//------------------------------//
// 5. Awakening 
// Story: The Guardian 
// by Alexshy 
//------------------------------//

“…sorry, girls, don’t mean to offend anypony, but I’m not going to like him outright, just because he exists. He seems suspicious to me and makes my mane stand when I think of being near to him. Please don’t expect me sitting with him.”

“OK, Rainbow, we got your point. It’s your choice and we respect it.”

The voices reached Alex’s mind muffled as if he was floating up from the sea bottom and heard them through the water. A few girls talking, as he could recognize. A few… pony girls! Well, at least that came naturally out of their words. And one called another “Rainbow”. That gave Alex a nudge towards remembering the recent events.

“Sorry, girls,” said Rainbow. “I… just… can’t.”

“It’s OK.” 

Then steps got away.

The whole night turned up nightmarish for Alex. He remembered everything which led him to the point where he was step by step. Perhaps some steps exchanged their places in the whole timeline. The old castle he found out himself, the walk through the forest with all the dangers, the brief but brutal fight with timberwolf, when he tried to save the pony pegasus. Why tried? He saved. He definitely remembered that; the rest was total blackout. The last he remembered absolutely clear was the accident, where he took a girl out of the crashed car and… got hit by… the lightning?!

Then he saw his parents and Elen on… his own funeral! That wasn’t a memory obviously, it seemed that Alex’s mind just imagined, what the closest people might feel after his strange vanishing. Thankfully, when this dream ended, a strange feeling of tranquillity visited him and Alex slept without any more of nightmares till morning.

The breeze from the opened window carried the smells of spring, fresh leaves, flowers, ground after the rain. Alex opened his eyes. In the dim light of early morning, he could see the ceiling above him. It was nothing like his apartment ceiling or a hospital ward one. White with dark wooden beams crossing and supporting it. It resembled a countryside house mostly. With almost all memories recollected Alex thought that it should mean that he reached some civilization after his forest travels.

“Finally.”

Then Alex made mental note of something resting on his shoulder, long hair tickled his bare chest and… he felt light breathing on his neck. Alex cautiously turned his head a little to see. He saw the yellow pony pegasus girl – the one he got into the fight because of – sleeping next to him. Big turquoise eyes were now closed, shadows cast by long eyelashes dropped on her cheeks. The ticklish sense he felt was given by her lush pink mane. Her wings were tightly folded and small accurate hoof was resting on his shoulder. The subtle scent of field flowers and perhaps honey was coming from her and her breath.

Alex was ready to see something like this, thus he managed to jump on the place not, but yet he shivered a little and cringed from dull pain across his ribs under his right arm. It seemed that he got wounded really serious and this… girl, he can’t now think about natives as about some sort of animals, took care of him, and fell asleep. She was keeping touch now to ensure he was all right. Fluttershy – Alex remembered her name…

She was sleeping above the covers, most likely got tired of daily labour with him being an extra. Alex checked himself to find he was completely naked under the covers. He felt how blood rushed in his face. Obviously, she was to do this to treat his wounds, but he still felt confused.

Alex lifted his head a little and looked around the room with his eyes moving only. He couldn’t see his clothes, what remained of them, or any clothes at all. In fact, he couldn’t see anything which can serve as clothes. Even the tapestry, he wrapped himself into while in the old castle, was now gone.

“Damn!” Alex’s mind quickly looked for a solution.

One door was opened and he could see a corridor behind it. He then spotted another door in the room. That might be a wall closet or a bathroom.

Very slowly and carefully, not to wake Fluttershy up, Alex slid from under the covers and opened that door.

“Thank you, universe!” He faced a small bathroom and accurately closed the door behind himself. “I so needed this.”

He examined his wounded side in the bathroom mirror above the sink and small closet with supposedly bath accessories. The patch was big enough to provide disappointing thoughts, but when he carefully lifted one edge, he saw that the wound had almost closed up completely. Someone made decent stitches across it and despite them looking like an ugly tank track, they did the job nicely. Nevertheless…

“How long am I here for?” thought Alex. “My wound looks like it is recovering for a few weeks.”

“Surely they must have some sorts of healing magic here, I won’t be surprised considering what I’ve seen before, still it would be amazingly fast,” Alex yet was puzzled. “But I can swear that I don’t feel like it’s been several weeks. My inner clock keeps saying a few days maximum.”

Upon looking at his own face in the mirror Alex noted that it was tired and grey, with the shadows under his eyes, but it hardly was looking like he lied unconscious for a few weeks. That was utterly strange. Yet not the most strange thing in the line of recent events. Alex decided to return to that later.

“Still I’ve managed to grow quite some stubble, not a full beard though, and that says days again, not weeks, but…” Alex rubbed his chin. “I wonder if male ponies shave. Don’t want to go around like that…”

He smirked sadly. Then remembered one more name from the bucking show – Starswirl the Bearded – there was a powerful wizard or something here long ago. Alex thought that “the Bearded” part wasn’t given for nothing. And as he saw the male ponies without any beards or moustaches that meant they should have something to shave them. One more question to ask later. Alex giggled at the thought that pony girls hardly shaved their legs, besides digging into someone’s bathroom closet would be impolite. So later it was.

The bath was a bit smaller than he got used to and the shower head hung lower than it was enough to comfortably straighten under it. Alex was to kneel in the bath to use it. He made sure that he had placed the patch back and firmly fixed it, then turned the water on and adjusted the temperature to barely warm.

The first thing he did was drinking right from the shower streams which brought peace to his sore and dry throat. Alex could drink a couple of gallons perhaps if he didn’t know that won’t be nice for his health.

It was the absolute delight to find a shampoo and finally wash his head twice, removing all the dust. The pegasus girl, Fluttershy, evidently took care of his hygiene, Alex felt he was blushing again, yet he reached the soap. When the main part was done, he sat under the streams and tried to concentrate on what he was going to face. His knowledge of this place was fragmentary and inconsistent. Besides, they themselves could be a threat to him.

“So, sooner or later I must meet the officials,” thoughts flew in Alex’s head like the water on his skin. “Maybe not princess herself, but someone whose duty is to deal with…”

“With what, Alex? Alien contacts, extra… equestrian beings, sudden breakouts? Maybe they have Human Interactions Department of Equestria,” Alex sighed, the joke didn’t look funny to him at all.

“I suppose the authorities will be high enough in this case… and suspicious. What would they think, if I show that I know something, anything about their world?”

“I wonder if it would be safer not to,” muttered Alex. “On the other hand, how could I lie to that girl for example…”

“Damn,” he gritted his teeth. “This is hard and complicated. I’m seriously not ready for all this… diplomacy. All I need is to get home fast. And I would like to think that my hopes match those of princesses or anyone who runs the whole place – to get rid of the disturbance aka me… preferably by sending me back, not some other way,” he didn’t want to imagine all the possibilities, yet they were real.

“I must think of some strategy,” Alex decided while turning the water down. “Certainly that means I must tell Fluttershy the truth or at least all necessary parts of the truth.”

He dried himself with the largest towel he could find, then wrapped it around his hips. That was the most embarrassing part of the situation, but he could hardly do more than that. Loud rumbling told him that his stomach was awake before him perhaps and now reminded about itself. The water wasn’t enough for sure.

He opened the bathroom door slightly and checked through the gap – Fluttershy was still sleeping with pose unchanged. Alex tiptoed out of the room and went exploring the house.

There were closed doors on this floor, but Alex headed downstairs. Then he suddenly remembered about the bear which must have brought him here.

“I seriously hope he is not a constant resident of the house,” said Alex to himself looking back over his shoulder. “Though he was definitely sentient enough to communicate with Fluttershy and listen to her requests. But somehow I don’t want to check if his trust includes me.”

The kitchen was his aim at the moment. They were to interact somehow and it would be better if they start from positive impressions. Besides Alex felt overly grateful for her not leaving him in the forest, despite she had the full moral right to be scared, suspicious, whatever else and thus refused to deal with him. According to what he remembered about the incident, he had hardly shown many differences from the wolf he killed. Fluttershy could think anything about Alex, yet she treated him the kindest way possible. Alex decided that making breakfast would be at least something to show his gratitude in this situation. That would be a nice gesture anyway.

The furniture in the kitchen was a bit little to his standards as well. But at least he could reach all the shelves and cupboards without any trouble.

“She can fly up to get anything with ease too, as she is a pegasus,” he smiled inwardly.

Alex managed to find eggs, flour and sugar, the water was in the kitchen tap. He found a frying pan, a bowl and even a whisk. In fact, the kitchen was kept in exemplary order.

“I just need to get used to it,” thought Alex naturally then stumbled upon this thought.

“Hmpf!” he smirked to himself.

“Milk, where is milk?” said Alex loud. “I will need some if I want to make decent pancakes.”

Lighting the stove gave him a bit of trouble, but all other accessories were just the same as in the human world. He smiled at the thought that those ponies must have really flexible and mobile joints to operate all the stuff. Apparently, they had no problems with average frying pans, cans or dishes. Perhaps he had more and produced more noise than planned, as when he was looking for milk once again a white bunny ran through the kitchen door and hopped on the table.

Alex turned to him. The bunny looked at him with interest and a bit of surprise, but without any sign of fear or suspect.

“Hey, little guy, umm, Angel… right?” Alex tried to sound calm and friendly, despite the wild fact that technically he was talking to an animal. “Do you know where is milk in that house? Your pony…”

“For all that I know the word “master” is the least suitable,” thought Alex.

“…friend got tired and is still sleeping. So I decided to take care of the breakfast,” he finished with a smile.

Angel stared at him making some decision, then he squeaked something, jumped to the floor and opened a cooler cupboard under the window. Alex slapped his forehead, he missed its’ doors twice thinking they were part of the wall. He kneeled and took out a big clay jar the bunny pointed at.

“Thanks, pal,” Alex remembered the ponies’ gesture from the show. He stretched out the fist and, to his immense surprise, the bunny bumped it with his small fluffy fist.

“The best pancake is yours by right,” smirked Alex.

His bachelorhood paid for itself, now when all the ingredients were ready, Alex quickly whipped the dough for the pancakes and had a few fried already when he heard a loud scream from the upper floor and a series of hurried steps on the stairs. Fluttershy burst into the kitchen and froze in the doorway breathing deeply from emotions.

She saw the human near her stove with a frying pan in one hand and a spatula in another. A few pancakes were already lying on the plate in the middle of the table. Angel bunny sat near and munched on another one. Fluttershy could perhaps laugh out loud if she wasn’t that surprised, agitated, and… she didn’t know what else…

“Morning!” the human waved her with the spatula while turning a pancake on the pan. Then he realized he had only a towel on and embarrassed smile crawled onto his face. “Ahem…”

“M-m-morning,” Fluttershy voice was almost faint. 

“Well… errr… despite how utterly stupid and hilarious it may sound,” he seemed to hardly find words, just like her. “My name is Alex.”

“And you are…” the pony girl took a few steps in and leaned on the table like she was looking for support.

“And I’m a human from another world,” guessed Alex the route of her thoughts. 

“At least I was one naturally before I was hit by the lightning and carried no one knows how to the old castle in the woods,” he added with a slightly sad smile. “And you?”

“I-I’m F-Fluttershy,” she almost whispered after a pause. Obviously, it turned out that it was much harder for her to talk to her guest than to take care of him while he was blacked out.

“I-I’m glad you’re f-finally OK,” she found the strength to clear her throat and say louder, then blushed for an unknown reason.

“And I’m glad you’re not mad with me taking the liberty to boss in your kitchen and making the breakfast.”

“Oh, this… was j-just unexpected… if you don’t mind me… p-putting it that way…” Fluttershy let herself giving out a little smile.

“I thought that was the least I could do to…” Alex put the last pancake into the pile and extinguished the stove. He then sat at the table and stared in the window.

“Thank you, Fluttershy!” he said simply but heartily after a long pause. “I can’t put it a better way and I don’t know if I need to. Thank you for saving my life.”

“Squee!” Fluttershy slid on another chair across the table. She looked even more embarrassed now. “I-if anypony needs to say thanks here… it’s m-me. If not you, I would be dead, there was no chance of Harry getting there in t-time…”

“Harry?” asked Alex. Then he remembered. “Oh, yeah, the bear…”

“Is it a common practice for you here to communicate with animals? I would really like to… W-well, I wanted when I was a kid.”

“You mean, you humans can’t,” Fluttershy looked at him. “Well, most ponies don’t do that or can’t. That’s my special talent – I can understand animals and be good friends with them.”

“Most of them…” she added meaningfully.

“We can’t, people – we call ourselves people when talking about many – can’t understand or talk to animals,” said Alex.

“Though this little guy seems to understand me pretty well,” he added nodding towards the bunny, who sat at the table looking from Alex to Fluttershy and back.

“Oh, where are my manners,” Fluttershy touched her mouth with a hoof. “This is Angel… A-and if you give me a moment… I’ll make us tea… i-if you’re OK with that,” she blushed again.

“Nice to meet you, Angel,” Alex winked. 

Alex felt that he started liking this pony girl more with each moment. It seemed he could be outspoken with her, he just needed to be careful and patient, as she was evidently of the gentle and modest kind, just as her name suggested. She must be really worried about his well being that she decided to share the bed with him – a total stranger for her at the moment, despite the one who saved her life.

Alex watched how she fluttered across the kitchen quickly and accurately doing things. The sudden warm thought visited him. He was really lucky that Fluttershy was the first pony… person he met in Equestria. Yet that was something to make his further way harder.

“So how do you get here, in Equestria,” Fluttershy lighted the stove again and put the teapot on. She seemed to get easier around him already. “I mean what happened before you found yourself here.”

Alex found himself easily telling her all his story in brief. He told her a little about his life on the Earth, about studies and work, about parents. She was amazed by some things which were common for him, but he guessed, he was to come across something in her world to amaze him speechless as well.

“Thinking machines!” exclaimed Fluttershy sitting across the table with her cup of tea which she seemed to forget about. She looked him directly into the eyes and he caught himself on returning the gaze with the light heart. “Really thinking like anypony else?”

“Well, they are not thinking by human… or pony standards,” Alex gave out a laughter. “It’s hard to explain shortly. We program… teach them to “think”, to solve different tasks. The point is they can perform many simple operations, but very fast, much faster than we do, so they help us solve digital tasks… yes.”

“But they can’t act on a random or abstract pattern,” he continued explaining when he saw she was still utterly amazed. “Still can’t at least.”

“Oh, sweet Celestia, it’s like magic anyway!” Fluttershy produced a little girly squeak.

“That isn’t though,” smiled Alex watching her. “We don’t have any magic in our world. Not that I knew about any at least… At least till recently.”

He then told her about his accident leaving out a part with the car crash and mentioning the most important things. Literally how he was hit by a bolt of lightning in the car. Fluttershy stopped him and asked to explain what was a “car” telling him that they had balloons and trains, but nothing like cars. Alex thought that technically they were at the beginning of Earth’s 20 century. Not bad for the land of talking ponies. And magic made them even more advanced in general. He told that after a bright flash and pain he found himself on top of the tower, in the old castle in the middle of the forest… and heavy rain was showering the scene.

“So you found yourself in the Sisters’ Castle ruins,” Alex noticed how Fluttershy shivered a little, evidently the castle wasn’t among desired places of interest here. “I can imagine it wasn’t the best arrival, Alex.”

He couldn’t help noticing that he liked, how she called him by his name, for the first time as he could remember. Now they were approaching the hardest part of the talk, yet Alex decided firmly at that point – he was going to be transparent with this girl.

“Before I continue, can I ask you one question, Fluttershy?”

“Mmm…” she muttered in agreeing manner busy with her pancake.

“What do you believe in here… in Equestria?”

“Hmm,” Fluttershy was a bit puzzled by such a twist but decided to let the human explain for himself. “Strange question… We believe in magic of course, how could we not, in Harmony… I’ll explain later,” she noticed that Alex stumbled upon this term. “In love. Then princesses, Celestia and Luna, they rule the Sun and the Moon respectively…”

Alex was already prepared for that, but still, his heart skipped a bit. That definitely could be his chance and his ticket to home… or towards his doom.

“Why do you asking?”

“Well, personally I believe wholeheartedly in one thing,” answered Alex. “Not the one and only actually, but that one for sure. The noosphere.”

“You know, everything you think, write, sing about, everything you create, makes an informational track,” he explained. “And the whole mass of ideas, of information, produced one way or another, forms an informational space, field, ocean… call it whatever you like and can understand better.”

“It seems I can understand what you are talking about,” Fluttershy nodded. “It’s like a library. An enormous library which contains all the knowledge of everypony who lives or lived.”

“Though libraries are Twilight’s turf,” she smiled.

“Right, you may put it that way of course.” Alex returned the smile. “And I now start to believe that this “library” has not only the ideas of humanity but much much more. In other words, if something simply exists somewhere, the idea or knowledge of that may appear on the other edge of reality.”

“… even in another reality I suppose,” he added after a moment of silence.

“So?”

“Do you have cinema?”

“Of course we have,” Fluttershy became even more puzzled. “Theatre as well. But I don’t quite understand where you…”

Alex sighed. He couldn’t lie right into those turquoise eyes. He would stop respecting himself forever then.

“I knew about Equestria,” he said quietly. “I mean I knew about it even before I got transferred here… unwillingly. Though I swear to gods I never could imagine it to be real.”

The silence in the kitchen seemed palpable. Even Angel looked stunned by the last words hitting the air. Fluttershy sat on her chair both hooves holding her face and staring at Alex with widely opened eyes.

“We have a movie… a cartoon series, telling about Equestria,” Alex closed his face with hands thinking how completely mental he could look and sound for her. “Many things match, including names. I… know that you have a few friends… Twilight Sparkle, you’ve mentioned her already. Then Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash and Applejack.”

“Squee!” Fluttershy sat still, like it was her, hit by the lightning.

“You may say I could hear the names, while I was unconscious and managed to grasp them somehow. But I know a few things more. My knowledge of your world is limited, but it exists.”

“There are also princesses Celestia and Luna, the rules of your country,” continued Alex with the serenity of the doomed. “Luna was banished to the moon by her sister for a thousand years… Merlin’s pants, I can’t imagine I’m speaking of that calmly… when she became Nightmare Moon. But you six returned her normal self by defeating Nightmare Moon with the help of Harmony Elements… I don’t know what those are,” he bowed a little towards Fluttershy. “I know that you are an Element of Kindness embodied though.”

“S-so, you’re saying, that humans… p-people know all about Equestria,” Fluttershy’s eyes dilated in terror. “F-from a movie?!”

“Not all, not everything, and… my life for it, I doubt anyone believes it’s real, no one plans a vacation in Equestria, as far as I know,” said Alex in the most soothing voice he could produce. “I am to believe… I am here.”

“I can’t… I h-have no words,” Fluttershy woke up from the stupor. But Alex noticed that she at least wasn’t mad with him or afraid of him personally. It was the mere idea of your whole reality being more or less someone’s show for entertainment which brought her to that state of shock.

“Believe me I was shocked even more, when I realized where I have gotten to in that Old Castle,” Alex moved closer to her and reached her hoof taking it in his hands. “I almost went mad, when I saw those tapestries in the main hall.” 

“But I was to tell you all the truth, especially after what you’ve done for me,” he added barely audibly.

“Ohhhh,” Fluttershy let out a deep sigh, then looked down. To Alex’s surprise, she didn’t withdraw her hoof. “Now I can imagine what you have come through.”

“Look,” she gave him a quick gaze then. “You don’t say you can watch everything?..”

“No, of course, no. It’s like a tale about some events which took place once,” Alex tried to find better words. “Like you know about Starswirl the Bearded and some of his deeds, despite never seeing him in person.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah, and there is also Spike, Twilight’s aide,” Alex nailed with a deadpan. “I’m sure none of you mentioned him to me.”

Fluttershy put another hoof on his hands and stroked them a bit. Then she giggled, then she burst out laughing holding both hooves at her mouth.

“What?”

“Oh, Alex, I’m so sorry,” Fluttershy sobbed and tried to hold hiccups. “I just imagined your face when you realized, where you got to… and my face moments ago, when you told me I could be a cartoon character for somepony. I understand how you think the… noosphere is connected with that… but it doesn’t sound less mad or somehow funny, sorry…”

Alex could perhaps get angry with her laughing at his trouble. But she was laughing at them both and their reaction to the circumstances, which brought them together. He looked at Fluttershy and felt his lips spread out in a smile too. A moment later he was almost dying from uncontrollable laughter as well.

Angel bunny jumped from the table and got onto the chair aside looking at them as at complete idiots. And they kept laughing and laughing, looked at each other and continued.

“Merlin’s pants!” moaned Alex wiping tears which started to drop already. “It looks like a tragedy, but when you put it like that…”

“Can you imagine,” he added. “I remembered how you with your friends went to the Old Castle when trying to defeat Nightmare Moon. I mean, remembered step by step on purpose, then chose the direction and repeated your journey backwards to get to Ponyville.”

“So, I’ve reached you in time simply because I’ve seen the bucking show and have a good memory,” he looked into her eyes from a few inches distance.

"I wonder if someone somewhere already makes a movie or writes a book about my troubles," with a nervous laughter Alex voiced the idea which came to his mind suddenly.

“Yeah, but I can see Celestia not liking all that completely,” Fluttershy became serious when they both calmed down a bit.

“And that won’t help me solve my problem of getting home,” added Alex feeling fun deflated in him like a popped balloon.

“I’m sure we can think something out,” Fluttershy looked at him with sympathy. “I’ve asked Twilight and she promised to try and talk to Celestia to buy us some time till you fully recover.”

“You don’t need to…”

“I do. And you know it. And I feel that I do,” Fluttershy put a hoof on his mouth making him stop. Then she suddenly drew it back quickly and blushed heavily.

“Umm… I-I mean… I want to help you,” she whispered with a sheepish smile. “I-if you are OK with that… that is what f-friends are for…”

Alex nodded quickly. He suddenly felt he couldn’t force any words out, not before he could swallow the lump in his throat.

“Thanks,” he squeezed finally, then cleared his throat. “Albeit I’m not quite in shape to meet a princess anyway.”

He looked down on his towel and adjusted it. Then looked back on her to be granted with the look of red as a carrot Fluttershy. It was amazing how she blushed through her yellow coat.

“Sorry,” she said in half voice. “We were to take them off to clean and to wash you. The wound could get contaminated…”

“I understand.”

“B-but I have only boots and underwear,” he couldn’t say anything before she blazed out of the kitchen and returned with his scarce clothing.

“Rarity took the royal tapestry you came wrapped in,” Fluttershy’s sight was glued to the floor. “She wanted to try restoring it…”

“… and I have nothing except towels, sheets and… dresses,” she muttered.

“I guess with all I’ve come through, I would hardly look more hilarious in a dress, but I probably pass,” Alex took her face in his hands and removed a few strands falling on her eyes. “Besides you don’t have my size anyway.”

She smiled. Alex thought that one could easily drown in those eyes. Then he remembered Elen’s face and his mood faded. He had no idea, when and if he could get back.

Fluttershy jumped on the spot with a squeak. Fortunately, she seemed to notice the shadow on his face not.

“I’m a fool,” she looked at him guiltily. “Rarity offered help, specifically with the clothes. She runs a boutique in Ponyville.”

“You know about that perhaps,” she smirked and gazed on him playfully. “So she knows everything one possibly can about clothes. She must think something out, I’m sure.”

“But I must warn you,” she moved closer, so, her mouth was right next to his ear. “She became… I can’t put it otherwise… excited when she saw you. So be careful around her, I don’t know what she can perform, but she was in a really flirtatious mood.”

Alex facepalmed inwardly, there was a pony excited about him already. Where did things go? Fluttershy turned away for him not to see her face when she remembered the “fifteen times longer” remark.

“OK,” said Alex. “I guess that’s inevitable. I can’t go around like that forever.”

Fluttershy thought that she wouldn’t mind really, then scolded herself for that naughty idea.

“I’ll call her then as soon as possible,” she said instead.

“Thank you, Fluttershy,” he definitely liked as it sounded either. “Can I use your bathroom… again?”

He left his boots at the front door when heading to the stairs. No need for them at home.

‘At home?!’ his mind made an intensive leap. ‘In the house, Alex. That’s “in the house”, right?’

*

“Sweetie Belle! Sweetie Belle,” Rarity looked up calling her sister loudly. “Sweetie Belle, could you come down.”

“What’s up, sis?” small white unicorn filly with pink and lilac mane and tail poked her head through the door into her sister’s working cabinet. “I had the floor in my room shaking when you called,” she giggled.

“Hmpf,” Rarity cocked her head in a disapproving manner. “I wasn’t THAT loud if you’re talking about it…”

“Oh, maybe just a little,” smirked Sweetie Belle.

“Have you done your homework, dear?” Rarity asked insinuatingly.

Her younger sister rolled her eyes like saying. “Oh, come on, not again!..”

“It’s May already, Rarity,” she said instead. “Ms Cheerilee gives us almost nothing before holidays…”

“And obviously I have it prepared already,” she added to avoid further interrogation. “Did you need me for something?”

“On the contrary, darling,” Rarity smiled to some of her thoughts and it was obvious that she was pleased by something.

“Tell Fluttershy I’ll pack what’s necessary and move on,” she said to Angel bunny, who then saluted with his paw and leapt outside worming between Sweetie Belle’s legs before she could step aside from the doorway. The letter in Rarity’s magic grasp must have been the one he delivered.

“I was about to suggest,” Rarity continued explaining to her sister. “That you may go to Applejack’s garden and visit your friends, and have your club meeting or whatever you do usually with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo.”

“I simply doubt you want to sit all alone till late afternoon. I need to see Fluttershy, darling,” Rarity was packing meters, rulers, pencils, sheets of paper in her saddlebag. The letter flew there the last.

“Is everything all right?” Sweetie Belle was genuinely interested.

“Yeah… Well, yeah,” answered Rarity absently looking over her workplace with half-lidded eyes. “Fluttershy just needed a new dress… and she told me that she had some free time… so I decided to go make all the necessary measurements, while I have a chance.”

Her sister became alert at once. Belle’s Cutie Mark Crusader senses told her there was something not quite as simple, as her older sister wanted it to look. Like every little filly, she adored secrets and mysteries and innocently poking her nose into those. Like Cutie Mark Crusader she felt it was her duty to investigate everything which seemed nearly secret.

She watched how Rarity spun in front of a mirror checking her coat, checking her mane and tail and brushing it, puffing her lips and examining them with great care. Then Rarity glued a pair of fake eyelashes, extending twice her already long natural ones.

‘Don’t stab anypony with them, sis,’ giggled Sweetie Belle mentally.

“Oh, I just had an idea about our CMC investigations,” she jumped with a sly smile. “You’re right, Rarity, I need to visit my friends.”

If Rarity listened to her younger sister a bit more attentively, the word “investigations” could have warned her about them planning something… again. Or even better say about Sweetie Belle who just started planning something and was going to involve her overly curious friends. But Rarity was still smiling, truth to be told with a very dreamy look, to some of her thoughts and simply followed her sister outside taking her saddle bag and closing the door of Carousel Boutique behind them.

Sweetie Belle watched, how her older sister headed towards Fluttershy’s cottage indeed, then she turned and trotted to the Apple Farm thinking about what she managed to notice.

‘Strange that Rarity packed the letter with her,’ thought Sweetie Belle while her legs carried her automatically on the well-known route. ‘She didn’t throw it on her work table as usual. There is already the complete mess of sketches, pencils, spools of threads there… one small note would hardly add more.’

She reached the Garden fence already.

‘Besides Fluttershy is not a fashionista type pony, as far as I know. She doesn’t buy dresses once a week to brighten her mood. The yearly Galloping Gala is not coming soon yet and the dress Rarity makes specifically for Fluttershy is in the boutique still. I must say Rarity surpassed herself with it… No more than yesterday evening she fixed and improved something… and prevented me from sleeping with her dancing around the dress almost till midnight.’

‘Well, sis, you’re definitely hiding something,’ she thought, approaching a nice tree house – Cutie Mark Crusaders’ clubhouse exactly. ‘You and Fluttershy. Two best friends forever,’ she giggled.

‘The existing dress hardly needs any measurements at all,’ concluded Sweetie Belle, she already heard that her filly friends were talking about something in the tree house. ‘And you looked happier than Opal filled with sour cream. Something tells me that’s not about the dress…’

She got up on the wooden slope and bumped the door open with her fore hooves.

“Hey, girls!” she trotted inside and hugged Apple Bloom – the yellow freckled filly with red mane and tail, and Scootaloo – the orange one with the pink and purple mane and tail. “How’s life? Any daring plans for today?”

“Nothing too fancy,” yawned Scootaloo. “We thought we could try ourselves in diving in the nearby pond. Well, better try this chance as well. Apple Bloom said…”

“Big Mac had mask, tube and flippers somewhere,” nodded Apple Bloom. “But I’m afraid they are a bit big for us.”

“Forget about ponds and flippers,” whispered Sweetie Belle in a conspiratorial tone. “We have some secrets to unearth.”

“Didn’t it brought us troubles only the last time we tried?” Apple Bloom was unsure, if that was a good idea, remembering the last time they all three worked for a school newspaper under Chatterbox pen name gathering salt and pepper about Ponyville private life. “I mean the last time was miserable enough.”

“Oh, come one, little Apple,” jumped Scootaloo, who was in for every action except hunger-strike. “It’s not like we’re going to write about that or share it with anypony else. Right, Sweetie Belle?”

“So what’s your plan?” Scootaloo pricked her ears… and Apple Bloom joined in a minute. Curiosity was born before her, apparently.

“Rarity just got a notice from Fluttershy, then packed meters, paper and stuff and fled,” Sweetie Belle told them in brief. “She told me to go for “fresh air” and almost danced away.”

“Umm,” Scootaloo gave her a sly smile. “They say your sister and Fluttershy… are a thing.”

“Ewww,” Sweetie Belle shook her head. “Where did you dig that from, Scoots?”

“Well, some ponies gossip…”

“They say Rainbow and Fluttershy are a thing as well,” retorted Sweetie Belle. “They are just good friends with Rarity. My sister is not into that…”

“Fluttershy is a very popular girl, despite if she wants that or not,” giggled Apple Bloom.

“Don’t tell Rarity,” Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. “They are best friends, yet she barely came through Fluttershy’s popularity… you know, when she was modelling for Photo Finish.”

Girls laughed, then Apple Bloom added.

“And I think that Fluttershy was on a roll as a model. She is so beautiful and manages to keep the look easily…”

“Back to our business, girls!” Scootaloo jumped impatiently. “So what do you think?”

“Well, I doubt it’s about any dresses for Fluttershy, but all the tools make me puzzled still,” Sweetie Belle put her hoof at the chin. “It must be connected with clothes, but it’s something weirder than Fluttershy suddenly becoming a fashionista like Rarity.”

“Hey, maybe they were going to dress Harry as a clown,” suggested Apple Bloom and the girls burst out laughing.

“That didn’t explain why she spun in front of the mirror for quite a while making “everything look just purrrfect, dear”,” Sweetie Belle imitated her sister very closely and girls snorted again.

“So are we going to find out… or not?” Scootaloo stopped giggling and gazed at her friends.

“Sure thing!”

“Let’s do it!”

“Cutie Mark Crusaders – Private Investigators!!!” yelled the fillies and shared a hoof bump.

*

Fluttershy went outside to perform her daily duties for the animals and Alex decided to wash the dishes and bring the kitchen to the usual order. Or better say he convinced her to leave him that part of work as he wasn’t supposed to get outside not to be spotted by anypony. He could at least help about the house, so Fluttershy would entirely focus on her animal friends.

Obviously, Alex got to the bathroom first and dressed – if putting on boxers only could be called that pretentiously, he left the towel on as well, this gave him at least some confidence that he didn’t look like some stripper on performance. In fact, what Fluttershy told him about Rarity’s hopes made him consider putting even a dress on… a serious chance to look utterly hilarious was the only thing stopping him. Besides he wasn’t entirely sure if that wouldn’t give an opposite effect, who could know those ponies for sure…

Angel followed Fluttershy and Alex was all alone in the kitchen having an ability to think about the whole situation he got in. He was sure that he wasn’t mistaking in Fluttershy, she sympathized him and would tell princess nothing or nothing unnecessary unless he did it himself. She didn’t see any danger in his limited knowledge of the equestrian way of life, she even found the whole situation amusing. Alex wasn’t so sure that his condition amuses him, but he couldn’t take offence either – that was nopony’s fault. Alex made a mental note of himself accommodating to local speech and sighed.

‘I hope that won’t become my new mother language.’

So what did he have at the moment? He was to recover completely, find out as much as possible about Celestia and her methods of solving problems. And of course, he was to gather all his confidence and eloquence to convince the princess to send him home. If she could, of course…

What could happen, if she didn’t, was exactly the thought Alex tried to avoid.

Some sound from outside got his attention, Alex heard Fluttershy talking to someone approaching the front door. He wiped the last plate and put it into the dryer, then turned off the water. It was time to grasp himself and face any lusty demon his fate prepared for him.

“Well, Rarity,” Fluttershy was saying something to Rarity when she entered the kitchen and stepped aside letting her friend come in. “Let me introduce you Alex, finally up to the mark… if you’re okay with me… putting it like that.”

“Alex, that’s my friend Rarity,” she then added simply. “She kindly agreed to help with your small clothing problem.”

At first, Alex wondered, why Fluttershy stuck to such a diplomatic tone, but then he saw she tried her best not to smile.

Rarity floated in the room with her head raised high, she could make swans jealous and ashamed compared to her grace. She evidently spent her time in front of the mirror with good use.

“Thanks, dear,” murmured Rarity examining Alex through half-lidded eyes with such eyelashes that Alex feared of being impaled by them. “We’ve got acquainted already… well, in some sense we did… unilaterally,” she giggled. “But it’s nice to see you getting well, Alex the human.”

Alex made big eyes towards Fluttershy and she rolled her eyes behind Rarity’s back, like if she was saying. “Remember what I have told you.”

“So, Rarity, what do you need to make your measurements?” Fluttershy stepped from hoof to hoof. “I haven’t finished yet with my little friends out there, so if you excuse me…”

“Don’t worry, dear,” Rarity kept eyeing Alex. “But the kitchen is not quite good for our task. It’s too tight here,” breathed she out.

‘Too tight for what?’ shuddered Alex inwardly. He imagined the bedroom… and thought that he, on the contrary, wouldn’t object staying right here.

“Fine, you can go upstairs,” agreed Fluttershy before he could say anything.

“I’ll check you later, guys,” she added with emphasis.

Rarity wrinkled her nose funnily, but she could do nothing about that.

“Ok, that’s better,” she headed upstairs first.

Alex watched Fluttershy trotting outside and followed Rarity with the fatalism of the condemned written on his face. At least she promised to check them eventually. He was to admit, the last thing he was ready for, was the pony girl physiologically interested in him. Though he also was to admit that the waving of cutie marks in his sight was quite hypnotizing.

‘Come on, man,’ he shook his head. ‘She is a pony… girl.’


“Hey, here you are, Flutters!” the call from above made Fluttershy jump.

Rainbow Dash landed next to her not bothering much about being gracious.

“How’s tricks?”

“Hi, Rainbow,” Fluttershy continued filling the feeders for her chickens who crowded around chirping impatiently. “It depends on what you are asking about.”

“Alex woke up this morning,” she said dusting off her hooves. “And fortunately he is getting better.”

“Oh,” Rainbow spoke stretching the words. “He is “Alex” already.”

“Oh, come on, Rainbow,” laughed Fluttershy. “It’s not his fault that it’s his name. You’re disliking him even before he could do something wrong.”

“Should I wait for him to do it exactly?” huffed Rainbow, she was very stubborn when determined about anything. “I stick to my words – I don’t trust him.”

“Rarity is making measurements now to help him with clothes.”

“And you let her stay with him one-on-one,” Rainbow made round eyes. “Aren’t you worried about her?”

“I’d rather be worried about him,” muttered Fluttershy. Then exclaimed jokingly. “So you don’t worry about me staying with him one-on-one, but Rarity.”

“You,” Rainbow seemed to be surprised by the question. “You’re a totally different story, Flutters. Everypony knows you can Stare even a dragon.”

“It seems Rarity is going to give him quite a Stare as well,” Fluttershy was noticeably embarrassed by Rainbow’s words.

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow.

Fluttershy acted as if she was trying to passionately kiss an invisible partner explaining her point. Rainbow produced a vomiting sound, then laughed.

“Oh,” she remembered something. “Have you seen Scootaloo or her friends lately?”

“No. Why are you asking?” wondered Fluttershy.

“I could swear, I saw three little squirts sneaking around your garden when I flew by,” explained Rainbow. “That would mean nothing… if I knew them worse.”

“Not that I gave a flying feather for that… human,” Rainbow scratched her head. “But if we screw at hiding him from other ponies that will make Celestia mad about us all and mostly you, pal. I don’t like that idea.” She smiled widely.

“Thanks, Rainbow,” Fluttershy replied heartily. “I’ll keep an eye.”



“That’s way better,” Rarity let out a satisfied sigh which made Alex even more worried.

She smacked her saddlebag on the table and opened it with magic. Meters, pencils, sheets of paper started flowing out driven by the blue glow.

“So… how’s the royal tapestry restoration going?” Alex tried to fill the pause.

“Oh, you know already, darling,” Rarity looked at him over her shoulder with a bright smile. “I won’t say it’s an easy task, I must be really careful not to spoil anything. Ultimately it’s an ancient masterpiece of endless value.”

“But I must admit, it kept most of its durability over the ages,” she placed her tools on the table into working order. “And served you well during your journey, Ahlex!”

Alex can’t help gulping at his name voiced like that – it sounded palpably sultry.

‘If only I could keep playing on the vanity string long enough,’ he thought, remembering Rarity’s weak spot.

“… but I try my best and eventually will prove that I capable of restoring it,” she continued meanwhile. “I asked the princess for that honour myself, so simply can’t fail now.” She cocked her head proudly.

“So, dear…” she turned to Alex who stood without any idea what he was to do. “Why don’t you take that thing off.”

“What, sorry?” Alex felt slightly stunned.

“Your towel, silly,” Rarity batted her eyelashes and giggled like a school filly. She thought that she’d rather say “everything”, but decided to take smaller steps. “I need to measure your parameters and supposedly you’ll need pants, so the towel will prevent me from doing it right. Unless you need a skirt instead…”

“Did Fluttershy return you your underwear?” she smirked while coming closer.

Alex felt his cheeks started burning. Buck it! Why should he blush?

Rarity measured him carefully trying to not touch him with magic at all cost. But Alex thought that she was avoiding magic for other reasons as well. And soon he noticed that he was right.

She was going from the bottom and up, measuring his legs, then hips, then waist… while Alex was constantly on his toes. He saw now that Fluttershy was totally serious warning him about Rarity being… excited.

Rarity raised on her hind legs to measure his chest. She preferred to use no magic and was almost to hug him to position the measuring tape. Alex noticed that she stepped closer as if she was struggling with the meter… and then she snuggled up to him. 

Alex was impressed, how soft her coat felt against his skin. She looked up into his eyes and almost purred from pleasure as well. Rarity so looked like a big kitten at that moment that Alex relaxed a bit – later he thought it was an unforgivable mistake – and put his hands on her mane. He stroked it gently and Rarity dropped the measuring tape on the floor, enclosing him in a full-time embrace. He rubbed behind her ears and she literally purred, with her chin resting on his chest and her eyes half-lidded.

He scratched her shoulders and reached her back… Perhaps that was what having hands with flexible fingers was about. Alex felt how she shook of pleasure the next moment, closing her eyes and pressing herself harder into him. Her body started to heat up quite noticeably. Girl’s breath became deeper and heavier.

Alex removed his hands off Rarity’s coat. To his terror, he felt that his manly reflexes started reminding of themselves. A few more moments of squeezing him like that and she would certainly notice. Alex didn’t want to think about what could follow…

He took a step back unconsciously, but Rarity clenched to him and followed. She opened her eyes and Alex found himself facing two black holes ready to swallow him. Her pupils dilated that much, it was arousing and scary at the same time. Alex started panicking internally intercepting Rarity’s glance towards the bed…

“Ahem,” Alex saw Fluttershy in the doorway. The saviour! At last. Alex was ready to throw himself to her hooves.

“I thought you might need something, guys,” she wasn’t very surprised by what she saw.

‘Save me!’ Alex semaphored her with his eyes only and thankfully Fluttershy seemed to get it right.

“Is everything OK, Rarity?” she asked. “Rarity!”

“It’s nothing…” raucously answered Rarity, then she managed to focus her eyesight and clear her mind a bit. 

“It’s fine,” she corrected herself and let Alex go, then levitated the measuring tape. “I’ve just dropped the meter, darling, while measuring his chest. He is really big.”

Alex felt he was blushing again, he threw a quick look down and thought that Fluttershy appeared just in time… before things started looking really naughty.

“Oh, I’ll stay then… just in c-case… some help is n-needed,” humbly stated Fluttershy. “I’ve finished with my pets anyway.”

Rarity frowned a little.  She quickly finished measuring now avoiding Alex’s eyes for some reason. But Alex decided that it was better to be on full alert, no way she could give up that easily all of a sudden.

“I plan to make some sketches,” she then levitated a pencil and a clip of paper, naughty expression was returning to her face. “If you don’t mind…”

“Can I ask you to strike a pose, darling,” she addressed Alex undressing him with her eyes. “For a start just stand there in relaxing pose, put one foot forward a little, opposite hand on your waist. Thanks. Just what I need!”

They were interrupted by some rustling noise outside. Alex took a few quick steps to hide in the shadows in the corner of the room. Fluttershy flew up to the window.

At first, she saw nothing, nothing unusual. Grass and flowers right under the window, a few shrubs and an old tree which spread its’ branches over the roof of her cottage. A few of them were on the same level as the window though. Fluttershy spotted a small curled pony figure which tried to hide behind the leaves but evidently failed at this task.

“Scootaloo! What are you doing here?” Fluttershy exclaimed in surprise. “I thought ponies don’t climb trees normally.”

“We… I…” Scootaloo tried to look aside. “I was practising… some of my special tricks… when I tripped over a root… and fell… and my helmet flew off to the tree…”

Fluttershy raised an eyebrow looking at orange filly pointedly.

“And I was to follow and look for it here… I found it!” quickly added Scootaloo. “I’m OK, seriously.”

“And where are two other fidgets?” Fluttershy scanned the view again when two heads with leaves and small twigs in their manes emerged from the bushes. The look on their faces was a bit guilty.

“Oh, here you are girls… Don’t you think that tricks which make helmets fly are a bit… dangerous?!”

“By the way, Rainbow Dash looked for you… well… at least it seemed so…”

“That was the point,” Scootaloo answered in a loud whisper, trying to get down from the tree. “Rainbow wasn’t supposed to see those tricks before it’s time to.”

She slowly backed to the tree trunk, then stopped, deciding, if the better way of climbing down was her nose or her tail first. It was seemingly a very hard choice because finally she just jumped off and glided to the grass with the help of her small wings.

“Well, we’d better go find some smoother ground to train. Squee!”

“Good-bye, Fluttershy,” squeaked Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, and all three girls whisked under the trees and out of Fluttershy’s garden.

Fluttershy shrugged and turned back to the room.

“There were just Cutie Mark Crusaders,” she explained to Alex and Rarity, who froze listening when they all heard the noise. “I wonder if they were indeed just playing there or tried to sneak and sniff something out,” Fluttershy smiled kindly. 

Alex relaxed a bit and Rarity returned to her sketches drawing something with sudden inspiration.

“While you are a… secret, avoid getting yourself spotted by them,” Fluttershy explained to Alex. “They always plan for good… but… sometimes things go not quite as planned. Just like when they tried to make ms. Cheerilee and Big Mac be each others’ special somepony on Hearts and Hooves day… with the help of the Love Potion.”

“But they are only little fillies,” she added apologizing them.

Alex gulped loudly… He made big eyes and pointed to Rarity with a silent nod. Fluttershy followed his gaze and put her fore hoof above her mouth cautiously. Fortunately, Rarity was too concentrated on her drawing and didn’t hear a bit about Love Potion. Alex and Fluttershy both took a deep breath of relief.

“Well,” woke up Rarity, she looked rather proud of herself. “I have a couple of ideas.”

“Let’s say I’ll return to you tomorrow… Supposedly I can make some simple clothes for the start and more underwear. Then I’ll try to squeeze some time among other orders to make something fabulous.”

“Until tomorrow, I’m afraid, Ahlex will be forced to stick to his… beach fashion,” Rarity sent Alex another sultry gaze batting her eyelashes.

“And… errmmm…” she lowered the pride in her tone a bit. “Don’t be mad with me, if something works not perfectly right away… It’ll be the first time ever I’m stitching for a human.”

“I can’t thank you enough anyway,” answered Alex sincerely. “You’re literally saving me. No way I was going to face princess looking like that.”

‘Hmm… Personally, I wouldn’t mind!’ thought Rarity with a sly smile, but she said aloud. “Oh, no worries, darling. You’re always welcome.”

“And you’re always welcome in my Carousel Boutique,” she added with emphasis.

‘Only if I can make at least both Fluttershy and Twilight come with me,’ thought Alex quickly.



“So, have you seen anything?!” both fillies shook Scootaloo when they got themselves on an inaudible distance from Fluttershy’s cottage. “What was going there?”

“Well… I haven’t managed to see something interesting,” Scootaloo lowered her head in regret. “The curtains were half drawn… and when I tried to sneak closer… Fluttershy looked out and spotted me at once.”

“She was nice and didn’t ask anything… ticklish, but she looked at me very fixedly – you know how she does – I’ve almost fallen down,” Scootaloo shuddered. “I can’t stay calm when she looks like this.”

“Yeah, she is super cool,” exclaimed Sweetie Belle. “But I always get goosebumps, when she stares at me… even if it’s not yet the Stare.”

“So we got nothing,” concluded Apple Bloom. “For now…”

“Unfortunately… Squee!!!”

“Hey, girls,” Pinkie Pie seemed to pop from under the ground, so all three fillies jumped on the spot. “How’s life? Still looking for your special talent by trying each and everything?”

“Yeah, kinda…” squeaked all three with sheepish smiles.

“Don’t worry, it will reveal itself eventually,” Pinkie smiled cheerfully. “Sometimes it comes when you least expect.”

“Have you seen Fluttershy, girls? Is she at home?”

“She is… and Rarity is also there,” said Sweetie Belle, then decided to play for broke. “Do you guys plan some secret party?”

“I’ve no idea!” Pinkie seemed to be happy no matter what. “But I can bet, if I put my hoof in, there will be some. Look, if there is, I’ll tell you, I promise.”

“Pinkie Promise?” asked Scootaloo with a sly smile.

Pinky pretended to pout.

“But of course.”

“Bye, girls,” and she jumped towards the cottage like a pink fluffy ball.

“Another one,” sighed Apple Bloom. “There is definitely going something interesting… and we are not informed!” she almost yelled, then remembered Pinkie could hear them and went silent with a guilty look.

“Ok, girls,” Sweetie Belle stopped and shook her mane. “I’ll try to dig something out from my sister. Preferably without her even noticing,” she giggled while blushing. “Wish me luck!”

“Cutie Mark Crusaders – Sneaking Ninjas!” yelled three girls and shared a hoof bump.

*

Fluttershy and Alex saw Rarity off to the door when a pink hurricane blasted it open and burst in. Alex could hardly suppress his impulse to jump on the nearest table with feet when he found himself enclosed in a bear hug by a pink mare with pink-red, puffy as cotton-candy mane and tail.

“Weehee!” yelped she, squeezing him so strong that he felt his wound a bit. “I’m the last to meet you, human. But here I am.”

“So, what about “Welcome to Equestria Human” party?” she looked at her friends, who still were in some sort of a shocked stupor from her flurry.

“Ahem… Pinky this is Alex. Alex, the mare squeezing you is my friend Pinkie Pie,” smirked Fluttershy.

“Alex. Hmmm… Me likes,” Pinkies smile became even wider. “Welcome to Equestria, Alex! I mean, I’m welcoming you… but as a party title that sounds great either.”

“What?” she asked hearing both her friends huffing without conspiring.

Alex made a mental note that she was still holding him, but before he could fear that it would be “Rarity, take 2” she elaborated.

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but if there is somepony here, who needs friends and friends’ attention, it is Alex. Getting somewhere nopony… oh… I mean nohuman knows where without any… human you can trust or rely isn’t the best experience.”

Alex could have gone angry with her for this public preparation of his trouble… again. But she looked up into his eyes and he suddenly realized that her intentions were genuine. And her prolonged hug wasn’t something naughty as well. That was just how she was: always cheerful, impulsive, light-hearted, yet thoughtful and caring in her own way. Soul of the company – Pinkie Pie. He hugged her heartily in return and slightly stroked her mane.

“Hmmm… Now I start to understand Lyra with her fixation on getting hands,” Pinkie raised an eyebrow.

Rarity snorted and sent Pinkie a spear gaze, which Pinkie happily ignored. She said instead of that.

“Actually I came for a minute, Fluttershy. I had a break of running the bakery and thought that a short run forth and back won’t hurt, so I could meet you, guys.”

“Oh, Pinkie, so you’re left without a lunch… because of us,” Fluttershy was visibly sorry. “Umm… Be my g-guest… We have some pancakes left… if you’re OK with that. You too, Rarity.”

“Pancakes!” Jumped Pinkie, while Rarity thanked and refused, explaining that it would be too heavy for her. “Sounds just right.”

She strolled to the kitchen and took one from the pile of remaining pancakes. Then she munched on it and her eyes dilated.

“Fluttershy, you’ve managed to impress me in cooking.”

“Actually, that’s not me…” humbly confessed Fluttershy, nodding towards Alex.

A wide grin flashed on Pinkies face again, she gulped a couple of pancakes more and turned to Alex.

“Isn’t cooking your special talent?”

“People don’t have special talents as ponies do,” said Alex with a small smile. “Of course people learn something specific to master it and work with it mostly, and some have talents for some things. But it’s not like a destiny, one can learn many things if one really wants.”

“People?”

“That’s how humans call themselves when there are many,” explained Fluttershy. “And Alex’s special talent could have been working with hardware and… how did you call it Alex?.. yeah, software. It’s hard to explain Pinkie… it’s like magic in their world making the… “thinking machines” run.”

“Thinking machines?” re-asked Pinkie. “Why would one need a machine thinking for them?”

“They not actually or only think,” laughed Alex. “But they can operate mechanisms and solve different tasks. Look… Just imagine a machine selling stuff and working with customers instead of you. You could have made twice more candies and pies then, with all the consequences for your income.”

“That could be hoofy,” agreed Pinkie.



“Look, can you maybe find something I can do?” asked Alex when they remained one-on-one. “While I can’t go outside, I could do something inside the house. I mean, you are already busy with all the animals and now my problems… I want to help where I can.”

“Well, if you want to… you really don’t need to…” evidently Fluttershy was uncomfortable at the idea of loading him with some work.

“I just don’t want to be a… parasprite,” grinned Alex.

“Oh, don’t remind me,” Fluttershy shuddered, then gentle smile lighted her face. “I’ll trust Pinkie’s expertise. You can make dinner if you don’t mind.”

She then showed him where different ingredients were. Alex noted that a somewhat vegetarian diet was inevitable… Well, he could think about that later, it wasn’t overly pleasant, yet not fatal.

“I suppose as omnivores you have meat from time to time,” said Fluttershy with regret. “But I’m afraid it will be a problem here, Alex.”

“Don’t you worry!” Alex shook his head. “Milk, eggs and mushrooms can provide proteins. Besides you have fish on the market I suppose.”

Fluttershy nodded, then added.

“I suppose you can cooperate with Harry when it is possible to get out.”

“I doubt he sticks to a vegetarian diet all the time,” she elaborated. “He goes hunting from time to time.”

“Do you have snakes in the forest?” Alex got an idea. “You know, a properly prepared snake could be delicious…”

“Don’t even want to imagine,” Fluttershy shivered. “Ugh! And don’t tell Twilight, she is afraid of snakes deadly… Or maybe she would like that rather because she is afraid of them, I don’t know.”

“And yes, there are many,” she answered his question. “Too many, if you ask me. Frankly speaking, I treat all the living with respect, but… snakes… I don’t feel confident, they can return that gesture.”

Alex estimated her level of diplomacy with a smile.

“I’ve only seen one on my route from the Old Castle ruins,” he said. “Funny freak with a chicken body and a snake tail. I don’t know if this was actually a sna…”

“You did what?” Fluttershy’s jaw dropped and her eyes seemed to get the size of dinner plates. “That was a cockatrice!!! How are you standing here then?”

“What’s special about this clown?” Alex genuinely couldn’t understand her shock. “It blocked my road and stared at me… for a while, I tried to walk around it and it kept repeating its “performance”.”

“Squee!”

“I found it rather stupid,” Alex continued. “Well… I kicked it in the beak and sent flying into a tree hole. That’s all. Fluttershy? Fluttershy!”

“Sweet Celestia!” Fluttershy managed to close her mouth and bring her face to the usual look. “Cockatrice is one of the most dangerous monsters out there, Alex. It can turn you into stone with its stare…”

“Well, that one was broken perhaps,” smirked Alex.

“Or they can’t affect you just like the magic,” Fluttershy was on the contrary very serious. “You’re lucky you are like that, Alex, believe me. Twilight is afraid of snakes and especially cockatrices that much because she had personal experience.”

“They say fools are lucky,” Alex didn’t find any reasons to be sad. “Wait… and how she survived then?”

“You look least like a fool, simply be careful next time… please. And that incident…” Fluttershy seemed to be embarrassed by her role in it. “I’ll tell you some other day. Well, in brief, I… convinced it to revert the effect. But… it was dangerous… and I’d prefer to avoid repeating that.”

“You’ve stared it like those bucking wolves?!” Alex seemed to cheer rather than ask.

“Yesss,” muttered she in half voice. “And before you send me… into eternal blushing I attend to my daily duties,” she let a tiny smile nevertheless. “And you can save us from starving... if you don’t mind… please.”

“Yes, sir, ma’am, sir!” Alex saluted with a wide grin. Then he frowned slightly, raising his right arm was still a bit painful.

Fluttershy trotted outside with a snort, Alex imagined how he looked and laughed as well taking the dishes out of the closet.



He just finished mixing the salad wondering where those ponies got fresh vegetables in Spring. Not even in the middle of Summer, but supposedly in May already.

“Well, I guess that’s one of the benefits of being capable of doing magic,” he said to himself.

“Cough…”

Alex turned around and found a lilac unicorn pony standing at the kitchen door. A very surprised unicorn pony because she blinked fast and didn’t yet drop any word.

“Hi, Twilight!” he waved the spoon in the air, that calculation was easy: the colour, the horn, the whole stance and face – he could hardly be mistaking. “If you look for Fluttershy, she is outside with her little friends… or not so little, if Harry is there as well,” he added with a friendly smile.

Apparently Twilight was still slightly shocked, as she turned a bit automatically following Alex’s nod direction. Then it was his turn to wonder.

“Wait! Since when you are an… alicorn?!” the proper word floated in his memory just in time and Alex put the salad bowl on the table, not to drop it to the floor.

“I must be seriously missing something here,” he muttered to himself staring on Twilight’s wings. Twilight looked at him with a mix of surprise and unease. Besides she noticed finally his… “beach style” as Rarity called it, and was a bit confused.

“Mmmm…” they heard from the front door. “I can smell it from here. What do we have? I’m starving.”

Fluttershy flit in the kitchen guided by the vegetable smell.

“Oh, hi, Twilight!”

…

“Alex, Twilight?!” Fluttershy alternated between them puzzledly. “What’s up with you, guys? Maybe you stop playing gaze already…”

“Fluttershy, why is Twilight an alicorn?”

“Fluttershy, how come the first question, he asked, was “Since when you’re an alicorn”?”

Alex and Twilight both exclaimed simultaneously, then fell silent and stared at each other once again.

“Oh,” Fluttershy apparently caught, what was happening. “It’s a long story, Twilight. Alex, yes, Twilight is a princess for about a year already… Sorry… for not telling you, I forgot you know only a small part of the… story.”

“I’m sure we can talk this through,” she giggled, amused by their look. “If you be so kind as to set the table, while I get to the bathroom, sorry… But you do tell,” she pointed at Alex.

“I’m sorry, princess,” Alex remembered about etiquette and bowed, trying not to think how exactly he looked like. “It’s nice to meet your Highness.”

“Simply “Twilight”, please,” she replied automatically. “And I’m glad you’re getting well… Alex.”

Alex noted that she cared about her friends more than about her royal duties if any and the mere title itself.

“Alex …?” she asked while opening the cupboard with her magic and levitating plates and cutlery out and onto the table.

“For you all… helping me to survive… the reality, it’s simply Alex,” he smiled in return and placed sandwiches and fruits in another bowl to accompany the huge bowl of salad. Alex tried to make enough for them with Fluttershy to compensate for protein absence. It was reasonable even more now when there were three of them.

“Excuse me as well,” Twilight poured fresh juice in three glasses, then mounted a free chair at the table. “I never saw a real human otherwise than a picture in an old book…”

“Just like me – a unicorn, let alone an alicorn till recently,” smirked Alex taking another chair.

“Yeah, I guess. And besides, I wasn’t ready to see you… making dinner,” Twilight made a pause then added. “You’re doing very nicely for someone, who…”

“Was put in another world or dimension or whatever, got cut badly and found himself among talking sentient ponies,” Alex continued her idea. “Yes, for that one I’m perfectly fine.”

“Do you imply, that in your world ponies are not sentient?” Twilight was shocked a bit.

“Not exactly. We have ponies there, but they don’t look and behave and think so… human-like,” Alex put some salad on her plate, then on his own. “And, of course, they are not so…”

“Hey, do you feel more comfortable together now?” Fluttershy flit into the kitchen.

She just left the shower, as she was fluffy and pinkish, smelling of flower shampoo. Besides, she wrapped a towel around her head to dry her wet mane. With an open mouth, Alex followed her flying in and landing on the free chair between him and Twilight. She reminded him about Elen so much at that moment, his heart ached.

“… cute!”

“Who?” Fluttershy sipped her juice, then paid the salad deserved attention.

“Never mind,” Twilight cleared her throat. She was watching Alex all the time with a strange smile. 

Alex looked at his plate and pretended that there was nothing more interesting than the salad at that moment.

“So have you told your story already?” Fluttershy looked at Alex. “Come on, Twi is sitting.”

The whole story took him about twenty minutes to tell in brief. Alex mentioned his arrival, the shock he experienced upon realization, his idea about how it was possible for him to know anything about Equestria prior to him being transferred. He ended with the short summary of what he saw in the show.

Twilight overcame her shock a bit faster than Fluttershy, perhaps she read something about people specifically or the whole concept of the noosphere and its’ effects was closer to her as a magician. But she said exactly as Fluttershy before.

“Princess Celestia may like all that not.”

“You see, Alex,” she elaborated. “We know you personally, you saved Fluttershy, everything speaks for you being generally nice… but Celestia is a ruler of our country, she needs to care for her subjects, to protect them, thus to think deeper and… you are still an… alien.”

“Besides, she has all her experience at her service,” added Twilight. “She may know something books don’t tell about humans. Even if that doesn’t apply to you specifically. So she will be extremely cautious and investigate your case before making any decisions.”

“So you’re saying that there were some cases of human getting here already?” Alex felt hope.

“There were a few according to the books I’ve read. Not recently though…”

“But isn’t it easier for everyone to send me home if possible? To tell the truth, it’s my biggest desire… as I’m indeed an alien here.”

Alex was looking at Twilight, otherwise he might have spotted how Fluttershy stopped munching on her salad and stiffened. Twilight, on the contrary, threw a quick look at her friend.

“I’m afraid, it’s not that simple,” she continued explaining while subtly watching Fluttershy. “No one of those cases returned home, again according to the books. But there were no details. Perhaps it was impossible, perhaps it still is… And princess Celestia may have her reasons.”

Fluttershy let out a deep sigh.

“You know, this is not directed against you, Alex,” Twilight sent him a sympathetic look. “I’m sure, whatever she does, she does to protect Equestria first.”

“I understand,” Alex felt all the weight of her arguments. “But that doesn’t make it easier.”

“That is why I asked Twilight to try and by us… you some time,” Fluttershy added to the conversation. “So you at least could think it through, before you face the princess and her… investigation.”

“I tried my best,” Twilight nodded. “And you have about a week since you wake, so effectively since today.”

“Which reminded me of my own questions,” said Alex remembering something very important. “So, I told you my story, now please tell me yours…”

“How long am I here?” he asked what bothered him the most.

“Didn’t you tell?” Twilight turned to Fluttershy with surprise.

“Well,” Fluttershy was a bit embarrassed. “We didn’t have time actually… Alex just w-woke up this morning, then he made breakfast…”

Twilight raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

“… then we talked and he told me his story,” continued Fluttershy. “Then Rarity came to help him with clothing problem and it took quite a while. Twi, she is so fixated on him… Sorry, Alex, but she behaved like a sexual p-predator… sorry… Squee!”

Twilight’s jaw dropped. When she was goofing about “fifteen times longer”, despite that was a scientific fact, she could never imagine that things would escalate that fast with somepony.

“So… Then…” Fluttershy seemed to lose the thread of her story for a while. “Then Pinkie paid us a visit and talked about “Welcome” party, can you imagine? And when we watched everypony to the door, it was time to feed the animals… so I got to it and Alex prepared the dinner.”

“Oh and there was Apple Bloom with her friends sneaking in the garden, but they haven’t seen anything. I didn’t know if they suspected something or were simply playing around.”

“It looks like you are having a busy day,” Twilight amusement was drawn across her face. “But you seem to be going together well.”

“He made delicious pancakes. If Pinkie didn’t grab the last few, you could taste them yourself, Twi…”

Fluttershy tried to hide her confusion in her glass of juice. Alex who watched the whole scene between girls with wide-opened eyes repeated his question.

“How long am I…”

“About three days,” Twilight turned to him and Fluttershy nodded. “You’ve been brought here at sunset and now it’s afternoon, so, yes, three days it is.”

“I knew something was strange,” exclaimed Alex. “I couldn’t be here for weeks as I would have grown a beard already instead of that stubble,” he rubbed his cheeks and frowned.

“What’s going on with my wound then?” he asked.

“Well, we treated it with best Zecora’s compositions, both outside and inside,” Twilight explained and Alex decided to ask who “Zecora” was sometime next time. “Lyra made stitches, as she said, humans… people treated open wounds that way. So I guess we did our best and the result is… well, speaking for itself.”

“I’m surely happy with the result,” said Alex. “But look,” he lifted his arm. “It about time to remove stitches already and you say it’s been three days. I don’t know what is written in your books, Twilight, but people don’t have regeneration that fast…”

“That brings us to the next point directly,” Twilight apparently was ready for that statement. “Alex, you are A – magic resistant and B – you can drain magic from those, who apply it to you exactly. That’s a fact, proved by me and Lyra.”

“And that effect seems to become if not stronger than at least more pronounced with time or each attempt.”

“But I don’t feel anything special, except I started regenerating like a lizard,” muttered Alex. Then he remembered that feeling of flaming snakes inside him upon arrival and noted that he didn’t feel it since waking up here. So… that was… since he was exposed to magic at least twice.

“So what am I going to do about all that,” he asked.

“Unfortunately I don’t know anything more… yet,” Twilight sighed sadly. “I don’t know what it gives finally, I don’t know if it progresses…”

“But I surely know,” she added. “That it will get Celestia’s attention and perhaps won’t settle well with her.”

Alex hid his face in his hands. Fluttershy put her hoof on his shoulder and stroked it gently. Her towel unfolded and fell from her head to the floor, but she ignored it and just blew a few damp strands off her nose.

“P-please… We’ll come up with something…”

After a few minutes Alex opened his face, he then put his hand on Fluttershy’s hoof.

“I know… Thanks! I’m… just trying not to… panic.”

Twilight looked from one to another with growing interest.

Alex felt that he was not ready to ask more questions yet. He was tired and crashed, perhaps the body regeneration rate exceeded mental one significantly now.

“Sorry, girls,” he raised from his chair and leaned on the table. “It was a bit much on my plate today. I don’t feel my mind being capable to settle with all this quickly. If you excuse me, I’d like to have some rest.”

“Of course,” Fluttershy offered him support, but Alex calmed her.

“I’m just a bit tired. It’s fine otherwise. I’m sorry for not helping you with the dishes…”

Both Fluttershy and Twilight waved at him, telling him to worry not and have a rest.

“Oh, one more thing,” he turned in the doorway. “Twilight, could you do me a favour and bring a razor next time? This stubble starts getting on my nerves.”

*

Alex returned to the bedroom and almost collapsed in the armchair near the window. He didn’t bother to undo the bed. It was too much for him for today to deal with and he suddenly felt exhausted. It was his first day up after his blackout, and despite the latter being fairly short, it evidently affected Alex full time. He found himself just sitting there staring at one point, almost without any useful thoughts. Being magic resistant, moreover some sort of magic black hole… fast regenerating… 

Angel, who slept on the bed covers and was awaken by Alex’s heavy drop in the armchair, opened his eyes, looked at Alex and stretched his paws. Then he hopped down and headed to the corridor where voices of the girls were coming from. Perhaps the bunny remembered about the dinner and the smell of salad was calling for him.

“Universe, are you bucking kidding me,” Alex thought. “What else do you have for me in the nearest future? If it comes at that pace I’ll be afraid to wake up in the morning soon…”

He blinked…

…Angel, who slept on the bed covers and was awaken by Alex’s heavy drop in the armchair, opened his eyes, looked at Alex and stretched his paws. Then he hopped down and headed to the corridor.

“What the?..”

Alex noticed that no sound came from the corridor this time. With the strange feeling of something changed he raised from the armchair and went to the door.

There was no corridor behind the doorway! Alex saw a wide balcony surrounded by the openwork railing about his waist-high. Then he saw distant hills and the forest… far away… and below! Apparently, the balcony was at a considerable height. Alex decided to approach the railing not. Internally trembling he looked around – the balcony attached to a white stone wall. Large stained-glass windows lead from the balcony to the room behind Alex’s back. He could hear nothing but the wind and smell nothing but the fresh wind as well. And the proximity of light thin clouds told him that the building he got into was built on some mountain. Most likely another castle… Wasn’t it enough with castles?..

Alex turned around and froze on spot, he now apparently faced not Fluttershy’s bedroom (obviously it couldn’t be attached to a castle balcony anyway), but a totally different and visibly larger room. Noble furniture, high ceiling, long heavy curtains – he saw these things already, though saw them time worn – in the Old Castle ruins. This room was on the contrary tidy, clean and well contained, with everything fresh and brightly coloured.

A winged unicorn pony rested on the pillows of a big bed. The alicorn was noticeably larger than other ponies he saw before, larger than Twilight, despite she was an alicorn now as well. This one could probably look into his eyes easily while standing on all four. Her coat colours varied from light blue to dark and almost black, her mane and tail were flowing sheets of the starry night, her face looked more edgy and mature than those of pony girls he knew, but extremely beautiful with large eyes closed and eyelashes dropping long shadows on her cheeks. She was sleeping, breathing calmly and quietly.

Alex braced himself and took a few cautious steps closer to the sleeping miracle. Now he could see a crescent cutie mark on her flank. Apparently, that was princess Luna, Celestia’s younger sister, the ruler of the Moon and Night. And his miserable troublemaking (mostly for him) self somehow appeared in her bedroom in… how it was called – Alex frowned… the Castle of Canterlot.

“Look, man, this is stupid,” Alex scolded himself. “Stupid and… dangerous. You can wake her… and the castle must be crawling with guards literally. If you are caught… sneaking into this lady’s bedroom, you’re more than screwed. There will be no way home for you then. No other way than on the scaffold. Or, considering I hardly remember of ponies death sentencing anyone, you will be exiled to the extreme buttocks of this world for sneaking into princess’ bedroom like that.”

“Like that – how?” the unwilling thought popped. “Really, how could you get here, when you just blinked sitting in the armchair in Fluttershy’s cottage?”

He wanted only one thing – to get back home. And he meant his yellow pegasus friend’s house under “home” at that moment.

But despite his mind had enough of adventures, his heart craved for more. He found himself approaching the sleeping alicorn and kneeling to her eye level. He just sat there watching her sleep and lavishing attention to her beauty.

Faint lavender scent reached his nostrils when Alex felt her breath on his face. He then heard footsteps or rather hoofsteps behind the high doors of the bedroom and stiffened. Steps passed the door and dissolved in the distance.

Alex couldn’t hold himself from touching her adorable mane, stroking it lightly in one gentle motion. He removed a strand from her face and placed it behind her ear. Perhaps he scratched her behind the ear unwillingly. The dark blue ear perked up.

Praying for not letting out a sound Alex got up as quickly as he could without falling on the floor. He looked around the room in one long crazy gaze for the exit. The door was no doubt guarded on outside, all the windows and the door to the balcony were of no help either, as he could fly only down from that balcony and become an unpleasant pancake. Hiding here wasn’t an option – nowhere and no point in. He looked at his own reflection in a big mirror. Tired, beaten up, almost naked, unshaven… he stood in the princess’ bedroom and she was about to wake.

He heard a deeper sigh and Luna muttered something in her sleep.

Alex panicked and leaned on the mirror with his hand, touching the cold surface with his heating up forehead. He then felt as he permeated the “elastic veil”… to find himself in the armchair in Fluttershy’s bedroom. His eyes dilated and he jumped on his feet shaking off the remnants of sleep.

“Sleep! I was sleeping,” the relief was almost palpable.

Alex stood in the doorway for a moment listening as Fluttershy was washing the dishes downstairs and talking to Angel apparently, as Twilight must have left already. Then he reached the bed and fell flat.

“Merlin’s pants! I could swear it was real… It felt so real. But thankfully it was only a dream, I must have got really tired.”

He turned to his back and put his hand on his face… discovering a faint lavender scent on his fingers.

*

Her last dream wasn’t very pleasant, but it still had something that made it different from all the bad dreams of that kind. Luna opened her eyes gaining focus and remembering, what she saw before she woke up.

That was one of her rare, but painfully repeating dreams about her life before Nightmare Moon appearance and long-time banishment. Before she was saved from that Shadow by the Elements of Harmony embodied.

She was only a filly back then. Yet they already were arguing and quarrelling with her sister. Luna felt underestimated constantly being in the shadow of her older sister Celestia. Tartarus! She was deadly jealous already. All the love and respect, as she thought, of their pony subjects were given to the princess of the Day and Sun, while Luna’s care about the folk passed unnoticed in the darkness of the night. Boredom, regret and disappointment were killing every good impulse of hers being especially painful for a young and optimistic filly.

That day they were having one of those nasty quarrels with Celestia. The latter was also too young at that moment to understand the whole impact, her dominance made. As usual being the younger sister Luna ended in her room, lonely, lost and crying in helpless sorrow. She curled her small lithe body in the pillows, folded her wings to make herself comfortable, as she was trembling despite the bright fire, burning in the hearth and warming the room. And she cried, cried, and bitter tears formed a cold pool under her face.

Suddenly she noticed that the shadows in the corner of her room became thicker. Later Nightmare Moon would have started appearing that way. But this time a dark figure – straight and high – emerged from the darkness. It stood on two legs, had two arms and… wings, but it wasn’t a unicorn or an alicorn for that matter. It was, Luna could swear she had read about those in some old book, a human.

Luna didn’t feel any fear, on the contrary, a strange feeling that her “guest” wasn’t there to hurt her filled the young princess. She couldn’t see his face, but somehow she decided that was a “he”. She couldn’t see any distinctive traits either, just a shadow. Palpable shadow with large soft wings touching the ceiling of her room while their ends reached the floor.

The shadowy man kneeled at her bed and Luna felt, as he was looking on her with sympathy and… understanding. A big hand stroked her mane and wiped her tears. Luna sighed or maybe still whimpered putting her head on her guest knees and slowly calming down from her grief. She fell asleep…

…to wake up in the present day as grown-up Luna.

The strange feeling didn’t leave her when she got up and shook off the rest of her sleep. Luna got to the mirror and looked at her own reflection. She wasn’t afraid to find Nightmare Moon in there anymore, since the girls saved her and made the Shadow gone forever. Luna thought that actually more sleep would be helpful, if she wanted to make her night duties effective, when…

“GASP!”

Luna’s jaw dropped as she watched a print of human palm fading on the mirror surface!

The print wasn’t a part of her dream, it was real which meant that anyone, who left it, was just as real. Obviously, Luna knew only one human being in Equestria at that moment. The one whose dreams she visited last night. But how could a human – a creature, who as she knew was incapable of any magic – do practically the same. She was sure that her usual bad dream about quarrelling with her sister always ended with her crying then falling asleep eventually. The part with the shadowy figure was totally new to her and could only be brought from outside.

Moreover, the mere fact of someone except her being able to not only enter one’s dream but also manipulate the reality through that, was… No, not terrifying. To her honour, Luna didn’t feel any terror realizing, what had happened. She felt interested, once for a change something was genuinely worth of her time and thought and might drive the boredom away.

The event wasn’t alarming or harmful to any extent, so Luna decided to keep her discovery for herself for now. As she thought that telling Celestia about it right away would most likely make her reconsider giving… Alex, Luna was sure that the name she heard last night was of this human, time to recover and find some ground under his feet. Giving that out would most likely mean immediate extraction and perhaps even locking up for the time necessary to investigate his issue thoroughly. Luna knew all the benefits of being “locked” by herself and never would make somepony come through that without serious reasons. And she didn’t consider what had happened to be one of those. 

“Farewell boredom!” she smiled at her reflection. “May thou rest in the oblivion.”

*

Alex wasn’t sure, what he could do with that. On the one hand, it was a dream, everything spoke about that, including weird transitions and his “travel through the mirror”. Even if this world and magic were going by hand, one thing Alex was sure about himself – he couldn’t walk through mirrors. To tell the truth, he couldn’t regenerate and heal a several inches wound in a couple of days either… till last week. 

On the other hand, the lavender scent his fingers kept for a while told him otherwise. He didn’t smell lavender since morning and didn’t touch anything which can leave such aroma. The only place where he felt it, was princess’ Luna room, moreover, the princess herself possessed that scent. All these facts effectively meant that he was there and touched Luna’s mane in reality. Thinking of the summary of those two statements drove Alex mad – strange things kept happening ever since he discovered himself in Equestria. That meant even more strange than coming to Equestria and making friends with sentient ponies.

He didn’t have a chance to check by himself the abilities Twilight told him he possessed and, frankly speaking, didn’t want to try carrying such experiments. Somehow he believed Twilight and Fluttershy and if they said applying magic to him could be dangerous, that meant it really could. The sudden realization struck him like a hammer, that reaction to magic was already detrimental for his possible returning home. Being resistant provided major trouble as rulers of that land, just as many of their subjects, relied on magic mostly, moreover princess Celestia could easily see a threat in his ability.

No wonder Alex decided to keep this little “sleep-walking” episode for himself for now. As far as he could remember, he didn’t leave any evidence of his visit and nopony saw him. Fortunately, he managed to departure moments before princess Luna woke. Mentioning this to Celestia, directly or via her subjects, before knowing, what she thought about other things regarding him, would be an instant killer. What he could remember for sure, Celestia’s life was full of regret and anguish during the time her sister possessed by the Shadow was banished to the Moon. And now, when Luna was free from her curse, any threat to her even the faintest could make Celestia buck the living hell out of him. That definitely wasn’t a part of his plan.

Thinking of that Alex fell asleep. Again. This time without any dreams thankfully.

*

“Next time please, Angel, if you catch any burdock burrs, tell me sooner,” Fluttershy sat in the armchair brushing her bunny tail and removing the annoying hooks. “It’s very hard to remove when it rolls deeper.”

Angel frowned, as she pulled by his tail inevitably while cleaning it, but carrying elf-locks was less pleasant anyway, so he put up with the execution.

Alex drank his tea and absently scratched a squirrel behind her ear. It seemed some of Fluttershy animal friends got used to his presence, a few even started to try getting some benefits from that. Like that particular squirrel which climbed the table and now sat there enjoying the massage. She even managed to sip from his cup a couple of times, when he put it on the table and wasn’t looking.

For the last couple of hours, Fluttershy was telling him shortly, what had happened here since the defeat of Nightmare Moon. She mentioned different adventures she and her friends came through during the few years, dangers and discoveries, even new friends, including reformed Discord. The latter gained Alex’s attention. Alex thought that one living that long and being experienced in different kinds of really weird magic could perhaps help him solving his task. And regardless to Discord’s history in Celestia’s eyes, he was definitely the one to be addressed for help during the upcoming investigation, that considering he saw Alex already and even made up some conclusions regarding him. Not applying destructive magic to Alex at any cost was his idea in particular. For which Alex was thankful by default.

Alex had a feeling that Fluttershy was excessively modest describing her role in a few episodes of their life, for example in the dragon incident or her so-called “modelling career”. She was one of the first ponies to accept princess Luna and find out she wasn’t longer a monstrosity Nightmare Moon was. At first, of course, Fluttershy was deadly frightened to deal with “Dark” Princess, but eventually, she even managed to help Luna gain people’s… pardon, ponies’ trust. Alex wondered if he could and should tell Fluttershy about his recent sleepwalking occasion when she told him that princess Luna was capable to visit others’ dreams and affect them.

The story about Fluttershy learning to be more assertive – she told it very briefly and with extremely pink cheeks and ears – made him genuinely laugh, he tried to make this not offensive for his friend though. This “friend” definition didn’t make him stumble mentally. This pony girl became more and more attractive as a person with new facts he found out about her. The more difficult it would be to leave when the time comes… if that time comes.

He learned new things about her friends, mostly confirming his first impression of them. Twilight being sceptical, and only abstract things she believed were friendship and love, others were under doubt, if not described in books. She totally relied on knowledge, magic and wise support and approval of her mentor – Princess Celestia herself. But she believed in friends no matter what and that made her a strong company if she played on his side.

Rarity being generous and helpful, especially if that involved fashion. She suffered from the misunderstanding between her and her younger sister Sweetie Belle but hardly could ever confess that she suffered it. Sweetie Belle was too little to be involved in sister’s business but craved the attention of ever-busy Rarity much. When they managed to find some balance, they were amazing and loving sisters nevertheless. Rarity was a determined fashionista with the only thing able to distract her from her aims being the beau monde and its affairs.

“Or a human she wanted to have right there and then,” smirked Alex inwardly.

Applejack was a typical farm girl, with the meaningful exception that she actually ran the farm mostly by herself though. Her practical mind and wit helped her to keep up with changing market and make the farm profitable, despite all the adversities. She could always rely on her family supporting hooves, on her sister Apple Bloom, despite her impulsiveness, on her brother Big Mac and his short-spoken strength and her Granny Smith’s wisdom and experience. And with the help of her friends, she could easily confront even soulless and unprincipled business sharks, like Flim and Flam brothers, for example, with their annoying travelling salesman’s tactics.

A noisy troublemaker (though to be fair very often a trouble solver also), ever resilient, active and chatty tomboy – that one could say about Rainbow Dash. She was kind deep inside but thought that showing that could buy her an image of a “softie”, thus only her deeds could tell. Rainbow enjoyed a good joke, but sometimes she didn’t notice that her enthusiasm could be hurtful. She treated little Scootaloo like a sister, but that didn’t involve “calf tenderness”, more likely “Hey, little squirt, let’s do something outrageous together!” She was a faithful and loyal friend… to those, she knew, but her suspect towards strangers could make her look bitchy sometimes. She was very close with Fluttershy and that made Alex cringe a bit, as Fluttershy told him what reaction Rainbow showed seeing him the first time.

“Oh, don’t worry, Alex, she will see you mean no evil soon and stop being so paranoid,” Fluttershy told him lightheartedly. But Alex had a strong feeling that it would take more time and effort to gain Rainbow’s trust than he could probably afford, especially considering his plans to return home as soon as it was possible.

The one who managed to surprise him most was Pinkie Pie. He knew that she was ever cheerful, tons more than Rainbow, lighthearted and often lightheaded borderline to overly impulsive, ball of living energy. She even jumped mostly when other ponies trotted or walked. She was obsessed with making parties and friends… sometimes even despite anypony in question wasn’t particularly happy about becoming somepony’s friend at that moment. But she had strong intuition which helped her friends countless times… and sometimes helped her… to avoid saying stuff better not to be said. The most surprising thing about Pinkie Alex found out was that this fluid and, from the first sight shallow, pony girl actually had a big heart and could easily understand friends’ afflictions and sympathize. Unfortunately, she was often too straightforward and open showing or telling that, so might even look tactless. Just like with him, being genuinely thoughtful when guessing the source of his sorrows right away, but hurting him by plainly voicing them.

Alex found out that quite some time passed since the moment of local history he knew something about and the day he got to Equestria in person. That made him wonder, how long would it take to bring him back, if it was even possible, and how much time would pass on Earth, as he was unsure if the transfer was completely linear. The whole image provided unhappy thoughts. At the very least he would be absent just enough to be considered unaccounted-for… Then he remembered that at least two people saw him in the burning car being hit by a thunderbolt. That could mean that “he” was already buried or something alike. He felt a strong wish to howl desperately.

BUMP!!!

“Squee!” Fluttershy jumped in her armchair holding Angel tight. “Sweet Celestia, Twilight! I will never get used to your teleportation spells.”

“Merlin’s pa…” That was the first time Alex witnessed Twilight’s teleportation, moreover any teleportation. “The buck is that!..” 

The squirrel startled by the warp and sudden appearance of a new pony quickly climbed onto Alex’s head and crouched there looking through his hair (which was about to stand as Alex admitted) with scared eyes.

“Oh, sorry, girls…” Alex apologized for his verbal reaction, but he was still sure Twilight could save them several nerve cells if she teleported behind the door and only then entered.

Twilight watched them both on the edges of their seats, Fluttershy with her Angel bunny in hooves and Alex with a squirrel peeking frightenedly through his hair, and a wide grin formed on her face.

“Are you both sure, nopony ever tell you that you look amazingly alike sometimes?” she asked jokingly.

“Oh, come on, Twilight,” sighed Alex feeling as adrenaline was leaving his blood. “If you appear this way every time, no wonder that everypony looks equally startled.”

He wondered how easily he used that new term – “everypony”, especially considering that he was talking about himself as well.

“Don’t be a bore, Alex,” Twilight seemed to be in a high mood and nothing could break it. “Be happy instead – I managed to get a razor blade. We’re stopping being a porcupine, eh?” she giggled handing him a small parcel.

“First I wanted to ask Applejack if Big Mac had a spare one,” she continued telling her story. “But then reconsidered – sure thing Big Mac won’t ask any questions, but there is Apple Bloom… and as long as your existence, Alex, is a secret by the order of princess Celestia, we must keep fillies away. So I was to check the store… and the vendor looked at me so strangely… I don’t want to imagine, what he might think. Still, here it is.”

“The girls already tried to sneak and sniff around,” Fluttershy put Angel down and looked at Twilight very seriously. “I’m afraid that constant visits get too much attention and they may think, we are planning something great without telling them. But what we can do about that?”

“Nothing,” nodded Twilight. “That is why I teleport inside the cottage instead of going to you on hooves.”

“Twilight, that’s nearly the best news through the day,” Alex granted her with a wide smile. “I owe you. That stubble started prickling myself already…”

“You’re welcome,” she waved a hoof. Then she turned to Fluttershy.

“More good news, princess Celestia is busy with reports from Crystal Empire… Do you know anything about the Crystal Empire, Alex?,” Twilight looked over her shoulder.

“Yup. Fluttershy mentioned briefly, I know it’s far to the north and ruled by yet another princess Me Amore Cadenza… who is married to your brother, right?”

“Right, though she prefers to be called just Cadence, and she is married to Shining Armour, and the main thing they are having some strange events, so Celestia will be busy for a few days. But she told me that I shouldn’t worry, as Shining and Cadence kept the situation in hooves,” Twilight looked like she was undecided to worry or not, yet it couldn’t spoil her mood either.

“Thus,” she explained her point. “You have a few days for Alex to recover, grasp his thoughts and plan some strategy with which he is going to approach Celestia to convince her he is not a threat, moreover to convince her to send him home if possible.”

The last two words caused a pause longer than it needed to pass unnoticed. Twilight then tried to remedy the awkwardness by asking Fluttershy about totally different things.

“Have you already checked the wound? I thought you two might be planning to remove the… stitches before they started being more trouble than remedy.”

“Yeah, that was the idea,” Fluttershy glanced at the wall clock. “It’s a bit late already. But we were waiting for you as we need your help.”


Twilight used her magic on small scissors to cut the thread strands one by one, so Alex could take them out by catching them with fingertips, almost with nails. Fluttershy couldn’t find a pincette so it took a few attempts eventually to catch the thread and wasn’t entirely pleasant in general. But as it was said there was no use in the stitches already, as the wound closed up.
“And all this after three days,” kept wondering Alex. “Perhaps there won’t remain any considerable scar.”

When they finished with threads, Fluttershy applied more of the healing salve onto his wound. Alex sat on the bed with his right hand raised and put on his head, while Fluttershy settled behind him and gently spread the composition by her hoof rubbing it in with circular motions. Twilight relaxed in the armchair, using magic near Alex demanded much concentration, and watched them with a meaningful smile. A weird thought visited her head, even if there was no chance to return the human home… and Twilight kept all variants in mind being a realist… he had a chance to get into caring hooves of her friend.

“Cadence would love the look of this!” thought Twilight.


When Twilight left, as usual by teleporting herself, it was already half past nine. Alex felt that he was still tired despite having a nap in the afternoon. Perhaps faster regeneration took something in return or more likely he wasn’t ready for any prolonged adventured yet. And he saw that Fluttershy was also close to falling asleep. There was though one open question still.

“Well,” Alex turned to Fluttershy looking for better words. “I really don’t want to be a trouble…”

“You aren’t any,” Fluttershy was surprised by that start. “What are you talking about, Alex?”

“I mean, it’s late and both of us need to have a rest. So… I could take a couch downstairs…” Alex stumbled.

“Oh,” Fluttershy got what he was talking about and blushed. Yet she was rock solid about the rest. “No, no, you shouldn’t do that. You’re too big for the couch and it is too tough, you won’t get any good sleep on it and get up aching…”

“And I won’t let a house owner, let alone such a lovely lady, be banished from her own bed to some cold couch no matter what,” Alex was firm in his politesse. “Do you have at least a mattress or something, I could really settle on the floor…”

“Unfortunately, no and I was too busy to think about asking the girls if they had something of that kind. You know,” she seemed to be overly surprised by her own bravery at the moment. “We could… leave everything… as it was. I-I was already sharing… the bed with you… for three nights… it’s not that… something… you know… Squee!”

“Won’t you really mind?” Alex wasn’t happy about sleeping on the floor perspective, yet he saw how much did that cost to Fluttershy.

“I-I don’t know… I mean I won’t mind… i-if you are OK with that…” she whispered, then suddenly repeated in a stronger voice. “I won’t mind if you don’t mind!” She allowed herself a small smile.

Alex thought that sharing a bed with pony girl, at least doing it consciously, would be a weird experience for him, besides he wasn’t into ponies, besides he had a girlfriend… it seemed like ages ago. But refusing it suddenly at that moment would be extremely rude and, as he saw, would really hurt Fluttershy. If she decided to go with it, despite all her modesty and shyness… Besides she wasn’t overexcited Rarity, so… practically what could go wrong?

“I won’t mind, Shy,” Alex said making a serious decision.

“Oh, fine…” Fluttershy became red as a carrot again, no, even orange considering her usual colour. “How did you call me? Nobody calls me “Shy”. It sounds a bit unusual…”

“Sorry,” Alex worried that he could allow himself a bit too much. “I didn’t mean…”

“No, it’s OK,” Fluttershy smiled. “It sounded so… tender…”

Now it was Alex’s turn to blush. He didn’t plan to make a compliment… Or did he?


Alex brushed his teeth and shaved… finally!.. using the sink in the kitchen, as the bathroom was occupied by Fluttershy. He rinsed and rinsed giving her time to get to the bed undisturbed.

“I sincerely hope,” he thought, turning the water off. “That Rarity won’t linger with the clothes much and will bring at least something tomorrow. Otherwise, I will have no change and be forced to sleep naked next night.” Somehow he didn’t pay attention that three previous nights went exactly that way.

When he entered the bedroom, the light was out already and Fluttershy curled under covers looking into the window at the rising moon.

Alex lifted the covers a little, just enough to slip under, and tried to find comfort without being of much annoyance. 

“Thank you, Shy!” he reached her shoulder and barely noticeably stroked her soft coat with his fingers.

Suddenly she moved closer to him and snuggled up to him like a small spoon to a bigger one. In a moment Alex found himself in the cloud of her hair and the sweet scent of flowers and honey reached his nostrils. He put his left hand under the head and hugged her little body with the right hand. Fluttershy squeaked quietly feeling a strong but gentle embrace and comforted herself a little more.

“Merlin’s pants, she is a pony, Alex, a pony!” Alex told himself feeling her soft coat heating his bare chest.

“Tell me something,” muttered Fluttershy in a sleepy voice. “About your world.”

Alex inhaled the aroma of her hair and smiled to the darkness.

“Have you been at the ocean coast, Shy?”

*

Deep juicy blue sky, of colour which one could see in the summer evenings only, was almost clear and the faint haze made the sun and rare clouds look slightly blurred, like on an aquarelle painting. The cliffs prepared for their night rest being rocked by surf’s lullaby and even omnipresent seagulls hid somewhere and didn’t disturb a casual observer with their piercing shrieks. “Fluffy” sun was setting into the ocean and painted the water green instead of the usual blue. Later it would turn gold and even red at the horizon. The air was warm and the sweet smell of flowers from the fields above the rocky highland mixed with the salty breeze from the ocean.

It seemed Alex and Elen planned to get to the coast for ages and only that day they could both find time to go. They needed to drive a long way, so despite their early start, it was already way past noon when they arrived. 

Alex stopped the car at the edge of the field above the coast and the silence swallowed them. A few seconds they just sat listening to the only sounds remained – the quiet crackling of the hot engine cooling itself. Alex got around the car and opened the door for his girlfriend. She held out a hand to him putting a large straw hat on, so he could see only her smile from above.

They ran and horsed around the field like two careless foals, played catch and knocked each other into the grass a few times. She was like a cloud of butterflies in her light knee-length dress and Alex couldn’t look away from her. They gathered a large bunch of flowers and she took it to the car.

When she returned Alex tried to catch her in his embrace, but she slid by with a giggle and took his hand. She pulled him to the coast dancing and jumping, but they were to find a more sloping descent as Alex’s height intolerance could spoil the day easily. Surely Alex was ready to hold himself in hands as much as he could knowing where they planned to go and realizing there are high places on the coast usually. But the sudden approach to the cliff edge could make him freeze on spot in panic.

She took off her shoes, when they reached the sandy stripe of the beach at the rocks’ foot, and left them at the end of the trail to free both hands and hug Alex snuggling into him for the moment. But before he could return the hug, she giggled again and took his hand sliding out of his embrace. She teased Alex and pulled further along the shoreline. Alex followed with a smile, her figure in counter light of setting sun looked like a statue of some Greek goddess… in a semitransparent dress and a large straw hat.

When she reached the place, where the view was the best according to her taste, she stopped letting Alex hug her from behind wrapping his hands around her shoulders. She buried her bare feet in the warm sand and leaned on Alex watching the sunset. They both stood there listening, as the ocean muttered with the mouthful of rocks. The sun passed the forested coast on their left which protruded into the sea as the long arch almost reaching the horizon. It was setting and the whole ocean surface got some gold and reddish tint.

In the ringing silence, faint breeze curled the hemline of her dress around Alex’s legs. She reached his hair with her hand and leaned on him looking up at his face. The hat fell on the sand revealing long pink hair which fluttered around them both. Alex looked into Fluttershy’s wide-opened turquoise eyes, feeling like diving into bottomless lakes framed by long eyelashes. The overwhelming feeling of serenity and happiness filled him.

When their lips met, Alex felt some alien look on himself. He preferred to ignore that feeling though, trying to taste each second of their unity. But when she turned to him and snuggled closing her eyes and resting her head on his chest, he managed to take a look over the coast. At first, he spotted nothing, but when he raised the eyes to the highland edge above the coast, Alex saw a woman’s figure at some distance from them.

She was too far to see the face or recognize her otherwise, but the setting sun lighted the noble elegant stance, dark blue flowing dress, head raised high and long dark hair. Or were they dark blue as well? Alex realized that she was looking right at them.