> A Prism and A Princess
>  by Weird Alicorn
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	My eyes fly open as my whole body jolts itself awake. What had caused this sudden start was the feeling of falling that you sometimes get when you’re in a deep slumber. As my eyes begin to swim into focus, I wonder why people didn’t get rid of their alarm clocks and just use in-bed trapdoors to wake up. Or maybe a killer combination of the two, but I digress… 
I shield my weary eyes from the bright morning sun that always seems to beam down relentlessly whenever I have a hangover. Placing my hands back on the ground I notice that I’m lying on some really soft grass. 
Did I fall asleep outside… again?
This thought prompts me to sit upright and begin to examine my surroundings. 
I’m lying in the middle of a small clearing in what appears to be a rather dense forest. Flowers adorn the clearing; they all have bright pastel petals that remind me of a children’s picture book. There are some birds chirping in the nearby trees and a soft breeze that leaves my skin tingling with a refreshed feeling. I take in a deep breath through my nostrils and smell the sweet scent of the beautiful flora that surrounds me. Releasing the breath out of my mouth, I taste alcohol. 
So I guess I got drunk last night and passed out here. But where exactly is “here”?
I stand up, still taking in the beauty of the peaceful meadow. I spy an opening in the trees and make my way towards it hoping there is a trail leading me back to the car. 
Oh yeah! The thought of the car gave me a flashback. I remember that me and the guys were out drinking last night. We went to King of Prussia and were walking the mall being total assholes due to our high blood alcohol levels no doubt. Then that rent-a-cop told us to “vacate the premises” or else he’d call the actual authorities. So we pissed off and started driving back home, but then Josh turned into Valley Forge park. Robert had gotten out of the car saying he was gonna puke and let loose the fury inside one of the old log cabins in the park. What great way to honour our nation’s heroes…
I reach the opening and see a dirt path cutting its way through the trees into the utter darkness of the woods. With some slight apprehension, I begin to trek the trail just like I had back in the Scouts. 
What did we do after that though? 
The dense treetops quickly stop all light from reaching the ground as I continue hiking along the path. The whole environment almost immediately transforms from calm to eerie. I hear screeches and other creepy calls coming from the darkness and it sends goosebumps up my arms. 
Where are the others for that matter?
With no light shining it’s starting to get chilly which doesn’t help the fact that I’m getting seriously spooked from being all alone in the dark. Finally, my eyes start to adjust to the…
“OUCH dammit!”
I lay spread-eagle on the dirty forest floor. I look back at my feet wondering what had caused me to eat shit so effectively and notice a tree root protruding out of the ground near my left foot. Sighing, I lift my body up and see that my blue jeans and t-shirt are now covered in dirt stains. While I pat the dirt off my clothes, something in my peripheral vision catches my attention. In a split second something dashes out of sight and behind a mangled stump and makes every hair on the back my neck stand at attention. My pupils have now completely dilated; I take off in a mad sprint just wanting to get out of this damned forest and away from whatever was behind that stump. 
I hop over fallen trees and storm my way through small bushes, some of which are unfortunately laced with sharp thorns.  My arms are now decorated red with stinging scraps and scratches while my breathing has become rather ragged as I slow down slightly. I’m in a light jog when I hear something running up behind me.	
Shit! It’s chasing me!
I take off again with renewed adrenaline. 
“Wait! Else you become bait!” a voice calls out from behind. 
My eyes widen and I consider turning around until a horrible thought stops me. 
Wait! Why the hell is someone out here in the middle of the forest so early in the morning? Are they hunting? It sounds like they’re riding a horse. And their accent is pretty thick. South African maybe? It kinda sounds like a woman.  And what do they mean “bait”? Bait for them maybe. What if it’s an axe murderer or Slenderman or something?! Wait Slenderman doesn’t even talk and he is definitely not a woman… then who…?
Still running, I turn my racing head around. I can make out a silhouette of some kind of horse but not much else through the darkness. 
Okay there’s the horse, but where’s the jockey? 
I squint my eyes, thinking that would somehow bring the horse into focus.
Hey is that a ze… 
“Brruuhh?!” The air in my throat gets pushed out as my neck collides with something hard. 
Dafuq…?
My thoughts are interrupted by my head making acquaintance with the ground for a second time today. Hell, they maybe best friends by the end of the day. 
Stars are popping and sparkling in front of me. Darkness is slowly starting to take over my vision and as I drift out of consciousness all I see is black and white.

(Several Hours Pass)

“Uhhh…”
My eyes open to blackness. 	
I’m blind! Oh wait.
My hands reach up and touch the wet towel that is obscuring my vision. 
“Remain calm. And that towel, keep it on,” says a voice off to my side. 
I’m lying on some kind of chair or small sofa. My legs dangle off the edge and my head is propped up by a soft pillow. The position was uncomfortable yet comfortable at the same time.  
“Who are you? Where am I?”
“Zecora, you may call me. And your name is…?”
“Anthony, but that doesn’t answer the ‘where am I’ question,” I respond while noting that the rhyming nature of this woman’s speech was quite odd. 
“I saw you running through the forest all alone and decided to bring you to my humble home.”
“I was only running because you were chasing after me. I thought you were gonna kill me,” I retort. 
“I’m sorry that you were scared, but I wanted to tell you to beware.”
“Beware of what?” I asked with curiosity.
“The blood those thorns caused, would’ve have left you in a Manticore’s claws.”
Manticore? Like from God of War? Oh great now I’m rhyming too!
I move my hands over my arms and feel bandages covering almost every inch. I shift my head on the pillow slightly and groan in pain. 
“Uhh… why does my neck feel like a dull guillotine came down on it?”
“When you were running you had looked behind; you ran into a low branch and were clotheslined.”
Oh how eloquently put.
“Like I said, I was only running because I thought you were gonna trample me with your horse.”
“There was no horse, only me and I’m a zebra, see?” says the woman as she removes the wet cloth from my eyes. 
“A zebra?”
My eyes swim into focus and standing over me is exactly that. A zebra. And not just any zebra, but a zebra bejeweled with a gold earring and necklace. 
Oh Boy.

> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“You’re a zebra…”
The zebra besides me blinks and nods. I raise my feet up and plant them on the ground so that I’m now sitting up looking the zebra straight in the eyes. What I had thought was a love chair is actually a small bed. 
“You’re a zebra… and you can…talk?”
Once again the zebra named Zecora nods her head. I go to stand up and immediately sit right back down with a sharp pain shooting up my left leg. The ankle of my left foot is bruised probably from that spill I had earlier. 
“Here,” says the zebra holding up a small cup with her hoof…somehow. “Drink this, my dear.”
I eye the contents of the cup suspiciously. I look back at the zebra with a skeptical look on my face. 
“Drink this brew and your pain it will soothe.”
This is probably going against every stranger danger video I’ve ever watched, but my foot does hurt. Besides if she wanted to kill me she would’ve done it already… I hope. 
I take the cup and down it in one gulp. Almost immediately the pain in my foot begins to lessen until it dissipates completely. My head and neck also receive the same effect. 
“Hey thanks uhh…Zecora was it?” She nods. “Yeah so thanks Zecora, but how can you talk? I mean unless I missed a crucial class in Biology or something, I’m pretty sure only humans can do that.” 
She gives me a knowing “Mona Lisa” kind of smile.
“I’m not the only creature who can talk, you’ll see.” She turns around and walks out of the little bedroom into another part of the house. “But first, come here. I shall make you some tea.”
I go to get up from the bed which I now notice has a cheetah skin pattern on its blankets. Gingerly, I set my foot on the ground to see if the drink’s effects were still going strong. No pain. I get up and duck under the archway which separates the bedroom from the rest of the house. On top of the other side of the archway rests a tribal mask. In fact, there seemed to be many masks hanging around the main room of the house which itself seems to be carved into some sort of large tree. It is lit with several candles scattered about the main room. All sorts of jars and bottles hang from strings attached to the ceiling. The whole place has knickknacks and such strewn about shelves and, in the middle of the room, is a large cauldron resting atop a fire pit. The steam coming from the cauldron wafts upward through a large chimney hole located directly above the black pot. 
Beside the cauldron stands Zecora. She holds a long ladle in her hand, er, hoof and dips it into the steaming water. She then pours the tea into two cups. 
“Here drink, it may help you think.”
“Thanks,” I say taking the cup from her hoof still wondering how she can hold it without thumbs.
Yeah worry over how a zebra can hold a cup and not about how it can talk. She seems nice enough though. I suppose she must’ve dragged me all the way here by herself. 
Zecora sits back on her hind legs and I follow suit by sitting cross-legged on the floor. The next couple of minutes pass in silence save for the occasional sound of one of us sipping tea. 
I’m having tea with a talking zebra. So when are the March hare, Dormouse and Mad Hatter gonna to show up? 
Finally, my mind can no longer hold back the many questions that have been ravaging inside it ever since I woke up this morning. 
“Zecora,” I say and she looks up from her tea. “I have a couple of questions to ask…”
The next hour passes with me asking a series of questions to the zebra before me. She would sometimes rhyme back answers and to others she would just sip her tea. At the end of the interrogation session my thoughts are even more confused than before. 
So apparently I’m in a land called Equestria which is home to many varieties of ponies and other equines like Zecora. I am now in Zecora’s hut which is situated in the Everfree Forest just outside of the pony town, Ponyville. The land of Equestria is ruled over by the benevolent Princess Celestia and her sister Princess Luna. There is also more royalty here; a Princess Cadence of the Crystal Empire and a Princess Twilight Sparkle who resides in the nearby town Ponyville. Yeah, we’re definitely not in Kansas anymore Toto.
I feel my eyes start to go slightly cross-eyed with all these new facts now swimming around in my head. I rub my temples.
“Listen, Zecora,” I begin. “I just want to get back home. Back to good ol’ Pennsylvania where things make sense.” My eyes are almost pleading to the zebra in front of me. 
“I see. Then it may be best,” says Zecora standing up, “for you to go and meet the Princess.”
“The Princess? You mean that one in Ponyville…Twilight Sparkle I think you said?” I ask but she just ignores my question. 
“Follow me, if from this forest you wish to be,” Zecora states as she moves toward the door leading out into the woods. She doesn’t even turn to see if I’m following. 
Can’t get any crazier, right?
I get up and follow her out into the strange land. 

                                                                                                                                                                                           


“C’mon Fluttershy. We’ve been searching for like three hours. He’s probably already back at the cottage waiting for you.”
The yellow mare in front of me stops and turns her head back to face me. I can see tears starting to well up in her sad eyes and her lower lip is trembling. Guilt immediately replaces any annoyance in my heart. 
“Flutters… look I just think…”
“Think what?!” shouts the once timid pony. “Think we should give on Angel Bunny?! How would you like it if Tank went missing and we just gave up on him?!”
I look down at my hooves as the double-standard hits me with full force. 
“I… I would feel awful,” I manage to say, but as I look up I see Fluttershy has already started searching again. I gallop after her and join in with her calls of “Angel!” 
To be honest I really didn’t like that annoying little bunny, but Fluttershy was my best friend, and to think that I would leave her hanging for even a second has made me willing to help her search for the rest of the week if need be. 
As I continue to gallop my wings unfurl themselves and the wind catches the feathers to push me skyward. Nothing in my life has ever compared to the feeling of flight. The rush of the wind past my ears and through my mane was something I don’t think I could ever give up. Flying seems to define me.
I mean c’mon. I’m the best flyer Equestria has yet to see. One day I know I’ll have that spot with the Wonderbolts. 
As I circled back down out of the clouds to a lower altitude I notice we’re pretty close to the Everfree Forest. I let out a sigh. 
If that bunny went in there then we could be searching for months and only find a bloody carcass.  
The horrible creatures that lived in that forest were enough to even make my skin crawl. A memory of fighting a ferocious Manitcore makes me lose hope of ever finding that damn rabbit. 
But, we still have to try.
That’s when I notice a small white speck near the edge of the forest. 
That has to be Angel! But what’s that thing next to it?

                                                                                                                                                                                    	

“Beyond that hill is the town of Ponyville,” says Zecora as we reach the edge of the woods. 
“And that’s where I’ll meet the Princess?”
Zecora nods and turns back to the forest. As she begins to walk back into the darkness I feel the sudden urge to call out to her.
“Hey Zecora!” I shout. She turns her head back to me. “Thanks for everything! I barely even know you, but you’ve been so kind to some random alien who showed up out of nowhere. I feel really lucky to have met you!”
She smiles back at me.
“You’re welcome, friend. And may your good fortune never end.”
And with that her striped body is engulfed by the darkness. 

Smiling, I turn and take in the beautiful field that spreads out before me. I take a deep breath of the fresh air and start walking to the hill that Zecora said hid the view of Ponyville. I take all of about five steps before I hear something burst through the bushes of the forest. It hadn’t come from the path, but rather a couple feet off to the side. 
Is that a rabbit?
Indeed a small white bunny sits panting a few feet away from me. I can see a small patch of red defacing the white fur on its back. The rabbit turns to face me and has a look of utter horror on its face. 
Wait can bunnies even make faces like that? Well then again, I’m in a world of talking ponies so I guess this is quite normal. Though, the horrified expression it has may not be. 
“What’s up little guy?” I ask thinking the rabbit may be able to talk as well. 
The white rabbit hops over to me grabbing my pant leg. It starts pointing excitedly over in the direction of the bush it had just come from. 
“What? Running late?” I ask laughing internally at my dumb joke. 
Without warning or I guess rather with a lot of warning that I chose to ignore, a giant lion comes crashing through the indicated bush with a roar that shakes me to the marrow of my suddenly weak looking bones. 
The lion lowers its body getting ready to pounce and I see it has bat wings and a lethal looking scorpion tail. Not that it was any less lethal looking without it. 
Right. The Manticore Zecora was talking about. 
I grab the bunny and dodge/roll to the side as the beast lunges at me. It turns back to me and swipes it large claws inches from my face. I stumble backwards to avoid another swipe and try to use my hands to get up, but then remember that I’m holding the rabbit. I drop it to the ground.
“Go on! Get the hell out of here!” I shout rolling to the side as the Manticore buries its tail right where my heart had been a split second before. 
The rabbit nods its head furiously and takes off toward the hill. The Manticore’s eyes follow the bunny as it hops away, but it seems to have used too much force and can’t dislodge its tail from the ground. It roars after the frightened bunny. 
Why’s it so obsessed with that little guy? He won’t make much of a meal. 
I look back to the bunny and once again notice the red on its back.
Of course! It smells its blood!
In what might be the dumbest and final action of my life I undo one of the bandages covering my arms. I toss it right into the face of the Manticore and watch as its eyes roll to the back of its head savoring the taste. 
As the beast refocuses its eyes on me it rips its tail from the earth. It almost looks like its smiling as it rears up its body to pounce at me. Its eyes were black as death.
Here we go!.

> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I can’t believe the scene taking place below me. A gigantic Manticore is facing off against some sort of hairless ape. I watch as Angel hops away from the action with blood dripping from his back and this seems to snap me back to reality. I take off like an arrow towards the ground.  At the last second I pull up with my hooves dragging across the soft grass. 
Oh man! Look out!
The Manticore takes a swat at the ape who barely manages to dodge out of the way in time. It seems to have forgotten all about Angel and has designated this poor creature as its next target. And at the rate this fight is going it was going to have a much more satisfying meal for lunch. 
Well not if I have anything to say about it!
“Watch out!” I scream as I near the battle. 
Both the Manticore and the other strange creature turn to look at me as I speed toward them. I aim for the Manticore’s ugly mug and twist in the air to kick him right between the eyes with my hind legs. 
“Oww!” I shout out. 
It was like running into a brick wall at full speed. I bounce off the beast's face and go flying off in the other direction spinning out of control. 
“Are you alrigh…woah!”
As I steady myself out and regain control I see that the Manticore is still up and kicking, well clawing actually. The other creature is doing a pretty good job of avoiding its sharp claws, but the Manticore is getting more accurate the more the creature dodges. 
“Ahh!” screams the creature as the Manticore’s claws strip away the skin on its leg. 
Blood was now beginning to pour out of the poor animal’s leg. 
Oh no.
The Manticore rears up on its back legs getting ready to stomp the life out of its prey.  With a roar it comes down only to be knocked on its side as I charge it yet again. And once again as my small body meets its rippling muscles I feel as if I’m only hurting myself. 
“Get up. C’mon we have to get out of here!” I plead with the strange creature that looks to be in some sort of shock due to the massive amount blood it is losing. 
The creature shakes its head and its eyes come back to reality.
“Yeah…yeah let’s gooo ahhh! Fuck!” 
It falls to the ground face first as it tries to get up. I fly over and try to help it onto its good leg. All of the sudden something hits me on the side at sends me hurtling to the ground with a loud thud.
I turn over to discover that the Manticore has gotten to its feet once more and is creeping its way over to where I lay. I go to stand up, but find that my muscles aren’t cooperating with me. In fact, my whole body feels as if it’s going numb. 
Shit! It got me with its damn tail!
Indeed there is a hole in my side leaking blood from where the poisonous tail had punctured me. The Manticore bares its grizzly fangs as it closes in on me. 
Damn! Not like this! I haven’t even gotten to fly with the Wonderbolts yet!
Tears are now building in my eyes as the beast’s body blocks Celestia’s bright sun from view. 
“no…” I plead giving into to despair.  I close my eyes not wanting to see it devour my body…
…………This is it…
…..
….
……………. Game over….







*Thud*

“OVER HERE JACKASS!!!!”

What?

“I SAID OVER HERE YOU FUCKING CAT!!!!”

My eyes shoot open to find the silhouette of the Manticore is gone. Instead it’s charging at the strange creature who had somehow managed to stand back up. The creature was waving one of its bloodied bandages through the air. 
Don’t be an idiot! You should’ve just let him eat me and saved yourself!
The Manticore is now just about on the fool of a creature. It roars and sends birds flying out of the trees.
“Look out!”


                                                                                                                                                                              




A ferocious man-eating monster of a Manticore is charging at me with only the intent to kill on its mind. 
Perfect.
I fall to the side just as its razor-sharp claws are inches from my face and grimace as my leg makes contact with the ground. 

My left leg had been torn shreds as I was trying to avoid the beast’s claws earlier. My swollen ankle had started to ache as I was dodging and I couldn’t get away fast enough. Luckily, some rainbow colored Pegasus had flown down to rescue me. 			
My mind had gone blank after the Manticore had gotten my leg. 
I remember I had asked myself how I had gotten into this situation to begin with. Then I heard a voice in my head say “hey lets go to the 80!” Other voices had then started up in my mind; all of them were agreeing with the first. I was beginning to wonder who these voices belonged to when another voice caught my attention.
“Get up. C’mon we have to get out of here!” it had said.
My mind had come back to reality and I saw the rainbow Pegasus in front of me with pleading eyes. 
“Yeah…yeah let’s gooo ahhh! Fuck!” I had screamed when I’d tried to get up. 
My leg was on fire and the slightest movement sent shockwaves of pain through my body. I remember I’d heard a loud thud and looked over to see the Pegasus lying limp on the grass with the Manticore slowly stalking up to it. 
I had seen this as a chance to get away and begin to crawl over to the forest to hide. I was at the edge of the woods when something had stopped me. Not anything physical, but something from deep inside my heart. 
I can’t leave that Pegasus to die, I had thought. Not when it had tried so hard to help me. 
Looking up at the tree in front of me, a crazy idea had formed in my mind. After dodging all those swipes from the beast I’d learned that while it was fast when moving straight, it cornered like a tractor trailer. 
I gritted my teeth and used every ounce of strength I had left and managed to stand up. I ripped off another bandage from my arms and pressed it against my bloody leg, wincing as I put pressure on it. I held it there for a second or so until it was colored red. 
For the next part of my crazy plan, I’d reach into my back pocket and pulled out my wallet. I had completely forgotten about it until I had fallen on my butt when I still had the bunny with me. 
I doubt this money is good here anyway, I’d mused. 
I wrapped the wallet with the bloody linen and took careful aim. 
The makeshift projectile had hit the Manitcore right on top of its fat head and rolled down to its snout. 
I screamed out hoping to give it more of a reason to charge me and it took the bait. 

Now I lay on the ground watching the beast fly over top of me and into the large tree that was behind where I’d been standing. 

*CRASH*

The Manticore collides face first with the hard bark of the tree. It collapses to the ground, no doubt seeing plenty of stars.
Take that you sorry excuse for an ancient myth!
The world around me is starting to go black. 
And then my heart stops. 
I hear a loud roar coming from the beast’s bodies as it slowly stands back up and turns to face me. 
Oh come on! What does a guy have to do?!
My body is too weak to even attempt to move at this point. 
Shit! Hey well can’t say I didn’t try, huh?

“What do you think you’re doing mister?!” 
I’m dying. What does it look like?
“You should be ashamed of yourself!”
I am. Jeez, what a time to rub it in.
“Now you go back home and think about what you’ve done.”
Lady, I can’t even stay awake let alone think… Wait what?!
I hear wings flapping over me and see a pink and yellow blob as my eyes begin to close.
Either that’s just how heaven’s angels look like or I’m totally saved!
A smile appears on my face as I give into unconsciousness.

> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	*Beep*
“Whazzat?” I groan.
*Beep*
My mind is starting to come back around. I slowly open my eyes to a dull green ceiling. There is a window to my right and the sun is shining directly on my face. I try to turn away from the bright light, but something tugs at my arm. 
*Beep*
Upon closer examination I see that an IV tube is stuck inside my forearm pumping cold fluid into my blood stream. 
*Beep*
I turn my head to the direction of the beeping noise and see that a heart monitor is tracking my heart rate.  Behind the monitor is an opaque curtain that’s blocking my view of the rest of the room. The room itself is relatively plain looking. I see another monitor hanging from the ceiling towards the foot of my bed. On the screen is an x-ray image of what looks like a femur bone.  This image incites me lift up the soft quilt covering my body and examine my own leg. I see that I’m completely naked underneath the sheets. 
I guess they don’t have gowns big enough for me here… 
*Beep* 
My whole left leg is covered from foot to groin with white linens. A few spots on the cloth have red sticky spots leaking through. Needless to say it’s not a pleasant sight. My whole body is also sore and aching. 
“Oh shi…”
*Beep*
The heart monitor interrupts my obscenity and I once again look over at the green line tracing the rhythm of my pulse on its screen. 
Well… at least I’m still alive. No thanks to that angry kitty. 
I roll my head back to its original position and stare up at the dull ceiling. 
I’ve been transported to Narnia and already met the Lion. When are the Wardrobe and Witch gonna show up?
I take a moment to collect my thoughts. I think back on everything that has happened since I arrived in this crazy Wonderland. I remembered waking up in the peaceful meadow only to end up trapped in a sinister forest. Then, Zecora had found me lying unconscious and, through some magnificent kindness, dragged me back to her hut. She’d offered me tea and even explained the workings of this wondrous land. She said how this world was ruled by magical ponies and their princesses. There were Earth Ponies, Pegasi, Unicorns, and royal ponies she had called Alicorns. All of this information was incredible to me, but I somehow managed to accept it all as reality. 
I don’t feel as if I have died and this is my eternal heaven or hell. After all, I can still feel pain. And anyway, even with all the mythical creatures and monsters it still feels real. I’ve always loved adventure tales in fantasy lands ever since I was a little kid and now I’m actually living one. 
I mean c’mon! I’ve met a talking zebra, frantic white rabbit, and a Pegasus! I even fought a freakin’ Manticore! Though not without injury. But that just makes it all the more awesome because now I know it’s all real! I’m Harry Potter! I’m Frodo! Hell, I’m Hercules! …I wonder if that Pegasus will let me ride on it… it’s probably too small… Oh yeah! Whatever happened to it anyway?
I scoot myself up the bed a little wincing slightly as my leg aches. Propping my body up with my elbows, I look excitedly around the room willing the Pegasus to pop into existence in front of me. My heart monitor picks up the tempo of my excitement. 
*Beep* *Beep* *Beep*
“Hey are you alright over there?”
I turn to look as the curtain is pulled back revealing the aforementioned Pegasus. Unlike me, it’s dressed in a light green gown. I start to feel pretty exposed and vulnerable as our eyes meet and the beeping picks up speed once more. 
“Hey dude, I don’t like being locked up in this stuffy room either, but you’re gonna give yourself a heart attack.”
I turn away feeling my face getting hot. I pull the covers up a little more and take a deep breath. The beeping slows. 
“Uh y-yeah…sorry about that,” I stammered. 
Great first impression.
“So hey…” starts the Pegasus.
I face it again and see it looking down at its twiddling hooves. 
Is it blushing?
“So I wanted to say… thanks… y’know…for saving me and stuff,” she confesses in a near whisper. 
A smile creeps its way onto my face. 
“Don’t worry ‘bout it. I mean you saved me first…I was just returning the favour.”
The Pegasus looks back at me and shows a big smile. 
For the first time I take a good look at the winged pony before me. It has the most beautiful amethyst eyes. Its rainbow themed mane came down just above the gorgeous orbs. From what I can tell the rest of its body is a light shade of cyan that reminds me of the sky. One of its wings is tucked into its side, but the other hangs over the edge covered in bandages. 
I focus back on the Pegasus’s eyes and feel my face get warm again. Quickly, I divert my attention back to the uninteresting sheets of my bed. 
“Seems like we’re gonna be in here for a while… uh Miss…?”
“Rainbow Dash. But you can drop the ‘Miss’. Makes me sound middle-aged or something,” she answers to my relieved smile.
I was assuming she was female, but I’m not one to simply say it without knowing for sure. I remember I was trying to pick up some girl back home at a bar. I was totally plastered, but managed to get her back to my apartment. 
I was just a little bit surprised when she dropped her skirt and something was there that sobered me up more than a coffee ever could. The guys won’t ever let me live that one down…
The thought of my friends makes me start to feel a little depressed. 
Do I even belong in this world? How did I get here to begin with anyway? I remember hearing that voice suggesting we should go to the 80...
The 80 was a bridge that ran over the Schuylkill Canal in Pheonixville back home. We would always jump off it when we were kids. I remember that was what had given me my love of extreme sports.
“Hey, what’s wrong? You can keep the ‘Miss’ if it really means that much to ya”
I snap back to reality. 
“Oh… nothin’. I’m just a little hungry. Oh! and I’m Anthony by the way,” I say not feeling too great about dodging the question, but the truth is I am starving. 
“Yeah me too. The nurse should be making her rounds pretty soon, though,” she remarks while glancing up at the clock. 
“Heh, sounds like you’ve been here before,” I muse.
“Yeah well, sometimes I get a minor injury practicing my sweet signature moves!”
“Sweet signature moves?” I question raising my brow. 
“You got that right! I practice my flying maneuvers everyday so that I’ll be able to impress Spitfire or Blaze!”
“And they are…?”
“Elite members of the Wonderbolts, duh!” she answers with an exasperated look upon her blue face. 
Oh of course…
“Hey, I’ve been meaning to ask you something…” she starts.
“What?”
“No offense or anything, but what exactly are you?”
“A human… and no offense taken.” 
“A hew-man?”
“Yep!”

                                                                                                                                                                                         


A human (whatever that is) named Anthony lies next to me in this cramped hospital ward. He kind of reminds me of a monkey, but only without any fur on him besides his face and the top of his head. The hair comes down to meet his eye brows; dark brown and wavy.  His eyes are also brown like milk chocolate and seem to always be smiling regardless of whether his mouth was curved up or down. This feature of his face makes him look perpetually friendly and easy to talk to. 
I have never been very trusting of strangers, though. After all, what if they’re out to take over Equestria like Nightmare Moon, Queen Chrysalis, or Discord tried to. 
Yeah, tried and got their flanks sufficiently whipped by yours truly. With a little help from my friends, too. 
But nonetheless, my loyalty towards Princess Celestia, Equestria, and most of all my friends, makes me pretty weary of random creatures showing up out of nowhere. It’s not because he’s not a pony or anything like that.
I’m not a racist or something. Hay! I even have a Griffon friend…well, I used to…
However, the usual trial period of cautiously watching over every small move he makes has been totally skipped over after he saved me earlier. I glance over at the bandages adorning his arms and then down to his leg. I can’t see it because of the covers, but ever since he had pulled the sheets up higher, his foot has stuck out the end of the quilt. I notice that it is wrapped tight with white linens and my hoof instinctively moves toward the hole in my side.
That was way too close. I was almost cat nip.
“Hey Miss…er, I mean, Rainbow Dash, do you know where they put my clothes?” questioned Anthony, a nervous smile playing across his face.
Hay if I know. I only just woke up myself. Besides, why do you need clothes? 
I open my mouth to respond, but another voice interrupts me. 
“Oh Rarity is taking care of those. Of course you probably have no clue who that is…well, let us introduce ourselves anyway. You may call us, Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
Twilight or rather Princess Twilight Sparkle stands at the threshold to the ward, her shining tiara resting proudly atop her mane. Her chin is pointing proudly up towards the ceiling and it almost looks like a circle of light shines around her. I can barely make out Doctor Stable behind her spread wings. 
Geez…do you have to show’em off every single time you enter a room? And what’s up with the plural? Are you trying to be Luna or something?
Even I, who I’ll admit likes to show off from time to time thinks she is getting pretty excessive with it. She can hardly even fly yet. In fact, everything about Twilight seemed to be getting fairly excessive lately.
So you got some wings and a crown now. Whoop de doo...
“Uh…it’s an honour… your, uh, Majesty…oww...”
I turn my eyes back to Anthony who was trying to bow or something while lying on the bed. His body must’ve decided against the action halfway through and now he’s trying to play it off with an awkward grin. 
“Don’t stress yourself, fair creature. And please, just ‘Princess’ is fine,” she replies, placing a hoof on her lavender chest. 
“Hey Twi,” I say, catching her attention.
Twilight walks over to me and I think a see a flash of annoyance cross her features before she smiles. 
“Oh hello, loyal Rainbow Dash. How are you feeling this good day?” she asks in an awkward attempt to sound regal.
“Loyal Rainbow Dash?” Seriously, what is her deal?
Once again I’m cut off as Doctor Stable answers for me.
“She could be better, but nothing a few days rest won’t solve,” he says picking up the chart at the foot of my bed. “You’ll have to stay grounded for awhile,” he adds with a stern gaze. 
My face falls.
“Oh come on! It’s just a flesh wound! And my wing has been through much worse than that!”
“Do not fret, good Rainbow.”
Okay, that’s seriously getting annoying.
“This will give you time to catch up on Daring Do’s adventures,” she finishes. 
“Pfft…as if! I’ve already read all those books through at least five times!”
Oh Celestia! Did I just admit that out loud?
“Um… I have some books on flying animals that you can read…if you want to that is…”
For the first time I notice the yellow Pegasus cowering behind Twilight. 
“Fluttershy! You’re okay! What’s up? Did you find Angel?” I shout causing the timid pony to hide behind her mane. 
“Uh yeah, I did…after I told that mean old Manticore to go back home.”
“THAT WAS YOU!?”
Fluttershy squeals in surprise while I turn my head back to Anthony who was sitting up in his bed. 
“Oh owww…” he groans rubbing his leg. He looks back up noticing everypony staring at him. “Ah…sorry…”

                                                                                                                                                                                         


Massaging my leg, I look up to see every eye in the room is focusing its gaze on me. 
Guess that was a bit loud.
“Ah…sorry…” I apologize weakly. 
The Unicorn dressed in a white coat and glasses walks over to the foot of my bed. He has a stethoscope wrapped about his neck and what looks like a heart monitor stamped onto his flank. He picks up my chart with his hoof (seriously, how do they do that?) and begins to read through it. 
I’m gonna take a wild stab in the dark and guess that this is my doctor.
“I suggest you refrain from such outbursts. You don’t want to damage your leg even further,” he advises looking up at me over his spectacles.
“Yeah…sorry Doctor…?”
“Stable.”
Of course…
“Doctor Stable, I promise I won’t freak again,” I say not sure if I would be able to keep to my words. After all, I’m in a hospital with two Pegasi, a Unicorn doctor and to top it all off, an Alicorn princess!
“Good,” nods the doctor pony. He looks back down at the chart. “Well, thanks to medicinal magic, you should be able to stand up in a couple of days, but you’ll have to undergo some physical therapy before you can leave.”
Medicinal magic? Well, I guess it makes as much sense as anything else in this world. 
“No problem. I’ve had to go through physical therapy before, but…” I pause. The doctor gives me a questioning look. “Where I come from… all this treatment and stuff…well, it isn’t cheap and I’m afraid that I threw my wallet away when I was fighting that Manticore…”
The lavender Alicorn strides forward spreading her wings even wider than they were before. The purple star atop her crown sparkles in the light coming through the window. Her lovely mane seems to flow even though there is no draft in the room. Her eyes are large and warm; I felt I could get lost in them. 
“That has all ready been taken care of, dear…?” she pauses. 
“Anthony… I’m a human.”
“Hew-man?”
I nod smiling a little.
Is everyone here gonna say it like that?
“Yes, w-well dear Anthony the noble human,” she stumbles out. “We have paid for all medical expenses. We would like to thank thee deeply for saving our beloved subject.”
I’ve heard that sometimes people of royalty will refer to themselves in a plural form, but I never actually dreamed I would hear it myself. 
“Uh… you’re welcome Princess, but if you want to thank anyone it should be that Pegasus over there,” I say motioning in the direction where the rather skittish looking yellow pony was standing. “If she hadn’t told off that Manticore, I would’ve been its lunch.”
*Grumble*
“Speaking of lunch, could we get some grub in here? I’m starving,” moans Rainbow and I see the Princess roll her eyes.
“I will ask the nurse to bring in some sandwiches,” replies the doctor before turning to me. “Can you eat vegetables?”
Oh yeah! They’re ponies! Of course they’d be vegetarians…
“Just as long as it isn’t hay or flowers I should be good.” 
The doctor nods and leaves the room presumably to go alert the nurse of our hunger. 
“Well back to the matter at hoof. Is what this human says true, Fluttershy?” asks the Princess as she turns toward the Pegasus.
“I-I guess so…”
“Well then, we thank thee as well sweet Fluttershy,” proclaims the Alicorn. 
The Pegasus simply blushes and hides her face in her long, pink mane. 
“Well, we see that you both are quite famished so we will leave our questions for later,” says the Princess turning back to me with a worried expression. “You are willing to answer my questions, aren’t you?”
Hey! She just spoke like a normal person! ...er, pony...
I nod causing her to smile.
“Ahem! Then we will leave thee to dine in peace. Come along Fluttershy!” the Alicorn calls as she trots gracefully back out into the hallway and out of view.
The Pegasus goes to leave, but pauses at the threshold of the ward. She takes to the air and flaps her way over to my bed side.
“Thanks for saving Angel Bunny,” she whispers. She then plants a quick kiss on my cheek before quickly fluttering out of the room. Awestruck, I place a hand on the spot she kissed. 
As she leaves, what I presume is a nurse pony enters pushing a cart with two sandwiches on silver trays. She places one tray on my lap and the other on Rainbow’s using her mouth. She then goes to leave pushing the cart back out into the hall.
“Call me if you need anything else. I’m Nurse Tenderheart,” she says sweetly, but it’s all white noise to me.
I just got kissed… by a… pony. NO WAIT! I just got kissed by a Pegasus! Crazy!
I blink and come back to reality. I look down at the sandwich on my lap. It’s a BLT except without the B. 
Oh bacon… I miss you already…
I turn to Rainbow to see her staring at me, mouth agape.
“Um…Earth (or is it Equestria?) to Rainbow Dash,” I joke waving my hand in her face. “Food’s here.”
She shakes her head and blushes. 
“I-I know!” the Pegasus asserts and begins to devour the sandwich hungrily. 
I smile. 
Seems I’m not the only one surprised by that kiss. Seriously, what did I do to warrant getting caught in this awesome dream? Well, I guess it will be over once that Princess sends me back home. The guys won’t believe this! They’ll probably think I just had some alcohol induced dream. Even I’m not entirely sure this is still reality. It’s not the reality that I know at least. Well, whatever! I’ll worry about it when I get home, I think while taking a bite of the sandwich. Back home to bacon…

> Chapter 5 (flashback)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	

“SAIL TO THE SUN! MY CHANCES ARE NONE!”
Josh is singing his heart out with Robert playing drums on the dashboard as we drive carelessly down the road. Everyone in the car started going crazy when the chorus kicked in and none of us show signs of reeling it in anytime soon (like Wayne’s World or something). The sub-woofers behind me are rattling my bones to their marrow with the blaring bass line.  I don’t think the volume can go any higher, or rather if it should; either way my eardrums would just give out. But, I like the song and I’m having the time of my life playing air guitar in the backseat with Rivers.
I needed this…
The lyrics remind me of soaring through the air in my wing suit trying to reach the sun like Icarus, but never being able to because I’d just burn up. But the freedom of the wind always brought me back. Always brought me hope. 
I needed this…
We had just left the mall (after being kicked out…) and were planning on driving back home and continuing the impromptu party at Josh’s place. His folks were away for the weekend and we could be as crazy as we wanted over there. It would be nice to finally hang around Josh’s house like we used to back in high school. 
I really need this… 

The reason for the get together had been for my twenty-first birthday. I was so surprised to get a call from friends I hadn’t seen in years and them inviting me to come meet them at a bar near the mall. It hadn’t just the three of them at the bar either. It seemed that everyone from my high school days had met up and were socializing by the time I got there. Rivers had apparently called as many of our old friends as he could remember. 
As soon as I arrived I was manhandled over to the bar and had all sorts of drinks ordered for me. It was the first time I had been given a drink…legally. Lagers and whiskeys were shoved into my face, but I didn’t down that much for I had actually wanted to remember the night. I had seen Robert and Josh through the crowd and along with Rivers we all started reminiscing about our old band and catching up and all that other stuff you do when you meet up with friends you haven’t seen in forever. 
It was amazing that we had only been separated for three years when it felt so much longer than that. I had only really kept in touch with Rivers who had gone off to college at Pitt. Both Josh and Robert were going into their senior year at Virginia Tech and Penn State respectively. Meanwhile, I had been travelling across Europe searching for the best BASE jumping sites I could find. I had spent about a year over there before coming home, but not before catching the Glastonbury festival. Josh and Robert had been particularly jealous after I shared that little detail with them.
Anyway, as the party had gone on we talked and joked and everything had gone back to the way it had been three years prior. It was like everything had changed, while at the same time nothing had changed. At one point my brother came up to me saying that he wanted to take Jen (and old flame) back to his place and was wondering if I could get a ride home. Josh had volunteered to drive me back along with Rob and Rivers. We ended up heading out pretty early because I didn’t want to get so drunk that I’d pass out in the parking lot. That’s when we decided to walk the mall before subsequently getting kicked out. So now we’re driving home singing like maniacs. 

The song ends, but a new melody seems to drift in through the open windows being carried along by the night breeze. 


Everyone in the car goes silent. 

I know that we’re different
I know that we’ve changed
We both go back to it
It’s not how it used to be
People are strange
And now we’re strangers…

Maybe the guys are thinking about how we’ve all been apart for so long, but to me the lyrics hold another meaning. 		Yesterday, I was dumped.
I mean what kind of girl dumps her boyfriend right before his birthday? Oh gee thanks honey! What a wonderful present…

Alice. I met her when I arrived back in the states two years ago. She was part of a group of first time skydivers I was instructing. I didn’t want to give up the rush of diving, but I needed a job so I decided to become an instructor. She was one of my first students.
I still remember what she looked like the day when I saw her for the first time. She had long golden hair that shimmered in the summer sun. Her eyes were sky blue and her face was so calming like an angel’s might be. 
“Hello! Are you here for the diving class?” I had asked when she walked up to me near the hangar housing the planes we used for parachuting. 
“Yeah, I’m Alice! Are you…Instructor Anthony?” she questioned while looking down at a flyer that the company sent out for the classes. 
“Just Anthony is good. The 'Instructor' makes me feel old for some reason… so... Alice, you ready to jump down the rabbit hole?” I joked in a lame attempt to be funny.
Did I really just freakin’ say that!?!, I had thought.
She laughed. It sounded like a wind chime and made my heart flutter. Her smile…god that smile…
“So what does that make you? The White Rabbit?” she mused in reply. Her smile warmed me from head to toe. 
Cupid, you sneaky little bastard…you finally got me.

We started going out soon after our first jump together. But something changed. I don’t know what, but something in her heart pushed me out. Now I’m left sitting here in the back seat of this stuffy car listening to this sappy song and wondering where I went wrong. 
How fucking cliché can you get?

“Hey where are you going?” asks Robert, snapping me back to reality.
“Through Valley Forge, it’s nice and quiet through there. Less people to run into anyway…” Josh replies.
“Are you saying that you’re driving under the influence Mr. Byrnes?” jokes Rivers.
“We’re all drunk, dude.”
“True dat,” agrees Robert leaning back in his seat. “But if we’re going this way… Hey! Let’s go to the 80!”
“Ah yeah! We haven’t gone there in years!”
“Yeah let’s go!”
“Alright, fine. We’ll go,” confirms Josh. “It’s a bit of a drive though. And I ain’t jumping into that water. It’s probably freezing right now.”
“Pussy…” taunts Robert.
“Hey! I will turn this car around young man! And we will not be goin’ to Disney World if you keep up that attitude,” warns Josh. 
“Aww, but dad…”
“No buts mister!”
Josh turns to meet Robert’s pouting face. The two start laughing uncontrollably. Rivers and I join in. 
I really needed this…



*SCRRRRRRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECCCHHHHH*

“OH SHIT!!!!”
“WOAH! LOOK OUT!”
The car fishtails back and forth. Josh fights for control and luckily avoids wrapping the vehicle around a tree. The car steadies out, but it doesn’t stop. 
“What the FUCK was that about!” shouts Robert.
“S-something ran out in front of us. I…I just kinda reacted…” Josh tries to explain, his hands are shaking on the wheel. 
“Just reacted? Fuck man! That scared the shit out of me,” Robert exclaims. “Look, just stop…Stop man! I feel like I’m gonna puke…”
Josh slams on the brakes and we all lurch forward in our seats. Robert clambers out and I watch him stumble into one of the old log cabins that were left over from General Washington’s winter here. I start to hear retching and groans coming from the cabin.
I turn to look at Josh in the rearview mirror. 
“You alright man?” I ask out of concern after seeing his horror stricken face. 
“Y-yeah. I’m cool.”
I hear Rivers take a deep breath beside me and turn to face him. 
“You alright?”
“Yeah. That was close though,” he says obviously shaken.
“Close? CLOSE!?! Fuck, I nearly killed all of us!” Josh fumes. 
“Dude, it’s okay. No one blames you. Could’ve happened to anyone,” I explain trying to calm him down.
“The fuck it could. God man! We almost died! Doesn’t that mean anything to you?” he shouts back. 
“Hey, it’s alright. We’re alright,” I say with a reassuring smile. I reach up and squeeze his shoulder in an effort to calm him. He’s shaking slightly, but it soon fades. “Maybe I should take the wheel though. I hardly had anything to drink.”
Josh doesn’t say anything, but simply nods his head. 
“Alright, good,” I state, getting out of the car as Josh does as well. 

I had learned how to calm people down when we would go up with fresh skydivers. A lot of newcomers would almost be in tears right before we jumped and as an instructor I had discovered many techniques reassure them. There is nothing worse for an instructor than trying to safely deploy the parachute and land while the person beneath you is freaking out. 

I walk over to the cabin were Robert had gone to expel his vomit. As I reach the entrance, I see his form come into view. He’s sweating and there is sick dripping down his chin. 
“I…I wouldn’t go in there if I were you…” he pants, pointing a thumb back into the dark cabin. “Not a pretty sight, but I feel loads better. How are Josh and Rivers?”
“They’re alright. A little shaken, but nothing serious. I’m going to be driving now though.”
“Good, good... Do you still want to go?”
“Where?”
“To the 80?”
“Oh,” I say flatly. I stand considering it for a moment. “Yeah, why not? It’ll help us forget about all this.”
“Whatever, man,” Robert sighs as he gets back into the passenger seat. 
I stride around the front of the car heading for the driver’s seat, but stop dead. I look down and my stomach twists at the sight. Stuck in the grill of the car is the body of a white rabbit. Its limbs are twisted at impossible angles and its fur is stained red. I see chunks of red tissue splattered all across the front end. Most of its face is mutilated from the impact but one of its eyes stares right at me; the life in it extinguished. 
I really need this…

> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Depression… 
It’s not something I have experienced much of in my life. On the whole, I like to think life has been pretty good to me. Nothing has ever really torn me apart… well besides Alice, but I knew I could move past that if given enough time. My friends would help me forget about her, but now I have no friends.
Friendless…
If there’s one thing I truly fear in life, it’s the fear of having to deal with everything alone. With others beside me I can find meaning. I can find strength. I can forget my own problems and focus on theirs. On my own… I feel useless. I don’t have anyone to save. No one to help. I’m left alone with only my thoughts to keep me company. 
I don’t think I’ve ever felt such a cold feeling…
*Beep*
I turn to the side to watch the green line of the heart monitor bounce to the rhythm of my pulse. For a split second I imagine the zigzag pattern flattening out and the accenting beeps becoming one long drone.  A singular note of death…
Like a deathnote… wait, no…no it’s nothing like that, I think. My eyes turn back to the dark ceiling. Shadows now make up the entirety of the hospital ward. The only light sources come from the door leading out into the hallway and the bright moon shining through the window. I can hear soft snores in between the intervals of the beeping. Occasionally, a nurse on night duty will pass by the door and I’ll count the hoofsteps as they fade out of the range of my hearing only to be replaced by the never-ending beeping. It’s fucking maddening. 
Yawing, I stretch my arms toward the ceiling only to quickly pull them back as a spike of pain shoots through them. I’m tired, but my mind won’t let me sleep. My eyes are going to bleed soon. Still the monitor doggedly continues to beep like a clock ticking away the seconds of my life. 
Why are you thinking about dying anyway? You don’t want to die. Not here, not now. You just narrowly cheated death the other day. You should be grateful. You should be celebrating! Why aren’t you happy? my brain asks.
“Nyahh… donafsha…leevawitgillldaah….
I hear the sleeping pony in the bed next to me mumble something unintelligible. It was almost like a whimper.
 I should be happy. I saved her. I’m still alive. I should be on cloud nine….  And I was until... well, until shit got real!
My memories of earlier today swim to the forefront of my thoughts. The blank ceiling above me acts as a makeshift cinema screen. The movie begins…

                                                                                                                                                                                    

After finishing my BLT-scratch the B-sandwich, Rainbow Dash and I started to chat. Actually, it was more of an interrogation. She asked me about how I got to Equestria and why I was here and if there were anymore hew-mans like myself. I answered as much as I could. 
“Yes, there are indeed more humans,” I had confirmed. “But as to how or why I’m here in Equestria… well, I haven’t the slightest idea. I just woke up alone in a field, and then went hiking in this real creepy forest until a zebra named Zecora found me.”
“Wait! You met Zecora?!” asked the Pegasus, nearly flipping her sandwich tray over. 
“Yeah,” I answered. “You know her? She was really nice and stuff. “
The blue pony nodded. 
“She took me back to her hut…”
Well, really I guess she dragged me.
“…and she served me tea out of this giant cauldron thing and then, to top it off, she explained how this is a world of equines, princesses, and all this other crazy stuff,” I continued, gesturing wildly through my rant until my arms felt sore. 
“And you just believed everything she told you? Just like that?” questioned Rainbow with a look of incredulity. 
“Well, I had no choice, right?” I tried to explain. “I mean, yeah, it was totally unbelievable and everything, but I had some proof right in front of me. A talking zebra! Can’t get much more evidence of craziness than that, can you?”
“I guess not… but I don’t think I’d be able to just ‘go with the flow’ like that if I woke up in an entirely different world!”
“Yeah, it was all a bit confusing and head-shattering, but, like I said, what choice did I have?” I laughed. Looking down at my bandaged leg, my laughter subsided. “I suppose I’ve always been somebody who’s acted first and asked questions later. I don’t really like to just lay around moping and feel sorry for myself. I’d much rather move past it all… live in the moment, y’know?”
“Yeah… that makes sense,” agreed the Pegasus with a warm smile. “Living in the moment is kinda my thing, too.”
I returned the grin and we both sat in silence just enjoying moment. Her eyes really are beautiful. She started sneaking glances at my leg and back to her lame wing as her smile faded. She looked far better with a happy face so I decided to mess with her a little. 
“So, you gonna give a kiss, too?” I started. Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Y’know for saving you and stuff…”
“Wha-What are you talking about?!”
Her cyan cheeks experience a red shift. 
“Well, your yellow friend back then gave me a fairly warm welcome, I’d say. Where’s your gratitude?” I demanded, trying to stifle my giggles. 
“I-I…” stuttered the flustered Pegasus. 
Finally, I could no longer hold back my laughter. 
“Ha! Oh my god! Y-your face is priceless!” I managed to taunt through my laughing fit. Rainbow’s expression turned from embarrassed to ‘I’m going to kill you’ in less than a second.
“Y-you… total… JERK!” she shouted, giving me a harsh glare. 
“Relax, I was just joshing ya,” I said while wiping tears from my eyes. 
“Joshing me?” she wondered. Her glare was replaced with a confused look.  
“Yeah, y’know like messing with… razzin’… teasing?”
“Oh…” she blinked, understanding my slang. “WAIT! Not ‘oh’! You totally just played me!”
“You bet I did!” I confirmed with a snicker. 
“You do I realize I can still use my legs? Do you want a hoof to the face?”
“Sure, bring it on anytime, Skittles.”
“Wha…?”
I started laughing again at her half angry- half confused face.
“What?! What did you just call me?!”
I didn’t answer, but kept chuckling louder. This went on for a few minutes with her shouting threats then becoming lost as my retorts went right over her head. Finally, she gave in and just went along with it. We both cackled madly in our beds until a nurse poked her head in and reminded us that hospitals are supposed to be quiet environments. 
“Sorry ‘bout that,” I apologized as the nurse pony left rolling her eyes. Rainbow was still giggling under her breath when another pony appeared at the door. The Pegasus’s laughter ceased as soon as she saw who it was. 
“We see that you two are getting along quite well,” observed the lavender Alicorn at the threshold of the ward. 
“Uh… yeah, er… I mean yes, Princess,” I answered awkwardly. 
“Yeah, we were…” added Rainbow whose disposition seemed to have darkened at the Princess’s arrival. 
The Alicorn, however either didn’t notice or just ignored the Pegasus as she strode gracefully over to my bedside.  Her purple gaze seemed to pierce my very soul…
Okay, that’s a little over-dramatic, but she does have quite a stare.
“Now, dear Anthony, will thou be willing to answer my questions?” asked the Princess.
“Sure… I mean, yes Princess,” I stumbled out. 
The Alicorn Princess showed a smile and began her questioning. She asked me where I was from and I told her my planet was called Earth. The Princess said she’d never heard of it. She then asked me how I came to be in Equestria. I answered much as I had when Rainbow Dash had asked; “I don’t know.” She seemed to ponder it for a few seconds, but then continued on by asking how I’d gotten to Ponyville. I regaled her with my tale of waking up in the Everfree forest and meeting Zecora. 
“Thou have met the zebra, Zecora?” 
“Yes,” I answered. “She told me many things about Equestria and even led me out of the woods. When we got to the edge of the forest, she told me that I would find Ponyville a little further on. She said that the Princess… that you would help me, but I managed to have a run in with that Manticore before I could get my bearings. Now I’m here,” I finished. 
“It is most unfortunate that thou had to undergo such a horrific ordeal as soon as thou arrived,” she said; a sympathetic look on her regal face. “But, Zecora told thou to seek our counsel?” I nod. “We would love nothing more than to help thou…”
“But?” I pressed feeling something was off.
“Well, because we have no idea how thou came to Equestria, it would be most difficult to send thou back home; especially since we have never heard of the planet Earth. It may even be impossible…”
…………….
…..
Her words hit me like a freight train.
“Impossible…”
The Princess gave a sorrowful look and nodded. 
Wait! So I’m trapped here?! This was cool for a dream or whatever this is, but now this pony’s telling me that I’m stuck? No! No Nonono… what about mom, dad, my brother, Josh, Robert, Rivers… I’m seriously never gonna see them again!? I’m here in some crazy fucking fantasy world of ponies and I’m never gonna leave?! What am I gonna do? Where am I gonna stay? I have no friends here… just ponies… They seem nice enough, but they’re essentially aliens. No, I’m the alien! I’m all alone...
While my mind was racing at light-speed Rainbow Dash spoke up.
“No way!” she shouted at the Princess. “Can’t you do something? Anything? Have you become completely useless since you became royalty or something!?”
“I…” hesitated the Alicorn. She was at a loss. I was too…

                                                                                                                                                                                        

The movie reel stutters and comes to a halt. Darkness invades my vision once more. I hear the beeping of the heart monitor. 	The clops of hoofsteps outside in the hallway. The snoring Pegasus across the room. 
What am I doing? This is no time to turn into a pussy!
I bring my hands to my face and give each cheek a firm slap. 
The Princess said she’d discuss it with the other princesses. Rainbow said she’d help you out. It’ll work out… It will work out. 	Stop worrying. You’re still breathing, right? You’re still alive! No friends, no family, but you’re still alive. You can get pass this. 		You have to… you have nothing else… you…
Rainbow Dash lets out a particularly loud snore that interrupts my internal pep talk. I look over at her silhouetted body rising and falling in time with her snores.  
No family…
I watch how the moon light dances off her prism mane. 
No friends…
I hear her mumble something through her dreams.
“Anthony…”
But maybe…
She continues mumbling. Now she turns so I can see her face lit by the moon.
“…don’t…”
Maybe…
Her hoof reaches out.
“… worry…”
Maybe…

> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It’s an odd experience when you realize that you’ve found something very familiar in a situation that at first seems so foreign. Perhaps you can just chalk it up to human nature or adaptability or whatever, but humans in general seem to have an incredible ability to fit into whatever environment they’re thrown in. We adapt to freezing tundra, dry wastelands, and even to vast metropolises. However, you could argue that all creatures can adapt to their environments. Isn’t that what it means to evolve? 
Humans, though, seem to have taken this concept one step farther. Not only can we adapt to different biomes, we can adapt to different societies. It’s truly fascinating when you really think about it. You can’t just pick an ant out of its colony, place it in a beehive, and expect it to suddenly go, “Oh, well this is my new home now. Better make the most of it.” It’s ridiculous, but humans can. Maybe it’s our higher intelligence or our conscience or…
“Empathy.”
“What was that?”
“Uh… nothing. Nevermind.”
“Whatever… So are you gonna try again or what?”
“Just… just gimme a sec.”
I take a couple of breaths while staring at my leg. Most of the bandages that once adorned the appendage have been removed and the newly formed flesh is pink and tender. I poke gently at it with my fingertips. It isn’t exactly painful, but the nerves must be very sensitive and as my fingers trace circles on my leg I experience a tickling sensation. 
Still, I think. The fact that I’m even attempting to stand up is a small miracle. Ah, the wonders of modern… or I guess ‘magical’ medicine.
“Hey! You’re spacing out again,” complains Rainbow. “Don’t you want to get out of here?”
I give her a deadpan look.
“Y’know,” I begin. “Even if I do manage to stand up today I’m still gonna have be here for another week or so for physical therapy and whatever else.”
“I know that, but if you wanna make any progress you need to at least get back onto your hoo… er feet,” she replies. 
I smile. I can’t help it. Her enthusiasm is infectious.
“You’d make a great football coach, y’know?”
“Football?”
I let out a small laugh.
“I’ll show you when we get outta here,” I promise and with that, place my bare toes onto the cool wooden floor of the hospital ward. I slowly tilt my body forward letting my lower body hold more and more weight. My legs slide down the edge of the bed until my heels meet the floor. 
Here we go.
I’m about the cross the point of no return. Glancing upwards I see Rainbow watching me out of the corner of her eye. There was a cup of milk in her hoof (still not entirely sure how that works) as she is just finishing the breakfast that Nurse Redheart had brought in for the two of us earlier this morning. She was trying to play cool while sipping from the cup and acting like my attempts to stand up for the first time in a week were nothing special. However, now that I’m about to actually try it, Rainbow is starting to look a little nervous. She makes a move towards me, but I hold up a hand in protest.
Smiling at her, I say, “It’s a piece of cake.”
Her eyes widen as she processes my words. Then she smirks and her eyes narrow. 
“Prove it.”
Alrighty then. Challenge accepted!
My legs now take on the full weight of my body and I feel the mattress slip out from underneath me. Gravity is now doing everything in its power to force me back onto my ass. Normally, I enjoy the sensation of falling, but now it has me reaching out in attempts to grab some invisible hand rail. My torso has become almost parallel with the floor and I’m expecting my face to crash onto the wooden planks.
“Hey, you’re almost there!” shouts Dash as encouragement.
I’m starting to lean too far forward and I’m likely to reach my tipping point at any moment. Twirling my arms in circles in order to find my balance, I wobble to and fro on the balls of my feet. Finally, my body remembers its center of gravity and I achieve a state of equilibrium. Cautiously, I straighten out to my full height.
“Yes!” Rainbow bellows. 
I wait a second just to make sure my legs won’t give out.
Letting out a sigh of relief, I immediately put on a shit-eating grin. 
“See? Piece of cake.”
“Pfft… Please, I’ve seen Granny Smith do a push up faster than that,” teases Rainbow, but I don’t care. 
I’m freakin' standing! YES! Achievement unlocked: Defying Gravity! Wait! Maintain aloof expression… good? Good. 
“Well, I don’t mean to brag or anything,” I begin, folding my arms. “But, I’ve been known to even conquer one or two flights of stairs in my time,” I finish, brushing imaginary dust from my shoulder. 
“Woah! Look out everypony! We’ve got ourselves a badass here!” Rainbow announces, playing along.
I move to strike a victory pose. Bad idea…
My leg buckles from the sudden change in position and my already questionable balance is lost completely. 
“Wah!”
I stumble forward, crash into Rainbow and we both go down. 

                                                                                                                                                                                       

Oh… what am I going to tell him?
Thou must tell the human the truth… that he will never be able to return home.
I don’t know that for sure!
Thou hast written many a letter to Celestia discussing this matter. Even the great Sun Alicorn has no answer for this phenomenon. 
Yes, but… but there’s always an answer!
Perchance this time… none exists…
Aren’t you supposed to be my advisor? Instead, all you do is tell me things I don’t wanna hear!
Indeed we are thou counsel, and as such, our duty requires us to place thou thoughts into perspective. 
Well… whatever you’re doing it’s not helping!
Dear Twilight… thou hast yet to decide what thou will tell the human.
…I know…
I sigh as I trot down the hospital hallway towards Rainbow’s and Anthony’s ward. The doctor and nurse pony step politely to the side and bow as I stride past.
That’s still pretty weird…
A princess must become accustomed to being admired by her subjects.
Yeah, but it’s still weird.
As I reach the door of the ward I inhale and move my hoof towards my chest. I slowly release the breath, feeling some of the stress leave my body with it. But not all of it. 
I don’t know if I can do this…
Please allow us to aid thou in disclosing this troubling information to the human, Princess. 
That would be much appreciated, thanks.
I feel my body go limp for a second until my muscles once again tense up except this time not by my own will. My consciousness has now taken a back seat to the presence that now permeated every inch of my body. My wings spread to their full length and my legs straighten out so I stand at my full height. The expression on my face is no longer my own; it exudes confidence and power. 
A magical aura surrounds the door knob and the wooden door swings open to reveal…
Wait. What!?
Calm down, Princess. There is most likely a satisfactory explanation for this. 
The scene before me contains two beings; one a pony and the other, a human.  On the floor lie Rainbow Dash and Anthony. Anthony is currently straddling Rainbow Dash while she lays spread-eagle on her back. Their faces are no more than a few inches from each other. What’s more, there is some white liquid covering Rainbow’s stomach.
Well, I certainly can’t think of one at the moment!

                                                                                                                                                                                          

“Ohh… oww,” I groan, looking down to make sure I didn’t mess up my leg even more than it already was. Thankfully, it looks no worse for wear. As I look down I notice a pair of cyan legs underneath my own and suddenly I hear a voice groaning. “Oh! I’m so sorry Rainbow! Your stitches are alright, right?” I ask nervously. 
“Owww… Yeah, I’m fine. Y’know next time you should watch where you’re aiming. It would’ve been a lot less messy if you went for the bed,” says Rainbow, with a smirk. She points to the milk on her stomach that had obviously spilled during our spill. 
Looking up, I notice that if I had fallen just a little more to the right I would’ve landed softly on Rainbow’s mattress. I chuckle slightly.
“Okay, I promise next time I’m coming at you I’ll aim for the pillows instead.”
We both laugh heartily at the ridiculousness of our fall. 

*Ahem*

Both Rainbow and I stop laughing. In unison, we turn towards the door of our room and see none other than Princess Twilight Sparkle standing, mouth agape, at the threshold. 
“I’m… sorry if I’m interrupting… you two,” The Princess says slowly. 
Hey, she’s not using the ‘royal talk’ again. And what’s with that face? It’s like she’s seen…
My thoughts trail off as my eyes follow the Princess’s to Rainbow’s stomach. When I see the milk that had spilled all over the mare’s belly as well as how I’m bent over top of her, my brain connects the dots. 
“Woah! It’s definitely not what it looks like!” I shout at the shocked Princess.
Oh yeah… smooth move genius. Like that’ll totally convince her otherwise…
“Look I… I mean we… I mean… Rainbow, help me out here!” I plead turning towards the Pegasus. Rainbow Dash, however, has now covered her blushing face with her hooves. I quickly face the Princess once again. “I-I was trying to get it up... NO! I mean get up… and I…”
I just so happened to fall on top of Rainbow Dash in this totally provocative position. Yeah… I don’t see that explanation going over so well. C’mon Rainbow! I really need some backup right about n…
*whack*
It seems Rainbow has decided she’d suffered enough embarrassment for one day and wants me off her right away. I suppose she must have thought the fastest way to get me to move was to kick me right between the legs. She was right. 
I howl in pain and fall to the side while clutching my groin. In the meantime, Rainbow has gotten to her hooves and her face has returned to its normal blue hue. She walks over to the Princess while wiping some of the milk from her stomach. 
“It’s just milk, Twilight. Y’know from breakfast,” she explains then points back to me still writhing in pain on the floor. “This doofus was trying to stand up, but ended up falling and taking me along for the ride. Honestly, he’s about as graceful as Derpy,” she finishes, rolling her eyes to exaggerate my stupidity. 
The Princess shakes her head and her expression becomes calm and composed once more. It seems as if she’s found Rainbow’s explanation more believable than my own. 
“We understand,” says the Princess, once again using the royal ‘we.’ She turns to face me still lying on my side on the floor and asks, “Will thou be well? That kick looked most painful…”
“Oh… Don’t worry ‘bout me. I’ll be… just fine,” I answer, shooting Rainbow a dirty look. 
Honestly, if girls understood how bad this hurts they wouldn’t be so ‘quick to kick.’
“We do hope thou will be more cautious when attempting such a stunt in the future,” comments the Princess.
“Will do, your Majesty,” I say through gritted teeth while bringing my hand to my forehead in a mock salute; my other hand was making sure that my left nut had come back down from my esophagus.
“And we also hope that thou will not be so hasty to injure our guest further, loyal Rainbow,” adds the Princess.
I manage to crawl over to my bed and clamber up onto the soft mattress. My balls are still throbbing, but peak of the pain has subsided. 
“Yeah, sure whatever,” replies Rainbow as she walks back over to her own bed. She doesn’t even bother to look at the Princess.
Jeez… I know you’re supposedly good friends with her, but you don’t have to be rude. I wonder what’s going on between those two anyway. Whenever they’re in the same room together Rainbow gets all bitchy. Well… whatever… I’m sure they’ll work it out themselves. 
“So, Princess?” I begin. The lavender Alicorn turns to face me once more. “What brings you here anyway? Do you have more questions for me or is this just a visit or… or… Wait! Have you found a way to send me back home!?”
Out of the corner of my eye I notice Rainbow’s ears perk up at that last suggestion. The Princess takes a step towards me.
“We do indeed have news concerning your return home,” she says. For the smallest moment I notice the Princess’s countenance waver ever so slightly. “That is the reason we have graced thou with our presence today.”
That look… Why do I feel like I’m gonna get a second shot to the groin today?

> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	I want to wake up. I want my alarm clock to start screeching so I can roll over and slam down on the ‘snooze’ button. I won’t care if I have a terrible hangover. I won’t care if I have to go to work with a headache. I want normality. I want my own little reality back. 

Since as long as I can remember, I’ve been chasing thrill after thrill. I’ve always tried to live a life that would constantly keep my heart racing. The world has so much to offer and I don’t want to miss any of it. That’s what I always thought. Now I’m starting to realize that it was all a cover up. All of that philosophy I spewed was just an excuse. The only reason I sought out adventure, the only reason I pushed myself into others problems, the only reason I couldn’t stand to be alone is simply because I don’t know how to deal with myself. I can’t handle my own problems. 

“Are thou well?” asks the Princess, but I don’t respond. 

My gaze is steadied on my legs which hang over the side of the hospital bed. Covering the length of my legs is a pair of pajama pants. They are a pale shade of turquoise with lighter blue stripes sewed vertically to add accents. It must be made out of some sort of silky material as it doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin underneath. On the right hip, where the seam connects the front and back halves of the pants, a small patch is sewn fast. From where I’m looking it isn’t that easy to see, but if one were to examine the patch closely they’d find it had symbol stitched into it; the design consisted of three cyan diamonds that formed an acute angle. 

“We know this must be very distressing information to receive…” the Princess starts to say, but trails off when she notices I’m still gazing intently at my pajama bottoms. 

During the past week, some of Rainbow’s pony friends had stopped by for a visit. One of them, a Unicorn named Rarity, had been in the room when I was explaining to Rainbow my clothing issue. The fact that I didn’t have anything to cover up my genitals hadn’t seemed to faze the Pegasus, but I on the other hand, felt incredibly ridiculous even attempting to hold a conversation without so much as a pair of boxers on. Rarity, however, seemed to empathize with my plight and offered to make me some outfits. Obviously, I was overjoyed with the idea and even more grateful when she said she’d do it for free. I couldn’t believe anyone could be so generous. 

“Hey! Aren’t you gonna say anything?” demands Rainbow. I continue to refuse conversation, but I can feel Dash’s eyes drilling into me. 

It’s starting to get to me; the mum of the ward save the beeping of the heart monitor, the chill starting to creep up my arm from the tips of my fingers, and the sensation of being scrutinized by two sets of eyes. The pattern of my pajamas is becoming less and less interesting. I squeeze my kneecaps with my clammy hands, trying to stop the chill from overtaking anymore of my limbs. It hurts. It hurts a lot, but I savor the pain. Shutting my eyes tightly, I focus on the scream building up in the back of my throat. 

“Anthony,” Rainbow says.

You’re doing it again. You’re running away. 

“Anthony, what…”

“I’m fine!” I say a little too loudly. Slowly, I open my eyes and face Rainbow. She looks slightly taken aback by my outburst. Forcing a grin, I say, “Sorry. It’s just a lot to process, y’know? I’m alright, really.”

“But…” Rainbow begins to say, but I cut her off.

“I was sort of expecting this anyway. I’ve been mentally preparing myself for this so it’s not that bad,” I explain, keeping the empty smile on my face. My hands are freezing.

You’re running away.

“But there’s no way you can be taking it that easily!” Rainbow replies. She sounds exasperated. “Miss Princess here herself, just told you she can’t send you back. You’re stuck here!” she shouts, expecting me to lash out at the world right here and now. 

And why am I not freaking out? It’s totally justifiable in this type of situation. I’m sure that Rainbow and even the Princess would understand if I vented some of my pent up emotions, but I can’t bring myself to do it. It’s as if I reached some nirvana-like state of self-denial. However, it’s an unstable state, and if any part falters, then I’ll come crashing down. What’s more, I’m not certain I’d be able to get back up. 

You’re just running away.

“And you!” Rainbow sneers. “Aren’t you some great and powerful Alicorn now? How can you just stand there and tell him you can’t do anything!?” 

“I…” the Princess murmurs. Even in that one syllable I notice how unsure she sounds. Perhaps it’s because she didn’t finish her thought when she’s normally never at a loss for words that catches my attention. The tentative quality becomes more apparent when she tries to speak again. “I’m… sorry…”

Looking over at the Princess, I have to force myself not to do a double-take. The normally regal Alicorn, now looks as vulnerable as a child being scolded by her mother. Over the past week, Princess Twilight would visit every morning to make sure I was feeling comfortable and my leg was healing properly. I could tell that she was genuinely concerned for my well being and not just doing it to improve her public relations, but usually she’d stay formal and dignified. Only on very rare occasions would she allow what I presume were her true emotions to leak through, but she’d always revert back within seconds. Seeing the face she has on now, however, I would never be able to guess that she was of royalty.  

“I’m so sorry…” whispers the Princess. She seems to be on the verge of tears. Her eyes, which usually stare into places I cannot fathom, are now shimmering in the present. 

“You’re sorry?!” scoffs Rainbow. She’s now standing up in her bed with her one wing flared out. The other remains trapped to her side in bandages. “Sorry isn’t going to make this all okay!”

“Rainbow!” I say sternly. The Pegasus fixes me with her glare, but I don’t flinch. A couple seconds pass before Rainbow breaks the staring match and plops down on her mattress. Her eyes are watery just like the Princess’s. I soften my tone as I say, “You’re right. Sorry isn’t going to make it okay. But neither is putting blame on someone who isn’t guilty. This is no one’s fault. This is just… just the way things are. And I’m sure things will work out… it just takes some time…”

I’m not entirely sure who I’m trying to fool here. All I know for certain is that I don’t want to see these two mares weep before me. I don’t want to feel their pity. My heart is sinking enough all ready. This whole past week I managed to create an illusion of normality. Thank God that Rainbow was here. Otherwise I would have been left alone to ponder every horrible possibility for hours on end; hours of just vegetating in this hospital ward. She was a saint to befriend an alien like me. 

Reality, though, has a way of creeping back up when you least expect it. 

I want to go home. I want to wake up. Hell, I’d settle for just reliving the past week. At least, I didn’t have to feel the way I do now. I can’t face this. Not alone...

Something catches my ears’ attention. It’s a sniffle. I follow the noise to see that the Princess is no longer able to hold back her tears. They flood over her eyelids and leave behind dark lavender streaks as they travel down her face. With every sob there is a shudder and with every shudder the Alicorn’s wings descend further toward to floor. In time, her hind legs buckle underneath her and she falls to the ground. 

Both Rainbow and I stare at the spectacle in disbelief. This pony, who I’ve barely known for a week, is now in tears because of something bad happening to me? 

“I-I’m s-so sor-ry…” she stammers out between sobs. Her hooves are struggling to wipe the tears from her eyes, but they just keep coming. “I’m a p-princess now, b-but I can’t even h-help a s-single creature.”

In this moment, I feel some sort of clarity. Without consciously deciding to do so, I start tensing up my legs muscles in order to stand up. It’s much easier now, since I’ve all ready done it once so I know I can do it again. Slowly, I rise from the mattress and take a few tentative steps towards the weeping mare. I know that the wooden floor is cool, but my feet don’t seem to notice the temperature. In fact, my hands are no longer freezing either. 

Finally, my shadow eclipses the Princess on the floor. She looks up from her hooves to stare at me. Her expression is almost pleading for help. For the first time I notice the dark circles under her eyes. She must’ve been up all night worrying over whether or not to tell me about my fate. Perhaps she was searching for an answer until the very last second? All I know is that there is someone before me who needs help.

I gently kneel down in front of her. Tears are still flowing down her cheeks. She opens her mouth to say something, but before she can get the words out I throw my arms around her. I hear a gasp from behind me. It must be Rainbow, but I don’t care. I may be breaking every code of conduct in the plebian and royal handbook, but I don’t care. She may be a princess. She may be a pony even, but I don’t care. I don’t care so long as there’s someone who needs me.

The two of us sat there for awhile with Rainbow watching over us from her bed. Whenever Twilight would shudder even slightly, I’d tighten my embrace. Eventually, she calmed down enough to stand back up. She thanked me and left without saying another word. Neither Rainbow nor I broke the silence that had taken hold of the room after Twilight’s departure. 

The truth is you need her more than she needs you. You need someone to play the hero for. This is no solution. You’re still just running…

> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It shall be five moons this Saturday.

Since when?

Since the human began living with us, Princess.

It's true. I had forgotten how long Anthony has been living with me. It feels sort of surreal when I start to think about it all. The past months I've spent with him have been so... so different. Yes, different would have to be the word to describe it all, mostly since I can't think of anything else. I haven't felt such a sensation since I first arrived in Ponyville and met my best friends. It's a foreign feeling; something that cannot be left to words. 

Perhaps it's because he's an alien. Though, I've definitely met far stranger creatures, relatively speaking of course. Anthony has his quirks however. He eats meat (and seems to enjoy it very much), he's always wearing clothes, and for some odd reason he'll sometimes burst into laughter just by hearing the name of a store or everyday object, almost as if it's some inside joke. At those points, he really seems like an alien, but there are other times as well; times when he acts just like a pony. He's seems so simple and yet a mystery as well. 

But more than any of that he is warm, and kind, and pleasant, and fun, and... my friend. I'm so glad to have him in my life.

Will thou inform the human of our discovery, Princess?

Of course I will.

There is a measured silence in my mind. 

What?

Tis nothing, Princess. Thou shall do as thou wish.

I will tell him, Silver... I just... need to find the right moment...

Of course, Princess. The Crimson Moon still gathers color. And thou shall allow this knowledge to steep until it reaches its ripest flavour.

I look toward the calender across from my bed. Yes, it will steep... or fester. 

"Twilight, are you getting up?" a voice calls from the stairway. 

The green spikes of my favorite assistant climb into view.

"Yes, Spike," I reply, clambering out of bed and magically remaking the sheets. 

"Late night?" he asks, obviously noticing how unusual it was that he was wide awake before me. 

"...Y-yeah. I... I was reviewing some of Starswirl's theories of harmonic resonance between mundane and mag--"

"Sure, sure. Sorry I asked," Spike interjects, waving a dismissive claw and descending back downstairs. "Breakfast is ready, btdubs!" he calls back. 

I let out a little huff thinking that if he understood how those theories explained nearly all of the magical interactions between pony magic and ordinary objects he might be a little less apathetic to one of the greatest minds in Equestrian history. Well, then again, that actually wouldn't change his feelings toward the matter at all. That's his loss then. 

Following the scent of coffee down the stairs, I arrive in the kitchen. Anthony is already at the table holding a spoon full of cereal in one hand and the Ponyville Express in the other. He's humming some tune as he flips through the newspaper. 

"Morning," he greets with a smile, after I plop down in a chair opposite him. 

"Good morning," I answer back with a smile of my own. I notice his grin go a little crooked when he looks up from the paper again. 

"Rough night? Or has Rarity used you as Guinea pig for a new design?"

"What do you mean?" I ask.

He swallows his spoonful of cereal and holds the utensil up to my face. I'm about to ask him if he's going crazy, but then my eye spots the tiny reflection of a tired looking Alicorn with a seriously bad mane day. Anthony has already started to chuckle at my astonished expression. Blushing, I use my magic in attempt to straighten out the worst of the tangled mess, forcing myself to ignore his laughter.

"Made the bed, but forgot the head," comments Spike as he sets two slices of buttered toast in front of me. "You want some?" he asks, holding up a coffee mug.

Rolling my eyes I grasp the mug with my magic and let him fill it up. As I go to take a sip, Anthony sets the paper aside, slurps down the excess milk left in the bowl and stands up. 

Stretching he says, "Well, better be headin' out."

At this point I notice his attire for the day. Usually, he wears a plain shirt and some of the denim leggings that Rarity had fixed up for him. Today however, he's wearing a jacket over top of a long sleeved shirt and some loose fitting bottoms that would fall baggy at his feet except that they're tucked into a pair of boots. I didn't remember asking Rarity for this particular set of clothes.

"Uh, you do realize it's like eighty degrees out there today? Unless the weather team decided that fall should come early this year," I say. 

"Yeah, well I figured it'd get a little chilly when--" 

He stops short, suddenly deciding to retie his shoelace. 

"When what?" I press. 

He looks up and blinks.

"Oh, y'know, cause Rainbow said that she'd be working on a new move and it gets kinda gusty when she's flying," he explains, now retying the other lace. 

I frown at his words, specifically the one that starts with an "R" and ends with a "bow". Of course, he and Rainbow were always working out together since they were both "plugged-in that way" as Anthony had said once. He had mentioned that back in his own world he basically worked as some kind of athletic trainer, though he had been pretty vague about it. Still, ever since the summer had begun he'd been training together with Rainbow nearly everyday. But it isn't like I'm jealous or anything irrational like that. He's always talking with me about some new formula I was coming up with, or asking me for recommendations on what books he should check out. 

Sometimes we'd stay up all night talking. Spike would always fall asleep when I was ranting on about more intellectual topics, but Anthony could always keep up even if he didn't get the finer details of it all. He would tell me jokes when I was about to breakdown over a tough problem or he'd bring me coffee when I was about to pass out. Nights like those were the best. Maybe that's when I started...

"Yeah, so, I said I'd meet up with her soon, so later guys!" he says, walking out the front door. 

"Later, brotato chip!" calls Spike.

"Bye..." I say, watching him look back with a smile before closing the door. 

For some stupid reason I see him giving Rainbow that same smile and cheering her on as she perfects her new move. 

"Spike," I begin.

"Hmm?" he grunts, looking up from his own toast. 

"You don't have to worry about the errands today, I'll do them myself."

Spike just shrugs and goes back to eating. 

You can do them tomorrow, but for today, there's something I wanna check out... and it isn't a book.