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// Act II:  No Man's Land 
// Story: Human Nature 
// by Blank Page 
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The clicking from that typewriter was deafening in this silent room.

It had been four days since the Princess had pardoned me and deemed me fit to walk among her subjects.  Nobody in the town, myself included, really knew how to handle the news.  Ever since, my friends had taken it upon themselves to help integrate me into Ponyville society.  They all had their turns showcasing me around town, trying to prove how normal I could be.  It did little to help the cause, though.

Did the receptionist have to keep glancing at me like that?  I fidgeted uncomfortably beneath her eyes.

The citizens were still tense whenever I walked by.  Casual conversations would turn to hushed whispers and darting eyes.  Laughter would almost always die down.  I was always given a wide berth as I walked through the streets as everyone was quick to back out of my way.  It didn’t help that I felt uncomfortable around them as well.  After all we had been through, it almost felt so… wrong.  Like a bad, town-wide case of whiplash.

I kept my eyes glued to the wooden floorboards, but it didn’t stop the occasional glances from boring into me.

I had been trying to get a job lately, hoping to find some sense of normalcy during my time here.  Bon-Bon was gracious enough to give me a mercy period for rent, but I still had to find a way to make money, or “bits” as the ponies called it.  The Princess had given me compensation to pay for my troubles, but I didn’t want to rely on it.  It kept reminding me of why I received it.  Lyra offered to cover my rent, which was where I had to put my foot down.  I didn’t mind all the help she had given me, and I knew I had a long way to go before life in Ponyville started running smoothly, but I wasn’t about to become a charity.  I wanted to prove that I could take care of myself.

This wasn’t going to work out.  I should just leave.  Everywhere else was a flop.

I rose from the bench, ready to go, and the door to the mayor’s office swung open.  A mare exited the room, her curious eyes lingering on me as she marched down the hall.  The receptionist looked up from her typewriter with a practiced smile.

“The mayor will see you now, Mr. Grey,” she announced in a cheery tone.  I hesitated, but nodded in thanks, ducking beneath the small doorway and entering the office.

A grand desk dominated the center of the room.  The mayor sat comfortably behind it; a feather quill clenched in her teeth as she scribbled signatures on an official looking scroll.  Natural light flooded in from the room’s sole window, its tall, green curtains peeled back to greet the sunlight.  Towers of bookshelves stood guard behind her, boasting literature that would have gone over my head.  I caught my reflection in the mirror on the wall behind her and combed my fingers through my hair, hoping to look a little more presentable.  I sat patiently in one of the two chairs positioned before her, waiting for her acknowledgment.

She looked up from her half-moon spectacles and let out a gasp.  “Oh, Mr. Grey!  I didn’t hear you come in,” she explained, spitting out her quill.  She subtly adjusted the papers and knickknacks on her desk.  The mayor rested her hooves on the desktop and stared at me expectantly.  “So, how are you adjusting to your stay here in Ponyville?”

“It’s going alright,” I shrugged, not looking her in the eyes.  “Slow going, but still going.  Friends are helping out, so that’s… well, helpful.”  I grinned slightly, “They’re actually trying to help me find a job.”

“Oh?”  The mayor cocked her head to the side and raised her eyebrow.  “I’m sorry; I’m not sure I understand,” she admitted.  “Was the Princess’ compensation not enough?  If you need more bits, I’m sure she would be more than willing to—”

“The compensation was more than enough,” I quickly cut in, tacking on a thankful smile.  “It’s not so much for money as much as it is just trying to make everyone get used to seeing me.  Also to help me find some sense of… normalcy here until I get back home,” I explained.  “Not to mention doing absolutely nothing all day is driving me up the walls.”

“Ah, I see,” the mayor grinned.  “Have you applied anywhere so far?”

“Yeah, a few places,” I nodded.  “Lyra and I were chasing ‘help wanted’ ads all day yesterday.  Daisy even let me try working at her flower shop with her friends.”  I shook my head, a ghost of a smirk forming.  “I’m not sure if it’s my intimidating good looks, but everybody seemed to keep their distance until that shift ended,” I joked.  The mayor struggled to keep her smile up.  I offered a disarming shrug.  “It’s fine, though.  Never considered myself much of a salesman anyways.”

“Have you had any luck other than that?” she asked hopefully.

A small sigh escaped me.  “No, not really,” I admitted in defeat.  “Don't suppose you know anyone around town desperate enough to hire the human?”

She offered a sympathetic smile.  “I think I can find somepony,” she promised.  A small silence filled the air, and the old clock in the room counted the strained seconds as they ticked by.  I was having a hard time finding the words to say.  The mayor offered to break the silence.  “So, will that be all for today?” she asked.

Well, it was now or never.  “I was actually hoping you could help me with something,” I confessed, finally looking up to her.

Her ears perked up, and she sat a little straighter.  “Of course!” she chirped.  “After all, the Princess did task me to make sure your transition to Ponyville goes as smoothly as possible.  What seems to be the trouble?” she asked, leaning in slightly.

“Do you know where I could find some… school books?” I asked.

“School books?” she echoed.

“Yeah, I’m still attending school where I’m from,” I explained.  “I’m not sure if our, well, ‘worlds’ have the same education, but something tells me I’m gonna have a lot of catching up to do when I get back,” I joked.  “Might as well try to catch up while I can.”

“Well, my first guess would be the Ponyville schoolhouse,” the mayor thought aloud, tapping her hoof to her chin.  “But that all depends.  What subjects were you studying?”

“Just some basic classes,” I shrugged.  “I doubt you have American history or anatomy, but if I could get my hands on a calculus or a fundamental physics textbook just to brush up on, that would be great.”

She stared at me for a second, leaning in as if she hadn’t heard correctly.  “Maybe the schoolhouse won’t do after all,” she said, more to herself.  “You’re a little ahead of the classes, I’m afraid.  The library might be your best bet.”

A small pit formed in my stomach, and I tried to gulp down the lump in my throat.  “Thanks,” I nodded.  How badly did I really need those books?  “I’ll try to swing by there sometime.”

“Any way I can help,” she beamed.  I stood up, and she reached her hoof out for me to shake.  I gingerly accepted it.  Four days…  Four days, and this sense of surreal still lingered.  Behind my practiced smile, my mind reeled at the touch of her hoof in my palm, as her large eyes stared into mine and her protruding muzzle grinned.  It had been over a month since our ‘first contact’, and barely less since Lyra and Zecora had taken me as their friend.  Why did it feel like I was just recently starting to really look at them?

Because they aren’t normal, a voice hummed in the back of my head.  At least, not to us, are they?

“Now, is there anything else I can help you with?” the mayor asked in her usual, cheery tone.  “Nopony’s giving you too much trouble?”

“Hardly anypony is giving me the time of day, much less giving me trouble.”  I blinked, realizing what I had just said.  My fingers instinctively pulled the rubber band around my left wrist and let it snap back against the skin.

You’re starting to talk like them now, my headache warned.

Just a slip, I assured it.  “I’m running a bit late, though,” I explained to the mayor, who eyed me warily after my odd display.  “Told my friends I’d meet them at Daisy Chain for lunch.  Don’t want to keep them waiting.”  I flashed her a reassuring grin.  “Thanks for the help, though.”

“A pleasure, as always,” she nodded as I moved to the door.  “Same time tomorrow?”

“Like I have a choice,” I teased.

“You know you do,” the mayor reminded sternly.

I paused at the door, hand already twisting the knob.  A small sigh escaped me, followed by an even shorter chuckle.  “Yeah, I do…”  I turned and gave her a nod.  “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

As I passed through the doorway, I remembered a small thought, and my hand grabbed the door to keep it from closing.  I peeked my head back in with an embarrassed smile.  “There was… one more thing,” I said sheepishly.  My bare toes drummed against the hardwood floor outside the office.  “About the rest of my clothes…”

The mayor blinked in confusion.  “The rest of your…  Oh!”  She tried to hide her embarrassed blush behind her laughter, and her eyes seemed to want to look anywhere but me.  “Yes, you did have more clothes when you came here, didn’t you?” she chuckled nervously.  She shuffled quickly through the papers on her desk and flipped through the stacks hiding in her drawers.  “I believe they should still be in the hospital,” she explained, looking up from her paperwork.  “But I’ll have to check.  How badly do you need them?”

More than you’d think, I thought, glancing down to my sore feet.  “Don’t worry about it; I’ll check for you,” I offered.  I gave the doorway a light knock as I turned to leave again, and this time it was the mayor that called me back.

“Oh, Mr. Grey?”  I stopped in mid-stride and poked my head back through the door expectantly.  The mayor offered me a sheepish grin.  “I just wanted to say I liked your new manecut.  It makes you look much less…”  Her voice trailed as she looked for the appropriate word.  “Wild,” she offered with a sincere smile.

“Yeah, well, back to civilization, and all,” I joked, swinging my arm in a sarcastic gung ho.  “Might as well start looking human again.”

I turned out of the room and found my way to the exit.  The walk from the town hall to the Daisy Chain restaurant wasn’t long, but the eyes that followed me made it seem to stretch for an eternity.  I stayed close to the edge of the dirt roads, and everyone went out of their way to move to the other.

I pushed my hands into my pockets as my eyes focused forward.  The air still felt volatile whenever I walked outside.  My small circle of friends was trying their best to diffuse it.  They were working so hard to help the rest of the town feel comfortable around me, and me with them. But it was becoming obvious that it was an uphill battle for both ends.

The door of a nearby house opened next to me as I passed it.  The mare made it halfway out her door before seeing me, letting out a frightened squeak, and retreating back to her home.  I deflated with a sigh as her door slammed shut and the curtains quickly closed.  My reflection watched me through the darkened windows.

What’s the matter? it asked.  Isn’t this what you always wanted?

I didn’t dignify it with a response.

The Daisy Chain eventually came into view.  My small circle of friends sat in our usual spot, outdoors and close to one of the fenced corners.  Noteworthy was the first to see me and flagged me over, and the rest greeted me with warm smiles to chase away the numb cold in the air.  Oh, how nice it was to see friendly faces in this town.

“Hey, roomie,” Lyra chirped.  She looked me over and patted the empty seat next to her.  “I see you got your mane cut.”

“Did you see Clips like I suggested?” Daisy asked.

“Yeah, I don’t think she did too bad,” I offered as I sat between her and Lyra.

“Ah, good ol’ ‘Close-Cut’ Clips,” Noteworthy sighed as he leaned back.  “I ought to see her sometime; it’s been a while since I’ve gotten my mane cut, too.”  He flipped the forelocks of his mane with a scoff.  “I mean, look at it; it’s almost as bad as yours used to be.”  I snorted and picked up my menu as Daisy threw him a playful punch.  He shrugged it off with a grin and took a bite out of his half-eaten sandwich.  “So, how did that go anyways?” he asked in between bites.

“Oh, about as well as you’d think,” I chuckled as I looked over the menu.  I wasn’t sure why I bothered; I got the same thing every day.  Maybe I could mix it up this time.  “She had the ‘Beast of the Everfree’ in her shop.  I had magical scissors flying around my face,” I explained with a roll of my eyes.  Zecora and Lyra covered their grins with their hooves, but Noteworthy struggled to suppress his own smirk.

“We softened up to each other eventually, though,” I continued.  “Small talk in a barber shop is a strange thing.  Apparently, I saved her son; I told her how excitable he and his friend were during the field trip, and I swear, she nearly busted out a scrapbook of him.”  I shook my head with a faint smile.  “We got comfortable enough with each other that she actually tried to talk me into getting a whole different haircut.  Apparently I have such a ‘nice, natural wave in my mane’ that cutting it any shorter would have been a crime.”

“And it appears that your demise was an inability to compromise,” Zecora teased.  “I visited a salon once, hearing stories of good delight.  But every time I left, my mane was not quite right.”

“It does look nice this way,” Fluttershy offered meekly from the other side of Lyra.  “I think Clips made the right call.”

I returned her timid smile with a nod and focused back on the menu, trying to get those innocent eyes out of my head; the same innocent eyes I nearly killed twice; the same innocent eyes that saved me twice.  I hoped she didn't take it the wrong way.  It wasn't that I was ungrateful; it just felt so… uncomfortable; like I owed her, more than I could ever repay.  And I was reminded of it every time I saw her.

My collar felt like it was strangling me.  I tugged at it with my fingers.  “Yeah, well this was the compromise,” I explained, jumping back to the subject.  “Clips wanted to take it a step further and dye my hair, too.”

The table burst into a small fit of giggles.  “No way,” Lyra laughed.

“Oh, yeah,” I nodded. “I slammed some bits on the counter and ran out of the shop when she went to the back to look for colors.”

“Oh, you should have done it, though!” Daisy exclaimed, giving me a friendly push.  “It would have looked so cute.”

“Are you kidding?” Noteworthy demanded.  “Hunter’s a stallion.  Well, in a manner of speaking.  He doesn’t need his mane dyed for everypony to like him.”  He leaned towards me in front of Daisy and held out a hoof.  “Don’t worry, buddy, I got your back.”  I grinned and knocked my knuckles against his hoof.

“I’m serious,” Daisy pressed.  “Highlights are in nowadays.  It wouldn’t hurt to jump in on the trends while you’re here.”  She turned to Noteworthy with a sinister look in her eyes.  “In fact, I think you should try it, too,” she teased.

Noteworthy reeled his head back.  “Oh, no,” he shook his head.  “Not on your life.”

“Come on, it would be cute, though!” she egged him on, tracing a hoof down his forelocks.  “I can see it now, just a single white stripe.”  Noteworthy swatted her hoof away in disgust.  “It doesn’t have to be a big one,” she giggled.

I rolled my eyes as the two continued their banter. Zecora eventually joined in, bearing down on Noteworthy with Daisy, and when the zebra began explaining to the pony how good he might look in stripes, a small fit of giggles erupted around the table.

The waitress finally came and took my order.  Her voice still shook slightly when we talked, but it was an improvement from the jittery mess she was when I first started eating here.

“So, that was one peanutbutter and jelly sandwich with a salad on the side,” she read off her list.  It was the same as every other time I ate here.  I wasn’t given much choice; most of their meals involved flowers or hay, and they didn’t serve meat.  Nobody in this town did, actually; much to my stomach’s contempt.  “Did you want the tulips in your salad?” she asked.

I was about to decline until something nudged me in the side.  I didn’t even have to turn to know what Lyra wanted.  “Um, yeah,” I nodded.  “Extra, too, if it’s not too much trouble.  Thanks, Strawberry.”

“You’re the best,” Lyra whispered in delight as the waitress left us.  “The tulips here are the best.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” I chuckled.

She looked past me to the waitress as she entered the restaurant.  “Shortcake seems to be warming up to you a bit,” she pointed out.

“Yeah, I’d hope so.  I see her just about every day now,” I explained, taking a sip from my drink.

A faint gasp grabbed our attention, and we turned to Fluttershy.  A happy sparked gleamed in her eyes as her wings unfurled slightly.  “That’s it!” she announced softly.  “We've been going about this all wrong.  We can't expect everypony to like you because they see you everywhere.  We just need a chance for you to talk to everypony!”

I paused, setting my cup back down.  “I'm not following,” I admitted.

Lyra seemed to catch on quickly, though, and her eyes widened in amazement.  “Oh my gosh, Fluttershy; you're a genius!”  The pegasus gave a soft but proud cheer, and Lyra turned to me.  “Think about it,” she said excitedly.  “Me, Zecora, Noteworthy and Daisy, and now Strawberry and Clips!  Everypony who got a chance to just sit down and talk got to know you, the real you, and they found out you’re not the ‘beast’ they’re still afraid of.  What if we gave the rest of Ponyville that chance, too?”

I sighed.  These quests to convince the ponies that hunted me to like me was getting… exasperating.  But I owed it to my friends to at least try.  “And how do you suggest we do that?”

She started to say something, but cut herself off.  “I don’t know,” she admitted, slouching over the table.

“What if we threw you a party?” Daisy suddenly pitched in.

“A party?” I echoed.

“Yeah!” Lyra chimed in.  “Nothing like a proper Ponyville welcome to warm everypony up to the new guy.”

I looked between the two excited mares in disbelief and shook my head.  “Girls, I’m gonna level with you; that sounds like a silly idea,” I said.  “Who in their right minds would go to a party thrown for—”

“Did somepony say party?!”

“Jesus!”

A pink blur shot up in the small gap between me and the table.  I stumbled back in shock and fell to the ground.  My hands cradled my head from the hard landing, and I shot a glare up to our uninvited guest.

“No, Pinkie, please take my seat; I insist,” I muttered sarcastically.

Her ears flicked in acknowledgement, and she turned to me with a bright smile.  “Oh, don’t worry; I won’t be here for long.  I just heard the magic word and decided to drop by.  Thanks for the offer, though!”  I bit my tongue as she turned back to my friends and pulled my chair up next to her.  As annoyed as I was, though, I couldn’t help but notice that something was… off about her.  “So, what’s the party for?” she asked.  Her forelegs tapped excitedly on the table as she stood on her hind legs.

“We were just thinking about throwing one for Hunter,” Lyra explained through an uneasy smile.  “Nothing’s set in stone, though.  It’s probably not even going to happen.”

Pinkie cut her off with a gasp.  “What?  No party?”  She slammed her hoof down on the table, and everyone jumped.  “Blasphemy!  Nothing says friendship and laughter like a good party, and nopony can throw a party as good as me!  So...”  She blinked and froze as her voice trailed.  “S-So, if you ever need any advice, you know where to find me,” she chuckled nervously.  Her hooves tugged slightly at her mane as she ran them through, and it finally clicked.

“Pinkie, did you… straighten your hair?” I asked.

“What?”  She stopped playing with her mane and turned to me with a confused look.  Pink curtains covered her eye as she cocked her head to the side, and her eyes followed it as it swayed back and forth before her.  She gave a nervous laugh, looking off to the side.  “Oh!  Not exactly, my mane kinda has a mind of its own,” she explained, waving a hoof dismissively.

She turned to Lyra, who quickly pinned her uneasy smile back on.  “I have a list of some really good party stores,” Pinkie said excitedly.  “You should stop by Sugarcube Corner sometime.  If anypony knows how to make somepony feel welcome, it’s me!”

Pinkie flinched away slightly, either from realizing the dark irony of what she just said or noticing my slight glare through her thick curtain of hair.

“A-Actually, I’ll get out of your manes,” she resigned, her voice cracking slightly.  She shrank back with a few steps and showed a hopeful smile.  “If you ever want to talk, you know where to find me.”  It almost sounded directed to me.

She trotted away from our table with a dying spring in her step.  I leaned over the rest of my food, trying to get her out of my head.  She wasn’t going to guilt trip me; not after what she did.  But as I looked around the table, the look on her face seemed to burn in everyone's mind as they looked guiltily at their food, and I lost my reason to relish it.

“I should go check on her,” Fluttershy announced worriedly, standing up from the table.  With a quiet flutter of her wings, she lifted to the air and flew to her disappearing friend.

The table sat silent as a somber air loomed over.  The waitress arrived with my food, and I stared at the plate, suddenly disinterested in eating.  I slid the salad bowl next to Lyra, golden tulips resting on top; her favorite.  With a defeated sigh, she pushed it away, propping her head in her hooves.

“I should probably get going, too,” I admitted.  I tore off a piece of my sandwich for the road, and my friends looked up to me as I stood.  “I need to run a few errands, see if I can get my clothes back before it gets any colder,” I explained.

“I’ll go with you,” Lyra offered, giving me a small grin.  I held back a small sigh of relief, thankful for her offer.  Everything felt a little easier to handle with her around, and she had an uncanny ability to keep me busy from whatever was on my mind.

“Thank you for this lunch yet again,” Zecora nodded.  “It is always welcome treat.  But for now I have a brew to attend, and to my home I should retreat.”

“Yeah, I probably need to get back to Lily and Rose at the flower stand,” Daisy pointed out.

“And I should get back to the park,” Noteworthy chimed in.  “Hey, you should stop by sometime in the mornings; I could probably add you to the performance.  You said you can play an instrument, right?”

“He’d have to wake up in the mornings first,” Lyra interjected with a playful snark.

“Hey, I’m getting better at it,” I defended.  “The Everfree just made me a little nocturnal, is all.”

Lyra giggled, “Yeah, I’ve noticed.”

We laughed lightly, chasing away the somber atmosphere from earlier.  It made me glad; I always hated leaving on a sour note.

“You still owe us a story of one of your adventures,” Daisy reminded me.  “When are we gonna get it?”

“Well, I’ve been a little busy,” I joked.  “But… let’s shoot for tomorrow.  I should have a good one by then.”

They seemed satisfied with the response, and very eager.  We gave our farewells and went our separate ways.  Lyra trotted closely next to me, a small spring in her step.  It offered me some comfort despite the dread that was slowly taking over.  I hadn’t visited the hospital since I escaped; too many memories discouraged me from even thinking of checking in.  With Lyra by my side, though, I finally felt brave enough to confront them.


<><><>


“I still can’t believe they just gave my clothes to her,” I seethed.

The hospital was a bust.  Apparently, Twilight beat me to the chase and grabbed my remaining clothes days ago.  Why the hospital staff decided it was a good idea to give my clothes away to anyone but me went over my head.

“Maybe she was going to return them to you; just waiting for the right time,” Lyra offered.  She did her best to counsel both sides.  I was keeping a level enough head on the outside, but she knew the thoughts running through my head.

The staff was either too embarrassed or nervous to give an answer upfront, stumbling over their own words as they tried to explain.  I was more than thankful that she was able to coerce the explanation out.  My nerves were on edge the moment the hospital came into view, and being inside only brought back more unsettling memories.  I wouldn’t have been near as patient.

“Oh, please, that’s a laugh,” I scoffed.  “That pony has been a pain in my side ever since I stepped foot in this town.”

I winced, realizing how much venom I let slip into that word.  Lyra seemed to notice, too, and she didn’t look happy.  I snapped the rubber band against my wrist again with a grimace.

“Look, we don’t have to see her today,” Lyra huffed.  “Heck, maybe you don’t have to see her at all.  I’ll talk to her about this and get your clothes back for you.”

“No, you’re not doing this for me, too,” I sighed.  We paused at a store, and I rested my back against the wall, allowing myself to slide down into the street.  “Sorry; I’m just a little bit… stressed,” I confessed.  A faint snort escaped me as I corrected myself.  “Well, a little bit of a lot.  The hospital was hard enough as it was.  Seeing Twilight, too, and in the same day…”  My fingers ran through my hair and cradled the back of my head.

Her expression softened, and she joined me in the dirt, sitting close to my side.  “I know you didn’t mean anything by it,” she said softly.  “I’m sure things are still a little hard.  I can’t imagine what this must be like for you.”

I shook my head.  “It just all felt so unreal.  I could feel myself shaking when we walked through the doors.  Thought I was going to wake up in that basement again, like everything that happened was all just a dream.”

She said nothing, allowing me to speak my thoughts, but when my words stopped coming, she shifted closer, leaning against me slightly.  It was comforting, and I felt myself relax.  With a deep breath, I closed my eyes and rested my head against the wall, exhaling slowly.

“Kinda wish Redheart was there,” I eventually said.  “Still need to apologize to her.”

“I think I know where she lives, if you want to stop by,” Lyra offered, looking up to me.

I hesitated.  A small pit was forming in my chest, quickly filling with dread.  A part of me wanted to get it over with, like ripping off a bandage, but another feared the encounter.  The same reason I wanted to see my old nurse was the same reason I wanted to avoid her.  Guilt.  “Maybe later,” I said quietly.

A few seconds passed before she nudged me, and she gave me a small grin.  “Hey, wanna just head back home?” she asked.  “Just go back and skip the rest of the day?  We still have some leftover cookies.”

I snorted.  “I don’t think cookies is the answer to every problem,” I joked.

“Not with that attitude,” she countered with a sly half-smile.

We chuckled lightly.  The offer was tempting.  I was finally back at ease; or as “at ease” as I could get at the moment, at least.  But I still had work to do.  Maybe Twilight could wait for another day; I could hold out a little while longer without my jacket and shoes.  I remembered what the mayor said about the school books, and the library didn’t sound like a bad idea.  It wouldn’t hurt to have something to study and keep my mind off things, and it was a good enough excuse to avoid Twilight while still doing something productive.

“Let’s stop by the library first,” I suggested.

Lyra pulled back and looked at me in surprise.  “Really?” she asked.

“Yeah, I need to grab some books anyways.  Might as well knock that out.”  I stood and stretched my legs.  The library wasn’t too far away, just a few minutes of a walk.

“I’m… kinda surprised,” Lyra chirped happily as she joined me.  “In a good way,” she clarified.  “I know you have some… bad memories there, but it’s good that you’re trying to get over them.”

“Yeah, well, it’s not like there’s much to do here anyways,” I chuckled.  “No internet, no television, no phones,” I listed off my fingers.  Lyra raised an eyebrow, which only made my smile a little broader.  Teasing her with human words she didn’t know was becoming a fun, small pastime for me.  “I feel like I’m gonna be visiting the library a lot.  I’m curious what kind of stories there are in a world where magic isn’t just a fantasy.”  I snorted, “I’m sure some of your history books might be more interesting than some of my world’s fiction.”

“Oh, if you’re looking for something good, I know a few books that’ll hook you,” Lyra pitched in.

That familiar tree from my first night eventually came into view as we traded stories from our worlds.  Lyra’s words were drowning out to memories of midnight storms as we drew closer.  I never would have guessed that it was a library all along.  True, it was large, and I never got a good look inside, but it was still a tree.  I always imagined it was something like Zecora’s hut.

Something in the back of my head tugged at me to turn and walk away.  I had to remind it that it was only that night, though.  The odds of any of those mares being in the library again were slim to none.  And who knew?  Maybe the librarian would be friendly.  I never knew a bad one.

I hesitated at the small, simple door, staring at the handle.  Despite the cool breeze, small beads of sweat trailed down my brow and palms.  Lyra reached up and knocked on the door, and I gave her a curious look.

“What?” she asked innocently.

“Isn’t this a public library?” I asked.

“Yeah, but it’s also her home,” she waved dismissively.  She nudged my leg and grinned.  “I’m really proud of you by the way,” she added.  “I know you said you didn’t want to do this earlier.  It’s good you’re taking these steps.”

Before I could ask her what she meant, the door opened.  A small, vaguely familiar lizard opened stood on the other side, looking at me with wide eyes.  No, a dragon, I corrected myself, remembering the fire.

“Oh.  Um, hey, Hunter.”  He scratched the back of his head and looked anxiously back inside.  “It is Hunter, right?” he asked with an uneasy smile.

“Yeah,” I nodded, struggling with my memories.  “And it’s… Spike?”

He grinned approvingly.  “So, what brings you here?” he asked, looking between us.

“We’re looking for some books to rent,” Lyra said.

“School books, mostly,” I specified.

“Oh!  Well, come on in,” he urged, holding the door open invitingly.

We stepped inside, and I took a second to take in the room.  The whole tree was hollowed out, making ample room for the full bookshelves carved into the walls.  I was surprised the tree still looked alive outside, but then I remembered:  magic.  A wooden bust of a horse’s head rested on a pedestal in the middle with a few open books.  A staircase hugged the back wall, leading higher up to the branches.

“Here, let me go get Twilight; she knows where everything is.”  Spike scampered to the back and ascended the flight of stairs, calling her name as he disappeared.

My heart froze as the pieces fell together, and I turned on the spot and moved to the door.  “Come on,” I hissed to Lyra under my breath.

“What?” she asked incredibly.  “Whoa, whoa, hey!”  Something grabbed at my left wrist and tugged, causing me to jerk to a halt.  The rubber band wrapped tightly around glowed in magical light.  Lyra offered an apologetic smile and released me, and a restrained shudder came over me.  “Sorry.  Where are you going, though?  Didn't you want to see Twilight?”

“Of course I didn't!  Why would I want—”

“Welcome to Golden Oaks Library!” Twilight chirped as she followed Spike down the stairs.  “We don't usually get customers, but I'm sure we can help you with… whatever you…”  Her voice trailed as our eyes met.

The room fell silent as we each held our own breaths.  Twilight was the first to crack, vanishing behind a flash of sparks.  There was a soft pop higher up in the tree.  Spike looked between us and the source of the noise and chuckled nervously.

“I’ll be right back,” he promised.  He scurried past us and ran up the stairs.

“Alright, let’s split,” I whispered, leaning down and pushing Lyra to the door.

“What?  No!  What’s gotten into you?” she demanded, digging her hooves into the hardwood floor.  “Why are you changing your mind all of a sudden?  I thought you wanted to go to the library.”

“Yeah, and that was before I found out Twilight lived here,” I pointed out, giving her a harder push.

Lyra stumbled forward a few steps before finding purchase on the doorway, and she braced herself against me.  “How did you not know that?” she hissed.

“Lyra, I’ve lived here for four days,” I strained as I pushed against her.  “I don’t know where anybody lives in this town except for you and Applejack.”  It was clear she wasn’t going to budge.  With a groan of defeat, I laid off, retreating a few steps for Lyra to compose herself.  “Why are you doing this?” I hissed, crossing my arms.  “You know what she did to me.”

She opened her mouth to speak, but only a sigh escaped.  “Look, I know you don’t like her,” she started.  “And honestly, she’s hurt me, too.  It’s going to be hard to forgive her, but Fluttershy’s worried about her, about most of her friends, really.”

“If you think I’m about to just brush everything she did under the rug,” I interjected.

“I don’t,” she confessed.  “But this tension between you two is going to get out of hoof if you don’t find some closure.  I’ve already spoken to her.”  She hesitated, looking up further in the tree where Twilight had run away.  “Things aren’t ever going to be the same between us.  We used to be friends, but now…”  She shook her head, not wanting to admit the words she was about to say.

“I don’t care if you two become friends,” she said, looking back to me.  “Hay, I’d be surprised if you ever do.  But you can’t keep bottling up this tension.  Sooner or later, it’s going to break, and it’ll be easier on everypony if you settled this now before anypony gets caught in the crossfire.”

A series of hoofsteps announced Spike and Twilight’s descent, and the latter had a forced smile plastered on her face.  Faint beads of sweat formed on her brow as her eyes looked just past me.  I went rigid and forced a smile of my own, watching as Spike led Twilight before us.

There was that tension again, hanging over us as we stared anxiously at each other.  Spike braved to break the silence.

“So, what brings you guys here again?” he asked.

Oh God, this was a mistake.  Look at her, just standing there.  I could see the restraint in her eyes as we stared each other down.  I imagined she wanted nothing more than run or scream, maybe both; just like me.

“We’re looking for some books,” Lyra answered for me.

She left it open for me to explain, but my jaw was clenched tight.  Twilight’s ears flicked to Lyra’s voice, but other than that, she showed no signs of acknowledgement.

A few uncomfortable seconds ticked by.  “What kind of books?” Spike pressed.

Lyra looked up to me hopefully, and when I didn’t answer, she huffed and prodded my leg.  “Oh, for Celestia’s sake, Hunter.  I’m not playing your messenger.”

“School books,” I said, releasing the breath I was holding.  “Calculus and physics, mostly.”

Twilight blinked in shock.  “Calculus?”  Spike nudged her side, egging her to keep talking.  “Why do you need a calculus book?” she asked carefully.

Lyra and Spike shared an excited look between each other.

“I’m still in school back home,” I explained.  “We were working on derivatives in class, and I don’t know if ‘literally falling off the face of the Earth’ will be a good enough excuse for my teacher.”  I surprised myself with a short chuckle.  “You know how they can be.”

Twilight actually smiled.  “I didn’t think you would still be in school.  Or… that you had a school, for that matter,” she added sheepishly before wincing away from the look I gave her.  “Here, let me get those books for you.”

“Oh, I’ll get them!” Spike exclaimed.  “Don’t worry, we rearranged the bookshelves last week.  I still remember where they are.”

“I’ll go with you,” I offered.

“Oh, don’t you worry about that,” Lyra interjected slyly, trotting after Spike.  “I’ll be sure he finds the right stuff.”  I watched in disbelief as the two left us, sharing a hopeful look with each other.  Why those conniving…

Twilight coughed, returning my attention to her.  “So… calculus, huh?  That’s a pretty advanced subject.”

“It’s more of a prerequisite, really,” I explained folding my arms.  My eyes followed my friend as she followed the dragon.  Surely it wouldn’t take them too long.  I noticed my foot was impatiently tapping the floor.

“A prerequisite for what?” she pressed.

My jaw clenched to bite back a groan.  “College classes.”

“You were going to go to a college?” she asked in disbelief.

“You sound real surprised that I was trying to get an education,” I shot.  Twilight retreated a step, rubbing her foreleg as she tried to not look at me.  “Yeah, I was.  Well, still am,” I corrected myself.  “It’s just going to take a while to readjust to everything when I get back after… well, after all this,” I gestured to nothing in particular.

“I would bet,” Twilight nodded.  “Our… lands seem so different from each other.”  Something about her words sounded off, and she caught onto my skepticism.  “I-I've been studying your clothes,” she explained nervously.  “They seem to share the same unique properties as you with magic.  I can only assume everything else from… wherever you're from is the same.”

She paused, searching for a response.  Although, the look I gave her probably wasn't what she was expecting.  “Purely for research purposes,” Twilight assured me.  “After, well, everything happened, I still had so many questions.  I-I didn’t want to bother you for any more samples, so I—”

“Where are my clothes?”

Twilight blinked, surprised at my interruption.  Through her grit teeth, she managed to press a smile.  “I don’t think you understand; your clothes are made of rare materials.”

“Rare materials?” I echoed.  “They’re made of cloth!  With rubber on the shoes and a bit of metal on the zipper.”

“But they’re not magical,” she stressed.  “Or they don’t have magic in them, rather.  Don't you know what that means?  This could open a whole new realm of possibilities for the studies of magic!  If somepony were to somehow replicate this—”

“I don’t care if you found the cure to the common cold in them,” I interjected.  “The wind is near freezing outside, and I’ve been walking barefoot so much for the last few days, my feet are raw.”

“Whoa now, simmer down, you two.”  Lyra and Spike got between me and Twilight and tugged us apart.  “That didn’t sound like closure,” she hissed under her breath.  “What happened?”

“Twilight’s trying to keep my own clothes from me,” I said, glaring accusingly at the mare.

“It-It’s not like that!” Twilight tried to defend herself, looking between our arbiters.  “His clothes have a powerful magic.  I mean, a powerful not-magic.  I mean…”  She shook her head.  “I just need to understand how.”

“Twilight,” Spike complained.  He crossed his arms and gave her a disapproving look.  “Did you forget what the Princess said?”

“No,” she sputtered.  “I wasn’t trying to…  I didn’t mean to…”  She looked between him and Lyra.  When it became obvious that she was alone in her argument, she grit her teeth, and a small groan just barely slipped out.  “Fine,” she spat, disappearing in another flash of sparks.

The sound of hooves trotting sounded beneath us as Twilight ascended from the basement, this time with a blanket holding my clothes resting on her back.  The blanket magically lifted by its corners, floating across the room to rest at my feet.  I knelt down to inspect the contents.  Jacket, socks, shoes, hatchet; check, check, check.

I threw my jacket on, thankful for the small sense of comfort it gave as it wrapped around me.  The socks and shoes could wait until we left.  I didn’t want to be here any longer than I had to.

“Thanks for the help,” Lyra nodded.  She motioned to the book in her hoof.  “How much do we owe you for the book?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Twilight sighed.  “Hardly anypony visits enough for this place to be a practical business.  I know you’ll bring them back when you’re done.”  Lyra nodded in appreciation, but Twilight’s eyes lingered as I inspected my hatchet.  “I… don’t suppose I can convince you to at least leave the axe with me?” she asked hopefully.

“This was the last thing my father gave me before I was torn from my family,” I said quietly.  There were a few chips in the wooden handle, and the blade looked more worn than I remembered.  Then again, maybe it had been too long since I had seen it.  “You’re not keeping this.”

Twilight flinched as if I had struck her.  She rubbed her foreleg and looked away.  “It was nice seeing you again, Lyra,” she murmured.

Lyra took the cue and tugged at my arm.  “Yeah, you, too.  Come on, Hunter.”

I ducked beneath the doorway behind Lyra, pausing just outside to put on my socks and shoes.  I sat against the trunk of the large tree as I worked, and Lyra waited patiently with a joyless look in her eyes as she flipped through the pages of the levitating book.

“I think I'm ready to take you up on that offer,” I finally said as I laced my shoes.  “Go back and ‘skip the rest of the day’ with a plateful of cookies, right?”

Lyra chuckled halfheartedly, and the book floated back into her hoof.  “Yeah,” she nodded.  “This has been a long day.”

Eyes followed us as we walked through the town.  Well, more on me, really.  As I looked over the hatchet in my hands, I found that most ponies were fixated on it, a hint of fear lining their stares.  I gave it a quick twirl in my hand.  Integrating to the “pony lifestyle” would be difficult if everyone thought I was carrying a weapon.  It didn’t exactly scream “normal” to carry it around all the time, either.

Still, it was comforting holding it again; like I had collected the last piece of my former self and finally became whole.  I was sure Lyra wouldn’t mind me storing it in our room.  It’s not like I brought anything before when I “moved in”.  Maybe I could put it on the dresser on my side.

The house came into view just down the road, and already the stress of today seemed to melt away.  No more hospitals, no more libraries.  I could probably get to work on teaching myself calculus.

I smiled.  I was probably the only person in the world, or worlds I supposed, willing to make my own homework and do it during an extended vacation.  Man, my friends back home would laugh if they ever found out.

“Hunter, duck!”

“What?”

Something heavy slammed into my head, sending me face-first into the dirt road.  Whatever it was quickly scrambled on top of me and lifted.

“Oops; are you okay?”  Two pairs of hooves helped pull me up, and my assailant gave an apologetic smile as she hovered in the air.  “I didn’t hit you too hard, right?”

“Man, this is the third time this week,” I groaned, massaging my head.  I glanced at the mail bag slung over her shoulder.  “Didn’t you already deliver the mail this morning?”

Our mailman gave an apologetic chuckle and rubbed the back of her head.  “Yeah, but I was told this was important,” she explained.  “To be delivered a-s-a-p.”

She reached her hoof in her bag, going into a lazy somersault as she bent over, but she didn’t seem to notice.  She let out a small cheer as she fished out her prize, a small envelope addressed to Lyra.  With a small wave, she fluttered away, tripping over our mail box mid-air in the process.

I winced, leaning in to Lyra.  “She seems a little…”

“Derpy?”

“I was going to say ditzy,” I shrugged.  Lyra’s letter floated in her magical grasp.  She already opened it and was pouring into each word, and excited grin threatening to show.  “So, whatcha get?”

I was answered with an earsplitting shriek of delight.  “I’ve been accepted to play in the New Year’s Masquerade!” she squealed.

My ears were ringing, but I didn’t let that put down the mood.  “Um, that’s great, Lyra.  Congratulation on…”  She didn’t seem to hear me, though, and was too busy prancing around me with the biggest grin I had ever seen.  “So, what is that, anyways?” I tried to ask.

“I need to tell Bon-Bon!” she exclaimed, the words nearly stumbling out.  She raced into the house, throwing open the door in the process and leaving me in my confused daze.  Excited chatter slipped out from inside, followed by a duet of shrieks.

I shook my head in wonder.  Despite my ignorance, I still couldn’t help but feel happy for her… for whatever happened to her.  I took in a breath of the nice, calm air and entered the house, eager to fall under this contagious excitement.