> Having Hands Again
>  by Ceehoff
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter I
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Having Hands Again


(Or "Equestria Guy")



An "Equestria Girls" inspired fic by:


Ceehoff





"Hooooo-wee!" Applejack hooted. "Yer very first princess summit! You must be over the moon, Twilight!"

The newly-crowned, purple alicorn princess smiled shyly in response to her country mare friend. "Oh, I am excited, but to be honest, I'm a little nervous, too..."

"You're 'nervous-cited'!" Pinkie Pie suddenly chirped, zipping up to them. "It's like you want to jump up and down and yell, 'YAY ME!!'."

Then, she stopped bouncing before she shriveled into a little ball of nerves, rocking like a demented rocking chair.

"But you also want to curl up in a teeny-tiny ball and hide at the same time," she whimpered, demonstrating her obvious point. When she was through, she unfurled only to zip up and tousle Twilight's neatly combed mane.

"We've all been there!" she coaxed her.

"I'm there almost everyday..." Fluttershy mumbled to herself in empathy mixed with shame.

Then, a teetering pile of suitcases and other luggage came slithering sluggishly up next to the timid yellow pegasus in inches. Underneath the heaping pile of heavy luggage was a stallion with dark hair and a peach-colored coat with a monochrome cutie mark of a human standing inside of a spiraling disc with jagged, flowing edges along its edge, which represented the sun. Sweat was already dripping from underneath his coat as he was dragging his belly over the ground like a snail.

"Don't... (Whoof!) Don't worry about it, Flutt--(Hrrrrrngh!)--ershy. I think you're--(Aaaack!)--adorable that way," he smiled past the heaving burden on his back.

"You really think so?" she smiled, blushing like a little rose.

"Yes," he squeaked due to the small amount of air in his lungs.

"Awww. Thank you so much for the compliment, Connor," she cooed. She leaned down to pucker up to smooch his forehead, but was distracted by the luggage. "Oh, goodness! Do you need any help?"

"No! No, no! It's fine! Don't lift a hoof to help me. In fact, seeing that most of this (oof!) isn't my luggage," he said louder, eyeing Rarity. "Maybe somepony else should help me with--!"

"TWILIGHT!" Rarity gasped, zipping up to Twilight!

"Annnnd, she's ignoring me..."

"Oh, sorry, darling," she coughed, regaining her composure. "But I just realized you're not wearing your crown. You haven't forgotten it back in Ponyville, have you??"

"It'ssss in my bag," Twilight unsteadily reassured her. "I just feel self-conscious about wearing it."

Then, she looked back at her newly-added wings, which were much larger and more cumbersome than a regular pegasus'.

"I haven't really gotten accustomed to these yet either."

She began to flap them, lifting her about two to three feet in the air before losing track and landing flat on her stomach.

"You are a princess now, Twilight! Embrace it!" the fabulous white unicorn reassured her before gazing dreamily up into the sky. "I'm telling you, if I had a crown like that, I would never take it off. Why, I'd sleep in the thing!"

Twilight grinned, feeling a little better.

"You know what you would take off, Rarity? How about taking some of your luggage off of me?? It's killing me!" the ponified human called out to her from behind. "I know I said I'd help with your luggage, but I didn't mean all of it! You could carry some, too!"

"Darling, we've talked about this," she responded cooly to her unofficial bell colt. "I don't want to have to wear myself out. That means that I'll sweat, and it'll mess up all the hard work the Lotus twins had done earlier today. I don't want their hard work to go to waste."

"Well, (Hnnngh!)" he grunted. "Then how about only a few then? At least take SOME weight off of me! Give me a break here!"

Rarity rolled her eyes. "Oh, all right. Fine, I'll take only a few."

Then, her purse and her hat, both the least heavy items in the pile, levitated up and floated toward her. She placed the hat on her head while slinging her white leather purse around her neck. She trotted away, humming to herself.

"Ugh, you've gotta be (Uuuuurgh!) kidding me..." Connor muttered.

"Aw, fer the love of--!" Applejack scoffed. "I swear, that Rarity... Hang on, partner. Ah'll take some weight offa you."

With that, she leaned into the pile, causing half of the luggage to fall and tumble onto her back. She hoisted it up like it was only a crate of apples.

"Better, buckaroo?" she smiled.

"Whoo! Yeah... Thanks, Applejack," he smiled gratefully.

"No problem, sugar cube!"

She walked alongside Connor the rest of way, hardly giving away any signs that it was too heavy for her at all. Even with what Connor had on now, it was still pretty heavy for him. His posture was slouched lower than hers.

Ugh... I need to go to the gym... he groaned inside.


----------


In the main hall of the tall, crystal skyscraper of a castle, all of the walls were shimmering like freshly-wiped mirrors, emulating and endless barrage of reflections. It was a self-conscious pony's worst nightmare. On the walls were giant paintings of Princess Cadence and the newly appointed Prince Shining Armor along with the other kings and queens before them, including King Sombra, which was purposely placed in the furthermost position, difficult to view from where the seven ponies and young dragon were. Left and right in Connor's sight were shimmering, glittering crystal ponies, looking elegant and regal as always. Every part of his or her body was made of crystal, even his or her mane, of all things. Even though he came to Equestria more than two years ago as a human, there were still things that still fascinated him.

"Daaaammn!" he gasped. "I haven't seen these many crystals in a jewelry back at home!"

"I know!" Rarity cooed, escaping into her small realm of fantasy. "It's just so... so... maaaarvelous! I'll never get tired of this sight, no matter how many times I visit."

"Yes, indeed," Twilight nodded. "It's very nice."

"Not to mention all of the hard candy crystal pops they have here! Ohhhh, those are so delish!" Pinkie drooled as she bounced giddily in circles. "Best of all, they come in sooooo many flavors!"

"Oooohhhh, hoho, Pinkie! You're telling me..." Spike sighed, hungrily eyeing the numerous, tasty crystals surrounding him.

"Ho there, Spike," Applejack warned him. "Ya don't wanna eat these crystals. These are practically the Crystal Empire's property, so just takin' a nibble out of 'em would be a severe case of felony... Not ta mention that the whole freakin' castle'll tumble down without its foundations to hold it up nice and sturdy."

"Princess Twilight Sparkle?" called a voice from behind them.

They turned to see a Crystal Imperial Guard trooper approaching them, his expression neutral, yet full of homage.

"Oh! Yes, sir?" Twilight slowly responded.

"The Sisters and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza await you in the the throne hall," he simply responded, bowing down low in front of her. Then, he signaled to the rest of his small squad to approach and they bowed likewise. "Allow us to carry your and your friends' luggage up to your rooms while you meet up with them."

Twilight blushed at their homage and bit her bottom lip in discomfort before she decided to compose herself. "Er... Yes, yes of course. You may."

Then, after they were engulfed in sparkling aura, all of the luggage levitated up in the air. As soon as all of Rarity's luggage lifted off of Connor's back, he summoned a great sigh of relief as he bent and stretched his spine. Loud crumbles and cracks echoed throughout the chambers.

"Ohhhhh, my God!" he sighed as he curled his spine, making a sharp crack sound. "I swear I feel much lighter than just a few minutes ago. I can still feel my muscles floating. Mmrrrgh! (Snap!) Thanks."

"I float all the time!" Pinkie Pie smiled.

Twilight rolled her eyes. "All right, everypony. Let's head up to the throne room to meet up with the Princesses."

While the troops were walking toward the direction of the chambers, the Elements, the non-element, and the young dragon made their way towards the throne room, excited, yet wiped out from the journey.

While Connor was walking behind them, he pushed a final look at the glamorous main hall before he walked into the next room. Indeed, the room was spectacular. He could spot little speckles of miniature rainbows from the sunlight beaming through the crystals on the walls. He also saw a small congregation of crystal ponies eyeing Twilight in glee and fascination, excited to see that there was a brand-new princess to rule a part of Equestria.

While all the ponies he saw were clad in crystal, there was one pony, a unicorn mare, who was clad in fur and flesh. Her coat was yellow as the sunbeams from the sunset and her red, yellow streaked, tousled mane fell to her shoulders with a massive wave on the scalp. To add onto that, her look wasn't of anticipation and glee, but of malice and bitter envy. Even if it was a look of anticipation, its intention was far from friendly.

Having her fill, the mare gave the oblivious Twilight a piercing, cold glare and scowled, skulking the other direction.

The stallion's face twisted in disapproval. "What the hell's her problem?"

Figuring it was probably just some jealous, out of the place mare, he rolled his eyes, ignored her, and caught up with the Elements and Spike.


----------


"We have so much to discuss," Celestia said as she and her dear little sister walked up to Cadence, who was embracing her sister-in-law. "But it can wait until tomorrow. You all look tired from your journey. Now, off to bed. All of you."

She smiled as she saw the Elements walking away, chattering happily about staying a night in the beautiful Crystal Empire. However, she blushed a little when she saw Connor walking among them as well. Plus, she had a nice view of his posterior as he walked away from the room.

"Sisterrrr," Luna said, noticing her look. "I see you staring at him. If you must know, he is rather too young for you."

"Oh, Lulu, why must you be such a downer?" she replied coyly. "It doesn't hurt to admire somepony once and a while."

"I still think it's rather... drastic for somepony as old as you to fancy a young stallion like him when you could have any stallion you want. I mean, he is only a stallion that was a human once."

"Just a stallion, Luna?" she eyed Luna in disapproval. "Only a stallion? Need I remind you of what he did that had done us a great deal of help? How he made us learn that we mustn't judge and start rumors over somepony or something we don't understand? How he risked his life to stop Hellfire from killing me and usurping the throne and succeeding? You think that just a stallion would do any of that?"

"True. But, there have been other stallions who did just as much as he did. I think it's just because he called you 'young and hot' when he tried to recover after he mentioned that you were old."

Celestia opened her mouth to defend herself, but no words came out. Then, she turned her head away, blushing. "Well... that, too... But still, if you were in my shoes the moment that happened, you would feel the same way. Who doesn't like compliments every once and a while?"

"True, true." Luna nodded. "Well, maybe it's just that he's not 'my type'. I'd much rather consort with stallions more of my status."

"Suit yourself," Celestia shrugged with a coy smile.


----------


Connor heaved a great yawn the moment his backside collapsed on the soft, velvety, bouncy bed in his assigned room. After so many hours of sitting in the cramped seats on the coach of the train, walking, and carrying all of Rarity's luggage, it was about damn time that he was able to relax. His muscles tingled waves of relief, making him shudder blissfully like he was in heaven.

He yawned again, this time turning to the window, looking at the shimmering moon. It was just as well. It was bedtime already.

Then, he heard the sound of tiny squeaking wheels behind the door, which was partly open. When the stallion walked up to it and opened it, he saw that it was Spike with his rolling suitcase.

"Hey, Spike," he called to him. "You're not gonna sleep in my room this time?"

"Hey, I'd love to hang with you, Connor, but..." he smiled before he saw Twilight walk into her room. "I think I'd rather sleep with Twilight tonight. She's still rather pessimistic about her new role as a princess, and I feel that I should keep her company, try to cheer her up."

Connor nodded. "Hmm, yeah. Sounds like a good thing to do." Then he shrugged. "Eh, that's okay. You go on and do that. She'll need her number one assistant to be with her in a time like this."

"That's what I do!" The noble young dragon pounded his chest. "Anyway, good night, Connor."

"Night, Spike."

He watched his dragon friend walk into Twilight's room and shut the door behind him after he managed to get his rolling suitcase back on its wheels after he bumped it on the edge of the door. Then, at the corner of his eye, he saw one of the doors across from his door open. Fluttershy's head peeked out from behind, smiling when she noticed Connor. With a steady flap of her soft wings, she floated over the ground and hovered over to where he was, landing in front of him.

"Hey, sweetie," Connor smiled sweetly, seeing his favorite pony blushing in front of him. "You excited for tomorrow?"

"Oh, yes!" she exclaimed softly, careful not to disturb the others. "My best friend is actually becoming a princess! Isn't that wonderful? I never thought this would happen, but, in the back of my mind, I always thought that Twilight would make a wonderful princess."

"I think she would, too, if she would stop worrying about it so much," he concurred.

"Oh, I know..." She hung her head. "I can relate to how she feels. If I were given that title, I wouldn't last a day. Or even a second! It's a lot of pressure; ruling an entire nation, making the right choices even though it might seem like a good choice to some, protecting so many ponies (and animals) at once... Oh, I would need a lot of encouragement to continue."

"Now that you put it that way, that's true. But, Twilight's a strong pony. I believe that she can do it. Besides, with friends like you, I doubt she'll screw up."

She blushed at what he said. "Don't forget yourself."

"Heh, yeah."

Then, they both fell silent, though not in an awkward way. Just looking at each other was enough to put smiles on their faces.

"Did you mean to come here to wish me 'Good night'?" he winked.

"How would I not?" she giggled before leaning in to kiss him.

Connor returned the kiss with anticipation before releasing and touching her forehead with his, looking into her aquamarine orbs of eyes.

"Good night, Fluttershy..." he said softly and lovingly.

"Good night, Connor..." she responded the same way.

She turned slowly around to walk before her bedroom before glancing back at him with a warm smile. With that, she closed the door gently, careful not to make too much noise.

He shut his bedroom door last before sauntering up to his bed and yawning. His weary eyes stared at the velvety comforter, puffed up due to the feathers inside of it. The pillows looked as buoyant and full like marshmallows, likewise filled with feathers, looking like it would allow his head to sink in like a marble dropped into a bowl of pudding.

He lifted the end of the comforter, unveiling a plain of smooth, velvety, cream-colored fabric of the under sheets. Jittering at the heavenly sight, he slithered his rump underneath the sheets, shuddering happily as he felt how smooth and soft it was. He shifted his back deeper into the mattress, embracing comfort.

His sleepy eyes stared blankly up at the canopy hanging high over the bed before it trailed off to the crystal-clad ceiling and walls.

"Wow... They look so pretty..." he sleepily said to himself. "They look like... (He heaved a huge yawn)... like... stars..."

The moonlight reflecting off the crystals it shined on beamed onto the ceiling, making small pepper-sized dots.

The longer he stared, the heavier his eyelids became until he subconsciously succumbed to fatigue and slowly drifted to sleep.


----------


"Ugh, whaa...?"

His eyes slowly opened, revealing to him a bright and blurry room with faint, soft blobs of colors. The bright light made his eyes felt like they were grapes shriveling up in the sun.

"Ech... Turn the light off, for God's sake! My eyes are about to explo--!"

Suddenly, he felt a cold, refreshing breeze brush past his hooves, which made him shiver. In response, he clapped his hooves together, rubbing them to warm them up.

"Jeehehesus!" he shivered. "Why is it so cold in here? I..."

He felt something on his hoof. It was smooth like leather and had no trace of fur whatsoever, except for the peach fuzz over his...

Knuckles?

His eyes widened dramatically the moment he saw five, long, link-sausage-like appendages on both of his fore-hooves.

Wait a second... These weren't hooves... These were his...

"Heyyyyy!" he chortled in glee. "My hands! Haven't seen these in ages! Hello, little friends!"

At the same time, he felt something tickle his back. He smiled brightly, more than eager to put his regained features to work. Tensing his fingers into claws, he clawed at his back, scratching the sweet spot. If Connor had any composure, he just lost it.

"Awwwww, yeaahhhhh..." he sighed, feeling the tips dig into his shirt-clad back. "That's the spo--Oh, hey! A shirt!"

Seeing his shirt, he felt all over his face. His elongated muzzle was gone, his ears were back to the sides of his head, and he felt nothing but flesh.

"Well, well!" he smiled wider. "I'm human again. Man, have I missed this!"

"Coooooonnnnoooorrr..."

The human spun around to the direction of the hazy, monotoned voice. He saw nothing but blobs, blurs and brightness.

"Whoozat?"

The voice spoke again, only a little louder and higher in pitch.

"Hello?" he called out again. "God? Is that you?"

"Coooonnorrrrrr...!" the voice spoke again, sounding more like a woman as it neared him.

"Is... Who... Mom?"

Then, the space around began to sharpen, forming to what looked like the kitchen in his house back on Earth. Across the table he found himself sitting at was his mother, looking rather... creepily enthralled.

"Oh! There you are, honey," she said in a happy tone of voice. "I just wanted to give you this letter. It arrived in the mail today."

She smiled widely, showing all of her teeth. Her eyes were well wide open.

"Oh..." he responded, leaning an inch away from porcelain-dollish facade. "Oh, okay. Uhh... Who's it from?"

"I don't knowww," she shrugged, tightening her lips like she was stifling a laugh.

"Is something wrong? Are you okay? You seem a bit..." he squinted at her. "...Off."

"Sorry, honey..." she responded in a slower pace, still smiling like a doll. "I had a Botox injection today. Go on... See what it is."

"B... Botox injection??" His eyebrows shot up in shock. "Er... Okayyy..."

Feeling that he had his fill of talking with his loopy mother, he dug his thumb inside the open hole on the side of the envelope and tore along the top of it. He pulled out a stationary sheet of paper from it and read it aloud.

"Greetings, Mr. Powell,

"Hope you are having a pleasant summer. We are regretful to announce that during your four years of attending Rickey High School, the efforts displayed in your work and studies have been established as unsatisfactory and poor, in crucial need of restoration. Due to these results, a redo of the high school curriculum is strictly required in order to proceed to the college curriculum.

We are looking forward to having you in class this fall.

Sincerely,
Mr. Howard Fuhrmann
Principal, Rickey High School?!"

After he finished the letter, his face grew pale, and his cheeks flushed. The space around grew dark and hellish.

"Oh, no... no... Nonononono..."

His mother shrugged, still smiling that creepy smile. "Oh, well! Guess you're going back to high school again! I've already bought your school clothes, books, notebooks, and supplies!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"

"Have fun with your four extra years of crippling routine and mind-numbing pain, you stupid moron, you!"

"I DON'T WANT TO TAKE--"


----------


"--CHEMISTRY AGAIN!!"

Suddenly, the space around him was dark and silent. A six-paneled square of moonlight slowly slithered over the polished floor of the silent, vast bedroom. He felt cool droplets of sweat drip down his brow and neck as he panted loudly, frantically scanning his surroundings. His hands were no longer there, his muzzle was still elongated, and his ears were back on the uppermost sides of his head.

"Oh, thank God!" he sighed, slumping back onto his bed, regaining his breath. "It was just a nightmare... Oh, man... Four extra years in high school... That'll suck big time... No thank you..."

His eyes slowly began to shut again, only there was no reason of fighting to get them open. The worst was over, and he was willing to wager that his next dream would be a more pleasant one.

Yeah... He was more than willing that it would be...

Fluttershy... lying flat on a queen-sized bed, wearing nothing but...

"My crown! She's got my crown!"

Connor flinched awake in response to the loud outburst from Twilight's room, followed by the sound of large door being slammed open.

"Gah!" he yelped.

After being robbed of sleep again, he slithered out of the bed and dragged himself to the door, grumbling about the unnecessary and uncalled-for noise.

"Agh, dammit, Twilight! What's--?!"

As soon as he opened the door, a dark figure darted past him in an eye blink. Baffled and stunned by the speed the figure was traveling, he watched it disappear into the next hall, but not before he saw something sparkle inside its pouch slung on its side. However, he was not the only pony who was awakened by the sudden outburst; the rest of the Elements had poked their heads out of their rooms, confused as to what was going on.

"Stop! Thief! She's stolen my crown!" Twilight shouted while in hot pursuit of the mysterious cloaked pony. Spike was running directly behind her, looking worried and tense.

"That pony--?" Connor pondered before glaring at the pony she was chasing. "Oh, no she didn't!"

With that, he and the rest of the Elements launched from their rooms, determined to assist their future princess in stopping the thief.

From a distance, he could hear the familiar cryptic ring of her magic as if she had teleported in front of the crook.

"Stop!" she shouted, hoping that the crook was tame enough to do what she commanded.

However, in a sky-blue flash, the crook suddenly disappeared inches in front of her, leaving her cloak to fly into Twilight's face. Then, the crook reappeared behind her, smiling in small victory before she darted off again. Connor could see from far behind that the crook was no longer cloaked, but the pony's distinct features were still hard to see from a distance. Nonetheless, he was determined to catch up so he and the rest of the Elements could give her the what for. So far, he could see a sunflower-colored mare with a red mane and tail.

Despite the road bump with the cloak, Twilight managed to close in on her once more, nipping at her so she could grab her. The crook looked behind her, in surprise to see that she was inching closer to her.

The purple alicorn, having her fill of the dragged out chase, sunk low to the ground before using all of the energy in her legs to spring forward. Seeing that she was within reach, she wrapped her hooves around the mare's waist and used her weight to pin the mare's hips onto the floor. However, the speed they were running only made the two mares roll and tumble over the ground, crashing through a door at the end of the hallway.

The moment they screeched to a stop, sprawling on the floor, Twilight crown shot out from the crook's pouch. The crown, despite it being made of solid gold and the Element of Magic bounced off the walls in both directions before it was sent flying through the air toward a oval-shaped mirror in the room.

However, when it touched the mirror, it didn't break. Instead, in a metallic, bright, sparkling light, the crown disappeared. The mirror rippled around the exact spot the crown touched like it was made of liquid.

Everypony gasped in surprise the moment the mysterious mirror swallowed the crown. However, the mysterious mare pinned under Twilight grinned.

"What did you do with my crown?" Twilight turned to the mare.

"Sorry it had to be this way,..." the mare smirked venomously before teleporting up next to the mirror.

Connor, standing with the rest of the Elements, gawked at what he saw, standing with mischievous pride. Was that...?

"...Princess." she purred, saluting Twilight in mockery.

Then, without another word, she leapt into the mirror, disappearing the same way the crown did, leaving everypony in the room agape.

The room was deathly silent as all the occupants of the room tried to wrap their heads over what the hell had just happened.

"Who was that?" Fluttershy broke the silence.

Connor's foreleg slowly rose, pointing at the mirror.

"I've seen her... I've seen her!" he sputtered. "She... She was the mare I saw in the main hall of the castle, giving Twilight the evil eye!"

"Really??" Applejack turned to him in surprise.

"I swear to God, it's her!"

Twilight stood up with a start, looking grimly serious. "We have to notify the princess..."


----------


"Your crown does not belong in the place Sunset Shimmer now calls home," Princess Luna said to Twilight in a serious tone, staring the mirror, which was really a portal to another realm. "And in her position, your Element of Harmony will no doubt be used to bring harm to the inhabitants of this other realm. They will not have the power to defend themselves."

Twilight, burdened with pressure, gazed upon the mirror before she felt her saddle bags being paced on her back.

Princess Celestia walked up beside her pupil. "Do you understand the importance of your task?" she asked.

"Of course," Twilight replied with no hesitation.

The white alicorn nodded, internally pleased that her student was willing to accomplish her mission. "Good. Then, you must go at once."

Twilight turned away from the princess, glaring at the mirror. Who knew what kind of crazy world was beyond that mirror? Anything could happen. However, she knew deep down that she had to be relentless and not give in, whatever the world she was about to walk in.

She took a deep breath and stepped forward toward the mirror.

Then, Rainbow Dash suddenly appeared from above, landing firmly in front of Twilight.

"WHOA, whoa, whoa!" she said. "If she's going, we're going with her! Right, guys?"

"Hell yeah, we are!" Connor grinned nobly.

"Ooooh! I'm so nervicited!" Pinkie Pie shrieked.

Applejack leaned toward the smiling pink earth pony. "You do realize that's not a real word, right?" she whispered.

Twilight felt her eyes water, seeing her friends unhesitantly joining her with her task.

"I'm afraid I can't let you go," Celestia spoke plainly.

The Elements, Connor, and Spike were shocked to hear the Princess say something like that without hesitation.

"What?! Why not?!" Rainbow Dash stomped her hoof, more than displeased.

"Sending all of you could upset the balance of this alternate world, creating havoc that would make it impossible for Twilight to get the crown back from Sunset Shimmer," Celestia responded calmly, though put off at Rainbow Dash's lack of composure. "This is something Twilight must do alone."

"Time is of the essence," Luna spoke, summoning a cloud of her magic to show an image of the night sky, with the moon rising up underneath three stars, arranged in a triangular cap over it. "On the third day, when the moon reaches it peak in the night sky, the gateway will close, and once it does, It will be another thirty moons before you will be able to use it to return.

Connor opened his mouth to argue, but no words came out. As disloyal as it seemed to sound, having everypony to go through that mirror and risk one or all of them to be trapped in the other world for thirty moons was more than what Equestria could bear. If something bad happened in Equestria, and the Elements were not there to help, the results would be calamitous.

"Sorry..." he sighed, hanging his head. "We just wanted to help."

Then, Celestia approached him, lifting his chin with her hoof. "It's quite all right. As noble as it was for all of you to help your friend, you have to believe in her to accomplish this on her own."

"Besides," Twilight smiled, turning to face him and the Elements. "...whatever happens, I want you all to be safe. I can't risk anything bad happening to any of you."

The stallion grinned, knowing that it was for the best.

"All right, Twilight," he nodded. "We're with you."

After a nod, she turned to face the mirror again, this time, walking towards it. Everypony cheered her on behind her.

"It's all right!"

"Don't worry, Twilight!"

"You'll do fine!"

"You'll be back before you know it!"

"Great!"

She stopped in front of the mirror, dipping half of her hoof into the mirror. It shined brightly, warping around her hoof like water before she pulled it back out again. Feeling nervous, she turned to look at Celestia, who nodded for her to continue. Then, looking back at the mirror, she walked relentlessly into the mirror, disappearing in a bright, white light.

Suddenly, a nervous purple blur zoomed out from behind them, chasing after Twilight.

"Spike! No!" the Elements shouted after him.

"Connor! Grab him!" Rarity shrieked.

"Spike!" he shouted, running after him.

However, he was too late to catch him. Spike was gone in a white flash of magic. Connor pinned his hooves to the floor to brake, but the slick floor made him lose his grip, sending him sliding toward the mirror.

"Oooooh, crap!" he panicked as he scrambled to get a grip on the floor.

"Connor!!" Celestia gasped.

The stallion applied all of the strength in his forelegs he could muster, but he was closing in fast. Why did the floor have to be so damn slick?

"Whooooooooaaa--!"

His forehoof suddenly hit a groove in the floor, stopping him to a direct halt. However, because of the speed, it made his front lurch, tipping him forward, nearing the mirror still.

"Ohshitohsitohshitohshitohshitohshit!" he cussed to himself as his nose neared the surface of the portal.

His back legs scrambled aimlessly in the air. He shut his eyes, awaiting for the portal to engulf him.

However, nothing happened.

He felt something tug at his tail. He looked behind his rump to see Rainbow Dash floating in the air with his tail gripped between her jaws.

"Whew! Good save, Rainbow! That was a close'un!" Applejack wiped her forehead with her foreleg. "Ah was afraid we were gonna lose another one."

With a yank, the cyan pegasus pulled him away from the mirror, tipping him back onto his rump.

"Ahhhh... Dammit!" Connor stomped his hoof. "I didn't get him."

"Oh, my stars! Spikey!" Rarity cried in fear for her little dragon friend.

"That lil' stinker!" the cow mare fumed. "What part of Twilight goin' alone didn't he understand? He could get hurt other there!"

"But Spike is always on Twilight's side, no matter where she goes," Fluttershy spoke. "She might need his help!"

"Oof, maybe yer right." Applejack submitted. "But if anythin' happens to him, Twilight'll lose it. Anythin' could happen!"

"As sudden as this event turned out to be, we can now only hope and pray that the both of them succeed and return home," Luna stepped in, putting them at ease. "It's too late to go after him."

While everypony else scattered around the room, finding some way to distract them from worrying about what would happen to the future princess and her little assistant, Connor only sat in front of the mirror, gazing upon it. He knew that it was much more than just a mirror, but all he could see was his reflection. It looked just like a regular mirror upon first glance. However, who knew that it could be this cryptic and dangerous? Mirrors tended to be rather superstitious and harbringers of doom. Crack its surface, it would be bad luck. Stare at it for too long, it would turn its user into a conceited narcissist and/or self-conscious self-loather who despises whatever he or she does.

Also, it only reflected what it sees, not who the user was deep down inside.

He turned away from his reflection to see Fluttershy, who was sitting on the other side of the room, rocking in her place, trying to quell whatever worst-case scenarios attempted to crawl into her mind. The poor thing...

With a warm grin, he stood up, walking up to his little pegasus before he nuzzled her cheek.

"You're worried about her?" he asked her softly.

"I can't help it," she replied. "We've never felt so separated from Twilight like this. I can't help but think what horrible things would happen to her if she doesn't come back in time or if Sunset Shimmer prevails. Oh, I just hope she comes back before the gate closes. I miss her already..."

The ponified human smiled at her response. Twilight was lucky to have such good friends backing her up.

He slowly sat on the floor before he scooted himself directly up next to the yellow pegasus. He weighed his head on top of her scalp, nuzzling her as her cheek was touching his neck.

"Don't worry, my darling..." he whispered. "She'll be just fine. She's a strong pony. She'll be back before the gate shuts. If she doesn't, well, at least it won't be for forever. We'll see her again..."

The caretaker smiled at his words. Sighing happily, she nuzzled his neck, embracing her stallion's touch.


----------


Two days had past.

And by days, actually, it was two hours. Time had, all of a sudden, started playing a cruel trick on all the ponies sitting in the room with the mirror, turning hours into days.

Rainbow Dash was pacing left and right, gnawing on her bottom lip. She wanted more than anything to zip into the mirror and help her dear friend instead of sitting and waiting three days, doing nothing.

Rarity was sitting at a nearby table, sewing up a pair of hoof warmers for future purposes. It definitely helped ease her anxiety, sewing being a rather slow-process, intricate, and soothing method of dress-making. However, doing it for two hours was making her head ache because she had used her magic for so long, non-stop. The pain only instigated her anxiety for Twilight again.

Applejack was sitting on the floor, lying on her back, taking a nap, however, not very easily. She couldn't find a comfortable spot to sleep on, so she had to sleep on the cold, glossy, hard floor. However, Fluttershy thought she would aid her friend with her nap by lending her her pillows so she could make a make-shift matress about an hour ago. An hour later, the pillow had lost its girth and became flatter, touching her back to the floor once again.

Connor was lying on his back, sighing loudly. His guitar was lazily placed beside him. He played all the songs he knew how to play, and he didn't feel like bothering anypony in the room trying to write a new one or practice another one from heart. Plus, his iPhone was nearly dead due to him playing it after he was bored with playing his guitar.

Celestia and Luna were sitting in the room, waiting patiently. However, Luna was a little more feisty, unlike her older sister, who had her eyes closed as if she was meditating.

Pinkie Pie was just munching on rock candy pops she bought in barrels from the castle gift shop. Even for two hours, her appetite never wavered.

Connor felt something weigh upon his foreleg the moment he woke up from his small nap. When he lifted his head to look, he saw Fluttershy with her head rested on his foreleg, cuddling it like it was her teddy bear. She smiled in her sleep, feeling the fur combing through the fur on her cheek. Her long, pink, silky hair curtained over her neck and shoulder, lighting upon her beauty and innocence.

He smiled as he saw her and he laid his head back down to doze off into another nap...

...

Then, he felt a small, breeze whisk past him. He felt quick, brisk brushing on his foreleg, which could only mean that the sleeping pegasus was shivering in her sleep. The stallion could not allow that to happen to his dear pony.

He slowly took her foreleg and wedged it between the floor and her cheek so he could remove his without making her head drop to the floor. Seeing that he didn't disturb her, he made his way to her bedroom down the hall and stopped at her bed.

"This oughta do the trick," he said to himself before he grabbed the end of the comforter of the bed and tugged at it with his teeth, slowly peeling it off.

TSCHAK! TSCHAK! TSCHAK! He heard the loud noise of a wire cage being pounded on. He whirled around to see a white rabbit inside of it.

"Oh, hey, Angel," he replied. "Jesus, you startled me."

However, the little rabbit responded with a grumpy snarl as it stomped its furry foot on the ground, crossing his little arms.

"Huh. Guess Fluttershy forgot to release you from your cage this morning," he muttered. "Well, okay, I'll get you--."

Then, a muffled grumbling rumbled from the little creature's belly.

"...And, you're hungry. Well, let's see if I could find the bag of carrots that Fluttershy--Ah-ha! There they are!" he exclaimed as he pulled out a small cloth pouch out from the half-open night stand next to the bed. Unfurling the knot that sealed the opening, he poked his muzzle into it and pulled out a single carrot. Carrying it gently between his teeth, he went back over to open the cage, thus setting the white furball free.

"All right, here you go," he said, placing the carrot on the ground in front of him.

Angel bent over to smell it. After a few snuffles of his little pink nose, he stuck his nose up in the air and pushed it away with his foot.

"Oh, come on, Angel." Connor rolled his eyes. "It's a carrot. You love carrots."

Then, the little white turd kicked it, sending it flying across the room.

"Hey, what the hell?" he glared at the little stinker. "Fluttershy packed those for you to eat!"

Once again, the white rabbit shot his nose up in the air again, ignoring him.

"You know what? Fine!" The stallion huffed as he threw his hooves up in the air. "I'll go get you a watermelon martini with diced tomatoes, watermelons, goat cheese, crumbled flakes of silver, some miniature diamonds,  and put on a huge wad of cottage cheese with a goddamn cherry on top, all served on a freaking 24-karat gold platter."

Then, suddenly, the white furball was nodding his head enthusiastically in response to what he said.

The stallion's eyebrow peaked. "You're kidding, right? No way in hell I'm gonna get you that. I was being sarcastic! Just eat the carrots Fluttershy got for--."

Growling, the little twerp kicked his foreleg. It was pretty hard because it made the colt yelp, shaking the pain away. As soon as he heard the little tyke blow a raspberry at him, a vein popped in his head.

"That's it. Back in the cage, you little--."

A white blur shot underneath him, darting past his legs and out of the bedroom.

"Angel! Get back here!" he roared, whipping around to run after the little shit.

For a little rabbit with arrogance that seemed to weigh a ton, he sure was quick on its feet. However, since Connor no longer only has two legs, chasing after the little devil was less of a challenge.

Seeing the little white furball in a good leaping distance, Connor jumped into the air, coming down on top of Angel. However, seeing the shadow under his feet, Angel braked to a dead halt, making the stallion slide on top of the floor on his chin the moment he landed. The way the floor gripped it, the stallion could've sworn he lost a layer of fur on his chin.

He squealed to a halt, allowing Angel to bounce off his head to add insult to injury.

"I'm in the mood for some rabbit stew right now..." he steamed with his face still pasted to the floor.

After peeling his reddened face from the floor, he launched off the ground like a tiger, chasing after him again.

The little brat thought he had won until he looked behind himself to see that Connor was ganging on him like a hot rod. He swerved and jolted left and right in attempt to dodge another one of the stallion's diving tackles, however, the pony was following him dead-on. Unbeknownst to the stallion, he was making a rather big mess chasing the runaway rabbit down the hall, knocking down furniture, stands, a flag pole, some torches, and a Crystal Imperial guard who had no idea what was coming from behind him. All havoc and chaos between the two finally found its way to the room with the mirror.

Angel skidded around the corner, hiding behind the doorway. He heard the scraping of an angry set of hooves, sliding up to the entrance before pawing the ground to chase him into the room.

Then, with a devilish smirk, the little white rabbit thrusted his hind paw out in front of the stallion's legs. The result: Connor flipped forward and fell flat on his face, sliding a little over the floor... again.

Angel darted away from him again, snickering cheekily, while Connor instantly stood up, snorting like an enraged bull, launching himself at the little shit.

Applejack was the first to notice the noise. "What in tarnation--??"

White and peach-skin-colored blurs skittered, scrambled, and tore through the air in the room at full speed. They passed by, circled around, and hurdled over all the ponies in the room like a cat chasing a mouse.

"Connor! What are you do--?! WOHWOHWOHWOHWOHWOHWOH--!" she slurred stupidly the moment the stallion sped past her, making her twirl and spin in her place.

Seeing the commotion, Rainbow Dash flew higher toward the ceiling to avoid the havoc.

"Connor! What is going on--?!" Celestia was cut off the moment she felt a set of paws land on her. She whirled around to see Angel perched on her backside.

"Angel!" Fluttershy squeaked! "Don't sit on the princess like that! It's--!"

"GOTCHA!!" Connor shouted, zooming directly at Angel.

Angel, seeing him, leapt quickly off, avoiding him just in time. However, the stallion kept on coming, noticing that he missed, but oblivious on whom he was about to crash face first into.

"Con--!!" the princess gasped.

POMF~!

The princess was lucky she was heavy enough to not get knocked over by how fast the stallion was flying at her, but what she saw... or what she felt threw her off.

Her cheeks glowed a bright pink and her eyes were as wide as dinner plates.

The stallion's side of his face was smothered snugly onto her white, round, larger flanks. The impact made his head spin, mostly oblivious to where his face was. However, as soon as his eyes picked up the sight of a white rabbit, he snapped back into action.

"Grrrr!! Come back here!" Connor roared, peeling his face off of her flanks, leapt off after Angel.

Luna, in a panic, rushed over to her sister, ignoring the thrashing the was going on in the room.

"Sister! Sister! Are you all right...?" Luna said before noticing the blush. "Sister?"

"Oh.... Oh, my~....!" the alicorn princess squeaked.

"Ooh! This looks exciting!" Pinkie smiled before taking a giant chomp out of a plus-sized rock candy pop.

Meanwhile, Angel screeched to a halt in front of the mirror, trying to catch his breath from all the running. He look behind himself, hoping that the stallion was gone. Seeing nothing, he fell onto the floor, panting.

"RIGHT WHERE I WANT YOU!"

Connor charged in a beeline straight at him with a revenge-thirsty grin on his face. For so long, he wanted to wring that furball's  neck and chop off his foot for a lucky charm.

The rabbit, feeling wiped out and tired of the game of chase, simply stepped to one side, while Connor, having put all of his weight into closing in on him, flew directly past him.

"AUGH!!' the stallion screeched the moment he found himself nearing the mirror... again.

"I got 'im!" Applejack proclaimed, twirling a lasso with her tail. Taking aim at her moving target, she jerked her hip, sending the lasso into the air. Soaring through the air, it gracefully wrapped around him and snapped around his waist, stopping him inches in front of the mirror.

"Phew..." he sighed, wiping his brow.

"What's it with you and nearly falling through the portal today?" Rainbow Dash said with a teasing smirk.

"Now what in tarnation was that all about?" Applejack asked, walking up to the stallion. "You were makin' a huge ruckus with yer little tiff with Angel back there!"

"Hey! It's not my fault that a certain spoiled brat needs to learn how to be grateful for what his owner brought for him to eat!" he said, throwing a glare at Angel.

"True, but takin' your fury onto a little white rabbit nearly caused an accident! You tumbled into Princess Celestia, even!"

"Well, it wasn't all that bad..." Celestia mumbled softly.

Cadence raised an eyebrow, picking up what she heard.

"Plus, you nearly passed through the mirror again!" the cow mare scolded. "Just... Just please try to be more careful. All right, sugar cube? We can't risk losing another friend through that mirror."

Then, Connor hung his head humbly. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I caused one of you guys to save me from falling through the mirror, and that I made all that unnecessary commotion."

Then, he turned to Celestia. "And, Princess, I'm sorry that I crashed into you."

"Sorry?" she asked, giggling and blushing lightly. "Oh, my darling, why do you need to be sorry for--?"

She was cut off by a hard nudge in the ribs by Luna.

"Er... I mean..." she coughed. "Apology accepted. You just have to be more careful."

Connor smiled, sighing in relief. "Thank you, Princess. I'll be more vigilant. I'm just glad that you guys were quick to save me before I--."

WHAP!!

Suddenly, he found himself soaring through the air, distancing away from the others who looked suddenly surprised and shocked. He felt the same way. The realization felt as if he had been hit by golf ball that had been struck with a driver club.

Feeling as if time had slowed down, his eyes trailed to the shocked and frightened faces of the ponies in the room. His sight then trailed down to their legs, some reaching out to him.

That's when he saw the extended hind leg, furry, white, and attached to a smug white rabbit, whose paw was waving goodbye.

"ANGEL, YOU MEASLY, ROTTEN SON OF A BI--!"

Then, his vision was cut off by a metallic shimmering of the mirror, enveloping him. The rest of the ponies in the room stared at there mirror, agape and utterly shocked over what had just happened.

"Connor!!" Fluttershy shrieked, reaching out to the mirror. "Noooo!"

"What the hay just happened?!" Rainbow Dash cried out.

"We can't go after him!" Cadence said, stopping Fluttershy in her tracks. "It's too late. We just have to hope that he finds Twilight and Spike so he could return with them."

"Oooooooh! This just got gooooood," Pinkie Pie cooed, taking another big bite out of another rock candy pop.





To be continued...
> Chapter II
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter II




"--IIIIIIIIIIITCCCCCCHHHHH!"

After the metallic shine of the mirror, suddenly, Connor's body felt like it was traveling at blinding speed, stretching his entire body like a noodle. Everywhere his rushed and pressured eyes looked, there were bushels of shifting colors and lights. His brain was pressed hard against the inside of his skull, only this time, it was much harder than what a regular super roller coaster could do. And speaking of roller coasters, he also noticed he was spinning in wide, circular corkscrews.

However, the rush he was enduring only lasted for less than ten seconds. He noticed that above his head, a bright light shined onto him as he plummeted head-first toward it. He felt his eyes water from its brightness, which grew stronger the nearer he got.

Then, suddenly, it all became silent and dark as soon as the apex of the brightness had been passed.

And it was quiet.

He couldn't feel himself anymore. He felt as if all his limbs were floating, numb and lifeless. Hell, he couldn't even see his own limbs. Everywhere he looked, it was black and thick like peanut butter.

He wanted to panic, but his lungs didn't allow it. Even if he did scream, he couldn't hear it.

He was deaf, dumb, and blind. All of his body had shut off.








"...Hey..."



He felt his ears twitch as if something had given them life. He smiled. So he wasn't alone after all.

He wanted to shout back, but all he could summon was a muffled groan, not even louder than a snap of a finger.


"...Helloooo?..."


Now, Connor was getting antsy. He wanted to respond but once again, he could only groan like a hungover drunk. There was no way that he could communicate with the ethereal voice in the distance. He began to lose hope.

"You okay?"

Suddenly, he felt something lay upon his back, shaking him. At the same time, he noticed a bright, horizontal light appear in his sight. His eyelids felt really heavy.

"Did you miss your coffee run or something? Come on, dude..." the voice said in a rising tone of caution.

Then, the horizon line opened up completely, unveiling a patch of greenish grass with brown leaves scattered lightly on top of it. Suddenly, a foot stepped into his sight, clad in...

...Jeans?

...Sneakers, too?

"Unnnnngh," Connor mumbled, planting his forelegs into the grass to push himself up.

"Whup! There he goes," the voice exclaimed, chuckling a bit. "He's awake now. He really must've forgotten his coffee or whatever he drinks where he's from."

"Ugh," the stallion muttered. "Where... where am I? Agh, my head..."

The stallion lifted his hand to stroke his fore--.

"WAH!!" he shouted, yanking his most familiar and long-lost appendage to his eyesight. "I... I have hands! I have hands again! Then... Then, that means--!"

Then, he pawed all over his body, his face, and his legs. He had no muzzle. He didn't have hooves anymore. His ears were on the sides of his head. He had skin. He had no tail. He was wearing a white T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers.

"I... I'm human..." he mumbled, stunned. "I... I must be dreaming again. NO, I WON'T TAKE CHEMISTRY AGAIN! SCREW OFF, FAKE MOTHER!"

Then, whipping his hand behind himself, he pinched his buttocks fiercely, making him yelp. Then, opening his eyes again, his human features were still right where he saw them.

"I... I'm NOT dreaming!..." he gasped, elated. "This... This is real! I'm a human again! I'm human! WHOOOOO! Hell, yeah! How I have missed being like this!"

Although he was excited for being his former self again, something in the air did not settle with him. He felt a lot of invisible harpoons puncture him in all directions, in every pore in his body.

Then, his ears picked up the sound of whispering, slithering all around him.

Looking blankly up from his hands, he looked up to see a small crowd of teenagers staring directly at him. He flinched in surprise, scrambling back an inch, feeling the sudden wave of intimidation slither into him.

Also, something else was irking him. Squinting, he noticed that these weren't normal teenagers. They shared similar features like him, but...

...Their skin??

Their skin was in different colors. A girl standing near him had lavender skin, covering her from head to toe. Another girl had lime-green skin. The punk rock guy standing behind the rest had pale grey skin.

"What the hellll?" he mumbled quietly to himself. "Ohhhh, my God, I'm surrounded by aliens..."

"What is all the commotion here?" said a loud, firm, yet feminine voice, which sounded very familiar.

Then, out from the crowd, a woman half a head taller than the rest marched into the center sac of the ring. Her skin was light blue as a baby's bib and she had long, wavy, blue and periwinkle hair that fell to her buttocks. She was wearing navy-blue pants and a pink blouse with a white collar that wrapped around the front of her neck and buttoned to the side. On the collar was a navy blue silhouette of a half moon. Her cyan eyes flashed at him as soon as she stopped in front of him.

Connor squinted at her. She looked very familiar... Was that...?

You, student..." she spoke, placing her hands firmly on her hips like she was a warden at a prison. She held her clipboard gripped in her hand while she did so. "What are you doing, sprawling on top of the grass like that?"

"Er..." he trailed off, looking around at his surroundings. Everywhere he looked, he saw eyes, staring intently at him, watching his every move.

"Wait... Student?" he asked. "Student of what?"

Suddenly, a ring of giggles and snickers sounded around him, which made him concerned and a little insecure. What was he missing?

The woman shot up an eyebrow at his rather stupid question. "Student of Canterlot High School, of course. What is your name?"

"I'm... I'm Connor Powell," he gingerly responded, hoping that he wasn't saying anything that would get him into further embarrassment or trouble.

"Connorrrrr Powell," she repeated his name. The way it escaped her mouth made it sound like his name sounded rather strange to her. "Is there a reason why you're distracting these students from their work just to check on you?"

From the moment, he froze.

The reason? Because he was kicked in here by real asshole of a bunny Fluttershy called a pet.

I'm not supposed to be here, he thought to himself. I was brought in here against my will. If I stay here any longer, it'll make Twilight's quest to get her crown back impossible. Plus, that woman said I was a student of that high school? Oh, no...

"Oh, er, nothing!" he said, jumping onto his feet, brushing dust and grass bits off of him. "I... I was just, er... sleepwalking last night and I just happened to end up stopping here. Sorry to bother you, ma'am, and, er, your classmates. Sorry, everypony..."

A voice from the crowd chirped loudly from the silence, "Did he just say, everypony??"

"Oh, my gosh, he did!" another voice squawked.

Then, the giggling and snickers heightened in volume, louder than their previous.

"Dammit, I meant, everybody! Everybody. Sorry, everybody! Anyhoo, gottagobyebye!"

He turned to leave until a hand clasped over his wrist, stopping him dead in his tracks.

"Ohhhh, no, Mr. Powell." The blue-skinned woman pulled him back before she lifted her other arm to show him the clipboard. "You're not going anywhere. You're the new foreign exchange student who transferred here, yes? I believe you have class to attend to, and you're exceptionally late, to add onto that."

"Wow! The foreign exchange student you speak of is 'Connor Powell', too??" he gasped, feigning elation. "Holy shit, what a coincidence! However, my first name is spelled with only one 'n'."

"First of all, you and I both know that is a rather ridiculous and poorly executed lie; second of all, do you realize who you are speaking to? I suggest you watch your language while you're talking to me or your superiors. Otherwise, that would mean detention. Now, come along, Mr. Powell, you've got class to do," she said bemusedly before turning around, walking back to the school.

His face had been drained of all warmth and blood, and Connor planted his foot into the ground so he could launch himself in the other direction, but the woman had a strong grip, making him fall back down onto his rump and be dragged over the concrete walk.

"No! Please don't take me in there! I can't go back!!" he shouted. "I graduated!"

"You'll the full right to say that when you actually do graduate. Come along," she said bemusedly still.

Connor could see a crowd of laughing teenagers shrink into the distance as he was being dragged away from the portal and up the stairs. He kicked his heels into the ground frantically, trying to find some way to resist, but alas, the woman had the strength of a bear.

"No!! I can't go back to high school! I don't want to take chemistry again!!"

"Watch it, young man," she cautioned, pulling the door to the school open. "Don't make me take you to the principal regarding this unruly behavior."

"No! No!! NO!!"

Oh, God! The air that leaked out from the building! It reeked of pencils, erasers, old book pages, and cheap floor cleaner. It was getting stronger as he neared the passage.

"NO!!"

"I'm warning you!" she said as she walked inside.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!"



----------



"Pleasekillmepleasekillmepleasekillmepleasekillmepleasekillmepleasekillmepleasekillmeplease--..."

"Maybe you should mumble a bit more silently?" The woman shot him a disapproving glare, standing behind him.

Not only did he manage to walk right back into school, but he also got a trip to the principal's office under one stinking day.

Just peachy...

He sat morbidly on one of the two chairs that were placed side-by-side, both facing the large, wide desk that was placed in the near rear middle of the room. Even though the seats were clad with memory foam seat cushions, making it comfortable to sit on, it was not enough to quell Connor's foul mood. Off from the glossy surface of the desk, he saw a reflection of the school crest that was imprinted on the opposite side of the room on the wall over the desk. It read in a royal, storybook-ish, formal text, "Canterlot High Wondercolts," with a indecipherable Latin phrase underneath it.

The only sounds he heard in the room were the ticking of the clock hanging on the wall and the woman's finger tapping on her bicep due to having her arms crossed.

He felt as if he so much as tried to turn around to look at the woman behind him, he would have his brains shot out with a shotgun. His lips ached to say something reasonable to her, but after witnessing the strength she wielded to drag him into the school and the fact that she bore a disarming glare, it would be best to keep silent.

Hopefully, the principal was more willing to listen to his side of the story.

His stomach flipped the moment he heard the sound of footsteps approach the door that was behind him and the woman. After the click of the doorknob, the door was pushed open.

"Oh, Luna!" a feminine voice exclaimed, surprised yet with a tone of professionalism at the same time. "What brings you here?"

Connor nearly choked on his own saliva.

"L.... Luna??" he whispered.

"I know this visit is rather unexpected," yours truly responded to the voice. "But I have someone for you who I believe might need a little talking to."

The tremor that traveled through the wood of the chair notified Connor that Luna had placed a hand on top of the backrest of the chair. He never dared to look past his shoulder to see what was going on behind him.

"What's the situation?"

"This student here was outside, sprawling on the front lawn, distracting the students from their work. At the same time, he stubbornly and rather drastically insists that he currently isn't attending Canterlot High, even the roster clearly says that he is."

"Uh-huhhhh..."

Connor swore that his ears were playing tricks on him.

That voice...

Was it...? No, it couldn't be...

Then, the mysterious woman walked past him from behind, approaching the seat behind the large desk. It wore grape-colored pants with a khaki brown blazer. Long, wavy hair with colors of pink, grayish purple, lime green, and baby blue hung down to the middle of her thighs.

Then, the woman turned to face him as she lowered herself onto her chair, revealing a elegant face with purple eyes, lip-gloss of a shade darker than her lips, and pinkish white skin.

Connor's jaw dropped.

"Is there a reason for these actions?" she quizzed, folding her hands in a professional manner.

"Princess Celestia?!" he exclaimed, bereft of composure. "Is that you??"

Now, it was the women's turn to be surprised. The white woman's eyes widened in confusion as well as surprise.

"I beg your pardon?" she slowly asked.

Suddenly, Luna's hands clamped roughly down on top on Connor's backrest.

"Enough with your nonsense!" she barked, appalled by his attitude. "And stay your outbursts! Where are your manners?? You will address her as 'Principal Celestia' or 'Miss--'!"

"Wh--! D'er--! Bluh--!" he sputtered uncontrollably. "'Principal' Celestia?? Principal?? You're kidding me! 'Principal'? This is how it's going to go?? You've gotta be freaking--!"

"Is there a problem with me being a principal...?" she asked softly, staring at him with disapproval.

Then, the room was filled with only the sound of the clock again.

Luna was screaming profanities in her mind with her head bowed, pressing the bridge of her nose firmly with her thumb and index finger.

Connor froze midway in his emerging rant as he met his eyes with Celestia's, whose disarming glare was urging him to think carefully of what he was going to say next.

Oh, shit! Ohshitohshitohshit! he screamed in his mind. I said too much! No, I can't! I can't put myself deeper in trouble than I already am! I gotta say something to change her mind! Think, dammit! Think, think, think!

"UuuuuuuuuuuuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhNO! No!" he said, sitting fully back onto his seat. "Noooooo, of course not! I'm impressed, actually! I mean, it's not every day you see a strong, good-looking lady to lay down the rules in a school like this! Wow, you're looking good! How do you do it, keeping this school in tip-top shape and look pretty and charming at the same time? What's your secret? I mean, I, uh-- Whoo! Is it hot in here? Or is it just you? Heh heh..."

Tick... Tick... Tick... Tick.. Tick...

A nervous grin cracked across his lips as she continued to stare at him, only with a more surprised and flustered look instead of menacing and stern.

As was Luna.

Ohhhh, shit, I'm dead...

Then, the principal cracked a smile.

"Well," she spoke in a more pleasant voice. "I'm glad you feel that way. I was beginning to think that you did have a problem with it."

"Nope, there isn't!" he smiled, stifling a sigh of relief.

Luna sighed, deeply relieved that things didn't get out of hand sooner than she thought.

"So," Principal Celestia began, pulling out a file from one of her drawers. "Back to the case, is there a reason for all the behavior you displayed back at the front lawn earlier?"

Her voice had changed immediately from her pleasant tone to her more serious tone, reminding him that she was not a fool enough to immediately forget the reason why he was brought before her.

"Well... I... I graduated!" he said, not knowing what else to say. "I graduated from high school about a year ago back where I'm from. I shouldn't be here taking high school again."

"Well, according to your records, Mr..." she trailed off, subliminally asking for his name.

"Er, Powell. Connor Powell."

"Mr. Powell," she nodded. "According to your records, it says here that back at your school, you were struck by lightning during a thunderstorm, which put you in a coma that lasted about... two months. Wow... Because of those two months you missed at school, your amount of credit in order to graduate was unsatisfactory, and the amount needed was too great to be retrieved in one quarter of school."

Hearing this, Connor heaved a great sigh of defeat and despair, resting his head back onto the backrest of the chair.

"I know this sounds unfair and unpleasant for you, but you don't need to worry. All it is is just taking one more year of high school. It's not like we're asking you to retake the entire high school curriculum. Our school system here is more flexible that way."

"Oh... Well... That makes sense, I guess," he said solemnly, appreciative that she was making an effort to make the situation feel more pleasant than it was.

"Besides, you're very fortunate that your parents decided to send you here to Canterlot High. Canterlot High provides lot of benefits and promises to its students to prepare them for the next step in their lives. With our diverse set of programs, we guarantee you will have everything you need to aid you in your studies. Also, the students who attend here are well open-minded and adaptive, so you'll have a great chance in making a lot of friends here. So, your situation is mostly a win. Don't worry, I think you'll do just fine here," she concluded with an encouraging grin.

"Well, if you say so..." he said with a shrug. "All right. I'll give this place a chance."

"That's the spirit," Celestia smiled, folding her hands together. "Welcome to Canterlot High, Connor Powell. You can leave now. In about a minute, there will be a fifteen-minute break time before class starts again. Your class will be in room 301. If you need anything else, my door is always open."

"Thank you. Prince--Er, Principal Celestia," he said, feeling slightly better due to her hospitable attitude.

After lifting himself off of the chair, he turned to the door and opened it. When he made it past the doorway, he closed it slowly, so he could part with dignity.

Celestia still sat at her desk, flipping through his files.

"Luna." She turned to her sister. "He's the new foreign exchange student, right?"

"Indeed," she responded plainly.

"Which country did he transfer from, exactly?"

The vice-principal shrugged. "My memory fails me, but it is said that he came from this certain country called..." She paused to think. "...America? I've never heard of it in my life."

"Really? Well, wherever he's from, I sure do like his customs," she smiled.

He said I was hot, she blushed.  You sure don't hear people say that to you everyday. I wish him the best of luck.


----------


"Ugh... No way in hell am I going to do that..." he said to himself to the moment he left the office. "No way I'm going to stay here for a full year. I don't belong here. I gotta get back to Equestria!"

He whirled around toward the entrance of the school, making his way back to the mirror.

"I don't care how good this school seemingly is," he mumbled as he marched. "I gotta go back. It'll be a whole lot better than--."

Suddenly, a coarse, off-pitch, ear-piercing clattering rang throughout the school halls.

The school bell... Oh, how he remembered that horrid sound.

Then, all of a sudden, the doors in the hallway swung open in unison, pouring out swarms of multicolor-skinned teenagers, who were clamoring in relief that it was break time. A mess of voices, chatter, and laughter filled the now quiet air. If the commotion was not enough, he felt all parts of his body being nudged, pushed, and bumped into, making him feel like a tennis ball among a pack of dogs.

"Whoa! Hey, watch it! Ow! Seriously? You sure those glasses aren't fogged? Watch that backpack!" he grunted left and right.

After two minutes of being shoved around by an oblivious stampede of teenagers, the halls were clear other than the handful of students that decided to sit out and mingle with friends and make some calls. Connor stood out in the middle in the hallway, wincing at the sight before him.

"Ugh... I can't get over how weird they look with that colored skin..." he mumbled to himself. "It's like I'm walking among Laffy Taffy people."

Then, he looked down at his hands.

He sighed in relief, glad to still have his peach-colored skin.

Then, he looked back up to face the stretched and wide hallway.

Could Twilight really have went here out of all places? Was he in the right place? What if the portal had been built to open up to a random world every time somepony passes through it? What if he was in a totally different world than the one she was in? Would that mean that the whole trip was unnecessary and impractical?

"Heads up!!" called a voice from behind him.

"Huh, what?"

Suddenly, something fast had brushed directly past him, missing him by an inch. If his ears served him right, he heard the sound of noisy ball-bearings inside of a wheel.

"Whoa, hey! Watc--..." He froze in shock at what he saw.

Rolling away from him was a young, orange-skinned girl riding on top of a scooter. From what he saw underneath the bicycle helmet she was wearing, he saw strands of short, purple-pinkish hair. She was also wearing a black hoodie with a teal green shirt underneath, along with black leather boots with teal socks, and olive green cargo shorts.

"What? I said, 'Heads up', dude!" she called as she rolled away.

"What the--??" he muttered before something bumped into him from behind.

"Oof!" a voice yelped, nearly falling over.

Connor whirled around to see another young girl, who was just as tall and probably the same age as the girl on the scooter. Her skin was a faint bright yellow and she had long hair as red as apples, ornate with a hot pink bow on the back of her scalp. She was wearing a lime-green shirt with jeans and brown shoes, which was rather simple attire.

"Oh, sorry, mister! Ah was jus' catchin' up with her. Ah didn't see ya there." she said, chuckling apologetically. "Mah bad!"

And with that, she ran off after the girl on the scooter.

"Wait up, Scootaloo! We can't keep up with ya!" she called.

"Yeah, wait up!" yet another young voice called as it ran past him.

The one who ran past him was just as tall as the other two girls, and she had white skin with long, flowing locks of pink and periwinkle hair, which had a hot pink head band on top of her scalp. She had a raspberry-colored button shirt that hung low to the middle of her thighs with a white and pink baby doll shirt underneath it. She used a purple belt to keep her long shirt tight around her hips. She also wore a long, butter-yellow shirt that ran down to the top of her kneecaps, and she wore hot pink boots.

"Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle, I live to be fast!" the scooter girl called from a distance. "No can do!"

Then, after whipping around the corner into the main lobby, they left Connor in the hall, mouth agape.

"Th... The..." he stammered. "The Cutie Mark Crusaders... They're here, too?? That's... That's impossible! First, Luna, then Celestia, Scootaloo, Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle..."

"...Is this...?"

He gulped, slowly looking behind himself to view the small patches of students that still roamed the halls.

The first to waltz into his eyesight was a teenage girl with creme-colored skin, and long, curly, navy blue and pink hair. She wore a yellow dress with lace at the edges of her sleeves and skirt. She walked up to one of the benches that was placed in the hallway and noticed her friend with bright, sea green skin and a blue-green, jagged, feathered hair with white streaks. She was wearing white capris, desert sand chucks that went up to the middle of her shins and a bright blue shirt.

"Ugh, Lyra..." the creme-colored girl sighed in exasperation, grasping the bridge of her nose with her finger and thumb. "Why are you sitting on the bench like that? You look like a dog."

"What?" the other shrugged. "It's comfortable! Don't hate it until you try it, Bon-Bon."

From then on, Connor's eyes widened even more than before. Everywhere he looked, he saw ethereal images of familiar pony faces floating around the teenagers that most represented him or her.

"Oh, my God..." he whispered.

"This is Equestria... I'm still in Equestria."



To be continued...

	
> Chapter III
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter III


"Ahhhh, dammit!" Connor hissed to himself. "Where the hell is Twilight?? She has to be here!"

He swerved and squeezed by technicolored teenagers, who seemed oblivious to realize that he or she needed to be courteous enough to step out of his way for him to walk comfortably. However, he or she was too busy flapping gums with another student to care. Even though the school building was fairly medium in size, the hallway seemed to stretch out for miles. Everything in the hallways from the lockers to the floor, the ceiling, and the doors all looked the damn same, which made him wonder how these students seemed to not get lost in these endless chasms. There were hardly any hints of decoration on the doors or walls which made the thought even more baffling.

When approaching a new hall, as he walked, he would lean, stretch, crouch, and careen to try to find his prize goose and end the chase.

"Twilight??" he chirped as soon as his eyes picked up the sight of purple, straight hair.

Thinking that she didn't hear him, he nudged and swerved through the congregation of students, nearing her to shout out to her again.

Then, to his relief, she saw an empty pocket in the crowd just next to her. He quickened his pace, hoping that she wouldn't disappear into the crowd again.

"Twilight! Twilight! Over here!" he grunted before his leg was released from the tight grip of the throng. "Twilight! It's me, Connor! I've been looking for y--."

She turned around and unveiled a blue face with green, sleepy eyes which stood out from the unshaved stubbles on her face.

Plus, he wasn't actually a "she", either.

"-yyyyyyyyyou were saying something, er, Red Rocket?" he swerved to the side, passing by the teenager he mistook for the former pony princess.

He vanished once more into the crowd, thinking he would spare himself the embarrassment of nearly conversing with him. After recollecting his confidence, he stood on his toes, looking over the head of the river of teenagers. In random areas, he'd see strands of purple hair, nearly the same color as Twilight's if his sense of detail served him right. However, each head of hair he spotted was not like Twilight's in the least. One's hair was feathered, another was short, another had the wrong streaks of color in it, and some were not saturated enough.

A few minutes before the bell signaled the end of break, a large number of students walked back into his or her appropriate classroom, thinking it would be best to be there before it rang. However, the more daring and confident students remained in the hallways, thinking that his or her legs would carry him or her fast enough to make it to class in the nick of time.

Connor sighed in relief, glad that he was finally able to stretch out his arms after having them pasted to his sides most of the time he was walking around campus.

However, his relief was short-lived when he saw no hint of Twilight yet again.

"Damn..." he hissed to himself. "How the hell am I going to find her?... No, wait..."

He folded his arms and stroked his chin in thought. He said to himself before that these teenagers were the equivalent to the ponies he knew back in Ponyville. Everything from skin, hair, eye color, and voice matches. Plus, if his eyes served him right, he saw images on his or her clothes that resembled cutie marks. The human Bon Bon had an image of bonbons on her shoulder bag, and human Lrya had an image of a harp imprinted on her shirt.

Could it be possible that Twilight's cutie mark would be imprinted on her clothes as well? He would have to do a rather risky search of looking intently at other people, finding images on his or her clothes.

However, why would he need to search a guy's clothes? Twilight wasn't a male. However, on the other hand, that would make matters worse. Inspecting females closely for images of Twilight's cutie mark? He could be taken as a pervert or a creep.

He sighed despondently.

"This is gonna be tough..." he said to himself, starting down the hall.

Then, another thought came to mind. Would Twilight be that much of a nerd to walk into a class she's never registered for? She'd probably be walking through the halls acting just as lost as he was. Plus, she wouldn't set aside her goal to retrieve her crown just to go to a random class.

"Maybe this wouldn't be so tough after all." He grinned to himself. "I just need to keep an eye out for her and the surroundings. Nothing will get in my way n--!"

Suddenly, some of the air in him that was reserved for talking was knocked out of him by a firm shoulder nudging roughly into his chest. He grunted as he felt himself pushed to one side. As he recollected his breath, he caught a whiff of perfume and shampoo from a head of red hair with yellow streaks that passed by him.

"Tch. Out of my way, you klutz," a female voice scoffed.

The voice sounded soothing, but had a deep intention of injecting venom into one's jugular vein.

He watched the girl as she walked away with a strut that clearly showed off a caustic amount of pride and snobbishness like she was too good to be associated with anybody she considered lower than herself.

His brows furrowed in disapproval. That was it? An insult? No apology?

"Hey! Excuse you, princess!" he called from behind her.

SKREEEK!

The sole of her leather boot squeaked loudly, bouncing off the metal lockers as she suddenly froze in her place. Her arms that were swinging before as she walked suddenly froze in their place as well.

If that wasn't the only thing that froze, the chatter in the hallway stopped the moment the remaining students in the hallway heard the girl's boot squeal on the floor. Looking past her, Connor noticed every eye turning toward them, widening in shock and disbelief.

What irked him were the whispers of fear that soon followed.

"Oh, no... Did he really just say that to her??"

"Oh, man, he's gonna get torn uuuup!"

"Did I just hear that correctly?"

"Oh, this won't end well for him..."

"Duck and cover..."

Connor's expression softened. Was he missing something?

Then, the girl whirled around, goring him with bright teal eyes that glared venomously at him.

"Excuse me??" she growled.

"Yeah?" He stood tall, not feeling like backing away from rude punks.

"Are you talking to me?" she said, slowly turning her entire body around to face him.

"Yeah, I'm talking to you," he shot back, ignoring the gasps that echoed in the halls. "Do you mind? It's rather rude to just nudge into someone when you could've easily swerved to miss. Maybe even apologize for running into him.... or her. Don't you think?"

Then, the red and yellow haired girl, having turned all the way around, marched menacingly toward him, not looking away from his gaze until she was three inches away from having her nose touch his. Connor had responded by stepping one foot forward to greet her.

They both were silent for about seven seconds before she grinned smugly and leaned back.

"Well, well... You must be new here, too," she purred. "Welcome to Canterlot High. I'm not much of a tour guide, but as the most popular student here, I can say that you'll really like it here."

"Yeah, I bet I would..." he responded, going with the flow just to entertain her.

"However, a little word of advice," she said. "If you want to really enjoy being here and have the time of your life, you just have to follow this little, itty-bitty rule."

She placed a finger underneath his chin, staring directly into his eyes.

"And that little, itty-bitty rule is to stay out of my way. Or..." she purred. "I'll make you wish you've never come here. Capisce?"

Then, with her finger already fixed under his chin, she flicked it briskly up, tossing his head back.

"Maybe you should pass the message along to the new girl just so she could get a fair warning," she chuckled as she walked away. "Let's not keep in touch."

He watched her walk away and turn around the corner as he itched underneath his chin from her touch. He noticed how some students walking her her swerved heavily away from her while some whirled around, avoiding her gaze.

"Puh! Real charming..." he snarked before his expression brightened. "Wait... Did she say 'new girl'? That must mean...!"

He paused to hear even more small chatter echoing throughout the halls. The remaining students who witnessed the encounter were staring at him as if he had just been caught stomping on a national flag or spitting on the pope's face. He couldn't make out what their lips were saying due their hands covering their mouths as they spoke to one another.

His jaw clenched tighter.

Did he just walk into something bad? Something really, really bad? It was obvious that these students were afraid of her. Surely, a great magnitude of brutality was needed to make all students of the school cower before her like they were standing before a bloodthirsty, fear-inducing tyrant.

However, he wasn't going to be staying here for long. So why should he worry about this low-life?

Well, he would stay here longer if he didn't help Twilight get the crown back in time. And how long was that?

Thirty days...

He shook his head furiously and he clenched his fist. (Boy, did it feel good to have hands again so he could do that.)

NO! That's not going to happen! I'm not staying here long long enough to be harassed by some bitch. I'm going to find Twilight, help her get her crown, and get back home! He thought valiantly. Twilight has to be near! I can feel it!

The students in the halls began to walk out of the halls as soon as the bell rang, which made Connor smile. Now, it'll be much easier to find Twilight, depending if she wasn't stupid enough to walk into a class she never signed up for.

His search resumed, and just to be sure, he walked from door to door, peeking in through the small windows just in case she was in a classroom.

Seconds later, he was zigzagging down the hall, peeking and peering, feeling not so lucky with each door he approached.

He noticed he was about to approach the corner of the hall. As soon as he was finished checking the classrooms in the area he was in now, he would then immediately search that area as well.

The sound of the bell startled him. That meant the time to get to class had been reached.

"Oh, no! I'm late for class!" a voice exclaimed from around the corner.

Connor screeched to a dead halt in between doors.

Wait a minute...

That voice. It sounded soft, gentle, and soothing.

It sounded exactly like...

Suddenly, something that whirled around from behind the corner collided into him. It hit him on the right side of his body, so it made him twist about ninety degrees as he fell, making him land directly on his shoulder.

"Oof!" the voice grunted as it landed on the floor directly on top of him.

Two seconds into his landing, sheets of paper slowly levitated down on his face.

"Aaaaaaaaaagh..." his voice droned in pain. "Ow..."

"OH! Oh, my goodness!" the voice gasped loudly. "I'm so sorry!"

The next noise Connor heard was the sound of papers being hastily collected, crumpling inside a pair of grabby, desperate hands. As soon as the sheet of paper that was covering his face was removed, the light nearly burned his eyes out, making him squint tightly. His arm rose automatically to block most of it.

Then, another shadow appeared in his sight. It resembled more of a head with long, wavy hair drooping down near his face as it looked over him.

"I'm really, really sorry! I... I didn't look where I was going! I didn't mean to--! Oh, dear! Please don't be mad at me!"

"Unnngh, wha...?" he groaned.

He blinked until his eyes adjusted to the light, and he saw a girl with butter-yellow skin, green-cyan eyes, and long, flowing pink hair that was long enough to cover most of her back. She wore a white tank top with a green, pink-frilled skirt that had butterflies embroidered on it, and green boots with pink socks that had white speckled dots peeking out at the top.

His eyes shot open wide as soon as he took it all in before a blush formed on his cheeks.

She didn't give him that long of a look as she leaned back over to pick up the papers that spilled out from her backpack. There were also some small animals like chipmunks, birds, and a white rabbit scrambling about hap hazardously and in panic.

"What the--?" he said as he slowly pushed himself up.

"Oh! Please don't be scared, little ones!" she shushed them, making sure she kept her voice low due to classes starting.

However, the animals didn't respond. They were still too startled to answer her.

Realizing that it was hopeless to ask, the girl sighed, shut her eyes, took a deep breath, and straightened her back.

Then, she started to vocalize a sweet tune as if she was singing a lullaby.

Connor was helping with collecting her papers until her vocals had hit his ears, which made him freeze.

Her voice... It sounded so beautiful. It was smooth and sweet as honey, and her vibrato was perfectly paced, urging her to rock back and forth in her place to make a rhythm for herself.

On top of that, it was the kind of singing voice that belonged to none other than his darling Fluttershy back in Ponyville. It matched so perfectly with hers, that it was like they were the same.

Wait...

Could it be...?

Then, to his surprise, the animals that were once frightened and hectic suddenly grew calm, standing directly in front of her.

She smiled the moment she concluded her vocalizing, seeing all of them stand there.

"There you go, my little friends," she cooed, petting each of them gently. "There's nothing to be afraid of. Mommy Fluttershy just made a mistake, that's all. Now, into the backpack you go."

She placed her backpack onto the ground with the open end facing them, and they all scurried in, showing no hesitation or doubt in their loving caretaker. As soon as they were all inside, she lifted it up and gently slung it onto her shoulders.

Connor stood, gawking at her as if he had seen  ghost... or an angel, for that matter.

How could he not have noticed it sooner?

This girl was Fluttershy. This girl was the human equivalent of his sweet little pegasus back at home.

And... she was beautiful! Just like he always thought she was.

Then, noticing that he was staring at her, she immediately shrunk back down to being timid and shy.

"I'm so sorry, mister. I didn't look where I was going, and... I... I..." she mumbled, pressing her index fingers together.

"N... NO! Nonono," he argued, waving his hands in front of him. "It was my fault, I should've moved out of the way. Even though... it was kind of hard to see you around that corner."

He chuckled before he saw that she wasn't amused. She was still was frowning, feeling ashamed for her clumsy display from earlier, which gored him in the heart to see her look so sad.

"I couldn't help but notice you singing to your little animals, and I gotta say," he grinned in hopes of making her feel better. "You have the most beautiful voice I've ever heard in my life."

"Y... You think so?" she asked, barely turning around to face him. "It's... It's nothing special."

"Are you kidding? The most popular singer in the world would kill for a voice like that! And it was amazing how your animals responded to it. You have a real gift in handling animals like that."

"Thank you..." she whispered, still not fully looking at him.

He bit his lip, scratching the back of his scalp nervously. Even though he knew fully well who she was, she didn't seem to know him back. What good would it do to act like he knew her already? As much as it hurt him to admit it, he knew he had to introduce himself to her all over again.

However, at the back of his mind, that was the fun part.

"You seem interesting. What's your name?" he smiled, trying to act like he didn't know her.

The girl's lips tightened before she looked behind her for an escape. But however, she didn't want to make a fool of herself again by being rude, escaping a conversation.

"Um... I'm... I'm Flutternshuhn..." she mumbled.

Heh... just like when we first met, he chuckled.

"Fluttershy!" he smiled, pretending he heard her the first time. "Well, well! That's a very sweet-sounding name. A lovely name for a lovely girl as yourself."

Hearing those words made her squeak before her cheeks turned red as roses. Her shoulder that was hiding part of her face heightened a bit to hide the blush.

Just looking at her shy away like that made Connor smile. He was right before. She definitely was as adorable as the pegasus he loved.

He held his arm out for a shake.

"Well, anyway, I'm Con--AUGH!" he was cut off by a throbbing pain in his shoulder, making his other hand grab it.

"Oh! Oh, my goodness! You're hurt!" The yellow-skinned girl instantly broke out of her timidness. "Wait right there!"

She then, grabbed her backpack, unzipping the side pocket, and pulled out a small first-aid kit. Walking up to him, she gently lifted his hand from his shoulder before she unraveled the medical tape and put the end of it between her teeth.

"Shtand shtill..." she instructed him past the tape in her teeth, rolling his sleeve up as well as his shirt. "Thith'll hurt jusht a shecond..."

Connor felt a sharp pain course through his shoulder again as she pushed it to one direction to set it back directly over his joint. It made him yelp before the brushing of her hands as they applied the medical tape around his shoulder and down his sleeve. As she leaned over to wrap it around his chest, her scalp full of her pink hair was all he could see. A scent of flowers and strawberries filled his nostrils.

It took her only two minutes before she had finally finished her work.

"There you go," she smiled, leaning back to look at her work. "All better. You just need to keep it relaxed and not too active while it heals."

He smiled as he rolled down his shirt and sleeve, seeing her sit there like an angel.

"Thank you. Thank you very much, Fluttershy," he replied gratefully with a lot of smitten inside of him.

"You're welcome, mister.... um... I... I'm sorry," she shriveled back to being timid once again. "I didn't even ask for your name..."

"I'm Connor," yours truly said. "Connor Powell."

"N... nice to meet you," she squeaked.

The way he was looking at her, she felt it was overwhelming. She had other people ask for her name before, and they would ask her more than once to hear it. Either he had very good hearing or he must've met her before. However, with someone like him, she never recalled meeting anyone.

Connor shook out of his trance. He felt like he was staring at her for too long.

"Well, uh..." he said, getting up. "It was nice meeting you, Fluttershy. I don't want you to be even more late for your class."

Then, she gasped, instantly getting up on her feet.

"Omigoodness! I forgot! Th-thank you for reminding me! G-goodbye!" she said, grabbing her backpack and hopping away like a timid rabbit, leaving him behind in the once again silent hallway.

Seeing her part from him made his heart falter. He wish he could've spent a little more time talking with her despite knowing so much about her pony counterpart.

But, nonetheless, he had a job to do.

He turned around and began to walk the path he was going before he got interrupted.

Not that it was unnecessary.

He turned the corner to see yet another empty hall, which made him snort in dismay.

Still no Twilight.

However, what he didn't know was Fluttershy leaning back around the corner to view him before she resumed her way to class.




To be continued...