> Fixing the balance
>  by BRITICAL-HIT
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1; origins/ Remastered
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

It was always awkward the day you start at a new school in the middle of a term, but this feeling was all too familiar for Theo.

He thought of any excuse to push it back another day. He lost his keys somewhere in the house and was locked in, he got there a day late, or he could just say the obvious "I was sick" line he used in his last 3 schools.

He shook his head and walked to the bathroom to brush his teeth. Theodore Middlewood was just your run of the mill lanky 16 year old video game addict, as could be proved by the gargantuan stack of game boxes and consoles in his room. He had rough blonde hair that always seemed to go off to the left no matter what he did with it. He wore a black and white checkered shirt with with the collar button undone, black chinos and grey trainers. After brushing his teeth and a splash of cold water, Theo made his way downstairs to check up with his dad before he left. He entered the living room to find his father's head covered in cans of cheap fizzy drinks and scrunched-up paper. Theo walked up to his dad and shook what he thought was his shoulder in an effort to wake him up, only to see his father's body erupt from the pile.

"Iwasn'tasleepIwasrestingmyeyes"! he said almost as fast as his head shot up, shooting a look at his son almost as if he was the true parent. Theo simply responded with a smirk and a light laugh. Mr Middlewood rested his head in his hands, he was clearly upset. "I nearly made a breakthrough, son, I could just feel it," he said, almost upset.

Theo's father worked for a video game company as a landscape designer, and thoroughly enjoyed his work. Even Theo would often find himself in awe at some of his father's work. The only problem with his father’s job meant moving to new locations, lots! Just as Theo thought he had settled down for good, his father had either got a promotion, had been moved to another project or dropped completely. Still, his dad had one dream, to one day make a game good enough that he could settle down and not have to keep moving.

Theo was simply disappointed, kneeling to his dad's level so he can gain eye contact. "You've said that for the past three nights running, dad. You need to stop it with the all-night research sessions and get some sleep for fuck sake!" 

"You know how I get when I'm on the verge of an idea," his father shot back at him. Theo knew how stubborn his dad was about his work, and how his emotions tend to be on overtime in the morning, So he returned to his prior thoughts.

"Dad, do I have to go in today? He asked his father, choosing to give up on excuses and give it to his father straight, seeing as his father typically sees through his lies anyway.

"Theo, we always have this discussion every time we move, you always try to hide inside for the first day and it's beginning to get annoying." His father’s voice became more warm. somewhat inviting Theo to share his feelings with him.

"Yes but you always say it will be the last time, and it never is!" Theo started to rant, "I finally found somewhere I was happy, I made actual friends, then I go home and you give me the same blank look and tell me we need to move!" Theo looked like he was about to burst out in tears until his father placed his hand on his shoulder to soothe his emotions.

"Calm down mate, shouting won't solve anything, ok?" his father said firmly, placing his hand on his sons shoulder. His face became saddened. "You have a right to be mad, but overthinking things like you do will only cause more stress." Theo had become silent. "Look mate, you know I don't have a choice in this, if I did we would still be back in London, with a massive house and every gaming system going." His father's head sunk back into his hands. "Life's a bitch, isn't it?" 

Theo rolled his eyes and placed his hand on his dad's shoulder. "Look, I'm sorry for over-reacting, but this isn't healthy dad. I was behind with school as it is, but now, unless a miracle happens, I'm pretty much fucked. You blame me for trying to avoid the first day, but I don't want to make friends if I'm just gonna leave them sooner or later."

Theo's dad turned to see his son clearly upset, his hand no longer resting on his shoulder. "Look Theo, I know how you feel. Just hear me out on this one." Theo looked at his dad. "This sounds weird, but it's like I felt something drew me here, like this is meant to happen. I sound like a tool for saying this, but it's hard to explain." Theo looked at his father sceptically, his head leaning back in confusion. His father sighed in response. "Just go to school kiddo, I've got some things to sort out and un-box, so you'd best set off."

Theo grabbed his black bomber jacket and left without question, his father having snapped him out of his mood. As the door closed however, his dad's head fell down onto the pile and sunk back into it.

"Five more minutes." He mumbled, his head once again covered in litter.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Theo quietly walked into school, his head deep in thought. There was something about what his father had said to him that he was still trying to understand. "It felt like something drew me here". Now, Theo knew his dad was bonkers, but he never said anything like that before. What could it mean?

Any further speculation was interrupted by a large, bellowing growl coming from Theo's belly, as he realised he forgot to have his breakfast. "Fuck." He muttered under his breath, now stopping and contemplating whether or not to head home and make a quick slice of toast. He quickly chose not to however, deciding he didn't have the time. 

As he went to continue his trek, he was suddenly pulled backwards, falling over in the process. Mere moments later, a car zoomed in front of him. Whatever just stopped Theo from crossing the road (which he probably should've noticed) likely just saved his life. Theo turned to see who it was.

"You good, mate?" said a young man who Theo guessed was his age. His rescuer wore a tracksuit and was well-built, with brown hair and a bit of stubble on his chin. Theo had gotten over the initial shock and managed to pull together a response.

"Thank... Fuck..." he called out. He was offered a hand up and took it.

"I understand school is bad, but it's not that bad!" the lad said jokingly. 

"No, it is!" Theo answered jokingly, before being offered a hand up. "Theo."

"Theo huh? You must be that new kid I've heard about." Ivan answered, helping Theo up. "I'm Ivan, nice to meet you!" As Theo got up, his belly started to roar again, loud enough for Ivan to hear it this time. "One sec, I think I have something for that." Ivan threw Theo a breakfast bar from his pocket, before pulling another one out. Theo let out a sigh of relief.

"Dude, your a life-saver." Theo said as a way of thanks, before tagging along with him the rest of the way to school.

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

"What you so quiet out?" Ivan asked. The walk to school was mostly a short one. It took some time due to the lack of a conversation, but Ivan finally broke the silence with his question. 

Theo sighed, looking up at Ivan. "Something my dad said earlier got me thinking, that's all." Ivan slowed down so he was next to Theo.

"Something I can hear?" Ivan asked, nudging Theo a bit.

"He said that something drew him here, and that he couldn't tell what it was." Ivan laughed at this.

"Really man? That just sounds like the typical 'drawn to the location' shit people do in movies. How is that weird?" Ivan brought up a good point, but it still didn't feel right to Theo.

"Yeah, but still, something doesn't feel right. My dad doesn't typically say shit like that, and it's just thrown me off." He scratched the back of his head, both for an itch and as a sign of confusion.

"Let me guess, your an analyst." Ivan guessed, simply to get a blank look from Theo. "You know, the kind of person who thinks everything through in their head before running into danger?"

"Yeah, pretty much.." Theo continued to scratch his head. "It's got me out of a lot of shit, so I've learned to deal with it." They continued talking until they reached the school entrance.

"Well man, that's that. I've got lesson to get to, so I'll meet you after you tour thing." Ivan gave Theo a pat on the back for good luck, or just for an opportunity for a dig.

"Kay man, speak to you soon. Good luck not getting detention!" Theo told him.

"You know you probably just jinxed me, right?" Ivan asked, folding his arms.

"That was the point man, see you later!" Theo quickly ran off before Ivan could catch up to him

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Theo arrived at the reception in order to meet his guide for the day, yet recalled the last few times he was toured around his new schools. He would always be shown around by some popular chick who only offered to show him around to get out of class. Then they’d bitch about him to the other popular girls, and suddenly he was a social outcast. Every time, without fail. Naturally, Theo hated this process . He walked up to the reception desk to introduce himself.

"Hey there, kid, what can I do for you?" asked the receptionist. She seemed to put on a lot of enthusiasm, like most teachers did. Theo thought she would probably get back to whatever she was doing prior, wether that was work or whatever she was doing.

He walked up to the desk, ready to introduce himself. "Yeah, I'm Theo Middlewood, I'm here about the first day tour thing," he stated.

"Good timing, the guide is coming over now. She will be here in 2 minutes." Ha, he called it! Despite the chaos that came with moving, some things were still predictable. Theo simply sighed and went to sit down when a young woman came bursting through the door. She seemed to be out of breath, so she clearly rushed there.

“I'm here to pick up the new kid!" she yelled before breathing frantically. To Theo's confusion, she was quite the opposite to what he thought he would get. Blue hoodie and jeans, red hair, and no makeup! He quietly thanked whoever sent this girl to be his guide. Theo walked up to her to introduce himself.

"That Theo by chance?" he asked her.

"I wasn't told the name, just to pick up some guy from reception and show him around. One minute." The girl continued to frantically breathe, before standing up straight. "Sorry about that, I'm Made."

-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-

Made and Theo walked around school, as the tour was taking a while. Despite this, they kept each other going with a couple of jabs. They walked past a classroom

"Those are the computer labs, aKa my favourite class!" Made declared, her face filled with pride.

From what little Theo had learned from made, she seemed to have a mixed bag of a personality. She could go from giddy, to moody, then proud in a blink of an eye. This meant Theo mostly had a hard time keeping up with her, but he figured he'd get used to her eventually.

"Next up is the design and tech." Made now looked a little upset, stopping and looking into the classroom. "I wanted to do this class, but they don't think I have the strength for it.

Theo looked at Made, placing his hand on her shoulder. "Well, just ignore them. If you want to do something, you can do it!" This lit a small flame of confidence in Made's eyes, but she still changed the subject.

"Hey, you'd better not be flirting with me." She said sarcastically, brushing off Theo's hand and giving him a punch to the shoulder. Theo winced, her fist actually hurt.

"So, your not strong, eh?" He returned, pulling a daft face and pushing her to the side.

"Ah, shut up blondie!" She shouted, walking forward a few more paces until reaching a classroom. "This is the science room, the class we're both meant to be in right now. When we go in, I'll help you catch up with whatever you need to do.

"Meh, fair enough." Theo was partially upset he had to go to class, but was glad to do something other than stand around and talk all day. He opened the door and—

"DETENTION!" an old man (presumably the teacher) yelled at him and Made. He seemed to reek of vodka.

"What?" Theo asked him, severally shocked and confused.

"Arriving late to my class, or any other class for that matter, is punishable by detention!"

Theo looked over to Made. "What's with this guy?” he asked her.

"He's the village idiot," she answered. "I'll explain when we're sat down."

"The pair of you can join Ivan after class." Theo simply looked over the teacher’s shoulder to see the buffoon in question waving at him. One facepalm later and Theo and made joined Ivan at the back of class. Made sat next to Ivan, immediately giving him a friendly look.

"Well, what's he got you in for this time?" She said before sighing, almost annoyed.

"For running in the classroom." Ivan moaned, briefly sniggering before turning to Theo. "Well, it's later. How was the tour?"

"Went well, all things considered." Theo sighed, still pissed off he got a detention in his first lesson. "That teacher is a prick."

"Don't worry about Mr. Branwen." Ivan said, pointing at the teacher, who was taking a drink from a flask, most likely alcohol. "He's probably just gonna forget about it after class."

"If you say so." Theo mumbled, choosing to rest his head on the table as the class resumed, not that there was much actually being taught. The teacher mostly mumbled to himself, occasionally writing on the board. The lesson ended surprisingly fast, and the rest of the class left the room. The only issue being that the teacher left as well, locking the door behind him, and trapping the trio. Made looked over at Ivan.

"Guess what Ivan?" Made asked, only a little mad. "He went and forgot. The only issue is he forgot us. Thanks for jinxing up." Made crossed her arms.

"Why would he lock the door behind him anyway?" Theo asked, itching the back of his head. "Isn't there safety things in place for that or something?"

"He prefers to keep his door locked to stop students from seeing his private lab." Made explained, turning to the labs door. "Speaking of.."

Ivan gave Made a strong glare. "Made, don't. You don't want to end up like Georgia!" This statement simply confused Theo, being new and all.

Wait, what happened to Georgia, who even is Georgia?" Theo asked frantically, extremely confused, almost demanding an answer. Made walked up to Theo.

"Georgia tried to get into the lab, but was expelled for it. But, Ivan, was Georgia locked in the classroom?" Ivan thought for a minute, seeing Made's point. "We're not breaking and entering, and if we are accused of it, we can tell school we were locked in by that old turd, simple!"

"Still." Ivan started. "I don't feel right about this. It feels wrong."

"Ivan Grefferson!" Made shouted, turning to face him with arms folded. "Since when were you such a goody two shoes?"

"Whenever your out of control, or having a nerd spasm. Or that unholy mixture of the both, whatever we call it. Someone needs to keep you in line!" As the two of them broke into argument, Theo finally broke his silence and intervened.

"Both of you be quiet, I can't think straight!" Theo shouted, silencing the duo. "Your lovers quarrel can happen later. Lets think for a minute." Theo paused, now able to think in the silence. He rested his chin in his hand and closed his eyes briefly, before opening them again. "Does Mr Branwen have any spare keys?" 

Made nodded, then turned to Ivan. "Yes, he does. Do you know where he keeps them?" Ivan facepalmed at Made's question. "In his lab! Which means we need to go in and find them!" Made sniggered, starting to act like a child.

"Ivan, looks like we have no choice." Theo told him, patting him on the shoulder. After a sigh, Ivan joined his two friends as they walked into the lab.

-0-0-0-0-0-

The lab seemed bigger than the trio had pictured, seeming to be the same size as the classroom they came from. Several desks were littered around the place, covered in documents, coffee mugs and weird contraptions. The windows were covered with large pieces of black paper, blocking any daylight from entering the room. Towards the corner of the room, there was a weirdly set-up computer system, placed next to two metal doorway-looking things pointed in different directions.

As the group split up to search the room, Theo took a particular interest to this particular setup. He walked up to the computer next to the metal doorways, finding it still logged on. After a few minutes of rooting through files (mainly due to curiosity), he figured out what the metal gateways were for.

"Hey guys!" Theo called over to The others, seeming quite impressed. "Get over here and check this out."

Ivan walked slowly to Theo. "Do I have to man, I'm trying to crack open his confiscation cupboard." 

"I thought you didn't feel right about this." Made checked, after looking through tons of blueprints for several misc devices.

"You know what they say about dark places in schools. Bad shit happens in places like this." Ivan argued.

"One, Ivan, that's an urban myth." Theo started. "Secondly, watch this." Theo pressed a key on the computer, activating the two 'doorways' and filling them with green energy, covering the room in a distinct glow. Theo picked up a stone and threw it through one, for it to shoot out of the other. The entire group was in awe.

"IT'S A TELEPORTER! Made yelled, her face in her hands in shock.

"Holy shit man, now that's cool." Ivan said calmly, still trying to keep his 'cool guy' personality that didn't exist.

"I gotta try that." Made briefly said, picking up a stapler from the nearby table and throwing it through the portal. However, as it shot out the other side, it crashed into the computer running the portal itself, sending everything haywire as red warning lights and sirens went off. The boys shifted their faces to Made, glaring at her like wolves. "What? How's that my fault? Who puts a computer at the end of a portal anyway?"

Choosing to ignore Made over their current situation, Ivan started to panic. "Theo, turn this thing off, now!" Ivan pointed to the computer, his voice trembling.

"On it!" Theo called out, dashing over to the computer. Before he could do anything however, the computer keyboard shorted out, jolts of electricity shooting out of it. "You know, that's the reason I'm not a PC gamer." 

As the portal system went haywire, several red notices rapidly appeared on the screen, overlapping one another. One of the two interlinked portals shorted out, yet the other remained online. Then, the whole computer screen turned red, with a warning message reading 'warning; implosion imminent' flashing alongside it. 

Ivan stepped away from the computer, raising his hands in the air. "Well, safe to say we're fucked!" Ivan declared. "Nice knowing you arseholes." He patted Theo on the back.

"No, it's not over! One of the portals are still online, and it's coordinates have.." Theo briefly paused, staring at the screen in confusion. "Changed to.. Wingdings.. What the fuck?"

Made moved away quickly. "Not a sniff. I'm not going in that thing unless I know exactly where I'm going." She turned to face the stapler she threw through the portals while it was functioning. "Or what will happen to us. Does this thing even work on flesh?"

Theo reached into the portal to prove a point, putting his hand in, then out. "Wanna keep complaining?" Theo tried to keep a straight face, even though he actually couldn't feel his hand whatsoever, but didn't tell Made this in order to prove his point. "Face it guys, it's the best bet we have of getting out of this mess. Wherever we end up won't matter, as long as we're safe."

Ivan walked back a few paces. "Don't need to ask me twice!" He yelled, running face-first into the portal. Theo and Made stared at each other, face-palming simultaneously. Made walked towards the portal.

"If better not regret this." Made cursed, slowly walking through the portal, leaving Theo in room alone. 

He sighed. "Jesus Christ dad, why couldn't you let me stay home today?" He moaned to himself, getting a run-up like Ivan. He began running. "Leerooy Jeenkinss!" He yelled, running through the portal. The room quickly exploded two seconds later, destroying the groups way back.
> Chapter 2; relocation/ remastered
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Theo slowly regained consciousness, unclear as to what feeling pulsing through his body was. It felt like he was burning, but also felt numb at the same time. Whatever happened to him was irrelevant because he was alive, and likely better off than if he stayed in the exploding school.

After jumping through the portal, Theo and his group ended up in the middle of a dense forest. It seemed severely large, without an end in sight. The trees were so dense and compact that little to no light came through them, with small clearings littered around the place for light.

With a better idea as to where he ended up, Theo's next goal was to find his friends. That said, they couldn't be.

"Aaagghh, my arse!" ... Too far.

Ivan was a few feet away from Theo, also having the same 'fuzzy' feeling around his body Theo had. However, he could still feel his butt hurting really bad, laying on his back. Made however, was nowhere to be seen, as it appeared only the boys landed in the clearing, but Theo paid no attention to this, and focused on oven for the time being.

Theo sniggered. "Well, we could be a lot worse man." He mentioned, reminding Ivan they just got out of being blown up. "I could do without this weird fuzzy feeling though, it's proper weird." Theo turned on his side to avoid the sunlight beaming into his eyes, but what he saw he could not comprehend. "What the?"

"Holy shit!!!" Ivan yelled, causing Theo to look over at him, or what Theo thought was him. To his disbelief, Ivan had somehow transformed in what appeared to be a... A pony? Several of his features remained the same, such as his hair and slim body, but he was now covered in green fur and had a short tail shooting from his, ahem, 'rear end'. "I'm a horse, a fucking horse! Why? How?"

"Are you trying to kill my ears? I'm only here man!" Theo shouted, before trying to get on all fours. Despite his sight still not being up to par, he could still vaguely recognize himself.. He still had the rough, blonde hair he was cursed to have, his new body seemed to sprout red fur, and he had a moderately sized horn on his head. After a while trying to stand up, Theo fell back onto his belly, an action that caused him to lose it. "This is fucking bullshit! That's the last time I let Made convince me to do ANYTHING!"

"I'd say the first one up gets the first punch at her. You in?" Ivan suggested as a method to vent both their anger. After a quick nod from Theo, the pair of them raced to see who could get to grips with their respective bodies first, and after 5 minutes of constant grunts, groans and falling, Theo gained his bearings moments before Ivan. But before Theo had the chance to gloat about it, Made walked into the clearing to join the boys. She seemed the least changes out of the three of them, with her fur being the same colour as her hoodie back home and her hair only being a little longer.

"You know how loud you guys were?" She asked, slowly moving towards them, somehow having mastered walking in her new body. "Do either of you know what's going on?"

"Not a fucking clue, but I'm definitely blaming you for this." Ivan complained, squaring up to Made.

"Why? What have I done?" She asked, unaware as to why Ivan turned on her.

"Erm, for making us go into the lab, for throwing a fucking stapler through the portal! Need I go on?"

“B-but Theo could've stopped it, couldn't he? And he turned the portal in in the first place." Made claimed, dragging Theo into the argument.

"1. Can't stop software on a computer without a keyboard. And 2, I didn't throw a stapler at the computer, that was you. Now can you please leave me out of this argument so I can try to muster up whatever sanity I have left? Thanks!" Theo explained before walking away Ivan and Made.

"I think we hit a nerve." Made said, changing the conversation to avoid further argument. Even Ivan was concerned, despite still being a little annoyed. After he struggled to walk over to Theo, he placed his 'hoof' over Theo's shoulder.

"I thought you were the smart one, don't you know over-reacting will make things worse, right?" Ivan asked, being met with an annoyed glare.

"Pretty ironic coming from you two." He mentioned, which was met with an embarrassed expression from both his friends. Theo looked down at his new body, cringing at the mere sight of it. "Besides, I think we all have a right to be a confused right now. Maybe a little mad, but not at each other's throats."

"Yeah, I guess." Ivan moaned, sitting down against a nearby tree. "Where the fuck are we to look like this anyway?"

"Purgatory? Gillian's island? Maybe the Bermuda Triangle? Does it even matter right now?" Made asked, before stumbling in her new body. This clearly pissed her off though, as she now walked up to a tree. "I fucking hate this!" She screamed, punching the tree.

What happened next was... Unpredicted, to say the least. As she punched the tree, the resulting force she gave off caused the whole thing to break, the tree collapsing and shattering by the sheer power of the punch. Theo and Ivan looked in awe at Made's accomplishment, even Made herself was speechless.

Ivan was the first to talk. "Note to self: never piss Made off while she's a horse."

"Side-note: if these bodies have perks, they may not be as bad as it seems." Theo said, trying to hold back his laughter over what he just said.

"Are you mad? There’s no power that exists that’s worth my humanity, period!” He boasted firmly, putting his ‘foot’ down. However, Made discovered something that made her choose to continue the discussion.

"Ivan, do you have... Wings?" Made asked, causing Ivan to look to his sides and, to his disbelief, see the small, folded away wings he had. He tested out his new limbs by flexing them briefly, and stuttered trying to find something to say, his face in utter shock.

"Made? I think you broke him." Theo muttered to Made, as they both awaited Ivan’s reaction.

"What the hell? How? How are they..." He paused, still flexing his wings, finding the more he did so, the more he grew to like them. Sure, they were still incredibly weird, but he figured he'd roll with it. "These are pretty cool! Can I fly with these things? They seem a bit small." Theo and Made were in shock as to how easily Ivan could just accept his wings, but decided to just leave him be, as trying to understand Ivan was out of question as of right now.

"I guess that just leaves me to find my skill I guess." Theo shrugged, looking to see if he had wings, only to find a weird mark on his flank, it's discovery met with a confused look. "What the fuck is this?"

The mark in question seemed to resemble some form of sword, being made entirely of blue energy, had no grip and was split through the middle. It seemed to resemble a 'halo energy sword' to Theo, his gaming instincts seemingly understanding its design instantly.

"That's a sword. Why do I have a sword on my arse? He asked his friends. "Have you guys got marks like this?"

This question caused both Made and Ivan looked down to their respective backsides to answer Theo's question, and met with some vibrant answers, as each of them had a mark themselves.

Ivan's mark seemed to be a speedometer, similar to the kind you see on the dashboard of a car, while Made's mark seemed to be a double-sided tool, being a hammer at one end and a wrench on the other.

While the marks confused the group at first, Theo seemed to quickly thought of a meaning of them. "Do you think they represent skills?" He asked, earning a confused look from the group. "When I first met Ivan, he seemed a sporty type of person, and we all just saw Made's inhuman feat of strength." He looked over at the damaged tree, a very clear example of his theory.

"Okay, now that I see it, it makes sense for us two." Made told Theo, walking over to him clumsily, trying not to fall again. "But what about yours? If they represent skills, yours makes no sense."

Theo thought for a minute to figure out what his mark meant, quickly coming up with a few ideas.

"Maybe my sharp mind?" His friends shook their heads. "Hey, I've got us this far!"

"Okay man, try not to get hurt patting yourself on the back." Ivan said, which was met with a snort from Theo, slightly scaring Ivan. "Aah, horse noises!"

"Ah, shut up you pussy!" Theo moaned, returning to his prior thoughts. "It may seem obvious, but what if I can just... Do that? The ability to just, poof a sword into existence would be awesome! Just the whole idea of it, you know?" Theo seemed overly-exited of this idea, and seemed to over-react to it, being met with some concerned looks from the others. "Sorry about that, gaming instincts got the better of me.

Ivan and Made briefly looked at each-other. "Should we tell him?" Ivan asked.

"Well, he'll figure it out eventually anyway, so why not?" Made responded, looking at Theo again.

"Okay, what the fuck are you two on about?" Theo asked, slightly confused and annoyed his friends were keeping something from him.

"Theo? You've got a horn." Made explained, pointing to his head with her hoof. Causing Theo to see the extra appendage he had on his head.

"How did I not notice that sooner?" He asked, curious as to its purpose. "Meh, I'll figure out what it's for sooner or later. For now, we need a game plan." Made stepped forward with her opinion.

"Well, I personally want to get the fuck out of this forest and figure out where we are, but I don't have a clue which way we should go. But it looks like it's gonna start getting dark pretty soon, so I don't know what we should do. Any votes?"

Ivan thought for a moment. "I think we should stay in this clearing for the night. If we camp here, we will wake up tomorrow rested, and we'll have a safer passage through the forest on the extended sunlight." Ivan seemed to be quite proud of his plan, but Theo had a different idea.

"I honestly think we should just start walking now. We pick a direction and stick to it until we get out of the forest, or we find a more suitable place to stay the night." Ivan gave Theo a deep glare. "What? I don't think staying in one place for too long is a good idea, just trust me on This one guys. Besides, I think we should take our new selves out for a test-drive. May as well get used to it."

There was a brief silence from the group while they thought of what to do. Eventually, Made stood up.

"Hate to say it, but I'm gonna have to back Theo on this one Ivan." She said, and while he was slightly annoyed for a moment, Ivan sighed.

"You've got us this far man." He started, walking up to his friend. "Don't fuck up now!"

"Just chill out man, I have no intention of messing up." Theo boasted. "Let's get going."

And so, it was now that Theo, Ivan and Made set off from the clearing they appeared in in search of refuge for the night, and to figure out where the hell they were.

-0-0-0-0-0-

It had only been a couple of hours since the earth trio had started walking away from their initial clearing, and it seemed the lot of them regretted trying to use their bodies so soon after waking up. Even Theo started to think Ivan was onto something with his 'waiting until tomorrow' plan. But the group kept pushing forward despite the moans and falls.

The group took time to get used to moving around in their new bodies, the whole process feeling unnatural to the lot of them. However, Made somehow managed to get to grips with things faster that the boys, and often complained about how they couldn't keep up with her.

Ivan on the other hand was trying to balance practicing walking with trying to fly, which just turned out to be a waste of effort, as he fell almost every time. On the bright side, Ivan's stupidity did manage to keep up the group morale, and give him a few excuses for breaks to recover.

However, Theo seemed to cut himself off from the group, keeping silent and was deep in thought. While his current situation seemed quite dire, Theo seemed more worried about his father than himself. Sure, most would consider a complete transformation of their body more important than anything else, but those people obviously never met Theo’s dad. His das was the kind of guy who’d put the toaster inside the microwave in order to make toast quicker, and has always had Theo around to help him with almost everything. As such, you could see why He was a little bit worried.

Theo would’ve kept to himself if it wasn’t for Ivan falling after a failed flying attempt for the 24th time. He seemed quite dazed, so the group paused until they thought he recovered.

“Okay, breaking the silence here.” Theo started. “Is anyone else gonna bring up how unnatural it is that we’ve been able to get walking down so quickly?”

“Theo, the first thing you learn to do as a kid is walk, and that’s before were old enough to even speak. It’s simple instinct.” Made explained, sitting down against a nearby tree. “But yeah, I agree. This doesn’t feel right.”

“you guys have it easy!” Ivan moaned, rubbing between his two wings. “you don’t have extra limbs to worry about.”

Made sniggered a little. “then stop trying to use them, Captain Oblivious.” She joked, moving in to give Ivan a dig in the arm, then met by a swift dodge.

“Be careful, she-hulk. You do that, and trying to fly will be the only way I can get around.” He explained to Made, causing a light blush.

“Okay, my bad I guess. I guess I’m just having problems…” Made started.

“… Adapting?” Theo asked, attracting the attention of both Ivan and Made. “Trust me, I think all of us feel the same way about being stuck as horses.”

Ivan managed to get back on all fours. “If the conversation is going in this direction, can we at least get moving? All these breaks are wasting time.”

Made rolled her eyes as she got back up and continued walking, Theo joining closely behind. “You know we’re taking all these breaks because you’re an idiot who constantly keeps trying to figure out how to fly!”

“Could the two of you quit arguing like an old couple?” Theo asked, covering his face with his hooves. “You’re acting like complete idiots!”

“Sorry mate, but me and Made are pretty much always complaining at something.” Ivan explained. “Sometimes we end up arguing with each other, even if we’re both trying to make the same point. We’ve always been like this as long as we can remember.”

Theo’s ears perked up. “How long have you known each other?” He asked curiously. Both Ivan and Made briefly looked over at each other.

“Well,” Made started. “Ivan and I went to the same nursery. I wouldn’t exactly call us friends back then though.”

“How come? Did Ivan hang out with the popular ones who ended up becoming the school bullies or something?” Theo asked,

“That’s… an oddly specific example.” Ivan said.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Theo mumbled, slowing down slightly in embarrassment.

“The real reason we weren’t friends is because Made had a bit of a reputation for misbehaving.” Ivan explained. “And one day, when she tried to run away home, she accidentally framed me instead.”

“Wait a minute.” Theo started. “If Made’s the smart one out of you guys, why would she want to run away from school?” he turned to Made for an answer.

“What? Nursery was a nightmare!” Made claimed in defense. “Just because I’m clever now, doesn’t mean I was back then.”

“Well, you weren’t wrong there, I guess.” Theo agreed, nodding briefly.

The group continued walking (and falling, in Ivan’s case) until they eventually saw a large structure in their path. Made stopped to try and see what it was, but couldn’t see pat the trees in their way.

“Hey Ivan?” she began. “Do you think you could get us a birds-eye view of what that structure is?”

"You just want to watch me fall again, don't you?" He asked, giving made a look that roared with irritation.

"If I say no, will you do it?" Made asked with a cheeky smile. All Ivan could do in response was fulfil her request. He leaped into the air, briefly hovered, and instantly landed in a nearby tree, much to Made’s disappointment.

From what could be seen, it looked like a ruined castle of sorts. Areas around it looked overgrown and even reached into the building itself, with the cobbled bricks the castle was made from looking to give way any day coming. That said, there were several chambers and locations that seemed in better states than the rest of the castle, with a few laces seeming untouched or even restored.

Ivan then saw both Made and Theo as they made their way past the plants and trees to see the castle themselves, and quickly jumped down to join them. As soon as he landed however, he heard somebody giggling. he turned to Made, expecting it to be her, but found her face filled with wonder over the castle they just found. He then turned to Theo, who looked like his face was unsure whether it was supposed to be shocked, happy or frightened.

“Hey, Theo? Are you feeling alright?” he asked, waving his hoof between Theo’s face and the castle ahead of him.

"Do you know what this means?!" Theo shouted, his voice sounding surprisingly high-pitched

"That we have somewhere to stay for the night?” Made asked, her face brightening a little.

“It means a lot more than that!” Theo answered, moving ahead of the group slightly and pointing to the castle. “The fact a castle exists here proves this planet has some form of intelligent life. Also, the fact it’s been renovated means that they’re still around!” Theo somehow clapped his hooves together in glee, until he saw the way both Made and Ivan stared at him. “And yeah, it means we’ve got somewhere to sleep for the night.”

“I can’t believe there’s two of you now.” Ivan moaned as he walked towards the castle, with a slightly irritated Theo and Made trailed behind him.

-0-0-0-0-0-

While Theo, Ivan and Made were initially in awe over the ruined castle, their interest left them almost as soon as they had to find a room that wasn’t actually in ruins. Almost all the bedrooms were completely destroyed, most other chambers seemed to be ruined in at least one way, and any remaining chambers were inhabited by creatures that failed to be described. However, the group eventually found that the castle library was their best bet for somewhere to stay for the night, but Ivan straight-up refused to enter.

"Theo, I’m not going in there, end of discussion!” Ivan moaned, sitting against the wall with his arms crossed.

Theo rolled his eyes. “Made, care to explain what the fuck Ivan is on about?”

"Ivan swore to never enter any Library outside of school.” Made explained as she sat down on a nearby chair.

Theo decided to remain calm, gathering a deep breath. “You know what Ivan? Just sleep outside then. Just don’t come running to me if it rains or you get attacked by some random creature.”

Within an instant, Ivan rushed into the room, tripped over a pile of books on the floor before landing face-first on the floor. Made couldn’t help but laugh at him, and even Theo sniggered a little. “I hate you guys some times. And I’m not reading anything!”

"Nobody’s expecting you to mate.” Theo said, helping Ivan onto his hooves before walking over to Made. “Need anything?”

"Yeah, I’m looking for a candle. Can you see one anywhere?” She asked as her eyes scanned the room. “Don’t want it to be too dark tonight, do we?”

After a quick nod, Theo joined Made in looking for a candle, and managed to end it instantly. “Found one!” He declared. All of a sudden, a red aura coated both the candle and Theo’s horn. This otherworldly power caused the candle to levitate as Theo brought it to the table in front of him. Theo quickly caught onto what he did, and was in awe over it. “What the fuck just happened? Was that me? That was awesome!”

“Wow, Theo’s a motherfucking Jedi! There goes the theory of it being a dagger or something.” Ivan added in order to become relevant to the conversation. “Well, at least we all know our powers now. “

“You’re saying it like it’s a big thing. I very much doubt any kind of magical power can get us home.” Made said, swinging back on her chair. This then triggered some kind of mechanism that pulled back a couple of bookshelves to reveal a secret room. The room in question had a more casual feeling to it, having a couch and several pillows, two stained glass windows that where themed from the night and the day, several smaller bookshelves and a pedestal with another single book on it. Theo and Ivan gawped at what Made had accomplished. “Why is there a secret chamber in a library? That’s the last place I’d put one.”

“Made, there’s no room in existence that can’t be improved by a secret room.” Ivan explained. “Well, at least we know where we’re staying tonight.”

“I call dibs on the sofa!” Made shouted, running over to her temporary bed. Being fully aware of the international dibs protocol, Ivan and Theo each settled for sleeping on a pillow each, and moved to opposite sides of the room. Almost within an instant, the trio were asleep.

-0-0-0-0-0-

The dream was vivid. It felt so real, yet felt more like a warning. Two orbs of light surrounded by darkness. The light of one orb felt comforting, like home. Yet, a beam of bright light shot from that orb, going to the other. However, it's venture left a tear in both orbs. From there, darkness invaded the orbs, near overtaking them.

Theo awoke almost instantly from the nightmare he had, extremely shaken. However, he quickly shook it off and got onto his hooves. He walked outside of the chamber, with only a faint amount of light around to guide him. While it was dawn outside, the sun was rising from the other side of the castle, meaning the only source of light came from the candle Made was reading from. Wait…

"Made? What are you doing up?" Theo asked, somewhat surprised to see he wasn’t the only one awake.

"Research." She answered." It’s clear this world has different rules from earth, and I wanna figure out as much about it as I can."

“Ivan has wings and I have a horn, so different rules are a given.” Theo told her. “Still, what you got so far?”

"This land is called Equestria. It's populated by a race of intelligent ponies with very weird names." Made cringed through the entire statement.

"How weird are the names?" Theo asked, slightly scared as to what names would come up.

"So weird that our names are weird." Made named several examples. Steel shield, boomer, time turner, the list went on until Theo got the point. It was also at this time that Ivan had also awoke.

"Are we listing Crappy video game names?” Ivan asked, being unaware as to the prior discussion.

"Those were the names of the ponies that live in this world. Our names would be considered weird here, so we need new ones." Ivan groaned in response, and Theo gave a confused expression.

“Made, we don’t even know if they still do names like that anymore. You sure you’re not just jumping to conclusions a little?” Theo asked.

“Hey, better safe than sorry.” Made argued in return.

"Well, I’m not changing mine, and that’s that!” Ivan complained, stretching a little.

"Well, suit yourself." Made said, walking back to blow out the candle she was using. Theo walked outside toget some fresh air, and almost instantly saw a dirt pathway leading away from the castle.

"Guys? Did anyone see that path yesterday?" He asked his friends, who quickly joined him

"Well, it was getting late, so I doubt it.” Ivan answered, scratching his hair.

“Well, paths do lead somewhere, so do we follow it?” Made asked, seeming eager to get going.

"Well, we won’t get lost if we do, so why not?” Theo responded as he began to walk towards it, his friends closely behind him.
> Chapter 3; jinx vs wood
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"What about sound barrier?" Made asked Ivan. Her constant questions started to irritate him. For the past 45 minutes, made and Theo were coming up with aliases to call themselves by. While Ivan thought their original names would be much simpler, Made thought it would help them blend in. Theo didn't like the idea himself, but the responses Ivan gave back to Made kept him going. But in truth, his mind was on the dream from last night. He wondered what it meant, was something bad going to happen?

Theo's thoughts were interrupted by Ivan nudging him." Dude, make her stop." He pleaded, seeming desperate." She has been taking advantage of her strength to intimidate us, we need to assume domination again." Theo sighed,Ivan was right, in a way.

"Made, we ain't having new names. We're too used to having our ones." Theo said, somewhat cautious." We don't like being bossed around. Made looked at Theo, yet she seemed confused.

"Whatever." She asked." This shit ain't as fun as I thought anyway." She paused for a second, but she had one question on her mind." Who is in charge then?" Theo and Ivan looked at each other. This time, Ivan sighed.

"Theo hasn't steered us wrong so far." Ivan admitted, Theo was clearly a great leader, despite hating the job." What's the plan?"

"We keep walking on the path," Theo said." It's what we have been doing for the last 50 minutes, so why stop now?"

-0-0-0-0-0-

The group continued their walking for another 20 minutes, until Made needed to answer the call of nature and insisted the boys turn away. They waited for her by talking.

"How much longer until we get out the forest?" Ivan asked. He seemed to think that Theo knew everything. However, that was the to be expected as Theo kept track of the time constantly.

"Well, we have been walking for roughly an hour, so.. I don't have a fucking clue." Theo had an idea as to how long. The leaves were so thick that very little light passed through them. However, there was a small amount of light coming from the distance, meaning either the end or a clearing. He would come up with a plan after that.

"Wait, how are you keeping track of time?" Ivan asked." You don't even have a watch or anything."

"Gut feeling, I can't explain it myself, I've always been able to keep track of time without a watch." After this statement, it fell silent for a small moment, unit the time a grim face had shown on Ivan's face. He stared at Theo.

"Move." He muttered.

"What?" Theo asked

"Fucking Run!" Made yelled. All of a sudden, she appeared, being chased by a wooden creature made entirely of wood. Despite the creature being within two metres of the boys, Theo asked Ivan a question.

"How do you do that?" He asked.

"Gut feeling." After this, the two ran after Made, clearly worried about her.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Made had managed to outrun the beast so far, yet barely. She was exhausted, running entirely on adrenaline and narrowly dodging trees to gain an upper hand. However, she lost focus for a small moment and tripped on some exposed tree roots. This forced her to fall into a hallow tree. This would've served as a form of protection if the wolf didn't somehow absorb the wood. Made could see the tree slowly fade away as the beast grew gradually is size. In a last ditch effort, Made kicked the thing in the face with her hind legs, sending it back a few meters. Instead of warding off the creature, it seemed to enrage it. Rather than hunting Made, it attacked her viciously. She regretted her choice.

"Oi, Wolfy!" Ivan yelled, made looked over at her friend on the top of a large rock. He jumped off it and at the beast, using his wings to improve his speed. He crashed into it, he was sent flying into a nearby tree, but managed to make the creature fall on its side, stunning it momentarily. Theo then entered the Frey, his main priority being Made's wellbeing.

"You dead?" He asked sarcastically. This got a small laugh from her.

"Yes, I'm dead." She responded. Theo looked over her for injuries, yet she was mostly fine, with a few bruises being her only injuries. Theo made a decision.

"Made, go make sure Ivan is ok and be ready for my signal." He told her. She nodded, rushing off to help her childhood friend. This left Theo to handle the monster. However, Theo knew exactly what to do, despite his new body. As the beast attacked him, he moved out of its way, but only moved enough to avoid it from understanding his strategy. He was lucky that he knew such advanced strategies, but that's what happens when you become addicted to video games. He kept dodging its attacks, slowly wearing down the wooden wolf. Theo then used the spell he learned yesterday to hold Its head down to the ground.

"NOW!" He yelled over to Made, who came running over to the beast. She then kicked the creature like before, this time with much more force. The sheer power of her attack shattered the creatures head, making the rest of its body implode. The creature was now limp and lifeless, yet the group still felt uncomfortable around it. Theo and Made walked over to Ivan, who was gutted that he missed most of the fight, yet in awe at its results.

"Is it dead?" Theo asked, kicking one of the creatures broken body parts. As he kicked the thing however, it's body slowly started to reform itself. Made and Ivan glared at Theo with the same look given to Made when she threw the Rock through the portal back home." Well, fuck. We should run now." The three of them ran away from the beast, avoiding further conflict.

-0-0-0-0-0-

After a while running, Theo, Made and Ivan managed to leave the forest after what felt like an eternity. However, they strayed from the path during there encounter with whatever that wooden wolf thing was. They stood outside what appeared to be a farm of sorts. A large mixture of a barn mixed in with a house and more apple trees around than Theo had seen in his whole lifetime. A small clubhouse could be seen in the distance, and another one nearby had a carrot on top of it. After checking the surroundings, Ivan fell in exhaustion. In between body slamming into a creature composed entirely of wood and galloping for his life, he was in more pain that could be physically described. His two friends comforted him, mostly out of stress and need for conversation.

"Dude, you sound like my Hoover when it swallows a penny." Theo said, getting a clear laugh from Made, but nothing more than a smile from Ivan.

"Insult coming from the guy who did nothing in the fight." Made hissed back, more as a joke than an insult.

"Yeah, if you call distracting that wooden thing and holding down its head nothing." Theo didn't take Made's statement as a joke however. Ivan tried to break up the argument, despite his pain.

"Shut.. Up... Pain.. Confused.." He pulled together, clearly irritated, yet too tired to show that expression. Theo decided to drop the argument and focus on his friends wellbeing, in his own way.

"Chill out mate, you were hit pretty hard." Theo said, worried." Then again, if I got into a fight with a wolf and made it out with just a stitch, I'd see that as a good day."

"Because you made it out unscathed." Made said.

"I got a headache, that spell took more out of me that I thought it would." Ivan was about to intervene again, until..

"Y'all okay?" A voice asked from the distance. Made turned to see an orange pony with blonde hair wearing a Stetson.

"Just some bruises and a headache." Made replied. The mare continued towards them.

"Ya sure?" The stranger asked." Ah ain't seen anyone so tired since my brother first tried to buck an apple." Ivan had recovered enough to explain.

"We were walking on some yellow path until we were attacked by some wooden wolf thing, lost track of where we were and ended up here." Theo and Made nodded in agreement, while a look of shock and awe filled the face of the young pony.

"You survived a run-in with a Timberwolf?" She yelled.

"More than survived it, I shattered its head with one kick!" Made gloated, attracting a look of irritation from Theo.

"Not alone, we helped." He argued." Timberwolf, wish I thought of that." The mare shook her head in confusion.

"Who are you guys?" She asked.

"I'm Theo, she's Made and he's Ivan." As Theo introduced himself as his friends, the pony continued the confused look.

"Weird names." She said." I'm Applejack. You travellers of somethin?"

"Kinda." Theo answered." Do ya know where the nearest town is?" This questions attracted glares from Ivan and made (mostly from confusion), yet got a clear answer from the farm pony.

"If ya follow that path there, it'll take you to ponyville." Applejack answered." I hope y'all like it there."

"Thanks, see you around." He said, gesturing to his friend to leave.

Once the three of them were safely out of range of the farm, Ivan saw it safe to speak. "Our names are weird? Talk about a fucking hypocrite." He moaned.

"Dude, priorities!" Theo yelled at him. "I don't think names are at the top of the list right now."

"Wait, why tell her we are travellers?" Made asked.

"Yeah, I'm totally gonna walk up to some random civilian and tell them we come from another world. We be thrown into a mental hospital for fuck sake!" This thought shocked Made, while Ivan wasn't paying attention due to Applejack's 'weird name' statement. "My plan is to get to town and lay low until we can figure out what happened, hopefully finding a way to reverse it."

"If one exists." Made said. "What if we're stuck here?" The idea of this knocked Ivan out of thought and gave him a chill.

"NO, NO GOD NO. NOOOOOOOO-" Ivan yelled.

"Shut the fuck up and calm down" Theo called at his friend." See? You've set of the dog now." Made face-palmed/face-hooved herself, seeing his point, regardless of his humour.

"So, what do we say if they ask about us?" Made asked.

"Just say what actually happened, but with ponies." Theo answered, Ivan cringing in the background." While hoping Ivan doesn't have an emotional breakdown. If that happens, were boned." Ivan stared at Theo, but understood where he was coming from. As this was said, they walked off, spending the remainder of the time taking in the scenery and wondering if they were there yet.
> Chapter 4; fitting in
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The journey to town proved to be a long one, despite it being in view throughout the whole journey. The group was once again silent, but unlike the forest with no end in sight, they had a goal, and morale. Made was taking in the scenery, or what little of it there was and Ivan continued to attempt flying. While time consuming, he could now maintain flight for about 12 seconds, an achievement that gave him a smile for the first time since setting off for this world.

However, Theo was in thought, again. Ivan was used to this, but was upset because this was the main cause for the lack of conversation. Made was neutral, as speaking to Theo usually led to arguments. Theo was deep in thought, and looked a bit sad. Made sighed and lightly tapped his shoulder.

"You good Theo?" She asked." You look a bit, well, sad."

Theo looked at Made, and sighed." Do you wanna know?" After a short delay, made nodded. Theo just sighed again." I.. I was thinking. About my dad. What if I never see him again?

Made put her hoof on his shoulder to comfort him." I feel you man, well, Colt, horse, whatever the fuck you are." She said, getting a snigger from Ivan, but Theo remained silent." Look, I hate to admit it, but you seem to be the brains of the group. Ironic coming from the nerd, but I know that you will find a way to get us back."

"You have that much faith in me?" He asked, his face looking up at her.

"Well, if you don't, I'll break your legs." Ivan added, making Theo laugh. Made sighed.

"Look, I don't usually do, well, feelings. But I know your dad will be fine."

"You don't know him! He's the kind of person who would put the toaster in the microwave in hopes it would make toast faster!" Theo said. Ivan took this as a joke and laughed, but Theo's expression said otherwise.

"I did, that once." Ivan said sarcastically." Don't worry, my tongue only burned for the first 17 minutes." Theo laughed.

"Dude, your parents must've killed you." He sniggered.

"Nah, I'm an orphan. They let me get away with murder." Ivan said." Never met my folks, the services could never find them."

"My parents are never around." Made added." Always away either on a foreign bank thingy or whatever it is they do. I don't really care. What about you Theo? Just you and your dad? No mom?"

Theo sighed." No, just me and my dad. Always has been for as long as I can remember. I asked my dad about her once, but that's all I know about her."

"What did he say?" Ivan asked.

"She was beautiful, magical even. She had this glow to her that my dad can see in me, even in the midst of puberty. She had this way to make anyone open up about almost anything. She, ahem, shined like the sun." This last bit the group sniggered at." I always wanted to meet her, even once. I wanted to see how alike we were." The group was silent until Ivan spoke out.

"Dude, that was deep." He said." What was her name?

"Dunno." Theo answered." Dad never told me for some reason."

"You know, not to sound scripted or anything, but I hope you get you wish." Made said. This ended a long silence as the group headed into town.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Eventually, Theo, Made and Ivan arrived at the town, Ponyville. It was a nice place, mostly made up of several small houses and several stalls running through the entire town. Several ponies moved from shop-to-shop, some sitting in café's. Theo looked over to Ivan to see his face in sheer terror. He could barely handle one pony, let alone several.

"Dude, you good." Theo asked, Ivan turned to him.

"I can't take it, there's too many, I'm going back." Ivan said, turning to leave. That was until made hit him in a leg joint and made him fall." Bitch, don't do that."

"Ivan, just act natural, let Theo do most of the talking and stay close." She responded, ignoring his 'bitch' comment. Theo walked down the path with his two friends in toe.

"Who do I talk to?" He asked.

"Anyone, but be quick about it." Made said." Ivan looks like he's gonna blow." Theo looked around for someone to speak to, and chose the pink pony walking towards them.

"Excuse me, have you got a minute?" He asked. The pony he asked looked as if she was gonna burst, but for the opposite reason Ivan.

"Hi there, I've never seen you before. Are you new? You must be new!" She said extremely quick.

"Woah there, slow down." Theo said, he barely understood half of what she said. The pony calmed down, but was still extremely exited.

"I'm pinkie pie, who are you, and you and you?" She asked, her speech now understandable.

"I'm Theo, the other one is Ivan and the other other one is Made." He said as he gestured to his two friends. Made waved, Ivan nodded.

"Well it's nice to.. Wait, you have weird names." She said. Ivan was triggered, but Theo continued.

"We get that a lot. Hey, can I ask for a favour." He asked." We are looking for some jobs for while we are here, do you think you could help?"

"Okie-doki-loki." She said, pulling a list from her main and quickly scanning it.

"Did she just pull that from.." Made started.

"There's a position in the ponyville weather ponies up for grabs, the demo ponies need somepony to increase their numbers and there's a waiter position going at sugar cube corner, where I work.." She told them, interrupting Made.

"Weather ponies? That I gotta see." Ivan said

"Demo ponies? Like demolition?" Made grinned.

"Waiter? I'm not sure.." Theo started.

"It's settled. I'll take you guys there." Pinkie said." Let's go!"

-0-0-0-0-0-

After his two friends were dropped off, Theo was taken to sugar cube corner. Before this however, he reminded them to meet him be the clock tower at 3pm. The bakery had a rustic feel to it, being also part cafe. The exterior looked like it was made of food, yet was clearly a building. He and Pinkie walked inside to be greeted by two other ponies in bakers attire.

"Hey mr and mrs cake, here's the waiter you needed." She said to them with a smile. A look of relief appeared on their faces.

"Thank Celestia!" Mrs cake blurted out first. She had a coat similar to that of Made, yet her hair was reminiscent of icing. Theo wondered who this 'Celestia' was however, but kept it to himself.

"So how is this gonna play out?" He asked." Interview?"

"Well, not exactly." Mr cake said. He had a yellow-ish coat with ginger hair covered by a bakers hat." Our policy is a trial run."

"Wait, what?" Theo asked, confused.

"We believe that actions speak louder than words, so you do your job as if it was your first day. If you do good enough, it's yours." Mrs cake said. This extended version Theo understood.

"When do I start?" He asked her.

"Well, it's near 12 now, so I'd say from now until 2." She suggested." We can discuss payment and other info afterwards.. Wait, we may need your name."

"I'm Theo." He said, starting his work. There was a lack of a particular comment after saying his name.

-0-0-0-0-0-

"That is the single weirdest name I've heard in my life."

Ivan was being interviewed for his new job, and his instructor was leaving no stone unturned. Ivan had managed to keep himself together despite his constant internal screaming. His instructor had a coat of brown and black hair curled up into a bun. She seemed only a few years older than him, yet spoke to him as if he was a child.

"Says the one called.. Wait.. What was your name again?" Ivan tried to insult her, but couldn't remember her name.

"It's Shade Storm, please remember in future." She moaned. She was gonna make a comment on his memory, but returned to her questions." What is the longest you can maintain flight?"

"I can successfully maintain flight for 15 seconds, but I am.." Ivan tried to explain, until he was interrupted by Shade in the midst of a laughing fit.

"15.. Seconds.. I know kids that that can fly for longer than that!" She said in the midst of her laughing, barely able to talk.

Hey, don't judge! I've only been flying for a couple of days." He explained, getting a confused look from his boss." Please don't question that. Point being I'm a quick study and very.. Well."

"Talkative? Annoying?" She asked, sarcastically.

"Loyal. I know how to take orders." He said. Shade growled out of confusion.

"Gaaahh, I gotta call a favour, be right back." She said, exiting the room

This left Ivan alone in the room. Alone with a bowl of mints on the desk. He ate one, and then stuffed several more in his wings and closed them. A few minutes later, Shade walked back into the room.

"Well, I've got good news for you." She said, looking a bit smug." I have called in a friend to help you increase your flying abilities, and fix your accommodation problem." Ivan couldn't help but have a bit of a smile to him. He managed to get the job and a place to stay. His two main goals.

"When do I start?" He asked.

"Thunderlane's shift doesn't start until 4, so your free until then." It seemed that Ivan hit the jackpot. He got the job! But he wondered who this 'thunderlane' person was.

"So your Ivan." A Colt said to him as he exited the room. He looked the same age as Ivan, having a black coat with white-ish hair sticking upwards.

"Your Thunderlane then?" Ivan asked him. He nodded, allowingIvan a sigh of relief. This was the first guy he met in this world, not including Theo." Good, nice meeting you."

"I've been told you need help improving your flying abilities." Thunderlane said." Your lucky I've been training my kid brother lately."

Ivan repeated the same question he asked Shade." When do we start?"

"Straight to the point? It ain't an office mate." He responded." But honestly, I will give you a few pointers now then meet you by the clock tower at 3:30. Got that?"

"Kay." Ivan was glad to finally get to grips with flying. He and Thunderlane were walking off to start practicing.

"So, give me one then." Thunderlane demanded. Ivan looked confused.

"Give you a what?" He asked. Thunderlane shook his head.

"Nobody goes into Shade's office without taking a tonne of mints, so give me one." Ivan laughed lightly, spreading out his wing to reveal a few mints, allowing his new friend to take one. For the first time since getting here, Ivan's internal screaming had stopped.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Made was stood face to face with a group of three other ponies. Two male and one woman. Made wasn't much for being social, but knew how to speak for herself.

"You lot the demo ponies then?" She asked, although the hard-hats and safety jackets gave away the answer.

"What's it to you miss?" A slightly younger Colt asked her. His attitude gave a deep look from the older looking one.

"Mortar, what have i told you about talking to strangers like that?" The older one said, glaring at the kid." Sorry about my kid brother, he's always like that with strangers.. Did Pinkie send ya?"

"Yeah, names Made." She said. She awaited the obvious 'weird name' comment.

"Nice to meet you Made, I'm Brick." He said. His coat was red like Theo's, yet brighter." We've been needing backup since half our group was transferred to trottingham."

"Is she any good though?" The mare of the group asked." She doesn't look like much."

"Neither do you Titana." Brick responded." Besides, she has the mark for it." He gestured towards the mark on her rump.

"And she is here and can be spoken to directly." Made snarled, getting the groups attention." Do I have the job or not?" Brick looked over at Titana, who sighed in return.

"We ain't exactly got a choice in the matter, do we?" Titana said. Brick was extremely exited.

"Yeeaahh, welcome to the demo's. We build stuff, we break stuff." Brick blurted out. Made stayed back, slightly scared by the guys sheer enthusiasm. She found herself by Mortar.

"Is he always like this?" She asked him.

"Only when your new guys." He responded through embarrassment.
> Chapter 5; new faces, not-so familiar places
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Despite his initial thoughts, Theo rather enjoyed his new job. The small interactions he made with everypony was soothing. He slowly learned to adapt his human dialect, not that it was that hard for him. Theo was used to moving about and changing dialogue was one of his specialties. 

Most of his time was spent serving customers and avoiding Pinkies antics. She was annoying and hyperactive, yet Theo couldn't help but admit she was heavily skilled at baking. She also had the unnerving talent to almost make others laugh, wich he thought was quite the ability to have. She kept going on about making a welcome party for him and his friends, and although he didn't want to say, he hated parties. They were always overcrowded and stuffy, with barely any breathing space. He was never very social anyway, but having an open party with a large group of ponies he never met before just scared him. That being said, it was a nice sentiment and Theo was glad to know that pinkie was looking out for them one way or another. 

Theo had eventually finished his shift and his interview, and was about to head off to meet his friends.

"Is that all?" He asked, anxious to see his friends. While his day was quite eventful and he managed to haggle the spare room, he really wanted to see how his friends have fared.

"Slow down champ, you might want this." Mr cake called him and threw over a small bag of coins, which Theo caught with his magic. The bag contained 30 bits, bits being the new currency Theo had to get to grips with." Go get you and your friends something to eat, we'll see you later."

"Is that it, when do you want me back?" Theo asked.

"Be back whenever you please, just be sure to get some sleep tonight." The cakes seemed quite kind and caring, similar to his father in some ways. This small reminder gave him mixed feelings. Part of him liked the small reminder of home, but it also came as a reminder of how far from home he was.

"And while your gone, I'm gonna plan yours and your friends welcome to Ponyville party!" Pinkie said out of nowhere. Mere moments earlier she was in the kitchen with Mrs cake, but she bursted into the room faster than Theo could describe.

"Just to note, how often does she do that?" Theo asked, slightly scared. Mr cake sighed.

"Too often. We sometimes have to replace the doors." Mr cake said, slightly embarrassed. Theo took caution.

"Okay then, I'm gonna go meet my friends before something else happens. See you later." This was the last thing Theo said before galloping though the door. Mr cake looked over at Pinkie.

"See? You've got him doing it now!" He yelled, pinkie responding with a giggle.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Theo waited at a table from a restaurant near the clock tower for his friends. He already placed and payed for his order for himself and his friends, the matter was waiting for them. To his surprise, Ivan was the first to turn up. He looked exhausted yet he had a confident grin on his face that could only be described as pride.

"Nice to see you've made it mate, take a seat." Theo said, with a smile on his face. Ivan looked puzzled.

"What's got you so perky?" Ivan asked. Theo's smile was slightly creeping him out, so Theo stopped.

"The bakery was better than expected, it was quite therapeutic even." Theo managed to relax around the comfort of his friend." What about you? How long can you fly for now."

"Indefinitely." Ivan said with pride, Theo gawping.

"Holy shit, I'm impressed." Theo leaned back.

"You were impressed with 15 seconds." Ivan rolled his eyes.

"I'm even more impressed then. Jeez man, what's with the constant need for praise?" Theo asked, getting interrupted before his answer was given.

"Sorry I'm late guys!" Made announced, entering with a hard hat and a jacket.

"Oh look, Bob the builder is here!" Ivan joked, causing Made to blush.

"Yeah, let's wind me up now, I just got here." She moaned. Theo rolled his eyes.

"Just sit down guys, I've ordered us some food. Familiar food." This thought put his friends at ease. For the past few days, all they ate was grass and the occasional flower. Even just the thought of real food gave them comfort. The waiter soon appeared with the food ordered.

"I have your pizza and chips group meal sir?" The waiter said awkwardly. Theo nodded while his two friends mouths began to water.

"Yeah thanks, just make sure these two don't go for it while your still holding it." Theo responded sarcastically. The waiter chuckled before returning to his duties. Theo turned to his attention to his friends, who simply stared at the food before them. "It's not going anywhere, well, it's going in your mouths in a few moments." Ivan took this as a signal to dig in, yet the lack of fingers made eating hard.

"Fuck sake, how am I gonna eat without fingers?" Ivan cursed, getting a few dirty looks from those around him. Made suddenly felt an overwhelming feeling of embarrassment and shock

"Ivan, careful what you say, people are about." She hissed. Upon understanding what he said, Ivan covered his mouth.

"Sorry, converting dialect isn't my best ability." He said, now cautious of those around him. Theo rolled his eyes.

"Speak for yourself, that stuffs my bread and butter." Theo practically patted himself on the back.

"Does your ego want anything to eat?" Made joked." It's not that hard, most of the time."

"Honestly guys, I've moved so much that it don't make much difference to me anymore." Theo continued." Not something I'm exactly happy about, but at least it made a difference." 

This started an awkward silence as the group ate their meal. Well, by awkward silence I mean Theo just sat in silence while his Ivan and Made spoke. Most speaking was about how irritating it was trying to eat the pizza, and those they met prior to now. Theo occasionally picked up a piece of pizza with his magic, clearly irritating Ivan every time he did so. Made just starred at Theo performing the single spell he learned through complete accident and thought to herself, eventually questioning something..

"Is that spell all you can do Theo?" She asked. Theo turned his attention to his friends again, and then to his horn. He failed to realise he was using his magic to spin a fork around on the table, even leaving a mark.

"Meh, never really thought about it," He said." What spells though, I mean, how many are there?"

"Well, you might just find out how to activate that sword on your flank." Ivan added, referring to Theo's sword-like butt-tattoo." If levitation was all you could do, why would a sword be there?"

"Good point." Theo praised." But is there anywhere I can go to learn them? It seems to be common knowledge." It was at this point the waiter re-appeared with the groups drinks, placing them on the table with the same spell Theo uses.

"Hey mate, can I ask you something?" Theo asked him. The waiter turned to face him.

"Sure, what do you need? Sauce? Napkins? Sauce and napkins?" He asked over enthusiastically. Theo rolled his eyes.

"Is there a library anywhere in this town by chance?" He asked. The waiter thought, scratching his hair with his hoof.

"Well, the old one was destroyed during the battle with Tirek, so I don't know anym.. Oh yeah! There is one inside of twilights castle, but you'd need to ask princess Twilight herself." Despite what Theo was just told, more questions arose that were answered. Who was this 'Tirek' person and where is Twilight's castle? Theo shook his head and looked at the waiter again.

"Where is Twilight's castle?" Ivan asked." Were new."

"I can tell that much." the waiter said sarcastically." You don't need to know your way to know that Twilights castle is the giant crystal tree." He gestured to the Crystal structure in the distance.

"Thanks dude." Theo said to the waiter as he walked away. Once he was gone, Theo resumed his conversation. "So, if I can get inside, I will use the library to figure out how this thing ticks." Theo gestured to his horn, still glowing due to his spinning of his fork.

"As for me, my shift is starting soon." Ivan moaned." Well, good luck with the books mate!"

"I'm just gonna sit under a tree for a bit and relax. I'm done." Made said smugly. Getting a dirty look from Ivan, as per the norm when he is jealous. The three were about to go their separate ways, when Theo called them back.

"Wait guys." Theo called to them." We should meet up here once every two days. That way we can catch up on whatever happens." Ivan stayed quiet, not knowing how to answer, leaving the answer for Made to make.

"Good call!" She praised." See you guys soon." After this, the group disbanded to their own goals.

-0-0-0-0-0-

The castle that was before Theo was much larger than he thought it would be. It was composed entirely of purple crystal, and the structure looked like a treehouse crossed with a Christmas tree. Theo walked up to the large door, and then questioned how he would open it. He tried knocking, but nopony answered. He then tried to open the door with his magic, yet it was pointless, wouldn't budge. He was about to hit something when a young mare walked up to him. She was a unicorn, similar to Theo, yet had a pink coat with a purple and teal mane. She gave him a puzzled look.

"Can I help you?" She asked, Looking towards Theo for an answer.

"Eerrm, I'm trying to get in? The dumb door won't open though." He said, continuing to struggle opening the door. The mare rolled her eyes.

"Maybe try pulling the door open." She said opening the door." Now can you explain what business you have here?" Theo sighed

"I hoped I could access the library. I wanted.." Theo said before being interrupted.

"Wait, you want to use the library?" She asked. "Nopony has ever asked to use Twilight's library. There is the odd school excursion, but still."

"Would that be a problem?" Theo asked. The mare sighed.

"It wouldn't be if Twilight was here." She moaned." She's currently at the Canterlot royal debate and won't be back for a few days." Theo sighed, his goal having failed.

"Well, thanks anyway." Theo said. He was about to walk away when the stranger walked away.

"I suppose I could let you in." She suggested." Being Twilight's student, I have access to the castle in her absence." Theo gave her a look of disbelief.

"Wait, you'd do that for me?" He asked.

"Sure! What do you want it for anyway?" She asked. She seemed to get straight to the point with every question she asked.

"I was going to try and learn some new spells. I only know levitation and I figured.." Theo said before being interrupted yet again.

"You only know levitation?" The mare asked. Theo was irritated over being ignored, again.

"Can you please stop interrupting me mid sentence?" Theo asked.

"Sorry about that, but still. You only know levitation?" She asked again. Theo sighed.

"Yeah, but I want to learn more." He answered." You never know when you might need it." This straightforward answer seemed to satisfy the young mare.

"I could help if you want." She offered." I am pretty good at performing magic, I could give you a few pointers." This offer sounded pleasing to Theo.

"Really? Thanks! Oh, I'm Theo by the way."

"Starlight Glimmer, nice to meet you."

-0-0-0-0-0-

Made sighed, a habit she tried to avoid for the past few days. Unlike the boys, she knew how to keep things to herself, yet not having any time to herself meant she had no opportunity to vent. Secretly, she was worse off than Ivan. True, she didn't let it show, but she doesn't like discussing things and often goes to quiet areas in order to get over it. But an opportunity to do so never really came about in the last couple of days, with an exploding portal and their sudden form change taking priority over the ability to vent.

"Eerm, excuse me."

She wished she never touched that portal. Theo might be a nice guy, but none of this mess would've started if he took the first day off like regular people.

"Miss, can you?"

But seriously, with everything that is going on recently, she didn't know what would happen next.

"Miss! Please!"

Made opened her eyes to see someone stood in front of her. She was yellow at the coat, with styled pink hair. Made failed to notice her while in thought.

"Sorry, didn't see you there, had something on my mind." She admitted, clearly caught in the act." Can I help you?"

"Can you, erm, move for a second." The mare asked, gesturing to the black rabbit beside her and the rabbit hole Made was sat on. Made moved slightly, allowing the rabbit passage into its home.

"Oh, my bad. Didn't notice that." She said to the mare, who remained silent." I'm Made, nice to meet you." This still failed to get an answer from her, so Made tried a different way." Don't worry, I don't bite, often." This light humour seemed to give the mare a glimmer of courage.

"Erm, I'm, erm, fluttershy.." She said quietly and slowly. Made showed a kind face to her, making her feel much better over the whole meeting.

"See? I'm not some evil half pony half shark." Made joked, getting a weird look from her." No? Dang it, that one would've got the boys good." Fluttershy's look remaining unchanged. Made sighed." I'm new here. I came here with two colts called Ivan and Theo." This explanation Fluttershy understood, relieving her of the confused look on her face and giving her comfort around Made.

"How are you finding things?" Fluttershy asked, her tone changing into a more kind one rather than scared. Made sighed.

"It's great, more than great!" Made said, slightly upset." I mean, it's great here, but it just doesn't feel right." Fluttershy gave Made a warm look, somewhat willing her to keep talking, and it worked!" I spent my whole life growing up around my friends and family, it just feels awkward without them." Fluttershy put her hoof on Made's shoulder to comfort her. Made looked at her, a little confused." How do you do that?"

"Do what?" Fluttershy asked.

"You made me tell you how I felt and i felt better about it immediately. How?" Made asked again. Fluttershy giggled a bit.

"I didn't get you to do anything." She answered." You told me what was no your mind and you felt better about it." Made laughed slightly and nodded.

"Oh, your good." She complemented Fluttershy, making her blush slightly. Made felt somewhat better about the whole 'new world' thing.

Well, a bit anyway.
> Chapter 6; the party, preparation
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Upon Theo's return from the castle, all he could think about was going to bed. He was exhausted and had lost most sense of balance. During his training session with Starlight, he was taught two different spells. The first was a shield/bubble spell to be used for protection. Wile it could prove useful if Theo ran into the Timberwolf again, he was gonna stay as far away from that shit as possible anyhow. The second one was a magic beam, something Theo could only call one thing. LAZER BEAMS! This spell was the one Theo was the most grateful to know, purely because, well, it a fucking LAZER! Another spell they started to touch on was teleportation. Theo just managed to pull one off, at the cost of the loss of his balance. While Starlight told him that that was normal at first, he secretly knew nothing was 'normal' in this world. 
Theo trotted into sugar cube corner to silence, something he hadn't had in ages. Even back home his father listened to music in the dead of night because 'it helped him think'. As Theo was about to walk to his room, Mr cake walked out from the back room. Theo jumped, but mostly because he was tired rather than actually being scared.
"How come your up this late." Theo asked with mixtures of fatigue and confusion stirring around his face.
"Cleaning." Mr cake responded." My wife thought she could beat Pinkie in a cupcake  baking competition."
"Who won." Theo asked him, despite him not really caring.
"Pinkie did." Mr cake answered." But the real loser was me because I had to clean up." Mr cake then changed the subject after a shot pause." How was your day then?"
"It was ok I guess." He moaned, too tired to show enthusiasm." I went to the library inside the castle. This girl called Starlight Glimmer taught me some spells and stuff." Theo yawned, he was extremely tired. Even Mr cake picked up on this.
"Just get to bed son." Mr cake told him." Celestia knows you need it." Theo was slightly confused as to his choice of words, yet dropped the subject due to exhaustion. He had quite a rough day. After wrestling a Timberwolf, changing the way he talks and learning how to cast various spells, he deserved a rest.
-0-0-0-0-0-
It was the dead of night, or early morning. It was irrelevant as Theo was fast asleep in bed. Silence fell through the room, say for an insect  moving towards Theo. It was reminiscent of a cockroach or a woodlouse, was a bright white and pitch black in colour and had four stump-like legs. It slowly made its way over to Theo,and upon reaching him, dug its jaw-like mandibles into Theo's neck. Thorough its mind ran all Theo's memories, his fears, his secrets. Everything that could be turned against him taken from his mind and copied into the creatures mind. Theo awoke out of the pain from his neck to notice the thing, being quick to capture it in his levitation spell and throwing it out the window. After this, Theo went back to sleep immediately.
The bug walked to the nearby forest for cover, but did something unimaginable. It coated itself in some kind of aura and grew in size. It's shape also changed through this light into something more dark. He was the same size as a pony now. 
It looked kinda like..
-0-0-0-0-0-
As the morning came, Theo gradually opened his eyes. Upon waking, he quickly jumped out of bed and stretched. He looked outside the window next to his bed in an effort to see the weather, stretched again then left the room. It was at this moment Theo noticed the sheer silence coming from the house. While he liked quiet, Theo found something suspicious about it. Walking down the stairs, he entered the main shop area. What happened next caught Theo off guard. Several ponies jumped out from nowhere and yelled "SURPRISE", catching Theo off guard. It was at this moment Pinkie fell from the sealing, landing on her hooves and bursted over to Theo. He knew what was coming.
"Guess what?" Pinkie asked him in an extremely enthusiastic voice. Theo sighed.
"Your probably gonna tell me." He answered. Pinkie smiled.
"Today is the 'welcome to Ponyville party' for you and your friends silly." Pinkie stated as if it was the most obvious thing in Equestria. As if they were signalled, Made and Ivan walked into the shop. Theo sworn he saw Ivan mouth 'help me', but chose to ignored  it. 
"This is gonna happen no matter what I tell her, isn't it?" He said to Made, who nodded in response. Theo sighed again." Well, when is it then?" Pinkie seemed to get more and more giddy the more time went by. 
"Tonight." She giggled. She seemed more exited for the party than most in the room. Theo rolled his eyes. He at least had the time to get in the right frame of mind before it started. All of a sudden another pony bursted into the shop. She was white with an elegantly styled purple mane, a horn and a trio of gems as her cutie mark (as Theo learned the butt-tattoos were called). 
"Pinkie? The preparations are ready." She explained in a somewhat posh accent. She then gestured to Made. Pinkie then went over to Made, making her somewhat nervous.
"Made, this is my friend Rarity." Pinkie explained." She has come to take you to the spa."
Made looked terrified. There was only one thing in existence that she hated more than her current situation, and that was spa's. She remembered her mom taking her to one as a child, yet she feared it completely. It's one of the reasons she is a tomboy. She was about to think of anything to get out of it, when the lady-like pony dragged her out with her magic. Made mouthed 'help me' to Theo and Ivan, and while Theo simply ignored it, Ivan seemed to have gone goo-goo eyes for Rarity. He slowly went for the door until Theo stopped him.
"Dude, really?" Theo asked.
"Dude, why not?" Ivan snapped back, his eyes still fixated on the mare in the distance. Theo just face hooved himself.
"Later." After this, he focused on Pinkie again." Wait what about us?"
"Oh, I forgot about you two." She said, laughing slightly afterwards." I guess you wait for your friend." Theo was going to mention something about how she forgot his despite him living with her, but decided to walk out of the place with Ivan. Just thoughts then shifted to Made. Why did she react that way over a bloody spa?
-0-0-0-0-0-
Made sure knew how to overreact, the spa wasn't as bad as it was when she was a kid. She was offered everything 'on the house', yet chose to only have a massage for her nerves the day prior. She was sat a few feet from the mare who brought her here, still filled with mixed feelings about her. Rarity then looked over to Made with a somewhat smug look on her face.
"Not as bad as you thought, is is darling?" She asked. Her posh accent was somewhat irritating, but Made knew she wasn't a bitch like most of the girls she knew. She was more caring and generous, features she found likeable. Still, she wasn't quite over her dragging her here though.
"Okay, don't rub it in," Made said." It's not that bad I guess. Helps with the stress." 
"Of the boys?" Rarity asked playfully." They don't seem that bad, especially that Ivan fellow.." Made glared at her.
"Keep your hooves off him, he's mine!" She yelled out before covering her mouth quickly. Rarity laughed a bit at this.
"Oh, you like him don't you?" She sniggered, causing Made to blush a light red. "I don't gossip, you can say."
"Well, I've known him since I was a kid, and he's always had my back. He's one of the most loyal friends I've ever had." She said, somewhat saddened." But, he's always interested in 'other' girls, he completely forgets I'm here, or tries to make me help him. Do you know how hard that is?" Made started to vent and rant until Rarity walked over to her and placed her hoof on her shoulder, causing her to stop.
"Don't worry darling, as long as your there for him, he will notice you eventually." This small piece of advice allowed Made the space to breathe, and Rarity tried to change the subject." Why are you only getting a massage? Everything is free. They don't offer that to anypony you know." Made thought for a moment.
"Don't know, just never been that kind of person I guess." She thought for a second. "Meh, why not. You only live once, right?" Rarity nodded at her, and two other spa employees walked towards her. She suddenly regretted the words she just spoke.
-0-0-0-0-0-
After Made's abrupt exit from the bakery, Ivan and Theo decided to wait for her in the clearing outside the spa. Pinkie more or less forgot to set set up anything for the lads, so they just took the time to wait for their friend, prepared to help her if she was emotionally scarred from the experience.
"Hey?" Ivan called, looking at Theo.
"Yeah?" Theo answered. 
"You ever wonder why we're here?" Ivan asked. Theo and Ivan didn't really have a man on man conversation since their first meeting, so it was slightly awkward to speak.
"I don't know man," Theo said." We know it was Made who opened the portal, but was that meany to happen? Is this all predetermined, already meant to happen? Or is it just an accident that was caused by me not deciding to skip school on the first day? I just wish things made more sense man, maybe we'd know." A small silence fell between the boys while Ivan figured out what Theo said.
"What?" He asked, clearly confused." I mean why are we here when we could be under that tree or sat on that bench." 
"Oh, right." Theo said, slightly embarrassed.
"What was with all that metaphorical shit?" Ivan asked.
"It's exactly what it sounds like. I wasn't thinking about chicks, like someone.." Theo snarled.
"Don't even go there bitch." Ivan hissed.
"No, this needs to be said. You moan about internal screaming, try to run from town moments after getting there and have a freak out in a cafe about your lack of hands. And the very next day, your flirting with someone? Dude, really?!!" Theo looked at Ivan with sheer confusion.
"Okay man, chill." Ivan pleaded." I'm trying to fit in. Not everyone is used to it, so give me a chance man."
"Okay mate, fine, I'll give you a break. Just keep your guard up. I have a feeling somethings about to errupt." Theo rubbed the back of his neck (at least he still thought is was a neck, dumb pony body).
"You think I don't know that?" Ivan asked." I'm the one who predicted the fucking Timberwolf attack, you think I'm an idiot?" Theo thought for a minute.
"Well.." Theo started.
"Ok, don't be a dick." Ivan saw the joke coming before Theo could finish. 
"Hey guys, I'm done." Yelled Made, running out of the spa. She seemed more positive that usual and had her hair styled differently than before. She walked up to the guys. "So, what you talking about?" Ivan turned to Theo to answer.
"Why we're here." Theo answered." Don't you find it slightly suspicious that this happened only because of a small pebble banging into a computer?"
"I guess. That means this thing wasn't my fault, right?" Made asked.
"Being honest, I don't think anyone is to blame." Theo continued." This was either a mistake or fate. Either way, something is gonna happen soon, I can just feel it." Theo begin to walk off.
"Where are you going?" Ivan asked him. Theo stopped and turned briefly.
"To the library, I need to look into something."
> Chapter 7. The party, before the storm
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Theo once again found himself walking into Twilight's castle. With his sudden paranoia, he believed finishing the teleportation spell training would prove useful, and whatever spells he could learn beyond that would also help.
Contrary to last time, the castle was packed with various ponies. even Pinkie could be seen darting around the place. It seemed Theo accidentally discovered Pinkie's secret party location. Theo thought briefly of trying to escape from the party and doing more training with Starlight, but that remained as a concept. Most of his mind power was spent trying to stay out of sight, and succeeding!
Theo was about to make a break for the hallway, when he saw Pinkie incoming. His instincts and nostalgia took over, and he slipped under a nearby cardboard box. It was only after he did so when he realised what a shitty idea this was, hoping to whatever god ruled this world to allow him to go undetected, and either through divine intervention or sheer luck, he was. 
After Pinkie passed by (which Theo was aware of due to the lack of bouncing noises), Theo exited the box, only to be caught off guard by Starlight. He jumped at first, but relaxed after realising it was her. She looked at the box Theo hid under. 
"You hid under a cardboard box?" She asked, seeming sceptical of Theo's method
"It worked, didn't it?" Theo responded. "Besides, it worked. Nobody suspects a cardboard box". Starlight rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, but through sheer luck. It'd be easier to teleport away." She explained. Theo shook his head.
"Yeah, we didn't finish that, remember?" Theo reminded her. It was then when they heard somepony walking towards them. Starlight looked at Theo.
"Twilight's coming, hide." She whispered briefly before pushing him behind a nearby curtain. 
Twilight walked towards Starlight after turning from another corridor. Her coat was purple, lavander specifically. She seemed to have both wings and a horn, making her vastly unique compared to others. Her cutie mark was a star surrounded by five sparks. She wore a small tiara with small purple gemstones encrusted into it.
"Starlight! How've you been?" Twilight asked, moving over to Starlight slowly. Starlight attempted to move in front of Theo in the hopes that she won't notice him.
"Princess Twilight, I wasn't expecting you back so soon." Starlight said to her. Twilight seemed suspicious over Starlight using her full title, it usually meant one of two things. The first was that she wanted something from her, but since she just got back, this option was less likely. The second was because she was hiding something from her. It was then that Twilight carefully looked over at her, and noticed another set of hooves behind her, and another colour entirely.
"What are you hiding?" Twilight asked her. Starlight seemed surprised by her response and how quickly she caught onto her.
"Hiding what?" Starlight asked her back. Twilight didn't buy this however, instead choosing to move the curtain, and revealed Theo in the process. Theo looked over at Starlight.
"That's why I chose the cardboard box, nobody suspects a cardbo.." Theo tried to say before starlight stopped him.
"Twilight, this is Theo. he is one of the ponies who Pinkie is making the party for." Starlight explained." He wanted to use the library to learn a few spells." Twilight looked at him closely.
"He wants to use the library? Nopony ever asked to use the library except the school ponies." Twilight questioned. Theo felt a case of déjà vu. 
"Honestly, what's the big issue with somepony wanting to use a library? You'd think its a crime." Theo moaned. Twilight continued her look, but suddenly turned it into a more caring one.
"If you both want to use the library, feel free to." Twilight said." I'll keep Pinkie at bay." Starlight and Theo looked at each other with glee. Theo then looked back at Twilight.
"Thanks Princess." He praised. Twilight winced at this.
"Just 'Twilight' is fine." Twilight smiled." Now go before Pinkie gets back." As if instant, Theo and Starlight ran to the library.
-0-0-0-0-0-
Ivan and Made hadn't moved from their earlier spot, and had settled down to talk. There was the odd raised voice every now and again, but with nopony around to hear them, their free speech took over.
"Hey, watch this." Ivan declared as he took to the air. He grabbed a cloud from the air, dragged it nearer to the ground and sat on it. Made gawped at this.
"That doesn't seem physically possible." She exclaimed. Ivan had a large grin on his face.
"Pegasus ponies can manipulate the weather. It's fucking awesome." Ivan declared." Also, clouds are really soft. Well, that's not saying much." Made giggled.
"You love to show off, don't you?" She asked him. Ivan rubbed the back of his neck.
"Just proving I'm not a dipshit." He answered.
All of a sudden, Ivan's cloud was destroyed from underneath him by something moving incredibly fast. Luckily, Ivan managed to recover from his fall before he hit the ground, but was clearly pissed.
"Hey, who was that?" He called out, but received no answer. He felt a tap on his back, but turned to see nothing. He felt it again, but still saw nothing. He then heard some giggling from two places. The first came from Made, which was completely normal, but he also heard laughter from above him. He quickly glanced up and caught the pony prankster off guard. The mare in question was l light blue in colour with a rainbow coloured main. Her mark was a rainbow lightning bolt coming from a cloud, ironic considering what she just did. He was clearly pranked, but didn't find it amusing.
"What the hell was that for?" Ivan asked, more pissed than his usual demeanour. The mare was oblivious to this though.
"I got bored and saw you flirting with your marefriend." She said in a raspy voice." Besides, I'm bored."
"WE DON'T DATE!" Ivan and Made yelled in unison. They then looked at each other in sync, and Made blushed lightly. Ivan remained oblivious, as is expected from him.
"Besides, our connections have nothing to you. And if you think that was funny, your wrong." Ivan spoke sternly.
"It was kinda funny." Made sniggered. Ivan looked over at her.
"Made, not helping." Ivan muttered while gritting his teeth. The mare just seemed to laugh slightly.
"Ok, Ivan was it?" The mare asked him." Sorry if I scared you, but it was just a joke." This small apology didn't really make Ivan feel better, but earned Made's trust, somehow.
"Sorry about him, he hates being knocked over," Made said." You should see him In the morning. He's the kind of person who'd blame someone for tripping over a rock." Ivan winced, slightly embarrassed." Sorry Ivan."
"Not an issue Made." Ivan said despite his slight embarrassment." Just give us a heads up next time, whoever you are."
"Rainbow Dash, but I can't make any promises." She answered him." You are two of the new ones, aren't you?"
"Yeah, but the third one, Theo, went to the library about 15 minutes ago." Made told her.
"Let me guess, he's the egghead of the group." Rainbow guessed.
"Nope, he just does it so we don't have to." Ivan told her, still pissed.
"So, he's an egghead." Rainbow repeated.
"Yeah, pretty much." Made answered. However, Dash had dropped the topic and was now staring at Ivan.
"I've heard you took my spot as a weather pony from Shade. Is that right?" She asked him, slightly stern.
"Maybe I have, what's that to you?" Ivan said back with the same tone.
"Well, I may be a Wonderbolt now, but I'm still gonna make sure your up to my level." Rainbow snarled. It seemed Ivan had a rival, and Made had a new form of entertainment.
"Hey Ivan!" Made called up to him, getting his attention. "I'm gonna have a look around town. You coming?" Ivan landed on the ground to join his friend.
"See you later?" Ivan looked over to Dash, who was about to leave.
"Count on it!" She called to him in response.
-0-0-0-0-0-
"Okay. Now you've gathered the energy, focus on where you want to go to." Starlight said slowly as Theo prepared to teleport.
If he did that is. The two of them had been working on this spell for ages. They even learned another spell by complete accident. The spell allowed the caster to turn whatever they aimed at into an orange. While Starlight found it funny yet stupid, Theo thought it may come in handy someday, despite its limited uses.
Theo's horn emitted a light green glow that slowly grew darker the more he focused, his face filled with mixtures of hope, effort and large chunks of focus. This green aura slowly coated the rest of him, ready to perform the spell.
"Now when your ready, I want you to release that energy all at once." Starlight told him. Theo had to say, she made one hell of a coach.
Theo took a slow breath, gained his composure and released his energy. It was sudden, but he felt a large sum of energy overwhelm him for a slight moment. He noticed he moved to the other side of the room. A small sigh of relief went off from within him, but on the outside and his head, he was more giddy that he was for months.
"Holy cow! Did you just see that?" He asked Starlight, more looking for praise rather than confirmation." That was awesome!" 
"All you need to do is improve your speed, but I think you've got it down. Good job!" She said to him. "It took you 2 days to figure it out, while I took two months."
"I've always been a quick study. No wonder I'm so good." Theo was about to get ready to move onto the next spell, until Starlight asked him the one question he didn't want to hear.
"So, what's your life been life before this?" She asked him. Theo quickly scrambled for an answer.
"What's so interesting about my village?" He asked her, but when Starlight shook her head, Theo became slightly scared for her answer.
"I'm from a village. You don't have a village face." She told him." This face has seen things. So spill, what's it like?"
A thought flew through Theo's head. One thought seemed impossible, clearly a bad idea. But, there was just something about this mare Theo found trustworthy. Still, he was hesitant.
"I wish I could say, it's complicated." Theo explained.
"And teleporting isn't?" Starlight said back. Theo sighed.
"You don't know the half of it. That's how we ended up here in the first place." Theo began.
It was through the corse of roughly 30 minutes that Starlight sat in awe at every detail of Theo's story. From his first contact with his friends, the portal mess-up and his transformation. It would've been easier for Starlight to simply call it BS and have it over with, but the sheer detail and flow made the whole thing more believable. It still seemed impossible, crazy even. Aside from his name, Theo seemed to fit in too well to be from another world, and since Starlight never met Ivan or Made, there was no other example to go from.
Two minutes had gone by in silence since Theo finished his story. He felt he might've said something to soon, but he had no other choice, he could never keep anything to himself, even from his pathetic idiot of a dad. As the silence reached the third minute however, Starlight finally spoke.
"Wow.. That's, well.. How do I say this." She tried to put together an answer, being afraid saying the wrong thing could set him off." Your from another world?"
"World, dimension. Ivan had a theory we were in the Bermuda Triangle." Theo answered, relieved to get an answer. Starlight tilted her head.
"What's the Bermuda Triangle?" She asked, before deciding it wasn't important right now." Wait, forget it."
"You seem to be taking this rather well." Theo commended her, although he knew her head was swarming with more questions than he could answer.
"How did you adapt so quickly if you've only been here for 3 days?" She asked, and although it wasn't the question he expected, Theo still answered.
"That's something I've picked up over the years. Having moved countless times, I'm  used to converting dialect." Theo explained to her. However, Starlight wanted a different answer, so rephrased the question.
"I meant your magic. How can you just.. Use it? It typically takes most unicorns years until they even get a sign of magic. You just walk up and.. Do it. How?" She seemed slightly envious of this skill, but it was something Theo didn't really understand himself.
"Not a clue. Honestly, I just think about it and it happens. Isn't that how it works?"
"Yeah,  but you must go through lots of educational and spiritual training so your aura can take the strain." Starlight explained. While it seemed convoluted at first, Theo somehow understood it.
"Aura? You mean like your soul or something?" Theo asked, making sure it still meant the same thing.
"Yeah, that's right. Your body uses your aura as an energy source to power your magic. In order for you to just do it straight away, your aura must be incredibly strong, something that can be passed down through bloodline." She told him. Somehow, Starlights explanation made complete Sense to Theo, but he couldn't help but yawn. It was getting pretty late and he thought of going to bed. That was until he remembered to party being set up down the hall. He briefly face-palmed, thinking of a way to get himself out of it.
"You sure I can't just stay up here? I'm not the biggest fan of parties." Theo asked. Starlight quickly became aware of the change of subject, but disagreed with his plan.
"Pinkie has spent the whole day planning this party for you and you friends, at least turn up." Starlight told him. Theo growled, but knew he wasn't gonna win an argument with starlight, no matter his struggle.
"I guess." He mumbled as the two of them began to tidy the the room. Theo then asked her." Could you keep this quiet for a while? Don't exactly want everypony to know this stuff." Starlight laughed a little.
"Don't worry, your secrets safe with me. Not that anypony would believe me anyway." Having tidied the room up, the two of them opened the door to be met by Pinkie Pie, attempting to knock on it with her head. But upon seeing the door open, she spoke instead.
"Hey Theo, your friends are waiting downstairs for your DUPER SUPER BEST PARTY OF ALL TIME!" Pinkie yelled the last part, causing a few books in the background to fall off the shelves." How was your time with Starlight?"
"Fine I guess.. Wait, did you know I was here to begin with?" He asked, pinkie nodded. "Were you ok with me being here?" Her nodding resumed, but he was now slightly annoyed because of his effort to go undetected was pointless. "But I did the whole cardboard box thing. Come on." Theo began to get annoyed, but then starlight briefly put her hoof around his shoulder to calm him.
"Let's get you to the party, your friends are waiting for you." Starlight told him. He was about to think about another excuse to try to get out of it, but instead chose to just go. The party might not be that bad, what's the worst that can happen?
-0-0-0-0-0-
Ivan and Made now stood in front of the crystal castle, and their expectations were shattered. While the structure was viewable throughout the town and Theo had given them a thorough description of the place, nothing described the feeling of seeing it ones self. A few groups of ponies could be seen going inside the building, with a small crowd gathered outside talking.
After entering the building, Ivan and Made saw pinkie darting from each table inside the main hall, and decided to go up to her. Made was the first to speak.
"Hey pinkie." She called over to pinkie, getting her attention." Do you know where Theo is? He told us he'd be here." Pinkie darted over to the two of them.
"He's upstairs in the library with Starlight, want me to go get him for you?" She asked. Before the chance for an answer came up, pinkie darted towards the library to get Theo. It was then when Ivan spoke.
"Who's Starlight?" He asked Made." Also, is pinkie always like that? Must be a nightmare for Theo to deal with."
"Starlight sounds like a girls name." Made answered." Pinkie doesn't seem that bad, just a bit hyperactive. Kind of like you." Ivan rolled his eyes, now accustomed to Made's typical method of winding him up.
After a short wait, Pinkie could be seen walking alongside Theo and some other mare towards them. After goth girl down the stairs, Theo split apart from the two of them to join with his mates, looking slightly exhausted from practice.
"How'd it go then?" Ivan asked him. Theo grew a confident smirk on his face.
"Watch this." He said, coating himself in magic and teleporting between the two of them. This caught Made off guard, but Ivan just seemed to accept it.
"Jeez Theo, give me a heads up next time." Made moaned, scared out of her wits. Theo then turned to Ivan, who never really gave much of a reaction.
"Sorry mate." He said." Teleportation is an overplayed trope in most cartoons and anime, not to surprising." Theo rolled his eyes, about to continue until Pinkie bursted forward as per the norm.
"Hi, you wanna meet my friends?" Pinkie asked abruptly. However, despite sceptical looks, Theo answered.
"Sure, I guess." He said." Not that we were doing much anyway."
With a confident grin, Pinkie pushed the trio to her group.
" Ivan, Made and Theo, meet Twilight, Apple Jack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity and Fluttershy." She said quickly, as per usual. Ivan and Rainbow stared at each other.
"We've met.." They muttered simultaneously. Theo lightly sniggered and looked over at Fluttershy, who seemed a little, well, shy.
"Hey, you okay Fluttershy?" Theo asked her politely. She seemed slightly distracted, yet turned to the group now.
"Erm, yes. Sorry, I'm not to keen on parties." She told him,being slightly more confident with her friends around her.
"Well, that makes two of us I guess." Theo said," to crowded for my liking. Sometimes find it hard to breathe." This small amount of openness seemed to bring out Fluttershy's trust, finding Theo somewhat trustworthy. Ivan looked over at Rainbow dash, his earlier conflict with her still in his mind.
"Sup." He said to her.
"Hey." She responded, nothing else came from this greeting. The two of them seemed to form some kind of a rivalry.
"They've met ah guess?" Applejack asked Made, the last of the group to talk.
"She knocked a cloud from under him." She told her, sniggering from the memory.
"Trust me darling, ms Dash here has done worse, but we get her back one way or another." Rarity told her."
"How are you finding town then?" Twilight asked the three of them. Ivan and Made didn't know how to answer, leaving it to Theo, as usual.
"Slightly hectic, but that is probably gonna go away soon. Besides, everypony here seems nicer than I expected." Theo said. Twilight smiled.
"Well, if you ever need anything, I'm right here." Twilight told them openly. Despite her status, she seemed very down to earth kind of person, I mean pony! (God dang, even I'm still struggling). It was after this the trio disbanded to join the party.
-0-0-0-0-0-
The party was in full swing. Ponies were mixing and meeting the trio, food was being eaten, Ivan was drunk on the floor. Yes, Ivan found out cider was a thing in this world and decided to take advantage of the lowered alcohol limit by getting smashed. Made seemed to stay away from him out of embarrassment, trying to get out of sight.
Theo kept to the outskirts of the party, grabbing the occasional piece of party food and scanning the area. If there was one OTHER thing he learned from games other than combat, it was that open public spaces seemed to attract the wrong sort quite regularly. The air was heavy and warm, and the building was slightly to cramped for Theo's liking, so he made his way to the exit of the castle to get some air. He wasn't to surprised to see Fluttershy outside sat down, clearly for the same reason as him. 
If Theo had one weakness, it was that he made friends to easily, often the reason for his lack of speaking was to avoid such a thing from happening. Something was different about this place however, it seemed to unravel whatever safeguards he developed over the years and made him talk more, especially with the likes of Starlight and Pinkie. Fluttershy was another of those he couldn't help but try to talk to.
"To crowded in there I'm guessing?" He asked her, getting a slight jump when she noticed him. Thanks to the earlier introduction however, she seemed a little more brave around him.
"Oh, yes. Don't really like large groups of ponies. You should see me on nightmare night." She responded to him. Theo figured nightmare night was this worlds variant of Halloween, sitting down next to her and looking to the clear night sky. He sighed.
"Hope things are alright dad." Theo said while looking at the sky. Fluttershy looked over to him.
"You miss him?" She asked. It seemed a sensitive subject, but Theo answered anyway.
"Kinda. It always used to be just me and him, him being an idiot and me mostly taking the parent role." Theo explained." Just feels weird without him I guess."
"Didn't you ever say goodbye to him?" Fluttershy asked, feeling slightly sad for Theo.
"The opposite actually. He told me to never say goodbye. If you don't say goodbye, you aren't really gone, your.. Just not here right now." He said, getting slightly sad over it." Always thought it was kinda cheesy, but now I get where he's coming from."
"What about your mother?" She then asked him, unaware of his situation.
"I.. I never met her. Tried to ask as well, dad used to play her off as some kind of God, saying she gave him hope when he had nothing." He said with a warm look on his face. "Wish I knew where she is." 
"I hope you find her someday." Fluttershy spoke timidly, trying not to get him upset. Theo secretly knew the chances any family member again was very slim, almost near impossible. That being said, if most of equestria was as nice and welcoming as the few he's met thus far, he wouldn't mind it that much. But then a thought popped up, what about the others?
"He was forced by them to get them home, and part of him didn't want to break that promise. But if getting here was possible, getting back could be possible, but was as unlikely as getting here in the first place. Yet still, he felt something would come up, so he decided to stop overthinking things.
It was now that Theo and Fluttershy heard screams of terror and fear coming from the party. Theo darted up to investigate, with Fluttershy following closely after him. Uncountable numbers of ponies now flooded from the entrance to escape, making it hard for the two of them to pass through. After the large hoard was passed, Theo turned to Fluttershy. 
"Get your friends and get out of here, I've got this handled." He told Fluttershy, his voice still calm for her so she wasn't scared. After nodding, she made a break to find her friends.
Theo did something stupid however, he decided to get closer to whatever or whoever caused the commotion. But whatever he expected wasn't close to the terror of what he saw.
The being he saw looked near identical to a pony, say for a few features. It was a bright-ish white in colour, had something reminiscent of a horn, a rugged main that went to.. The left..
It was now that Theo realised it was a near duplicate of him! Say from a few insect parts. Throughs these observations, the creature never moved once, just staring at him throughout. Theo spoke up.
"What, who are you?" He asked, more for himself than as an actual question. But to his surprise, the beast answered.
"I'm you, and everything you feared you'd become." A look of fear, confusion and anger appeared on his face. He felt that something bad was about to happen.
> Chapter 8: gate crashed
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Theo stood in front of his alter-ego, with mixtures of fear and confusion filling his head.  How could such a thing exist? Why did it copy him of all people? Theo's thoughts were blocked by his doppelgängers dark laughter. 

"Trying to summarise the situation Theo?" The Insectoid clone asked. "We do that a lot, don't we?" Theo shook his head thoroughly.

"Please don't refer to us as the same person, it's creepy." Theo pleaded, slightly scared.

"But I am you, aren't I?" The thing responded." But, you know, completely badass." Theo face-hoofed.

"Great." Theo said." I meet myself and learn I am a complete dick, great day people."

"Bitch." The clone cussed. Theo thought of something to say.

"What do I call you then? Because 'thing' or 'clone' is gonna get old rather quickly." The clone thought for a minute.

"I'll stick with my prior name rather than yours. Carnage!" The brute laughed slightly." I sound like a fucking wrestler, don't I."

"You already know my answer." Theo said, then turning to the bodies on the floor, Ivan's in particular." Did you kill them? If so, that's Ivan off my back." 

"No, they ain't dead." Carnage admitted." The old green one thought she saw a snake, Ivan passed out drunk." Ivan muttered something." And the pink one is playing dead." Theo turned to see it was Pinkie.

"Is the bug pony gone yet?" She whispered. Theo shook his head.

"What's the point in appearing then? Giving everypony a heart attack?" He asked, slightly scared of the answer he was going to get.

"I'm here for you." Carnage said." We both know you don't belong here. So my kind has the task of fixing the balance." Theo sighed, letting his guard down slightly.

"Thank fuck, I thought you were going to.." Theo started, but was pounced on by his counterpart.
"By killing you and your friends." Carnage said, a sinister smile filling his face.
With a burst of emotion, Theo quickly used his shield spell to get carnage off him, getting back on all fours.

"Ok should've seen that one coming." Theo moaned." You know I'm not going down without a fight. Wait, why didn't you kill Ivan now then?" Carnage gave a stern look.

"I only kill those who can fight back." He admitted." I may be a monster, but I'm not a monster. You get what I'm saying?"

"Makes sense. But I never thought a being like yourself could show honour." The said smugly.

"Are we going to talk all night, or are we gonna do this?" Carnage grew impatient, Theo's horn began to glow.

"Let's do this somewhere else, to avoid any damage." Theo suggested as he teleported Carnage and himself away.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Ivan slowly came to, with his head buzzing and his hearing distorted, unable to hear anything. Having never had alcohol before, this process was extremely foreign to him. Then again, so is magical talking horses with extra limbs.

Upon opening his eyes, he could feel and see the whole room spin. It was Incredibly disorienting. He then saw made gallop over to him, trying to speak to him. What exactly she was trying to say was unknown to him until his hearing started to return.

"Ivan? Ivan! Say something, anything!" She pleaded, attempting to snap him out of his spasm. He shook his head a bit, then spoke.

"I regret every drop of that." He said, getting onto all fours somewhat easily." I'm never drinking again." Made laughed.

"That's what they all say." She said." Come on, we need to meet up with the others."
The two of them ran outside to twilight and her friends, Ivan stumbling a couple of times. Twilight approached Made.

"Any sign of Theo?" She asked.

"None, could only find this idiot." She moaned, gesturing to Ivan (who was throwing up on the floor)." Any luck on your side?"

"We can't find him anywhere in the castle." Rainbow said, dashing back to the group and looking over at Ivan." He's had it rough."

"Trust me, he's gonna get an earful once he's sober." She growled at him, still flooding vomit on the floor. A show of emotions whirred through twilights face.

"Did anypony see what happened to him?" She asked the group, who responded with unsure grunts and no's. It was now when pinkie bursted into the group (after doing who knows what for the duration of the search). She seemed to have the answer.

"I saw him teleport him and the Carnage away!" She declared. This rose a few questions.

"Who in Sam hills Carnage?" Applejack asked. Pinkie appeared directly next to her.

"Carnage is the bug pony who scared everypony. Theo teleported both of them away to avoid damage." The group looked at her with shock, especially Ivan and Made.

"We need to help him, he won't stand a chance against that thing!" Twilight shouted.

"Then why go off by himself?" Made asked." He's either brave or stupid. Possibly both."

"Is there a way to track his teleport?" Ivan asked, having recovered slightly. Twilight shook her head.

"We don't have time. We need to find him before its to late." Twilight looked at the group." We should split up to cover more ground. Made, could you and Fluttershy check around town?"

"Got it!" Made declared, Fluttershy following closely afterwards.
"Rarity, Applejack, you two keep checking the castle in case they're still here somewhere." Applejack nodded.

"On it Twi." Applejack nodded. Rarity gave a quick look at Ivan before leaving. Twilight then looked over at Starlight.

"I'll stay with Pinkie and make sure Ivan recovers." She told twilight. Ivan looked at her.

"Aww, I didn't know you cared." Ivan moaned sarcastically, causing Starlight to roll her eyes.

"Thanks Starlight." Twilight smiled." Me and Rainbow will check near the mountains nearby the castle. If you need us, look there." Twilight set off, but rainbow hung back for a moment to speak to Ivan.

"Your friend must be pretty stupid to take on that thing on his own." Rainbow told him, smirking slightly. "Must be a theme for you three."

"You get used to it." Ivan moaned, still feeling slightly sick.
After Rainbow Dash left catch up to Twilight, Starlight walked off to do something, leaving Ivan alone with Pinkie Pie. This was the last thing he needed..

-0-0-0-0-0-

Theo should've thought his 'less damage to buildings' plan a bit more carefully. Maybe then he wouldn't be lost in the woods with Carnage nowhere to be found. All he had to do was keep walking forward, being ready for anything that happens.

Then again, anything could happen. This was a world filled with talking ponies, for Christ sake! So, there was a pretty heavy emphasis on 'anything'.

Well, anything except a teleport. The sheer force needed for Theo to perform the last one was to taxing on his mind that he doubted he could perform another spell for some time afterwards. The only choice he had was to keep going.

Theo kept walking, knowing an attack could come from anywhere.

"Peekaboo.." Carnage said, his sinister tone being at its creepiest. Yet, dispite the obvious horror movie shout out, Theo kept going. "I can see you.."

"Shut the fuck up!" Theo snapped, now annoyed. "I have enough references with Ivan, and the lack of hands means I can't face-Palm at his failure without looking like a complete dipshit in public, so shut, the Fuck, UP!"

"Oo, didums. Does baby wanna cry?" Carnage asked sarcastically. "Man up, eermm, pony up. Colt, stallion up? This worlds language makes no sense, man. I mean. Gaaa, you know what I mean."

"Why aren't you getting this shit? Aren't you from this world?" Theo asked.

"My kind exists between the boundaries of all the different dimensions, making us interdimentional bouncers, so to say.".

Theo rolled his eyes. "I thought bouncers square up to people rather than.." Theo was interrupted by Carnage jumping on top of him. "You know, one day, I'll learn to shut my mouth." Carnage began to pummel Theo, beating him up.

"Say uncle!" Carnage said darkly. Theo tried to struggle out, but couldn't escape from his attackers grips."

"Why the fuck do you always jump on me? It's becoming a trope now." Theo complained.
Three orbs of pure, green, raw magic appeared around Carnage, as he spoke again "say it."

"Uncle, Uncle!" Theo yelled, hoping his sinister adversary would let him go.

"I don't think so. I think I've waisted enough time on you." Carnage boomed. "Wish I could say I enjoyed myself. Maybe next time I won't be forced to copy an egghead. Any last requests?" Theo looked to his side, and looked back at carnage.

"Yeah. Do you think you could stay still for a few seconds?" Theo asked, being greeted by a confused look from his captor.

"What do you mean by.." Carnage started, only to be interrupted by a beam of aqua coloured magic, knocking him out temporarily. Starlight then emerged next to Theo, making sure he was alright.

"How did you find me?" Theo asked her, kinda confused.

"I tracked your teleportation spell. Twilight said it would take to long, so when she left with her friends and Made to find you, I did it." Starlight explained. "Don't know how you managed such a distance."

"What about Ivan?" He asked, curious as to why he was left out.

"He's drunk, so we left pinkie to look after him." Starlight told him

"Man, I almost feel bad for him." Starlight looked at him confused.

"What's a man?" Starlight asked.

"A man is the pitiful being Theo once was." Carnage moaned, getting back on all fours. "A being without magic, wings or true strength.

"Try saying that to Bruce Lee or Chuck Norris." Theo mumbled.

"Shut up and be glad your alive." Carnage shouted. "If it wasn't for this bitch, you'd be dead. So I'm gonna return the favour." Another magic orb appeared above Carnage, significantly larger than last time. Out of fear, Starlight attempted to teleport away, but failed.

"Why isn't my magic working?" Starlight yelled, trying to muster up every ounce of the energy within her. Carnage let out a large chuckle.

"This blast absorbs magic around it to improve its own power. One would call it overkill, I call it checkmate." He explained.

Theo froze. For once, he didn't know what to do. He and Starlight were cornered, and without a hasty teleport, they were finished. What little he knew of magic was useless, as it would simply be absorbed by his fiendish counterpart. What little options he was left with were either incredibly unlikely to work, or just stupid. His one choice was to wait and hope someone could help them, or an opportunity arose where he could counter.

"Wish I could say it was nice knowing you, but it really wasn't." Carnage declared before sending the orb quickly towards them. Starlight flinched, preparing for the blast, her face laced with fear.

Within moments, Theo felt something within him, something he never felt before. It was as if every fibre of his very being was beginning to scream. However, it was not a scream of terror or pain, it was a scream of power, of raw desperation. This sudden spike in strength filled his horn, extending from it and forming a blade. It buzzed with green energy, seeming lethal to the touch. The orb seemed to split as it touched the blade, sending its fragments in two different directions, exploding after hitting some trees further away from them. Starlight opened her eyes, realising she hadn't been hit yet, only to see what was just described. Theo looked at carnage sternly.

"Hey buggy boy! You missed, bitch!". Theo declared, his statement brimming with pride, with a pinch of sarcasm. Carnage gave one look at Theo, before vanishing into grey smoke. The only expression that could be seen on his face could only be described as fear.

The large sword on Theo's head dissipated, and he turned to face Starlight.

"Are you hurt?" He asked her, now seeming exhausted. 

"Yes, thanks." Starlight returned, still shaken from the possibility of death. Theo stumbled slightly, but recovered quickly.

"Good, that means I can pass out without guilt". Theo moaned before falling to the floor, passing out almost instantly. Starlight quickly ran over to him.

"Theo? Theo, wake up. Theo!" She pleaded, hoping he'd hear her, but it was no use. She did notice he was still breathing, so he was mostly safe. If anything, he needed medical attention quite quickly.

Almost from nowhere, Twilight swooped down to the clearing Starlight was currently in, suddenly shocked to see her pupil with Theo.

"Starlight? What are you doing here?" She asked her, seeing as she's  saw her at the castle not long ago.

"While you were gone, I tracked the teleport Theo did." She told her teacher, looking down at Theo. "And it's a good thing I did."

"What happened to him?" Twilight asked, rushing over to him.

"He passed out after protecting us both from Carnage. We were going to get hit be a magic orb, and we're both stopped from using magic." Starlight paused. "But he somehow managed to break that the rule and activated his magic to turn his horn into a sword, then passed out." Twilight quickly checked over Theo.

"We need to get him to a hospital, quickly!" Twilight declared. "Starlight, can you get help and tell his friends he's safe?" Starlight was already stood up.

"One hoof ahead of you Twilight!" She declared, teleporting away instantly. Twilight quickly placed Theo in a safe position while she waited for help. Something didn't sit right with her as she went through what starlight told her however, something in particular.

"But there are no sword spells in current existence!" She thought, clearly confused. "Could Theo have made a new spell completely?" She sat looking over Theo, now believing there was more to this Colt than he's letting on..
> Chapter 9; battle-wounds
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 9; recovery

As Theo woke up, he was greeted by slurred vision and his whole body aching. He felt completely drained from his contact with carnage, but seemed to get out without a scratch. All that he had headache that left him bombarded with a large wave of pain every five seconds, so he felt he got the lucky end of the stick. 

After confirming he was still alive, he checked where he was, as he was clearly not anywhere he recognised. He seemed to be in a bedroom of sorts, in a rather large and comfy bed, a small desk next to him and a fireplace on the other side of the room. There was a rather large mirror on the top of the fireplace, which seemed to be viewable from all points of the room. A large window with a balcony was directly across from the door.

Theo still had no clue where he was, and sitting in bed wasn't going to give him answers. So he made the decision to leave the room and figure out where he was and what's going on.

That was his plan until he opened the door. He was greeted by two guards, stationed at both sides of the door. They wore full golden battle armour, carrying spears. The sheer sight of them scared Theo witless. One of the guards turned to face him, his face seeming emotionless, further terrifying Theo. He decided to close the door, not wanting to have to walk past the guards.

Why were there guards outside his door? What was so important about him that required him to be guarded? Theo was now severely confused, unable to even think clearly. He decided to walk onto the balcony outside his room for some fresh air. 

The view from the balcony was quite nice, it was quite a view. He could see he was now in a city of sorts, with a regal feeling to it, and large open areas. From outside the city limits, he could see several smaller towns in the distance, the closest of them seeming to be Ponyville, as clearly shown from Twilight's castle. Theo let out a big sigh.

"At least the girls and Ivan aren't too far away." He spoke out loud, more for his own comfort than for conversation. His head was still buzzing with questions, but at least his friends, old and new, we're all safe to his knowledge.

"Well, glad to see somepony is awake!" A voice called out from above him. Theo looked up to see a large, white pony with both wings and a horn floating down to him, landing in front of him.

She was much taller than anypony Theo had met previously, and seemed more regal. Her mane and tail seemed to move on its own, with similar colors to the northern lights. Across her flank was her cutie mark (the name picked up from Starlight) of a large, orange sun. Despite all these weird features she had, she still seemed slightly familiar to Theo for some reason, but he was unsure as to why this was.

"Did you sleep well?" She asked him, her voice warm and inviting, a trait Theo knew from his father.

"As well as I could considering what I went through, I guess." Theo paused after this response, figuring this lady could help him with his current situation. "I'm Theo, just to note."

"I'm well aware of who you are, young Colt, you needn't worry about that." She said with a smile. "I do believe you need some introductions however. I am Princess Celestia, co-ruler of all of Equestria." Theo was shocked. he was standing in front of royalty, the pony who raises the sun every morning, Twilight's teacher and ruler of the whole nation. Yet Theo still acted like an idiot.

"I apologise for speaking to so casually just then, your highness!" Theo quickly said, kneeling on his front hooves despite having no idea how to do so. This was met with laughter from the princess.

"No need for formalities Theo, just be yourself. I get enough of that from dignitaries." Theo let out a sigh of relief. "I know your new to Equestria, just relax."

"Wait, how do you.." Theo started, for Celestia to interrupt him.

"My sister travels the realm of sleep, we know about you and your friends." A slight expression of fear appeared on Theo's face. "Don't worry, your in no trouble. Your here because Twilight asked me to help you recover."

"Recover from what?" Theo asked, still not completely aware of what happened to him.

"Are you aware that your body uses your aura to fuel your magic?" She asked him, met by a firm nod from Theo, remembering that from what Starlight told him. "Well, if you use too much of it, your capable of passing out. It's called magical exhaustion, and your case was pretty severe."

"How severe?" Theo asked, leaning forward out of interest.

"You've been knocked out for 2 days Theo." Celestia told him, which caught him off guard. "Your friends should be here soon, alongside Twilight and her friends. You should get some rest for now, I'll send Spike over with some food later. Once you reunite with your two friends, we will discuss matters further."

"Thanks, Princess." Theo said to her as she walked to leave the room. Theo asked her one question first. "Can you not tell Twilight and her friends about me just yet? I would prefer to tell them myself." Celestia turned to face Theo.

"If that's what you wish Theo. But don't take too long to tell them, or I will. Understand?" 

"Understood." Theo responded. Celestia left the room after this, her face now more upset than it was 

"He will know soon, Celestia."She thought. "I will tell him when the time is right."

-0-0-0-0-0-

"Made! Calm down for crying out loud!" Ivan yelled. "Nobody knew what would happen, not even him!"

"It doesn't change the fact he ran off and put himself in this situation in the first place!"  Made shouted back at him, her full 
body language looking like it was going to hit something very quickly if the chance came up.

Earlier in the day, Celestia sent Twilight a letter confirming that Theo was awake and safe, and asked Twilight and her friends to bring Ivan and Made via train to Canterlot on order to check up on him. However, this seemed to spark a small argument between the two of them over whether Theo was to blame for his condition, something Twilight's group tried to stay out of.

Applejack and Rarity sat and watched as the two 'friends' argued with one another.

"How long have they been arguing for now?" Applejack asked out loud, raising her hoof in confusion.

"2 hours and 37 minutes!" Pinkie sang as she bounced by, as was her nature. After a confused look from the whole group, Rarity walked up to Made, cautious not to elevate her anger.

"Made darling." She started. "If Theo is your friend, why are you getting so angry over who's fault it is? Shouldn't you be worried for him?"

Ivan moved next to Rarity, patting her on the shoulder. "Trust me! It's either this or Made's in tears. I help her vent her anger by arguing with her, that's our method."

Applejack gave Ivan a skeptical look. "Wouldn't that make her more mad?" She asked him. 

Ivan paused a minute to think of an answer, briefly looking over at Made. "That probably explains all the broken legs she's given me in the past." Made laughed at Ivan's summary, glad he figured it out.

"Not such a gullible turd now, are we?" Made asked him, only to be met with him drooping his head in response. "Ah, grow up. I was only joking!"

"I know." Ivan moaned, moving to his seat and sitting down. "I get why your worried about him, I'm worried about him. I'm worried about us! Theo has been in charge from the beginning, he is the one who stopped the arguments between us. It just doesn't feel right without him, I guess."

Made sat next to Ivan. "Come on Ivan! Theo will be fine, I can tell." She looked out of the train car, seeing Canterlot slowly moving closer in the distance. "But still, why go after that.. That thing on his own? He's no hero. Hell, were no heroes! But he still went out of the way to get it away from us. Why?"

Ivan thought back for a moment. "He did say something back before the welcome party about thinking something was gonna errupt." He sighed. "Well, he wasn't wrong."

"Well, guess we'll find out when we speak to him." Made muttered, now leaning down in her seat, her head bending into a position where she could see the row behind her. In this position, she saw Starlight Glimmer, who seemed to be distanced from the rest of the group. She was looking out of the window, her face had mixed expressions of thought and upset. 

Seeing this, Made got back up on all fours and sat next to her, knowing full well she was with Theo when he passed out.
"You doing alright Starlight?" Made asked her. Starlight turned to face her, not noticing she was there until now. "You seem, well.. Quiet. You ok?"

"That's a weird question to ask." Starlight responded, being somewhat defensive about her feelings. Made returned a glance at her.

"How is it weird? I'm asking if your alright, your not with the others and I'm checking what's up. So, are you ok?" Starlight thought for a moment after Made's question.

"Well, I'm just worried about Theo, that's all. I was there when he passed out from the battle. Would you blame me for being a bit worried?" 

Made placed her hoof onto Starlights shoulder, looking at her warmly. "Theo's our friend as well, I get it." Made looked out of Starlights window, Canterlot being in the distance. "Well be seeing him soon, don't worry."

Ivan, having heard what Made told Starlight, turned in his seat to face the two of them. "Jeez, why has everything gotten so depressing since we came along?" He flapped his wings slightly. "The reason I wanna get out is so I can stretch these things, being cooped up in here is really uncomfortable." Ivan cringed lightly, still not being entirely used to having his wings.

Rainbow moaned as soon as Ivan said this. "Agreed! How much longer is it anyway?"

"Well," Twilight started, "seeing as we just went by the mountain tunnel 6 minutes ago, I predict we will arrive at Canterlot in 10 to 15 minutes. I read and revised all the train timetables when I was Princess Celestia's student, so I'm an expert on the subject." Ivan gave Twilight a blank look, slightly confused as to how twilight knew this, but instead chose to let ignore it, he already had a hard time understanding pinkie. He leaned back In his seat.

"Well, could be worse." He said, closing his eyes and choosing to sleep for the rest of the journey.

-0-0-0-0-0-

Theo was still in the bedroom he woke up in, laying on the bed in boredom, making an occasional moan of boredom.
"I can't believe I'm about to say this, but I wish Ivan was here right now. Could use the conversation." He looked out of the large window, seeing the city, now filled with ponies walking around. "Or I could use him as a paraglider and get the fuck out of here." He then tried to use a teleportation spell to leave the room, but he couldn't do so in his current state. "Next time I see that hard-shelled freak, I'm gonna break his legs."

After a few more minutes of moaning, Theo heard his door open. He turned to see who it was, and saw what looked like a reptile of sorts. A purple reptile with green spikes, who was about half the size of him, and seemed to look like a child of sorts.

"Can I help you kid?" He asked, now out of his bed, yet still keeping his distance from the thing.

"Yeah, I'm Spike, Princess Celestia asked me to bring you some food." He explained, picking up a tray holding a bowl of plain pasta and glass of milk. As if on instinct, Theo's stomach growled at the sight of food. 

"Kid, your timing is on point!" He shouted as Spike placed the bowl on the desk next to Theo's bed. And while he was about to dive in and eat his fill, he noticed that Spike was about to leave. "Leaving so soon?"

Spike turned around. "Sorry, I told Twilight I'd cover for her while she went to Pinkie's party. I wouldn't be her number 1 assistant if I couldn't keep my promises!"

"Did you just say your Twilights assistant?" Theo asked, starting to walk towards spike.

"Yeah, why? Do you know her or something?" Spike asked, closing the door and returning to the room.

"Well, the party she went to was for me and my friends, and I met her there while Starlight taught me some basics about magic." Theo explained, laying on his bed and turning to Spike. "If it wasn't for those two, Who knows what state I'd be in right now."

"Well, I guess your lucky they were around to help you then." Spike said, his eyes now widened in surprise.

"If I was lucky, I doubt they would've needed to be there in the first place." Theo argued, chuckling slightly and shaking his head from side to side. "Still, I couldn't let that... Monster, get to everyone. What I did was probably stupid and childish, but it just felt right at the time. That said, Ivan and Made probably want to kill me right now."

"Meh, don't worry about it." Spike suggested, leaning against the bed and hitting Theo on the shoulder. "Those guys are probably mad, but only because they're worried about you. Just explain why you did it and they'll forgive you."

Theo quickly sat up. "You know what? That actually good advice. Thanks, gecko kid!" He said with a small grin on his face.

"Actually, I'm a dragon." Spike corrected, a word that instantly caused Theo's ears to perk up and jump out of his seat, his inner-gamer now fully active.

"Your a dragon? A real dragon?" Theo asked, scanning spike from the head down. The longer Theo spent in this world, the more he began to question it. First, the existence of Pegasi and Unicorns, and now dragons, which were all creatures from earths mythology and history. One would've been a coincidence, 3 is God-dang suspicious, almost like Equestria and Earth were connected in the past.

"Yeah! I mean, most ponies have never seen dragons before, but Twilight raised me since an egg." Spike in explained with a wide smile on his face, with Theo somwhat interested in spike's story." But the that's the start of a reeeaalllly long story, so let's save that for another time."

"Okay." Theo said, laying back down on his bed, before quickly sitting back up and raising a hoof. "One question though."

"What?" Spike said as he started to walk towards the door, stopping and waiting fo Theo's question.

"Can you breathe fire?"

-0-0-0-0-0-

after his battle against Theo, Carnage retreated further into the Everfree forest. There, he remained for a few days, appearing to be setting something some form of symbol on the ground. After the two-day grace period however, he appeared to be done.

“I hope I don’t regret this.” He muttered, before blasting the center of the circle with dark magic. All of a sudden, a black orb appeared in its center. Some form of being reminiscent of Carnage appeared within it, as if summoned. Carnage kneeled before it. “Your majesty.”

“Do you have anything to report, my knight?” the Queen asked in a calm, yet dark voice. “How goes the elimination of those displaced teenagers?”

“Not all that good, your highness.” Carnage answered “One of them had unusually high magical potential, and was capable of besting me with some kind of sword spell. The other two can be taken out easily however.”

The queen squirmed slightly once Carnage mentioned the sword spell, but kept her composure. “I understand. I will send more solders within the coming weeks, but you must assure me the death of the one with potential. His strength might grow unless we take him out soon. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Queen Hardshell.” Carnage barked out as the two-way communication spell faded. The queen simply looked into some kind of mirror and smiled.

“So, Celestia your chosen knight has appeared once again.” She declared, before laughing to herself manically. “It seems things are about to get interesting."