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// And then I saw her 
// Story: Twilight Sparkle Goes to Europe 
// by Lord Vinder 
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I don't even know how it really happened. One moment, I'm cleaning off my bed and part of the room for late night/early morning sleep, and the next a flash goes off and blinds me for a good several seconds. I remember collapsing on my bed with thud, and groaning out very quietly as it was a time no one wanted to be woken at.

“Oh my goodness,” a rather feminine voice called out with, and though not loud enough to wake to dead, she was still loud. “Are you alright?”

“Just. Peachy,” I replied, pushing my self up and blinking rapidly as I halted my breathing and looked around the room for the voice. Thankfully, no one was waking up. I was safe for another moment.

“Down here,” she said, thankfully quieter. And then I saw her, but it was something that I could not describe very well—mainly because I had never seen her kind before. She looked like a Shetland pony; small, and horse like but less natural. Where as an animal would have angles and lines, she looked more like an iPad then a horse. Being honest, she looked like if an iPad, a Shetland pony, and box of crayons had some sort of love child. Thats not to say she was ugly or anything of the kind, rather the opposite. She was rather adorable in her curviness and strange colours. She was small, perhaps four feet tall from...hoof to...horn? She had a horn. That was not natural. Then again, she spoke English fluently.

“Can you understand me?” she asked, looking at me rather puzzled, with purple eyes that matched her coat? I reached out to stroke her cheek, too dumbfounded to speak.

“Hey, watch it,” she called out, swatting my hand away with a hoof.

“Oh. Sorry,” I muttered, finally able to speak. “Um. Hi.”

“Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle. Personal protegee to Princess Celestia,” she said proudly, though not in a loud voice. Wait, Twilight Sparkle? Theres a new one. Then again, I had a four foot tall iPad, shetland horse pony crayon box thing standing in my room. And, she had a horn. And I had no shirt on.

“Uh. Well, Ms. Twilight. I am Daniel, uh a university student,” I said sheepishly. How does one top some Princess' student? Because I clearly wasn't doing a good job.

“Hello Daniel,” Twilight said with smile, still looking at me with her beady large purple eyes.

“Uh. So. You're not from here, are you?” I asked, trying not to look at her as I sat on my bed, my eyes flying around my room. This whole experience was freaking me out. This weird love child thing was freaking me out.

Yet at the same time, it was nice.	

I didn't know this Twilight for more than 30 or so seconds, but already I could tell she wasn't a threat. She always smiled, made eye contact, and clearly wanted to be friends. Even if she did want to kill me, or take me away, or kill me in the place she took me away too, I was almost ok with that.

So then why was I so afraid of her?

She smiled at me, and sat down on my floor...right on a book. I really didn't do that good of a job cleaning. I quickly picked her up, she actually didn't weigh a lot for something four feet tall; maybe  in total? But even if she was heavy, she was very, very soft and really warm so I doubt I could have noticed even if she was.

“Uh. Thank you,” she said, not looking at me as she looked around the room from her new spot beside me. “But no. I'm not. I'm from Equestria.” she explained.

“Can't say I've heard of it,” I noted, scratching my head, and barely hiding a yawn. “Is it in Europe?”

“Whats a Europe,” She asked with genuine curiosity. Ok, she's not from earth. Glad I know that. Now, not to panic.

“How did you get here,” I asked, my voice shaking a bit as it finally clicked in that something purple was talking in basic English with me.

“Well, at the base of it, I used magic. Don't you have magic.” she asked looking all over me—for what I suspected to be a horn or some sort of appendage that would be a magic exit point.

“Uh. No, no I can't say I do. In fact, magic doesn't exist here,” I said sheepishly.

I assume kids, when finding out Santa isn't real, often looked very much like their very fabric of reality was just ripped to shreds. This pretty purple pony looked much the same way. Eye wide, and mouth open. Lip quivering, and a slight twitch in her cheek.

“Magic, doesn't exist,” she asked, her voice soft and almost inaudible.

“Not in my people,” I noted. “Never has. But we talk about it.”

“Wait, what,” she asked—Twlight was it?

“Yeah,” I said with a small smile. “Magic doesn't exist here, so we invent ways to do things we can't do. But we still toy with the idea of magic; how great it is, how wonderful life would be with it. How great it would be move a book from ten feet away. Or, how great life is without it; since it can cause so much destruction.”

She seemed to calmed down a bit, but still seemed shock. “Mind if I try something, Daniel,” she asked sweetly.

“Uh sure, I guess. Just keep the noise level down, I'm not the only one in this house,” I said watching her carefully.

A blinding flash of light—like the sun itself just appeared feet from me, came to my sight. I wasn't thrown back, but I did fall onto my back, a groan escaping as my eyes were forced to see that of this unholy blind. It was incredibly painful; too painful to cry out at, and too bright to really and truly describe. It was almost a stereotypical view of heaven, but turned up to eleven. If this was magic, then thank God we had none of it.

“Daniel? Daniel? Can you hear me,” Twilight asked, moving me with a hoof.

“Yeah,” I said, eyes closed. “I can hear you.”

“Are you ok,”	 she asked, fear lacing her voice like wood to a fire. “Oh no, I should never have tried that spell.”

“Its fine Twilight” I said, patting her head—more out of instinct than anything. “I'm fine.”

“I take it thats the first time you've seen magic,” she asked quietly, lying down on my bed.

“Well, I guess. Though, you coming into my room was magic, right?”

“Technically, it was more of a finishing of a spell. I was sent to this world by my teacher and her sister, her former student and, I guess one could call him an occasional ally,” Twilight explained softly.

“But why here?”

“My teacher heard of this world, and visits every now and then to see whats going on. Apparently, the last time she was here was 1851, and she visited many a place. Although I have heard suggestions that she came to this place in 1943 as well. Does any of this make sense to you?” Twilight asked, rather hopeful for a good answer.

“I have no idea why 1851,” I admitted sheepishly. “And 1943, well that wasn't a great year for this place.”

“Thats what she said, it’s why she never came back until tonight. 70-ish years to the day; and this is where she parted from after she surveyed the world.” Twilight explained. “She asked me to check up on this world here.”

I nodded slowly, taking all she said in like a proverbial sponge. “Is this your first time here?”

“Yes and no. I visited this place before, but I looked more like you. My guess is that there exists multiple worlds in which magic can send one to. My teacher always said she never changed when she came here. That would make this one a different world then where I was sent to.”

“What kind of spell,” I asked.

“A teleport spell; not a time-teleport spell, but just a regular old teleport spell.” Twilight explained. “Albeit a much more powerful version, but still a teleport spell.”

“That's incredible,” I said, surprise filling the air around me. “Equestria must be amazing.”

“It is, but it has its downsides. Just like your world,” Twilight said with a smile.

“You'd think, but your teacher hasn't seen the worst of what we did.” I explained softly. “The last seventy years, to be honest Twilight, are some of the worst. Are we getting better? I guess, but its still a fight.”

“What happened?” she asked in shock. “I mean, Princess Celestia mentioned a huge war was going on, but what could be worse than that.”

“So much blood, so much loss, and so much destruction.” I whispered, not daring to look away from the ceiling as Twilight tried to coax the information out of me.

“How do you mean?”

“We ended lives; but without a body. We destroyed cities, and left not proof they existed. Twilight, you have no idea what we've done. It's horrible.” I explained.

“What do you mean? Theres always a body; even in the metaphorical sense,” She protested with; she didn't want to understand.

“An individuals outline on a building, thats what remains of them. Or remained I guess I should say. The photos, I can't describe them. I could show you, but I can't. Not if your mentor wants a better thought of who we are,” I explained to her.

“She does,” Twilight explained quietly. “She wants to know you've done better throughout the ages.”

“Ages? People are still alive from that war, Twilight. They remember the horror of it all,” I explained. “As for if we've done better, well. That war ended and there hasn't been one in Europe since.”

“That’s something,” she said with a sigh. “Honestly, I don't understand your species.”

“Yet,” I noted with a sly grin, getting one back from this unicorn with, wings. “You have wings?”

“I'm a Princess! All Princess ponies have wings” Twilight explained with a beaming smile, and flapping them quickly which brought about a rather nice breeze—even if it did blow my papers all over the place.

“Ah Twilight,” I said sternly as I started picking them up. “I had these already for tomorrow.”

“Whats tomorrow?” she asked, watching me swerve around books and collect the wood fibre collections.

“I leave this place for a little while” I explained, finding my ticket and itinerary of what we were going. 'Travel Study, May 2013' it read in big letters—thankfully not in comic sans.

“Where to?”

“Europe,” I said with a smile.

“Thats where Princess Celestia was,” Twilight exclaimed with a large grin. “Can I come?”
I said nothing as I thought. Aside from the serious logistic issues, there was also the issue of how does one hide something like her in this world? It would be fun though—walk through London with something like her. Playing tourist with someone who knew nothing of this world. I had to admit, it would be an amazing learning experience.

“How would that work?” I asked. “How could you get there?”

“I could teleport—if this world has no one else using magic, then the rate of interference should be low enough that I can do it with ease. Large distance or not.” Twilight explained.

“Would you need anything?” I asked, turning to her.

“If I lock onto your aura, I should be ok.” Twilight said, closing her eyes and pointing her, what looked to be, very sharp horn at me. Still, I felt the need to trust her. She hadn't done me by wrong—yet.

“Is that possible?” I asked. “Would a non magical being give off an aura?”

“It's faint, but its there. I can sense the aura of others in this building, but even weaker.” She noted. “Sad, really.”

“Why is that?”

“I guess you could call it a happiness meter of sorts. Lock on teleportation is possible in Equestria, but because of the amount of unicorns there it’s rarely done. However, a pony or persons aura is caused by their happiness. Really, it could be any emotion, but I've always done it by happiness. Each person, no matter how much joy they may express when compared to someone else will always give off a trace of their personality. It is that personality that a unicorn locks on to, to get to the location of somepony or someone.” Twilight explained carefully. “Does that make sense?”

“Why happiness?” I asked.

“Its a strong point of Equestrian society—we're happy, and we enjoy our lives,” Twilight explained. “Don't you all?”

“I, I don't know. Its not something we focus on.” I said before smirking. “Maybe we just don't want to face reality.”

“Then perhaps I should return,” Twilight said sadly. “I don't want to see this world. I don't like it”

“Me neither. But maybe together we can see this world, for it is outside of what I've said,” I offered with a smile at her. “In the very least, I'd love to get lost in London and Paris with a friend.”

Twilight smiled, and seemed to gain the will back. “Even if I have questions?”

“I’ll find a way to answer them all,” I said nodding. “But can you stay hidden?”

“I know an invisibility spell. If I use it, I'll stay hidden from people. As for food or something, I can eat grass,” She said with a smirk.

“Ah. Right. Pony,” I said sheepishly.

“It's not the greatest thing, but I'll live,” She said grinning. “Don't worry about me, I'll always be able to find you since I can lock onto your happiness.”

“Talking though,” I stated, filing alway the last paper—homework for when I returned. “How will that work?”

“I can read minds, and project my voice into your mind. Basically, we have a thinking conversation,” Twilight explained. “To keep our thoughts safe though, just start off everything you want to ask me with TS, and that way I know its you.” she ended with, a soft smile on her face.

“That seems a little convenient,” I noted with a skeptical look on my face.

“Its what my cutie mark means,” she started off with, moving her head in the direction of her....upper thigh area. “I have a talent for magic, so I'm able to do a lot with it; including invisibility and reading your thoughts. I still have to learn that stuff, but it basically means my magic reserves are larger than most other unicorns and combined with a love of learning and nothing is the limit.”

“Ah. Right. Fair enough,” I said, not daring to look at her....backside.

She grinned. “Culture thing?”

“Something like tha-hey you said you wouldn't read my mind,” I called her out lond. This did not bode well for my future while.

“Sorry, but I assumed it was something that you really didn't want to say, so I read your mind to see what was wrong—no harm done?” She asked, patting my leg.

“No harm done,” I said with a sigh. “Just, try and keep out please, I don't want to make anything awkward for us.”

“I have an older brother—there is very little you can do, but alright. I promise,” she agreed and, nodded in affirmation.

“Just for future reference, what does speaking into my mind feel like?” I asked.

'You should sleep.' I could hear in my brain—like I was thinking, but as if some other power sent it to me. If this was what religious experience was like—talking with God and what not, I'm surprised most didn't go insane.

“That...was,”I said.

“It's easier to take when you're fully reseted. It can do a lot though; I can wake you up with it, alert you of other peoples presence. Really handy stuff I think.” she said with a smile.

I just nodded and lay down on my bed. “Sleep wherever, I guess. This is my last night before the flight, so any issues are a one night thing.”

“Ok,” Twilight said, flying over to my closet and settling herself inside of it. “This is almost cosy!”

I laughed as I closed my eyes. I didn’t know what tomorrow would bring, but I knew it would be encountered with a friend.