The crystal on the board shone brilliantly in the morning's light, as I caught a sight of it in a perfect angle aligned with the morning sun. The light I saw seemed impossibly beautiful. Unearthly.
In just a moment, it was gone. Somehow I felt a little sad. I kept looking, seeing if I could get that angle of light again. These things never came back.
"Hey, uh, you alright there?" A rough voice called to me from behind.
"Ah. Yeah, I'm fine, excuse me."
It was a few days since I returned from the Canterlot, that capital atop the mountain that overlooked the lands and beyond. After the welcome from the Princess herself, I felt a little less alien to the land of Equestria. Word got out about the formal invitation to stay, and the unease that accompanied my presence seemed to have at the very least calmed down.
I didn't expect to live off charity however long I was here. Twilight Sparkle and her friends had helped me find a trade working among the delicate mechanisms in a workshop. With just my hands I could help tremendously, and my employer at least seemed happy to have me around.
An older-looking male Earth Pony who could somehow handle things expertly with hooves, even better than the unicorns under him even with their magic. I was fortunate to have found him so soon, and he even offered to pay me by the week to keep food on my table. I now had some more time bought for me to figure out what I would do here in Equestria. Maybe once I was home I'd write a book introducing such a strange place. It'd be a revival of new age cults if I did it right. Funny thought.
"Hey, there!"
A familiar face greeted mine when I looked up.
"Oh! Hello, Twilight. What brings you here?"
Twilight Sparkle being around made me feel a bit better. It was good to have someone you knew visit when you barely knew anyone else. After all, she was my new... friend.
"Just wanted to see how you were doing! Princess Celestia did ask me to help you out, after all!"
"I'll be fine. Thanks a lot, Twilight."
Even if she was doing it for more professional reasons, having someone concerned was a good thought to start the day.
"No problem! And by the way, I was hoping to have you over for dinner. In fact, why don't you come visit the library tonight? You can borrow whatever you like!"
It seemed a bit much to show so much hospitality, though. I had to wonder just how much she was doing this out of her own wishes.
"Thank you! Is it really okay with you, though? I mean, if you're preparing this all of a sudden and all-"
"It's fine! I'd really like to talk with you more, actually. I could tell you more about whatever you'd like to hear about Equestria! And, well, I'd like to hear more about your home, too."
Even if I was still getting used to the faces of ponies, it was unmistakable that Twilight Sparkle was genuinely interested in hearing about wherever I was from. I felt a little better knowing that she wasn't doing his entirely out of sheer kindness or royal mandate. I could, at least, return something to who was becoming... no, who was my first friend here. It wouldn't have felt right otherwise.
I returned to work, a little more focused with something soon to look forward to. The day passed a little faster as I learned more about my craft, bit by bit, every rework a stepping stone to success. Ponies would still stare, something I managed to grow used to particularly quickly. I couldn't really tell what they were thinking.
"Good afternoon! How do you do today?"
A voice more refined than most ponies that sounded like one you'd hear in an upscale club.
"Oh! Miss Rarity! Can I help you with anything?"
Purple hair, styled feathered and resembling a classic actress. White coat, a brand of three diamonds on the rear legs. I was lucky ponies tended to be very distinguishable from one another.
" I heard you found yourself employment! Looks very fascinating, what you're working on. What is it?"
She peered at what was in my hands at that moment, a music box that had a depiction of a stage above.
"Well, it's one of the things we have here. A music box, I'm almost done with it. Just let me close it..."
I snap shut the lid on the clockwork within and wound it up, using my entire hand to operate a lever meant for hooves. A soothing tune began to play as I relaxed my arm. From the sides of the stage, two crystalline ponies came out and danced with each other. After a while, the stallion of the two ascended to the top of the stage, leaving the mare to keep dancing, though much slower. As the song ended, the mare returned to the back of the stage, much slower than how she had come out.
"And that's it. I don't really understand what it is myself, but I think it's working out well– Miss Rarity?"
"It-it's beautiful! Please, if this is finished, I must buy it off you at once! Excuse me!"
Somehow she had been moved to tears watching about a minute and a half's display. Wiping her eyes, she went off to speak with my employer, who looked quite pleased with whatever it was that I did. My first complete work was quickly wrapped and sold.
"I hope you enjoy it, Miss Rarity."
It did feel good to have your work appreciated.
"Please! There's no need to be so formal. 'Rarity' will do. I must say, I have been looking for something like this for quite a bit of time. I hope you'll tell me next time you work on something as beautiful!"
She waved with a leg and left. Before I could collect another set of materials from the workbench, my employer stopped me.
"Mighty fine job you did there. That pony's hard to please, let me tell you."
I was fairly certain it was more the subject matter of the thing than my skill itself, but I wasn't about to let go of a chance to improve someone's opinion about me–
"Haven't seen one in a while that synchronised as well as yours did. No need to be shy, you did a good job. Good to see the past few days of learning paid off well. Anyway, we're going to close up shop soon, why don't you just head out early? I heard you have an appointment with a friend."
Feeling rather light hearted after compliments from both Rarity and my employer, I packed up and took a stroll towards the large hollow tree library where Twilight Sparkle lived. The idea of it had begun to grow on me, like some sort of long lost childhood fantasy that was only now being fulfilled, living in a hollowed out tree made into a library. I was looking forward to it more than I had thought. I reached the door timely enough for my knocking to have some of that carefree spring I rarely had since I arrived.
"Who's there?"
A male voice? Did Twilight have guests over?
The door opened out by the limb of something that looked a bit like a lizard. It was mainly coated in purple, with green ridges running along its back and a white underbelly facing me as it stood on its two hind legs. It was yawning drowsily, but quickly alerted itself as it caught sight of me.
"Huh? What IS that thing?"
I wanted to know, too.
"SPIKE! That's our guest!"
Twilight came rushing over from behind the lizard, floating him aside to greet me.
"You're early! I haven't managed to prepare much yet, but please, come in!"
The lizard pouted at Twilight as it was put aside like a toy, but Twilight paid him no attention, focusing on me.
"Thank you, Twilight. And..."
I turned back to the lizard, who had gotten over his annoyance to look at me more inquisitively.
"Oh, right! Spike, I already told you about him, say hello! And this is Spike, my baby dragon assistant. He stays here with me."
"Huh? Oh, right, right. Well, uh... hello."
"..Hello, Spike."
We stared down one another sheepishly, neither of us too familiar with what sort of creature the other was.
"What are you two waiting for? Come in!"
Hastily I walked in and let the doorframe brush my hair, I had forgotten to bend over to go in. With the confusion from the first time I came in gone, I could appreciate the library much more. Books line the shelves that made the walls of the room, filling every side with a multitude of colours that begged to be inspected. Books open lay on the table in the center, around a statue of a common horse's head. An image of the sun shone above on the ceiling made the woody brown of the tree's interior seem only more homely, as if windows lined with flowers peering outside from above the shelves wasn't enough.
It was the living image of a book-loving child's dream home. Personally, I used to imagine complex machines working covertly under the floor and within the walls, but this was far more than enough.
"Oh, hello there. How have you been?"
A yellow pony with wings on her back, and pink hair and tail. A brand of three butterflies. One of Twilight Sparkle's friends was here too, hopefully not to interrupt my daydreaming.
"Hello, Fluttershy. I've been fine, thank you."
"That's good to hear. Did you come to look at the books?"
I really appreciated how Fluttershy wasn't so shy about speaking with me. Among Twilight's friends, she was very helpful in getting me suited to my new environment.
"Well, that would be nice. I was actually invited over for dinner by Twilight, but it seems a shame not to do that–"
"You what? Twilight!"
Fluttershy trotted off into a back room where Twilight had retreated when I came in. A moment or two later, both of them came out, Fluttershy holding a small cardboard box that she gave to me.
"I don't think you'll eat what's inside, will you?"
I wasn't sure what to expect, but upon opening the contents it seemed obvious from the beginning. Long, golden strands of... hay?
Of course.
Fluttershy, seeing whatever face I must have made, quickly took the box back.
"I thought so. Let me see your mouth..."
"Fluttershy? What are you doing?"
Twilight was probably as confused as I was. There wasn't much else to do, though.
"Hmmm... Alright. Don't you worry, I'll be back in a jiffy."
Fluttershy left through the front door, hovering a bit with her wings for a bit more speed. Spike yawned, saying he was sleepy and needed to take a nap. Twilight and myself were left alone in the library.
"Aaagh! I should have thought of this!"
Twilight paced the floor around the center table, following a groove probably worn there from many incidents of the same.
"If Fluttershy hadn't been here, the whole thing would have been blown! Gaah!"
Her ears drooped down as she came back to me.
"I'm sorry, I really am. I invited you over and all, I said I'd help you, and..."
She hung her head low, hiding it from my height. I could only see a glimpse of her lavender eyes, different from how I usually saw them full of energy.
"It's... it's really alright, Twilight."
Her ears moved a little.
"Really, I'm happy enough that you asked me over to your house. I wouldn't have minded not having dinner just to visit. I mean, you live in a library! I've always wanted my house to be a library."
"And, well, it's good to have company. I still don't really know anyone, save you and your friends. I'm just glad you invited me in the first place. I hope I can come some more after today."
Her head rose slowly, showing eyes with that energy returned.
"You really mean it?"
"Well, yeah. I think a library would be very helpful for me."
Twilight's ears came back up, signaling for a smile to return.
"Well, alright, then! Make yourself at home! Oh, right! I did want to ask you more, but I think it's best if I contribute some more first. Anyway, I've got something here about the history of Ponyville..."
This time I was in no royal library, but I was no one to ask for more. Twilight lectured me about the purpose of the town and how it came to be. It trailed off to a conversation about Equestria in general, a land still alien.
Twilight Sparkle seemed just as eager to teach me about Equestria as she was to listen to the tidbits about home I had to add every now and then. The book lay long forgotten on the desk as we suited ourselves to the wooden, inviting floor, growing more and more at ease. The library itself soon vanished, Twilight's world took over as she described the experiences and wonders of her Equestria. What she spoke was not only fact, it had traces of herself. Her own thoughts gave the world colour that I shared.
"You mean you agree? I mean, I like to think about it this way, but it's pretty hard to find a lot of ponies that feel the same."
"Me too! You won't believe how many times I've tried to talk to other people about how these of books are really more enjoyable, but I've always been just shot down as an egghead–"
"I swear, if anyone calls me that again..."
Probably a few seconds after we had begun our conversation, Fluttershy returned.
"Twilight, I'm back! Oh... hope I'm not interrupting anything. It looks like you two are having fun."
Whatever high had managed to drive Twilight and myself speaking animatedly for so long had abandoned us, leaving me suddenly tired and hungry.
"Here you go! I hope I got it right."
Fluttershy handed me a lunchbox with a tempting aroma. I opened it a little too quickly.
A fried egg, a steamed fish and an apple on a bed of rice. I hadn't been able to find any meat in town. I had mainly been living off the bread my landlord sent to me, pies that were donated to me by another of Twilight's friends and my own packed food.
"I thought you'd like it. Looks like you do! By the way, you... might want to take a look at pet food stores for your meat groceries. Take care. See you too, Twilight!"
Was I just told to eat dog food?
I was certain Fluttershy had the best of intentions, but I couldn't help but feel.. insulted?
"Come on, I'm starving! Is.. is there something wrong?"
I had to quickly shake off whatever that was. The urge to hit something, anything.
"Sorry. Excuse me."
I had enough sense in me not to want to break something in my hostess' home. I made do with rising and doing my best to not storm out the front door and instead merely ran out. I ignored the pitiful, inarticulate protests behind as I broke back out into the cold night air, walking wherever.
I didn't really care that it was beginning to rain. Let the rainwater melt my skin off, I didn't give a damn. At least that would distract me from that terrible feeling within. I needed to get home. No, not that pathetic apartment in a place I didn't know. Home, with people I care about, who cared about me, where I worked on my hopes and dreams for the future.
Damn it all.
Perhaps I had offended some great power and it felt fit to toss me here as a joke. What a riot. Maybe if I stood here long enough a divine thunderbolt of some kind would knock me out, and I would wake up where I belonged. Or I'd catch it and kill the bastard myself. Or I'd just die.
Fucking hell.
I didn't really care about the pain in my fist as I drove it into a nearby fence. Nor that in my foot as I tried in vain to kick it down. These things were built sturdy. With my energy spent I was reduced to a fool standing in the rain, trying to vandalise public property for some kind of self-satisfaction. As the anger cleared, a bitter chill came over me. Not the rain. This came from within.
I wasn't sure if it was because I couldn't think of anything, or simply didn't want to. Fortunately there were no ponies about at this time, or I might have found myself being run out of town the next day.
"Umm..."
It was odd how no longer being exposed to the rain made me more aware of how soaked I was. The bright umbrella held over me seemed like it wanted to defy the mood as much as possible. Twilight, who held it over me, was getting wet too.
"You're hungry, right? Come on, I'll bring you back."
I didn't want to move my head, or anything.
"I'm not sure if that's enough."
"It's better than nothing, right? Please. You'll feel better."
There was a silence. Twilight's tail became more soaked by the second. At least she was here. It was easier to just follow her voice if I was unable to think anything for myself.
"I hope so. Sorry about running off like that. You're getting caught in the rain too, let me hold that for you."
We didn't speak a word as we walked back even as we huddled under the same umbrella. Being taller I could shield us both from the rain much easier. I wasn't sure if the library door came towards us too fast or not. The silence was a convenient shield.
"Alright. Here's a towel, dry yourself off... dinner's still hot, I'm starving. You must be, too!" Twilight did her best to liven up the air with her tone. Easier to just do as she said. Trying to think for myself at the moment was dangerous.
Once I had slowly dried myself off as much as I cared to, Twilight had set up two chairs and a table for our meal. Fortunately, I managed to fit in one just perfectly. Utensils for ponies weren't exactly suited to me, so I had started a habit of bringing my own around. Twilight was content with levitating her hay straight to her mouth, her towel slung over her back.
Despite any misgivings, my meal was delicious. Kept warm and filling, the sort that would appeal to someone just stuck in the rain. It had a homely sort of taste, and soon I found myself just gazing into the air.
"Are you alright? If you're still hungry, I got some snacks."
Twilight gazed softly at me from the side.
"I'm alright, really. Just pretty tired, that's all.
I resolved to focus on filling myself. I was probably a little more prone to being upset because I was hungry. That happens.
"It's alright. You can talk to me."
Outside, the rain continue to beat against the home. It was subsiding, but not by much yet.
"Are you maybe homesick?"
Twilight Sparkle was the smart sort. It was futile to hide from her something like this.
"A little, I guess."
As much as the talk with Twilight sparkle warmed me, thinking back about everything I told her made me realise just how much I missed it. As much as I was seemingly welcome here, it didn't look like I could at all belong.
"Uhm, well, see..."
Twilight sounded like she was struggling to find words. I didn't really want to look at anyone at the time.
"I don't think I can really understand what you're going through. I mean, I've never heard of anything like this. I can't even imagine what it'd be like to be pulled into another world without knowing if you can go back. But... I'll help you however I can, alright?"
I finally found some strength to look at her. Large purple eyes watched me, intent on filling me with some sort of reassurance. I couldn't look at them for very long.
"Twilight, I don't know what to say. Thank you. I..."
There was a smile.
"Just come visit whenever you want, alright? It's good to have a conversation partner like you. I haven't met a pony who thought so much like me before, you know? Why don't you take back some books later? It must be lonely in your house. Right, and I need to plan out how I'm going to teach you to read older Equestrian script, too..."
Those eyes were even more determined when I looked back. This time I could not resist and yielded. Everything seemed much better.
"Still hungry? I know I am."
Dinner tasted like home, and that was fine. It wouldn't be easy getting used to Equestria, but with a friend, everything ahead looked like it would be fine. If friendship was important to the ponies of Equestria, I had to return Twilight the favour as much as I could.
With the rain stopped, the evening air felt cool rather than chilling as I stepped out the door, some of Twilight's recommendations under my arms. I held them close on the road back.