind him.

"Please!" Dinky shouted, "You saved me, can't you save my mommy too?" she asked.

"I...I don't know." he said. "I...I've never..."

"They all called you a hero, you're a hero right?! Hero's are supposed to save ponies!" she screamed. "Please, I just want my mommy to wake up!" They began to notice that Dinky had started crying.

Alex could only stare at this filly who begged him to save her mother. He looked down at himself, Can I do this? He asked himself. He didn't know what to think, he was so confused on what to believe now. What...what can I do?! I've never dealt with something like this before! I'm not a doctor! But...I can't just leave her like this! Not after coming this far! But...what if I mess up? Can I really go through with this? He walked up to the bed not knowing what to expect, Dinky noticed him getting closer. Alex turned to face Derpy and looked down at Dinky who stared at him with tears running down her face.

Alex took a deep breath. "Okay then. I'll try my best." he said.

He closed his eyes and began focusing his magic; he didn't know what he was doing or what he was supposed to do for that matter. He just wanted to make Dinky smile again, that was his mission. As his horn lit up he began moving closer to Derpy and pressed his horn lightly onto her head. Come on! Please work! Wake up Derpy! Your daughter is crying for you! She needs you! Just wake up! Wake up! A bright light emitted from his horn that blinded everypony in the room. Eventually the light began to dim down and they could all see once again. Derpy began to move a little and then her eyes started to open very slowly.

"Mommy?" said Dinky.

Derpy widened her eyes, "Dinky! You're okay!" she said while holding her daughter in her hooves.

I...I did it? I did it! I can't believe I did it! Alex just stared at this happy family sharing their beautiful moment and headed out the door. He didn't feel like bothering them and wanted to let them be happy. Nurse Redheart thanked him for what he did and called the doctors to inform them of the good news. Alex left the Hospital and made his way back to the library. The moon was out and it looked beautiful that night, he couldn't help but feel proud of himself for what he did. Scootaloo was just happy to have her spot on Alex's back all to herself once again. They entered the library to find Twilight and everypony else standing there holding tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala.

"Oh, I see you solved your ticket problem!" he began.

"That's right!" said Twilight, "And here is Scootaloo's ticket!" The extra ticket flew over to Scootaloo and just like Alex; she wasn't too excited about it.

"What? How did Celestia know to send one to Scootaloo?" asked Alex.

"Well, actually she didn't know. See she sent me five extra tickets for everypony here, and then I remembered that we still needed one for Scootaloo so I asked for another one!" she said with a smile. "Isn't this great?"

"I have to go too?" asked Scootaloo.

"I thought you would be overjoyed to get a ticket to the Gala." said Twilight.

Then Alex and Scootaloo both spoke at the same time, "We hate going to fancy parties!"

They all began to laugh when they heard a knock on the door; Alex went and opened it to find Derpy standing there. "Hello, you must be the pony who woke me up." she started, "I just want to thank you so much for what you did for me and my daughter."

Dinky came out from behind Derpy and ran up to Alex, "Thank you so much Alex! You're my hero!" she said with a great big smile on her face.

"Oh, uh, you're welcome Dinky. I'm just glad I was able to help." he said as he lowered his head.

Before he knew it, Dinky had taken this opportunity to quickly climb up onto Alex's back and took Scootaloo's spot once again.

"Mommy, I want him to be my daddy!" she said with a smile.

"Wait, what did you just say?!" asked Alex.

"No way!" shouted Scootaloo. Then they began to fight on Alex's back which made him flinch like crazy with all their kicking.

Alex tried to get them under control but they wouldn't keep still. They felt like spiders crawling all over his body. Eventually he got so tired that he ended up tripping and they all fell to the floor. Everypony else including them all started laughing at what had just happened.
"Oh man," Alex began, "Why do children always seem to like me so much?"

As everypony in the room was laughing, Alex noticed somepony out of the corner of his eye. It looked like they were watching him from across the street. He couldn't see who it was so he slowly made his way to the door without anypony noticing. He opened the door and made sure he couldn't be seen, then when he had the chance he began running toward this strange pony who was spying on them.

"Hey you!" he shouted.

The pony took off immediately but ended up dropping something on the ground. Alex walked over but couldn't see which direction they had run in, but he did notice the item they dropped. He used his magic to lift it up then walked over into the light so he could get a better look at it. Once he saw what it was he started to get an uncomfortable feeling growing in his stomach.

"What? This...this can't be. What is going on?" he asked.

He didn't know how or why, but he knew this couldn't be good. Alex just stood there in the light thinking about what had just happened. Things were only just getting started in this little town called Ponyville.

Author's Notes:

Aaahhh, another chapter done! I'm so glad that these are finally coming out! Well next up is chapter 4, I'm sure that one won't take too long to release. Looks like things are getting interesting for Alex there, who is the mysterious pony? And no spoilers for those who already know because you already read the originals! Well like before, I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter. And remember, feedback is greatly appreciated!

Chapter 4: Being There

The morning sun rose over Sweet Apple Acres bathing the trees in a beautiful golden blanket. Applejack stood on a hill getting a very nice view of all the apple trees that were ready to be bucked. Big Macintosh walked up by her side with bandages wrapped around him, he hurt himself while plowing the fields a few days back and could not buck the apples off the trees for a few weeks. Applejack watched as the sun rose above the hills signaling the start of a brand new day.

"Boy howdy, ah got my work cut out for me. That there is the biggest bumper crop of apples ah ever laid eyes on." said Applejack.

"Eeyup, too big to handle on your own." responded Big Mac.

"Come on big brother, you need to rest up and get yourself better. Ah haven't met an apple orchard yet that ah can't handle." She said as she poked at his injury with her hoof. "Ooops. Sorry."

She went back to facing the trees, "Ah'll take a bite out of this job by day's end."

Big Mac closed his eyes, "Biting off more than you can chew is just what I'm afraid of."

Applejack glared at him, "Are you saying mah lips are making promises mah legs can't keep?"

"Eeyup." He responded.

Applejack started to get mad, "Why ah never...pft...this is your sister Applejack remember? The loyalist of friends and the most dependable of ponies?"

"That's still only one pony, and one pony plus hundreds of apple trees just doesn't add up." he said.

"Don't you use your fancy mathematics to mutter the issue. Ah have Alex to help me out with the apples anyway." she snapped back.

"Good, you're going to need all the help you can get." he replied.

"Oh yeah?" she started, "Well ah'll prove it to you. Ah'm going to get every last apple out of those trees this Applebuck Season all by mahself!"

Meanwhile

Alex opened a nearby safe in his room and took out the item he had found the other day when he chased that pony that was spying on him. He just stared at it wondering why 'he' would be spying on him. He didn't tell anypony else about the mystery pony that was there the other night. He decided to keep it a secret until the time was right. He placed the item in his saddle bag for safe keeping and left the library while watching his surroundings. Scootaloo was in town with Twilight and Spike to do some shopping.

He entered Sweet Apple Acres at his usual time and headed for the barn, but not before stopping by to say hello to Granny Smith, Apple Bloom, and Big Mac. After that he arrived at the barn and set his things down, he took the item with him just in case a certain pony tried to take it back. He noticed that somepony already set up baskets under every apple tree so he decided to go find Applejack. After about ten minutes he saw her walking down a dirt path and ran up to her.

"Hey Applejack, what's up with all the baskets today?" he asked.

"It's Applebuck Season once again Alex. That means we buck the apples off of every tree in Ponyville so they can grow even more apples by next year." She explained. "Also you have the day off today, tomorrow, and for the next week or two." She added.

His eyes grew wide, "Wait, what? Why?"

"Big Mac thinks ah can't buck all the apples off by mahself, so ah decided to prove him wrong!" she said with a smirk.

"That's a lot of apples though Applejack, maybe we should each take half." said Alex.

She quickly turned to look at him, "You think ah can't handle all these apples by mahself do ya?"

"I didn't say that." he quickly defended.

"Then just what are you saying?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm saying that maybe it wouldn't hurt if you let me help you, it's not good to overwork yourself Applejack." he said.

"Overwork mahself? Ah've been working at Sweet Apple Acres all mah life and ah never needed help before! Not now, not ever!" she said with her chin up. They suddenly both began to feel the ground shake beneath their hooves.

Alex turned his head back and forth, "What's going on?" he asked.

"Alex, ah think ah'm actually going to need your help right now." she said.

Back in Ponyville

Twilight Sparkle, Spike, and Scootaloo were finished with their shopping and decided to spend some time with the girls. As they all made their way to the library they began to feel the ground shake. Ponies everywhere were looking around wondering what could be causing the ground to shake. Rainbow Dash quickly took to the skies and looked around Ponyville checking to make sure everypony was okay. She looked toward the outskirts of town and saw a herd of cows heading straight for them.

"Stampede, everypony get inside!" Rainbow Shouted.

Everypony in town began to panic for their lives as they ran for their homes. Ponies left and right were locking their doors and windows doing everything they could to keep themselves safe. Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Spike, and Scootaloo just looked on as the stampede came closer. Then they saw three smaller objects running toward the front of the herd. Twilight looked carefully and spoke up as she could see Applejack, Alex, and Winona attempting to handle the situation.

"Alex, you make sure the ones on the other side don't try to break away from the herd!" shouted Applejack.

"Alright, you got it!" he said as he carefully made his way to the other side.

"Alright then Winona, let's get these cows under control!" she said as she ran in front of the herd.

As soon as Applejack reached the front of the stampede she wrapped her lasso around the neck of the cow in the lead. She then pulled with all her strength trying to force them to change direction so they wouldn't charge through Ponyville. She only had seconds left until they would cross the bridge into town and it didn't look like she was going to make it in time. When he made sure nopony could see him Alex quickly took out the item that he kept with him and decided to activate it. When he did the tip of the item began to glow green and it made a high pitched sound that caused the cows to get scared and run away from it. Once they made sure the cows wouldn't run into town Applejack quickly brought them to a halt. The ponies in town began cheering their names for having saved the town.

"Now what was that all about?" asked Applejack.

One of the cows replied, "Oh my, begging your pardon Applejack but Mooriella here saw one of those nasty snakes." All the cows stuttered at the mention of the snake, "And it gave us all the willies don't ya know?"

"Ah completely understand, but maybe you shouldn't tell everypony else that their homes were almost destroyed because of a snake." said Applejack.

"Thank you so much Applejack, and please give our thanks to that friend of yours. He seems like a nice pony." said the cow as they left.

Once they had left, Applejack walked toward the hill to make sure everypony was safe and they all began cheering her name. She looked around but couldn't see Alex anywhere; she decided to go look for him by the apple orchard. It turns out that the moment the cows began turning away from Ponyville, he had run back to Sweet Apple Acres. He was staring at the device he held in his hoof. How could I have been so stupid?! He thought. I shouldn't have used this! I should have just let Applejack handle it! I mean, she would have made it in time either way right? Applejack found Alex and walked up to talk with him.

"Hey Alex, nice work back there!" she said with a smile.

He was startled and struggled to hide the item so she wouldn't see it, "H-h-hey Applejack, thanks but you did most of the work. I wouldn't be surprised if they planned a great big party for you."

"Say, what's that you got there behind your back?" she asked.

"Uh, n-n-nothing! Nothing at all. So what happened with the cows?" he asked.

"Well it turns out they were all startled by a little snake. Ah hope nopony in town finds out about this. Otherwise those girls are going to be in trouble."

"Yeah, I can't imagine how everypony would react to hearing that. So, what are we going to do about Applebuck Season?"

"Ah told you already, ah don't need help from anypony." she said as she began walking away.

"But..." *Sigh* With that said Alex headed back for the library, he had so many different things on his mind and he had to sort them out quickly or he would go insane. He arrived at the library and Twilight gave him a confused look. He proceeded to explain about how Applejack didn't want any help from anypony and that he didn't feel like arguing with her right now. He told Twilight that he needed some time alone to think. He made his way down to his room to find Scootaloo there drawing at the desk. She turned to him with an excited look on her face.

"Hi Alex, we saw you and Applejack save the town today!" she cheered.

"Oh yeah, what did you think?" he asked.

"I thought you looked so awesome!" she said.

"Huh? What? What's happening?" asked the cat as he woke up from his slumber.

"Did you really sleep through all that?" asked Alex.

"Sleep through what? And why are you here? I thought you went to work this morning?"

"Yeah, it seems I have the week off. I'm going to head into my study room for a while okay?"

"If it means less work for me than go ahead." said the cat as he went back to sleep.

Alex gave Scootaloo a smile and opened the door he had found on his first day in Equestria. He was finally able to enter it once he had practiced his magic enough. He decided to use it as a study room for himself. For the next week, Alex spent his time inside of his study room alone writing multiple hypotheses as to why the mysterious pony would be following him. He felt like he was about to go crazy if he didn't give himself a break. He thought about asking Applejack for help but just thinking about her made him remember the way she told him that she didn't need his help. He began to wonder if she would be okay. He then decided to leave his study room and look for Scootaloo.

"Hey cat." he started. "Have you seen Scootaloo?"

"Huh? Oh, I think she's upstairs playing with the dragon."

"Oh okay. Thanks." said Alex as he headed up the stairs.

"Hey!"

"Hm? What is it cat?" asked Alex.

"When are you going to give me a name?" he asked.

"Uh, someday soon. Sorry, but I can't think of anything right now."

"Alright, just don't wait too long." said the cat as he laid back down.

Alex then continued heading upstairs and found Scootaloo and Spike. "Hey Scootaloo, want to head into town?"

"Sure! Let's go!" she said.

Alex then left the library with Scootaloo on his back. They went to one of the local toy shops and Alex pointed to a scooter that was on the display window. Scootaloo got really excited as she looked at it and Alex decided to go inside and buy it for her. After he had bought the scooter Alex decided to stop by Carousel Boutique. He began to wonder if whether or not he should try talking to Rarity, but at the same time he felt that he had to go and see Rarity.

"Okay. I can do this." he said. "Scootaloo, I don't want you riding your scooter inside okay?"

"Okay." she replied.

*Knock* *Knock *Knock*

They could hear Rarity from the other side of the door, "Please hold on deary, I'll be right there!"

Alex closed his eyes and took a deep breath, "It's okay, please take your time!"

Suddenly the door burst open, "Alex my dear prince is that you?! Please, come in!"

Alex stood there frozen. "You know about that too?!"

"Of course! We were all there when the Gospel said you were a prince!"

"Please don't tell anypony. I'm still a little uneasy about that."

"Oh of course! I hope you don't mind me asking but, why are your eyes closed?"

"Hm? Oh, right. I have trouble talking with ponies so Pinkie Pie said I should just close my eyes, and it actually works!"

"Oh come now, certainly you can talk to me with your eyes open?"

"I'll try." Alex then slowly opened his eyes and looked at Rarity. "H-h-h-h-h-hel-l--llo."

"Um...perhaps you should keep your eyes closed until you feel more comfortable around me." said Rarity.

Alex then immediately closed his eyes. "Thanks. This feels much better. Um, do you think you can help me inside?"

"Oh of course deary! Here, right this way!" said Rarity as she pulled him inside. "Here, have a seat." she said as she guided him to a nearby pillow to sit on.

"Thanks Rarity. I was hoping I could talk to you real quick."

"Of course dear, is something troubling you?" she asked.

"It's...it's Applejack. Applebuck season has arrived and she won't let me help her! I know she can't handle bucking all of those apples on her own but she won't listen to me!"

"I see. So you want to help her but she won't let you?"

"Yes! I'm wondering if I should go back and try again or if I should just let events play out like they're supposed to."

"Like they're supposed to? What do you mean?"

"Uh, no that came out wrong!" said Alex. Crap! That was too close! I can't let them find out! But still, things are getting weird. I'm worried if me being here is throwing their story off track. "It's just...I don't know. Maybe I just didn't try hard enough? I guess I'm not that good of a friend after all."

"Nonsense Alex! Just because she didn't let you help her, that doesn't mean that you're a bad friend."

"Well...then what should I do? Do you know of any way that I can get her to let me help?"

"Well, if I know Applejack then all of that work will have to catch up to her eventually. Once that happens she'll have to realize that she needs your help and won't hesitate to accept it. I know she can be a very stubborn pony at times, but she's going to learn one way or another that she can't handle every problem on her own."

"I see. I think I understand what you're trying to say. Yes, I've got it!" said Alex. Alex then opened his eyes to find Scootaloo and informed her that they were leaving. Before he left he quickly turned back to look at Rarity. "Rarity I'm going to need your help later as well, do you think you can meet up with Applejack and I around seven o'clock at Sweet Apple Acres?" he asked.

Rarity didn't really understand but she didn't care, "Of course Alex, you can always count on me my prince!" He...he spoke to me! He can speak to me!

"Uh, Rarity, do you hear that?" he asked.

"Why yes, what is that strange sound?"

There was a strange rumbling sound coming from outside, Alex opened the door and his eyes opened wide. Bunnies were hopping around everywhere; they were all over the place running left and right. Ponies were screaming as the bunnies ran across eating all the plants in the town. Rarity came out and looked around with her mouth gaping open at what was happening. Alex didn't know how but he had to get them under control.

"Alex, what do we do?" asked Scootaloo with a concerned look in her eyes.

"Don't worry Scootaloo; I know what we can do. Rarity, do you have any carrots?" he asked.

"I have a few, do you need one?" she asked him back.

"Actually we're going to need every carrot you've got. Scootaloo, how fast do you think you can ride that thing?" he asked pointing at her scooter.

"Are you kidding me? Nopony can catch me while I'm riding this thing!" she said with confidence.

"Good, get ready then." he said.

Rarity brought out her carrots in a bag, "What are you up to?" she asked.

"It's simple really." Alex took the bag and tied it to Scootaloo's scooter. "Alright Scootaloo, I want you to ride around town and make sure the bunnies see you. Once they see all the carrots they'll start to follow you, then lead them toward Fluttershy's cabin. She should have a little fence around where the bunnies live."

"What do I do once I get there?" she asked.

"Once you get there you need to drop off the carrots, make sure they all go in okay?" he finished.

"Sure thing, but what about you?" she asked.

"Me? I'm going to head on over to Fluttershy's cabin to meet up with you there. I'll lock them in." he said.

Scootaloo took off with the carrots on her scooter. She passed by the bunnies causing them to take notice of the carrots. Then just as Alex said, they all began to follow her. Alex was waiting for Scootaloo over by Fluttershy's cabin and could see her in the distance. He could see the many bunnies chasing her, it was incredible to see how many there were in total. Scootaloo then passed by Alex and began looking for the area to leave the carrots.

"Scootaloo!" Alex called out, "Just drop them off there!"

"Are you sure?" she asked him.

"Yes! Hurry, they've almost caught up to you!" he shouted as the bunnies ran past him.

Scootaloo quickly abandoned the carrots there and sped off like a bullet. The bunnies began to devour the many carrots like wild beasts. Alex ran by Scootaloo as they watched the bunnies enjoy their meal. Fluttershy arrived moments later and let out a sigh of relief when she saw that her bunnies were safe. Alex turned around to face her; he knew he wasn't ready to have a conversation with Fluttershy yet.

"H-h-hello. Um, w-w-w-we brought your b-b-b-bunnies back." What's going on?! He thought. I have my eyes closed so why am I still stuttering? Am I really that nervous about talking with Fluttershy?!

Fluttershy wasn't used to having Alex around yet either so she also had trouble speaking to him, "O-o-oh, hello Alex." she said with her mane covering half of her face. "W-w-well Applejack was here helping me c-count the newborn b-bunnies today and s-she scared them off with her shouting."

"Applejack d-d-d-id? She s-s-scared your bunnies?" he asked.

"Y-yes, she seemed really tired and she said she was b-busy today so when I called the bunnies Applejack began to r-round them up with Winona and it gave them all a scare." she explained.

"Tired? H-h-has anything else happened during the past couple of days?" he asked.

"The past couple of days?" she said as began to think, "Earlier Rainbow told me that Applejack accidentally sent her flying into the library. Then I heard from Pinkie Pie that after Applejack had helped her make cupcakes, the towns ponies that ate them got really sick and had to be taken to the hospital."

Alex just looked at Fluttershy as her words echoed through his mind. Don't tell me that it's been that long already?! How did I miss all of this?! But wait, if all of that has happened already then Twilight must be... He asked Fluttershy if she could watch Scootaloo for a little while as he needed to get to Applejack as soon as possible. She agreed to watch her and Alex took off for Sweet Apple Acres. Once he got there he began searching for Applejack all over the place for her. He saw her talking with Twilight up on a hill, she looked awful.

He began to walk up to her, "Twilight! Did I miss anything?" he asked.

"Hi Alex. I heard about what happened with the bunnies and I came here to ask Applejack to let us help her."

Applejack turned to look at Alex. "Oh hey Alex, why are you spinning around like that?"

"I'm not moving Applejack. You need to listen to Twilight. You can't keep going like this!" said Alex.

"Ah don't need your help, cause ah've just finished." she said she kicked the apples off the tree.

"What about those over there?" asked Twilight.

"What do you mean the ones over there?" she asked as she looked over.

There were still so many apples left that it looked like half of what she managed to get done so far. She began to walk towards those trees until Alex got in her way. When she tried to walk past him he just kept blocking off her path to the trees. She warned him to get out of the way but he refused to budge.

"Come on Applejack, you have to let us help you." said Alex.

"It's okay Alex. Applejack says she doesn't need our help." said Twilight as she turned and began walking away.

"What? Wait, you can't just go! She needs your help!"

"I can't force her to say yes Alex. I want to help but she just won't let us. And as her friend I have to accept the choices she makes." said Twilight as she continued walking.

"Ah told you ah can handle this all on my own Alex. Now get going so ah can finish."

"Fine...if that's how you really feel...then...I'm going to make you need our help!" shouted Alex as he tackled Applejack down onto the ground.

"Alex! What are you doing?!" asked Twilight.

"Let me go!" shouted Applejack as Alex pinned her to the ground.

"I'm not getting off until you admit that you need help!" he yelled back.

"Then ah'll just have to force you off!" she yelled.

"Go ahead and try." he replied.

Applejack struggled with all her might but she couldn't even lift her hooves and inch off of the ground. She knew she was stronger than he was so why couldn't she lift him off? This continued for about five minutes until she finally gave up and turned to face Alex. "Why can't ah lift you off of me?" she asked. "Are you using some kind of spell?"

"No, I'm not. You've been working yourself so much that you barely have any strength left! You should be able to throw me off with no problems but because you've been working nonstop you have no energy left! You need to rest and you need to let us help you!" he replied.

"Why are you doing this to me?" she asked.

"I'm doing this because you're being an idiot!" he started, "Remember back when we agreed that we would each do our best to try and become friends? You pushing me, and Twilight away, has not been helping that, nor has it been helping your relationship with your other friends! They have all been worried sick about you, but you're so caught up in trying to prove some meaningless point that now you're in danger of hurting your friendship with them! Now I'm going to say it again, let us help you!"

Applejack finally stopped struggling and Alex decided to let go of her. She slowly got up and stared directly at Alex. Alex looked back at her hoping that she would come to her senses. Twilight was in the middle and watched the both of them hoping that they wouldn't start a fight. Applejack finally came to a decision, lowered her hat, and began to speak.

"Ah guess ah have been pushing mahself a bit too hard. Okay, you can help me." she said.

Alex began to smile. "That's a relief. Now we can call the others and we'll breeze through this like nothing!"

*Yawn!* "Yeah, that sounds great. Ah'm just...going to take a quick nap by this tree." said Applejack as she walked up to a lone tree then slowly lowered her body and quickly fell asleep.

"Hey Twilight, can you bring the others here? I think I'd like to get a head start on this." said Alex. Oh boy, this is going to take a while. I hope these legs can handle it.

"Sure, I'll be right back." said Twilight as she ran to get the others.

After some time had passed, Twilight returned with her friends and they decided to start on the opposite end that Alex had started on. After what felt like hours the girls stopped for a quick break and decided to check on their progress.

"Man, how many trees have we bucked?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Who knows?" said Twilight. "There's still so many of them left." Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash to see her gawking in the other direction. "What's wrong Rainbow Dash?"

"Look at Alex's side!" she said as she pointed. They all turned to see that Alex had at least covered double the amount of trees that they have. "Look at him! He's still going at it! How can he keep going like that?!"

"I say, he certainly has become quite the expert in apple bucking in such a short time hasn't he?" asked Rarity.

"Well he did have the best teacher in all of Equestria." said Twilight. "Come on, let's get something to drink real fast."

"Aren't we going to bring Alex?" asked Rainbow.

"I don't think he plans on stopping anytime soon. We'll just bring it for him." said Twilight.

As the ponies left, Alex kept bucking one tree after the other. He could feel the sweat dropping down his face as he moved forward. "My legs...they hurt so much, but I can keep going! I just have to push through!" He then attempted to kick another tree but slipped and fell to the ground. What...what am I even doing? I shouldn't be doing this. This has nothing to do with me...so why do I feel so guilty? Alex struggled to lift his body and attempted another kick at the tree, this time successfully knocking the apples off. I have to do this...I have to...

Alex continued to buck the apples off of the trees one after the other. Eventually the girls returned and offered Alex a drink of water but he decided to wait until he was finished. Several hours passed by and at last they had all completed bucking every single apple from the trees. Alex said he would stay behind and wait for Applejack to wake up. He walked up next to Applejack and sat next to her. After a short amount of time he could feel himself falling asleep and couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. Applejack woke up from her nap and opened her eyes to find Alex sitting next to her. She was startled at first but then just began to watch him to sleep.

"Hehe, he's kind of cute when he's asleep. Ah wonder what he's dreaming about."

"Zzzzzzzz...Mmmm Applejack...zzzzzz."

"What?" Applejack stared down at him with a red face. "You better hope you're not dreaming about what ah think you are!" She then began to wind her hoof up ready to hit him over the head.

"Zzzz...Applejack...Your hat is so cool...."

"Mah hat?" she repeated as she looked up at it.

"Someday...I'm going to wear that hat...and then I'm going to look cool...zzzzzz."

Applejack smiled and placed her hat on Alex's head. "Sooner than you think Alex." She continued staring at him as a smile came across Alex's face.

"Zzzzz...Applejack..."

"Yeah, I know Alex. You think mah hat is cool." she said as she lightly brushed his mane.

"Applejack.....so beautiful...zzzzz."

"W-what?" she asked as she sat there frozen. Her face began to burn up as she took notice that Alex was waking up. She quickly grabbed her hat and covered her face with it.

"Huh? Oh no did I fall asleep?" asked Alex.

"Uh...yeah. Yeah you did." said Applejack.

"Sorry. I guess I'm really tired from bucking all of those apples."

Applejack looked over and noticed all the trees that they had bucked, "How did you all manage to finish so fast?"

"I'm not sure; I just remember bucking one tree after another. I guess I was lost in thought since I have a lot on my mind." he said.

"Like what?" she asked.

"My home, my family, if I'll ever find a way back to my world. Things like that." He looked over to notice that Applejack was still covering her face. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah! Ah'm fine! Ah didn't hear you say anything in your sleep." she mumbled.

"What was that?" he asked.

"N-nothing, ah didn't say anything!" she quickly defended. Applejack continued to cover her face with her hat.

"Oh, okay." he said as he looked away.

"Well anyways, you all did a really good job. Thanks for the help." said Applejack.

He looked over at her with a smile. "Hey, that's what I'm supposed to be here for isn't it?" What is this warm feeling I'm getting now? Is this how it feels to help friends in need? It feels...nice.

Alex stared at the setting sun, it reminded him of the sunset back in his world. He then remembered about how he asked Rarity to stop by later. He then thought about whether or not he should involve Applejack with his problem. He looked over to the sun with a smile on his face and decided that he would tell her since he believed he could trust her. After the sun had officially disappeared over the mountains, both Alex and Applejack got up and began walking back toward the barn with the crate full of apples.

"Applejack, I need to tell you something important." he started.

Applejack looked over to him, "What is it Alex?"

"Do you remember last week when you asked if I was hiding something?" he asked.

"Yeah, ah do. Why? What about it?" she asked with a worried look.

"Well, I lied. I did have something with me on that day and it's been bugging me a lot. Rarity is going to meet with us soon so when she gets here I'll tell you both all about it okay?" he said.

"Hold on, you're going to tell Rarity too? Why?" she asked.

Alex looked at her, "You'll know once I start explaining everything. You trust me right?" he asked.

"Of course ah trust you, ah'm just not so sure about Rarity." she said. "Ah mean, you had trouble talking to me the first time I talked to you."

"I know," he started, "But I'm going to need her help for this too."

Once they had reached the barn Alex unloaded the apples from the crate and they both made their way inside and waited for Rarity. They both sat on the porch as it was almost time for Rarity to show up. Applejack just stared at Alex thinking about what he had said in his sleep. She also thought about what could be so important yet so secret that he would only tell her and Rarity. Alex kept staring forward, waiting for Rarity. After a couple of minutes he spotted her making her way up to the ranch.

"Hello my prince! I have arrived just like you asked!" she said.

"Thanks for coming Rarity, now that you're here we can finally get started." he said.

"Alright, so what did you want to talk to us about Alex?" asked Applejack. "Why are your eyes closed?"

"It's the only way I can talk to ponies who I don't feel comfortable with yet. Now then..." Alex took in a deep breath, "Everything I tell you here stays between us okay? I don't want anypony else to know about this. Do you promise not to tell anypony?" he asked.

Both girls looked at each other then looked back at Alex. "We promise."

"Okay then. Ever since I first came here to this world I've been having this strange feeling but I wasn't sure what it was. It felt like I was being watched from far away but I thought I was just being paranoid." he said.

"So you have this feeling that somepony is spying on you?" asked Applejack.

"No, someone 'is' spying on me. I finally saw him two weeks ago after Derpy thanked me for waking her up. I even have proof." he said as he took out the item.

"What is that thing?" asked Applejack.

"It looks like some kind of lipstick." said Rarity.

"It's not lipstick I can assure you. This is a sonic screwdriver. He accidentally dropped it when I tried to chase him down." he said.

"A sonic screwdriver, what's that?" both mares asked.

"Applejack, you have lived in Ponyville all your life so you know the ponies around here pretty well. Rarity, you have friends in the higher ups and I know you have met many ponies through them." he said.

"So you want us to help you find this pony who is spying on you?" asked Applejack.

"Exactly." he said, "I think that this pony is actually targeting me. I don't know what he wants or why he's spying on me but I need to find out more about him before something bad happens."

"You think he's trying to hurt you?" asked Applejack.

"Hold on," interrupted Rarity, "You keep saying 'he', if I didn't know better I'd say that you already know who's spying on you don't you Alex?"

"Yes I do, but the problem is that I have no other information on him at the moment. Will you two help me?"

"Absolutely." said Rarity.

"You can count on me." said Applejack.

"Thank you. Now tell me, what do you know of a pony named Doctor Whooves?"

Author's Notes:

Hooray, chapter 4 is up! I have chapter 5, I just need to look it over. I'm currently going through some hard times so...it might take a little while, not too long hopefully. I'm also helping someone with a special project, I thought it was pretty cool so I can't wait to see that. Anyway's yeah, Doctor Whooves! What is he planning? When will he show himself? And what is the cat's name going to be?! Find out none of those answers in the next chapter! Hahahahahahaha! Man, I'm evil. Thank you so much for reading, and remember that feedback is greatly appreciated.

Chapter 5: The Scar (Part: 1)

"What? Where am I? Am I...dreaming?" Alex opened his eyes to find himself in an unknown place. His body was floating in an empty abyss, he began to feel himself floating downwards until his hooves felt a floor that could not be seen. Alex hesitated to take a step forward as he was unsure if it was safe to walk in any direction. He soon mustered the courage to take the first step and thankfully it was safe. He continued walking forward, but no matter how far he went his surroundings remained the same.

"Please...no more..." said a voice from afar.

"Hello? Is someone there?" asked Alex.

"You have to stop!"

"I can't take much more!"

"The pain! It's too much!"

"We're not going to make it!"

"I just want to help you!"

"It's no use!"

"I don't want to die!"

"SOMEPONY HELP US!!!"

"W-who are you?! Where are you?!" asked Alex. The voices kept screaming over and over again, driving Alex mad. He cowered in fear and covered his ears in hopes of ignoring the voices. "Please stop. Make them stop. Make them stop! MAKE THEM STOOOOOP!!!"

"Do you want to make them stop?" asked a single voice from above.

Alex opened his eyes and stared at a single figure standing before him. "W-who are you?"

"Do you want to make the voices stop?" it asked again.

"What are those voices? Why are they screaming like that?"

"The voices...they belong to those who will suffer because of you."

"Wh...what? What do you mean?"

"They are in pain, pain brought upon them by you. Do you want to make them stop? Do you want to save them?"

"I...I can save them?"

"Yes, do you want to know how?"

"Yes, yes I do! How can I save them?"

"You just have to open your eyes Alex." said the figure as it began to disappear into the darkness. "Just open your eyes. Open your eyes. Open your eyes..."

"Wait! What do you mean?! Answer me! Please tell me!" he shouted as he attempted to chase after the figure. His shouting had caused him to awaken in his study room and he looked around to find that he had been studying about the Doctor for too long and had fallen asleep. He looked at a nearby mirror and saw that he was a complete mess. What does it mean? He thought. Open my eyes? Am...could I still be...dreaming? Is this all just one great big dream? No, that's impossible. Isn't it? His train of thought was broken by several knocks on the door of his study.

"Alex?! Are you alright?! Alex answer me!" shouted Twilight. Twilight.

Alex opened the door and stepped out, "Y-yeah Twilight I'm fine, why?"

"I heard you shouting from upstairs and I thought something might have happened! Are you okay?!" she said as she began checking him for any injuries.

Scootaloo came up to him with a look of fear on her eyes, "What happened? I thought you might have been attacked by wolves again."

He went to give her a hug, "It's okay Scootaloo I'm fine, I just had a little nightmare is all." He then turned to the bed to see the cat still sleeping there. "Couldn't even bother to check up on me huh?"

"Don't worry about him. Are you sure you're fine? You're not hurt at all?" asked Twilight.

"You...you were really worried about me?" he asked.

"Of course I was worried about you! I thought something terrible might have happened to you!"

"Oh, um, thanks Twilight." he said. She really cared. Then I'm really awake right? She's really my friend? "Oh! What time is it?" he asked.

Twilight pointed at the clock, "It's about two in the morning."

"Two o'clock?! Oh my gosh, I'm sorry for waking you both. I promise I'm fine now. I think I'll sleep in my own bed. I'll see you tomorrow morning, okay?"

"Yeah, sure. Goodnight." said Twilight as she climbed up the stairs to head back to her room.

Alex then climbed into his bed and stared at the roof. The moons light was like a cold blanket that covered everything in his room, all he could think about was what he heard in his dream. He just couldn't make sense of those words. He decided to let it go for now and get some sleep. The sun rose in the morning and its bright warm glow awakened Alex from his slumber. He looked over and saw Scootaloo there yet again. When did she even sneak into my bed last night? He thought. I made sure she was asleep before me this time! Just like every other morning, Scootaloo woke up at the same time he did and stretched her tiny little wings as she yawned.

"Did you have a good night my sneaky little princess?" he said as she rubbed her eyes.

"Yup!" she began, "I always have a good night."

Alex began to impersonate a royal servant, "Perhaps your majesty would enjoy it more if she slept in her own bed? The one that I bought for her yet she never seems to use?"

Scootaloo played along, "That bed is far too uncomfortable for a princess like me and I will only sleep on a bed that is perfect for royalty."

"Very funny, I spent a lot of money on that bed you know." he said changing back to his normal voice.

"Yeah, but it really is uncomfortable. Your bed is way better than that one." she said pointing at the beds.

Alex looked at her with curious eyes, "How did you even sneak in my bed? You fell asleep before me!"

"Sorry, but if I told you that then I wouldn't be able to sneak in anymore." she said.

*Sigh* "Why do you even sneak into my bed anyways?"

"Oh, uh, no reason." she said as she turned away.

"Hm? What's wrong?" he asked.

"Nothing da- I mean Alex!" she said.

"Huh? Well, if you say so. Come on, we've got a long day ahead of us." said Alex as he headed towards the stairs.

Alex and Scootaloo ate breakfast together like they usually do every morning. After they had finished, Scootaloo began preparing for school. As she headed towards the washroom, Alex heard a knock at the door. "Oh, I was wondering when they would show up." He then walked up to the door and opened it to see a familiar face. "Hey there Derpy."

"Hello Alex! How are you?" she asked.

"I'm pretty good. Please, come in."

"Thank you!"

"Hey, thanks for doing this. I was surprised when you offered to take Scootaloo to school with you and Dinky."

"No problem, Dinky figured that she would be able to see you more often if we did."

"Mom! Don't say that!" said Dinky as she appeared out from behind Derpy. "Hi Alex!"

"Hello Dinky! Have you been good?"

"Yes! I've been super good!"

"Great! Now we just have to wait for Scootaloo. She should be ready soon." Just then he could hear Scootaloo coming down the stairs and stared at her in shock. "Scootaloo!"

"What?" she asked.

"Your mane is a mess! You can't go out looking like that! Twilight do you have a comb I can use real fast?" he asked.

"Sure, I'll go get it for you." she said as she headed upstairs.

Alex then crossed his hooves as he looked down at Scootaloo. "Did you remember to brush your teeth?"

"Yes."

"Then why didn't you comb your mane after? I've told you several times to do them both right after the other."

"But it's so annoying! Can't I just go without combing my mane?"

"Absolutely not. You need to look presentable when you leave the house."

"Here you go Alex." said Twilight as she brought a comb over to him.

"Okay, thanks Twilight." said Alex as he lifted the comb with his magic. "Alright Scootaloo, I'm going to need you to hold still because I can't hold my magic for long." He then proceeded to carefully fix Scootaloo's mane.

"Ouch! That hurts!" she said.

"That's because you keep moving. You have to hold still." he said as continued. Scootaloo felt embarrassed to have Alex comb her mane while everypony else in the room stared. "There we go. Alright, now go and get your bag. You don't want to make Derpy and Dinky wait."

"Yes sir." she said as she quickly ran towards the basement.

"I think it's adorable that you treat her like she was your own daughter." said Twilight.

"I don't. I just wanted to make sure that she looks nice when she goes out. My mother raised me the same way so I figured I'd do the same for her."

"Awwww! How adorable!"

"Wai-No! It's not-I don't-I'm not her father!"

"But...you did adopt her from the orphanage right?" she asked.

"Well yeah but, the thing is that-"

"Wait." Dinky Interrupted. "If you become my daddy, then does that make Scootaloo my sister?"

"Dinky! Don't ask those kind of questions!" said Derpy. "I'm sorry!"

"I-I-It's okay." said Alex. "Scootaloo! Are you ready yet?"

"Yes!" she said as she came out from the basement. "I'm ready to go!"

"Alright then, have fun at School." said Alex. Scootaloo then left the library with Derpy and Dinky.

"Bye Alex! See you later!" said Dinky.

"See you later! And thank you Derpy!"

"You're welcome!"

"Oh thank goodness that's over with. Well then, I guess now I have a lot of spare time on my...hooves. I wonder what I should do to pass the time?"

"Hey, if you're not busy I could use some help organizing the books in the library." said Twilight.

"I thought they were already organized yesterday!"

"Well yeah but, I had some studying to do and I just kept taking books in and out and now they're all shuffled around. I could really use your help."

*Sigh* "Alright, let's get started then."

Together, Alex and Twilight organized the books of the library for what felt like hours. At one point the cat came out of the basement, but soon fell asleep on the couch. After more time had passed, Alex felt that he was finally finishing the last batch of books when he found a strange object in the back of one of the shelves. He pressed his hoof on it and it sank in like he was pressing a button, a secret compartment opened up revealing a book that had the initials 'S.S.B' on it. He took it out and began to read the book.

"Hey Twilight, check out what I found!" he called out.

"What did you find?" she asked as she walked over, "Oh my Celestia, Alex do you know what this is?!"

"It's a book?" he asked.

"Not just any book," she said with wide eyes, "This book belonged to Star Swirl the Bearded! I didn't think any of these still existed! I've heard stories that Star Swirl had seven books filled the knowledge that he's learned in his life and others that contained the spells that he had created himself, but the stories say that they all just disappeared. It's said that the spells these books contain are so powerful, only Star Swirl himself could use them! Where did you even find this?! How did I not see it here before?!"

"Only he could use them? Why even put them in a book then?" he asked, "Well then let me see here..." he began flipping through the pages, "Ooooh, this one looks interesting. How about we give it a spin?"

"Wait a minute, Alex you're not actually going to try to use one of these are you?" she asked with concern. "That's too dangerous! You haven't perfected your magical abilities, and you can't even sustain your magic for very long!"

"I hate to agree with her, but I also think this may be too dangerous." said the cat. "Maybe you should practice more before you try something like this."

"Don't worry, I'm just going to try this one and then I'm done." he said. "Besides, it's like you said Twilight. I'm not very good at using magic yet so chances are that I won't even succeed."

"I don't know Alex. I still don't think you should do this. It doesn't sound safe."

"Well we won't know until we try. So let's give this a shot!" he said as he read over the spell carefully.

"Alex, WAIT!!!" she shouted.

"Don't do it kid!"

"Here we go!" he said as his horn began lighting up brighter than ever before. Eventually the light became too bright to see anymore and Twilight had to cover her eyes.

"Alex! Are you okay?! What happened?!" asked Twilight.

"...Nothing."

"What? What do you mean?" she asked as she attempted to open her eyes.

"I mean well...nothing. Nothing happened. My horn just lit up and there was a bright light but...nothing. I guess that was expected to happen. Still...it felt...I don't know, strange I guess?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Well usually I can feel myself losing my magic powers as they're being used. But...I didn't get that feeling at all from this. Even if the spell didn't work, I should have felt something after trying to use a spell."

"Well how do you feel overall? Nothing wrong?"

"No, I feel just fine."

"Thank goodness. At least we know they're not dangerous to anyone who tries to use them."

"Yeah, I wonder what else he has in this book." said Alex as he continued flipping through the pages. Wait a minute! What is this?! T-t-t-t-this is!!!

"So what kind of spell were you trying to use anyway?" asked Twilight as she walked over to take a look at the book.

"Oh! Uh....I don't remember. I have to find it again." said Alex as he quickly flipped through the pages. "I think it was some kind of vision spell. I don't remember the specifics though."

"Hm? What's this?" said the cat as he noticed Alex's uneasiness. He then found an empty vase nearby and purposely dropped it. "Whoops!"

Twilight immediately turned to see the mess. "What the?! Oh I can't believe this! What have you done?!"

"Sorry, it was an accident."

"Why, you! Don't think that just because you're a cat that I'll go easy on you! I've been waiting for a chance to teach you a lesson you'll never forget!" she shouted as she ran towards the cat. He then quickly ran up the stairs as fast as he could. "When I get my hooves on you, you're going to wish you had one hundred lives!" she shouted as she gave chase.

Now's my chance! Alex quickly turned back to the page that he had found earlier and tore it out using his magic. He then ran into his room as fast as he could and placed the page into a drawer on his desk. "I...I can't believe...what am I going to do?"

"So...found something interesting have we?" said a voice from above.

"Wha?!" Alex looked up to see the cat there. "H-how did you get in here so fast?! I thought Twilight was-"

"Oh please. You forget I'm a master thief. It's only common knowledge that we learn all of the ins and outs of any building to make our escape. It'll be a while before she realizes where I've even gone."

"You're not going to tell her, are you?"

"That depends, what did you find?"

Alex pulled the page out of the drawer. "I found a potion."

"A potion? You stole...a page from a book written by Star Swirl the bearded...for a potion?"

"Not just any potion. It's a potion that allows one to travel to other worlds!"

"W-what did you just say?!"

"I couldn't believe it either, but it's true! This could be what I've been looking for! I can go home! I can see my family again!"

"I thought you promised to stay here and help them."

"Well...yeah I did but...it...it's difficult you know? It's just-"

"Everything that's happened to you so far has been so unbelievable that you still consider the possibility that this is all a dream?"

"How did you know?!"

"You think I didn't feel the same way after I was turned into a cat? My entire life was stolen from me in one second. I spent days, weeks, months, even years, hoping that this was just one giant nightmare and that I would someday wake up in my old bed with my real body again. It never happened though. I remember feeling sorry for myself for letting this happen to me. But then, I just accepted my reality as it was."

"That's so sad. But you see, it's not just that. It's-"

"THERE YOU ARE!!!" said a voice from above the stairs.

Alex quickly hid the page back in the drawer and turned to see Twilight at the top of the stairs. "Twilight? What is tha-HOLY MOTHER OF PEARL THAT'S A GIANT BOOK!" Alex turned back to the cat. "What did you do?! She looks really pissed!"

"Funny thing about cat claws. They're just so dang sharp. We can't help it if we scratch a few things up."

"A FEW THINGS?! MY ENTIRE ROOM IS A GIANT MESS! YOU TORE APART EVERYTHING IN MY ROOM AND ESPECIALLY MY BED! YOU'RE GOING TO REGRET EVER BEING BORN!!!" she shouted as she ran straight for the cat, ready to swing the giant book with her magic.

"Twilight don't! YOU'RE GOING TO BREAK SOMETHING!!!" shouted Alex as he got in her way.

Unfortunately Twilight's rage consumed her and she continued her attack. She struck Alex with all her might, sending him flying across the room. He ended up crashing into a wall and collapsed onto the floor. "Oh my gosh! What have I done?!" she screamed as she ran over to him. "Alex! Alex are you okay?! I'm so sorry!"

"I...I can't....b....breathe...." he wheezed.

"Hold on! I'll get you into bed! Spike! Come help me!" she called out.

"Twilight? Is something wrong?" asked Spike from atop the stairs.

"Alex is hurt! Help me get him into bed!"

"Uh, right!" he said as he rushed down.

"Don't worry Alex, you'll be just fine. I have some medicine that will help ease the pain." she said as she placed him on the bed. "Just hang on, I'll be right back."

"I'm sure Twilight's medicine will help. So you just get comfortable." said Spike as he covered Alex with the blankets.

"Okay, I've got the medicine!" said Twilight as she ran down the steps. "Spike lift his head so he can take the medicine!"

"You got it!" said Spike as he eased Alex's head up.

Twilight then levitated a spoon full of the medicine into Alex's mouth and made sure he took it all. "There you go. Now you just need to rest."

"C...can't re...st...have....to....wor...k."

"Work? Oh that's right you have work today! Don't worry Alex, I'll cover for you today. Just rest." she said as she cast a sleep spell on Alex. He could then feel himself drift off into a deep sleep.

"Should I watch over him while you're gone?" asked Spike.

"I wish you could Spike, but I had a lot of chores I had to do out in town today and now I need you to do them."

"So I guess that just leaves me." said the cat.

"Oh no you don't! There is no way I'm leaving him in your care!" she shouted.

"Oh? Then who are you going to get?"

"Somepony I can trust."

~~~~~

"Again...I can feel it...I'm...dreaming." said Alex. "It feels...different than before. I can...hardly breathe. I feel so...heavy." He began walking forward until he saw something familiar.

"No! Please! Have mercy!"

"It’s...it's happening again." said Alex as he watched them. "No...no more." He began walking towards the figures.

"What's wrong? Aren't you having any fun? Hahahahahahahaha!"

Alex began picking up his speed. "Stop it."

"I'm sorry! Please no more! Don't do this Alex!"

"You shouldn't have lied to me, you brought this upon yourself. You deserve this!"

Alex began running as fast as he could. "Stop it! Don't do it!"

"I surrender! Did you hear me? I said I surrender!"

"I heard you, but I don't care. You hurt me and my friends, and for that I'm going to..."

"Please stop!" shouted Alex as he continued running. He then suddenly crashed into an invisible wall, blocking him off from the figures before him. "N-no. No! You can't do this to me! Let me go through! I have to stop him!"

"What are you going to do?"

"Don't! I'm begging you!" he shouted.

"I'm going to kill you!!!"

"STOOOOOOP!!!" he shouted as he dropped his head in defeat.

".....Why?"

Alex lifted his head to see a single figure shrouded in darkness standing before him. "W-who are you?"

"Who am I?" asked the figure. The darkness that covered it then began to recede, revealing his identity. "Recognize me now?"

"You...no you're not me. You're not me! You can't be me!"

"Hmhmhmhm. No...you're not me. Not yet at least." he said.

"I'll never be like you! Do you hear me?!"

"Give it time. I remember a time when I used to be like you. Oh, those were happy days...being in denial...keeping myself from accepting the truth. No, I opened my eyes to the truth and became a new person!"

"You forget we're a pony now."

"Technicalities! Who cares about such things hm? I don't. Who cares about what I think? Who cares what others think about me? I know you do. Oh yes, you care deeply you poor boy. You care deeply about how those ponies think about you too. Yet they are the same as humans. Surely you haven't forgotten the pain we've felt? The lies we were told by those disgusting humans?!"

"..."

The nightmare began to circle around Alex. "Humans, they lie, they cheat, and they’ll do anything to get ahead in life even if they have to stomp all over you to do it. They don't really care about one another, they just pretend so it's easier to manipulate others. They see you, they see how other people praise you whenever you do good and then what happens? They get jealous, they want what you have and they'll do anything they want just to take it from you. They act like your friend but we both know better right? They just keep you as long as they need you for and then they toss you aside like another piece of yesterday’s trash!"

"..."

"Oh but at least I have a good heart! It has to count for something right? You tell yourself that but in the end it doesn't count for anything. It's just some pathetic excuse that idiots made up so they can feel good about their weakness! Well people take advantage of that weakness and use it against you. And I'm sick of being on the losing end! I refuse to play the good guy any longer and let other people get away with stepping all over me! Being bad is so much better. You get to do whatever you want, whenever you want. If others have a problem with me, then I just get rid of them. I don't even feel guilty about it! It's so much fun to be bad! And there's still so much more to enjoy, but you'll see it for yourself someday.

"You're wrong! I won't be anything like you! This is just a dream! This isn't real! You're not real!"

"How do you know that?"

"W-what do you mean?"

"How do you know that this isn't just one giant dream? You've been thinking about it, I can tell. Don't deny it. What if the whole world is just nothing but one great big dream created by your mind, and you're still in a bed waiting to wake up? Or who knows, maybe that's the dream and this is the real world! Or maybe we're all a part of someone else's dream and none of us have ever really existed at all! Hahahahahaha!"

"S-stop it. Stop it! You're just trying to confuse me!"

"Am I? Or am I here to help you?"

"I don't need any help from you!" Alex shouted as he felt his anger growing. "I don't want help from some murderer! You're nothing but a nightmare that doesn't deserve to exist! SO WHY DON'T YOU JUST DIE?!"

"Hahahahahahahaha! Oh yes! Spectacular! You're one step closer to seeing the absolute truth! You can feel it can't you? That wonderful feeling of pure anger and hatred, that irresistible desire to kill! It suits you very well. Ahahahahahahahahahaha!" he laughed as he began to disappear into the floor.

"Come back here you monster!" shouted Alex as he gave chase. He then stared into the floor as he could see his own reflection. He felt scared to see himself so full of anger. "No....no.......NOOOOOOOOO!!!"

~~~~~

"Gah! Wh-where am I?!" asked Alex as she shot himself awake. He looked around to see himself back in his room in Twilight's library again. "A dream. It was just a dream." He laid his head back onto his pillow and tried to calm himself. Then suddenly he could feel something climbing onto the bed, making its way towards him. "Cat, I really just want to take it easy right now okay?" he said. No response came from whatever it was that climbed onto his bed and he began to feel uneasy. He opened his eyes to see two round magenta colored objects. As he tried to look away from the objects they continued to follow him wherever his eyes went. "What the..."

"Hey there." said a voice from in front of him.

"...aaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!! What the hell?!" he shouted as he attempted to get out of the bed.

The object backed its face away revealing their identity to Alex. "Bahahahahahahaha! Y-you're face! That was...hilarious! I am never going to forget about this one!"

"R-Rainbow Dash! What is wrong with you?!" he shouted. "What are you even doing he-" his sentence was cut short as he felt something from deep inside.

"Hehehe...heh...Are you...okay?" she asked. "Alex? Are you okay?"

"M-my stomach. Ack! What's going on?! It hurts!" he shouted as he fell back onto the bed writhing in pain.

"Hang on! I'll go and get your medicine!" said Rainbow as she bolted out the door and re-entered with medicine. "Alright, just one spoonful." she said as she poured the medicine onto a spoon that she had quickly grabbed. She then bit down onto the spoon and lifted it over to him. "Open wide." Alex did his best to hold still as Rainbow Dash gave him tried to serve it to him. "There we go. Just give it a few seconds and you'll feel better in no time."

"Gah! Hah...hah...aw man! That felt horrible! What happened?!" he asked.

"You don't remember?"

"Um...wait, oh yeah! Twilight hit me with that giant book. Where did she even get that thing?!"

"Beats me. I don't live here, and I'm really glad I don't. I hate books."

"You'll get over it one day." he said as he slowly tried to climb out of bed.

"Whoa, easy there. Here, let me help you." Rainbow eased up and carefully helped Alex out of the bed. "How does your body feel?"

"It feels fine. What kind of medicine is that anyway?"

"No idea. Twilight said she gave you some earlier, and told me to give it to you at least two more times. Oh, and to tell you to take it again before you go to sleep tonight."

"Oh, okay. So that was the second time?"

"Nah, that was the third."

"Wait...when was the second time?"

"I gave it to you while you were asleep. You were squirming like crazy, you actually fell off the bed. I wouldn't have known if I hadn't heard it."

"Oh, okay. So, how did you get me to take the medicine? That must have been difficult since you don't have..." He stopped and thought about his next words carefully. I wonder...should I say hands? She obviously wouldn't know what they are but still you can never be too careful.

"Hmhmhmhm. Oh it was pretty easy, and very...very...enjoyable."

"Uh...what exactly do you mean by that?" he asked. I don't like the way she laughed.

"Oh, you know." she said as she gently glided her hoof across her lips while looking at him with her eyelids half shut.

"Y-y-y-you don't mean!!!"

"Pffffttt! Ahahahahaha! You fell for it again!" said Rainbow as she began to laugh at Alex again.

"YOU!!! THAT WASN'T FUNNY!!!" he shouted.

"You're right...IT WAS HILARIOUS! Hahahahahahahahaha! Oh I cannot wait to tell everypony about this! Your face was priceless!"

"Grrrrrr! You better not tell anyone! I can't believe you would pull something like that!"

"It's your fault for falling for it!" she said as she continued laughing uncontrollably.

"What are you even doing here anyway?!"

"Ahahahehehehe...heh...*Ahem!* Twilight asked me to look after you she knocked you out. Since I wasn't busy at the moment, I figured I could do it in hopes of strengthening our friendship!"

"Friendship?! What friendship?! All you've done is play mean jokes on me!"

"Aw come on! We're totally friends!"

"How are we friends?!"

"Oh come on we do stuff together all the time! We did um...There was that one time where....Hang on let me think...We...You and I...huh. I guess we haven't done anything yet, but there is one thing that proves that our bond has grown more!"

"What's that?"

"You're talking to me without stuttering!"

"Shouting at you in anger does not count as talking!"

"Jeez you are not going to make this easy for me are you?"

"Not after what you just did! Tch! Some nurse you are!"

"Hey! I am NOT a nurse!"

Oh! A little touchy are we? "What's wrong? Did I upset you nurse dash? Oh I'm sorry, I forgot to provide you with a proper uniform haven't I? Do you want me to get it for you so you can look appropriate? Would you like the pink one or the baby blue uniform?"

"You better stop with this nurse stuff!"

"Or else what?!"

"You better beg for mercy because I'm about to give you a whole new set of bruises!" she shouted as she prepared to charge at him.

"I don't think so! You so much as lay one hoof on me, and I'll tell everypony about how you volunteered to be my nurse!"

"Grrrrr! What do you want?"

"I'm sorry. What was that?"

"What do I have to do so you don't tell anypony?"

"You don't tell anypony about those pranks you pulled, and I'll keep my mouth shut."

"Deal!"

"We're in agreement then!" he said as she angrily shook their hooves. "So why are you really here anyway?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Oh please. Equestria's greatest flyer, agreeing to spend an entire day inside of a library, a place she dislikes very much, just to take care of one pony when there are clearly others who would take this position besides you?"

*Sigh* "Fine, you got me. The reason I agreed to do this is because Pinkie Pie has been trying to get me to hang out with her." she said in disgust. "I figured that this would be the only way I could get a good excuse so I don't have to."

"Oh no, are we seriously at that episode right now?"

"What does that mean?" asked Rainbow.

"Uh, nothing! So let me guess, you don't want to hang out with Pinkie Pie because she talks too much and she's so annoying?" he said.

"That's exactly right!" said Rainbow, "How did you know that?"

"Oh you know..." he began. Dammit! I can't let her find out! Come on! Think of something! You can do this!!! "...I'm psychic." ...Flawless.

"You're psychic?!" she asked.

"Y-yeah, I totally am." he said. "Wait a minute, you told Pinkie that you were busy taking care of me right?"

"Yeah. Why? What's wrong?" she asked.

"Well, I'm not in pain anymore so...you're done. That means there's nothing to stop Pinkie from coming to get you."

"No. No! Nonono! You! Bed! Now!" she shouted.

"What? I'm not getting back into that bed! I'm done with rest for today!"

"Well I'm the Nurse here, and as your nurse I am telling you that you need more rest!"

"So you admit to being a nurse!"

"Shut up and get in the bed!" she shouted as she began to push him towards the bed.

"I said I'm not tired! I...refuse!" he said as he began pushing back.

*Kachunk!*

"Wh-what was that?" asked Rainbow as she froze in place.

"I think...that was the front door opening." said Alex as he stared at the door waiting for it to open. "D-did you lock the basement door?"

"Of course I did! Now keep it down so she doesn't hear us!" she whispered.

"......I don't hear anything. Do you think she left?"

"Who knows. Maybe she went to check upstairs first."

"Here I am!!!" shouted Pinkie Pie as she exploded from under the bed tossing it across the room.

Alex and Rainbow were so startled by Pinkie's random appearance from under the bed that they rushed toward the back of the room and held each other in safety. WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!?!?! Alex and Rainbow's bodies shook in fear, waiting for the smoke to clear to see their attacker. After a few moments they began to see a figure in the smoke and their fears grew more and more. At last they could make out Pinkie Pie in the smoke and Rainbow Dash calmed down.

"Hello Alex! Rainbow Dash I need a favor." said Pinkie Pie.

"W-w-w-w-w-w-w-w-"

"Sorry about the bed by the way! I just thought I'd surprise you!" said Pinkie.

"WHAT IN THE ACTUAL FUCK DID YOU DO?!" he shouted.

"I've never heard that word before! It's silly! I just used my surprise cannon from under your bed! It looks like it still needs some fine tuning though."

"YOU MEAN THE PARTY CANNON?! IT'S NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT!!!"

"Ooooh! That's a great name!" she said as she rolled the cannon over, "The party cannon, I think I'll call it that! I wonder how I can make it more fun!" she asked herself.

"HOW ABOUT YOU USE CONFETTI AND STREAMERS INSTEAD OF ACTUAL AMMUNITION?! WHERE DID YOU EVEN GET THAT THING IN THE FIRST PLACE?!" he screamed.

"That is the greatest idea ever! That'll really make it a party cannon! Thanks Alex!" she cheered.

WHAT IS WRONG WITH HER?!

"So are you going to kiss me or what?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"WHAT?! HOW CAN YOU MAKE JOKES AT A TIME LIKE THIS?! WE COULD HAVE JUST DIED!!!"

"What are you talking about? That cannon only fires toy balls. They're harmless."

"What? Are...are you sure? That thing did just blow up my bed."

"I'm positive. It's the cannon itself that blew up your bed. The balls it fires are not harmful in any way...I think."

"Oh...okay." said Alex as he began to calm down. "I think...I think I'm okay."

"Good, because you are squeezing me really tightly."

"What?" he asked as he turned to see that he was still holding on to her. "AHH! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"I did."

"Making a kissing joke does not help me when I've just had someone blow up my bed!"

"So where do you want to go for our first date?" she teased.

"Shut up!" he yelled. "Now I've got to get another bed. That's just perfect. What time is it anyway?"

"It's about three o'clock, why?" asked Rainbow.

"It's three o'clock?! Oh no I'm so fired!" he screamed as he quickly got his things together. "Applejack's going to be so mad! I need to hurry!" Alex began running around like crazy and headed up the stairs. "Alright I'm off and don't worry about cleaning the room, I'll handle it once I get back. Rainbow Dash you have fun playing pranks with Pinkie Pie, later!" he shouted as he ran out the door.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Rainbow.

"No way, How did he know I was going to ask you to help me play pranks?" said Pinkie Pie.

Alex ran as fast as he could toward Sweet Apple Acres but he had a hard time catching his breath after everything that's happened. His mind wandered back to his nightmare and the words that were exchanged between them. No! I shouldn't think about that! It's just a nightmare...so why can't I just forget about it? He then tried to avert his thoughts into what he should say to Applejack once he arrives at Sweet Apple Acres, but then everything seemed so crazy that he was afraid that she might not believe him. Finally he arrived at Sweet Apple Acres and found Applejack and Twilight walking towards him.

Alex ran up to Applejack while trying to catch his breath, "Applejack...sorry...I'm...late."

Applejack ran towards him and immediately began scanning his body for any injuries. "Alex! What are you doing here?! Should you be out of bed right now?!"

Twilight walked up to him, "You're awake! How are you feeling? Are you hurting anywhere?"

"Relax, I'm fine." his mind suddenly clicked, "Sorry about being so late Applejack! I swear it wasn't my fault!"

"Hm? What are you apologizing for? Twilight came and told me what happened. It was because of that no good cat that you got hurt like this! When ah get my hooves on that furball, ah'll show him what happens when he gets mah friends hurt!"

"You don't have to do that! He's just a cat! Plus, it's not like it's that important."

"Not important?! Alex you shouldn't say that!" said Twilight.

"She's right! You got hurt, and we care if somepony we know gets hurt like that!"

She...she also cares. So then that definitely proves it right? Why am I still thinking about that? I...I can't focus! "Well I'm here now. So I hope I'm not too late to help."

"Well actually I came here to fill in for you after I put you in bed." said Twilight.

"That's right," said Applejack, "After ah heard what happened ah wanted to go make sure you were okay mahself, but Twilight said Rainbow Dash was looking after you and that we'd go see you after we were finished here. Ah'm glad to see you're doing better."

"I see," he started, "So...you don't need my help today?" Why? Why can't I stop thinking about it?! This...this is real! Isn't it? Am I...am I real?

"Alex? Are you okay?" said Twilight.

"Huh? Yeah, I'm fine." he said.

"Are you sure?" asked Applejack. "You don't look like you're feeling well."

"Yeah, listen I need some time to think right now so I'm going into the forest for a little bit okay?" he said.

"Wait, you mean the Everfree forest? It's dangerous in there!" said Twilight.

"Don't worry Twilight, I'm not going that deep into the forest." he assured her. "I just need some time to think on some things okay?"

"Maybe ah should go with you just in case?" suggested Applejack.

"Thanks for the offer but, I need to be alone." he said.

"I'm not so sure that's a good idea." said Twilight, "You just got out of bed. I think you should rest some more before you head out to the forest."

"I don't need more stupid rest! I'm done with resting! So just leave it alone!" he shouted. Applejack and Twilight then stared at him with troubled looks on their faces. "Oh...oh no. I-I'm sorry!" he shouted as he ran off towards the Everfree Forest.

Alex made his slowly through the many trees of the forest looking for somewhere he could just think to himself. He eventually noticed a pack of shrubs with a bright light shining through an opening in between. He made his way through the opening to see an amazing sight. There was an amazing lake with a beautiful little waterfall on one side and the lake was covered with Lillie pads that gently glided across the water. The trees made a circular opening above him, allowing the sun to shine down and brighten the lakes surface. He walked up towards the lake and looked down at his own reflection.

"What's wrong with me?" he asked himself. "Am I truly in denial? The girls, they're real aren't they? My family, they are real! They're real aren't they?!" He became angry and started to pound his hooves on the lakes surface, "Stop looking at me like that! I'm real! I'm not some dream made up by someone else! I'm alive! I have a family! These stupid nightmares are just trying to confuse me! Aren't they?! I don't know anymore! I don't know what to think! Why is this happening to me?! Someone! Anyone! Please, tell me!" He dropped his head down as he could feel tears running down his face. "Has my whole life been a lie?"

He face was completely soaked, he stopped pounding at the water and just stared at himself. "I...I don't know what to do." Alex then felt something tapping him from his left. He turned to see a little bunny looking up at him. He then looked around the lake to see many animals looking at him, almost as if they came in response to his call. He could then hear something disturbing the bushes behind him from where he had entered.

"Angel?" a voice called out, "Angel you know the forest is dangerous, please come back before you get hurt!" Alex then watched the bunny hop towards the voice in the bushes. "There you are Angel! Where did you run off to? What's that? You want me to go in there? Someone needs help? What do you mean Angel?" The bunny came back to Alex and waited. "Alex? Is that you?" said the voice.

Alex slightly turned his head to see Fluttershy standing there and turned back to the lake. "Go away. I want to be alone."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Come on Angel, Alex say she wants to be alone." The bunny refused to move and simply pointed to Alex. "Oh dear, um, are you sure you want to be alone Alex? You don't look okay."

"I...I'm not okay." he said as his body began shivering. Fluttershy could see the tears falling down his face.

"Oh no! What's wrong?" she asked.

"I've been having horrible nightmares and now I can't tell what's real and what's not anymore! Am I just some dream that's been made up by someone else?! Or is this whole world one dream and I'm still sleeping back in my world?! I don't even know if my family is real anymore! I don't know what to do and I don't know what to think! I feel like my whole life has just been one big lie! I don't even know if you're real or not."

"Everypony has nightmares every once in a while Alex, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." she said.

"Nothing to worry about?!" he snapped, "You don't understand how serious this is Fluttershy! This may not seem like something serious to you but to me it's very serious! My nightmares have been happening one after the other and I feel like I'm losing my mind! I can't even trust myself anymore because I can't stop thinking about it! You don't even know what it's like to be me right now! You don't know how it feels!"

Fluttershy backed away in fear, "I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were going through so much, please don't hurt me!" she said as her eyes began to water.

Alex blinked a few times as he stared at her, the fear in her eyes made him turn back and stared at his reflection once again. "Day after day I've lived my life normally, thinking I would just grow up like any other person. Then I'm just suddenly dragged into another world shattering everything I've ever known. And now I'm in this place, with all these things I've never seen before. Now I can't even tell if any of this is real anymore. I...I don't even know who I am anymore."

"I'm sorry. I was there on that day. I didn't think about how you would feel. None of us did. We were just so worried after we heard about the dangers that were coming. When we heard that you could help, it seemed like we had no other choice. We should have thought more about how you would feel."

"It's too late now. I don't even know if I can do anything to help you. I'm not some warrior, I've never even been in a fight before. Then again...that might change sometime soon."

"W-what do you mean?" she asked.

"My nightmares. I've also been having nightmares where I can see myself attacking someone in anger. That's not me! I'm not a violent person! I would never do something like that!" he screamed as he slammed his hooves into the lake. "I feel like I'm changing into something horrible, but I don't want to change into someone like that."

"Alex, you shouldn't believe anything you see in your dreams. They're just nightmares, they can't hurt you unless you let them. So don't ever say you're not real, because you are to me and to everypony else as well."

"Do...do you really mean it?" he asked.

"Yes, so don't think like that okay?" she said. "You will always be you, and nothing can change that."

"I will always be me?" he repeated as he looked down at his reflection. He then felt a sense of relief. "T-thank you Fluttershy." he said as he wiped the tears from his face.

"I'm just glad I could help." she said with a smile.

"I guess it helps since you hold the element of kindness." he said.

"How did you know that?" she asked.

"Heh. Don't worry about it for now. Hey, I just noticed."

"What?"

"I'm talking to you, and I'm not stuttering."

"You're right! I am too!" she said.

"I guess that talk helped us both. I think it's about time we get out of here too."

"Oh my gosh you're right! I almost forgot where we were!"

"I wonder if we'll get out without any problems." said Alex. Just then the animals that had been watching them moved closer. "Uh, are these animals friendly?"

"Yes. They won't hurt us." said Fluttershy as a bear walked up to her. "This bear says he and his friends will make sure our way out will be safe. He also says they hope you feel better about your problems."

"Oh, uh, thanks...bear. Um, well let's get going I guess." he said as he began walking. "Hey, do you think you can keep what we talked about here a secret from the others?" he asked.

"Why would you want to keep it a secret? I think they have a right to know about what you've been going through." she said.

"I have many secrets that I'm still keeping from them and from you, but these are things that must be kept hidden unless I think it's safe enough." he explained. "I don't want them to worry about me, do you understand?" he asked.

"I guess so." she said.

"Thanks Fluttershy. Oh my goodness I almost forgot! When you take the ducks with you tomorrow, take Derpy with you okay?" he asked.

"Hm? Well I guess it would be okay if she came too. Wait, how did you know I was going to help the ducks tomorrow?" she asked.

"Um, sorry but I can't tell you." he said as he looked up. "The sun's almost set; we better hurry before the moon rises over. I don't want to show up super late and have Twilight asking me a bunch of questions."

"Okay, hop on up Angel." said Fluttershy as her little bunny climbed onto her back and they both began running out of the forest. After much time had passed, they had finally arrived at the library.

"Hey Fluttershy, thanks for helping me earlier." said Alex.

"You're welcome. I'm glad I could help you feel better." she said with a smile.

"I'm just glad that's over with." he said as he opened the door. Alex entered to see Twilight waiting in the living room, "Oh hey Twilight, were you...waiting for me?"

"Yes!" she shouted, "Where have you been?! You said you were going to the forest to think about some things, so I went to pick up Scootaloo from school and brought her home and after a while I looked at the time and it's been six hours since then and you still weren't home! Just what happened out there? Are you okay?"

"I was, um, helping Fluttershy take care of her animals! Isn't that right Fluttershy?" he said as he turned his head towards her.

"Oh! Um, yes he was. He was helping me feed the animals." she said as she walked toward Alex's side.

"Why didn't you tell me you were going to Fluttershy's?" asked Twilight.

"Well I didn't expect to find myself there either. So were you just waiting here for me?" he asked. Suddenly he heard a noise coming from the kitchen, "Is somepony in there?" he asked.

"Yeah, there's...something you should know." she began, "You see, I sent a letter to the princess earlier about the spell book and I got a letter back. This, you have to see." She took out a scroll and levitated it to him.

"Okay then, let's see here." he said as he began to read.

To my faithful student

I have received your letter about the book of Star Swirl the Bearded and about Alexis' attempts to use one of his spells. Now although it hasn't brought any physical harm to him, you must be sure he does not attempt it again. We don't know what might happen if he does. Secondly, the Gospel and I have been discussing a certain matter and have decided to send somepony who needs Alexis' help. She seems to have trouble adjusting to her new life and I believe that Alexis would be able to help her as he they both share the same problem. She will be arriving with the details so I am asking you to have him take care of her, I have confidence that he will succeed.

"How does she know I'm having trouble fitting in? And what does she mean she's sending someone down? Does this mean I'm being put in charge of somepony else who's going to be living with us now?" he asked.

"Well yes, but when I told her that we don't have any available rooms she said that she would be staying with you." said Twilight.

"Oh so I'm having a roommate now?" he said. "That's going to be troublesome. Pinkie Pie blew up my bed."

"Oh, that? Don't worry about it, I fixed your bed for you."

"Hey, thanks. But that still only leaves me with my own bed and Scootaloo's bed. By the way, where is Scootaloo?" he asked as he looked around.

"Alex!" screamed Scootaloo as she ran across the room toward him, "I'm so glad you're finally home, there's this strange pony in the house! She's really scary!"

"Hey, that's not a very nice thing to say about our new guest." he said. "I'm sure whoever they are can't be that bad."

"Are you sure you want to go through with this?" asked Twilight.

"Well I mean...if Princess Celestia thinks I can handle it then I'll do what I can but..." he said.

"Do you even know who she is?" she asked him.

"Well no but I'm sure it can't be that bad. Why are you two acting this way anyway?" he asked.

"You'll see," said Twilight, "You can come in now."

Alex turned toward the kitchen to see a pony walk into the living room, at which point he began to understand why the girls acted the way they did. "Ah, greetings Prince Alex, it certainly has been a while. I do hope you will look after me from now on." said the pony as she bowed her head.

Alex just stared with wide eyes, "Princess Luna?! Wh-what?! You're the one Celestia sent?!"

Author's Notes:

Hello and welcome back to the after chapter discussion! I am hungry and I want a bananna, whose got one?! Give it to me! Now back to the story discussion! Well this chapter finished with quite the surprise, didn't it? So first we've got a cat, then there's Scootaloo, and now Princess Luna! How many roomates are there going to be?! I'll never tell! Next time, in chapter 6, Gilda appears! Get ready for that! So now we've got five chapters, the next one is coming soon, and I'm also finally getting back to that next "New Pegasus In Town" chapter. I've been gone for too long and I have to get back to both my projects! So if there's anyone who has been waiting for that, get ready because that's also coming soon! So please, tell me who has that bananna, and I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. And remember, feedback is greatly appreciated, and so is food.

Chapter 6: The Scar (Part: 2)

"Princess Luna, you're the one Princess Celestia sent?!" shouted Alex.

"Correct. You see, I've been having a bit of trouble nowadays. Every time I try to speak to the towns ponies they just quiver in fear. I even wanted to be here when the elements of harmony summoned you but Celestia insisted that I not make an appearance. She feared the ponies were not ready to see my face yet. So my sister believed that I should learn about how to fit in more since I've been gone for so long. Celestia and the being known as the Gospel were deciding on who would be the best choice for me to learn from and they decided that it should be you."

Alex took in a deep breath, "No! No way! This...this can't be happening! Princess Celestia must have made a mistake!"

Luna raised an eyebrow, "No, she made no mistake. She insisted that you be the one I learn from."

"But...you're a princess! I can't live with a princess! That's so...weird!"

"Yet you live with Princess Celestia's most faithful student. You do not find that strange in itself?"

"Of course I find it strange! It's super weird! But a princess?! That's even crazier! Why?! Why me?!"

"Well you are a prince, are you not?"

"That's not...I...no? I don't know. Does that matter?"

"Well surely that makes this situation a bit less strange to you. Who better to help me understand how to...fit in, as they say?"

"Well hold on here I'm still trying to fit in myself! So how would I be able to help you?"

"My understanding is that Celestia hopes for us to learn together. This way we can help each other, but that is simply my thoughts on this matter.

Twilight decided to break the silence, "So..."

"I don't know about this. I'm still uneasy about this whole thing." said Alex.

"You...do not wish to help me?" asked Luna.

"Don't say it like that." said Alex as he began to feel guilty. "...Alright fine! I'll do it."

"Wonderful! Worry not young prince, I promise not to be a burden on you! I am a fast learner, my sister and I were at the top of our class when we were younger!" said Luna.

"Hold on!" interrupted Twilight, "You're just going to take her in, just like that?! Don't I get a say in the matter?"

Alex turned to face her, "I couldn't help it! I felt bad about saying no."

"Fluttershy, are you okay?" asked Twilight.

Alex turned his head around to see her hiding behind him, "Uh, please don't do that. It feels weird."

"THAT IS CORRECT YOUNG PEGASUS! DO NOT FEAR YOUR PRINCESS!" she shouted.

"Ow! My ears! Why are you yelling?!"

"I AM ONLY SPEAKING WITH THE ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE! WE ALWAYS USE THE ROYAL CANTERLOT VOICE WHEN SPEAKING TO OUR SUBJECTS!" she shouted.

"Please stop! You're hurting my ears!"

"BUT..." she began.

"I said stop! My ears feel like they're going to fall off! If you want to get along with other ponies then you're going to have to stop shouting like that all the time!" he shouted as he rubbed his ears.

"I see. I will certainly try. Please excuse my rude shouting young Pegasus, I certainly won't harm you."

"Oh man! My ears are still ringing from your shouting!"

"Why are you shouting?!" asked Twilight.

"What?! Sorry I can barely hear you!" he shouted.

"Here, perhaps I can help." said Luna as her horn began to glow. Alex's ears then became enveloped in the same aura as Luna's magic. "Can you hear us now?"

"Yeah, that's much better. Man, you girls can do some amazing things with magic huh?" He turned to see Fluttershy shaking furiously. "Are you okay Fluttershy?"

"Y-you two aren't going to yell anymore, are you?" she asked while looking away.

"Oh, was I yelling too? I'm sorry, we won't yell anymore. I think we've settled that issue." he said.

"Oh good, it's really scary when ponies yell at each other like that." she said as she calmed down.

"Is she really staying with us Alex?" asked Scootaloo.

"Yeah, I'm afraid so."

"Who is this young Pegasus Alex?" asked Luna.

"Her? Well...you see...she's-"

"That's his daughter Scootaloo." said Twilight.

Alex immediately turned to her. "Twilight!"

"You already have a child?! So then this Pegasus here must be the mother! Why did you not send word of your newborn child to us in Canterlot?!" she said as she rushed toward Fluttershy and grabbed her hooves, "Congratulations! She's very beautiful; I see she takes after her mother! When was the wedding?"

"U-u-uh, no...It's not...we're not..." stuttered Fluttershy. She had become so embarrassed that she could hardly form a complete sentence.

Alex immediately got in between them. "STOP! STOP! STOP! It's not like that! She was adopted! We're not married! Don't get the wrong idea!"

"Oh...I see. Then why did you not tell us that you had adopted a child?" she asked.

"Uh, it's...complicated. Let's just leave it at that okay?" he said. *Sigh* "I hope this isn't going to be a daily thing." He turned to face Fluttershy. "S-sorry about that. Maybe you should go home for now as we clear this up, but please don't tell anyone about Princess Luna yet. I'll tell them myself."

"Sure. I'll, um, see you tomorrow?" she said.

"Uh, yeah! Totally." he said. Tomorrow. She'll be here tomorrow. "Don't forget to bring Derpy with you tomorrow, okay?"

"Of course, good night." she said as she walked away.

"Good night!" he said back as he closed the door. "Alright, Princess Luna. I guess, we'll start tomorrow? It's pretty late right now, and I have to figure out our room situation."

"What has happened to our room?" asked Luna.

"Nothing, don't worry about it. You two just get ready for bed. Let me get things ready down there." he said as he headed for the stairs.

With that being said, Luna and Scootaloo went to get ready for bed as Alex spent his time fixing up the beds and looking for the cat who had mysteriously disappeared. "Where is that cat?" He then heard several noises coming from his study room. "What was that?" He slowly moved towards the door and carefully opened the door.

"Freedom!" shouted the cat as he ran out of the room.

"What the?! What were you doing in there?" asked Alex.

"That Rainbow pony threw me in there and refused to let me out! She even forgot about me after she left with that loudmouth pony!"

"Why didn't you say anything earlier?"

"I did! But after that explosion all of your notes fell off of the wall and landed all over me!"

"Aw man! Now I have to fix everything all over again."

"Well, at least I'm out finally. I can't wait to sleep in a nice comfy bed."

"Uh...about that."

"What? What is it?"

"Ah, so this is the cat I've heard about." said Luna as she and Scootaloo walked down the steps.

"Is that Princess Luna?! What is she doing here?!" asked the cat.

"Well, how do I put this? She lives here, with us now."

"Why do you keep bringing more ponies into our home?!"

"It wasn't my fault! Princess Celestia asked me to!"

"I see there are only two beds." said Luna.

"Uh, yeah. That's our main problem right now. Okay, here's what I think. We should-"

"The cat shall sleep on the couch, the child will use her own bed, and you and I will share the other bed."

"W-wait a moment! What about-"

"I've heard the stories about that cat. I know that he is quite the troublemaker. I believe it would be best if he slept on the couch."

"Well yeah but, why do we have to share the same bed?! I think it'd be easier if you used that bed and Scootaloo and I share this bed instead."

"I'm afraid that is not acceptable. It is...necessary."

"What does that mean?"

"You can't tell me what to do!" the cat shouted.

"Oh? Do not think I don't know of your current situation! I am well aware that you are a thief who attempted to steal a royal crown! One word from me and you'll be thrown into a dungeon cell!"

"Grrrrr! I won't forget about this!" said the cat as he hopped up onto the couch in the room.

"Like you'll actually do anything?" asked Alex.

*Yawn!* "Probably not. Too tired."

"Figures."

"Now then! Let us be off to bed!" said Luna.

"Wait! I'm not done with-"

~~~~~

How did I get stuck in bed with her?! Alex laid on his half of the bed, trying to keep himself as far away as possible from Princess Luna. This is ridiculous! Necessary, what does she mean it's necessary?! He slowly turned his head to check to make sure that Luna was still on her side when suddenly he could see her getting closer and even attempting to grab him. "Hey! What are you doi-Mmmph!" His words were cut off as Luna pulled him close preventing him from forming words. Oh lord she's so strooooong! How can she be so strong?! As he struggled to break free from Luna's grasp, he overheard the sound of something falling onto the floor from nearby.

What? What was that? It sounded like...paper? Alex used his magic in an attempt to lift whatever had fallen. It turned out to be a letter that Luna had in her possession. Alex managed to bring it closer and, with much concentration, managed to open the letter.

To: Prince Alexis Beltran

By the time you read this letter you will have seen that the one who needs your help is none other than my sister, Princess Luna. I'm sorry if this is an inconvenience to you, but right now you should know that Luna has some...conditions that have intensified ever since she was reformed by the elements of harmony. My sister tends to have repeating night terrors, so do be aware that as she does tend to 'cling' to other objects as she sleeps. With that being said, do keep a watchful eye on her as you try to sleep. Although we may not look it, we have tremendous strength so...do prepare yourself.

From: Princess Celestia

"MMMMPH!" Why did Luna not give this to me sooner?! I feel like I'm being crushed! I can't move an inch! He continued to struggle, but his efforts were in vain. Luna was simply too strong for Alex. Why is she...is she....wait. Is she shaking? Alex managed to pry his head a bit loose and noticed that Luna had this look of fear. She must be having a nightmare. I wonder what her dreams are like. Alex continued looking watching Luna until he could see that her horn had begun to glow. I wonder...if I placed my horn on hers, could I enter her dream? No, no I shouldn't do that. That's her dream, I have no reason to invade her mind like that!

"Do it."

W-what? Alex continued to stare at Luna's horn. He didn't know what, but something was calling to him. He began to summon his own magic and managed to manifest it onto his horn and placed his horn onto Luna's.

~~~~~

"Wha-where am I?!" he asked as he landed in Luna's dream. His words echoed throughout the dream world. "Whoa, what's up with my voice? It sounds so...echoey here. Hey, this is the castle of the two sisters! I've never seen the inside like this before. It's a lot bigger than I thought." Alex began walking through the castle halls, unsure of what it was he hoped to find.

"Help me."

"Huh? Princess Luna! Is that you?" he called out.

"Release me."

"Princess Luna! Are you trapped in here?" he asked. He heard no response so he began running through the halls, searching for any sign of Luna. As he searched the halls, he came to a large door that had Luna's cutie mark embedded above the door. "She must be in here. It's locked pretty tight though. Hang on princess! I'll get you out...somehow." There must be some way to open this door! Huh, the cutie mark looks a little...different. Is it the color? It's probably just faded, this door seems very old. He then placed his hoof upon the door and suddenly he began hearing the locks come undone. "Whoa! I don't know what I did, but this door is opening!"

As the door unlocked itself, Alex backed away slowly due to an uneasy feeling he got from placing his hoof on it. "Okay, here we go. I hope the princess is okay." The giant door then began to open slowly, and Alex stared into the opening hoping that Luna was inside. When the doors finally opened all he could see was darkness, it enveloped the entire room. Alex took a single step into the room, "Hello? Princess Luna? Are you in here?" Suddenly a strong wind erupted from inside the room, Alex felt a chilling sensation as the wind continued to escape the room.

After a few seconds the wind had died down and Alex could finally see inside of the room. "It's...empty. This room is completely empty." I...I feel different. It's...really hard to breathe, I feel so much heavier than before. What's going on?

"No! Please!" screamed a voice.

"I know that voice! That's Princess Luna for sure this time!" Alex rushed down the halls, following the sound of Luna's voice. "It's getting louder, she's near!" Alex found an open door with a red carpet leading out of the room. He slowed his pace and inched his way to see into the room. "Is that Princess Celestia? Are those the elements of harmony back in their original form?!"

"Celestia, please listen to me! I've come back, I am no longer intent with shrouding Equestria in eternal night! The darkness that possessed me is gone, you must believe me!"

"I'm sorry little sister, but the ponies of Equestria have doubts. They still believe you might try to betray us again, I must do this for them!"

Alex continued watching until suddenly he could hear several voices speaking throughout the castle. "What...what is happening?"

"Oh no! It's Nightmare Moon!"

"She's come back! She'll destroy us all!"

"I can't believe she thinks she can just say sorry and everypony will welcome her back with open hooves."

"Keep her away from the children!"

"Somepony call the guards!"

"No! I'm not evil anymore! I wish to make up for my past mistakes!" shouted Luna. "Please, if you would all just give me a chance you would see-" Luna was cut off as the screams became louder. "No...please no. I'm sorry. I'm sorry!"

"I'm afraid I cannot wait any longer Luna. It is time." said Celestia as the elements began to spin around her as they began to shine.

"Dear sister, surely you must believe that I am not evil! Please, you are the only one left who understands me! Give me a chance to prove myself!"

"The citizens of Equestria have spoken. I now return you to the moon where you shall be imprisoned, forever!" The elements began to shine brighter as Celestia prepared her spell.

Alex stared in shock as he bit his lower lip in anger. This is horrible! I...I remember that the ponies were afraid of Princess Luna but, I didn't know it hurt her this much. She's become so convinced that everyone dislikes her so much, now her dreams are making her believe that Celestia is against her too. I can understand how she feels, I was never given the opportunity to prove myself either.

"No! NO! PLEASE SOMEPONY GIVE ME A CHANCE!" screamed Luna.

I...I can't watch this any longer! Alex ran headfirst into the room and pushed Luna out of the way as Celestia's spell hit the floor near Alex causing the floor to explode. Alex and Luna were then covered by the dust thrown around from the explosion making it difficult to see.

"Oh no! Wh-what ha-"

*Cough! *Cough!* *Cough!* "Princess Luna! Are you okay?"

"Y-yes! Are you?"

"I'm fine thankfully! The spell just barely missed."

"Where are you?"

"I'm not too sure, I can't see anything."

"Why did you save me?"

"Because...I couldn't stand to watch you suffer like that anymore."

"..."

"I know how it feels. To be alone, to have everyone push you away when all you want is a chance to show them who you are."

"Well you shouldn't have helped me. Didn't you hear them? I'm...evil. I'm a monster."

"No, you're not evil. You're just misunderstood."

"Who are you?" The dust began to disappear and Luna could make out his figure. "Do I...know you?"

"Uh, not exactly." he said as he slowly backed away. Crap! I'm in trouble if she catches me in here!

The dust finally cleared out enough that Luna could see him. "Prince Alexis! What are you doing here?! How did you get in here?!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to invade your privacy! It's just...let's just say I had to fix a certain problem."

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"I'll explain it later. Right now we have to figure out how to end this nightmare, and how to deal with that." he said as he pointed towards Celestia.

"It is no use Prince Alexis." said Luna as she bowed her head in defeat. "The ponies of today do not trust me. They all fear me, and now my own sister fears me."

"No, Celestia would never be afraid of you."

"Then why did she send me away? Why not keep me by her side?"

"She did it to help you. She knows that you'll never be able to get other ponies to see the real you if you stay in that castle forever."

"But nopony wants to see the real me! Everypony is afraid of me!" she said as Alex could see her tears running down her face.

"I'm not."

"What?"

"I'm not afraid. Actually, I consider myself lucky. I've always wanted to meet you Princess Luna, the princess of the moon."

"You...do not fear me? Of course you don't, because you do not know. This may shock you, but I-"

"You tried to shroud the world in eternal night as Nightmare Moon."

"How did you know that?"

"I know a lot of things about your past. And I know that you feel bad about doing those things. But...if you show everypony that you are willing to make up for your past mistakes, then they will forgive you."

"How can I show everypony that I've changed if they don't give me the chance to show it?"

"I will."

"What?"

"I will give you that chance. And if other ponies are too scared to give you that chance, then I'll be there by your side until they can see you, the real you!" Huh, not bad. I think I sounded pretty good just now.

"You're willing to give me a chance? I...don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything to me. Right now you need to tell yourself that you believe in your sister."

"My sister?"

"Look up there. That image was created by your mind because you're afraid that Celestia doesn't trust you anymore, but I know that she cares about you more than anything else. You have to believe in her."

Princess Luna turned to face the Celestia her mind had created and took a deep breath. "I know that you are not real. You are but a nightmare, something that I fear deep down because I do not believe that my sister completely trusts me anymore after what I've done. But now I am certain that...that is false! My sister, the real Celestia, believes in me more than anypony else! Deep in my heart I know this to be true, but because I doubted myself I began to doubt her, and that is unforgiveable. I know now that I can prove myself to everypony, even if it's just one pony at a time. It will be a long journey for me, but I have already made great progress." She looked over at Alex without him noticing. "I know, my sister would be proud of me for taking this journey."

The Celestia that stood before her began to smile and gently nodded her head. Then she, and the rest of the nightmare began to disappear before their very eyes. "What's happening?!" asked Alex.

"Worry not Prince Alexis. The nightmare is over. I'm not afraid anymore." she said with a smile. "It's time to wake up."

~~~~~

Alex had awoken first and noticed that Luna's grasp on him had loosened, he used this opportunity to quickly back away from Luna. Unfortunately he had forgotten that he had been sleeping on the edge of the bed and fell off, hitting his head on the floor. Ack! That hurt!

"Mmmm...Hm?" Luna had begun to wake up and noticed that Alex had fallen off the bed. "Prince Alexis, are you alright?" she whispered.

"Y-yeah, my head just hurts from that fall."

"How did you fall off the bed?"

"I...uh...found this." he said as he levitated the letter he had found earlier.

"O-o-o-oh dear. Was I...um..."

"I thought you were going to break me."

"My apologies! I can assure you though, I did not mean to bring you harm!"

"Shhh! You'll wake the others!"

"My apologies!" she whispered.

"Stop apologizing please. It feels weird to have you apologize to me. We'll talk more about this tomorrow okay?"

"Yes, that would seem appropriate for now."

"Alright, then do you think you can...slide back to your half of the bed please?"

"Y-yes of course. Here, let me just move aside."

"Thank you." said Alex as he climbed back into the bed. "Alright, well...good night princess."

"...Thank you."

"Hm?"

"I was so afraid of being rejected by everypony. Other than my sister, you are the first pony who has accepted my presence here in Equestria. I...think I'm beginning to understand why Celestia sent me here."

"..."

"I suppose it's late for a conversation such as this. Have a good night Prince Alex."

"Yeah...good night." said Alex as he closed his eyes. I still feel that this is wrong. Celestia and the Gospel must have made a mistake. Why choose me to take care of her? I'm not some kind of miracle worker, there's nothing special about me. Ugh, I have too many things on my mind right now. I need to get back on track tomorrow, hopefully the nightmares will be less stressful tonight. Alex quickly fell asleep after everything that had happened that day. And for the first time in a long time, Alex did not have any nightmares that night.

The sun rose in the morning as Alex and Scootaloo got up from their deep slumber. Luna, still sleeping, had grabbed Alex during the middle of the night once again. Alex and Scootaloo struggled to get her to let go of him. After a few minutes they managed to wake her up and she released her hooves not knowing that they were holding him in place, sending Alex onto the floor once again. That morning he walked her through their morning schedule and how each of them spent their days. And after much complaining from Scootaloo, Alex took the second bed in his room and threw it outside. After he got rid of it they all decided to take Scootaloo to school.

"Does she have to come with us?" asked Scootaloo as they walked along the dirt path.

"Yes, she does. If I'm going to help her learn about fitting in then she needs to be with me. Why?" he asked.

"It's going to be weird if the other fillies see the princess there dropping me off at school." she explained.

"You know...she's got a point. Are we sure this is a good idea?" asked Alex.

"Worry not Prince Alexis. I no longer feel afraid of being rejected by others. If I want to get along with them, then I must begin by letting them know that I am here." said Luna.

"I guess that's one way to make some progress."

"What about you? Do you get strange looks because you are a prince?"

"No...not really. I'm still not convinced that I'm a prince. Up to now I've just been telling everyone to keep it a secret."

"Why don't you want others to know that you are a prince?" asked Luna.

"Well, because I feel that if I were to be labeled as a prince then everyone would treat me differently. I want everyone to see me as an equal, I don't want to be seen as though I'm more important than they are." he said.

"I see, so I should do the same and not act like a princess?" asked Luna.

"Uh, well...huh. I'm not sure. Everypony already knows that you're a princess, so I think that wouldn't work. Let's just start with being kind to others, you have to project that positive feeling from inside yourself."

"I think I understand. Oh, I do believe we have arrived at school. Am I correct?"

"Yes! Just on time too, have a good day at school Scootaloo!" He nudged Luna, "Let's see how you say your goodbyes, try wishing her a good day at school."

"Very well." said Luna as she cleared her throat. "Fare thee well daughter of Alexis! Enjoy your many hours of educational experiences that will provide sufficient knowledge for you to succeed in your future endeavors!" She said as she waved. "How was that?"

"It...it wasn't terrible, but it could use some work." he said. Oh boy, she is waaaaaay unfamiliar with current times. He thought. "Come on, let's get to Sweet Apple Acres." he said.

"Let us be off then." she said.

"Okay see, the way you say things need to change." he said while walking, "Instead of 'let us be off then', just say 'let's go'!"

"Very well then." she said.

"How about instead of 'very well then', you say 'okay'?" he said.

"Very we...I mean, okay." she said. "How was that?" she asked.

"Good, you're starting to learn a little. There's still a lot more to go though." he said as they made their way for Sweet Apple Acres. "Okay, so last night..."

"Oh yes, we still have to discuss what happened."

"Sorry about invading your dreams."

"To be honest, I am not upset with what you did. I am glad you intervened when you did. I finally put all of my doubt aside, and now my mind is clear. It is all thanks to you."

"Yeah, well it's only because of your condition that I entered your dream in the first place."

"I-I-I apologized for that!"

"Yes, you did. And then you did it again later that night!"

"I did not!"

"Yes you did!"

"No I didn't!"

"You did!" The two continued arguing as they continued along their way.

Applejack was waiting for Alex by the entrance so she could welcome him. What she didn't expect was for him to have company, especially not Princess Luna. "P-P-P-P-Princess Luna! How are you? Ah didn't expect to see you here."

"I am well, thank you for your concern. I must also thank you for stopping me from when I tried to permanently cover this world in shadows." she said.

"Y-yeah, no problem. Alex, can ah talk with you real quick?" she asked as she pulled him aside.

"Uh, yeah, just give me one sec." he said as he walked over to Luna. "Listen, for this job we simply kick the tree to knock the apples off, okay?"

"Kick the tree, I understand. I will succeed." said Luna.

Alex walked over to talk with Applejack. "So, pretty crazy huh?"

"Crazy?! What is Princess Luna doing here?!"

"Well Princess Celestia asked me to help her fit in. I'm not sure why she chose me though. It's only been one night since she moved in and already she's been a handful."

"A handful? Wait, the princess is living with you?!"

"Yeah, it's been a weird couple of days for me."

"Ah can't believe this. What did Twilight say?"

"Well she's okay with it. It was Princess Celestia who asked me to do it after all."

"Well if Princess Celestia thinks you can help, then ah'm sure she picked the right pony for the job."

"How can you be so sure though? I don't think I'm the best person to help her."

"Person?"

"Yeah, it's a human thing."

"Ah see. Well ah hope you stay safe, it could be dangerous to have her around." she asked.

"No, she's not dangerous at all. She wants to make up for what she did, and she's willing to work hard to get everypony's trust back."

"Well even so, ah think ah should tell you what happened before. You see, before you came here, she-"

As Applejack began to tell Alex about Nightmare Moon and what she did at the Summer Sun Festival, Alex's eyes focused on Princess Luna who was scanning one of the nearby trees carefully. He watched as Luna prepared to buck the apples off of the tree, hoping that she would succeed even though it was her first time. Luna reared her legs and launched a kick, sending the tree flying out of the ground, across the sky and over the mountains on the opposite side of Ponyville. "Uh...Can you give me a second Applejack?" he said as he quickly ran over to Luna.

"What did you do?!" he whispered.

"I kicked the tree just as you said. I did good, no?"

"No! You were only supposed to kick it hard enough to knock the apples off! Not make it explode out of the ground!"

"Oh...oh dear. I have failed at even the simplest of tasks." she said as she bowed her head down. "Forgive me."

"No, you didn't do anything wrong. Um, oh man what are we going to do?"

"WHAT IN TARNATION?!" shouted Applejack as she came over and stared into the hole that remained.

"Applejack, we can explain!" said Alex.

"Big Mac! Ah thought you said you were going to fill all of the holes left by those darn gophers! There's still one left! And it is enormous! Sorry, but ah gotta go get the shovel and fill this hole up."

"Uh, yeah! Sure, no problem! Princess Luna and I will get started on the apples!"

"Alright then, good luck." she said as she walked off. "And please be careful."

"Okay princess. Let's try this again." said Alex as he led Luna to the barn to get them baskets to catch the apples with. "So we only want to knock the apples off, but since you're an alicorn I guess you want to hold back a bit."

"Very well, I will not let you down this time!" said Luna with determination.

"Good, now watch me." said Alex as he walked up to a tree. "Now we just kick it like...this!" He kicked the tree with all his strength causing all of the apples of fall off.

"I see. But..."

"What? What's wrong?"

"It was your kick, were you...holding back?"

"N...no, not at all. I kicked it as hard as I could, why?"

"I see. You're not very strong, are you?"

"Uh, no. No I'm not." That kind of hurts. It took me days before I could even knock all of the apples off of one tree. "Your turn."

"Oh, yes. Now I shall redeem myself! So, I simply must hold back my strength yes?"

"Exactly! Alright, go for it."

"Very well. Here I go." Luna prepared her kick carefully. The moment she kicked her hoof broke through the tree and she became stuck. "Aaah! Oh dear! I...I can pull it ou-"

"No! If you try to pull it out, then you might just pull the whole tree out of the ground with you!"

"T-then what do I do?" she asked as she struggled to keep her balance.

"Uh...I'll help you." said Alex as he walked towards her and grabbed her hooves. "Okay, one...two...three!" He began pulling with all his might as little by little he could feel Luna becoming easier to free. "Almost there!" he shouted as he struggled to continue pulling. Wow, she is really stuck in there! I don't know if I can get her out!

"I'm almost out Prince Alexis! Just one more pull!"

"I don't know if I can!"

"Yes! You can! I know you can!"

I...I can? Alex mustered up every last ounce of strength that he could and pulled once more. Luna's hoof finally came loose as she fell forward on top of Alex. "Okay...you need to hold back at least...twice as much of your strength."

"Y-yes. Sorry about that. I suppose it has been a long time since I've done anything like this before. Forgive me for failing once again."

"You didn't fail, the tree is still here so that's an improvement but..."

"What is wrong?"

"Can you get off of me please?"

"Oh! Yes, forgive me!" said Luna as she quickly lifted herself.

"Okay, so...try it again. Half as strong this time."

"Yes, I can do this!" said Luna with even more determination than before. She carefully scanned the tree once again and kicked it. "Mmmmmm...." The tree shook and soon the apples began falling down onto her baskets. "Huzzah! I have succeeded!"

"Good job princess! Careful, make sure to catch the apples!" he said as he ran in with a basket to catch some of the ones that Luna had not noticed.

"This is fantastic! Now what's next?" she asked.

"Now? We continue kicking the rest of the trees here." said Alex.

"...All of them?"

"Yup! We've got a whole days work here."

"Please, such a task will be completed in mere minutes."

"Oh? Don't think that just because you successfully bucked a single tree that you can just breeze through the rest."

"Shall we put it to the test then?"

"A test?"

"Yes, a simple game. We each take half of the trees, and whoever completes their half first is declared the winner."

"Ummm...sure. But no kicking trees out of the ground okay?"

"Of course! Now let us begin!" said Luna as she quickly kicked the next tree over.

"Hey! No fair! You got a head start!" said Alex as he began on his half.

Throughout the morning two of them bucked apples off of all the trees. Eventually Applejack caught up with them and was amazed at how much progress they were making. She decided to carry all of the baskets that were full back to the barn so she could empty them for later use. Alex and Luna continued bucking one tree after the other as fast as they could. Thankfully Alex's experience came in handy as he gained the lead in their race. He even began to enjoy their game, it made him feel happy. At last he had finished and waited for Luna to finish her last set of apple trees.

"Hahaha...oh man...that was...actually pretty fun."

"Yes...I...agree. I haven't...enjoyed myself...this much in quite a...while."

"Whoooo! Okay...I think we're done. Let's head back." he said as he led the way out.

"I cannot believe...how many trees there were."

"I can't believe I actually beat you."

"Only because you were more experienced at this than I am. Give me time and I will show you what I can really do."

"You know, to be honest I'm actually looking forward to that. I feel excited!"

"As do I young prince."

"You don't have to call me prince. I'd prefer if you called me Alex."

"Hm? Very well, then you may call me Luna."

"B-but...are you sure?"

"Yes, of course. I would be honored if you called me by my name."

"Okay, then I'll do that Luna."

Alex and Luna continued walking until they had arrived back at the barn where Applejack saw how exhausted the two were from their hard day's work. "Welcome back! What was up with you two? You were bucking apple trees so fast, Ah've never seen you work like that before."

"Yes, making it a game certainly was a good idea." said Luna.

"A game?" asked Applejack.

"Yeah, I actually had fun!" said Alex as he laughed.

"T-that's good!" said Applejack. He's never smiled like that before. In fact, it's been weeks since ah last saw him laugh. How come he never has that much fun when we're around? We're supposed to be the ones making him feel welcome here, aren't we?

"Hey, what's wrong Applejack? Are you okay?" asked Alex.

"Yeah, Ah'm fine." she said. "Hey, do you want to get together later?"

"Huh? Y-you want to hang out?" he asked. N-no way. She's asking to hang out?

"You bet! So, how about it?"

Oh my gosh this is actually happening! I get to hang out with Applejack! Say something stupid! "Y-yes! I'm totally free for the rest of the day."

"Great! Ah'll meet you in town in three hours. Mah brother and ah have a few chores to do around here. We're gonna be doing some repairs around the barn."

"Repairs?"

"Yeah, it'll be a piece of cake! So ah'll see you later! Ah gotta go get Big Mac!" said Applejack as she ran off.

"Is something the matter Alex?" asked Luna.

"Actually I'm excited! I don't know why but I feel so much happier than before! I feel great!"

"I see. That is good then yes?"

"Good? It's fantastic! I feel on top of the world right now!" he shouted. Man, I feel great! It feels like all of my troubles and doubts left me last night!

"Shall we go retrieve Scootaloo from school then?"

"No, school won't be out for another hour. So we've got some time to kill." said Alex as they began walking. "I guess we can just head home until it's time."

"Alex, may I ask you something?" asked Luna.

"Sure, what's up?"

"Forgive me if I sound rude but, from the letters my sister had been receiving it seemed that you were not such a happy pony. Rather it seemed that you were always gloomy or distressed over something. Is this not the case?"

"Actually I can't quite explain it. But I just feel better now. I feel like, I have finally opened my mind to the truth. I can finally see the light in the darkness that had overcome my life for so many years. I feel...free."

"That's good to hear. My sister will be pleased to hear this."

"Yeah! How is Princess Celestia?" he asked with a smile. Alex continued to have a cheerful mood as he and Luna continued talking. At one point Alex stopped and Luna paused to see him looking off into the distance.

"Is something the matter Alex?" she asked.

Alex walked towards a nearby hill and felt a calm breeze brush by his fur and mane. "You know...I just remembered that my mother and I were having a talk on the day I was brought into Equestria. I didn't have the courage to finish our conversation, I never did."

"Was there something you wanted to tell her?"

"Yes. To be honest, no matter where I was back on Earth I never felt like I belonged. I always dreamed of finding a place where people would accept me for who I was. A place where the people would smile when they see me. And I would hear a voice telling me...this is where you belong. I know it sounds silly, but it was a place I always dreamed to exist somewhere! I guess it was such a silly dream that I knew my mother would just lecture me about how it's just a dream and that world was the reality. But now...I don't think I'm ever going to find that place and I'm okay with that. Equestria is so nice and peaceful, I like it here. Although, I do wish I could speak with my family again."

"I see. Perhaps someday we will find a way to send you home."

"Yes, home. Someday...I will see them again. I know I will. Until then, I think I can enjoy living here."

"I'm certain everypony will be happy to hear that. I suppose we should continue heading home now?"

"Yeah, let's get going." said Alex as they left.

The two of them traveled back to the library and Alex headed towards his study room alone. Aw man, all of these papers are still on the floor. How am I supposed to get them all back into place? I can't lift that many objects at once with my magic yet! Just then his horn had lit up by itself and every little piece of paper flew back into their proper places on the wall, desk, and shelves. Whoa, how did I do that? I'm wondering if my magic reacted to my needs. Hmmm I could get used to that. Alex looked at his notes on the wall at where he had left off before. Right, the Doctor. I still have that problem.

He spent a few minutes doing some research until it was time to pick up Scootaloo from school. Since Twilight was still gone and Luna decided to have a long conversation with the cat about what he's been teaching Alex, he decided to go alone. He enjoyed his trip towards the school, looking at the bright blue sky up above. It was so different and it felt so similar to the one back home. Occasionally he would see a Pegasus pony flying across and imagined himself soaring through the sky along with them. At last he had arrived at school just when the bell rang and the kids began leaving.

"Hey Scootaloo! Over here!" said Alex as he spotted her through the crowd of fillies.

"Hey Alex! Boy am I glad school is out for today. It was super boring!"

"Well that's school for you. But trust me, when you're older you'll be glad you went to school. Now how about we get some ice cream?"

"Really?! Yes! Let's go!" she said excitedly. The two went into town and went to the local ice cream shop. Thankfully they still had some flavors that were on Earth too. Alex purchased himself a cup of chocolate ice cream while Scootaloo decided to get a flavor called breeze home.

As they sat down to eat their ice cream, Alex couldn't help but stare at Scootaloo's baby blue colored ice cream. "Hey Scootaloo, is that your favorite flavored ice cream?"

"You bet! It's made especially for Pegasus ponies, but that doesn't mean other ponies can't enjoy it either!"

"Really? What...what does it taste like?" he asked.

"It's really sweet and smooth! But at the same time it has the puffiness of a cloud!"

"The puffiness of a cloud? That does sound like an interesting taste."

"Yup! Hey Alex, what's that?" asked Scootaloo as she pointed behind him.

"T-t-t-t-t-that's...Gilda" he said, "But if she's here, then that means..." his words trailed off as he looked over to see Fluttershy and Derpy.

"Alright little ones, this way please." she said as she lead them through the town with Derpy watching them from the rear.

"Hey!" shouted Gilda.

"Oh, excuse me." said Fluttershy.

"I'm walking here!" shouted Gilda.

Fluttershy began backing away, "Oh, um, I'm sorry but I was, um, just trying to..."

Gilda began to imitate Fluttershy, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! How about you watch where you're going twerp?!"

"But...but...but...but..." Fluttershy tried to explain as her eyes began to water.

Gilda took in a deep breath preparing to roar at poor little Fluttershy.

"Leave her alone!" shouted Alex. Suddenly everypony went silent and looked over at Alex. Oh no...I'm in big trouble.

Gilda turned to see him standing in the middle of the road, "Are you talking to me?"

This is bad. There's no turning back now. I know! I'll just buy some time and hope Rainbow Dash comes by! "Does it look like I'm talking to anyone else? Yes I'm talking to you ugly!" he asked with a smug look on his face.

"You better choose your words carefully, or I'll pound you to a pulp!" she yelled.

"Scootaloo stay here." Alex stood up out of his chair and stood across from Gilda. "Tough talk coming from a giant chicken!"

"What did you call me?! I'll rip you apart you freak!" she yelled as she charged at him.

Alex closed his eyes and prepared for the worst. Uh oh! Wh-what do I do?! I...I can't fight! WHAT DO I DO?! Suddenly he felt two sparks come from his horn and then saw Gilda throwing a punch at him from his right. He quickly dodged right only to open his eyes to see that he had dodged Gilda's attack. "Wh-what the?"

"Grr! You just got lucky! Don't think you can dodge the next one!" she shouted as she charged at him again.

Alex closed his eyes and saw Gilda coming at him with multiple punches. He reacted accordingly and managed to dodge each and every one of them. It's strange. It feels like, I'm seeing Gilda's attacks before she actually makes her moves! Wait, the future sight spell from the book! Is this how the spell is supposed to be used? It only works when you are in physical danger?

"Why...can't...I...hit...you?!" shouted Gilda in anger as Alex continued to evade her.

"Don't know, guess I'm just lucky. Either that or you're slower than you look." said Alex.

"Don't get cocky! I know you can dodge me, but they can't!" she shouted as she began charging at Fluttershy and Derpy.

No! I can't let any of them get hurt! He quickly ran in front of Fluttershy and Derpy standing on two hooves and spread his hooves out to protect them.

"I knew you'd fall for it!" Gilda yelled. Fluttershy and Derpy closed their eyes and screamed in terror.

"Hey guys, what's going on here?" said Rainbow Dash as she landed on the ground.

"R-Rainbow Dash, is that you?!" Gilda said while stopping her talons in mid air and lightly placed her hand on Alex's shoulder, "I mean, nothing much, just introducing myself to these nice ponies here."

Rainbow walked up beside her, "Oh! Hey Alex, how are you standing on two hooves like that?"

"You know this guy?" asked Gilda.

"Oh yeah, he's totally into me." she said with a smirk.

"No I'm not! Shut up!" Alex defended.

"Are you kidding me? You were totally going to kiss me yesterday!" she said with a smile.

"How can you even say that?! That was not our situation yesterday and you know it!" he shouted while blushing.

"You know you wanted to, anyway we're a little busy right now. Come on Gilda, I've got some new moves to show you." she said as she took off.

"I'm right behind you Dash!" she said as she tightened her grip on Alex's shoulder, "We'll finish this later." She used her talons to cut his shoulder as she let him go and took off into the skies.

"Are you girls okay?" he asked as he lowered himself back onto four hooves.

"Alex your shoulder, you're hurt! Are you okay?!" she asked with a horrified look on her face.

Alex looked over, "Yeah, it kind of stings but it's nothing too serious...I hope. Anyways, that spell really helped me out there."

"Spell? You were using a spell?" asked Derpy.

"Yeah, but I didn't think it would come in handy like that. Man...I feel kind of...tired all of a sudden."

"Alex! Are you okay?" asked Scootaloo as she ran up to him.

"Yeah! I'm totally fine! I just...I just feel a little drowsy is all. I...I think...whoa...I feel.....str...ge..." Alex then collapsed onto the floor in front of everypony.

Although he may have fallen unconscious, Alex could still hear the screams of ponies worrying that he might've been hurt. He felt his body being lifted onto something and being moved somewhere else. After several hours passed by, Alex had awoken in a bed that he believed to be in Sugarcube Corner. Alex had a hard time catching his breath, he decided to call out to see if anypony was around. He looked around and heard the door opening as Applejack, Fluttershy, and Derpy walked in.

"Alex! Are you alright?! What happened?" asked Applejack as she ran up to the bed.

"Oh man, my head hurts. This place, it's really pink. Am I in Pinkie Pie's room right now?" he asked.

Applejack sat on the edge of the bed, "Yeah, Pinkie Pie told me that she found you unconscious in the middle of Ponyville! Ah guess you were near her home at the time so she brought you here. What happened?"

"Ow, my head. Rainbows friend happened. I remember...she was going to attack Fluttershy and Derpy." he said. "Yeah, and then that spell happened."

"Spell? You don't mean that spell that you read from that book yesterday are you? Twilight told me about them and she told me how dangerous they could be! Why would you use one of those spells?!"

"Well I just thought I failed to use it yesterday! The spell just happened on its own. I guess the spell worked but its effects remained dormant until it was needed."

"Well don't use it again! You scared everypony!"

"...Okay, I won't use it again. I just hope it's completely gone. Wait, where's Scootaloo?!"

"She's downstairs, we told her you were going to be okay so she could enjoy the party."

"Party? Is that why it's so loud down there?" he asked.

"Yeah. Pinkie Pie is throwing a party for Rainbow Dash's friend Gilda." said Derpy.

"We should tell Rainbow Dash that her friend isn't very nice!" suggested Fluttershy.

Applejack moved off the bed, "That's exactly what we're going to do right now!"

"Now hold on." said Alex as he lifted the bed sheets off of himself. "I think we should go downstairs and join the party!" he said with a smile.

"But Gilda was going to hurt you Alex!" said Fluttershy, "We should tell Rainbow! She's our friend and it's only fair that she knows the truth!"

"I think we should just let the party go on. Trust me, everything will fall exactly into place as it should." he said.

"What's that supposed to mean? You're talking as if you know what's going to happen." said Applejack.

"Either that, or I've finally gone insane." he said as he walked out the door. "Come on; let's hurry before we miss it."

Alex and the girls walked down the steps to see Gilda standing by the door. "Come on Dash, let's get out of here!"

"You know Gilda, I was the one who set up those weak pranks at this party." said Rainbow.

"What?!" shouted Gilda in shock as she looked over at Pinkie Pie. Pinkie Pie let out an 'Ooooh' as Gilda stared at her.

"So I guess I'm queen lame-o." said Rainbow as she stepped up.

"C'mon Dash, you're joshing me." Gilda said with a chuckle.

"They weren't all meant for you specifically, it was just dumb luck that you set them all off." said Rainbow as she shook her head.

"I should have known," interrupted Pinkie, "That dribble cup had Rainbow Dash's name all over it!"

"No way, it was Pinkie Pie! She set up this whole party to make a fool out of me!" shouted the angry Griffon.

"What? I threw this party to improve your attitude! I thought a good party would help turn that frown upside down!" she said as she somehow managed to twist her head by a whole 180 degrees.

Rainbow began walking up to Gilda, "And you sure didn't need any help making a fool out of yourself. You know, I didn't think this is how my old friends would treat my new friends. If being cool is all you care about, then maybe you should find some cool new friends someplace else."

"Ouch, hurts doesn't it?" asked Alex from the bottom of the stairs, everypony in the room turned their heads and focused their attention on him. "Oh, sorry for the interruption. I just couldn't help myself."

"You again!" growled Gilda, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh what's wrong Gilda? Not happy to see me? I heard there was this great big party for a new friend in town, and I thought maybe I should come over and say hello." he said with a smirk. "I must say, it looks like a lot of fun."

"Alex, you're okay!" shouted Scootaloo.

"I thought you might have been absent from the party." said Luna.

Alex began walking forward, "Are you kidding me? I wouldn't miss this party for anything." He stopped next to Rainbow Dash and looked at Gilda, "You shouldn't have been so rude to everypony Gilda, but it isn't too late for you to change." Alex stuck out his hoof.

"What do you think you're doing?" asked Gilda.

"Let me help you. You don't have to lose your best friend just because of a few pranks. You can still change, we can forget about this whole thing and just go back to enjoying your party." he said. Maybe...maybe I can help her like I helped Luna. Maybe I can help others in need.

Gilda thought about Alex's words for a moment, she began to lift her hand towards his hoof until Pinkie Pie spoke up, "It's not just Gilda's welcome party. This is also your welcome party Alex! I thought that since you were sleeping upstairs that this would be the perfect time to finally throw you that party since you wouldn't be able to avoid it!" Gilda stopped her hand midway as Alex turned his head to face her.

"You threw this party for me too?" he said as he looked around at the decorations. "I...I don't know what to say."

"We also you got you presents!" shouted Pinkie Pie as she pulled out a blue polka dotted present with a red ribbon on it.

"Presents?" he said as he looked at the neatly wrapped box, "I've never gotten a present from a friend before."

Gilda gritted her teeth, "Here! Let me give you my present first!" she shouted as she threw her talons across Alex's face causing him to shout in pain.

Everypony in SugarCube Corner froze and stared at Alex as he kept his head down. When he lifted his head up, they all gasped as they looked upon his face. Alex saw Rainbow look at him in horror as he turned his head to look in a mirror. Alex had a scar across his eye with blood running down his face. Alex could feel his anger growing quickly. He immediately turned back to face Gilda and shot her a mean look.

"What do you think you're doing?!" shouted Rainbow, "I won't just stand by and let you hurt my friends!"

"No Rainbow!" yelled Alex, "Let her go, if you fight her simply out of anger then you'll be no better than she is."

"She must pay."

No, I won't attack her out of rage. That isn't who I am. Besides, she's not worth it.

"..."

"Whatever losers, I'm out of here!" Gilda shouted as she flew out of the building.

Alex moved a hoof to cover his wounded eye, "I'm glad we'll never see her ever again." He turned to face Rainbow, "How are you doing?"

"I'll be fine, but what about you? Let me see." She moved his hoof out of the way to see the scar, "I can't believe she did that to you, I'm sorry."

"Don't blame yourself Rainbow, it wasn't your fault." He turned to face the others, "Sorry you all had to see that, but be assured that everything's fine and there is nothing to worry about. Go back and enjoy the party." He walked over to the other room hoping to find some anything he could use to cover up his eye.

"Are you okay?!" asked Applejack as she walked in. "Ah can't believe she attacked you after you tried to help her."

"It's fine. If she wants to spend the rest of her life without any friends then that's her choice. By the way, I'm sorry."

"Sorry? What are you sorry for?"

"We were going to hang out today. I actually looked forward to it, but then Gilda showed up and that spell just...happened on its own."

"It's okay. What kind of spell is that anyway? Ah heard about what happened from Pinkie Pie; somehow you managed to keep yourself from getting hit by Gilda. How did you do that?" she asked.

"The book described it as a future sight spell. It felt so strange. When I closed my eyes I could see Gilda trying to attack me before she actually launched her attack, so I knew every move she was going to make before she made it. It was awesome." he explained.

"That's amazing, couldn't you use the spell to see further into the future?" she asked. "Maybe you could use it to find that Doctor Whooves fellow!"

"You told me not to use it anymore. Besides, I don't think it works like that. I think it only works when the user is in physical danger."

"Ah see."

"Hey, um, do you think you can help me find some bandages?" asked Alex.

"Oh, sorry! Ah can't believe ah forgot! Ah'll go get Pinkie Pie! She'll know where to look!" she said as she ran out the door leaving Alex alone in the room.

"Revenge. You deserve revenge."

"N-no. I don't want revenge. I'm not a violent person."

"She deserves it. They all do. Soon...you will see soon."

"I don't understand. I...I feel sick all of the sudden. W-what is happening to me?"

"Hey Alex! Pinkie found the bandages!" said Applejack from outside the doors.

"Great, thanks Applejack! Think you can help me put them on?" he asked.

"Sure! C'mon Fluttershy, I'll need your help!" said Applejack as she and Fluttershy helped to wrap up Alex's eye.

"Is it safe to come in yet?" called out a voice from the party.

"Uh, I guess?" answered Alex. Twilight, Rarity, Rainbow, Scootaloo, and Luna came running in.

"Alex, are you okay?! Can you still see with your eye?!" asked Scootaloo.

Alex lowered himself to give Scootaloo a hug, "Relax Scootaloo, I'll be just fine." He turned to face Rainbow, "I'm sorry I couldn't help Gilda. I tried, I really did try."

Rainbow shook her head, "Don't apologize Alex, I'm just glad she's gone. I won't ever forgive her for hurting you like that."

Rarity pushed her way through, "Oh my poor dear prince! Your perfect face scarred by that horrible Gilda! If I ever meet that griffon again, I'll tear her to pieces with my bare hooves!"

"Too bad you won't get the chance, Gilda's never coming back." he said.

"We must find her immediately!" shouted Luna, "She has just attacked a prince of Equestria, and she must be punished by law!"

"Princess Luna is right." added Twilight, "We should find her and make her face the consequences of her actions."

"Just stop! We will not go after Gilda nor will she ever come back to Ponyville, so just let it go." he said.

"Alex? Are you feeling okay?" asked Twilight.

"I'm fine!" he shouted, "I just don't like the idea of revenge; it can take over your minds." Alex looked down at his hooves, "It can change who you are, make you something you don't want to become."

Luna stepped forward, "Alex, I've noticed that you've been acting very differently since last night. It's not just your personality, something else is different. I can feel it. There's something you're not telling us, isn't there?" Everypony in the kitchen looked back and forth from Alex to Luna.

"She is dangerous. She is the enemy!"

"I am going to say this once, and only once PRINCESS Luna." Everypony looked at Alex waiting for him to speak. "Leave...Me...Alone." He turned and began walking out the door. As they all saw him walk away from them, Applejack began to wonder if the stress from searching for the Doctor had finally caught up with him. Alex returned to the party trying to keep a smile on his face so as not to worry anypony. He stopped in front of a mirror and stared into it, for a split second he could have sworn he saw his reflection smile back at him with those empty eyes he hated so much.

Author's Notes:

Finally, the second part is uploaded. It probably wasn't the best idea to pause in between a two part chapter to work on the New Pegasus in Town chapter. Thankfully though, it's finally posted. The next two chapters are in the works of being edited, so once they're ready I'll work on publishing them asap. So thanks for reading and I hope you're all enjoying the story so far! So please look forward to the next chapter as the ponies attempt to learn what is wrong with Alex.

Chapter 7: Spike The Thief

The moon loomed in the skies over Equestria granting its inhabitants another perfect night for sleep. The ponies were all in their homes sleeping, but in the shadows of the night a mysterious figure ran through the homes of Ponyville. It broke into ponies homes and stole whatever it deemed valuable. The ponies, however, could not hear the silent perpetrator as it ran through one house after another. As the thief was finishing his nightly rounds he broke into the house of Bon Bon, unaware that she was still awake. She was brushing her teeth when a strange smell began to flow by.

"Is something burning?" she asked herself, "Did I leave the stove on again?" Bon Bon began to walk toward her kitchen when she suddenly heard the noise of something in her living room. "What was that?! I know there's somepony in here, who are you?!" She called out in a frightened tone, "Show yourself you fiend!"

Then out of nowhere the dark figure came out from behind the curtains holding a bag of valuable gems that she had gathered since she was a filly and began running around the room. Bon Bon only screamed as it ran wildly through her house, she couldn't get a good look at it because the room was too dark. She watched it as it ran towards her room and she began to follow it. As she ran into her room she quickly looked up at her roof to see the figure jump off her ceiling fan as it glided over her and back to the living room. As she chased it she found it had opened her window, and as the figure began to lean out the moonlight shined over it revealing the culprit as he jumped out.
Bon Bon ran toward the window and quickly looked around outside, "I don't believe it; Spike just stole all of my gems!" She looked over at her window noticing it had been scorched by a flame.

The Following Morning

"What is it?! What is it?! I won’t stop until I find the answer! I can't stop. Not even for a second. I mustn't sleep. I can't sleep ever again!" repeated Alex as he wrote notes all over his study room wall. Occasionally his eyes focused on a drawer that had a lock on it.

"Open it...you know what's inside..."

"N-no! I must keep going! I can't let myself get distracted!"

Luna was coming down the stairs and walked over to Scootaloo who was sitting in front of Alex's study room door, "Has he come out yet?" Scootaloo turned and shook her head in disappointment. "Perhaps you should come with us for lunch?" asked Luna. "You haven't moved from this spot since he went in."

"No thanks, I think I'll wait until he comes out." said Scootaloo as she laid her head upon the floor looking at the door, hoping to see it open at any moment.

"Very well then, I do hope he's okay in there." said Luna as she turned back and headed up the stairs to meet Twilight.

"Well?" Twilight said.

"I'm afraid she still refuses to move until he comes out, I'm beginning to worry about her. We must get Alex out of that room!" said Luna.

"I know princess, that's why we're going to meet with the girls today. After we have our lunch, we'll bring them home and get Alex to come out of that room!" said Twilight as she opened the door to hear the roars of angry ponies.

Luna stepped up to the crowd in an attempt to control the situation, "Please, calm yourselves everypony! What seems to be the problem?"

"It's that dragon of Twilight's!" shouted one of the angry ponies.

"Yeah, he's been going around and stealing our valuables for days now!" shouted another.

"What are you ponies talking about?!" said Twilight as she walked up to face the mob, "Spike would never do anything like that!"

"I saw him!" shouted Bon Bon, "Last night, I saw him jump from my window with all of my gemstones!" The rest of the crowd began shouting once again.

"Everypony, please calm yourselves!" shouted Luna as the crowd began to get out of control. The two ponies were backed up by the crowd of angry ponies and didn't know how to get them to calm down.

"WILL EVERYPONY JUST SHUT UP?!" shouted a voice coming from door to the library, "I can't even here myself think with all of this damn noise!" The ponies turned to see Alex standing in the doorway.

"We want that dragon to give back what he's stolen from us!" shouted a pony from the crowd.

"Yeah, well guess what?" he said as he walked toward the pony, "I've been awake for several days now so I've seen whose gone out and in at any time. So I'm going to tell you right now, SPIKE DIDN'T STEAL ANY OF YOUR STUPID SHIT!!! Now unless you have any proof, GO AWAY SO I CAN GET BACK TO MY STUDIES!!!"

The angry mob began to slowly disperse as more and more began to leave quietly with angry looks aimed at the library knowing that Spike was somewhere inside. Alex began stomping his way back into the library and slammed the door to his study room shut. He shut the door so hard that it could be heard from outside the library. Twilight and Luna didn't know what to make of the situation and decided to go and meet the girls like they had originally planned. As they ate their food Twilight began telling them about what had happened earlier.

"He's been in there for five days?!" Shouted Rainbow, "So he hasn't slept since he had that fight with Gilda?! Just what is he doing in there?!"

"It seems that way." Twilight said with her head down, "Scootaloo hasn't moved either; she refuses to move until Alex leaves that room."

"Oh my, that's just awful." said Fluttershy.

"Twilight dear, have you tried going into his study room?" asked Rarity.

"I'm afraid that I can't get in no matter what I try." said Twilight, "He cast some kind of spell so only he can open or close that door. What do you think we should do?"

"He cast a spell on the door? And you can't break it?"

"No, it's strange but...it doesn't feel natural. Not even Luna can break through."

"It's true. Something about his spell is wrong."

"What do you think Applejack?" asked Twilight.

Applejack was lost in thought so she didn't hear Twilight's question, "Huh? Yeah, whatever you say Twilight."

"Is there something bothering you Applejack?" asked Twilight.

Applejack shook her head, "What? No, not at all Twilight, why? What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?!" shouted Rainbow, "What's wrong is that Alex hasn't come out of that room for five days!"

"Yeah, ah kind of noticed." said Applejack with a sad look on her face.

Luna decided to speak up, "I believe you six may be able to get him out of that room. After all he trusts you six the most, does he not?"

"Well...I mean, I think he does." said Rarity.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Rainbow.

"Well, we know that he no longer stutters when speaking to any of us. But he's been here for so long and yet none of us have ever really spent any time with him."

"What? That's not true!" said Rainbow.

"No? Then tell me, what was the last thing you two did together?"

"We...um...I...nothing. We haven't done anything together."

"It's true. We don't even know anything about him." said Twilight. "And we were supposed to make him feel welcome here in Equestria but we haven't done anything to help him at all."

"Whenever we're around it's almost like he has somewhere else to be." said Rainbow Dash.

"I see. This will make things very difficult." said Luna.

"I'm sure it's not too late to fix this!" said Twilight, "This is our chance to turn that around! We can get him out of that room and we can help him the right way! What do you say girls? Will you help me?"

"Of course!" said all ponies in unison.

"Thank you girls, now I just have to figure out what's happening to Spike." said Twilight as she got up.

"What's wrong with Spike?" asked Fluttershy.

Twilight took in a deep breath, "The towns ponies believe that Spike has been going around town and stealing their valuables at night. So after we finish getting Alex out of that room, I'm going to go around town and see if I can figure out what's going on here."

"Well then, let's get Alex out of that room!" shouted Rainbow.

The ponies followed Luna and Twilight back to the library where they led them down to Alex's room. Rarity began to look around at all of the drawings that Alex had made since he arrived checking to see if she was among them. Scootaloo was still there waiting in front of the door, Twilight walked up to her to see that she had fallen asleep while waiting. Luna decided to tuck her into bed as the rest tried to get Alex to leave his study room. Twilight walked up to the door and knocked on it three times, all six ponies waited to hear an answer from the other side.

The noise coming from inside his room suddenly stopped, "Is that you Scootaloo? I'm sorry, but I'm very busy right now so I can't come out to play right now."

Twilight approached the door once more, "Alex? It's Twilight, can we talk?"

"Twilight?" he called out, "Sorry Twilight, but like I said before I'm busy. I have a lot of studying to do, is something wrong?"

"Alex, I brought the girls here. We're all really worried about you, can we come in?" asked Twilight.

"...Hang on." he called out. They could hear the door being unlocked from the inside and it began to open as Alex popped his head out, "Only Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy are allowed to enter."

"Wait, why not us?" asked Rainbow.

"This is the only time I'll let any of you enter, so either take it or leave It." he said as he began to close the door.

"Wait!" called out Twilight, "Go ahead girls. Get in there and see if you can get him to come out."

"Are you sure Twilight?" asked Rainbow, "I mean, don't you find it a little strange that he picked those three in particular?"

"Yes I'm sure." she nodded, "Go on girls."

The three ponies entered the study room and looked at Alex's giant mess as he closed the door and re-locked the door. "So," he began, "Why did Twilight bring you girls here?"

"Because," Rarity said as he tried to tidy up the mess he had created, "It's come to our attention that you've been in here for five days?"

"Yup that's right." he said as he ran back and forth, "I haven't slept either, I can't sleep. It's driving me crazy! Not to mention this bandage over my eye isn't helping either. I don't know how much longer I can keep this up for."

"Maybe your scar has finally healed up?" said Applejack, "Ah bet it's completely gone by now. Here, let me take that bandage off of your face."

"Don't touch me!" he shouted, "Sorry, I've been on edge ever since I got this thing. And I guess staying awake for five days straight takes its toll on you."

"Maybe you should take a break?" said Fluttershy.

"I'd love to take a break Fluttershy, but I can't." he said as he began placing new notes up on the wall with his magic.

"Alex...has your magic...always been that color?" asked Rarity.

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"Well...from what I've heard it sounded like your magic took the appearance of a red color but, it's so...blue."

"What? Don't the colors of a unicorns magic change from time to time?" asked Alex.

"No, they don't. That's not natural." said Rarity.

"Well I'm half human so maybe that's the reason. I can't worry about little things like that Rarity."

"I think maybe you need a break Alex." said Rarity as she put her hoof on him.

"Break?" he said as he turned his head, "What I need is a breakthrough! I can't afford to stop, not now, not ever!"

"Ah think Rarity is right Alex," said Applejack, "Maybe you could come out of this room, just for today?"

"Sorry but that is not an option for me...What is that noise?" he said as he stopped in his tracks. "I warned those fools to stay away!" He ran out of the study room and headed up the stairs to find Spike being taken away by the royal guards. "What's going on here?!" he shouted.

"Alex!" shouted Twilight as she ran toward him with tears on her face, "They're taking Spike away! He's going to be put on trial!"

"Trial?" he said as he looked over to the guards, "Hold it right there! Just what is going on here?"

One of the guards turned to face him and walked up, "Well your majesty, eyewitness reports say that this dragon has been stealing from this town."

"Do you have any proof?"

"As of now, we are only going on the fact that Spike is the only dragon currently living in Ponyville."

"But that's not enough to prove that he's the culprit!"

"I'm sorry your majesty, but orders are orders."

"Orders? Whose orders are you following?"

"Princess Celestia's."

"What? Princess Celestia believes that Spike is the thief?!" asked Twilight.

"No, but my guess is that she's only doing it to calm down the citizens of Ponyville." said Alex. He and the others were forced to watch the
guards put spike into a cage and take him towards Canterlot. "He's innocent, and I will prove it!"

"I'll head to Canterlot right away and see if there's anything I can do to help Twilight." said Luna as she prepared her chariot.

"Thank you Princess Luna." said Twilight as she bowed her head.

"Right then, back into the study room!" Alex said as he turned around.

"Back into the study room?!" shouted Twilight, "Spike's in danger and you're going to just go back to your studies?!"

Alex turned his head around, "Well if I'm going to help spike then I'm going to need supplies. Now if you don't mind, I've got a job to do. I want to get this over with as soon as possible so I can get back to my studies."

"What is with him?" said Twilight, "He spends five days in that room, Spike gets taken away, and he acts like he's got something more important to do!"

Applejack looked over at her, "Well ah don't know about that Twilight, maybe Alex has had a good reason for being in that room for so long."

Twilight turned to face her, "Applejack, do you know something about this? Just what did you see in his study room?"

"Hey yeah!" said Rainbow as she flew up to Applejack, "How come he only let you, Rarity, and Fluttershy in huh? Are you hiding some kind of secret from us?"

"Alright then!" shouted Alex as he came out, "Let's go find us a burglar!"

"What's with those strange glasses?" asked Twilight.

"What, these?" asked Alex as he lowered his glasses, "These are sunglasses, sunglasses are cool. I got them from a local shop a while ago. Plus, I haven't been out for a while so the suns light kind of hurts my eyes. Alright, now let's go find us a thief!"

Alex and the girls scattered across the town, Alex went by house after house examining everything. He wrote down anything important on a note pad. From one house he got the description of a 'red flame' being used to burn through the windows. A red flame huh? Definitely not Spike. At Bon Bon's house he wrote down the description of the dragon gliding across the room. Gliding? Now I know this isn't Spike, but this could mean only one thing. An hour later he met up with the girls at the town center.

"So did you find anything out?" asked Twilight.

"I'm sorry Twilight, but no matter who we ask they say it was Spike." said Rainbow.

"Humph, please. They couldn't fool me for a second." said Alex as he stepped up.

"Have you found something?" asked Twilight with hope in her eyes.

"Of course I have! It's like I told you Twilight, Spike is completely innocent in all of this." he said as he took out his notepad. "What we have here, is a case of mistaken identity. There's another baby dragon here in Ponyville, hiding somewhere."

"Are you sure about that?" asked Applejack.

"There's not a doubt in my mind, now I just need to find the little dragon." he said as he looked over. "The only problem is that I have no idea where a baby dragon would be hiding in a town like this. Is there anywhere in Ponyville you think can be used as a hideout?"

"Hmmm, not that I know of. I just can't think right now, I'm so worried about Spike!"

"Alright, well I think I can take it from here. You should get to Canterlot to stall Spike's trial."

"What?!" shouted Twilight, "And leave you here by yourself?! I thought you said you didn't know where to look! How are you going to find that dragon?!"

"Hello? Have you all forgotten? We have a professional thief living under our roof!"

"Oh no...no! No! No! No! You seriously can't mean-"

~~~~~

"So you need my help?" asked the cat. "Hah! You thought you were so high and mighty and look at you now! Begging at my very paws!"

"Do we seriously need him?!" asked Twilight.

"You want to help Spike don't you? He is exactly what we need. He is a thief, and one of the best if he almost got away with stealing a kings crown. I know he can find this little twerp with ease. So what do you say? Care to help us catch a thief?"

"Sorry, but we thieves have a code. We must never provide help to any sort of authority to catch another thief."

Twilight became enraged. "Why you!!!"

"Although, I could be tempted to look the other way this time."

"What do you want?" asked Alex.

"I want Twilight to beg."

"I WILL NOT!!!"

"Listen!" said Alex as he lowered his head to level with the cats. "Right now we need you. There's nobody else I would turn to because I know that you are the only one who can find this dragon. You have the skills and you have the experience, even if you are a cat. I know you can do this. Will you help us?"

"Mmmmm...fine. I'll help you, but it's just gotta be you and me."

"Why are we being left out?!" said Rainbow.

"Because I can't trust you. If I do this then it's going to take absolute cooperation, and I know this kid is serious. If I do this, then you have to name me."

"Consider yourself named."

"Alright, now I suggest the rest of you head for Canterlot right away."

"Wait why?" asked Twilight.

"The kid was right. We need somepony to stall the trial as long as possible, we need time to track this little thief."

"Alright then." said Twilight. She then placed her hoof on Alex's shoulder. "Alex...I'm counting on you."

"Right. I promise I won't let you down." said Alex.

"Alright, let's get going!" said Twilight as they all left.

"Hop on cat, we've got some dragon hunting to do." he said as they ran out of the library. The two headed to the last place the dragon was said to have robbed, Bon Bon's house.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"We've come to find the real thief."

"They already took Spike! He is the thief!" she shouted.

"Give us five minutes and we'll prove you wrong." said the cat from Alex's back.

"D-did that cat just talk?"

"Yes, now would you let us in?" asked Alex. Bon Bon opened her door and Alex let the cat examine the living room where Spike was said to have broken in from.

"Pfft. This kid is an absolute mess. I can see him everywhere." said the cat.

"So you can tell where he's been?" asked Alex.

"Of course, as a thief you must examine every inch of your target. This kid never even got a second look at this house. He tried to make a get away from your room but he couldn't so he came back to the living room didn't he?"

"Y-yes. How did you find that out?" she asked.

"Yes, and then he made a run for the window." said the cat as he leapt up to examine the window. "Kid, look at this."

"What did you find?"

"There's a hole in this window, but take a closer look. This cut is too clean. The dragon intentionally made it small enough so he could fit his hand in and unlock the window."

"So? Spike can breathe fire too!" said Bon Bon.

"Look closer you idiot." said the cat. "If our dragon in question simply used his fire breath to melt the glass then we would've seen it on the window still, but look."

"There's nothing. It's just a clean hole, you can't even tell it was burned through!" said Alex.

"Exactly, which means our culprit must have blasted the window with a quick shot of fire. Fast and precise so that it wouldn't leave any marks."

"But I could smell it burning last night!" said Bon Bon.

"No, what you smelled was his flame dying in the air. He made sure that his flame would only pierce the window and then disappear into the air right after. Interesting, this dragon is very interesting."

"So what? I saw him with my own eyes! I saw him fly over me!" said Bon Bon.

"Fly? How could he fly over you if Spike doesn't have any wings to fly with?!" shouted Alex.

"He...he...oh my gosh. I...I thought..."

"We don't have time right now! Can you find out where he went after?" asked Alex.

"Of course. Our little perpetrator left us a trail." said the cat as he leapt out the window.

"Wait for me!" said Alex as he ran for the door.

"W-wait!" said Bon Bon as she stopped him by the door. "Please, tell Twilight I'm sorry."

"...Sure. Now come on cat, where is he?" asked Alex.

"This dragon is clumsy, he's left his prints on the ground." said the cat. "He left in a hurry since that pony saw him so I can easily follow him."

"But I can't see anything." said Alex.

"I wouldn't expect you to. But I can see the subtle disturbances in the ground, it's necessary to see these incase thieves steal from each other."

"What? That's allowed? What about the code amongst thieves?"

"It's only the one rule. We're thieves, what can we say? Now come on, he's this way!" said the cat as he ran.

"Hey! Wait for me!" said Alex as he chased after him. The cat led him all across town to a building unfamiliar to them both. "What...is this place?"

"I don't know. But there's something very odd about it."

"What do you mean?" asked Alex.

"Take a look at it." said the cat. "There are no doors, and there are no windows, almost as if they don't want you to see what's inside. And...wait!"

"What? What's wrong?"

"This smell! T-that's impossible!"

"What?" asked Alex as he sniffed around the building. "Whoa, that's a new smell. But...I don't know it smells...familiar."

"I'd know that smell anywhere! That's sacred powder!"

"What's sacred powder?"

"Only the most valuable treasure among thieves! You could make a fortune with even just a small pouch full of the stuff! Whoever this dragon is, he knows his valuables. I can smell a lot of sacred powder in there!"

"Well how do we get in?"

"Hmmm...that's tough. There's no way of entering this building from the outside, our thief must have some way of entering it from below. The only problem is, his trail has gone cold."

"What?! How could he have gotten away from you? I thought you said this dragon was unprofessional!"

"Well let's think about this. Bon Bon mistook him for Spike, which means our thief is still a child. My guess is that he became spooked after he was noticed by Bon Bon and began to make amateur mistakes. This place is perfect for him. Look up, he could have easily climbed up the building from here with his claws. And look at the buildings next to it, the roofs are so close to each other that he could have climbed up and ran from roof to roof just to reach the entrance of his underground getaway. We have no way of knowing where he went."

"...I do."

"You do?"

"Yes, but it's risky."

"Please, a thieves life is all about taking risks. Lay it on me, what's the plan?"

"Teleportation."

"...Excuse me?"

"I know for a fact that magic can be used to teleport a pony from one location to another. If I use it, then we can get inside!"

"You're crazy! Let's do it!" said the cat as he hopped up onto Alex's back. "Okay, so let me tell you how to do this. In order for this to work, you must envision yourself at the place you want to teleport to. So you have to imagine yourself inside of that building."

"But I've never seen the inside of this building. Then again it wouldn't be risky if I did would it?"

"Nope. Now let's get to it."

"Alright, here I go." Alex closed his eyes and began to build up magic in his horn, he then felt a burning sensation overcome his entire body and suddenly he felt as though he had been thrown with an immense amount of force. He finally opened his eyes and discovered that he had successfully managed to get them both inside of the building but not without scorching his mane and tail a bit. Unfortunately some of the cats fur burned a bit in the process as well.

"We...are never...doing that again." said the cat.

"Hey, at least we're inside right?" he said as he began looking around. "Man, look at all of these barrels."

"These barrels must be full of sacred powder!" said the cat as he sniffed the barrels one by one. "It's unbelievable, this kid has so much of the stuff. There's no way he collected this himself."

Alex walked over and opened one of the barrels to see the sacred power with his own eyes. "Wait a minute, i-isn't this gunpowder?! How did this even get here?!"

"Hold it right there!" said a voice coming from behind him.

Alex and the cat turned to face the true culprit. "So you're the one who's been stealing around town I'm guessing?" he said as he scanned the baby dragon. He was a blue dragon with yellow eyes and red spikes that curved back going down his spine. He also had a pair of wings that were folded in.

"Yeah that's me, what about it?" asked the baby dragon.

"I've got a friend who was mistaken for you, he was taken away by the Canterlot guard." said Alex. "After I learned that the dragon had 'red' fire breath and that he could glide, I knew Spike couldn't have been the one who stole all of those things."

"Not only that, but after I was told the list of items that you stole it became obvious to us that you were only interested in one thing, profit." said the cat. "Not to mention is was simple to track you here, you should work on your escape routes."

"Not bad, but too bad for you two that you had to find me. Yeah it's true, I stole those things. I used what I like to call a 'spit blast' to burn holes in their windows so I could let myself in. And yes, I also plan on stealing this 'sacred powder' as well." he said as he crossed his arms, "This stuff is going to make me a fortune, enough to be set for life. Now all that's left is to get rid of you two, and I can get back to stealing from those idiots again!" He began to take in a breath of air.

"Wait stop!" Alex shouted, "You can't breathe fire in here! You'll kill us both! You do realize that this place is full of gunpowder right?!" Then he suddenly remembered, Oh shit! They don't know what gunpowder is! The baby dragon blew a spit blast at him and as Alex jumped out of the way and suddenly a small barrier covered him and the cat before the fire ball reached the barrel. The entire building exploded causing the whole town to shake, everypony was screaming left and right. After it was over Alex's barrier had disappeared, the building was still in flames and he and the cat had to find a way out. On their way Alex found the baby dragon trapped under some of the rubble.

The baby dragon opened one of his eyes and looked up at Alex while trying to form words. "I....don't want....to die...like...this." was all he could say before he passed out.

"Come on kid! We've got to go!" said the cat.

"I...I can't just leave him here!" shouted Alex as he lifted the dragon with his magic and quickly placed him on his back. The two began to run as fire enveloped their surroundings, they had no choice but to run straight into the flames. The smoke began to affect Alex's breathing as he ran, he made great leap and they both landed outside of the building. Ponies came by to help them get away from the fire and the weather patrol put out the fire with rain clouds. It took some time until the baby dragon regained consciousness; he looked over and saw Alex speaking with a royal guard.

"W-what did you say?! Your majesty, please reconsider!" said the guard.

"I've made my choice, but he still has to make his." said Alex.

"Very well then, but what about the stolen items?" asked the guard.

"I'm sure he's hidden them somewhere safe, I don't believe they were destroyed in the explosion. Oh, it seems he's waking up. I better go and check up on the little dragon." said Alex as he walked over to the dragon's side.

"You saved me? Why? I didn't do anything to deserve your help." said the dragon as he began to stand.

"I wasn't just going to leave you in there to die. I'm not heartless you know." he said as he lifted the dragon by his tail with magic.

"Hey!" shouted the baby dragon, "What do you think you're doing?"

"Look, I may have saved you but I still have to turn you in for stealing." said Alex. The baby dragon gave him a mean look. "However, there is a way I can help you from being thrown in jail."

The dragon became curious, "Why would you want to help me?"

"Because you're just a kid. And I'm not going to just stand by and watch as a kid gets thrown in prison. You got a name?" asked Alex.

The baby dragons quickly looked away with an upset look on his face, "No, I don't have a name."

"Huh, just like me." said the cat from below.

"No name?" said Alex, "Didn't your parents give you a name?"

"They abandoned me when I was still in my egg, I've lived my life alone." said the dragon.

"You know," Alex began, "I was alone when I first arrived here in Equestria. I had no one by my side, I felt like I would never find my place here."

"You were alone too?" asked the dragon.

"Yes, but...I guess I began to make a new family for myself here in Equestria. Soon I had adopted a child and now she keeps me so busy, but she does bring a smile to my face. And right now, you need my help like she did when I first met her." he said with a smile. "Still, I need to call you something." Alex began to think, "I know! What if I call you...Draco?"

"I never had a name before, Draco...I like it!" he said with a smile.

"Well what do you know? He does smile." said Alex as he gave him a goofy smile.

"Shut up!" he said with an embarrassed look on his face, "A family, I never knew what it was like to have a family. I tried desperately to find a family willing to give me a chance to be a part of theirs, but they all just tossed me away."

"Would you like to know how it feels?" asked Alex as he lowered the dragon to his feet and put his hoof out.

"Y-you're willing to give me a chance?" asked Draco.

"Yeah, but it's going to come at a cost with everything that you've done to these ponies in Ponyville. I'll do my best to make them go easy on you though."

"Wh-what do I have to do?"

"Alright, get ready because this is where it gets complicated."

~~~~~

Up in Canterlot, Spike was in the Celestia's throne room with the girls behind him. Things weren't looking good for him; multiple witnesses had spoken against him. Twilight still felt troubled about leaving everything to Alex. Not only that but Applejack couldn't help but feel bad since and Rainbow refused to speak to her, Rarity, or Fluttershy until she knew why Alex only let them into his study room. She knew she couldn't tell her the truth because she promised not to, but she didn't want to lose their friendship either. She had no choice now, if she wanted to stop their friendship from falling apart, then she had to break her promise with Alex.

"Girls, there's something ah got to tell ya." said Applejack.

Twilight turned her head back, "Not right now Applejack, we need to give Spike our support right now."

Applejack took in a deep breath, "I need to tell you girls the truth about why Alex has been spending so much time in his study room."

Rarity gasped, "Applejack! We promised him that we would keep it a secret!"

Twilight became curious, "Secret? What are you talking about?"

"We have to Rarity," said Applejack, "Alex has been spending too much time in that room, and it's because we were never there for him when we should've been. Alright girls, listen up." Applejack began to explain everything that has happened to Alex up to that point. Even Fluttershy decided to tell them about Alex's nightmares that had been occurring recently. The girl's expressions became that of worry, except for Luna. After Applejack and Fluttershy had finished telling them everything, Luna left the group and headed out of the doorway without them noticing.

"I can't believe he's been going through all of that, and he's been keeping us in the dark about all of it." said Twilight as she her head began to drop. "He's been going through so much and yet we've done nothing to help him!"

Applejack put her hoof on her shoulder, "You didn't know Twilight, you can't blame yourself."

"But I should have known! I live with him so I spend the most time with him and yet I didn't know any of these things! You girls even know more about him then I do! I was in charge of him, I should have noticed something was wrong earlier! I feel like such a failure, how else could this day go wrong?"

"Spike the dragon!" began Celestia, "You were given to Twilight Sparkle many years ago and I watched as you grew into such a fine dragon. Hearing that you have stooped so low as to steal form others is very upsetting. It brings me no pleasure to do this to you Spike, but I'm afraid that I have no choice but to find you..."

"Not guilty!" shouted a voice as the doors opened wide.

"Prince Alexis, what are you doing here?" asked Celestia.

Alex began walking toward her, "Oh come on! Seriously?! After all the letters I sent you to stop calling me that? Tch! Well anyways, I'm here to prove Spike innocent Princess Celestia! For you see, Spike cannot possibly be the culprit behind all of the robberies!"

"Oh? And why is that?" asked Celestia.

"Simple," he began, "The fire used to break in. Everypony I asked said that the culprit used a 'red' flame to burn through the windows. Spike breathes green fire, not red. Plus, one of the residents told me that the culprit 'glided' across her room and over her head. For this to be possible the robber in question would need wings in order to glide, Spike has no wings to glide with. Lastly, the criminal needs motivation, a reason for wanting to steal from other ponies. The criminal has been stealing these items to make a profit by selling them, but Spike has no need for money because Twilight gives him everything he'd ever need."

"Well then, it seems that we have another criminal in Ponyville then?" asked Celestia.

"That is correct your highness." said Alex with a nod. "And I am happy to tell you that I have found the true criminal!"

"You have the true criminal with you?!" asked Celestia.

"Of course. Bring him out!" said Alex as the guards entered with Draco. The six ponies on the side just glared at the mean looking dragon.

"So you are the dragon that has been stealing from Ponyville, then I'm afraid I will be showing you no mercy then." said Celestia as she prepared to call in the royal guards until Alex put his hoof up.

*Ahem!* "Sorry to burst your bubble Princess Celestia but...I may have already declared his punishment." said Alex.

"I beg your pardon? You did what?"

"Well you see, according to your guards I had to do something about him. Because of a certain little floating light bulb, I was apparently the highest form of authority around at the time so they left his punishment to me. Of course this was after that building full of sacred powder exploded."

"Exploded?! That sacred powder is..." Celestia began.

"Is something that shouldn't exist here. Not only that but I'm a little concerned as to how you came across it."

"But the items that Draco has stolen, he still must be punished for his crimes." said Celestia.

"Not necessary, for he has returned all stolen items. He was a little stubborn about it at first, but I managed to convince him to return everything. It seems that building had a hidden cellar down below so all of the items were safe from the fire." said Alex.

"Very well, in that case I have faith that you have chosen an appropriate punishment for this thief?" asked Celestia.

"I like to think so. I've decided that this dragon will have to serve under me for the time being."

"Serve under you?!" asked Celestia in shock. "Prince Alexis, I ask you to reconsider! He is a thief! It would not be wise to have him around."

"Princess Celestia, he is only a child whose had nobody in his life to teach him right from wrong! I feel that after much time he could grow up to be a proud and noble dragon. Besides, I already have a thief living under my roof. What's wrong with adding another?"

"Very well, I shall allow this for the time being. But I will request that you send me updates on the dragons progress, I will be watching."

"Thank you Princess Celestia." said Alex as he bowed his head. Oh god, that was the most stressful thing I have ever done! Giving a speech is hard, arguing with a princess is unimaginably difficult. I'm just glad that's over with.

"No...not yet."

No! This can't be happening now! I...have to get back to Ponyville...fast! "I will take my leave now Princess Celestia, come now Draco. We must be off." said Alex as they left the castle together.

Twilight and the others followed behind him but they didn't say anything to each other on their way out. They didn't know to say, they felt at a loss. The train ride back to Ponyville was a quiet one, Twilight knew that they would have to talk once they got back home. The train had arrived in Ponyville and they began making their way toward the library, Draco was still a little nervous about living with ponies as his family. Finally they had arrived at the library and when they had entered Alex's room they found Luna inside with five of her royal guards with her.

"What's with the guards Luna?" asked Alex as he moved towards the center of the room.

"SEIZE HIM!" shouted Luna as two of her guards leaped forward and pinned Alex down.

"What are you doing?!" asked Alex as he tried to fight the guards off of him.

"Princess Luna?! What are you doing?!" asked Twilight.

"Keep them back!" shouted Luna as another guard rushed over and kept them from getting any closer.

"Alex!" shouted Scootaloo she tried to run to him.

"Seize the girl!" shouted Luna. "Take the dragon as well!" Two more guards ran toward them and took Scootaloo and Draco from Alex.

"Stop, what are you doing to them?!" shouted Alex as he struggled for his freedom.

"Scootaloo will be taken back to the orphanage and the dragon will be taken to prison for his crimes." said Luna.

"What, what are you talking about?!" asked Alex. "I've already talked about it with Celestia! Why are you doing this?!"

"Simple, your friends Applejack and Fluttershy told us everything. About your nightmares, the visions you had of the future. I'm afraid I have no choice but to remove you permanently. You are too dangerous to have around other ponies." said Luna as she turned to Applejack,

"You did the right thing by telling us the truth girls."

Alex turned his head, "You told them?! How could you?!"

"Ah swear ah didn't mean for any of this to happen!" said Applejack.

"We...we were just trying to help!" said Fluttershy.

Luna began walking towards Alex, "That's enough you two. I cannot believe the Gospel thought this plan would work in the first place!"

"Plan?" said Alex, "What plan?"

Luna looked down at him, "The plan of having you live here in Ponyville with them of course. The girls believed that if they pretended to be your friends then you would've opened up your heart and you would get your element to activate. It was all just an act from the very beginning. They never truly wanted to be your friends."

"No! That's not true!" said Twilight.

"So you mean...they aren't really my friends?" Alex once again turned his head towards them, "You were just using me?! All of you?! Everything was just a lie?!" He focused his attention to Twilight. "Those words you said to me...you were lying?" Alex's anger began to grow. "I knew it was all a lie! I could never have true friends! You were just using me! All of you!"

"No Alex! We weren't lying!" shouted Twilight, "We are your friends! We never meant to-"

"Shut up!" shouted Alex, "I hate all of you! I can't believe I ever thought I could trust any of you! I've been used by others my whole life because I was too nice, but now...now..."

"Yes...Yes! Open the door! Let me out! LET ME BE FREE!!!"

His eyes began to glow a dark purple as the bandage on his eye flew off, "I WON'T LET ANYONE USE ME EVER AGAIN!!!" Suddenly his horn began to glow and dark magic erupted from his horn creating a shock wave that ended up blowing everypony away and covering the room in darkness. Alex took this chance to grab Scootaloo and run out of the library. Scootaloo was unconscious from the sudden outburst of magic that erupted from his horn

"Wait up!" shouted a voice from behind him. It was Draco, he began running after Alex. "Don't leave me behind; I have nowhere else to go!"

"Can I trust you?" asked Alex.

"You know you can, I was never a part of that plan they were talking about to begin with. I'm with you all the way." said Draco.

"Then get on! We're leaving Ponyville!" shouted Alex as he lowered his head. "Make sure Scootaloo doesn't fall off." He began running at top speeds through the streets of Ponyville, but he stopped as a figure suddenly got in his way.

"Hello there boy, I believe you have something of mine and I think it's time you give it back." said the figure.

Alex looked at the figure, "Well look at what we have here. I knew it was only a matter of time before you showed your face. It's an honor to finally meet you, Doctor Whooves."

"Likewise" said the doctor, "Let's go for a small chat shall we? But not here, let's talk somewhere outside of Ponyville."

"Gladly, lead the way then doctor." said Alex as he began to follow the Doctor.

Back at the library

*Cough! Cough!* "Where did he go?!" shouted Luna as the smoke began to clear. "Find him now!" Her guards quickly took to the skies and began searching for Alex. "I'm afraid I must leave you here girls, I must find him before he brings harm to others." Luna began to exit the library.

"W-what have we done?" asked Fluttershy.

"What do we do now?" asked Rainbow Dash. "What do we do?!"

"I-I don't know." said Twilight.

"Ah don't think there's anything we can do for him. It's...it's over." said Applejack.

"It...It's all our fault. This is because of us!" said Fluttershy as she began crying.

"No...no! We're his friends! We were only trying to help him...weren't we?" asked Applejack.

"Well there must be something we can do! We are his friends, right?!" said Rarity.

"Y-yeah! That's right!" shouted Rainbow, "Alex went out of his way for others whenever they needed help! Now we have to do the same for him! Fluttershy and I will look for him, if one of us finds him then that one will come back to get the rest!"

"Yes. You're right Rainbow Dash!" said Twilight, "Alex is in danger because we couldn't help in time, but this time we will save him! Are you all in?" Twilight put her hoof out.

"You can count on me!" said Rainbow.

"Absolutely!" said Rarity.

"Let's do this!" said Applejack.

"You bet!" said Pinkie Pie.

"Me too!" said Fluttershy.

Rainbow and Fluttershy took to the skies and began scanning the area for Alex while avoiding Luna's royal guards. Twilight and the rest went down into the basement and discovered that Alex's magic had caused his study room door to collapse. The four of them entered and began looking for anything that they could use to help them in their search. They found all of his research that he had done in the past couple of days; Twilight then discovered horrifying notes on the side. Not only that, but she also took notice of a drawer with a lock on it. She opened the lock only to discover a bottled potion with a single page next to it. The page contained a recipe from the Star Swirl the Bearded spell book for traveling between worlds.

Author's Notes:

HOORAY! The next chapteris finally here! So here are some important things I need to say, firstly no the fic is not being cancelled for anyone who just thought that was what I was going to say. What I AM going to say is that my recent editor had to quit because of time issues. He simply does not have the time of day anymore to edit, he barely has enough time to work on his own story. So basically that means the hunt for another editor is on! Now I've been busy with a side project as of late but now I will most likely have enough time to start working on this story again. No, you don't have to wait for me to write the next chapter, it's done, but I won't release it just yet. Right now I'm on chapter 15, and I have to finish that one. So for now please enjoy this, and look forward to more chapteres coming out real soon! And thank you for reading! If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask!

Chapter 8: Truth And Consequences (Part 1)

"Come on! We need to hurry!" shouted the Doctor as he ran through the Everfree Forest.

"I'm doing the best that I can!" said Alex as he cautiously watched where he was stepping. "Draco! How is she doing back there?"

"I think she's fine!" Draco shouted, "I can't be sure, but I think she'll wake up soon."

Alex turned his head forward, "Alright then, how far are we going Doctor? These woods are dangerous!"

"Just a bit further, we're almost there!"

"You've been saying that for the past thirty minutes!" shouted Alex.

"Technically it's only been twenty four minutes!"

"You know what I mean!"

"Just keep moving!"

~~~~~

Luna's guards were flying all across Ponyville; they were searching high and low for Alex. Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were flying carefully through the air trying to avoid detection by any of the guards. They didn't know where to begin their search since the guards were already looking everywhere. They checked all the spots that Alex had been to before just in case he decided to hide somewhere familiar to him. They went by Sugarcube corner, Sweet Apple Acres, but had no luck in finding any trace of him. Then just as they began to head back to the library Fluttershy remembered about the lake where she and Alex had their talk about his nightmares. She quickly mentioned it to Rainbow and they rushed as fast as they could towards the area, Rainbow decided to have Fluttershy hold onto her and direct her towards the lake so as not to waste any time.

"Is this the place?" asked Rainbow as she landed. It hadn't seemed like the guards checked this far into the Everfree yet.

"Yes, this is it." said Fluttershy as she began to look around. The lake was calm and a gentle breeze rolled by. "There's no sign of him here either. I don't know where else to look. What are we going to do Rainbow Dash?"

"Don't sweat it Fluttershy. We'll just have to look somewhere else. And we'll keep looking until we find him. We have to."

"But...he said..." Fluttershy stuttered as she looked at her reflection on the lakes calm surface. "He said he hates us. What if we find him and he doesn't come with us? What if he runs away from us?" She covered her face with her hooves as she began sniffling. "It's all because we broke our promise! It's our fault!"

"Don't say that!" shouted Rainbow, "It's not any one ponies fault. It's because of all of us that this has happened, but crying over it now won't help! We have to believe that Alex will let us help him. Because right now we're the only ones who can help him."

Fluttershy turned back to face Rainbow Dash for a few moments until they heard a rustling sound in the bushes, "W-what was that?!" she squeaked.

"Alex? Is that you?" asked Rainbow. "It's okay, we're here to help you." Then from behind the bushes came out a small group of bunnies that lived in the forest. "Aw come on! It's just a couple of bunnies, come on Fluttershy we better get back to looking for that unicorn!" Just then the little bunnies began to squeak in their direction.

"Wait!" said Fluttershy, "I think maybe one of them knows where he is!"

Rainbow Dash looked in disbelief. "The bunnies? You're kidding right? How could they possibly know where he is?"

"It wouldn't hurt to ask." Fluttershy brought herself closer to the little group of bunnies. "Hello there little ones, my friend and I are looking for someone very important, a red unicorn. Have any of you seen him?" The bunnies huddled together for a couple of seconds, then one of them hopped forward and began to make little squeak sounds back at Fluttershy as Rainbow rolled her eyes, "You have? That's great! Where did you see him?"

"What? What did it say?" asked Rainbow.

Fluttershy turned her head around, "He says he saw Alex running through the forest with another pony and he also says that it looked like they were heading towards the other side of the forest!"

Rainbow quickly extended her wings out, "Alright! Let's get Twilight and the others, fast!" She grabbed Fluttershy and took off to the skies. "I can't believe those bunnies actually saw him! How lucky are we, huh?"

~~~~~

"Why would Princess Luna do all of this?" said Twilight as she paced back and forth impatiently.

"Ah'm not sure, but we can only hope that Rainbow finds Alex before her guards do." said Applejack.

"Yes, I'd hate to imagine what would happen if we were too late." said Rarity.

"What is taking them so long?!" said Twilight as she stopped pacing. "We have to find Alex in time. I know we will. Right, Pinkie Pie?" Twilight turned her head around. "Pinkie Pie?"

Applejack began looking around as well. "She's gone!"

"But she was just here!" said Rarity.

Twilight began to think. "Y-you don't think she left to find Alex on her own do you?" The room suddenly got quiet.

Rainbow Dash then bolted into the library with Fluttershy. "Hey girls, we found him!"

"You did?! Where is he?" asked Twilight.

"He's in the Everfree forest." said Fluttershy as she shook her head, "We also found out that he's with another pony running towards the other side of the forest."

Twilight and the girls were filled with hope, "Alright then! Let's go and save Alex!"

"Save Alex? Just what are you girls up to?" said a voice coming from the doorway.

"Princess Luna!" shouted Twilight.

"I could ask you the same thing!" said Rainbow, "How could you do something like that to Alex?"

Luna looked at her confusedly. "What are you talking about?"

Applejack stepped up, "We're talking about how you tried to take Alex away, send poor Scootaloo back to the orphanage, and how you were going to throw Draco in prison even after he returned all of the stolen items!"

"I beg your pardon?! I did no such thing! I only just returned from Canterlot moments ago!"

"We saw you!" shouted Rainbow, "We all saw you and your guards attack Alex!"

"I assure you I did no such thing." said Luna as she turned her head over, "Isn't that right?"

"That is correct." said the Gospel as it floated into the room.

"Gospel?" said Twilight, "What are you doing here?"

"I am here because I was told that Alex has been having some rather troubling nightmares, where is he? I must speak with him about these visions. It is an important matter." said the Gospel as he floated around the room.

"He's run off I'm afraid," said Rarity, "Luna was here earlier with her guards and she told Alex about the plan of having him stay here with us. Alex then accused us of lying to him and yelled in anger that we were not in fact his real friends." Rarity's eyes began to heat up. "It's all our fault, you asked us to look after him and yet we failed."

"That...that is impossible." said the Gospel, "I was with Luna the entire time up till now, so she couldn't have been here."

Rainbow opened the door and pointed outside. "What about all the guards outside?"

"What guards?" asked Luna, "There was nopony outside when we got here." The girls all walked outside and just as Luna had said, there were no guards. They didn't know what to think, it was as if they had all just vanished into thin air.

"What does this mean Twilight?" asked Applejack.

Twilight turned to face her, "I don't know." She tried to make sense of what had just happened. "Those couldn't have been fakes we saw, because they were able to physically touch Alex so they had to be real. Could they have been imposters?"

The Gospel floated up to Twilight, "Perhaps you would like to explain everything that's happened up till now?"

All of them went back into the library and began to tell Luna and the Gospel what had happened when they returned home earlier. "Are you absolutely sure that's what happened?" asked Luna. The girls all nodded their heads in unison. "What do you think Gospel?"

"This is not good. This is far worse than I could have imagined. We must find him quickly, before it's too late!" The Gospel then quickly floated out of the Library and the rest followed after him. "Quick! Where is Alex now?"

"He's in the Everfree forest!" shouted Rainbow, "Come on, this way!" She bolted off the ground and their chase began.

"I don't understand though Gospel," Twilight began, "How could there be two Luna's?"

"There wasn't, it was a set up," said the Gospel, "Somepony wanted Alex to see the figure before him as Luna, but in actuality it was just an illusion made up of magic."

"They wanted him to see it? But then why are they after him? Why did they try to impersonate Luna and try to take Scootaloo and Draco away from him?" asked Rarity.

"They wanted to make him mad." The Gospel began, "Somepony wanted him to get real mad, they needed him to get mad. Alex is unaware of it, but he's fallen into a trap."

Rainbow slowed down towards the Gospels position, "What do you mean?"

"The power of Alex's element is great, but only if he activates it the right way." said the Gospel.

Twilight raised an eyebrow, "Does that mean there is another way to activate his element?"

"Yes it does," the Gospel began, "But this other method will only bring destruction. Just as his element reacts to his love, it can also react to his anger if driven far enough. I'm glad I asked Luna to keep an eye on him."

"Um, what exactly do you mean by that?" asked Twilight.

Luna turned to the girls, "You see girls, back when I was preparing to come here under my sisters order, the Gospel came to me and gave me a very special assignment. He wanted me to watch over Alex and to let him know when he was ready."

"Ready? Ready for what?" asked Fluttershy.

"Ready for the trial of the element." said the Gospel, "I knew eventually Alex would receive a vision indicating the trials beginning, but I was not expecting for his test to come so soon."

"A test, what sort of test?" asked Twilight.

"Each holder is given a vision in their dreams; this vision shows them a certain point in their future. Most visions come in the form of a quest that they must complete to prove their worthiness, but I was not expecting Alex to have one so horrid."

"And...If he fails?" asked Rainbow.

"Nopony has ever failed, but they never had to face something like what Alex is going through. However, should it be that his anger activates his element, then we will all be in danger." said the Gospel.

"What do you mean?" asked Twilight.

"It would take too long to explain it to you now. But let's just say that if Alex's emotions run wild, then those visions I showed Celestia and Luna could become reality much sooner than expected."

Luna had a grim look on her face, "So now that Alex believes that we have all betrayed him then..."

"It is only a possibility at this point." the Gospel began. "But we must not let that happen! We must find who is behind this and stop them!" Together with the Gospel, they entered the Everfree forest unaware of the dangers that they would have to face.

~~~~~

"Here we are." said the Doctor.

"Here? There's nothing here! We came all the way out here for nothing?! Why did you even bring me here?" asked Alex.

The Doctor turned around and looked at Alex, "I'm going to be honest with you. I want you to go home."

Alex's eyes opened wide. "Go home? What are you talking about?"

"I know that you've come from another universe. The human world is your home Alex, not Equestria. You must come with me to the human world."

Alex became suspicious of the Doctor. "What?! That's impossible! You can't know that! How do you know that?!"

"Something interesting about parallel universes Alex, each universe has their own parallels of a pony no matter who they are...except for you. In this universe, there is no Alex. How could I resist? A new being, just appearing out of nowhere? My curiosity may have gotten the better of me, but this must end now. You must return to your home."

"But that doesn't answer my question! There's no way you could have learned about me so quickly and easily! How did you know I was here?! Over a million places to be and somehow you found me here? How?!"

"I crashed here. About a month ago my Tardis detected a powerful rift being torn open, it was so strong that not even my Tardis could resist going towards it. The energy levels were increasing dangerously, the Tardis couldn't handle it so I ended up crashing here, in this spot."

"I don't understand, why didn't you just leave? Why stay here?"

"Because my Tardis is badly damaged and it only has enough power for one last trip. After I had discovered where I had crashed landed, my Tardis began picking up similar rift energy. However the energy readings were even greater than before, it was as if this planet generated rifts on its own. So I stayed until I could discover the cause and find a solution to close them once and for all. Then I realized that not only were the rifts opening up here, but that they were connected to another universe."

"Home."

The Doctor nodded his head, "Correct, and since the source was on this planet I had to find it or else both universes will end up colliding with one another. Then one day the scanners on my Tardis began to go off, its point of origin led me to Ponyville. Then you appeared, and then I learned everything that I needed to know in order to seal off the rifts once and for all. You are the cause; your entire family has been causing rifts to open throughout time! Now you need to come with me, back to your universe."

"Can't you just close them?! If you are who you say you are, then you've done it once and you can do it again!"

"I only have enough for one trip. Even if I did somehow manage to close them it still wouldn't be enough."

"Why not?! There's something you're keeping from me isn't there?" Alex's anger began to rise.

The Doctor slowly bowed his head, "This isn't easy for me to say. If you leave then Equestria has no chance of defending itself from this upcoming threat that is supposed to destroy this world. Equestria will be destroyed thereby destroying the source of the rifts, causing them all to close once and for all."

"What? Do you know what you're asking me to do?! How could you even ask me to do something like this?!"

"Your family started this and sent Equestria down this path. Every time a member of your family was summoned here, they expanded the crack in space which caused the amount of rifts that open up to increase. If we stop that from happening then there's no possibility of any rifts opening ever again."

"And if I reuse?!" shouted Alex.

The Doctor looked at him dead in the eyes, "Then everyone dies. Every single being that lives in both universes will die. It will all be your fault. I know you won't refuse though. I can see it in your eyes, you refuse to accept this world as real. So why start caring about the ponies who live here now?"

Alex stood frozen lost in thought; he couldn't believe what he was hearing. He hated to admit it but the Doctor was right, Alex didn't believe in Equestria's existence any more. He couldn't stand it any longer, he just wanted to go somewhere far away from Equestria. His train of thought was then broken by sounds coming from his back. Scootaloo had begun to awaken.

She slowly opened her eyes, "What? What happened?" She tilted her head up to look at Alex, "Alex? Alex, it's you!" She wrapped her hooves around his neck, "You're here! I had a terrible nightmare where Luna tried to throw you and Draco in jail and tried to take me back to the orphanage!" She looked him in the eyes and began to cry.

Alex let her climb down and brought her close to him, "I'm sorry Scootaloo, but it wasn't a nightmare." Alex held her closer, "Luna really did try to take you away from me. They all lied to us." He looked back at the Doctor, "What about her? What about Draco? Do I have to leave them too?"

"Yes, they must stay here. They don't belong in your world, so they must stay behind."

"I can't leave her here! She's just a little girl!"

"I know, but if we brought her to your world then that would only cause more distortion amongst the rifts."

"But...I....what am I supposed to do?"

"You must come with me, before time runs out. You don't belong here Alex, you know deep down that you don't belong here. Come with me, and I'll take you home."

The Doctors words echoed repeatedly in Alex's head. You don't belong here. You don't belong here. You don't belong here. Alex looked down at Scootaloo and back at the Doctor. "Alright Doctor lets go."

"Wait! Where are you going?" asked Scootaloo.

"He's going home." said the Doctor.

"But...you can't! We...we're family aren't we?!" she asked.

"I...I don't want to leave you here! I wish I could take you with me, but I can't! If I did, it would hurt this place more than I already have."

"But Alex, what about me?" asked Draco.

"You two will have to take care of each other. I can't do anything! Everything I do only brings me trouble! I'm sorry, but if I leave then things will get better here. You can get back to living your lives without some loser like me."

"I don't want to live without you!" shouted Scootaloo as she ran towards him. "Life was horrible before I met you! You're not a loser, you're my hero! You...you're my dad..."

"Scootaloo..."

"Alex, we have to go." said the Doctor.

Draco approached them both. "Don't do it Alex! We need you here! I'm ready to turn my life around but I can't do it if you're not around to help me!"

"I...I don't know."

"Alex?" Suddenly there was a sound coming from the bushes nearby.

"What was that?" asked the Doctor.

Alex looked around aimlessly. "I don't know. Who's there?! Show yourself!"

It was Pinkie Pie; somehow she managed to follow him all the way to the Doctors Tardis. "Don't listen to him Alex! He's nothing but a big meanie!"

"What the, Pinkie Pie? How did you manage to find us?" asked Alex.

"I followed your voice silly!" said Pinkie Pie with a smile, "You told me where to find you!"

"I never told you anything." said Alex, "I don't know who you were listening to, but it wasn't me."

"That's not important now! What's important is that you don't leave!" said Pinkie Pie.

"He must leave." said the Doctor, "Since you were hiding in the bushes there then that means you heard every word we said. So you know why Alex must leave Equestria. It's too dangerous for him to be here."

"He's not dangerous! I heard everything you said, but that doesn't make him dangerous." said Pinkie Pie as he took a step towards Alex. "I...I know I haven't been the best friend ever lately. Even after I threw you that party it was ruined by Gilda and you didn't have any fun. I'm the element of laughter, but I never made you laugh once have I?" Pinkie pie pulled out a small box with a ribbon on it.

"..." Alex simply stared at the box.

"What is that?" asked the Doctor.

"It's Alex's present from the party I threw for him!" said Pinkie, "You never got the chance to open it. I wanted to see your face after you opened it but, you left the party after you had your argument with Princess Luna."

"You...you kept it?" asked Alex.

"Of course I did! I kept it because you're my friend, and I wanted to make sure that you knew that for sure."

"I...I don't know what to say."

"Just...tell me that you'll stay." said Pinkie Pie.

"I..."

"No Alex, you must leave!" said the Doctor.

"He is an enemy!"

"Alex!"

"I don't..."

"You must leave!"

"I can't..."

"Stay!"

"But..."

"They betrayed you, they betrayed us! They never cared about you, they never even thought about how you felt after you were brought here."

"That's a lie!" shouted Alex.

"Alex? What's wrong?" asked Pinkie Pie.

"I cannot wait any longer! shouted the Doctor as he quickly tackled Alex. "You're going home! There's no time to wait!"

"I will not fight you Doctor!"

"That's good because I don't fight either, but you have to go home now!"

"Dammit!" thought Alex, "What am I going to do?"

"Kill him."

What? No! I refuse!

"You must kill him!"

No! I won't do it! I can't!

"You don't have a choice!"

Suddenly a big shock wave of dark magic erupted from Alex's body which threw the Doctor off of him. "Argh! What's happening to me? Who are you?" Alex began to shout in agony as he felt dark magic growing in his horn which caused pain to travel all over his body.

The voice in his head began to chuckle, "You poor boy, you've been hurting for a very long time haven't you? I know how it feels to be betrayed! I can help you."

Alex eyes opened wide, "I don't understand! What are you, why are you doing this to me?!"

"You and I are much alike; we've both felt pain and jealousy several times over. We both crave revenge on those who have hurt us, yet you refuse to act upon it. So I thought I'd give you a helping hoof. So sit back and relax, I'm taking over for now. And together we will have our revenge on everypony who's ever hurt us! At last we will have our justice!!!" The voice began to laugh maniacally as Alex shouted in pain.

Pinkie Pie rushed to his side, "Alex, what's wrong?! Are you okay?!"

Alex turned his head to face her, "Don't touch me! Just get away!" He pointed at Scootaloo and Draco. "Take them somewhere safe! I can't stop it! Just go, hurry!!!"

"Why, what's happening to you?!" she asked again.

Alex shouted once more at the top of his lungs as another explosion of dark magic erupted from his body which sent everypony flying away. Twilight and everypony else could hear the eruption from their end and began to pick up the pace. Smoke covered the area; Pinkie Pie lifted herself off of the ground and looked around for Scootaloo and Draco. When she found them she picked them both up and brought them over to a nearby bush for safety. The smoke cleared to show Alex standing still, Pinkie Pie decided to move closer to him.

"Alex? Are you okay?" asked Pinkie Pie.

Alex turned around, "Oh my, I've forgotten what it's like to have a body. Sleep now boy, I will make everything better. You've been hurt so much, just like me. As for you element of laughter, I must thank you for falling into my trap."

"W-what are you talking about Alex?"

Alex began walking closer to Pinkie Pie, "I mean that you came here after Alex all on your own just like I wanted! Without your friends here, you have no one to save you!" Alex gave her an eerie smile.

"S-s-save me, from what?" asked Pinkie Pie, now frightened by Alex's strange behavior.

Alex stopped in front of her and began to charge up his magic, "FROM ME!!! IT IS TIME TO PAY FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE!!!"

~~~~~

Twilight and the others were running through the forest until they saw flashes of light coming from straight ahead, but then they heard the screams of somepony being attacked. "What's going on over there?!" shouted Twilight as they entered the clearing.

"Wh-what's going on here?" asked Rainbow Dash as she saw Pinkie Pie's body lying on the floor with bruises all over. "Pinkie Pie!!!"

"Oh look! Company!" said Alex as he turned his head to face the others. "They're not as much fun once they've stopped screaming. But hey, she got what she deserved." He let out a small chuckle.

"Alex what have you done to Pinkie Pie?!" shouted Applejack, "How could you have done something so terrible?!"

Alex dropped his smile, "Humph! Sorry, Alex isn't here! He doesn't want to talk to you."

"What are you saying Alex?" asked Twilight as she began walking towards him. "Who else could you be?"

Luna moved ahead of her and stopped Twilight from getting any closer, "Don't get too close, we don't know what he might do." She turned her head to face Alex, "Who are you?"

"Who am I?" asked the figure as magic began to emanate from the ground around him. "I'm the one who haunts ponies in their sleep. I'm the one who will throw this world into eternal darkness!"

"It can't be!" said Twilight as she covered her mouth with her hoof. "We defeated you! The evil in Luna is gone so you can't be alive!"

The magic began to rise even higher from the ground, "Did you really think you could get rid of me forever? I am eternal! I am the mare in the moon!" The magic that emanated from the ground shot up and turned in to a giant tower of dark magic that surrounded Alex's body, "I am the new and improved, NIGHTMARE MOON!!!" The magic cleared to reveal a tall violet red unicorn with a brown mane covered in armor. He laughed maniacally as the others stared in horror. Alex was gone, and they didn't know where he was.

~~~~~

"Alex?"

"Alex?"

"Alex!" shouted a voice.

"Gah! What? What happened?" asked Alex as he shot himself up. He looked down to see himself as a human again, sitting on a chair with a desk in front of him.

"You fell asleep during class again." said a voice to his right.

Alex turned to see a human girl standing before him, "Oh, it's just you Twilight Sparkle. Wait a moment....class?" Alex looked around to find himself in a classroom with his friends.

"Yeah, I can't believe you! The teacher gives us a free period and you decide to take a nap?" said another voice.

"Hm, oh, it's you Rainbow Dash. What's wrong with taking a nap during a free period? It's not like I'm breaking any rules." said Alex.

"He's got you there Rainbow. Besides, he's had a hard day today." said another voice.

"What's up Applejack? Wait, I did? Strange, I can't remember anything from earlier." said Alex as he began rubbing his head.

"Oh dear, is there anything I can do to help?" said a soft and gentle voice from behind.

"I'm fine Fluttershy, I'm sure I'll remember what I did earlier soon." said Alex.

"Hey, where's Rarity and Pinkie Pie?" asked Twilight.

"Over here!" shouted a voice in the doorway to the classroom. A girl was dragging another girl with pink hair inside of the classroom.

"No! Wait! I know I can convince them to see that it wasn't my fault!" shouted a girl with pink hair.

"What did you do this time Pinkie Pie?" asked Alex.

Rarity walked up to them, "I'm afraid she attempted to use another one of her 'party cannon' inventions again. This time she blew a hole in the lunchroom and knocked a teacher unconscious."

They all let out unsettling laughs; Alex stretched his body as he felt as though he had been sleeping for days. "Man, I feel like a mess."

Twilight turned to face him, "Maybe you're still tired from all the hard work you did earlier? Just relax, you're awake now and you're with your friends! Don't think too hard on it okay?" She moved in to give him a hug. "Everything's fine now Alex."

"Yeah, you're right Twilight! I probably am thinking too hard! I'm glad I have friends like you!" said Alex as he returned the hug.

"Of course Alex," said Twilight as she tightened her grip on him. "So long as you're here with us, you won't have to worry about anything ever again."

Author's Notes:

Hoo boy! It's about time I put this out! I've been putting this off for too long! But it's out now. The next chapter though, that one was a real doozy to re-write. I'm just glad I'm getting back to writing, I've been so over-worked with school, work, friends, and side projects, that I thought I woud've never been able to get to this.

So has anyone else seen the original X-files show? I can't stop watching it!

Thank you everyone for reading and I hope you enjoyed reading it!