You Do (Not) Belong

by 2dextreem

The Second Day: Departure/Arrival

Connor bolted upright in his seat from the sudden noise of a heavy slam right next to him. “What!? I’m up! I’m-- Huh?” He looked around wildly, his heart rate spiking from the sudden disturbance. Twilight Sparkle stood near him, a few feet away from the plush chair he had decided to take a snooze in. Next to her on the table was a heavy brown book, just then bleeding away the last glimmers of her magic grip.

“It’s about time you woke up,” the unicorn said to him with an amused smirk. “I swear, you sleep just like Spike.”

“Spike? What?” Connor replied, shaking off the drowsiness as he twisted to relieve the cramps in his neck.

Twilight simply shook her head to dismiss the question before it could be asked. “It’s not important right now. Come on, it’s almost six o’clock,” she told him as she levitated the thick book to a nearby shelf and turned towards the door leading out of the Canterlot Library.

“Six? Oh, yeah, that’s right,” Connor mumbled, remembering Celestia’s deadline as he tried, and failed, to stifle a yawn. “It’s that late already?”

Twilight grunted in an affirmative gesture, and motioned once more towards the exit, Connor getting up out of the chair and going to follow. He only took a few steps, however, before his brain caught up with him, and he suddenly stopped. He let out an ashamed, semi-audible groan and looked down and off to the side guiltily.

One of Twilight’s ears jerked in his direction, and she stopped in order to turn and face him. “Something the matter?” she asked. It only took her a second to read the expression on his face and discern its meaning. Her brow furrowed. “Is this about what happened earlier?”

Connor looked back up at her, and he felt the base of his scalp prickle from the tension he was feeling, causing him to reach up and scratch it nervously. “Yeah... Look, I--”

Twilight interrupted him by raising a hoof in the air and shaking her head solemnly. “Please, you don’t need to say it. I forgive you.”

“Yeah, but-- Wait, you do?” he asked quizzically. The statement was not at all what he was expecting.

“Yes. I thought about it for a while, and I realized it was wrong of me to judge you. I know you’re dealing with a lot right now, and I shouldn’t have blown up at you like I did. You did apologize, so I forgive you.”

“I, uh...” Connor worked his jaw up and down soundlessly, trying to think of something. To be honest, he was immensely relieved that she apparently wasn’t holding anything against him, and he wanted nothing more than to allow the situation to continue mending itself, rather than say precisely the thing to make it careen back in an unpleasant direction. He settled for the simplest. “Thanks.”

A hint of a warm smile touched upon Twilight’s lips before she spun around again and cantered towards the exit. “Well, come on. I don’t want to be late.”

“Sure thing,” Connor replied, jogging lightly to catch up with her.

As the two passed the threshold and Twilight soundlessly closed the wide, solid oak doors of the library behind them, she spoke up again. “The gardens aren’t that far away, we should be able to get there soon.”

A solid minute passed by in silence, save for the sounds of their footsteps (and hoofsteps) on the carpeted hallway floor. Twilight kept her eyes straight ahead as Connor’s wandered around idly, admiring the way the golden amber light from the late afternoon sun that beamed through the windows added a rustic, ancient feel to their surroundings. It should’ve made him feel calm -- and to a certain extent it did -- but there was still a tiny bit of anxiety gnawing away at his conscience.

“Twilight, can I... explain why I reacted like that? If you don’t mind,” Connor asked quickly, before he lost his nerve. “I mean, I just don’t want to leave you with the impression that I’m crazy and/or insensitive and that I only apologized because it upset you.”

The unicorn eyed him with caution before sighing resignedly. “I’ll admit, I was a bit curious about that. And I didn’t want to put any pressure on you, but if you want to try and elaborate, go ahead.”

“Okay.” Connor inhaled deeply. “Well, to start with, you have to understand that things on Earth are... a lot different than here.”

“You don’t say?” Twilight deadpanned, to which Connor responded to her sarcasm with a half-annoyed glance.

“What I meant was that our society isn’t as, how shall I say... ‘nice’ as yours, if what I’ve seen and heard so far is any indication. I don’t want to get into specifics, but if you pay enough attention, Earth is actually a pretty rough place to live. Wars, crime, fights, murders, poverty, straight-up crazy people... I’m probably making it sound worse than it is, but my point is that it’s far from perfect. And absolutely none of that can be fixed by everybody holding hands and singing a song, you know what I’m saying?”

“I... I guess so.”

“That’s why what you said didn’t strike me as serious at first. On Earth, defeating some dastardly evil being with nothing but the power of love and friendship; it just doesn’t happen. It’s impossible. That kind of stuff only happens in kids' stories. And it sounds, well, kind of ridiculous, no offense. If someone went around on my world saying that kind of thing was possible, they’d be laughed out of town. That’s why I reacted the way I did... I honestly thought you were joking.” Connor sighed deeply, hoping that was enough by way of an explanation for her.

“...I think I understand.” Twilight nodded to herself. “It doesn’t change what you did, or how it made me feel, but I understand.”

“That’s good... So, things are cool between us?”

“Yeah, it’s all in the past. You can stop worrying about it now,” she assured him.

Man, that’s a relief, Connor thought to himself, finally liberated of the guilt he had felt smothering him like a sopping blanket. If there was one thing that made him uncomfortable, it was being the target of another’s animosity -- especially if he had done something to deserve it. And in this situation, he couldn’t afford to alienate everybody, or everypony, he met. Especially the one who was supposed to... Hey, that’s right. I wonder if she’s gonna let me stay at her place. Well, I kinda doubt it now, but it couldn’t hurt to ask.

“So...” Connor began in a low, disarming tone, but was cut off when Twilight suddenly stopped short at a set of tall glass doors framed in bright, polished metal.

“Here we are, the Canterlot Gardens,” she explained, turning her attention to what lay outside. “And it looks like we’re right on time.”

Without missing a beat, Twilight pushed open one of the doors with her hoof and galloped out, down the stone steps beyond, running up to greet the the ones who awaited them. Connor could see both Princess Celestia and Princess Luna standing side by side and eying him and the lavender unicorn expectantly.

As Twilight animatedly exchanged words of greeting with the alicorns, Connor took a few steps out the door, and found himself flinching from the bright, unobstructed light cast from the afternoon sun, sitting heavy and orange above the horizon. He squinted and brought his hand up in an attempt to block it. Blinking rapidly and waiting for his eyes to adjust, he took a moment to observe his surroundings.

In a lot of ways, they resembled a backyard -- granted, it was the backyard of a royal castle. A wide open space consisting of uniform, short-cut grass and well kept paths, winding their way through a collection of potted shrubberies, bushels of bright and exotic flowers, and marble statues on elaborately carved pedestals. The statues themselves depicted ponies of both genders in a variety of sizes and poses. Some of them held objects ranging from weapons, to flags, to musical instruments, while some appeared to be dancing, or in mid-flight, or simply standing at attention, but each seemed to represent something -- or someone --important.

To his left, the outer wall of the castle extended far into the distance, blending in as it curved around to a high wall of hedges that continued off to the right before ending at the entrance to some sort of hedge maze, he figured. Tall red and orange flag poles marked the boundaries of the area, waving lazily in the breeze while demonstrating the sheer size of the growth. The air itself was heavy with the fresh, invigorating scent of life, greenery, and sweet flowers.

And off to the far right end of the gardens was a statue altogether different than the others, placed in such a seemingly intentional way as to attract as little attention as possible. Connor couldn’t quite tell from this distance, but it was taller than the rest, with a long serpentine body, apparently holding its arms up in some kind of defensive gesture.

It was also very near to where the sun was setting, and at risk of burning holes into his corneas, Connor turned away and gave it little more thought.

Finally, positioned next to Twilight and the two Princesses, was a whimsical-looking chariot seemingly wrought from pure gold, harnessed up to two expressionless pegasus guards.

What’s that for, I wonder? Do they actually ride in those things? How could just two of them get it off the ground? a random smattering of thoughts flew through his mind, before an effort of will made them cease. Because magic, that’s how. I really need to get used to thinking like that.

After getting a good look around, Connor made his way briskly down the rest of the steps, stopping to within a few feet of the three ponies while raising his hand in a short wave. “Hey, how’s it going?” he addressed the royalty.

“We are quite well, thank you, Connor,” Celestia replied with a contented smile. “I trust your day went well?”

“About as well as can be expected,” Connor said sheepishly, looking in Twilight’s direction for half a second before another thought occurred to him. “By the way, where’s Grumps McGurk?”

Both Celestia and Luna turned to look at each other quizzically for a moment before the Sun Princess replied. “I’m sorry, who?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“You know, tall white and scowly?” Connor grinned, finding her confusion mildly amusing.

After a few seconds, Luna’s eyes widened slightly and she allowed herself a small smirk, leaning over to speak into her sister’s ear. “I think he means the good Captain, Tia.”

“Ah, of course.” The white alicorn’s expression changed to match that of her sibling as she understood the meaning behind the nicknames. “I asked Captain Sky Armory to... take an early leave for the day. I’m sure the time off will do him some good. It has been a stressful week -- for all of us.”

Hah! In other words, ‘Go to your room and think about what you’ve done,’ Connor imagined smugly. Serves him right. Jerk.

“But that is not important right now. It is time to address the matter at hoof,” she continued, turning to face her student. “Twilight, have you thought about what I asked of you?”

Connor braced himself. Moment of truth.

“Yes, Princess, I have. Quite a bit, actually. Though I kinda get the impression you already know the answer.” She cast a glance over to the waiting chariot. Then she looked back at Connor again before breathing in deeply. “I’d be happy to let you stay with me in Ponyville. The Princess is right, it seems like the best course of action.”

Connor was taken aback. “Wow, uh, really? I thought...” Doesn’t matter, thank her! “Um, thanks.”

“Then you agree with these accommodations?” questioned Celestia while wearing a satisfied smile.

“Of course. I mean, if it’s okay with Twilight, then I don’t really see why not.”

“Excellent. Now, I suggest the two of you get going right away, as sunset is usually the least busiest time; less of a chance you will be noticed by the casual observer.”

Twilight bowed her head to the diarchs. “Understood, Princess. It was nice to see you again, and you too, Princess Luna.”

“Likewise, Twilight Sparkle.” The Night Princess returned the gesture. And with that, the unicorn turned and made for their ride, while Celestia turned once more to address the teenager.

“I wish you nothing but the best, Connor. Ponyville is truly a wonderful place, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy your time there.”

“Not too much time, I hope,” Connor said, trying to match her lighthearted tone.

“Quite true,” the Princess responded with a chuckle. “Rest assured, myself and the others in the palace will do our best to bring you home as quickly as possible, you have my word.”

Connor thought it appropriate to end with a short bow to his gracious host before making his way across the grass to the chariot where Twilight was waiting, looking back and calling out as he did so. “Thanks again. Thanks for everything!”

As he walked away, Celestia leaned over to speak something to her younger sister. “It’s getting to be that time of day. What do you say we give the two of them a proper sendoff, eh, Luna?”

“I think that is a splendid idea, sister,” Luna agreed.

Back at the chariot, Connor passed by the two stoic forms of the pegasi guards harnessed in the front, and with a slight grunt of effort, pulled himself up and into the seat next to Twilight.

“Before you depart,” Celestia called out, elevating her voice slightly over the distance. Having gained Connor’s attention and without further explanation, both Princesses moved into a kind of formation: side by side, facing opposite directions.

“What are they doing?” Connor whispered to Twilight.

“Shush. You should feel lucky; not just anypony gets to see this in person. Now stop talking and watch.”

Taking her advice, Connor trained his eyes on the two royal sisters, wondering what in the world was about to happen.

The horns atop each of their heads started to glow brightly, as if preparing a spell. Both of them closed their eyes, and Luna dipped her head close to the ground, even as Celestia raised her own towards the open sky. As he watched, the light emanating from their horns gradually became more intense, starting to go from misty auras to solid cones of pale yellow and cobalt. And then, they started to move in tandem as the air around them took on an almost imperceptible shimmer. Luna’s head rose as Celestia’s bent forwards, and Connor began to notice something else moving as well. Out of the corner of his eye, the large orange sun -- having been still in the sky for a long while now, he realized -- began gently sinking lower, being swallowed by the distant horizon like it was melting itself into the earth. In the meantime, on the other side of his field of view, the gleaming wedge of a half-full moon peeked over the edge of the ground, charting the course of its own nighttime journey.

It all happened in a mere number of seconds, but they stretched on as if they were minutes as Connor beheld the subtle mysticism of the act. Watching these two entrancing figures exert control over the forces of nature like that was both exciting and humbling at the same time.

“Impressive. I can see where you were going with that Summer Sun thingy,” he commented to Twilight as the Princesses’ respective auras faded to nothing.

“Hmph. ‘Thingy’? You’re hopeless,” the unicorn responded while shaking her head. “Still, you’re right. It is impressive.”

With the celestial bodies now well on their way and the skies already shifting through a mosaic of twilit shades, the Royal Pony Sisters turned and raised their hooves in goodbye.

“Farewell!” Celestia stated simply, as there was really nothing more that needed to be said.

With that, there was a sudden lurch as the two pegasi soldiers spread their alabaster wings and started galloping forwards at a steady clip. Once they gained enough speed their wings began flapping, punctuated by heavy whooshes of air that accompanied the pounding of their hooves. There was a brief sensation of near weightlessness as the chariot suddenly lifted off the ground effortlessly.

“Whoa, whoahoh! This is so cool!” Connor shouted excitedly, grinning like an idiot as the ground beneath them flew past in a blur.

Then, all of a sudden, the verdant grass and bleached castle walls underneath gave way to the abrupt end of the cliff face, and now there was nothing except hundreds of feet of empty air between them and the valley floor below. It happened so fast that Connor was watching just as it happened, and he gave an involuntary shiver as he pulled his head back from the edge of the carriage and inched his way closer to the center.

“Don’t tell me you’re afraid of heights,” Twilight admonished him, poking fun at his reaction.

“I’m not afraid of heights!” he countered, though his grip on the rail in front him him tightened all the greater. “I’m just afraid of falling... from heights.”

Twilight couldn’t help but laugh at that, and while she did, the pegasi towing them along angled themselves away from Canterlot, the magnificent city already so far away and getting farther by the second.

“It isn’t a long trip. We should arrive in about ten minutes,” said Twilight. Then she paused, and stuck one of her hooves up in the air. “Maybe more like fifteen minutes; there’s a headwind.”

Connor tried to relax and lean back, but a light jostling of the cart due to turbulence shot that idea down instantly and he stayed leaned forward, hands on the rail. “The sooner the better. Don’t get me wrong, I’m enjoying the view. But I get shaky standing six steps up a ladder. Flying hundreds of feet over the ground in an open-air cart isn’t an improvement.”

“Relax, will you? There’s no danger whatsoever,” Twilight tried to reassure him. Then she breathed in quickly, a thought having occurred to her. “Oh, by the way, we should probably discuss some things you should know before we get there.”

“Mmmkay, go for it.”

“Firstly, I don’t live alone. There’s my assistant, Spike, my number two assistant, Owloysius, and Spike’s pet phoenix chick, Peewee,” Twilight listed off.

Assistants, sure. Phoenix, why the hell not? I’m not even surprised anymore. “I’m assuming Spike and Owl... something, are unicorns too?” Connor suggested offhandedly.

“No,” Twilight stated simply, shaking her head. “Spike’s a dragon, and Owloysius is an owl.”

Her statement caught Connor slightly off guard. “An owl and a... dragon? You live with a dragon.” If dragons in this world were anything like he imagined, Twilight must’ve had a pretty big house.

“Don’t give me that look. Spike’s one of the best friends I could ask for,” Twilight argued defensively. “We’ve been together since the day he hatched. He’s like a little brother to me.”

“Aww, isn’t that sweet,” said Connor in a slightly patronizing tone.

“Heh, don’t let him hear you say that.”

Connor pantomimed closing a zipper across his mouth. “My lips are sealed.”

“Anyway, it’s pretty late already,” Twilight opined, obviously considering something. “Once we touch down we should go right inside; no need to rush introductions, after all. You should have plenty of time after today to get to know everypony.”

“Yeah, can’t wait for that...”

In reality, Connor wouldn’t mind waiting. Meeting strangers for the first time had always been an issue for him in the past. Not so much that he was shy or insecure, he was just more than a little asocial. The prospect of going out and socializing with a town’s worth of people whom he had never met would have been daunting enough, if not for the fact that he was as much alien to them as they were to him. The suspicious glances and inspections from the ponies in the castle were just a taste of what was to come.

The anticipated awkwardness occupied Connor’s thoughts, even as he attempted to get over his vertigo and having a modicum of success now that he’d closed his eyes. After about a minute of silent, meditative breathing, he could almost imagine he was on solid ground, if not for the wind flowing briskly past his ears.

“Hey, the stars are coming out, don’t you want to watch?” Twilight offered, causing Connor to open his eyes and peer to his side at her, before breathing out a tired sigh.

“Sure, why not? I’m a sucker for starry nights.” And with that, Connor drew his gaze upwards.

Despite sunset having occurred a few minutes ago, the fiery orb had already completely descended beneath the horizon, and a larger-than-average silver moon lit up the steadily deepening maroon sky, making a few wispy clouds look coal-black in comparison. As Connor watched the colors of the sky shift ever darker into the cold blue of night, tiny, almost imperceptible pinpricks of light penetrated the darkness. After a while, the brightest stars had finished appearing, only leaving a smattering of smaller ones showing up in brief intervals. Connor was just about to look back down, slightly disappointed that the show appeared to be over, but then something curious began to happen.

Rather than slow down, the rate at which the sky brightened started to increase at an exponential rate. Stars -- dozens, then hundreds of them -- were no longer just appearing, but sweeping across the sky. It was as if a painter had dipped his brush in pure stardust, and was leaving bold strokes across the inky canvas of the heavens. In the span of just a few seconds, it seemed as if the world had been overlaid with an undulating blanket of twinkling dust, a breathtaking mixture of bright golds and blues, with undertones of purple. And right down the center, like a linear aperture in the fabric of space, was a massive cloud of material, lit from within like a beacon in the night. The whole of the Milky Way galaxy -- or its Equestrian equivalent, at least -- lording over the skies like a king of the cosmos.

And through it all, Connor simply stared, slack-jawed in amazement. “It’s...” he trailed off, at a loss for words. “I can’t even... Wow.”

“I know, I never get tired of watching it,” the unicorn said, sharing in his awe.

The image was so distracting, Connor almost didn’t feel the moisture welling up in his eyes, and he quickly brought a finger up to rub it away.

“Are you gonna be okay?” Twilight asked, looking over at him with an expression that was half-amused, half-incredulous.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. It’s just, I’ve never really seen anything like that before. Not in person, anyway.”

“Why not? You can see stars from Earth, can’t you?”

“Well, yeah. But there’s a problem with light pollution, in places where a lot of people live, and all the buildings are too bright. All this detail...” He motioned with one arm in a sweep over the scene above them. “...gets lost in the haze.”

“Sounds awful,” Twilight admitted. “I don’t think I’d be able to stand it.”

“Heh. You know, it’s actually been a longtime dream of mine to witness something like this. I’d always thought I would have to go really far away to do it.”

After another few seconds of observation, and with just a touch of morose quality to his inner voice, thought to himself, I just never imagined how far away.

“Thanks again for the ride!” Twilight called out to the two pegasi who had brought them from the royal capital, waving a hoof as they took off yet again without anything beyond a curt "Miss Sparkle."

The flight into Ponyville had been about as uneventful as the departure from Canterlot -- displays of heavens-bending magic notwithstanding. Even with the moon and the stars acting as night-lights, the quaint little town was subdued by the quiet dank of post afternoon. There were plenty of lights on in the windows of the timber-framed, thatched roof houses as they silently flew over, but the illumination they provided did little more than cast the area in a slightly purplish haze, and specific details were hard to make out. But he could get a better view of the town later, when it was brighter out, and Connor counted his blessings that there weren’t any ponies immediately in sight as they came to a stop in front of a large, two story, tree-shaped building. A building which, upon closer inspection, was actually a tree, with a door and windows cut into the bark almost as if it had grown that way.

The teenager was about to open his mouth and ask something along the lines of "You live in a tree?" But he tamped down on the notion, having long since decided to abolish the upper limits of surreality he was willing to put up with in this crazy world. Besides, treehouse or no, it was where he was going to be staying for a while, and insulting his host, again, was about the last thing he wanted to do.

A stiff breeze blew by just then, and Connor felt grateful he had his blue coat on and zipped up to combat the chilly night air. A sign out in front of the house bore the picture of an open book, which was kind of odd, but Connor paid it little mind as he followed the lavender unicorn right up to a front door bearing the image of a lit candle.

“Welcome to my home, Connor. And I suppose to Ponyville as well, but we’ll work on that later. Come on in,” Twilight offered sincerely as her horn lit up, pushing the door ajar and walking through, after which Connor ducked inside, careful to avoid banging his head on the low frame. “Spike! I’m back!”

As the door closed behind him, Connor scanned around the circular room, roughly thirty feet across, brightly lit from incandescent bulbs set into a simple chandelier on the ceiling in contrast to the pervasive gloom outside. The walls, floor and ceiling all took on the same healthy shade of salmon pink, inlaid with wood knots and tree lines to reinforce the idea that the domicile had been grown, not built. But the first thing he noticed were the books: shelves upon shelves of tomes in all shapes, sizes, and colors lined the area, set into the walls like natural extensions of the wood. Still more books lay scattered around, some of them opened, sitting on book stands, or on a large, low, circular table in the middle of the room which was topped by a stylized wooden bust of a pony’s head. Even the air itself held the faintest musty traces of paper and ink smell, mingling with that of fresh, living wood.

“Hot damn, that’s a lot of books. This place is like a library,” Connor commented on the extensive display of literature.

“That’s because it is a library. The Golden Oak Library, to be precise,” Twilight responded matter-of-factly, moving to the center of the room and calling out once again for her dragon assistant.

“You never told me you lived in a library.”

“You never asked,” the unicorn said with a shrug.

Connor opened his mouth, finger raised for a moment, before closing it and withdrawing his hand. “Touché.”

“Spike!” Twilight called out again, this time receiving a yelled response from beyond the stairs leading up to a second floor of the tree.

“I’m coming, I’m coming! Jeez, Twi, I was just making sure Peewee didn’t miss his bedtime,” came a boyish sounding voice from that direction, as a short purple creature made its way down the steps at a brisk pace.

As Connor watched it descend, his brain tried its best to comprehend what he was looking at. If it was indeed a dragon, it didn’t fit with any of his preconceived notions of what a dragon should look like. The thing was short -- incredibly so -- standing at only a scant two, maybe two and a half feet tall. It was almost completely purple and covered in fine scales save for a pale green striped section running along its belly, and a line of stubby spines trailing from four big ones atop its head to a shorter row running to the tail trailing behind it. Two green finlike protrusions sat where he expected its ears to be, and its eyes were bright and alert, containing two emerald-colored irises surrounding a slit pupil. It walked upright on its hind legs like a normal person, waving its four-digit claws animatedly as it talked out of a short snout.

Connor didn’t quite know what to make of the situation, so he settled for raising an eyebrow and stuffing his arms in his jacket as he watched the dragon child descend the stairs, continuing his sentence.

“It’s about time you came back, too! I was starting to worry! What’d the Princess want that was so important... any...ways...?” Spike stopped mid-step as his eyes trained on Connor, and tilted his head back to look up at the being that was more than twice his size. “Uh... Who the hay are you?”

Right to the point, I see.

Connor had a small moment of inspiration, and snatched a clever line from one of his favorite book series. “I the hay am Connor. And I’m assuming you’re Spike?”

“...Yeeeeah...” The dragon child turned to Twilight. “Twilight, what’s going on here? Who is this guy? I’ve never seen him before.”

“That’s because Connor’s from... really far away,” the unicorn offered as explanation.

“How far away, exactly? Like, Trottingham far away?”

Twilight shook her head. “Farther.”

“What she’s trying to say,” Connor interjected. “...is that I’m, well, there’s no other way to say it, so I’ll give it to you straight. I’m from another world.”

“Reeeeeally?” Spike deadpanned, giving Twilight another questioning glance, to which she offered an awkward smile and nodded her head silently.

“Really really,” the human continued.

Spike’s expression went through several shades of disbelief, before he settled on one of cautious skepticism. “No foolin’?”

“If I’m foolin’, I’m droolin’,” Connor replied without thinking, then immediately groaned inwardly as he realized the uncharacteristic sloppiness of his attempt to be humorous. But at least Spike found it amusing, if not in the way he had hoped.

“Pffft! That was pretty lame.” Spike grinned a toothy smile as he folded his arms.

“I agree. Let us never speak of it again,” Connor said jokingly.

That actually elicited a chuckle from the short dragon. “Heheh... You know what? I like you. Connor, was it?” he said as he held up a clawed hand to shake, to which Connor bent down and returned the gesture. “So, you’re an alien, huh? I guess I can believe that, ‘specially if Twi says it’s true. You’re definitely not like anypony I’ve ever met, that’s for sure. How’d you even get here, anyway?”

Before Connor could respond, Spike gasped slightly and his eyes brightened just a bit more. “If you’re an alien, do you have some kind of spaceship?” he asked in wonderment.

“Actually, no. I came via magic rock. And it was kind of by accident.”

Spike visibly drooped. “Oh. Bummer.”

“It was actually more impressive than it sounds--”

The conversation was cut short by Twilight, who had raised a hoof to her muzzle and coughed loudly to get both of their attentions. “It’s good to see you two are getting along, but allow me to answer your earlier question, Spike. The Princess called me to the palace today in order to ask if I could look after Connor here in Ponyville while she tries to work out a way of sending him back home. Until she does, he’s going to be staying in the library. Is that okay with you?”

“Uh, sure, Twilight. I don’t mind; he’s funny,” Spike said back, jerking a thumb in Connor’s direction and giving another wolfish smile. Connor sincerely hoped he meant the good kind of funny, and not the sad, pitiful kind.

“Great! Well, then, while I’m showing Connor around the rest of the library, would you mind going to the kitchen and fixing up some dinner? I’d really appreciate it.”

“Sure thing, Twi. How ‘bout I heat up some of the leftover tomato rotini from last night? Do you like rotini?” Spike addressed Connor with the last bit.

Connor’s hand went unconsciously to his nearly empty stomach. “Sounds good. Just, no flowers, please.”

“No problem! Well, it was nice to meetcha!” the dragon gave a wave with one claw as he turned and bounded down a hallway next to the stairs.

Both Connor and Twilight watched him go for a few seconds before turning to face each other, wearing matching expressions of bemusement.

“Well, I think you made a good first impression.” The pony flashed a satisfied smile as she herself made for the stairs leading to the second floor, and Connor followed.

“Yeah, I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that. He’s alright; pretty friendly. He did seem a little quick to trust, though. I wasn’t expecting him to warm up to me all that easily.”

“Well, that’s Spike. Remember, he is a baby dragon, after all,” Twilight said as they came up above the first floor, down a short enclosed tunnel, and into the spacious second floor. “Still, ‘If I’m foolin’--” She couldn’t finish the quote, as she was interrupted by an involuntary snigger. “I can’t believe you actually said that.”

“You should know by now, I act like an idiot sometimes,” Connor added bashfully, hoping to change the subject soon. “And I thought we agreed to never speak of it again. Can we just continue the tour?”

Twilight just sighed heavily and shook her head, slightly amused, and acquiesced.

In many ways the room resembled the ground floor, with the same reddish color and books scattered everywhere. There were also a couple of shelves that stored assorted knickknacks and decorative dish-ware, and an empty stone fireplace set along one wall with a horseshoe nailed to the top. A door set off to the side appeared to lead onto an outside balcony, and there was a second set of stairs nearby that led up to a loft overlooking the room. Twilight explained that that was where he would be sleeping, along with her and Spike, once she got the guest bed set up from wherever it was stored at the moment.

Departing the second floor, Twilight briefly pointed out to Connor the tunnel leading to the library’s basement, talking about how she used it mainly for storage and for a variety of scientific and magical experiments from time to time. The only other part of the library they hadn’t been through was a tunnel on the other side of the first floor, and as they walked through, Twilight indicated a door set into the left wall. Inside was the bathroom, consisting of a small, unremarkable area that contained the essentials. Including, Connor was relieved to see, a shower.

“The cupboards are fully stocked, too. I have spare soap, toothbrushes, anything you need.”

“Wow, that’s convenient. It’s almost like you were expecting company.”

“I like being prepared for just about everything,” Twilight said with pride. “Besides, my friends come to visit pretty regularly, so I’m used to having guests. Just, please try not to make a mess.”

They continued on, coming up to the door at the end of the short tunnel hallway; a plain wooden thing with no handle and a round window cut into the top. Twilight stepped forwards to nudge it, causing it to swing open on its hinges with a greasy squeak, and walked inside.

All in all, it was a fairly normal kitchen, really. A low, plain wooden table sat in the dead center of the room with a blue, flower-filled vase in the middle, and four placemats set, but only two chairs on opposite sides. Dark-colored cabinets and drawers lined the walls, and on the far side of the room were all of the fixtures and appliances, including a refrigerator, a sink with a small window situated above it, and a stove, above which Spike stood balanced on a stool, stirring something in a bubbling pot while humming a tune to himself.

The moment he stepped through the door, a spicy, sweet smell wafted across Connor’s path, and he inhaled the rich, delectable scent of the meal Spike was preparing, causing his stomach to voice its approval and imminent desire.

“Oh, hey guys,” Spike said, briefly looking back before returning his attention to the pot. “It’s almost ready, just gotta make sure it’s reheated long enough.”

The kitchen table had two places already set with dishes and tableware, and Connor took a seat in one of the chairs nearby, with Twilight sitting on her haunches in the spot to his left. She looked between the two plates once or twice, curious. “Spike? You only set two places.”

“Oh, yeah.” Spike hopped down from his stool, holding the pot’s handle in one claw, then taking up the stool in the other. “I didn’t know when you were gonna be done at the castle, so I already ate. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course not, Spike. Thanks for setting up for us. You’re the best assistant there is,” Twilight said with a smile.

“Aww, shucks Twi...” Spike tried to avert his gaze bashfully as he maneuvered the stool near the table and went up a few steps, taking the pot and dishing out the food, what looked like stuffed raviolis in a chunky, bright red sauce, to each of the plates. Once that was done, he set the container down on the table and jumped down. “Anything else ya need?”

“Actually, yes,” Twilight responded. “If you could find the box with all the spare bed parts in it, that’d be great. I’m pretty sure it’s somewhere in the basement. I’ll be down after I’m finished to help you bring it up, okay?”

“You got it. After that’s done...” He turned to face Connor, who had already picked up his fork and was about to dig in with gusto. “...would it be cool if we talked some more? There’s so much I wanna ask you.”

It took Connor a second to realize the dragon was addressing him, and he blinked a few times, regretfully tearing himself away from the steaming hot meal in front of him. “What? Sure, whatever.”

“Cool! Alright, see ya in a bit. Hope you like the rotini!” Spike said as he padded out the door, swinging shut behind him as he left the two of them to their dinner.

Without any further distractions, Connor scooped up some of the little raviolis, blew on them a little, and unceremoniously gobbled them up, while Twilight took a slightly more measured approach, daintily wielding a fork in her magic and eating one at a time.

“Mmmm!” Connor voiced his approval of the dish as a medley of spices and other rich flavors assaulted his taste buds. “This is really good!” he continued after he swallowed more of the stuffed pasta. “Did you make this?”

In response, Twilight let out an amused snort. “I wish. Pretty much the only thing I trust myself to make is boiling water for tea. Spike’s the real culinary genius. You should really try his cookies.” She unconsciously licked her lips at the thought. “Just another thing that makes him my number one assistant.”

“Hey, yeah, that’s right.” Hearing the word "assistant" brought something else to Connor’s mind. “So where’s your other ‘assistant’? Owl, um...”

“Owloysius,” the unicorn stated sternly, sounding out the syllables slowly: Owl-oh-wish-us.

“Right, right. I’ll get that eventually,” Connor followed up with a placating gesture.

“He’s probably out finding some dinner of his own. Owls are nocturnal predators, after all.”

“Mmmhmm,” Connor grunted noncommittally as he speared another piece of rotini and placed it in his mouth.

The rest of the meal passed by in relative silence, the only sounds being small snippets of conversation and the sound of cutlery scraping on dish-ware. Connor idly thought to himself, again, about how absurd it was that the hooved ponies (barring the telekinetically inclined, of course) had a use for things like forks and knifes at all. But, like everything else that didn’t make sense, it was probably for the best to just go with it at this point. After everything he had seen so far since arriving in this subbasement of the Rabbit Hole, such inconsistencies were merely par for the course.

Swirling his last bit of pasta around the plate to gather up the leftover sauce, Connor looked up to see Twilight had already finished, holding a napkin with her horn and gently applying it to her muzzle before levitating it over to a waiting trash bin. She breathed out the contented sigh that often accompanies a full stomach, then climbed out of her chair, bringing her plate and utensils over to the sink just as Connor finished swallowing the last of his dinner.

“Uh, hey, if you wanna go help Spike with the bed, I’ll stick around and clean up,” Connor offered, taking his own dirty dishes in hand.

“Oh?” Twilight’s ears perked up, and she rotated in place to face him as she lowered her cutlery into the sink. “Umm, thank you.” She seemed slightly surprised as she said so.

“No problem. It’s the least I can do,” Connor said sincerely. It would feel good to do something constructive and helpful for once. That’s me: Mister Chivalrous.

He walked past the lavender pony as she made for the kitchen door. She cast one short, wary glance back at him, before shaking her head as if dismissing a thought, and continuing in a trot past the door and off to assist Spike.

Connor, in turn, located a sponge and a bottle of dish soap next to the sink, and proceeded to scrub away the filth on the dirty plates and cook-pot under the running tap water, whistling a bit as he did so. It only took about a minute, and after finishing with each one and setting them on the nearby drying rack, he leaned over to take a look out the glittering sky again, only slightly diminished as it was by the lights from the nearby townhouses. Something about looking out into the night, combined with the comfortable, sluggish fullness of his belly, served to remind Connor of how tired he was after the day’s exertions, signaled by his body as it produced a large and particularly stiff yawn.

“I don’t care if it’s still early in the night, sleep sounds like a good idea right now,” Connor groaned to himself before he cracked his neck reflexively.

He looked around briefly to make sure he hadn’t missed any dishes, then went to the door and made his exit, flicking the light switch as he did and bathing the room behind him in darkness. The door swung back and forth noisily behind him as he walked past the bathroom, paused, backed up a few steps and casually grabbed the handle, turning it and letting himself inside. He grasped around for the light switch and turned it on, illuminating the small area from a single bright bulb in the ceiling. It was fairly tidy inside, without much adornment aside from a rack that held some towels and a cup by the sink and mirror that contained two toothbrushes; one purple, one green. Connor could guess which belonged to who.

He rooted around in the wooden cupboards next to the mirror, eventually producing a plain red toothbrush and some off-brand toothpaste -- both still unopened in their packaging. It didn’t take long for him to pop them open and take them out. Connor then spent a minute fastidiously making sure his teeth and gums were clean, savoring the familiar, if bland, minty taste of the gel. Afterwards, he rinsed out his mouth and washed the toothbrush, placing it down on the counter next to the cup with the other two, and exited the bathroom shortly after.

Once Connor entered the library’s main foyer, he cocked an ear and could hear the faint sounds of talking coming from the upper floors. As he jogged his way up the stairs to the second floor, he could make out the voices more clearly: it was Spike and Twilight having a conversation -- presumably about him, no doubt. As the noise from his footsteps echoed out into the room and he exited the stairwell, the conversation abruptly ceased, and Connor looked up just as Spike poked his head over the lip of the loft and waved one of his stubby arms.

“Oh, hey, Connor! Me and Twi are just about done settin’ up the bed for ya,” he explained excitedly.

“Heh, thanks. What’re you guys talking about?” Connor asked as he rounded the room, going to the stairs that went up to the exposed loft.

“Oh, you know. Just stuff. Twi’s been tellin’ me all kinds of things about Arth.”

“Earth,” Connor corrected him as he came to the top of the steps and took a look around.

Up in the loft area was about half the available space as the other floors, most of it taken up by two beds: One was made of furnished wood with a blue blanket covered in stars and crescent moons (most likely Twilight’s bed). The other was more blocky, like it had been assembled from a set of pieces, and was topped by a simple square mattress and a pink sheet that Twilight was just finishing laying down with her magic. A countertop with a vanity mirror was close to the left, and also close by was a basket containing a pillow and a blanket that appeared to be just Spike’s size. Over on the far end was a wide ovular window, the sill of which held an even smaller basket, which for some reason was encased in a shimmering violet sphere, like a soap bubble, which attracted Connor’s curiosity.

“Hey, what’s that over there?” He pointed at the window.

“Oh, that? That’s just Peewee,” answered Spike.

“Peewee... The phoenix, right?” Connor questioned cautiously, taking slow steps over to the sill. “What’s the... bubble thing for?”

“That would be a simple soundproofing spell,” Twilight spoke up as Connor walked past her. “I cast it so he wouldn’t get woken up by me and Spike.”

“Ah.” Connor nodded once in comprehension, and continued over to the window in order to peer into the small basket.

If there was an official scale that measured adorableness, they would have to revise it based on what was inside.

“Awww...” Connor crooned reflexively as he beheld the tiny puff of orange that lay nestled on its side amongst a pile of blankets. Just a tiny bit bigger than a clenched fist, the only distinguishable features on the chick consisted of its bulbous curved beak, minuscule eyes screwed shut in sleep, and small tufts of red and yellow feathers that protruded from the fuzz around its wings, tail, and the back of its head. The feathers of its wings twitched intermittently, in a manner that reminded Connor of his dog when he was asleep and dreaming about... whatever it is that dogs dream about, and the sight was absolutely heart-melting.

God, that is cute, he thought as he was consumed with the desire to cradle the thing in his hands. But he held off -- barely.

“Yeah, he’s cute now,” Spike spoke up with a chuckle, drawing Connor’s attention back to him and away from the sleepy phoenix. “But when he’s awake he’s always getting into trouble. Most days I have my claws full just trying to keep an eye on him!”

“Uh huh,” Connor commented, not quite knowing what to say after that. He then breathed deep and made a long stretch with his arms, then walked over to the bed they had set up for him, sitting down and testing its firmness. “Hey, thanks again for putting up the bed for me. I’m actually thinking I might turn in early. It’s been a long day.”

Spike’s grinning face suddenly fell. “Oh, come on, really? I wanted to know more about the place you come from! We could stay up all night! I’m not even tired!”

Connor rubbed the bridge of his nose and cast a pleading glance at Twilight, who merely smiled and shrugged her shoulders.

“He’s not going to give up that easily; you might as well,” she told him. Then, there was that glint of curiosity in her eyes again as she hopped onto her own bed and shifted her legs beneath her into a seated position, ears pitched forwards expectantly.

Connor let out a defeated sigh, then turned to face both dragon and pony, removing his black sneakers and placing them on the floor, before pulling his legs into an Indian style and leaning back onto his arms. “Okay, fine... For a little while, at least.”

“All right!” Spike made a gesture of victory with his fist. Then, without missing a beat, “So is it really true there aren’t any dragons on Arth? Like, at all?”

“It’s Earth...”

“...and then, after that...” Connor drawled on, blinking his eyes and reaching up to rub away the blurriness. “Uhhh. Wait, hold on. I lost my train of thought.”

The teenager shook his head vigorously, trying to rid himself of his drowsiness and recover from his brief spacing out. Now somewhat more lucid, he looked around to notice Twilight still looking bright and attentive. And Spike...

Spike sat with his elbows propped up on his knees, chin resting against his palms, and his head listing off to the side while his eyes were shut tight.

“How long has he been asleep?” Connor groaned, pointing at the dragon child who had apparently missed his bed time.

“Oh, I didn’t even notice,” Twilight admitted, looking over to her number one assistant. “Couldn’t have been more than a couple minutes.”

“Well, I think he has the right idea. I’m about to pitch over, myself,” Connor said, his statement punctuated with a wide yawn of obvious fatigue.

Twilight said nothing, simply nodding in understanding, before getting up on her hooves and coming off her bed with a light hop. She looked at Spike for a moment, shook her head in amusement, then her horn lit up with a violet glow that enveloped her scaly friend in a gentle aura. She slowly floated him over to his waiting basket, pulled aside the blanket, and laid him inside. Through it all, Spike barely stirred. Having completed that, the pony then walked past him, starting towards the stairs.

“Hey, aren’t you going to bed too?” Connor asked curiously.

“In a bit. I still need to set up tomorrow’s to-do checklist. There’s a lot I was planning to do today that I’ll have to plan around tomorrow,” she paused to say over her shoulder.

“Oh, sorry you had to mess up your plans because of me,” Connor replied with a touch of remorse.

Twilight shook her head. “Don’t be. It’s just a minor inconvenience. Now, you get some sleep, I’ll see you in the morning. Lots to do tomorrow!” And with that, her head disappeared beyond the lip of the floor, the clopping sound of her hoofsteps circling around the room below.

There was the click of a light switch, and Connor suddenly found the library bathed in only the wan light streaming in from outside the window. The sudden change in illumination made everything pitch dark for a moment, before his eyes got a chance to adjust and he could make out his surroundings yet again.

Connor let out another yawn as he twisted around to relieve the stiffness that had built up from staying in that one position for as long as he had. Out of the corner of his eye, there was a brief flare of yellowish light emanating from the floor below, its flickering casting wide shadows across the walls. It was accompanied shortly after by the methodical scratching of quill on parchment.

Connor shrugged out of his jacket, tossing it over to hang on one of the bedposts, and removed his socks, balling them up and putting them in his shoes like last time. He elected to keep his shirt on though, out of courtesy. Then, he lifted up the sheet on the bed and slid himself inside, grateful that it was nice and warm from him having been sitting there. One thing he hadn’t counted on was the length of the bed; it was pony-sized, not human-sized, and he had to bring his legs up slightly in order to fit. But other than that, it was serviceable.

Finally, he removed his glasses and folded them up, reaching over to place them on the floor next to his shoes. Then he had a better idea, and put them in the pocket of his jacket instead.

After he had settled his head on the pillow with a grunt of comfort, he turned over, pulling the sheets up under his chin. Through the window, he had a clear view of the pale, partial disk of the moon, and he breathed out slowly, closing his eyes and trying his best to get some rest, though a few nagging thoughts conspired to hold his attention.

Another night in Equestria... Another night not spent on Earth, where he belonged. How many more nights would there be? He knew it was out of his hands, but Connor couldn’t help but feel responsible for every passing second, every wasted moment that would eventually add up to what felt like an enormous degree. How would he explain to everyone how he had completely disappeared for days at a time?

Or a week? A month?

...What if he never even got the chance?

Positive... Gotta stay positive. Remember what Luna said. Can’t give up hope.

What felt like seconds crawled by at an indeterminate pace, and Connor had one of those funny moments where there was a gap in his sense of awareness. The next thing he knew, there was the soft sound of hoofsteps coming up the stairs, followed shortly after by a tired yawn and the rustling of sheets. And then there was silence in the library, save for the sound of faint breathing and the serenade of crickets.

“Hey, Twilight?”

“Gah! I thought you were asleep!” the unicorn replied in a startled half-whisper; a response that Connor couldn’t help but react to with a slight smirk. She was silent for a long pause, before speaking again in an accusatory tone. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you?”

“Sorry, didn’t mean to. Almost asleep. Just...”

“What is it?”

“I wanted to... thank you. For everything you’re doing. And to let you know... I appreciate it.” Connor’s words were shifting into half-audible mumbles at this point. “It’s nice to... you know... whatever...”

There was more silence. Off in the distance, an owl hooted in the night. It was what seemed like an eternity before Twilight responded.

“You’re welcome, Connor... Good night.”

But he couldn’t hear her; he was already fast asleep.