> "But... I Made You!"
>  by GeodesicDragon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> GeodesicDragon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was just another typically dull Scottish day, with howling winds causing the house to creak down to its very foundations and raindrops sliding endlessly down the windows.

I was sitting in my bedroom with the Skyrim soundtrack being blasted deep into my skull, while taking the time to peruse the newest chapters to grace some of my favourite works of pony fanfiction. I tried to lip-synch, conveniently forgetting that I am not exactly fluent in the tongue of the Dovah.

All in all, I was enjoying myself. As I read old favourites and discovered new ones, I found myself reflecting on my time as a proud member of the MLP fandom. I had made lots of friends, and I had also found fame – if I could even call it that – as a successful fanfiction author myself. The mere fact that so many people appreciate what I do makes me swell with happiness.

I finished reading one story and began reading another, as one track ended and another began. But then, a brilliant flash of light suddenly tore through my room and knocked out the power — but it had not come from the storm outside. After jumping out of my skin, I tore my earphones out and threw them on my desk.

"What in the hell was that?" I asked out loud.

"That's funny," a masculine voice said from behind me. "I was literally just about to ask that same question."

"No way!" a feminine voice added. "So was I!"

I swallowed nervously, turning around slowly in my swivel chair while looking around for something to defend myself with. And that's when I saw them — two ponies, just like from the show!

One of them was a stallion and the other was a mare, but both of them were looking at me oddly, probably while wondering three things: firstly, who and what I was. Secondly, why I had such a gormless look plastered all over my dumb face. And, finally, why they both looked so much like each other.

I took in every inch of my unexpected guests: their brown coats, their black manes and tails, their blue eyes and their cutie marks depicting a needle against a red cross — then put a hand over my mouth to stifle the shocked gasp that threatened to escape me.

For it was at this moment that I realised the ponies in front of me were none other than Doctor and Nurse Haywick.

My OC, and his Rule Sixty-Three counterpart.

"Are you all right?" they asked in unison. "You look a bit flustered."

They both looked at each other while I quickly composed myself, nodding a few times, and said the first thing that popped to mind.

"Doctor and Nurse Haywick, I presume?"

Doctor Haywick chuckled. "Of course it's me, Geo, who else would it be?" He looked around my room. "Now, where on Equestria do you think we are, and how do we get back? Twilight and Fluttershy will no doubt get worried if we're away for too long."

Nurse Haywick shook her head. "That's not Geo," she said. "Geo is a woman." She looked at me. "Now could you please tell me how to get back? Butterscotch will get worried if I'm not home soon."

"My name isn't 'Geo,'" I replied. "That's the shortened version of an alias that I use online. My real name is Chris, and I am totally confused right now." I looked them in the eyes. "Neither of you should be here right now — and this is not Equestria."

"My apologies, Chris," Doctor Haywick said. "It's just that you look like someone I— wait, whatever do you mean when you say that 'this is not Equestria?'"

"What he said," Nurse Haywick added.

"Exactly that." I continued looking at them. "You're on Earth, and you shouldn't be here because... you're not even real." I sighed and pointed at Doctor Haywick. "You're an original character I created when I started writing stories related to My Little Pony." I pointed at Nurse Haywick. "And you are basically his female counterpart."

"'Original Character?' 'My Little Pony?'" Doctor Haywick laughed merrily. "You're not making any sense, my friend." He glanced at Nurse Haywick. "Although it does explain why this mare has the same cutie mark as I do." They looked each other up and down, and grinned. "So this is what I'd look like if I had been born a filly?"

"And I as a colt?" Nurse Haywick seemed pleased. There was a pause before they both spoke in unison again.

"Nice."

I glared at them for a moment. "Can we change the subject back to the one at hand, please?" I turned around and grabbed an item off one of the shelves next to my desk. I held it tightly and shoved it in Doctor Haywick's face. "Look at this," I demanded. "And tell me, does it remind you of anypony you know?"

He looked at the item blankly. "That's... that's Twilight Sparkle," he said. "How, and why, do you have a Twilight Sparkle doll?"

"That doll looks a little bit like a female version of Geo's husband, Dusk Shine." Nurse Haywick paused for a moment. "Or, should I say, Prince Dusk Shine."

"First of all, it's not a 'doll,' it's a plushie." I rolled my eyes. "And secondly, I have this because it is merchandise. The world you have come to know as your home, Haywicks, is not real — in fact, everypony you know is a character in a God damn cartoon!" I put the plushie on my desk and continued, gesticulating wildly. "My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, or MLP:FiM for short, is a cartoon about Twilight Sparkle and her friends; Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie... and Fluttershy, whom you happen to be dating."

Both pony's eyes widened in shock, but they didn't reply.

"The show is primarily aimed at young girls but, thanks to the power of the Internet, has gained an adult fanbase as well. These adult fans, like me, refer to themselves as 'bronies,' although some of the women prefer the term 'pegasister.'"

"I got into the show after a couple of my friends told me to watch it, and I quickly became a part of the brony fandom," I continued. "It wasn't long before I realised that Twilight Sparkle was my favourite character, and so I decided to write a story in which I met her and we fell in love. This kind of story is called a 'self-insert.'" I paused, noticing the shock still on their faces. "Now, this is where it gets interesting. You told me that I reminded you of 'someone' you know — not 'somepony,' 'someone.' You also called me 'Geo' when we met, and you didn't seem at all phased by the fact that I wasn't a pony like you."

"I think I know where you are heading with this." Doctor Haywick's tone was mournful. "But, please, continue."

"The reason you called me 'Geo' is because I am Geo — the real Geo. The Geo you know is the character I created as part of the story. I happen to know that Geo is married to Twilight, they have two foals – Azure Hopes and Evening Whisper – and that they are a Prince and a Princess. There are also two other humans living in Ponyville — John Adams, who is married to a pregnant Applejack and Ace Sorou, who is married to Pinkie Pie. The two of them have a daughter called Chocolate. Put simply, my dear Doctor and Nurse, I am responsible for creating both of you." I pointed at the doctor. "As you know, Geo was injured when he first arrived in Equestria. I needed a character to be his caretaker, but I didn't want to use Doctor Stable, Nurse Redheart or Nurse Tenderheart. I also knew that I wanted to create an Original Character so, after looking at a map to get your name, you were created." I pointed at the nurse. "You, on the other hand, were created as a result of Internet Rule Sixty-Three: 'for any given male character, there is a female version of that character,' and vice versa for female characters."

"By Celestia..." Doctor Haywick trailed off for a moment, but quickly composed himself. "It can't be."

"I refuse to accept this as fact," Nurse Haywick spat.

"Well, I'm afraid it is," I replied curtly. "If you want further proof that you are my creation, then ask me something that only you would know. Something that you've never shared with anypony."

"What will that prove?" the doctor narrowed his eyes at me.

"I created you both, so that means I also created your secrets," I replied. "So go ahead, ponies, ask me to divulge one."

The doctor nodded. "Very well," he said. "A lot of ponies know that I was bullied in school, but I never told them who by." He pointed a forehoof at me. "If you truly are my 'creator,' then you will—"

"Silver Stomp," I interrupted. "He was a grey pegasus stallion with a blonde mane and tail. He showed a talent for singing – his cutie mark being a microphone next to a record – and he managed to turn his hobby into a career after he left school. He used to beat the utter crap out of you every chance he got." I took a breath. "You soon met again in Ponyville. He had been performing there when he was stabbed by a drunken fan, and it fell to you to treat his wound. When he came to, he recognised your voice and apologised for the way he treated you. The two of you parted ways on good terms, and you've managed to put the past behind you."

"By Discord's goatee..." the doctor sat down, defeated. "I've never shared any of that with anypony, not even Fluttershy." He sighed. "I guess it must be true, then — you are indeed my creator."

I sighed. "I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to drop all of this on you. It's just... I wasn't expecting something – somepony – whom I created to turn out to be real." I let out a small laugh. "It's either that, or I was electrocuted when the power went out and am now suffering from the mother of all hallucinations."

"My turn." the nurse raised a hoof. "If you really did 'create' me, then you'll know where Butterscotch and I first met."

"It was your first day in Ponyville," I replied. "He was with Bubble Berry when he jumped you in the street and invited you to the 'Welcome to Ponyville' party he had planned for you." I grinned smugly. "You were probably expecting me to answer by saying you first met him when you treated him for a broken wing."

Nurse Haywick's stern demeanour had vanished entirely. "Damn," she whispered. "I guess you did create me as well."

Doctor Haywick chuckled weakly. "Well, you certainly showed us," he said. "But are you really referring to our company as something you must 'suffer' through?"

I shook my head. "No, not at all," I replied. "In fact, part of me has always wondered what would happen if I met you — barring all of the previous awkwardness, of course." I chuckled nervously. "So, with that said, why don't you tell me about yourselves?"

Nurse Haywick seemed confused. "But... er, you made us, right? So surely there's nothing we can tell you that you don't already know?"

"Your presence today confirms that... actually, hang on a second." I reached forward and touched them, the feeling of their fur on my skin – as well as the bemused expressions I got – confirming my suspicions. "Your presence today confirms that you are in fact real. My imagination has only contributed to some parts of your life, but everything else has been down to you." I smiled. "So I'm pretty sure there is something you can tell me that I don't know."

"Well..." Doctor Haywick sat down and tapped his chin with a forehoof. "I guess I could regale you with the story of what happened when I was corrupted by Discord." He looked at me. "I assume you know who he is?"

I nodded. "I do indeed," I replied. "But I'm curious as to what you think regarding Fluttershy's attempts to rehabilitate him."

Haywick sighed wistfully. "Fluttershy is the kindest, most compassionate mare I have ever met," he said. "It's been hard, but Discord is slowly changing his ways." He shook his head. "But you don't want to hear about that, you want to hear about what he did to me." Nurse Haywick and I both smiled.

"Obviously, this all happened after his release from stone the first time around; before Fluttershy and the others got the job of rehabilitating him. I was doing my rounds in the hospital when I heard a commotion outside. I looked out of the window, and I saw the most bizarre thing imaginable — chocolate milk, falling from clouds made of cotton candy!"

"Ah, yes," I mused. "An old Discord favourite."

"Can I just say," Nurse Haywick interjected, "that we don't refer to the Harbinger of Chaos as 'Discord?' We refer to her as 'Eris.'"

"A female version of Discord..." I shuddered. "God knows what would happen if those two ever met." I shook my head. "Sorry, Doctor, we didn't mean to interrupt you. Please, continue."

The doctor smiled politely and nodded. "Anyway, I walked outside and saw even more bizarre things — buffaloes wearing tutus dancing like ballerinas, Big Macintosh digging holes in the ground like a dog, rabbits with elongated legs... a lot of really weird stuff."

"I looked around in wonder at the sights laid out before me, when all of a sudden I heard a voice in my ear..."


***


"Ah, a doctor. I was wondering if you could help me?"

Haywick turned around to find himself face-to-face with the Lord of Chaos himself. He gulped audibly and nodded.

"What... what seems to be the problem?"

"You're the problem, my dear doctor." Discord held his claw above Haywick's head. "You seem to be a normal pony, and this is something that I simply cannot allow."

He put a finger to Haywick's head, causing him to shudder. As Discord watched, the colour drained from the doctor's body, leaving him a dull shade of grey. Removing his claw, Discord spoke.

"Now, what can I have you do?" he removed his chin and tapped on it with his other hand for a moment before putting it back on his face. "Ah, I know! When I snap my fingers, you will be under the impression that you are made of rubber."

He snapped his fingers and Haywick brought his head up. He looked around for a moment, then cracked a broad wide-toothed grin and cackled maniacally.

"I am Rubber Stallion!" he shouted to nopony in particular. "I will defeat the forces of harmony and normalcy with my superior bouncing powers of doom and chaos!" He ran back into the hospital and climbed the staircase to the roof, looking out over the chaos-ridden Ponyville. "Hear me, ponies, for I am your bouncy saviour!"

He climbed onto the ledge.

He looked down at the few ponies who had gathered to watch.

He smiled.

He saluted.

He jumped.


***


"In the short time between Discord corrupting me and me jumping off the hospital roof, he had already been blasted by the Elements of Harmony. I hit the ground a couple of seconds after his spell wore off, then spent three weeks in traction."

I grit my teeth. "Damn," I said. "Sorry to hear that."

"Me too," Nurse Haywick added.

"Also, Discord recognised me when Fluttershy brought him back to her house for his rehabilitation." Doctor Haywick sighed. "And the very first thing he said to me was 'So, Doctor, I understand that fall is your favourite time of the year?'"

"Oh, that's cold," I said.

"Fluttershy made him apologise to me, though, so that's something at least." he laughed. "But, yes, that's my story." He turned to his female counterpart. "Now, Nurse, what about you?"

Nurse Haywick shifted uncomfortably. "Well, I do recall one time when I was still living in Manehatten," she said. "It was just after I got my cutie mark and my parents, who were still incredibly proud of me for saving my mother's life—"

"Sorry to interrupt," Doctor Haywick cut in. "But did you say it was your mother's life you saved?" The nurse nodded, and he laughed again. "Well I'll be, it would seem that we truly are the opposites of one another." He noticed the confused look on her face. "I saved my father's life that day, you see. Anyway, please continue."

"Thank you." Nurse Haywick smiled sweetly. "Anyway, as I was saying, my parents were taking me to enrol at the Manehatten Medical Academy. As we walked through the ornate doors and up to the front desk, I felt like my legs were made of jelly..."


***


As the three ponies trotted into the large room, the door behind them closed with a soft click. They made their way to the reception desk, behind which sat a pegasus mare wearing a badge which bore the name 'Day Planner.'

She cast a glance upwards at the three unicorns – two mares and a stallion – who were approaching her, and fixed a smile on her lips.

"Good afternoon, and welcome to the Manehatten Medical Academy," she said. "How can I help you?"

The unicorn stallion stepped forward. "Good afternoon to you too. My name is Hay Stalk," he pointed at one of the mares. "This is my wife, Candle Wick, and our daughter, Hay Wick. We have an appointment to see the head of enrolment."

"Okay." Day Planner looked in her appointments book. "Plaster Cast is currently in another meeting, so please take a seat and I'll let him know you're here."

"Thank you." Hay Stalk nodded, following his wife and daughter over to some nearby chairs. A pile of old magazine sat on a table, yellowed with age and badly dog-eared, although this did not stop Candle Wick from picking one up and flicking through it.

Haywick sat down between her parents and began looking around nervously. Her father, sensing his daughter's apprehension, gently nuzzled her in a soothing manner.

"Sweetheart, will you relax?" he asked. "They would be fools to not accept you into the Academy."

"Your father's right, honey," Candle Wick added. "It is clear, without a shadow of a doubt, that your future lies in medicine. And if they need any proof, I'll just have to tell them all about how you saved my life the other day."

"Thanks, Mum. Thanks, Dad." Haywick sighed. "It's just... what if I get in and then do something to get kicked out?"

"You'll do nothing of the sort," Candle Wick said sternly. "You are a very smart young mare, Hay Wick, meaning that you can do anything if you put your mind to it."

"Listen to your mother, dear," Hay Stalk said. "Believe me, it's the right thing to do." He gave his wife a small grin.

Candle Wick rolled her eyes and gave him a quick kiss. "Trust your parents, darling, and don't let it get to you," she said. "You are going to go in there, and completely ace whatever test he gives."

Haywick smiled and hugged both her parents, just as a door further down the corridor opened and four unicorns came out. Three of them had dejected looks on their faces, while the fourth had a sympathetic look on his.

"I'm sorry," the fourth unicorn said. "But your son hasn't quite met the criteria for enrolment here at Manehatten Medical." He put a hoof on the back of a young stallion who was roughly Haywick's age. "Keep at it, lad, and you'll have better luck next year."

The stallion nodded and waited for his parents to say their goodbyes before the three of them left. As they passed Haywick and her family, they exchanged silent nods by way of greeting.

"Professor Plaster Cast," Day Planner said. "Your three-thirty enrolment appointment is here."

"Oh, good," Plaster Cast replied. He walked over to where Haywick and her parents sat. "Good afternoon, everypony, and thank you for coming in today. Now, which one of you is Hay Wick?"

Haywick stood up. "Me, sir," she replied. "I am ready for my test, and I hope that I can live up to your expectations."

Plaster Cast smiled. "Glad to hear it," he said. "Please, follow me."

He turned and walked back down the corridor to his office. Haywick cast one nervous glance back at her parents – who responded with smiles – and quickly followed him.


***


"I won't bore you by going into the exact details of the test," Nurse Haywick said. "But I will tell you what happened afterwards..."


***


Haywick sat nervously as Plaster Cast looked over the completed test paper she had given him. The quill he held in his aura danced across the parchment, and his face bore no signs of emotion.

Eventually, he put the parchment down on his desk. Standing up, he walked over to where Haywick sat.

"Well, Hay Wick," he said. "I have completed marking your test, and I'm sorry to have to tell you..." Haywick's face fell. "That you scored seventy-nine out of eighty."

Haywick looked up at him. "Wait..." she paused for a moment. "You mean... I've actually passed?!"

"And with flying colours." Plaster Cast nodded, then held out a forehoof. "Welcome to the Manehatten Medical Acade— mmph!"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as Haywick suddenly shot of her seat and pressed her lips against his. After she tore herself away, she began dancing around the room.

"I passed! I passed! I passed! I..." she froze. "Kissed the teacher!" She looked at Plaster Cast and blushed madly. "Oh, Celestia, I am so sorry about that! It's just... I was expecting to fail, and then you looked as if you were going to confirm that — when instead you were playing a joke on me, meaning I got really excited and... oh, I hope this doesn't count as a blemish on my record!"

Plaster Cast coughed. "Relax," he said. "You're not the first one to have done that — although it's usually one of the parents who kisses me, not the student." He chuckled. "Let's just forget it ever happened, shall we?" Haywick nodded. "Right." He held out his forehoof again. "Welcome to the Manehatten Medical Academy."

Haywick grasped his hoof and shook it, grinning broadly. "Thank you, Professor Plaster Cast," she said. "I won't let you down!"

"I don't doubt for a second that you will." Plaster Cast handed Haywick her test paper, which was marked with his official stamp and signature. "Give these to Day Planner, and she will tell you when to report for Fresher's Week."

Haywick smiled and left, a skip clearly evident in her step.


***


"So, yeah, there you have it." Nurse Haywick giggled. "I was so pleased about getting into the Academy, I made out with the professor." She blushed. "My first kiss..."

"Well, that was certainly an interesting story." I looked at the clock, letting out a small gasp at the time. "Holy hell, it's after midnight. I think we'd better start on getting you two home, because I'm pretty sure a lot of ponies are worried about you."

"But how do we get back?" Doctor Haywick asked. "My speciality is in medicinal magic, not teleportation."

"Damn, good point." I put a hand to my chin.

Nurse Haywick put a hoof up. "Chris," she said. "You're our creator, so maybe you have to send us back somehow?"

I thought for a moment, then snapped my fingers. "That's a brilliant idea!" I said. "All right, I'll try it. But first..."

I scooped both of them into a hug, which they were quick to return. Doctor Haywick patted me on the back, while Nurse Haywick opted for nuzzling my cheek. After a moment, I put them down.

"It has been a pleasure meeting you both," I said. "I'm sorry to see you go, but I know that you've got lives to live. Perhaps, someday, we will be able to meet again?"

"I'd like that," both Haywicks said in unison.

"Oh, and keep our meeting to yourselves." I tapped my nose. "You wouldn't want anypony thinking you're crazy, would you?"

They both shook their heads and sat in the middle of the floor, while I took a deep breath and closed my eyes.

Doctor and Nurse Haywick both returned to their respective Equestrias, where they were surprised to learn that very little time had passed since they were transported to Earth. The two of them then lived long and happy lives, keeping their meeting with Chris a secret they would eventually take to their graves.

I opened my eyes to find that both Haywicks were gone, not a single trace of their presence remaining behind. Letting out a contented sigh, I proceeded to sort out the power in the house.

But from that day onwards, I looked forward to the time when I would meet my creations once more.

In this life, or the next.
> HB_DS2013
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Friday mornings are the best, but this one seemed better. The sun wasn't shining, the room was as quiet as a mouse and it felt like a good day to have some breakfast... if there was any. I looked in all the cupboards, eventually coming to the conclusion that there wasn't any breakfast. Sighing, I sat at the table and looked at the various objects which were strewn across it: my laptop, a keyboard, my Nintendo 2DS, my wallet and my stupid phone.

I checked the clock on my phone, noting with some dismay that it was seven forty-five in the morning. As I sat there in silence, the bathroom and part of the hallway suddenly filled with an aquamarine light and caused me to almost jump out of my skin.

"That's not right," I said, getting up from the table.

I slowly twisted the doorknob and opened the bedroom door, walking towards the bathroom with my fists raised. I pushed the bathroom door open forcefully, peered inside... and blinked.

Nothing, I grumbled internally. Guess it was just my imagination.

Shrugging, I walked back into the dining room, noting that my forehead and my left eye both felt wet for some reason, only to freeze in my tracks at the sight which stood before me.

A dark blue mass stood tall, and it had a shoulder-length teal mane with a single aquamarine streak above the right eye and covering the left. It had a broad body, but it didn't have wings. I shuddered at the glowing red eyes and gulped.

"So, are you gonna keep looking at me or what?" A gruff, masculine voice broke the silence.

"Uh... what?" I looked around. "I can't see you."

"What do mean 'you can't see me?' I'm right in front of you!"

I shook my head. Time to get my glasses.

Walking back to the table in my bedroom, I looked at my glasses and smiled as I rubbed the glass with my shirt. I put them on and returned to the blue mass, grabbing my phone as I passed it. My vision cleared to reveal a dark blue pony with a teal mane and an aquamarine streak above his left eye. He also had a horn. A freaking horn. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't do so out of fear of waking up the others.

I rubbed my half-lidded and bloodshot eyes and started to walk back to the bedroom, when my body was engulfed in an aquamarine flash. I found myself back at the pony and tried to walk back to the room, uninterested in the unusual sight before me. This repeated two more times until I pinched my cheeks to make sure it was real. I gave up and grumbled once more as I sauntered onto the dining room and sat down, crossing my arms and yawning once more. The pony fell on his haunches and turned to me.

"Are you sure you’re not a filly?" He frowned.

Great, I thought. I didn’t expect a pony of all things to visit me. It’s a wonder how I'm still sane.

"No," I replied. "I’m twenty-one."

"You look like a filly to me." the stallion shrugged.

"Well, what about you?" I retorted. "You look like a girl."

"Just because my mane is shoulder length, that doesn't mean I'm a mare." He raised his hooves and sighed. "Your universe just happened to be the closest to the mirror universe."

'My universe?' 'Mirror universe?' What the heck is he talking about?

"What’s your name?" I asked.

"My name is Sardonyx, and I’m twenty-seven," he replied. "My counterparts are a teacher named Gilbert Schultz and a colt named Leaf Bracer. I’m also a crystal unicorn with a passion for cooking."

"My name is Faye and I’m a twenty-one year old female human college student," I said. "I don’t know if other versions of myself exist and I love food and writing." I paused. "Is it all right if I call you 'Sardon,' instead of 'Sardonyx?'"

"Sardon?" Sardonyx looked at me quizzically.

"'Sardonyx' is a bit lengthy, don’t you think?" I shook my head as something he said came to mind. "Wait... a crystal unicorn? What can you tell me about the versions of yourself you've met?"

"Think of shiny unicorns," he explained. "I crossed the mirror portal and Brace is a younger me from an alternate universe and is also my predecessor... I think. Gilbert's a slightly older me from the mirror universe. Do you understand so far?"

Mirror universe? Does he mean the mirror Equestria?

"I find it scary that you know two different versions of yourself, though. It really doesn’t help that I just finished playing Chrono Cross and Final Fantasy V." I frowned. "I need a drink."

"What’s wrong with meeting different versions of yourself?" Sardonyx asked. I shook my head and watched as Sardonyx’s horn flared, and a dark blue mug of water floated to the table. "Also... what are 'Chrono Cross' and 'Final Fantasy V?'"

"You’ve never heard of video games?" I queried, looking at him in disbelief. "How long have you been out?"

"According to Princess Cadence, I was released seventeen years earlier than the rest of the Empire. Everypony there is the same age they were when the curse took hold, but me? I’m really ten years older than I look." Sardonyx answered.

"Thanks, I haven’t had anything to drink since I woke up." I blinked and downed the water in one big gulp. 

"Hangover?" Sardonyx grinned.

"Nope, just thirsty. I always wake up thirsty," I said. "I have some cream bailey in the fridge that you can drink, if you want." I pointed at the fridge. "So... is Princess Cadence is your boss?"

"I haven’t had a chance to return to the Empire, so not yet," Sardonyx commented. "Cream bailey?"

"I've never tried the stuff, but it's probably something I thought you would like." I shrugged. "I had some tequila the other day, but those were for my aunt."

"Oh, I see. Do you cook?"

"Not often." I shook my head.

"Why not?"

"I’m not supposed to cook alone, even though I can." I sighed.

I don't get visitors often, but when I do, they're often surprising. And so far, none of these visitors have ever befriended me on their first try. He reminds me of Robert, except without the computer and gaming skills...

"What else do you have, Faye?" I was broken out my trance from a thirsty Sardonyx, who was waving a bottle of cream bailey.

"I don't have anymore alcoholic drinks, but I do have orange juice, cranberry juice, soy milk and water if you're interested."

Sardonyx blanched. "Cranberry juice? Soy milk?" he shuddered in disgust. "Who drinks that stuff?!"

"You're not the only one who doesn’t like cranberry juice." I grinned. "I take it soybeans don't exist in Equestria?"

"They don’t exist in my universe. I wish they did though." I watched as Sardonyx took a large swig of bailey, licking his lips at the taste. "Hey, this isn’t too bad. Wanna try some?"

"I'll have to pass," I replied. "Water's fine with me." The bottle of cream bailey was encompassed in a dark blue aura, at which point Sardonyx drank it all in one gulp. I forgot that horses and ponies have a higher alcohol tolerance. Guess watching the show DOES have its advantages...

"Say, when can I get home?" Sardonyx remarked. "I don't suppose you know anything that might help me?"

"I’m not Twilight freakin' Sparkle." I snapped, just as I heard a distant sneeze. Must be my imagination, I guess. Or my friends Rob and Campy. "Heck, I don’t have any of these powers and you're asking me for help!" 

"You're the one who created me..." The stallion mumbled in a soft voice. I created him? Since when? Maybe I would have done better in life if I didn’t act stupid all the time...

"I... created you?" I asked slowly. "What do you mean by that?"

"Crap! I didn’t mean—"

"So you're not the only one..." I murmured.

"Huh?" Sardonyx blinked in confusion.

"You're not the only OC I created. Cookie, Flint, Ox, you and Leaf Bracer... or was it Leaf Blade? I created you and all of your friends and I'm responsible for making your lives!”

My vision started to blur, but I didn’t pay attention to Sardonyx's voice as I felt the darkness claim me. My back felt like mush as I tried to fight the feelings. The last thing I saw for a while was the dark blue aura emanating from Sardonyx's horn, and then everything turning black.

When I woke up, all I saw was a white room and a dark blue mass. My vision cleared to see that the room wasn’t in a hospital, but my room. I turned to my right — and there he was, sitting beside my bed. The last time I fainted like that was during the summer when I fainted from dehydration and excitement from the hot weather.

"Thank Luna you're alright." Sardonyx gave a relieved sigh.

"How did you get into my room?" I mumbled.

"Your bedroom door is open." The stallion shrugged.

"Since when?"

"It's been open for a while now, Faye." I sat up and faced the stallion with a blank stare.

"What about you going home?" I asked. 

"I'm not leaving until I know you're all right." Sardonyx shook his head. "You were out for half an hour, I think."

"Half an hour? HALF AN HOUR?!" I gasped. An awkward silence soon followed came, but it was quickly broken by a fanfare coming from my stupid, purple phone. Sardonyx passed it to me with his magic and I glared at it. "Hi. Wait, who is this?" I covered the phone and turned to the stallion. "It’s for you." I flatly announced.

"How do you—"

"Just hold it next to your ear and talk." I sighed.

"All right then." Sardonyx gulped. "Here goes."

The next thing I knew, my phone started to glow and I had to cover my eyes for fear of being blinded. When I looked around, Sardonyx was gone and my phone had a new text message.

There was no name, but all it contained was two simple words.

Thank you.
> Blade Star
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As a rule, the small apartment which I call my home is fairly quiet. I live alone, having moved out of my parents' house last year. I managed to find this little place and put a deposit down, and my work allows me to keep up with the rent fairly easily. I’ve never been one to go out and party, or drink, or really have much in the way of 'fun.' On the plus side though, I do have a healthier savings account than most.

But of course, there is always an exception that proves the rule, and tonight was to be that exception. Indeed, it would prove to be the exception to a number of rules, and even mess a little with my grip on reality.

It was around eight o'clock in the evening when it all happened. The local news had just finished going over the days latest list of things to complain about, and I had begun flicking through the channels. How is it that we've advanced so far as a species yet, with over one thousand television channels, there is still nothing worth watching? I had a couple of things to do for work anyway.

Giving up, I turned off the TV and went back, past the kitchen/dining room, to the small little room that passed for my home office. This was something of an inner sanctum to me. For one thing, it was one of the few places that was completely isolated from the rest of the apartment; for some reason, the architect had gone with this open plan design that mixed lounge, kitchen and dining room all into one, with only my bedroom, en suite, and office having doors. It might have been nice if you were entertaining, but to me, it always felt a little too open.

Walking into my office, I flicked the light switch on, bathing the room in a warm golden glow. It had taken no end of negotiations to get rid of that God-awful fluorescent monstrosity, but it was so much more pleasant now. I no longer felt as if I was some sad weirdo who sat at his computer all day long. And to be fair, I was working; there were a couple of reports that needed finishing up for tomorrow and I needed to scan a few things onto the computer too.

I settled down as the relatively new machine began to boot up. Ever since I installed that new anti-virus stuff it seems to have slowed right down. Still, it gave me a chance to settle in, adjusting the office swivel chair to get more comfortable. I span around a little, the office was far from bare.

On the desk was a fair amount of stationery, as well as a photo of my parents and I; typical office stuff really. But on the walls however, it was a different story. Directly in front of me was a fairly large window that let me look out to the city below, and filled the office with light in the daytime. On the right and left side walls though, there a couple of odd pictures; one of the main reasons why I never let guests into my office.

On the left was a rather striking picture of Princess Luna, something I’d picked up at a convention a year ago. There was a similar one next to it of her sister. But the one I was most proud of was a commission I’d had made; a very professional looking portrait of King Sombra. My bedroom was scattered with similar paraphernalia of MLP. I don’t say much about it, but it just happens to be one of my hobbies. 

Eventually, the tired old contraption that I called my computer was up and running, and after a bit of effort, it managed to open Word. I settled in for a long stretch of work. I figured that by eleven I’d be done and could head to bed.

I hate to repeat myself, but I feel I must. My apartment was quiet. The only noise I usually heard was my own voice; for I frequently talk to myself, and perhaps the humming of the fridge and other appliances. I’m comfortable with quiet and I’ve never particularly liked loud noise. Perhaps that was why I was so suited to an office job that kept me sequestered in a cubicle for eight hours a day. So, as you can expect, when a sudden, loud noise erupted in the next room, I all but leapt out of my seat.

I wasn't sure what the sound was, but it was loud enough to make me cover my ears in pain. It is quite hard to describe precisely what it was; it wasn’t an explosion like a bomb going off, or something heavy toppling over. It was more like a high frequency sound, the sort of thing that makes dogs howl when they hear it. In any case, it left my ears ringing and caused my vision to swim.

The lights in my office flickered irritably at the commotion and my computer threw a brief tiff as it too flickered. Despite the shock, my first thought was the document I had been working on. Like an idiot, I hadn’t saved it in a while and hurriedly checked to see if it was all still there. Luckily it all was; no apparent harm had been done, apart from the screen flickering for a moment.

I sat there, immobile for several moments longer. In case it isn’t obvious to you, I am something of a coward. Not completely, but let’s face it, a loud, odd noise had gotten me completely panicked. I still had no idea what that noise was, but I was compelled to investigate. The more sensible part of my mind tried to calm me down, telling me that it was probably just something shorting out in the kitchen. A quick check of the fuse box and I’d be right as rain. Or it could be something had just fallen over, a sudden shock like that would explain the lights and my computer screen flickering.

On the other hand, though, the irrational part of my mind began to offer up any number of terrifying scenarios. What if something had blown up? What if the fridge or the TV, or maybe even the boiler had gone up? What if the apartment was already starting to catch? What would I do then? I'd lose everything, I'd have nowhere to go, I'd lose my job and have to move back in with my parents! I quickly tried to stamp out that nonsense. I have a tendency to always think the worst of a situation, at least that part of my mind does.

Hesitantly, I made my way toward the door that led back out into the hallway, and the main open plan area of my apartment. Whatever it was wouldn’t be that bad. There was no smoke coming from under the door, nor was there any heat, so I dismissed the idea of fire. I reaffirmed the idea that it was probably just a fuse or something and that once I’d taken a look to see that all was well, I could shake my head, chuckle to myself, and go back to work. Of course, none of those things happened.

Easing the door open, I peeked out into the still fully lit hallway. There was nothing wrong out here either. Walking out beyond the threshold, I ventured back towards the kitchen. Here everything was normal too. The same could be said for the lounge; the TV was still off, all the windows were shut, and a quick check of the fuse box told me that nothing had tripped out.

So, I was satisfied — or at least, my rational half was. Despite having proven that there was nothing amiss in my home, my irrational half insisted that the bedroom be checked as well. For what I had no idea, but if it would allow me to get back to work, I would happily oblige.

I reached for the handle on the door that led into my fairly large bedroom. The room was about a third of the size of the rest of my apartment, including the en suite bathroom, and was mainly stocked with books and a few other personal things, including some mint condition pony vinyl figures.

Like everything else in my life, these were all kept fairly neat and orderly. So, you can imagine my surprise when, upon entering my room, I found most of the books scattered all over the floor, some even slightly singed by some unknown heat.

Luckily, despite this turn of events, I didn’t fly into a full blown panic again. I was now curious as to what on earth caused this. Somehow I doubt a burglar would bother with any of my books, they’d go straight for the TV and games console in the other room. And that was to say nothing of the odd burn marks on some of the books, or how they’d become scattered everywhere.

I also saw that my bed had been disturbed somewhat. The sheets were ruffled as if someone had jumped on them, like a child might. This was even more fascinating. I had no logical explanation for it, but I did not think I was in any danger, so it was a puzzle to me; something to solve. Slowly, I began to put the various books back into their proper place and thanked whatever deity was up there that nothing had been damaged.

That was when I heard it; somewhere behind my bed I heard a faint groaning sound. My rational mind chose this point to go off on a little holiday, and left my irrational mind to hold the fort. Needless to say, my panic promptly returned.

"Ooh, son of a... That's the last time I trust Starswirlian resonance theory," a voice said. It was, in a way familiar; a soft, fairly pleasant accent that you might expect to hear in the southern United States. It certainly did not fit the mental image I had of a horrid demon which was out to kill me. For a moment, I relaxed until my visitor stood up.

From the opposite side of the bed, rose an equine; a pony. Around four and a half feet tall, it was certainly not a normal beast; for one thing it could talk. Well, there was only one explanation for this wasn’t there? Evidently, I’d been working far harder than I’d realised and my mind was starting to give up the ghost.

I decided that whatever I perceived was obviously not real and that I was either hallucinating or passed out in front of my computer.

Since then, I was in no immediate danger, I took a look at my unexpected arrival. He, for the voice was clearly male, was a unicorn, with a light grey coat and a deep blue mane and tail. On his head sat a Stetson hat, similar to the one Applejack wore, albeit a darker brown colour. Lastly, I noticed his cutie mark, confirming he was definitely an Equestrian pony, which was two crossed swords, one silver and the other gold.

Wait a minute! I know that pony! He was no canon character, but I knew him. He was my OC that I’d created a couple of years prior when I first got into the fandom. Still believing myself to be hallucinating, I called out.

"Blade Star?" The slate grey pony started and quickly turned around, his horn glowing ominously. I quickly did my best to appear non-threatening. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Easy, friend." I held my hands up in a gesture of surrender.

For a moment, he remained hostile, but quite quickly his aggression was replaced with outright confusion. His horn stopped glowing, the dark blue aura dissipating and he regarded me curiously.

"Who are you?" he asked. "Wait, you're a human!" Unlike most OCs, mine had himself previously been a human, until he had found himself in Equestria transformed into the pony before me, which was where he came to take the name 'Blade Star.' Hesitantly, I lowered my hands before responding.

"Yes, I’m a human. Just keep calm. You are on Earth, in Portsmouth, the year is 2015." I paused to let that all sink in. Blade Star broke his gaze with me and looked around my room. Quite quickly, his large eyes found the window that overlooked the sea; you could just see the lights of the Warrior and the Admiralty building in the darkness.

"I'm... I'm back?" he asked, more to himself that to me. "But, that’s impossible, the rift was sealed and there ain’t no others." His brows shot up in alarm, whilst his ears pointed up. "More to the point, how the hay do I get back?" He turned around a full circle, examining the room before returning to focus on me. "Alright, tell me who you are an' how I got here.”

"My name is John Smith," I replied, still quite confused. Blade Star barked a short laugh, pushing his Stetson a little way back on his head with a hoof.

"Listen, feller. If'n ya want ta give me a fake name, at least try an' be a mite more imaginative."

"That is my real name though, honest," I replied, a little hurt. Blade Star merely grinned. My own OC was laughing at me! "As for how you got here, all I heard was a sudden noise and then there was an electrical surge. I came in here just now to find you out cold." The pony thought for a minute, examining the room.

"Well, there ain’t no burn marks or anything, so I guess it ought to be still open if it’s there. Now, let’s see. Ya said I landed over there, right?" He gestured to the far wall. I nodded. 

Lighting his horn again, the pony fired a dark blue beam of magic at the far wall. The sudden move caught me off guard and I flinched. Looking over, I beheld a curious phenomenon. The wall itself was rippling, like a lake would when a stone was thrown on it. Blade Star kept this up for a moment longer before relenting, a smile across his features.

"All right, well, that’s one thing we don't have to worry 'bout. There's the rift I came in through. It ain't stable enough to travel through yet, but give it, say, a half hour and it should be alright. I hate to impose on ya like this, 'John Smith,' but do ya reckon I might hole up here a spell?"

For a moment, I was stunned. It was weird enough seeing my own fictional creation materialise in my bedroom and perform magic in the space of three minutes, but now I had the opportunity to talk with him. Quite quickly though, the fan within me piped up; this was a once in a lifetime opportunity to learn about magic. Genuine, actual, honest to God magic!

Plus... I could hardly kick him out now, could I?

"Sure, all right," I replied. "Come on through, Blade Star, and make yourself at home."


***


The two of us left my bedroom and went back into the main area of the apartment. The pony looked around with an air of what I was fairly sure was nostalgia. After all, it had been a good year or so since he had last seen Earth, or at least his version of it. Quite quickly, Blade Star settled himself on my sofa, sitting in a manner similar to a dog, with his forelegs tucked under him. He was actually quite canine in his behaviour, curiously looking around and sniffing the air as he went. 

As for me, I was still reeling a little from the shock and had gone into a sort of autopilot — and the one thing I always do for guests is make tea. So, that was what I was doing; making tea for a fictional, magical, dimension jumping pony. My rational mind reminded me of the fact that this was more than likely some odd dream and that I ought to not take it all too seriously. As I put the kettle on to boil, I turned back to Blade Star, who had turned on the television and put the rolling news on.

"You want milk and sugar?" I asked. He promptly turned around.

"Sure, it’s been a hay of a long time since I've had a cup of those PG Tips," he replied. "You would be amazed how fast ya forget the little things like that." I smiled to myself. "Well, I figure I ought to count myself lucky I wound up with somepony who knows about all this stuff. I'd hate to think what would've happened if I'd ended up with somepony who thought I was an alien or somethin'." I poured the tea and left it to brew as I walked back over to the sofa. 

"Lucky is right," I replied. "How did you end up here anyway?"

"Well, magic," he replied, chuckling to himself. "Sorry if this sounds a bit of a cliché, but I've been lookin' into a few spells here and there, a bit like that mirror Starswirl came up with. I figured maybe I could use one to open up a portal back to Earth. Just a way to talk, mind you, but I never figured the magic would jump me like that. Instead of carryin' a message, the darn thing carried me!"

"So can you get back?" I enquired.

Blade Star waved a hoof reassuringly. "Oh sure, ya see how that wall kind of fluctuated; the portal’s still there. I just need to let it stabilise again. When I get back I can fine tweak it maybe. With any luck I might even be able to get Twi on board, though I reckon she’s gonna be kinda ticked at me." His ears splayed briefly in concern. Suddenly though, they perked up again, standing on end and his whole form tensed up, ready for fight or flight, whilst his eyes narrowed. "Now hang on just an apple pickin' minute..."

"Er, what is it?" I asked, hoping that he wasn’t about to say what I thought he might.

"'Blade Star,'" he said calmly, standing up and backing me against the wall. "Ya called me 'Blade Star' when I woke up — but the thing is, friend, I don't recall ever givin' ya my name. So how the hay do ya know me?" He quickly set his horn aglow. I felt the magic tugging faintly at my shirt, a veiled threat. "Now I know for a fact I ain't ever been on the show, so how the hay do you know me?"

I began to sweat profusely. "Listen, I... er... well... it's complicated," I spluttered as I tried to think of a way out. 

"Then make it uncomplicated," Blade Star retorted. It was at this moment I wished that I hadn't written him to be such a hothead at times. I couldn’t think of any explanation that would completely satisfy him, and I didn’t care to find out what spell he was currently powering. So, I told him the truth.

"You’re my OC; I created you." The magic that was tugging at me dropped off and his horn stopped glowing menacingly. The look on his face, unsurprisingly, was one of total disbelief.

"Horseapples!" he shouted. "I created this pony form an' woke up like it when I wound up in Equestria!"

"No, I created you. Your name is Blade Star, you were originally born in England in 1994." Blade Star snorted, obviously not believing me. "Your father's name is Roger, your mother’s name is Margaret, and you have a little sister called Elisabeth."

"Yeah, but everypony calls her..."

"Lizzie." That got him thinking. He was now thrown completely for a loop. Sitting down on his haunches, he pushed his Stetson back and rubbed his forehead with a hoof.

"Alright, John Smith. Ya have almost convinced me, but just answer me this: what happened in Canterlot, with the Angel? If ya created me, then ya ought to know what I'm talkin' about." I sighed before replying; I didn’t like how I’d been forced to pretty much pull the rug out from under his hooves.

"Chrysalis," I said. Blade Star's eyes went wide.


***


The two of us sat on the sofa, neither of us not quite sure what to say next. Having offered sufficient proof that I was his creator, Blade Star had gone noticeably quiet. I too, was at something of a loss. What the hell do you say to a fictional character you created that is suddenly brought to life? I looked down into my now lukewarm cup of tea.

"This is pretty weird, isn’t it?" I offered. Blade Star snorted a little and cracked a wry smile.

"Nah, this is hilarious." he promptly burst out into hollow laughter for a few moments before continuing. "I mean, I created this character myself when I got into this whole pony thing. And now I find out that you created me. It’s all... oh, what was that film?"

"Inception?"

He nodded, still half-heartedly chuckling. "Yeah, that’s the one. Damn, it’s been ages since I saw that." Silence quickly returned. I attempted to broach the inevitable topic.

"So, what are you going to do now then?" Blade Star put a hoof to his chin in thought.

"Well, I s'pose when that portal is safe to use, I'll head on back. For one thing, this ain’t the place I was lookin' for. This might be Earth, but it ain't my Earth. There, I'm just as real as you are.”

"Doesn't it freak you out though?" I asked, curious. "Finding out you're a fictional character?" He did seem to be taking the whole situation remarkably well. 

"Well, it's all the multiverse theory, ain't it? Every single possibility exists out there somewhere. There's a universe after all where Equestria is reality and at least one where it’s fictional. So, by that logic, there was bound to be a reality when I'm fictional, or a girl, or dead. Hay, there's a universe out there where this is all just words on a page." That was food for thought and, apparently, he thought so too. "Shoot, that’s messin' with my head."

"Look, I knew I was in a reality that I saw as fictional when I arrived in Equestria. I even wound up tellin' a few ponies 'bout it. Now I guess I know how they felt." He took another sip of his tea, holding the mug in his magic. Scowling at the cold liquid, he briefly cast a spell which – if the fresh steam rising from the mug was anything to go by – reheated it.

"I never thought I'd see that you know," I commented. "I suppose you know a fair bit about magic." Blade Star nodded.

"My fair share I s'pose. My tutor always said I was a little above the average, but I ain’t no magical prodigy."

"I know that," I replied. "After all, I was the one who made you that way. Right down to your inability to do any transformation spells or long range teleports."

"Thing is, though," I went on. "I wrote a few general things about magic, but I don’t really know much about it. The intricacies and such, all I wrote about was the effects."

Blade Star gave me a knowing look with the ghost of a smile. "Well, I reckon I've still got twenty minutes left before I can try again," he said. "So ask away."


***


And so, I took an advantage of a prime opportunity and began to ask every single question I could think of. What did magic feel like to use? Was it taxing like physical exertion was, or was it something completely different? How did you 'shape' magic into particular spells? Basically, in a move I am a little embarrassed by, I asked him every single question that came into my head in a maddening stream of consciousness.

Luckily, Blade Star seemed to be fairly understanding. After all, I’d made him have a similar reaction when he had first begun to use magic. Obviously, most of what I was asking was relatively basic in terms of the larger scheme of things. I still have no clue what a 'mana conversion rate' is, or how Meadowbrook's self-cascading energy loop allows for the conservation of magical energy in high tier spells. I did, however, learn a few of the basics, such as the relationship between the magic found in cutie marks and a unicorn’s own actual magic.

I also quizzed the pony on what he knew of dark magic. The pair of us had a common interest in the subject — although Blade Star cautioned me on taking it all too seriously, warning me of how even a skilled practitioner can easily begin to lose themselves.

I even asked him about the idea of teleportation. In an amazing feat, even though I had seen and heard about it many times before, Blade Star performed a number of short range teleports. With a flash of light and a curious pop sound, he moved from the sofa, to the kitchen, onto the dining table, out into the hallway outside my apartment (although, thankfully, nobody was passing by at that particular moment) and finally back to where he had started, next to me on the sofa.

Having furnished me with a fair amount of canon knowledge on the subject of magic, Blade Star asked that I reciprocate his gesture and tell him what had been happening on Earth in his absence. We both assumed that given how similar the worlds we knew were, it was more than likely that both shared common major events. 

I told him about what had been happening in the Middle East and in Ukraine, as well as a few other hot spots that had sprung up. I gave him a bit of news about the fandom and the latest issues with Hasbro — and I even showed him my new PS4, the release of which he had missed and we both had a go playing the new version of 'The Last of Us,' occasionally pausing to refill on tea and biscuits.

Most importantly of all, though, I dug out my iPhone from my office and took a couple of pictures. If this was real, I would prefer to have a few shreds of somewhat credible evidence — if only to preserve my own sanity. I didn’t plan on telling anyone about this, because even with photos I doubt they would believe me, but it would be proof enough to me if I ever doubted my own memories.

But, as they say, all good things must come to an end. A little way past half eleven, Blade Star decided that the portal he had inadvertently created would at last be stable enough for him to use. And whilst it had been fun to meet and talk with him, this was not his world; he had quite a life in Equestria to get back to.

Heading back into the bedroom where I had first found him, he fired another beam at the far wall. This time however, instead of merely rippling as it had done previously, the wall almost seemed to vanish. The best description I can give is that it was something along the lines of a stargate; a strange, water like void. Only this one was coming out of my bedroom wall. Blade Star performed a few quick checks to ensure all was well before he prepared to leave. Standing on the precipice, he turned to me.

"Well, John, this is me. I hate to leave ya so fast, but I don't know for sure how long this thing is gonna hold for."

I nodded. "Quite understandable, I don’t think either of us could cope with you being stuck here permanently. But if you ever do anything more with this portal idea, feel free to drop by again." Unlikely, but hey, anything is possible. "What are you going to tell everyone... sorry, everypony?"

"Well, Twi knows about my little experiment, so she'll probably want to make sure it’s all sealed up. Much as I'd like to have an open doorway, it's one heck of a risk." That was true, I suppose. "But who knows, if this idea of just communicatin' works out, I might be able to get one here for a while."

"In any case then, I’ll see you around, Blade Star."

With that, the cowpony tipped his hat and stepped through the portal. There was nowhere near as much as a commotion as his arrival, though I can’t say what happened on the other side. After he stepped through, the phenomenon seemed to collapse in on itself and after a few moments all that remained was the solid wall that was usually there.


***


I didn't get much sleep that night. It was almost midnight when Blade Star departed, and given the situation, I was still quite excited and found sleep a difficult thing to accomplish. I finally fell asleep on my sofa while watching late night television.

Waking up the next morning was unpleasant to say the least. I’d only gotten about five hours of kip, and sleeping on the sofa caused my body to feel stiff. I didn’t have much time before I had to be at work. After wolfing down my breakfast, I hurried to the office, just about clocking in at nine on the dot.

I remembered the previous night fairly clearly; far more clearly than any normal dream. Even after all this time, my mind still entertained the notion that I had inadvertently fallen asleep in front of the television, and that everything beyond that; working in my office, hearing the strange noise and then finding Blade Star, was all a vivid dream. As a result of the conflict, I was fairly distracted and found work difficult. It wasn’t until my lunch break that I fished out my phone and checked the photos, a detail I had only remembered just then.

And there it was; a picture of me and a fictional, magical, talking unicorn. That was empirical evidence and, to my mind, put any question of last night’s events beyond reasonable doubt. I had met my own OC. I'm not really sure what else there is to say. I didn't tell anyone, I'd probably end up in the loony bin; anyone could simply argue my 'proof' was just very good Photoshop work. So, I kept it to myself. But I haven’t forgotten.

And who knows?

Perhaps someday I'll see my creation brought to life again.
> Liquidfirest0rm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Walking out of the kitchen with a drink in my hand, I smacked the light switch, darkening the empty room. The familiar hiss of carbonation filled the air as I pulled the tab on the can of pop, opening it fully and taking a drink as I made my way back to my computer. Sitting down in my chair again, I set my can down and hit the 'play' on my laptop, music beginning to fill the air. Picking up my pencil, I returned to working on the half-finished sketch of my OC which lay on the desk in front of me.

A short time later, my concentration was broken by a crash coming from my bedroom, which caused me to jump and knock over the (now thankfully empty) can. Seeing my cats come running out of the bedroom, I figured they had been messing around inside and thus knocked something over. Again.

"Cats!" I yelled at them as I got up to go and assess the damage. As I reached the room, I flicked the light switch, showing me everything that was on my nightstand now scattered across the floor. Letting out a sigh, I got to work picking up the randomly large assortment of things that were scattered about.

Why do I even have this much stuff on here in the first place? I asked myself as I worked. 

After a couple of minutes, I had everything back in its place and looked around to see if I had missed anything. Content that I had not, I turned and began to head out of the room again, but stopped and looked back at my nightstand again. Something seemed off, but I couldn’t put my finger on it.

Then I realised my alarm clock was missing. Looking around again, I didn't see it anywhere, so I decided to check and see if it had fallen behind the table. Pulling it out a little so I could see behind it, I leaned over and looked. I didn't see it laying back there, but I did happen to see the cord for it leading under the bed.

"Of course," I muttered, putting the table back. I reached down and pulled on the cord, but it felt like it was stuck on something. I pulled harder but it still refused to move. Letting out another sigh, I got down on my hands and knees and lifted up the edge of the bedding so I could see what it had gotten caught on — only to be greeted by two huge golden eyes just a few inches from my face.

I screamed a few pitches higher than I'd ever admit to anyone and quickly scrambled backwards out of the room, never taking my eyes off of the bed. Reaching up, I grabbed onto the doorknob and slammed the door closed.

"What the heck was that?!" I asked to no one in particular. I quickly started looking around for anything I could use as a weapon, eventually settling on a broom that had been leaning against the wall because I had been too lazy to put it away.

Now armed, I put my ear against the door to see if I could hear anything coming from inside the room. Not hearing anything, I cracked the door open, just enough to see inside. Everything looked just like it had a few moments ago so I pushed the door open and slowly made my way inside — while holding the broom like a bat.

I crept closer to the edge of the bed, stopping a few feet from the edge, but nothing happened. After a few minutes of nothing happening, I took the broom and began poking it underneath the bed. On my fourth poke I hit something soft, but firm. Confused, I poked the same spot again, wondering what could be under there.

"Ow!" came a muffled voice from under the bed, as the broom was suddenly knocked away. I let go of the end I was holding and watched as it slid across the floor a few feet.

"Who's there?" I demanded, trying to look under the bed. I leaned down, thinking – for whatever reason – that doing so would somehow let me see through the bedding that was blocking my view. As I got on the floor, I heard a gasp. 

"Uh... nopony. There's nopony here."

I grew frustrated — not immediately noticing that the voice had said 'nopony' instead of 'nobody.'

"Look, just get out of there and I won’t call the cops. I don’t know who you are, but just get out and I’ll forget this ever happened," I said, thinking it was just some kid who had broken in.

"O-okay. You promise not to hurt me?" The mystery voice asked.

"What? Why would I hurt you? I just want you out of my house so I can go back to my life," I replied, trying to sound as calm as possible. I should probably look into getting an alarm system. 

Sounds of shuffling came from under the bed, and the edge of the bedsheets began to slowly lift up. I was prepared to see a lot of things — but the grey muzzle that poked out first was not anywhere on that list. The rest of the head poked out, looking up at me with a look of trepidation.

It was the head of an honest to goodness bat pony — a female by the looks of it. My brain decided that now would be a good time to tell me it had a vacation planned and would therefore be leaving immediately. We stood there, staring at each other as she finished climbing out from under my bed.

She stood there, rubbing one of her forelegs against the other one, looking like she wanted to be anywhere but standing in front of me at that moment. I shook my head, rubbing my hands over my face and trying to make sense of what I was seeing. Lowering my hands, I could see that she was still standing there, confirming that I was either dreaming or going insane.

Needless to say, I was hoping that it was the former.

"What... how... who..." I began to stutter, trying to form complete thoughts as I looked down at her. I reached across myself and pinched my arm as hard as I could. "OW!" I said, rubbing the spot I had just pinched, causing her to tilt her head quizzically at me. Well I definitely wasn’t dreaming — and that was entirely too adorable.

"What did you do that for?" she asked, looking at me like I was going crazy, which – at this point – I wasn't too sure about myself.

"I was checking to see if I was dreaming or not. Obviously I'm not, so I must be going crazy." I ran a hand through my hair, trying to sort things out mentally.

"O...K..." the bat pony replied, beginning to wonder if she was safe around this strange creature.

I let out a sigh. Even if she was the result of some part of my mind going rogue, there was no reason for me to be rude.

"Look, I'm sorry. It's just... well..." I scratched my head, thinking of how I was possibly going to explain my concern about her presence. "This isn't going to make sense to you — but here, your entire world is all make believe to us."

She snorted, covering her mouth with a forehoof as she let out a giggle. "Yeah, okay, that makes total sense." she rolled her eyes, obviously not believing me.

I ran a hand down my face, letting out a groan of frustration. The mare began to look around my room, presumably taking in all of the strange sights. When I looked at her again, she had turned around so that I was looking at her side. My eyes went wide and a chill ran down my spine as I saw her cutie mark. 

Seeing a pony from the show randomly appearing in my bedroom was all kinds of strange with tons of impossible thrown in.

Throw in the fact that this same pony was something that I had come up with, and things get real extremely quick.

"H-hey, your name wouldn't happen to be Ebony... would it?" I asked, a mix of nervousness and excitement. That got her attention, as she quickly turned back and faced me.

"How do you know that?" she demanded, glaring at me.

"Okay, this is just too weird. Come here, there's something I need to show you," I told her, making my way out of the room. She tilted her head questioningly but followed me nonetheless, figuring she would get more answers wherever I was going. I made my way quickly over to my desk, and pulled the half finished drawing off of it. Turning around, I held it out so she could see it.

"Look familiar?" I asked her. Ebony looked at the paper and her jaw dropped upon seeing a picture of herself in a place where, by her logic at least, it shouldn't be. Her wings twitched, the leathery appendages drawing my attention as she studied her picture.

"B-but... how?" she stuttered.

"I'm not sure." I sighed, flopping down into my chair and setting the drawing back on the desk. "I actually came up with the idea for you, your mother, your sister... and even your son. It was all part of a roleplay that I was a part of." I ran a hand through my hair. "I honestly had no idea that you would actually become a real pony... and that you'd end up in my house to boot."

"Do you know how to send me back?" Ebony asked, her eyes suddenly going wide with panic. "I can’t stay here, I have to go back!" She began to breathe heavily, her wings flaring out as she began to pace around my living room.

"Hey, hey, it's all right. Just calm down," I soothed, reaching out towards her. She quickly turned back towards me, which in turn made me pull my hand back.

"Calm down? Calm down?! How would you like it if you were suddenly torn away from your family and everything you know and dumped in some random creature's home without knowing if you can get back or not?" She snorted angrily as she finished her rant.

"Well... getting angry and panicking isn't going to help your problem either, is it?" I retorted.

Ebony stared at me for a few moments before letting out a sigh and relaxing her posture, her wings folding back up while she sat down. I kneeled down in front of her, making me eye level with her, and put my hand on her shoulder.

"Look, I'm sorry that you were brought here by... whatever it was that brought you here... against your will. If you do happen to get stuck here, I promise that I'll do everything I can for you." She looked up at me, her eyes watery, and she sniffled a little. I'll admit that it was a bit creepy to see something with eyes that big, but I pushed that thought out of my head.

"Thanks," she replied, rubbing a foreleg across her nose.

"Can I get you a drink or something to eat?" I asked her, trying to do something which would buy me time to think things through.

Ebony smiled and nodded. "Some juice would be nice."

I nodded back and stood up, making my way back into the kitchen. Pulling a glass out of the cabinet, I set it on the counter and stared at it for a few moments, thinking thought about what could happen if Ebony really was stuck here.

I couldn't keep her locked up in my house forever; she would eventually want to go out, out of curiosity if nothing else, and what would happen to her then?

I sighed again, not even wanting to travel on that train of thought. As I pulled the juice from the fridge and poured it, I hoped that she would be able to get back and we'd never have to find out.

Putting the juice back into the fridge, I picked up the cup and started to head back out when I stopped and mentally facepalmed. 

How is she supposed to drink out of a cup?

Rummaging through one of the nearby drawers, I managed to find a random straw from some restaurant and added it to her drink. Making my way back into my bedroom, I saw her now sitting in my chair and staring at the computer monitor — upon which was a random picture of Twilight that I had been using as a reference.

"Here you go, I hope apple juice is all right," I told her, setting the glass on the desk in front of her. Ebony just nodded, leaning over and taking a sip. She looked back at me when she had finished.

"How did you get this picture of Twilight Sparkle?" she queried, motioning to the screen.

"Uh... Well, that’s pretty complicated," I said, not wanting to delve into a description of how computers worked. "This is a piece of technology that we've invented, which lets us share stuff between each other almost instantly. It's called a 'computer.'"

"Can you show me more?" she asked.

I nodded and grabbed a chair from the kitchen, sitting it down beside the desk as well. The next few hours went by with us browsing through pictures and videos that had been made. It was strange seeing her take all of it in her stride — though she found it odd that most of the pictures and videos lacked a lot of details that she was used to seeing, like the texture of their coats and other little things, like how the unicorn’s horns weren't sharp.

I explained to her about how we've never actually seen her world, so no one has an exact idea of what everything should look like. Therefore, the difference came from what different people's opinions are about how things should look.

Eventually it grew late and Ebony began to yawn. I offered her the couch to sleep on, an offer she gratefully accepted. Rummaging around in my utility room, I managed to find a spare pillow and some blankets which I brought back to her.

She got settled down and I decided to retire as well, not wanting to disturb her, and wanting to get plenty of rest for whatever tomorrow decided to throw at me. I looked back at her as I headed for my room; her head was only partially visible above the blanket and she had her eyes closed. The sight was adorable — though I quickly decided to leave before I ended up watching her the entire night like some creepy stalker.

The next morning I awoke rather early, having remembered the events of last night, and made my way out of my room to check on Ebony. But when I got to the living room, she was strangely absent. I checked all of the rooms, only to come up empty handed.

"Well, I guess she got home okay," I said with a sigh, flopping down on the couch. I was saddened a bit that she was gone — but at the same time, I was glad that she wasn't stuck here forever.

Looking down at the coffee table in front of me, I saw a rolled up piece of paper which I hadn't noticed earlier. I picked it up and unrolled it, immediately taking note of the elegant calligraphy that was scrawled onto the page.



Dear Human,

We thank thee for watching over our subject in her time of need. Whilst we find it disturbing that your kind can will ours into existence, we do not harbour any harsh feelings about it towards any of you. Miss Ebony hast explained the circumstances around it to us and explained that it was not entirely under thine control. She sends her thanks as well and apologises for not saying her farewell in person. We wish thou a long, prosperous life and thank thee again for keeping our subject safe.

HRH Princess Luna



I sat back, letting the letter fall onto the couch beside me. I sat there just staring at the wall, just letting my mind wander over all the things that I had learned in the past twenty-four hours. Creating something is one thing — but having that creation show up as a living, breathing being puts it on a whole new level. Looking over towards my desk, I noticed that there was now a picture of Princess Luna up on the monitor. Not only that, my drawing of Ebony was also nowhere to be found.

Rolling the note back up, I placed it in the drawer of my desk. A grin crossed my face as I sat there, staring at it for a few moments before closing the drawer again. The only thought running through my head at that point was that Equestria was real...

And I was the only one who knew about it.
> Trombone15
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	When I became a brony, I had to make an original character, or 'OC' for short, so that others could recognize who I was. The OC in particular was a red pegasus stallion with brown eyes, a brown mane and tail, and a cutie mark depicting a trombone.

I have been playing the trombone for eight years now, so I wanted my OC's special ability to be playing the trombone — and for him to be better at it than Pinkie Pie in that particular episode. One picture of my OC shows him partaking in a night flight, with hills covered by grass and bushes in the background. This particular picture also serves as my desktop background picture.

One day I began to ponder something. What if I met my OC? Questions began forming in my head. How would I react? How would my OC, Slide Fortissimo, react to me? I was disappointed that I will never be able to meet him.

That is, until one particular day changed my life forever.

It was a beautiful spring day during a week long holiday. I was enjoying the break by playing a computer game, and I was almost finished when I heard a sudden tapping at the window.

"Huh?" I was still staring at the screen, just as three loud knocks landed on the front door.

"Hello, is there anyone home?" a voice queried.

It sounded almost like my voice, but I was not entirely sure. My parents, brothers, and sister were not home, so I presumed it was just a neighbour. I got up from my desk chair and made my way to the door. What happened next was startling.

I opened the door, and there, standing outside on the front porch with a large grin, was my OC.

"Hello, sir! How are you today?" he asked. "Wait, who are you?"

I was lost for words. My mouth was hanging open, and I was very nervous. This can’t be happening, I thought to myself. I had no choice but to answer the pony's question.

"Are you Slide Fortissimo?" I asked.

"Yes."

That did it. I began to run around the inside of my house. "Oh my goodness, this is unreal — but it's true!"

I was in now in my bedroom. Did my day just get twenty percent cooler? Why, yes, it most certainly did. I ran back downstairs and opened the door, welcoming him inside.

"Welcome to my home, Slide," I said. "Make yourself comfortable."

I allowed my OC to walk into my house and then I led him into my living room, which is just a couple of chairs with a couch near the wall. I sat on one side of the couches, and Slide sat on the other.

"So, uh, let me say this again," Slide said. "Who are you?"

"Well, my name is Ben," I began. "Where you are is my home." I paused. "I can't believe you're here! I am so glad I created you!"

"Wait, what?" Slide shouted. "You 'created' me? That's impossible!"

"Just a minute," I said as I went to get my trombone out. I put it together and gave it to him, surprised that he was able to hold it in his hooves. He began to inspect the musical instrument.

"Wow," he said. "This trombone is certainly different to the one I've been using back in Equestria."

Before I could say anything, he began to play a solo that I knew very well. It was a jazz version of the Friendship is Magic theme song. When he was done, I was shocked and amazed.

"You're from Equestria? But I created you!"

I whipped out my phone and showed him a photo, the same one that I made using the pony creator.

"Wait, that’s me!" Slide was stunned. "So... so that means that you're my real father!"

"Wait a minute." I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You mean you live in Equestria... and you don't have a father?"

"Yes," Slide replied.

"Oh, my! This is just... amazing." I had begun to cry.

"Do you need a hug?" Slide soon asked.

"Yes," I proudly said, hugging him firmly — and it has to be said that it was the greatest hug I have ever felt in my entire life. After parting the hug, I asked Slide a question.

"So... you can fly, right?"

"Of course!" he beamed.

"Can I ride on your back?" I asked nicely. "I just need to get the paper from the convenience store."

"Sure you can!" Slide replied. "Let's go!"

Outside, in the front yard, I got onto Slide's back and put on a pair of goggles. I then put my arms around his neck and held on.

"Ready, Ben?" he asked.

"Ready as I’ll ever be," I replied.

Slide unfurled his wings and began to flap them very quickly. Then suddenly, he galloped down the driveway and took off into the air.

"Whoa!" I screamed, feeling the wind whipping around my face and hair. "That was the best take-off ever!"

"Thanks!" Slide shouted back. "As a matter of fact, I've done a sonic brassboom before!"

"What's a sonic brassboom?" I asked.

"It's like a sonic rainboom, only the result is the sound of a brass ensemble!" Slide replied with a grin.

"Cool!" I gave him a thumbs up.

After we landed safely at the convenience store, I bought a newspaper for me to read later. After a ten minute flight, Slide Fortissimo and I were back at my house.

"Would you like something to eat?" I asked him.

"I have a hankering for an apple right now," he replied. "So, if you've got any, I'd be happy to have one."

I went to the refrigerator and got out two delicious red apples, biting into one and giving the other to Slide.

"So, why did you make me?" he asked suddenly.

After a pause – given that I wasn't expecting him to ask me that – I told him the whole story. I told him how he once had a black mane instead of a brown one. I told him the process I went through which ultimately decided what his name should be. No detail was omitted.

Once I finished, he took a moment to think before responding.

"Ben, you have made me feel like the greatest pegasus in Equestria. I founded the first jazz ensemble in Ponyville, as well as a music class at the schoolhouse. As for how I got here, I asked Princess Celestia that I wanted to know how I was created. I wanted to know who made me, and where my creator lived. After passing through a portal that lead to this universe, I landed here in front of this house. That is when I met you. I was scared and nervous, worrying that you wouldn't accept me. Now I know that this picture of me will always remember the time I met you."

I was shocked and surprised. "Does this mean you have to leave?"

Slide Fortissimo sighed. "Yes, Ben, I'm afraid so. But it's been nice meeting you, and I wish you nothing but the very best of luck on your future endeavours!"

I gave him one last hug. "Goodbye," I said.

Slide spread out his wings and took off into the sky. With a flash, he was gone. I stared solemnly at the sky for a moment, then sighed wistfully and made my way back into the house.

Better go practice my trombone, I guess... I thought as I walked into my house — with a large smile fixed firmly on my face.
> mandolin15
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Hello, my name is Noah Greenberg. I officially became a brony in summer 2014, when I found out that the use of comedy in MLP:FIM was the best I have ever seen from a children's show, along with the familiar references from the episodes.

However, when I joined the fandom, I fell into the category of the late comers, who had no background knowledge of the show or franchise. Luckily, I did research on the show to get a better understanding of it. I joined Fimfiction, where I could create stories based on the characters.

I did have a story at first, described as an adventure with the Mane Six travelling to different Cedar Fair parks, but I forcefully deleted it when I developed writer's block (and I mean that literally — my hand was in pain for hours afterwards).

This story is about the day I met my OC, Greenscreen. He is a green-furred, brown maned pegasus with a brown tail and brown eyes. His cutie mark is a computer monitor, due to his desire to make every effort to spread modern technology across Equestria without causing major damage.

Like me, he has High-Functioning Autism, which is when someone can make positive choices but cannot understand certain major life situations and social skills.

Now, let me tell you about the day Greenscreen came to life. As Pinkie Pie would say: "It's a gem."


***


It was a beautiful spring day, as many fanfics would often start out with (honestly, it's so cliche these days). I was in the office of my house, working on the computer, creating a new pose for Greenscreen in the Pony Creator. It was to be in the form of the pony trot used in the show and, when animated, would make it seem as if he was actually trotting across the screen.

It was 4:35pm on the clock, the usual time that many of my family members would be out of the house. So, since I had nothing to do, I went on the computer. Once I had finished the pose, I left the computer to go and make some dinner.

Suddenly, I heard something that made me cringe.

"Could somepony please help me out of this pose? It's not the one I had in mind; you know, a pose a pony with wings would have."

I recognized the voice, and it was mine. It cannot be! My OC having my voice in order to speak?! I heard the voice again.

"Seriously, I have to get out of this pose. I haven’t flown in quite some time. It seems to me that I have been teleported by Celestia to the human world, where I have ended up on a computer monitor of all places." A sigh. "Why couldn't it have been a basement?"

I quickly finished my dinner and ran into the office. The sight was unreal — my OC was right there on the screen, but with his head turned towards me. How is that even possible? I eventually plucked up the courage to sit on the office chair. 

"Hi there!"

"Who the buck are you?"

"I'm Noah Greenberg," I replied. "And you are?"

"My name is Greenscreen... but you should know that by now."

"'Now?!' I created you! It didn't take me that long, but still!"

Greenscreen deadpanned, although I could tell that he did indeed believe what he was seeing.

"Well... now that we have introduced ourselves, Noah, I have one teensy-weensy little favour to ask of you."

"And what would that be?" I replied.

"GET ME OUT OF THIS SCREEN!" he shouted, making me fall out of my chair and land on the floor with a thud.

"Ouch! All right, all right!" I grunted. "Okay, Greenscreen. I'll get you out of there, but you have to trust me on this." I stood up. "If watching cartoons has taught me anything, it's that you can take things off a screen and thus bring them into reality."

"Okay, but how is this going to—"

Before Greenscreen could say anymore, I reached forward towards the computer screen. I then felt my hands enter the screen.

"Noah, this is impossible!" Greenscreen said. "Get away from me!"

I shook my head. "Greenscreen, anything is possible with a mix of cartoon and real-world physics. Now, reach out with your hooves and I will pull you out on the count of three." I felt him grab my hands. "One... two... three!"

With great force I pulled him out of the screen, at which point both of us landed on the floor in a heap. Greenscreen got up and looked at me with shock — then gave me the most adorable squee that can't be recreated by any human in the world. I then looked back to the computer screen and frowned, noting that the place where Greenscreen had been standing was now taken by the default pony. 

"I guess you won't be going back into the screen again." I got up and dusted myself off. "Well, Greenscreen, it seems that I have successfully brought you through the fourth wall." I paused. "Or, at least, the computer screen."

"I agree, Noah." Greenscreen nodded "After all, I do have a taste for technology — and I want to see this human world of yours, if only to see what interesting human technologies I can bring back to Equestria... depending how long I stay here."

I smiled and for the first time in years, I was in a state of true happiness. Over the next couple of weeks, I showed him around the house, introduced him to my family, and even brought him to brony meetups — where the bronies couldn't have been more happy for me, since they found my 'pet' too cute to bear.

I'd spend my free time sitting in the park, watching Greenscreen as he flew with gratuitous speed and performed various aerial stunts, some even drawing an admiring crowd of people.

One particular highlight was on a trip to the beach during spring break. I saw Greenscreen conversing to a woman sun-bathing on a beach towel. I was glad that he is capable of talking to strangers, but what happened next had me howling with laughter. His wings went rigid and he began blushing madly after the woman gave him a small kiss on the cheek.

On the drive home, as Greenscreen flew alongside my car, a thought occurred to me. I came to realise that he was becoming something that was completely unexpected: a friend.

A few weeks after I pulled Greenscreen from the computer screen, I began to explain to him what his cutie mark meant.

"Greenscreen, your cutie mark means that you are a genius at technology and you have the desire to spread technology all across Equestria to all its citizens."

"I see." Greenscreen nodded. "Noah, I have one personal question for you. Did I or do I have a mum and dad in Equestria?”

I quickly pondered his response. "You do have parents, Greenscreen, but I can't really say their names."

"Why not?"

"Because if there was any desire to have you as a canon character on the show, fans would speculate that you have parents. But if at any time they appear with you, they would remain nameless unless Hasbro or the brony fandom gives them official names. But, on a positive note, you do have a brother."

"A brother?!" Greenscreen's eyes lit up.

"Not just a brother, a twin brother. When my mum gave birth to me, she also gave birth to my twin brother. His name is Benjamin Greenberg, and he is also a brony. His OC, Slide Fortissimo, is your twin." I showed him a picture of Benjamin's OC. 

"I can't believe it! He has the same hairstyle, tail, and eye colour!"

"Indeed. But the only difference is the colour of his fur. His is red and yours is green, meaning I like the colour green and Benjamin likes the colour red. I do recall when he put a black mane colour on Slide Fortissimo. Bronies do not have a liking to red and black OC’s, so he changed it to brown."

Greenscreen smiled, clearly relieved he was not alone in Equestria. 

"Now, Greenscreen, I would like to to see if you can type on the computer. With those hooves of yours, it should be easy." I opened up a new document on Microsoft Word and ushered Greenscreen towards the keyboard. 

"I don’t think this is a good idea."

"Come on, Greenscreen." I laughed. "How hard can it be?"

Greenscreen pushed his hoof onto the keyboard and squinted at the letters on the screen. "wdjfhoweferifoe? What does that mean?"

"Um... well, that is not an actual word. My only guess is that your hooves are too big for the keys." I thought for a moment, and snapped my fingers. "Hey, maybe you could invent a keyboard that ponies can use easily? Here, I’ll show you." I typed his name on the screen. "See, its easy for me."

For the rest of the evening, I continued to show him the many abilities of the computer, including the Internet (or, to be exact, a steady stream of YouTube videos). I looked at the clock and I knew it was getting close for me to go to bed.

Realising that Greenscreen was fast asleep in my lap, I gently picked him up and placed him on my blanket. Just as I was getting myself ready for bed, I heard my phone vibrate. Glancing at it, I saw that I had received a text message from someone.



Noah, I’ll be home in a few minutes. I'm currently riding on my OC's back and he's flying like a badass! I really want my OC to meet your OC for real. How about tomorrow? Please let me know, and I'll see you soon.

Benjamin.



I smiled and turned off my phone. I then looked at Greenscreen quietly sleeping on my bed.

"Looks like tomorrow is going to be another awesome day, Greenscreen. Goodnight."

I slowly got into bed, carefully avoiding where my OC was sleeping, and turned out the light.

Sleep came easily to me as I dreamed of what lay ahead.
> Yoshi89
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was seven o' clock in the evening by the time I shifted my car into park and grabbed the strap to my gym bag. As I lifted myself out of the driver's seat and slammed the car door shut, all I could think about was grabbing a shower, having a bite to eat and then going to bed to prepare myself for another day of work tomorrow.

I opened the door to my house, threw some frozen pizza in the microwave and walked up the stairs leading to my bedroom — only to be stopped by a sound coming through the closed door, something that sounds vaguely like...

Snoring?

I put my ear to the door and my brow drops. I live in an empty house, or at least it feels that way, so no one should be sleeping in my room. I rattled the knob and slowly pushed the door open, only to find a lump in my bed.

All I could see of the intruder was a cream coiffure resting on my pillow and the intruder's chest rising and falling in rhythm with its breathing. Down at the bedside, I could see four pink shoes.

Wait a minute. Four shoes?

I tiptoed slower to the snoring someone, or someones, my heart constricting tighter and tighter with each step. I lowered my hands until I can touch the bedsheets and, on a mental count of three, ripped them off my bed.

My eyes widened and and my jaw dropped at what I saw.

Curled up in my bed, visiting slumberland, was a cute little mare with a bright purple coat. She had a long, flowing cream-coloured mane tied back with a pretty pink bow and gold bracelets on her two front legs. I did a double take and thought to myself, No, it can't be! What is she doing here?

As my thoughts continued to race in my mind, I failed to see the mare shivering from the sudden cold. She yawned, stretched and smacked her lips. By the time I finally noticed, she was already looking at me. So, I did the only logical thing that came to mind.

I screamed my head off.

I maybe expected the pony to whinny — but instead she lets out a scream of her own. And, boy, can she scream loud. I screamed again, like a teenage girl hiding from Freddy Krueger, and so did she. I quickly backed away towards my closet and plastered myself firmly against the door.

"Why are you screaming?!" the pony shouts at me.

Oh, no, I thought. It – I mean, she – can talk. "You!" I yelled, pointing at her as I finally found the knob to my closet. "What are you doing in my house?"

"I was going to ask you that question!" she fired back.

I stuttered incoherently for a few seconds until a defiant "I asked you first!" escaped from my lips.

"Argh!" the mare groaned, throwing her forelegs in the air. "You're just as bad as my foals!"

"You mean Brownie and Sundae?" I asked out of the blue.

Her jaw hit my bed as I covered my mouth, knowing I just said something I should not have said. "H-h-how?" she squeaked. "How do you know my children's names?"

I kept my mouth covered. Another slip like that and who knows what this mare might do to me? Should I tell her the truth? I thought. Does she need to know the reason she exists? I sure didn't want to know what she had been doing in my bed, but I had to say something. I only managed to say "Ruby—" before she screamed again, leaving me no time to cover my ears.

"You know my name, too?" she cried.

"Of course I do!" I replied without thinking. "Your name is Ruby Shears... and I created you!"

Ruby stared at me with eyes the size of dinner plates. I wanted to feel relieved that I had managed to get that off my chest — but my nerves quickly revved up as she shuffled off my bed to place her hooves on the floor. "Y-you?" she yelled as she was putting her shoes on. "You created me?"

I felt a lump in my throat and could not speak. I had reached the point of no return, but eventually I mustered up enough courage to answer her question with a simple "Yes."

My creation looked her body over and waved one of her forelegs through her bed mane. Before long, I had begun to study her as well. I was amazed that she even has those 'cutie marks,' as they call them, depicting an enclosed pair of hairdressing scissors on each side of her outer hips.

"Hey!" Ruby called out and I snapped back into reality. "Hey, what are you looking at?"

"Sorry." I chuckled, covering my face. I guess I got a little too observant, and now I have to justify why I was looking at her the way I was. "It's just clothes aren't normally worn in your world."

"How come you wear clothes?" she asked.

"Because I don't have a coat like you do," I answered. "I'm what you may call a human."

"A what?" Ruby exclaimed, looking at me funny.

"Your world has ponies," I continued. "Earth ponies, pegasi, unicorns and alicorns. We in our world have people, or humans."

"Is that why you only have two hooves?"

"I don't have hooves." I took off one of my shoes and socks in order to prove my point. "This here is a foot and these things sticking out are toes." Ruby stared as I wiggled my toes. As she came closer, I continued to explain myself. "I can talk, too, as you've noticed. I also made you talk."

Ruby scrunched her nose up. "But I sure don't stink like you do."

"What?" I shot back. "I don't..." I stopped myself when I remembered where I went before I headed home. "Well, I was going to take a shower when I got back from the gym." I said. "But I didn't expect anyone to be here. Might as well take one now."

I walked across my bedroom, bypassing the mare and walking across the hall. As I entered the bathroom, I heard Ruby's walking for the first time. Her uneven steps intrigued me as I closed the door — but before I could lock it, it opened again.

"Oh, no!" I pointed at her. "You're not coming in with me."

"Why not?" she pouts.

"Humans don't like to be watched while they shower."

"This sure is a nice bathroom," Ruby said, clearly ignoring me.

"I'll show you around when I'm done showering, okay?" I promised through clenched teeth. I put both my hands on the door to close it but Ruby, using the strength of just a single hoof, slammed it against the wall. She pinned me between the door and the wall, knocking the wind out of me.

Why, oh why did I have to make her an Earth pony?

"Everything is so tall," she said. "How do you reach these things?"

"Don't touch anything," I mumbled, holding my head as I made my way out of my hiding place.

"What's this?" Ruby asks, looking in the bathtub. "'Head and Shoulders?' What do you do with this?"

"It's a brand of shampoo," I replied. "You rub it through your hair, or your mane in this case."

"I've never used this brand before."

"That's because it doesn't exist in Equestria."

"No reason I can't try it out," she said with a grin. She climbed into the shower and turned on the tap.

"Hey!" I called out. "I said don't touch anything!"

"Who's the mane-dresser here?" Ruby asked rhetorically. "I know what I'm doing." She bit down on the switch and, two seconds later, was screaming as a blast of icy cold water poured down on her. I covered my ears as she backed away from the spout. "How do you humans stand these cold showers!?" she cried, her mane and tail drooping from getting soaked.

I facepalmed. "You have to wait for the water to heat up."

"How long is that going to take?" Ruby shouted. "I'm freezing!"

"Just give it a few more seconds," I said to her. I walked closer to test the water with one hand, while turning the tap with the other. After a few more seconds, I felt the temperature of the water evening out. "Okay, it's warm now."

Ruby stepped into the stream and smiled. "Well, now, this is some way to wash your hair."

I opened the bottle of shampoo and offered it to her. "Why don't you try it out?"

She took it from me using only one hoof. How she was able to do that, I still cannot guess. She squirted it onto her hooves and ran it through her mane. Her expression soured at the pitiful amount of lather she comes up with, not even able to dig it into her own scalp.

"Here, let me help," I offer. She gave the bottle back to me and I held it upside down to squeeze some on top of her mane. The more I applied, the larger her smile got as she continued washing.

"Can you do my tail, too?" she asked.

"Certainly," I replied. I squirted some more into my hands and moved it around her tail. I never knew that washing a pony’s tail could be this much fun. Before long, I started humming to myself.

"What are you singing?" Ruby asked.

"Nothing, nothing," I said to her. As soon as I finished washing her tail, she stepped forward in the tub and rinsed herself.

"That sure was an interesting shampoo," she said. "I feel like my mane has been straightened out."

"I guess that much shampoo can do that to you," I said. "Now, would you please let me have my shower?"

"I have to dry my mane first," Ruby told me.

"Let me get the blow dryer," I instructed.

"No, I'm good," she replied.

Before I could say anything else, I was hit with a wall of water from her wet mane as she started shaking herself dry. She also covered me with the shampoo she forgot to wash from her tail. Well, at least I don't have to shower anymore.

"Do you have a curling iron?" she asked me.

Oh, yeah, I thought. I didn't make her hair naturally curly.

"What makes you think I have a curling iron?" I said as I grabbed a towel to dry my own hair with.

"Who do you live with?"

"I have a sister," I told her. "But she's away in college. Then again, she might have one in her room. I'll be right back."

I left her alone in the bathroom and, after I went back to my bedroom to change out of my wet clothes, I walked down the stairs to my sister's room. I sighed in relief when I found her curling iron in one of her drawers, then walked back upstairs to the bathroom.

"Are you sure you can use this?" I asked as I plugged it in. "This is a humans tool, not a pony's."

"You didn't make me a mane-dresser for nothing, you know," Ruby Shears reassured me.

She knows my mind too well. "Okay, you're the boss." I shrugged, then watch as my character wrapped a lock of her mane inside the iron and clamped it down with a hoof. My eyes and mouth widened at how well she could adapt to using a tool not meant for her own species. Then again, it is her talent and was something I distinctly made about her. She trotted on her free hooves to a mirror and I overlooked the job she does to her mane.

"How do I look?" she asked me, taking a strand out of the iron.

Oh no, she caught me again. What do I say to her? I never expected my own creation to be self-conscious about her own appearance but then again, I am the one who moulded and fashioned her.

"You're looking pretty," I told her. I wanted to end it with 'good,' but I felt that word would have demeaned her image.

"Aww," she beamed. "You know just what to say to a lady."

"Well, you are married," I reminded her with a blush.

"That doesn't mean I can flatter my creator now, can I?" she asked.

I said nothing. I chose not to make her perfect but she was happy with what I gave her. I suppose in a world of pastel-coloured magical equines, acceptance comes naturally. I let that sink in as she finished curling her mane. She spun her head around, allowing me to watch her curls in action. That husband of hers sure is one lucky stallion, I thought to myself.

"What do you have around here to eat?" she asked.

Oh, shoot! That pizza in the microwave must be stone cold by now.

"I cooked myself something quick," I replied. "But I don't think you'd be interested in it, though."

"Well, what is it?"

"It's pizza," I replied. "It's got pepperoni on it. You wouldn't like it."

"What's pepperoni?"

"You don't want to know." I move quickly to change the subject. "I know something you might like. You eat oats, don't you?"

"I don't have a choice," Ruby replied. "A lot of what I eat is oats."

"Then I've got something for you." I smiled. "Follow me."

I led her out if the bathroom and down the stairs to the kitchen. Still not used to my character using four legs to walk on instead of two, I increased my pace to keep up with her behind me. We travelled down the stairs and stopped in the kitchen, where I immediately opened the pantry.

"These should do," I told her, grabbing a cereal box. "How about some Cheerios? They're cereal made of oats."

"They sure look tasty," Ruby said, licking her lips.

"Let me pour you a bowl." I opened up a different cupboard.

"I don't think I can eat a bowl." Ruby shook her head.

"Okay, I'll just pour you half a bowl."

"No." Ruby was quick to correct me. "I mean that I don't think I can eat just one bowl."

"Let me get another, then."

"Have you got anything that could fit the whole box?"

I froze in my tracks until I finally processed what she said. She may be my little pony, but she has the appetite of a fully-grown Clydesdale! I opened the cupboard over the refrigerator, grabbed a mixing bowl and set it down on front of her.

I poured the entire, previously unopened, box of Cheerios inside the bowl — and as soon as the last oat falls out, Ruby tore into the cereal like a hungry dog. I was in shock and awe as she licked the bowl clean, letting out a monstrous belch when she was finished.

I lost my appetite after watching that, and threw my pizza in the bin while she was distracted.

"I guess you only eat like that when your husband isn't home?"

"Refund Check is huge on table manners." Ruby giggled.

I rolled my eyes. "You're right, he is a business pony after all."

"Do you have any ice cream?" she asked me.

"You're still hungry?" I gasped, holding my face. "What are you in the mood for? A giant brownie sundae?"

"I sure am!" she exclaimed.

I slapped my forehead. Even while I was being rhetorical, I know what her favourite food is. Who knew that these ponies absolutely loved sweets? How so many of them manage to stay in such great shape is beyond me.

"There's just one problem," I said, opening the freezer. "I'm afraid I'm all out of ice cream."

"Let's get some, then."

"Uh, Ruby?" I sigh. "I can't take you with me. No offence, but if my neighbours catch me riding a purple pony to the ice cream store, I'll be put in a straitjacket so fast my head will spin."

"Wait, you wanted to ride me?" Ruby shouted fiercely. "What kind of sick creator are you!?"

Boy, did that come out wrong. "I didn't mean it that way!" I tried to defend myself. "I mean, yes, people here ride horses. I used to ride horses myself, but that was when I was five."

"Is there another way?" Ruby asked, still sneering at me.

"We can take my car," I told her. "You're going to have to be absolutely quiet, though. Honestly, it's a miracle that no one has called the police on me yet."

I opened the front door and looked around the houses on my block. Happy that the coast clear, I led Ruby out of the house and unlocked the car, both of us getting in.

"Wow." Ruby gasped as she climbed onto the back seat. "This thing sure is roomy."

"Okay, now, hold still," I instructed her as I positioned her upright in the seat. I then pulled the seatbelt over her barrel and inserted it into the slot with a click. "This keeps you safe on your seat. It's a bit tight but it's better than cracking your head open." After I closed the back door, I walked around to the driver's side, opened the door, got in the car and put the key in my ignition.

"Hey, isn't that Cheese Sandwich?" Ruby exclaimed as the car stereo came to life.

I was thrown off for a moment before I made the connection to the CD that the car was playing. "Oh, this?" I questioned. "Kind of. This is 'Weird Al.' You can say he's kind of our equivalent to Cheese Sandwich from Equestria. I bet your kids are huge fans of him."

Ruby nodded. "They sure are. In fact, they want Refund and I to get him to perform at their cuteceañeras."

As I pulled out to the driveway, it hit me. I already know what her talent is along with her husband's. She has brought up her children, to whom I gave blank flanks — and therefore clean slates.

I can have them be anything I want them to be. Should I tell her I have no clue what to make of their talents yet? How will she react if it is up for her creator to decide and not her?

Those thoughts screamed through my mind as I drove down the road. I saw the sign for the ice cream parlour up ahead and turned into the parking lot, pulled into a space and turning off the ignition.

"Wait here,” I told her. Ruby nodded as I got out of my car and walked inside the shop. I bought the biggest hot fudge brownie sundae that could fit in one cup and a soft serve scoop for myself. I bag my purchases and walk outside — a walk which quickly turns into a full-blown sprint when I see a little girl peering into my car. A man whom I assume is her father approaches her side.

"Excuse me," I called to them, indignant. "That's my car."

"And that's my pony!" the girl pressed her face against my window.

"It's a stuffed horse," I lied. I look in the car to see, to my dismay, that Ruby is backed away to the other side, shivering.

The little girl turns to me with a pout on her face. "Mister," she demanded. "I want that pony!"

"She's not for sale," I replied.

"How dare you!" the father yelled at me and stepped in front of her. I was praying he would side against her.

So much for my joining the seminary.

"She can't have her!" I stood firm. "Now, you listen to me—"

"No, you listen!" the father interrupted me. "What's a grown man like you doing with a life-sized pony in your car? Don't you think it would rather be with a sweet little girl like mine?"

"For one thing," I felt a twinge of anger, something that I have never felt before. "The pony is a 'she,' not an 'it.' And I may be a grown man, but I'm the only human she trusts. Just look at how scared she is of your daughter!"

The father pulls out his mobile phone. "Okay, we're doing this the hard way. I'm calling the cops."

"What?!" I shouted. I have to act fast, or I could end up in the slammer. "You're crazy!" I told the father. "Put that away!"

"Then give us the horse."

"Yeah!" the girl screamed. "NOW!"

"'Give?'" I repeat that one word. "What, you expect me to just hand my pony over to you?"

"Your pony?" the father sneered scornfully. "What did you do, create her or something?"

"As a matter of fact, I did." I gave him a smug smile. "She answers to the name Ruby Shears."

"That's the dumbest name I've ever heard!" the girl criticised me. "I wanna call her Missy Purple Pants."

"Well I'm afraid you're not, because she isn't your pony." I rolled my eyes. "Now, if you'll excuse me—"

I turned to leave but the father grabbed my shirt collar. "I am not letting you leave this spot until I have that pony," he huffed.

"Then we can stay here all night if we have to," I replied, tugging my shirt out of his grip.

"Daddy," the girl whined. "Make him give me Missy Purple Pants!"

"Ruby Shears," I corrected her.

"Missy! Purple! PANTS!" she screamed — and before I knew it, I felt my toes get crushed as she smashed her foot on top of them.

"You little brat!" I growl.

"Don't you dare talk to my daughter that way!" the father yelled.

But before he could lay a finger on me as well, my car door opened and Ruby crawled out. Her brow was lowered as she came face to face with the toe-crushing little girl.

"Daddy! Daddy!" the girl squealed, jumping up and down. "Look! It wants to come home with us!"

Ruby took a deep breath and let it out before pointing a hoof at her. "You can call me an 'it,' you can give me a stupid name, and you can put a price tag on me. But you..." she suddenly raised her voice. "NEVER! EVER! HURT! MY! CREATOR!" The girl backed up with a whimper but Ruby was not done yet. Before I could warn her that the girl's father was sneaking up behind her, she wound up her legs and bucked him as hard as she could.

As for where her buck landed, I can safely say that his daughter can enjoy being an only child for the foreseeable future.

Seizing our chance, we both jumped into the car and close the doors. I started the car and floored it out of the parking lot, turning back one last time to see the man hobbling back to his SUV with his daughter pounding her fists on the bonnet.

"I owe you one, Ruby," I tell her, slowing down to a more comfortable – not to mention legal – speed.

"I wouldn't exist if it wasn't for you," Ruby replied, giving me a sincere smile. "Isn't that enough?"

I reached into the bag I got from the ice cream store and handed Ruby her sundae. "I don't think so," I replied.

She finished her treat before I even pulled into my driveway. I still cannot get over how fast she can put away her food. We both walked back into my house together and made our way back to my bedroom. She waited while I retreated into the bathroom so that I could change into my pyjamas.

"It's been such a long day." I yawned as I entered my bedroom again. "I've gotta hit the hay, I have work tomorrow."

"Actually, uh, I have a request," Ruby said out of the blue.

"What do you want?" I asked her.

"Do you think I can have a good night cuddle?"

My eyes widened. That was one of the last things I would have expected my character to ask of me. Then again, since I created her, I should know what another creation of mine would do to her.

"Why do you ask?" I queried.

"Well..." she replied. "It's just I never go to sleep without one, and Refund is always there to do it."

"All right, then," I told her, slipping under the covers. "Show me how your husband would hold you. I promise you it's not cheating."

"I know it isn't." she giggled. "Why do you think I asked you?"

She slithered beneath the blanket and pulled me in. I wrapped my arms around her like a giant, living stuffed animal and we both fell asleep together within moments.

My alarm clock could ring, my house could down, or Hell could freeze over — but at that moment, nothing would ever make me want to let go of Ruby Shears.
> BONUS: Geo's First Draft
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was just another typically dull Scottish day, with howling winds causing the house to creak down to its very foundations and raindrops sliding endlessly down the windows.

I was sitting in my bedroom with the Skyrim soundtrack being blasted deep into my skull, while taking the time to peruse the newest chapters to grace some of my favourite works of pony fanfiction. I tried to lip-synch, conveniently forgetting that I am not exactly fluent in the tongue of the Dovah.

All in all, I was enjoying myself. As I read old favourites and discovered new ones, I found myself reflecting on my time as a proud member of the MLP fandom. I had made lots of friends, and I had even found fame – if I could even call it that – as a successful fanfiction author myself. The mere fact that so many people appreciate what I do makes me swell with happiness.

I finished reading one story and began reading another, as one track ended and another began. But then, a brilliant flash of light suddenly tore through my room and knocked out the power — but it had not come from the storm outside. After jumping out of my skin, I tore my earphones out and threw them on my desk.

"What in the hell was that?" I asked out loud.

"That's funny," a feminine voice said from behind me. "I was literally just about to ask that same question."

I swallowed nervously, turning around slowly in my swivel chair while looking around for something to defend myself with. And that's when I saw her — a pony, just like from the show!

She looked at me oddly, probably while wondering two things: firstly, who and what I was and secondly, why I had such a gormless look plastered all over my dumb face.

I took in every inch of my unexpected guest: her brown coat, her black mane and tail, her soft blue eyes and her cutie mark depicting a needle against a red cross — then put a hand over my mouth to stifle the shocked gasp that threatened to escape me.

For it was at this moment that I realised the mare in front of me was none other than Nurse Haywick.

My OC.

"Are you all right?" she asked. "You look a bit flustered."

I shook my head. "I'm sorry," I replied. "I didn't mean to stare. It's just... I wasn't expecting somepo— someone like yourself to suddenly appear in front of me like that."

Crap, crap, crap, I thought. My own creation is standing just a few feet in front of me. Whatever you do, Chris, don't give away anything about My Little Pony!

"And I wasn't expecting the teleport spell I was practising to send me here." Haywick looked around warily. "Wherever here is."

"You are in my humble abode," I said. "And, until we find a way to get you back, you are welcome to stay."

Haywick cocked her head at me. "Normally, I'd feel a bit wary when somepony I'd just met offered to take me into their home." she looked me up and down. "But there's  something about you that I can't quite put my hoof on... something that makes me feel relaxed to be in your presence." She smiled and held out a forehoof. "My name is Nurse Haywick – although everypony just calls me 'Haywick' for short – and I accept your offer to let me stay."

I shook her hoof. "And my name is Chris," I replied. "I'm pleased that you were able to trust me so quickly — and, if it's any comfort to you at all, I trust you as well."

Of course she trusts you, moron! my brain screamed. You created her, so it's only natural that the two of you would feel some kind of connection to each other.

We sat in silence for a while, during which I was able to get a closer look at her. The mere fact that something – no, somepony – whom I had created was in front of me was a lot to take in. I knew that I had to do everything in my power to avoid giving away anything I knew about the world she had come from — which in turn made me thankful that her arrival had forced my computer to shut down. I think I'd have had some explaining to do, had she seen the picture of Twilight Sparkle I have adorning my desktop.

The fact that she looked as adorable in real life as she did in the many pictures I had of her didn't help either. I was calm on the outside, this much is certain — but on the inside, every fibre of my very being was demanding that I gave Haywick a great big hug.

"I'm sorry," I said at last. "I'm not really good around new people... or, in this case, new ponies." I cracked a smile. "Why don't we get to know each other a bit better? Tell me about yourself."

Not that I need to know, of course.

Haywick smiled back. "Well, as you've probably guessed, I am a nurse," she replied. "I specialise in giving injections, as my cutie mark indicates, but I can do other things as well." She sat down. "I live and work in a little town called Ponyville, I have many lovely friends, and I am in a relationship with Fluttershy — the most beautiful mare who ever lived."

"Sounds lovely," I said.

"Oh, it is." Haywick sighed wistfully. "Now, what about you?"

"There's not much to tell." I shrugged. "I'm a Commercial Analyst, and in my free time I enjoy watching films and television, talking with my friends, and reading."

"Where I come from, friendship is very important." Haywick nodded. "In fact, we Equestrians believe that Friendship is—"

"— Magic," we said in unison.

Haywick looked at me. "That's exactly right," she said warily. "But... how could you possibly have known that?"

YOU IDIOT! I screamed internally. You've just given yourself away!

"Er... lucky guess?"

Haywick shook her head. "No, it wasn't." she narrowed her eyes and stood up, rearing onto her hind legs and putting her forehooves on my shoulders. "You know more about me than you're letting on, friend — that's why you didn't freak out when you first saw me."

"Might I remind you of something?" I asked. "You didn't freak out when you first saw me, so that argument is invalid."

"I have never seen any of your kind in Equestria," Haywick shot back. "There is no way you could have known 'Friendship is Magic.' Please, just be honest and tell me... what do you know?"

I sighed. I knew that I couldn't keep my true identity a secret for much longer, but I also knew that any excuse I could give her wouldn't be believed. After all, she was right — humans aren't in the show at all, so by rights I shouldn't have been able to complete her sentence for her. Her eyes gazed into mine, and I found myself completely at her mercy.

"All right, I'll tell you." Haywick smiled and sat down. "But you aren't going to like – or believe – what I'm about to tell you."

And with that, I launched into an explanation of the show and how I came to be a part of the fandom associated with it. I explained everything I knew about the adventures of the Element bearers, life in Ponyville for the ordinary citizens — and then I told Haywick exactly who I was in relation to her.

"That... that's not true!" she shouted. "You didn't 'create' me, I was born in Manehatten! My parents are—"

"Hay Stalk and Candle Wick," I interrupted. "Hence your name."

Haywick's eyes widened. "Everypony knows who my parents were, so you could have heard their names somewhere." she angrily pointed a hoof at me. "Tell me how I got my cutie mark, because that's something many ponies don't know!"

"You were sixteen at the time," I replied coolly. "You were just a few weeks away from finishing school – where you were the subject of much ridicule for being a blank flank at that age – and you were at home with your father. Your mother was out shopping, so the two of you were enjoying your time together."

"Then a bee came into the house and stung your father on the forehead. He was severely allergic to bee stings, and so he went into anaphylactic shock — but he knew to be prepared for this. Needles loaded with epinephrine were kept all around the house, and your mother was usually the one to administer them."

"But since she was unavailable, it fell to you to do it instead. And so, as your father lay on the floor, you grabbed one of the needles in your magical aura and stood next to him. And then, without even thinking, you stuck it in and gave your father a shot of adrenaline."

Haywick's eyes glistened as she began crying. "I saved his life," she croaked. "Mother came back a few minutes later to find us both hugging each other tightly in the middle of the kitchen, the used needle lying next to us." She wiped her eyes. "After making sure my father was okay, she hugged me as tightly as he had — then she whispered in my ear, saying 'It looks to me like my darling daughter has finally found her calling.'"

She chuckled lightly. "I had no idea what she was talking about, but then my father pointed at my flank — and I finally realised that, after so many years, I finally had my cutie mark."

"And as soon as you finished high school and turned sixteen, your parents enrolled you in the Manehatten Medical Academy." I reached out and patted her on the back. "And once you had graduated – with honours, might I add – you got a job at the city's main hospital." I smiled. "But as much as you enjoyed the work, you found that the hustle and bustle of the city wasn't for you."

"So I moved to Ponyville, and got a job at the hospital there," Haywick said. "I made lots of new friends, and then I met Fluttershy and we fell in love." She grinned. "I'd tell you the rest... but I think it's safe to say that you already know it."

"I think I do." I grinned back. "I'm sorry to have sprung this on you, Haywick — but, with a bit of luck, you won't remember our meeting when you get back to Ponyville."

"But what if I want to remember?"

I raised an eyebrow at her. "You want to remember meeting the man who made your life what it is?" I asked. "You want to keep the knowledge that your entire life is the result of my imagination?"

Haywick thought for a moment. "Well, when you put it like that..." she said. "I guess this is something that I ought to forget." She looked around my room. "But how am I going to get home?"

"Honestly?" I threw my arms up. "I don't know — after all, it's not like I intended for any of this to happen."

"But, if you're my creator..." Haywick began. "If you're my creator, then surely you have the power to send me back?"

I put a hand to my chin in thought. "Hey, you're right." I nodded. "But, before I send you back, I want you to know something."

"What?"

"You are not a figment of my imagination, Haywick. Your appearance here today has proven that you are a real mare, somepony who is capable of making her own decisions and living her life the way she wants to." I smiled warmly. "It just so happens that I gave you a helping hand in said life."

Haywick took a deep breath. "If you keep that up, you're going to set me off crying again." she poked me. "But thank you for making sure that I lived a good life."

"You're welcome," I replied. "And thank you for proving to be just as adorable as I hoped you were." She stuck her tongue out at me in response, and I laughed. "Anyway... ready to go home?"

Haywick responded by throwing her forelegs around my neck, giving me a really tight hug, and nuzzling my cheek.

"Something to remember me by," she said as she pulled away with a lovely pink tinge on her cheeks. "I'm ready. Send me back."

She sat in the middle of my bedroom, in the very spot where she had appeared, while I closed my eyes and concentrated.

Haywick returned to Equestria with no knowledge of our meeting, I thought. Though, at the back of her mind, she knew that somewhere out there, something was watching over her.

I opened my eyes slowly to find that Haywick was gone, the only thing that remained of her presence being a piece of her mane. I picked it up and held it for a moment, before I set it down and pressed the power button on my computer — although it soon dawned on me that Haywick's visit had had an unintended effect.

"Great," I muttered. "The hard drive is fried."

I looked over at the piece of Haywick's mane and smiled.

"Totally worth it, though."