> Between Two Worlds
>  by Silverwing Strong
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prologue: Answering the Call
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Prologue: Answering The Call








		Heat, hot, warm, and high temperature. Within the land of Equestria, words like these were on the verge of being considered taboo. Why? It was simple, the entire nation was suffering an extreme heat wave, the likes never before seen. None of the land’s citizens really knew what brought this about, only that it was making life in Equestria miserable.






        The searing hot temperatures were only made worse by the rising number of heat strokes. Unprecedented numbers across the nation were being hospitalized by the hour, to the point that Equestria’s capital, known by the name of Canterlot, had to take cases into the castle’s infirmary. Advisors and scientists across the land came in droves, trying to give theories and explanations for such a phenomenon. A summit was called between Equestria’s leaders and the most well renowned scientists available, to try and find a cause or solution for this predicament.






        Within the castle’s large conference hall stood a large, round table hosting eleven chairs and two thrones. Banners depicting elegant suns and moons hung on the columns between the mosaic windows, the two contradicting designs a testament to the land’s rulers, known as Celestia and Luna. As their names and banners hinted at, the two were able to control the sun and moon respectively, garnering the respect of every other resident of the nation.






        The two of them now sat within the thrones, looking across the other members called to the summit. They looked nervous to say the least. Neither Celestia nor Luna could blame them, for this was a very difficult scenario, nothing like the young brainiacs have ever encountered. But the two leaders were used to such pressures, having encountered many stressing ordeals over their vast lifetime. 






        Both Luna and Celestia were unlike the rest of their nation. In addition to their inherent abilities to control the moon and sun, they were near immortal, having lived through centuries as though it was but a blink of the eye. This was a dire situation for Equestria, there was no doubt about that. But they would be fine, as they always have been.






“Let us begin this meeting,” Celestia began, her regal voice projecting through the hall with an air of serene authority. “We all know what the problem is, so we need to know what caused it, and what will stop it.”






“You’ve all been called here to answer these two questions,” Luna continued, carrying more strength and power in her voice than her sister, another contrast to Celestia. “Who will go first? The sooner we solve this dilemma, the sooner everypony can rest easy.”






        The table stood quiet for a solid minute, everypony looking uncomfortable. None of them were really sure of their theories, and none of them wanted their reputations injured for being wrong. Their eyes cast looks towards one another, urging somepony to start and break the tension.






“W-Well,” one mare began, pushing a pair of spectacles up her muzzle. She had a brown coat with a red mane and tail. “I don’t have too much to support my theory, but I think this is a spell cast by a group of unicorns. No weather Pegasi have hinted at anything like this in their weather schedule, and such a thing would not be easy to conceal, especially on such a large scale. Naturally Earth Ponies don’t have the resources for such a task, despite being adept in their own form of magic.”






“But for a spell this powerful and widespread, it would take a group so large that there is no way they could hide while casting it,” a unicorn stallion returned calmly. His coat was blue with a mane and tail colored teal.“Not to mention there is no record of a spell like this. Even if there was, the amount of magic it would take to maintain for any length of time would rival that of Celestia or Luna.”






“What are you hinting at,” the first mare asked, leaning across the table to look at the stallion.






“Well we can all rule out the odds of it being Pegasi or Earth Pony, right?” he started, receiving a round of nods from the other scientists. “So the options narrow down considerably with that fact. Obviously our dear rulers Celestia and Luna wouldn’t cast such magic on their subjects, and for Unicorns to pull of a spell would be a near insurmountable task.”






“The point?” another mare asked, rolling her hoof to urge him closer to his theory.






“My point,” he began, turning to look at all of them. “Is that it has to be somepony, or someTHING with a vast source of magic that can rival our leaders. Griffons can’t do magic, Zebras couldn’t cook up potion to do this, and anything that COULD do this is sealed within Tartarus….. Or stone.”






“You think this is Discord?” the first mare questioned, raising an eyebrow. She turned towards Celestia and Luna, her expression unsure. “But he shouldn’t be able to use magic within the seal, right? Otherwise he could escape couldn’t he?”






“It’s…. Hard to say,” Celestia answered, her face showing she was lost in thought. “The Elements of Harmony locked his body in stone, but inside that hard shell he is still awake and most likely scheming.”






“If there is a crack in the stone barrier, it would make sense he could project his magic outward,” Luna presented, turning towards her sister. “The Elements also make the stone absorb his magic, so any fault in that cage of his would mean a portion of magic could escape and create random moments of chaos. We should go and check the seal.”






“What should we do?” another scientist asked, motioning to the group around them.






“Go and take care of your loved ones,” Luna instructed sternly, getting a nod from her sister. “But do not breathe a word of this summit’s discussion. If others knew Discord was the cause of this problem, there could be panic and mass hysteria.”






“We will call up the Elements of Harmony,” Celestia added soothingly, causing a sigh of relief to travel through the others. “If Discord is not the cause of this heat wave, be ready to return and resume this conversation. You are all dismissed.”






        With hushed murmurs, the brainiacs unseated themselves and left the room. The conference hall became eerily quiet once more, with Celestia and Luna looking back and forth, both lost in thought. It was another minute or two until the dark Alicorn of the Moon broke the silence.






“Could it really be Discord, dear sister?” Luna asked, her voice tinged with worry. “If it is, will the Elements be enough this time?”






“I do not know,” Celestia admitted, shaking her head. “But we should consider the possibility and try to solve it quickly if it is.”






“Then I shall tell the guards to send a sky carriage for the Elements,” the Night Princess returned, trying to show some confidence for her sister.






“I’ll send off a message to Twilight then,” returned the Sun Princess. “The sooner the bet-”






“Dear Princesses,” came the call from a Solar Guard at the door. He stepped from the hallway and bowed curtly. “A Zebra by the name of Zecora has arrived, saying she has knowledge to share with you.”






“See her in,” Luna answered with a wave of the hoof. As the guard left, the two of them shared an uneasy smile.






        Zecora was well known in Ponyville, a small town just south of Canterlot. It was where the Elements of Harmony lived. She was not one of them, but rather lived in the dangerous Everfree Forest beside the cozy little town. Her mysterious ways and talents with potions had at first thrown the townsfolk into hesitation and fear of her, but the Zebra had proven her kind intentions time and again with herbal remedies and the like.






        The zebra mare entered, wearing a dark brown cloak and hood. All that one could see of her was her black and white striped hooves, as well as the tip of her similarly colored tail. As the hooded figure approached the two thrones, she bowed deeply for a moment.






“Please rise Zecora,” Celestia smiled softly, motioning for her to stand. “You are a friend of Twilight’s so please do not feel the need to be so formal.”






“Thank you Princess,” the zebra began, standing up. “I have come for only one reason. To share the answer to this very hot season.”






“You know how to stop our predicament?” Luna questioned, raising an eyebrow.






“Yes, but there will be many trials after,” Zecora rhymed, her voice low and unpleasant. “Let us relocate first, this is a delicate matter.”






        The two Princesses and zebra left the conference hall and moved to a side room where they could not be overheard. The room was small, used mainly for job interviews for people that wished to work in Canterlot Castle. There was a single desk and two chairs, one on each side, and a shelf full of dusty magic tomes. Celestia and Luna took the chairs while Zecora elected to remain standing. She removed her hood, revealing a black and white striped mohawk atop her head. Her face was decorated with tribal zebra markings, and a large gold hoop hung from each ear. The top of her neck also showed, gold rings travelled all the way down into the cloak.






“What I say is important and dire,” Zecora started, regarding both Princesses. “Heed my words, lest Equestria will feel his ire.”






“His?” Luna pressed, worried now.






“Discord is the problem, this is true,” the zebra nodded, her neck rings clicking as a result. “And soon he’ll escape his stone statue. We must act quick, must make the spell. We’ll summon now, the human whelp.”






“You make no sense,” Luna commented with a hint of anger in her voice. “How will Discord get free, and what is a human? Is that a type of dragon or dog? Please explain.”






“My cauldron shows me a young lad, on two legs he does move,” Zecora started calmly, looking directly into the dark Alicorn’s eyes. “Our problem he will solve, and your past he will soothe.”






“My…. past?” the Night Princess repeated, taken aback. “How can some stranger fix what has already come to happen?”






“A stranger he is not, or so you shall see,” the zebra returned. “A friend of yours, who smells deeply of pine trees.”






“You cannot mean-” Celestia started, catching on instantly.






“But I do, this I tell you,” Zecora cut her off, holding up a hoof. “But now we must act. Discord will return, this is a fact.”






        The urgency in her voice was not lost on either Princess. The two of them nodded and stood up, going towards the door. They would call the Elements of Harmony as planned, and provide Zecora with anything she needed. While they were unsure of her plan, the knew she was trustworthy.






“What can we do to help you?” Celestia asked as the three of them walked.






“I need a room and chalk, that is all,” Zecora answered, staring ahead. Her eyes were glazed as though she was lost in thought. “After that, only time to make the call.”






“You said you would summon a human whelp?” Luna pressed, eager for more details.






“Yes, he will solve our problem,” the zebra nodded, turning to face the Night Princess. “And during his trials will a powerful love blossom.”






“But, who is ‘he’?”






I.I.I






        In an entirely different dimension was a planet known as Earth. On this planet was a young man, old enough to fend for himself but young enough to be a child at heart. His short brown hair blew gently in the breeze as he stepped outside of his high school and into the courtyard. His azure blue eyes scanned the area, looking for his friends to walk home with. The school day was over, and he was eager to get home. The breeze made his gray jacket ruffle against his black tee-shirt.






‘You just want to watch cartoons,’ the voice in his head told him.






“I do, because cartoons are nice,” the young man thought, quelling his internal debate.






“Hey loser!” called an unpleasant voice behind him.






        Turning around, he saw a very irate teen stomping towards him. It was the school bully. He was taller than most other students, and while his legs were lanky, his upper body was rather toned. His blazing red hair looked like fire under the sunlight. His expression was full of malice, something the young man was accustomed to with this guy.






“I’ve got a bone to pick with you,” the angry teen spat, standing in front of his target.






“That’s humerous,” the young man sighed with a laugh, wiping spittle from his cheek.






“You think you’re real funny huh?” the bully growled, hefting the boy up by his collar. “We’ll see how funny you are when everybody sees how spineless you are.”






        The young man couldn’t help but snicker at the unintended pun. This only angered the teen even farther, who slammed his target into a wall. The air was quickly knocked out of his lungs, forcing him to wheeze for air after a moment. A crowd began to form around the two of them, leaving plenty of room in case a fight broke out. Or in this case, a one-sided beat down. Three people pushed their way to the front of the crowd, surprised to see who was pinned on the wall.






“Tory!” one of them called out to the young man.






“Hit him back!” another urged with a smirk. “Kick em in the gonads!”






“Don’t egg him on Cory,” the third admonished, slapping the second friend.






        The young man named Tory smirked at his friends antics, feeling better despite the low oxygen in his lungs. This only further annoyed the bully, who reared back to punch him. All of Tory’s friends gasped as they saw the punch that would most likely knock him out. But just as the attack came forward, the young man caught it in one hand, and spun his attacker’s wrist around.






“A-Aaaaah!” the bully roared in pain, his arm starting to twist too far in one direction. He let go of his target, all his focus on the feeling in his arm. “S-Stop it!”






“Go home Jackson,” Tory told the teen in a calm and stern tone. “Get over whatever I did to piss you off, and forget about fighting me ever again.”






“H-How are you….” Jackson grunted, being spun around by his arm.






“Because I hate people like you, who throw their weight around,” the young man explained, taking the teen by the arm and forcing his face against the wall. “I learned a lot to protect myself from your kind, but I never needed to use it with all the teachers around. It’s not fun being on the receiving end, is it?”






“What is going on out here?” came an older man’s voice. Tory knew it right away, that was his principal.






        The crowd parted to let the school principal through. He wore a simple blue collared business shirt with a red tie, and brown khakis. He had a few wrinkles around his eyes, adding a couple years to his actual age, and his hair was beginning to recede on his forehead. He took one look at the two people fighting and sighed.






“Jackson, in my office now,” the principal said, turning around to walk away.






“What about Tory?” the teen shouted angrily as he was released.






“Tory doesn’t cause trouble on a daily basis,” the older man answered with a wave of his hand. “This is his only warning before he gets punished like you’re about to.”






        The crowd began to laugh at Jackson’s misfortune, which caused him to furiously stomp away from the scene. He pushed a couple people to the side as he went, which only made him look even worse.






“Dude!” Cory shouted, tackling his friend. “What…. How…. When did you learn to do that?!”






“I took Aikido a long time ago,” Tory shrugged, playfully pushing his pal. “Geroff me now, will ya?”






“But you never did anything before?” one of his other friends asked, a girl by the name of Laura.






“Never needed to,” the young man returned, standing up and dusting off his jeans. “Teachers are always around, you know?”






“But still, you could’ve stopped this a lot sooner right?” the first friend insisted, his name was Eric.






“Not really. His kind just keep coming back more if they don’t get what they want. It would’ve been worse. I wanted to save the surprise for the end of the year.”






“Oh yeah, we won’t see him next year!” Cory realized, sitting cross-legged on the sidewalk.






“That’s right,” Tory nodded, leaning against the wall by his friends. “We’re graduating this year so it’s time to make our mark however we can… Did you see the look in his eyes when I caught his fist?”






“That was good,” Eric laughed.






“That was really close though,” Laura sighed, looking sternly at her friends. “Why can’t the three of you just relax instead of pulling crazy stunts?”






“Because crazy is more fun, you should know that better than all of us,” Cory teased.






“What does that mean?” the girl countered, clenching her fists as she got in his face.






        Cory quickly scrambled to his feet and started to run, Laura hot on his heels. Both Tory and Eric began to laugh at their antics. It was like this most of the time, with her chasing at least one of them around to hit them on the head. It was her way of showing she cared, in that weird way friends do. What none of them realized was that Tory had a crush on her. He’d never tell any of them, not on his life though. Eric and Laura were siblings, only a year apart, and Cory was bad at keeping secrets.






        Tory looked on as the two friends ran around. Cory was a redhead, electing to have his hair in a massive afro every day. He always wore an orange shirt and blue jeans, like a signature outfit. Every day was an adventure to him, to see what new fun events could happen. He was the highlight of the group, making everyone smile.






	Eric never really cared about what he wore, so long as it was clean and didn’t itch. He had really short black hair that spiked out flat against his head. He liked video games, similar to Tory, but he really enjoyed building games. In all actuality, he enjoyed building and taking apart most anything, to see if he could make it better each time. He was the calculating one, able to see more than he let on.






	Laura was somewhat similar at times, although she preferred to wear mostly black outfits to compliment her long black hair. She was an avid anime fan, particularly of the classics like Case Closed. Tory could relate to that, it was what made them friends. She was the smart one of the group as well, not always at the top of her class but definitely with the best grades out of the four of them.



	


“C’mon you two, let’s get going,” Tory laughed, waving them to join him and Eric.






“Any plans for today?” the black-haired boy asked as they walked.






“Watch cartoons and play games,” the young man returned as his friends came over. “The usual.”






‘Although I wouldn’t mind if something different happened for once.’ the voice in his head put out.






“I’m going downtown later for a party,” Cory started, looking at the others. “You guys wanna come?”






“Not my scene,” Tory answered quickly.






“I’ve been meaning to work on my decks lately, so no,” Eric said as well.






“Homework,” Laura huffed, brushing a lock of hair out of her face. “Besides, I hear a storm is supposed to happen tonight.”






“Suit yourselves,” the redhead laughed, putting his arms behind his head. “No rain is keeping me from this party. There’s gonna be a huge cake!”






        Tory honestly wouldn’t mind going, but  he was awkward around large crowds of people. He felt unsafe, as though he would get attacked or mugged. But most likely he was afraid he would embarrass himself in front of so many people. He had a tendency to do stupid stuff in crowds, and a party was no exception. One time he had tried dancing with a drink in his hand, which ended up with him accidentally splashing it on a girl. She promptly slapped him across the face and stormed out, putting all the unwanted attention on him.






        After a half hour of walking and joking about, everyone parted ways at a four-way intersection. Cory left for his party, Eric and Laura went home together, and Tory was walking home, eager for some rest after a long school day. He had some shows recorded that he was eager to catch up on…






I.I.I






        Back in Equestria, night had fallen. Although it had come much sooner than planned with the unbearable heat wave across the nation. Celestia and Luna had agreed that the cool air of the night would counter the intense temperatures, at least a little bit, so they had told the nation that for a short time the moon would remain in the sky to cool down everything. While many ponies were reluctant, they were happy to cool down, even if it was only a little.






        Zecora had isolated herself in a small bedroom, given to her by Celestia. She had taken some chalk, her cauldron, and a book on spell circles. Luna had instructed guards to remain outside her room, for protection, but the zebra had shooed them away. Something about their armor making too much noise for her to concentrate.






        Currently, both Luna and Celestia were standing outside her room now, hoping she would emerge shortly with an answer to their dilemma. After exchanging nervous glances at each other, the Night Princess nodded and walked to the door, knocking three times.






“Enter,” came the zebra’s quiet voice.






“We wished to see how much progress you’ve made,” Luna explained as she opened the door.






“The spell is almost done,” Zecora answered, turning to smile at the Princesses. “When it is cast, you will be stunned.”






“What will happen?” Celestia asked, stepping into the room






        On the floor was an intricate spell circle, with many archaic sigils and runes spiraling around the design. Zecora’s cauldron stood to the side, an eerie green glow within the basin causing smoke to billow throughout the room, except where the spell circle was etched in. Without any lights inside except for the cauldron, the room had a very creepy atmosphere.






“A portal will appear to let us meet,” the zebra chuckled, casting a quick glance at her tome. “That human boy will find us quite a treat.”






“What IS a human?” Luna asked with a sigh. “You keep talking about it, but we don’t know what it looks like, or if it’s even friendly!”






“He will be the best friend you could hope for,” Zecora calmly returned, turning away. She lowered her voice to a whisper as she continued. “Perhaps you’ll find he’s even more…”






“What was that last part?” Celestia asked, her ears twitching as the zebra walked to the cauldron.






“No more time to talk, between our world and his, I must now walk.”






“But we cannot leave,” Luna gasped, looking at her sister. “If something were to go wrong, who would take care of Equestria?”






“You cannot go, this I know,” Zecora sighed, rubbing her hooves to her temples. She was becoming exhausted and felt a headache forming. “I will summon him all alone.”






“Then we shall keep watch out here,” Celestia nodded, putting a wing around her sister. She could see the two of them about to butt heads. “We wish you luck, Zecora.”






“Thank you, I shall need luck to break through…”






        As the two sisters left the room, the zebra began to quietly chant out her spell. The circle began to faintly glow green, growing brighter as the caster’s voice raised higher. Each word echoed off the walls, making the incantation feel that much louder. After a few more moments of chanting, Zecora gave a loud cry with the last word, and the spell circle lit up as bright as the sun. As the flash of green faded away, the door to the room opened, Celestia standing there with a worried look on her face. But the zebra was nowhere to be found, nor the circle…






I.I.I






        On Earth the moon was rising high into the sky as well. Although it could not be seen tonight, as Laura had said, a large storm blew in, darkening the starlit sky with pitch black rain clouds. The rain pelted itself heavily against Tory’s window as he laid on his bed, listening to the pattering on the glass. He had managed to catch up on most of his shows, but shortly after the storm started the power went out. And not just at his home, but at other nearby houses too. He figured a transformer had been struck by lightning.






        He had spent the last hour, looking up at his ceiling and thinking about the important things in his life. The vanilla scented candle on his nightstand was starting to burn low, being a tiny candle initially. As he watched the shadows dance across his walls and roof, he thought back to an old friend of his.






“Tabby would have loved meeting Cory and the others,” He reflected with a sigh.






‘She loved meeting anyone, you know that,’ His thoughts countered.






        Tory didn’t respond to that. It was true, he knew that. Honestly just thinking about her really hurt his heart. She had been his first love two years ago, before something convinced her to leave everyone she loved behind. The wound was still open to the young man, even if he’d never admit it. He removed and arm from behind his head, reaching up to the dancing shadows on the ceiling for an answer.






“I’ve been surviving since the day you left your home,” Tory started to sing, his voice full of sorrow. “I never blamed you but at times I feel alone… This lonely bad dream, isn’t a nightmare. You made me stronger, you helped me get here… And I’m moving on…… Beyond the memories…”






“But I could never fall apart,” the voice in his head sung in unison. “I’m stronger with a broken heart. I guess I don’t mind being alone anyway…”






        The candle on Tory’s nightstand flickered strongly for a moment, and he breathed in deeply. Vanilla was a calming scent to him, which was why he picked it. But as he inhaled, his nose tingled with the scent of earth and pine trees. While it wasn’t unpleasant, the sudden and impossible shift in fragrance alarmed him. He sat up and looked towards his candle, seeing the flame shift about in agitation. Was it about to go out on him?






        A knock at the door startled the young man, making him jump in a moment of fright. He was home alone tonight, as his father was spending the night with his girlfriend, and his brother was out of town for a business meeting. Who could possibly be here at his house, not only at night but during a large thunderstorm? It was too much like a horror movie…






        Tory grabbed the candle, as well as a broom to defend himself with. As cliche as it was, a broom was still a big wooden stick good for bashing heads in. He could use it for a little protection if the stranger at his door was an attacker.






“Who’s there?” the young man asked, making his voice firm.






        He didn’t receive a response, save for a very loud snort and another set of knocks. Did they have an animal with them? Tory decided to simply get this over with. It was either that, or they’d break down his door trying to get in. He gripped the doorknob tightly and yanked it open, holding the broom handle in front of him to block any surprise attacks.






        He didn’t see anything, nor did he feel anything attack him or the broom. In fact all he could see was darkness and rain. His feet and legs began to grow wet from the entering storm, so he stepped back to close the door. As he began, another snort reached his ears, this time he could tell it was much lower to the ground. He glanced downward and raised an eyebrow in surprise and confusion. Standing at waist height was a hooded figure, their frame rather narrow while the length of their body was longer than any natural human’s. Had someone left a hooded dog on his porch?






“Please, may I come in?” the figure asked quietly, their breath coming out in wispy mists. “This storm is truly something.”






“U-Uh sure,” Tory stammered, thoroughly confused. “I know that voice….”






        As he let the stranger into his home, he closed the door to keep out the biting rain. Once that was done, he grabbed a clean towel from above his dryer and gave it to the figure. His mind tried to place the voice under that hood, for he DID know it. Part of him could already tell who it was, but the answer remained just out of his grasp.






“Here, I’m sure you’d like to dry off,” the young man offered kindly. “I can put your cloak in the dryer so it’s nice and warm, if you’d like?”






“That’s very kind of you, to help a stranger,” the voice under the hood rhymed softly. “Are you not afraid there could be danger?”






‘That voice, it CAN’T be…’ came the sudden thought.






“I do not think so, not this time,” Tory smirked, sitting across from his guest. “Not when the stranger is the zebra of rhyme.”






        The figure remained silent for a moment before removing their hood. He glimpsed a pair of black and white hooves before he noticed the large mohawk, the golden ear loops, and the face of a very familiar character. It was Zecora, just as the young man had thought. But how was this possible, and why was she here?






“You know of who I am, I see this fact” she stated in her powerful accent. “Then perhaps you and I could make a pact.”






        Tory’s head spun for a moment as he came to grasp what was in front of him. Zecora, a cartoon character from a cartoon world, was before him and offering some sort of deal? Surely he must be dreaming? He quickly reached over and pinched his face hard. He felt the pain run through his cheek, and knew he was wide awake.






“Why do you hurt yourself?” Zecora questioned, tilting her head slightly. “Are you feeling unwell?”






“Just….. Starstruck I suppose,” Tory answered, standing up. “What is your deal? Are you here to whisk me away to your world, so I may go on a grandiose adventure to stop some unspeakable evil? Will I make many friends along the way, some of which may die on this quest, some I will come to love more than I value my own life?”






“.....Yes,” she answered simply. “That was quite an accurate guess.”






“What’s the catch?”






“You know of my world, and the dangers it does hold,” the zebra started, her piercing gaze locked onto the young man’s. “We need one who can stop the evil of old.”






“Ha, surely you jest?” Tory laughed, crossing his arms. “Surely the Elements could defeat this evil best?”






“That they have done, twice before,” Zecora returned, a smirk on her face. “But now we must ask you to finish our war.”






“War? I’ve heard no such thing,” the young man rhymed, not realizing he was doing it. “If you’re going to lie, a good one you must bring.”






“Debate this I cannot, the time we have left is not a lot.”






“You’re on a schedule? Good to know,” Tory nodded. “Tell me the true reason, and I’ll prepare to go.”






“You are needed to solve our problems, that I can say,” Zecora shook her head. “The rest you must learn from day to day.”






“You’ll not tell me more, but ask me to forever leave my door?”






“If I could, I would speak the answer,” the zebra sighed, standing up. “But now time is short, and we cannot banter.”






“May I think on your offer, for but a minute?” Tory pressed, not sure what to think. “This could be life-changing, a whole new beginning…”






“A moment, that I can offer,” Zecora nodded, walking towards the door outside. “But I must say, you might not prosper. I ask a lot of you, to leave your home, and enter a world you’ve only dreamed to roam. The danger is real, you must be aware. In my land, you must take great care.”






        With that, the zebra lifted her hood and made her way into the biting rain. Tory watched as she stepped outside, then walked into his bedroom. He wasn’t sure to think, with such a choice before him. Here he had lain, with only a candle and his thoughts just mere minutes before, and now he was presented with such a life-changing decision. Should he go, and leave everything behind? He had a good life here, with friends and family he loved.









‘But think of all the possibilities in Equestria,” the voice in his head whispered soothingly. “New friends, new chances…. New love.’






“And the danger we’ll face could kill us,” Tory returned, not sure. “Zecora explicitly mentioned that we’d be in danger. If the show is anything to go off of, we could die with relative ease!”






‘You know that not a single character has died on that show!” the thought came back, nulling his argument. “Besides, you WANT to go! You know you do.’






“I do,” he admitted, crossing his arms. “But, is it the right decision?”






‘You were called on, not anyone else,’ the voice stated calmly. ‘You have fate guiding you. The answer to their problems is you, Zecora said it herself.”






        Tory couldn’t deny these thoughts. It was true that Zecora had picked him of all the humans available, and that she claimed he could solve Equestria’s troubles when the Elements could not. He sighed as he gave into the idea.






“Sometimes I hate it when I’m right,” he said to himself.






        Tory quickly changed into a suitable outfit. He put on a pair of black khakis, a silver tee, and slipped on his gray jacket. Now that he was clothed, he needed to figure out what all he was going to bring. Most likely small things to remind him of his life here. But would they even survive the trip?






“Will I change when I cross into their world?” the young man thought to himself. “And…. what will my family and friends think?”






        Tory shook these thoughts from his head. There could be a chance to come back, especially since Zecora had proven it was possible to cross between the two worlds. He would take a few mementos, and that was all he would need.






        Tory walked over to his nightstand, and picked up a few of his belongings. He kept a small chain link dragon scale keychain as a memento of his martial arts days, from many years ago. It was given to him by one of his teachers, and he’s treasured it ever since. He grabbed his wallet, and checked it’s contents. In addition to a couple dollar bills, he had all his personal information there, as well as a couple notes and drawings made by his friends over the years. Some were encouraging words, others were hand-drawn pictures of themselves as reminders of who they were to him. The number of paper scraps in his wallet could detail his entire school life, and all the important people he’d known over the years.






        Reaching into the back end of the wallet, Tory pulled out a small picture from a secret space. It showed a girl with long brown hair, and emerald eyes that gleamed with joy. Her skin was flawless, and her smile was contagious. It was a picture of Tabby, the only one Tory kept after everything happened. He let his mind wander sadly for a moment before returning the picture to it’s hiding place. There would be a time to think on her later.






        In addition to his wallet and dragon scale, Tory grasped his backpack. He emptied it of schoolbooks and papers, electing to fill it up with gifts to the ones he knew he would encounter in Equestria. Some designer magazines in the living room, left by one of his sisters, would be good for Rarity. Twilight Sparkle would enjoy books on human culture he wagered, and stuffed a history tome in as well. Some comics for Pinkie Pie, he just knew it. Rainbow Dash would want something sporty….. Or maybe a good adventure novel! Fluttershy would enjoy a nature magazine he figured. That left Applejack…






“What do you get a farm girl?” Tory thought aloud. “I doubt she’ll want a book, and I don’t have anything else that’ll-”






        The young man fell silent as he noticed a hat hanging on the wall. It was a stetson, given to him by his sister when they had travelled out to a ghost town remade into a tourist spot. Sure Applejack already had one, but he figured that it never hurts to have a spare, and the thought of the gift is what would matter to her.






        Tory placed the hat on his head and zipped up his backpack. As he slipped one of the straps over a shoulder, he noticed his guitar case leaning against the wall. His wallet had a few picks in it, and he’d enjoy some music too. Grabbing the case, the young man felt he was ready and turned to leave his home.






“I’ll be back,” he told himself, looking at his living room for a moment. “Someday…”






        With that, Tory went to his door and walked outside into the rain. It had calmed down slightly, but it still poured heavily, the large droplets pelting against his clothing and drenching him almost immediately. Making a dash for the car port nearby, the young man saw Zecora standing there, a small glowing circle at her feet.






“I am glad you are here,” she nodded, a smile on her face. “Come now, the time to leave is near. Step on this circle, and the door will show. To Equestria, you will finally go.”






        Tory followed her instructions stepping onto the archaic design with no apprehension. Zecora was trustworthy, that was proven time and time again. He heard her hooves clop against the concrete ground, and saw her walking around him, a small grin visible under her hood. The green circle glowed brighter and brighter as the seconds passed in silence.






“It is done,” the zebra finally said, surprising Tory. “If you have any worries, please visit my hut during the rising sun.”






“What do you-” the young man started.






        He was cut off as Zecora put her hooves on his stomach, and pushed him hard. Tory lost his balance and fell backward, now suddenly engulfed in a blinding green light. His skin tingled as he looked about, yet nothing presented itself to him save for the color. Then just as suddenly as it had begun, the young man felt gravity shift quickly behind him, and the light faded. He saw the stars and moon for a moment, before something hard collided with his back.






        Tory was spun as he hit what looked like a branch, then another, and a patch of leaves came after that. He saw the ground rush towards him, and closed his eyes tightly. There was a severe pain in his face for a few moments, and then he blacked out from the pain.






        He wasn’t sure when he woke up, but he knew for a fact that his everything was hurting. The young man groaned as he tried to sit up, but found his hands didn’t react, nor did his legs. He felt oddly warm though, and a strange sensation twitched on his back. He tried to open his eyes, and found the strongest shade of amethyst gazing right back at him. While his vision was blurry, he could see the charcoal black mane, and the ashy white coat on her body. A faint smile crossed his lips.






“I-It’s you,” he gasped before passing out.


> A Big Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Big Day



        It was night in Canterlot, and with it came the sweet, cooling relief from that overpowering heat wave. Despite this though, the two Princesses were confused and rather worried. Zecora had returned from her trip to that other world, to fetch a human who would solve their problems. Yet when she arrived in the room where she had cast the spell, she was alone. Her eyes did not betray any emotion though. She merely nodded and walked past the two Alicorns.






“It is done,” the zebra rhymed quietly. “And now Equestria’s trials have truly begun.”






“What do you mean?” Luna questioned, her expression clouded with worry. “Where is the human you said you would bring? Did the spell go wrong?”






“Neigh dear Princess, the human has arrived,” Zecora chuckled, stopping to look at the Night Princess. “I’ve given him the chance he has been so long denied.”






“Zecora, you know we trust you,” Celestia began, choosing her words carefully. “But you’ve shared so little information with us, we cannot help but worry that this plan will not work. If you could, would you please elaborate on what you’ve accomplished and what will occur from this point forward?”






“If I must, then the plan I will tell,” the zebra sighed, motioning for them to follow her with a flick of her tail. “Your fears for Equestria I will quell.”






“What exactly has happened so far?” Luna pressed, keeping her voice low as they passed a group of guards. The guards might keep quiet if they heard, but it was better the less the general public knew, at least right now.






“Discord is powerful, we know this fact,” Zecora began, her voice barely audible to the sisters. “His magic seeps from his body, even while being trapped. It spreads about our land, uncontrolled, and causes havoc wherever it takes hold. The Draconequus knows this and guides it carefully, silently showing Equestria his fury.”






“It IS Discord?” Celestia echoed, her gaze hardening. “Then we should use the Elements and-”






“No!” the zebra interrupted, stopping to look at the Princess. “He is quickly learning the Elements’ weakness. While crazy is that monster, he is also a genius. We must stop him for good, no more stalling. The end of Discord will soon be dawning.”






“What do you mean?” the Sun Princess prodded. “Does it involve the human you summoned?”






“Where is he anyways?” Luna asked, her eyes betraying her curiosity. “You still have not told us where that creature is, and what his role is.”






“I will explain in due time, I promise you this,” Zecora laughed, continuing her walk. “But for now, I wish to let him have a moment of bliss.”






        Celestia and her sister shared uneasy glances for a moment before looking back at their mysterious friend. So far all they had learned was that Discord was behind the attack, and that the Elements of Harmony were somehow no longer useful against him. Yet the two of them were asked to place their faith, and the fate of Equestria, on a strange creature they had never seen or heard of? It was a steep request, and neither of the Princesses felt confident about this. They quickly caught up with Zecora and looked around.






“I understand you might not wish to explain your plan,” Celestia started, her voice low and soothing. “But you ask so much of us and offer few reasons as to why we should accept it. Please Zecora, if we are to work together for the fate of Equestria, we MUST know more…”






“I understand, it’s to be expected,” Zecora sighed, stopping in front of a set of double doors. “A story I will tell, to show how everything is connected.”






“Why can you not simply tell us?” Luna growled, her patience wearing thin. “And why must you always speak in rhyme? This game grows old quickly, and you of all ponies must know that time is a luxury we cannot afford!”






        Celestia opened the double doors, the sun crest on the front splitting in half as the three of them walked into the Sun Princess’ private quarters. Nopony would bother them here, most likely why Zecora had picked the room.






“To understand everything, you must learn it first,” the zebra chuckled, closing the large doors with a hoof. “And what you’ll learn is the story of a hero once cursed…”






I.I.I






        Tory’s head hurt, more so than the rest of his aching body. He would normally rub at his temples to ease the pain, but he found his body could not move. That should have been the first warning, had he not been fading in and out of consciousness. He remembered a flash of gray and purple, a glimpse of pink and yellow, as well as faint but familiar voices.






“.... Out of a tree.”






“... Time to heal.”






        That was all he could hear over the loud throbbing in his ears. Tory’s heart felt like it was moving at a mile a minute, but the heartbeat in his chest felt like it was light years away. Was he dying? He had assumed it would be so much worse, or that at least he’d be conscious for it.






“... Can we do?” a voice asked, sounding like it was on the other end of a stadium.






“.... Him rest.”






        Rest did sound very good right now, at least to the young man. He focused on his breathing, keeping at an even tempo to relax the rest of his body. He felt numb in most of his limbs, but certain areas on his chest and back ached rather prominently. It wasn’t helping him sleep, not in the slightest. But whoever was nearby must’ve known he was awake, for he felt a faint pressure on the back of his neck, and something lifted his head. He tried to open his eyes, but only glimpsed a red oval in front of him. It pushed at his lips, and he weakly opened his mouth. A warm sensation travelled across his tongue and down his throat, rather pleasant compared to how dry he now realized his mouth had been. 






“.... Soup should help.” the other voice said soothingly.






        So whoever this was had given him soup. It was delicious, and it eased the pain Tory felt, his muscles relaxing from their tense state. This person was very kind, whoever they were. The young man felt content knowing someone like this was helping him recover. As he was laid back and began to fall asleep, part of his brain was nagging at him about who was helping. He groaned as he lifted his head once more, and looked around. There was  a yellow blur and a gray blur nearby.






“Just….. Who are you?” he asked weakly.






        Tory heard a weak mumbling from one of them, and suddenly the yellow blur was a lot closer and larger. His vision was clouded, but he could make out some pink on top of the yellow. Nothing was sharp enough to really identify any features though. All he could tell was that they were friendly. Perhaps that was all he needed to know, for now anyways.






“... To sleep now,” the voice said soothingly. He was able to tell it was a girl. “You’ll be… Long as you need.”






        He decided to trust them, whoever they were, and laid his head back down. He closed his eyes and let his breathing become steady. Exhaustion clung to his mind like an anchor, dragging him into the world of unconsciousness. Yet his sleep was not so pleasant, not like he had hoped.






I.I.I






        Tory looked around, wondering where he was. It was a small room, and each wall was lined with wide desks and computers. They were very old models, something you wouldn’t be caught dead with nowadays. In the center of the room was a wider table and two chairs, bare of anything else. It took him a moment, but eventually the young man realized where he was. A smile came to his lips as he realized this room was from his high school, one of the computer rooms attached to the library. He had spent many lunch periods there, playing card games with friends and researching oddball facts that served no purpose. Of course now it was an empty room, where nobody would show up. This was a dream, and the human knew it.






“Certainly sparks some nostalgia, doesn’t it?” came an all too familiar voice from behind Tory.






        He turned around quickly, surprised that someone would be so close to him, but was greeted with empty space and a wall. He quickly scanned the room once more, expecting someone to be there with him. Yet not a single person was in the room besides him, and the only sound he could hear was the faint humming of the many computers. But the feeling of being watched didn’t leave him, not for an instant.






“Are you looking for little old me?” the voice mocked, echoing around the room now. “Come now, surely you’re smarter than that? They picked you for a reason, didn’t they?”






“Who are you?” Tory growled, balling his fists as he continued to observe his surroundings. He didn’t feel comfortable any longer. “And what is your purpose?”






“I get that question all the time,” the voice laughed, becoming more focused behind the young man once more. “But you already know the answer to that question. Or have you forgotten about me so easily?”






        A weight fell on Tory’s right shoulder, and he looked down to see a fluffy yellow lion’s claw. The sight forced his eyes to widen in realization, and a shudder crawled along his spine. The young man stepped forward and spun around quickly to catch sight of this stranger. He was rewarded with big, murky yellow eyes that glowed with mirth, their bloody red pupils piercing his gaze like a hot knife into butter.






	Atop his head rested two large horns, one sharp and angular like that of a deer, while the other was smooth and curvy, slowly waving in and out as it got smaller near the top. It was as though someone had distorted a goat’s horn. The deer antler was the natural bone white that one would expect, but the strangely shaped horn was an Arctic blue. Within his mouth rested a single, ridiculously large fang shaded the same as it’s deer antler. Large, white bushy eyebrows rested atop his sickly yellow gazers, and below his fang hung a short yet thick goat beard, giving the impression that he was far older than he seemed.



	


	Much like this creature’s face, the rest of his body was a haphazard collection of different animals. His right arm was that of a lion’s, the same that had rested on Tory’s shoulders mere moments before. His left was an eagle’s talon, the tips of his claw looked sharp enough to rend the young man into paper thin shreds. His right leg was scaly and green, resembling that of a lizard’s leg while his left side held the back hoof of a goat.



	


	Around what Tory considered the monster’s waist were two wings, one that had a thin membrane like a bat’s wing, and the other like that of a Pegasus's wing. His body was long and serpentine, the top half being wearing gray fur while the bottom half was brick red. At the end of his body was a bright red and scaly tail resembling a snake’s, save for the white tuft of hair protruding out of the end.



	


	This was a creature that Tory was all too familiar with. His name was Discord, an embodiment of chaos and (subsequently) destruction. Though the monster appeared to be rather mischievous and playful, his intentions were far more sinister. He had many many powers, among which was the distortion of the entire world around him, the ability to hypnotize, and to create illusions. Trickery and misdirection were his favorite ways to torture others, before he simply broke their minds. He was a monster, through and through.



	


“Why are you here?” Tory snarled, blading his body towards the creature. “Did Celestia or Fluttershy send you in to figure out what I am? Surely they could’ve called in Luna for the job...”






        Discord’s smile widened as he slithered around the young man. A pungent scent came off his fur, the smell nearly gagging Tory. But his laughter reeked of roadkill and garlic, a rather nauseating smell that left the human feeling dizzy.






“You know quite a lot for somepony who’s never been in our world,” Discord chuckled before putting his eagle claw on the human’s shoulder. “Or should I say someONE? My my, what would Twilight and the others think if they found out all you knew?”






“Cut to the point,” the young man snapped, his face a deep glare as he locked eyes with the creature. A sour feeling solidified itself in Tory’s stomach as he came to a realization. “You’re not here because Twilight or someone asked, you’re here to try and use me.”






“Give the boy a cookie everyone,” Discord laughed as he created a chocolate chip cookie out of thin air. The sound of a clapping and cheering audience erupted out of nowhere, echoing in the small room. “I want to play a game, and if I win, then you help me out. If I lose, I’ll never bother you again.”






“What’s the catch?” Tory pressed, crossing his arms as the beast circled him. “I’m not useful to you Discord.”






“And that’s where you’re wrong, dear boy,” the monster sneered, uncoiling his body as he slithered over to the table. “Right now, you’re the only one that can help me.”






        Discord tossed the cookie off to the side, hitting an unseen cat somewhere that howled in pain. With a wave of his lion paw, multiple decks of cards appeared on the table, each one with a black and brown vortex on the back. These were the playing cards Tory used in this very room with his friends! The monster sneered, seeing the human’s expression change from disdain to confusion.






“The game is simple,” Discord started. “Beat me at your human card game. We play by the same rules you and your friends used.”






“How would you even know any of this?” Tory pried, raising an eyebrow. “Besides, why should I even humor you? This is the dream realm, and that’s not your domain.”






        A flash of anger crossed the monster’s eyes for a moment, and it was all the human needed to know he was in control. Discord was powerless here, and everything would bend to Tory’s whim in this dream. But he needed to know why that yellow-eyed devil was here. Something wasn’t right, that much was obvious.






	Luna had the ability to walk into dreams and communicate with whoever she wished, Tory knew this for a fact. And Discord did not seem as mirthful like expected. No, his eyes shone with a different kind of mischief, where someone or somePONY was bound to be harmed. The human had seen this world many times in his show, and knew the timeline well. Clearly, Discord had not been reformed into a valued ally yet, so this creature before him was evil.



	


“Don’t you like games Tory?” the monster teased with that signature smirk of his. “You’re not afraid of losing, are you?”






“What if I refuse to play you?” the human huffed dismissing the taunt with a wave of his hand. He couldn’t risk playing into Discord’s hands. “You can’t hurt me, we both know this. You’ve made it obvious to me, you’re still stuck in your stone home, looking like the scared little filly that you are.”






        The teasing smile on Discord’s face vanished, and he stood up. With a snap of his fingers, the table began to float in the air. It rotated for a moment before turning into a pile of rubber chickens, which then flew straight at Tory. Most of them whizzed past without touching him, but a few pelted at his body and caused him to flinch. Some of those actually hurt!






“You’re not being a very good host,” the monster sighed, laying back on the thin air as though he rested on a bed. “You could at least make it fun for me you know.”






“How about no,” Tory growled, balling his fists.






“Then I’ll possess you,”  Discord shot back, his expression strangely stoic as he studied his eagle claw carefully. “That sounds fun doesn’t it? I could see it now, everypony in a panic because something funny looking is destroying their homes.”






“You don’t have the power to do that,” the human challenged, lowering his stance as he readied for an attack. “I bet you barely have the power to stay in this dream.”






“You’re no fun, you know that?” Discord exhaled lazily, watching a ring of birds he created fly in a circle backwards. “C’mon, just play a game with me.”






“No.”






“You’re so BORING,” the monster growled, standing up and glaring at the human. “Fine, then I’ll get to the point. Card game or your body, your choice.”






“You could at least take me out to dinner first,” Tory taunted with a smirk.






        Discord’s eye twitched in irritation, showing he wasn’t in the mood for jokes anymore. With a snap of his monstrous lion’s paw, all of the computers, desks, and chairs began to levitate. They vanished in a puff of smoke, only to be replaced with a random assortment of objects. Rubber chickens, squirt flowers, and custard pies were just a few of the things suddenly floating in the room, as well as…. A kitchen sink?






        That was when Tory noticed that behind the clusters of smaller, more harmless things were larger, probably very painful projectiles. A fridge, big lamps, steel girders, and even a carriage could be seen in the pile. The human gulped audibly at this display, knowing he couldn’t dodge all of those.






“Jokes over kid,” Discord sighed, waving his hand forward. “See you in Canterlot.”






        Tory clenched his eyes closed and waited for the barrage to hit him, but nothing came. He dared not look though, to see some form of victory in that creature’s eyes. He simply stood there in silence for minutes at a time, waiting for the inevitable pain he expected to feel. Yet finally, when he could bear it no longer, he opened his eyes.






        Instead of the computer room from his high school, Tory found himself in a brightly colored bedroom. The walls were lined with pictures of pastel colored animals, numerous birdhouses hung from the ceiling, and various bags of animal feed rested in one of the corners. But the thing that really caught his attention was the figure resting in a chair by his bed, slumped forward and using the bed as a pillow.






        The golden yellow coat and bubblegum pink mane covering her face was a dead giveaway to Tory. Her chest rose and fell slowly, indicating that she was sleeping, and her wings twitched slightly from time to time. She must be having a vivid dream. Behind that mane which acted like a curtain to cover her face, he knew she had bright teal eyes that were able to stun any animal with a single glare, and stun most others with their cuteness. This was Fluttershy, the Element of Kindness.






“She must have been taking care of me,” Tory realized with a frown. “What a way to introduce yourself to the kindest pony in this world, getting dragged in and looked after without having shared a single word.”






        The human carefully maneuvered himself out of the bed, trying not to wake up his caretaker. The sheets rustled as he moved, but Fluttershy did not wake, or even hint that she noticed. The thought that she had deprived herself of sleep while looking after him sent a knife into his stomach. He felt a little guilty at having caused her so much trouble, even though he knew it wasn’t his fault.






“Why did I fall out of a tree?” Tory thought, finally making it out of the bed without waking the kind pony. “Better yet, where are all of my things? I hope that guitar didn’t break when I fell. That thing is vintage!”






        As the human walked out of the bedroom, he saw some stairs nearby leading down. Fluttershy’s home was a very unique place, he remembered that. It was a small two-story cottage on the edge of the village called Ponyville. The place was also home to MANY woodland creatures, as the kind pony’s calling was to take care of animals. Hoping that none of them would freak out at seeing Tory, he walked downstairs to hopefully find his stuff.






        Unfortunately, none of his possessions were in the bedroom with him. Although his clothing had been left on him, thankfully. The thought that Fluttershy might have removed his clothing sent a surge of embarrassment to his face, even if it was only because she was treating any wounds he might have had. Speaking of wounds, Tory realized that despite having fallen from what he assumed was a large height, and crashing into a tree, he felt surprisingly fine.






        Lifting his shirt, the human tried to inspect his body for any scars or closed wounds. There was nothing on his body that resembled damage. In fact, he actually looked better! While not a stranger to self grooming, Tory was still a young man. Between hormones and getting attacked by Jackson, he had accrued a few lasting marks and blemishes. Now they were gone, and his skin looked flawless. He almost seemed to have a healthy glow about him.






        Making it to the bottom of the stairs, Tory looked about to find a living room exactly like he had seen in the show. A green couch and chair sat near the wall in the back, between the two pieces of furniture was a small coffee table and a window. Behind the couch was a tall lamp, and the book on the table explained that it was Fluttershy’s little reading nook. A few shelves were carved into the walls, lined with many different books on animals, their habitats, and other random facts. Closer to the door outside was a stone fireplace and chimney, for those cold winter days.






“I see you’ve woken up,” came a very posh voice behind the human. “You look well.”






        Tory whirled around to find another pony sitting at a table in the kitchen. She stood up and crossed into the living room, allowing the human a chance to observe her. The light gray pony had a charcoal black mane that fell to her chest, and a tail that barely avoided dragging along the floor. Both looked combed very carefully, giving a well groomed appearance to the mare. Her eyes were a powerful amethyst, and they gazed into Tory’s with unbridled curiosity. Around her neck was a pink bowtie, held in place by a white collar. The human knew her very well, as he was rather fond of her. Octavia Melody was her name, and she was a well renowned cellist of Equestria.






“I take it you’ve recovered?” the mare asked, a calm smile upon her face.






“T-That I have,” Tory replied, finding his calmness from before a little lacking now.






“It is good to hear,” Octavia nodded, her eyes betraying her joy. It made the human’s heart skip a beat. “I was rather worried you would be unable to get better…”






“I uh, I had a good caretaker,” he shrugged.






“That reminds me, where is Fluttershy?” the cellist pressed, looking around. “I remember her planning on watching over you ‘like a momma hawk’, as she explained.”






“She fell asleep,” Tory explained with a sheepish smile. “I um, didn’t want to wake her so I snuck out.”






“She’s resting?” Octavia echoed, eyes widening. She gave a sigh of relief when he nodded. “That’s great news. She’s been ever so diligent in your recovery that she’s worn herself ragged, even more so than I.”






        Upon realizing her little freudian slip, the mare looked away and covered her face with a hoof. Tory could see the hint of a blush on her cheeks, and it made him swell up with joy. Octavia was rather important in his eyes, though not many others like him shared the feeling. She was considered a background character in the show for the most part, only on the sidelines of other’s glorious achievements. Perhaps it’s one of the reasons Tory was drawn to her. He didn’t enjoy being the focus of everyone, he liked to support others from behind the curtain.






“You two shouldn’t work yourself so hard over me,” the human sighed, scratching his cheek in embarrassment. “I do appreciate your help though. It’s…. Nice to know there’s someo-.... somePONY, who is kind enough to help a total stranger.”






“You had fallen out of a tree,” Octavia rolled her eyes, fixing him with a stern look. “I simply could not have lived with myself if I had left you there in pain…”






“Well thank you,” Tory smiled, feeling his tension ease away slowly. He took a deep breath before continuing. “I guess you could say I’ve….. FALLEN for you.”






        The two of them were silent for a moment, one still processing that statement and the other waiting with baited breath to see how it would play out. Finally, Octavia buried her hoof in her face and turned away. He saw a bit of a blush there, and could hear a faint laughter escaping her covered mouth. It brought a wide smirk to his face, and he pressed the attack.






“What’s wrong, would you like me to LEAF you alone?” Tory punned, testing his luck. “I think I’d be BARKing mad to run away now.”






“N-No more!” Octavia laughed, trying to wave him away with a hoof. “You're worse than my roommate!”






“WOOD you rather I get back in bed and SAW some LOGS?” the human continued, eliciting another fit of laughter from his target.






“P-Please s-stop!” the mare howled in laughter, doubled over now and clutching her stomach. Tears leaked out of her eyes as she “I-I-I-I can’t t-take anymore!”






“O-Okay I’ll stop,” Tory chuckled, hands clasped on his knees to keep him standing. He tried to breathe deep to catch his breath, but Octavia’s laughter only made him guffaw even more.






        They kept laughing for a couple minutes, the numerous puns running through their heads eliciting fresh snickers as the old ones began to wear out. It wasn’t until they heard a cry from upstairs and a thunderous clamor of hooves rushing down the stairs that their laughter ceased.






“HE’S GONE!” came a soft and very sad voice. “OCTAVIA, HE’S GO-”






        Immediately, Fluttershy went silent upon seeing Tory there, clutching his side from laughter. He and Octavia looked from one another to Fluttershy, and went into another fit of giggles. The shy mare’s normal reaction would be to hide in embarrassment, even if she didn’t know why they were laughing, but her gaze locked onto Tory’s and it was stern.






“Okay mister, you get back in bed and rest,” she told him in her soft voice.






“So you want me to,” Tory grinned, looking at Octavia. “Saw some logs?”






        This had an immediate reaction on him and the cellist, the two of them sharing yet another round of laughter. Fluttershy looked absolutely confused, and shifted her glance from one to the other. She had never seen Octavia act this way, though the two of them rarely had any conversations. The shy mare decided to ignore this and walked behind the human, using her head to push his legs.






“I want you to be careful,” she replied firmly. “You’ve been asleep for two days, you should NOT be walking around.”






“But Fluttershy, I feel fine,” Tory chuckled, stepping to the side so she wouldn’t be pushing him. “Really, I even feel better than normal.”






“No buts,” Fluttershy hushed him, shaking her head. “It’s for your own good.”






“Surely you don’t think he should simply lay about after being still for so long?” Octavia questioned after she managed to catch her breath.






“He needs to be careful,” the shy mare replied, stomping her hoof quietly. “I want to make sure he’s okay before we let him go.”






“I have a name you know,” Tory smirked, crossing his arms as he looked at them. “And it’s rude to talk about someone when they’re right here.”






“O-Oh I’m sorry,” Fluttershy stammered, taking his posture and statement as a sign that he was angry. “I just…. Want to help.”






“I know,” the human smiled and crouched down. He put an arm on her shoulder and nodded. “And I’m really REALLY grateful that the two of you went to so much trouble to look out for me. I can’t imagine it was easy, me being a strange creature and all.”






“Actually,” Octavia began, placing a hoof on her chin. “When you fell out of that tree, you were-”






        At that moment, a knock came at the door. The human and two ponies turned towards the entrance, with the shy mare going to answer. On the other side was a face Tory hadn’t expected to see so soon. The ethereal mane and tail showing countless stars and constellations across a beautiful night sky was a dead give away to who this was, as well as the blue-violet coat hidden under the dark moon-based regalia. Aquamarine eyes pierced Tory’s own, their gaze rooting his entire body in place. It felt as if his entire existence was but a speck of time to her, and it honestly was.






‘It’s her…’ the voice in his head thought. ‘Luna…’






“We hath come to see the human,” the Alicorn started, her voice strong and stern. “We see that they hath recovered?”






“I see she still speaks like a thousand years ago,” Tory commented to Octavia quietly.






“N-Not really,” the cellist replied, bowing low as she whispered. “She stopped doing that weeks ago.”






“P-P-Princess Luna,” Fluttershy stammered, stepping forth. “It’s so…. Good to see you.”






“And you, dear Fluttershy,” Luna smiled at the shy Pegasus. She turned towards Tory and Octavia, who were now standing there in silence. “What is your name, strange creature?”






“...”






“Come now, we have no time for delays,” the Night Princess glared at the human, who was still a bit starstruck.






“I-I’m...” the human started, then he realized something.






        In this new world, he could take any name he wanted. Fluttershy and Octavia didn't know his name yet, luckily. And while he didn't mind his human name of Tory, he knew it was time to change, to become a new person.... A BETTER person. But what would take it's place? There were so many things he could change it to. Then the inspiration struck him like a bolt of lightning. The name he had chosen for all of his characters in RPG's and other such games, that testified to who he felt like he could be. The chance was his, and he would take this name no matter what.






“I-I’m Silver,” the human started, giving a small bow. “It is….. A delight to meet you Princess.”






“We know,” Luna sighed. “Tell us, why hath you come to Equestria?”






“You mean, you didn’t know I was coming?” Silver questioned, confused now. “I assumed Zecora had told you before getting me.”






“She had not told us,” the Alicorn lied smoothly. “Neither we nor Celestia were informed of your arrival.”






“Then….” Silver started, wondering something. “How did you know I was a human? Your world does not naturally have my kind, I know this fact.”






“Well I- I mean we-” Luna stammered, seeing her lie fall apart within an instant. “We hath…. Seeneth a prophecy that-”






“You know that’s a lie,” the human cut her off, placing his hands on his hips. “Your speech is falling apart too. Let’s start again, shall we?”






“Was…. Was it that obvious?” Luna asked, her voice losing the stern regality it had before. Now it was calm and rather cute to the human.






“It was, very much so,” Silver nodded, smirking now. “Now, from the top. I’m Silver, it’s nice to meet you Luna.”






“And you as well,” the Alicorn returned, giving a small smile of her own. “Welcome to Equestria. We hope that Fluttershy has been taking good care of you?”






“She has,” the human replied, nodding towards the shy Pegasus. “As well as Octavia, it seems.”






“You were the one that found him, yes?” Luna asked, turning towards the cellist.






“I-I was,” Octavia answered, unable to look her princess in the eyes.






“So she meant you…” the Night Princess murmured, more to herself. Silver had caught it though.






“What do you mean?”






“Nothing,” Luna stated quickly, turning around. “We- I mean…. I will take my leave now. In three day’s time, I shall return to bring you into Canterlot, young Silver. Enjoy your stay here in Ponyville.”






“Thank you Princess Luna,” the human bowed.






‘Don’t let her leave,’ the voice in his head whispered.






“Um, Princess?” Silver started, unsure why he was trying to stop her suddenly.






“Yes?”






“....Perhaps you’d…. Like to stay?” he ventured, questioning his decision rather quickly. “I would…. Enjoy the chance to speak with you on more… diplomatic matters.”






        He might have imagined it, but for a fraction of a second Silver thought he saw a flash of gratitude and a smile on her face. It was gone before he could fully register it though, and she had turned towards the door, her hooves quietly clopping against the wood.






“I shall think on this,” Luna finally answered as she stood under the doorway. “Should you wish to speak with me, I will remain within Twilight’s library for the day. I expect to hear from you soon… Enjoy your moment of ‘bliss’.”






        With that, she left Fluttershy’s home and closed the door, her magic aura casting the wood in a soft starlight. Both the mares and human were silent for a moment, processing everything that had just happened. As quick as she came, Luna had left. Part of Silver felt sad that she was gone, but the rest of him was glad that tense moment had passed. While the human enjoyed the Night Princess in the show, her actual presence exuded a quiet strength that quelled any lesser creature’s courage.






“I think that went well,” Silver commented, breaking the silence.






“That was rather terrifying,” Octavia sighed in relief, not realizing she was holding her breath.






“She’s…. Not so bad,” Fluttershy returned, smoothing out part of her mane that was sticking up. “She still…. Scares me though.”






“I can see why,” Silver nodded, sitting down on the floor to let his shaking legs relax. “Whew, I need to get some food after that ordeal.”






“I’ll be happy to make something,” Fluttershy smiled, walking into the kitchen with the other two. “Why don’t you two go outside and get some fresh air? Today is a really beautiful day.”






        Taking her suggestion, the human and cellist left out the front door. As Silver expected, there was a bridge across a small creek that led into Ponyville. He assumed that going into town would happen sooner or later. The question remained though, how would everypony react to such a strange creature in their town? He expected it wouldn’t be a good welcoming, although Pinkie Pie might have a different plan in mind. Octavia tapped his leg though, to get his attention. Her expression betrayed the worry in her eyes. Had he been so lost in thought that his face was showing what he was thinking?






“Are you alright?” the mare asked. “You seemed upset about something.”






“Just thinking,” Silver answered, walking over to the bridge and taking a seat on the stone railing. “I’m a bit worried about how everypony in town will treat me. I mean…. I’m not exactly a common occurrence, you know?”






“I doubt they’ll be mean,” Octavia soothed, resting a hoof on his hand. “After all, Fluttershy has been looking out for you, and if she’s there, then nopony will think you’re bad.”






“Do you think so?” the human sighed, looking out over the river.






“The only way to know is to try,” the mare nodded as she took a seat beside him.






        The two of them sat in silence for a moment, enjoying the sunlight shining down on them between the trees. Many birds chirped from branches nearby, and a few squirrels were calling to each other. In the creek, Silver could see a few smaller fish swim by, letting the current carry them away. It was peaceful, and the human enjoyed it very much. His life was hectic, between school, friends, and the occasional run in with Jackson.






“It’s all gone,” Silver whispered, thinking back to his old life.






“Excuse me?” Octavia asked, her ears twitching in curiosity.






“Everything I’ve ever known is very, very far away,” the human sighed, standing up and looking towards the sky. “I abandoned my family, my friends and everything I’ve had, just to come here.”






“Do you miss your home?” the mare pressed, ears drooping slightly.






“.....I do,” he stated simply, eyes never leaving the clouds above.






        Octavia understood his feelings. She had left her home at a young age, to make a name for herself. Her family was still there, and she knew they supported her, but it still hurt for a long time, being alone during all of the trials she overcame. Now, here was another being feeling the same pain, but he didn’t have the comfort of family behind him, nor a home to return to should things go wrong. A twinge of pain settled in her stomach, and she decided to take matters into her own hooves.






“I’ll be right back,” Octavia told him, starting for Fluttershy’s cottage. “I need to tell Fluttershy something important.”






“A-Alright,” Silver returned, reluctant to let her leave. He enjoyed being around the cellist, though he could not say it to her. Was she trying to give him space, or did she not want to be around him?






        It was a couple of minutes before Octavia returned. She had a picnic basket on her back, with a stereotypical checkered picnic blanket sticking out of the top. A wide smile adorned her face, and her eyes danced with mirth. The sight warmed Silver’s heart, but he wasn’t sure why she was so happily suddenly. 






“Come along Silver,” she called out, trotting past him quickly. “I want to show you something.”






“What is it?” he asked, breaking into a jog to keep up with her. “Where are we going?”






“You’ll see,” the mare giggled, turning back to give him that warm smile of hers.






        The two moved quickly along the road towards Ponyville, and Silver could see it in the distance. But just as they were reaching the outskirts of town, Octavia cut sharply to the right and through a path in the trees. The human stopped for a moment, confused as to where they were going. He didn’t question her though, he wanted to see whatever it was that made her so happy. Even now, though she was facing away from him, Silver could see that it made her almost ecstatic. She was even moving quicker now, making the human break into a run to keep up with her.






        Finally the two of them began to leave the treeline and climb up a hill. Silver struggled to keep pace with her, his legs exhausted from the long run here. He panted hard as he slowed to a crawl going up the hill. At the top, he could see a single tree, and Octavia was waiting there for him. Her smile was so infectious, Silver couldn’t help but grin himself, and trudged up the hill as quickly as his legs would allow. When he finally made it, the mare turned around and waved her hoof at the scene before him.






“THIS, is what I wanted to show you.”






        Silver’s breath caught in his chest as he looked at the scene before him. All of Ponyville could be seen from this hill, and even father still could the human see. A large mountain lay in the distance, and nestled into the side of it was Canterlot. The trees swayed with a gentle breeze, their leaves whispering peaceful stories of good days to come, and small animals scurried about the treeline. In Ponyville, Silver could see all sorts of ponies going about their daily routines. They looked like ants from this distance. But the thing that brought the entire scene together was the sun, which was beginning to descend behind the mountain. It shown down warmly over everything, casting it's orange rays of light across the trees and town, bathing them in gold. The atmosphere of everything in front of him was amazing, and he never wanted to leave this spot.






“It’s…. Beautiful,” Silver whispered.






“This is my special place,” Octavia told him, standing at his side. “I come here when I’m sad, or want to be alone. Sometimes I come here just to take a moment and relax. Nopony bothers me, wanting me to play songs for them, or asking if I’ll perform at their party… It’s also where I found you.”






“Here?” the human questioned, looking down at her, then at the tree. Sure enough, there was a small indent in the ground, and looking up at the tree, some of the branches were broken. “I’m sorry, for dropping in so suddenly.”






“Pft….. No more puns,” Octavia giggled, pushing his leg playfully. “You’re ruining the moment.”






“Sorry,” Silver laughed. He stepped up to the tree and sighed. “I wonder if my stuff came with me.”






“Do you mean that big case and small leather thing?”






“Yeah!” Silver exclaimed, turning towards the mare quickly. “Do you know where they are?”






“I have them at my house,” Octavia explained, flinching at the sudden rise of his voice. “I had planned to bring them to Fluttershy’s, but after taking them home and coming to see how you were, I felt responsible… I didn’t want to leave you like that.”






“That’s….. Wow,” the human blushed, looking away from the cellist.






“We’ll go and get them after we’ve had our picnic,” the mare told him, changing the subject back. “I’m quite sure you are famished?”






        At that exact moment, Silver’s stomach grumbled loudly, trying to agree with her. The two stood there in silence before another fit of laughter took them over. They rolled in the grass, gasping for air as tears rolled down their cheeks.






“I’ll take that as a ‘yes’,” Octavia giggled, pulling the blanket out.






        Silver took the other end, and smoothed it out while she set up the plates and utensils. It was a simple lunch, composed of daffodil sandwiches, apple fritters, and apple juice. The human gave a small grin at the sandwich and passed, instead taking a fritter and laying back on the blanket. Octavia tilted her head at him, then shrugged and took his sandwich.






“It’s…. Not part of my diet,” Silver explained.






“Humans are strange creatures,” Octavia commented, using a napkin to remove a couple crumbs. She leaned back and looked up at the sky through the tree. “Can all humans transform?”






“Transform?” the human echoed, confused. He rolled onto his side to look at the mare. “None of us can do that.”






“You did though,” the cellist returned, mirroring his action. “That night you and I met.”






“That makes no sense,” Silver whispered, placing a hand to his chin. “What did I turn into?”






“An Alicorn,” Octavia stated calmly. “It’s probably why Luna was here.”






“You’re joking, right?”






“Not in the slightest.”






“But I’m not an Alicorn now,” the human told her, motioning to his body. “And I’ve never been one before. Why would I transform into an Alicorn, and then change back so quickly?”






“I don’t know, honestly,” Octavia sighed, sitting up now. “But I’m not lying, you were an Alicorn.”






“What did I look like?”






“You were green like a pine tree,” the cellist began, putting a hoof to her chin as she recalled the moment. “Your mane and tail were brown, like a beautiful chestnut… A-And your eyes were blue, the most amazing sky blue I’ve ever seen…”






        Octavia lost herself for a moment in the memory, and Silver had to clear his throat to bring her back to reality. A small blush tinged her cheeks, making him raise and eyebrow. Did she like how he looked? Or perhaps she was merely thinking that it was a fairy tale made all her own, where she could fall in love with a prince? Either way, Silver was a little disappointed he couldn’t remember being that Alicorn. Some part of him was glad though, that he was jealous of this Alicorn version of him.






“T-Terribly sorry,” Octavia stammered, fanning herself for a moment. “I think the heat today is getting to me.”






“You’re a terrible liar,” Silver thought, rolling his eyes.






“But one thing did confuse me, b-besides you changing,” the cellist said suddenly, catching the human’s attention. “You had two tails…”






“Two?”






“Indeed,” Octavia nodded. “It was rather exotic looking.”






“You’re not falling in love with an unconscious Alicorn who fell from the sky, are you?” Silver teased, smirking.






“N-N-Not at a-all!” the mare stammered, her red cheeks showing how flustered she was. “I b-barely even know you!”






“Maybe that’s what you like so much,” he pressed, inching closer. He was enjoying how embarrassed she was. “I’m different, something you’ve never seen before. And you want to know more, don’t you?”






“S-Silver stop teasing me…” Octavia whispered, covering her face in her hooves. “I-I mean it.”






“But if I didn’t, I wouldn’t get to see that cute face of yours acting shy and timid,” the human laughed, scooting closer still.






“I’ll l-leave you out here,” the cellist threatened meekly, turning her entire body away.






“I don’t think you’d do that,” Silver ventured, right beside her now. “You’re too nice for that.”






“S-Stop saying nice things!” Octavia whispered, completely abashed. “You’re so mean, teasing a mare like this.”






“You’re the one that showed such interest in me,” the human returned, patting the top of her head. “I’d almost say you have a crush on me.”






“I do NOT!” the mare cried out, turning around quickly to glare at him. “I have a coltfriend, thank you very much!”






“R…. Really?” Silver asked, completely taken aback.






“Yes, he’s very polite and nice and cute!” Octavia huffed, crossing her hooves in front of her. “Unlike a certain human I know.”






“Heeeeeey!”






“Speaking of which, I think it’s time I paid him a visit,” she finished, standing up and putting the picnic items in the basket. “You can find your way back to Fluttershy’s, yes?”






“I…. yes.”






“Good, then I shall come and check on you tomorrow,” Octavia nodded, her cheeks still red, and quickly trotted down the hill towards Ponyville.






        Silver sat there, completely stunned. That had surprised him, and it left a small wound over his heart. Sure, they had only begun talking today, but the human felt the two of them had grown rather close. This arrival of a coltfriend had been a complete curve ball, and it actually made his heart ache. It wasn’t until the sun had begun to dip into the horizon that the human’s thoughts finally broke and he noticed the time. Rolling up the blanket, Silver put it in the basket and started his trek back towards Fluttershy’s home, head hung low.






“I guess I’m a fool after all,” he whispered to himself, feet dragging along the trail. “There is no way she’d fall in love with something like me… I’m not even a pony…”






‘But what if you were?’ the voice in his head put forth.






“There’s no way though!” Silver returned angrily. “Even IF I was an Alicorn like she said, I don’t know how I did it…”






‘Luna might know.’






“She probably would,” the human admitted, reaching the path that branched to Fluttershy’s and Ponyville. “But I couldn’t go into town… And Fluttershy is waiting. I can’t make her worry.”






‘Drop the basket off, and she’ll know you’re fine.’






“It’s not that easy,” Silver argued. He huffed for a moment and rolled his eyes. “Jeez, I’m fighting with myself over THIS? It’s a miracle Octavia didn’t think I was crazy… I need to sleep.”






‘Maybe Luna will visit your dreams.’






“If she does, then I worry what she will see,” the human sighed.






        The voice in Silver’s head remained quiet. He quickly began to follow the path back to Fluttershy’s home, finding the cottage’s lights on as the moon began to rise. He knocked before entering, and the shy mare had scolded him for staying out so late, as well aswalking home alone. He took the mare’s barbs in silence, still reeling about Octavia. Fluttershy must’ve noticed though, and hugged him gently.






“Go get some sleep,” she said, a kind smile on her face. “You had a big day today.”






“Thank you,” he nodded, and trudged up the stairs.






“Oh dear,” Fluttershy whispered to herself. “I wonder if something happened. Maybe I should ask Luna to keep his dreams safe?”






        The shy Pegasus nodded, and started for her door. She cast one last look towards the stairway, her new guest’s footsteps reaching the bedroom she gave him. He wouldn’t get into anything, he seemed too dejected. Octavia must’ve said something mean to him, to hurt his feelings so much. Fluttershy would talk with her, so the two of them could work things out. That was what friends did. But for now, Luna could help the most, and keep his dreams peaceful.






        Closing the cottage door quietly, Fluttershy started for Ponyville, flying quickly towards Twilight’s library where the Night Princess was staying...