//------------------------------// // The Second Day: Interview With a Unicorn // Story: You Do (Not) Belong // by 2dextreem //------------------------------// You Do (Not) Belong The Second Day: Interview With a Unicorn When Twilight Sparkle had awoken that day, she had been greeted with your perfectly typical, perfectly average, picturesque Ponyville morning. The birds outside were singing merrily, the bright yellow sun peeking just over the horizon -- her beloved mentor’s hoofiwork -- was casting a hazy, comforting amber glow through her window, and her admittedly short, yet immensely satisfying rest coming after another fruitful late-night study session had left her peppy and eager to start yet another day filled with work at the library, errands around town, and time spent with her closest friends. That is, until Spike, her number one assistant, interrupted her in the act of brushing out her unruly bedmane. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, the purple-scaled dragon child drowsily handed her a letter he had discovered in his bed -- apparently delivered via the usual dragon’s breath spell by the Princess overnight. It was a rare occasion indeed to receive letters from her mentor out of the blue like that, unless of course she was replying to one of Twilight’s many reports on the trials and tribulations of friendship. And as she had opened it and read its contents, she had a sneaking suspicion that the day would end up being anything but average. A suspicion that was confirmed just a short while after being introduced to a creature that nothing in the whole wide world of Equis could have prepared her for. Quite literally, in fact, if the claim of this "Connor" as having originated from a parallel universe held any water at all. Twilight had just watched Princess Celestia gracefully walk out of the castle foyer, followed closely by the most recent addition to her guard services: Captain Sky Armory of the Equestrian Royal Army’s First Regiment. A stocky, bad-tempered pegasus who, oddly enough, seemed to have it out for the strange being she now found herself with, as evidenced by the withering looks he was giving to the boy until just before he departed. “Great,” Connor breathed out in a dejected sigh. “One day here and I’ve already made an enemy. Seriously, what is with that guy?” The comment brought Twilight’s attention back to the alien, and she took a moment to look him up and down now that the Princess had taken her leave. She analyzed him with a studious curiosity, but it was like trying to derive the meaning from a sentence that didn’t make sense no matter how many times you read over the words. Of course, he was unlike anything that resembled any creature the well learned mare had ever come across, with his nearly hairless peach-colored skin, flat face, and plantigrade extremities, among other things. But there was something else... A nagging feeling that there was some underlying detail that eluded her attempts at definition, even though the clockwork inside her mind had been working double duty, churning away ever since she walked in the door. There’s just something about him. I can’t quite put my hoof on it, but something just seems... off. It’s as if he’s-- “Um... Would you mind not staring at me like that? It’s kinda creepy.” The verbal interruption served to snap Twilight out of her internal monologue, just now realizing that Connor was looking up at her from his seat on the middle of the stairs with a worried expression. “W-what? Who’s staring? I wasn’t staring,” came her hasty reply, as she blinked a few times and looked away. Her deflection seemed to work well enough, and Connor merely let out a sigh, bringing the end of his arm up to his forehead and rubbing it in circles as he grimaced slightly. Twilight tilted her head to the side, concerned. “Are you alright?” she asked, not knowing whether he was in pain or if this was perhaps some strange cultural idiosyncrasy of his people. “Yeah, I’m fine. It’s just a headache,” he replied. So, a no on the cultural thing. There was an awkward pause, with neither party able to think of what next to say, until Connor breathed in deep and let it out slow, then brought his arms out behind him to lean back against the stairway. “Soooo, how are we going to do this?” he said slowly. “Do what, exactly?” Twilight responded, eying him skeptically. Connor made a slight roll with his small (comparatively speaking) brown eyes. “Me, staying at your place.” “I still haven’t made up my mind about that, you know,” the unicorn stated flatly, turning her head up and tossing back her bangs, though still holding her violet eyes in Connor’s direction. To this, the boy merely tossed a light shrug with his shoulders. “Eh, I guess that’s fair,” he added, noncommittal, and turned back to face away from Twilight, a distant look in his eyes. He sure seems harmless enough. A bit spacey, if you ask me, she thought to herself, closing her eyes in consternation. Oh, ponyfeathers. What am I going to do? I really don’t want to let the Princess down, but I can’t just invite him into my home! I know next to nothing about him! A sudden series of light popping noises brought the purple pony’s attention back to reality, as she noticed the Connor working over the stubby claw-like things on the ends of his arms. “What are you doing to your... your... whatever those are?” Twilight exclaimed, half out of confusion and half out of shock borne from the unsettling nature of the sounds, like a hoof scraping against a chalkboard. Connor stopped what he was doing instantly, and turned towards her before looking back down at the offending objects with an unsure look on his face. “What? You mean my hands?” he responded, waving the things around for emphasis. “I’m just cracking my knuckles. Why? Does it bother you?” She assumed that by "knuckles" he meant the bones in his "hands," and she happened to recall that a certain rainbow-maned pegasus was fond of doing something similar to her wings while she limbered up before flight. To tell the truth, it was not a sound she cared much for. Twilight shook her head as she realized that this was going to get her nowhere, over-thinking every movement the creature before her made. At best, it would make her come off as annoying, and at worst, well... her critical attitude had gotten her in trouble before. Completely at a loss, Twilight found herself wondering: what would her friends do in this situation? Applejack? No, she couldn’t just lasso him down and interrogate him. Okay, what about Rainbow Dash? No. Gushing about how "awesome" it was to meet a trans-dimensional alien and then bragging about how she’s the fastest flier in Equestria wouldn’t help, either. Fluttershy, true to her name, would probably be too nervous to even speak a word to the guy. Maybe Rarity... Oh, who was she kidding? The only thing her unicorn fashionista friend would be concerned with at this point would be the state of Connor’s clothes. As for Pinkie Pie, she couldn’t even begin to imagine how Pinkie would behave. Trying to predict anything the eccentric party-crazed pony would do was as simple as unraveling the mystery of her Pinkie Sense -- which was to say, hardly simple at all. And that was speaking from experience. Well, just sitting here doing nothing is getting us nowhere, she thought, as a heavy exhale came past her lips. As if sensing this, Connor tried his best to keep the conversation flowing. “Look, I’ve... never really been good at starting conversations,” he looked a little ashamed to admit, scratching the back of his head. I’ve noticed. “Oh, here’s an idea!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands together while Twilight could almost imagine the metaphorical light bulb switching on above his head. “Q ‘n A.” “Cue and ay?” Twilight responded, turning her head slightly while raising an eyebrow. “Yeah, you know, Question and Answer? One of us asks a question and the other answers, then we take turns, back and forth and so on,” he explained animatedly, pointing between himself and her. It... actually was a pretty good idea, Twilight had to admit. In fact, the logical part of her brain tripped over itself a few times just then, wondering how she could’ve possibly made it this long without thinking of indulging her curiosity. After all, this was a being never before encountered in the history of Equestria! There was so much information to glean from him; a whole new world of things to learn and absorb that couldn’t be found even in the seemingly never-ending shelves of the Canterlot Library. She started feeling a familiar, bubbly, giddy sensation that she normally reserved for the prospect of cracking open a brand new book. If the circumstances of the situation were any different, just the thought of it would probably have sent her jumping around the room in excitement. Though, Connor must have noticed the way her eyes widened and sparkled in anticipation, because he then cracked a smile and gave a short chuckle. “Heheh. I take it that sounds like a good idea, then?” Twilight blinked a few times, then smiled and nodded, if a bit over-enthusiastically. “Okay, great. It’s something to start with, at least,” Connor agreed, before getting up to stand at his full height while raising his arms above his head in a long stretch. He then breathed in deeply and released, letting his arms fall loosely to his sides, and turned back towards Twilight with a grin. “I get to go first, though. Since it was my idea.” There was a small, crestfallen look that came across the unicorn’s face for the briefest of moments, before she reluctantly acquiesced. “Oh, alright,” Twilight breathed out, her voice tinged with slight disappointment. “So, what’s your first question?” “Hmmm...” Connor said, pursing his lips and stroking the short hair underneath his chin in an exaggerated motion. “You wanna go for a walk? My legs are starting to get fidgety.” The informal nature of the question caught Twilight slightly off-guard. “Uh... sure, I guess. Did you have something in mind?” “I dunno,” Connor replied with a shrug of his shoulders. “Anywhere, I guess. Celestia did say we had free reign of the castle. Hah... ‘reign,’” he added under his breath as he grinned goofily, amused by the unexpected pun. “If you happen to know your way around, you’re free to lead on. Oh! And that counts as a question, by the way. It’s my turn again.” An annoyed scowl came over Twilight’s face as he said that, and she let out a short huff. She wasn’t mad, though. Technically, he was right. And if he wanted to make this into a game, she would just have to play by the rules. “Fine,” she said resignedly, and turned around to start walking down the path that led down the right wing at the top of the staircase. Then she paused, and looked over her shoulder at the boy. “Well, are you coming, or not?” “Oh, yep. Right behind you,” Connor replied quickly, as he bounded up the remaining half of the steps two at a time, still grinning lightly, coming up alongside the lavender unicorn. Twilight simply rolled her eyes widely, and had to resist the urge to facehoof at Connor's hapless behavior. Intellectual curiosity or no, she had a feeling this was going to be an interesting conversation. It’s going to be a long five hours, that’s for sure. --------------------------------------------- “Human?” “Yup, that’s me,” Connor responded with a dose of nonchalance. “Earthling, Terran, mankind, or homo sapiens if you prefer the ‘scientific’ term.” He raised his hands and curled his "fingers" twice as he said the word "scientific." It had only been a matter of several minutes since the two had left the foyer, and the few questions Twilight had already asked had hardly chipped away at the curiosity weighing heavily on her mind like a block of solid granite. They had already covered what little Connor had to tell about how he came to Equestria, and following that, Twilight had jumped right into questions about the residents of Earth. As both Twilight and the human boy continued on their impromptu tour, they walked down one of the castle’s side halls with no particular destination in mind. On their left side, light from Celestia’s Sun streamed through crystal clear windows and cast their surroundings in bright clarity. Just then, Connor happened to glance out the window and drew Twilight’s attention to what lay outside: the castle courtyard, where the teenager had apparently made his mysterious and thoroughly spectacular entrance. The stone foundation at the center remained as it had been rendered that day: a pile of loose rubble at the center, with innumerable cracks and crevices spiderwebbing out to its edges, as if it were a target that had suffered a direct hit from a mighty cannon. Planted firmly in the short grass of the surrounding area was a wide circle of yellow and black-colored flags flapping in a gentle breeze, obviously meant to cordon off the area for the time being. A few words were shared regarding the scene, before they both agreed to continue on down the hall. Twilight kept noticing, however, that Connor was sneaking furtive glances outside the windows as they passed by, silent and contemplative for a time, before taking his turn and asking her a question. “So, you’ve been pretty accepting of the stuff I’ve been saying so far. Does that mean you believe me now? That I touched a glowing rock and ended up in another world?” Twilight turned her head to look up at the human, before breathing deep and releasing in a short sigh. “It would seem I don’t really have a choice. From a logical standpoint, the evidence that does exist to support your claim...” She tossed her head in the direction of the courtyard. “...is circumstantial at best. But then again, there isn’t any reason to assume you’re lying. That, and the Princess seems to put her faith in you, and I trust her judgment. So I guess what I’m saying is, yes, I believe you.” “Heh. Jeez, it was just a yes or no question,” Connor muttered with a light chuckle. “Speaking of the Princess, do you two--” “Upupup!” the purple pony interrupted, having paused in her walking to raise a hoof in Connor’s direction. “You know the rules. It’s my turn.” She flashed him a grin of smug self-satisfaction, to which Connor replied by rolling his eyes and resumed walking. “Hmm...” Twilight mused, pondering her next move. There were still so many things left unanswered, she was starting to worry she wouldn’t get to them all. But, she reasoned, if she simply methodically covered one topic before moving on to the next, then maybe, just maybe, she could cover all of her bases. And so she decided to keep the purview of her questions limited to humans for now. “What other kinds of humans are there?” “Kinds? Well, there aren’t really different ‘kinds’ of human. We’re all pretty much similar except for physical stuff: skin color, hair color, stature...” he listed off, counting along his fingers as he did so. “Tall, short, male, female, etcetera and so on. I guess there are some specific differences based on where in the world you come from, but there’s still only one species as a whole.” Twilight nodded enthusiastically, filing away the knowledge like yet another book on the shelf as Connor resumed speaking. “Okay, back to what I was about to say then. How do you know the Princess so well? You two shared a pretty tender moment back there.” “Well, yeah... It’s kind of a long story,” Twilight responded with a bit of hesitation. She hadn’t been expecting such a personal question. I guess there’s no harm in telling him. It’s not exactly a secret, after all, she concluded. “To me, she’s not just Princess Celestia. She’s my mentor. My role model. She’s the one who first inspired me to learn more about magic and to foster my magical talents.” Twilight’s thoughts shifted to the memory of her youth, hardly more than a little filly, going to her first Summer Sun Celebration. How she had eagerly awaited seeing Celestia perform her most sacred of duties: raising the morning sun on the longest day of the year. For the young and impressionable filly, it was an event to behold. The grace, the subtle power, the mysticism of the act... It was something that she would never, ever forget, and the sole reason she became so devoted to every aspect of the magical arts. Connor raised a hand to his chin, listening patiently, while the tone in Twilight’s voice shifted from slightly meek to one of prideful adoration as she continued. “When we first met, I could just tell she saw something in me. She saw potential, and her only desire was to see me succeed. On the day I earned my cutie mark, she came up to me and offered to make me her personal protegé, just like that! Not just anypony gets that kind of opportunity from the Princess. Even today, she still considers me her faithful student, and I wouldn’t want it any other way,” she finished with a contented smile on her muzzle. Connor, however, seemed to be only half-listening at this point, waiting for her to finish speaking before acting on his quizzical expression. “I’m sorry, back up a few. I know it’s not my turn, but what the heck’s a ‘que-tee mark’?” he asked, sounding out the syllables in "cutie mark" like he was fighting the urge to grin while saying it. Twilight turned her head skeptically, the question throwing her off. “You don’t know what a cutie mark-- Oh, right...” Of course. Knowledge that she and everypony else took for granted would be completely lost on someone like Connor. The pony let out a weighty sigh, resigned to the fact that it would probably be best to indulge his ignorance whenever the issue arose, instead of delegating it to their back-and-forth routine. “This,” she started, as she brought up a hoof and indicated the six-pointed magenta starburst adorning her flank. “...is a cutie mark. Everypony gets one when they discover their special talent. For some it takes longer than others, but it always happens eventually.” “So, lemme get this straight. When a pony finds something they’re good at, they get a tattoo?” “It’s not a tattoo, cutie marks are different! They just, sort of appear when you realize your talents. Mine represents my affinity with all kinds of magic. I got it when I was a filly, during my magic school entrance exam, when I, uh... sort of overloaded on the magic. Just a teeny bit,” Twilight admitted sheepishly, rubbing one foreleg against the other. “Okay, that makes a little more sense.” Connor put his hands in his jacket pockets and continued walking. “Well, not really, but thanks for trying to explain.” The two continued down the castle corridor for several more minutes at a slow, leisurely pace, passing by more closed doors, art arrangements, and the occasional guard or other pony. Some of whom recognized Twilight and offered a brief, casual greeting before continuing on their way, eying her bipedal companion with interest as they did so. Eventually, they came across a wide, circular room, surrounded on all sides by branching pathways and immaculately carved windows, with a small fountain in the middle, the stone spire at its center producing steady streams of crystal clear water that trickled down in short, pebbly arcs. Twilight paused as they came up to the fountain, glancing at all of the different paths that lay before them, taking each into consideration. “Please tell me you know where you’re going,” Connor asked the lavender unicorn, idly biting on the end of one of his fingers. “Of course I do. Just give me a minute to get my bearings.” Now, I know I’ve been down this way before. Let’s see... Was it a left at the fountain? Twilight mused silently, trying to remember the layout of the castle. Even after spending so much time there in her youth, two long years of living in Ponyville had somewhat muddled her sense of direction in the sprawling complex. No, it was a right. Yeah, that’s it. Then another right and two doors down to the stairs that lead to... “The observatory!” she exclaimed suddenly, eyes lighting up with recollection. “Observatory?” “Mm-hmm. It’s in one of the tallest towers in the castle, and has the absolute best view of Canterlot from way up there. I think you’d like it,” she said with a committal nod, before cantering off at a brisk pace away from the fountain and down the hallway on their right. “H-hey, wait for me!” --------------------------------------------- The Canterlot Castle observatory was a modest affair, as removed as it was from the more well traveled parts of the castle. Like every other room, it was kept fastidiously spotless and free of dust and grime, yet somehow it still maintained an air of reclusive, musty charm. It was a circular room with a low, domed ceiling sitting above a smooth checkered floor. In the middle was a bowl-like depression, carpeted and lined with plush, colorful pillows, over which hung the dangling eyepiece of the wide, barrel-shaped telescope that extended into the ceiling and dominated most of the space. Alongside the outer wall, nestled between the door to the stairwell and the small curved windows that let in the sunlight, were an assortment of shelves and tables that each contained a number of objects: various intricate measuring devices, several candlesticks -- some brand new, others nearly burned down to stubs -- empty beakers and other glass containers, reams of paper alongside quills and inkwells, and stacks of thick, heavy books, their surfaces cracked and weathered with use and time. The scene was perfectly silent and still, save for the occasional chirping tweet from a crowd of birds that sat on the roof outside, enjoying the view and the nice weather. That is, until a faint voice could be heard on the other side of the door, steadily getting louder as it approached from the lower levels. “...used to spend a lot of time up here after my lessons with the Princess. It’s a really nice place to think and study because hardly anypony comes up here, so it’s great for avoiding distractions.” Twilight’s voice came, muffled from the other end of the door, before the soft wood was enveloped in a light magical aura and pushed open with a well worn creak. As the magic faded, the lavender unicorn cantered inside, slightly out of breath from the climb, but wearing a satisfied smile nonetheless as she breathed in the familiar scent of the observatory: one of musty tomes, burnt wax, and long nights spent between a good book and the endless night skies. Following in her wake was Connor, hand gripping the rail of the stairwell tightly as he labored for breath. He coughed loudly a few times as he entered the room, ducking under the door frame as he did so, and placed his hands on his knees while bending forwards as he took in air at a steady rhythm. “Yeah... No kidding... After eight flights... of stairs... who would want to... come up here?” he said between breaths. Twilight turned to face the human with a look of obvious amusement. “Oh, come on, it really isn’t that much of a climb. Are all humans as quick to tire out as you?” Connor managed to straighten himself up and return her expression with one of acute annoyance. “Hey... gimme a break... I’m not exactly a marathon runner,” came his reply, before taking another deep breath and reaching up to readjust his glasses. “I just hope whatever you dragged me up here to show me was worth it.” “Trust me, it is.” Twilight made her way over to one of the windows, shooting Connor an expectant glance as he went to follow. Once at the wall, he used one of his arms to prop himself against it, leaning down to get a good look through the glass. The human’s eyes widened slightly, and he let out a low whistle as he joined her in looking upon the scene. Though it wasn’t anything Twilight hadn’t seen before, it was still a remarkable view. From their vantage point in the castle tower, the ivory spires and dazzling gold colors of Canterlot stood in incredibly stark relief with the robin’s egg blue of the spotless sky, and the bold greens and striking ambers of the surrounding countryside and the valley below. Off in the distance, the prismatic splendor of a rainbow came down over the waterfall flowing down the side of the mountain. Every beautiful building, every sloping rooftop, every tree, river and work of public art was on display, all bright and shining in the afternoon sun. Surely, Canterlot was the crown jewel of Equestrian architecture -- easily the most breathtaking city known to ponykind -- and only a pegasus would stand a chance of getting a better look at it. “Woooow...” Connor apparently agreed, breathing out the word in astonishment. “I’ve looked at the city before, but this... this is just amazing.” “It sure is. I take it you don’t have very many cities on Earth?” Connor swallowed lightly, before pushing himself away from the wall before turning and taking a few slow steps around the room as he responded. “Actually, it’s the opposite. There are hundreds of cities at least this big the whole world over.” Now it was Twilight’s turn to stare openmouthed in surprise. “Hundreds? Really?” Her mind’s eye flooded with the idea of so many Canterlots, and what it would take to build them a hundred times over. Not only that, but the thought of a civilization powerful enough to do so across the surface of a whole world; the sheer scale of it was nearly impossible to comprehend, and the pony could almost imagine the smoke pouring out of her ears as she attempted to do so. Connor somehow didn’t notice her stunned expression as he continued to explain, pulling a chair across the floor from among the desk tables and casually sitting down. “To be fair, they don’t really compare to here. Most of ‘em are sprawling, cramped, noisy, dirty, etcetera. Impressive, sure, but Canterlot looks like it jumped right out of a work of art.” “Could you... tell me more about these cities?” Twilight asked, her curiosity once again piqued by another unexpected fact about Connor’s world. “Well, technically it’s still my turn to ask a question...” Connor rubbed his chin, thinking. “Actually, I don’t think the game is working out so well now. How about we just talk normally?” Twilight thought about this for a moment, before giving the human a nod of wary approval. “Okay, then. Where should I start?” For a time, the two had a lengthy discussion about a great many aspects of human civilization, and it told Twilight a lot about the kind of world Connor lived in. A lot of which even she labored to comprehend; things that her logical mind struggled to think could be possible. Things like buildings called "skyscrapers," which, true to their name, rose to impossible heights, reaching up into the clouds like mighty trees among forests made of metal and concrete. Streets and thoroughfares bathed in electric lights that would make the night seem as bright as day. Vehicles that were miles ahead of Equestrian ingenuity, like giant metal airplanes that carried humans through the air at speeds great enough to encircle the planet in less than a day. They had even pushed beyond the boundaries of their own atmosphere, sending ships and even living beings out into open space, and going so far as to touch the surface of their moon! Technology even infused into their everyday lives, with Connor producing an example from his jacket pocket: a small, handheld device he called an "I Pod," which he claimed was a tiny computer capable of a wide range of functions. None of which he was willing to demonstrate beyond turning it on for a moment, much to Twilight’s chagrin. (He explained that it was due to a finite energy supply.) And perhaps most boggling of all: the notion of a planet seven billion strong... and counting. Spreading out to conquer the landscape, taming the vast expanses of nature through technology, ingenuity and sheer force of will. Truly, humans seemed to be more than just different, more than just alien. They seemed, in their own way, more than a little terrifying. “Amazing... It’s incredible to think that your people could accomplish so much,” Twilight said, exasperated, after Connor complained that he had had enough explaining for a while. “Yeah. I mean, say what you want about us, when we want something done, we find a way to get it done,” Connor summed up, working his sore jaw from having talked for so long. Then, with a snicker, he added as an afterthought, “No accounting for politics.” “Still, though, I would say the most progressive place in Equestria would be the city of Manehattan, and even that place wouldn’t hold a candle to one of your Earth cities.” Connor gave a noncommittal grunt of acknowledgement, before his face took on a puzzled expression. “Wait a minute. Did you say ‘Manehattan’?” “Yeah, why?” “Well, it’s just that there’s a city I know called Manhattan. It just seems funny that you would...” he trailed off, before his eyes widened and his mouth hung open slightly. “Oh, God. I didn’t even realize before now. I’m so thick, it’s been staring me in the face all this time.” Twilight stood up from her position lying down in the depression in the center of the room. “What? What is it?” she asked. “Puns. Horrible, horrible puns.” Connor reached up to take off his glasses, then proceeded to bring a hand up to his face, shaking his head. “You’ve all been saying them since I got here. Everypony, anypony, Manehattan, Canterlot. They’re like words and places from my world, but... ponified.” “That’s just the way we talk in Equestria. Is it really that strange?” “To me? Yeah, kinda. It’s just gonna take a while to get used to, that’s all.” I don’t see why he would consider it a pun... Oh, well, it’s not really important, after all. Twilight, deciding that nothing else needed to be said on the matter, gingerly hopped out of the dip in the floor and walked over to the door leading to the stairwell. “Well, I think that’s enough of a break for now. Let’s continue, shall we?” “Unngggh, do we have to? My legs are still sore from climbing all the way up here,” Connor whined in response, massaging the muscles in his thigh. This elicited an amused snort from the unicorn. “Well, you’ll have to climb down eventually, unless you sprout wings in the next couple of minutes.” With a resigned groan, Connor pulled himself out of his chair and made his way over to where Twilight was waiting for him. He winced a couple of times, coaxing life back into his stiff limbs. “So, do you think it would kill the Princesses to put in an elevator?” ----------------------Some Time Later----------------------- Finishing the last bite of her daisy sandwich, Twilight cast a chiding glance at Connor’s direction as he walked alongside her. A short while after their little foray into the observatory, Twilight’s stomach decided to interject, reminding her of the fact that she hadn’t had time for lunch that day, and had barely anything to eat for breakfast. When she brought it up, asking if Connor wouldn’t mind a short detour to the castle kitchen, she was relieved when he heartily agreed, explaining that he too could use a snack. Although, a fairly large misunderstanding at the time left Twilight thoroughly embarrassed at the human’s expense, after a brief "incident" with one of the chefs. One that had left the colt understandably incensed at Connor’s first choice for a meal. And now, the two found themselves on their way down one of the main castle thoroughfares, Twilight starting to feel the stress after hours of, for lack of a better word, foalsitting the teenager. After a few seconds of glancing at him in silence, Connor looked up from the rug running along the floor to notice, tilting his head back indignantly. “What? Why are you looking at me like that? Is this still about that thing in the kitchen?” Twilight let out a heavy sigh in response after swallowing the last of her light snack. “It’s not just ‘a thing.’ I still can’t believe you asked for something made of meat from a pony chef! He was insulted!” “I said I was sorry! How was I supposed to know the menu was vegetarian only?” “You should’ve considered that before flat out asking him to cook something like that. And before you ask, yes, there are species that are...” Twilight braced herself, as if the word itself would leave a bad taste in her mouth. “...carnivores on Equis, but you’d be hard-pressed to find one in civilized pony society.” “That’s...” he paused, as if trying to think of something clever to say. “...dietary discrimination.” “Discrimina-- I’m not trying to judge you on the eating habits of your species!” the unicorn countered. “I’m just saying, if you’re going to be staying here for a while you should at least have a little more tact.” “Alright, already. I’ll try to be more careful. Next time I’ll just ask for a fruit salad or something,” Connor said, throwing his hands up. “Humph. For your sake, I hope so.” They continued to walk, tossing the conversation back and forth in an idle way, until Connor seemed to realize, yet again, that he had no idea where they were headed. “Tell me where we’re going, again?” “I told you already. Canterlot Tower,” Twilight responded with a huff, as the two of them rounded yet another corner of the palace. “You said you wanted to know more about Equestria, and the window art there depicts some of the most pivotal moments in Equestrian history. Rather than just tell you, I can show and tell.” “Sounds like fuuuun,” Connor followed up, in a tone that seemed sarcastically overeager. I wish he would drop the attitude, Twilight thought, accompanied by a barely audible groan. I don’t have to be doing this. A little gratitude would be nice, is all I’m saying. But she didn’t give her thoughts a voice, deciding to keep her mouth shut as they approached the tall, heavy, gilded doors that opened into the Canterlot Tower, beyond which lay the promised historical depictions, along with the Chamber of the Elements of Harmony itself. The way forward was blocked, however, by two members of the Royal Guard: a white pegasus and a gray unicorn, both steadfastly protecting the entrance while cautiously eying the approaching visitors, alert for the smallest sign of trouble. “Is this going to be a problem?” Connor leaned over to whisper as he and Twilight walked closer. But the purple pony was undaunted. “No problem at all, let me handle this,” she replied nonchalantly, as she continued forwards and addressed the two stallions in a firm, yet casual manner. “It’s alright. He’s with me.” The two guards wordlessly exchanged a look, one of them nodding, only to have the other return the gesture. Then, they brought their attention once again to the mare, and the armored unicorn spoke up in a deep, placid voice. “Miss Sparkle,” he said in an affirmative tone, then he and his compatriot stood aside in order to no longer bar the passage. The unicorn’s horn glowed with a pale, ghostly gray, and within moments, the enormous door clunked several times with the turning of a locking mechanism. It was something unfamiliar to Twilight. Perhaps it was just another measure of increased security in the wake of the changeling attack, which made sense; the Elements of Harmony, despite being usable only by herself and her friends, were still the most potent source of magical energy in Equestria. Of course their safety would be considered a top priority. But that wasn’t really a concern at the moment, as the way was now open, and both Twilight and Connor slipped past the guards without another word. As they passed the threshold, the door remained ajar, though the soldiers moved to resume their position, blocking the hallway and standing resolute. The human’s head remained turned, looking warily at the guards, before he looked back to Twilight with a confused expression. “What was that all about? They just waved us by! One of them actually talked! What makes you so special?” he asked, exasperated, causing Twilight to let out a curt laugh. There were a number of reasons, any one of which would have qualified as an explanation. She was the Princess’ personal protegé, bearer of the Element of Magic, one of the most magically gifted unicorns alive today, and had (with the assistance of her best friends, of course) happened to have saved the whole of Equestria from certain disaster on no less than two occasions. Also, her brother, Shining Armor, was none other than Captain of the Royal Guard, who had only recently married the lovely Princess Cadence, niece to Princess Celestia herself. So on top of all that, she was technically related to royalty. All of which Twilight had a suspicion might just be a bit of information overload for the hapless human, at least for now. “Oh, it’s nothing, really,” she explained, waving her hoof dismissively. “I’ve spent so much time in the castle, everypony here knows who I am.” “Riiiight, okay. Well, now that we’re here, what’s the plan?” Connor asked, looking around at the expansive hallway. Bright light cast itself through the walls and into the expansive room, made up almost entirely of gigantic windows between solid, inlaid columns and baskets of vibrant flowers. As promised, every other window was styled and colored garishly, depicting in stark relief various events of great importance to all of ponykind. Each one had a story to tell, and Twilight was ready and eager to tell them. She steeled herself in anticipation for this. Now it was her turn to be the dispenser of information; a feeling she relished whenever she could, and never turned down the opportunity to do so. She raised a hoof to her muzzle and cleared her throat, and entered the trance-like state her friend Pinkie Pie jokingly referred to as "Lecture Mode." The first historical point shown in the stained glass was of the founding of Equestria itself, and the depiction showed three ponies, each representing one of the main pony races. They were shown shaking hooves among a fertile valley while a metaphorical shaft of light splayed upwards from their position, driving away three ghostly equine figures: Windigoes; malevolent creatures that fed on bad blood and negative emotions. From there, the generations skipped by in great numbers as Twilight moved on to events ranging from wars that were fought and won, treatises that were signed, and eventually the coronation of the Royal Pony Sisters themselves: Celestia and Luna. Each instance immortalized forever in a crystalline display. She talked at length about the menacing Discord -- a draconequus: the physical and actual embodiment of chaos -- and how his appearance heralded a time of great despair amongst the denizens of Equestria, until finally, in a last ditch effort, Celestia and Luna combined their power with that of the Elements of Harmony to encase him in a prison of stone, ending his rampage. There were three windows to supplement her explanation. One depicted solely Discord, his body the product of a mismatch of animal parts; a form fitting for a God of Chaos. The next showed the draconequus hovering menacingly over the trio of an earth pony, pegasus, and unicorn, visibly suffering under the manipulative puppet strings held in Discord’s claws. And finally, an image of the beast, his body bleached white by his petrified prison, surrounded by Celestia and Luna, horns blazing with the power of the Elements. Through it all, Connor was strangely silent, only speaking up once or twice to ask for clarification on certain aspects. Things such as the apparent age of the Princesses, seemingly immortal as they were, and on the nature of the Elements of Harmony --though she was holding off on mentioning her personal stake in them until that relevant point in history. Eventually, Twilight spared a few words on the tragic transformation of Princess Luna into Nightmare Moon: a twisted, malevolent mockery of the normally kind Luna, who had grown to despise the ponies who treated her nights by sleeping them away, ignored, while relishing her sister and the bounties her Sun provided. Her voice took on a slightly morose tone as she spoke of how the fallen princess had tried to envelop the world in eternal night, and how Celestia’s hoof was forced: using the Elements to banish her own sister to a thousand yearlong imprisonment in the very moon she was steward of. This event in particular... had no corresponding window, and it was easy to imagine why. “So that’s what she meant,” Connor mumbled to himself, eyes staring into the distance, causing Twilight to pause momentarily in her recounting. “I’m sorry? You say something?” “What? Oh, no, it’s nothing. Please, continue.” The lavender unicorn eyed him curiously, before shrugging her shoulders and continuing where she left off. “And then we come to just two years ago, when, as foretold by prophecy, a spatial alignment of the cosmos allowed Nightmare Moon to break free from her millennial imprisonment. ‘On the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape,’ or so the prophecy said. She returned to Equestria, once again attempting to plunge the world into night... forever.” “And then what happened?” asked Connor. “Well, after that, it gets a little... personal,” Twilight admitted, slightly bashful. “How so?” “Well, just take a look at the next window,” she offered by way of explanation. At her suggestion, Connor turned to face the next image in sequence, the one showing six ponies: herself and her closest friends. Through the Magic of Friendship, they brought to bear the power of the Elements on Nightmare Moon, cleansing her of her wickedness and restoring Luna to her former self. Connor stared at the window for a while, before giving up with a sigh. “I give up, I don’t get it. I’m assuming the big one up there is Nightmare Moon, but who are the other six?” This caused Twilight to facehoof at his underwhelming reaction. “Look closer, on the left there. You see it now?” she asked him, thinly veiling the annoyance in her voice. Connor walked up closer to the glass, peering at the leftmost pony with a studious expression. It took a few moments, sure, but soon enough, his eyes widened gradually as it apparently dawned on him. He jerked his head back to Twilight, pointing speechlessly between her and her image in disbelief. “And the bit drops,” she muttered under her breath. “Yes, that’s supposed to be me.” “How?” was all Connor managed to say. “Well, as it turns out, me and my friends from Ponyville -- the other five ponies in that window -- each embody the virtues of the Elements of Harmony. It’s a pretty long and complicated story, but suffice it to say we were able to overcome a lot of hardship, discovered the power to use the Elements, and eventually free Luna from Nightmare Moon’s corruption,” she noted, thinking fondly on the memory of their triumph. “That... That's...” Connor looked between the window and the unicorn an extra time. “That’s pretty cool. So, wait, does that mean you’re like, some kind of superhero?” “Heheh. Well, I wouldn’t say that,” she said, the notion making her chuckle. “It wouldn’t be fair to say so without including my friends. Without them, none of it would’ve even happened.” Twilight then breathed in deep, a twinkle in her violet eyes and conviction in her voice. “It just goes to show, anything is possible when you believe in the Magic of Friendship,” she stated conclusively, finally, wholeheartedly, and with a genuine smile on her face. There was silence in the Canterlot Tower. Neither Connor nor Twilight moved an inch, save for an intermittent blink. After several seconds of absolutely nothing, a flicker of motion passed across Connor’s deadpan face. A slight turn of the lips, nothing more, but it was enough to trigger a chain reaction. A reaction that Twilight was wholly unprepared for... Uncontrolled laughter. “Thhpppthahahahahahaaaa!” Connor blurted out has he bowed his head forwards, eyes clenched shut. After the first outburst, he abruptly stopped, took a deep breath, and looked back up at Twilight to see a look of genuine confusion, before it was followed by another bout of wheezy laughter, even louder than the first. “Ehehahahahahaha!” The mirthful teenager had thrown his head back at this point, bringing a hand down to slap one leg in his jubilation. Twilight, still unable to bring herself to rebut him, felt the corner of one of her eyes start to twitch, as Connor seemed to try and bring himself under control, gasping in and out a few times. He then brought himself face to face with her again, seemingly having suppressed his reaction long enough to note her bemused expression and ask, “You’re serious!?” “Of course I’m serious!” Twilight replied indignantly, shocked and more than slightly appalled at his overblown reaction. “What they hay do you think is so funny!?” “I just, I... Oh... Whooooh,” he breathed out in a whoosh of air, his speech still interrupted by and intermittent giggle. “Oh, man. I’m sorry. Really, it’s just, your face, ‘Magic of Friendship.’ It was too much, I couldn’t help myself. For a second it seemed like I was stuck in a bad children’s cartoon.” “I... I just don’t understand what you could find so hilarious! My friendships are the most important thing to me, and it’s like... like you’re insulting them!” Twilight’s eyes burned like embers, boring into the human with indignation, as she waited to hear what he had to say for himself. Her intense glare seemed to strike at something in Connor, and his mirthful expression fell away almost instantly. “H-hey, I... I didn’t mean--” “Save it. I don’t want to hear it,” she said flatly, holding up one hoof. “This little history lesson is over.” And with that, Twilight started moving towards the exit, the impact of her heavy stomps lost to the muffling effect of the rug on the floor. A tiny part of her felt bad for being so flat-out dismissive, but then the rest of her ganged up on that tiny part in a mob of hazy, righteous anger. The night she and her new friends defeated Nightmare Moon and saved Equestria was perhaps-- No, it was the defining moment of her entire life. It was a day and a memory that held a sacred place in her heart. And with a few choice words and an entirely uncalled for reaction, the flat-faced alien had all but spit on it. That’s how deeply she had felt wronged, and she had every inclination to just leave him to himself. “W-wait, where are you going?” Connor called out after her, raising an arm. “To the library to get some peace and quiet, and more importantly, away from you.” “But...” he lowered his arm, crestfallen. “What am I supposed to do? Celestia said we needed to stay together.” This caused Twilight to give pause for a moment. Ungh, he’s right. The Princess did trust me to look after him until six... Fine, then, but that doesn’t mean I have to enjoy it. “Fine. Follow me if you want, just don’t. Say. Anything. Because I’m not in the mood to hear it.” --------------------------------------------- The Canterlot Library could just as easily be described as a fortress as well. Though instead of tall ramparts and heavy stone, the walls were made of what seemed to be miles of shelves, stocked to the brim with books, scrolls, and on occasion, objects representing slightly more arcane methods of recording information. The multistoried, dimly lit room was a bastion of knowledge. The accompanying reading room also had a role to fill, providing a wide, open space with a healthy selection of desks, tables, plush armchairs, elongated couches, and a plethora of lamps casting off a warm, comfy glow. Its current occupants, however, could hardly be described as comfortable. Twilight lay across one of the couches, a sour look on her face as she buried her chin in the mass of a large red pillow. Across the table beside her, Connor himself sat draped across a large armchair, resting his head against his fist, propped up on the arm of the seat. He kept having to force his eyes to the side, not wanting to be noticed looking at the incensed unicorn for fear of reprisal. Twilight too, was trying hard not to disrupt the tenuous balance, afraid of being held responsible for what might happen if she started to blow up at him again. After a time, the human started making intermittent noises, like attempts to speak out that were dragged down and kept silent in his throat. Without moving one iota of the rest of her body, she turned her eyes to look in his direction, before giving off an intentionally loud huff. This tension is driving me almost as crazy as he is, she sighed inwardly, wishing the day would be over and done with already. Well, sitting here stewing isn’t going to improve things. I’ll let him speak his piece and be done with it. “Okay. I can tell you want to say something, so spit it out,” Twilight said forcefully, with a bit more venom than she had intended. Just a bit, though. “I... I just... I want you to know...” he said, his voice slightly reluctant. The words sounded forced, but not in such a way as to seem insincere, more like he was simply struggling to find the right thing to say. “I’m... sorry.” One of the lavender unicorn’s ears perked up in his direction, but she didn’t turn her head. “About what?” “About, well... I just...” he breathed in loudly. “Everything. I was so completely insensitive. I can see that. With everything that’s going on... I’m not trying to be difficult. It’s... Ugh, God, I suck at this,” he said with a sigh. “If you’re asking me to forgive you, I’m still a long way off from that.” “I don’t expect you to. I know you’re hurt, and... Look, can we just agree to drop it and move on?” Connor asked, raising his hand to massage his forehead. “I can already feel another headache coming on.” “That’s fine with me,” Twilight replied indignantly, tossing her bangs with a flick of her head. Sweet Celestia, now even I’m starting to get a headache. At this point, Twilight was in desperate need of a distraction, something to take her mind off of things. Reading usually did that for her, and she was in the Canterlot Library. She could indulge herself and do something relevantly productive at the same time. “I’m going to go take out some materials on teleportation magic,” she explained as she got up from her seated position and started heading off in the direction of the nearest staircase to the upper levels. “You just... stay here.” She only managed a few steps before Connor called after her. “There’s nothing I can say, is there? I was stupid and insensitive and I don’t know why I couldn’t handle myself better. I’m sorry I’m being an ass. I’ll understand if you don’t want anything to do with me anymore. Just... Rrrgh!” He sounded as if every word was a struggle, like they were trying to force their way up just as his pride was being swallowed down. A little while passed as neither of them saying anything further. “It’s fine. Don’t worry about it,” Twilight finally spoke up. Then, saying nothing more, she continued to walk off into the library, intent on finding the books she was looking for. This section of the library happened to be devoid of other occupants at the moment, and Twilight found herself alone with her thoughts as she maneuvered between floors and through aisle after aisle of neatly ordered tomes. She started feeling more at ease in this fortress of knowledge, and as the stack of books held nearby in her magic gradually incremented, she found herself jockeying with the issue at hoof: the main reason Celestia saw fit to saddle her with this responsibility. I think it’s obvious at this point. Speaking from a purely logistical stance, my home is already crowded enough, what with me, Spike, Owloysius, and Spike’s new phoenix friend. What did he call him? Peewee, right. Adding the alien into the mix would be inviting more trouble than I think I can handle. Twilight’s eyes narrowed as she plucked another tome from a nearby shelf, titled Tenuous Transportation: A Laypony’s Manual to Instantaneous Travel and added it to the pile. Not that he would even make a very nice houseguest. He’s abrasive, annoying, introverted, disrespectful, inconsiderate... He almost reminds me of... Twilight paused, a copy of Theories on Object-Oriented Dimensional Manipulation stuck halfway off the shelf where she had stopped pulling it out. This wasn’t something she had expected, finding herself reminded of the way she used to act around other ponies. Before she went to Ponyville and learned the true value of friends and companionship, she just utterly brushed off anything that wasn’t related to furthering her studies. Those kinds of things were well and fine for everypony else, as long as they didn’t concern her. It was no small comfort to realize that the thing she cherished most these days... she too would’ve considered childish at one point. Twilight stood still, looking down and off to the side in a moment of reflection, before she finished fishing out the book and placed it with the others. Then, she started making her way slowly back to the reading area, the thick stack of books floating heavily in the air beside her. She felt the anger slowly ebb away, replaced with a renewed focus on the why, not just the what. Maybe it’s not his fault that he’s acting like this. After all, he did seem genuinely sorry afterwards. Her thoughts turned slightly dour, as she remembered the tenuous situation that the human found himself in. How can I judge him in these circumstances? He’s so far from home and he even doesn’t know if he’ll be able to go back. As she rounded another corner and started down the steps to the first floor, another thought occurred to her. I can’t even imagine what it must be like. Just being... cut off like that. If somehow, our situations were reversed... As she ruminated on this, she felt a tightening ache forming around her chest. Lost in an unfamiliar place, without the ponies I care about. Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Rainbow, Fluttershy, and Spike. Celestia, my parents, my brother... Left behind... perhaps forever. Twilight forced herself away, clearing her mind of these distressing notions before they threatened to overwhelm her. She couldn’t bear the thought of going through that kind of pain -- that special kind of loneliness. And she realized: there was no way she could understand what Connor was going through. Frankly, she was surprised he was keeping it together at all, that one outburst in Canterlot Tower notwithstanding. Eventually, she made her way back to the place she’d left him, setting her books down on the table and sighing heavily, looking down at the floor. “Look, I was thinking, and, well... I can’t imagine what it must be like for you. I know I couldn’t bear being separated from my family and friends,” she started to explain, drawing one of her hooves across the floor. “I shouldn’t be so quick to judge. I realize you didn’t mean what you said. You’re going through a lot right now and, well... What I guess I’m trying to say is... I’m sorry too.” She waited several seconds for a response, but when there wasn’t one, she tentatively looked up at the human boy, to find him slumped over in the chair. Eyes closed, head propped up against his arm, he was breathing slowly, mouth hanging slightly open. “Aaaand, you’re asleep,” she noted flatly, though soon after couldn’t resist the urge to chuckle lightly. I guess all that walking around really tired him out. As Twilight absently maneuvered one of the books off the stack beside her and opened it up, she kept her eyes on Connor’s sleeping form, and a small, sarcastic part of her noted how he was so much easier to deal with when he wasn’t conscious. When she turned to focus her attention on the words in front of her, she thought once more about Celestia’s proposal. Sure, it seemed outlandish. Sure, there was no way of knowing how it would all turn out. And it would most certainly not be easy. But... The Princess is right. Right now, he needs the support. He needs to know there are those here who care about him. He needs this. He needs to... Twilight’s eyes widened as she stared straight ahead, a stray memory bubbling its way to the surface of her thoughts. One of that fateful day when Princess Celestia sent her on what seemed at the time to be a pointless venture: to go to Ponyville and... "...make some friends." A sly smirk creased itself across her muzzle as she remembered the words in the Princess’ letter as freshly as if Spike were reading them out right next to her. “Oh, Princess... That was your plan all along, wasn’t it?” Twilight closed her eyes and nodded to herself with conviction, now knowing, in spite of everything, that it was simply the right thing to do.