Chapter 1 - Yet Another Jumper Story

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Ann sat in her usual seat at her favorite coffee shop. The cup of mocha warmed her hands as she listened to the owner talk with a fellow patron.

“So, what do you think of the videos of all these people disappearing?” The customer asked.

“Best special effects I've ever seen...” The owner of the Tim Hortons trailed off, some doubt in his voice. Hesitation showed he was resistant to answer on something he knew nothing about. “I’m actually a little concerned that it’s not in the news. Seems fishy that there aren't even any discussions of it as one of those internet... things.”

“Meme?” The customer answered as she accepted her coffee..

“Yeah.” Said the host as they concluded their transaction.

Ann couldn't help but think about her husband- ex-husband.

Those long months of loneliness and worry flooded back as Alex jumped from world to world, not physically aging, but aging nonetheless. Until it all came to a head when he finally reached Equestria.

Her deep thought was interrupted by the voice of her host at the bar. “I beg your pardon?” Ann asked for clarification to the man pouring coffee from a carafe.

“I said would you like a anything to go with your moch-” And in that moment, he vanished in front of her, leaving only the sounds of inrushing air and the pot he held shattering on the floor.

Ann’s eyes slowly looked down... nothing. There was no trace. The man... disappeared! Only the shattered carafe and a puddle of hot coffee was left. The room was painfully silent, like the man had just died,The customer that he was previously serving had fallen on the floor in shock. She quickly got up from her seat, almost knocking over two patrons as she exited.

“That didn’t happen. That didn’t happen. Please, please, please let me be crazy.” Ann muttered as she ran to her car. She struggled, fiddling with her keys as her hands were shaking. Finally, she got inside and tried catching her breath. The hot summer air made her hyperventilate as she turned on the car for air-conditioning. After five minutes, the cool air calmed her nerves. “Did that really happen?” The shock finally abated, but replaced with more fear. That poor fellow wasn’t the only one!

It was thirty minutes before Ann returned home. What was the home of Alex Roberts was now redecorated with new family pictures and a new husband (the exception being a set of family photos that had Alex with his children. Those memories were still precious to Ann and she would not punish Alex by erasing him from their family’s history. Much of her life was finally stable after all that insanity... and then that man disappeared. ‘Could, I disappear?’

“I am telling you, folks, this is no trick. People are disappearing. Just... vanishing. On camera! The news is calling it a camera trick hoax, but this is no hoax. These aren’t vanishing acts! No one here is connected! The United Nations knows it!” The man on the ‘Young Turks’ ranted as Ann sat at her desk, watching more and more of these recorded disappearances.

Ann typed in her own comment, agreeing with the video, knowing quite well it was happening. She reviewed her memory again. The conversation was casual but interesting enough that she sat by the coffee bar. She took a sip and, by the time she put her cup down, the owner vanished in front of her! The carafe the man held shattered on the ground. He was... gone. There was no mistaking it! He disappeared! At first she tried to pretend this wasn’t happening, but that was hard to deny as stories popped up online about other disappearances.

It was happening again, to other people. There was no denying it. She took a deep breath and did something she hadn’t done in months. She logged onto skype, her list of contacts popping up. She clicked on the private contacts folder and double clicked on “mylittlebrony.” There she clicked on the one username who might be able to help find out what the hell was going on.

Not on Earth. Not in its solar system. Not even in it’s universe, a man walked down the stairs of his modest, but beautiful home situated in Ponyville. He had just put on a shirt, which covered the scars on his back. He looked out the window to see the mid-morning sun lighting the neighboring buildings as well as some early morning workers busy in the sky. He made his way to the living room to put on his hiking boots.

However, his attention was called to a noise on his laptop. He remembered he left it on password-protection last evening. After accessing his desktop, he saw the reason for the sound was his skype account: notifying him of an incoming message from someone he talked to less often than to his children... back on Earth.

The message read, <Alex! Please answer! Something horrible is happening here on Earth!>

175 meters beneath the Franco-Swiss border, near Geneva, Switzerland, a man stood in the breakroom of what was considered one of the greatest achievements of human engineering. It was the lunch break for the department of engineering. A short line formed in front of the buffet as servers provided requested entrees. One tall man carefully made his way through the cafeteria line. He stood a head taller than everyone else. Dressed in his labcoat, which was unbuttoned to reveal his polo shirt and blue-jeans. His eyes were covered by round, darkly-tinted spectacles. What set him apart from others was a noticeable assortment of rounded facial-piercings that decorated his ears, eyebrows, and the bridge of his nose.

His left hand felt the side rail that was on the tray-table as he walked. Finally his hand felt the protective glass, tracing up to the menu attached to the glass. Of course it had the items in Swiss, French, English, but also braille. His fingers traced the bumps briefly and he made his requests as he slowly made his way down.

“Hey, Tycho. I’ll help you to your seat.” Said a co-worker as others offered to assist.

Tycho shook his head. “We’ve been through this, guys.” He passed by the co-worker. The others took that as a signal to back off, but this one wasn’t deterred.

“Hey, I’m just trying to be courteous.” The man replied putting a hand on Tycho’s tray and trying to take it.

Tycho stopped, getting annoyed and pulling his tray closer to him. “Let go. I know where I’m going.”

“I’m not buying it, Dr. Hernandez! Stop being a stubborn fool or you’ll trip on the seats out there!” He raised his voice and yanked the tray.

Tycho then grabbed at his co-worker’s tray and yanked it from him, pushing his own tray into the co-worker. “Then I guess I’ll return the favor.”

“Wha-” The man replied.

“You were sitting where? Four tables over and five back? Let’s go.” Tycho moved on ahead. “And pick me up an orange pop.”

These things happened often at work with Tycho’s co-workers forgetting he was more than capable of taking care of himself. Less experienced co-workers, like the one who took his tray, would underestimate him all the time. More experienced workers knew better and only occasionally offered help. His closest friends at CERN, as well as human-resources, did their best in educating the other employees about his capabilities. But, being a busy place, it was a slow process.

“He had the entire department memorized in his first three weeks. Takes most people four or five.” A pale, blonde woman met them half-way. “I told you, Tycho isn’t helpless. He learned from a guy who mountain-bikes as a hobby.”

They sat down with the woman as Tycho took out his laptop. The co-worker remained silent, almost embarrassed as he handed Tycho back his tray, mumbling an apology. Tycho traded back the co-worker’s tray and started eating as his laptop booted up.

Others sat with Tycho as they discussed the latest project. The excitement of successfully finding traces of the Higgs Boson was still running high, but that always meant one thing: more work to discover the next scientific breakthrough. Tycho took his lunch break as an opportunity to catch up with today’s media. His Skype booted up as he received a notification of a contact from... mylittlebrony. Tycho brought his fingers over a pad that extended from the keyboard as blunted pins began rising and sinking in different combinations onto his fingers, spelling out words in braille.

“It’s rude to not pay attention to the conversation.” A another man scolded Tycho.

Tycho stuck his tongue out in mock-defiance. “World Cup, my friend. Never stand between me and my football team.” He then got the notification from skype as he quickly processed the braille pad.

“What do we have this time?” He asked himself as he read the latest message, spelling out the sentences to his fingers as he translated in his head:

<Mylittlebrony: Hey Little Tyke. How are you doing?> He read the rest as the braille output spelled the rest of the message. Tycho hadn’t talked to Alex Roberts for months. He almost wondered if Alex fell off the map completely.

Tycho typed in response, then waited for a reply.

<Very. I got some videos and news clips to show you. Do you have time to look at them?> Tycho read.

<Sure. I’ve got half an hour. Send them over to me,> Tycho replied.

Tycho left one hand on one side and began tapping the tab, going through the links. The braille output spelled out the items as he patiently searched. The one youtube video that caught his attention was the one Al Jazeera pulled.

“It would appear there seems to be an increasing number of videos with claims of random people disappearing. And it isn’t just happening in the United States. Its everywhere. Is it a hoax or has something extraordinarily terrifying happening on Earth,” said the voice on the video.

He then checked out the articles, signalling his computer after each link opened to spell out the description for each. This process took time, patience, and a bit of imagination. He thought deeply before returning to the skype conversation, having difficulty believing what was going on. Once the computer notified him he was back on skype, he replied to his friend <Hey, give me a sec to get a co-worker to confirm this.>

He noticed Arjeta was still around, for she never left her chair. “Arjeta.” He hailed her.

“How did you know she was there?” That same co-worker questioned.

“Her voice, she loves curry chips,” Tycho explained nonchalantly. “Her figure.” Tycho grinned humorously. “I mean it’s not hard to miss when you listen-” He then felt the crumbles of curry chips being poured on his head.

“Ha, ha. Funny boy.” Arjeta retorted with a smirk. “As if you can feel me up with your ears.”

Tycho chuckled as he wiped the crumbs from his head and clothes. “Its a compliment, Onee-sama.” He replied with a grin.

“I like you better when you talk french, nerd.” She retorted in Swiss.

“Look who’s talking, Ms. Trekkie.” He chuckled. “Can you watch these for me?”

“They funny?” She asked as leaned in closer to view the screen.

Tycho activated the monitor and the videos were in front of her. After five minutes of watching them, the technician was silent.

Tycho waited for a reply, but none came. “Any opinion?” He prompted her.

“This can’t be really happening.” Arjeta replied skeptically, but with a hint of worry.

“So... are people really disappearing?” Tycho asked. “Aliens, perhaps?”

“I think its a hoax, to be honest. Its like those... what do you call them? Mee’s?”

“Memes.” Tycho corrected her.

“Yeah, it could just be a meme that has spread around.” The woman stated, obviously trying to cover up some concern. “Now, if you’ll stop pretending to hear my body and come up with a solution for next month’s project, then we can all get a three day weekend, how does that sound?” She smiled and patted Tycho on the shoulder.

“Can I still listen to your melodious voice, oh sweet siren?” He then heard her toss her spork at him, which he dodged. It promptly ricocheted off his laptop and smacked someone else at the table. “I’ll get to work, no worries.” He stated as his friend and co-worker waved in acknowledgement before leaving. He switched back to skype and typed in the chat window. <So yeah, people appear to be disappearing in these videos. I’m no expert in hoaxes but... you know, let me check something and I’ll get back to you tonight.>

“Um... did you seriously just dodge that spoon she threw at you?” Asked that same patronizing dick- Tycho took a breath and stopped himself from getting wound up about the guy.

“Look up human echolocation on your spare time, Dr. Friedman. There’s a reason I click my tongue so much.” Tycho finished eating before he took his tray and laptop to go back to work, smoothly walking around obstructions, leaving a visibly embarrassed Dr. Friedman at his seat.

It was a cool way of showing the new guy he wasn’t helpless, but not cool when he got so distracted that he got lost in his own workplace. It always happened when he got worked up.

He heard a nearby worker's footsteps and flagged him when he passed by. “Hey, lost track of where I am.”

The person stopped in his tracks and smiled walking up to Tycho. “Its okay, Dr. Hernandez. Happens to all of us.” The maintenance man patted Tycho on the shoulder. “You’re on Green 52, B-level. Just head to the end of this hall to get to your department.”

“...thanks.” Now Tycho was embarrassed, that old feeling of frustration creeping into his mind as he quickly stomped it down to regain his calm. Still, he hated the fact he couldn’t read as most people could.

After another busy day at work, Tycho rode with his friends home.

“Do you seriously think those disappearances are actually happening?” Dr. Friedman asked Arjeta.

“No. Someone does something on the internet and other copycats post the same. It shouldn’t be surprising.” Arjeta, who was driving, replied as she took the vehicle onto the highway.

“And yet every news outlet refuses to say anything about it. Even a VIP ambassador is shown vanishing. It’s kinda scary when an editor refuses to comment.” Tycho stated.

“Maybe they just don’t want to give it more publicity.” Friedman remarked, though he wasn’t too keen on the idea himself.

Arjeta followed behind one vehicle, who kept driving slower than the other cars. Sadly, she couldn’t get around him because of the semi in the neighboring lane.

“God I hate that! Holding everyone up behind them!” Friedman grumbled.

Tycho wasn’t paying attention as he received an email on his laptop. The sender was Juan Yin at the University of Science and Technology in Shanghai: We have been experimenting with devices that can detect quantum entanglement events. Our particular devices can detect a quantum entanglement event within 30 kilometers. We were testing the device and it detected two Q-E spikes that were hundreds of times greater than expected. At first we thought it was malfunctioning, but after checking the approximate times of the disappearances against the times of the spikes, we are concluding these events are very possibly linked to two disappearances on campus.

Tycho broke out into a cold sweat and hesitated to reply as his mind was trying to comprehend what was going on. People were being teleported away? As incredible as it was, he had to ask ‘to where?’ His thought process was broken when Arjeta slammed the brakes and swerved the car out of the way as the vehicle in front of them failed to follow the curve of the road and collided with the semi passing it. Arjeta changed lanes, almost scratching the bumper on the back of the semi truck. After getting past the semi, she sped up, watching the semi carefully as it came to a stop. They pulled over the side of the road after getting a decent distance ahead of it. All three in the car breathed rapidly from the shock.

“Did you see that?!?” Dr. Friedman asked, terror pushing his voice up an octave.

Arjeta silently nodded, recovering from the shock, but still shaking.

“What? What?” Tycho leaned forward just barely regaining his bearings as he rubbed his poor head.

Arjeta took a deep breath to regain her composure, barely. “That driver disappeared.” She swallowed and looked to see the driver of the semi walking towards the remains of the unoccupied vehicle.

Tycho walked into his apartment, still shaking a little. Not from their near-death experience, but from the idea that something very bad and very wrong was happening on Earth. His apartment was nicely decorated with good furniture. It had two bedrooms, with one where his office was located. He hooked his laptop (thankfully still working) into the docking station on his desk and fired up his personal computer. As the computer booted up, Tycho took a shower to try and relax his nerves. He didn’t even take the time to remove his piercings.

Tycho ducked as he went from room-to-room. Being as tall as he was was more than just an inconvenience for him, having learned early and painfully that doorways were not made for someone his height. After he got dressed, he sat at his computer and caught up on his emails.

<Tyke, you there?> He received from Alex.

<Yes, I am here. Alex, I saw->. Tycho rolled his white-and-white eyes and deleted the second sentence. <Alex, my co-workers and I almost died on the road home. Some guy in a vehicle in front of us disappeared right then and there!>

<Oh no! Are you okay, buddy?> Alex replied.

<Yeah, but I’m even more shaken up about all this. A blogger estimates the disappearances are happening about 50 people per day. I mean, we’re not worried about the entire population fading out of existence, but this is freaking out the entire planet!> Tycho sent articles about the building hysteria. Governments scrambling to calm the population. Enemy nations blaming each other. Religious groups declaring the end of the world or the rapture or whatever. Chaos was not breaking out now, but how long before that would change?

<Tycho, I am contacting you about this because I know nobody else that can help. You said you had contacts that knew stuff about quantum entanglement, right?> Tycho received on skype.

<Yes, Alex. I know the scientists both in Australia and China that worked on this. You want a referral?> He replied.

<No, I want you to coordinate. We might be able to help with this, but we need to learn as much as possible about what is going on.>

Tycho raised an eyebrow. <Who is ‘we?’ >

There was a delay and he received a contact request from the user: StarswirlMagic.

<Tyke, can you accept a contact request from StarswirlMagic? She has some questions to ask you, and some requests.> Tycho read and accepted the contact.

Done. He replied. <Who is she really?>

Tycho blinked at the name. <This lady named by Stephenie Meyer?>

<Ha ha ha...no.> Replied Alex. Tycho grinned. <Just go with it. Everything will be explained later.>

Tycho then received his first message from this ‘Twilight Sparkle.’

<Greetings, Darksight. I am Twilight Sparkle. Alex told me you can help us.> StarswirlMagic wrote.

Tycho smirked at her name. <My name is Tycho Hernandez. May I ask where your name comes from?> he typed.

<My parents, of course. And who is Stephanie Meyer?> she replied dryly. Impressive over text.

Tycho raised an eyebrow before typing

He chuckled at Alex’s term. <By that, he means I have a masters degree in engineering and masters degree in particle physics with a honorary doctoral degree in engineering physics.>

<How do you get an honorary degree?> Was StarswirlMagic criticizing it?

<There was a comprehensive examination I couldn’t pass. Test anxiety. But I did some impressive work at CERN.> Tycho explained, feeling slightly defensive.

<You work at the Large Hadron Collider!?!?> Her excitement radiated from the text.

His smile returned. <Yes, yes I work there. Anyways, my grandpa is the VP at the college, and hates standardized tests, especially multiple choice. He granted me the honorary degree after getting the physics department a very expensive research partnership with CERN. That and my thesis was too good for them ignore.>

<Where did you get educated?> Asked StarswirlMagic.

<M.I.T. What is your degree and occupation?> Tycho replied.

StarswirlMagic replied quickly. <Grand Scholar in Magical Sciences. I am a librarian!>

Magical sciences? Something wasn’t adding up. Tycho took some time to find a tactful way to ask about it. <...well that is a good job, but I never heard of that degree.>

<Well I am not exactly from where you are.> StarswirlMagic typed cryptically.

<Sounds American. Like schools for Klingon lingo.> Tycho thought better of that response just after he sent it.

StarswirlMagic responded too quickly for deleting it to be a viable option. <I’m not American.>

<Well who is? I was born in Canada, but my parents immigrated from Japan and Bolivia.> Tycho mused.

<Well, let’s discuss what they found out in China.> He read as he began to pull some articles from a save folder.

<Changing the subject, huh? Okay well you know the Chinese lead the world in experiments involving Quantum Entanglement, right?> He inquired of StarswirlMagic.

<Right, using technological means to teleport.> ‘If you were a Dungeons and Dragons player,’ Tycho thought to her response.

<As opposed to casting a level 6 spell?> He joked.

Tycho reread that paragraph several times, trying to figure out her angle. Was Alex messing with him?

<So with that, teleportation involves moving about six different particles into a particular pattern to achieve interspatial length. In essence, it branches two different points in space to achieve movement without moving.> It was at this point Tycho stared at the screen, then made the ultimate conclusion: Para-science would be best discussed like regular science. With alcohol. He got up from his seat to fetch a rum and cola.

Tycho returned to his chair with an extra large glass. <Had to get a stiff drink cause this is gonna be interesting. So, lets talk China, then we can talk about your metaphysical ‘theory.’>

Tycho sat back in his chair, sipping his rum and coke as he transferred articles to StarswirlMagic. What the heck was Alex doing, he wondered?

His cellphone buzzed. Tycho stretched in his chair and flipped it open. “Yes?”

“Tycho? Its, me, Ann,” the familiar female voice said.

Tycho blinked. “Ann?” He thought about that voice until the gears in his mind finally turned. Alex’s wife- no, ex-wife. “Oh, Ann! I haven’t heard from you in a long while.”

“Yeah, well... It hasn’t been easy since the... divorce. So, um. Are you on your laptop with Twilight Sparkle?” Ann asked.

Tycho’s curiosity was seriously tickled by this coincidence. “Yeah, you know her?”

“I do. I was told you will be voice chatting with them.” Ann replied.

Tycho nodded. “And by them, I am assuming her and Alex. Why? You joining us?”

“I am joining because you aren’t going to believe who you are talking to,” she replied. “Hang on, the kids are home.”

Tycho sighed and lightly scratched to top of his head. “Alex, Alex, Alex. What are you dragging me into?”

Chapter 2 - You Want Me to Believe What?

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Tycho began his evening exercises. Push ups, sit ups, squats, pull ups, and stretches. He decided to skip free weights; he just wasn’t in the mood this evening. His mind tried to focus on tomorrow’s objectives. Everything just boggled his mind. The whole situation was insane.

(Three hours ago)

Tycho received the notification for the Skype conference. He took another sip from his rum and coke before accepting.

“...and I am very sure if we can get enough of those measures from that sensor, we can develop an accurate calculation needed to produce a reverse feedback!” He overheard a female voice speak.

“Why not check to see if Discord is responsible for all this?” He heard an unfamiliar male voice speak, slightly lower tone but higher pitch.

“Luna said she’ll take care of that!” A new female voice said.

“You didn’t tell me-” Replied the male voice again.

“Listen, everyone!” He heard Alex’s voice pipe up. Finally, a familiar voice! “We just started the skype call, everything will be revealed and organized as such.”

“What kind of coalition have you started here, Al?” Tycho finally piped up.

The next voice to speak was also unfamiliar; female, sounded young-adult but like it was being projected? "Did we plan how we we’re going to explain this all to Mr. Tyke?"

There was an uncomfortable silence, indicating to the lone human on the other end that this session wasn't well planned. ‘Almost like they are hiding something big from me.’

"I'll explain it." Ann stated.

"Um...Ann I am not sure-" Alex was about to talk until Ann interrupted him.

"Tycho, what if I told you these disappearances happened before... several times." Ann began.

Tycho raised a pierced eyebrow. He always appreciated Ann’s forwardness. "How much is several, and why wasn’t it noticed before?"

"At least three." Ann explained. “No where near as public as this current situation.”

Tycho said nothing for a while. "So... who were the victims?"

"Me." Alex piped up. That explained why he ‘fell of the map’ as it were.

"Second." Followed the unknown male. "Matthew is my name."

"Third," Said the projected-like, female voice. "Eleanor."

"Aaaaaaand, where are you now?" Tycho felt torn between curiosity and skepticism. He readied himself for another shot.

"First," Ann cut in. "What is your opinion of of the theory of the multiverse."

The sound of Tycho's chair creaking as he laid back filled the microphone as he took a deep breath. "It’s very hypothetical but very possible. If you are referring to these recent incidents, the Quantum Entanglement experts in China and Australia have shared information with me and other scientists the mathematical implications of these strong QE spikes whenever a person disappears. I am still reviewing the equations but there is a strong indication that these guys are shifting-"

"Jumping." Matthew interjected.

Tycho shook his head. "Shifting," He heard a snort from Alex, "Out of their current space and to somewhere else. It could be to another universe, but we have no proof of that. It could be a shift into another part of our universe. For all we know, they don’t stop shifting once the process begins. But again, we are not certain.”

Ann was quick to reply, "What if I told you these three you are talking to now are currently in another universe?"

Tycho frowned before he took another drink, now this was unbelievable. "Look, I don't know what you are trying to pull or why now of all times, but I find it hard to believe I am contacting another dimension through a skype call. We don’t have near enough energy to make that feasible!"

Finally, Twilight Sparkle intervened. "Tycho, this is Twilight Sparkle. I know this is unbelievable right now, but bear with us.” She cleared her throat. “You humans can already send electron signals through space. What makes you think this can't be accomplished as well?"

Tycho paused again. "You... humans?" Now his mind was assaulted with something else to consider. “So I have been speaking to aliens,” He said slowly. “Alex, if this is a joke I am not finding the humor in it.”

He heard a hushed voice over the audio. “Too soon, dear.” Sounded male.

Alex intervened. "Tycho, it’s a long story, but... my laptop here has a quantum entanglement device that is connecting the electromagnetic signals that a wireless device uses to connect to the internet. There is a lot of stuff in this I can't explain but..."

Tycho took a big gulp from his drink as he listened to Alex's explanation. Something about multiple universes and finally landing where he was now. It was too much to take in at once, but he got the gist of it. Still, this conference wasn't getting anywhere closer to what was going on his homeworld. Was all this some elaborate trick? He would never think Ann or Alex would lie to him. Tycho thought about Ann and Alex’s divorce. It was shocking. Those two were meant for each other. He couldn’t remember anything even remotely serious that would have led to it. But now Ann was implying the reason for her divorce was that her husband, his friend, was torn out of space to another world!

"Why are we doing this on audio only?" Matthew asked. "Lets fire up the webcam and show him." Tycho overheard shifting and a few clicks on what he deduced was the mouse-pad on a laptop.

"Oh! Matt, guys, I am sorry but-" Alex tried saying as Tycho received indication on his braille pad there was video now being fed.

"Can you see now, Tycho?" Matt asked as Tycho’s computer screen displayed the other end.

Sadly, Tycho couldn’t see any of it. He shook his head. "You didn't tell them, did you, buddy?"

"I'm sorry, Tycho. I've been gone for a long time and forgot to mention it." Alex frowned.

"Tell us what?" Twilight asked.

"I have been blind since I was 12." Tycho explained in a matter of fact sort of way.

Another uncomfortable silence continued until Ann piped up with an exasperated sigh. "I can't believe no one said anything."

Tycho paused in thought. He could believe Alex would forget to tell people. Not out of neglect, but how he regarded his friends. Out of everyone he knew, Alex treated him like a fully capable and normal human being, not even thinking to offer him help unless he was obviously having trouble. Ann could be patronizing, but only to be kind. Then came that one action, turning on the webcam. If they were weren’t trolling him, he thought, they wouldn’t have bothered with it.

El spoke. "Great. We can’t prove jack to him."

"How would you forget that, big guy?" Tycho heard a slightly raspy feminine voice ask.

"I’m sorry, Dash, everyone,” Alex apologized. “I've known Tycho as he grew up losing his sight, and learning how to live without it. Eventually he was able to live as normally as one could and enjoy things so... his blindness rarely became an issue." Alex explained.

"My mom and dad paid for the best echolocation instructor to teach me. Wasn't easy, but after twenty years, I like to think I can pretty much take care of myself." Tycho finished his beverage. “While I am still skeptical about half of what you told me,“ he paused a moment to reflect on his answer, “I believe you sincerely want to help.”

There was no reply, but an aura of hopefulness Tycho could feel from everyone else.

‘“I wouldn't, couldn't believe Alex or Ann would lie to me or try to play a cruel joke. They may have been patronizing about my disability at times, but I would never expect them to take advantage of my blindness. And knowing Alex, he would forget to tell people about this little detail.” He further explained. “I don’t think you would have turned on my webcam to make a lie more convincing.” He selected his webcam option as it warmed up. "And with that, I can trust your intentions are sincere."

"Tycho, if I could go over there and help in-person, heck, all of us would if we could." Alex said.

“No offense, but I really don’t want to go back there.” Rainbow Dash grumbled.

Tycho’s thoughts still lingered on Alex’s explanation. So his friend has been going ‘Quantum Leap’ all over the multiverse? Really?

Tycho rubbed his head. “Alex, what can these friends of yours do to help us?”

Alex’s voice got softer but more audible. “Two here are very smart, Tycho. They helped me return here, even.” He sighed, realizing he mentioned more things Tycho wouldn’t understand. “Look, these two have accomplished great things involving this stuff. I’m sure if we cooperate with each other, we can do something about this.”

Tycho nodded as the webcam finally turned on. “Okay, then, lets build this new association on that.”

"What did you do to your face?" Dash interjected.

Ann followed. "Oh god, Tycho. You kept the piercings? You are a respected physicist and working for CERN, not a punker!"

"Oh stop it. CERN hired me despite my good looks." Tycho stuck his tongue out in defiance. Making sure that she saw that one as well.

"I think they look good on him." Said what sounded a child’s voice.

"Nevermind that, pumpkin. Tycho, what is the current situation where you work?" Alex asked.

“Well, you know about the Hadron Collider. Then there are the two QE labs. Another particle accelerator at the states.” Tycho finished typing an email and sent it to CERN. "Some folks in Australia are shipping us something I requested earlier. They have another quantum entanglement scanner and they are bringing it to us back at the HRC."

"Why? They aren't blaming you guys for these, are they?" Ann asked.

"No, not yet at least. They want to find out just in case. The United Nations is going nuts trying to solve this problem... and it reads they going to investigate... oh for crying out loud." Tycho shook his head. "Well, my workplace is going to be slow for a while. We'll have to shut down operations while they investigate."

"No! We need that to solve this problem! The LHC and both QE Devices have to be calibrated to stop this!" Another unfamiliar female voice exclaimed.

“We don’t know if we can do that, Lyra! We need to gather data, first!” Twilight argued.

“Shhhhh!” Another person...or child shushed the two.

"Who is this?" Tycho asked.

"Oh! I am Lyra Heartstrings, I am helping Twilight come up with solutions to solve this problem." She answered cheerfully.

Tycho blinked. "Who named you guys?”

"Oh c'mon, its not like you don't know who we are." Dash broke in. "Come on! You never heard this?" She then sang, "My Little Pony, My Little Pony - I used to wonder what friendship could be."

Everyone was quiet as Dash sung the first line of a song Tycho never heard before. "Um...that is a nice singing voice but I have no idea what it’s about."

"You memorized the theme song?!" Lyra burst out laughing.

"Shut up! At least I am a main character! You're just a background pony! Ha!" Dash retorted.

Lyra replied with a sniff, “I was a main character for that one episode.”

Alex redirected the conference back to the topic at hand. "Tycho, how does this QE scanner work?"

Tycho pushed aside what Dash had said earlier and focused on this topic. "From what they are telling me, it has a range of several kilometers and is able to scan the location of a 'QE Occurrence.' It can measure how strong the QEO was, as well as how long it lasted. Heck if yours has a QE device in it, and it’s connecting with mine…” The gears in his mind turned. “...then it might be emitting a quantum signal, which I can use to scan my laptop during a conference call with you to find out if there is a QE spike!"

Ann spoke, as she always did, with calm authority, "People are disappearing, Tycho. You realize if we delay because you want proof, then more people are going to vanish before we can solve the problem!"

"It’s not just proof I need. If this is true, then that QE 'modem' on Alex's laptop can be useful. That scanner should be able to quantify a QE Occurrence, according to the Aussies." Tycho replied.

"We are way ahead of you on that, Mr. Herandez." Twilight replied. "But we'll discuss that later. First, we need to schedule times to collaborate. Second, we need you to provide us information about the HRC and if you can, convince the Chinese and Australian QE scientists to work with you."

"Oh gee, is that all? Would you like gravy on that too?" Tycho snorted. One more point in favor of them telling the truth. Only aliens would make such naive requests.

"I know we're asking a lot from you, buddy. I can't imagine one guy trying to do all this, but we can't keep going through this for every ally we make. You are smart and you have connections. We're asking you to be the coordinator." Alex was good at that; getting on people’s good side and being the voice of reason.

Tycho rested his head on his palm, thinking for a moment, anxiety building. "I'll try, Alex. Just... this is just a lot of weight on my shoulders."

"You aren't alone there." El spoke. "How about we plan the first steps so not to put too much pressure on Tycho?"

(present time)

Tycho laid back on the floor after doing his evening exercises. He had a lot on his mind and needed to better focus. Something on this world that shouldn't be happening, was happening. This was all in science fiction, he thought to himself. Was he being fooled, tricked? No, that wouldn't make sense. Too many coincidences. He did almost die today.

It was maddening. Tycho was a dreamer of space and science fiction. Those were the important things in his life. Why he did physics and engineering. Even after his optic nerves died, he dreamed with the visual imagination of a child about what impossible things could come true.

We can teleport information, we can beam individual atoms from one location to another. We understand more things about time and space than ever. Heck, the cosmos reveals more and more amazing things each day, Tycho thought.

But something was happening which confirmed one of the most grandiose ideas in the scientific community. But it may turn out to be humanity’s doom. An investigator may accept this as true, even if it were improbable, but the doubt in his brain was ever gnawing at him like a canker. Alex and two other humans were spirited away to another dimension.

Tycho mentally took a step back in his mind to see the whole perspective. The multiverse? True. Inter-dimensional shift, jumping, whatever? True. Dimensions based on cartoons? Goddammit, true! But it needed to be confirmed, if anything, so that Tycho would be assured this was still within his reality.

Despite his stress, he needed sleep. He took a benadryl to help himself rest. He just hoped when he woke up, he wouldn’t have been the next to disappear. “It would be cool if Star Wars was real. That was the last movie I saw.” He said to himself.

CERN was not a happy place during the past two days. With the Australian scientists in-bound, the bigwigs at CERN were dealing with UN officials already. Sadly, that meant all work had to stop. Even emails were rumored to be being scanned. Most employees at CERN just sat at their offices, bored as hell. Then again, it would be better than arguing with political morons. And what’s more, the number of disappearances kept climbing.

Employees would stop what they were doing to get updates from the news on the disappearances. Many would repeatedly call friends and family to see if they were still present, or call their family to report they were still on Earth. One worker broke down and cried when his daughter didn’t answer her phone, fearing the worst. It was impossible for administration to keep up morale, so it came down to individual departments to keep themselves in better spirits.

Tycho laid back in his office chair, continuously exchanging emails with the Chinese and Australian science teams. He used his personal laptop on the 4g network. They were above ground, anyway. No need to use the workstations. Still, it was more difficult than he anticipated to get his associates to send more information about their work. Juan Yin warned Tycho that the Chinese government was already restricting communications, and he had to use an illegal satellite connection he personally had to contact him. Yet, he managed to get the documents to his inbox. Yin could only give dates when he would be best contacted as he was worried he would be arrested and imprisoned if government investigators caught him talking with western scientists.

It was depressing. The news proclaimed that politicians around the world were already feeding the paranoia. Meanwhile, most of the world demanded there be a joint effort to solve this. The cry for global cooperation was so strong it stopped several potential wars between feuding nations. Still, the world leaders needed to know if it was something their scientists did to start this. Many conspiracy theorists online accused other nations of attempting to harness whatever caused this to make other nations disappear.

Tycho read through articles as he waited for emails. Thankfully, the Aussies were much more forthcoming. They sent him files upon files on everything they had, with notes to help him catch up. His work-friends, Dr. Arjeta Zhanow and Dr. Johan Friedman, were passing the time helping him sift through megabytes of scientific journals on quantum entanglement and related theories.

Each were glued to their personal laptops in their office with classical music playing in the background to help them relax.

Finally, Arjeta broke the silence. "This is all very interesting." She said in French. "You think these may help explain what is going on?" She had several research articles open, displaying various graphs and tables of measurements regarding quantum entanglement and theory.

Tycho nodded. "We have no other reference in breaking the space-time continuum than this. Though I have some other friends working on the math." He decided it best not to introduce them to his possibly-interdimensional correspondences. No need to spread the crazy.

"You will tell us who they are in case you disappear, right?" Johan looked at Tycho with a concerned expression.

"I have instructions and a will written in case that happens." He said nonchalantly.

"What do we get if you go?" Arjeta usually tried humor to lighten the mood. And in this situation, humor was necessary. "Please not those ugly pictures on your wall."

Tycho smirked. "No, you both get a life-time supply of ice-cream."

"What flavor?" Johan dared to ask.

"Boot to the head." Tycho grinned.

Arjeta chuckled as the phone rang. She picked it up and exchanged dialogue in Swiss.

Johan leaned forward in interest. "Tycho, check this out."

Tycho looked up to Johan. "Spit it out."

"Okay, so a map of the disappearances is being made worldwide." He turned around his laptop to show Tycho the website tracking the disappearances, then cursed, remembering Tycho was blind. "Fuck, I mean, anyways. So, some places of interest are being talked about. Two of them are the QE labs. It seems the disappearances happen less near them.”

That was good news. Tycho noted that. "What about the particle accelerators?"

Johan nodded reading through the article. "The disappearances take longer to occur. Like there is some kind of resistance. Its a difference of about three seconds. Radius is an estimated 70 to 90 kilometers from the Large Electron Positron Collider. And ours is 100 to 190 kilometers from us! And as for the QE labs, less occurrence of disappearances around 37 kilometers!"

"That is pretty precise. How did they get that measure?" Tycho looked skeptical.

"Behold the power of internet collective work!” Dr. Friedman grinned. “Remember the website tracking all this? The U.N. is endorsing it!" Johan was getting a bit excited. "You know what that means!?"

Arjeta interrupted as she hung up the phone. She shook her head. "It means we're having a meeting with the board of executives and U.N. officials. Take your computers with you, guys. We might be asked to explain some things to the officials. Use big words to really impress them."

Tycho and his work-friends remained silent for the most part; they were limited to yes and no answers whenever an official asked a question.

“These electromagnetic devices don’t open black holes?” Asked the investigating official. ‘Stupid question #59’, Tycho noted.

“No.” Arjeta answered.

It was obvious nobody liked this procedure.

“But the atom smashing does create black holes, as we noted earlier. Is it possible they go loose from the testing chamber and swallowed up humans?” Asked another official.

“No.” Arjeta answered. “If I can explain in further detail-”

An administrator cut her off .”You’ll excuse our staff, ladies and gentlemen, we’re all eager to do what we can to help the situation.”

Tycho piped up with his own question. “How much does the U.N. know about the frequency of disappearances near the LHC?” He was never one for procedure.

There was silence. The administrators grimaced. The officials were already talking to one another about the question. One admin glared at Tycho from afar.

Finally, the representing official spoke. “We are aware disappearances near the HRC take longer, but only just.” Said the official. “And that is why we wonder if there is a cause-and-effect situation with the HRC, mister…?”

“Doctor, sir. Dr. Hernandez.” Tycho replied.

“Yes, well, if you will let us all proceed.” The officials resumed their inquiry.

Four agonizing hours later, an admin took Tycho aside as the inquiry was finally done. He was a portly, balding man with a thick mustache and beard. He adjusted his spectacles looking at Tycho. “Dr. Hernandez, we are all frustrated by this. Afraid, terrified about all this. So are the officials.” He said earnestly with a German accent, while Tycho felt like he was being lectured by his dad. “And it is because of that fear that we need to handle this delicately. All it takes is one word from them and they’ll shut us down!” The man removed his spectacles and took a drink from his coffee.

Tycho sighed. “Dr. Herman, I have been talking with the Chinese and Australian Quantum theorists and engineers. I have some ideas on what we can do, but me and the others need to work without hindrances. Namely the officials breathing down our necks.”

Dr. Herman shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. “They’re afraid of what we are doing here, Tycho. You know the Quantum Scientists are having the same problems?” He took another sip of coffee. “Tell you what, if you can get me something substantial after the Aussies get here, I’ll see what I can do, but no promises on the delays.” He patted Tycho on the shoulder.

“Thanks, doc.” Tycho returned the gesture and headed to his office.

Chapter 3 - Science, Paranoia, Cloak & Dagger

View Online

AUDIENCE: WHEN WILL YOU BRING US MORE PONIES?!?!?

AUTHOR: PATIENCE! WE'RE WORKING UP TO IT! NOW BACK TO THE STORY.

The day finally arrived when the Aussies brought over their Quantum Entanglement Sensor. The QES was accompanied by two scientists who were delivering the presentation of how it works. The staff could see it in their eyes, while Tycho could hear it in their voices. They were trying very hard to mask their stress with a show of solid professionalism.

It was a strange device, to say the least. Tycho had wondered what something that could detect QEOs would look like. Images from his childhood ran in his mind: old bad Scifi movies of stupidly put together metallic parts and blinking lights. Heck he imagined that was pretty much what the Hadron Collider looked like. A colleague described it for him, but the best he could do was that it looked like a spherical water-heater with massive pipes coming out of either side. Pinging the actual device, he had to agree.

Tycho had trouble keeping up with how the QES worked. How can you compact 10 years of science in a 2 hour lecture? You can't; he couldn’t even see their picture examples. Arjeta would have a better understanding, for quantum physics was her forte. His was a double specialty so he can take care of his baby that ran miles and miles under ground. All that work, he thought, and he could disappear anytime. Years in engineering, then years more in physics. Learned engineering physics to combine both principles in his spare time...he needed to date more, he thought as he drifted into a tangent in his mind. With the possibility of life ending he started thinking how he could better live his life. His closest friends were his co-workers. Arjeta was a great friend he could openly joke with, even lewdly. Johan? Most recent addition to their ‘trifecta of nerddom,’ he once joked. Johan was all about electromagnetism.

Speaking of his friends, Johan elbowed him to bring him back to Earth. Well, this lecture wasn’t holding Tycho’s attention. Tycho was more interested in getting close to the thing when it turned on.

Unfortunately, that moment didn’t come. The seminar ended with no official demonstration, and everyone knew why. No one wanted to know if someone disappeared. They just accepted the machine worked and moved on. Tycho, however, needed a demonstration. He carefully made his way around the crowd scrambling to get to the break room for much needed refreshments. He could still hear the two scientists up at the stage. Clenching his laptop, Tycho bumped into at least two co workers before he finally made it to the stage.

"Excuse me! No one is permitted on the stage!" Shouted a security guard as Tycho got close.

Tycho cursed to himself. Of course they don't want anyone near the equipment. "Excuse me!" He hailed the Australian scientists, currently chatting to each other.

The two men turned to Tycho and approached him, staying on the stage while leaning down. "Can we help you Mr...?" Asked one in an Australian accent with a deep voice.

"Hernandez, Dr. Hernandez." Tycho reached up to shake the man's hand, who shook his in return. “Yes, I am curious if this device is currently on."

The man paused and looked to his colleague, who nodded. Tycho could hear what was probably two security guards coming up behind him. "It is now, sir. But we aren’t doing a demonstration."

Tycho smiled and reached carefully to his laptop bag and pulled it out. "I have some questions to ask you, if you don't mind."

"Plenty of time for that later, Dr. Hernandez." Said the other scientist, sounding slightly Korean (best guess) behind that Australian accent.

"I know, I know." Tycho already had skype ready and fired up on his device. "But I have so many and you can imagine how busy we are." He fumbled clicking to start a conference call. This was not a good time for him to lose his synchrony with his own technology, much less forget what questions to ask. He was too anxious to find out if that skype call really did break space-time.

"Well?" Asked the deep-voice scientist.

"So, what is the baseline for a QEO?" Tycho knew that wasn't the brightest question. He finally managed to locate what selection he had on his laptop and managed to locate the call.

"Yes, well." The scientist thought for a moment and gestured for what Tycho deduced was a tablet to brought to him by his friend.

Tycho waited for an answer on the other end...nothing. His skype ringed and ringed. Still nothing. No one was answering! His stress was building as he started to flick his tongue piercing on his teeth. This can't be happening.

As the scientist rattled off numbers to Tycho, he tried to act like he was paying attention, but he just stood there, thinking that of all the friends in his life, Ann and Alex would pull something this low on him. Of all times when people are terrified. It didn't make any sense.

"Does that satisfy you, Dr. Hernandez?" Asked the other scientist.

Tycho silently nodded as he began to put his laptop away. "Yeah." He said, holding back a combination of sadness and anger.

Then he felt it on his braille pad. The pins indicating something. He took the laptop out and noticed another skype call from someone else. The username was 'GreenAnthropologist.' Tycho accepted the call.

He then heard something faint. Like the sound of sudden increase in pitch, but low toned coming from their device.

"What is that?" Asked the least accent scientist. He walked quickly to the device.

Tycho hesitated and typed a few words into the chat of the call. <Who is this?>

<Its Lyra! I'm sorry we couldn't get to you on time. There has been some problems! We'll explain tonight! Is there QED detecting anything?> Responded Lyra.

Tycho listened carefully. "QE spike." Said the deeper voiced one. "Local occurrence...right in this...room?"

<Yes, ttyl.> Tycho typed and quickly closed his laptop shut.

"Its gone! About five seconds!" Said the higher pitched voice. "Excuse me!" He ran to the security guard. "Something has happened! There may have been a disappearance on the campus!" Oh crap, Tycho thought to himself. Now he may have caused a panic.

The security guard quickly bolted up the ramp between the rafters and got on his radio. "We have an emergency here! Someone might have vanished on campus!"

Security on the other side of his radio replied, "Alright we need to check that everyone here is accounted for. We'll contact administrat-" And it faded as the guard went out the door.

Tycho stood still as a statue. There was no doubt in his mind now. This was real. All of it was happening.

"Hey, you alright?" Asked one of the scientists.

Tycho just nodded silently. His thoughts were still cycling everything he had been going through since this whole mess began. Alex has been to Marvel, worlds of high magic and fantasy, and is contacting him from one of those worlds...in another dimension! Every scientific idea about the multiverse has been confirmed! Max Tegmark and Brian Greene are going to shit themselves!

He felt someone shake him on the shoulders. He finally returned to his senses and heard Arjeta's voice. "Tycho! Answer me!"

Tycho shook his head to bring himself back to Earth. "God, Arjeta." He wanted to tell her, but had to shut up. He couldn't tell her anything right now.

"I know!" Arjeta hugged him. "I thought you might have vanished too. Johan is still here, come on, we need to all check in to find out who vanished." She took him by the wrist to start him on the path.

Tycho followed in tow. Now there was a world of work ahead of him. Or would it be 'worlds' of work? That would seem more appropriate. Also, ponies! Why ponies, of all things?

The staff count took 2 more hours, raising tensions among the staff. One staffer was thought to be lost, but a few phone calls by security revealed he didn't come to work today.

There was a nervous relief throughout CERN. Tycho could feel it among everyone he was near. He kicked himself for being so reckless. Back in the office he called for the scientists from Australia over to his department for a long talk. He had almost all the notes needed but wanted to clarify some things first.

It was one hour until lunch when the two scientists finally arrived. Arjeta and Johan sat up from their desks, having finally finished reviewing data gathered from Doctor Juan Yin in Beijing.

"You asked for us?" Said the deeper-voiced man. "Ah, its you." He recognized Tycho from earlier.

"Doctor Aadyn, right?" Tycho finally recalled his name, replying to him.

"Yes, and you do remember Dr. Rangi Loto?" That name sounded Pacific Island-ish, Tycho, so he wasn't Korean.

"Yes, thank you both for coming. I...should apologize for that spike, earlier, um..." Tycho could already sense a building confusion and concern throughout the room. "My laptop uses a very powerful modem for the 4g network. I am afraid it may have set off your device." He was not a very good liar, but maybe it would calm down and avoid future problems. Doubtful, but worth a try.

"Well, we'll note that as a possibility." There was doubt in his voice. Aadyn sat down at the center table that separated Tycho, Arjeta, and Johan's respective workstations. "You said you wanted to exchange information."

Tycho nodded. "I have all the data and information from China's studies on quantum entanglement. I'll provide it but I need the remaining research from Griffith University."

Loto shifted where he stood. "We already gave you everything we have, Dr. Hernandez."

Arjeta sat with them. "Except there are a few references in your articles about quantum theory that we don't have." She pointed out.

Aadyn sighed. "Well, those aren't ours. Those are from the University of Tokyo."

Tycho raised an eyebrow. "I thought you and Shanghai were the leading scientists."

Johan made a noise of a man who just facepalmed a bit too hard. "Dammit! How could we forget?!" The shook his head. "Tycho, the University of Tokyo has advanced mathematics that furthers Quantum Entanglement theory. You remember our next test?"

Tycho couldn't look, but instead diverted his face to the direction of Arjeta for clarification.

Arjeta was probably giving Tycho the 'really?' look he imagined when he had done something silly. "You didn't read the press release our director sent out, did you?"

Tycho meekly shrugged and shook his head. He only knew the work they asked him to do.

"Our next experiment was to possibly make contact with another universe. Slamming protons together!" Johan followed with a hint of scorn in his voice towards Tycho, all while making wavey motions with what Tycho deduced from the sound was a news paper.

(Seriously: Check out this article. )

Tycho finally put the pieces together of why Lyra stated the LHC was needed. But the LHC’s calibration wasn’t finished. It was his job to make sure it was done correctly. Still, could this giant particle accelerator actually do the job? Could he get it calibrated to connect with Alex’s world?

Loto stepped toward Arjeta. "You realize the United Nations is going to keep CERN from continuing its experiments until it determines the LHC is safe, right?"

Aayden nodded and handed Tycho a USB drive. “We figured you’d ask. You’ve been corresponding with our boss for days.”

“What do you intend to do with all this?” Loto asked.

“To be honest, guys. I have no idea.” Tycho half-lied. “But it would be good if we can get other scientists to put their heads together on this. Limiting this to just a few universities won’t be helpful at all.”

The Australians seemed to have accepted that without question. “Well, if anything turns up that could explain all this, even stop it, let us know, okay?” Aayden asked. "And we'll do the same."

“You can count on it.” Tycho replied.

The two guests didn’t have further time to chat, but did provide Tycho the remaining information he needed, including the math from Tokyo.

Tycho had just sent all the remaining data, research, math, and engineering to Twilight and Lyra, hoping they would be able to concoct something. He was in his office with his co-workers. The Aussies left to continue their work wherever they were allowed to do so. It was another hour before his ears overheard their door open and several footsteps entering. There must have been three men, Tycho guessed.

"Dr. Tycho Hernandez? Dr. Arjeta Nilsson? Dr. Johan Friedman?" Inquired one of the men.

"Yes?" Arjeta replied, turning in her chair to face them. Johan just looked over his shoulder.

"I am sorry but it has come to our attention that staff have been exchanging sensitive information about the operations at this site to foreign scientists." Said the second.

"Would you care to introduce yourselves first?" Tycho turned in his seat and lowered his spectacles to emphasize his blindness.

"We are..." There was a slight pause as if the first was weighing his answer, "security advisers from the United Nations. It would be in all of our best interests," He emphasized that last piece of context in lowering his tone, "to ensure that sensitive information isn't recklessly exchanged."

The three scientists sat silently. Tycho, being the most honest, though not always tactful, was the first to break the silence. "I wasn't aware collaboration in the scientific community was now restricted. You realize all the science involving our work here is published and available at universities all across the world, right?"

"So you did send information to others without our knowledge. What for?" Asked the third.

Now Tycho was conflicted. Lying was not his strong suit, but at the same time he didn't want to reveal all this was going to a group of friends in another universe! "To guess what was maybe going on. You should expect us scientists to do stuff like that. Its in our nature, and our job." He said nervously.

The other men seemed to stand idly as they exchanged whispers, too quiet for Tycho to hear.

Arjeta finally spoke. "Listen. I know it is your job to protect the information and staff here. I also know you want to see these vanishings end. But the best way we can help is not being hindered by politics and paranoia."

"That isn't something you need be concerned about," the third replied.

"No?" Johan asked. "We've been watching the news. Half the U.N. is divided and everyone is afraid to share information because they suspect someone is going to make this worse!"

"We're trying to keep everything centralized here," said the first. "I have also come to tell you that your emails will be monitored from here on out, and we require you to submit your personal media devices whenever you enter the building from now on. If you would please hand them over now..."

Tycho broke out in a sweat. No doubt they'd search their phones and laptops, and he needed his to communicate with Alex!

Arjeta was fuming. "Under whose authority?!"

"We have authority from Interpol and the European Union to work at our discretion, doctor. It is within all our best interests that you all cooperate with us while we work to solve this problem." Said the second man. "You can trust us to take care of your devices."

Tycho did his best to turn his eyes to Arjeta with a look of concern. Being blind, it was difficult to express himself in any matter that would involve visual cues. Still, he was counting on the fact Arjeta knew him well enough to know he needed her help. His laptop was his only connection to Alex and the others. Arjeta did move her head to face him, he hoped she got his request.

Arjeta shook her head. "This is unacceptable and we will not cooperate until we hear it from the director himself."

As if answering her demands, the intercom had come on. "This is Doctor Herman, Director of Operations and Experiments. I have just received a notice from the United Nations and the European Union that they have mandated agen-” He cleared his throat, “security advisers to manage the exchange of information between CERN employees and the outside world."

"Fucking bureaucrats," Tycho muttered, now looking visually distressed

Arjeta sat next to Tycho and gave him a hug in a mock-effort to comfort them both. "Slip the laptop behind your chair," she whispered.

Tycho didn't know what she was planning, but he did as she asked. He knew there was stuff under his desk, but was unable to judge the shapes and likeness enough to hide something there. He heard something else shift on the floor, but not audible enough for others to hear, he wagered, as if she was moving something to hide his laptop.

"Furthermore, it has been requested that essential personnel of CERN not leave the facility. We will make arrangements in the building to provide places for sleep and food will always be available in the cafeteria. You may place orders through the security advisers for clothes or other provisions. We will do our best to make CERN as hospitable as possible." There was some muttering as Herman paused, almost like he was straining not to complain. Tycho could already hear staff in distant offices shouting and yelling. No doubt they were also irate about this.

"I ask you all to please understand that the United Nations believes CERN might be playing an influential role in these disappearances, and thus must complete this investigation. Please cooperate with the security advisors and hopefully this will go quickly." Herman concluded. "If you have any questions or concerns, please bring them to my office."

"Bullshit!" Johan shouted and slammed a folder of papers to the ground.

"Sir, calm down. Your temper isn't going to make matters better. Now, if you please. Your personal laptop and phone." Said the third man.

"How am I supposed to contact my wife?!" Johan shouted again as the second man restrained him by the arm.

Arjeta walked up to the second and shoved him off Johan. "Don't you dare touch my staff again!" The third looked like he was going to retaliate but the first held up a hand. Tycho stood and walked to stand by his colleagues. There was a tense moment before Arjeta calmed a little. "Will we be able to use our cell phones if we asked?"

The first nodded, gesturing the second to let Johan go. "Yes, doctor. But your communications will be monitored personally. You can come back anytime to check messages. But you will be required to play those in front of an adviser."

Ajreta took out her cellphone and gave it to them. She looked at Johan who reluctantly gave his. The two then brought over their laptops while Tycho waited.

"Dr. Hernandez, you should also submit whatever media devices you have." The second advisor said.

"I am blind. I can't operate a cell phone." Tycho crossed his arms, towering over the so-callled advisor.

"You have a personal laptop." Said the first, slyly.

Arjeta interjected. "He didn't take it with him today, my orders. He kept getting distracted by the World Cup."

A slight chuckle came from the third adviser. He quickly shut up when the first looked at him. "Fine, then. We'll let you know how the teams are doing if you like, doctors." The adviser's joke would have been better received if the three colleagues didn't already hate this situation, much more their bureaucratic babysitters.

"One of us will be staffed with you later, everyone. Don't worry. The investigation shouldn't take long." Said the first as they walked out.

Tycho propped himself off the table, trying to lower his tension. "Shouldn't take long. It didn't take long for our world leaders to escalate this shit."

Arjeta walked up to Tycho. "Look. I need to know something. You had been glued to your laptop more than usual, and I think its because you're cooking something up."

Johan curiously approached the two after shutting the door so they wouldn't be overheard.

"Okay Tycho. What is going on?" Arjeta asked in that stern voice.

Was this how Mackenzie King felt when he had this much responsibility, Tycho thought to himself as he tried to come up with the best answer. "Two independent scientists I know who are...eclectic geniuses might be able to give us a chance to stop this." Tycho gulped. "They'd rather not be known. I don't think they'd be treated well if our worldly officials were found out."

Johan slammed his hands on the table, causing Tycho to flinch. Loud noises could do that to him. "Are you saying you are hoping two of these 'secret scientists'," he made air quotes, "are your hope in saving the world?" He asked in a mix of frustration and skepticism.

"Why can't you introduce them to us at least?" Arjeta pressed.

"They are foreign and I'd rather not know what the U.N. will do next if they found out about this. They might not be able to help us at all, then!" He wiped the seat from his brow. "I know this is hard to believe, I don't think I believe it myself, but I have hopes that if I can work with these two, we might be able to come up with SOMETHING to stop all this." He took a deep breath to calm himself down.

"Great. Tycho formed his own secret club but the unpopular kids don't get in," Johan sarcastically remarked.

"Alright! Enough!" Arjeta said in a raised voice. "We are too intense to do anything and we need to get organized to make our stay here more bearable. Tycho, did you send them everything they need?"

"Yes? No? Maybe? I sent everything we have. I haven't even checked my messages yet to learn if they received it." He sat down in the nearest chair. "Guys. I know this is crazy. This whole situation is crazy! But it wouldn't make a difference if you knew them. I am just going on any hope we have that can make a difference."

The three scientists made sure to keep Tycho's laptop in a safe place on the extra desk, where they piled boxes of files in a way where it can be stashed at a moment’s notice. As Tycho worked, someone would keep watch at the door to make sure those agents (as Johan refused to call them 'security advisers') wouldn't catch them in the act.

Tycho activated his skype but kept it on chat, as a video call would cause another QE spike. He quickly typed his message: <I don't think I'll be able to easily provide more information. The U.N. And E.U. Have gone wacked-out paranoid about all this and now CERN is crawling with Interpol agents. So we need to make our correspondence quick.>

He waited for a response. About one minute later, he go one. <Tycho, it’s Alex.> The words of Tycho's friend brought some relief to him. <We are also under surveillance. I won't get into details but we have our fair share of obstacles. So far we have managed to keep the day guard running around. Twilight and Lyra have worked the past few days with all you sent them. They already have an idea, but need to simulate it. I know you are under a lot of stress, but can you give us another day?>

Tycho sipped some decaf coffee and replied. <Okay, but no skype calls, okay? The call caused a spike that set the whole place into panic. Chat only.>

<Roger, Tyke. Be patient.> There was a pause and Alex messaged him again. <Make sure you can contact Juan Yin tomorrow, okay?>

Tycho checked the email he got from Yin earlier. He had a narrow window to contact him, but it was there. <Can do.> He sent before hiding his laptop under the desk and went back to work.

By work, they meant just rereading documents and going over calibration designs on the LHC. The next day was hell. They almost had nothing to do but sit in their office. The three had trouble finding things to do. They weren't allowed to talk at length with others as the agents forbade collaboration without supervision. They could only watch the TV to get updates on the disappearances. Staff of different departments were losing their cool.

Then the worst happened. Dr. Herman’s cries of despair could be heard on the other side of the building. His sister had just vanished, Tycho heard. Herman violently tried to get out of the building but was quickly apprehended by agents, then put under sedation and close monitoring in the infirmary. It was clear to everyone they were prisoners and there was a growing air of cabin fever.

There was no word on the progress of the investigation, either. Probably because the only experts were being held under quarantine. Tycho, Arjeta, and Johan kept their spirits from sinking further through card games, music, and stories, but that got old very quick. The agents were kind enough to bring board games and books at their request, but not being allowed free contact with the outside world was still trying their patience.

Finally, the breakthrough they all needed came. His laptop pinged an alert that <StarswirlMagic> sent a message.

<Tycho! I have a big file to send you. It contains an organized instructions on what to do with the Hadron Collider and what the Chinese, Australian, and Japanese QE Labs need to do!>

Tycho quickly replied. <I'll do my best to get everyone ready for this. Does this require the LHC to be calibrated for a new test?>

<No, you just need to complete the calibration for the proton smashing.> Twilight replied. <At the same time, each QE lab must maintain a quantum entangled signal right at the center of the beams.>

Tycho blinked. <Oooookay, what will that do?>

Arjeta slid her chair a bit closer to Tycho and leaned in. “Well?” She whispered.

Tycho waved his hand for his boss to be patient. He then received a reply from Twilight. <A massive feedback that should not only stop the random jumping, but protect your planet from further dimensional interference from thaumatized chaonic flux!> He had no idea what that term meant, but he totally understood 'stop the random jumping.'

<Okay, send the file.> Tycho replied and waited until it finally finished downloading. He prayed this process didn't trigger another spike.

Once the download finished, Tycho inserted a thumb drive and copied it.

"They're coming!" Johan warned.

Tycho then took the thumb drive and hid the laptop again.

No agents came inside.

"Sorry, they were going to the maintenance department." Johan nervously scratched his head.

Arjeta looked at Tycho with one eye. "So?"

Tycho inserted the thumb drive on his workstation and showed Arjeta and Johan the contents. Two pdfs. One labeled: 'FORQELABS' and the other labeled: 'FORCERN.' "Arjeta, can you look at the QE part?" He said as he gave Arjeta the the thumb drive. "Just to make sure its comprehensible."

As Tycho and Johan poured over the CERN file, Arjeta silently read her document. Johan and Arjeta must have seen something funny, because they kept giggling or chuckling.

“You seeing this?” Johan asked their boss.

“Your friends are bronies, Tycho.” Arjeta chuckled. “Look, I think that is...who is that...Twilight Sparkle?”

Tycho turned to face Johan, confused and interested. “What?”

“Sorry Tycho. There are illustrations of cartoon characters providing visual aids on this document. They’re actually helpful but it’s hilarious.” Johan explained.

Tycho remembered Alex’s explanation the world he was in resembled a cartoon on Earth. Were these pictures what they looked like? He wished he could see them, then he would know what these aliens looked like. He could only imagine, sadly. Keeping the grief about his disability to himself, he continued to read.

About an hour later, Arjeta said under her breath. “Eureka.” She began as if excited. “This...this is advanced stuff. Its within our capabilities too...Tycho where did you find these two?”

Tycho shrugged. “They are aliens from another dimension.” He knew they wouldn’t believe that as he figured Arjeta was looking at him with annoyed disbelief. It certainly knocked her out of her amazement.

Johan wasn’t affected. “Well, we just need to propose this to the director, assuming he is in the right mind for it.” Johan said sadly. “I can’t imagine what he is going through. If my wife disappears. Shit, she’s pregnant.”

Tycho gave Johan a one-armed hug over his shoulders. “She’s here, now. Help me with this, and you won’t have to worry.”

Arjeta looked up from her work to speak with Tycho. “Tycho...how are your parents holding up.”

Tycho didn’t immediately respond to Arjeta’s question. He had been keeping contact with his family since this madness began. He’d been emailing his dad and mom to let them know he was still on Earth, and they did the same. His relationship with his father and mother was good, both encouraging him to overcome his blindness. Both his parents had Ph.Ds and emphasized scholarship. Love your education and you will love your job, his mother would say. And his dad, knowing how difficult it is for blind people to succeed used his university ties to make sure he had access to the best education. Sometimes Tycho wondered if his dad wanted him to go this far to compensate that his son became disabled. Maybe his father felt he failed him somehow.

Still, his father never let Tycho stop and sulk about being blind. He kept him focused on persevering despite it. His mother was more emotionally supportive. While his dad was an Aerospace Engineer, his mother was a sociologist. She let Tycho cry when he needed to, and helped him laugh when he needed to feel better.

His last conversation with them was assurance they hadn’t vanished. And that was a relief to him. The idea of them suffering the same fate as thousands others was something he couldn’t bear.

Snapping out of his inner-thought exposition, Tycho simply replied to Arjeta: “They’re still here. So doing good.” He then went back to his work. Tycho managed to contact Yin and the Aussies on his personal laptop again, without being caught. Though his connection was slower. He wondered if now the 4G satellites were being monitored. He hoped not. The Aussies forwarded this data to Japan.

As Tycho awaited for replies from all three parties, he and his friends went over the calibration data one more time. It was simple a matter of making sure the beams would hit the protons at the center impact point with at least two QEOs occurring. Calibrating was just a matter of using the auto-calibration systems at the impact chamber. The rest of the LHC only needed some fine tuning to make it just right.

"How are we going to do this? We're not even allowed near the control computers. Only the maintenance and engineering team can inspect it." Johan frowned.

Arjeta nodded. "It gets more complicated. These instructions are organized between departments, and we can’t email them."

Tycho looked at the blonde and raised an eyebrow. "Got an idea, nee-sama?"

Arjeta smirked and used the print function on her terminal. The printer started doing its work to print all 259 pages. "Johan, call the cafeteria staff. I know how we can pass these around. Tycho, if Dr. Herman is in a better state of mind, talk to him."

Tycho nodded and hid his laptop before heading to the infirmary.

Herman was sleeping on a bed, still in his suit and lab-coat, Tycho saw as he entered the infirmary. No doubt this whole experience did a number on the old man’s psyche. Still, Tycho approached and shook him awake.

"How are you holding up, old man?" Tycho asked.

Herman tiredly awoke and looked at Tycho. After a pause, he choked back his sobs and put his face in his palm in grief. "She's gone, Tycho." He sniffed.

Tycho nodded and gave Herman a light, one-armed hug. "We're all here with you, boss."

"It’s got to stop, Tycho." Herman shook his head. "Have you seen the news? Riots, radicals, people are going crazy." He struggled to hold back his sobs. “Even if we can stop this, how are we going to recover?”

Tycho rubbed his back. "I've got a plan."

Herman looked at Tycho with eyes. "For what?"

"Something that might stop this. It’s... a long shot... but its better than just sitting here waiting for our world leaders to do nothing." Tycho lightly smiled to show Herman his sincerity.

He gave Herman a usb drive. Herman looked around and walked to the infirmary terminal. The nurse was on break so Herman looked at the file. It took him a while and he ignored those silly visual aids, simply grunting when he encountered them. "Perform a proton collision at the center of two quantum entanglement occurrences?" Herman read after skimming through the first couple of pages. His interest peeks. "Look at this, Tycho." He pointed. "Mathematical equation for a standard disappearance. They call it a 'jump.'"

Tycho rolled his eyes. Those two aliens insisted on using that term.

"And here, the equation for a feedback wave that will stop the instability." Herman was so engrossed he forgot his grief. He heard footsteps and unplugged the drive. "How are you going to arrange all this?"

"We're going to pass notes, Mr. Professor. What can you do?" Tycho asked.

Herman thought for a moment. "I can try to keep them from stopping the machine once activated. I can keep them out of the control room for a while but..." He mumbled. "They can still cut the power. I'll make sure they won't get close to the circuit breakers either. Weld the doors shut.”

"You think the staff and crew will cooperate?" Tycho asked.

"Have you not noticed everyone here is tired of being a prisoner and wanting to do something?" Herman whispered harshly as the nurse returned. "Look, you go back to your office. Get those instructions printed out and I'll have the sous chef pick them up. She knows every department. Just write down which department each goes to and she’ll sneak them in with lunch."

"Yeah, hide them between the sandwich bread," Tycho jokingly remarked as he walked out.

The rest of the day was like a wave of dedicated caution enveloped all CERN staff. So far everything was falling into place. Each department visited Herman with make-shift ‘get well’ cards. Of course, within each card was a variant of the message: ‘we’re in.’

Tycho and his coworkers were already making preparations. First were the calibration simulations. The auto-calibration system was the most recent addition to this; it was meant to adjust the focusing array of the impact chamber. It allowed electronics and equipment to adjust itself, but only slightly, for the work they were preparing it for.

So far, Twilight’s instructions were clear and feasible. The simulations showed everything should calibrate efficiently. Then they ran the beam collision simulation. Supposedly the beams should cause the proton collision just fine. The mathematical explanation was long, but Arjeta confirmed this process had a good chance to send the feedback wave. In fact, it was simpler than it appeared when she explained it. Two co-occurring QE events would temporarily synchronize as the protons collided, then the resulting impact would cause an explosive feedback wave with the QE fields reversing the QE occurrences that were jumping random people.

The lunch break finally arrived and things were seemingly going smoothly. Each department showed up and received their meals, with their instructions hidden between two slices of white bread. Tycho, feeling tired and barely keeping good spirits, chuckled at and dreaded the idea of each scientist, engineer, and worker accidentally biting into it.

There was nothing that indicated someone was caught (or accidentally ate their instructions) and people went right back to their departments. The three physicists waited in their office, keeping their computers on while waiting for each department to indicate they completed the task for them. They were running their LHC control software, each with red-dotted indicators throughout the system. As each one turned green, it signaled that part of the collider was ready. Slowly, each one lit up as the three waited in anticipation.

Tycho then checked his email. Earlier, he sent instructions to his contacts in China and Australia to prepare for starting a QE event. His heart sank when he got an email from Juan Yin saying his government’s police were banging on his apartment door, and he will not be able to help. Well, that was it. He had no contacts in Tokyo at this moment. There will be hundreds more victims of they can’t do this now! He lightly hit his head to his desk.

“...we failed.” Tycho lamented.

“What?!” Johan turned from his desk.

Arjeta got up and swiftly went to Tycho, then read his email on his laptop. She read it again, then sadly rest her head on Tycho’s upper-back. “We can try again, Tycho. Okay? We can pause this and tell Dr. Herman to give us another few days.”

Tycho shook his head, grinding his forehead on the desk. “The equipment is getting charged and ready. We can’t simply pause it. It will overheat too many systems.”

Johan’s anxiety rose. “Can’t we do something?”

Tycho’s finger was still on the pin-pad when it sprung to life, indicating he had an email. Tycho then lifted his head, prompting Arjeta to get off of him. He got an email from Tokyo from a Dr. Aeko Fosiyuki. <We received your instructions from a Dr. Loto and Dr. Aayden. Do you need us to run a quantum entanglement event?>

Tycho was close to jumping and shouting for joy in his desk, but kept his cool. <Yes. Here are the instructions we sent to the Chinese, can you translate? We’ll need you to use this one.>

Arjeta looked at the email exchange, then gave Johan a wink, indicating there was good news.

A few minutes passed and Tycho received a reply. <Yes, we translated it. We have synchronized our clock to begin at the proper time.>

“Yes!” Tycho clapped his hands once in victory. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are back in business.”

“Um…” Johan said worryingly as Arjeta and Tycho turned around, wondering what the man was mumbling about.

"And what business would that be?” Said a familiar voice as that very same agent with his two assistants entered the office.

Tycho didn’t notice a message on his Skype chat from Twilight Sparkle. <Tycho? We’re sorry but there is one more thing we need to do to make this work! Tycho? Hello?>

Chapter 4 - Into the Rift, Onto Equestria

View Online

There was an intense silence as Tycho closed his laptop, this was bad.

The lead agent sighed. "Hand it over, Dr. Hernandez." He said nonchalantly. "Don't make any more trouble than you already have."

Tycho sat still. Many scenarios ran through his mind on what to do in this situation. He can’t do shit without his laptop. Maybe he can convince them to look the other way? Or will he have to fight them? Were they armed?

"Look, guys." Johan stood out of his chair before another agent stood in front of him. He gulped. "Guys, we might be able to stop this." He nervously said.

"Or make it worse." The third said. "If you have something to feasible to propose to the U.N., then we'll do our best to present it to them."

"In the meantime, please cooperate with us." The second said.

"If we don’t implement this now, it will take days, weeks before we can get it approved!" Johan shouted.

"Calm down!" The second forced Johan to sit back down in his chair.

Tycho could feel an air of anger developing in the room, and it was from Arjeta. She'd been their boss for years and didn't tolerate mistreatment of her team of any kind.

"Did I not say earlier to not touch my team?" Arjeta said with a growl.

"Stand down, doctor. You're all getting too intense and we will use force if you don't cooperate." The lead agent threatened. "Dr. Hernandez, the laptop, now!" He said sternly.

Arjeta turned to Tycho and leaned down take the laptop. "You think you can take one down?" She whispered.

Tycho nodded, realizing things were going to get physical. He couldn't believe her, or Johan approved of this rash course of action. Lives were at stake. This might land them in prison, or get fired, who knows? They'd been cooped up at CERN for days with no sign of change. Tycho thought back to his parents. If they could see him now, if they were still on Earth. Friends, family, and all humans on Earth were at stake now, and this nonsense wasn’t helping.

Arjeta said nothing as Tycho got out of his chair. "Okay, lets get this over with." He said in mock annoyance.

Arjeta walked to the doorway with the laptop. "Assuming you are going to interrogate us too."

The third cleared his throat. "We'll take that, thank you. You can come with us."

Arjeta turned around and presented the laptop with one hand, as she reached for the light switch next to the doorway.

In the meantime, Tycho took a device from under his desk and flipped the switch. A faint sound emitted from the device that he attuned his ears to hear. A clicking noise that rapidly increased pace. His mind then visualized as the clicking sound waves bounced all over the room and outlined his environment more clearly. There was about 15 feet of space between their respective workstations and the circular table. Two figures were near the doorway. Arjeta was closest to it. The other was likely an agent. One was next to Johan, judging by Johan's mass he was still sitting in that chair. The lead agent was right across from him.

Then he heard the click of the light switch. Tycho sprung into action. As hard as he could, he kicked the central table straight into the lead agent's groin, who fell on his backside, Tycho wagered. Johan's mass tended toward the midsection of the second agent, who rapidly realed back and hit the ground. Tycho then grabbed his office chair quickly and tossed it at the third near Arjeta. Arjeta yelped as she moved out the doorway, seemingly to avoid the chair, while the third took it to his face as he wavered. Johan then flipped the table over onto both the agents before they could get up. Using his size as advantage Tycho body slammed it onto them. Johan followed suit, pinning two agents awkwardly under the table. Tycho then got up as the third agent was seemingly disoriented, grabbed a textbook and smacked him across forehead with it. The agent wavered for a moment before hitting the ground with a soft thud.

"Johan, keep them there!" Arjeta grabbed Tycho by the wrist and slammed the office door shut as she pulled him out.

"I have to get to the collision chamber!" Tycho said.

"Hang on!" Arjeta stopped at one of the pager phones and dialed a few numbers. "Dr. Herman? We've been caught. We need to start this now!"

Tycho couldn't hear Herman's words but he heard him hang up. Arjeta then took Tycho and guided him rapidly down the halls.

They shortly heard an office door open as other personnel in nearby offices witnessed the spectacle.

An angry voice shouted, "Freeze!" Tycho deduced it was an interpol officer.

Arjeta guided Tycho running quickly down the halls to try to outrun their pursuers. There were more sounds of running. He heard a shot from a spring loaded device and another yelp as Arjeta pushed Tycho to the right. he heard the sounds of needles hitting the ground, then his wrist was grabbed again and they started running.

‘It could have been an air taser,’ he thought to himself as he was guided along.

"What’s the plan?" Tycho huffed.

"Here!" Arjeta brought him through another corridor. To Tycho's memory, this was a freight elevator that lead to the accelerator tunnel. Tycho got inside. "Okay, come on!"

Arjeta shook her head and he heard a switch being thrown. The freight elevator closed its door and Tycho froze.

"I'll hold them off." Arjeta backed off as Tycho could only listen as she slammed a door shut and locked it. "I'm sorry, Tycho!"

Tycho leaned back against the elevator grating. His heart pumped. He hadn't been down this part in a while. The collision chamber was about a mile away. And he would be pursued... he'd have to walk through that place blind. Clicking or his sonar device would be heard. Plus the support structures around the pipes were frequent and he would need to be careful for cables below his feet. Well, at least it was pretty much a straight line. Though... they could probably intercept him.

He overheard something on the intercom above, sounded like Dr. Herman's voice but he was too far away from it to hear. He sat down, trying to calm himself. He thought of his priorities. First, make his way to the collision control room, implement the auto-calibration.

He had several minutes before the elevator would reach the bottom. He took out his laptop and checked his messages. They still had wifi down here to make it easier for communications.

<Tycho? Hello?> Twilight messaged him. Tycho read the previous message. ‘Always one more thing, of course’, he thought.

<Twi, I'm sorry but we had a problem here. Had to fight some agents to get out of the office. I'm by myself and scared as hell. I'll be going to the control room assuming I don't get caught first.> Tycho rapidly typed.

<Oh no! Did anypony get hurt? Are you hurt?> Twi asked.

He shook his head.

Twi replied, there was a delay as Tycho's elevator stopped and he immediately stepped out. It was silent and the hallway lead to the long tunnel where the giant accelerator piping was. <Tycho, it’s Alex. Listen, we're not sure about this but you can clarify. You read through those calculations before, well Twi and Lyra made an error. Here it is.> Tycho did his best to read what the problem was.

Tycho knew enough about particle physics and recalled Arjeta's explanations of how particles interacted with quantum entanglement to understand the equation itself. He slumped when he realized what the answer was. "You've got to be fucking kidding me." He mumbled. If he read this right, someone is probably going to die.

<So you are saying this phenomena is originating from the aliens' world and the laptop needs to be in the chamber to send feedback to the source?> Tycho replied. <Not only that, but it needs to accept a skype call to link this world and yours so we can send the a quantum feedback. It has to be a timed call???>

<The window is very narrow, buddy.> He read, almost feeling an air of sadness on the other end. <Someone has to activate it.>

Tycho gaped. <You fucking serious?!?! I can't activate that by remote! There is too much magnetic interference! I'd have to be right at my laptop to do it! You mean we're rolling out the 'self-sacrifice' cliche now?! Fuck that!>

There was a long pause before Alex replied. <What if told you that you won't die? You’ll 'jump,' just like I did.>

Now things were getting crazy. End up like everyone else, lost and gone to the space time continuum. <Where the fuck will I end up, Roberts? If what Anne told me is any indication, your life has been hell since you 'jumped!'> He was running out of time. He had to get moving, but now he just wanted to stay put.

There was another pause. <Tycho, it’s Twilight again. Can you think of anyone else who'd be willing to do this?>

Tycho shook his head. Johan had a family and Arjeta was going to be married in 3 months. This wasn't fair! There wasn’t any time to do anything about this, or find a volunteer!

<What if I told you we'll try to anchor you here?> Twi replied.

It was Tycho's turn to pause, now. Jump to a cartoon land? Live the rest of his life in a children's show? <I'd probably be better off dead, Twi! I don't know how the humans in your world have adjusted to living in a children's show!> He was about to reply until he got an angry reply.

<We're not a children's show! We are Ponies of Equestria, grown adults with desires, dreams, troubles, and we have endured a lot to save our nation, thank you!> There was a short pause, probably Twilight regaining her composure.

<Assuming you don't fail.> Tycho decided he waited long enough. <I'll think on it. If I can come up with an alternative, I'll get back to you.> He closed the laptop and started down the hall, feeling the wall as he turned left down the long corridor. He felt like he was going the long walk to his own execution, truly blind.

Tycho stumbled carefully down the tunnel. It was quiet, thankfully. He’d easily hear any incoming spooks. The silence helped him think as he concentrated on not hitting anything or tripping. He felt the wall as he walked while waving a thin pvc pipe in front of him so not to run into any object that may be in front of him. He found a satchel to put his laptop and gear, probably had half battery power left.

All this had happened so fast, Tycho thought. They might have been able to quickly reason with the U.N. officials about this... maybe. All that rising paranoia didn't help them think rationally. And so they attacked interpol agents just for doing their job. They probably wished they could help, but had stick to the book. In a way, they were lucky they had such a clear protocol to follow. His department didn't have one. What was worse was that their problem was being solved by aliens from another dimension. Now they were obeying instructions to use technology they designed, built and modified to achieve something that may save their planet. It was frustrating that they had been so helpless. Maybe that frustration lead them to their actions.

But they had to do something, and the imposed house arrest gave them an outlet. This whole thing was a disaster. They acted brutishly to save their race. Tycho cursed at how they went crazy and rioted, like everyone else in the world. His thoughts were interrupted when he overheard some voices. He felt his heart fall into his stomach until he recognized the subject they were talking about.

"...magnetic coils need to be synchronized to this amperage." Tycho heard, and he quickly made his way to the source of the voice.

"Who's that?" He heard a man ask. Then he heard the man pick up a metal object.

"Hey! Its me, of the Physics and Engineering Department!" Tycho waved his hand before he tripped on a cable. "Fuck...." Thankfully, he remembered how to fall to reduce the hurt.

He didn't sense it, but the two men ran up to him and helped him up. "We heard you guys gave those agents a walloping." One of the men said. "We're technicians. We got you guys’ instructions but there are some things we have to jury rig to make work."

Tycho cursed silently, feeling the bruises. This was like 5th grade all over again, blind and clumsy. He clicked his tongue to assess the area since there was no need for stealth now. "How is the work coming along?"

"Every department knew what they needed to do." The other tech said. "Calibrating this thing under the noses of those spooks isn't easy, but we're almost done. These instructions aren't really good, though."

Tycho raised an eyebrow.

"Ever since we upgraded this beast." The tech patted the magnetic coil, a ring on his finger making a small metallic noise. "We have had to make different adjustments. But we know our baby." He chuckled. "It’s working perfectly now."

Tycho smiled. The man's confidence encouraged him. "It feels great doing what we're good at."

"Agreed. I’m guessing you’re not just hiding from interpol." The tech deduced.

"Collision chamber control room. Though it’s gonna take me another hour to get there at this rate." Tycho shook his head.

Tycho heard a scoff. “I can’t believe they don’t give you guys the keys to the service tunnel. Come on. We have a golf cart we'll take you on." The other tech said. “We’re done here, anyways.”

Tycho sighed in relief. "I don't know your names but, assuming we all survive this, you deserve drinks after."

A new voice replied jovially, “Plausible deniability, pal. We don’t know you, you don’t know us.”

The two techs helped him to their vehicle before they took off. He pulled open the laptop and checked the power, 50% power left. He then contacted Alex.

<Hey. What are the symptoms of jumping? What will happen after I 'jump.'> He didn't know why he was considering this, but he may as well hear them out.

A short time later, he got a reply from Lyra. <Alex here, borrowing Lyra's laptop. You'll feel real sick before you 'land.' You will likely vomit. I found consuming ginger, when I could get any, helped ease the nausea. You're body will ache a bit and about 10 minutes later, you should be fine and normal.>

Tycho nodded. <Except for the whole, being separated from your world and never seeing your loved ones again.>

There was a minute long pause. <I won't ask it of you, Tycho. You said it can't be done remotely. So someone has to be at the point of collision with the QE points. I have had some agonizing decisions I have had to make in my time, and I regret a lot of them. But would you regret coming here if it meant saving your race?>

Tycho thought on that. <Is life livable there, Alex? I mean obviously yes but what hazards will I be facing?>

Lyra answered this time. <Alex had to step away. So we have this magic field, or radiation field that will attack your cells. But it’s okay; we have a couple of amulets we can give you to keep it off you. You can't have magical healing from pony magic, but that is fine because Dr. Emerald has developed substitutes for you guys and Trace's potions work too. So there is that. You will have to learn our culture, obviously, and you will also need to submit to a medical so I-> The message wasn't finished when it was submitted.

<Sorry about that, Lyra is a little human-enthusiastic. She means well. Really.> It must have been Alex that took over. <You can adjust, Tycho. You can live a fulfilling life here. I'll have Twilight order braille books for you if you want to read. Their technology is a bit anachronistic, almost steampunkish.> That appealed to Tycho. He loved the steampunk genre. <But a guy with your brains and knowledge can learn a lot here that can work with magic. Particle physics? Engineering? I can imagine a guy like you showing these guys stuff they can do with magic that they never knew possible!>

"We're nearing the chamber, Dr. Hernandez." Said the tech.

<You might even fall in love and start a family. I know more than half the jumpers here have done so.> Alex said.

Tycho took a deep breath. <You know, the last book I read was about two mountain climbers who thought the other was dead after a bad accident on the mountain. They were separated. One had to do something risky to save the other, even if it meant certain death. I have less to lose than everyone else I know... Alex if I don't end up in a world I will like, I'll find you and whoop your ass, blind or no. I swear it. :P > He closed his laptop and put it back in his satchel.

The golf cart stopped. "You guys want to help me with some engineering?" He asked as he stepped out. He turned on his sonar provider and hooked it to his belt.

"This is our baby too, Dr. Hernandez, what do you need?" One tech asked.

"A montage so we can do this faster." Tycho joked. The other two techs chuckled as well. "Let’s get me into the testing control room and see what we need to do to finalize the calibration. Oh, is there a scissor lift, or crane, or scaffolding that will get me to center of the beam emitters?”

“You bet, doc.” A tech replied.

He took his instructions as a technician unlocked the testing chamber. Tycho fired up the computers and checked to make sure his pin-pads were still installed. Perfect. He ran a full diagnostic on them as the techs got to work.

Tycho wondered what was taking the agents so long to find them. The diagnostic finished and the calibration was underway. The devices surrounding the cylindrical beam emitters adjusted automatically. It was a like a beautiful symphony to Tycho, listening to the pride and joy of CERN prepare itself for the greatest achievement in scientific history.

The techs helped inspect each system as it calibrated. Some things had to be adjusted to meet readings they needed. These instructions were specific in telling them what to do with the technology. It was specific as to what readings they had to reach for an efficient proton collision. They knew how to make it happen. Tycho felt like he was back in his element and it felt good. Still, he wished Arjeta and Johan were here. They could double check to make sure the magnetics and quantum measurements were correct. He was second guessing himself on the whole thing.

His thoughts were interrupted when the phone in the control room rang. Tycho hesitated to pick it up, but did so anyways. If they were already on their way, why not?

"Hallo?" He asked in a voice resembling the Numa Numa guy.

"This is Dr. Herman, is Dr. Hernandez present?" Tycho heard.

"Salud?" Tycho half-joked in response, but hoped Dr. Herman got that he was being cautious.

"Tycho, I'm guessing that is you. We have good news and bad news. We restrained the interpol agents and locked them in the cafeteria. But they called in for help and we've got SWAT inbound. I'm sending your friends down there and the techs to finish the test. Don't worry about anything else. They won't get to any of our systems without a fight." Dr. Herman explained.

Tycho smiled. "Dr. Herman, you have been like a father to me."

Dr. Herman scoffed on his end. "Save the sentimentalities for after this mess is done. We'll all probably be thanking each other in jail after this." He hung up.

Tycho looked at his work and concluded there was nothing more that he could do. Arjeta and Johan will have to handle this from here on out. He thought about what he could take with him. He didn't have much else except the clothes on his back, his sonar device, his laptop, and his autoreader. He shook his head. He thought maybe something like a hazmat suit would be a wise idea just in case. He sighed and dialed the phone to make an outward call. Not like it will matter if the spooks were still listening to his calls or not.

He dialed and waited for someone to answer. After two rings, someone picked up.

"Who is it?" Asked his mother on the other end.

"Hi mom." He replied. "I am checking in. How are you and Dad holding up?"

His mother sighed. "We're very frightened. One of your father's co-workers disappeared. No one he knew well, but it was very scary. Are they still holding you all in CERN?"

"Well, not anymore for now. We..." He stopped and paused. "We have found a way to stop this."

His mother gasped. "My son, are you serious? You mean this will all stop?"

Tycho wanted to tell her badly what is going to happen, he didn't have the heart for it. "Yes... but it is risky. Very risky... I... I want you and Dad to know I am thankful for everything you have done for me. I don't think I would have achieved all this without you two."

"Tycho, what are you hiding from us?" His mom was always perceptive.

"This test will end, maybe reverse the disappearances, I don't know. But... someone has to go... to disappear to make it happen." He shed tears. "I'm the only one who can do it."

"What?!” His mother shouted.

“There isn’t much time, mother. I wish I could explain but if we don’t do this now, more will die.” Tycho shook his head. He was terrible at this.

“No! No! You should find someone else! My boy, my baby! You need to come home!" His mother shouted, now crying.

"Mom... where is dad?" He tried hard not to sob but was failing.

"Tycho! Don't do this! At least wait till your father is here! Let him talk to you!" His mother sobbed.

Tycho heard his friends finally enter the room. "Goodbye mom. I swear wherever I end up, I'll get back to you both. You have my promise. I love you both." He only heard her cry more. He laid his head on the desk, already regretting this decision.

“Mom... I swear, I promise.” He then painfully hung up.

His two colleagues, bruised and disheveled, his friends stood still behind him. They must have overheard him because Arjeta swung him around on his swivel chair and faced him.

"Are you insane!?" Arjeta shouted.

Tycho looked at her sadly. "There was one more thing. Someone has to go." He didn't bother explaining the laptop bit. That was too much to explain.

Johan stood silently, scared and sad. He wouldn’t take his place, obviously.

Arjeta shook her head. "You, are not going in there! Even if this works, you aren't coming back!" Now she was shedding tears.

“Hey, guys?” Tycho solemnly called to the techs that gave him a lift. “Either of you bronies?”

“You mean My Little Pony? My daughter likes the show,” one of them replied.

No, he couldn’t do it. The guy had a family. He turned back to his preparations as the tech looked at him with a confused frown.

Tycho got up from his seat and hugged Arjeta. He remembered Johan and grabbed him by the arm to join them. "Don't make this any harder for me than it already is!" He sobbed.

Johan couldn't help but joke. "...can I still have your gadgets when you go?!" He then grimaced as Arjeta stomped on his foot.

Tycho half laughed between sobs. "If you break anything, I swear I'll find you and smack you."

Johan patted his friend on the back. "I'll name my wife's next child after you."

"...she's a girl, Johan." Tycho smiled through his sadness.

"I don't give a shit. She'll be named after a hero." Johan smiled sadly.

Tycho gently pulled Arjeta off of himself. "You tell my parents, okay? Especially my dad. I didn't get a chance to talk to him."

Arjeta looked at Tycho with red and puffy eyes from her tears. "I promise. Please, please take care of yourself, and if you can, find a way back." She sniffed and kissed Tycho on the cheek, giving him one final hug.

The tenderness from this moment galvanized him to take this plunge. He packed his stuff into his satchel and stepped out onto the scissor lift. It slowly raised as the beam chambers began to enclosee him. Each second that passed, Tycho remembered the finer moments of his life on Earth. Learning echolocation, making new friends, graduating from college, Ph.D., his job with CERN, his coworkers who had been through this whole ordeal, thick and thin.

"This is Dr. Herman, a SWAT team is on its way to the collision chamber. Please hurry!" The intercom spoke.

The two techs ran to the entrances to the testing chambers and began to lock every door. The calibration was done and the magnetic coils began to fire up. Tycho thought of the sequence in his head and prepared himself to activate skype call. The timing had to be precise. He waved his friends goodbye as he climbed into the collision chamber and the lift lowered itself, trapping Tycho inside.

In the control room, they could hear the rear door being slammed by something hard, but it was reinforced with steel, so they'd have a hell of a time breaking it. Johan and Arjeta both took the controls and began. They exchanged readings and information on the equipment as the protons began their journey. Faster and faster they were moving as indicated on the monitors.

Tycho couldn’t see the center of the chamber, but there was a light that emitted no light on the walls, or himself. They looked like two intertwining plaines constantly folding around each other. A powerful visual effect denied to Tycho’s blind eyes. A window seemed to form, with colors of green, blue, white, and pastels. Tycho timed in his head about one minute before the beams would fire. He then brought his laptop under the center of the chamber (or his best estimate of the center) and got ready to start the skype chat.

<Alex, I'm ready. You have 30 seconds.> He typed.

In the testing chamber, the main door was being cut off its hinges by a torch.

"Protons arriving at center." Johan reported, feeling like he was about to execute his friend.

Arjeta nodded sadly and shut her eyes. The automated sequence was going to finish the rest. "Please, God, save him." She prayed.

The SWAT finally burst through the main door with a final hit from their ram. They raced into the center and pointed guns into the control room.

“Freeze!” The SWAT shouted.

Arjeta and Johan put their hands up. But it was too late to stop anything.

Tycho received a reply on the chat. <We're ready!>

Five...four...three....two...one. The beams began to emit directly into the spatial distortion. Tycho was about to hit the skype before his laptop got pulled in. He pulled at the laptop as it distorted his hands along with it, though he felt nothing different. Being blind he could only clearly feel the laptop.

"GODAMMIT!" He shouted and pulled with all his might to hit the button on the touchpad. Of all the things to go wrong. He had a short window. Finally he felt his finger on the touchpad button, not seeing his hand was distorted too. The skype call started, barely audible over the other noises of the machines on either side.

Tycho then felt an overwhelming pull into the center as time seemed to slow down. He couldn't see it, but he felt it. Two forces on either side of him pressing to the central distortion he got dragged into. He hoped he would survive this intact. He hoped this other world would accept him. He hoped there might be a chance he could return. He...

There was an uncomfortable silence and numbness around him as opposing forces enveloped him, then it felt like he got sucked into something. He felt sick, just like Alex said. It was a perfect silence.

Finally he felt gravity reorient itself as he touched the ground, landing on his side. The ground...he was back on land, on grass it seemed. He couldn't hear a thing, only muffled tones that were slowly becoming more audible. His stomach felt horribly sick. He oriented himself on the ground and propped himself up, trying not to vomit. It wasn't easy, but his breathing exercises helped him hold his lunch. The first thing he felt, aside from the ground, was something soft on the side of his face he landed on. The texture was still pretty dull, but what could he do. His arm was draped over something firm and warm. It didn’t seem broken, whatever he landed on. He tried propping himself up, but to no avail. His hand moved to use whatever he landed on as a prop, touching that soft, almost squishy spot. It then immediately lifted itself, pushing him off of him quickly.

Tycho’s reeled at the sudden motion that made his head hurt. He heard vague sounds of something... no someone... female. He could only make out the words ‘first date’ and ‘grabby.’

His other hand located his laptop and felt the pin-pad as it notified him it didn't have access to any wifi. He smiled. Well, he was someplace, he realized. But where?

The muffled tones finally became clearer. “Mr. Tycho Hernandez?” The voice was definitely feminine, like velvet, and one that was used to being in charge. .

He couldn’t hear her footsteps, but he did hear wings and a different scratchier voice from above and to his right, “Hey bigger guy, are you alright?”

Tycho nodded. "W-who's there?" He barely managed as his managed to orient his hearing to his environment. The mass near him was shaped in such a way that suggested it was a creature on all fours... a pony... holy shit! Was he actually making contact with an alien? A second mass approached...similar shape. Also a pony?

“Captain Alabaster Nightshade.” The mare gently put a hoof on his hand. “Now, when you are not busy landing on me and groping my flank,” She giggled, “Just lay down and relax. Rainbow, go tell the others he’s here, safe and sound.”

The second voice spoke again, “You got it, Al.” There was a sudden burst of wind and the sound of something moving away very fast.

His first meeting with an alien and he accidentally copped a feel on a captain. He grimaced.This day was starting off just peachy.

Chapter 5 - Lost but Found

View Online

Tycho was finally able to sit up after the cycle of nausea faded. He felt what must have been a hoof rubbing his back.

Nightshade had been rubbing her flank checking for bruises, blushing. It wouldn’t have been the first time someone had touched her that way. She shook her head to take her mind off that and paid attention to the new arrival. “Are you injured?” Tycho heard Nightshade ask him.

Tycho stared blankly at the ground and shook his head. His mind hadn’t caught up to the implications of his sacrifice. He was no longer on Earth. He got that the moment he ‘jumped.’ He tried another. Canada, he’ll never return there again. He couldn’t grasp it. He decided to start smaller again. No Ontario? That didn’t phase him. Never had much an attachment there anyways. His Euro account was worthless. Slight tremor there.

“Mr. Hernandez, Tycho. I know being here now is going to take time to adjust.” The mare next to him tried to empathize. “But I bet that isn’t what you are thinking about.”

No more working at CERN. That gave him a nasty knock. Happy hour. He’ll never be going back to his favorite pub with his friends. That did it for him as the depression sunk in. Shutting his eyes tightly to resist bawling like baby, he clenched his teeth and held his face in his hand.

He felt a pair of fuzzy arms wrap around him and a soft muzzle against his neck. She must have removed her helmet because he could feel her mane. There were no words, only comfort. He didn’t resist it. It was hard enough coming to grips with his situation.

He didn’t know how much time passed before she spoke to him. “Do you have family back home?” Nightshade whispered.

“I hope so.” He sobbed. “Gods, I hope they’re alright.”

“That will be the first thing we will check when Alex gets here.” She replied, loosening her grip but staying with him.

It took Tycho ten minutes to regain his bearings as he overheard a strange sound, like scifi energy movement sounds. “Nice teleport, Trace,” He heard Alex’s voice shortly after.

Tycho felt Nightshade remove herself from him but still keep a hoof on his shoulder.

“Sir Roberts!” She shouted. “He is physically okay. But…”

“Good job, Captain. I’ll take it from here.” Alex said as his mass lowered itself beside Tycho. Nightshade only inched away.

Tycho moved his face vaguely toward Alex’s direction. Many more masses were present. But they stayed back. “Well?” He asked Alex, hoping he got the gist of what he wanted to know first.

Alex, already knowing what Tycho needed to hear, pulled out the laptop. Some clicking noises were audible until he heard the audio of a news report.

The livestream came through on the Canadian news broadcast. Worldwide, people have reported the return of those that had disappeared. The website tracking the disappearances announced a sudden increase in reappearances. Thus far, all who have returned cannot recall where they had been. Reports have yet to establish why.

Tycho sat silently and listened. The sudden returns was attributed to a planet-wide distortion wave that originated at the Franco-Swiss border. Rumors had it that CERN was responsible for the sudden turn of events, but nothing was official yet.

Tycho sat as still as statue and absorbed this. It worked. Right out of a crazy science fiction movie. It goddamn worked. While he wasn’t going back home, most likely, others were. Whatever was happening had been stopped. That gave him some relief.

He lost track of time as Alex to a hand on his shoulder. “You ready to stand up?”

Tycho took a deep breath and released it, pushing everything else to the back of his mind and setting priorities in his head. “Hand me that laptop. Log me in to Skype as Darksite and let me type the password.” He immediately was given the laptop to log in. He read his father’s skype was online. “Help me out here.” He gestured to the skype as Alex sat down to read the messages and help him send messages.

<Dad! It’s me. I am alive! I can only contact you and mom on Skype. I’ll get back to you two as soon as I can.> He waited for a reply, finally got one. <You scared your mother and father, Tycho. Come home soon.> His father replied as Alex read the message. Tycho nearly choked at that request. His reply hurt to type, but he had to be honest. <Tell mom I am sorry. That may not be possible for now...Interpol got involved. I’ll keep in touch and get back to you ASAP.> His father finally replied. <Okay, Tycho. You take care.>

The entire time Tycho was aware these aliens were watching him. The nearest was Nightshade; he felt an air of sympathy from her.

Tycho then sent messages to Arjeta and Johan. <Still alive!> He refused to use their facebook as that would probably be monitored. Being on an alien world, the last thing he wanted to give those two were more hassles. They are probably mourning his disappearance right now.

Alex helped him log out and Tycho slowly got up.

“You need help getting up?” He heard the voice of Lyra ask. Here we go, Tycho already anticipated what was coming up next, the patronizing. He forgave it since they weren’t used to being around someone as functional as he. But he suspected he would tolerate more of it.

“No, I can make my way, thanks.” Tycho realized, since he was on unfamiliar ground, he needed to break out something he hadn’t used in a while. He pulled out a rod that telescoped into a blind-man’s cane. He clicked his tongue and turned off his sonar device. He felt Nightshade tap his leg and hold up his laptop.

“Thank you, Captain Nightshade.” He received it and put it away.

“Call me Nightshade from now on.” She replied. “No need for formalities, friend.”

Tycho smiled softly. “Then you call me Tycho.” He replied. “Alex, my stuff is USB charged. I am assuming that laptop has an internal power source?”

Alex nodded. “We’ll get you fitted for one. That pin-pad on yours. Is it also usb?”

Tycho nodded. “So, where are we going and how about you introduce me to your friends.” While his melancholy of his current situation hadn’t passed, he was coping well-enough to function. May as well make pleasantries and introductions. If he was to live here, he would need all the allies he could get.

He heard a whisper from the crowd. “That guy’s got to be at least fourteen hooves tall!”

Tycho heard a reply murmured back, probably from Rainbow Dash. "You see? How tall do humans get?"

Another that sounded like Twilight Sparkle asked, "Do you think we can make him something to help him see?"

Then he heard John Cleese say... wait John Cleese was in this dimension? "Sadly, anything we make for him would use our magic, you know that would be deadly."

Another said, "You think he’s dangerous? Steelskin said something about Wargs having piercings."

"Are they trying to whisper?" Tycho leaned in toward Alex.

"Pony senses aren't as sharp as ours, and don't get me started with their standards on 'stealth.'" Alex made quotes in the air. "They keep forgetting we can hear them clear as day."

Tycho decided to remind them. "To answer your questions, everyone."

"Did we just forget they can hear us?" Twilight facehoofed.

A taller figure with what Tycho could guess must have been a wide brimmed hat replied shaking his head, "Yes, all of you keep forgetting that."

"First, I have echolocation. Think of it as a bat's hearing, which me, you, and all creatures can learn. I can make out shapes and I have a good memory on how to find my way around things. Second, I need one of those magic protections Alex has, like right now." Tycho held out his hand.

Tycho then nervously received an object floating to his location. "...who did that?"

"The Great and Powerful Trixie," Bellowed another figure, "Graciously provides you with a magic-sink to keep those nasty particles from clinging to your cells!"

"D-N-A.," Twilight corrected.

Trixie stuck her tongue out at Twilight, then resumed. "Please keep that on and near you at all times."

Tycho felt it was an amulet of some kind of metal. He put it on. "Well this is great, but where do the particles get get dispersed? I mean it can't just keep absorbing non-stop or it will eventually melt."

Suddenly, John Cleese, who must be a pony in this universe, spoke up. "I am glad you asked. This particular amulet can absorb benign magic for six days before it needs to be drained. You’ll have two more in a lead box. When it is full, just switch to the other one and drop the full amulet off at the library and we'll drain it for you."

Tycho nodded and wore it immediately. "Okay, introductions are in order. I know Twilight, I believe I already met Lyra."

"Me!" Lyra enthusiastically approached. "Its a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Hernandez."

Tycho knelt down and extended an arm, which Lyra received for a hand/hoof shake. "Likewise." He said. "I am sorry all I can offer you and Twilight is my thanks. I doubt any of my race would believe how we accomplished it all."

Twilight approached as well and took Tycho's hand for a shake as well. "Think nothing of it. It was our pleasure."

"Well, I would like to examine him." Lyra murmured. "I mean his race does owe us and-"

Twilight cleared her throat loudly to shut Lyra up. "You don't owe us anything, Tycho." She ignored Lyra grumbling.

Tycho made a note to be wary of Lyra. "So who else am I meeting?"

"Well you should meet your future doctor," said Cleese. "My name is Emerald, Doctor Emerald." Dammit, Tycho thought. He hoped he was one of the Pythons. Oh well. "I am the foremost expert on human biology and medical science. You will be seeing me a lot for most of your healthcare needs."

“You have a very eloquent English accent, sir.” Tycho commented.

“English? You mean Trottingham? Oh wait, no, please don’t make that reference.” Emerald begged.

“He sounds like John Cleese, doesn’t he?” Tycho turned to Alex.

Alex nodded, grinning as Emerald groaned. “Oh, bugger all.”

Tycho turned his attention to Trixie. "So, Trixie, I take it you are some kind of sorceress?"

Trixie laughed. "Oh I am more than just a mere adept of the magical arts, for I am one of the greatest entertainers of the magical persuasion in Equestria!" Tycho heard sparklers and small fireworks go off in her direction. There was a brief moment of silence before Trixie giggled and removed her hat. "But you can call me Beatrix."

Tycho remained silent, not sure how to respond to this show woman-mare. "And... Trace, was it?"

Trace approached Tycho and shook his hand. "I take it you don't have elves where you come from, beyond legends and media, hm?"

Tycho stood still as a statue as his eyes widened. "Where do you hail from?"

“Gaia. My trade is what some of your people may call a ‘Black Mage.” The elf replied.

Tycho hesitated for a moment. That sounded familiar. "So, as in fire, ice, and lightning magic. Like Fira and Firaga?"

Trace raised an eyebrow. “How do you know that?”

“Your occupation is on a video game I once played when I was a kid. Black mages, white mages, black belt, fighter, all that.” Tycho held back his slight giddiness. His first jump and he was meeting someone from Final Fantasy!

Trace had to remind himself that these human jumpers had media in all kinds of things, even specific to his world, maybe. “Well, it’s a pleasure to meet you.” He decided to leave it at that for now.

"Dash, honey?" Prompted Alex.

"Saving the best for last, huh?" Rainbow Dash chuckled. She flapped her wings and hovered towards Tycho. "So you're one of Alex's friends, huh? I know what you did was pretty tough, but we all can relate. Me and my friends had to do stuff like that, a lot!" Rainbow Dash toned down her bragging as she explained. "You see, me and Twilight are Elements of Harmony, that is really big here in Equestria, like national heroes. My big guy here," She gestured to Alex, "Is a Paladin with Trixie and Emerald. And there are more like us back in Ponyville." She explained. "I am Rainbow Dash, Element of Loyalty, and any friend of Alex is a friend of mine."

Tycho didn't realize some of these ponies had titles; important ones it seemed. So Alex was also a national hero here, he noted. "And of course you already met Captain Nightshade of Luna's royal guard."

Tycho looked down toward the direction of Nightshade, who proudly looked back at him. "I have you to thank for finding me." He said.

"All in a day's work, 'bigger guy.'" Nightshade winked, though Tycho couldn't see, he had a feeling she was.

"Well let’s not dally here longer. We should get back so Tycho can rest and eat." Alex gestured everyone to start walking to Ponyville.

"No off-road transportation?" Tycho asked Alex.

"No phone, no lights, no motor car, Tyke. Lots of walking. But as soon as we get you fixed up with work, I'm sure you and Eleanor can work on stuff like that in your spare time." Alex replied. "El is another jumper you heard on skype. She's probably had the most unique transition of all of us."

"I guess it’ll be better if she tells it." Tycho surmised. "And there is also Matt, Steelskin, and who else?"

"Tallic. He's a dragon. He might be less friendly than the others at first." Rainbow Dash informed Tycho as they walked.

‘Here there be dragons,’ Tycho noted, but decided to inquire on something else. "May I ask what does being an Element of Harmony or Paladin means,"

“That can take a while to explain, um, Alex can you summarize it for him?” Rainbow tapped her husband on the shoulder.

“In a nutshell, the elements of harmony represent six virtues that are also embodied in some powerful artifacts here. Rainbow Dash is loyalty, Twilight is Magic, and you will meet the other four. Me and the Paladins represent the virtues of redemption. Mine is hope, Bea’s is self respect, and the good doctor’s is acceptance. So while we may all save Equestria or Ponyville from danger when we need to, we also teach our virtues, mostly by living by them,” Alex explained.

Tycho took that a lot easier than he thought he would. They reminded him of the virtues from the Ultima series. "Where are we going?" He asked the group.

Twilight answered: "We're going to Ponyville to welcome you properly. Also, Alex says he got you a place next to his home, but it’s being furnished now.”

"You’ll love Pinkie’s parties, Tyke." Rainbow Dash walked by Alex's side. “She throws the very best.”

"I can tell there will be a lot to take in here." Tycho sighed. "So what kind of accommodations and who is paying for it?"

"You can thank me for that, Tyke. I am using part of my fortune to get you started." Alex replied. Before Tycho could question, he continued. "When I first arrived here, I had a lot of aluminum on me. Turns out it’s rare on this world, like rarer than platinum on ours."

Tycho raised an eyebrow. "What is the most common metal here?"

"For monetary value, gold and platinum is very common here. We use it for coinage. Copper and silver are harder to find." Twilight explained.

That is going to make their economy very interesting, Tycho thought, but how he was going to earn money came to his mind. "Alex, I am not sure what I can do here. You said this place is steampunkish, but I have worked with complex stuff for a long time. My degrees aren't exactly accredited here either. No offense, but I don't intend to flip burgers for a living."

Twilight immediately piped up. "Alex brought that concern up, Dr. Hernandez."

"Just call me Tycho." He waved a dismissive hand about his title.

"Tycho. Your knowledge about particle physics and engineering can be very useful here. I am sure we will find you something. I have connections with the ministry of sciences and magic. And don't worry, I'll give you all the material you will need to read...." Twilight suddenly gasped. "Oh Tycho I am sorry, you can't read our books!"

Tycho pulled out from his satchel a device that resembled a web camera. "I hook this up to my laptop and a little camera on this detects text and the software on the laptop reads it to me. So its not a problem."

"Amazing!" Emerald exclaimed. "Is there no marvel your people haven't made?"

"A biscuit that won't dissolve in tea." Tycho joked. That brought mutual chuckles. "But you obviously know more than we know, Twi, Lyra." Tycho pointed out. "Those instructions you gave us were good; not very specific, but good."

She must have blushed a bit from the compliment. "Well, I had been reading up on it and your sciences for a while. We used special time-slowing spells; very dangerous by the way; to read up as quickly as possible."

Lyra shook her head. "That was really disorienting. "

"And I had been studying on the Hadron Collider before this happened. I even have its designs!" She smiled. "The only reason I was able to help as much as I could was because I was studying it before. You still have a lot more knowledge that is way ahead of our time."

"She couldn't stop talking about it for weeks." Rainbow Dash jeered.

Twilight stuck her tongue defiantly at Dash and began to retort, but Tycho stopped paying attention when he felt a tap on his thigh from Nightshade. "How are you holding up?" She asked.

"Torn between relief and upset, but holding together somehow." Tycho replied.

Nightshade put a hoof on his hand. "Here is some good advice." She said softly.

Gods that was a sexy voice, Tycho thought.

"Don't be afraid to talk about it with us." She smiled. "The greatest strength we ponies derive from are the bonds we share with each other. I am sure it will be a strength to you too."

Tycho didn't answer but gave a solemn nod. He would have received that advice better if it was still not accepting that he would be stuck here; lost with no hope of returning. The two contrasts were fighting for dominance in the back of his mind.

The walk didn't take long as they neared Ponyville. During this time Tycho insisted Alex explain his situation first. It need not be said Alex had a hard time summarizing everything. But just the story, the idea, that Alex and these jumpers had been to so many different universes, many derived from stories, games, comics, tv, and movies blew his mind. Much of Tycho's knowledge of some of these movies were limited to audio-described movies. Star Trek? Lord ofthe Rings? Star Wars? They had been there. Marvel? DC? Yep. Tycho was almost envious if not been for the fact that Alex had suffered greatly in some places, not to mention being separated from family. He made a note not to be too enthusiastic about it.

Then came the part about Alex's life here. Getting to know pony culture, saving a boy from a fire, realizing he couldn't return home, and several things that shocked Tycho and caused him to stop in his tracks. Some of these he couldn't comprehend, and just didn't question at first. So he focused on one surprise: marrying Rainbow Dash.

"So... you and an alien, huh? How has that worked out?" Tycho tread carefully.

He felt a slightly harder tap to his thigh. "Pony, Tycho. Pony." Nightshade half scolded, half corrected.

"Right, you and a Pony... dating?" Tycho asked.

"Married with an adopted daughter. Had two for a while until Grassrunner finished her prison sentence." Alex smiled. "I miss the little pup in my home."

Rainbow Dash hovered up to explain. "Alex Roberts has been the most awesome husband to me. And to adopt Scoots was a blessing!” She nuzzled Alex. “We used to to be guardians to a Diamond Dog named Summer Blossom. Now we’re her godparents. Her mother tried to raid our town but the big guy worked things out give her a chance to make it up to us."

"And she did. Grassrunner is now a Paladin and working things out with the other Diamond Dogs." Alex explained. "Yes, they are anthropomorphic dogs, Tycho." He beat him to the punch.

"So equine-like creatures who call themselves Ponies, Dogs whom are like..." Tycho began to run through the races.

"Think of them as Dwarves." Trace explained. "But not as wealthy, more tribal and primitive."

"Right, and dragons, anything else?" Tycho asked as they neared the edge of Ponyville.

"Lets see. Griffons, Demons, Cows, Zebra, Donkeys, Crystal Ponies, Changelings; those are insect-like ponies who shapeshift and feed off love;" Alex explained as Emerald cleared his throat. "Minotaurs, and I heard there were other races far to the east of anthro-like creatures, like Monkeys and Pandas."

"Earth Ponies, Pegasi, Unicorn." Tycho continued recalling what he heard before he jumped. "Every mythical being we have on our world exists here, huh? Should I be worried about Orcs or Balrogs?"

Alex snickered while everyone else had no idea what he was talking about.

"Oh yeah, a few things to save you some aggravation." Alex stated. "No sharing bread. Like, ever. That is innuendo for a request to ‘get busy' with a pony."

Tycho raised an eyebrow and looked in Nightshade's direction. "Really?"

Nightshade nodded. "Yep. On that note, you like rye bread, Tycho?" The mare naughtily giggled, copying a joke Alex made way back.

“Go easy on him, Shade.” Rainbow Dash laughed.

Tycho rolled his eyes. "Ha ha ha. So, does the type of bread matter? Like white bread for missionary?"

Alex tried hard not to break out into hilarious laughter. Rainbow Dash didn't even try holding back as she landed on the ground laughing hysterically. Tycho just smirked proudly. The rest of the group guiltily tried holding it in despite the naughty subject.

Nightshade cleared her eyes of post-laughter tears. "No, but that's a great idea." She giggled. Tycho chuckled with her.

"Okay, okay. No more talking about that in public. Might be kids around." Alex cleared the tears from his eyes. "Right, where were we. Oh yeah, socks. Socks are considered raunch-wear here, but they make exceptions for humans so no worries. Just don’t show them off. Finally, try to keep any talk involving violence or death remarks on the low, here. Try to use euphemisms. It’s a very uncomfortable subject to most ponies."

"But Alex, black humor is my specialty!" Tycho lied as some of the ponies began to show signs of nervousness.

“Oh no, not another one.” Trixie murmured under her breath.

Alex wasn't fooled, not that Tycho was really trying. "Really?" He deadpanned.

"Dr. Nicnac was thirsty but Nicnac was no more. What he thought was H20 was H2SO4." Tycho replied. There was an awkward silence before Emerald started snickering, even Twilight.

Nightshade and Dash groaned. “That was terrible!” Rainbow scolded.

Trixie and the others shook their heads but were forgiving. These were human-jokes after all. Sadly, Twilight and Emerald were torn between chuckles and guilt.

"I am going to hell, as Alex would say, for finding that funny." Emerald shook his head.

"You humans are crazy!" Lyra remarked. "Coming from me, Alex, that should mean something!"

Alex shrugged shaking his head. "Like I said, Tyke. Tone it down when you're not around your fellow ape." He explained as they were finally entering Ponyville proper as they passed a mansion.

"Right, any other taboos?" The tallest human asked.

"Aside from not being an asshole?" Alex said.

"Hey!" An aged, grouchy voice shouted from the mansion door.

"Sorry Chamor! Same word, different meaning!" Alex shouted back then turned back to Tycho "See? Gotta be mindful of your language. That donkey took offense."

Soon as they entered central Ponyville, Tycho turned on his sonar device.

"Gah!" Nightshade took her helmet off, her eyes turning from the long-slitted yellow to the Emerald shade of green and her messy, long silver mane revealed. "What was that?"

Tycho pointed to the device on his belt that resembled a nokia cellphone. "Its a sonar projector. It's stronger than clicking my tongue so I can make out objects around me more easily. You can hear ultrasound?"

"No, but I have the same on my helmet." Nightshade tapped her purple-shaded steel helmet. "It’s enchanted."

Tycho held out a hand, "Mind if I?" Nightshade hoofed it over. "It would be an amazing thing to learn how magic makes this piece of metal do that."

"I think it would be great if we knew how your kind make these gadgets without magic." Nightshade looked closer at the device.

Tycho smiled. "I'll tell you about our technological history if you do the same for magic." He handed her back her helmet.

Nightshade smiled back. "I think-"

"Woah, Tycho!" Alex tried to stop Tycho as he was too distracted to notice their front entourage having stopped in his path. The man tripped over Twilight who stumbled out of the way before Emerald looked over his shoulder in horror as the 7 foot, 250 pound man landed on him.

Alex winced and immediately moved to help the now-swearing Tycho up. "You okay, buddy?"

Emerald annoyingly got up from his new impression in the grass. "Him or me?!" He loudly grumbled.

Tycho checked his sonar device, it wasn’t damaged. “Fine, but landed on something hard” He rubbed his chest. "What are you made of, Doc? Solid rock?"

Emerald shook off the grass. "Pay more attention, please!" He retorted.

"Hey, it isn't easy for him-" Rainbow Dash was about to shout until Alex put a gentle hand on her shoulder. She looked at her husband noticing he shook his head and pointed to Tycho. She didn't know what that meant until Tycho replied to Emerald.

"Yeah, sorry about that, Dr. Emerald. I got distracted." He picked up his cane. "Remind me to buy you a coffee to make it up to you."

Doctor Emerald waved a dismissing hoof. "Not at all, good sir. It was purely an accident. I apologize for snapping at you." That seemed to satisfy both person/pony.

They had stopped in front of Sugar Cube Corner. Tycho gauged the shape of the building in front of him to be two stories. "I smell a bakery." His stomach growled. “I take it we’re going in there for dinner?” After sensing everyone nodding he dusted himself off and straightened his clothes. "Alex, do I look presentable?"

After removing a few blades of grass from his jacket, Alex gave Tycho a pat on the arm, which prompted Tycho to go on in.

Tycho stopped at the doorway and turned off his sonar device. Then he grinned. Remembering where Nightshade was, he faced her and winked before opening the door and shouted "Welcome to Ponyville!”

Chapter 6 - Put Out but Not Out, Yet

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Alex grinned as he followed him inside. ‘Yep, same ol' Tycho’

The whole crowd that was prepared to shout the same thing stood confused. Pinkie Pie was already hopping in front of Tycho in mock annoyance. "Now what do you think you're doing ruining our surprise?! I prepared this just for you, Mr. Hernandez! You just ruined the flow of the whole party! Shame on you!" She giggled. "Just kidding! Welcome to Ponyville, ninth jumper Tycho!"

Tycho blinked. "I thought I was the seventh."

Pinkie smiled beatifically. "Oh, well you see there were two more but those two authors stopped writing and we never heard from them again so they were kind of written out-"

Tycho stopped listening as he pointed a finger at her and looked toward Alex confused, who just shrugged.

"If any two phrases could define her, they are ‘very sweet’ and 'just go along with it.'" Alex whispered in his ear.

Tycho was brought to another crowd of ponies milling about. "We have a few who'd like to meet you. All whom I know. Sorry this is going to take a while." Alex said as he helped Tycho to each person or pony.

"Okay, lets start with the other elements. Rarity, Applejack, you've already met Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy." Alex gestured to them. "You've met Loyalty and Magic. So in order, Generosity, Honesty, Laughter, and Kindness."

"What? No element of 'free beer?'" Tycho joked, drawing more chuckles from those listening.

"Well I don't do beer, but if cider’s your drink." Applejack extended a hoof, who was surprised Tycho returned it. "Shucks, Mr. Hernandez, my big brother weren't kidding you're very capable for a blind stallion.”

"Applejack, be a bit more sensitive!" Rarity scolded.

"No, that is exactly how I like it. Blunt and honest." Tycho smiled.

Applejack nodded in approval. “Stop by my farm anytime you need something, sugarcube. Preferably apples.”

“Thank you, Ms. Applejack.” Tycho replied.

Rarity then approached. "Well, darling, Applejack and I are both business mares here in Ponyville. My trade is in fashion. Though, you will probably be consulting my colleague Mr. Elusive for your tailoring needs." The elegant mare extended a hoof.

Tycho merely took it and softly bowed. "Arigato gozaimasu." He said to Rarity.

"Oh, he elegantly speaks Neighponese!? Do you speak others?" Rarity asked intrigued.

"Portuguese and French." Tycho stood up. "And I guess that leaves Ms. Fluttershy?"

"G-greetings Mr. Hernandez." Fluttershy's greeting was barely audible.

“Its okay, I’m a world-saving hero like you, Ms. Fluttershy.” Tycho waved in her direction. “Don’t let my size fool you. I’m safe.”

Fluttershy approached a little closer. “It is, um, nice to meet you.”

Tycho simply nodded to her pleasantly and moved on. "Now the Paladins?" Tycho assumed.

Alex nodded. "Okay, so here is my noble team." Alex explained. "You have met Trixie and Emerald, here we have Prince Blueblood, Gilda of the Griffons, and Grassrunner of the Diamond Dogs."

"That sounds like the starting of a joke, doesn't it?" Tycho remarked.

"He's a friend of Alex alright." Gilda took a swig of some beverage before waving to Tycho.

"You’re waving to a blind colt, my dear." Blueblood whispered within both human's hearing.

"He's got super hearing, Blue. He knows I waved." Gilda replied.

Tycho nodded. "The griffon is correct. I can hear more than Alex can." He shook both Blue and Gilda’s hooves/talons.

"Can you hear what wind brought from far away?" Grassrunner said with a deeper, feminine voice. She approached Tycho and put a paw on his shoulder. Tycho could feel iron-solid claws on her paw.

"No, but I can guess you can smell it." He put a hand on her shoulder in return. "Am I doing this right?" He asked Alex, who nodded.

Grassrunner looked Tycho deep into his blind eyes. "I hear from friends you save your kin, but now lost home. You do under free will. You brave hound."

Tycho didn't know how to take that. "I... I had no choice. Someone had to do it and the one who stood to have less to lose was me."

Grassrunner looked at him sadly. "That not speak of brave. You think that of you?"

Tycho frowned at her. "I did what what I thought was right, okay?” He was getting uncomfortable. “Can we talk about something else?" He looked to Alex almost pleadingly.

Alex briefly made some gesture to Grassrunner, who nodded. "I sorry, Tycho. Be well in your life here." She said and went over to what Tycho deduced were children due to their size.

"Okay, well the others will be here soon. How about some food? I've got a menu written up." Alex handed Tycho a pamphlet as he used his reading device to listen to his choices.

"That is a lot of vegetarian dishes. I'm starting to like it here." Tycho mused. "Just get me one of everything vegetarian."

"Wait, you turned vegetarian? The guy who used put bacon on his poutine?" Alex crossed his arms.

Tycho grinned in mock smugness. "I have evolved passed you primitive carnivores.”

They both chuckled as Tycho found a chair near a dining table. He folded his arms on the table and laid his head down. Humor was helping him, but behind all that he was exhausted; physically, emotionally, mentally, even spiritually. Thoughts swirled in his head about his choices and what he will have to deal with here. Rebuilding his life all over again. Learning a new science to become employable. There was a lot to take in at once.

He didn't pay attention to the man who approached him. Each step thumped on the floor as if he was wearing heavy boots, and he was. Matthew Brennan was his name. He pulled a chair and sat next to Tycho, holding two mugs of liquid in his other hand.

"You look like you've got a lot to drink about." Matt slid a mug of cider to Tycho.

Tycho recognize the voice from his first skype call. He brought his head up. "I don't know you, but if that is alcohol I smell, you just became my new best friend."

Matt snorted and sipped his mug. "Enjoy the inebriation. Sadly, I I’ll need a lot more to join you with all the stuff in me."

"Stuff?" Tycho asked. "You got antitoxins or something?" He sipped his mug and hummed softly at the taste of the sweet ambrosia cooling his nerves.

"Nanites. I process alcohol a lot quicker." The man extended his hand. "Matthew Brennan, jumper, Independent Commando"

"Tycho Hernandez, fuck titles." Tycho gave Matt a hearty handshake. "I heard you guys were having some problems while I was having my own back home. What happened?"

Matthew shook his head. "Lets just say our glorious fusion flank didn't like the idea of us playing with space-time. Even if it was to save our race from possible extinction.” He snorted. “Especially after we pleaded our case when we were already implementing the plan."

Tycho tried to imagine what he was talking about with no luck. "Fusion flank?"

Matthew laid back in his chair. "This nation has a triarchy of three Alicorns: That's a pegasus and a unicorn caught in a transport accident, add earth pony to taste." He humored, eliciting a snicker from Tycho. “Alex told me you’d appreciate that joke. Anyways, one likes us humans and gives us the benefit of the doubt; that would be Cadence. Luna is determined to help us humans redeem ourselves of all the things we did in our jumping... with exception of you. You are probably the purest of all of us here, lucky you." He patted Tycho on the head.

"I don’t know, man. I cheated on my taxes, twice." Tycho humorously declared, invoking Matthew to grin.

"You horrendous kur." Matt jeered. "Anyways,Celestia is cautious, and that is understandable if you were the ruler of a nation for 1000 years, alone."

So their leader is long-lived? Maybe her species is to pony as elves are to humans, Tycho thought. "She tried to deter you guys?" Tycho asked.

"Me and the others kept the morning guard busy without breaking too many laws. Her guard isn’t very bright or flexible, not slow to react or to be trifled with if they catch you… But man are they easy to get chasing their own tails." Matt took another gulp. "The ones that found you took care of the super-science."

"I take it this will come back to bite you guys later." Tycho mused.

"Doubt it. Twilight composed a plea to Celestia to just let it go. I won't get into more details seeing you have a lot on your plate right now." Matt said looking at the exhausted physicist/engineer.

Tycho didn’t question that. "What do you do around here?" Tycho asked. "Alex runs a theater, but you? You sound like you've got lead boots."

"That’s my armor, more of a diamond titanium alloy over a beskar core.” Matt patted his suit.

Tycho turned to Matt’s direction and deadpanned. “That sounds like it would make a materials scientist drool and cry at the same time.”

Matt could not deny that. “Yeah, armor heavy enough that I wouldn’t go ice fishing in it....not that I ever tried ice fishing back home.” Matt waved his hand.

“I’m also involved with a boarding school slash orphanage, spend some time playing piano in concert and when I want to do something that doesn’t stroke my ego, I help Fluttershy with her animals.”

Trace piped up. “He’s also co-owner of the meadery I am in charge of, though he spends little time there nowadays.”

Tycho nodded. “And how young are your recruits, Matt?”

"Depends on how you view ‘recruits.’ The school accepts any foal without a home. They start attending classes around the same time as regular foals. The military focus doesn’t start until they’re in their early teens and they don’t get proper combat and weapons training for a few years after that.” Matt notices the look from Tycho. “Don't worry, it's all voluntary and approved by Luna. I actually go out of my way to make sure that they know their loyalty is to Equestria and Luna and not to me. I'm not raising myself a personal army here."

Tycho shook his head. This sounded like a child-soldier program to him. “How does a foal volunteer? They’re kids, they can’t make competent informed consent.”

Before Matt could reply, Alex finally returned with two plates. "Very sorry Tyke. I got held up talking with the others." And gave Tycho his food.

Others joined them as well and Matt decided to table the matter for another time.

Eating blind was not easy for Tycho. Knowing where and what was on his plate was a bit of a challenge, but he managed. Back home half his meals were delivered to him and he could only cook things that were easy and didn't require much precise dexterity. On his plate were several selections Alex had neatly arranged for him. Tapping and pressing each item with his fork, he carefully gauged their shape and get a good idea of the texture. Identifying the salad was easy; a curious egg dish reminiscent of a southwestern omelet smelled great; a vegetable wellington, and a cupcake topped with an apple slice. Everything was fresh and delicious.

There was idle chatter around the table until Tycho felt the air shift and heard the door opened.

"Princess Luna!" Twilight called out as Tycho heard everyone stand to attention as a rather larger figure entered. Suddenly Tycho felt strange as the figure approached closer.

Tycho didn't think about standing as he remained seated while the figure approached him.

"My princess!" That silky voice of Nightshade became a little hard as she approached her and bowed.

"I have received Twilight's report, Captain Nightshade. You have done very well. I will speak with you later about new business tomorrow. Take the rest of the day off." Luna spoke gracefully.

"Thank you, princess." Nightshade looked back at Tycho and turned back to her. "I'll spending the day here if you need me, m'lady."

"Please carry on everypony. My business is with our guest." The night princess bid as she approached Tycho.

"Doctor Tycho Hernandez, I presume." Luna sat on her haunches as Tycho turned to her direction. "You look very exhausted after all you have been through. I have no doubt your predicament upsets you."

Tycho's attempt to maintain a better demeanor was failing. It was as if someone was bringing out emotions in him he didn't want to acknowledge. Was it the princess? "I... I don't suppose you... know... I mean has anyone here worked on a way back?" He was using all his willpower to hold back his returning grief. It was a hard struggle. He was shifting in his chair to maintain his composure.

Luna shook her head sadly. "It need not be said the possibility wasn’t researched, Tycho, if I may call you that." Seeing Tycho nod assured her she could. "What we have done recently was incredible, but whether we can duplicate what our neighboring universe accomplished is another matter entirely. As Alex once said, it would take far too long to ‘build the tools that build the tools’ to make the marvel that was the “L.H.C.’"

Tycho rested his face in his palm, keeping the tears from falling down his face. There went his good mood. "I suppose you are going to tell me I can make a life here."

Luna cocked her head, looking sympathetic. "I won't tell you anything you haven't already heard, Tycho. You definitely don't want to hear that there is no hope of returning, much less to just give up and start life anew. But I will say this." She extended a hoof to Tycho's knee, which prompted him to pay attention. "You aren't alone here. Everypony you meet, every friend you make are your greatest assets for coping. That includes myself."

Tycho remained silent at first until Alex broke it. "I think my friend will be thankful for advice at a better time, princess." He said.

Tycho finally spoke as Luna nodded and began to turn to speak with other attendees. "Nightshade told me something similar." Tycho said. He knew Nightshade was probably listening when he said that. "I won't be a hikkomori."

Luna must have smiled because that effect she had on Tycho seemingly withdrew, allowing Tycho to regain his composure. The night princess went to greet the others as Tycho quickly snatched his napkin and wiped his face.

"You said you have arranged a home for me, Alex?" Tycho said. He couldn't deal with any more pleasantries. Better to just rest this off.

Alex was about to answer until a certain pink pony approached Tycho with a sudden hug. Tycho tensed at first. "Please warn me next time." He grumbled. He was shocked he didn't detect that! It was like Pinkie was ‘schrodinger's pony.’

"Sorry Tyke." Pinkie Pie stood by him. "You looked like you need a lot more of those."

Tycho paid no heed to that and stood up. "Alex, if you don't mind but I need to lay down and rest this off." All that humor and pleasantry wasn’t helping enough.

Alex patted Pinkie Pie on the head and knelt down, then whispered in her ear, “He’s had a really rough day, Pinkie. He needs some rest.” The despondent pony gave Tycho a sad sweet smile and nodded.

They got up and passed two ponies that entered, both were shorter than the other ponies.

"You're back!" The female one hovered up and hugged Alex. The other looked up at Tycho who was leaning on his cane, waiting impatiently.

"Hey pumpkin, Steelskin." Alex greeted both. "I'm sorry but Tycho isn't in high spirits, right now. We'll be meeting for breakfast and errands tomorrow, is that okay, Scootaloo?"

"Sure, dad." The teenage mare approached Tycho. "Its nice to meet you, Uncle Tycho."

Tycho didn't know what that was supposed to mean. "Um...yeah, kid. Nice to meet you too."

Steelskin seemingly stared at Tycho for a bit and simply nodded. "Have a good night, Mr. Hernandez." Before following Scootaloo.

"Two questions. When did I become an uncle and is that her boyfriend?" Tycho asked tiredly.

"Tyke, you were as close as family back home and you are still family to me now. Oh, I’m not saying I want to replace your mother and father.” Alex explained as Tycho nodded in acknowledgement. “And as for my daughter’s boyfriend, yes. His name is Steelskin. Also a jumper. He has had it about as rough as I have." Alex said solemnly. "But he’s been doing much better."

Tycho followed Alex to his home. It was seemingly a two-bedroom house, Tycho estimated as he 'sonared' it when they were close enough. "Hope you made it tall for me." He remarked.

Alex smiled and handed Tycho the key. "You do the honors."

Tycho unlocked the door to his home and he got the gist of where everything was. "So how much is rent, what are the amenities, and how much do I pay for utilities?"

Alex chuckled. "No rent or utilities, Tyke. This place is yours. Consider it a reward and thanks from humanity." He showed Tycho around. "When i got your food back at the party, I mentioned to Pinkie to quickly replace all the meat with more vegetarian stuff, no hay, though.” Alex showed him around. “All the cabinets in the kitchen are labeled with braille. You'll have to hand-wash your dishes, but the fridge works as expected. Two bedrooms are upstairs with a full bathroom in between. You have a half-bathroom down here behind the stairs. Oh yeah, one more thing."

Alex showed Tycho to a desk in the livingroom. He took Tycho's laptop out and after a few sounds of fiddling. "So, remember when I said my laptop is super high-tech? It is also a regenerator. Like, if it breaks, it repairs itself. But if I break a big-enough piece off, it will make another."

Tycho stood and looked at Alex deadpanned. "And all that is known about science and physics weeps. Where is it getting the material to do that?"

Alex shook his head. "Never asked. Reed Richards just told me it could do that."

"You met Reed Richards? Holy shit, Alex. That must have been like meeting a God." Tycho sat down at his desk.

“I’ve had many moments like that and moments where I wish I didn’t.” Alex shook his head. “Anyways, I’ve set you up.”

"So my pinpad will work with this?" Tycho asked as he fiddled with the laptop, getting a feel for it.

Alex nodded. "Its got a pretty fast connection to Earth's internet, lots of bandwidth. Your pinpad app is on there too."

Tycho attached his devices to the USB ports to charge them. "Well I'm not totally disconnected from Earth. Do I have clothes here?"

"We're going to go to Elusive’s tomorrow to get you some new threads. First thing after breakfast." He gave Tycho a manly pat on the shoulder. "Oh, and one more thing, there isn't any toilet paper. They use bidets."

Tycho nodded. "Yeah they have those where I lived." He yawned. "Okay, well as much as I want to chat, Alex, I need to memorize this place and sleep. Just knock on my door to wake me up." He heartedly put a hand on Alex's shoulder.

"I'm next door, Tyke. You need a shoulder to lean on, knock anytime." Alex stood and left. "Good night, buddy."

Tycho simply waved good night as he explored his home. He noted the location of everything in his mind using mental exercises he used since he was a kid. He then headed to his bedroom and stripped. The bed was perfect for his size. Good thing since he hated his feet hanging in the air. He pulled the covers over himself as when he felt the balcony window slowly open.

"That you, Batman?" Tycho asked sarcastically.

"Please, Batmare." He heard Nightshade's voice as the mare landed on the hardwood floor. "Just thought I'd wish you a goodnight. From me and everyone else."

"Thanks." Tycho yawned again. "You staying the night in Ponyville?"

Nightshade nodded. "Was going to get some early sleep for morning festivities." She walked up to the foot of the bed and crossed her forelegs on the edge, resting her head.

Tycho propped himself on one arm revealing his chest.

Nightshade’s pleasant smile turned into shock and worry as she looked at the strange markings on his body. They were pitch black and like wavy shapes all interconnected. They were on his arms too. "Tycho, we need to get you to the doctor!"

Tycho blinked. "What for?"

"Your skin! Its has these markings. Do they hurt?" The captain carefully touched one on his arm. “Has somepony cursed you?”

Tycho tried to forget how awkward this felt. He hasn’t been here 24 hours and a sexy-sounding lady was touching him in bed. ‘Already getting felt up, eh you ol' smoothy,’ Tycho sarcastically thought to himself. ‘Shut up perverted thoughts,’ he internally retorted. "You mean my-Oh! No, Nightshade they are fine. They are ink under my skin. It's art, nothing more. Don't worry about it." He explained.

Nightshade stared at them. "Really? They don't hurt?"

Tycho patted reassuringly on her hoof and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "No, but the needle that put these on me did. Totally worth it, though."

Nightshade, fearing she might be being too forward with Tycho, pulled back. As that Alex was uncomfortable with those things when he first arrived, maybe this human was too. "Sorry about that, Tycho. I’ll let you sleep, okay?”

Tycho chuckled shaking his head. "Its fine. Hey, you need a room? Take the guest room. Save you the coin on hotels."

A smile grew on Shade’s face as she tossed the ‘being too forward’ idea out the proverbial window. “That is nice of you. But I’m paying you back tomorrow.”

Tycho pulled the sheet over him and laid his head down. "Sounds great. Goodnight, Shade." He turned over and began to doze off.

"Goodnight, Tycho." The mare whispered and went to the guestroom, keeping Tycho’s door partly open. Tycho quickly fell asleep while the stars of this alien world passed over Ponyville.

A pair of eyes watched his house as the night wore on.

Chapter 7 - First, Learn the World

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About an hour into the evening, a dark-grey coated, teal mained colt dashed over to the front door that was Tycho's home. His patience had broken and paranoia had finally taken over. He wore a battered and cracked breastplate and had facial piercings to boot. The door was unlocked. He didn't bother quietly going upstairs as his hooves clopped up the hardwood.

He noticed the door to his left was still open, wherein laid the suspicious human he was keeping an eye on. He didn't see Nightshade, though. He resisted the urge to awaken the human and checked the other bedroom. Seeing Nightshade's armor laid neatly at the foot of the bed, he guessed Nightshade was the lump under the bedsheets. He shook his head in disapproval and approached her.

He thought about how he would wake her and decided simply to find a pressure point on her side. He formed a blunt metal tip on his hoof and pressed it to her side, slowly increasing the pressure.

Nightshade snorted and shifted in bed and even kicked her back hooves. She wasn't getting away from it.

"...ow." Nightshade said as she woke up in tired annoyance.

The colt withdrew his metallic instrument as Nightshade turned to see who dared to hurt her while she slept.

After seeing who it was, she glared at the colt and angrily whispered, "Steelskin, what the buck?"

Steelskin fiercely whispered, "You're the most idiotically unprofessional guard I have ever met. You come into the house of a carnivore with warg piercings and fall asleep in his guest room. What the buck are you thinking?"

Outside in the cool evening, there was a still silvery pond that separated Tycho’s new home and the Roberts family house. It beautifully reflected the moonlight as ducks nearby the pond took their rest, with a small stream that fed the larger Ponyville river. It was peaceful and pleasant, up until Steelskin was magically thrown out the window into the water.

“AAAAH-” Steel’s yelp was cut off with an agreeable splash, as Nightshade’s horn dimmed.

Steel's head popped out of the water, glaring disapproval at the guard captain as she shook her head and closed the window. Steel got out of the pond, shook off the water, and trotted back into the home. Behind him, Alex's front door opened with a curious Alex Roberts peering from around the door. Steel went back inside Tycho's home, wiped his hooves on the door mat and looked up to notice a very bemused Nightshade standing in front of him.

"Before you open your chatterbox, Private Presumptuous; Tycho is a vegetarian, he's emotionally hurt after saving his bucking world from a catastrophe of the 'jumping' kind. And his piercings are merely for decoration, no different than a colt wearing earrings." Nightshade kept her voice down as best she could.

"Which could be a ruse to bring your guard down!" Steel, on the other hoof, didn't have much luck controlling his volume. "Have you ever met Blackwoods Wargs? We should be guarding him until we can make sure he is safe!"

Tycho's voice can be heard from upstairs. "Who is in my home and why won’t you leave?!"

Just then Tycho's door burst opened as Alex, crouched, knife in hand, and ready to defend his friends, stepped inside. "What's going on-"

Steel then eyed Nightshade awkwardly. “Wait, you’re sharing his home. He just got here and you’re…” Steel sniffed, “courting him already?” Steel sniffed again. “Already ready to rut him?” He said under his breath.

Nightshade blushed. "WHAT?!" She then put both forelegs on her mouth, regretting her outburst.

Tycho shouted from upstairs again. "If you’re going to burgle this place, do it quietly!"

Alex scratched the back of his head, trying to ascertain the situation after sheathing his knife. "Tycho, should these two be here?!"

Tycho replied immediately. “I can think of two who shouldn’t!”

Nightshade retorted to Steelskin. "It is none of your business who i let into my plot, you cast iron-" She stopped realizing she lose one heck of a Freudian slip (as Alex would call it), now blushing furiously.

Steelskin just facehoofed.

Alex heard that loud and clear and grinned to one side. "Oh, I see! Tycho, you sly dog!"

Tycho shouted even louder. "Get out before you both catch fire!"

Nightshade looked up the stairs with a frown. "Me too, Tyke?"

Tycho paused for a moment then calmly replied, "The guest may return to her bed!"

Steelskin looked up to Alex seriously. "Does he really mean the fire part?"

Alex chuckled. "No, Steel, it's a sarcastic threat. So Captain, I'll just leave you two alone. Don’t stay up too late." He winked and nudged Steelskin out the door as he exited.

"I'm rubbing two sticks together right now!" Tycho warned.

Steelskin chuckled before he gave Nightshade a lewd gesture as he exited.

Nightshade sighed, still blushing as she trotted upstairs. She didn’t go into Tycho’s room, though. "It was just Steel and Alex, Tycho. I’ll explain tomorrow.” She tiredly said. “See you in the morning."

Tycho just gave a groan of acknowledgement and flopped back onto the bed. "First day here someone breaks into my house. That’s what I get for landing in an American cartoon show." He grumbled as he tried to get back to sleep, with Nightshade back in her bed doing the same.

Morning arrived with Tycho groggily waking up. First thing he noticed was he was still in his bed in the bedroom of his new home. He couldn't see it, but his old bedroom at home was arranged differently. There dashed any hopes this whole thing was a bad dream. Second thing was the air was fresh and there was a strange ringing in his ear. Mainly because it was so quiet. There were no street noises, background sounds of housing appliances, nothing. He had been so tired yesterday he hadn’t noticed it.

He searched for his clothes and found them smelling clean and neatly folded on the table across from his bed. Wonder who did that? Was it Nightshade? He shrugged and then heard the shower turn on as Tycho deduced Nightshade was probably inside the bathroom. They both must have a door to the same bathroom in their respective rooms. Not caring he was still naked, he knocked to check. "Nightshade?"

"Come in!" He heard Nightshade's voice.

He raised an eyebrow, was she serious? Has she no sense of privacy? "Uh...is that appropriate?"

"What did you say?" Nightshade replied, audible over the sound of the shower.

"I said; is that-" Tycho was interrupted as the door magically swung open and pushed Tycho back. He nearly lost his footing and didn’t have time to get out of the way (or cover up).

Nightshade's head popped out from behind the shower curtain only for her eyes to fall upon the lithe, athletic, naked form of the 14 hoof tall human. "Tyke, I can't hear oooooh my!" She glanced down and blushed.

Tycho didn’t need to see to know his guest just got a free look at his..."Dammit!" Tycho instinctively stumbled back while trying to cover himself but ended up hitting his back legs on the footboard of his bed and landing his back on the bed. "Razzin frazzin," he growled.

Nightshade was about to go over him to make sure he wasn’t hurt but quickly imagined the implications; she just coming out of the shower, approaching him while he was on the bed... that was a pretty hot image but she refrained from acting on it. Besides, he landed on the bed so he should be fine. "Sorry Tycho! Forgot your human shame!" She went back behind the shower curtain, kicking herself for being so inconsiderate.

Tycho groaned. Second day on an alien world and a woman... ugh... mare got a good look at his junk. "Just sit tight, I won't take long." He heard as the door magically shut.

The human spent ten minutes planning his day. First, food. Second, clothing. Third, go to Twilight's and talk about finding work. Fourth, return here and contact mom and dad. Fifth, contact Arjeta and Johan, wait no, insert between second and third; have a heart-to-heart chat with the jerk who broke into his house.

After getting cleaned up and dressed, Tycho walked down the stairs to sense Nightshade, Alex, and several ponies with him in the living room. “What does a refugee have to do go get a granola bar and cup of coffee around here?” He lowly greeted.

Nightshade floated two mugs in front of him. “Good morning! Regular or decaf?” She floated each a little higher to emphasize which one was which.

“Thank you. What happened last night?” Tycho selected decaf and sipped and sat down in the living room, enjoying the taste of some of the best coffee he ever had. “I want the name of your coffee growers.” He said quietly and sipped again.

“A misunderstanding.” Nightshade shot Alex a serious glare.

“Sorry, Tycho. Thought you and Nightshade, well, you wouldn’t have been the first human to fall for a beautiful mare so-” Alex was trying hard not to embarrass his friend.

“I should be doing a spit-take, shouldn’t I?” Tycho said to everypony’s amusement. “I let her stay in the guest room. She’s the first friend I have made here, so why not save her fees on hotels?”

“Awe, I’m your friend now!?” Nightshade hammed up her gratitude before hugging Tycho tightly. “Cause friendship is magic, right Tyke?” She teased, but was sincerely happy that Tycho proclaimed her a friend.

Tycho deadpanned and pointed to Alex. “He’s the resident brony here, captain. Not me.”

Alex grinned mischieviously. “My little po-ny. My little po-” He began singing, then laughed as he received a series of ‘stop’s’ and ‘no’s ‘from everyone else.

Tycho snickered. “So where are we getting breakfast?”

Rainbow Dash answered; “Grain bucket. But we need to take a detour after that.”

“The department of immigration?” Tycho asked.

“Something like that, Tyke. We need to take you to meet the mayor and the town counsel. They’re pretty nervous about your arrival.” Alex said. “Just let me do most of the talking, okay? You’ll only have to answer basic questions. Who you are, where you hail from, why are you here, etc.”

Tycho shrugged. “Then we do the other errands. Good.” He quaffed the rest of his coffee. “Who else is present?”

“Morning, Tycho.” Twilight waved a hoof.

“Morning, Uncle Tycho!” The jubilant voice of Scootaloo answered. “I am sorry you couldn’t enjoy the rest of the party. Oh, and you can call me Scoots if you want.”

Tycho yawned. “It’s no problem, ‘half-pint.’”

Alex lovingly snickered, much to Scootaloo’s annoyance. Scootaloo raised an eyebrow. “Half-pint?”

Nightshade giggled into one hoof as Tycho grinned. “It is tradition for the uncle next door to be eccentric and thus, come up with clever nicknames for his nieces.” That got some laughs from the mares in the room.

Scootaloo gave an annoyed look and looked at her adopted father. “Can we trade him for an Uncle Chamor?” That earned more laughs.

Tycho stood up as everyone got ready to walk out. He walked through the front entrance to sense a pony a little taller than Scootaloo, trotting up to him from across the street.

“Steel, I told you to come over later.” Alex followed Tycho outside. “Let the man get some breakfast, first.”

“This will only take a second, Alex.” The colt replied respectfully, then turn to look at Tycho facing down on him.

“Excuse me, Mister Tycho.” The colt had a respectful, but remorseless tone. “I must apologize for my actions last night. I have met some vicious humans in my travels and, between that and the piercings, I feared for Captain Nightshade’s life.” The colt shot Nightshade a serious glance.

The Nightguard Captain just rolled her eyes.

“You mean piercings like yours?” Tycho asked.

“Yes. Exactly like mine.” Steelskin stated aggressively.

“Wow. They let you kids get piercings that early, huh?” Tycho folded his arms.

“I got them when I was jumping, Mr. Tycho.” Steel corrected, a hint of sadness in his voice. “And they mean something.” He took a deep breath as if he was holding back a bad memory, Tycho noted. “What about yours?”

“Ah, that’s right, you’ve gone what Alex went through.” Tycho said sympathetically and knelt down. “Let me offer you a proper handshake, kid.” Steel extended his hoof and accepted it. “Now, see? You’re shaking hands with someone who looks dangerous, but you don’t judge a book by its cover, right?”

Steel gave him that. “That is why I was observing you.”

“Oh, you did more than that, as you just confessed.” Tycho shook his head. Everyone else just watched but Scootaloo went to Steel’s side.

“Can you give him a break, Uncle Tycho? He is very protective of us.” Scootaloo asked shooting Steel a grin.

“That is what I am doing now.” Tycho let go of Steel’s hoof. “As for my piercings, they mean ’I look good with metal on my face and I don’t care if other people disapprove.’”

Steelskin’s eyed the human’s piercings. “So it’s purely cosmetic?”

“As the tattoo’s on my torso, yes.” Tycho replied. “Second, you don’t have my permission to enter my house uninvited, especially when it involves harassing my guests.” He gestured in Nightshade’s direction. “You do that again and you’ll be explaining yourself to a judge.”

“A judge? What judge?” Scootaloo asked.

Tycho blinked then looked up at Alex for clarification. “You guys don’t have a justice system?”

“He means the mayor or town counsel, Scoots. On Earth, our justice systems often have appointed or elected officials, depending on where you are.” Alex explained.

Steelskin looked deeper into Tycho’s white and white eyes and finally shrugged. “If Alex’s trusts you, I’ll give you a fair chance.” Stubborn dude won’t relent, Tycho observed.

Tycho stood, then got a look like he had an idea. “Oh yeah, you and Scoots are dating, right?” He said with a twinkle in his eye.

“Oh no you won’t.” Scootaloo warned pointing a hoof at the towering human.

“Oh yes I will. Since you are dating Half-Pint,” Tycho pointed a finger at Steelskin. “By proxy, your nickname is Steelbutt.”

The teenage colt deadpanned. “Really?”

Alex chuckled. “So, Steelbutt and Half-Pint. Perfect couple.”

“Dad! Not you too!” Scootaloo whined.

“Yeah, only Uncle Tycho can call them that, you big lug.” Rainbow Dash patted Alex on the head playfully as Scootaloo groaned.

Steelskin sighed softly. “I’m heading to Gary and Ms. Redheart’s place.” He nuzzled Scootaloo. “See you later?”

Scootaloo simply nodded as her respective group went to the Grain Bucket.

A walk through downtown Ponyville made Tycho feel like has strolling through a petting zoo. Shapes of ponies kept coming within range and he was afraid if he didn't pay attention, he might trip on one. Of course many had stood still to see the blind newcomer walking with their group. There was the expected poorly-hushed chatter about 'the human the mayor allowed to come here' or 'Celestia's flank he's bigger than Mr. Roberts!'

Another thing he noticed was these ponies trotted twice as fast as a normal walk for humans. Either everypony was in a hurry or this was normal walking speed for them.

"So," Tycho started to drown out the peanut gallery. "Since we're slowing some of you down, how about I point my cane at a building and someone tells me what its for." He started.

The ponies took turns naming the buildings.

Rainbow Dash took the first one. . "That's the Ponyville bank. Mr. Chamor works there. Grumpy guy but for some reason he likes it that way."

Twilight named another. "That is Bonbon's candy shop. Lyra lives there as well."

And one building after another as Tycho committed each to memory as he walked. This, he decided, would be his starting path as he committed to memory his mental map of the town. The process of learning everything would take him several weeks, of course. But knowing where the market is would be important.

They then passed through the Ponyville market district.

"Are these market stalls, Alex?" Tycho asked.

"Oh yeah. So Tycho, how did you do your food shopping?" Alex asked with a hint of concern.

"Social services in Switzerland had a person meet me at the market to help me shop since I couldn't see the products or quality of them." Tycho frowned. "Aaaaand, most of my meals were delivered to me since I couldn't cook anything complex."

Dash looked at Twilight and gestured to Tycho. Twilight nodded with a smile. "Don't worry, we're hooking him up with some help after breakfast."

"Good, I'm glad you have social services for the disabled." Tycho complimented when they finally arrived at the restaurant.

Twilight paused for a brief moment, staring at him with a confused expression. “Number five, ask Alex what ‘social services’ means,” she whispered under her breath.

Tycho noticed the chairs at the restaurant were too short. He simply sat Indian style on his 'chair' given his knees would have gone up to his chin had he sat any other way. He noticed Alex did the same.

Alex was curious about something Twilight had mentioned earlier. "So Twi, you said you found some leads for Tycho to work in his field? . How did you do it??"

"Oh! Well I sent letters to the M.S.T. - That’s ministry of magic, science, and technology - with copies of Mr. Tycho's curriculum vitae and clarification notes on what he did." Twilight proudly proclaimed.

Tycho blinked, "While I appreciate that, Twi. Could you have run your summary by me before you have sent it out?" Tycho asked. "I understand you wanted to make sure I could get settled, but I'd rather describe myself as I intended."

Twilight seemed taken aback, but retained her composure. "Well that is fair, Tycho. Though I hope you can appreciate I managed that on top of helping you save your world."

"And you have my thanks for all of that. Just don't move faster than I can keep up." Tycho replied.

They left it at that as they finally ate.

"So I heard from Matthew you guys had a conflict with Celestia during all that mess." Tycho said too low for the surrounding patrons to hear, while his table stopped in awkward silence. "I bring that up because I don't want you guys enduring any more trouble."

Dash and Twi both looked at each other awkwardly, obviously trying to think of a quick way to assure Tycho he had nothing to worry about. "Bigger guy." Nightshade broke the silence. "Celestia isn't going to be a problem. Twilight is her personal student and Twi did only what a good Element of Harmony would. Everything Celestia taught her played a crucial role in Ms. Sparkle's decision to act."

"So I have nothing to worry about? No anti-human leagues? No crazies with strange sentiments toward humans?" Tycho inquired.

"You mean like Lyra?" Rainbow quickly remarked.

"Dash." Alex’s warning tone prompted his wife to hold back on putting her ex down.

"Lyra is a human enthusiast, nothing more. She has done a lot better since Matthew arrived." Twi proclaimed before finishing her egg dish.

Tycho looked at Alex with an inquiring expression. "She engaged in anthropological studies toward me without me knowing for a while and we had to have a major discussion about boundaries, consent-" Alex began to explain.

"And butting into our family." Dash quickly followed. Alex looked at Dash. "Hey, she knew she was wrong saying things about us in front of our daughter."

Scootaloo, who had been silent for a while, spoke up. "Mom, I thought you and Lyra forgave each other."

"We did. I am still saying it was wrong." Dash sat stalwart.

Alex smiled and scratched his wife behind the ear. "I know you weren't trying to open up old wounds." Dash smiled and rested her head on his shoulder.

As the breakfast nearly concluded, Alex went into more of the things he learned about ponies. “One thing you’ll probably have noticed already is that ponies are even worse whisperers than humans. Our senses are much better than ponies.”

“So does that mean Tycho is a hearing prodigy compared to you, Alex?” Twilight asked.

“No, Twilight. Every human and maybe pony can do what I do. It just seems like its super-hearing because I use it more often.” Tycho explained.

“Can you teach it to others?” Rainbow asked, very interested.

Tycho shrugged. “Maybe? I never considered myself a teacher.”

“That also makes it impossible to sneak up on you, unless you’re distracted.” Alex mused, then chuckled. “Oh yeah, that reminds me. So remember when I said ponies have difficulty being stealthy?”

“Not this again.” Nightshade groaned.

“Tycho, I’m not kidding about this. They considered camouflage the equivalent of holding two small branches in front of themselves while laying low.” Alex pointed out.

Tycho snickered. “You serious? And nopony could see through that?” He turned to Nightshade.

“Hey, it works for us. Its not our fault you guys are all-sensing.” The night captain stuck her tongue out.

Alex laughed. “You should have seen their upgrade. A small bush on top of a helmet.” That caused Tycho to break into a belly laugh while the ponies of the group rolled their eyes.

Noticed by no one, a mint green potted plant in the corner watched the humans with interest. Lyra, with a smug grin, thought to herself, “You underestimate pony ingenuity, Mr. Roberts.”

Scootaloo giggled. “Steel told me Tallic once put a bush on his head and both Lyra and Bonbon freaked out thinking he disappeared.”

Lyra grumbled silently to herself.

It seemed the meeting for Tycho's admission into Ponyville was urgent, for they were let in almost immediately. Tycho sensed he was in a larger room with what was likely the town board of officials, all seated and getting ready for their scheduled hearing.

Tycho remained seated with his entourage behind him. At the same time, Lyra maintained her disguise next to another potted plant at the entrance to the main chamber.

"Mr. Tycho Hernandez?" Said the mare at the center.

Tycho stood up and made his way carefully to the podium. "That is I." He answered.

"Can you state your full name for the record?" Asked the mare.

"Tycho Masayoshi Hernandez." He replied.

"Thank you. Now, your vouchers, that is Mr. Roberts, Mrs. Dash, Ms. Sparkle, and with a letter of approval from Princess Luna, have all elaborated to the reason of your arrival. We have not done this with any other human that arrived here, but know that we aren't discriminating against you, Tycho. There is some facts we need to clarify because your arrival has been under some strange circumstances." The mare replied. "Oh, and perhaps we should introduce ourselves to you as well. I am Mayor Mare, obviously the Mayor of Ponyville."

'Not a very creative name but oh well.' Tycho thought. Four others introduced themselves as town board members, Berry Punch, Filthy Rich, Gale Force, and Golden Coins.

Tycho noticed Alex wave to Golden Coins briefly as he nodded in his direction. They must know each other, he concluded.

"So now that we are introduced, we just need to clarify your involvement in the event that led to your relocation here. If you don't mind telling it in brief." Mayor requested.

Tycho nodded and told it. He refrained from explaining the finer details of how their machines worked. He emphasized that he didn’t have the time, nor the years to explain it now. It took about twenty minutes as Tycho was brought a glass of water to wet his throat after that long explanation.

"So you had no choice but to go inside the chamber and activate that laptop device, thus why you are here." Rich clarified.

Tycho sadly nodded. "I suppose one could argue I always had a choice. I guess it's accurate to say I didn't have a better choice." He sighed.

"Now, Mr. Tycho. You are blind, yes? Yet just from observing you here, you seem to get around just fine." Mayor adjusted her glasses.

"In a matter of speaking, I can memorize where I have been, but it isn't a perfect memory. I can lose my way and that isn't a comfortable situation. I also can't read without technological aid, which I have back home, plus a few things we take for granted aren't easy for me. But I emphasize highly on my independence. I can't watch a movie or read a comic book, but I can do other things that don't exclusively require sight." Tycho explained as he took a gulp of water.

"That is quite an accomplishment, Mr. Hernandez, as evident by your education. A doctoral degree and two masters.” Coins cleared his throat. “Are you aware of the other circumstances involved in your arrival here? The one's involving your new friends?" Gold coins pointed to Alex and the others.

"I," Tycho stopped himself before he answered. He didn’t want to get them in trouble saying something that might implicate someone, but neither did he want to add to any conspiracy. Best to play it safe, he decided. "I cannot confirm allegations I did not witness."

"Fair enough, Mr. Hernandez." Gold Coins picked up a paper. "I am going to read the following: obstructing a royal investigation, resisting arrest, mischief, and an unofficial count of the use of unknown magic without approval." He put the paper down. "Because of the town's position as a hub for you and other jumpers, you will understand that we are nervous that actions like this will bring more trouble than we can handle. Do you understand?"

Tycho thought for a moment. "I fully understand the extent that my friends took to save my race, counsel.” He said without remorse. “However, I am glad things did not escalate further."

"Let’s hope it does not." Filthy Rich remarked. "With that, Tycho, given your condition as blind, we are here to let you know that, combined with taxes and grants we can receive from the crown, we can provide services to you as we have with others." He explained. "Is there anything in particular you will need?"

"Back home I had a nutritionist accompany me to the market to buy basic ingredients for simple meals I can make, like stir fry, salads, or pasta. I don't suppose I can get the same." Tycho asked.

"Somepony should be easy to find." Mayor answered. "Anything else?"

Tycho thought about the meal delivery he used to get. "I also had the occasional meals delivered to me. Well, not occasional. About half the time, really." He hoped they'd say yes.

There was an uncomfortable delay as the five huddled for a moment. "Are you telling us there were no family members that could help with that? We might be able to get volunteers, but we cannot be sure of it." Gale Force explained.

Tycho scratched the back of his head nervous and looked back at Alex and the others.

"That shouldn't be a problem." Alex piped up.

Tycho nodded and turned back, deciding a little humor would add to a good impression. "And, one last thing. Back home I got one free beer per day, you see. It was a our famous ‘beer for the blind project,’ and-"

Berry Punch, who hadn't shown much activity on the board fell back in her chair laughing. "I like this guy."

Tycho followed up. "It was tax money nobly spent, I swear." He joked while faking sincerity.

The town board took his joke well with shared chuckles and giggles. "Berry Punch, sober up already and get back in your seat!" Mayor scolded. "Um, right, Tycho? No. Funny. But no. You can purchase children's drinks on your own." She smiled.

Tycho raised an eyebrow. “Children’s drinks?”

The mayor stood from her chair. "Well, if there is anything else, I think we can officially-"

There was the sound of a throat clearing in the room. "Excuse me." Tycho heard a deep male voice from the back of the room. "If I may speak about the matter."

"And who are you and why are you interfering with this meeting?" Mayor Mare asked.

A stallion, Tycho deduced, sounding middle aged and academically cultured approached the podium on the other side. "My name is Arcane Seeker, Head Minister of the Ministry of Magic, Science, and Technology, and I wish to submit a request for a royal inquiry into the matter of this colt’s arrival and the involvement of those whom have helped him.”

Chapter 8 - Always One More Thing

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There was an air of surprise with a slight hint of fear as the Minister finished his statement.

"This hearing is based on Mr. Hernandez's instatement as a resident Ponyville, Sir." Mayor Mare adjusted her glasses. "Though we welcome the Honourable Arcane Seeker witnessing our proceedings."

All except Tycho could see who stepped forward to the podium opposite of him. The new speaker was a unicorn of an orange coat with a crimson mane. He bore a cutiemark of a complex five-point star surrounded by a circle with smaller symbols decorating it, and an eye in the center. His eyes of a very dark brown turned to eye Alex, then Tycho before he calmly reoriented his attention to the council. Tycho faced Alex's direction and gestured to Seeker, as if asking Alex if he's going to do anything about this intrusion. Alex remained calm and observed.

Seeker cleared his throat. "I am well aware of the irregular nature of my presence, but I assure you my inquiries are very much relevant to this proceeding." This person’s voice sounded arrogant, the kind you get when you have every right to be.

The ponies at the bench quickly exchanged glances, then nodded as one. Gale Force spoke on behalf of his fellow council members. "We have scheduled this meeting to go 10 more minutes."

Tycho sighed, annoyed. "Fine, the floor is yours. We'll be going."

He sensed the table behind him shift to block his exit. "I think you should be here to listen to this, human," Arcane Seeker said to Tycho.

If there was one thing Tycho was in no mood for, it was more bureaucratic bullshit. "You-" He gritted his teeth as Alex immediately stood up and put a hand on Tycho's shoulder.

His friend whispered, "Don't."

That voice dripping with arrogance started to monologue. "For more than a year, we have seen the arrival of humans,” he paused, as if to remove a bad taste in his mouth, “of a variety of powers, technology, weaponry, and skill. It was thanks in part to the documentation provided from our reliable researchers that we have learned so much about them." Seeker began.

Lyra was still hiding in her potted plant disguise, her brow furrowed in concern. She had been turning in research notes on humans for a while now. What were they using it for?

"If it had only been the arrival of Alex Roberts, then we would have no reason to be suspicious. And then arrived an," Seeker cleared his throat, "’independent commando’ whom Princess Luna, in her infinite wisdom, has permitted the sharing of military secrets to.” He shook his head in disapproval. “Then the arrival of a female of incredible power. Power that may be on par with a Princess!"

Tycho balked at that. Was he talking about Eleanor? She was the only female human jumper spoken of.

"There is, of course, Trace, whose circumstances of arrival with Twilight Sparkle is strange at best. Moreover, he has association with powerful entities from his realm that ignore the boundary between our worlds. Then, a dragon and a pony have been torn from our world and have returned with strange and outlandish powers." Continued Seeker.

Scootaloo narrowed her eyes and frowned at the stallion, mirroring her mother, who wanted to toss that unicorn out the courthouse.

"And now we have come to the most serious of these occurrences. The deliberate pulling of this human, Dr. Tycho Hernandez, a human of considerable technical and scientific knowledge." Seeker stomped a hoof on the podium. “And what, you may ask, is very strangest of all? All of these jumpers have ended up in Equestria. Not the Griffon Kingdom, not Zebrica, not the Minotaur Badlands or the Great Ocean Depths of the Seaponies, no. Equestria. Each-and-every-one.” That left everypony silent, as the council began to consider his words.

“What are you implying, Minister?” Asked Gold Coins..

He turned to sneer at such a stupid question, “Implying? I imply nothing. I will say it plainly. This is a precursor to invasion. There in no other rational explanation.” Arcane’s eye radiated righteous anger. Why weren't these fools seeing the truth?

Alex stood up. "Minister, it has been determined scientifically by Twilight Sparkle and Lyra Heartstrings, and validated by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, that our jumping, with the exception Tycho and Mr. Trace, was strictly random and not deliberate," he said softly. "I can fully understand, though, why this would seem like we were trying to invade your world. We aren't, I assure you. We are here to live our remaining years in peace. And it should be clear that Tycho did not get pulled here intentionally, but out of necessity."

"The road to Tartarus is often paid with good intentions; your words Mr. Roberts." Seeker manifested in a set of papers. "These are reports I have acquired from the crown as per my right as Minister to investigate dangerous magical occurrences. This is one of our sworn duties of MTS. And it is my fear that these jumpers are merely a preview of what is to come in the future."

Mayor Mare sighed. "And what do you fear may come of all this, Minister?"

"More dangerous arrivals." Seeker then pointed to Alex and Tycho. "And these jumpers may be the beacons for their coming."

Rainbow Dash flapped up. "If you think Alex is bringing other jumpers here, you are crazy!"

"Am I? I suspect something outside your husband’s control is at work here. You and the other jumpers may not be aware of it, but I am determined to seek it out. It is no coincidence that other jumpers arrived after you, Mr. Roberts." The minister addressed the older human. "And now that we know a controlled jump can be performed, I think it is appropriate you and your fellow jumpers be contained while an in-depth investigation is con-"

Tycho burst out laughing. Much to the surprise of the entire court. Alex tried to calm him down but Tycho pushed away his arm.

"Does something amuse you, Mr. Tycho?" Seeker asked with a raised eyebrow.

Tycho cleared his eyes. "Life is just funny." He heard this schpiel before, from those agents back at LHC. So he escaped one detainment to fall right into another. He didn’t notice Seeker narrowing his gaze at Tycho in strong disapproval.

"Request denied." Mayor Mare adjusted her glasses.

Upon hearing the Mayor's ruling, the minister quickly spun to face her. "You cannot-"

"Don't contest me in Equestrian law, Minister. When Celestia decreed the jumpers were to be given amnesty and citizenship, that provided them with dispensation from the government. They are protected by the same laws we are. Celestia permitted Tycho to receive amnesty before his arrival, which grants him the same rights as a citizen. Thus he cannot be detained at your order without written permission from the crown." Mayor concluded.

The minister gritted his teeth. "That will take months, Mayor. It would be best simply let me run this investigation now."

"Very well, we shall let the council decide. Would everypony please weigh in?" Mayor Mare sat comfortably with a twinkle in her eye.

"I deny the request." Filthy Rich stated. "The Jumpers have proven themselves good members of society. I see no reason to change that.”

"Denied." Said Gale Force. “Even if Tycho was pulled here deliberately, The Paladin of Redemption has stated it was a sacrifice to save his people from a jumping catastrophe.”

"I abstain." Gold Coins replied, much to everyone (but Alex's) surprise.

Berry Punch merely belched as she lazily leaned back in her chair. Mayor Mare deadpanned toward the mare for a moment before she turned to the court. "That means no. Thus, with four votes and one abstain, your request to detain our citizens, and our more recent guest,” She gestured to Tycho, “is hereby denied. You will have to petition the proper ministries and the princesses to receive authority in this matter."

"Minister, while I don't want to be detained, I'll be happy set time aside to meet you and arrange for-" Alex couldn't finish the sentence as Seeker interrupted.

"Mares and Gentlecolts, expect to receive a summons to the Council of Nobles in the near-future." Arcane sneered and teleported away.

No one had noticed until Rainbow Dash turned to see Twilight in a state of shock, almost pale.

"Twi? Twilight!" Rainbow Dash shook her friend out of her stupor.

Twilight looked at Alex. "I'm, I'm sorry. I mean, I don't know why Minister Seeker is here, I swear I never wrote anything to them to warrant this!" She sobbed.

"If... our guests would please take their leave? We have other business to attend to." Mayor Mare sighed. “And Mr. Hernandez, this isn’t how I wanted you to be welcomed to our humble town. But, for what it's worth, you are most welcome here among us.

Tycho said nothing. He shoved the table out of the way and stormed out, passing by the disguised Lyra as she shook; also pale. Also upset. "N-no. This wasn't supposed to happen." She muttered under her breath.

Nightshade, who hadn't said anything, followed Tycho with Alex in tow. Alex looked to his left, seeing Tycho propping himself against the wall of the building with both hands, facing the ground. His head turned to face Alex.

Nightshade looked up to Tycho sadly.

"I thought I had assurances." Tycho growled to Alex.

Alex nodded solemnly. "You have every right to be mad."

"I gave up a lot, friend!" The blind man spat out. As Twi, Dash, and Scoots arrived to see Tycho glaring angrily at Alex. "This shit had better go away, Mr Roberts!" He pointed an unfriendly finger at Alex’s face as he tried to calm himself down.

Alex stood silent and wiped his forehead as the other members of their entourage exited. “Tycho, I am not about to back down on my promise to help you live here.” He stood and moved closer to Tycho.

Tycho shook his head. “Alex, that guy runs the ministry. Twi said I could have worked there . The fuck am I supposed to do now?!”

Alex pinched the bridge of his nose. “It’s a setback, yes. Doesn’t mean we’re down and out, buddy. Can you trust your-” He gestured to Nightshade and the others, “friends to get around this new roadblock?”

“Tycho, you haven’t been here long enough to hear all our stories.” Tycho looked confused about that as Nightshade explained. “Each of us have overcome things more difficult than this.” Nightshade walked up to him. “But, you don’t want us carrying you through this, do you?” She asked bluntly.

Tycho faced her and thought a moment. “...no, I really don’t want to sit helplessly while you guys do everything for me.” At the same time, he’d rather not deal with anymore hassles, but it sounded better to play a bigger part in establishing himself here.

“You want to feel like you’re doing something.” Nightshade observed. “Would you feel in more control if you helped us?”

‘That is definitely a better context of addressing this,’ Tycho thought. “Alex, you need to keep me in the loop.” He regained his composure and stood straight. “I mean everything.”

Alex nodded. “Fair enough. You should be part of this group, anyways. You’re a jumper now, after all.”

‘So I am,’ Tycho thought. “I’m sorry I snapped at you.”

Alex waved his hand and shook his head. "No, I'm sorry. I thought we could have put all that behind us, but there is another loose string... maybe several."

Dash assessed the situation and spoke. “Even as Elements, Paladins, Gentlefolk, whatever; we can’t solve every problem or tie every loose end.”

Tycho sighed. "Sometimes one slips past you." He stood up and put a hand on Alex's shoulder to indicate his returned calm.

Twilight was still upset but managed to keep her composure. “You trusted us to make sure you would survive the jump. You trusted us to bring you here. Can you trust us to help you again?”

Tycho shrugged. "I guess one more leap of faith won't hurt."

Alex half-smiled. "Thank you for tolerating this, Tycho. All this, buddy."

Tycho looked toward Nightshade who must have been smiling at this point. "Okay, let's get me some threads." He had a good feeling about the woman’s… mare’s intentions.

They arrived at Elusive's tailor shop. Alex went in first, this time, and gestured for Tycho to follow him in. The rest of the crowd followed in tow. "So this Elusive, he's Applejack's boyfriend?" Tycho asked as he inspected the variety of vests, work clothes, and hats.

"Special friend." Nightshade corrected.

Alex nodded. "That is the term they use. Yes. Elusive and Applejack are joined at the flank, as they say here. He used to be a 'ladies-man' before he decided to settle on being ‘one lady’s man.’"

"Probably an ideally chiseled stallion, I reckon?" The taller human asked before, from behind the curtain, entered the Unicorn tailor.

"Alex! Lovely to see you again!" Elusive said in his signature effeminate voice and shook Alex's hand.

His voice reminded Tycho of the gayer guy on Will & Grace. So... Applejack was into metrosexual guys?

"Oh, Nightshade,when was the last time you stepped in here? Months?" Elusive hugged her. "And, as always, it’s great to have more than one national hero in my boutique." He then hugged Twilight and Rainbow Dash.

"You haven't lost your act, Elusive. This is Tycho Hernandez, whom you missed at the party." Alex chuckled.

Elusive looked up at Tycho. "By the sun! I have found the mountain!" He switched to his real, more masculine voice.

Tycho needed a good chuckle. That did it for him. "Let me guess; that is your real voice. You put up that act to convince people you're a good tailor." Tycho knelt down to shake his hoof.

“Meaning I am not, I assume you meant.” Elusive chuckled. “Just kidding, sir. I don’t use that voice as much as I used to." Elusive took his hand in greeting. "Thanks to my reputation, everypony knows me here, I only let it out for newcomers." Elusive gestured to the back of the boutique. "Come! Let’s take your measurements. Leave your underwear on." He then switched to the effeminate voice again. "We don't need to measure that, honey."

"Are you trying to make me feel uncomfortable?" Tycho grimaced as he ignored all the chuckles behind him.

Tycho stood in his boxers behind a curtain while the unicorn tailor took his measurements. "You are lucky I'm not charging you extra for your size." Elusive quipped. "I swear, how big do you humans get?"

Tycho needed something to take the stress off, he grinned. "Well, Mr. Elusive, humans don't stop growing. The tallest of us is as big as a tree. Robert Wadlow was his name."

Elusive raised an eyebrow. "Considering Mr. Roberts has been here more than a year and hasn't grown an inch, I doubt that is true."

Tycho shrugged. "Guess I can't pull a fast on on you. To be honest, it’s rare for humans to grow past seven feet. But yeah, we won't be growing further, except maybe sideways."

"Fourteen hooves and one half frog. And, by all means, put on more pounds so I can charge you for more cloth" Elusive and Tycho shared a chuckle as he finished measuring Tycho, floating his tape measure and hanging it on the nearby rack.

"So, moving things with your horn." Tycho questioned.

Elusive started writing notes and calculations from his new customer’s measurements. "You curious what it's like?"

Tycho stepped down and got dressed. "Yeah, is it like a limb others don't have that feels... well just feels something we can't?"

Elusive tapped his horn. "Like a limb and a sense you don't have. When I am not casting a spell through it, it's like a closed eye. When I 'open' it, I can feel the field of magic and alter it how I have trained and practiced. Much like your fingers can alter a set of objects." He smiled. "So, what kind of materials are you comfortable with?"

"Cotton, dark colors, and suede for jackets, shoes, and coats. Where do you guys get leather from, by the way?" Tycho slipped on his jacket.

Elusive gestured him to bend down to hear him easier. "The cows don't know what we do with the bodies after they die." He whispered darkly into Tycho's ear.

Tycho shook his head. "You're trying your hoof at human dark-comedy?"

Elusive grinned. "Was I successful?"

Tycho stood up. "Don't let your girlfriend hear that."

"You mean Applejack? Yeah, I keep that out of the house." The tailor chuckled. “Okay, so I put aside time today to work on a few pairs of shirts, trousers, socks, and underwear. This week I’ll have all your spring clothes done. Then summer done next week. Winter the week after. I'll send your foot measurements to a leatherworker for two pairs of shoes that resemble yours as best as we can. The socks," He smirked. "Well it is going to be embarrassing but we'll order those through a discrete special source, you understand."

Tycho nodded. "Great. Seriously though, where do you get the leather?'

Elusive grinned. "Not cows, I swear." He stamped the invoice and escorted Tycho the main room. "You haven't been noticing little ponies disappearing near my shop, have you?" He said darkly.

Tycho groaned. "Have any of my kind introduced you to Sweeney Todd?" He asked as he entered the waiting room.

Elusive shook his head. "Now Tycho, a good Pony would be sickened to see such a grim production about a 'demon barber.'" He faked an evil laugh before switching back to his pleasant self. “All kidding aside, Tycho, the material we call leather is made of different micro fibers, glued together in layers with a fish based glue and set in a press for a few days. Tough stuff..” Tycho nodded at that, appreciating the relatively simple solution.

Everypony looked at Tycho and Elusive, confused, while Alex tried to look innocent. "Alex, thank you for bringing me yet another human customer. I’m never without work thanks to you guys." Said Elusive.

"I suppose when the standard for modesty here is in your fur, tailoring must be an expensive profession." Tycho surmised.

"Especially for stallions." Rainbow Dash pointed out. "You'll mostly see us mares covering up, Tyke."

Elusive hoofed over an invoice to Alex. "So what is this I heard about a Royal Minister giving you all trouble?"

Alex shook his head. "Another loose end after our ‘shenanigans.’ Thanks for your help with that guard, by the way."

"Not at all. The colt appreciates his new wardrobe of kilts." Elusive flashed a toothy grin.

They finally arrived at Twilight's home.

"So, where is your house?" Tycho could only sense what must be a really big tree.

"We are at my home." Twilight answered and pointed to the tree.

"You live under a tree?" Tycho asked, confused.

"In the tree, Mr. Hernandez.” Twilight giggled. “My home is built inside."

Several flags were being raised in Tycho's brain that contradicted everything he remembered about engineering and practicality. He didn't need to be an architect to know this was ridiculous. "If Greenpeace saw this place, they'd shit a brick." Tycho remarked.

"What is wrong with my home?" Twilight narrowed her eyes at the man.

"How is this tree still alive after gutting it to make a house?" Tycho asked bluntly.

"Magic." Nightshade simply replied.

"But how do you keep insects-."

"Magic." Rainbow Dash replied this time.

"But you can't even keep a fire or candle inside or it will-"

"Magic!" All three mares answered.

"Tyke, just accept it or you will be burning your diplomas." Alex patted Tycho on the shoulder.

Tycho continued to grumble at how unsatisfying the answer was as Nightshade giggled at her friend's disposition.

Twilight opened the door and entered first. "Spike! We're home!"

"Coming down, Twi!" Tycho heard the voice of a teenage boy as he ran down.

"Twilight has a little brother?" Tycho whispered to Alex.

"No, he's a dragon." Alex answered.

"Holy shit, really?" Tycho said excited, but his excitement was promptly shot down when the mass that came down was half the size of Twilight, but probably as tall as her head.

"Oh! Hi Mr. Herna-Hernand-um, Mr. Tycho!" Spike said. "Wow, Alex, I thought you were big!" The dragon inserted an object into his either nostril and sniffed hard.

Tycho just faced toward the small dragon. "So, a dragon, yes?" He was disappointed, hoping for one larger than a him at least. Oh well.

"Well don't look so underwhelmed!" Spike put his talons on his hips. "I maybe small but I have a lot of talents!"

Tycho knelt down to quickly save his bad first-impression. "Sorry, Spike. When we humans think of dragons, we tend to think of larger lizards; whom usually hunger for people."

"Ew!" Spike.

"Tycho!" Twilight scolded.

"No way! I eat gems and anything ponies eat. Even hay burgers!" Spike grimaced. "Anyways, I cook, run the library with Twilight, help out the CMC." He blushed at that. "Especially Sweetie Belle."

Tycho raised an eyebrow. "So rather than living in a cave and hoarding valuables, you're a socialite, eh? Fire breath to boot?"

"Yeah, but mine is magical!" The teenage dragon grinned. "Come on, big guy, ask me what it does." He proudly goaded.

Tycho shrugged and smiled. "Okay, little bro, what does it do?”

"It teleports inanimate objects all the way to Canterlot! I can cook with it at perfect temperatures instantly! And Twilight and I have a few more tricks with it!" Spike beamed.

Tycho smiled. "Well lil'bro, call me big bro from now on, cause I have a feeling you'll be seeing a lot of me."

Spike smiled widely at that proposition.

Alex sat down on the couch. "I take it Trace is working at the meadery and Fei is at school?"

"Yeah. Sis should be back in a few hours," Spike replied as he went to the kitchen.

"Fei?" Tycho asked.

"Twi and Trace's adoptive daughter. She's also from Trace's world." Dash explained. "She's a kit-su-nee."

"Kitsune, Dash." Twilight corrected.

Tycho raised an eyebrow. "A multi tailed fox spirit? Does she bring good luck?"

"Don’t ask that while she is present." Alex replied. “She has some magic similar to Trace. She comes from his world.”

The variety in this world is amazing, Tycho thought. Granted, some of them came from other dimensions, but still.

Twilight had just levitated several books from her library. "Here we go. From basics to intermediate to advanced studies in magical principles and physics. Only ten books in all." She sighed. "Tycho, I am sorry but I don't think I'll be able to get you to work for MTS, but that doesn't you will be unemployed." She tapped a hoof to her chin in thought. "I don't think the minister will try to block it as it would look bad for him. Spike, can you get me a grant application form, please!"

"The ones in your office? Sure!" Spike called out from the kitchen before he exited and ran out and up the stairs.

Tycho sat down with the rest of the group. "Let me guess, you apply for a grant into research and justify training me so I can aid you in that research."

Twilight nodded. "I had always done most of my research under my own budget and asked very little from the Ministry. They won't turn me down. I can pay you to work for me!"

Tycho thought about that. "And what exactly will I be helping you research?"

Twilight’s good mood finally surfaced as she excitedly took out a list. "I have all kinds of things we can select from to study. Let's see, thaumatic resonance between starswirls and cold iron; the study of interaction between snozwanger particles and fire spells; biomolecular manipulation of polynucleotides on human DNA to add a nucleosheath in defense of radiance;" That caught Tycho's ear. "Oh, but that is Emerald's project. Sorry." Tycho would have to ask Doctor Emerald about that tomorrow. "The study of mana."

Now THAT sounded interesting. "Mana?" Tycho leaned forward.

Nightshade's ears perked up. "Solid magic, Twi? You think you found some?"

Twilight shook her head. "I believe I might have a means of detecting it. So, mana is a theoretical material made of concentrated magical particles that bond together into a solid object."

Dash rolled her eyes. "You had us at solid magic, Twi."

"Except the eggheads are finding that interesting." Tycho remarked. "What could you do with mana, if it existed?"

Twilight looked up at the ceiling as Spike came down the stairs. "Lots of things. Powering magical artifacts for years. Extracting it for excess magical power for producing new spells." She seemed giddy. "Between running the library and raising a family, I don't have much time to work on these."

Tycho scratched his chin. "Show me what you have on the mana research. Particle detection was what I wrote my thesis on. My methodology was used at CERN, after all."

Twilight clopped her hooves together and took the grant application from Spike. "I'll write the grant. We'll ask for enough so we can pay you for three years. So how does one week to read all those sound?"

"Give me a couple of days per book. I'll have a lot of questions for you as I go through all these." Tycho replied.

"Dr. Tycho Hernandez, Research Professor." Alex patted Tycho on the back. "Better update your CV."

Tycho felt Nightshade lay a friendly hoof on his leg. "Back to doing what you do best? How does that feel?"

Tycho sighed. "Glad I'll be keeping busy for the time being."

Tycho returned to his home with a stack of books. Alex invited Tycho for a homemade lunch earlier, but Tycho had to contact his parents first. He put down the books and switched on the laptop. The first thing he did was check his Euro account and 401k. He then secured his Euro account. Maybe it won't be useless, but if he was declared dead it it would be shut down. He set up another bank account under an alias name and transferred all his money to that, first. Thankfully the bank transfer was quick. Seeing that he had six figures in the bank, he quickly bought skype phone minutes so he could contact people on Earth more easily. He then fired up skype and took out his headset and plugged it in.

The first call he made was to his parents. It didn't take long for someone to pick up.

"Tycho?" His mother's voice sounded anxious.

"It’s me." Tycho said, relieved to hear her voice.

"How dare you make us wait before you called back!" She was understandably upset, given the stress she had just been through, Tycho thought.

"I am very ashamed to have put you and Dad through that." Tycho sighed. "I hope you can forgive me."

"There is no need for forgiveness, Tycho. We are just happy you are alive and well. But where are you?” She asked.

“Are you back home?" Tycho's father's voice called from the background.

Tycho wished he had considered what to tell her. "I have been... displaced. There was an incident at the LHC. Can you put dad on the other pho-"

"Tycho?" His father's voice came up on another line.

"Dad! Thank the Gods." Tycho sighed.

"I hope you have a good reason for not coming home after all this." His father sternly said.

Already Tycho felt the hurt come back. "You two heard on the news the LHC did something to stop the phenomena, right?" Tycho asked. Both parents said nothing, but that indicated they were listening. "Me and my coworkers were responsible. But... we had to fight off interpol to accomplish it."

"You fought interpol?" His father exclaimed.

"Are you in Stockholm, Tycho?" His mother panicked.

"No!” He took a deep breath to control his tone. “I am not in prison. I am displaced... the whole thing," Tycho knew this would be crazy to tell them, but he couldn't bring himself to lie. "I had to do something risky and it... teleported me." He really hoped they'd accept that for now.

His father knew what that word meant, and his mom was smart enough to understand what he was implying. "Where?" They both asked at the same time. Amazingly, he didn’t detect any skepticism.

Tycho rubbed his temples. Here we go. "I'm no longer on Earth." No response. There was a long, very uncomfortable wait. "We're using similar technology where I am now to contact you." Another long pause. "Mom, Dad, I know this sounds crazy, believe me, I feel like I am going-"

"You are right. This is crazy! You expected me to believe that you are on another planet?" His father shouted in Portuguese. "Why are you lying to us? You said you saved the world, I believe you. But this?"

"Alejandro!" His mother calmed him. "Tycho, what happened at work?"

"I was inside the collision chamber while the labs at Australia and Tokyo were creating quantum entanglements at the center of the chamber. The protons slammed at the center, and I got sucked in. I had to do it to activate a device to make it work. It couldn't be done by remote." He felt tears welling up as he laid his head on his arm that was on the desk. "And we don't know how to bring me back."

His father hung up, while his mother started speaking to him, putting the phone down. Tycho just listened to their exchange, barely making out what they were saying, though he was sure his father was not believing it, while his mother was trying to call him down. He should have figured his parents wouldn't believe this. It was about ten minutes before his mother returned to the phone.

"Tycho, we love you very much. Can you call back tomorrow?" His mother sounded very upset and stressed.

Tycho took a deep breath. "Yes, I can do that." He heard her hang up. Tycho laid his head down and rested his mind for a moment. He should have figured they would react like this. It might have been better he let them believe he was dead, he thought.

His depressive stupor was interrupted when he received a skype chat message. Tycho solemnly checked the message. It was Arjeta!

The message said.

Tycho smiled sadly. They were okay, at least he hoped so. He looked at his front door and thought about skipping lunch and trying to sleep this off. Then again, he promised he wouldn’t isolate himself from anyone. They’d come for him if he was upset regardless, he figured. May as well go and talk to Alex about it.

Meanwhile, Lyra was vigorously writing in her office.

“Dear Honorable Arcane Seeker of the Ministry of Magic, Technology, and Science. It is with utmost urgency that I request full disclosure of MTS’s position about humans. As you know, I have provided extensive research on them in the past, and I do not feel it is warranted to treat them with suspicion or as a danger. My reports have been consistent and diligent throughout the months and I have never deviated from the standards and ethics of research.”

She dipped the pen into the inkwell and continued writing. The mare heard the door open. “Honey, I’m home!” She heard Bonbon call out.

“Hi Bonbon, I’m in the office!” Lyra called downstairs.

BonBon entered the office and frowned. Lyra had her notes out again... all of them.

“Lyra, what is going on? I thought you were doing human research a lot less now,” Lyra’s wife sighed.

Lyra frowned after finishing her letter. “You know MTS?” Lyra asked Bonbon after folding the letter into the envelope. “The Minister paid us a visit. He has an issue with the humans!” She waved her hooves in frustration.

Bonbon seemed surprised by that. “What issue? I mean, yes they are dangerous as they are, but-”

“No! I mean more dangerous than they seem.” Lyra facehoofed. “Bonbon, I am practically the leading researcher on humans! I have sent over 10 research papers on them! Then this happens!” Lyra huffed. “He wants to contain them someplace while he runs a investigation!”

Bonbon trotted up to Lyra and hugged her. “Relax. You are forgetting who that minister is dealing with. These guys have handled worse.”

Lyra frowned and didn’t tell Bonbon just how rough the MTS could get if given the authority to act.

Chapter 9 - Less Feeling, More Doing

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Tycho slowly walked over to his neighbor's home. He noticed a pony standing at the front door.

"Please tell me what happened." It was Nightshade's silky voice mixed with concern and sympathy.

Tycho stopped at the door. "You'd think after witnessing a phenomenon right out of science fiction, the ones who love you the most would believe you." He said trying hard to hide his depression.

Nightshade's ears drooped and trotted up to him. "Kneel down for me, bigger guy."

Tycho shook his head and waved her off. "I don't need to be smothered everytime I get kicked in the pants." He tried walking past her, but Shade repositioned herself in his way. He was starting to feel pathetic requiring all this attention. If this was his fate, may as well man up about it. His heart screamed to his mind this was a dumb means to escape his feelings, but he decided he didn’t want to listen to it right now.

"I'm not smothering. I'm offering a helping hoof. You don't need to act tough about this." She sternly persisted.

"Shade, I'm not going to argue this. Just give me some space for now." Tycho retorted as his face tightened.

"Tycho," Nightshade frowned, but before she could say anything, she tried to push the tall human away from her. "Four o'clock!"

Tycho didn't have time to react, much less move as Nightshade tried pushing him out of the way of something.

"Tychoooooooo!" He heard before feeling the impact of a pony glomping him and knocking him to the ground. Judging by the shape and speed of approach, not to mention the high-pitched voice voice, it must have been Pinkie Pie.

"Ow, my claven," Tycho groaned.”I think I might have popped a rib.”

"I'm sorry Tycho, my Pinkie sense was roaring! You should really consider antidepressants, but then again they're for ponies so they might not work for you here. Though maybe we can convince your Hardon Collager to send you some I mean-" Pinkie spoke at a million words per second still clinging tightly to Tycho, unable to break her grip.

"Pinkie!" Nightshade put a hoof on the mare's shoulder to get her attention. "He needs to breathe!"

Pinkie turned to Nightshade. "Sorry! I'm just giving Tycho a needed intervention. Not the kind where you’ve been eating too many snickerdoodles and you refuse to stop, or when you are at that awkward teen stage when you can’t even speak to that cute colt and ask him out to the prom. No, this is family life support is gone and everything is falling apart!" She said as Tycho struggled to get Pinkie off, noting her grip was like receiving a bear hug from a pro-wrestler.

"That is what I was doing before you tackled him." Nightshade deadpanned.

"Get. Off." Tycho growled, still failing to free his arms.

"Oh my gosh! Sorry Tycho!" Pinkie got off of Tycho, who finally took a breath.

"I think I saw pink when you hit me... holy shit I really did see pink!" Tycho shook his head as he slowly got up. “I think you hit me harder than I thought.”

"Really?" Nightshade looked surprise, then smirked and turned to the pink mare. "Can we get confirmation on that?"

"Roger Captain!" Pinkie Pie saluted before running to the other side in a dash.

"Wait wha-" Tycho then felt the impact again in the form of a burst of pink that flooded his non-existent vision. "Oof!" Now he was back on the ground, tightly hugged by that crazy mare. “Rib. Ow.”

"Did you see pink again?" Nightshade smiled smugly, satisfied that Tycho got enough 'intervention.'

"Yes, but now I am seeing red." Tycho growled, annoyed.

Pinkie and Nightshade giggled and helped Tycho up.

Tycho wiped off his clothes as best he could. "Your hugging privileges are removed for the rest of the night."

Both ponies made a cute noise of despondency. They were probably giving him their version of the puppy dog eyes, he figured. "That won't work on me." Tycho retorted.

"What is going on?" Alex peered from an open window. "You were having a group hug and didn't invite us?"

"Pinkie was demonstrating Equestrian rules rugby." Tycho remarked as he walked inside, with both ponies following him in.

"What's rugby?" Nightshade asked.

"Is it like hoofball?" Pinkie followed. “I play a mean bench sitter.”

"I assume hoofball is your version of American Football. Rugby is like hoofball but more tackling and contact. A warrior's sport, as I like to call it." Tycho explained as he took his surroundings inside Alex's home to memory.

Nightshade's ears perked up to that, making a note for Tycho to show her the rules.

During lunch, Tycho kept his friends abreast of the situation back home, but keeping his emotions in check this time. Everyone could probably see right through it, but he didn't care. He was tired of this emotional rollercoaster and needed some 'stillness' for a bit. He couldn’t force himself to be happy, so he became numb, while maintaining his demeanor. This state of mind buckled when Alex told Tycho how difficult it was to convince Ann his jumping was real. The relation to his situation and accompanying empathy prompted Tycho to take a bathroom break to wash his face and regain his bearings.

He stood, imagining looking at himself in a mirror. The last image he ever had of himself was as a kid. It was the only image he could conjure clearly. In his imagination, he knew he was taller, was probably good looking, at least that is what his friends told him. But he could only picture it. He imagined a lot about what stuff would look like: The Swiss Alps on that company ski-trip, his older mom and dad, and these ponies. Were they really walking, talking mini-horses?

With the water still running, his mind drifted to back home and wondering what Arjeta and Johan were doing. Next it drifted to work. Were they going to just up and replace him after things got settled? Would he be named a fugitive? Then there was his mom and dad. How were they coping? Would it even be worth the time it would take to go back, and would he have any life to go back to? Something in the back of Tycho's mind was trying to figure out if there really was no way back home. There is no such thing as an impossibility, Tycho figured. Even if Equestria cannot replicate the conditions and technology to do what they did to bring him here, there were other alternatives. This place had magic, after all. It was a power that could accomplish things through energies not seen on Earth. If so, Tycho needed to learn as much as possible about magic and its workings to come up with a few ideas. His bottling up of his emotions paid off with a direction.

A knock at the bathroom door by Alex snapped him out of his deep thought before he rejoined the company downstairs.

As he silently ate with the company no doubt silently wondering what took him, he promised himself to find a way back. How could he not? To not try would be a betrayal to his family back home. Giving up might have been acceptable to Alex and the others, but he shouldn't just because the possibility was arduous. He'd have to be patient about it, though. He knew little about magic, and would have to take his time studying.

After a lunch with Dash, Alex, Nightshade, Pinkie, and Scootaloo, Pinkie bid the group a farewell as the rest set to take Tycho to the hospital. It was a long walk across town before they finally arrived. After checking in Tycho's appointment, they waited for Doctor Emerald to show himself.

"So are there crappy magazines in Equestrian waiting rooms that are five years old?" Tycho asked before he heard the nurse approach.

"Mr. Hernandez?" A mare asked, which Tycho deduced to be a nurse.

"The one and only." Tycho raised a hand.

"I'm Nurse Redheart and," The Nurse looked up to Tycho and balked a little, "you should meet my husband. Big guy, like you. Well not quite, he is a griffon. Anyways, if you will follow me, please."

Tycho looked in Alex's direction with a raised eyebrow for an explanation as he left. "That's a good idea. We'll take you to Garbo's for dinner. His whole family are friends of ours." Alex explained.

Tycho just shrugged before he was brought to the examination room. It was built for a human, Tycho noted. Five minutes later, Emerald walked in.

"Good afternoon, Bones." Tycho greeted with a wave.

"Bones, hm? Is that a play on sawbones?" Emerald asked. "Well it’s better than being called that overrated British actor."

Tycho snickered. "So how does this work?”

"After reading up on human medical science, I have a blended style. Oh good, I see you are wearing your amulet." The doctor stared at Tycho. "Yes, they can't stick to you long enough to cause any damage. Good."

Tycho noticed something about this pony's mass. Now that it was just the two of them, Tycho focused on his shape. It was odd. The shape was different, but smoother. Still like a pony, but not. "Emerald, are you different than other unicorns?"

"Oh!" The Changeling nearly dropped his clipboard. "Well I guess I should drop the disguise. I mean, what's the point?" Emerald must have cast a spell as Tycho could hear a hum of energy from the pony.

"I usually maintain it for posterity sake, much like you dress yourself up. You see, Tycho, I am what Alex referred to earlier: a Changeling. We are insect-like with abilities similar to unicorns. And can you guess what our main feature is?" Emerald answered in the same voice.

"Your ability to appear as another pony?" Tycho asked.

"Correct. When you landed on me, you must have felt my carapace. I could have maintained a texture-illusion on myself, but again, I don't bother using the more powerful disguises anymore. Everypony knows I am a Changeling here." Emerald explained. “And no, I have no relations to the monstrous changeling fae that your world dreamed up.”

"Ponies have a problem with your race?" Tycho asked as Emerald began getting out medical forms.

"My race tried to conquer Canterlot in a military campaign. Almost succeeded." The doctor shook his head in disapproval. "But there is a truce between our respective peoples, with prospects for a lasting peace. My daughter and I choose to reside here because the bonds we have here are greater than any we have with the hive." Emerald said with a hint of bittersweetness.

"You are an outcast?' Tycho asked.

"I was for leaving the hive. But now my exile is self-imposed, as I refuse to live under our queen." Emerald said with a hint of disgust, as if he didn't approve of whoever this Queen was, Tycho noted.

"Not to mention my daughter is... special. She is a Queen in the imago phase of her life. You can imagine our Queen would be greatly concerned by this." Emerald explained. "So, rather than allowing my daughter to be primed by her majesty, I want her to learn a variety of values so she can make up her own mind." Emerald smiled. "And being with Rarity helps her to learn a different idea of family, not just hive-minded." Emerald took out his stethoscope. "Now, Mr. Hernandez, please undress so we can get everything to the lab before dinner."

The eye exam was the last task for Tycho to finish. Everything else indicated he had good health. The tests highly resembled tests for humans. Ear exam, laboratory samples, and a lot of questions. "Tycho, can you tell me the circumstances of how your sight deteriorated?" Emerald asked.

Tycho got comfortable on his seat and took a deep breath. "I was a child at the age of 8 when my vision started to darken. Parents took me to a doctor to do an eye exam, then later some ophthalmic photography. They had hoped it was a form of early cataracts, but no dice. My optical nerve was deteriorating. Doctors didn't know why, but guessed it was from mercury poisoning from eating fish. You can imagine a kid my age who realized he was going to go blind didn't deal with it very well."

"How did you deal with it?" Emerald asked.

"Isolating myself in my room and doing silly things I thought would save my vision." Tycho frowned. "I stole lamps at home and put them in my room. I must have had ten lamps. I thought if I kept enough lights around me, I won't go blind. Mom and Dad did what they could to emotionally support me. By age 9 I was barely able to see. I needed a special seeing-aid to read. Meanwhile my parents were going to have me learn braille. I hated it. Still don't like it. It’s a clumsy, fucked up means to read. Sadly, there was no other alternative at the time." He shook his head. "Things got pretty hard for me as I couldn't enjoy movies with my friends and couldn't play games with them, either. Video games were out of the question. I spent most of my days sleeping. Had to be held back a grade to learn to read again, and that made me pissed off cause I'd miss all my friends. Only Alex and a few others kept contact with me." Tycho shook his head.

"When did you learn echolocation?" Emerald asked.

"My dad was referred to a doctor named Daniel Kish. He was the founder of World Access for the Blind, which teaches echolocation, among other techniques for blind people to become as autonomous as possible. He enrolled me in his instructional school and I began to learn there. Hardest part was leaving the rest of my friends behind, again. I was one pissed off customer." Tycho smiled and shook his head. "Doctor Kish didn't give up on me. Learning echolocation was developing a better state of mind and calm. It involved mind exercises to use what imagery I had left along with interpreting sounds. Soon I was able to click my tongue and navigate clear hallways. Then I could navigate around still obstacles, then moving obstacles. Then came the test."

Emerald cocked his head. "The test?"

"Spending an hour in a populated downtown area. I was followed by an instructor as I utilized every skill I learned. Scared the hell out of me, but I was able to do it with minimal problems. I bumped into a few people and occasionally stumbled, but I didn't walk into a pole or busy traffic. I was age 12 when I finally finished, then it was back to school. I did so well I skipped two grades." Tycho grinned. "Felt good, especially because I wasn't scared as I used to be. Still pisses me off whenever I get patronized or when I screw up, or when people treat me as if I don't need help when I actually do." He sighed.

"In other words, others have a hard time understanding how to treat you, given you have so many skills that help you live your life with minimal reliance on others." Emerald empathized.

"Right on the mark, doc." Tycho tapped his nose with one finger.

"I’m afraid you will find that many ponies will try to help you when you will not need it. They have a strong community minded way of life.” The doctor hummed and scratched his chin. “If only you weren't deathly allergic to magic, we could use magical means to assist in your seeing. Though we cannot regenerate nerve tissue, not even with my healing gels. I can't regenerate your optic nerve. Although..." Emerald said as he finished his paperwork.

"Please, no miracle cures, doc. My mom and dad have been offered those in the past. They were all bullshit." Tycho waved a dismissive hand.

"No, Tycho. I mean I have been working on finally guarding your kind's DNA against the harmful effects of magic. There are two ways this can be done." Emerald said proudly. "Either we guard your DNA using a compound or element that magic particles stay away from or we modify your DNA to not be destroyed by it. So while the first will make you magically immune, the other will allow you to be magically effected without danger."

Tycho nodded, impressed by this idea. He would like to exist in this world without worrying about losing his amulet, much less dying of slow radiation exposure. "Do you understand how these magic particles stick to our DNA on the atomic level?"

Emerald shook his head. "That is the part that has Twilight and I stumped. For both our incredible minds, we aren't specialists in particle," Emerald looked at Tycho in a moment of realization, "Physics."

Tycho made a toothy grin. "Give me a couple of months to study up on your magic sciences and we'll talk."

Tycho returned after an hour with Emerald following. "Now, while I understand you are a vegetarian by choice, I encourage you to have at least one egg or a few tablespoons of cottage cheese per day for your source of animal proteins. I know its important for proper health and muscle growth/upkeep" The doctor instructed.

"Thanks doc, and tell your family I said hello." Tycho rejoined the group. "So apparently the doc is working making us immune to the magic. I am guessing we're living on an irradiated planet with very different elementary particles."

Alex nodded. "That is pretty much what Twilight told me. Scared me when I learned I had maybe 10 years to live."

Tycho raised an eyebrow. "So... what happened?"

Alex smiled and patted his knife holster. "My trusty knife is magical. Specifically, it drains magic to maintain its form. I can change it into a variety of different weapons and tools. And my amulet, here," Alex held it in one hand, "is special. It forms an armor around me when I need."

Tycho raised an eyebrow. "Please show me sometime. I might want one of those as well. I bet you can do some real creative stuff with that artifact." Tycho suggested.

"It has a limited memory for forms and such, but, if given the time, we could give it some impressive modifications." Alex and the others walked with Tycho outside. "I'll show you their uses at Garbo's. Don't want to scare people at the hospital with deadly weapons. Even got an Iron Man form to go all out. It’s pretty cool."

"What was Emerald working on?" Asked Rainbow. "Said he could do something with your D-N-A?"

Tycho nodded. "Basically, Dash, he either wants to cover our DNA to prevent magic or change our DNA to make us magical, but unharmed."

Alex frowned. "That sounds like it would require some experimentation on us."

"That a problem? Doesn’t Equestria have ethical review boards?" Tycho asked.

"Yes, but when Twilight gets involved... she's a bit too eager." Alex grimaced.

"Oh yeah, especially that time she ra-" Rainbow couldn't finish her sentence before Alex cut her off.

"Right, anyways, Tyke, is there anything we can show you before dinner?" Alex asked.

"First, we find a clear grassy field, second, I want to you to demonstrate that knife and amulet." Tycho replied with the fires of curiosity now roaring.

They arrived at a clear space between the hospital and downtown. The sun was now doing its slow descent toward the horizon. Alex did some stretches as Tycho, Scoots, and Rainbow Dash waited for him to use his artifacts.

"Okay, Tyke. We'll do the armor first." Alex moved his hand to his amulet.

Tycho could hear metallic sounds of movement, bolting, connecting, and soft scraping. Alex's shape increased in size all around, according to his hearing.

"Sir Alex Roberts of Ponyville, Tycho. At your service!" The muffled voice of Alex spoke from under the helmet.

Tycho slowly went over and put his hand on the pauldron. "Holy crap, that is no trick. This is steel-titanium alloy, right?"

"Yep!" Alex lifted the visor. "No need to lube the joints, either. This beast can absorb the full-force kick of a pony."

"Um...Alex that is great and all but these guys aren't exactly horsEEEEEEEEES!" Tycho felt himself being picked up by his coat, off the ground... with Dash above him and her hooves attached to his coat!

"We're a lot stronger than you humans." Rainbow Dash grinned smugly.

"You ain't kidding!" Tycho said dangling from the ground. "How strong are they?!"

"A running kick from a Earth pony can break you in half, literally." Alex warned. "Pegasi aren't as strong, though Dash is an exception as she trains really hard. Magic plays a large role in how strong they are."

RD grinned and let Tycho down. "Whew. You wanna be my new training weight, Tyke?"

Tycho smirked and shook his head. "Okay, so the knife."

"Here, try it." Alex put it in Tycho's hand and made sure his hand was inserted into the knuckle guard.

"So, now what?" Tycho asked as he touched the blade and ascertained its balance.

"Think of what you want it to become, and it will be. Well, mostly melee weapons and tools. Nothing complex." Alex said. "Oh, and point the blade away from you or anyone else."

Tycho shrugged and did as Alex asked. Tycho thought of a wakizashi, and the knife transformed to turn into one, while sticking to his hand! Tycho inspected the weapon. "The blade is so sharp you can cut yourself just touching it."

"Its absorbing the magic around you to make that blade as keen as possible. That blade can cut lightning." Alex exaggerated.

Tycho tried a few other objects. A hatchet, a carpenter's hammer, a mace, and even a whisk. It formed each tool easily. "Its reading my mind, Al." Tycho said in awe as he removed the whisk and the tool returned to its original form as he handed it back to Alex. "That is amazing, Alex. Real magic." He could imagine how useful an object like that would be.

Alex grinned. "Yep. Twi, Trixie, and Lyra can help make something like this for you, if you want."

Tycho stroked his chin. "What, like a blind man's cane? Already have one. Only thing I can think of is something that can help me see and that isn't going to happen... right?" Tycho wondered if such a thing was possible. While the magic of this world was deadly, Alex's dagger and amulet fed off the magic of the world to achieve its own effects...but it was harmless to him! Otherwise Alex wouldn’t be carrying it around with him! If it could read his mind then logically, feeding into their minds wouldn't be harmful as well! Maybe?

Scootaloo hovered up to both men. "Didn't Twi say the magic on that dagger is different?"

Alex observed his friend’s look of realization. When Tycho got that look, his grey matter was rapidly coming up with an epic idea. “Let's head back to Twi's. I think Tycho has an idea."

Back at Twi's home, Twilight sat on her office chair, pondering. "I have studied your dagger in detail, Alex. Duplicating the telepathic component of its enchantment won't be the problem, but to achieve a specific effect is another matter."

Dash and Scoots sat bored and confused listening to Alex, Tycho, and Twi's intellectual debate. Nightshade read a book next to Tycho.

"Does the armor amulet still have the same amorphous effect as the dagger, just integrating a different form?" Tycho asked.

Twilight nodded. "It took a lot of effort and thaumatic control to shape the resonance to successfully harness the harmless energies those enchantments are made of. All I did was duplicate the template of the resonance, then apply a chosen shape. But you are asking me to invent a new thaumatic effect from the resonance."

"In Equestrian!" Rainbow Dash and Scoots both shouted and threw their hooves to the ceiling in frustration.

"Shh! We're in a library!" Nightshade jeeringly whispered to the other two mares, who glared at her in annoyance.

Alex smiled softly. "She means she can duplicate the spell on the dagger, but not easily create a new one."

"What is worse, the larger the effect, the harder it would be." Twilight tapped her chin with her hoof in pondering. "I would guess you want me to make you something that can see."

Tycho felt stupid asking this. From herbal remedies, to witchdoctors, to faith healing, and bullshit medical treatments, he had been offered them all. His parents knew better, and for many years he begged his parents to let him try to save his vision. What kid wouldn't want to believe in a miracle to save him. He didn't know better at the time and those memories of the upsets he endured came flooding back. "...yeah." He replied solemnly. He should have known even real magic couldn't help him with his problem.

"That would take a decade at least, Tycho. I mean, I'd have to do something more specific to help you... although..." Ms. Sparkle paused in thought before she continued. "Tycho, that device that helps you read, can you share with me everything that went into making it?"

Tycho raised an eyebrow. "You want to duplicate it? What is the point in that?"

"Not exactly. I said the simpler the effect, the easier I can make something. Maybe I cannot help you see completely from a magical lens, but I can help you see words again!" Twilight said excited. "This will take some experimentation on my part, but I think I can develop something that uses the same principles as your reading device!" She clapped her hooves together then hopped out of her chair. She cantered to a nearby bookshelf and started pulling books. "Oh, I am so excited about this!"

Tycho never thought of that. He could read menus, books, store signs, numbers, whole essays much faster than his device could read to him. That device could only read at half the speed of a normal person... but to read normally?!? "What do you need from me?" He asked as his spirits slightly rose, knowing maybe this world will offer some conveniences he had been denied for so long.

Nightshade closed her book. "You feeling okay, Tyke?" She rested her chin on Tycho's shoulder, looking at him with friendly concern.

Tycho shook his head and booped Nightshade on the nose, who playfully wiggled her mug and lifted her head off him. “Yes, I'm fine."

Shade looked at Tycho as he turned away. He was was definitely bottling his feelings, she observed. Maybe if she changed her approach, he'd open up more, Shade thought. The mare didn't notice Dash looking at her with a raised eyebrow.

Dash pointed at them while shooting Alex a look, indicating something she suspected of Nightshade. Alex merely shrugged in response, but winked after, as if confirming he did suspect something, but wasn't sure.

Scoots's looked at the clock. "Hey mom, Dad. I need to meet the other Crusaders, okay?" She hopped off the couch. "Goodbye everyone!" She left through the front door and took flight.

"She's a good kid." Tycho mused. "Very energetic."

Rainbow Dash smiled proudly. "Her wings were underdeveloped when she was very young. We worked hard and trained hard to get her so she can fly. Then she finally got her cutiemark."

"Cutie... what?" Tycho asked.

"Think of it a mark that clues a pony to what makes them special. Some ponies make their occupations out of that mark, while others apply it in other ways." Alex explained.

"That is essentially correct," Twilight said finishing gathering a stack of books. "My own is in magic, though I am librarian, but I research magic a lot." She smiled.

"Mine is being talented in flying and speed,but I"m a weather pony." Rainbow Dash explained.

Tycho nodded and turned his head to face Shade's direction. "And yours?"

Shade grinned deviously. "Asking a girl what is on her flank? Oh Tycho, I had no idea you'd develop an interest mares. Naughty." Her voice became silkier than usual.

Tycho maintained his composure despite the nightguard captain's attempt to tease him. "I was asking since I can't see." He tried not to blush, but failed.

Nightshade raised an eyebrow and grinned. "Are you sure? You don't remember how you landed on me?" She whispered just low enough to only be heard by him.

Tycho blushed redder, unable to think of a retort. "Th-that, wait, no, I-"

"Got it!" That caused Tycho to jump in his seat and startled him out of his stuttering. "These are my notes on Alex's knife." Twilight continued. "Tycho, just link to my laptop the notes on that device and I'll work on your new reading glasses!" The purple mare giddily clopped her hooves.

"I'll do better than that." Tycho said. "Give me the rest of the evening to organize and write up some technical notes." He lightly smiled.

"Great! I can't wait to test the prototype!" Twilight brightly smiled. "We can add this project to your CV too!"

"Breathe, Twilight, breathe!" Dash teased her friend. "Shouldn't we introduce Tycho to the Cakes' business? He hasn't tried their coffee." She hopped off the couch. "Come on, let's show him where to get the best desserts and bean juice!"

"They have decaf?" Tycho asked as he stood.

"Decaf?" Shade balked at the taller human. "How do you live?!"

"Good morning, everypony!" A slightly taller, yellow furred, orange maned pony approached. "Oh! And welcome, Mr. Hernandez. We hope you enjoyed our catering at the welcoming party." He said pleasantly.

"I appreciate everyone's efforts, even though I wasn't in the right state of mind to express it. But really, thank you." Tycho extended a hand to Mr. Cake.

"Oh, um. My hoof is over here, Mr. Tycho... oh I mean thank you it's a pleasure to meet you. I, geeze, was I supposed to say that? I wasn't supposed to say that, was I? Correcting him?" Cake worryingly thought out loud as he scrambled preparing the cash register.

"Relax, buddy. Don't sweat it." Alex assured the pony as the mares looked at each other awkwardly in reference to Mr. Cake's anxiety towards the blind human.

"Dear, who do we," A female voice from what sounded like the typical TV mom to Tycho entered the room, along with her person. "Oh! Alex and company! And Mr. Tycho! We are happy to have you here for the first time!"

"Charmed." Tycho replied. "How about we order and eat outside?"

The rest agreed as the cakes began taking orders from the group. Tycho's ears attuned to overhear the couple poorly trying to speak quietly to one-another.

"What should we do? I already botched the greeting. I don't want him to think we're rude!" Mr. Cake grimaced.

"We should give him a discount! For ponies with disabilities?" Mrs. Cake suggested.

"Would that be patronizing? I didn't do that for Alex and he was displaced." Mr. Cake replied.

"But he is displaced AND blind." Mrs. Cake said with an anxious tone.

"Gods have mercy. I'm blind, not deaf!" Tycho exasperated.

The two Cakes reared up in surprise realizing they were overheard and then bowed their heads in shame. "We're sorry, Mr. Hernandez."

Dash flew between Alex and Tycho and approached the cakes. "Look, just relax. Tycho gets by on his own as well as he can. Just let him tell you what he needs and you'll be fine."

"R-right, we're sorry, Mr. Tycho." Mr. Cake replied.

Tycho waved a hand in dismissal. "Its not a problem. You simply showed that you cared."

"Tell you what, free coffee with your order." Mrs. Cake quickly began preparing the machine.

Alex tried getting their attention. "No that is fine, he really isn't-."

Mr. Cake interrupted as if not paying attention, "In fact, free pastry and the coffee for this order!"

"No, we're paying, guys. No need to go overbo-" Tycho couldn't finish.

"And a free coupon to get a discount on your next order. Good till next month!" Mrs. Cake interrupted.

Twilight tapped Tycho's leg. "This happened a lot to you, didn't it?"

Tycho sighed and nodded.

Chapter 10 - A New Frontier

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Chapter 10

Evening approached as Tycho skimmed through one of the books Twi gave him: Magical Theory Volume 1 along with the supplemental concordance material. The chapters were organized with an introduction to magic, the history of the science, and, of course, the terminology. His reader spoke the words to his ear as he slowly committed this information to memory.

Twilight brought books for them to read as the others chatted, this opportunity to watch an intelligent individual learn something like magic reminded Twilight of her years before she got her cutie mark. "Let me know if you have any questions, Mr. Hernandez. This is a totally new field for you."

"On a scale from one to five, where one is grade-school level and five is doctoral-level, how would you rate the information on this book?" Tycho asked, dividing his attention.

Twilight smiled. "Rank 3, that book is for... I think the equivalent would be bachelor's students." She then turned to her laptop as she read up on the technical information of Tycho's reader.

"It’s rude to not join the conversation." Shade lightly scolded the two intellectuals that were too engrossed to hear her.

Shade rolled her eyes and resumed chatting with the others. "So, Shade, it's great to see you off duty." Alex told her. "First time we get to see you relax."

Shade sighed. "Sadly I'll be going back to Canterlot after this." She turned back to Tycho, waiting for a response. Nothing. Annoyed, she turned away to view the two again. "Though I have a lot of leave time coming up. Might consider coming down here for it."

Dash grinned. “Don’t suppose you have another foldout or calendar coming out?”

Alex smirked. “You have a secret stash of eye candy I don’t know about?”

Shade laughed as Dash turned a little red and looked at Alex. “You realize she’s the hottest mare in the guard, right? Like, officially!”

“Well, since those things called ‘bikini bottoms’ became popular thanks to Rarity looking at human stuff, I have gotten requests.” Shade said with a little sultry pride. She was about to say something to Tycho, but remembering his disability, she seemed disappointed her good humor regarding her looks wouldn’t take now.

Alex, however, chuckled at her joke. While he had learned much of pony beauty standards over his time in Equestria, he still had to rely on Dash for the specifics a lot of the time. Dash had gotten pretty specific about Captain Nightshade. She is stronger than most unicorns, and her muscle tone equal to that of a pegasus, but it was balanced with her curvy figure that he would guess would be equivalent of an ‘athletic porn star’ with flanks jiggly enough to get any mare’s or stallion’s attention. ‘Sexy Sexy Nightshade’ as Dash had quipped.

While he found her her hobby as the royal guard’s very own ‘pin-up’ girl silly, the efficacy of her command could not be denied. Commendations for discipline and training; a long and proud career. (Well, proud as of recently.) A model officer in many ways.

“Come on, Alex, I need new posters for my office!” Dash teased.

“Only if I can keep my eye-candy on the laptop.” Alex shot Dash a naughty look.

“Duh! They are probably all of me, anyways!” The pegasus chuckled.

“And sometimes with your frie-” Alex couldn’t finish as Dash thwapped him with a throw pillow humorously as a soft tussle between the loving couple ensued.

Shade sighed. A look of wistfulness at their relationship indicated she wanted what they have, but saddened she hadn’t found that. Between her duty as a guard and her own redemption, she hadn’t had time for it. She pushed those thoughts away and looked at Tycho as he patiently looked through the books with Twilight. A good colt with a great mind, she agreed. Still, his situation reminded her of something she couldn’t put her hoof on, but worried her regardless. What she recognized in Tycho bothered her and she feared what it may mean for him. He will need a good friend to rely on, she mused.

"Well, Tycho? Is it comprehensive?" Twilight said with a large and eager grin as Tycho finished the first chapter.

"Tell me again why the word Thaumatic keeps coming back up a hundred times." Tycho deadpanned.

“Well, It comes from the ancient Pegasopolan word ‘Taumos’ meaning ‘Miracle.’ Which is what they termed unicorn magic.” The purple academic began.

Tycho waved off the explanation. "Nevermind, I’ll read about it later. If you say you can bypass my blindness by sending information directly to the nerves behind my eyes, then I will write up each function of the lensing of this device to you, okay?"

Alex piped up. "How long do you need my knife, Twi? You obviously want to adapt the magic of it to this."

Twi's ears perked up to reorient herself to the room and looked at Alex, now being brought back to present. "Oh! Well I think Trace will actually need your knife, Alex. He will set up the magical praxis to modify it and I'll supply the energy to power the enchantment." She clopped her hooves together in eagerness. "My goal is even better than before. Instead of an amulet, I'll make a pair of spectacles to scan for words and reveal them directly to Tycho's visual cortex! AND it will absorb the magic from around him to power it!"

Rainbow Dash whispered to Alex; "I am scared, big guy. I actually understood that."

As the night went on, Alex gave a short chuckle.

Tycho walked back home with two saddle bags draped over his shoulder containing stacks of books; he was sure that he checked out more books that was normally allowed on his library card.

"Need help with that?" Shade asked as she accompanied him.

"I got it." Tycho answered curtly.

There was an uncomfortable silence that followed them as they walked to Tycho's home. The guard captain knew when a stallion was hiding his emotions to be strong, and Tycho fit the bill. She could help him open up and not close himself off to others ...she hoped.

"So," There was some hesitation. "You want me to come visit you from time to time?" Shade asked hopingly.

Tycho looked toward Shade's direction and nodded. "I am okay with it. You can take the guest room again if you need."

Shade smiled. “Do I get room service with that?”

“Only if you respect my privacy.” The man slightly grumbled.

Shade giggled and blushed a little remembering his shame. "Thanks, Tycho. Also, shower etiquette?"

Tycho grimaced a bit from that. "Yyyeah, uh, no showering with the doors open and no entering without the other's permission, that work?"

Shade smiled. "I'm sorry again, Tyke. But if it's any comfort, you are a fine and healthy looking human." She said half way between her normal and silky voice.

Tycho blushed but fended off her flirt with a question. "Where will you be between visits?"

Shade sighed. "While I can't get into specifics, I’ll be doing what I do best. Captain of the Nightguard. Sorry, wish I could tell you more."

Tycho nodded. “I understand. Working for CERN I had to keep my mouth shut on all kinds of technical stuff. We had publicity managers to keep the public informed of what we did."

Shade nodded. “Luna is our publicity manager. Ponies are too scared to press for classified stuff. Going by Alex and Matt though, I’m sure you would be not nearly as shocked, but it is still a need to know basis. We’ve hired Matt for a few missions when we felt we needed him.”

“Anything you can tell me about the Nightguard?” Tycho asked as he reached the steps to his front door, then sat down lowering his bags.

“How about a few mantras? ‘We stand vigilant for thee;’ ‘strong alone, stronger together;’” Shade said with pride in her voice.

“How about Facta non verba?” The human suggested.

Shade was half mesmerised, half confused. “First, what does that mean? Second, say that again.” The mare smoothly said and leaned closer.

Tycho leaned back feeling a bit warmer. “It means deeds, not words. Uh, Latin tongue? Facta non verba?” There was no doubt in his mind Shade was a flirtatious mare, probably with males in general, or was it just him? She never did that with Alex or Elusive.

Shade studied Tycho’s reaction for a moment. He could definitely feel from her voice, proximity, and on some level her posture when a mare was flirting with him. As fun as it was, she didn’t want to make him too uncomfortable, so she kept from going any further.

"S-so.” Tycho reached for the door handle and turned it, letting the door inch open. “Guess I'll be seeing you when I see you." He held a hand out for Shade.

“Let me get my armor first.” Shade opened the door and raced up stairs. “I know you all like to see me without it, but I’m a captain first!” She giggled when Tycho groaned under his breath. Oh yeah, he was flustered, she deduced.

Tycho regained his composure back inside his home and put the books on his desk. He overheard the buckling of belts and occasional clanging of metal as he turned on his laptop. Thinking on Shade, she was definitely a pony he could trust. Dash and Twilight, too. Alex is a good friend, but all this was now making him nervous. That moment back at town hall bothered him still. He made a note to inquire with Twilight the worst that could happen and what they (and he) could do about it. In the midst of his thoughts he noticed Shade was near him, probably in her armor as he remembered her initial shape meeting her, and her mug closer to his face! He scootched back immediately.

Shade blanched and frowned. “I’m sorry. Forgot you wouldn’t expect that.”

"Were you going to kiss me?" Tycho frowned.

Shade turned a bit red and giggled. "No, Tycho. Just a nuzzle."

Tyke relaxed a bit, but kept his distance. "What is a nuzzle compared to a kiss?" He asked.

"Lots of things, but in this case a friendly gesture to say that I care about you." Shade smiled softly. “I want to let you know your friendship means a lot.”

The human hesitated, but decided to give the cultural gesture a shot. He didn’t want to make her think he was ungrateful. He got a bit closer and moved his head to give her access to his left cheek.

Shade held back her giggle at this formal invitation and gave him a brief nuzzle. "See? That wasn't so bad."

Tycho felt the spot where her mug touched, that was pretty soft, and nice. "Yeah, that is fine, just warn me, okay?"

Shade nodded. “Take care, okay? And please, write to me between visits. Just ask Alex to send the letters.” Shade walked out the door. “Bye Tycho!”

“Take care!” Tycho bid her farewell in return, then thought a moment how much this wom...mare had been there for him from the start. Nightshade, he thought, was someone he could rely on. He made a silent promise to write to her when he could as he went to his fridge to get a hard drink before returning to his desk and began reading.

There was now an air of focus surrounding him, Shade noticed as she briefly watched him through his window. This disposition was probably the side of Tycho that did so much sciency stuff back home. Maybe his work will help him adjust too? ...She could only hope.

Access...Journal Entry #1.avi

This is the first journal entry of Tycho Hernandez, displaced human being, now in another dimension inhabited by beings comparable to mythical and legendary creatures in Earth’s history... What an introduction that was. A world charged with magic both wondrous and deadly to us humans. A world which I am trapped in…

I am starting this journal to be a record of sorts. It has been a week here and I think it's prudent to keep a recording of my thoughts, my accomplishments, my setbacks, my whole life here... however long that may be. You did the same, mom. Kept audio records of your work in case you wanted to write a book or something. But to me? I want my friends and family to see this in case I fail... to get back. Maybe so I could be remembered better. No one more than a few on Earth knows what I did, what I sacrificed, or why. But at least those who know me will know what I did, what I sacrificed, and why.

Where do I begin? That is the big question I had to answer when I got here. Usually when you become a refugee, the first thing you do is get work. A lot of that happening to people in my lifetime. But like for them, it's going to be harder for me to secure a job. I am lucky I have a place of my own so I don’t have to worry about being homeless. And Twilight gave me a stipend as payment from a research grant for my work. I am getting by, but that isn’t enough to save up for a brighter future... or a way to get home.

Oh yeah, Twilight, um, there is an index of notes on everything I have done and whom I have met that correspond to this journal so to keep these entries at reasonable length. Just look them up in the index for reference.

So what has this refugee been doing? So far I have finished a book a day on magical theory and writing up specifications on my reading device. I get up, I eat, I read, I eat lunch with friends or by myself, I read some more, I get dragged out to socialize with the locals, I go back and I write. Finished the technical writing in the first half of the week, heh. Easy peasy work for me when you’ve got the internet at your finger tips and a technical background.

We’ll see what Twilight Sparkle comes up with and maybe, just maybe I’ll be able to visually read for the first time in decades. Gods, that is gonna be so surreal. Will I have to learn again or would I remember how? It can’t be as agonizing as it was learning braille. You remember that Dad, Mom? What a fucking pain that was. They told us the bumps were easy to read. Bullshit! Every blind person and language expert agrees it’s a sad substitute, but what are you going to do?

Oh yeah, make a thing that reads for me! Heh.

I haven’t heard from my work friends, yet. But Dr. Herman forwarded me a private email stating everyone can go back home now. That is a relief. No news on CERN’s involvement in saving the world. Just a world torn by relief and fear at the same time.

That is me, Mom, Dad. You and I have a lot in common right now. I am relieved to be alive, but afraid what events or creatures could make my life hell here. I am welcomed here, but scared that could turn 180 on me real quick. I have my skills and abilities but fear I am too advanced for these ponies.

Hence why I read, and read, and read. This stuff isn’t hard to understand. It's just quantum science dealing with new energies! It's amazing! If we had this on Earth, we could do everything the ponies could do. The possibilities are endless! Thank the Gods they have it down to science here. Just remember all the 100 dollar words they throw at me, y’know? Also, Thaumatic. I want to meet the guy who coined it and slap his mug.

I was starting and should finish Basic Enchantments before meeting Twilight again. Its interesting how it works but too complex to explain it in this entry.

So Mom, Dad, Arjeta, Johan, everyone who watches this, I don’t know if or when I make a breakthrough but it can take a long time. So hang in there. I am still alive, guys. Here, and now. Not giving up. This is Tycho Hernandez, signing off.

-----video end----

It was noontime as Tycho navigated his way to the Grain Bucket. One thing he didn’t mention in his journal was his continued memorization of the town. So far he could find his way to town-square, Twilight’s and return home no problem. Memorizing the shops wasn’t too hard. The biggest pain was managing his hearing to sense these ‘little ponies.’ They were thankfully near his thigh in height but he was not used to having to navigate around creatures of such height and shape. Humans were easier due to experience so this was a learning experience for him.

Then there was meeting Applejack again. She and his shopping schedules were matched so that her or one of her family would meet with him to help him shop for stuff. He could always rely on the Apples to help him select good food. And, Gods, Equestrian produce was delicious compared to Earth’s.

But now he felt like getting a sandwich and chips.

“Hey, Tyke.” He heard Matt’s voice call out. His hearing registered a taller individual approaching a table with two ponies.

A thought that bothered him during their first meeting was Matt’s ‘project.’ He made a note to ask for clarification on what the heck he was doing with Equestria’s orphans.

Tycho approached the fence surrounding the outdoor tables where the trio was sitting. “Good afternoon.”

“Hi, Tycho! Care to join us?” He heard Bon Bon ask, but heard nothing from Lyra. Strange, he was warned to expect Lyra to talk to him at great length and immediacy on anything human-related. Or at least be enthusiastic about having them around her.

“Hey Tycho. How have you been holding up?” Matt asked in an undertone.

Tycho joined them at the table, carefully navigating through the movement around the restaurant. The air was nice and the sun shone down on him. There was no source of shade at any table, he noted.

“Taking it a day at a time.” Tycho replied as he sat down. “How have you all been?”

There was a silence indicating sympathy from the table. The waiter provided Tycho a menu. “Welcome, sir. May I read the menu to you, sir?”

Tycho shook his head and replied neutrally. “I appreciate your concern, sir, but the better question is ‘how may I serve you?’”

The waiter’s composure buckled at Tycho’s reply. “I-I am sorry, sir. Please accept our apologies for the mistake.”

“Tycho, he was just offering-.” Bonbon tried to save face, feeling pity for the waiter.

“When you meet someone with a disability, act normal and make no assumptions they require assistance. Act normally and let the someone indicate what they need.” Tycho instructed the waiter in a gentler tone, ignoring Bonbon. “Trust me, you’ll be even more courteous that way.” He gave a pleasant smile.

The waiter seemed partly relieved, but there was still a hint of shame in his demeanor.

“Now, could you please read to me the lunch menu items. I’ll let you know which ones I want described.” Tycho added after a pause.

The waiter did as Tycho asked, albeit nervously and took everyone else’s orders as well. Another moment of uncomfortable silence passed before Bonbon broke it.

“Tycho, what did the waiter do wrong?” Bons asked.

“Making an assumption that disabled people want assistance seems nice, but is actually doing harm. At least for humans. Give folks a chance to tell you what help we need, if we want help, and then you’re treating us with dignity.” The blind human replied as he sipped his soda.

Matt gave a subtle smile, then turned to Lyra. “Lyra, what is the matter.” He asked, not bothering to lower his voice considering the mare wouldn’t be able to hear him.

Lyra sighed. There was no way she could hide it with two humans near her. They could see through it easily. “Tycho, I heard what happened at town hall. I am so sorry.”

Tycho turned towards Lyra’s direction and frowned. “Word gets out, huh? So if you heard about it, have other ponies also heard? And if so, why aren’t they treating all of us cautiously?”

Matt shook his head. “They’re used to us, Tyke. We have lived here long enough and have done enough to earn their trust. They aren’t going to buy anypony’s fear mongering that easily.”

“Yeah, but what about the MST? He is in charge of that?” Tycho asked.

“Its regulated like all ministries. They can’t act beyond their given powers without official approval.” Lyra answered. “It's just…”

Bonbon looked at Lyra and Tycho, then back to Lyra. “Just what, Lyra?”

“Once Arcanis sets his mind to something, he won’t give up. He’ll act in accordance to the codes and regulations, but that won’t stop him from seeking support or approval from ponies of power.” She frowned.

Matt noticed the tension in Tycho’s shoulders he was getting upset. “Hey, listen.”

Tycho looked in Matt’s direction.

“We got two princesses, the town, Twilight, and many others on our side. I know what you're thinking, and it won’t happen. Even if that guy can muster support to act, he’d be in deeper trouble and wouldn’t accomplish anything.” Matt explained.

Tycho didn’t feel relieved despite Matthew’s assurances. In fact, what relief he felt initially when coming here was fading and the anxiety of being stuck here was growing on him.

“What has studying magic been like for you?” Bonbon asked, gauging his mood. It was hard for ponies (even ones who have been around the humans) to read a human’s face.

Tycho took a deep breath to regain his composure. “Learning a new subject and area of science isn’t easy but I think I’m managing well-enough.”

“Let me know if you need another tutor, Mr. Tycho. I’m not as great as Twilight but I can explain a few things if you need.” Lyra said as their meals were provided.

“I’ll consider it.” Tycho replied in a low tone.

The mood was already growing dim at the table as Tycho scanned his food with his fork.

“Oh, Matt! How is the academy doing?” Bonbon asked, hoping a shift of focus will improve the mood.

Tycho raised an eyebrow, remembering full well Matt explained something about a military school for foals?

“The foals are doing well. Fewer troublemakers than expected, but they are just doing what kids would do. Cheerilee likes the new teaching staff and is happy consulting them in curriculum development.” Matt explained before taking a bite.

“So when do you run through combat training and marksmanship?” Tycho asked bluntly, listening carefully to Matt’s answer.

Matt swallowed his bite and answered. “Not for a year. Gym class maintains the exercise regimen for the first year before we show them the basic stuff.”

Tycho swallowed his bite and looked in Matt’s direction. “So one year then these children learn how to kill?” Tycho asked in a normal tone. The pony directly behind Tycho gasped and dropped her fork.

Bonbon and Lyra gaped. “Tycho, what are you talking about?” Lyra whispered loud enough for Tycho and Matt to hear.

“What the hell kind of world is this? You got a dude here playing warlord with your children and you are okay by this? What is your fucking definition of utopia, anyways?” Tycho didn’t raise his voice, but didn’t lower it despite the air of warning coming from the two mares at the table with the humans.

Matt put his fork down. “Tycho, what the crap do you think I am doing?” Matt didn’t lower his voice either, and definitely sounded mad.

“You listen to your own words, ‘Mr. Commando?’ You said you’re training foals to be soldiers! I can’t fathom how or why you’d think that is okay!” Tycho chastised Matt, who was keeping his cool, but not happy.

Bonbon, already sensing a misunderstanding, waved her hooves. “Hold it!” That caused the other tables to go silent. She grimaced at the fact they were causing a scene but this had to be done to avoid it escalating. “Tycho, what are you envisioning Matthew is doing?”

“He’s turning children into cannon fodder. What do you think soldiers do? They put their lives on the line for their country. These are kids!” Tycho exclaimed.

“Cannon what?” Lyra said confused.

Matt facepalmed. “Oh for fuck sake. Tycho, they don't get trained when they are very young. They are adolescents in high school when they start. It's like the Canadian Reserve program!”

Tycho sat there in silence, realizing the misunderstanding and the fact everypony must have heard him embarass his friends. “Oh gods.”

Lyra realized what just happened and groaned. “When we used the word foals, he thought, oh gods.” She facehoofed.

Bonbon spoke in a softer voice and put a hoof on his hand. “Tycho, it’s okay. It's our fault we didn’t explain it right.”

Matt pushed his plate aside and leaned on the table to get a better posture. “Tycho, I have been jumping for a long time. I’ve been through a lot of crazy stuff and it has changed me in ways I wish it hadn’t, but here I am. And I am not the kind of person that would do something like that. I should have explained it better. I hope that clarifies things.”

Tycho tried to say an appropriate response but something else bluttered out. “Am I gonna end up being as messed up as all of you?”

Matt just stared, hiding the slight hurt he felt from that.

“Seriously. Is weird shit gonna happen to me, change me, mess me up!?” Tycho asked. “Am I next, Matt!?”

Matt continue staring, have no idea what to say.

The awkwardness at the table created an air of silence as they finished their food. Tycho didn't feel comfortable anymore and stood up up as he put some bits on the table.

Bonbon soft spoke. “Tycho, let us pay-”

Tycho didn’t answer and drew out his cane as he carefully made his way out of the restaurant without another word, leaving the three behind in uncomfortable silence.

Passing by the library on his way back home, Tycho heard Twilight’s voice call him. “Tycho!”

Tycho shook his head and continue walking. He stopped suddenly as his senses registered a strange occurrence of magic in front of him and the form of a pony. The blind human yelped and fell back, landing on his rear end.

“Oh, sorry Tycho! Are you hurt?” Twilight ran up to him.

“What the hell was that?!” Tycho backed away from her.

Twilight stopped and meekly replied. “It it was a teleport spell. Sorry, I should have just run down the stairs, but I needed you for something very important and didn’t want to lose you.”

Tycho shook his head to regain his sense of the world around him. “Well, just don’t surprise me like that.” He stood up. “What do you want?” He asked bluntly.

Twilight gulped. Tycho was visibly unhappy.

“Well, what?” Tycho asked.

“Its... it's your glasses. I have something for you to work on. A test to complete the enchantment.” The unicorn explained with a little smile.

Tycho took a deep breath. He didn’t know if he was in the mood for this. “Twi, I didn’t have a good lunch today, maybe we should put it off.”

“If we can get this done today, Tycho, we can get you certified today as well. Then you’ll have a stable job with me!” Twilight explained. “Please, Tycho, for you to earn this in one week would get you recognized... in a good way!” She quickly added.

Tycho took a moment to bottle up his anxiety before answering. “Alright, show me what I need to do.”

In the library, Twilight, Spike, and Trace were in Twilight’s laboratory. Surrounding them were lab tables adorned with various equipment: chemistry sets, steampunkish machines with various lights and numeric readings, and perfectly labeled books and supply cabinets.

At the center was a table with a circular stone plate of onyx.

Tycho could only barely make out the furniture and that there were objects on them. “Alright so what am I doing?”

“Artificing!” Twilight said excited.

A noise occurred down stairs. “Hello?!” They heard a familiar female voice from below.

Spike ran up to the exit. “El! We’re in the lab!” He called downstairs.

Footsteps followed as Eleanor Asher entered. Obviously, she was female, Tycho noted from his hearing. Only his friends could see the details of whatever she was now. Tycho had learned only snippets of what happened to her.

“Basically, she is no longer human. She just appears as such,” was all he let himself learn. Tycho never desired to learn anymore as he was afraid of what he would hear.

“Hey, Tycho,” Eleanor pleasantly greeted and extended her hand. “How have you been?”

Tycho hesitatingly took it and shook, taking note he felt a genuine human handshake. So at the very least she seemed human. “Another day, Eleanor. That’s how I have been.” He said almost emotionless.

El looked at Tycho sadly but Twilight piped up before she could talk.

“Okay! Tycho, let me describe what we have here. Please step in front of the table right here.” She pointed to the place where Tycho was to stand.

Tycho stood as best he could. “So what am I doing here?”

“On this table is an onyx plate lined with aluminum. Remember when I said aluminum was rare and valuable? Well it's more than just that. It is also very useful. Aluminum is a very useful metal for enchantment. Applejack has a line of aluminum in her hat to aid her in her strength. So does Big Mac in his collar. And in this plate is a very thin line of aluminum in this groove on the edge. You see, it helps absorb the magic into a special pattern that you will draw on to create the enchantment.” Twilight explained.

Tycho gaped. “Draw.” Was she serious, Tycho thought? He’d read about this in the books on enchantment but didn’t expect Twilight to actually make him do it.

Twilight simply nodded. She must have looked far too enthusiastic about this, Tycho predicted.

“You want me to draw? Twilight, I can’t see! I have the artistic skills of a brick.” The human exclaimed.

Trace cleared his throat. “Twilight has seen your work, Tycho. Despite your disability, you managed drafting your designs for the hadron collider. This shouldn’t be too different.”

Tycho shook his head. “Yes, but I had specific digital gadgets to help me with that. Gadgets which aren’t here! And you said I can’t be exposed to the magic here, so we can forget any spells to substitute. You are wasting time-”

Eleanor put a reassuring hand on Tycho’s shoulder. “Tycho, instead of giving up before we begin, give it a shot. Now here, put these gloves on.” She held up a pair of silk gloves. “You’re blind, but I whipped up something that can use your other senses to help.”

Tycho tensed at first, being touched by this person, but he regained his composure and took the gloves. They felt like silk and, upon wearing them, they hugged his hands like a glove. “What are these gonna do?” As he moved his hands, he felt some resistance on them. “Huh?”

Eleanor grinned. “Magic feelers. They push against the magic field so you can feel the substance to it. I made them for this test. They won’t expose you to magic because they’re brushing against it. Heck, I can make a body glove of this and no magic would touch you, but you’d feel the ambient field around your hands like it was water.”

Tycho got the gist of what she was explaining. So El can make magic stuff, Tycho noted. “So, while I can’t see, you want me to touch what I draw?”

El nodded. “Best I could come up with in short time. I hope it helps.”

Trace then spoke. “Now, if you will please take this.” He held out a thin object to Tycho.

Tycho took it and could feel through the gloves some magic at the tip. He quickly deduced what it was for. “You want me to draw a pattern on the plate and use the gloves as as way to feel the patterns for accuracy?”

Twilight nodded. “Exactly. You remember what you studied on magic basics?”

Tycho delved into his memory as his intellectual mind overshadowed his difficult feelings. “Yes, patterns in the magical field create specific effects.”

“Create the right pattern and you can will the magic in those glasses to have the desired effect!” Spike piped up. Everypony looked at him a bit surprised. “What? I learned this stuff too!”

Twilight smiled and nuzzled Spike. “That is right, Spike! So, Tycho, I have several praxis, those are pattern shapes if you recall, that you need to draw on this circle. But you need to remember what you read on them to correctly place and orient them on the plate. It’s also up to you to determine the right order to draw them, since their fields will interact with any new praxis added. Then we will do the final part of the enchanting.”

Tycho took a deep breath. It had been a long time since he had done drafting by hand. He did it before for a class, and succeeded, but it was a pain in the ass. Delving back to his reading, he recalled various shapes. Stars, circles, trapezoids, parallelograms, ovals, etc; all positioned on a circle or square space, in order, near each other or around each other around a small space. Those shapes, drawn with magical primer, were to absorb a magical spell that went into the desired artifact in the center. All formed a praxis that brought the spells together to form the enchantment.

This wasn’t going to be easy and he doubted he’d be able to finish it today, but he had time to burn and needed to keep busy. “Well, I guess here goes nothing.” He took off his jacket, revealing the tattoos on his arms as he got to work.

Tycho got started as his friends gave him space to work. Using the gloves, Tycho gauged the shape of the circle and committed it to memory. His memory was good, but not perfect, so it would be difficult to put everything precisely where they needed to be. He then began recalling each shape that gave the proper effect.

Tycho pressed the pen to the plate. It felt like he was drawing ink on some very sturdy paper. Amazing! Each shape he traced with his gloved fingers as he drew, trying to remember the length. It was a clumsy effort, he concluded. The feeling of the magical lines only just barely gave him an idea of the orientation of each shape.

He could hear low whispers from the others in the background. El and Trace were probably explaining to Twilight and Spike about his tattoos or something, Tycho assumed. He tuned it out and continued working.

It took long minutes to complete, and his first result didn’t seem right to him. “Twi, can you come here and check on this?” He gestured her to come over.

Twilight approached the plate and looked at it, shook her head. “Good first try. It's the right idea, but what is wrong here?”

Tycho waved his hand over the patterns and realized they were either too far apart or too close to the center. He sighed and shook his head. “Start over, huh?”

Tycho felt something wave over the plate and the patterns were gone.

Twilight nodded with a soft smile. “I’m afraid so. I know it's challenging, but, again, you got the right idea. Don’t give up.”

The human shook his head and started again. This was ludicrous, he thought. After another long effort, Twilight checked again. She shook her head. “Almost, but not quite. Check your work and see where they needed to be.”

Tycho checked and growled low. “This isn’t a fair test for me.”

Twilight put a hoof on his hand. “But you did a great job compared to your first. That means you know what you are doing! You aren’t far off, Tycho.”

“Twilight. Without sight, this can take me days!” Tycho complained.

Eleanor then piped up. “Tycho? I like to think of myself as an inventor of sorts with an appreciation for science. So mind if I try to relate?” She asked. When Tycho nodded, she continued. “So when I jumped here, I had to learn the new stuff I was... blessed with and it wasn’t easy. Sometimes it was trial and error, and other times it took practice to master and control things. You’re doing the same.”

“Did you learn blind, El? Look at these eyes!” He pointed to his white and white eyes with two fingers. “I need pinpoint precision here, I can’t without my stuff back home!” Tycho exclaimed, once again reminded of the pain of being separated from his home.

"Not blind, no. Coping with a half dozen new senses meant for another world than this one. Dunno if overload is worse than missing a sense, but with this, feeling can be more useful than seeing." El thought for a moment. "Pity I don't have a barrette, could try to put together a Geordie LaForge visor thingie. Wouldn't be real sight, but maybe being able 'see' a few spectrums of non-standard energy types could help?"

Tycho just stared at her as if she was mocking him. He knew what character in Star Trek she was referring to and what she wanted to make, but he didn’t believe for a second Eleanor could actually do that.

Trace sensed Tycho’s frustration coupled with his larger turmoil welling up in the poor man. “Good idea, El. But let’s make sure this works, first. If it does and Tycho permits, we can experiment with more advanced enchantments later.” Trace then turned to Twilight. “But this is asking a lot from Tycho right now. It maybe best to put this off until Tycho has had some more time to adjust.”

Twilight’s determination for Tycho didn’t shift. She wouldn’t have her student give up that quickly. “Tycho, please don’t give up so soon. I know this has been hard, but Alex has said that you aren’t measured by your disability. I was told never to do that to you, and I am not going-” Twilight stopped when she noticed Tycho’s expression had changed.

“Measure.” Tycho said. He ran his hands over the plate. “Gods damned I am stupid! Twi, I need a foot-long ruler, a stencil, and other drawing tools for hand drawing.”

Spike got the idea but stopped as he ran to the exit. “How long is a foot?”

Twilight’s bright-eyed enthusiasm came back and giddily nodded. “Two and a quarter hoof long ruler, Spike!”

There was a short break before Spike returned with a bevy of drawing tools. Tycho sorted out which ones he needed and got back to work. He placed the ruler where the measuring side went right through the center. He noticed the texture of the measuring grooves and grinned. Now he had a means to calculate where he was. It would take time and a lot of patience having to count the grooves to remember where each line would meet, but it would now be possible. He used a protractor and patiently counted the grooves in that to get the right angles. Then smaller rulers to draw the lines.

This time it took him nearly an hour to draw everything on the plate. Two triangles pointing at each other toward the center. Both shapes were within a large octagon with their edges touching the inner edges of the octagon. Then a four-point star with each point connecting to the edge of the plate. All four shapes perfectly centered (or at least near-perfectly). He then asked for a compass for making large circles with a specific diameter, which Twilight happily provided. He patiently drew the circle through the shapes with the center of the circle precisely at the center of the plate.

He stepped back when he when he was done. “I need a sweat rag and a beer.” He said with satisfaction.

Twilight looked at his work and looked at Trace. “Get the spectacles!” She beamed as Eleanor approached Tycho with a hand towel and chilled bottle of some kind of lager.

“Where did you get this?” Tycho asked Eleanor and took a sip.

“Summon Yuengling. Don’t ask how.” El grinned.

Tycho just stared into the darkness trying to imagine Eleanor as a sexy mad-scientist chick. “So you’re an inventor, huh?”

Eleanor nodded. “Among other things. I’ll explain when there is more time.”

“Okay, Tycho! Ready for the spells?” Twilight bellowed.

Tycho walked up the plate and pointed to each shape. “First triangle will take the transcribed spell, the other the visual sense spell, the octagon the ‘mind’s eye’ spell, the circle will be the balancer, and the star will be the primal energy sequence.”

“Correct! Trace, if you please.” Twilight dramatically referred to her lover.

Trace rubbed his hands together as magic formed and his hands glowed a greenish energy. He then pointed them to the plate as the energy flowed into it. Then Twilight went to work with her horn magic casting different spells. Each in the form of energy which filled the shapes as different colors or colorful patterns. When she was finished, there was a brief flash of light and the patterns were gone, but the spectacles were glowing brightly for a few seconds.

After a few seconds of silence, Tycho spoke. “So, did it work?”

“Try them on!” Twilight said clopping her hooves together excitedly as Trace chuckled, amused by his lover’s giddiness.

Tycho lifted the spectacles. They had rounded lenses, it seemed. “These tinted?” He asked.

“Dark-blue.” Eleanor replied.

“Oh nice. Rave specs.” Tycho mused and put them on. What happened next caused him to stumble back. “Oh!”

He didn’t think about the possibility that it would work. Eleanor raced behind him quickly to hold him in place as he straightened up.

“You okay there?” El asked.

“Is it okay, Tycho? Any discomfort?” Twilight asked, very concerned that it may have been botched.

“Advanced Thaumatic Resonance Methods, Second Edition.” Tycho could see the titles, labels, and everything written around him! Like a lightshow of words in the pitch black. There they were! Words! They were even sorted as different colors by object they were on it so to help distinguish them! For years he could only imagine words through the imagination of his childhood or recall what he had read before he went blind! But there they were! Tycho stood amazed with this miracle happening to him.

Twilight looked at the book title he must have read, then looked back at Tycho. She squealed happily and hopped around the center table. “Yes-yes-yes-yes-yes!” She taught a magic-allergic human magic!

Trace chuckled at the display. He walked to another table and brought Tycho a framed picture. “If you would do the honors, Dr. Hernandez.”

Tycho picked up the frame and read the writing and symbolism on it. “First Level Certification of Artificing. Tycho Hernandez, Ph.D.” A hint of hope shone through in his heart. He did it. He helped create something with magic! He can do magic! Did that make him a wizard? A sorcerer? An enchanter? Who cares? He could use magic now!

Eleanor smiled. “Congrats, Dr. Hernandez. You have taken your first step into a larger world.”

Chapter 11 - Shade and Shadow

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Tycho sat on the couch at Twilight’s in awe. After decades he was actually seeing something, and it wasn’t just letters. He could see charts, tables, graphs, if it was written or printed. Sadly, no illustrations, but what did it matter? He was experiencing a mode of perception he had missed for decades. Skimming through a Daring Do book, he practiced his visual reading skills and was delighted at how fast he was getting used to it.

The others who were with him in the lab chatted. Eleanor sat next to Tycho and tapped him on the shoulder. “Telurian for your thoughts?”

It took a moment for Tycho to tear himself away from the experience to look towards El. He removed his glasses. “What?”

“What do you think? You just made your first artifact.” The woman smiled.

“Technically, I helped make.” Tycho corrected. “I can’t take all the credit.”

El shrugged. “But now that you know how, what do you think you can do it with?”

Tycho sat for a moment as thoughts raced through his mind. “Well, Equestrian enchanting uses this method very commonly. Stone slab, object in the middle, intricate shapes drawn on slab to transfer the combination of spells to the object to create an artifact.”

El nodded, hoping to provoke his mind with inspired brilliance. “Can you think of a way to improve it?”

Tycho thought back to his days designing that hadron collider. He didn’t think about this at first, but the realization brought on a moment of excitement. “Holy shit!” His outburst silenced the hole room. “Sorry.” He calmed a bit as the gears in his mind turned. He didn’t hear El inquire what he was thinking. Enchantment: A limited power but with great potential if changed. The position of those enchantment shapes are always on a 2D plane with an object on top…what if they could be enhanced using a 3-dimensional apparatus, or even 4-dimensional application? The possibilities for various enchantments could enhance Equestrian technology considerably. After all, they have magically working refrigerators, ovens, and stoves. They have sophisticated processes for water processing and waste disposal. So what if he can make these enchantments more complex? So much that he can duplicate certain sciences back home. Maybe even find a way back home.

Home... the Hadron Collider and Equestria. What did they do to stop the jumping and bring him here? He had spent an entire week in this place feeling sorry for himself and reading up magic, he stopped thinking exactly how it all worked. The H.C. did its part. It slammed the protons, captured the breach causing the jumping occurrences. But something created the amplified feedback that pulled him in to stop the jumping completely. What did Twilight and Lyra come up with?

His scientific field could enhance this new field to possibly duplicate or even improve the ‘jumping’ to send him home.

“Twilight!” Tycho said, once again causing everypony in the room to react in surprise. “You and Lyra did something here while we were doing stuff with the Hadron Collider. What exactly did you do?”

Twilight stared at Tycho. She swallowed nervously and looked at him sadly. “I’m sorry Tycho, but that information is… restricted… for now.”

There was a dead silence in the room. Trace and Eleanor were not surprised, though they seemed saddened for Tycho.

Tycho stared into the empty space of his nonexistent sight hearing what Twilight just said. “…what?” He almost didn’t believe what he was hearing.

The great city of Canterlot sat in the late afternoon. The palace stood tall and proud on the mountain precipice as sturdy as the foundations of Earth like a crowned jewel, neither leaning or bending to wind or age. The sun was setting as a certain princess stood on her balcony guiding the great ball of fusion in its slow journey toward the horizon. With a clear view of the spectacle, Captain Alabaster Nightshade enjoyed watching Princess Celestia’s sunsets from the window of her quarters.

The grey furred and silvery maned mare sipped her morning coffee as she finished the paper. Already articles were written about the arrival of a new human being as well as discussions about these creatures. Questions were being asked as to why they were increasing in number and what their purpose is here. No answers, though. That might be a problem for the jumpers. Alex, Matthew, Trace, and Tycho would be easy to explain, but Eleanor? That would be a doozy. The Crystal ponies were fine by it, but everypony else?

As she read the article and processed its speculation, her thoughts went back to an earlier controversy before Tycho arrived. Matthew and Eleanor argued they should destroy Discord while he was still a statue using whatever devices they could come up with to guarantee he would be wiped out. Alex and the ponies argued otherwise. Emerald was indifferent but stated that if Discord was responsible, it would mean his power was not successfully contained by the elements and greater measures should be taken to contain him. Shade sided with that idea and now his statue was no longer in the royal gardens. Where had Celestia put him? Even Luna would not tell. Just another terror for her princesses to keep an eye on while their little ponies could put it out of their minds.

She decided she wasted too much energy contemplating it and and donned her guard-uniform. Two of Matthew’s first graduates were coming over for training and it was time to give them a proper welcome. She went to her second closet and viewed herself in the mirror. She owed years of training and the proper diet to accomplish her figure. Shade figured her desire to look good was attributed to her cutiemark. A shield over a crescent moon, with a rosette of various shades of red on one corner of the shield. That last symbol, according to a cutiemark expert, is a symbol of beauty. So, according to her cutie mark, her special talents were with the guard and looking damn fine in the process.

“Yep, still hot.” Shade thought out loud and winked to her reflection. She put on her armor: Helmet, breastplate, armored-kilt, shoes with shin guards. Her mane fit through the upper portion of the helmet with aid of her magic as to make it a gallant tassel. Upon wearing the helmet, the pupils of her eyes slitted vertically. A gesture to honor the Thestrals of old.

Shade made her way to the barracks, passing tired day-guards as they headed to their beds for the night.

Each time the Nightguard Captain passed them, they couldn’t help but stare. Sometimes in awe, but most times in disapproval.

The Nightguard are nothing but glorified parolees.
Why did they make that drunk a captain?
Wait, the Feelee on the poster leads the guard?
They should have been disbanded a long time ago.
It’s not like Princess Luna really does anything to need guards.

And Shade’s response to their scorn? Screw em’. Her guard had qualities the day-guard couldn’t measure up to.

The captain arrived to the central courtyard where her guards were waiting.

“Captain on field!” Her lieutenant shouted. All three rows stood attention, stalwart and unmoving as any other guard.

“At ease!” The captain ordered. She noticed her three recruits. One young mare and two colts. The mare was still stiff as a frosty twig, probably trying to impress her. The second colt yawned. No surprise, every newbie has trouble adjusting to the evening shift. The third stared at her flank before realizing she noticed, and then stood attention. Whelp, at least she knew which one will need the most discipline.

“Lieutenant Noctus, review yesterday's assignments.” The captain let her number one read off the progress, setbacks, and changes of each assignment. From guard duty, to investigations, to law enforcement, to defense, to scouting, to monster hunting, each was reviewed. Some of the guard grimaced in hearing a setback, others showed pride in a success. Many held their expressions as a show of discipline. The third newbie’s eyes shifted back to her flank and whispered to his yawning friend. Poor guy wasn’t aware that her helmet enhanced her hearing.

“The poster babe is our captain! I told you!” The third said excited.

“Shhhh. Quiet.” The second said, slightly tired.

“Best job ever!” The third grinned.

Shade held back her snicker and maintained her demeanor. “Silence in the ranks!” She shouted toward the new recruits, who instantly stood attention and clamped their mouths shut. “Resume, Noctus.”

Noctus nodded and finished the last assignments. All was in order. Crime was low, as usual. Monster dangers had reduced a little more and they’d been pushed back to their natural habitat. Some crimes solved, while other investigations yielded leads. Guarding the castle is, as most nights, quiet.

“Before you resume your assignments, I want all of you to welcome our new recruits.” Shade extended a hoof pointing to the three newbies. “You have no doubt met them, and they will be starting their first assignments tonight under Noctus’s instruction. I will personally be inspecting your work tonight.” That caught the guard’s attention, judging by their perked ears, she noted. “So far, you have all continued to perform above and beyond the line of duty. You set a fine example to these three. I expect our recruits,” she stomped her hoof creating a loud crack in the air, which snapped the second awake. The first snickered but quickly stiffened her demeanor after the captain shot her a glare. “to follow your example.” Shade finished. “Any questions?”

One guard raised his hoof.

“Private Meadowshade.” Shade acknowledged him.

“I heard the guard may be receiving a ‘Class S’ assignment soon.” He finished.

Some of the guard went silent. Even Shade raised an eyebrow.

The 3rd newbie seemed confused. “What is a Class S assignment?”

Shade cleared her throat. “For those of you unfamiliar with upper-level assignments, Class S are ‘special.’ They are typically dangerous and highly classified due to various factors such as sensitive information, danger, unknowns, and involvement of VIP. I cannot confirm, nor deny if our guard will be receiving any because Class S’s are classified to all but assigned personnel. And even then it's on a need-to-know basis. I suggest you all concentrate on your current assignments and not waste energy contemplating unknown possibilities.” Shade finished and nodded to Noctus. “Lieutenant, please take our recruits on their first assignment. Company, dismissed!”

Shade trotted off as all the guard (except a very annoyed Noctus) leaned to get one last view of her flank.

“DISMISSED!” Noctus shouted, causing the guard to scramble and hastily leave the field, with the three recruits remaining. “As for you three, we will start by patrolling the castle. I will tour you the entire building and surrounding grounds. You will memorize this incredible piece of architecture…” Noctus’s voice faded as Shade walked away while stifling a laugh.

The Night Guard were the most disciplined, she believed. They were highly trained and brought up from difficult and rebellious backgrounds, with Matt to thank for shaping them up into very capable soldiers. But as demonstrated by their recent ogling, they weren’t perfect. The Day Guard rated their discipline by their ability to hold steady in the face of danger, but send them up against an army of Changelings, and they could be overwhelmed. Her guard could take punishment and deal out more with equally strategic prowess. Too bad Celestia refused to let Matt help her Day Guard. Their loss, she supposed.

She switched her thoughts from her inner thought exposition and decided to inquire about this Class S Assignment rumor. She made her way up the steps of the palace to arrive at Princess Luna’s Night Court.

Shade arrived just in time to see the proceedings in action, where she remained in the shadows to observe. The throne room was properly decorated for the evening court, with tapestries depicting Luna’s moon. Luna sat upon the silver throne adorned with blue velvet cushions. Her court minister stood by her side as Shade’s guards kept order in the court. Petitioners sat on waiting chairs and advocates stood by their clients. Luna, however, seemed unamused by the current case.

“My princess, petitioners of this court. My client beseeches your benevolence. His lordship, Claberdine Clopsnickle Refordandle Puffywuffen Braeburdingle Platerbottom of the Great Barony of Oderburg offers his sincere apologies for ‘booping’ Lord Humperdink on his nose, on the evening of the 15th.” The defense stated.

The prosecutor retorted. “Your majesty, Lord Humperdink has made it clear according to the old written traditions provided by Puddinghead the IXth, a booping during a cocktail frolic is a horrid offense worthy of a pastry fight! Lord Claberdine Clopsnickle Refordandle Puffywuffen Braeburdingle Platerbottom of the Great Barony of Oderburg almost started a civil conflict! My client demands reparations!”

“Nonsense! Those traditions are not enforceable by the crown. Lord Claberdine Clopsnickle Refordandle Puffywuffen Braeburdingle Platerbottom of the Great Barony of-”

Luna facehoofed. “For the remainder of this court, you will refer to him as ‘The Lord of Oderburg.” She interrupted and gave a deathly glare from behind her hoof. The advocates nervously nodded.

“Yes, your greatness.” The stallion cleared his throat. “The Lord of Oderburg’s booping had left a scuff on Lord Humperdink’s nose, an act that banqueted in his honor. He respectfully requests a fitting punishment to set the balance.” The prosecutor finished.

Luna deadpanned. “In the interest of settling this dispute and to move onto more serious matters.” Luna rubbed her aching head. “I decree the Lord of Very Long Names and Oderburg pay 50 bits and time served.” She raised her voice for the court to hear. “Your princess declares a ten minute recess. Tea and refreshments are served in the cafeteria.” Luna thankfully stepped down from her throne, relieved to be done with such a droll case. Her demeanor brightened upon seeing Captain Nightshade coming out of the shadows and meeting her grace.

“My princess.” Nightshade approached and bowed as she removed her helmet and letting messy, silky mane hang free.

“Captain Nightshade. We must consider other venues to utilize your appearance. Have you considered promoting shampoo? Even your helmet-mane is lovely!” Luna joked.

Nightshade chuckled and raised her head. “Your sense of humor is improving, your majesty.”

“I try.” Luna smiled. “What can I do for you, Captain?”

“One of my guard told me of a possible Class S assignment coming our way. Is this true?” Shade asked with hope in her eyes.

Luna’s face grimaced, but she adjusted her composure. “Captain Nightshade, I hope you can understand that the Nightguard has only been improved for half a decade.” She looked away to the guards in her court as they ushered the petitioners. “While I do appreciate your initiative, I would rather we work on improving our image to our fellow pony before we commit ourselves to greater challenges. But rest assured, Captian, one day we will…” She looked back at the captain, her back turned looking down at the ground in despondence. Her tail was limp upon the stone floor. Her ears drooped. Even the light around her seemingly darkened. “Oh no…” Luna murmured.

“My Princess, after all we have done, you have so little confidence in our ability to handle responsibilities.” Shade whimpered. “I am unworthy to be a captain if I cannot convince you how much we have progressed as a unit.” She lamented.

What a display, but a very convincing one, Luna admitted as she bit her lower lip. She had no idea it hurt her captain so. Well, she should not deny her Captain the chance to prove herself.

“On the other hoof,” Luna began.

Shade lifted her head and looked at Luna hopefully with large, despondent eyes.

“It wouldn’t help our guard to hold them back. If they are to improve and surpass themselves as is their calling, they should be given a chance.” Luna lifted her head and stated with royal radiance. “I shall assign you the Class S case. Report to -“

In a sudden change of emotion, Shade spun around to full ready stance with her helmet on, saluting the princess proudly. “Thank you princess! You won’t be disappointed! We shall strive to make you and Equestria proud! Facta non verba!” She ran towards the exit in a dash, dividing the two guards apart as they dodged her passing. “Doingagoodjobfellas!”

“Thanks, Captain!” The two guards shouted in unison as they regained their posture.

Luna stood blinking. Was the captain putting up an act? She sighed. Well with Nightshade overseeing this, surely they will handle their first special assignment with minimal difficulties. She will no doubt strive to persevere and conquer this task as her admired heroes did, Luna mused.

Suddenly Shade appeared in front of Luna in a small cloud of dust. “I’m sorry, my princess! Could you tell me whom I’m to go to for briefing?!”

Maybe not, the princess thought grimly.

Elsewhere in the various buildings connected to the castle, a particular building displayed some unusual activity within. Inside, the ponies inside were walking on the ceiling. At the front entrance lobby, the secretary sat patiently annoyed as other ponies walked by her, also on the ceiling. None of the furniture seemed to be having the same problem. An intercom in the lobby sudden sounded with the voice of a female.

“Is this thing on? Okay, good. We are sorry, everypony for the sudden change in gravitational…um…attraction. Those who are responsible are about to remedy the problem right now…wait right now?!” The voice exclaimed as suddenly everypony throughout the building (save half the Pegasi) hit the floor with a resounding ‘thud.’ The voice sighed. “…somepony please send for the paramedics… again.”

The secretary’s head popped up from under a messy pile of papers. “I hate working here.” As she began re-sorting her papers before an orange stallion walked in. The secretary recognized the pony and immediately stood attention. “Minister Archanis! Welcome.”

The minister glanced around noticing some ponies limping or groaning. “Somepony messed with anti-gravity again?” He asked nonchalantly the secretary as he approached.

The secretary rubbed her aching head. “Yes, sir. How may I assist you?”

The minister cleared his throat. “I am here to see Professor Erebus. Is she available?”

“She was operating the intercom a moment ago. One moment.” The secretary buzzed for intercom control, then received. “Would Professor Erebus please come to the front desk?”

The minister waited, sipping from a coffee mug until he heard the clicking of a tongue and the unnaturally long stretch of a shadow. Approaching down the long hallway was a very white mare. Her eyes had no pupils to see, mostly because they were of the same color as her irises, totally red. Along her sides were a pair of white bat wings that seemed too weak to carry a pony even half her size, much less a normal-sized pony. She wore a lab coat with a collar that reached under her white mane. Adorned upon her head was a unicorn horn.

“Minister.” The albino mare greeted with a slight bow, the shadow delayed

Archanis nodded in acknowledgement. “How goes your work, Professor?”

“So-so. We had a slight setback,” Erebus rolled her eyes. “But, as soon as the interns reorganize our papers, we should make some semblance of progress today.”

The Minister shook his head. “Erebus, if I could get a separate building for each science team, I would.” He pointed to the secretary. “Send this memo to the gravity research team; one more debacle like this, and I might have their funding cut in half.” The secretary rapidly typed the memo as Erebus frowned.

“To be fair, that was quite an achievement. I mean, it only affected the ponies this time.” Erebus said.

“Well enough on that. Let's talk about what you’ll need for future tests.” The Minister gestured with a hoof tap down the hall and walked with Erebus. “Working with Umbral magic is dangerous, but I wouldn’t trust any other pony but you to understand it.”

“You did vouch for me, Minister. I appreciate you recognizing my talents.” Erebus explained with slight tension in her voice. “The similarities to Umbral magic is almost uncanny.”

“That is why I gave you the grant.” The minister mused. “Now, obviously you won’t be able to run tests here. I dare say delving into the Shadow Realm would be best done in a facility between here and the Crystal Empire. The Everfree Forest, as you have reported, is too wild to conduct such research.”

“Well, that area has the strongest presence of Umbral magic. So you’re suggesting setting up a waypoint for the train to the Empire, further enough from the tracks and on the edge of the Umbral Zone?” She asked.

“Exactly, my dear. Minimizes risk to nearby civilizations and keeps you close enough to run supplies between both cities. Not to mention, crystal peanut butter, eh?” He shot Erebus a grin.

Erebus smirked. The Minister did not see her lanky shadow behind him lick its non-existent lips between a toothy smile. “Well, you’ve sold me now, minister.” There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice. The two scientists arrived at her office. “Oh, Archanis, what is this I heard you went to Ponyville and caused a ruckus?” Erebus asked.

The Minister frowned and shook his head. “As much as I want to get into details, I have to maintain discretion. To be frank, I don’t like that we are treating these refugees with such casual trust.”

Erebus cocked her head looking at the Minister with concern. “The humans? I have heard of them and some of their doings. I’ve heard a little when I had to stay in Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle speaks highly of them, albeit with some caution.”

“And I am not discounting they have done some impressive things for us and our kind. But I don’t like that we’re receiving one after the other so regularly.” The Minister sighed, his growing anxiety becoming apparent. “Erebus, there is so much going on with these ‘jumpers’ that we don’t understand. Don’t get me started with the fact one of our own, a child no less, became a jumper as well!” He lowered his voice in embarrassment as a donkey passed, seemingly overhearing his conversation, and getting a sip from the water fountain down the hall. “It is unacceptable that we’re ignoring the disastrous possibilities.”

Erebus nodded. “I can see why their presence would scare some ponies. Beings from other worlds coming here by accident. Could be a prelude to something bigger, but…”

“Yes, yes. We have no definite proof. Discord is one possibility for their fate, but we can’t tell for sure as our princess has,” he grumbled. “Locked him away somewhere. Though I doubt any sort of research would work around that creature.” He shook his head. “And while I cannot act as I normally would I…” He stopped himself realizing he was saying too much. “Anyways, Erebus, the Ministry is going to do what it can to investigate these jumpers and the nature of their being here. Thoroughly.”

“Well, if the crown supports this priority, Minister.” Erebus’s ears flicked to up a little as if gauging the Minister’s response.

The Minister stared into nothing as if in thought. “Yes. If the crown supports it.” The minister murmured and walked off. “I look forward to hearing about your progress, Professor.”

Erebus watched him walk down the hallway for a moment before the donkey returned from the water dispenser.

“Care to explain what’s his issue with the humans?” the donkey asked.

Erebus looked at the Donkey. “I wish I could say. But I’m not spreading rumors about our staff, Mr. Monty. Now, let's get back to work.”

Mr. Monty followed, his face and composure seemed normal, but his eyes moved in thought, beyond Erebus’s knowledge.

It was fifteen minutes after Erebus put the papers back into a neat stack on her desk and dismissed her assistant to go on break. “Well, that was fun.” She said pleasantly as she took a spoonful of peanut butter and put it in her mouth. “Noh, wheref ish muh thufmachic…” She was suddenly interrupted by a loud knock on the door. “Whoh ish it?”

“Professor Erebus! This is the Royal Guard!” She heard a low, feminine voice speak on the other side. “You are accused of unlawful flirting with Prince Armor and smooching with his wife! Open this door and face the consequences!”

Erebus’s mouth dropped as the spoon hit the floor. “Ishee kiddin? Tshee onlees happsne onse.” She thought out loud, the peanut butter obscuring her words. Her horn flickered with pitch black magic as a shadow gripped with clawed hooves around the door latch, opening it. “Whuf ish thish abouf-!” She didn’t get to finish the sentence as Captain Nightshade jumped at Erebus.

“Hugs!” Shade shouted as she attempted a tackle. Attempted being the operative word. In a quick spellcast, Erebus’s form became a shade as Erebus herself shifted to the side, with Captain Nightshade glomping the shade . “Hi, hon! How is my best friend doing?” Shade glanced at what she was hugging. “Drat. missed.” She looked at Erebus, standing unamused as she swallowed her snack.

“Please be gentler, Shade.” The albino mare walked to Shade and gave her a soft hug and nuzzle. “And I am doing fine. How was your break at Ponyville?”

Shade returned her hug and nuzzle. “Made a new friend, that day. Rather interesting one, too.”

“The newly arrived human?” Erebus went to her desk stool and took out some papers, casting a dark cone over each paper as if light fled each page.

The captain smiled. “By far one of the smartest stallions in Ponyville, apparently.”

“You aren’t getting in any more trouble for that funny business bringing him here, are you?” Erebus asked, giving Shade a critical look.

Shade chuckled. “Naw. Celestia isn’t pursuing any charges against anyone. We saved a planet in another dimension. Exactly what heroes of Equestria would do.”

“That was Twilight’s plea to Celestia.” Erebus murmured going over more papers. “Can’t believe it worked.”

“You should know better than anypony that Twilight always pulls through, and it worked so well!” Shade grinned. “And speaking of official business!” She reached into her uniform saddle bag and pulled out a scroll. “Please brief me on the S Class mission.”

The albino mare dropped a paper and looked at Shade shocked. Her shadow crawled up the wall behind Shade staring at the scroll with unblinking eyes.“They gave you the mission?”

Shade simply nodded enthusiastically, tail wagging enthusiastically.

Erebus stared for a moment in thought before speaking. Her wings twitched. “Shade, this is a higher class mission. S is for ‘serious, sensitive, and severe.’”

“Also, sexy. The quadrupled S’s makes me very qualified.” Shade made a toothy grin, striking a bit of a pose.

Erebus groaned at her friend’s demeanor. “This isn’t dealing with jumpers or Diamond Dog invasions. This is dealing with ancient beings with probable adversarial aspirations towards Equestria and the Crystal Empire.” Erebus explained, very concerned for her friend. “Sexy doesn’t cut it.”

“And Luna trusts us to do this mission.” Shade retorted with a serious tone. “Now, her grace has given her decree for us to handle this, and as captain I need you to brief me.” Shade put the officially sealed scroll on Erebus’s desk.

Erebus sighed in defeat. “I guess I can’t convince you to let the Day Guard handle this.” She hopped off her stool and levitated another spoonful of peanut butter to her mouth. “Hear. Reat thish.” She pulled open a drawer that was not there before and gave Shade a binder titled: ‘The Origins of Sombra and the Umbral Powers.’

Nightshade looked at the title. Her eyes went wide as she read through the materials. The first pages described recent historical evidence of a ‘following’ older than the Chaos Cults. This following existed before the forming of the Crystal Empire, back when it was no more than tribe, Shade read.

There is evidence the ‘Crystal Ponies’ were originally ponies of high-magical resonance, but a split formed within the tribe. One delved intensely into a strange form of magic highly influenced by passions and emotions: love, hate, happiness, anger; later discovered to be originating from a realm that existed differently from the material world. These umbral magicians felt the pull of this realm stronger and stronger, which was shunned by their brethren, the Crystal Ponies. The Crystal ponies became how they are by embracing more orderly and harmonious magics.

Shade put the binder down and looked at Erebus. “This is amazing! A lot of ponies have always wondered where the Crystal Ponies came from! So their magical resonance,” Shade searched for the right word. “Manifested to make them crystal-like?”

Erebus cleaned her mouth with a napkin. “Pretty much. If you read further, you’ll see where Sombra comes in. He was supposedly an Umbral hybrid.” Erebus pulled some more papers out. “There is very little information we have on the Umbral ponies… well they are likely not ponies anymore. Over a thousand years they are more spirits like Discord, is my hypothesis.” The albino mare presented to Shade. “This mission is S Class because we are tracing his origins right into the Umbra itself. It might explain why he took over the Crystal Empire in the first place.”

Shade deadpanned. “The fact he was a hostile tyrant isn’t a good enough explanation?”

Erebus shook her head. “Nope. We don’t have much information on Sombra’s origins, nor what his motivations were. The Crystal ponies aren’t very forthcoming, given the trauma of being locked away from the world for so long.” Erebus pointed some pictures of stone tablets and old scroll writing, written in cutieform and old Equestrian, as well as a map of Equestria.

Moving to a specific location on the map, not far from the Crystal Empire, she continued. “We need members of your guard to go with some archeologists to this part of Equestria, and help us negotiate with the tribe there.”

Shade raised an eyebrow. “I have never seen this land on the map.” She said suspiciously.

“Not surprising.” Erebus frowned and paused to take a breath. “Only Luna, Princess Celestia, and I know of it and those who live there.” She paused again, as if something was troubling her. “Ponies think they are just a myth. I mean, as far as anypony is concerned, they don’t even know about me.” Erebus said solemnly, her expression indicating her bemusement. The shadow slumped back to the floor as well as back to normal size.

Shade studied Erebus for a moment. She walked around her desk and put a gentle hoof on her friend. “Erebus, I am your friend. If this mission is involves something personal, I need to understand it better. I won’t tell a soul, I promise.”

Erebus looked at Shade through her blind eyes. “Well…” Suddenly, a green flame manifested, extinguishing as quickly as it formed to reveal a scroll with Twilight Sparkle’s cutiemark on the seal. It landed on Erebus’s desk. “Oh! From Twilight.” Erebus evaded the question as her faint shadowy magic levitated it to her desk.

Shade sighed. “You were about to tell me something important.”

“When I feel more comfortable, Shade. I will.” Erebus frowned as she read the letter. “You should read the rest of what I gave you. I will need four of your guard to go with the researchers in a week. They will work on a need-to-know basis.” Erebus said coldly.

Shade nodded. “Will do, hon.”

Erebus gave a snort of intrigue as she put the letter down. “Well, Shade. Want to spend your weekend back in Ponyville? Your friend, Doctor Tycho Hernandez, just earned his certification in Enchantments. I have been requested to meet him in person and offer him a job in magical enchantment engineering.”

Shade’s eyes widened. “In just one week?! Hay yay! I knew that stallion was awesome!” She kicked her front hooves in excitement.

“Kish kish kish.” Erebus snickered at Shade’s reaction. She looked forward to meeting this ‘apparent’ alien prodigy.

Chapter 12 - A Walk Through the Fire

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Tycho felt like he was on the other end of a burnt bridge. As he laid down on his couch massaging his forehead, he recalled what happened this afternoon.

“Tycho, please understand, we’re lucky none of us stood trial after all we did!” Twilight stated to the furious human.

“You think I give a flying fuck about that?!” Tycho shouted as he took a step forward.

El began to grip him by his left forearm as if trying to hold him back.

Tycho shoved off her hand with an elbow. “Back off!”

El remained stalwart and ready to grab the man in case he did something rash. Trace stayed by Twilight’s side, albeit standing one step closer while Spike hid behind Twilight.

“I did what you asked of me! I jumped here! I gave up my life back home!” Tycho stopped shouting, but still raised his voice.

“Tycho, she said, ‘for now.’” Trace informed gently. “That doesn’t mean it’s permanent.”

“You don’t think I hadn’t figured it out?!” The taller human retorted. “Your princesses locked it away, didn’t they?!”

Twilight frowned and looked to the ground, ears drooped. “She said it was too dangerous.”

“And when exactly will she release it back to you, Twilight?!” Tycho interrogated.

“Don’t blame her for this!” Eleanor spoke up as she stood nearer Tycho. “You’re angry, just like we have been when we lost it all.” El empathized.

“I deserve better than this.” Tycho sneered. “I’ve got people who love me back home and their dictators locked away the key back home!”

After Tycho was out of breath, Twilight spoke. “Yes, it is unjust, Tycho! I agree with you!” Twilight was visibly upset. “It's not fair! It's not fair Celestia and Luna get to decide your fate! It’s not fair they left me to give you the bad news! And it’s not fair you gave up everything only to be given so little back!” She said walking up to Tycho. “It’s not fair I helped save your world only for my mentor to not trust me as she used to.” She was on the verge of crying.

Tycho’s anger stalled as he stared into dark space. “She’s your mentor?” He asked.

Twilight nodded. “Since I was a little filly, she was like a second mother. She taught me about magic, friendship, and helped me be the pony I am today.” She sniffed. “And I used everything I learned from her to help you and the humans. When last we spoke, it didn’t go over well.”

Trace nodded. “Tycho, Celestia doesn’t trust us ‘jumpers,’ very much. With the exception of Steelskin, the rest of us seem to make her nervous.” He explained annoyed. Not at Tycho, but the situation he just described.

Twilight shook her head. “I told her they deserve the same regard as anypony because you are all good people.” She took a deep breath. “And because I’m an Element of Harmony, it was my duty to help you even if it was dangerous.”

Tycho let that sink in. “And she took all your research and locked it away for the good of Equestria. Why?”

But that question, Twilight couldn’t fully answer. “I told you, Celestia deemed it was too dangerous.”

Tycho could sense Twilight wasn’t being fully forthcoming. How bad could this danger get? Especially since they succeeded on their first try!

“I won’t give up trying to convince her to let us use it, Tycho. But I can’t make any promises when it might happen,” Twilight finished.

Trace knelt down and wrapped his arms around her. Spike ran up to Twilight and joined in the hug. Both pony and elf pulled him in close.

“Tycho, I heard earlier you had a bad interaction with Matthew.” Eleanor stated. “I understand if you aren’t in the mood to speak about it, but please consider having someone professional to talk about this.”

“A therapist.” Tycho grimaced.

“Tyke, me, Matt, Steel, Alex; we’ve somehow scraped a life for ourselves here. With all we been through, I am surprised we didn’t join hands and jump into a volcano.” Eleanor frowned.

Trace lifted his head from Twilight as everyone in the room heard a familiar voice downstairs. “Dad! Mom! I’m home!” Said the voice of Fei.

Trace got up and made his way toward the stairs. “Excuse me,” He said as left the room

“But there isn’t anything we can say to make the trauma of your situation better.” Eleanor put two friendly hands on Tycho’s shoulders. “You should go to the clinic tomorrow and schedule with them. Weyul or Miss Introspective are the best. They can help you a lot.”

Tycho didn’t respond. He pocketed his glasses and slowly walked downstairs, passing by Fei as she ran upstairs to see her adoptive mother and brother.

That was it, Tycho concluded. He was stuck here. Even if he could find a way to get back, it’d take too long. He wouldn’t have much of a life to go back to, would he? He’d be lucky if tomorrow Twilight would continue to help him get work. He should probably go back to apologize. Probably too late. Maybe tomorrow, Tycho tiredly thought.

It was evening while Tycho was deep in his thoughtful depression. He didn’t hear someone knocking at his door.

Tycho couldn’t think of how he’d respond to even half of these messages right now. He needed a stiff drink and headed to his fridge. Thankfully, his friend stocked booze there. He opened a beer and heard the door knock again.

“It’s unlocked!” he called from where he sat.

The door opened and Alex walked in. “Damage control. Here to let you know I helped smooth things over.”

“Why do I have a feeling you do that a lot?” Tycho took a big gulp.

“I’ve been called a diplomancer by other roleplaying geeks here.” Alex approached his friend.

“They have roleplaying games here?” Tycho asked.

“Oubliettes & Ogres .” Mr. Roberts answered. “We got room for another player, y’know.”

Tycho shook his head. “At this rate, Al, I’m gonna be a as messed up as you guys.”

Alex frowned and sat down next to Tycho. “I know every emotion you are experiencing, Tyke. I’ve been there. And I know why. Us ‘interdimensional refugees’ understand it because we’ve been living it.” He leaned back as Tycho sat down. “And I made sure the ponies, Gryphons, Donkeys, or anyone of this town got into their heads not to judge any of us for it. They may not know how to address it, but they don’t think your troubles are a fault in your character.”

Tycho said nothing and felt it all welling up in him. “The fuck am I supposed to tell them, Alex? ‘Sorry, I’m not coming back. I’m in a children’s cartoon show?’”

Alex stood and put an arm over his his friend’s shoulders. “You tell them a lie, you’ll have the anxiety of maintaining that lie the rest of your life here. You tell them the truth, you won’t have that to deal with. Either way they will miss you and wish for you back.”

“Mom and Dad won’t buy it.” Tycho shook his head and emptied the bottle with one last gulp, wiping the moisture from his eyes.

“True... but you’re work-friends know what happened. They can testify on your behalf.” Alex mused.

Tycho agreed. They would do that for him. Even if they are in trouble with the U.N. right now. “Is, uh, Twilight still upset with me?”

Alex shook his head and patted Tycho on the back. “No. Trust me she understands what you’re going through. She feels horrible about all this. You know she technically is a jumper too? It’s how she met Trace.”

Tycho looked in Alex’s direction. “Why didn’t she say something?”

Alex shrugged. “I figured it’s because she doesn’t want to identify as a jumper, since most of us went through hell and back. Now, how about we go on that computer and send those messages. I’ll guide you through it. Then you tell me what you’ve got planned in the next two weeks. Twilight has some stuff for you to do to start your new job.” He smiled.

Tycho nodded, got him and Alex another beer and got to work.

Tycho delayed on breaking the news to his folks. The first thing he did was get into contact with his former coworkers and find out what happened to them. With his magic spectacles, he began to practice navigating on his computer without using the braille pad. He could see the text and dialogue perfectly. Alex helped him set up a different interface on his desktop to navigate more easily, then adjusted his internet browser to help. Finally, they fired up skype and contacted Arjeta and Johan.

It was Arjeta that got back to them, and from her home, to Tycho’s relief.

“Tycho! Do you have video there?” He got the reply from Arjeta very quickly.

Alex sat next to his friend as he started the video call.

The video displayed Arjeta and Johan waving flags of the United Nations and Switzerland. “Greetings from Earth!” They both said in English. “Holy crap, Tycho, what happened?!”

Tycho stared at the window, then look to Alex. “What is going on?”

Alex thought a moment and facepalmed. “Shit. Um, Tycho. You can’t see it, but we can.”

“Tycho, can you check your camera? You look somewhat... animated!”

Tycho’s anxiety was temporarily averted when he looked at Alex. “What are they talking about?”

Alex looked at Tycho awkwardly. “Those your work buddies?”

Tycho simply nodded, demanding an explanation.

“Let's just address them first, then I’ll explain.” Alex said. This was going to take some work.

Despite his confusion and anxiousness, Tycho felt a wave of relief hearing their voices. “Hey guys. Greetings from,” he took a deep breath. “Another dimension.” There was a silent moment.

“How is he able to contact us if that is another dimension?!” Johan shook his in disbelief.

“We saw him go into the beam chamber! There was nothing left! The security cameras proved it. He didn’t bail out at any time!” Arjeta replied.

Tycho took a deep breath. “Guys, this is Alex Roberts. He’s, uh, a refugee like me. He’s gonna show you something that’ll prove this isn’t a hoax.”

Alex took over and introduced himself. “I know this is going to sound crazy, but that Tycho is in another universe is true. I’m here, and a few other humans are too. And as you probably guessed, our new friends, the uh...indigenous folks here had a hand in saving you all.”

Arjeta and Johan sat in disbelief. “What are they like, the aliens?” Arjeta asked.

“What about how you guys look? I mean you guys are very well detailed but its like you were drawn very well!” Johan said.

Alex took a deep breath. “Johan’s question, first. You see, this particular planet in this universe has a very strong energy field. It’s like radiation, but different in nature. It’s so saturated here it makes everything look more vibrant. So that is why I look like a cartoon. We’re not drawn, we’re just reflecting a lot of particles on us.”

Johan nodded. The two seemed to have accepted that explanation. “And the aliens?” Arjeta asked again.

Alex chuckled and nudged Tycho to answer. “They, uh. Well that they helped us stop that earlier disaster says a lot about how much they care and how much they have helped me these past couple of weeks. I got my own place, they are teaching about mag-er-their sciences, and even getting me a job.” Tycho wished he was on the other side of that video right now.

Arjeta looked saddeningly at Tycho. “Can they help you get back?”

Tycho shook his head trying to contain his re emerging frustration. Noticing the emotions welling up, Alex answered for him. “Its an ongoing process to find out if we can.”

Johan eyed Alex suspiciously. “I would like some proof, if you don’t mind.”

Alex grinned. “That is why I am here. You have an expert in quantum physics. I’ve got a math problem for you, but first we need some numbers. You know how to ping a laptop you’re connected to?”

Tycho paid close attention to what Alex was doing. He didn’t know quantum physics, did he? Did Twilight invent this? Or was it someone he met while jumping? It involved his two work-friends opening up the command prompt and pinging the laptop and taking a few numbers, then Alex sent them an equation in a text file. Tycho looked at it and no doubt it was beyond Alex’s education to do it, but saw the note under it:

Alex Roberts. I am glad your wife believes your predicament and I hope this device helps keep your spirits up as you try to find a way home. I have sadly done all I can and this equation may help. It displays quantum synchrony between the two computers, the foundation for how I managed to synchronize this device with your interformation network. ---Prof. Reed Richards

Tycho read.

Tycho’s mouth dropped. Well Alex wasn’t kidding he met a comic book superhero. This equation was authentic. There was no doubt on that after Arjeta and Johan finished it.

“It’s legitimate.” Johan slouched back in his chair. “Tycho, this is one of the greatest achievements of science. You realize what this means, oof!”

Arjeta elbowed Johan in the stomach, who grimaced and clutched his gut. “He’s trapped on the other side, Johan! Tycho, we’ll do everything we can to bring you home!”

Tycho shook his head. “Don’t... goddammit.” He cursed and buried another wave of depression. “Don’t waste your time.” He took off his glasses. “It would require both sides doing the exact opposite of we did previously and we don’t have the tech or knowledge to do that now.”

Alex frowned. Tycho wasn’t telling them about the Princesses restriction of that information. Probably to not add more worry to his friends.

“Tycho, you have a life here!” Johan coughed. “You can’t expect us to let you rot-”

Tycho raised his voice. “And what do you expect to do, Johan!? Hijack the L.H.C again?! You guys are lucky you got to keep your jobs!”

Arjeta looked away sadly, saying nothing. Johan stubbornly shook his head. “That is bullshit, Tycho! This isn’t about helping you as a blind man, this is about getting you home! We need you back, Tycho! C.E.R.N. needs you! Your family-”

“He’s been declared dead, Johan.” Arjeta said in a low voice.

Johan stopped his arguing and looked at Arjeta in disbelief. “What!?”

Arjeta looked at Tycho and sent a link to an obituary.

Alex read it and sighed. “Confirmed, they declared you dead. Vaporized by the LHC beams.”

Tycho said nothing but lay his head on his desk. “So now what?” He felt numb, having handled all he could in a short span of time.

Arjeta sniffed and wiped her eyes. “If they can’t do anything there, we can’t do anything here. At least nothing immediate. I’ll do what I can in my spare time, Tycho. Johan too, but we can’t make any promises of a breakthrough anymore than the people over there can.”

Tycho lifted his head. “You have lives there, I have to scrape one here somehow.” He felt resigned to his fate like that guy in The Cube. “Guys, you’ve been the best friends and coworkers I have ever had. You keep our baby running, okay? Just don’t let the new guy ruin our work.”

Alex could feel the weight of all this emotion. The same feelings having to accept his fate being away from Anne and his children and maybe never returning home. And Tycho was was going through it now.

“Dr. Johan. Dr. Arjeta. Tycho is lucky to have you as friends on the other side. The best thing you can do now is continue living and helping when you have time to spare. We’re doing everything we can for Tycho over here, so just help him keep in better spirits.”

Johan hated it, but it was true. “I’ll still work on the math, Tyke.”

Arjeta looked at Tycho. “You’re gonna contact your parents?”

Tycho nodded miserably. “Can you guys stay online? I need all the help I can get breaking this to them.”

“You sure, Tyke?” Alex was worried he couldn’t handle breaking it to his mother and father now.

“Yes.” Tycho sneered. “Don’t try to talk me out of it.”

Alex stepped out for a moment and was on his way back. He walked into the front door to see and hear what was transpiring.

“Você tem que estar brincando comigo!” Tycho’s father yelled on the skype channel.

“Marido! Acalme-se!” Tycho’s mother tried calming the older gentleman down.

Now Tycho wished Alex talked him out of it. “I am not lying to you, dad.” Tycho said withholding his tears, not even looking at his laptop. He could just imagine their faces as he last saw them before his vision faded so long ago. Saddened. Angry. And it was his fault.

Arjeta and Johan were on the channel as well trying to explain to Tycho’s parents the truth, but his father wasn’t having it. When his father was mad, he often shouted in Portuguese. Despite being Bolivian, his father was raised in Brazil, thus never learned Spanish as many would assume otherwise given he was from Latin America. The father had just finished the calculation as instructed and it dawned on him and his mother what it meant.

“Doctor Sergio Hernandez,” Johan tried getting the older man to listen. “If you see this calculation…” Johan tried getting in.

“I saw the damn calculation!” Sergio angrily shouted. His wife hugged him tightly to try to calm him, though she herself despaired at the implications.

“Doctor Rin Hernandez,” Arjeta addressed Tycho’s mother. “I hope you can believe us. We’ll even try to get the camera footage from the security videos if you want proof.”

Rin shook her head shedding tears. “I know it’s true.”

“I should have found another way…” Tycho sobbed. “I’m sorry father. I should have found another way.”

Sergio looked at his son like he had just seen him taken away. He said nothing as his face scrunched in sadness, holding back his own tears.

A moment of silence passed as Alex waited for the intense emotions to fade so he could speak again. “Mr. and Mrs. Hernandez.” He said softly. “Johan and Arjeta. Please look closely at the camera.”

A moment later, a certain purple unicorn pony teleported behind Tycho and Alex.

“Nani?!” Rin said in Japanese. “What is that?”

Alex sat down as Twilight Sparkle approached. “This is one of the natives of this world. You’d probably recognize them from a certain children’s cartoon show.”

“He’s trapped in My Little Pony?” Johan asked, prompting Arjeta to elbow him again.

Alex shook his head. “Not exactly. This is a parallel universe.”

Twilight was hesitant to speak. She stared at Tycho sadly who looked as bad as Alex felt after he found out his home universe skipped several months in time. She then stepped forward and spoke. “I know you all find this hard to believe. But understand our universe is real, as are all infinite possibilities. My universe isn’t a cartoon show, and I am not a cartoon character. Our world has a long history and there is a lot more to me, my friends, and my fellow pony than what coincidentally is being told in an entertainment program.”

Tycho heard but was barely listening. Alex looked at Twilight and smiled sadly at her efforts.

“But understand this. This isn’t Tycho’s fault. It’s ours!” Twilight stated.

Alex stopped smiling and stared at Twilight, feeling a sudden knock from that statement.

“We were responsible for bringing him here, because there was no other way!” Twilight looked at Tycho, whose attention was no doubt caught by her confession. “Someone had to go through to stop the displacements on your world! Someone had to activate the quantum feedback at the center, inside that chamber! Tycho would have no one else sacrifice their lives back at home because we convinced him to do it!”

The audience on planet Earth sat staring at this creature that their minds had a hard time accepting was real. But her words spoke true.

“It is all true. Alex and other humans have ended up here, and they jumped from one hell to another! This place is paradise compared to those! And even though we are helping Tycho in every way, he still deserves better! To be at home and making his life on Earth!” Twilight took a deep breath. “And we are trying to find a way to get him home.” Twilight angrily scrapped her hoof on the wood floor. “But, unfortunately, it's not easy. And we can’t promise when or if we will succeed. But I promise you, both as an Element of Harmony and as Tycho’s friend, I will do everything I can for him here.”

Sergio looked down at his keyboard and sat in thought. Rin said nothing, but hugged her husband, who was now holding her hand tightly. Finally, after another uncomfortably long silent moment, Sergio spoke.

“Tycho é um homem , tem sido um homem , desde que ele saiu de casa . Um pai deve apoiar as escolhas de seu filho . Mesmo se essas escolhas levá-lo muito longe.” Sergio said in Portuguese.

Tycho looked back at the screen. Just text and blackness and his imagined image of his parents.

“As long as he is alive and well, I will not despair.” Sergio dutifully said.

Rin let her husband go for a moment and looked at the screen. “Tycho. Listen. You are a good man. You saved us all. You deserve more than what you have now, and these... ponies should acknowledge that.” Rin took a deep breath to keep her emotions in check. “We very much acknowledge it. And we will help your friends here however we can. You should have a choice to return here. You know we can do that. And we will.” Rin swallowed. “But none of us know when that will happen. Can you live in this new world? Can you make a life there?”

Tycho shifted his head, looking the the direction of Alex and Twilight. Keeping his head down and propping himself partly off the desk with his arms folded in front of him, he nodded. “Hai, mother.” He replied with puffy, reddened eyes.

Holding each other’s hand tightly, his mother and father looked at each other and nodded. Sergio looked at Twilight. “Deus ajudá-lo se você deixar o nosso filho.” He said with a serious, almost threatening look in his eye.

Twilight wondered what that meant, but given the older man’s ill-look, he was probably giving her a warning.

Rin patted Sergio’s hand. “We trust you, Twilight Sparkle, and your people to give Tycho the same respect and help you gave these other humans. You will treat him with dignity. And you will help him live a good life there.”

Sergio looked at Tycho. “Tycho!” He said, prompting his son to lift his head. “We’ll speak again. You will keep us updated. Don’t keep anything from us. Promise.”

Tycho nodded. “Eu prometo, pai.” He looked at his mother. “I love you both.”

Rin tried to smile, but it felt like she was forcing a steel cable to bend. “We love you, Tycho.”

Tycho lifted his hand and brought his mouse to the button to end the conference.

Alex Roberts had to say something before he ended it. “You’ll talk again. All of you, okay? Don’t lose touch.”

All four adults nodded before Tycho closed the conference. He felt numb. Sitting in his chair. This experience didn’t make him feel any better than he was. He felt like he just accepted defeat in a battle of a hopeless war.

Twilight said nothing but looked at Tycho. She didn’t approach or hug him, she was afraid after the bad news earlier, he wouldn’t want that kind of kindness from her. She just leaned over to Alex and was about to whisper, but realized he’d hear it. So she gestured Alex to follow her to the door.

Alex did so and they stood outside as Twilight whispered out of Tycho’s earshot. “Please make sure he sees Weyul, okay? He can start work anytime he is ready, but he’ll need Weyul’s professional help.”

Alex nodded. “Good night, Twi.” He walked back to Tycho to find he must have made his way to the couch and fallen asleep. Alex sighed, realizing Twilight’s words were right. He did convince his friend to become a jumper as well. It hit him hard, the implication he just separated a beloved friend from his life. But there was no other way, was there?

“I’m sorry, Tyke. I really am.” Alex solemnly walked out of the house and closed the door. He then just walked. He passed his home and just kept walking.

Those words Twilight said repeating in his mind. He began stressing on the possible alternatives of what they could have done to prevent this.

From their cloud perch above their house, Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo watched Alex walk by.

“Mom?” the young filly asked worriedly.

“Don’t worry about it, squirt. Dad’s just thinking on a problem, probably to help his tall friend. See how he keeps moving his hands, like when he talks? Yeah, that means he’s thinking hard on a problem. Best to just leave him to his thinking.”

“But,” Scootaloo started excitedly, “maybe we can help him? Maybe even get a cutie mark for it?”

Rainbow Dash chuckled, “You worry too much about that cutie mark. It will happen when it happens. Anyway, dad will find a solution to his problem, he always does. Anyway, enough stargazing for tonight, it’s time for bed, pumpkin.”

After several hours of walking aimlessly in a depressed stupor, he returned home. He was too exhausted mentally and physically to go upstairs to join his wife in bed. So he simply fell asleep on the couch.

In the morning, Alex Roberts awoke covered in a blanket. He smelled coffee and what was likely oatmeal being made. He sat up and popped his neck and bones. After an empty moment, he stood up to get some breakfast. His wife sat at the table having already set it for him. Alex smiled and sat down as the pony and human shared a good morning kiss. Dash leaned on Alex’s arm and gave him a nuzzle.

“Now, you tell me what happened last night, okay big guy?” Rainbow Dash.

Alex swallowed his bite and took a sip of coffee. He looked into the mug as if to try to find his reflection in the dark brew. Oh well, no sense delaying. He can’t hide anything from her, Dash knew him too well.

“One of my friends is here now.” Alex put his mug down and sighed. “He just told his friends and family he wasn’t coming home.” The man frowned and shook his head. “Twilight came over and told them something I didn’t think about.”

Rainbow Dash looked at her husband’s face sadly. She assumed her best friend didn’t mean anything mean by whatever she said.

“She told Tycho’s parents to blame us for convincing him to come here. I mean,” Alex tapped his fingers on the table. “I ran all the scenarios in my head. I still can’t think of a better way to avoid Tycho ending up here.”

Rainbow Dash nodded and nuzzled his arm. “And you and Twilight blame yourselves.”

Alex nodded. “Dash, I convinced one of my friends to do something I wouldn’t have anyone, not one person, not even my worst enemy, to go through. And we have no way of getting him back right now.”

Dash waited for the pause and then spoke. “You know, that you feel bad about it shows you really care about him.” That prompted Alex to look at her. She seldom says stuff that deep. “And I think you encouraged Tycho because you trust him.” She felt Alex’s hand stroke her neck in appreciation. “You’re gonna think about what you could have done a lot, Alex. I’ve done that a few times.”

“I’m no stranger to it, Dash. I just can’t believe I encouraged Tycho without thinking.” Alex shook his head. “I was only thinking about saving my race.”

Rainbow Dash looked at Alex. “You’re being a big dummy again.” She looked into his eyes. “You remember all you did to help Tycho? Giving him a house, a welcoming party? Helping him make friends and making sure he had work? You did think.” Dash said sternly. “You did what I do. What Twilight does. What Eleanor has done. Make a tough choice and hope for the best.”

Alex stared into Dash’s eyes, thanking god, Luna, and all creation he had her in his life. He pulled into a tight hug. “I’m gonna be helping Tycho for a long while. I hope you understand that.”

Dash hugged him back. “So will I. He’s my friend too, now.”

The two finished breakfast quietly before planning on what to do today.

Tycho woke up an hour after Alex had. He felt like crap. But at least he felt rested. After sitting a moment to clear his mind, he got up and prepared for the morning. So, he really will be here a while, he thought to himself. What now? Well, he will have work to do, obviously, but that was a bit much for him after last evening. Start with something simple, Tycho thought. Food.

After eating a full breakfast, Tycho tried another another life task: his morning exercises. He searched the storage closet on the first floor and noticed it had a portable treadmill inside. Magically operated, said the text. Good, he thought. He activated the laptop and decided to play some music as he did a steady incline jog. He didn’t know Ponyville well enough to take his morning jogs around there yet.

After completing his one hour exercise, he showered and got dressed. So far things were tolerable. He then sent a quick email of what he was going to do today to his friends and family. Day was going fine so far. Time to address work, but he needed his friend to go with him. He stepped out the door with his new specs and sonar device equipment, and his laptop in a satchel.

He went over to his neighbor’s home and located the door. After a brief knock, Alex answered.

“Morning.” Tycho said.

Alex stood looking at his friend, saying nothing, probably finding it hard to talk, Tycho thought.

“You got time to come with me to Twilight’s home? I need you to help me work out the terms of my work with her.” Tycho said.

Alex nodded. “Hey honey? I’ll be at the library.”

Rainbow Dash approached the door. “Alright, big guy. Hey Tycho. How are you doing?”

Tycho gave a nonchalant salute. “One day at a time, Dash.”

Rainbow nodded. “You should have dinner with us, Tyke. I wanna hear you and Alex talk about that egghead stuff.” She said with a friendly grin.

“I think I’ll do that.” Tycho replied.

Rainbow began hovering in the air. “I’ll be doing a full shift today. You and bigger guy take it easy.” She said to Alex before flying off.

Alex smiled and waved her goodbye. “Okay Tycho, lead the way.”

Chapter 13 - Going Blind Yonder Pt. 1

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Going Blind Yonder Part 1

A chill blew across the railroad tracks far north of Canterlot. To the east of the train track was a waystation isolated and surrounded by snowy planes. To the north showed the slight glimmer of the Crystal Empire. Two crystal-pony guards stood waiting at their post. A train could be heard approaching from the south. The two guards stood waiting as the train reached a stop. Exiting the first few cars, twelve Nightguards stepped onto the lightly snowed ground and approached the station. The train moved again and brought several other cars forward, each carrying what appeared to be seven large mobile homes built for winter. This time, Earth ponies exited them and began unloading the immense structures.

The two waystation guards watched silently until a particular male Pegasus Nightguard approached, followed by a female Nightguard. The male stood stalwart and resolute as a good soldier would. His cutiemark consisted of a blooded blade over a shield. The symbol on his uniform indicated his rank as Lieutenant. The female seemed more easy-going, having a Jasmine flower for a cutiemark. While the male walked forward diligently, she sauntered behind him. Her rank was indicated as Corporal.

“I am Lieutenant Noctus of the Nightguard,” The male said, hoofing over some papers to the older crystal-pony guard. “We have been assigned to expand on this waystation.”

The older crystal-pony sifted through the papers and nodded. “I wasn’t expecting your ranks showing up. We have no trouble at this station. Frankly, we’re just here to conduct a rescue in case the train breaks down.”

“You will notice the seal on the papers, sir. We are conducting an S-class operation here for an indefinite time. You will be briefed on your responsibilities momentarily,” Noctus said coldly.

“But look on the bright side!” the corporal interjected. “You get bigger facilities here than this little shack.”

Noctus annoyingly glanced at the corporal. “Conduct, Corporal Jasmine,” he grumbled.

Jasmine rolled her eyes and watched as the workers began piecing together the living-spaces.

About an hour later, what was a small waystation was now a larger base, complete with barracks, civilian quarters, a mess hall, an operations room, storage, and place labeled research lab.

Noctus called a meeting for the Nightguard to meet inside the operations room. All guards sat informally.

One guard flagged the Corporal. “Jasmine. Did Noctus really say we’ll be out here ‘indefinitely?’”

Jasmine waved a hoof. “Relax. S-class missions are secretive even when it comes to timeframe.” The guard seemed satisfied until she spoke again. “Worst case, the crown is just getting rid of us by sending everyone to this frozen wasteland,” she said nonchalantly.

Several guardstallions nervously looked at each other after hearing that.

“Noctus on deck, fillies!” Jasmine called out as the guard stood attention.

“That’s attention, Corporal,” Noctus grumbled again.

Jasmine shrugged. “Potayto-potahto.”

Noctus set up a projector and it flashed a display, depicting the symbol of the Nightguard.

“Welcome to your first S-class mission, everypony. We now have the opportunity to show Equestria what we are made of,” Noctus said proudly.

“But S-class missions are top-secret, so nopony will know about what we’re doing,” Jasmine interjected again.

Noctus’s eye twitched as several of the guard chuckled. “Very observant, Corporal.” He grimaced. “But the point is we have now received a very important mission that all three princesses will be observing our performance on. I expect us to perform beyond one-hundred percent. S-class missions are considered the most sensitive, serious, and often dangerous.”

“That’s not an S!” Jasmine pointed out. “You also forget who else we will be dealing with. They will expect our best performance too.”

Noctus nodded. “I’m getting to that. Let’s first review what you have been told. First, you will be on a need-to-know basis. Second, we will be assisting the science team as guard escorts to go further east to what is called the ‘umbral frontier.’ Third, further to the west, we will also be escorting the head of the science team to inquire with a long-existing but little-known race of ponies. In the meantime, I have scouting points for you all to go to and document anything you have seen or found. We are to use the highest safety precautions in this mission.” He began switching between slides showing off a map of the two points of interest between the waystation.

“Our staff has been assembled to meet our needs, which will include cleaning, cooking, and two assistive nurses for our medical needs,” Noctus explained.

“But no masseuse,” Jasmine grumbled.

“Another important matter,” Noctus said staunchly to keep the guard’s attention. “Know that the Umbral Frontier is NOT to be approached beyond the border signs. You will go over your briefing manuals to know what the frontier is and its history. You will be quizzed about it tonight.”

“We can do it Quiz Show style!” Jasmine mused.

“I’m sorry, but your answer must be in the form of a question,” Noctus replied dryly, a hint of a smile showing pride in his ability to be clever. Laughter followed. He cleared his throat to silence the crowd as Jasmine leaned on her table looking at Noctus with a smirk. “You will be fulfilling the wishes of the science team according to regulations. Any unusual requests will NOT be followed under any circumstances unless approved by me or the Captain, who will be arriving in two weeks with the science team.” Noctus switched to another slide showing a picture of a pony with bat wings, darker mane, grey fur, a yellow eye with a long black slit for a pupil.

“Batponies?” One guard asked.

Jasmine gave the guard a flat, unamused stare. “The term is Thestral,” the corporal corrected. “And they are west of here.”

“As Corporal Jasmine has pointed out, the head of the science team will be going to the Thestral Nation-State to conduct diplomatic inquiries.” Noctus explained. “Most of you do not know much of anything about the Thestrals, mostly because their history is kept secret by royal decree. They have had little contact with Equestria. The Crystal Empire is another matter. In fact, when the Crystal Empire returned, the Thestrals reopened trade with them, but not Equestria.”

Jasmine nodded. “Can’t blame them, they aren’t happy with Equestria’s sun tyrant.” Her hooves formed ‘quotations.’

Several nightguard stood up in offense to what was just said.

“Settle down!” Noctus shouted and the guard slowly sat back down. “Jasmine was explaining that relations with the Thestral ponies are strained due to a difficult relationship with her majesty, Princess Celestia. But they are not our enemies. They are allies, silent allies, but allies nonetheless.” Noctus shot Jasmine a glare.

Jasmine looked at Noctus with her red eyes unapologetically and shrugged. “Better to hear it from me first than from them.”

“Now, set up yourselves in the barracks-” Noctus was about to finish until a guard raised a hoof.

“Where exactly is the captain?” One guard asked.

“She is currently with the chief researcher, no doubt engaging in important official business.” Noctus answered.

“So, did you know the humans have no estrus cycle? They are ready for rutting anytime.” Captain Nightshade laid on her back on the train-bed.

“Nightshade, I’m not sure if that is entirely true, but if they ‘rut’ anytime that just means estrus is year-round. Maybe.” Erebus laid on her bed, reading a book.

“Wait till you meet them, Erebus. These guys grow three times taller than a pony. They are like walking tree-ents, only smooth-skinned with only patches of hair.” Shade lay on her side, propping her head up as she looked at her friend. “And their technology. I mean, I don’t know how to explain it. They got these ‘laptops’ that store all kinds of information. It’s like a library of books in a small mechanical book.”

“They’re probably an equatorial species if what you are describing is true.” Erebus hmmed as she turned a page. “Metal books that hold libraries. Almost like a magic fiction novel coming to life.”

“Considering they came from another dimension, that’s pretty accurate. Only no tentacles or weird eyeballs, or strange desire to probe ponies for long-minutes to learn their biology, or breed a new race.” Shade said as she looked out the window.

“Which novels have you been reading?” Erebus uncomfortably asked before the conductor walked in.

“Now stopping at Ponyville!” The conductor announced.

The train pulled into the station as a certain purple unicorn and young dragon waited for them.

Shade stepped out beside Erebus as the albino mare clicked her tongue while moving her ears forward, her shadow moving as an individual among the others, alive in the sunlight. Erebus yawned.

“You need a fix, honey?” Shade asked.

Erebus shook her head. “No, I’ve got about another hour before I need a spoonful.”

A train worker hoofed the two ponies their saddlebags.

Twilight Sparkle approached with Spike. “Greetings Captain Nightshade. It’s great you’re back so soon. And Professor Erebus.” Twilight bowed. “How long has it been?”

Erebus smiled pleasantly, her little fangs showing. “Too long. I really enjoyed your presentation on chaos magic studies for your master’s work.” Erebus looked at Spike. “Hiya Spike. You making sure Twilight isn’t cooped up with her studies all the time?”

Spike chuckled. “Naw. She’s raising a family now.”

Erebus nodded, intrigued. “Wow, you’ve come a long way, Ms. Sparkle.”

Twilight smiled, blushing for a moment before regaining her composure. “So, are you two here to meet our new prodigy?”

Shade nodded. “Yeah, how is the bigger guy faring?” She asked, concerned.

Twilight sighed. “He’s doing his best to adjust here. It’s been seven days since he informed his friends and family back home he won’t be able to return home at any definite time.”

Shade’s ears drooped. “And nopony told me he was going to? I would have raced back here to help.”

“What happened?” Erebus followed alongside Nightshade and Twilight as they moved towards the library. “Can you not replicate the events to send him home?”

Twilight frowned. “The human world does not have magic like we do. They use technological means that require a lot more power or complicated work to accomplish what we can do. I mean, to do what we can do with magic would require a lot more energy and even then they can only accomplish limited achievements, like holding highly charged particles in place using magnetics.”

“Or making music players that fit in a pocket.” Shade added.

“I know you sometimes forget, Twilight, but teleportation is not magic that every unicorn can cast on a whim. I understand the magic behind it, but it is too energy intensive for me. Meanwhile you are able to ‘wink’ with ease.” Erebus chuckled.

Twilight blushed a bit. “Well, magic is my special talent. And yes, humans are good with electromagnetism. But while I can attempt to create the conditions that opened the boundaries between our worlds here, they’d have to invent new technology to do the same over there. It was a miracle me and Lyra managed to help Tycho accomplish what they needed to.” Twilight was hesitant to say, “Plus…”

Shade eyed Twilight. “Twi, what is wrong?”

The purple unicorn frowned. “Celestia has confiscated all our research and scientific work on interdimensional jumping for the reason that it is too dangerous to mess with any further.”

Shade bit her lower lip. On one hoof that is a good reason to confiscate the material, but at the same time that condemns the humans here to not being able to return. That is especially not fair for Tycho. She wondered how he took it. How did Twilight deal with it?

“Given who her majesty listens to for advice on such matters, I’m not surprised. Saddened, but not surprised.” Erebus recalled Archanis’ words about humans.”However, I don’t believe that it will be locked away forever. The Princess believes in you a great deal, Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight said nothing about she and Celestia’s last meeting. “I... hope you’re right.”

Shade noted Twilight’s hesitation. So she and Celestia’s relationship might have experienced a strain. She’ll make a note to ask about that later. “Well, what is Tycho doing now?”

Spike interjected. “He has been designing some weird stuff. He requested a ‘garage’ to be built next to his home so he can study something about the nature of magic particles.”

Twilight nodded. “You might say he is trying to create a small version of something that can move and control individual magic particles, and from what he has read about magic-sciences, he says we can do it with less power than required by their Hadron Collider.”

“Hmm, guess once a scientist always a scientist.” Erebus pondered outloud. “Oooh, I want to ask him so many questions. It’s not often you meet somepony who sees magic from a world without magic.”

“And given both of you are sciency, you two will hit it off just fine.” Shade mused. “Hmmm... that is a good point.” She said silently to herself.

“There is still one obstacle. You see, even though what he wants to do requires less power than it would where he comes from, the amount of magic he will need is very high. So while he is waiting for the parts I ordered for him, he is planning on taking an excursion to the the Diamond Dog mines to search for mana.” Twilight explained. “I wish I could come with him but Trace, Alex, Eleanor, and Matt will being going with. Plus, I think Emerald will be going too.”

Erebus’s ears perked up, her shadow did the same as both looked at Twilight. “M-mana? Solid primal magic?”

Shade and Spike looked equally confused. “Care to explain what that stuff is?”

“Mana is a substance that consists of super concentrated raw magic, or primal magic unformed. While it does exist, it is unknown how it forms. Some say it falls from the sky as part of meteorites, others say it is forged from geological processes. But to give you an idea, a single bead of the stuff contains enough magic to allow a single unicorn to move the sun with little effort.” Erebus explained.

“Yes, in fact Starswirl the Bearded sacrificed a bead of mana to create the spell for the unicorns to do it after he passed.” Twilight followed up.

“But magic is dangerous to humans! Wouldn’t something like that kill them if they came near it?” Shade asked.

“Oh, no no no. We have given Tycho equipment for safe extraction. And his glasses keep the magic particles off of him.” Twilight explained.

Shade furrowed her brow. “Well, when is he going? Does he know what he is getting into?” Her worry was tangible.

Spike looked at Twilight’s list. “Tomorrow, I think.”

Erebus nodded. “Rather active, this human. Well I hope our brief meeting won’t slow him down-”

“We’re going with him.” Shade interrupted. A glint in her eye showed a spark of idea in her mind.

Twilight looked at the Nightguard Captain as they neared her home. “Shade, I am sorry you came all this way to introduce Erebus to Tycho but this isn’t an excursion that requires any further intervention.”

“That and we have official business elsewhere in a week, Nightshade,” Erebus added.

“How long will it take for them to get to those mountains? A day with a pegasus chariot? Plus Tycho will need an expert in magic sciences to collaborate with. He can’t sense magic like a unicorn can.” Shade pointed out.

“Its called Thaumatology and I’m sorry, Captain, but I can’t go with him on this one. I am busy with other projects.” Twilight said. “Besides, he is being given equipment for that task. Equipment he helped develop with enchantment, even.”

“She means me and Shade go with him,” Erebus said, slightly annoyed. “And why the Diamond Dog mountains?”

Spike piped up. “They said they had found some strange fountain of magic and they think it’s spewing out something bright, but they won’t go near it.”

Shade took position in front of Erebus, facing her. “Please, Erebus? It will only take three days, then we head back to Canterlot.”

“Only you would call a hike up a mountain a vacation.” Erebus frowned.

“We’ll get a Diamond Dog to carry you?” Shade shrugged.

Twilight facehoofed. “They aren’t pack mules. But if you are going, then we’ll send a message to Grassrunner to have a cart ready for you... that is, if you are actually going.”

Erebus sighed. “I would really like to meet this guy, but I’m not sure he really needs our help. He sounds competent on his own, and here we come along ‘doh you poor little thing here let the big mares help you’.”

Shade shakes her head. “You have any idea how often these humans have gotten into trouble? They don’t have magic and are physically weaker than than even a unicorn!”

Erebus stared into dark space amazed by this prospect, given what was told to her earlier on the train. “Seriously?”

“More precisely, they can match a unicorn in strength, but can be outdone by a pegasus or Earth pony, which seems odd given the size of a human being compared to a pony. But it’s because they don’t have starswirls that these significant physiological differences exist. They also have some crazy endurance that would put many earth ponies to shame.” Twilight pointed out.

Shade sighed. “Okay, then look at it this way. You can see how a human being conducts science and making an important discovery. That would be worth the trip.”

“Yes. Yes it would. Spike could you send a message to him and his party. Tell him that we will be joining the team soon.” Erebus stopped at the library waiting for it to open.

As they arrived, Spike opened the door to Twilight’s home. “He’s supposed to meet us here in a few minutes. You can meet him in person there.”

Shade gave Erebus a soft hug. “Thanks, honey. If things get tiring, I’ll carry you on my back if necessary.”

“Fine, but I don’t want you complaining about my weight.” Erebus stuck out her tongue. “Wouldn't want to embarrass the Captain of the Guard in front of the humans.”

Shade followed Erebus inside and grinned mischievously. “How could I not enjoy your slender body on top of me?”

Erebus nearly stumbled before she smacked her with a shadowy newspaper across her muzzle and pointed to Spike “Not in front of the young drake.” The shadowy prop disappeared into the shadows inside the home.

Shade grumbled rubbing her mug. “Sorry.”

Spike rolled his eyes and went inside the kitchen.

After everypony settled into the living room with tea and snacks, a human walked in, accompanied by Matt and Alex.

“How are the clothes fitting you?” Alex asked as the tall human leaned lower to go inside.

“Had no idea silk felt so nice, and this stuff is easy to come by?” Tycho asked.

Matt shrugged. “Cotton on fur isn’t very comfortable. So there would be plenty available.”

“Captain Nightshade!” Alex greeted. “Welcome back!”

“Paladin Alex.” Shade got up from her seat and bowed. “Good to see you. How is Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo?”

“Good and growing.” Alex answered.

“Sergeant Brennan.” Shade nodded as Matt gave a casual salute.

“Welcome back, Shade.” Tycho said.

Shade frowned and approached Tycho. “Can you kneel down for a second?”

“Uh-oh.” Matt mumbled below his breath.

Tycho didn’t know what was going to happen, but he did so.

Shade stood on her back hooves and hugged Tycho. “You didn’t write to me, Tyke. I thought you said you would keep in touch.” She scolded as she softly hoofed him on the chest.

Erebus noticed and raised an eyebrow. She had only heard her use that tone with somepony once, the pegacorn recalled.

Tycho hesitatingly hugged her back. “It’s... been rough.”

Shade let him go. “I would have been there. Your friend, remember? I know I don’t have a fancy laptop but can you-”

Alex took out a laptop. “We humans aren’t used to writing letters, Shade. So, here. It only has an email and chat channel so you can correspond with us.” He smiled.

Tycho looked at Alex and raised and eyebrow. “Does he always think this far ahead?”

Shade smiled. “Yep. Now you’ll never be rid of me.” Shade grinned and put the laptop in her nearby saddlebag. “No internet?” She asked Alex.

“I don’t think you’d want exposure to that.” Alex said.

“Well in that case,” Tycho stood back up. “I actually can write to you.”

Shade nodded. “Good. Oh! Let me introduce you all to my best friend! This is Professor Erebus! Thaumatologist and head of the department of new magical sciences.”

Erebus strained to look up. “Big guy. Um, hello. You. Um. Hi. Shade said you were a nice po-human... I'm Erebus!"

Tycho found a seat and sat down across from Erebus as Shade took a seat beside him. “It's a pleasure. I’ve done a lot of reading in Thamatology and it would be nice to have another pony to ‘hobnob’ with.”

Erebus nodded with a pleasant smile. “And, um, who are the other two humans I have the pleasure of meeting?”

“Matthew Brennan. Working with the Nightguard’s new guard training program.” Matt said. “I hope Nightshade mentioned me given that we work together.”

Erebus nodded again. “Yes, she has. Said you train some of the new recruits.”

“Alex Roberts, Paladin of Redemption.” Alex introduced himself.

“I have heard of you.” Erebus bowed. “You have a reputation of doing a lot of good.”

Alex smiled. “I’m just one human among many people in that business.”

“What does that make you compared to Captain Nightshade? I know Matthew is under her employ, but you?” Erebus curiously asked.

“I’m technically of equal rank to Captain Nightshade, and, with Luna’s permission, I can take command of her forces, but I have full confidence in the Captain’s abilities to command the guard and step up when it matters.” Alex explained.

Shade looked admirably at Alex, then leaned to Tycho and nudged him. “He’s cool, ain’t he?”

Tycho shrugged. “I guess I need to see it for myself to believe it. I still remember him from before; a bit of a goofball, really. Besides, I’m still coming to grips being in a world like this.”

Shade nodded sympathetically. “Anything you want to talk about?”

Tycho looked in Shade’s direction. “I don’t want to get into that with a new person around.” He could sense Shade’s concern.

Shade frowned but made a mental note to address it later.

“Doctor Tycho?” Erebus addressed the human. “Twilight Sparkle has told me you performed a successful enchantment.”

Tycho nodded. “I have done several since then. My first was to create an item to keep the magic off me, and help me read.”

Erebus looked very interested. “Care to tour me in what you have done so far?”

Shade grinned, seeing the two already hitting if off.

Tycho took everyone up to Twilight’s lab and showed them what he had been working on. Several of the things he had been working on surrounded the lab, including engineering charts and a fully working printer. The enchantment table stood at the center and a large multipart chalkboard was covered with many complex equations.

Tycho put on his glasses. “It took me two weeks after my first enchantment to get a handle on it. But I eventually got better at it as I read more into the science of Thaumatology. My issue with current enchantment is that it relies mostly on 2D applications to a three-dimensional object.”

Erebus scanned as her shadow leaped from place to place with the rest of the audience not noticing (except Shade). “What specifically have you been working on?”

“Did you know I am a double major?” He said that to Erebus’ amazement. “Engineering physics is one of my specialties but particle physics is my passion. So I looked at the physics of enchantment and did some math,” he pointed at the chalkboard, “and applied engineering principles to look into three-dimensional enchantments.” He passed out hand-sized rounded lenses. They were all made of crystal with enchantment praxies on them.

Alex scratched the back of his head, looking at his work. “Tycho, I knew you were incredibly smart but I had no idea you could pull this off in a short span of time.”

“To be fair, enchantment is a simplified craft.” Erebus chimed in and rubbed a crystal with her hoof. “So you would position these around an object to produce a three-dimensional enchantment? Fascinating! How many new enchantments has this new technique revealed?”

“Yeah, and how do you apply these?” Matthew asked holding a lense up to the light.

“I have an enchantment table in my garage with an apparatus. I mount the lenses to suspension arms and project an enchantment fueled by primal magic batteries. I use 3D design models to place the enchantments on an object to create more complex effects.” Tycho explained. “So far I have made something similar to a magnetic bearing, only it could catch magic particles inside. If I were to try this with non-magical technology, it would take decades of work.”

Erebus nodded as she observed the different enchanted crystals, each having a unique shadow for her to read. “All this in just a couple of weeks. Have you prepared a research proposal on this? You should be given some funding from the government for this work, and probably a team.”

Shade and the others just stood in awe and amazement. Twilight broke the silence. “Under my name with the Ministry of Magic and Science, Doctor Hernandez has already prepared one. I will be providing guidance counseling for his internship for him to receive certified approval to conduct further research with minimal supervision.”

Alex, Matthew, and Shade approached Tycho and congratulated him. The humans patted him on the back or fist bumped him. Shade tapped his hip.

Twilight interrupted nervously. “Well, here is the problem. You see Archanis has, um, shown apprehension towards humans, which would probably prevent Tycho from being certified. But with my voucher and one submitted by another research chairpony...”

Erebus smirked and then nodded. “So Archanis was not kidding about his issues with you humans. You want me to ensure he won’t stop Tycho from being able to earn income doing research.”

Twilight nodded.

“Well even at the worse case scenario, if the government refuses, there is always a private business who would take you up.” Erebus frowned a bit. “Still, though, this should not be a problem to begin with. I’m going to try my best to see you approved.”

Matt whispered to Alex. “Have we heard anything on Archanis, yet?”

Alex shook his head and pointed to Nightshade. “I’d rather we try this first before doing anything potentially rash.”

Shade furrowed her brow. “Lousy pencil pushing bureaucrat.”

Tycho gave a brief scratch to Shade’s ear. “Amen, Shade. And thanks, Professor, for giving me a voucher. I’d like to live on my own income, finally.”

Shade’s ear twitched as she stood straight, wide eyed to the sudden feeling of a wondrous sensation by that strange appendage. It was brief, but heavenly. She became lost as the feeling of relaxation overwhelmed her.

Erebus smiled at Tycho. “I think it would be a criminal waste to not give you a chance to contribute to the field of science here, Tycho. If Shade’s description of human technology is accurate, then we have a lot to learn from your sciences, as you have learned from ours.” She looked at Shade and noticed she was in a trance. “Shade? Equestria to Shade.”

“It felt... heavenly.” Shade said with a dumb-smile.

Deadpanning at her friend for acting weird, the pegacorn yawned. “In that case, I need to check into a hotel. Could someone help my friend here? She seems to be suffering from a mental relapse.” She rolled her eyes and walked downstairs.

Alex chuckled, seeing Shade’s state after a single ear scratch. Twilight picked the unicorn up with her magic as everyone followed. Tycho scratched the back of his head and tapped Alex and Matthew on their shoulders. “Seriously, that happens with all ponies?”

Matthew nodded with a humourless grin. “I’m surprised Aloe and Lotus haven’t offered you a job yet. Lyra tried to make it mandatory by request with the town counsel.”

That brought chuckles among the humans.

After they settled back into the living room, Tycho with the help of Matt and Alex began explaining more about human technology and science from electromagnetism, to combustion engines, to astronomical sciences.

“Yourf planef reffolfs aroun’ te shun?” Erebus said eating a spoonful of peanut butter. Her tail was wagging throughout the evening as she learned more.

The humans nodded. “Power of gravity, our system is heliocentric. Our sun is pulling on a lot of astronomical bodies. Including a possible planet outside the Kuiper belt.” Tycho explained.

Matt raised an eyebrow. “We might have tenth planet?”

“Um, Pluto has been demoted to Dwarf-planet.” Alex said.

“Heresy.” Tycho grumbled. “It’s a planet, no matter what Tyson says.”

The non-humans shrugged but Twilight giggled.

Shade had finally snapped out of her stupor enough to finally bring up why they visited. “Oh yeah! Tycho, me and Erebus are going to be doing some important work later, so would it be okay we go with you to the Diamond Dog Mountains?”

Alex liked the prospect. It didn’t make much difference to Matthew. “Any particular reason?”

Shade looked innocently. “Can’t a mare spend some quality time with her friends? I’ll be busy for a couple of weeks. I promised Tycho I’d be around more.”

“What Shade isn’t telling you, is I am also interested in seeing how you conduct scientific field studies, so I can back you up in my voucher having witnessed you work.” Erebus added as she licked peanut butter from her spoon.

Tycho shrugged. “Well, I have got room for more people so I have no problems.”

Matt gave his approval. “I wouldn’t mind my boss being around to see me work.” He yawned. “Speaking of which, gonna turn in. Night everyone.” He stepped out as the others bid him good night.

Alex nodded and got up as well. “Dinner with the family. So I’ll see you all early morning. Six o’clock in the AM at town hall.”

Tycho stood. “I’ll be right behind you, Al.” He was about to leave, but was stopped by Shade and Erebus. He knelt down. “It’s real good to meet a good mind. I look forward to working with you tomorrow.” He extended a hand to Erebus.

Erebus looked at it. “Hold on. I wanna try this, don’t get scared. This is a talent of mine.”

Tycho looked in Shade’s direction, a bit nervous. Shade leaned over and whispered, “It’s okay. She knows what she’s doing.” Tycho seemed to accept that and let Erebus proceed.

He felt something grab his hand, another hand that felt like a human, but not quite right. “This is my shadow. I can make her do a few things for me, like greet you human style.”

Tycho felt as if a textureless hand hold his. He could feel the shape, humanoid at the very least. “Right.” He shook the hand. “Magic, of course.” Once the grip was mutually loosened, Tycho felt Shade walked to him and nuzzle his cheek. The human briefly and softly rubbed his mug against hers at the same time. “Did I do that right?”

Shade smiled and nodded. “Before you go, can you do that thing to my other ear?” She presented the other untouched ear as she wiggled playfully in his direction.

Tycho rolled his eyes. “Night, Shade. Wait, you getting a hotel too? I told you my guestroom is free if you want a place to stay.”

Shade sighed and smiled. “Yeah, but this time it’s all expenses paid.” She nudged Erebus softly.

“Yes, but you get no spa treatment this time.” The albino mare stuck her tongue out.

Shade giggled.

Twilight gazed in fascination at the Shadowy hand. “I forgot you could do that, Erebus. I’ve read a lot of papers about shadow magic. Want to stay awhile and chat some more about it?”

Erebus shook her head. “No. I really do need to sleep and prep for the trip. You can make sure there will be accommodations for me and Shade, right?” Sensing Twilight nodding, she accepted that. “Then in that case, goodnight everypony.” She stood as Shade followed.

“Night, guys!” Shade said following Erebus.

Tycho waved everyone goodbye and headed to his home, following Alex as the two made small talk on the way home.

It was late evening; Tycho sat at his desk and turned on his laptop. He clicked the recording button on his journal software. “Journal Entry #3. Day 41st. Having spent several weeks in Equestria I can now state I will officially have a job. Twilight and Erebus drafted my vouchers this evening and got approval by Princess Luna and sent to the ministry. I was told Archanis can’t refuse this and can’t interfere without petitioning the princesses, and Erebus will smooth things over with that asshat before he gets any ideas.”

Tycho sat down. “I’ve got a trip tomorrow, as I am feeling a bit cooped up in Ponyville. I miss mountains. I want to build a bike to go mountain biking on again. I don’t want my life to just be about work, meeting friends, and going home. If I’m gonna be here, I need to start living.”

Tycho sipped some water as he thought of what else to say. “Met a new friend. Another intellectual like me. She seemed pretty nice. I look forward to learning more from her about the Equestria science ministry. Erebus, interesting name. She and Shade seem to be good friends. Quite a pair they make. Shade seems like this easy-going girl with tact issues and a very specialized intellect. She could tell you anything about military sciences, history, and related education, but not much an intellectual beyond that. But by far the sweetest friend you can ask for, heh. Erebus, on the other hand. I kinda think I’m talking to a reflection. She has a magnificent intellect and a desire to use it. I think Shade drives her nuts but she wouldn’t give up her friend for anything. Those two belong in sitcom.” Tycho chuckled. “Nightshade and the Brain.” He sung the Warner Brother’s tune. “Yes, Nightshade and the Brain. One is a genius, the other’s insane.” He chuckled again.

Off, on the other side of town, in the upper floor of Sugarcube corner, Pinkie Pie’s ear twitched.

“Emotionally speaking, I think I’m keeping under control.” Tycho felt he should talk about it more, but decided to let it stop there. “When I get recognized by the Ministry, I’m gonna take a visit to this Princess Celestia and have a heart-to-heart talk with her. Then she can tell me face-to-face why I can’t have that research.” Tycho grimaced. “Anyways, if all this works well, Mom and Dad, friends. I’m gonna show them what human science can do. Then maybe they’ll treat us humans better. The princesses, I mean, not the little ponies. They have been more accommodating than ever.”

Tycho frowned. “I am thinking a lot about what things may be like back home. Everyone on Earth must trying hard to forget what happened. The news has said nearly all the humans that jumped back are experiencing a very obscure case of PTSD. They can’t recall what happened, only the feelings of fear, wonder, pain, or any combination thereof. No amount of medication or therapy is revealing the details. What the hell happened, I keep wondering? Was it a natural disaster or on purpose? Anyways, I am just glad you all are safe and things are returning to normal for you all. So, here’s to you, friends and family, the most important people in my life.”

Tycho clicked and stopped the recording before sending it to his parents and coworkers, then going upstairs to sleep for their big trip tomorrow.

End of Part 1

Chapter 14 - Going Blind Yonder Pt. 2

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It was the next morning when the humans and changeling met at the town hall. Tycho seemed a bit fidgety as he stood in front of the large building. Beside him were several labeled tool chests on wheels and strapped to a wooden pallet.

Each had different labels; Magic Scanner, Heavy Magic Containment, Mana Extraction Apparatus, Safety Equipment, Portable Infirmary, Food Stuffs.

Tycho had some reassurance this was going to be a safe trip, what with Matthew being suited in his armor and brought with him a high-tech pistol and rifle. Alex had his dagger and armor-amulet. Emerald carried two saddlebags worth of field-medical equipment. Tycho, as well as the other humans, filled their packs with changes of clothes and gear before arriving.

“Nervous?” Matthew observed, smiling reassuringly at Tycho.

“Did you know I mountain biked on some awesome trails on the Swiss Alps? They’re great in the summertime.” Tycho replied.

“Must be quite a challenge. Dodging trees with only sonar to guide you.” The commando mused.

“And using it to understand the terrain. Gotta dodge rocks, too.” Tycho sensed for Erebus and Nightshade. “That being said, I’m gonna be entering a land where there are dragons, hydras, and who knows what. In the alps I wasn’t scared of the natural wildlife.”

“But the wildlife here has the extra features of being big, magical, or both.” Alex’s thoughts briefly harkened back to when he got Dino, his pet popping cat, who had grown big but kept the nature of a housecat. So far he had hidden under the couch away from Tycho or teleported outside to one of his hiding places. Like with many new guests, he had been studying the man to make sure he was safe to add to his ‘staff.’ “But don’t worry about it, Tyke. We’re gonna fly over Everfree and Grassrunner’s tribe has set up a safe camp for us on Mt. Spire.”

“About those pegasus chariots, they come with safety harnesses?” Tycho asked.

“Safety harnesses?” Matthew feigned as Tycho broke out into a sweat.

“Yes, every one. They have them.” Alex smirked at Matt, who chuckled.

Emerald was busy checking the supplies but paid attention. “How quaint; our resident commando decides to add to Tycho’s anxiety. Please try to regulate yourself, Sergeant.”

Matt shrugged and noticed the final two of their party. “Gentlemen, the ladies have arrived.”

Nightshade and Erebus approached the group, both carrying saddlebags of their own equipment.
“Captain’s monologue, day 1, morning. We have arrived at the meeting point to join the rest of the troupe. Today we embark to Mt. Spire, largest mountain bordering Everfree. My friend, the studious and lovely Professor Erebus gracefully accompanies us to observe human-science processes to add credibility to her voucher for Doctor Tycho Hernandez, Ph.D.” Shade spoke.

“That’s redundant.” Erebus interrupted.

“What?” Shade asked.

“It’s Doctor Tycho Hernandez or Tycho Hernandez, Ph.D.” Erebus corrected. “You don’t add both. It's like calling you Captain Nightshade, Captain of the Nightguard.”

Shade stared at Erebus with a bit of annoyance, but continued her monologue. “Professor Erebus demonstrates her firm grip on Equestrian lingo as we ready ourselves for the dangerous journey ahead.”

“I’m tempted to bite you if you don’t stop that.” The pegacorn groused. “It's hard enough getting ready in the morning without receiving a running commentary.”

Earlier that morning….

In their hotel room, Nightshade stood outside the shower room while Erebus took a shower.

“After gracefully rising from her slumber,” Shade monologued melodramatically, “Professor Erebus lets the water cascade down her slender ivory form, a beautiful sight often underestimated by the mare.”

Erebus’s head burst from behind the shower curtains, ears folded back as she hissed. “I will use all the hot water!”

Back in the present…

“Well excuse me for adding some fun to this trip.” Nightshade stuck her tongue at her friend.

“Exactly what will you be doing aside from ogling Tycho?” Erebus asked rolling her eyes.

“O-ogling?” Shade said below her breath, not sure why she felt nervous.

“Hey, ladies!” Alex waved as they approached.

Shade put on her a happy demeanor and waved back. “Hey, fellas!”

Matthew looked up. “Here comes our rides.”

From sky above, two large sleighs cast a shadow on everyone briefly. Each one was pulled by three pegasi as they flew into Ponyville airspace. They swooped in before landing on the grass.

“How’re they going to carry all of us and the cargo on chariots?” Tycho asked.

“Good news, they brought sleighs.” Shade softly bumped Tycho’s thigh.

Tycho deadpanned trying to visualize this impossibility of physics. “How do they land that load so smoothly? I mean it sounded like the sleigh was actually level-”

“Magic.” Shade and Erebus stopped him mid sentence.

“Gonna get really tired of that word.” Tycho grumbled as both Shade and Erebus shared a mutual giggle.

Erebus smiled. “You’re a smart guy. I’m sure you’ll figure it out.” Erebus boarded the passenger sleigh as Shade followed. “I’ll give you a hint; it is unique to pegasi and alicorns.”

“Oh, I will.” Tycho said with determination as he boarded. The others loaded the tool chests onto the other sleigh and boarded after. Emerald in the front row, Tycho, Shade, and Erebus in the second row. Alex and Matthew in the back row. “How high are we going?” Tycho asked the pegasi.

The lead one turned his head and replied. “High enough.”

Tycho didn’t like that answer.

“Please make sure your seatbelts are buckled and your tray tables are in the upright position.” Alex joked to ease his friend’s tension.

The ponies and changeling looked confused as the humans lightly chuckled.

Tycho braced himself for what was the come. This was crazy. These sleighs were made of sturdy wood, weighing at least 500 kilograms, and now bearing additional weight! These three pegasi could actually drag that in the air!?

Shade noticed Tycho’s anxiety. “So, Tycho. How about telling Erebus more about your engineering and physics ideas about magic?”

“Not the best time.” Tycho replied as the pegasi double checked everything before takeoff.

“Well you can either talk to ease yourself or sit here gripping on your seat for dear life.” Matthew interjected.

Tycho frowned. “The engineering is adapted to enhancement processes, but I already told you that. It's just a means to better study magic and what it is made of.” He made a anxious sound as the sleigh began to move and the pegasi spread their wings, dragging the sleigh on the ground briefly before taking to the air, with the sleigh rising with them! It’s okay, Tycho. He thought to himself. If this works as the ladies said, then it will be fine. Embrace the thrill like you do with your other outdoor hobbies. He thought to himself.

Poor guy, Shade thought. He would probably be more comfortable on an airship, but that was in use by Paladin Blueblood. She made a note to show it to him at some point.

“Well, magic is an energy field with varying origins, but ubiquitous on this world and is theorized to also be present beyond.” Erebus mused, seemingly calm as they took flight.

“Yes, but energy isn’t just made of energy. Have you ever heard the question: light; particle or wave?” Tycho felt his heart pounding, harkening back to when he first did mountain biking with his echolocation coach. He channeled his fear to enjoy the thrill. “Oh man, we’re really in the air, aren’t we?”

Shade giggled, delighted to see Tycho enjoy himself for a change.

“Are you saying, doctor, that magic is either a particle or a wave?” Emerald asked. “We have long established they are particles.”

“Yes, but what are they?” Tycho asked. “How are they differentiated from atoms? I looked at thaumatic math and crossed referenced it with quantum math and found a possibility I will be testing.”

Erebus’s ears perked and her shadow turned to look at Tycho with interest. “Go on.”

“Magic particles aren’t like atoms or subatomic particles. There is a strong possibility they could be like quarks.” Tycho explained.

“Elementary particles?” Alex asked very interested.

“That is the theory I’ll be testing. I can make the equipment, but I need the power.” Tycho felt the breeze of their flight and the sensation of flying. It was amazing.

“What’s a elementary particle?” Shade asked Erebus.

Erebus was stumped. This was more advanced science. “Uh, Tycho, would it be correct to assume elementary particles make up subatomic particles?”

Tycho nodded with a smile. “Exactly, professor. And different quantum states can create dynamic forms of matter and energy. You ponies seem to have the biological capabilities to accomplish this feat.” He looked in both Erebus and Shade’s direction.

The two mares each displayed different reactions. For Erebus it was enthusiasm in learning this new science. For Shade, it was a blank state of confusion. She got as far as understanding a particle that makes up other particles, but quantum whatsits? Nope, not processing.

“That’s my friend.” Alex patted Tycho on the back as he leaned forward from his seat. “By far one of Earth’s top minds.”

Erebus nudged Nightshade. “Hey, can we switch places?”

Shade’s blank state broke as she moved to help Erebus sit next to Tycho. Good, Erebus is opening up to him. They’re perfect for each other. She thought with a twinkle in her eye. Having noticed during their first meeting Tycho and Erebus were both very intelligent, it would make sense the two could become closer. And why not? Alex and Rainbow Dash hit it off. So did Trace and Twilight. A romantic interest would be therapeutic for both her friends.

“Tell me more about this science.” Erebus asked.

Tycho seemed hesitant. Back home he wasn’t much of a professor. He preferred to design, build, research, and make; not teach. “I actually want to ask Shade about the magic of this world. Like what is it capable of, pragmatically speaking.”

Shade looked at Tycho and remembered she mentioned that the day they first met. “Well, big things like moving the sun and moon. Changing the weather.” She felt a little pressured trying to answer this question with her best friend next to her, who could probably tell it a lot better. Usually she was fine answering such a question, but to give a satisfying answer to Tycho? “What can’t it do is the better question. That is what drives our scientists to develop new spells.”

Tycho nodded. “That’s a good way of looking at it.” He said, much to Shade’s surprise, but she didn’t show it. “That would explain how your technology developed compared to ours.”

“Yeah...um but I am sure Erebus could give a better explanation.” Shade attempted to divert the attention from her. Though, it was nice to be acknowledged, she thought.

“I can, but I’d like to learn more about particle science.” Erebus persisted.

Tycho sighed. “Okay, I’ll do my best to explain it.”

Matthew and Alex talked among each other as Shade tried to comprehend what Tycho was explaining. Emerald and Erebus had an easier time. All this stuff about quarks, leptons, mesons, bayons, and somepony called Higgs. The basics made sense, the complex stuff was beyond her, but for some reason Tycho was not enjoying the exchange, Shade observed. He seemed like one of those professors who’d rather assign reading material than explain too much.

“So you were trying to break these particles apart so you can observe them.” Erebus nodded along.

Tycho tried to ignore the fact that the ground was a kilometer beneath him. “Yeah, observing quarks and other small particles is very difficult. Though, given with how flexible magic is, it might actually be possible to do it here. Without needing an accelerator bigger than a city.” Tycho sensed they were descending. “So, what is this mountain like?”

Alex piped up, “Well I’ve been here once with Grassrunner, but that was more of a visit than an expedition.”

“It’s actually a range.” Shade followed. “The two tallest are sharper and taller. Darker rock with thicker foliage as you go toward the base. The Diamond Dogs cut a path up the mountain that spirals around it. Snow capped on the top.” She figured Tycho wanted to know what it looked like.

“Thanks.” Tycho and Erebus said at the same time, both being unable to see it but appreciating the imagined visualization.

The flight had taken two hours before they finally neared the mountain range. Shade’s description was accurate. The flying entourage headed toward the landing site where there was a flat-topped outcropping on the side of the mountain. There sat a camp with several log-cabins set up a fair distance from a cave-entrance, which appeared artificially dug. Several figures could be seen moving about the campsite and out of the cave. Among the Diamond Dogs, Tycho caught the unmistakable ‘sight’ of Eleanor Asher.

Upon exiting the sleighs, the diamond dogs welcomed Alex and Matthew first.

“It good to see you, friend of dogs,” a rather large one greeted the two men. “You brought tall human with you!” He pointed to Tycho.

Tycho approached after the tool chests were unloaded. “So, who do I owe the pleasure of this meeting?”

A familiarly shaped dog approached Tycho. “Greet as human. Dogs greet as dogs.” She said pleasantly. “Well-learned Tycho, good to see you.”

Tycho held out a hand and received a paw shake. “Grassrunner, I presume. I see the dogs are giving Alex and Matt a royal welcome.” He joked.

“No royalty here. No royalty among diamond dogs since dark ages. But to Alex, we owe him much.” Grassrunner explained. “Dogs once like you, not belong in Equestria. But forced to scrape what little we can. Come from bad old times with Ponies long ago.”

Tycho nodded. “And Alex set it right?”

Grassrunner nodded. “Alex give Diamond Dogs better lives. Now mine better. Now trade with Ponies. Now read and write.” The female smiled. “Better life for child.” She pointed to a Diamond Dog pup; her daughter Summer Blossom.

“And what did you do to become a Paladin?” Tycho asked.

Grassrunner crossed her arms. “Raided Ponyville. Alex defeated me.”

Tycho raised an eyebrow to that. “Defeated?”

Grassrunner seemed hesitant before answering. “I tried to kill him for my tribe’s survival.”

Tycho felt apprehensive standing next to this bitch. Noticing more detail, she was carrying what seemed like swords attached to a belt. She was probably a very dangerous dog. “And he spared your life.”

The Diamond Dog nodded. “And everything changed. I helped him as he helped us. I risk life for him as he did for us. I became Paladin after.” She looked at the blind human curiously. “You fear me?”

Tycho didn’t answer that. “I’d rather concentrate on what we’re here for. What is the status of this cave?”

“One more question. You say you not brave for saving world. Why?” Grassrunner asked.

Tycho hesitated and got uncomfortable, but answered. “There is a difference between desperation and bravery. I was the only one in that building who had the least to lose, even though I lost quite a lot. What was I going to do, ask the people with husbands, wives, and-or children to do it?” He walked away before Grassrunner could reply.

Tycho’s walked up to Shade and Erebus as they headed to one of the cabins. He noticed Erebus seemed a little sluggish. “Need any help with anything?” He asked.

The two mares looked at Tycho.

Shade shook her head. “Naw, we’re okay, Tyke.”

“Though, I’d like to see what equipment you haaaaav-” Erebus suddenly slumped to the ground, face first with an audible smack.

“Erebus!” Tycho knelt down. “Can you hear me?”

“It’s okay, Tycho.” Shade removed her saddle bags. “Poor girl forgot to take her medicine. Just give her an hour and she’ll wake up.” She began to lift Erebus up onto her back.

“I can carry her.” Tycho offered.

“Such a gentlecolt.” Shade smiled. “But I don’t want to embarrass my friend by by letting her be carried by a handsome stallion.” She winked. Before Tycho could retort, Shade pointed to the saddle bags. “Here, carry hers and mine. She’s gonna be hungry when she wakes up.”

Tycho did so and followed them into the cabin. “Seriously, Shade. She have some kind of health condition?”

The cabin was well constructed from dark wooden logs, which were painted with varnish. A stone fire pit enclosed by a rounded flat top was constructed at the center with a supported chimney going up. Cots surrounded it with storage chests in between.

Shade used her magic to place her friend on the cot. “This is something the poor girl had to live with all her life. I’ll let her explain it. Don’t let me forget, when she starts stirring, I need to make her something to eat.”

What Tycho couldn’t see, but Shade very much noticed, was that Erebus’s shadow was relaxed, but with her head up, paying attention to the conversation. Shade waved to the Shadow, whose empty eyes mimicked a cheery smile.

Tycho nodded and sat at his cot. “So, about you.”

Shade maintained her composure so not to scare Tycho with the phantom among them. She checked Erebus’s and her packs as she answered. “Hmm?”

“Aside from being a Captain of the Nightguard, probably a very good captain…” Tycho tried to continue the conversation.

“Probably?” Nightshade looked at Tycho with a raised eyebrow.

“Definitely? I know nothing about the guard.” Tycho put his hands up in defense.

Shade smiled. “I succeeded Captain Moonblade after many years of hard work and performing above and beyond the call of duty.”

Tycho nodded. “Why did you join?”

“That’s... another story I’d prefer kept behind closed doors.” Shade could feel Tycho’s confusion. “Oh! It’s not improper. It's just something personal.”

“You and Erebus connected on that?” Tycho asked.

Shade thought for a moment on how to answer. “A little bit. We both needed a friend, not that we didn’t have friends, but not as close as we became.” Shade looked at Erebus who adorably snored like a filly as she curled up on her cot. Then she remembered her intentions. “You should take the time to get to know her, Tyke. Erebus is one of the top minds in the field.”

Tycho shrugged. “Plenty of time for that. I need to prep for our trek inside soon.” He stood up and headed outside.

Shade watched the tall human walk out as she thought of ways to get these two closer than friends. They were both scientists, but what else did they have in common?

Meanwhile Erebus’s shadow raised an eyebrow (or what seemed to be) staring at Shade.

“What? Tycho would make a nice coltfriend for you both.” Shade said.

The shadow tapped a hoof to her chin, in a thoughtful pose.

Meanwhile, Tycho walked out and flagged a random Diamond Dog. “Excuse me.”

“Uh... you excused?” The Dog answered.

“I mean, can you help me find somebody?” Tycho asked.

The dog nodded. “Who you looking for?”

“Whoever scouted into the cave.” Tycho replied.

“Talk to female human. She over there.” The dog pointed and went back to work.

Tycho raised an eyebrow and walked towards the buxom female he deduced would be Eleanor. She was chatting with Alex and Matthew.

“And then I activated the engine,” Tycho overheard her saying, “And it shot out the wall and skidded across the snowplane before the fuel ran out.” Eleanor made gestures with her hands to illustrate whatever she was telling.

“Have you thought of taking online engineering classes? You got a laptop just like us.” Matthew explained.

El shrugged. “I have supernatural engineering abilities. It was the first test anyways.”

“You’re an engineer?” Tycho asked her.

Eleanor shrugged. “Would being of the semi-mystically granted exalted powered mad scientist variety be a good explanation?”

Tycho raised an eyebrow in confusion. “...what?”

Alex cutted in. “Ms. Asher passed through the universe of the Exalted rpg and they granted her powers of the alchemy variety.” He carefully put.

“Alchemical, actually, which permanently changed, well, everything about me..” Eleanor somewhat grimly said.

“I never played Exalted, but heard that the characters in that system become gods.” Tycho surmised.

Eleanor frowned. “Sadly, that may be accurate. Short version. I became a jumper, became all twisted in timespace and multiversal stuff, then I ended up here. Well, two of me, actually,” She pushed that subject aside. “So…then me, I mean ‘we’, both merged and so here I am.”

Tycho stared into dark space trying to put that last part into context. “Wait, you fused with yourself from another time.”

Matthew took a deep breath. “Her existence is the most complicated. So two Eleanors existed. Both godlike. One became a part of a city in the Crystal Empire, and the one we are more familiar with settled down.” He explained. “Best if you let Eleanor explain when she has the time, and the years.”

Eleanor snorted and made an unpleased expression. “I can write a book on that experience, alone.”

Tycho shook his head as if to clean his thoughts like an Etch-a-sketch. “Well, how’s life been treating you since?”

Eleanor looked up at the sky with a smile. “After becoming a single person from two? Not as profoundly different as I feared. I have settled down with a herd and am doing better.”

Alex cut in again. “She has more than one spouse.”

Tycho found that intriguing. “So that’s legal here? Neat. Now, you went into that cave, right?”

Eleanor pointed to it. “Right there. Only went halfway because I’m not sure how the many would react to me. But my sensors confirm there is something of high energy deep inside.”

Tycho stretched. “Good. What is going on in there now?”

“The dogs are putting support beams inside the cave. They reported occasional tremors when digging. Better safe than sorry.” Matthew stated. “But they won’t go further than three quarters down the cave.”

“Good.” Tycho said. “Should take what, two hours before we get set up?”

Matthew stretched. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be inspecting the perimeter and guards.” He walked off.

Alex looked at Tycho. “Tyke, can I take you aside?”

Tycho nodded but before he walked off, he extended a hand to Eleanor. “Hey, Eleanor? I want to say thanks for your help and sorry I lost my temper back then.”

Eleanor gave Tycho a soft look took his hand. “For what it’s worth, Tycho. I think you were right to get mad.”

Tycho then followed Alex to a private place. He felt Alex put a hand on Tycho’s shoulder. “I haven’t had much time to compose this but I want to let you know, I am very sorry. We all should be.” Alex remorsely told his friend. “If we had planned this better, maybe you would still be back home.”

Tycho stood silent and looked downward, imagining staring at the the rocky ground, not into Alex’s eyes. He didn’t want to lose the emotional stability he barely managed to recover. “What’s done is done. You can’t undo it. Just let it be, Al.” He patted Alex’s shoulder in sympathy and quickly walked back to the tent.

Alex could see right through Tycho’s attempt to brush it off. There was still anger there. And sadness. Tycho was using his work as an escape. He made a note to check with Weyul or Ms. Introspective to see if he was seeing either of them for therapy.

Back at the tent, Shade saw Tycho walk back in after nearly an hour.

“Everything okay?” Shade asked as she used her magic to make an apple slices and peanut butter sandwich and a mug of fruit juice for her friend.

Tycho silently nodded and laid on his cot. “Checked the equipment. Everything will be ready in an hour. We’ll get the stuff unpacked and-”

Erebus stirred and woke up, ears pointed straight up as her nose sniffed the air. “Need sustenance.”

Shade placed the eating tray on one of the end tables between their beds and pulled up a stool. “Lunch is served, honey.”

Erebus’s sniffed and her head immediately shifted to the sandwich and drink. She quickly hopped from her cot to the stool and proceeded to devour the meal with adorable ‘noming’ sounds in between bites.

Tycho listened and pictured what was going on. It was probably a funny sight, but not something to laugh at given it was part of her disability.

When Erebus finished, she made a cute burp and downed her juice before letting out a deep satisfied sigh. “Thanks, Shade.”

“What would you do without me, Erebus?” Shade put an arm over her shoulders and leaned against her side.

Erebus leaned affectionately against her friend. “...still be warming a bed in a ward.” As she felt a wave of melancholy hit her.

Shade hugged her. “You’re too special for that. You should be doing sciency stuff. Besides, you still have your family and your other friends.”

Erebus sighs. “Is that Tycho also in this,” She clicked her tongue. “Tent?”

“Don’t mind me. I’m just resting my head.” Tycho said, trying not to be a nosy audience.

“Sorry about that, Tycho. No doubt Shade gave you a basic rundown of my condition.” Erebus assumed.

“Actually, she left it up to you whether to tell me or not.” Tycho replied.

Erebus leaned up and looked in Shade’s direction. “That is uncharacteristic of you. You usually blabber personal stuff without thinking.”

Shade stuck her tongue out. “Come on. I’m getting better.”

“If you need an update on the situation,” Tycho interjected. “We’re set to go in about an hour. They just need to finish the cave infrastructure.”

Shade then got a thought. “Well, I’m gonna see how, uh, Matthew is doing and leave you two to socialize.”

“Good idea. I’d like to catch some more air on this moun-” Tycho was about to finish before he got interrupted.

“Now, Tycho, that would mean you and Erebus wouldn’t be socializing.” The captain tapped him on the thigh and headed to the exit. “She needs to get her bearings before she can go outside, anyways. Keep her company while I do my work.”

Tycho and Erebus stood silently as Shade walked out, mystified as to what was going on. Erebus’s shadow facehoofed, but Erebus paid no heed to it.

“So how did you and Shade meet?” Tycho asked.

“Shade didn’t tell you? Strange.” She crossed her forehooves as she relaxed. “We met at the hospital. I was bedridden due to an,” Erebus searched for the best word, “incident. And she kept me company.”

“Was she your roommate?” Tycho asked.

Erebus grinned. “Nope. But she may as well have been. Shade took me for quite a ride when I was in.”

Tycho leaned on his side looking in Erebus’s direction. “Oh?”

Erebus hopped onto her cot. “I remember one night I was getting annoyed with the hospital food. Shade must have had this look in her eye because she put me in a wheelchair and snuck me across the street to the Applebuzz.” She chuckled.

Tycho chuckled. “Wow, no wonder you two became close friends.”

“Of course I slept through most of it, but she did other things. Described to me the pictures in comic books, brought me reading material, music.” Erebus laid down and relaxed. “And all that while finishing her qualifications to be the Nightguard Captain.”

So Erebus is a comic book nerd, Tycho thought? He smiled. “Sounds like an amazing woman.”

“Wo-wo-what?” Erebus cocked her head.

“...mare. I meant mare.” Tycho closed his eyes. “Woman means mare in human tongue.”

Erebus took that as note. There was an uncomfortable silence as Erebus was trying to figure out what to talk about. Her shadow nudged her and pointed to Tycho, encouraging her to socialize more. Erebus didn’t know where to start. “So, um... I have some more questions about humans, if you don’t mind.” Her shadow facehoofed again. Erebus ignored it.

“Ask and I shall answer.” Tycho replied.

The line of questioning seemed more like a scholar’s inquiry. Tycho did his best to answer. Much of it was about human technology and sciences. Tycho had to emphasize he couldn’t speak fully about societal questions, as he couldn’t represent all seven billion humans in all their varying cultures. Erebus listened with genuine interest. Regardless, Tycho wasn’t feeling a good social connection between him and this mare. He decided to change the subject.

“So what part of the MInistry do you work for?” Tycho asked.

“Oh! Well I primarily study unusual thaumatological subjects like Umbralmancy.” Erebus answered.

“What’s that?” Tycho asked.

“Umbralmancy consists of magics that are associated with a sub-realm of this world called the ‘umbra.’ Magically speaking, there exists an alternative existing world that shares the same universe as ours. It consists of several different forms of magic and physics than we are normally familiar with. One fascinating thing about the existence of this world is that shadows have a magical charge that exists through that realm.” Erebus explained. “In other words, our shadows can be mediums for magics, such as illusion and umbralmancy.”

“Neat. What can you do with it?” Tycho inquired.

“Oh, well I can create shadowy manipulations that can interact with the world in useful ways, such as halting another person’s movement using their shadow or displace my location from one shadow to the next.” Erebus described. “Of course, I have a lot of standard thaumic spells.”

“Any long term goals involving Umbralmancy?” Tycho asked.

“You’re a fellow scientist, what are our goals?” Erebus grinned.

Both scientists spoke in unison. “To get published, write a few books, retire an accomplished scholar.” The two chuckled.

In that moment, Shade returned. “Hey you two! Perimeter is safe. And the Diamond Dogs have finished setting up the support beams. How are you two getting along?”

Erebus’s shadow was found laying down asleep, Shade noticed. Did they socialize at all?

Tycho stood up. “We talked about humans but I am glad me and Erebus have a similar perspective on life.”

Shade cocked her head, maybe they did hit it off? “Oh?”

“A lot of hard work till we can retire as famous minds.” Erebus hopped off her cot. “If everything is ready for us to venture inside. Lead the way, Doctor.” The mare gestured as she spoke.

Tycho led the two to the supply cabin. Alex, Eleanor, and two Diamond Dogs had the tool chests ready. “Okay, be careful with all that. There is some sensitive equipment in there.”

Tycho turned on his sonar device as Erebus jumped. Shade noticed Erebus’s reaction and leaned over. “You okay?”

Erebus’s ears twitched. “I’m fine.”

She listened to the strange sound that was resonating around her, better than her tongue clicking in fact. She could use it to ascertain details around her much better. She took a brief moment to cast a spell with her horn to receive that sound as her horn darkened and the dark-point vibrated to each sonar wave released by Tycho’s device. She committed the sound to memory for later. Every pony, dog, and person was provided a mining helmet.

With their helmets secured, Tycho lead the way with Shade and Erebus behind him. Alex, Eleanor, and the dogs picked up the rear. The cave was lit with oil lanterns hanging from the walls. The beams supporting it were made of steel that stood at the walls and criss-crossed at the ceiling, soldered together. The rocky walls were rigid and slightly jagged and the air became more still the deeper they went in.

“Would the two Diamond Dogs describe to me what you guys found at the end of this?” Tycho asked.

One of the Diamond Dogs chose to answer. “Big chamber inside. Rock eroded not by water. Very strange. Well in the center glowed bright blue. Not go near it.” A slight tremor in the rock occurred.

Tycho stopped and pressed his back against the cave wall. The others did the same.

Eleanor looked around the cave. “Are we inside a volcano?”

The other dog piped up. “No. We think well create shakes!” The tremor stopped.

Erebus shook a bit. “You sure we should go further in?” She asked Shade nervously.

Shade bit her lip, thinking about calling for a withdraw.

Eleanor rubbed her hand on the steel beams. They seemed solid.

“I’m confident the Diamond Dogs did a good job to keep this cave stable. They do this all the time.” Alex patted the shoulders of the two.

“Thanks, Alex.” They replied.

Tycho resumed walking. “Nothing was accomplished attempting to avoid risks. Lets keep going.”

They walked cautiously for about fifteen minutes as the cave slowly descended downward. As they approached, Shade could see a strange blue glow, like a fading star at the end.

“Chamber up ahead.” Shade announced as she and Tycho picked up the pace.

“Okay when we near it, we’ll set up the equipment out-” Tycho was interrupted by another tremor, and it was a big one as the chamber lit up brighter.

Erebus’s eyes widened. “Thaumic wave! Run back!” She attempted to turn tail as a wave of energy shot through the cave.

Everything happened so quickly. First, the soldered points between the beams grew brittle as the magical wave passed through the cave, steel and rock. The beams broke from each other and began to collapse. Then the rocks of the cave walls began to give away as the massive tremor shook them apart. Dust blasted as rocks fell. Alex grabbed Erebus and yanked her back as she attempted to extend two shadowy tendrils to Shade and Tycho, who were further away. But she couldn’t get a hold of them as the tendrils were cut off by the falling rock. Shade tackled Tycho as far away from the falling rocks as possible, but further into the cave. Eleanor looked up in horror as she noticed a larger part of the ceiling began to break above them. Everything went silent as the dust settled.

Chapter 15 - Going Blind Yonder Pt. 3

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On the side looking toward the entrance, Alex stood up with bruises on his back and dust all over. Erebus was under him, shaken, but unharmed.

“Is everyone alright?” Alex asked. Erebus frantically extended a shadow scanning spell around the cave.

The Diamond Dogs ran back. They had apparently bolted way past the group away from the cave in. “What happened? How?!” Shouted one.

Alex was about to say something until he saw Eleanor hold up a rather large piece of ceiling with both arms. It must have been several tons heavy at least.

Eleanor sighed. “It's okay, I’m holding it up. Where are Tycho and Shade?”

To Alex and Erebus’s horror, they turned back to see the cave in. Erebus ran to the end as Alex grabbed her by the tail.

“Let me go!” Erebus screamed and struggled.

“No! It's too dangerous!” Alex pulled her back.

“Shade! Shaaaade!” Erebus screamed.

Alex felt every emotion she was but knew if they didn’t withdraw now, they’d risk being buried as well. As he tried to console Erebus he noticed her darkened shadow walk on its own! What was going on? Was he hallucinating this? The shadow then went completely flat onto the ground and slicked under the piles of rock…

On the other side of the cave in, Tycho got up covered in small rocks and dust. He groaned. He was relieved his sonar device wasn’t broken, at least. He shook his head as he heard a pony walk up to him.

“Tycho! Oh Luna are you alright?!” Shade approached and hugged him tightly.

Tycho, realizing he wasn’t buried under tons of rock, hugged Shade back as well. “I feel like the floor of a taxi cab.”

Tycho found his mind analyzing the situation. Maybe the fear and shock hadn’t caught up to him or the fact he risked life and limb jumping into another dimension had tempered his courage...

Oh dear gods I almost died! Tycho thought as he scurried away from the pile of rubble, breathing heavily.

Shade followed and kept both hooves on him. “It’s okay, Tyke. It’s okay. You’re alive, I’m alive and the others might still be alive too.” She prayed the worst hadn’t happened on the other side. “Oh Celestia, please be okay. Please.” She whispered to herself as she tried to use her magic in some way to detect life on the other side.

Tycho stayed put to get his bearings. He had managed to calm himself down somewhat. “I hope they’re alright.”

Shade then felt something almost textureless hug her tightly around her neck. She jumped and turned her head to see Erebus’s shadow standing from stretched shadowy legs that went under the rock. “Oh you’re here! That means you’re both alive!”

Erebus’s shadow nodded then let go.

“Are they alright? Is Erebus okay?” Shade asked fearfully.

The shadow nodded. Then pointed to Shade and Tycho and made a questioning gesture.

“Who are you talking to?” Tycho asked.

“Uh, Erebus is, uh, communicating with me through magic.” Shade half-lied.

The shadow crossed her forelegs and shook her head in annoyance at Shade’s lie. She then pointed a hoof at Shade and Tycho and Shade and made the same gesture more dramatically.

Shade gestured the shadow to calm down and thought a moment. “Tycho, we should probably wait here until they can clear the cave-in.” Shade recommended.

“I'm not sure that is wise.” Tycho replied. “The rock near all this will be weaker near the cave-in.”

Shade snorted. He had a point. She noticed the chamber ahead was still alight, though. “In that case maybe we should proceed forward. That chamber hasn’t collapsed since the Diamond Dogs found it. Maybe it will be safer.”

Tycho nodded. “You’re in charge now, captain.” He weakly stood up and turned on his sonar device. He noticed at least three of the storage chests were still intact.

Shade nodded and looked at Erebus’s shadow. “We’re going ahead to the chamber while you and the others take care of this.”

The shadow nodded and gave Shade a peck on the cheek before slipping back under the rocks.

Shade stood, sighing. Erebus’s shadow seems to speak more about Erebus herself than Erebus lets on.

On the other side, Erebus regained her calm, but her anxiety was still present. “They’re alive and okay. They’re going to go to the inner chamber.”

Alex and Eleanor let out a sigh of relief.

“Why is it whenever we feel safe, the multiverse conspires to do something nasty to us?” Alex grumbled.

Eleanor chuckled in both pity and agreement to Alex’s quip.

“Rock here isn’t safe. We go back and plan.” One Diamond Dog said. “Uh, El stay here hold up rock?”

Eleanor sighed and nodded nonchalantly. “I can do this all year. Uh, please don’t take a year to fix this.”

“We’ll be back as soon as possible, El. We promise.” Alex gestured Erebus to move ahead as they started to run back.

Erebus prayed Shade and Tycho would be alright and swiftly went with the rest of the group.

“Well here I am by myself talking with myself. Now what?” Eleanor thought out loud and looked around. “I spy with my little eye something that starts with the letter R.” She said. “Rocks. Yep. Lots of rocks. I spy with my little eye something that starts with M. More rocks. I spy something that starts with E. Even more rocks.” She sighed. “Did I install any apps on this body?”

Dragging two tool chests behind him and Shade floating the third with her magic and creating a light spell at the same time, the human and pony marched onward to the inner chamber.

“Be careful, Tyke. I know you have sonar, but-.” Shade was about to finish, but Tycho cut her off.

“I can navigate my way no problem, Shade. I’m like a cave bat here.” Tycho mused before bumping his head on a stalactite. Thankfully, the helmet took the blow but the resounding impact didn’t help Tycho’s headache. “Fuck shit goddamn sonuva…” He grumbled.

Shade winced at that and noticed Tycho wasn’t wounded, except maybe his pride. Still, there was no need for arrogance now. “Just how precise is your sonar?”

Tycho shook his head and regained his composure. “Well I’m not a dolphin, you know.”

“More like a bat, huh?” Shade raised an eyebrow.

“I know what I said.” Tycho groused and continued forward as they neared the chamber.

It was getting to the point where Shade wouldn’t need a light at all. The bluish hue of light began to flicker in varying brightness, but never too much as they got closer to what looked like a dome-like opening.

“Oh, Tycho. I wish you could see this.” Shade blurted out.

“We’re approaching the chamber, right?” Tycho asked, stopping.

Shade nodded as she trotted ahead of him. The chamber inside must have been about fifteen meters apart and dome shaped. Lining the walls of the chamber were glowing ore veins of what looked like magically-saturated... bauxite! Shade could open a mine here and retire, maybe buy herself a small nation from this place. But that paled in comparison to what she saw at the center. The veins seemed to have been connected like rivers to the center of the chamber. It would seemingly appear to be a hole but there was intense sparkling of raw magic inside. How deep the hole was, she had no idea. But she could feel the power coming from it. The magic inside it churned intensely. She felt it growing more intense the closer she got, even her horn felt warmer. She decided not to proceed any further.

“Tycho, we found our... mana well.” Shade decided that was a good name for it. “It’s a fifteen meter domed chamber with bauxite ore veins lining the cavern walls and centered at a hole. The hole itself is about a meter and a half in diameter. The depth is unknown. But the magic inside is intense. Like raw magic churning within it.”

Tycho nodded. “Help me unpack the equipment so we can see we what we got.” He decided not to go closer. Even with his glasses, the magic inside that place must be so intense he’d suffer from the symptoms of his magic allergy really quick.

“Bloody tartarus. You’d think the Diamond Dogs being experienced miners would be able to build a safer mine!” Emerald bantered as he checked on Erebus, with Alex and two annoyed Diamond Dogs waiting. One of them was Grassrunner.

“My hounds did good job!” Grassrunner defended. “Magic bewitched the soldering!”

Emerald shook his head. “How could magic do that to soldered metal?”

“The saturation of intense primal magical energy didn’t yield enough thaumatic resonance to saturate the steel but because the soldered points weren’t as strong-” Erebus explained in magebabble as the rest of the crowd (with exception to Emerald) gave up trying to understand.

“What is the plan, Grass?” Alex asked.

Grassrunner. “Our dig masters will look at hole and plan how to dig through collapse. Dig through it now, may cause another collapse. Dig around, may cause same. They must know cave again before digging again.”

Matthew walked inside the infirmary cabin. “You guys will be happy to know I sent our pegasus towing committee to Ponyville to get some help from Twilight. She sent us something on stonework crafting.” He presented a box with Twilight’s cutiemark labeled on the top.

Alex opened it and it revealed a few transcribed documents on digging a secure and strong tunnel through the rock and only needing steel supports in the middle. No soldering required. It also included two spell scrolls of stone shaping with post-it notes stating for Emerald and Erebus.

“Okay, looks like we need to remake that tunnel a bit.” Alex showed Grassrunner the papers.

The chieftess perused through the papers and walked out of the cabin. “Get dig masters, now!” She could be heard shouting from outside the cabin.

Tycho examined a strange device that a human would say was shaped like a price tag scanner with a much bigger display. The display had several meters that Tycho’s magic spectacles displayed for him. Tycho adjusted a few knobs on the device. Each meter was color labeled indicating a different measurement of magical nature, or so he was told. Tycho set it up on a tripod and pointed it at the hole.

Shade helped Tycho prep the other devices present that needed more finesse to set up. The magical containment device actually consisted of a large lead box coated with fiberglass. Within it were four smaller boxes made of what seemed to be glass. Shade opened each of them and set them in front of the larger boxes.

The final opened tool chest disappointed Tycho. The extraction device was broken. The rocks must have shattered the legs that were to be set up like a quadrapod around the hole. Otherwise, the extraction arm was still in tact.

Tycho shook his head. “Thaumic waves can wreak that much havock, huh?”

Shade sat down on the cold stone ground. “Oh yeah. Super concentrated magic can cause effects comparable to chaos magic, except more mundane.”

“Like destroying load bearings?” Tycho asked, pointing back down the cave toward the mess behind them.

Shade nodded. “And worse if we were maintaining or casting spells.” She grinned. “Turned off my light spell before it got me.”

Tycho touched his glasses. “What about artifacts?”

Shade shrugged. “We got lucky, I guess. Maybe there is something in the rock taking the brunt, and the steel built into the rock conducted what was left?”

Tycho nodded with a grin. “Brilliant deduction. And you claim not to be bright.”

That made Shade smile. “Well I’m as grey as a pony can get. So not far from the truth.”

Tycho took a break as he reached for his canteen. “What about your eyes? Your mane? Tail?”

Shade blushed. “Silver mane and tail. Green eyes. What were yours like before they turned white?”

“Blue.” Tycho sighed. “My mom said they were like the ocean.”

“What would she say about green eyes?” Shade leaned a bit forward.

“The color of life.” Tycho smiled. “Nature, harmony... fertility.” He took a swig of water and pulled out a bag of honey oatcakes and an apple provided by applejack. “Hungry?”

Shade shook her head as her rump shifted at the mention of fertility, very thankful Tycho couldn’t see her blush. “So uh, you wanted to know how I became captain?”

Tycho nodded as he ate and laid his back against the rock wall.

Shade took out her canteen and took a drink. “So do you know what Luna’s highest principle is?”

“Redemption.” Tycho curtly replied.

Shade smiled. “Her Nightguard, her Paladins, herself. We’re all redeeming ourselves for something.”

“I know Alex and Matt have serious reasons. Steel mentioned he wants to join as well. What are yours?” Tycho asked.

Shade closed her eyes and thought for a moment to put the words currently. “Squandering my younger days wasting my life. Abandoning what I love. A lot of self-betrayal.” She looked at Tycho. “I spent my youth abusing my health and partying like a reckless mare without a care in the world. And it cost me two of my best friends.”

Tycho looked in her direction sadly. “How did it happen?

Shade took a deep breath. This wasn’t an easy topic, but given she and Tycho might die in this cave, the least she could do was confide in her friend the reason she became captain. “I was a reveler. The kind to blackout and wonder what had happened the night before. At that time my favorite poison was salted drinks. To do this day I can probably still down ten cubes worth and only be buzzed.” Shade frowned. “If I had a bit for all the times I got in trouble for it.”

Tycho studied Shade’s words and voice. “So you are fighting addiction.”

Shade nodded solemnly. “I can’t go past a cube of salt without wanting it.”

“How bad did the trouble get?” Tycho bravely asked.

Shade frowned. “Me and some friends joined some ‘children of harmony’ cult. There are several around. They all claim to be about peace and true harmony, but always seem to miss one or more crucial elements. Mine lacked the loyalty. No one seemed to really be dedicated to anything harmonious. It was just one party after the next without any direction.” Shade laid her head down as her ears turned back.

Tycho scooted next to her as he listened.

“Me and two of my best friends at the time went up a mountain on a so-called pilgrimage. We wanted to inspire everyone in our group to do something meaningful. Deep. So if we could go up Skyhaven in Canterlot,” She looked at Tycho, “that’s the mountain Canterlot Castle is built on,” She saw Tycho nod and she continued, “then we’d stand out in the group.”

“So climbing a rock, huh?” Tycho said. “Is there something special about it?”

“No more than what myths we imagined to justify it.” Shade chuckled. “That it touched the moon and sun and if you can reach the top, you could touch them.”

“We had a myth back on Earth about a man named Icarus who tried to fly to reach the sun to impress the gods. It burned away his wings and he fell to his death.” Tycho spoke, then cleared his throat. “Sorry.”

Shade shook her head. “No, you hit the nail on the head there, Tycho. We were so stupid we were poorly prepared. All that salt and anything else they gave us in that cult made us think we were invincible.” She looked sadly at the hole in the center of the chamber. “Did you know we made it half way? We were so proud we decided to celebrate so our friends below would know how far we got.” Shade took a deep breath. “One of them jumped off the ledge in a drugged up stupor. I remember trying to hold her up with my magic, but she kept slipping out. I couldn’t hold on, I was so messed up. So my other friend dove in to get her. He... and she both fell all the way.”

Tycho reached out his hand and put a hand on her hoof. Shade felt that soft grip on her hoof and looked at him, then moved a bit closer and sat up. “Their parents still blame me for their deaths.”

“And then you got picked up by the guard?” Tycho asked.

Shade nodded. “I entered their detox program but I still lacked any employable skill. So I tried to enter the Day Guard reserves.”

Tycho raised an eyebrow, “So you attempted to join the Day Guard first?”

“Pays well, good benefits, and believe it or not I actually passed the initial requirements.” Shade frowned. “But addictions are hard to manage even if you live in a restricted environment.”

“It's not easy to shake off a substance after a traumatic experience,” Tycho guessed.

Shade swept back her hair with one hoof. “Yep. Got caught getting salted once and they kicked me out three months into the program. All the other trainees were ashamed to be even associated with me.”

“That is unacceptable. Addiction is something that should be treated, not shamed,” Tycho remarked.

Shade’s ears perked. That was the most intelligent statement anypony had made about it. “Thanks, Tycho.” She smiled as she got to the good part. “Well, I was walking out of the barracks when this annoying and shrewd colt approached me. He was the current sergeant of the Nightguard. He pissed me off with his arrogant criticism of my former lifestyle. I never felt so mad.”

“I’m sorry, but did your parents help you in any way?” Tycho could see where this was going but wanted to know of her primary supports, if she had any.

“Not very reliable when it comes to discipline. I’d say my dad wanted to teach me self reliance by not ‘coddling’ me at every opportunity. And my mom believed the natural consequences of my actions would be good enough to parent me. Borderline negligence.” Shade frowned. “But then I met that sergeant. His name was Ironheart. He became the parent I needed.”

“Sounds like he was a real harda... hardflank on you. That must have made you mad.” Tycho deduced.

Shade chuckled. This stallion was getting to know her pretty well. “I kept going back to him to challenge him and each and every time I left feeling less and less righteous about my identity, and more and more like a fool.”

“And you became so determined that you joined?” Tycho asked.

The grey mare chuckled. “I tried out the entry program and each time I visited, it kicked my flank, but I didn’t quit because I wanted to shove it in Ironheart’s face.”

“But he molded you in the process. That pissed you off more?” The tall human took another bite of his food.

Shade smirked and snorted. “No. I felt I better than I ever had been. I stayed off salt a lot longer as the training got tougher. Everypony in the Night Guard was some hard case better or worse than me, but somepony I could relate to. They became the family I needed.” She smiled. “After I proved my worth, it was my turn to meet Princess Luna. I can’t say what happened, classified and all, but she helped me find the new meaning in my life.”

“And that was redeeming yourself for your friends and their family.” Tycho deduced. “I can see why that is very important to you. Helps to replace the hurt with closure.”

Shade felt her own emotions well up a bit as moisture formed on her eyes. She wiped them dry and smiled. No pony, aside from Erebus, had been able to empathize with her like he just did. “Thanks Tycho.” She shifted closer and nuzzled his neck. “You’re a good friend.”

Tycho smiled and rubbed her neck softly, feeling her silky mane.

Shade was about to withdraw until she felt his touch. She let out a soft breath out of bliss feeling his hand rub those neck muscles. It was better than any hoof-massage could give. She kept her mug pressed against his neck as she took in his sent for moment. He smelled very nice, she thought. Her hoof pressed softly on his thigh. She was kicked back to her senses feeling a wave of magic emit from the hole as the sparkling energy intensified for a moment. She regained her composure and looked around to make sure the cave wasn’t collapsing.

Tycho blushed a bit. That felt a bit more affectionate than a friend would act, he thought. He put on his glasses. “Okay, so. Let’s get back to work.”

When she decided it was safe, she looked at Tycho and could see he was a bit red in the cheeks. She didn’t expect to get that far into it so quickly. The mare mentally kicked herself. She was supposed to hook him and Erebus up! But then again Erebus never described what she would want in a stallion. But obviously it would be someone with a lot in common with her, right? But her shadow hits on her all the time, never saw her hit on a stallion. Why was she now feeling conflicted about this?

“Earth to Shade.” Tycho snapped his fingers in front of her face.

Shade snapped to attention at the unusual noise and turned her attention to Tycho. “Uh, oh! Right. Let’s get that mana.” Okay, she thought. We gotta do this quickly before I fall in love with this stallion. “Well it's made of magic so it should as simple as pulling it to us.”

Tycho raised an eyebrow. “That is one theory. Using thaumatic force to gather the energy to you is possible but then again this is super-concentrated. It might not react as expected.”

“Piece of cake.” Shade grinned and began to form her magic to feel the mana.

“Shade, wait!” Tycho warned.

Shade felt the primal magic and indeed, it was very intense, like a marble of power being forced together at the center. Within seconds, however, she felt a powerful surge of energy return to her. “AAAAAAAAACK!!” The surge zapped her through the horn at full force, sending her flying down the cave. She flew back a quarter of a hoofball field before hitting the ground on her rump and landing on her back. Her horn was smoking at the tip.

Tycho ran to Shade. “Like sticking a wire in a light socket!” He helped Shade back to her hind legs. “Shade, you okay?!” She felt warmer to the touch.

Tycho couldn’t see it, but Nightshade was glowing with a brighter aura similar to the mana, with her eyes glowing brightly. “My status is within normal parameters, Doctor Hernandez.” She replied. “It appears the thaumatic feedback nearly overloaded my starswirls, causing a temporary two-hundred percent rise in intellectual levels.”

Tycho deadpanned. “...what?”

“I can calculate complex mathematical equations. I know and understand matters of subject greater than any pony. The secrets of quantum mechanics, the insights of harmony theory, the origin of mayonnaise!”

Tycho blinked. “Really?”

The aura suddenly faded and Shade’s eyes returned to normal. “Oh! It's gone now. I am back!” She raised a hoof in exuberance.

“Spectacular.” Ponies are weird, Tycho thought. “How about you rest a bit while I do some calculations? Then we can brainstorm some better ideas to extract the mana.”

Back at the cave, a male and female Diamond Dog struck several points all around the collapse while pressing their ears to the wall. Behind them, other Diamond Dogs worked their talented claws as they dug a smoother shaped tunnel, scraping off the rough rock as Emerald and Erebus zapped the cave walls to bond the cracks in the stone. The structures emphasized a arch that appeared to sufficiently hold up stronger as the dogs ahead of them set up single steel beams as pillars.

The whole job took several hours with direction from Grassrunner. Dawn was reaching as Diamond Dogs brought in lanterns to light the inside of the cave as they finally reached Eleanor who was whistling a tune in waiting.

Alex was with the group as the dogs got to work. “You okay there, El?”

Eleanor looked over her shoulder to see Alex and the dogs beginning to reshape the stone and bond what she was holding up. “Been fine. Did you know me and this giant rock are now good friends?”

Alex smiled. “Sorry for the wait. Gotta do this carefully.”

It took fifteen minutes as Emerald and Erebus started to show signs of fatigue.

“This is certainly quite an exercise for my horn.” Emerald stated.

Erebus was spooning peanut butter in her mouth. “I can dho fissh all dae.” She said with sheer determination as sweat drenched her mane.

“Care to share a spoonful? I rather like peanut butter. Fascinating culinary product. My fellow Changelings would enjoy it.” Emerald said, trying to take his mind off the fatigue he was building.

Erebus smiled and gave Emerald a spoonful as they continued to work.

The work stopped when they reached the caved-in rock. “Now what, chief?” Alex asked Grassrunner, who grinned back.

“Digmasters tell us, boss.” She said as the Digmasters returned.

Grassrunner and the Digmasters spoke quietly while the ponies and other Diamond Dogs rested.

After five minutes, the Digmasters began marking points. “Hounds! You remove rock as Digmasters say! Ponies, zap where Digmasters say. Alex, El, fetch water and food for us!”

Eleanor and Alex did as they were told and headed back to camp.

“Thought you were the leader.” Eleanor quipped.

“Oh, let her have her moment of glory.” Alex retorted.

It was going to be slow work now, Erebus thought. She hoped the two on the other side could hold out long enough.

Tycho scribbled the equations with chalk on the cave wall. “Let’s see, the readings indicate the mana weighs approximately 0.1 kilograms per cubic centimeter…” He rambled off. Laid out before him was the broken extraction apparatus and the heavy magic containment. “We can’t lift anything near the well without possibility of a feedback burst…” He then checked to the drafts he made beside the equations, then checked the readings on his ‘tricorder’ as he decided to call it.

Shade watched Tycho with fascination as he worked. Her head didn’t hurt as much as it did an hour ago, and she needed the rest after getting overcharged with magic. Shade studied the human to keep her mind occupied. Well, she mostly admired his backside. For a human, he did have a nice butt. She remembered the way his muscles were toned on his chest and arms. Quite a healthy stallion. Those tattoos still intrigued her. And the piercings? They suited him. They made him look more like a new generation rogue scholar than an intellectually elite scientist.

“Whelp, I’m at the end of my rope.” Tycho stepped back and sat down next to Shade. He let out a quick sigh of annoyance. “The tripod needs to stand above the well evenly so I can control the arm.” He pointed to the broken device. “But two of the forelegs are busted. So I can’t balance it. Even if I try this.” He pointed to the equation, “and tie them, one more shake and it will fall apart and down the hole it goes.”

Shade nodded and smiled. “Not like we can’t wait for everyone to help us repair it.”

Tycho shrugged. “Yeah, but I kinda want to impress everyone. Show them what I am capable of.”

Shade stopped smiling and extended a hoof to Tycho’s cheek. She softly touched one side of his chin and brought him eye to eye with her as she gave him a serious look. “Now, Doctor Hernandez. What have you learned, if you learned anything about ponies?”

“Friendship is magic?” Tycho guessed, not resisting her touch.

“But what does that mean?” Shade asked.

“That,” The man searched for a valid answer. “We need the Elements of Harmony to solve this with a rainbow friendship nuke?”

Shade snorted. “No. It’s that if you insist on doing things yourself, you accomplish less. Having friends is a strength to solving problems and impresses ponies a lot more.” She removed her hoof from his chin and puts a hoof on his chest. “You, sir, have a friend right here,” She then put that hoof to her barrel. “So let me suggest something practical that may help.”

Shade looked around and noticed some fallen stones and rocks. “That will work. If we can’t use the tripod’s forelegs, we’ll make some substitutes.” She used her magic to drag the stones into a pile.

Tycho felt like an episode of Star Trek where a simple solution became the fulcrum to accomplishing a more complex plan. He was Spock, Shade was Captain Kirk. He chuckled silently and started to help. “Can your magic sand down those stones to stack flat on each other to about a meter total?”

Shade rubbed her hooves together and grinned. “I’m still pretty charged up by that mana. Watch me work!”

The stones were measured and Shade used some impressive spells she would normally use in battle. “This spell is designed to drill through armor,” She said as she used it to drill a hole at the top and center four stones. She then adjusted the spell to finely grind the top and bottom of the stones, with the topmost and middle stones leaving but a pin sticking out it the middle at the bottom. The three stones for each base were finished... The excess magic in her system was quickly drained from the work as she showed the fruits of her labor. The stone formed a flat-tipped cone with the base being the widest. The pins fit into the holes at the top of each stone for stability, with a notch at the top to fit the back leg parts of the tripod

Tycho helped make sure each measure was best estimated as he put the stone and machine assembly together. He then grabbed the arm control which looked like a like a bicycle brake control to him, with two levers attached by a cable to the tripod itself. He squeezed the first and lowered the arm. Letting go, the arm rose back up. Seeing that it was working fine, he squeezed the second and closed the container at the bottom of the arm.

“Now, we have one more problem.” Tycho wiped his neck of sweat. “Getting this stuff near that well.”

Shade took a big gulp of water as she rested. “Well I can’t move them. Any spell near the hole will do weird stuff to me.”

“And I can’t go near it. It is so badly saturated it’ll probably kill me even with my glasses.” Tycho smirked. “Unless.” He stroked his beard. “Shade, can you cast a magic dampening field?”

Shade thought for a moment if she knew that one, and she did. “Yeah, we use it to weaken hostile magic. But if I cast anything on that hole-”

Tycho shook his head. “With that spell, I think you’ll be safe. Look, I did some math a while ago on your thaumatic physics, and I’m reasonably certain your spell uses different particles that won’t be affected by the primal magic.”

Shade raised an eyebrow. “How reasonably certain?”

“Two thirds?” Tycho shrugged with a smirk.

“Oh lovely. So just one of three chances my horn will fry.” Shade groaned.

“Even if it fails, the magic dampening won’t cause the same feedback. It will probably just release another thaumic wave.” Tycho explained.

“That doesn’t help matters!” Shade grimaced. “I don't want to cause another cave-in!”

“A smaller wave. Smaller.” Tycho further explained. “It will be safe, I swear. I trust you.” He put a hand on Shade’s hoof. “Will you trust me?”

Shade blushed a bit. Well this guy is scary intelligent and it would be a waste not to attempt this after all the work they just did. “Okay Tyke.” She put another hoof on his hand and held it. “Just be careful. If I can’t hold it, then we wait until rescue.”

Tycho smiled and gave a brief scratch on Shade’s other ear, the one he didn’t touch.

One of Shade’s back legs kicked a bit. That felt very nice, but she forced herself to focus on the dampening spell.

Tycho separated each stone and mentally planned how he was going to do this. First the stones, then the apparatus, then the containers will have to be set near the apparatus.

“Okay Tycho, on the count of three. One, two, three!” Shade cast the dampening spell and to her surprise, it held, but it was like holding against the magic of a gifted unicorn. Definitely an endurance test but Shade felt a well of determination to do this for him.

Tycho moved carefully. He didn’t feel his body being assaulted by energies as he used his sonar device and a tape measure to get the distance across the hole. He then marked the position for each stone and put the base stones first. Then he returned. “Doing okay?” Tycho asked.

Shade nodded. “Keep going.”

Tycho then stacked the next four stones, then returned for the tripod. After carefully picking it up, he brought it to the side without a stone where he marked for the working leg to be placed.

“Oh buck, hurry Tycho.” Shade felt the mana well build up in energy as it pressed against her field.

“Almost done.” Tycho then got the back-arms inserted into the other stones.

The thaumic energy felt like a water leaking out of a sponge through the dampening field. “Tycho, ten seconds!” She broke out into a sweat trying to hold it.

Tycho then placed the four smaller glass-like boxes close enough to the hole. He then traced the cable back to the cave and sat down.

Shade let out a breath as she released the field. The thaumic wave passed but was weaker than the last one and no harm came from it. “Oh buck, Tycho.” She panted. “Could you have moved a bit quicker?”

Tycho smiled meekly. “I’m sorry, Shade. You going to be okay?”

Shade nodded. “Yeah, fine. But you owe me for this.”

Tycho accepted that. “Ask me anything, within reason.” He then began to operate the control arm.

Shade grinned. “Okay. But let me help you direct that arm to grab the mana. You can’t see it, but I can.”

Tycho smiled and gave her neck a soft rub. “We’re a team.” He complimented as the pony gave soft hum of approval to his touch.

“A bit to the left.” Shade said.

“What, the arm?” Tycho asked.

“No, on my neck. That feels great.” Shade let out a soft whinny of approval.

Tycho smirked. “The job, Shade. Concentrate on the job.”

Little did they know, Erebus’s shadow was watching them again, standing silently behind them as she watched with interest.

The cave-in was nearly cleared out as the Diamond Dogs quickly carved the rock and pushed it against the cave walls, with Emerald taking care of the remaining melding.

“Keep breathing. That is the key.” Emerald panted and took a swig of love-potion. “If my Queen could see me now, working like a drone.”

Erebus had to take a break. If this was umbralmancy, she would have more stamina, but stonework? If she was part Earth-pony she’d probably have an easier time, she thought.

“Friends, we cleared it!” Grassrunner announced as the last melding spell was cast, the cave-in was gone and now a much more stable corridor into the mountain was finished.

Erebus then received information from her shadow as her ears perked and looked toward the glow in the distance.

Alex and Eleanor walked ahead. “It's okay guys, we’ll see how they are doin-” Alex was interrupted as Erebus swiftly sprinted passt the two.

“Or, we can run like reckless adventurers.” Eleanor ran after her.

Alex shrugged and followed.

Tycho and Shade sat twenty feet from the entrance to the cavern as Tycho placed the fourth container into the larger box. Each glass container held within it piece of mana about the size of a two-inch marble. They were perfectly spherical.

Tycho couldn’t see the glowing tiny orbs inside, but Shade admired them. To think these small solid balls of magic could provide so much magical power. “You did it, Tycho.” Shade smiled as she sat very close to him.

“We did it, Nightshade.” Tycho closed the box and twisted the knob to secure it shut.

Shade was blushing more than ever. There was definitely something deep inside her she hadn’t felt in a while, and Tycho was definitely the cause. She had to face the fact that she was crushing on him. Thinking on it, she was attracted to very smart ponies, but ones that were adventurous, too. And Tycho was no exception. He was also funny and nice. His species mattered little, after all, she was going to fix him with Erebus.

Though she felt some guilt cancelling that goal, she reminded herself Erebus often spurned the advances of other ponies ever since her change, despite her shadow’s annoyance. The only one she had ever shown romantic emotions to was her, but never beyond that one evening and had consistently been her closest friend after, even if her shadow flirted with her now and again.

“So, uh, Tycho. About you owing me. I do have a request.” Shade said.

Tycho leaned back on his elbows as he rested. “Okay. Lay it on me. What do you want?”

“A date.” Shade replied.

Tycho’s face immediately went from relaxed to nervous. “A... date?”

Shade was about to reply when her ears twitched hearing the rapid clopping of hooves as well as a long bat-pony 'eeee'ing noise she knew belonged to one mare. She turned around to see Erebus diving at her. She let out a comical yelp as the pale pony tackled her. The two landed five feet further down in a pile of hooves and fur.

“Eeeeeeeeeee! You’reokayIwassoworriedShadeneverscaremelikethatagainareyouokay-” Erebus hugged Shade tightly, her wings flapped vigorously.

Shade laughed and hugged her friend back. “I’m fine, honey. I’m glad you’re fine too.”

Alex and Eleanor arrived. “Awe, look at that.” Eleanor smiled at the happy reunion.

“That is precious.” Alex followed. Alex knelt down to check on Tycho. “You okay, man?”

Tycho took a deep breath. “Well I nearly died, but otherwise fine. By the way,” He tapped the box. “Mission accomplished.”

Alex looked surprised, but reasserted his attention on everyone’s well being. “Seriously, is everyone okay?”

Tycho began to stand as Alex helped him up. “Yes.” Tycho said rubbing a bruise. “Now let's get out of here.”

Eleanor was in the chamber with the mana-well as she looked around. “Well I seem to be fine and having no issues. Looks like Exalted magic doesn’t passively interact with this stuff. I’ll stay here and conduct some more studies for a bit. Nice rigging, by the way, Tyke.”

“Shade was responsible for half the work.” Tycho pointed to Shade as Erebus let her get up.

“Can we go now?” Erebus asked as she yawned. “I need to sleep.”

Shade smiled and nuzzled Erebus. “Yeah, lets.”

Alex gestured everyone to follow him as they walked back with the samples of mana packed away. Eleanor stayed and looked down the well in fascination.

“Seriously, though, Shade. Thanks, I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you.” Tycho complimented the mare.

Shade smiled. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but I have experience working with visually impaired ponies.” She said with pride.

Erebus ears perked at hearing that. “What do you mean?”

Shade looked at Erebus. “Didn’t I tell you?”

Erebus shook her head. “Tell me what?”

“Something I missed?” Tycho asked.

Shade looked at Tycho, then Erebus. “You mean no one told you two the other is blind?”

Erebus and Tycho stopped in their tracks then pointed at each other. “Wait, you’re blind?!” They asked each other in unison.

The next day, the group repacked as the pegasi returned with the chariot. Everyone grudgingly prepared to return to civilization.

Eleanor and Alex spoke at length with Grassrunner on securing the well and keeping anyone from entering the cave, for now.

“So, here is my best guess. Those veins running into the well are bauxite.” El explained.

Grassrunner went wide eyed. “Unmade aluminum?!” Her jaw dropped.

Eleanor nodded. “Yeah. They run down the hole and squeeze a lot of magic together. I wouldn’t be surprised if most mountains like this have one or two of these. But if there is too much magic, one of the mana beads bursts, releasing those waves.”

“So no mining the bauxite.” Grassrunner tapped her chin with one claw. “How much mana made?”

Eleanor shrugged. “Maybe a 25 millimeter diameter bead per day, but that might be contingent on how many beads are left in there.”
Grassrunner thought a moment on what Eleanor was saying. “You mean, more beads in makes more beads sooner?” Seeing Eleanor nod, Grassrunner crossed her arms and let out a happy howl. “This stuff rarer than aluminum. Diamond Dogs have greater prize of land now.” She then looked at Alex. “Diamond Dogs do own this, yes?”

Alex nodded. “I give you my word as a paladin and as a friend to the Diamond Dogs, I will make sure your ownership is acknowledged. Your tribe and the Diamond Dogs will prosper, as long as you conserve that well.”

Grassrunner grinned. “We will. Well will not run dry. But Tycho must show us how to extract mana. Will need more machines to do it. Then Diamond Dogs profit.”

Alex smiled and gave her a friendly jab to the arm. “Not just money, Grass. You and your tribe’s name will go down as the ones who helped create the first mana-mine.”

Grassrunner laughed. “That make Celestia frown.”

Alex chuckled. “If only for a moment.”

Matt helped Tycho load the excess equipment into the chariot. “So you just went through your first near-death experience.” Matt patted Tycho on the back. “Now, let me ask you something. Do you feel screwed up?”

Tycho shook his head. “I’m a real asshole for regarding you guys like that, huh?”

Matt nodded. “Yeah, trauma is serious business. Now,” He stopped Tycho as they were packing. “How are you feeling?”

Tycho took a deep breath and released. “I didn’t have any nightmares last night and I managed to keep my shit together working in the cave so... I guess I took it pretty well.”

Matt looked at Tycho. Yeah, he seemed okay but he wasn’t throwing out the possibility Tycho was hiding the bigger trauma of him losing almost everything back home. “Well, if you need to talk about it, you know where to find us, man.”

Meanwhile in the tent, Erebus finished writing down Nightshade’s report on what happened. Erebus’s shadow seemed dormant as she was content to just being her shadow for the time.

“Did you get a chance to see the mana?” Shade asked.

“For the fourth time, yes.” Erebus replied as she put away her notebook. “Guess you two made history.” The ivory mare smiled brightly. “I am excited to see what we’ll learn from it.”

“Yeah, you and Tycho are probably gonna correspond a lot.” Shade then remembered to bring this up. “Speaking of which,” She took a breath for this one, “I want to apologize.”

Erebus cocked her head. “It's not your fault, Shade. That thaumic wave was-”

“I mean about you and Tycho.” Shade sat. “You see, I noticed that since your change, you hadn’t dated anypony so…” She hesitated.

Erebus deadpanned. “So you tried to set me up with another scientist?”

“You seemed perfect for each other.” Shade nodded embarrassed. “But I should have asked if you were interested.”

Erebus remained silent for a moment, but then smiled softly. “Alabaster Nightshade, you drive me crazy sometimes.”

“Sometimes?” Shade raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, often. But I wouldn’t trade you for anything, not even a suitor. And speaking of suitors.” Erebus put a friendly hoof on Shade’s cheek. “I’m not thinking about that sort of thing. So don’t worry about it. If I get interested in a prospective lover, you know who I’ll go to for help.”

“You can count on me, hon.” Shade held Erebus’s hoof.

“You? I meant Princess Cadence!” Erebus jibed and stuck her tongue out.

Shade laughed. “I’ll get you back for that.”

There was some silence before Erebus broke it. “So now that you got that off your barrel, you are going to court Tycho?”

Shade looked wide eyed. “How did you-”

Erebus pointed at her shadow. “I know what she knows and vice versa.”

“She watched us, that devil.” Shade grimaced. “So... yeah. Heh. I originally tried to fix you with him and ended up crushing on him instead. Crazy world, huh?”

“Well, good luck.” Erebus remarked. “I’m happy for you, Shade.”

“Thanks.” Shade grinned. “But a mare as sexy as me doesn’t need luck.” She posed a bit.

“I could have sworn recently finding out he is blind. You realize you can’t rely on your looks to seduce him, right?” Erebus eyed Shade.

Shade stopped and with a look of realization. “Buck.” She cursed.

The albino pony patted Erebus on the back. “Welcome back to the world of normal ponies, Shade. You are gonna have to work for that stallion.”

Shade tapped her chin. “I welcome the challenge!” She pumped her hoof as a show of determination.

“Good luck seducing the alien who most likely has different standards of beauty, etiquette, and expectations.” Erebus said nonchalantly.

“I will definitely need help.” Shade slumped and bowed her head, half-defeated.

Meanwhile, far to the North, past the recently built base halfway between Canterlot and the Crystal Empire, toward the place known as the Umbral Frontier, the Nightguard conducted their reconnaissance. Two guardsponies observed the expanse of what seemed to be darker shades of rock that sprouted from what seemed to be dark ice. The light that reflected off the ice was the only way to see its presence. It was almost like a giant field of volcanic glass, but very much cold water. In addition, red crystal protruded from some of the rocks.

The two guardsponies got closer to the border.

The first guard took out a pair of binoculars and looked out to the expanse.

“Anything out of the ordinary?” The second asked.

The first shook his head. “This place is dead. Let’s go back and report.” The two headed back.

As the two turned their backs, a red crystal slowly jutted from a crack in the ice. It glowed for a moment as a two purple eyes appeared at the base almost under the ice. It glared at the two ponies as they trotted away.

Not quite dead, pony… The being darkly thought.

Chapter 16 - That Thing Humans in Equestria Do...a lot

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Tycho sat in the sleigh as the pegasi transported the entourage of ponies, changeling (only known by all but Erebus and Tycho), and humans. Tycho was quite silent, with the others conversing as if the recent near-death experience was an everyday occurrence, which didn’t make Tycho more comfortable. Tycho reflected on the fact he was nearly buried under tons of rock. Yet somehow he accomplished a complex scientific task.

His hands were shaking and his knees felt weak. He hadn’t felt something like this since he first biked down the mountain behind Daniel Kish. Scariest moment of his life, but this? What was he thinking, he thought to himself? Going into a cave dug by savages?!

His thought process was broken by a tap on his shoulder by what felt like a leathery wing-like appendage.

“What?” Tycho snapped to Erebus.

“Teeko. I am curious what you are planning to use those for.” Erebus inquired, seemingly unaware of Tycho’s inner turmoil.

Tycho took a deep breath, shutting his eyes repressing himself, regaining some form of composure, then explained: “Lots of uses. You ponies use primal magic energy as the primer for enchantment. Just one bead of mana will eliminate the need for Twilight to provide the juice for future work for a long time.” Tycho explained.

Erebus nodded. “Shouldn’t you study these first? You can write half a library of research about mana.”

Tycho: “Twilight will be doing that. I’m more interested in using it. You wanna help?”

Erebus sighed as her ears turned back slightly. “I wish I could. But I have another research excursion to finish.”

“Where are you going?” Tycho asked with curiosity.

Nightshade sat in silence for a while before finally answering. “I’m afraid that is top secret. Sorry Tycho.”

“And you asked him out on a date the day before our mission.” Erebus deadpanned.

“We have to spend the night before going anyways!” Shade retorted.

As the two mares began another session of harmless arguing, Alex leaned toward Tycho. “What have you been working on?”

Tycho hesitated to answer. He preferred not to reveal anything. “I’m bringing CERN to Equestria.”

Matt turned and stared. “You did not build a particle accelerator in a few weeks.”

Tycho rolled his eyes. “Of course not, man. I took the prototype design for the magnetic accelerator and applied the theory to magic particles. And thanks to magic, I can accomplish the same effect with a much smaller device.”

Alex couldn’t hold back his smile. “How small?”

Tycho leaned forward and gestured for Matt and Alex to huddle. As they got close, Alex said under his breath. “Can fit in a two-door garage.” Tycho leaned back in his chair, leaving the two humans agape. “And when it’s built, we’ll be unlocking more secrets of magic that no wizard ever could.”

That caught Erebus and Shade’s attention and ended their disagreement.

“I didn’t hear all of that, but that is a high claim. The ministry will be very interested.” Erebus smiled. “You are officially getting my voucher and personal recommendation with a detailed explanation of what happened today, Dr. Hernandez. I’ll make sure Archanis will see the light. Don’t worry.”

“Good, now on more important matters.” Nightshade leaned in close to Tycho with a naughty grin.

Tycho could feel Shade near him. So this pony is interested in me as more than just a friend. He didn’t know what to do about this. An alien of a very different species liked him in that way? He thought she was just a very forward friend. But going on a date? Is she serious about this? He hadn’t been on a date in a while since working for CERN. Plus it's hard to pursue a relationship when you can’t see. And yet, here it was happening, a lady, mare, female, with a sexy voice is asking him out. So, accept or turn down? He promised he owed her and it would be a dick move to turn her down. Fuck it, it's just a date anyways.

“You really sure about this, Nightshade?” Tycho asked nervously.

Shade smiled and put a hoof softly on his hand. “Relax. Not asking for your engagement. Just for a fun evening.”

Tycho took another deep breath. He hadn’t had fun for a while, in fact. Okay, he thought to himself. They might be different species, but they are civilized adults and maybe an evening loosening up will ease his stress. “Okay, Shade. What do you want to do?”

Everyone on the sleigh but Erebus looked surprised at Tycho. Alex smiled but said nothing. Matthew leaned in so Alex could hear and whispered something like ‘that didn’t take long.’ Emerald said nothing but listened intently.

Shade cocked her head with a smile. “Well, how about we eat somewhere nice?”

Tycho nodded.“Sounds good. Where do I meet you?” Tycho hoped Shade knew a place.

Shade thought a moment. Now that is a good question. She lives in Canterlot but Tycho lives in Ponyville. He doesn’t know Canterlot and showing him would be nice but he can’t see. So, better to start with something at his new home. He is a vegetarian, so may as well go to a pony-run place. “How about the Hay Bale?” The other two humans recoiled a bit upon hearing the name.

Tycho nodded. He liked that place. “Great. Will meet you there.”

Shade smiled. “You sure? We can go somewhere else.”

Tycho shook his head. “No, I like the food there. It's fine.”

“Okay,” Shade then leaned closer and whispered. “And if you’re a good boy, we can have some extra fun after the meal.”

Tycho would be sweating if not for the cool chill from being up high. He would not consent to that!

“Trying a little too hard.” Tycho heard Erebus mutter under her breath, probably with an eye roll.

Shade heard but paid it no heed. A little playful teasing wouldn’t do any harm.

“So when do we meet?” Tycho asked fighting to keep his composure.

“Tonight for dinner?” Nightshade offered.

Tycho nodded. “Okay. Will meet you there.”

Shade hopped from her seat in excitement, releasing a quick happy winny, but was briefly caught by the wind and knocked into Alex. “Ack!”

Alex caught Shade on the back and placed her back down. “Careful!”

Erebus made a strange bat-like noise of annoyance. “Will you stop risking your life?!”

Shade snorted. “Kinda my job to take risks!”

“Settle down, Captain.” Tycho replied as he booped Nightshade on the nose.

Alabaster’s nose scrunched when the finger made contact. She shook her head and wiggled her nose back to normal. “W-w-what was that?”

Erebus giggled. “He booped you!”

“I what?” Tycho asked.

Alex chuckled. “Congrats Tycho. You just discovered the third weakness of a pony. First is ear scratches. Second is bellyrubs.”

“And the nose?” The tall human inquired.

“Don’t boop the snoot!” Matthew shouted, getting a chuckle out of everyone but Tycho, who sat unamused.

“As you can see Nightshade has completely lost her composure and her muzzle will forever be etched in a scrunch.” Erebus explained in a scholarly tone, but with a hint of teasing.

“Huh?!” Tycho responded.

“Oh no!” Shade feinted despondency. “How will I ever look in a mirror? Tycho how could you?” She leaned against Tycho’s side dramatically.

“Oh stop it.” Tycho groaned.

The rest of the trip was uneventful before they had landed. Most of the group separated while Tycho, Erebus, and Nightshade went to Twilight’s.

“Did I tell you how me and Erebus met?” Nightshade asked Tycho as he and the other two ponies helped bring the equipment on their way to the library.

“I got a rather novel account from Erebus.” Tycho smiled.

Erebus smiled. “Told him how you helped me after the incident, and we’ve been best friends ever since.”

Shade smiled. “Yep. I couldn’t ask for a better mare to remind me where I stand, or correct me when make assumptions.”

“Uh, Erebus. What do you look like? I’m sure others have told you at least.” Tycho inquired.

“I’m told that I am ivory furred; red-pink-ish eyes and white mane and tail.” Erebus answered. “Also, very skinny.” Erebus said bemused.

“Slender. She is very slender.” Shade corrected.

“Sickly, like-” Erebus tried to dismiss Shade’s compliment before Shade juxtaposed.

“Honey, I have said many times you aren’t bad looking. You are unique and there are stallions that go for that sort of thing.” Shade commented.

Erebus sighed. “So you have said many times.”

“Besides you are adorable.” Shade followed.

Erebus’s ears lifted. “In what context?”

“Your fur is more silky so you are fun to cuddle. Here, don’t take my word for it. Rub your hands in her coat, Tycho.” Tycho’s hand was forcibly placed in Erebus’ mane. She didn’t object, so his fingers started to work the fur. Shade wasn’t kidding, it was like petting a cotton ball. Tycho withdrew his hand, not wanting to push it.

“Also when you sleep you are very blissful and make filly-like snoring noises.” Shade continued as Erebus deadpanned annoyed. “And you make these cute noises when I nibbled below your ears-” Her mouth was suddenly blocked by an ivory hoof.

“No.” Erebus cut her off sternly.

Tycho chose not to ask what was that about. “You keep Erebus’s spirits up.” Tycho said.

Shade freed her mouth and cleaned it with one hoof. “See? He understands me!” Shade giggled.

“Yes, and now he knows your tendency to talk too much.” Erebus looked in her direction sternly; her shadow nodded in agreement.

“Well as long as it isn’t mean spirited, I can tolerate that.” Tycho continued walking, using the writing on the signs of shops he passed to know which direction he was going.

“Well, there is something more we have in common, friend.” Erebus trotted beside Tycho as they neared the library. “You should hear about the silly things she assumed about humans.”

“Oh? Do tell.” The tall human replied.

Shade trotted on his other side, groaning. “Oh good, you are bonding based on my flaws. Why didn’t I think of that earlier?”

With a spoonful of peanut-butter in her mouth, Erebus sat on the couch as Twilight gazed at the container’s luminous contents.

“This is amazing! Four samples in stable condition.” Twilight’s smile could break her face.

Tycho lay back as Shade came from the kitchen with a tray of tea and biscuits. “By the way, Erebus. What did you tap me with, earlier?”

Erebus cocked her head. “What do you mean.” She removed the spoon from her mouth with her shadowy magic.

“I felt something finger-like tap me on the shoulder.” Tycho explained. “Was that you?”

“Oh!” Erebus spread her bat-like wings. She trotted closer to Tycho and picked up a tea-cup with her left wing thumb. “See, Teeko,” Erebus said in her accent. Tycho could swear Erebus had a voice as silky as Nightshade’s, only Slovakian-like. “Have you heard about Thestrals?”

Tycho thought for a moment. He heard that name before. “Some kind of mythical horse?”

“Ketch ketch ketch,” Erebus laughed. “Well I am a pony, but the term most would be familiar with is bat-pony.”

Tychos stared in bewilderment then looked in the direction of Nightshade. “What?”

Shade clarified, “Erebus is of a race of ponies created by Luna over a thousand years ago. Or so the legend says.”

“How does that work-wait no no no, I know what the answer is.” Tycho shook his head.

Erebus smiled. “I am a unique member of my species. As I have a horn like unicorns do.”

“So...was one of your family members a unicorn?” Tycho asked.

“That’s…” Erebus could sense Nightshade rapidly shaking her head at Erebus, “A very long story. What you need to know is that we’re like pegasi but with bat-like wings. Here,” She extended her free wing while taking another sip of tea. “Feel it?”

Tycho carefully touched the wing. “Leathery.”

“Yep. And if you notice my ears are fluffier than most pegasi.” Erebus leaned in to give Tycho a chance to touch.

Tycho softly stroked Erebus’s ear.

“Oh!” Erebus’s ear jumped to Tycho’s touch. “That’s, that’s very nice.” She blushed and back up a bit before she got too into it, much to Nightshade’s amusement. “Yes, well, that and with fangs and abundant chest-fluff,” The Thestral said proudly, “We’re ponies of the night.”

Tycho nodded. “So, what do you eat? You feed on blood?”

Erebus quickly shook her head. “Well, while some bat ponies have a taste for animal proteins,” Erebus scratched the back of her neck with her free wing, “We prefer fruits and the occasional invertebrate.”

Shade cleared her throat as if acknowledging a piece of info Erebus didn’t share with Tycho. Namely her taste for red...her thought was interrupted when she heard Trace enter the room.

“The lab is ready for one of the samples. The chironasium is set up for your work, Tycho.” The half-elf explained.

“Thanks, Trace.” Tycho stretched. “I’m going to shower and get changed.” Tycho stood up. “It was nice to meet you, Erebus.” He extended his hand.

Erebus hesitated. Shade recognized her confusion and leaned in. “Humans shake hands as a form of social greeting and goodbye.”

“Oh!” Erebus smiled and concentrated for a moment. A shadowy hand formed in front of her and gently held Tycho’s as best as Erebus could guess.

“W-what is this?” Tycho sensed the animated object form in front of him. The hand felt almost textureless, and somewhat cold.

“I’m just using magic to form a hand. Sorry I didn’t warn you.” Erebus replied, ears turned back slightly.

Tycho sighed and shook it before letting go. “Alright. Well, good luck on your excursion.”

Erebus nodded. “I look forward to meeting with you again, Teeko.”

Tycho just gave a nod and a wave to everyone else and headed home to get cleaned up for tonight, while Shade went to the hotel to clean up as well.

The northern, freezing wastes remained as dead as ever, with only the stars and the distant beacon of the Crystal Empire providing any sign of life to the land.

Noctus stood outside in winter armor as the base was completed. He gazed out to the distant frozen lake, knowing full well that there was the peril that they were to study. His thoughts were interrupted as the corporal arrived.

“Noctus!” Jasmine called him from behind.

Noctus turned to his subordinate. “Report.”

“Some Thestrals will be here tonight. They want to meet their ‘reverent lady.’” Jasmine made quotes with her hooves.

“Do not disrespect Princess Luna, Corporal!” Noctus scolded.

“I’m not talking about Luna. I’m talking about Erebus.” Jasmine said nonchalantly.

Noctus blinked. “Professor Erebus is VIP, I understand, but she’s a scientist, not a princess.”

Jasmine shrugged. “I don’t get it either, but her family is pretty important where they’re from.”

Noctus raised and eyebrow. “Anything else you haven’t told me about your species?”

Jasmine yawned. “That we’d better have mangos waiting for them in the eatery or they’ll be gnawing on our necks tonight. Mmmm, mangos.” Jasmine licked her lips, her mind drifting off.

“Snap out of it.” Noctus ordered. “You have already eaten. What about that over there?” He pointed to the frozen lake. “The umbral lands are there, correct?”

Jasmine cocked her head. “I heard the frozen lake was artificial to keep the portal to the umbral plane sealed.”

Noctus nodded. “You seem to know many secrets, Jasmine. Is that the reason you joined us?”

Jasmine giggled. “You kidding? I violated every security protocol learning stuff I shouldn’t know. I’m an abundance of top secret information. That is why I can’t retire! Yay!”

Noctus just gave a look of bemusement. How was he stuck with this idiot? How did she get the rank of corporal?!

As the two continued their chat, a spike of red crystal slowly ascended between the cracks, inch by inch, freeing itself from its icy prison.

“Almost.” An otherworldly voice whispered from the crystal. “Must be patient.” Reflected in the crystal’s surface were two green and red eyes with purple miasma flowing from them.

After Tycho finished showering and got dressed, he arrived down stairs to notice what he deduced to be Alex sitting on the couch.

“Well, first time dating a pony, eh?” Alex smirked.

“Let's assume this is between two civilized adults just going for some relaxation. Nothing more.” Tycho asserted. “What should I keep in mind?”

Alex looked at the ceiling, trying to recall any snafus he made. “Just remember your cultural differences and context, Tyke. Both you and Nightshade will be going in with assumptions you may not be aware of.”

Tycho nodded as he got his shoes on. “Figured as much.”

Alex studied his friend as Tycho straightened his clothes. “You’re repressing a lot, Tycho.” He leaned forward. “This date may feel refreshing but I think you’ve been through quite a lot. So, no more adventures alright?”

Tycho stood and looked down at Alex. “How many times have you and the others been through life-threatening situations?”

The older canadian coughed. “More times that I’d like to admit. Made me into a Paladin, in fact.”

Tycho shook his head. “Did you try to avoid it?”

Alex frowned and nodded. “I tried, Tycho. I wanted to keep a low profile more than anything. Then things just happened.”

“And when they happen to me, what then?” Tycho pressed.

“Be it me, Matt, the six, the league, heck Nightshade,” Alex pointed out, “Don’t feel ashamed if we handle it.”

Tycho sighed and opened the front door. “I’m holding you all to that. I got one enemy in the ministry already and I didn’t do anything.”

Alex stood up and followed. “Yeah, that tends to happen to us.” He let himself out. “Well, take this opportunity to relax and take in the local culture. Oh, and one more thing.”

Tycho tied back his long hair and waited for Alex to finish.

“Order from the ‘other meals’ menu. The name of that restaurant isn’t for show.” Alex headed home as Tycho shrugged and took his first walk to town proper by himself.

Upon reaching the door of his home, Alex paused in thought. “Wait, is he still allergic to hay?”

Nightshade happily hopped out of the bathroom after combing her mane.

Erebus sleepily hung upside down from the curtain rod by her tail, her wings holding a blanket around her body. “Have fun, Shade.” She said as she drifted off into slumber.

Shade smiled and blew Erebus a kiss before heading out the door. She pranced down the hall from her hotel room and out the front door and trotted toward the Hay Bale. She was giddy to finally spend some time with a stallion, and not on military business!

Her eyes sparkled seeing Tycho already waiting for her outside the restaurant. She approached her date and stood on her hind legs, giving Tycho a hug. “Hey there, handsome.”

Tycho braced himself when he sensed Shade lunging forward. He didn’t push her off, but only gently returned to the hug. She took extra care to soften her fur and mane tonight, he felt.

“Hey.” He replied. “Lets get a table?” He gestured inside.

Shade let him go and led the way.

The two got a table outside as Tycho put on the enchanted reading glasses. Through the black that was his vision, words began to appear from the menu. He took Alex’s advice and read the contents of the other menu, and it was clear why it was recommended. There was hay in everything else! They even had hay smoothies. How does that work?!

Tycho was glad to have found a soup and salad dish with fresh bread, no hay. Shade ordered hay burritos and guacamole salad.

The table was silent for the first minute as Tycho had no idea how to start this, and he sensed Shade felt the same. “Feeling lost for words as I am?”

Shade smiled meekly. “Yeah, normally I talk without thinking in social situations. But now I’m kinda wondering what to talk about.”

“How about goals?” Tycho asked. “Erebus and I know what we basically want in life. I don’t know yours.”

Nightshade liked that. “A year ago, I just wanted to be the best captain of the night guard.” She levitated the glass to her mouth and took another sip. “But now I need to think about the possibility that there may be a bigger horizon.”

Tycho cocked his head. “Like…?”

“Don’t tell anyone but me and my troops have been given a very important mission.” Shade smiled. “If we perform admirably, my division will be given a big commission. That means we can expand the guard to be as big as the day!” She saw everypony taking notice of her volume and calmed herself. “Did you know the day guard has a major and three captains? If I can achieve rank major and promote Noctus, it would show the rest of the guard we’re more than just rehab for failures and rejects.”

Tycho took a sip of wine and listened to Shade’s description of the Nightguard. Shade was definitely as competent a military captain as one should be. No wonder Alex and Matt trusted her. Even though she was silly in funny little ways.

“But I bet your career is gonna be like Erebus’s.” Shade said.

Tycho was tempted to correct her. His career was to be a CERN scientist smashing atoms to make history on planet Earth. Now, he felt like a professor trying to find ways to compensate for the shambles that was his old work. “To be honest, I’m having a hard time finding the enthusiasm I had back at CERN.”

Shade looked sympathetic. “Even though all of this seems impossible from your world, you’d trade it all to be back home.”

Tycho nodded. “I am doing stuff people wouldn’t believe. But now that I am here, all this science-nonfiction stuff isn’t as exciting as I thought.”

Nightshade nodded and let the brief silence encourage Tycho to talk.

Tycho took a bigger gulp of wine. “If I could have come here under different circumstances, I’d feel different about things.”

Shade refilled both their glasses and placed some extra salt in hers. “I felt the same when I joined the guard. I wasn’t enthusiastic and it took a hardflank captain to help me find myself.”

“I want to be inspired again.” Tycho then said under his breath, “And anything to be home again.”

Shade moved her seat closer as she saw their food arrive. She then leaned against Tycho’s arm. “Can I help you bear that hurt?”

Tycho didn’t flinch as he used to. This world, he could feel, was bringing about his emotions in empathic ways. Shade had understood enough of Alex and Matt’s situation to know his was similar, he deduced. But she was being very sincere. He smiled softly and leaned down and gave her little nuzzle. “Sure, and thank you.”

Shade blushed and ducked the waiter to move her chair back. “Sorry, I hope that didn’t embarrass you in front of everypony.”

Tycho shook his head and assessed the structure of his food with his fork. “But I will admit. Messing with balls of super concentrated energy and making a collider in a garage is cool.”

Shade smiled and dug in.

The night passed with Tycho and Shade chatting about nothing important, but still feeling all the more relaxed. After they finished dessert and paid the bill, Shade escorted Tycho to the bar. The place was rather spacious, but had a strange smell to it that bothered Tycho. Tycho always had an issue with hay fever, but being outside kept that on low. This time it was hard to ignore.

“We gonna have more drinks?” Tycho asked, wiping his eyes.

“I promised you extra fun, didn’t I?” Shade winked.

“Um…” Tycho felt his nervousness coming back, feeling the need to sneeze. “What did you have in mind?”

“How about a roll in the hay?” Shade asked in her signature silky voice.

“I, uh.” Tycho sneezed. “Shit, dammit. Sorry Nightshade, but that is too fast and too soon.”

The bar seemingly went silent as ponies heard Tycho’s reply.

Shade blinked. “Um...I mean playing in that restaurant hay pile.” She pointed to that space Tycho didn’t assess with his hearing. “I know it's childish but I think its nostalgic.”

Tycho blinked as his eyes itched. Like a ball pit for adults, he deduced. Ponies were in there, he could tell from the movement of the pile. He had no time to imagine what that was like as he sneezed again and pointed to the bar. “Bartender, napkin, please.” He snatched one handed to him and covered his mouth.

“What’s the problem?” Shade asked. “You sick?” Shade gasped. “Oh gosh, Tycho, are you allergic to something?”

Tycho nodded. “Outside, please.” He clumsily made his way to the door as Shade quickly guided him with her magic. He almost bumped into furniture and event eh door frame without her help.

Shade quickly guided Tycho to a place where he could sit down. “I’m so sorry, Tycho!” Shade sat down. “I didn’t know. No one said anything you were allergic to hay.”

“It's alright.” Tycho sniffed. “I thought being my age, I’d have gotten over hay fever.” Tycho blew his nose one last time and threw the napkin in a public can.

"If I had known I'd have suggested someplace else." Shade was holding back tears.

Tycho cleared his eyes and sensed Shade's despondence. He gave her a little ear rub to snap her out of her funk. "I can be around the food. Just not the raw stuff." He explained. "And besides, we just discovered I'm still allergic."

Shade looked at her date, still feeling somewhat responsible, but she changed the subject slightly. “So, uh, a roll in the hay for humans implies something lewd?”

Tycho nodded and felt a chuckle welling up. He snickered. “Yeah, afraid so.”

Shade turned redder. “W-wow. That is kinda hot.” She giggled at the thought.

“So what is with ponies rolling around in their food?” Tycho asked with a chuckle.

Shade smirked. “Hay is only food when its prepared!” She playfully stuck her tongue at him.

Tycho smiled. “Thanks for the evening, Nightshade.” Tycho stood. “It’s late, how about I walk you to your hotel?”

The mare felt her embarrassment fade and walked by Tycho. “It's this way, Teeko.” She teased.

As they arrived back at the hotel, Tycho knelt down touched one of Shade’s ears. “There, now I’ve petted both of them.”

Shade leaned into the feeling. “Oh, you’ll get far with a mare with those hands.” She cooed. She forced herself to walk up to him and hug him again. “Well, I couldn’t give you the extra fun I had in mind, but maybe I can make up for it.”

Tycho returned her hug. “How?”

Shade smiled mischievously. “Well you can’t see it, but you can at least feel it.” She took one hand of Tycho’s and placed it firmly on her plush flank. “Feel that, Tycho? Dead sexy.” And gave him a quick peck on the cheek before withdrawing from their embrace and trotting into the lobby.

Tycho stood dumbfounded and flustered. Second time he touched her and this time she wanted it. She was a flirt, no doubt. He stood up and scratched the back of his neck as new thoughts came to his mind. Walking back home with the sounds of crickets echoing around him, revealing the world to his ears and in his mind's eye. Now on top of living in an alien world for the rest of his life, there was the possibility of an interspecies relationship, with a career soldier no less. What else was this world going to throw at him?

WELL SET MY FACE ON FIRE AND BEAT IT OUT WITH A GOLF SHOE! THE STORY IS BACK FROM THE DEAD!

Thanks to the Memverse crew for edits. My muse is speaking to me for another chapter!

Chapter 17 - The Plot Splits, The Story Goes On

View Online

And as I rose from the depths of the internet graveyard!

https://youtu.be/L0bcRCCg01I?si=BqQCh1rOzrk05Hfh&t=239

I shouted, "I'M BAAAAAAAAAAAACK!"

I look around, crickets are chirping.

"WHERE IS EVERYBODY!"

Oh well, Chapter 17 after a long hiatus.

A week had passed since Tycho began practicing the enchantments. Lensing and projecting runes onto enchantable objects was just the start of what could be a new way to commit to science. Though, he was no magician and didn’t want to be one. This tool of enchantment was a means to another end. He wanted badly to do what he dreamed of. CERN, he thought to himself as he waited for the mana capacitors to recharge. Smashing atoms, discovering new mysteries of the universe.

Twilight was in the background, reading up on the fascinating aspects of human technology. Well, Tycho didn’t mind talking casually about it, as long as she didn’t ask for detailed descriptions. He encouraged her to ask Alex about it, as his descriptions are pragmatic. But goddamn, that pony wouldn’t shut up!

He found Trace’s company more pleasant. He was into science and didn’t mind discussing it as a colleague instead of as some student of a new world. That was refreshing. Also, he didn’t talk as much. The half-elf just arrived to redirect his marefriend’s attention as she had patrons in the library. So he joined Tycho as he was finishing his soup for lunch.

“How are you adjusting?” Trace asked, sipping some hot tea.

“I think I have gone from wishing ‘I was back home’ to ‘trying to distract myself from wishing.’” Tycho replied.

Trace nodded. “Is work your only distraction?”

Tycho shook his head. “Weed.”

Trace raised an eyebrow. “Excuse me.”

“I can really use a joint right now. Fuck all, I haven’t smoked a blunt since I got here. Would really calm my nerves.” Tycho explained.

“So, like, pipe herbs or cigars, eh?” Trace chuckled. “Maybe you can ask Zecora for some help with that. She makes some great incense. Not sure about smoking.”

Tycho smiled nostalgically. “Johan and Arjeta showed me a smoking club. You know you had to have a license to smoke? Only takes a day to get one. One medical background check, a ten-minute test with a single hit, and if you didn’t have a bad reaction, you get the weed card.”

Trace smirked in amusement. “Sounds like government taxation of household relaxants, if you ask me. What about friends?”

“Hanging with you guys is cool, and the natives are nice. I guess that is another helpful distraction.” Tycho aligned a final lens before starting up a projection machine. “Okay, Trace, can you magically scan this while I activate it?”
Trace nodded. “Let me know when you’re about to enchant.”

With the help of his spectacles, Tycho took the readings using the laptop. “Okay, power output is good. Mana bead is steadily charging the thaumatic capacitors. Magic particles are saturating the lenses. Projections onto the object should be happening right…about…now.”

Upon the enchanting table, a pair of spectacles of similar make was illuminated by the projected praxes. Trace gazed at it with his metaphysical senses. The patterns from the praxes slowly formed on the spectacles. After a moment, the process was done.

Tycho powered down the machine and exchanged his current pair of spectacles for the newly enchanted one.

“Do they work?” Trace stated.

“Even better than before,” Tycho said, satisfied.

Twilight came running up the stairs. “Sorry, I was helping a patron! Tycho! Did it work?”

The tall human nodded. “Oh yeah. But this is just a start.” Tycho put his old pair in his pocket. “So now we can project enchantment praxes onto objects. But humans work with smaller lenses. These ones are the size of my hand. So I’m gonna need to commission smaller ones.” He explained.

Twilight’s interest sparked again, growing more giddy. “I think Rarity knows some glasssmiths who can help with that.”

“Yes, but for what I am asking for, we’re going really small. I don’t suppose you have laser science in magic?” Tycho asked.

Twilight nodded. “Oh yes! It's a ten-year-old science that has many promising applications.”

“Does that include glass etching?” Tycho asked.

Twilight went wide-eyed in realization. “Smaller praxis patterns etched into smaller lenses! Brilliant!” Twilight reared excitedly. “Let's take a break and discuss what you need!”

The northern cold winds swirled around the compound under a cloudless evening sky. The lights of a train approached the encampment. Once the giant iron vehicle stopped, two mares exited the passenger cabin as supplies were loaded off the cars. The grey one was outfitted in armor with winter gear, the other bundled for the winter under her fluffy white coat as her pink, blind eyes exhibited a soft light in the darkness.

The two mares made their way into the central meeting cabin as they offloaded their packs. A fire pit was in the center of the room.

“Someone is familiar with Thestral homeliness,” Erebus explained as she sat near the fire to warm up.

Nightshade accounted for her armor, uniform, and warming gear. “How can it be so cold up here? It's not like we’re up at the throat of the world.”

“It's the effects of the Umbra planes. Its magic causes temperatures to fall.” The albino batpony explained as she undressed her winter outfit.

As Shade began looking for something to drink, two night-guard entered. It was Jasmine and Noctus. “Captain. Welcome to Base Camp Nightwatch.” Noctus approached and saluted.

Jasmine followed, yawning, casually standing by. “Hey, Captain.” The thestral hybrid said.

Nightshade smirked at the contrast between the two. Noctus, always to-the-book. Jasmine is seemingly undisciplined but reliable. “At ease. I see everything has been set up for the mission.” The captain observed.

Jasmine pointed over to the kitchen. “I’ll make us some hot cider if you’d like.”

“Cocoa. No salttonight.” Shade corrected as Jasmine proceeded to the kitchenette. “Oh yes, and this is Professor Erebus. She will be our consultant in this mission.”

Noctus bowed respectfully to Erebus. “M’lady, we are glad to benefit from your knowledge.”

Erebus smiled. “Thank you. I am glad to see my friend at work, finally.”

Jasmine returned with some cocoa for everyone. “Waitaminute.” Jasmine’s fluffy ears flickered. “Oh!” Her demeanor suddenly became more energetic. “A fellow thestral!”

Erebus’s ears twitched as she turned her attention to Jasmine. “Eeee, eeree keee!” She greeted Jasmine in the thestral language.

Jasmine nodded. “Neee eereee!” She returned.

Noctus looked between the two. “What was that?”

“Old fashioned Thestral greeting,” Erebus explained. “I mean, normally just saying ‘hi’ is fine, but I can hear from Jasmine’s enthusiasm she wanted to practice our secret language.”

Jasmine nodded gingerly. “I don’t get to hang out with a lot of Thestrals, save wannabies like the lieutenant.”

“I beg your pardon?!” Noctus snapped at Jasmine. “Just because I admire the gifts Luna gave you doesn’t mean I am ashamed of being an Earthpony!”

The guard captain nodded and gave Noctus a hoof tap. “I’m sure Jasmine was just jesting.”

“Always jesting.” Noctus grimaced.

“I don’t sense any wings on you, Corporal.” Erebus observed with her keen hearing.

“Nope, I’m half Earthpony. Can’t fly, but I can climb pretty well. I even sleep upside down once in a while.” Jasmine replied. “So, what is your role in our special mission?”

“Well, I am not exactly here by royal decree. Nightshade asked me to come with you because you will need expert knowledge.” Erebus explained. “I also have a voice with the Batpony aristocrats.”

“What does my half-blood have to do with the umbra?” Jasmine asked, confused.

“Oh, a lot of history. Have you noticed your troops have been ill at ease since coming here?” The bat-pegacorn asked.

Jasmine shrugged. “I thought it was just the cold, and Noctus is always agitated about something.”

“You, I’m agitated with you.” Noctus corrected Jasmine. “But I can confirm this location yields no comfort, even indoors or with calm weather.”

“That large sheet of ice you see there was no accident. It was a consequence of holding in breaches in the Umbra. The one a certain pony gave himself to and enslaved the Crystal Empire.” Erebus explained.

“I thought Sombra was a myth. Certainly, an umbral being was responsible, but a pony of umbral being?” Noctus asked.

“It’s no myth. The Mane Six helped the new Prince and Princess of the Empire take him down.” Nightshade explained as she sipped her beverage.

“Aha! No! It was the dragon child Spike that made it happen!” Jasmine enthusiastically corrected.

“He’s part of the Mane Six.” Shade added. “But yes, that is more accurate.”

Erebus yawned. “I’ll explain more tomorrow morning. Where is my cabin?”

Jasmine raised a hoof. “I’ll show you!” She then escorted Erebus to the cabin.

Nightshade was about to speak to Noctus before noticing Erebus’s shadow stretched by the window in the firelight, looking in the direction of the umbral planes. As the distance between Erebus and her shadow came to but a thread, the shadow quickly slinked into the line,rounding the corner to rejoin her counterpart. Shade just watched, partly haunted and partly fascinated by the nature of Erebus’s magic.

“Captain?” Noctus asked, expecting his superior to give orders before concluding the evening.

“Oh, right.” Shade regained her composure. “Lieutenant, Erebus is my friend. You might say my best friend. Now, I don’t have the authorization to tell you, so I will summarize. I want you to make sure Erebus is safe. I cannot always keep my attention on her, and if my attention is required elsewhere, I need you to make sure she is safe. If she suddenly faints, have her taken to the nearest shelter and have food ready for her to eat. Also, let me know immediately if she experiences any distress, okay?”

“Of course, captain.” Noctus stood and saluted. “But…what distress should I know about?”

Nightshade considered her answer carefully. “The kind where a shadow gets bigger than that which casts it.”

The evening concluded without any disturbance.

Daytime came as the camp became busy with the nightguard clearing up snow, placing more fuel into and near the wood stoves, and making breakfast. Once the day shift had eaten, Captain Nightshade began the briefing.

“Well done, guardsfolk, on setting up a well-secured and organized base camp. Your briefing begins.” Shade nodded over to Jasmine to turn on the projector. “This is the Umbral plane. Not because it is a massive plane of ice over what seems to be a deep lake, but because below the lake is a breach into the Umbra. The Umbra itself is a parallel dimension. What is that? For lack of a better word, it's an existence parallel to our own. In other words, we share the same world but exist differently and only by crossing a threshold can one enter the other.” Shade then looked to Erebus. “Right?”

Erebus nodded with a spoonful of her favorite peanut butter. “Closhe enougsh.”
Shade then continued with the brief. “Now, we have a consultant, Professor Erebus, who will be providing us with some history and information about this location.”

Erebus licked her spoon clean before setting it aside and stepping up to the lecture. “Are we on the correct slide?” She confirmed with Shade, who nodded. “Good. Now, I am Professor Erebus, born in the Thestral homeland of Hallow Shades. That is the Equestrian general name. But I digress. I am well-studied on the Umbral planes and magic involved. The Umbra has had a problematic history in Equestria. Geographically, the world is similar to ours, but its existence is very luminous. That is, very intangible save only for itself. You might say we are walking among the umbra everywhere we are, but we cannot see, touch, or interact with it in any way. That is the same for them. The curious and studious have had experience interacting with the umbra and its indigenous fauna. But it's the fauna in the umbra that gives cause for caution.”

Erebus switched to another slide, showing several drawings and one confirmed photograph of a shadowy umbral creature. “The fauna exhibit varying degrees of intelligence. Not all are actively dangerous, but can be if you don’t know how to deal with them. One particular group of fauna we have confirmed is a societal group of intelligent lifeforms. They have no name as we would call it, but they have been trying to breach into our world for a very long time.” She switched to another slide showing clippings of files where possession was studied.

“Why do they wish to enter our world? Because they want everything we have. These beings, we shall refer to as Umbral Intelligences,” Erebus was about to continue until a guardsmare raised a hoof. Erebus’s ears twitched. “Uh, yes?”

“Can we shorten that?” The mare asked.

“I, uh…well yeah, I guess that is too long. Okay, so we shall refer to them as Umbralsapients.” Erebus was about to continue until guardscolt raised a hoof. “Oh. Yes?”

“It's still too long. Too many syllables if we get into trouble.” The guard said, with Shade smirking, Noctus looking annoyed, and Jasmine nodding in agreement.

“Right then…Umbralsentients?” Erebus said, feeling they were getting off track.

“That’s the same number of syllables. You didn’t shorten it at all!” Another guard complained.

“Umbral-lifeforms.” Erebus said with a hint of a hiss.

“We got it down to four!” Jasmine said with enthusiasm. “Can we go for three?”

“Look, we gotta go through thi—” Erebus tried to get the ponies back on track but to no avail.

“Umbral critters?” One guard suggested among the debating guards.

“Umbrals!” Another suggested.

“That’s too general!” Replied a guard.

“Umbral ponies?” Suggested another.

“Now that’s just being species-centric. We don’t know if they are ponies!” The debate continued as Noctus tried getting the guards to pay attention, but to no avail.

Then Erebus spread her wings as her shadow casually walked to stand behind her., It began to grow with an unnatural menace. Shade noticed and quickly waved her hooves to get Ere’s attention, shaking her head rapidly signaling to her friend this was a bad idea.

“Umbralians!” Another suggested.

“I got it! We can use-” Another suggested before being cut off.

Erebus took a deep breath and screeched, “EEEEEEEEEEEEE!” Standing in front of the guards, her shadow stood taller and wider than her. All the guards held their hooves over their ears as the thestral then fell silent. “We will use ‘Umbral’ and designate types based on subspecies as encountered.” Her shadow glared down onto the troops as they stood in awe. Then Ere’s shadow began to settle back as it was before the albino thestral continued her lecture.

The next slide showed a few pictures of batponies. “The formation of the umbral planes brings us to an obscure point in Equestrian history. You should all know of the Thestrals or Bat Ponies as we sometimes refer to ourselves.” Erebus continued as Jasmine nodded. “Among the magics practiced by many different tribes, we were the first to encounter umbralmancy and used it to drive away umbral spirits. In the end, it was used to close a tear between our respective realms. However, another one existed here, below the lake.”

Another slide showed an old painting of a deep valley, but with similar features surrounding that resembled the landscape of where the base was built. “As you can see, this part of the north was different. There didn’t used to be a lake here, and that dark spot was the tear. It was not clear whether or not the hostile fauna of the Umbra was organized, but that changed when King Sombra appeared.”

A slide showed a menacing picture of a unicorn made of shadow, wearing a crown, a regal cape, and green & purple eyes. His mane and tail flowed like that of an alicorn, and his horn stood tall with the color of fire. “You should all know who Sombra is as he attacked the Crystal Empire. Twice. The first time, he enslaved the city and took it with him into the Umbra, which the city had somehow managed to survive. The second led to his defeat with the help of the elements, particularly Spike, the dragon assistant to the Element of Magic.” Erebus continued. “Contrary to some stories, he was leading several amorphous Umbral monsters while he was trying to get the Crystal Heart to boost his power. They were held back and banished after the Crystal Heart was re-centered.” Erebus stated.

“So when the Batponies drove away their attackers, they turned against the Crystal Empire?” A guard asked.

“Correct. We had sent an envoy to the Crystal Empire warning of the possible attack as there were rumors of a breach nearby. We don’t like the cold so we didn’t do much to search for it. The Crystal Ponies, however, didn’t take our news with much heed.” Erebus shook her head. “Politics.”

“Thestrals didn’t like Celestia after banishing Nightmare Moon, thinking that Celestia was attempting a coup and used Nightmare Moon as an excuse. The Princess never visited the homeland, so, yeah. No friendship between them and anyone who favored the moon princess.” Jasmine stated.

“That is…sadly accurate.” Erebus followed. “So, the Crystal Empire was attacked. Celestia’s reaction was very swift, and she melted the nearby glacier and turned the valley into a frozen lake, covering the breach.” Erebus finished her lecture.

Captain Nightshade took over the lecture. “Thank you, my dear Erebus. So, a breach to the Umbra was covered in ice and somehow Sombra still attacked. So our mission is a survey mission.”

There were muffled disappointments among the guard.

Captain Nightshade slammed her hoof down. “HEY! Look alive! This is a hostile environment covering an even more hostile environment! This mission is top class and the expectations on us are high!” Shade asserted. “The Nightguard have been regarded as the lesser of the two protectors of Equestria. The Day Guard are accomplished. As you all know, the Nightguard are regarded as a form of rehab. Now we have been trusted with a delicate situation requiring diplomacy with two seldomly contacted tribes and assessing the danger of a very real threat.”

The guard silently paid attention as Erebus observed her friend proudly. Her shadow’s tail slowly wagged.

“So, can I count on all of you to handle this above and beyond the call of duty?!” Shade asked.

“Yes, ma’am!” shouted the guard.

“Good! Lieutenant,” Shade called for Noctus, who approached. “Brief everyone on their respective assignments, and Corporal?” Shade called for Jasmine, who stood at attention, albeit still chill compared to Noctus, “I need to speak with you and the Professor.”

As Noctus began to read and review each assignment, Shade, Erebus, and Jasmine went to the captain’s office.

As Nightshade sat at her desk, she pulled out a map. “So, we’re all the way up North, but somehow have to go mid-south to the Thestral homeland. So before we talk diplomatic strategy, how are we to get there in a timely matter so I’m not stretching the chain of command?”

Erebus nodded. “Luckily, we are close to the breach, so we can use that to our advantage.”

Jasmine cocked her head. “Teleport through the Umbra?”

“More like creating our own umbral pathway without stepping into the umbra. I can leave it open both ways.” The professor explained.

Nightshade nodded. “In that case, our diplomatic team is assembled.”

Jasmine went wide-eyed. “I-I-I get to go too?!”

Shade nodded. “Makes sense. You and Ere would know that place better than me.”

“It's a logical strategy. An accomplished professor, an accomplished guardsmare, both Thestrals that know the culture to introduce the Captain.” Erebus agreed.

“This is great! I’m so looking forward to this!” Jasmine reared in joy.

“I’m sure seeing your homeland would be a great experience.” Said the Captain.

“Even better! It's mango season!” Jasmine hopped up and down.

“Oh!” Ere’s ears perked. “Well…that is certainly a bonus.” She licked her teeth under her upper lips. Her shadow acted like it was salivating.

Back at Ponyville, it was afternoon time and Tycho sat outside his porch finishing a cup of soup. He was deep in thought, going straight back to his days at CERN. June 2012, the Higgs Boson particle was discovered. One of the greatest achievement of mechanical science. And yet, everything done about a month ago was more than CERN could ever have accomplished. But how?

He reasoned in his head and delved back to particle physics. Elementary particles contributed greatly to the makeup and interaction of everything. This universe has magic. His universe does not. How did they interact? They had just connected two universes with glaring differences in physics, and somehow it worked.

He was a physics engineer and since magic in this world could accomplish what took CERN a massive particle accelerator, maybe he could ascertain its nature. Magic, as Twilight had explained, exists in particles and waves, but something has bind it all together to work. If the Higgs Boson particle was the most significant particle in his universe, what of this one? More importantly, how could he find it?

If it could find it, he thought, then perhaps he wouldn’t need a bunch of metaphysical laptops and a giant particle accelerator to open that doorway. Tycho remembered listening to youtube videos of people claiming to have built homemade particle accelerators. They could work if they can muster the forces required. The machines themselves would be so complex that Equestria’s technological advancements would need to be accelerated half-a-century to build the tools that build the tools, etc, etc…

Or he could use those crafty enchantments he developed to build what he needed. Magic is used for just about anything in this world. And a homemade accelerator, however small, can be enhanced with enchanted parts to do exactly what he needed. He knew the design for the LHC top to bottom. All he needed was some space to work, customized parts, some well-calculated engineering, and he’d be smashing atoms in no time.

There were still some obstacles. He and his fellow ‘jumpers’ were still the target of suspicion by the guy in charge of magical research. But he had allies that can get around him. He will need to afford the parts, but he has the clout to justify grant money.

Tycho took out the laptop and began typing out a list of what equipment he will need and what tasks he will need to accomplish to get started on this project.

His ears then picked up Alex walking up to him.

“How are you doing, Tycho?” Alex inquired as he sat on the step of Tycho’s porch.

Tycho, ever the multitasker, continued to type as he answered his questions. “Hanging in there.” He answered coldly.

There was a brief silence as Alex very much empathized with his friend’s troubles, and it was clear he was taking ‘baby steps’ to cope. “How did that date with Nightshade go?” He asked to break the silence.

Tycho paused in thought and typing. That was a very good question. His brain had put his thoughts and feelings about this issue on the metaphorical back burner as the thought of returning home was the priority. “Well, it was fun. I can tell Nightshade is attracted to me and I can’t deny I find her company appealing.”

Alex nodded. “But?” He anticipated what was coming.

“No way I can bang a horse.” Tycho bluntly finished.

Alex stifled a chuckle. “Be careful using that word, Tyke. That is a racial slur in this world.”

Tycho bit his lower lip, now mindful of that mistake. “Yeah, sorry. But you should get it. Nightshade is nice, fun, and uplifting. She is no scientist, but it's clear she is attracted to eggheads, as your wife would call us.” Tycho took a sip of tea. “But no way would our relationship be physical.”

“I find that younger people tend to worry about long-term consequences of possible relationships. Like marriage, kids, sex, and all that. But you just had one date, and you have only been here for a month.” Alex pointed out. “At the same time, I know the Captain well enough she has definitely set her sites on you.”

“She has already sent me an email, by the way. I sent her one back. I almost wish…” Tycho groaned. “I wish I had met her back home.”

Alex nodded sympathetically and patted Tycho on the knee. “You can imagine dating her as a human, is what you’re saying?”

“Yeah.” Tycho sighed. “Judging from some of her flirtatiousness with her friend and the fact she put my hand on her butt-”

“Woah!” Alex exclaimed. “Dash was right, she is into you.”

“I can imagine cuddling, snuggled together moments of relaxation. I even like her nuzzling. But anything more intimate, and I feel my stomach churn.’ Tycho described. “If she was on two legs instead of four…” Tycho stopped and shook his head. “I don’t suppose Eleanor is...”

Alex shook his head. “She isn’t interested in men.” He answered hearing Tycho swear under his breath. “There are diamond dogs. They walk on two legs and exhibit a lot of humanoid physique.” Alex suggested.

Tycho smirked. “I noticed that. They reminded me of those Disney anthros. Like from Robin Hood?”

“Oh? I remembered you liked that movie.” Alex reminisced.

“My first crush was Maid Marian, the fox chick from the movie. I mean, I was just ten, and I had no idea what furries were at the time, but as time passed, I think back and imagined what other anthros would look like if you gave them anthromorphic characteristics. Then puberty hit, and I heard the voice of Krystal from Star Fox.” Tycho chuckled. “That took me back to that crush.”

“Which one of us explained what she looked like in detail?” Alex asked. “I mean, back on Earth when we were younger?”

“I forgot, but it was always that first image I referred back to. And with my imagination I took read about the appearances of other characters like Elora and Lola Bunny.” Tycho confessed. “Then I found out about furries and started thinking I definitely was one.”

“How anthropomorphic would make the difference?” Alex asked outright.

“T and A, of course,” Tycho replied.

Alex thought on this conundrum for a moment. “You realize there is transformation magic in this world, right?” He pointed out.

Tycho was about to take a sip of tea but stopped and thought. That he didn’t think of this possibility in a world of advanced magic. “Well, not sure if Nightshade would be into that sort of thing. And besides, we’ve only had one date.”

Alex nodded. “Perhaps. I have known Nightshade for a long time. She really cares about you, you know? As we all do. But Dash has pointed out that Shade is very adventurous and open to new experiences.”

“How did she learn this?” Tycho asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Let's just say Dash noticed Shade’s flirtatiousness with Erebus. It sounds playful, but she thinks its actually serious. I’m sure Shade would talk about it with you at some time.” Alex got up. “Hey, tomorrow, you’re joining all of us for breakfast?”

Tycho nodded. “Wouldn’t miss it.”

The two fist-bumped as Alex went back to his house. Tycho sighed. He was definitely of two parts in this world. One trying to adjust, thinking of the possibilities creating a life here and one trying to get back home. Stretched, but not torn. Not yet.