> You Are What You Paint
>  by David Silver
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 1 - The Convention
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

He walked into the vendor's room. Everfree was in a new hotel that year, which threw him off a little, but he planned to get some good stuff now that he had found the mecca of pony stuff. Maybe something with Rainbow Dash on it, seeing as she was his favorite.

"Are you ready for adventure?! Come and see what exotic treasures we have brought for you!" A dark-skinned man with a black shirt and equally black pants was looking at him pointedly while waving at his table full of... books? Books were not the usual fare at these cons.

"Eh... I don't usually..." He saw what was on the books and reconsidered. They weren't the MLP Chapter books at all and he accepted the book the salesman offered him. He didn't have time to get to reading, but the pictures were nice enough. 

He put the book down, ready to continue his journey when the salesperson gestured to the right. "We also have pony figures, which you don't need to play the game to enjoy."

That caught his attention. He knelt down and inspected the collection of plastic and metal figurines. "How much?"

"Just $10."

He picked out a few he liked the look of, paid the man with a few tens.

"Tell you what, since you went and got the figures, I'll knock five off the core book."

He was tempted. He hadn't played D&D or the like in a while, but... Eh, why not? He picked up the book, only for the man to wave it back down. "You get a special one just for you." He ducked under the table and came up with a brand new Ponyfinder book.

Purchase secured, he moved on.

"Hey, Aqua."

That was his fan name, or at least part of it. Aqua looked up to see a friend waving at him excitedly and went over the join.

It was a good convention. Aqua saw plenty of interesting panels, hung out with friends, many of which he normally only 'saw' online most days, and had a good time. He had no complaints, save that it had to come to an end.

He went home with a sigh, but not empty-handed. He took his stuff out of his car and got to hanging up or placing most of it, then he got to his figures. They weren't painted. Did he dare? He hadn't painted minis in forever! Today seemed like a fine day to give it a try.

He dug out his old paints and brushes and set them out, whistling a tune as he went. He didn't have work until the next day anyway, and he didn't have anything in mind to do with the rest of the day, so why not?

He began considering what sort of pony this little figure could be. It, no, she. She wore a robe and she looked kind of serious. "Maybe a Princess Luna with the numbers filed off?" He popped open the green paint. "Well now you'll be a green pony of mystery." He considered a moment, then resealed it. "Let's get those robes first."

He got out the black paint. It would be simple, just slathering it with black. Even as he worked though, he felt like his fingers were doing a poor job of moving the brush around the way he wanted to. He wiped sweat from his increasingly furry face, unaware of the bright and heterochromic eyes that looked from his face.

His seat became a little uncomfortable, so he stood up while trying to focus on painting. A new tail peeked free from the top of his pants and began to slowly spill downwards, growing with every pulse of his heart as colorful hair sprouted all along it. By the time he had the robe complete, he sported a tail that started green and transitioned in bands to an equally bright blue color at the tip. He was stuck, fascinated with his project and unaware of the humanity being wrenched from him with every brush swipe.

He suddenly fell forward, catching himself on his... hooves? He started with surprise, only noticing something had changed then. He brought up the blunt limb and turned it this way and that. "What the?" His voice was different too. With the curiously pleasant sensation of his snout growing in, his eyes crossed to see it. He could feel bones altering, growing. He was sure it should have hurt, but it didn't. It felt good, really good, and it stopped.

He knew then. It came with a strange clarity. If he wanted to feel good, he had to paint. Or... he could stop. He could stop and not become... whatever he was becoming. He forced himself to look away from the figure and towards a mirror. A confused demi-pony looked back at him. He let out a little laugh. He was becoming his OC. Wait, no, that was awful! He had friends, and a job, and... he just had to finish painting. He turned back to the little figure and blinked at it before shaking his head.

No! He was being forced! What if he didn't want to be a technicolor pony? He glared at the brush he had been using as if it was all its fault. "I'm a human!" His voice was that of a cute colorful pony, not a human. He felt something odd and twisted around. Flared angrily, his wings had deployed to either side.

So long as he didn't finish, he still had time. He could... figure some way... He turned away from the figure even as a strange pain settled over him. Part of him really wanted to finish what he had begun, but he forced himself to leave the room and kicked the door shut with a sudden buck of a hoof. He was a pony... most of a pony. A pegasus. He looked under himself to check, still male at least, if, uh, a pony male.

"Where'd my clothes go?" He realized his clothes were simply gone, absorbed by whatever strange power had gripped him. He could find them by finis-- No! He shook his head violently. "Stop that!"

The patchy, though blue, furred demi-pony moved for the kitchen, trembling a little as he went. "I don't want to be put in a lab forever."
> 2 - A Friendly Face
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"Aqua? You're late."

Aqua heard the clip-clop of a pony approaching from the front door and turned in surprise to see a new pony before him. She was grey maned and looked at him with a cool and composed expression. He knew that pony. It was Octavia.

"You look unsettled." Octavia tilted her head faintly. "Are you well?"

Why was she acting like she already knew him? Did she? "Oh, um, just a short night, hey... I'm being a little scatterbrained right now. What am I late for?"

She sighed with clear exasperation. "Our practice at three. Aqua, are you sure you're alright? You're usually more timely than this." She pointed to Aqua's flank. "I know you have your hobbies, but this is music we're talking about."

Aqua peeked at his flank to see that a mark could be spotted if one looked closely enough. Was that a scroll? And a mu... oh, of course. He made up his OC when he was making pony music, so... He let out a sudden fit of laughter. The absurdity of it all. "Do we... do we do it often?"

Octavia raised a brow. "Of course we do." She sounded like a refined british woman. "How can we get our performances just right without practice?"

Aqua sank a little. "Octavia... may I confide in you?"

She blinked at the request before taking an uncertain step forward. "Of course you can. What's wrong?"

"I..." I'm a human damn it, or so Aqua thought in his head. "I'm not who you think I am."

"Oh?" She raised the other brow, switching. "Having second thoughts about the show? Are you nervous? It's alright, we--"

"Not like that!" Wait, he had a show to put on? "You probably don't understand, but I'm not a pony."

Her eyes swept over him. "You are looking a little rough around the edges. If you need to take the day off, please, go ahead. We need you in top form. Everypony has to do their part to make the performance go well." She gave a little smile. "Do you require anything?"

Did she really not see the mess he was in? Even for a pony he was still a horror show, with patchy fur, uneven posture, half-formed snout... He was half a pony, half a human. She seemed blind to the specifics, just that he might be unwell. Well... fine... "I think I just need some time to think."

"Lay down." She pointed towards his bedroom. "I'll come back later with a few supplies. You really are unwell." She turned and departed even as Aqua stuttered in reply. The door closed behind her and he realized something else wrong.

How had she just... Where did she come from? Shouldn't her presence outside his house be a big deal? Or he could be painting right now and... "No!" He stomped a hoof angrily at the foreign thought. "You can't make me!"

Aqua licked over his changed lips before he sat down awkwardly. It took a moment to figure out sitting as a demi-pony. "Keep it together. There has to be something I can do..." He looked up to the dining room table. That's where he had left it... That wasn't his table. He frowned at the table which was decorated in the colorful fashion that would make any pony proud. "This isn't my table!"

His shout didn't make his table come back. "Where's my phone?!" He had left it on the table, but there wasn't anything there he needed anymore. He was without a phone... "Fine..." He sank, feeling defeated. So much for calling anybody for help. Maybe his mom wasn't so crazy when she suggested getting a landline to go with his cellphone. He let out a bitter little laugh thinking back in it. "Like anybody needs those anymore..." He sure could use one...

Blonde, her mane should be blonde... Aqua looked back towards his room a moment before scrunching his eyes shut and shaking his head. Would it be so bad being a pony? "Yes!"

Why?

They weren't thoughts, not exactly, but he could hear the question being posed. "I have a life."

You like ponies, don't you?

"I like having hands." He raised a hoof up, shaking. "I like my friends, and my family's gonna freak out."

You won't hurt them.

"You're saying that!" Who was he arguing with? He looked around but couldn't see any source of the thoughts he was replying to. He marched with determination to his television and reached for the... remote designed for human fingers. He mashed at it with his new hooves a moment before he managed to at least hit the power button and it came to life. Words appeared on the otherwise blank screen.



This works just as well.



Aqua felt his hackles rise and actually hissed at the screen. At least he had something to focus on. "Stop controlling me."



What if I told you that you were needed.



"I'm needed right here..."



You won't be missed.



That was a cold statement, and Aqua gaped at the screen a moment.



It's true. You will create no sadness. This, I swear. Is this new life that horrifying?



"Who are you?!"

That it didn't answer, leaving Aqua staring balefully at the words. "Fine, why this? Why? I don't want to be a pony."



You'll grow to like it. Don't you want to test out those wings?



They spread on being mentioned and Aqua looked back at them, feeling their heft and alien muscles. Soaring through the sky with them... could he sit on a cloud? What did that... "That's beside the point.



Did you dislike your friend? She's worried about you.



Aqua felt his ears twitch a little. They were still mostly human, unable to spin around, but they tried. "Octavia's nice enough. How--"



She could be more than friends, if you play your cards right.



Aqua felt blood rush to his cheeks. "I'm not a clopper!"



Your browser history implies differently.



Aqua took a step back. "How? What!? I was just looking! It's the Internet..." The words felt hollow even in his own words.

The screen suddenly turned itself off. He was alone with his thoughts. Did he think of ponies that way? Well, he was on-- "No!" He shook his head. "I'm a human."

A human with hooves, apparently. A human with a brightly colored tail. Aqua stormed back to his room suddenly and glared at the figure. He grabbed the figure with a hoof, but that failed entirely, so he took it in his mouth. "I'll break you to pieces! That'll..."
> 3 - Drop the Beat
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

He considered smashing it in his mouth, but it was made of metal, no, pewter. Did pewter have lead? He thought not, but why take chances with that? He gave a rough twist of his neck and let it go, flying for the far wall in a blur of speed.

But it never struck. It was held in glowing magic a few inches from its destruction.

He turned to see the source of its salvation to see Octavia and Vinyl Scratch looking at him. Octavia looked a little worried, while Vinyl's head bobbed to some unseen music. Her horn glowed, clearly the source of the interference.

"Aqua... I'm sorry." Octavia approached slowly. "This was my idea, and my fault. I just thought... You deserved the recognition."

Her words confused him. "W-what? What was your idea?"

"Why, you joining us, for this performance." She tilted her head faintly. "Did you really forget?" She raised a hoof to touch his cheek gently. "After all that work composing..."

"Composing?"

Vinyl nodded her head, outside her gentle bobbing.

"Of course." Octavia nodded as well. "We love performing, but you've given us so much music to do it with. I love the classics as much as any mare, but you... You kept it new."

Who had he replaced? What pony was it that he had slipped into the life of? This could be a tragedy for two people, not just one. 

Vinyl gave an emphatic hooves up at Octavia's words.

Octavia smiled gently. "Look, if you don't feel up for it, consider it canceled. Your health and well-being are far more important to both of us." Vinyl nodded in agreement. "After all this songwriting... I thought you might like to perform, just once..."

Aqua had composed before, but that was all he had done. He didn't know how to play any instrument, and last he had checked, his voice was fit only to raise the dead. Had the real Aqua been as 'talented' when it came to actually performing? "Hey, look, thanks." He didn't hold anything against Octavia or Vinyl. They seemed like nice ponies, and he liked them before he even met them in the flesh, or fur. He realized he had a chance. "I don't suppose..." He started blushing. "Could you?"

Octavia examined his colored face a moment before it seemed to come to her. She drew out her cello from nowhere in particular and rose to operate it. Despite being a quadrupedal animal, she looked quite natural as she tuned it with deft motions of her hooves. Vinyl took off her earphones suddenly, clearly listening to Octavia as she prepared.

With the gentle sound of wood and the vibration of those strings, she drew the bow across the cello and began a song. It was hauntingly enchanting and he let out a slow sigh as he listened to the notes issue forth under the expert guidance of the talented player. Vinyl was bobbing her head, in tune to the cello's music instead of whatever music she listened to.

Suddenly something dropped on his head. It was the figure. Vinyl nodded at him. He accepted the figure with a little sigh. He could smash it later. For now... He wanted to know more. "Thank you, both of you."

Octavia drew to a slow stop in her song and looked down at Aqua. "Feeling better?" A little smile graced her dignified features. "Good. Now, we've brought some treats to help you recover, playing or not."

Vinyl's horn glowed as she produced several containers and her headphones slipped back on. Octavia dropped to all fours as she put her cello away carefully, then took one of those containers. "Some hot soup will help, but you simply must go to bed. Sick or not, you're clearly unwell. You need to rest."

Aqua looked to Vinyl. Was she really mute? "Can you talk?"

She blinked at him a moment, an uneasy silence in the room building a moment. "... yeah?"

Octavia cleared her throat softly. "You really have taken leave of yourself. Vinyl prefers to not speak. She prefers the language of music."

Vinyl gave a hooves-up at Octavia's words.

"And, in this case... I think she was correct. Music is what spoke to you, when all my words failed."

Aqua felt warmth burning in his cheeks. She played wonderfully. It really... It had eased him. "There's something to be said for that." Nevermind the fact that he was speaking to two ponies from a show he liked. They were even cooler in person than figures in a television show. "I'm... probably going to ask a lot of questions, please don't be offended by them."

Vinyl shrugged softly as her horn glowed and he was tugged a little towards his room. He was being tucked in by them, want it or not.

He let out a resigned sigh and got to walking. They meant well, they really did. If laying down would make them happier... "How long have we been friends?"

Octavia raised a brow as she followed along. "Well, we've been acquaintances for about a decade, but I wouldn't use that term for our relationship until about six months ago."

He glanced back to Vinyl. "About the same?"

She shrugged and wobbled a hoof. Close enough.

Octavia pulled back the sheet from his bed. His bed looked unchanged, a bastion of his human life. The ponies were entirely unaware of anything odd as she worked to direct him up onto it. "Have you truly forgotten everything?"

He could lie, but they weren't stupid, or so he figured. They would learn he was fibbing quickly enough. "Yes."

Octavia looked a little hurt. "Everything?"

Oh snap. Had he, er, Aqua, said something important? "I know I like you two."

She smiled thinly. "It's good to have friends. Now, rest here, eat up." She set the Tupperware beside him. "I'll check in on you in the morning. You don't worry about the show, we'll handle it."

She walked out a little stiffly, and Vinyl didn't follow her. She just looked at him, head bobbing to whatever music she was listening to.

"Did I just mess up?"

Vinyl nodded.

"Can you tell me how?"

Vinyl took off her headset and dropped it on Aqua's head, mid-song. ~--ever gonna leave you,~ sung out. ~Always gonna be there for you, baby!~ She took the headset back and plopped it back on her head with magic.

Were Aqua and Octavia? "Were... Are we?"

Vinyl flashed a bright smile, but said nothing. The swish of her tail seemed lively and mischievous.

"Come on, tell me more than that, please. I'm begging." He put his hooves together and waved them at Vinyl.

She seemed to consider a long moment before her horn flashed, then began to glow, moving the headset back over. ~I would do anything... anything at all to be with youuuuuuu~ She popped the headset off.

"Is... that what she feels?"

Vinyl shrugged softly, then pointed at him.

"That's how I felt?"

She nodded.

"Did... she know?"

She shrugged and wobbled a hoof.

Aqua popped open the Tupperware, thoughts bouncing around in his head. Who was Aqua, the pony, that he had...  That soup smelled delicious, if unidentified. It wasn't chicken, which made sense. Whatever it was, he wanted it. He slurped it down quickly and settled with a warm happiness in his belly. "Did you make that?"

Vinyl shook her head.

Why was Vinyl staying? "I... is there something I forgot about you too?"

She shrugged a little, but it seemed less sure, as shrugs went. The way her tail flicked as she did it...

"Were we?"

She colored a little and shook her head then got a curious expression as she lifted her headset and returned it to him. There were no words, it just sounded like a bad porno track.

He had to laugh. He had just suggested he was involved with the both of them. Perhaps he deserved that. "Sorry, forgive me. I'm just.., trying to figure out where everything is."

She gave a hooves up, smiling with obvious good humor about the whole thing.

"If you see Octavia, please tell her I said I'm sorry." Would sorry make much different in that situation? "Hey, she shared her music... You want to?"

She nodded and walked away suddenly, only to return from the front room with a small black box that she set on the ground and stepped on. It suddenly unfolded into a full DJ station, ready to go and strobing with bright lights. She ran her hooves over it with obvious affection before looking up at Aqua.

He gave a... hooves up. It wasn't like he had a thumb anymore, and he had seen her do it enough times.

She nodded and began a remix, scratching as her name dictated and mixing together musics in a bit of a jangled and confused mess. It... It was a song just for him. It perfectly represented the confused mess he was at the moment. She broke away from that and played a lively beat that had two sub-rhythms in it, approaching a slower one that made uncertain noises. One of the beats wavered away, but one of the beats continued along with the slow one.

Aqua smiled a little. Vinyl was playing their meeting. "I really am being the slow one right now."

She shrugged.

"I'll try to be better." Would he? He... had a life to get back to. Who was he to be making promises to these mares that he might not even be around to fulfill or break?

She accepted it though, nodding as her horn glowed and the entire DJ set folded back up into a box. 

She reached into a pocket and pulled out a vinyl record that seemed too large to fit there and held it out to him.

"What's this?" He raised a brow high.

She just held it out.

He accepted it with a sigh. "I'll try it out. Hey, look, I get it. I was at least talking to Octavia fondly. Why are you here? I mean, not that I'm upset that you are. You see--"

She had dropped the headphones back on him. ~I would do anything for a friend.~ She popped it off of him and slipped it back on, nodding at him firmly, as if an important message had been related.

Perhaps one had. He smiled at her. She was a good friend, looking after Octavia's interests like that. "Look, whether I figure this out or not, I hope we can be friends."

She smiled and nodded as she tucked away the black box. She set a second Tupperware on the end table, but when he reached for it, she gently slapped his hoof with her magic. She pointed at the bed, then at Aqua directly.

"You too?"

She nodded.

He snuggled into his familiar sheets after he set the record on the whimsical-looking end-table beside the bed. So long as he didn't finish the figure, he had time to figure this out. He closed his eyes and heard Vinyl walking away after a moment.

He had a lot to learn, one way or the other.
> 4 - Origins
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aqua woke to a quiet house and sat up in his bed, his lovely, unchanged, bed. The fact that it, and many other pieces of furniture, hadn't changed more since he had gone to sleep encouraged him. He still had time, and a choice. He slipped down to his hooves and slowly lifted and lowered each leg. Being a pony felt odd. Not bad, per se, but odd...

The sleep had worked well for him. He felt less in a blind panic. He had control. He could smash the figure, or paint it. There was a choice... He took a slow breath before he looked back to his end-table, spotting the container of soup and the record left for him. He discovered whatever soup it was, it was better warm. It wasn't bad cold, but definitely better when fresh. Octavia was nice to make it at all for him...

He strode towards the living room while frowning. "Hey, voice, words, whatever you are. Are you there?"

It might be.

"Good." He flicked on the television with less fumbling. Hooves really weren't built for human remotes, though he doubted it would remain a human remote if he proceeded. "I want some answers. Are you ready to talk?"



I am always here.



Aqua raised a brow. That was kind of creepy. "Alright, fine. What happened to Aqua, the real Aqua."



Are you certain you want to know?



"He's a pony. What's the worst that happened to him? Did he get lost somewhere? Am I... him? Did I take over his body?"

A knock, loud and crisp, was the reply. Aqua jumped in surprise and turned to the door, heart pounding in his chest. He glanced at the television, but it was blank of even his previous answers. With building dread he approached the door. "If this is Aqua, I'm sorry for butting in..." He fumbled with the handle, discovering that hooves were also bad at that.

Fortunately, whoever was on the other side heard him jiggling it and with a glow of magic, it turned, revealing Twilight Sparkle standing there. The world outside was a confusing mess. He could see a car go by with a pony-drawn cart just behind it. There was a sidewalk and green grass and bright flowers and someone's car parked on a lawn.

"May I come in?" Twilight looked uncertain, smiling nervously.

Aqua backed up slowly. It was the Twilight Sparkle, with wings, so princess... "Y-yeah... Come in."

She nodded as she entered, horn glowing as she pulled the door shut behind herself. "I imagine you must be terribly confused... First, allow me to both welcome you to Equestria and extend a hoof in apology for the manner in which you were brought here."

Aqua crashed down to his haunches, the confusion only growing. "Twilight, I... do you know what's going on?"

"You know me?" Twilight tilted her head faintly. "Oh, it must be the mane style. Those often survive the translation... Yes, I do. It's... It was my doing, but hear me out! It was for a good reason."

Aqua nodded slowly. He opened his mouth to argue about translations, but that was as good a reason as any. "I do know you, Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship, Element of Magic." It was really the Twilight he was speaking to. It was very exciting, but... "You did this?"

Twilight took a slow breath. "You look a bit shaken, and this isn't... good news I'm bringing. Are you sure I should continue?"

Aqua thrust out a hoof. "Please! I want to know."

Twilight nodded. "Very well. Are you aware of the basic idea of multiverse?"

"The basic idea?" Aqua wobbled a hoof. "Everything that could be, is, somewhere."

"That's the basic idea." Twilight nodded. "And enough for our purposes. The Aqua in our world... He..."

Whatever she was trying to say, it wasn't coming out, and Twilight was looking more and more uncomfortable. "What happened to him?"

Twilight looked away. "He took his own life..."

Aqua went still, ice encasing his heart.

"Nopony knew he was even sad. One day he didn't show up where he should... Lyra stopped by, as a member of his musical friends, and... she found him... In a panic, she came to me..."

It was starting to make a terrible sense to Aqua, but... "Why?"

Twilight smiled sadly. "We don't know what was troubling him, and he's beyond our reach to ask. Are... I mean..." She glanced away again. "Look, you didn't ask to be here. I don't... If you want to go back, I will do so. I will send you home with the deepest of apologies."

She sounded terrified. She was worried he would be next, that all Aquas were equally ready to throw their lives away, that she would be the cause for this next one. Aqua reached out for her, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "I'm not mad." And he wasn't, not really. The teary unicorn, er, alicorn seemed impossible to really be mad at, besides... "You can really send me back?"

She bobbed her head quickly. "Oh, yes! You haven't stabilized, so the right spell should knock you one way or the other." She began to perk up. "You're not angry at me?"

"Why?" Aqua sat up. "Your friend died, but why would you go looking for a replacement like that?"

Twilight hissed out a breath. "He... had a marefriend, one who he was growing quite close to... We... I'm so sorry, this was wrong. I'll send you back." Her horn began to glow, but he put a hoof on it, snuffing out the magic.

"I want to know more, please. Was this Octavia?"

Twilight blushed faintly. "That's... that's her. Sweet Celestia, what was I thinking? I bet... you don't even know who she is, really. Some strange mare acting that way..." She brought up a hoof in a loud clop against her face. "Stupid..."

So there it was. If he stayed, he would be the replacement boyfriend, er, coltfriend of Octavia. He would be embracing his fur coat and a life on four hooves. He would be saying goodbye to everyone he knew in a way that they wouldn't ever hear, unless... "Twilight?"

"Hmm?"

"Look at this." He turned, rising to his hooves and leading the way back to his work room where the figure rested, waiting to be finished. "Do you know what that is?"

Twilight leaned off to the right. "It looked like a little statue, partially painted. Why?"

"Don't let me finish it." He grabbed the brush where it was abandoned and dipped it in some paint before touching it to an unpainted portion of the figure. Alien pleasure coursed through him as bones began to reshape like wax, bringing him closer to being a full pony.

Twilight gasped with amazement. "You're stabilizing!" She saw him touch the brush again, lost in the reverie of creation and dooming himself to ponydom. Her magic pulled his face away and, with that, the spell broke. "Fascinating. I suppose I don't need a spell... if you're staying."

He spat out the brush and glared at the figure as if it were its fault, which maybe it was. "I have a different idea."

"Oh?"

He pointed at the figure. "I have more than one of those. I don't... Am I allowed to go back, and think about this?" If he did want to come to ponyland, er Equestria, he would want to say his goodbyes, not just...

Twilight seemed to consider that. "If it means you might agree, then... yes. I'll do my best to keep the way open for you."

"Twilight?"

"Hmm?"

"You do know I'm not a pony, right?"

Twilight raised a brow. "If my calculations are correct, you're a student from Canterlot High."

Aqua frowned a little. "Your calculations are a little off..."

Twilight looked a little alarmed at that, she recoiled back, then stopped. "But you know what Canterlot High is... Wait, are you Aqua?"

Aqua quirked a grin at that. "That's a better question... Not... really?"

Twilight crashed to her haunches. "I messed up... We should get you home right away. I'm so sorry!"

Aqua shook his head as he looked around his house. His painting had caused it to slip closer to its pony form and away from his old life. "Aqua was, in my world, a story. I made him up, as my 'ponysona', the part of me that loved to create, especially music."

Twilight licked over her lips. "And now... This must be so confusing for you." She let out a thunderous sigh. "This would be confusing for anypony..." She glanced towards the door. "Octavia could stop by at any moment... Wait, did you already meet her?"

"I did..." Aqua glanced towards his bedroom where the record was still waiting. "She and her friend were good people, er, ponies."

"But you don't love her."

How could he love anyone, especially a mare, that he had literally just met? "I'd like to know her." The words came from him before he thought of them and he blushed softly. He really did want to know her, and Vinyl, and Twilight, as real people, not just two dimensional images...

Twilight misunderstood his expression. "Great! I'll just stabilize y--"

"No! I have things I need to do." A thought came to him. "What do I look like, you know, um, not stable?"

Twilight looked him up and down. "You have a fuzzy edge, like you're not quite focused in a camera? A lot of your home is the same way, but it's easy to miss if you're not looking for it. It's grown less present since you started painting the little figure." She pointed off towards it. "Why, what do you see? Dear Celestia, you must be so disoriented if we all look blurry!"

Aqua shook his head. "For me, it's different. Some things are like home, some things look like they belong to ponies, and the more I paint, the more it looks like it belongs in Equestria, myself included. Twilight... even if I agree to this, is it right to lie to Octavia like this?"

Twilight bit her bottom lip a moment. "N-no... I suppose it isn't..."

It was a bad idea, for good reasons. Aqua opened his mouth to give his opinion when the front door opened, admitting Octavia into the house with a bag slung over her shoulder. "Aqua? Are you--Oh! Princess Twilight! I didn't expect you here."

She approached the two of them even as Twilight began to look more and more nervous.

Aqua looked between the two. "Octavia?"

"Yes, Aqua? You look better today. Did you enjoy the soup?"

"I loved every drop." Aqua smiled at the musical earth pony. "I need to go away for a few days, to get my head on straight."

Octavia raised an ear at him. "Are you certain that's wise? If you would like to simply relax..."

"I'm sure. Octavia, I'll come back, promise." He'd come back and say goodbye to this new life, if he had to. On a sudden whim he leaned in and kissed her warming cheek gently.

Before she could reply, he suddenly grabbed the figure from the table and dashed it against the wall. There was no magic grabbing it that time. 

It shattered on impact.
> 5 - To Awaken
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Aqua, no... George. He was George. He woke up in his bed, dizzy and groggy. It was.... still? It was morning. Was it all a very lucid dream? He staggered from bed and went into his workroom to find the Ponyfinder book was were he left it as were two of the three figures he had purchased. The last was broken into pieces on the ground, dashed by a violent throw.

A throw he had performed. "Shit..."

George reached down to pick up the figure, but it moved out of his grasp before he could get a grip on it. It danced in the air a moment as he watched it with wide eyes. Was he haunted now? "What the hell?"

The figure rose up, floating, and grinded against the wall, leaving a mark as it went as it was employed as the oddest-shaped pencil he'd ever saw.



Are you there?



"Y-yes?" There was no reply. George frowned and reached for the figure. That time it didn't dance away and he made his own words on the wall.



I'm here. Is this Twilight?





Octavia, though Twilight is here. She keeps insisting it would be... easier to do with her horn, but I have to do this. Aqua, what happened?



George drew a sharp breath as he watched the words slowly be written out by what he imagined was a very talented hoof, but still a hoof. What did he tell her, exactly? He reached for the figure and there was a moment of resistance before he was holding it. It was as close as he could get to touching either of them while he was in the human world. The broken figure was some kind of connecting point, it seemed. It was both here and there.



I'm alright. Come back in a day. I have to do some things.



The figure jumped out of his hand and began writing quickly and smoothly.



Aqua, this is Twilight. I'll make sure your house is taken care of. Whatever you have to do, be safe.



For a dimension-hopping kidnapper, Twilight was pretty nice. George smiled a little and turned away to look at his house. It was the way it should be, minus having words scribbled on one of the walls. He could go to work, if he wanted. He could call his friends. He could call his parents, though calling either of them would result in more confusion than anything else, with him calling when he'd normally be at work for no real reason...

Should he be burying that figure in the backyard and pretending it never happened?

He decided work was probably the best thing. No matter what, he shouldn't just... not show up. He washed, dressed, ate, and was soon out the door in the bright sun of California. It was a fine time to sell some records. He grinned a little as he went. He worked for one of the last dying record stores around. With the advent of digital everything, less people were interested in physical media. Less, but not none. He wondered a moment what Vinyl would think of that.

"Never gonna give you up," he sang as he went, imagining a musical reply to the question. He had never figured Vinyl would communicate that way, but it seemed to suit her just fine.

It wasn't a long drive to work, and he pulled up to see it wasn't yet open, which was typical. Opening it was part of his job. He got to work setting up the shop for a day's business as he put on his headphones and pressed the button. "Call Richard."

The phone beeped and soon he was patched to his friend. "Hey man, what's up?"

"I've had the strangest day on record, and I need to talk about it with someone before I scream." He didn't look like he was freaking out, straightening out and getting ready for the day, but he was good at keeping things inside when he wanted to. "You got a minute?"

"For you man, anything. How'd that horse party go?"

"Pony convention. It was great." George rolled his eyes. "About that... I think I mighta got something from there."

"No way!" Richard laughed on the phone. "My boy George got himself some? It's alright man, catching things is just a part of the haz--"

"Not like that, ass." George frowned a little as he pulled open the door, admitting any potential customers inside. "Think more like crazy artifacts. Magic, voodoo, whatever you want to call it."

"If it was anyone else, I'd be laughing harder. Alright G-man, tell me what has you seeing ghosts."

"Alright, so, do you know anything about the show?"

"Which show?"

"My Little Pony."

"A weak-ass show for little girls and men that like to pretend they're little girls."

George rolled his eyes. Maybe Richard wasn't the best person to call. "You ever watch it?"

"Look, you like it, and that's cool man, but that ain't my speed. So what'd you call for? Not to try to make me a brony too, I hope?"

"I'll call you back, some customers are coming in." He pressed the button and it became quiet. There were no customers, but... Richard wasn't helping. He liked Richard, as a friend, but he was a bit of an ass, and didn't get the 'pony' thing. He was, however, the only friend he could just call in the middle of the day and not be asleep or working.

George had a sudden idea. He went over to the cash register/computer and quickly pulled up a browser. Soon he was on a pony forum where he got to typing.



If you had the chance to go to Equestria and be Octavia's coltfriend, would you do it?





Luna or no deal.





Forget Octavia, Vinyl's where it's at.





This is a stupid question and it's been asked a thousand times before with a different pony each time.



The thread was going nowhere in record time. Perhaps he should better define the situation.



Alright, a pony kills itself and you get picked to take their place. You get their house, their job, their friends and even their marefriend. You get it all, but you can't be a pony and a human at the same time. What do?





Why would a pony do that?



The conversation derailed pretty hard as they started to argue over the basic idea that a pony could ever be so sad as to kill itself. The usual trolls showed up with loud declarations that all ponies should kill themselves and end the problem.

The thread wasn't producing anything useful and George was getting ready to browse away when he noticed he had a private message waiting for him.

He opened it up to see it had come from 'The Text'.



Where do you want to go?



George raised a brow at the cryptic and short message. Was it a joke? He typed out a quick reply as he glanced to the door in case a customer wandered in.



Nowhere. I'm just figuring things out, why? Are you on the thread?





We've met before. You have a fine life here, but it's missing something.





Something solved by Equestria?





There are worse places to go.



George looked up to a cleared throat. A customer had snuck up on him. He smiled and offered to help and refocused on what he was being paid to be there to do. He didn't stray back and kept focused on his job until it was lunch time. His relief had arrived, who was also his boss. With a passing high-five, he stepped out to get something to eat, and maybe to get some things straight in his head.

Maybe... He made a quick call.

"George?"

"Hi mom, sorry to call out of the blue."

"No no, I mean, hello! I just wasn't expecting it. How are you?" Her voice sounded a little strained. He was probably interrupting something.

Rather than bother her, he cut it off. "I gotta go, but hey, uh, love you."

"Love you too dear."

She hung up.

He let the phone dangle in his arm as he waited his turn for food in the form of an extra large burrito. Ponies made great soups, but they didn't know what they were missing when it came to meat. He tore into the pork-filled pouch of beans, rice, cheese, and other things with a relish, letting out a satisfied groan.

They probably made great cakes too, if the show was to be believed. Really, anything that wasn't outright meat. He frowned a little in thought. Alright, it was time to be logical about it. He opened a notepad on his phone and made two columns. Pros. Cons.

Pro: He gets a girlfriend.
Con: He barely knows said girlfriend.
Pro: He gets new friends.
Con: He loses his old friends.
He gets to be a pony. That one he drew right in the center with a few question marks. Was that good or bad?
Con: No fingers!
Pro: Wings.

His phone suddenly began to ring. Peeking at his phone he saw it was another of his friends. "Hey Rob, what's up?"

"George, man. Richard said you called him ranting about ponies. What's up?"

Bob was a brony, much like him. Maybe he'd understand. "Bob, if you had a chance to go to Equestria, would you?"

"What, like, forever? Wait, is this, you know, hypothetical? Why'd you call Rich for that? You know what his answer would be."

George quirked a smile. "It was early and I figured you didn't want me calling then."

"Well it isn't morning anymore. Look, you sound a little shook up, where are you?"

George glanced up. "TexMex, just south of the train."

"I know the place. I'll be right there." He hung up.

Robert was there quickly, pushing open the door with a huff of breath before he set eyes on the eating George and approached quickly. "Alright, so what's going on?"

His speed was a bit confusing to George. "Don't you have work too?"

Rob waved it off. "Forget work. This is about you."

Did he care that much? That... was actually kind of touching. George smiled a little. "Promise to assume I'm not lying or crazy?"

Rob pulled up a chair and settled on it. "Any story that starts with that has to be good. Out with it man. I promise."

"So I was at the con..." George ran down his obtaining of the cursed, or magic, or whatever figures. "Should have known from the way he was grinning and moving. He was too eager to sell me... So I had it, and I went home."

"Right away?"

"No, after the con, but yeah, there I was, home." George let out a sigh. "When I started painting, something happened. This is where it gets crazy, because I was in Equestria."

Bob nodded slowly. "Then... how are you back here, eating that, and talking to me about it?"

It wasn't a bad question. "I didn't finish that painting. When I broke the figure, I ended up back here."

Rob glanced left and right. "You're not shitting me?"
> 6 - Together
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Robert leaned back in his chair. "That's pretty messed up. Why'd you come back though?"

George raised a brow at that. "What was the alternative, just... fade away? Poof, one day I was there, the next, gone. I have a job, friends, family."

Bob seemed less than impressed. "You get to be a magical horse in magical horse land. You like Richard that much you wanted to come back for him?"

"Not all of us are irresponsible jerks." George frowned as he stuffed the last bit of tasty not-mexican snack into his mouth. "Anyway, where are you going with this?"

"Well, you said you had two figures left, so..." His features lit up with hope. "Take me with you?"

George rose to his feet. "A: I'm not sure it works that way. B: You have a life too. C: Were you even listening to my situation or were you blinded by the idea of visiting Equestria?"

"I heard it, I just don't see the issue." He rolled a hand as he rose up to match George. "Go, marry the pony, and make with the little ponies. Win/win all around. She already thinks you have amnesia, so you have the perfect excuse for not knowing a damn thing. Shoot, you even have a perfect pony body all lined up."

A few people were glancing at their genuinely strange conversation. George decided to make it a moving event and began his way back towards work. "I'm not going to lie to her like that. The next time I'm there, I'm telling her the truth, even if her friends still haven't."

"Oh, hey, your boyfriend offed himself. I'm your cheap replacement." Robert rolled his eyes as he followed along. "I doubt that will go well."

"Better than living a lie forever." George shook his head. "Maybe we can just be friends, or maybe she'll avoid me forever just to not see her boyfriend's dead face."

"Or... Look, that's your choice, so..." He rolled a hand. "Can I hitch a ride?"

"I only have two figures left. I need them." If they even worked. There was no assurance either way. "Besides, you're ditching everything just to be here. Go back to work."

"Right right, anything you say boss." Robert held up his hands and backed away. He left, giving George back his peace.

George finished his own day of work, dispensing records, vinyl and plastic, to music fans. He liked his job. He liked music. Being able to help match people up with the music they liked? He liked it. The store wasn't closed.

With the boss in, he'd do the closing, so they parted with a friendly wave. As bosses went, his was pretty nice. He'd definitely want to say bye, at least, if he left at all. "Say, man, if I wanted to move to another country, what'd you say?"

His boss looked confused at the question. "What, Canada? I mean, it's your choice, but I'd miss having you around. It's nice having a worker that takes the job seriously instead of an excuse to waste a few hours."

"But if I did, just theoretically, it wouldn't be the end of the world, right?"

He leaned in suddenly. "Y... Look, you do what you need to do, but you're always welcome here, and your work's appreciated."

On that awkward note, George left. That barely felt like an answer, but prying felt even odder, so off he went to his car and climbed in. If he went away, his boss would find someone, maybe even someone good, but it'd probably take a few tries to stick. He let out a slow breath and turned the key, getting the car in motion.

He rolled down the streets towards his house. He considered grabbing something for dinner along the way, but the mood just wasn't there. Ah, home. It was curious how 'home' was still home, pony land or not. They just shared the same place, separated by a universe or three.

Climbing out of the car, he locked up and headed up to his door. When he turned his home key, he noticed a lack of resistance in unlocking. Suddenly alert, he also saw signs that someone had forced themselves in. He shoved the door open and... everything was where it should be. His television was untouched. His stereo, fine. Computer, check.

... His figures, not so check. One of them was pulled up to where someone could access it easily while sitting and was painted, poorly, but painted. "Rob..." Had his 'friend' just broken in to get to Equestria?

That complicated things, with only one untouched figure remaining. One more visit, and he'd have to make his final decision...

He looked to the wall where he was communicating and saw new words.



Aqua? Is that you? W

 It cut off there, a trail of a mark going off. What had his friend done? It looked like Twilight's writing. He couldn't imagine his friend, as a new pony, was any real threat to Twilight, though if he reacted with immediate violence when she wasn't expecting it?

George put a hand to his head. The entire situation felt out of his control, but was ultimately his responsibility. He wouldn't leave Twilight, Octavia, Vinyl, or any of the other ponies in a bind like that.

If he went to look, it would be his last trip, one way or the other.

His phone suddenly rang. It was Richard. "Hey, what's up with you ponyfags today?"

"What?"

"What do you mean, 'what?'. You call me first ranting about your horses, then Bob gets all interested and hangs up on me and hasn't picked up all day. Are you forming some kind of pony cult? Look, be hon--"

"No cult." He frowned against the phone. "Look, Richard... I might be going away for a... maybe forever. Take--"

"The hell? You being kidnapped by aliens?"

George quirked a smile at that. "That works." He hung up. He quickly typed out a text message to everyone he knew well, telling them he may be pursuing an opportunity that required he move quickly, but that he was safe and he wished them well. It likely wouldn't answer their questions, but it was better than... nothing.

With hands quaking with nervousness, he grabbed his bottles of paint, even the ones Bob must have knocked over in his haste, and got to work. He had friends to protect, even if they had four hooves.
> 7 - Last Journey to Equestria
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

George tried to calm himself. He wasn't sure if the care of painting the figure mattered at all, but it could, and it was his last chance. The last figure that was left was a unicorn. Amusingly, he had planned to give the blasted thing to Rob. So much for that...

He added the colors carefully, but he could feel the change almost immediately. He wasn't swept away in the art of creation, and he could feel the changes coming. His feet went first, becoming hooves, and a long tail sprouted as he worked. His ears went fuzzy and long as they pulled up to the top of his head. It should have hurt, but all he felt was good.

It was almost too good. He squirmed in place a little before forcing himself to continue, rendering the pony to colored life as he became more and more his ponysona. The world around him shifted with each stroke as he lost touch with the human world and came closer and closer to Equestria. He fell over, not with surprise, but from simple fact that his altering body wouldn't support his stance.

He felt good... He felt like... It was hard to describe, but everything felt new and alive and healthy. He wanted so badly to finish what he was doing, to bring the pony to life, and to be a pony himself. He trembled as he picked up the brush in his mouth, but he didn't paint. Glancing around, he could see that he was close enough to Equestria to interact with it. Perhaps he could...

He spat out the brush with a huff, wings ruffling on his back. He was almost entirely a pony. A few naked patches of fur-less hide was all that held him back. Perhaps he had gotten more sucked into painting than he had figured. He was effectively a pony... He turned and looked at himself, spreading one wing than the other. He was a pegasus, his pegasus.

What had Robert become?

He let out a slow sigh and made for the door. He had to find out. What he saw on the way was not encouraging, however.

It looked like a fight had broken out in his house, leaving a trail of strewn furniture and knick knacks all the way to the door. That it hadn't affected the human world made sense enough. They weren't... literally... the same house. Only the discarded, broken, figure was tied between them, though he figured the other miniatures were also bound between worlds.

As he walked past, words appeared on the wall.



A great hero. I like how his story is unfolding, do continue.



Geo... Aqua. He was Aqua, for better or worse, unless he decided to smash the figure and leave Equestria forever. He turned to the writing with a frown.



Will you give up your dream? You can still make good those aspirations. You could still have a happy ending.



"What I want doesn't matter." He turned away from the words. "The ponies don't deserve this..." If he had to throw both himself and Robert home, never to see  Equestria, just to keep them safe, well... fine.



So ready to sacrifice. You're already dead inside, aren't you? That's why the Aqua of this world quietly ended things. Perhaps playing the hero will change things for you.



The writing vanished with barely enough time for Aqua to read it. The presence was gone. It was just as well, he had things to do. He pushed open the door of his brightly-colored pony home to find... a perfectly normal Ponyville day.

Ponies wandered with little smiles or serious looks, but none of them looked to be in a panic about anything. They were just living... "Where are they?..." Aqua looked left and right. He didn't know where anyone was in ref... Oh.

Twilight's home, her castle, was easy enough to find, jutting from the horizon in gaudy glory. It was hard to miss. Perhaps answers would be had there?

He spread his wings and gave them a testing beat against the air before he began to run forward and caught the wind. He was airborne! He was flying! With wind rushing around him, he burst into a loud laughter, drawing the curious stares of some other ponies, including other pegasi he shared the sky with.

A glow wrapped around him and tried to arrest his movement, but he was going far too fast to stop that way and he popped the field of force basically instantly, but he felt it. He looked down and around and saw Vinyl looking up at him with her red glasses, head bobbing to some beat she was likely listening to.

Turning he managed. Lowering he also managed. Landing... there was the trick. He crashed into the ground before Vinyl and everything went dark for a moment before Vinyl gently pulled him free of the hole he'd made. She hadn't dodged or backed away.

"Hey, Vinyl."

She nodded at him.

"Have you seen Twilight, or Octavia?"

She nodded again, then turned away, starting to lead the way with her bobbing head.

He fell in beside her. "Sorry for the crash."

"You aren't him."

He blinked softly at her words. They weren't... "N-no..."

She smiled a little. "We found him."

What? He tilted his head as he followed along with Vinyl. "Is everyone alright?"

She didn't answer. She led the way to her house, the curious bisected thing that it was with Octavia's on one side, and her own on the other. 

Vinyl pointed at the house silently.

Aqua, or George, he suddenly wasn't sure which was right. Either way, he nodded at Vinyl and approached the house cautiously. "Octavia?" he called out as he got close to the door. He raised a hoof and clopped it against the wood in three firm strikes.

"Coming..." Octavia opened the door and her eyes widened on seeing him. "What? ... Oh... Come to spread your lies, have you? Well, it's too late. He's already told us all we need to know. You can go away." She slammed the door shut in Aqua's face without give him a chance to reply.

George settled on his haunches, baffled a moment.

Vinyl sat beside him and reached out with a hoof, drawing a musical note in the ground. She pointed at the note, then she pointed at George meaningfully.

But what was the meaning? George rose back to his hooves and looked at Vinyl, confusion growing. "I don't understand."

She pointed at the note, then at George. She pulled out the black box she had performed with and pointed at it, then herself, then pointed at George and nodded.

"You want to hear my music?"

She nodded.

George colored at the idea of singing for Vinyl, or performing just about any instrument. "I prefer to write..."

She pointed at the note, then at George.

"T-then I'll write." He began patting himself down when a quill floated over from Vinyl along with a sheet of paper. "Thanks." He smiled as he put the paper to the ground and held the quill in his mouth. It felt oddly natural to hold it like that, and he felt sure he could write if he took his time and let his body translate what he wanted to happen.

Slowly, he formed notes, bars, and musical symbols to reflect the song that he held in his heart. It unfolded the more he wrote. There was a song that had to come out, and, written by mouth or hand, he was going to get it out.

Vinyl was silent as she watched him draw.

When he felt he was done, he sat back and spat out the quill. She reached over for the paper and when he let go of it, her magic plucked it up and she began to read over it. She cleared her throat softly before she began to sing. She sang the song that he had just written.

The door to Octavia's house opened sharply with Octavia peering out at her singing friend. Another pony was just behind her, another Aqua?

Octavia had her hoof over her mouth and was silent as Vinyl sang the sad song. The other Aqua was less amused by it. "Why are we out here? Come on. We have catching up to do." He looked past Octavia to his double beside Vinyl. "You!"

George looked at... was that Bob? It had to be. "What'd you do? Did you hurt Twilight?!"

"What? No!" He nudged Octavia. "See, spreading more lies."

Octavia seemed reluctant to look away from Vinyl. "I-it's true. Twilight is entirely safe."

"Then why does my house look like a hurricane tore through it? What's with the clipped message?"

Bob flared out his wings. "Star-butt was organizing your damn house!"

Octavia glanced over her shoulder. "His house?"

Bob went red with embarrassment and fury combined. "Our house!" Wait, no, that didn't come out right...

Octavia held up a hoof. "I think... it's time we had a conversation. Vinyl, thank you."

Vinyl fell silent and nodded at Octavia, starting to bob to her music gently as if she had never been singing.

Octavia looked to George. "Please, come in..." She backed away from the door.

Bob sputtered in rage. "What? Don't let him in!"

Vinyl strolled into what was her house as well, as did George just behind her.

Octavia moved to the living room and settled on the couch there. "Both of you, come and sit there." She pointed to a patch of floor before her with a rug on it. "We need to talk."

Rob and George settled where she commanded. She looked them over from her elevated seat. "It's... You both look..." She swallowed heavily. "Which of you is the real Aqua? No more games."

Bob raised a hoof instantly. "Me!"

George shook his head. "Neither of us."

Octavia raised a brow faintly then focused on Bob. "How did we meet?"

Bob shrank a bit. "I told you..."

"You have claimed amnesia... I find that story increasingly uncertain. Prove you are Aqua."

George looked to Bob. "Her Aqua is dead." He turned to Octavia. "I'm sorry. I wanted to break this to you in a dozen different..." She was staring at him with a slack jaw. The pain was real, and he was the source. George wanted to die. If that would fix that expression on Octavia's hurt face...

"Don't listen to him. Look, I'm right here?" Bob approached Octavia, only for her to shove a hoof right in his face.

"That's quite close enough... What... who... How?"

George took a slow breath. "He... killed himself." Honesty was the only road open that he saw. "He took his own life. Lyra found him, freaked out, told Twilight. Twilight freaked out..." He looked up at her. "Please don't be angry at them... They wanted to help. They got me instead."

Octavia let out a strained fit of laughter. "Your... Your story is... so absurdly fantastic..." She sank to her couch. "That's why it's true, isn't it?"

Bob thrust a hoof at George. "He's just making it more complicated to make himself look better. Look, I'm not dead, am I?"

"You're also not Aqua." Octavia forced herself to her haunches. "Who are you?"

Vinyl, who had never left, simply walked up towards the increasingly panicked Robert. She made a musical note over her head with her magic, pointed up at it, then at Bob, then nodded.

Bob looked to the other two. "What does she want?"

George knew that one. "She wants you to show her your music."

Octavia gave a shaking nod. "Y-yes, please. Show us... your music." She smiled at Vinyl. "Your music will show us who you are."

Bob recoiled. That wasn't surprising to George. Bob may love the show, but he had no musical talent. Not that he didn't try. He took a breath before he began to sing Smile Smile Smile, wrong notes and all.

Octavia raised a brow softly. "You... aren't Aqua..." That seemed certain to her. She looked to George, then Vinyl. "Vinyl, dear... Where did you get that song you were performing?"

She pointed at George.

Octavia gave a shaking nod, then looked to George. "You wrote that yourself?"

He nodded quickly. "I wrote what I felt."

She gave a little smile. "You're not Aqua either... But I'd like to know you..." She offered a hoof towards him. "When I look at either of you, my heart breaks in half. My poor Aqua... I should have listened better. I should have known the hurts he carried silently. Vinyl, did you know about this?"

Vinyl shook her head even as she bobbed to unheard music.

"I thought not... You would have told me, dear friend." She quirked a smile, then looked towards the two not-Aquas in her home. "I need to... Please leave."

With that, they were seen to the door, and it closed gently behind them.

Robert looked to George with a scowl. "Why'd you do that?! She could have been happy. I would've been happy! Nobody woulda lost, but there you come, ruining everything." He stomped the ground.

George drew a slow breath. "Look, you're in Equestria."

Robert looked around slowly, then down at himself. He spread one wing and then the other. "Yeah... You didn't want me to have this either, but I have it." He flapped suddenly, gaining a few inches of air. "I'll find another mare!" He took off suddenly, leaving George alone.

George's head sank towards the ground. He felt heavy, so heavy. At least he'd done what was right. Octavia wouldn't be lied to her entire life, clinging to a lie desperately. He could imagine her having doubts, but would she ever face them, when they came with the thought that her real love was gone forever? He had done what was... right. He slowly walked back towards his house.

"I'll smash that stupid figure and never bother Equestria again..." He wouldn't force Octavia to look at her dead boyfriend.
> 8 - The Music in You
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

George arrived at his pony home and took a moment to look at it. It was the first time he really had the chance without feeling immediately pressured. It seemed curious to him that a pegasus would live on the ground, Fluttershy excepted, but Aqua had been a creator, and he wanted his creations to sit comfortably on something, so there it was. It was a little larger than a single-pony house needed to be, and brightly colored in complimentary shades to his riot of colors.

It felt like... Aqua's home. For a moment, George wondered if his ponysona had actually constructed the house or not. Putting the thought aside, he brushed the door open with a wing and proceeded inside for the mess he... It wasn't there.

Twilight was though. Everything was put away cleanly, likely triple-organized. She turned to see him and smiled brightly. "Oh, hello there! How did the visit with Octavia go?"

George blinked blankly before it hit him. "I'm not the Aqua you saw before."

"There... is more than one?"

George sighed softly. "The other Aqua you saw was my... He was my friend, but once he heard how I reached Equestria, he took the opportunity."

Twilight put a hoof over her mouth. "He didn't! Oh no! We have to warn Octavia. I mean, you're at least part of Aqua, but your friend..."

George blinked at that. "Part of him? I already told Octavia."

She winced a little. "The way you said that... She knows, doesn't she?"

"Everything."

Twilight sank dismally. "She's going to be so upset with me. Wait..." She sat up. "Does that mean you've made up your mind?"

Had he? Of course he had. "I'll get out of everyone's way."

Twilight held up a hoof. "If you were just going to go anyway, why did you come back at all?"

George looked over his shoulder, but there was nothing there but a closed door. "I thought he was hurting you, and he was, just... not physically. He told Octavia he was the original Aqua."

For just a moment it looked like Twilight might ask why that was bad, but it came to her quickly enough. "You did the right thing... Are you... going back to your, um 'life' then?"

"Yeah..." He walked past Twilight. "I can't just vanish like that."

Twilight sucked in a breath softly. "I wish the original Aqua thought that..."

George looked back at Twilight and they met one another's gaze for an uneasy moment.

She coughed into a hoof. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"What was he like?"

"Hmm?"

George turned to face Twilight directly. "Aqua, the real Aqua. What was he like?"

"W-well, he wasn't my friend, not specifically..." Twilight ran a hoof over the floor. "He was nice, creative, and..."

The door burst open, admitting Lyra into the house, her horn still glowing from the effort. "Wait!"

George blinked at the mint-green unicorn. "Hello?"

Lyra let out a huge breath of relief. "You're still here, thank Celestia. Please, don't run off!"

George settled to his haunches. "You caught me. What's up?" Hearing Lyra out didn't seem like much to ask.

Lyra leaned against the side of the entry hallway, panting for breath as the door swung shut behind her. "I... wanted to talk to you. I started this whole fiasco." She pushed off the wall and approached George. "You really do look like him... It's uncanny..."

George quirked a smile. "That's thanks to Twilight."

"Not entirely." Lyra shook her head. "I saw the, uh, other Aqua, flying off... You're a much better fit." She reached out a hoof for his chest. "Please, don't go..."

George recoiled at the request. "Look, I'm just a painful reminder."

Lyra pressed close. "You can be a fixed mistake. Please... I know Octavia's hurting right now, and I know what you told her, but it was right, and the truth. Give her time..."

"I shouldn't make her! She doesn't have to adjust to me, wearing the sk--"

Lyra stuffed a hoof in his mouth. It was just as annoying as ever he saw in the cartoons, but it didn't taste as poorly as one might guess. Lyra tasted kind of minty. "The other Aqua, he was wearing the, uh, skin. You? This is you..."

Twilight glanced between the two, obviously confused. "He's a human."

"Well, sure, he was born a human, but he could be a pony, and he wants to be." She spread out her hooves. "Vinyl showed me the song you made... It was great! Kinda sad, but great. Please, there's a spot for you, just waiting..."

George shook his head slowly. "You, uh... You know humans?" Twilight he could figure, she had been to Canterlot High, but Lyra?

"Oh, yeah, for sure. I dated one once, didn't work out, long story. Look." She reached with both hooves and directed his face directly at hers. "Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't want any of this and I'll wish you luck."

He tried to force the words, to claim he didn't want any of it. That he... was... He was ready to accept his little job, and his circle of dubious friends, minus one, and his family with their smiles that hid what...

Lyra wiped away a tear from his cheek.  "You can have it... The, uh, multiverse lost one Aqua. We learned our lesson. Let us take care of this one."

He tried harder to speak, but all that came was a choked sob. She pulled him in and he wept into her neck, feeling useless and weak. "Cry all you want," she insisted. "Let it all out..."

Twilight looked less sure than Lyra by far. "Is this..."

Lyra moved to shove a hoof in Twilight's mouth but she hopped back out of the way. "Is this really a good idea?"

A soft knocking drew eyes to the door.

"Who is it?" asked George, voice thick with his tears and snot.

"It's me," came the refined voice of Octavia. "May I come in?"

George smirked a little. A pony with proper manners. "Please."

She opened the door gently and slipped inside. "Lyra? Twilight? I didn't... We need to talk, after this." Her eyes settled on George and she shivered softly. "I... was hoping to speak to you first, before you... did anything."

If not for Twilight and Lyra, he would have already left, but there he was, and she was. He dipped his head towards her. "I'm sorry for... parading him around like this. I know it must hurt."

"It does." She advanced on him, nudging Lyra out of the way. "But... he would never forgive me."

"For looking at me?"

She smiled thinly. "For turning you away. You... I wasn't lying. I want to know you better, the source of this music that echoes with Aqua's soul. Will you share it with me?"

He shrank a little. "I... Don't you want me gone?"

She swallowed thickly. "It hurts, yes... but so do many things we learn to cope with." She looked at George appraisingly. "You could have tried to take advantage of me, but you didn't. You could have let your friend have his way with his terrible lies, but you wouldn't allow that either. I... can't and won't promise you will ever have my heart..."  She put a hoof to her chest. "But I think we could become friends."

Lyra bobbed her head enthusiastically. "Please, join us. We want you."

"And my music?"

"That too." Lyra grinned hugely. "We want the whole package. We want the painting and the drawing and the composing and even the part that just likes to sit around talking about how things work." She leaned in. "You do that too, right?"

George laughed softly. "I usually did that alone, though one of my friends liked listening when he was, uh, intoxicated." High as a kite was a better description.

Lyra pointed at herself. "Well now you can do it with us, in the open, without any of us being drunk at the time."

Octavia pointed past George to his room. "May I?"

"May you what?"

"I would like to finish your statue." She smiled a little. "I would like to make the last stroke that brings you to us, if you agree?"

Twilight raised a hoof. "If you'd rather go home, we'll do that instead. Nopony here is going to force you, right?" The other two mares looked properly shamed before all three sets of eyes settled on George, awaiting a reply.

George opened his mouth, reply leaping forward. He would...