> A Stranger to the World
>  by Perceptive Key
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Going Down? (Completely Revised/Must Re-Read)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


A Stranger to the World
Chapter One
Going Down?


Manhattan Island...

The rain pounded the pavement and dark grey clouds hung ominously low in the sky. Lightning flashed off in the distance, silouhetting the skyscrapers as the thunder rolled in seconds later, the sound reverbrating off each of the buildings. The Empire State Building had yet to be touched from this storm, but it had been relatively unscathed in previous encounters with lightning, like the lightning, itself, was afraid to touch it.

And it was right to.



The seconds ticked by on Alex's watch as he sat under the transparent top of a bus stop on the street corner, waiting for the bus that brought him to Midtown. His usually short, shaggy brown hair clung to his pale scalp, wet and limp from the rain. He lazily ran a hand through it to lift the hair from his equally brown eyes. He sighed and pulled out his PSP. "Late again," Alex mumbled. He turned on some Call of Duty and entered the first level, setting the difficulty levels to veteran. The few passerby that happened to be on the street walked by him, each of them lost in their own technology or running to seek shelter from the rain. It was as good as the day could get for Alex, even the weather was what he preferred. He felt that it reflected his daily mood.

Alex looked up when the bus pulled up a few minutes later, and he boarded it, choosing one of the empty seats in the back. There was only one other person on the bus, a man wearing a black trench coat and a hat that covered the man's eyes, but Alex didn't even bother to notice him. He was too involved in shooting down AI to notice much else.

The man glanced back at Alex and grinned. "You'll do," he muttered. "You'll do."



Twenty Minutes Later

Alex disembarked the bus and ran through the downpour and toward the towering structure. The rain poured down the sides of the building in bucketfulls and splashed the sidewalk, making quite a lot of noise in the process. Alex wondered how the building could possibly take the force of it all, but he pushed the small thought from his mind quickly, focusing on his current task. He entered through the framed, glass doors and entered the large entrance room, shaking the rain off of his brown coat as he did. He hurried up to a woman sitting at the reception desk and got her attention.

"Can I help you, sir?" she asked, barely turning her gaze to look at him.

Alex nodded and ulled out a piece of paper from his pocket. "Yes, I'm here to see a..." he searched the paper, "... Mister Devilin Daniels."

The receptionist nodded and typed some information into her computer next to her. Outside, the volume of the thunder increased, signaling that the storm was getting nearer.

"Devilin Daniels..." the woman read off of the screen, "Floor forty-two. In charge of personel and employee placement for Inter-Dem Tech."

Alex quickly thanked the receptionist and walked over to the set of elevators at the end of the entry hall. Again, he didn't notice the receptionist watching him as he pressed the button to call the elevator down. The doors slid open and Alex stepped in, pressing the button marked '42' as the doors slid shut before him.



'Ding.'

The elevator reached its destination and Alex entered a long hallway with doors located every seven feet. He looked at his piece of paper agan and read it off in his mind, 'Room 4200, eh?' He looked down at the door at the end of the hall. The numbers 4200 were printed in bright gold leaf. "That was easy."

The thunder from outside rumbled again, the storm inching closer.

Alex walked past the doors that littered the long corridor, peeking into each as he walked past. Each room had a different -yet strangely similar- man sitting at a desk, taking notes. What was even stranger was that they were writing with a quill on normal paper, but as he continued down the hall he saw some workers using old typewriters, and as he neared the end they were using normal Apple iMacs.

"That's just weird," Alex said quietly to himself. He shook his head and reached the last door, putting out a hand to grab the handle, but the door swung open ahead of him. "That's even weirder."

He crossed the threshold and found himself in a normal executive office. This was accentuated by the big mahogany desk, large red swivel chair currently facing the opposite direction, and the one, large window that overlooked the Manhattan skyline. Alex gave a low whistle as he looked past the chair and over the city. "Damn," he whispered in awe.

"You approve, then?" came a masculine voice on the other side of the chair.

Alex jumped back, his thoughts returning to Earth. "Wha-?!"

The chair spun around to face him, as did a smartly dressed man in his mid-forties. He had distinguished, dark brown hair, fair skin, and a smug grin that made Alex slightly uncomfortable. His black, pinstripe suit looked to be freshly pressed. "Manhattan is a fascinating city. I, myself, find the view to be somewhat stunning. Relaxing, even. Wouldn't you agree?"

Alex stared blankly before snapping out of his shock and answering, "Oh, uh, yeah. Totally!"

"Uh, huh," the man's grin turned to a slight frown. He leaned forward in his chair, folding his hands and placing them on the desk. A slim, yellow folder sitting to his left. "I take it you're Mister Alex Harper."

The thunder rolled, echoing throughout the island, again.

Alex cleared his throat, "Yes. I am." He was suddenly self-conscious of his jeans and black polo shirt, as well as how they compared to the man's dark suit and tie. 'Damn!' Alex thought, 'I should've seen this coming!'

The man didn't seem to notice Alex's discomfort and spoke, "Hello, Mister Harper. I'm Devilin Daniels." Devilin extended a hand and Alex shook it. "Congratulations," he said, smiling slightly, "You've passed step one."

"Step... one?" Alex asked uncertainly.

"Yes," the Devilin replied, "I like a man who isn't afraid of new things. Like shaking a stranger's hand, for example."

Alex nodded. 'Okay...' he thought.

"I'm afraid that this will be a very short interview. I have some more important matters to attend to." Devilin stated, looking at the folder next to his hands and sliding it in front of him, opening it up to the first page. He nodded his head as he perused Alex's resumé. "It says here that you took an online course in micro-programming. Is that right?" he asked.

"Yeah. I already knew quite a bit, since my mom had previously worked as an engineer. She taught me most of that," Alex explained.

"And your father?"

"He didn't do much," Alex lowered his voice slightly, "but he used to take me hunting upstate. I didn't kill anything, but I learned how to fire twelve rounds at a bulls-eye from one hundred feet away with a bolt-action rifle." Devilin stared at him with a serious expression, unimpressed with his abilities. "That's about it," Alex finished, shifting his gaze to look out the window.

"I see." Devilin turned to the next page and frowned as he read the print. He cast his gaze towards Alex. "I offer you my condolences," he said in a low voice.

Alex nodded. He didn't need to be told what Devilin had just read. It was perfectly clear to him what he was referring to. Devlin skimmed through the rest of the file and set it down next to him when he was done. "So, why would you like to work for my company, Mister Harper?"

Alex swallowed. "Well, I've been looking for a job in electronics and programming for a while, but I didn't have much luck at any of the companies I applied to. Then I got a call from your office, saying that someone had recommended me, but I'm not entirely sure who. I was told to see you and... here I am." Alex laughed slightly at the end, but stopped when Devilin looked at him with a stony expression. "Pretty simple reason, actually."

The lightning flashed outside the window, briefly casting erratic shadows and giving the office a sinister look.

"Well..." Devilin started, "we receive quite a few applicants, and I'm afraid that only a limited space is open. I'll have to consider it, but you seem like a good enough lad and your resumé reflects that. Even if you worked for a cheap Wendy's establishment in the past." Alex winced when that was brought up. "Still, I think you'd make a good addition. If I hire you."

Alex gave a slight nod, "Thank you for your time, sir."

"Don't call me 'sir,'" Devilin ordered. "Just Devilin."

"Sorry," Alex apologized, slightly taken aback at the sudden informality. He turned to leave and was just entering the hallway when Devilin asked him, "Do you like animals, Alex?"

'What kind of a question is that?' Alex wondered. "Yeah. I guess I do." He continued to make his way to the elevator.

"And horses?" Devilin called after him.

'What?' "Yeah," Alex nodded, "I suppose I like horses."

The thunder sounded again, louder than ever. The storm had reached the building.

The elevator doors slid open and Alex stepped inside. He pressed the button for the ground floor and looked back into the executive office. Devilin was smiling a bit... creepily. "Good luck," he said.

The elevator doors slid shut, cutting Alex off from the outside world. Alex stared at them, looking at his own image being dully reflected. "'Good luck?'" he repeated back to his mirrored self.

KA-CRACK!

A bolt of lightning struck the antenna atop the structure, sending the waves electricity throughout the tower. 

The elevator sparked and shuddered and Alex fell against the sides. "WHAT THE HELL?!" he screamed. Tendrils of electricity sparked around the metal cell, zipping down the walls and crackling across the buttons. The elevator stopped dead in its tracks, with Alex trapped inside. The digital readout of the floor numbers was black, but some words appeared on it.

'Going down?'

"What the-?"

The elevator dropped down through the floors, free-falling to the basement.

"HOLY SHIT!" was all Alex could shout before he blacked out.

The elevator suddenly began to slow its descent, and it reached the ground floor with a gentle 'thud.' When the doors opened, however, it was empty. Up on the forty-second floor, a man wearing a dark suit and tie stared out of a large window, laughing quietly. "'Going down?,'" he laughed a bit more, "Good one."



Equestria...

The rain pelted the ground relentlessly, and dark grey clouds hung over the small town of Ponyville. The inhabitants hid inside their houses, keeping dry from the torrential downpour. However, a lavender coated unicorn mare with a similarly colored streak running down her dark purple mane and tail ran through the streets, her soaked mane slapping against her neck. She was hurrying home, having stopped at her friend, Applejack's, farm to pick up some apples. The rain had started back there, and Twilight Sparkle thought it best to get back to her own house.

Suddenly, a bright streak of lightning shot horizontally out of the sky, then another... and another. The three streaks joined together and created a small explosion. Then a small ball of light began to fall from the sky, casting an eerie white glow over the town as it headed towards the soaked earth. The unicorn looked up at it blinking away the rain that fell into her eyes as she watched the light quickly disappear behind the cottages in front of her.

She started thinking about the light and began to calculate where it landed, ignoring the downpour around her. 'Present velocity... wind speed and direction... distance from-' she stopped as she realized where it hit. She bolted through the town and ran towards a large tree that served as Ponyville's library, as well as Twilight's home. She burst through the front door and skidded to a halt, nearly falling into a hole in the wooden floor that now led straight to her basement.

"SPIKE!" Twilight called out.

Upstairs, Twilight heard some groaning and Spike appeared a bit later. The small, purple and green dragon came down the stairs slowly, eyes half open and his short tail dragging along behind him. "What is it, Twilight?" he complained, "I was busy trying to sleep." He was completely oblivious to the fact that there was a large, gaping hole in the room.

"You can sleep later, Spike," Twilight stared down the hole and tried to see into the basement, "but right now I need you to take a look at something for me."

Spike groaned again, "Alright! But this time you'll owe me a geeeeeeeeeemmm-!" Spike wasn't looking where he was walking and fell through the hole. "Umph!" The sound of him hitting the ground came from the darkened space below.

"Perfect!" Twilight said, "Now get a look at what's down there."

Spike sat up and rubbed his scaly head. "Thanks, Twilight, I'm fine. But I need some light." A small orb of purple light floated down shortly, bathing the basement in a soft purple hue. Spike looked around the room and came face to face with a large pile of wood and leaves. "There's pile of wood and leaves here!" he called to Twilight.

"Is there anything under them?"

"Wait." It took the small dragon a few minutes before he could get a look under the debris. When he moved enough of the wood away, his eyes widened. "Woah."

"What is it?" Twilight asked.

Spike looked at the... thing... in front of him. "I don't know, but you might want to let the princess know."

Twilight teleported down in a bright flash of light. "Let her know about what?" Then she noticed what had been lying under the shattered bark. "Oh... that."

"Should I take a letter?" Spike asked.

Twilight continued staring, "Definitely."
> In Technicolor (Mostly Revised)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Two
In Technicolor


"Hello...?"

Alex moaned and slowly opened his eyes, only to be blinded by the sudden influx of light. He responded by shutting them quickly. 'Damn. What happened to me?' he thought. He slowly replayed his day, from getting up, to walking to the bus stop, from entering and exiting Devilin's office and getting into the elevator, and finally to the elevator falling.

Alex's thoughts came to a dead stop. "The elevator," he groaned. The elevator fell and he must have fallen with it. He remembered how it happened, now. "Am I dead?" he thought aloud.

"You nearly were."

Alex froze again. 'What?' he thought, 'Who's there?'

"Are you awake, uh, sir? If you are a sir."

The voice was female, as far as Alex could tell. 'May as well answer,' he thought. "Um... yes.... I think so."

"That's good," she said. At least Alex hoped it was a she. Getting someone's gender wrong after hearing their voice is a bit embarrassing in most cases.

Alex tried opening his eyes again, blinking away the painful spots of light. When his vision cleared, he found himself staring at a wooden ceiling. He looked to his right, and a window was looking out over a small town with little houses and cottages lining a small dirt road. Alex turned away from the view and looked down at the rest of his body, finding his left arm was bandaged and in a sling, his left leg was in a splint, and other parts of his body were bandaged and bruised throughly. 'I still have my pants. Good.' Alex's shirt, though, had been removed and was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was a large, bandaged patch in the right side of his stomach area, a large red stain residing in the center.

"You suffered quite a few injuries," the female sounding voice said suddenly, "we weren't sure if you were going to survive, at all."

Alex turned his head to the left in order to face the source of the voice. "It could've been worse," Alex replied, "Falling forty-plus floors would do that to-" Alex stopped mid-sentence.

Instead of facing a woman (or a man with a very feminine voice), Alex was face to face with a lavender coated unicorn with a black mane, with a hot-pink streak that nearly matched its coat color.

"That's not possible," Alex gaped.

"Oh, no. Like I said, your injuries were quite seri-"

"That's not possible," Alex repeated when the unicorn spoke, this time with a little more volume. "I must be hallucinating. I'm probably lying in a hospital bed in a deep coma! Yeah, that's it, a coma!"

"No, um... you're not," the unicorn said, "you're in Equestria. Ponyville, to be more specific."

Alex's mouth moved, but no words came out. "Oh, God," he mumbled before he passed out.
- - - -
Twilight watched as Alex's eyes rolled up into his head and he stopped moving, aside from the occasional rise and fall of his chest. "Hmm," she thought aloud, "he must have been a bit light headed from the fall."



Six Hours Later

Alex groaned loudly and opened his eyes. The room he was in was now dark, as night had come around while he had been asleep. 'That was weird.' He started to get up, but winced when he put his left arm down to prop himself up. He quickly switched to his right arm and swung his legs over the edge of the small bed. He placed a hand on his head and felt another cloth bandage wrapped around his cranium. Alex looked back at the window that he saw earlier but the curtains were shut, adding an extra layer of darkness to the room.

All of a sudden, Alex heard a fit of giggling coming from outside the door to his small room. 'What?'

"Even you aren't sure what it is?! I can't believe that!" said a newer voice. This one was slightly raspier in tone, but it still sounded female none the less.

"Give her a chance Rainbow Dash," another voice joined in, this one sounded more proper, "Twilight can't know everything! Can you?"

Alex stopped listening as more voices joined in to the conversation. He pushed himself up off the bed and shifted his weight to his, less broken, right leg. He cringed and winced as he limped over to the door, pushing it open with his good hand. 

"Son of a bitch."

Alex stared at six ponies, while six ponies equally stared back at him. There were two pegasi, one of them yellow with a pink mane and tail and the other was cyan coated with a mane colored like a rainbow. Two unicorns stared back at him as well, the one from before and another that was white, with a curled, purple mane and tail combination. The final two were devoid of wings or horns and included a pink coated, pink maned and tailed pony, while the second was orange, with a blonde mane and tail, a stetson also sitting atop her head.

Alex fell backwards into the room and decided to lie down for a while, ignoring the intense pain racing through his system from the fall. "I'm definitely dreaming."

"No you're not, silly!" The pink mare jumped on Alex's chest, receiving a loud groan in response. "Get... off... me," he said through pained breaths.

"Okay!" The pink pony suddenly floated into the air about an inch above his chest. "Is this better?"

"Loads."

"Pinkie, get back! Don't you see you're hurting him?" The pony from earlier walked, or should I say trotted, into the room and used magic to pull the still hovering mare into the other room. When she was finished, she came back over to Alex, "Sorry about her, she was just being... Pinkie."

"Where the hell am I?" Alex asked.

"You're in-"

"Where the HELL am I?!" He repeated, his voice rising.

"Where do you want to be?"

"In a hospital somewhere. In a coma. Hallucinating this!" Alex shouted.

Instead of a verbal response from the mare, he felt his body rise up off the floor and was moved into the larger room. Alex was gently set down in a cushioned chair that was barely large enough for him to sit in. The lavender unicorn trotted back and stood in front of Alex. "You are in a hospital," she said calmly.

"What?!" the cyan pegasus cried, she had been the slightly raspier voice. "No he's n-" the orange pony pulled the pegasus back by her tail, cutting her off. Alex eyed her uneasily, making a mental note to be cautious around her.

"You are hallucinating this."

"Well," Alex interrupted, "you're lying."

"No, I'm not."

"You're just saying what I want to hear," Alex said frankly, "and thusly, you are lying. I am in this place you call 'Equestria', I am in 'Ponyville', and that most certainly means -hooray hooray-" he added sarcastically, "that I am in your library!"

The six ponies in the room exchanged confused glances with one another at the creature's change in attitude. Twilight suspected that he was still experiencing shock trauma or brain damage from his fall.

"So..." Alex started, "... who are you?"

The lavender unicorn spoke up, "I'm Twilight Sparkle."

The orange pony with the stetson chimed in, "Ah'm Applejack." Her voice had a southern accent, unsurprising to Alex.

"I'm Rainbow Dash," the cyan pegasus added boastfully, "the coolest and fastest flyer in all of Equestria." She did a few flips in the air to prove her point.

'Note to self,' Alex thought, watching the pegasus cautiously, 'be wary of her ego at all times.'

"I'm Pinkie Pie!" the pink pony jumped up to Alex and hopped on his lap, staring into his eyes.

'Note to self number two: establish personal space with hyper-active, pink one.'

The white unicorn with the purple, curled mane spoke up, "I'm Rarity." Alex nodded. He then looked over to the yellow coated pegasus, who was busy hiding behind her bright pink mane.

"And you are?" Alex asked her.

"I-I'm F-Fluttershy," she whispered.

"Sorry, I didn't quite catch that."

"Fl-Fluttershy."

Alex looked to the others, "Anyone?"

"She's Fluttershy," Twilight answered.

He nodded again, "Of course she is." Alex surveyed the group of technicolor ponies before him. They each seemed nice enough, but he didn't get why they hadn't dissected him yet. 'Unless... there may be some normal people here!' he thought hopefully. Normal people meant that he wasn't crazy

"So..." the pony called Twilight started, "... what should we call you?

"I'm Alex. Alex Harper."

"Ooh! Ooh! Ooh!" the one named Pinkie jumped up and down with a hoof raised, "Do you play the harp?! Do you play anything with strings?! Do you play-" Applejack put her stetson in front of Pinkie and cut off her rambling.

Alex mouthed a 'Thank you' to Applejack. "Um, I don't play the harp, but I can play a little bit of the piano." He watched as the others nodded and whispered about his ability.

"What else can you do?" asked Twilight, pulling out a piece of paper and quill from literally nowhere.

"I can pick a lock in less than thirty seconds, I can make a mean batch of instant cinnamon buns, and I can reprogram a computer hard-drive fairly quickly," Alex added.

"Mm, hmm," Twilight hummed thoughtfully. "What is a computer?"

"Well..." Alex tried to think of how to explain, "... it's like a machine that can hold massive amounts of information and applications that can help with everyday life... or sometimes not. It depends."

"Interesting..."

Alex looked around the room, eyes darting around searching desperately for something even he wasn't sure about. A brief flash of green brought him out of his trance. He watched Twilight and her friends come back into the room. He didn't even notice that they had been gone! "What just happened?" Alex asked, "How long was I zoned out?"

"Only about ten minutes," Pinkie replied happily.

'Ten minutes?!' Alex's mind shouted. "What?"

"Well, you started to look around the room for a few minutes before staring into space," Twilight explained, "so that gave me enough time to send the letter I wrote to the Princess. I was going to send before you woke up, but... you got up."

"Wait. Who?" Alex asked.

"Princess Celestia," Twilight continued, "is the pony in charge of ruling Equestria. She's been the princess for over one thousand years! It's quite amazing."

"But she's an alicorn!" Pinkie interjected, "And alicorns can live for years and years and years and years and years and..."

Alex stopped listening and turned his attention back to the other five equines in front of him. "So... is your quote, unquote princess going to execute me or something for invading your land without permission, or whatever?"

The ponies just stared at him before bursting out in fits of laughter.

Alex watch them and their hysterics with a serious expression. "What's so funny?" he asked them, "I'm serious, here."

Twilight was the first to catch her breath. She coughed out a few more laughs before regaining her composure. "She's not going to," she giggled, "execute you! She's probably going to welcome you. Anypony is welcome in Equestria, no matter what!"

Alex sat back in the chair and sighed, "Remind me to throw myself off a ledge if all this happiness becomes a regular thing."

"Hey, Twilight!" A newer, slightly male, voice came from the room that the six ponies had returned from. Seconds later, a small dragon with purple and green scales rushed in to the main room, waving a scroll in his claws. "The Princess responded!"

"Excellent!" Alex watched as Twilight's red-purple magical aura engulfed the parchment and unfurled in front of her snout.

Alex turned to the pony next to him, which happened to be the one called Rarity. "So, who's the small lizard, and what now?" he asked her, motioning to the reptile for the first part.

Rarity ran a hoof through her mane, "The dragon is dear Spike, Twilight's little assistant and connection to the Princess. As for now, Princess Celestia has just replied to Twilight's letter detailing your arrival. Including the extra few hours that she was observing you in your slumber."

Alex's eye twitched slightly. "You mean to say that she was watching me? In my sleep?! For a few hours?!" Alex turned to Twilight again, a look of annoyance crossing his face. "That's not... weird at all," he said sarcastically.

Twilight finished the scroll and turned to those gathered in the room. "Alright, everypony. The Princess has announced that she'd like to meet Alex."

"When?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"Now."

"Now?" Alex blinked. "If it's now, then where is she?"

Before Twilight could respond, the room was engulfed in a large burst of pure white, magical light. The force of the magical energy was powerful enough to knock Alex out of the chair and onto the floor, landing on his broken arm and the wound in his stomach. The pain he experienced made him cry out and his vision went fuzzy. After a short while, he was able to blink the blurriness out of his eyes and roll onto his uninjured side. He looked over to the chair he was sitting in so that he could pull himself back up into it, but there was one problem:

The chair was gone.

Alex stared at where the chair had been, his mouth wide in confusion. He pushed himself into a sitting position and looked for the others. Luckily, they were still there, but they were facing away from him. It took him a second to realize that they had their necks inclined, like they were bowing or something. He slowly followed the direction they were facing. "What are you all do-" he stopped.

Sitting before them, on a solid gold throne, was a full-grown mare. She had a pure white coat, and her long self-flowing mane and tail were filled with the bright colors of blue, green, pink, and purple. Another couple seconds of examination revealed that the mare was not just a unicorn, but a pegasus as well, her wings gently resting at her sides.

"Damn," was all Alex was able to say, awed by the sight in front of him.

The mare laughed gently, a small smile forming on her lips. "I suppose that I should take that as a compliment?"

"Sure... whatever you'd like," Alex said before promptly passing out.
> Concussions: Minor or Major? (Mostly Revised)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Three
Concussions: Minor or Major?


The sunlight filtered in through the wall-length, floor-to-ceiling windows. There were no curtains, but there was a set of blinds, neatly folded on the left side of them. The view outside overlooked the Manhattan skyline, the buildings towering above the grid-marked streets while small taxis and people navigated the maze of a city. Within the pure white room, a large mahogany desk sat in front of the windows, with a dark red, leather chair behind it, it's back facing the rest of the room.

"So, how's your first day been?" a voice asked from the chair.

Alex's eyes shot open, and the room came into focus rather quickly. He looked around at his body and noticed that he was sitting in a richly upholstered, brown chair. Turning his gaze upward to see the rest of the room, he stared dumbfounded at the scene before him.

Devilin's office.

He took in everything from the magnificent view of Manhattan all the way down to the line of pens, neatly arranged vertically on the desktop. Everything was as it had been when Alex was last there. It was even raining outside the window.

"You still haven't answered my question," the voice stated. It was vaguely familiar to Alex, but he couldn't quite place it.

"Uh," Alex's mouth moved on its own accord, "It was... eventful?"

"Heh," the voice chuckled, "It suppose that your file is accurate." The chair spun around to face Alex, and the person sitting in it was not as much of a shock as Alex expected.

"Mister Daniels?" Alex felt his jaw drop.

The man sitting in the chair laughed lightly, "I would prefer Devilin, if you don't mind, Mister Harper." Devilin was now wearing a black, pinstripe suit and a dull-grey tie. "Remember?"

Alex just stared at him, closing his mouth quickly. "Um, Mist- sorry, Devilin, what am I doing in your office? Again?"

The executive type character replied with a smug grin, "The better question, Mr. Harper, is what are we doing in your head?" Alex cocked said anatomical part, but Devilin pointed to the area behind Alex.

Alex turned around, slowly. What he expected to see was a door leading out into that strange hallway from his first experience, but instead was greeted with nothing but infinite whiteness. The walls of the room simply diffused into the endless membrane of a colorless void. "What the hell is this?!" Alex spun around to face Devilin.

"That, Mr. Harper, is your mind," he explained slowly, "At the moment, your brain activity is quite low, thus allowing me to create a simple physical manifestation of your world. Had your mental activity been any higher, than this," he gestured to the office space, "it wouldn't be possible for me to accomplish such an image."

"Wait, wait, wait," Alex leaned forward a bit. "You're telling me, that we're in my brain?" he asked, confused.

"I'd prefer to call it, specifically," Devilin tapped a finger to the air, "the mental projection replication center. But your idea works, too."

Alex sighed and placed his head in his hands. From there, he ran both of them back, through his hair. He looked up for a moment before returning to stare at the floor.

"Shocking, isn't it?" Devilin asked him, grinning. "I'm in your mind and you don't have a clue why or where the hell you are. Well, I can tell you that extra-planar transplantation is much more difficult than it sounds. There's usually a bigger mess."

That sentence suddenly brought Alex back to reality, his head snapping up to face Devilin. "What did you say?"

"There's usually a bigger mess."

"No! Before that!"

"Extra-planar transplantation is much more difficult than it sounds," he repeated smugly.

A look of pure and absolute rage crossed Alex's face. "You mean to tell me that you did this?!?!" he half yelled.

"Please specify," Devilin asked, "you're being much too vague."

Alex's hands were now balled up into fists and he was shooting Devilin a glare that could turn Medusa to stone. "You're the one who sent me here?!?!" he repeated. "WHY?!?!"

Devilin sighed and relaxed back into his own chair. "You were having a miserable life, so I wanted to allow you a change of scene. Even the remote chance that you could be happy, again."

Alex calmed down slightly, though little. His knuckles were no longer white, but his fists remained clenched. "Really?" he asked.

"Nah!" Devilin waved him off, "you're just part of a little experiment that I'm testing after I lost a bet." He quietly added something that was indiscernible to Alex's ears.

"Then how do I get back home?" he asked, "And what is this 'experiment?' I'm not entirely sure that a world full of technicolor horses is exactly helping my sanity."

"Oh, it isn't," Devilin replied. "Your brain was going crazy when you regained consciousness, on both times. Apparently, you couldn't grasp where you were, what was logical. I think that you even lost your internal compass for a few minutes."

Alex stopped and began to recall the most recent events. He awoke inside of a library, met the six mares and briefly saw the dragon, and then there was a flash of light and he was in front of a throne with an even larger, blindingly white horse. "I passed out again, didn't I?" he wondered aloud.

"Oh, most definitely."

Alex let out an exasperated sigh. "Is it possible for you to tell me where I am now?" he asked Devilin halfheartedly.

"It'd be better if you see for yourself," he answered. "Oh, and if we ever have another meeting, well talk more then." The room began to fade and Alex felt a tugging sensation at the back of his neck.

"Wha-?!"



Alex shot up in the hospital bed that he was lying in, gasping for breath. Next to him, on both sides of the bed, nearly a dozen different machines began wailing, their beeping feverish and erratic. He slowly lie back down, his breathing slowing and the wailing of the machines being put to rest. The wound in his side began to twinge with pain, as well as his broken arm. Alex's sudden revival had jolted his sling and opened the gap in his side, though not so much as to cause severe damage. His head hit the pillow and he groaned. "Why me?" he begged for any logical answer, "Why...?"

The sound of a door lock being undone caught his attention. He turned to the noise and was greeted with the sight of a grey-coated, white-maned stallion wearing a lab coat, complete with a pocket for storing pens, currently occupied. Alex returned to staring up at the ceiling. "What's happening to me?" he asked, unsure if the question was directed at himself.

"We're just testing your blood for any infection," the stallion replied, thinking that the question happened to be directed at him. His voice was cool and steady, like he did that sort of thing every day.

'Of course he does this every day,' Alex mentally scolded himself, 'He's a friggin' doctor!' He turned back to the pony, now looking at a set of x-rays on an illuminated wall-piece.

"You're injuries were very severe," the doctor stated, "so much so, that you shouldn't even be alive!"

That last remark made Alex fully aware. "Wh-what?!" He should be dead?

"The injuries you sustained were impossible to have survived," he repeated. "That wound in your abdomen, alone, would have done it. The reason is that you had a large shaft of wood driven up through your chest that entered angularly through the laceration. In other words, your heart was split down the middle." The pony approached the bedside cautiously. "How did you do it?"

Alex was just as bewildered as the doctor was. "I-I have no idea..." He should be dead?

The doctor cleared his throat quietly. "Well. Yes. So, are you feeling well enough to stand?" he asked Alex.

"Why? Am I going anywhere?"

"It's the Princess's orders," he stated.

Alex nodded in reply, "Yeah, I believe so." The pony returned the nod and began to work on turning off the monitors and machinery. Alex did his part by sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed, being careful with his broken one. He now realized that his shirt was still missing and his pants were, thankfully, still on. The doctor slowly pulled an IV out of Alex's inner elbow, careful not to cut any internal veins. "So..." Alex started, "How long was I unconscious?"

"Approximately sixteen hours," he replied frankly.

Alex sighed massaged his temples with his right hand. "Wonderful." Almost a total of twenty-four hours. He guess it could be expected, though, given Devilin's statement. "Um... what's your name?" Alex asked the pony before him. 'Where did that come from?' he thought. Strange.

The doctor turned suddenly, a brief wave of confusion crossing his face. "My name? Not many ponies ever ask that," he stated. "Most of the time they just call me 'doctor.'"

"But do you have a name?" Alex asked again.

"Of course. "I'm Doctor Hart. That's without an 'e,' mind you." He turned back to the monitors and looked at it intently, tapping it with his hoof a couple times. Alex noticed this immediately.

"What's up?" he asked Hart.

"I'm... not entirely sure," he admitted. "The equipment says that your minor brain functions just increased dramatically," Hart explained. "Do you feel any different?" a hint of concern was apparent in his voice.

Alex shook his head, "Nothing."

Doctor Hart shrugged, "It may be just a slight malfunction. You did hit your head pretty hard," he commented, "causing some very bad cuts, if I might add."

Alex reached up to gingerly feel the top of his head, but instead of hair, he felt the soft fabric of gauze wrapped around it. He  placed some pressure on the bandages and winced, accidentally touching a cut through the tape.

"You also suffered through a combination of major and minor concussions," Hart continued, "and we weren't sure if you would enter comatose or not. It was rather strange."

"I'm half glad I didn't," Alex replied. Nearly a dozen injuries in twenty four hours and he was still walking.



Meanwhile...

Celestia sat in her private study, the warm light of her sun filtering through the curtains, reflecting off of the polished marble floors and covering the room in a cascade of shining patterns. Currently, she was working on drafting a speech for the next Summer Sun Celebration, one where, she hoped, her dear sister Luna would accompany her. A sudden knock at the doors drew her attention. "Come in," Celestia said.

Speak of the devil, here was Luna now, opening the doors and gracefully entering the room. The midnight blue alicorn approached Celestia, her starry mane flowing on its own accord. "You called me, sister?" Luna asked casually.

The white alicorn used her magic to straighten up the papers and supplies on her desk. Stacks of papers reorganized themselves and some books flew into separate shelves. Celestia turned to her sister when the space was tidy and finally responded "Yes, Luna."

"What was it that you wanted?" Luna questioned.

Celestia opened her mouth to speak, but hesitated before closing it again. She tried again, but received the same result. Luna cocked an eyebrow at her older sister. "Luna, its..." Celestia started, "... complicated."

The Princess of the Night let out a quiet sigh, "How complicated?"

Celestia slowly tilted her head to the side, avoiding her sister's gaze. "It's... planar... complicated."

Luna's confused expression suddenly shifted to shock, thoughtfulness, and then to worry. "What has been brought to our realm?" she asked, struggling to maintain a calm sounding tone.

Celestia hesitated, "It's... a human, sister."  Luna's expression instantly turned to contemplation. Celestia began to pace back and forth slowly, as did Luna. "He's undergone treatment for many injuries he sustained post-transition. I've been speaking with... them..." Celestia frowned after saying the word, "and they were aware of his arrival, though they aren't even sure of his point or origin or how he came in. They don't want to be involved, though."

It was Luna's turn to speak now, "What measures have you taken to prevent any accidents? Have there been any so far?"

"I put him under strict surveillance, with four separate unicorns scrying on him and giving hourly reports. I've also placed him under permanent watch, stationing six guards around his room, operating in continuous shifts," she explained.

Luna gave the matter a bit more thought, "What do you plan to do with him?"

Celestia hesitated again. This was the part of the conversation that worried her. "I have... invited him to dine with us this evening."

Luna spun around to face her sister with frightening speed, her face the very definition of shock and anger itself. "You what?!"
> Questionable (Revised/Must Re-Read)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Four
Questionable


Alex grunted as he lifted himself up off the bed. Instead of stopping at a standing position, his forward momentum continued, leading him downward and into the cold embrace of the floor. Alex slammed into the tiles and groaned drawing the attention of doctor Hart.

The stallion nearly jumped out of his fur. "Are you alright?!" he asked with shock and concern.

"Yes," Alex replied, "and no. My legs just have to adjust from being useless for the last dozen or so hours." He attempted to push himself up off the floor and stood for a few seconds before falling back onto the bed. "Damn. Do you guys have any crutches at all?"

"I'm afraid that we don't have any that would accommodate your specific species," Hart responded plainly. "Oh, that's right!" he tapped his forehead with his hoof, "I don't even know your species! What, may I ask, are your types called?"

"Humans. Homo sapiens," Alex elaborated. "There are a few who would consider us to be apes that have evolved over millions of years, those people being the more scientific." He shrugged, "Take your pick."

Hart visibly contemplated his next question, "Would you mind if I studied you in more detail? I'm simply fascinated with your internal anatomy and physiology. The placement and layout of your internal organs and such is quite fascinating."

Alex leaned away a bit, a bit perturbed, "Did you cut me open?!"

"Oh, no, no, no!" Hart waved his hoof, his expression a tad shocked. "That would be quite wrong, going into somepony's body without permission! We performed an internal scan," he quickly explained, "you were never harmed aside from any injuries you had already sustained."

Alex let out a breath, unaware that he had been holding it in the first place. He readjusted his position on the bed so that he could prepare to stand again. He pushed himself to his feet and leaned against the bed's headboard for support. When he felt steady, he released his grip slowly and examined himself, nodding in approval. "Better." He turned back to Hart, who gave him a small smile back.

"Just wait a few moments. Your muscle strength should return in a bit," he said, proceeding to shut down the various monitors, occasionally glancing back at Alex. The human stood next to the bed, eyes downcast, staring at the floor. Hart turned to face Alex, slowly, "Are you alright?"

"It's all real. Isn't it?"

Hart was confused by the question. "What do you mean?"

"This," Alex gestured to the room. "You," he pointed at Hart, "a talking horse."

"This is unfamiliar to you. I understand," the pony said in a matter-of-fact tone, "I read the report." 

Alex just shook his head, "There's no way I'm getting back, is there?" The previous issue, in his mind, was now dropped. His home was in New York, not... whatever this place was. His head drooped lower. He hadn't noticed, but Doctor Hart had come up behind him, his hooves barely making a sound on the floor. Strange.

"Whatever do you mean 'no way of getting back?'"

Alex ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it back along his head. He then let out a long sigh, "I'm never getting back to my world." He sat back down on the bed, wincing as his leg hit the side.

"Where is your home?" Hart asked, coming up beside the bed. The pony had both a look of genuine concern and interest upon his face.

Alex looked up and faced him, giving a small, halfhearted chuckle. "I'm from New York."

"I'm not entirely sure where that is, I'm afraid," Hart admitted. Alex gave another chuckle at the statement. "But," Hart continued, "I'm sure the Princesses would know."

Alex looked back at Hart, confused. "What?"

"The reason I came in here was to bring you to the Princesses for... questioning," he elaborated. Hart crossed over to the far wall and stood by the door. "I'm not sure what they're going to ask, so be prepared." 

The pony opened the door and was about to step outside before Alex spoke up, "I only have one thing I've to ask." 

Hart turned to face him, halfway out the door. "And that would be?"

Alex looked down at his bare chest and then back to the doctor, "Do you know where I can get a shirt?"

The pony opened his mouth to speak, but closed it promptly. "Um," he started a few seconds later, "I'll see what we can do." The silver form of Hart quickly stepped out the doors, closing it behind him. 

The sound of the lock sliding into place prompted Alex to fall onto his back, the mattress cushioning his drop. He sighed and put his hand over his eyes. "Just be patient, Alex" he quietly reassured himself, "you'll have time later." 



Celestia sat at a large, thin, rectangular table in the main dining hall, the bearers of the Elements of Harmony sitting around her. The room was elongated and spacious, with stained glass windows lining the walls, the colored light bouncing of the marble columns and bathing the space in color. Celestia looked eagerly to the large, oaken double-doors, patiently awaiting both the human and Luna, the latter of which was late. The mares around her were just as anxious as she was, chatting nervously amongst themselves.

"Princess Celestia?" Twilight looked up at the near god-like alicorn next to her.

Celestia looked down at her faithful student, "Yes, Twilight?"

"What do you think about him?" the purple unicorn asked her mentor, her expression serious.

The teacher shook her head slowly in response, "I'm not sure yet. I feel quite guilty for reading his thoughts soon after he fell into unconsciousness. Though, he was definitely unsure of his surroundings." Celestia returned her gaze to the doors, "Still... I want to be sure."

Suddenly, the doors were opened, and about a dozen guards filtered in. Next came a stallion with a silver coat and white mane, doctor Hart. He was still wearing his lab coat, but was carrying a clipboard under his left foreleg. He had also taken some time to don a black bow tie, making him appear slightly formal. It looked a bit out of place with his medical attire, and Celestia even heard some of the elements giggle. 

Finally, Alex entered the room, another set of guards close behind. Alex was now wearing what looked like a black curtain that was crudely sewn together, with jagged arm holes at the sides. His right arm was exposed out the side, while his sling was hidden beneath the covering. The guards led him over to the table, encircling him as they approached in case he tried anything, if at all. Hart followed behind as Alex made it to the table and sat down, facing the seven mares across from him. The table itself was at least fifty feet long, and Alex wondered if he would have to shout just for them to hear him. He felt a sudden tightness in his wrist and found a pair of guards securing metal cuffs onto him.

"Not that tight, please," Alex asked, "I really don't want to end up chafing." He wasn't sure if the guards acknowledged him or not, but he was satisfied that the bands were no longer digging into his skin.

"Are you comfortable?" Celestia's voice echoed around the room, startling Alex. She was speaking at normal volume, but the size of the hall was helpful in carrying the sound.

"I find the cuffs to be a bit unnecessary," he said, lifting a hand for emphasis.

"I'm sorry about that," Celestia replied, her tone genuine. "It's just a precaution."

"Any chance I can get them off?" Alex asked.

"Not at the moment. My apologies for the inconvenience," she said. Her white horn was briefly illuminated by her golden aura, and a small stack of papers appeared beside her, along with a manila folder. 

"Why am I here?" Alex asked.

The question hung in the air for a moment before Celestia gave a small smile, "We're just going to ask you some questions. Is that alright with you?"

"Seeing that I may not have a choice," Alex nodded, his face showing no emotion. "Still, I'd like to know if I can ask questions of my own, afterward."

"I would hope so," Celestia gave a nod of her own, "I would like to hear what you may have to say." The alicorn cleared her throat, and a quill hovered above the parchment, "Now, what is your name?"

"Alex," he replied.

"Your full name," Celestia specified, politely.

"Alex Francis Harper," he elaborated.

"Age?"

"Eighteen."

"Mm-hmm." A quill hovered next to Celestia as she scribbled something down on the paper. "Next question: Where are you from?"

"Earth."

"More specific."

"New York City," he replied dully.

"Please, Alex," Celestia said softly, her tone was kinder, "we're just trying to figure out how we can help you." 

The two stared at each other silently, Alex's previously uninterested expression was slowly replaced with one of reluctant acceptance. He raised his hand up, defensively, "Alright, Princess. Let's just get this over with so you can send me back to my planet."

There was some small chatter between the ponies at the end of the table, especially between Twilight and Celestia. The two of them seemed to be arguing about something, but it was too quiet for Alex to make out. Suddenly, the Princess gave out an exasperated sigh, the mares around her stopping to take notice. She turned back to Alex, now with an angered look on her face. Alex wasn't sure, but he swore that the colors on Celestia's mane darkened for a second. Twilight sat beside her with a slightly smug expression, but it still contained a hint of the same anger.

"Next question," Celestia continued, "How did you get here?"

Alex's mind briefly blanked in response to the question. He frowned, surprised that he felt like he was caught off guard. He lifted his hands and awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, "I, uh... fell down an elevator shaft."

Celestia nodded, this little motion Alex found repetitive, and scribbled down more notes, "Do you know if you were sent here by anything specific? Did you upset someone? Did you perform a spell?"

Alex shook his head, "I was sent here by-" He stopped. Something was beginning to nag at the back of his skull. He felt like he should tell them about Devilin, but... he couldn't. It felt like something was preventing him from telling them. "I was sent here by..." he tried again, "... no one." Alex's mind had a panic attack moment, searching for evidence of why he said what he did, but nothing was found. 'What?! Why did I say that?!'

"Alex?"

He looked up and immediately found every single pair of eyes on him, excluding the guards who were already watching him.

"Are you alright?" Celestia asked.

"Yeah, I'm..." he put his hand to his forehead and ran it back through his hair, "...I'm fine. Probably just the concussion messing with my head."

Celestia looked like she didn't believe him for a second, but the suspicion left her face quickly. The stack of papers were shuffled about in her golden aura before they disappeared. Seconds later, a new piece appeared before her. Celestia read it carefully before sighing and looking back at the human seated at the end of the table. "Mister Harper... Alex," she corrected herself, "I'm going to skip the formalities for now and let any further questions wait. Until then, you shall be put under the watch of Doctor Hart and," the princess suddenly frowned as she continued, "Captain Witt."

Alex raised an eyebrow. "Who's Captain Witt?" he inquired.

"He's a downright pain in the flank," Hart, who had been completely silent up until now, answered. "Sorry, Princess," he apologized upon realizing what he said. "He's a pain," Hart repeated, "and, anyone will admit, a tad insane."

Alex felt his eyes roll in their sockets. "Wonderful," he muttered, "We can both bunk in the same padded cell."

Hart shook his head, "He's not that kind of insane."

"He's not entirely nuts," Twilight, also previously silent, spoke up.

"But he's still crazy," Hart voiced back.

There were muttered agreements going around the room, even between a few pf the guards. 'Wow,' Alex thought, 'what a reputation.' "So..." he returned his attention to the room's occupants, "exactly how crazy is this guy?"
> Enter, Insanity: Part 1 (Completely Revised/Must Re-Read)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Five
Enter, Insanity: Part 1


The hallway was filled with a small procession of ponies: seven mares, two dozen stallions, and one human. Celestia led the party throughout the castle's many twists and turns. They passed through the large, grandiose halls, their stained-glass windows, depicting great events throughout Equestria's history, regularly divided by the tall, white marble pillars. Slowly, though, the halls began to narrow, and the windows became plain, the same way as the pillars became unnecessary.

Alex walked in the center of a pool of guards, with Hart walking along next to him, the latter of which was grumbling without end. Alex could hear him muttering and complaining, but all he made out was "Witt." They all turned a final corner and would have found themselves at a dead end, had a tall, spiraling staircase not been there. Alex had to crane his neck to see the top, as the stone steps spiraled off into darkness. He gave a low whistle at the sight, "That's tall."

"No," Hart replied, "that's Witt's idea of a practical joke."

"Stairs?" Alex questioned. "That's... really funny," he added sarcastically

"Endless stairs."

"'Endless stairs?'"

"Once you get to the top," Celestia explained for Hart, "you end up right where you started."

"Wonderful," Alex complained, rolling his eyes.

"Unless, of course," now Twilight spoke, "you do this:" The purple mare's horn glowed her own reddened lavender, and the similarly colored magical aura covered the stairs, briefly.

A loud grinding noise reverberated throughout the passage, making some of the ponies wince. Slowly, the stairs appeared to be moving. After a brief confirmation, Alex was certain that they were turning in a screw-like manner, their pace quickening with every rotation.

"What does this guy do in his spare time?!" Alex stared. He didn't expect a stairway to nowhere that was actually a spiral escalator in a castle!

He then realized that Celestia was already stepping onto the stairs, her tall, slender frame being snatched up by the momentum and carried upward. One by one, the remaining mares each repeated the movement, they too being lifted by the mechanics. The cluster of guards stepped aside, allowing Hart to make his way to the elevator.

The grey stallion reached the base and turned back to Alex. "Come along," he said.

Alex blinked and, reluctantly, stepped forward, the guards standing out of his way as he passed by them. Hart waited for him to close the distance between the two and placed a hoof on the stairs, immediately being carried up. Alex reached out with his leg experimentally, but was caught up in the momentum and fell onto the steps. He grunted as he landed on his good arm, still glad that he didn't do any more damage to the broken appendage. He looked up and watched the twisting procession and was captivated by the sight. The many coat colors of the assorted ponies gave the space a sort of rainbow effect -not including the mare with the literal rainbow mane. He staggered to his feet, careful not to hurt his broken limb. As they neared the top, Alex could hear some singing.

"A mare of white, her coat so fair;
Gave me quite a sudden scare..."

The singer was not just one, but two, voices... and they sounded drunk. Really drunk. The pitch was terrible and the speech was undeniably slurred.

"... I said 'goodbye' before a 'hi';
and bade her 'be you well, dear!'"

The song ended and was replaced by heavily drunken laughter that echoed throughout the chamber.

'What the hell?' Alex thought.

The staircase reached its end and Alex stepped off, the other ponies already waiting on the landing. Ahead of them, a sliver of light filtered under a closed door, but that wasn't the only thing.

"I haven't been this drunk in ages!" one voice exclaimed, its speech layered in booze.

"And you said it would be a waste of time!" another, deeper voice chimed in. The pair burst out laughing at his comment, their cackling becoming increasingly annoying to Celestia. 

Said alicorn's face was beginning to show that annoyance. With an exasperated huff, she forced the door open and entered the room, everyone else in tow. Alex had to watch his head, as the doorframe was barely tall enough to fit his entire being, which was strange, as Celestia passed through without incident. After he entered the room, he took stock of the layout before him.

The room was nearly the size of a small gymnasium, and it was covered, wall-to-wall, with varying pieces of technology. A far wall was lined with a set of computers that looked like they were from the sixties, tape wheels and everything. Another had a bank of small monitors that looked like they came straight out of Bill Gates' garage. The day he bought the garage. The only modern-looking object was a tall, thin, cone-shaped structure that occupied the room's center.

"How old-fashioned are you guys?" Alex asked as he stepped over a large cable. For a place with magic, they sure didn't have any top-of-the-line tech, save that spire.

"We're not old fashioned," Celestia replied.

"No-pooooooooony knows... the troubleI'veseen...
No-po-ny knnnoooooooowwsss my sorrooooowsss..." the drunks were singing again, their voices as far off key as before.

Celestia and the others followed the sound of the voices until they reached a scattered pile of papers. A pair of brown hooves were poking out from beneath, and the floor was littered with empty paper cups. The Princess approached the mound and cleared her throat, loudly, "Eh-hem!"

The papers shuffled around a bit before settling back down. They waited for a few moments, but no one showed.

"EH-HEM!" Celestia cleared her throat a bit louder this time, and it seemed to do the trick.

"I'd know that voice anywhere," the papers said. After some shuffling, a brown unicorn stallion with an unkempt, dark brown and black mane poked his head out, a stupid, drunken smile on his face. He wore mirrored goggles over his eyes, their rims the color of rust. "Princess... Celly-est... uh... I forgot your name! HA!" His voice was a sort of high baritone, but the laugh came out as a near 'squeak.' He also had a noticeable English accent as well. The pony kept laughing ridiculously, the outburst approaching a cackle.

"Shut up, Witt!" Celestia commanded. She stomped her hoof on the stony floor, which only emphasized her point with the resounding echo.

The pony instantly obeyed, but his goofy smile remained as his head teetered back and forth, precariously. "I could use some help here," the stallion said carefully, using a free hoof to point to his head.

The Princess grumbled and her horn illuminated, the stallion's smile vanishing after a few seconds.

"Many thanks," Witt said, his drunkenness seemingly gone and his accent regulated. "Discord's over there," he pointed to mound of cardboard boxes leaning against some processors, a loud snore suddenly emitting from beneath them, "if you need him."

"Fascinating," Celestia said dully, rolling her eyes at the pony.

The stallion groaned, "I am going to have one Tartarus of a hangover." He clapped his hooves together and a pair of sunglasses appeared over his eyes in a brief flash of white light. He exhaled contently, "Now, what was it you came for, Cell?"

"Are you aware of the anomaly that occurred yesterday?" Celestia asked him, her look of annoyance never wavering.

"Yes," Witt answered, "I measured the calculations yesterday. The data was compiled fairly quickly. Try to remember that I'll get the same readings. You'll get my full report tomorrow morning." The stallion suddenly looked around, panic stricken, "What day is it?!"

"Tuesday," Twilight answered for the Princess.

The stallion cocked his head and another smile formed, this one genuine, not the product of alcohol. "Is that you, Twi?" he stood on all four hooves, shaking the papers off of him. He was wearing a brown jumpsuit that covered his cutie mark and body, with a brown, pinstripe vest over it. He peered around Celestia, getting a glimpse of the six smaller mares behind her. "Hey, Twi, Jacks, Dash, Rare, Pinks, Flutters! How's life?"

"Fine," Rarity replied, not even turning towards Witt.

"The same," said Applejack, not looking as well.

"Good." "Okay." "Better," Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rainbow answered respectively, they too, avoiding Witt's gaze.

He frowned at the five of them. "Wow, I feel so welcome," he added blatantly.

Twilight was the only one to put out her hoof for Witt to shake. "Sorry, Witt," she apologized with a small smile, "they still hate you."

The stallion sighed but accepted the hoof, "That's to be expected. So, what can I do you fine fillies for?"

All seven mares, and Hart, stepped aside for Alex, who had been waiting patiently. Witt narrowed his eyes when he noticed Hart and his face slipped into a frown. The room was silent for a long minute aside from the whizzing of the computers.

"Witt," Hart was the first to break the silence, but his greeting was short and curt.

"Doctor Hart," Witt said with the same, condescending tone of voice. "How are you? If you even want to answer that question."

"I'm fine," Hart replied mockingly, "I just came up here to check the sanity of one of the castle's occupants."

"Rude," Witt put a hoof across his chest in pretend offense. He sighed and looked over at Alex, "So you're the one that's causing this bloody mess, eh?"

Alex shrugged, "I suppose."

"He speaks," The stallion slowly turned back to Celestia, "And why is he up here?"

"Because," Celestia kept her voice in check, "I've assigned you and Hart to watch him until we find a way to send him back."

"Excellent!" Witt complained, "Now I have to share two more rooms! Brilliant!" His horn glowed white and a single computer rotated on a wall to reveal a door behind it. "Down the hall, first door on your right," he waved his hoof at Alex, "Just don't go to the first door on the left, that's Discord's."

"You expect me to believe that there's a hallway on the other side of that door?" Alex asked in disbelief.

"It's bigger on the inside," he replied quickly, "now go on. I need to have a chat with the Princess and her subjects."

Hart nudged Alex and the pair started for the newly revealed door. Alex stole a glance back at the ponies before opening the door.

"I though you said he was insane," Alex asked as he and Hart passed through the door.

"This must be one of his better days," Hart explained.

The duo disappeared as the door closed behind them. Witt stared back at it for a while, silently observing it. "You two owe me," he said without averting his gaze.

"How many now?" Celestia groaned.

"Five."

Celestia shook her head. "You shall be permitted to leave the castle as long as you don't cause harm. You may enter the kitchen to choose whichever meals . You may dine with us at any group gatherings for one month. You may-"

"Actually, I think I should choose the last two since you're putting this kid under my watch.

Each and every one of the mares exchanged worried glances at the prospect.

"One: I can attend this year's Summer Sun Celebration."

There was a collective chill as the seven mares shuddered at the thought of Witt attending the event.

"And two," he continued, "I get V-I-P tickets to the Triple 'G.'"

"You can't be serious?" Twilight choked.

"Oh... but I am," he smiled.

Celestia visibly considered this for a few minutes before lowering her head. "Deal," she said.

Witt's cheery smile returned, "Excellent! Now, run along," he waved his hooves at the ponies in a shooing manner, "I must speak with this... human."

The cardboard boxes shifted abruptly, some of them falling to the floor. Everypony looked over to the pile just in time to see Discord's multi-species head pop out, a very shocked and confused expression on his face.

"I'm sorry," he said politely, "but did you say 'human?'"

"Yes," Witt confirmed, "I did. Why?"

"I think I might know how he got here," Discord grinned.

"You can't be serious?" Celestia questioned.

The draconequus chuckled at her remark, "Oh, Celestia. I just might be."
> Enter, Insanity: Part 2, One Small Step (Revised/Must Re-Read)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Six
Enter Insanity: Part 2, One Small Step


"You two must have some history," Alex commented to Hart after they closed the door. The pair made their way down the elongated hall, the doors they were headed for being at the opposite end.

"You could say that," Hart grumbled.

"I'm sensing a conflicting backstory here."

"I don't want to talk about it."

They came up to the first door on the right, nearly one hundred feet down the hall, but when the two of them turned around the door was only mere steps away.

"Now I see the insanity," Alex remarked.

Alex pushed open the door and stepped into a large, guest suite. The room itself was an off-white color, with a large, shaggy rug on the floor, a tall, four-poster bed against the side wall, two glass doors that led to a small balcony, and another door leading to an adjoining bathroom. The human and his pony companion stared open-mouthed.

"How the hell?!" they both exclaimed, though Hart substituted in "Tartarus."

"It really is bigger on the inside," Alex gave an impressed nod.

Hart shook his head, "Just... try to ignore it for now." The grey pony made his way over to a bureau and pulled open the topmost drawer. "You won't need to worry about a new shirt, Alex," Hart called over his shoulder.

Alex perked up, "What do you mean?" Hart stepped aside so that he could get a better view of the contents. The entire drawer was separated into three piles of assorted tee-shirts, polo shirts, and long-sleeved shirts. "How...?"

"Simple, really."

The pair spun around in surprise to find Witt leaning against the doorframe. "Celestia had that pitiful rag of a shirt that you were wearing copied and duplicated by Miss Rarity while you were unconscious. I told them to stay simple, but, knowing Rarity, I figured that my suggestion was to be ignored."

Alex turned back to the small stockpile and pulled out a green shirt at the top. He held it up in front of him and found that it read: "Celestia stole my cake"

Witt raised a hoof, "That was mine. I had to have some fun with it. May as well tease Cell, as well," he added quietly.

Alex shot him a sly grin, "How many of these ponies do you hate?"

"Oh, no. You misunderstand," he chuckled, "they hate me. Well... except for Twilight."

"Can't imagine why," Hart coughed.

Witt gave Hart a cool glare. "I'm going to refrain from commenting on that, pony-boy." Hart grumbled in response, but stalked off to the bathroom instead. The door closed behind him and Witt turned toward Alex, "Can I ask you something?"

Said human shrugged, "Shoot."

"Do you have any idea how you got here?"

"I fell down an elevator shaft," Alex answered frankly, "I already told Celestia."

"But did someone perhaps influence your journey?" Witt reiterated.

"Nope. Sorry," Alex said, shaking his head.

"Understandable," Witt gave a reassuring nod, "travel between two separate dimensions is almost impossible."

Alex gave a brief chuckle, "I'm loving the 'almost.'" He glanced back at Witt, who looked like he just heard something strange. "You okay?"

The unicorn shook his head, "No, I'm fine. You just reminded me of someone for a second there." Witt mumbled something incoherent to Alex, but smiled back at the human shortly after. "Do you have anything that you want to ask me? You only get one question, though, so use it wisely."

"Why do they classify you as 'insane?'" was the first thing that came out of Alex's mouth.

Now, it was Witt's turn to chuckle, "Its complicated. You see, Discord, who you haven't been properly introduced to, and I share a... common mindset. Both of us have a small desire to create disorder and chaos, though he is more prone to the temptation than I. The reason that I'm considered insane is because he and I behave quite similarly. Our minds are... linked... so to speak, mostly because of a failed experiment of mine." Witt took a breath, "Since then, the Princesses keep me here so I don't do anything, what they would call, 'stupid.'"

"That was the only question I had time for," Witt said with a small bubble of happiness. He turned to walk out the door, "I forgot to mention that the Princesses have invited you to dine with them this evening. I don't think it will be too stressful to find something to wear." And with that, he exited the room.

Alex sighed, losing track of how many times he had done so already, and stood up.

"Oh, by the way," Witt's head poked around the entryway, startling Alex, "we're about one thousand feet up, so don't go outside if you're afraid of heights." The pony then disappeared around the corner with a sly smile, leaving Alex to ponder his thoughts.

"One thousand feet, eh?" Alex mused. "That's pretty high." He made his way over to the balcony doors and opened them slowly. A light breeze hit him as he stepped out into the cool, afternoon air. He quickly approached the balcony's edge and peered over. "Damn."

Sure enough, the drop was indeed a thousand feet down, leading to a small green patch that Alex assumed was a garden. He checked behind him to make sure Hart was still in the bathroom before attempting to mount the ledge. The marble railing was just below his waist-height, so Alex had little trouble, even with his broken appendages.

The human stood at the edge of the ledge and looked down again. "That's a long fall," he breathed. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. This was the moment he was waiting for. The moment they would let his guard down and he'd finally wake up from this strange dream. This was when-

"ALEX?!?!?!" Hart's shocked exclamation nearly made said human lose his footing, even though that was the objective. "WHAT IN TARTARUS DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!?!?!?!

Alex redirected his torso to face the grey pony who was now standing on the balcony. "I thought you were still in the bathroom," he said. "You don't need to see this."

"See that you're going to commit SUICIDE!!!" Hart's shouting had gone down slightly.

"I'm not committing suicide," Alex responded angrily "I'm just going to wake up from... this."

"But you said that you knew everything was real-"

"I said what both you and I wanted to hear," Alex corrected as he took a small step closer to the edge, "and you wanted to think that I accepted this world."

"You didn't believe this was real?" Hart asked, dumbfounded. "What about all the times you felt pain from your injuries?"

"Sometimes the mind can trick you into thinking that you're hurt," Alex countered in a matter-of-fact way. Alex took another step closer to the edge.

"Just come down," Hart held out a hoof to Alex, "We'll try to help you."

"It's too late for that, Hart. I've made up my mind." Alex took a final step...

... And he fell.



Witt trotted back into the main laboratory and made his way over to the waiting ponies and Discord. He was wearing a large smile on his face. A half smug one, though.

"Well?" Celestia asked impatiently.

"All is 'well,'" Witt replied calmly, "he'll be fine in a few minutes, but I'm going to have to exchange one of my favors in place of a different one."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm going to need the Royal Guard's training fields," Witt requested. This demand elicited another round of annoyed groans from the company, save Discord, who merely grinned.

"What are you willing to give up?" Celestia asked, visibly trying to resist the urge to send Witt to the moon.

"I'm willing to relinquish my appearance at the Summer Sun Celebration."

The entire group released a collective, relieved breath -even Twilight- that he wasn't going to the event, while Witt gave them a disapproving glare.

"Anyway," Witt spoke, again, "Alex is in the middle of trying to... come down... from his previous endeavor." He completed the thought with another smile.

Celestia glared at him suspiciously, "Do you know something, Witt?"

"Not at all," he said with a shrug.

Discord grinned and gave a throaty chuckle, "He knows something."

"Fine," Witt sighed. "If you'll just wait for another five... four... three..." Witt counted, "... two... one."

The doors leading to the bedchambers were immediately thrown open, and Hart stood in the doorway. He was wide eyed and breathing heavily, his look a bit unnerving. "Alex... just... jumped!" he shouted.

Everypony's jaws, except for Witt's, dropped in response.

Witt smiled smugly and turned back to the open mouthed group. "I told you he was coming down from something."



A high pitched whine pierced the air around Alex's ears as he stared into an infinite blue abyss. Or was it the sky? Maybe it was his mind, again. A dream within a dream. "Am... I awake...?" his voice came out quite hoarse.

"You really have to stop injuring yourself like this, Mister Harper." Alex heard Devilin's voice. He tried to turn, but found that he couldn't move his neck, or anything when he tried. Lucky for him, the smartly dressed executive stepped into his field of vision, wearing a light brown, pinstripe suit and red tie. He stood over Alex, looking down at him smugly. "That's one."

"One... what?" Alex asked, only now realizing that his breathing was laced with pain.

"This is the first time that you have died," Devilin elaborated.

"I... died," Alex went wide eyed with shock and received a nod from the businessman.

"Oh, yes. But I must admit that it was very dramatic," he mused. "I especially enjoyed the bit where you actually thought you were dreaming. A very convincing performance."

"Shut up."

Deviling gave him a stern look. "I'll shut up only if you agree to my terms."

"What terms?" Alex asked curiously.

"The terms of the experiment that I told you about, dumb-ass."

Alex was surprised that Devilin actually said that. "What are your terms?" he asked curiously.

"Rule one: you don't tell anyone about me, unless they already know, or, say, you inform them by accident. Rule two: no cheating."

"Cheating? At what?!"

"Shh!" Devilin shushed him. "Rule three: if my experiment succeeds, then you must work for me."

"Doesn't sound too bad," Alex admitted.

"For the rest of eternity."

"What?!"

"I'm not finished. Now, the fourth rule is beneficial to you," he explained. "Rule four: if the experiment fails, then you are allowed to choose where you spend the rest of your miserable existence. Considering that your life was rather pathetic back in your reality, I'd suggest this realm. Then again, this place looks like a fantasy that a junkie has whenever he's high. Still... it could be worse." Devilin crouched down and neared Alex's face, "Deal?"

Alex thought for a moment. "What's the experiment?"

"Ah!" Devilin clasped his hands together, "Finally! I've been waiting to tell you since our little meeting at the office." He leaned down and put his mouth next to Alex's ear. "I'm going to break you, Mister Harper," he said darkly, his voice becoming gravelly. He pulled away, "Doesn't that sound fun?"

Alex just lay there, confused. "Break me?" he asked, "How?"

"That's the best part of the experiment!" Devilin answered giddily. "I get to find out how I can break you. Evaluate your schedules, your hobbies, your home life! Wait, you don't have your own home yet. I suppose that could be remedied."

"What if I refuse?"

Devilin seemed to ponder Alex's query. "I'll destroy you on the spot."

Alex was silent for a moment. "I'm not really fond of that option."

Devilin chuckled, "I'll take that as a deal?" He held out a hand.

"Deal." Without thinking, Alex accepted the outstretched hand and was instantly bombarded with pain. "AAHHHHHGGGGG!!!" he cried out in agony. The pain continued for several moments before subsiding, leaving Alex half-conscious. "Wh-what... did you... d-do?"

"I just repaired you." He snapped his fingers suddenly and his expression brightened, "That's what I was forgetting! If you try to opt out of the experiment," he gave Alex a mischievous expression, "then you'll simply come back to life. So, no. Cheating." Devilin slowly stood back up and turned his back to Alex. "Enjoy your life, Mister Harper." He started to walk away, until he was out of Alex's view.

Alex stared back up at the sky for he didn't know how long. "What the fuck did I just agree to?"
> A Short Scene With Food in It (Revised)
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Seven
A Short Scene With Food in It


Alex opened his eyes and found himself staring at the white ceiling of his -recently discovered- bedroom. The curtains were drawn, but thin patches of late-afternoon sunlight stabbed through and assaulted his eyes. He lifted his hand to cover his face and gave a soft groan.

"You are a surprising being, Alex Harper."

Alex instantly sat up. The voice came from his left, so he turned, only to find Witt sitting in a chair. The brown stallion was wearing a thoughtful expression as he stared back at Alex through his goggles. "What... happened to me?" he asked, shaking his head.

"You survived," Witt answered. "A fantastic feat, considering that you leapt from a ninety-story tower. Then again, it's not the first time," he turned aside.

Alex sighed and leaned back on his elbows, taking some time to think.

Wait a minute. Both of his elbows? Alex checked his left arm for bandages, but found that the sling had been removed. His arm was perfectly fine. No bruising or anything malformed.

"It appeared that your injuries had repaired themselves after we brought you back up here," Witt explained.

"But... how?" Alex stared at his body, and previously broken limbs, in disbelief.

"You triggered a massive amount of cellular regeneration."

"So... I basically came back to life?"

"If you prefer the dumbed down version, then yes. Your death triggered a special sort of... healing process... that restored your body to perfect health, and the most interesting factor," Witt continued, "is that there are only six, no," he thought for a moment, "five other beings that have that ability. You have put that count back to six as of a few minutes ago. This is because you were recently a stain -not a proverbial stain, but a physical stain, mind you- on the castle grounds. You were practically mush, as you stated. All of your bones were shattered, your nerves spilled out like pasta, and your brain was nothing more than a red sludge. It reminded me of gelatin, actually," Witt frowned.

Alex winced at the mental image that Witt described. "I was beyond dead, huh?"

"Most definitely," Witt confirmed with a smile. "Now, I'll have to leave before the Princesses decide to order my execution. Again." He slid off the chair and trotted up to Alex's bedside. "On final thought, though I must be brief." The brown unicorn leaned in close, and his expression suddenly became deadly serious. "I have but one question for you, Alex Harper," Witt's voice deepened slightly.

The change in the, as far as Alex knew, usually uplifting unicorn caused Alex to shift uncomfortably. "What's that?" he asked nervously.

"Do you want to live?" Witt asked.

"Um..."

"You have until tomorrow to reply," he added quickly. He turned his back to Alex and slowly made his way to the doors, but he stopped. "Unless, of course," he said, "you aren't already dead." Witt exited the room leaving Alex to his own devices.

It took another moment, but Alex jolted himself out of his brief stupor. "What do you mean?!" he called, "What the hell are you talking about?!"

In the outer laboratory, Princess Celestia and Hart were waiting for Witt. The unicorn trotted through the door, carefully closing it behind him "So?" Celestia asked, "What did you want to ask him?"

Witt walked up to the Princess and smirked, "That's for me to know and you to learn in approximately fourteen hours."

"Doctor Hart," Celestia addressed the pony next to her, "inform Alex that dinner will be ready shortly."

"Yes, Princess," Hart bowed.

"And Hart?" Witt gained the doctor's attention.

Hart turned to face him, "What?"

The brown unicorn grinned, "Make sure he chooses something good." The grey-coated Doctor grumbled a brief -and censor-worthy- response before entering Alex's room.

Alex was still examining his body when Hart entered, a wide smile on the pony's face. "Alex! Great to see you're up! The Princesses are expecting you in the dining hall."

"Alright," Alex answered without looking up.

Hart sighed. "You should really choose something better to wear," he said as he gestured to Alex's torn jeans and bare torso.

Alex nodded and, in one fluid motion, swept the covers aside and landed on the floor. He brushed past Hart and made hi way over to the drawers. Pulling one open at random, he was rewarded with a stockpile of assorted polo shirts and jeans. Alex silently dug through the garments and pulled out a black polo with white stripes running vertically down the left and right sides, along with a pair of dark blue, denim jeans. He nodded in self approval and slid the shirt over his head and onto his torso. Next, he removed his tattered pants, completely disregarding Hart's presence in the room, and replaced them with the new pair.

"Are you going to say anything?" Hart asked tentatively.

Alex took a deep breath, "Let's go eat." He moved past Hart and stepped into the hallway.

The startled pony spun around to catch up to him, and left the room close behind. The pair reached the door and a waiting Witt. Hart released an exasperated sigh. "What now?"

"Just wanted to escort you to the dining room," he replied calmly. Witt spun his hoof and revealed a small, golden key, inserting it into the lock on the door. "Let's cut down on travel time, shall we?" He turned the key and pushed open the door, but instead of the laboratory, the trio was standing in the doorway to what appeared to be a swimming area. Witt quickly closed the door. "Sorry."

Alex and Hart exchanged a brief glance while the unicorn pulled out another key. "I really should label these," Witt mumbled to himself. With another quick turn and a push, the group was now standing in the doorway of a banquet hall. "Ah," Witt smiled, "that's better."

"What's with the keys," Alex gave an impressed nod.

"Enchanted," Witt said. "I find that it's much more effective than walking from place to place. It's especially helpful when I've spent too much time working without using the toilet." Alex and Hart exchanged another look. Witt cleared his throat, "Anyway, let's just go."

The large table that occupied the hall was nearly the length of the chamber, itself. Not to mention that it was decorated with a long, embroidered tablecloth with scattered assortments of exotic fruits and flowers. Alex noticed Witt give a slight twitch as they approached the settings.

Alex leaned towards Hart as they walked. "What's up with him?" he asked, pointing to Witt.

"It's a sort of pet peeve of his," Hart responded, "he absolutely despises anything that seems generic or clichéd to him."

"How is a fancy table setting generic or cliched?"

"Because, Alex," Witt stated, overhearing their remarks, "we're inside an excessively ornate castle, surrounded by rich snobs -though some aren't as much snobs as they are irritating-, and about to eat a meal in a royal banquet hall that is prepared by the top chefs from all over Equestria!" Witt's tone slowly shifted towards agitation as he spoke. "It's basically a rich-ponies' generic dinner. And. I. Hate it! Why can't they just eat something normal?! Like, flower sandwiches or clover subs for once?! I mean honestly?!"

"Because, Witt," they all turned to see Celestia glaring at him. She and Twilight and her friends were occupying a set of previously vacant seats at the opposite end of the table. "It is common courtesy to treat our guests well," Celestia finished.

Witt grumbled quietly for a moment, "Fine then. I'll eat with Discord. Just give me the pass, first."

"When did you guys get here?" Alex interrupted.

Pinkie Pie giggled, gaining everyone's attention. "Oh, the author just needed us in the scene, or else it would've created major plot holes that would have 'unraveled the very fabric of the story's continuity,'" she mimicked a gruff stallion's voice.

They all stared at her with confused expressions.

"And... what does that mean?" Alex ventured.

"It's a long story," Witt replied. "Not as long as this one, mind you, but it would take some time to explain."

I'm not going to comment on those statements, nor am I supporting them.

Celestia shook her head. Her horn glowed as piece of paper and a quill appeared. She scribbled something down on the parchment and rolled it up, the sheet disappearing instantly after. "Done," Celestia said to Witt. "He shall be aware of your arrival tomorrow, Captain Witt," she used the title mockingly.

Witt frowned and turned to Alex, "Don't say anything stupid or she'll send you to the moon."

"That happened once!" Celestia retorted.

"To your sister," Witt countered.

Celestia sighed and, slowly, regained her composure, "Alright, Witt. Just go."

"Thank you, Princess," now Witt's turn at mockery. "Oh, and tell S.A. that I'll be using field number four, as well as attending the daily match, tomorrow."

"Just go!" Celestia repeated forcefully, "I'll send Twilight to inform him, later."

Witt gave a slight nod. "Thank you!" he said, his tone shifting back to simple glee. "I shall also be around for chess tomorrow."

His horn glowed grey, but, before he could disappear, the doors to the room swung open and a unicorn with a dark green coat and black mane stepped in. He was wearing a tall chef's toque that looked like it had been scared into its upright position. "I have prepared the requested dishes, Your Highness," he spoke with a thick French accent while he bowed.

A vein throbbed in Witt's temple as he screamed, "CELESTIA-DAMMIT!!!" into the air, and disappeared in a flash of light.

Alex blinked a few spots out of his eyes from his direct witness of the teleport. "How many mental issues does that guy have," he remarked.

Celestia huffed, "We lost track years ago. Now," her cheery demeanor reappeared, "how would you care for dinner?"

Alex nodded, "I wouldn't mind something to eat, considering I haven't had anything in about a day." He approached the table and pulled out a chair at the end opposite Celestia, while Hart took a seat to his right. "What do you have on the menu?"

As if in answer to the question, a large procession of covered dishes floated in, flanked by two serving-ponies. The platters were gently set upon the table and their lids were removed, one by one. Each of the ponies seated received the same dish: a small cluster of bread slices, a large salad with an even larger selection of dressings and other seasonings, and a bowl of warm, vegetable soup. Alex's platter was slightly larger, as was the loaf of bread that was set upon it. Other then that, the meal was exactly the same as the others.

Alex picked up the bread, tore off the end, and took an experimental taste before nodding in approval and beginning to bite into the remaining pieces. He looked up across the table and watched those with magic levitate their meals, while the remainder ate while holding the food in their hooves. Alex couldn't quite grasp how that was possible, but his thoughts were cut short as a loud knock emanated from the doors. Everyone looked in their direction, and they were met by the darkened-blue form of Princess Luna.

"I'm sorry I'm late, everypony," she quickly apologized, "I'm not accustomed to rising as early as this."

"Early?" Alex eyed her.

Luna turned and noticed Alex for the first time. "Oh," her tone shifted to subtle displeasure, "pardon me. I was unaware that the human was here." The comment immediately caused the atmosphere in the room to grow fairly tense, silencing everyone. Celestia's gaze nervously hopped from Luna to Alex.

"The human has a name, you know," Alex added curtly, breaking the silence.

"And that would be...?" Luna questioned.

"Alex," he replied immediately. "And you are...?"

"Luna," she answered in her own, snide tone.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb and assume that you're not exactly pleased to see me," Alex remarked.

"Most definitely," Luna confirmed.

"At least you're openly hating me."

"I'll try."



Up in the laboratory, Witt and Discord were eating at a table that was a simple fold-out. They were busy eating some soy dogs with chocolate milkshakes (courtesy of Discord), but Witt suddenly stopped.

"What's the matter, Witt?" Discord asked casually.

Witt put a hoof to his forehead. "I don't know," he admitted, "but I sense something that I haven't felt since..." he looked to the side dramatically, "... yesterday."

"You mean Luna's anger directed to Alex's presence within the castle, much less his presence within Equestria?" Discord monotoned, still focused on his food.

"Oh, yeah," Witt nodded, "definitely." Both of them laughed out loud at the mental images of Luna fighting Alex.

"Luna would win for sure," Discord remarked.

"Most definitely," Witt agreed.



Celestia let out a loud exhale, more for the sake of gaining the attention of Luna and Alex then of actual exasperation. Sure enough, it worked, and both of their heads whipped around.

"What is it?" they asked simultaneously, nearly shouting.

Celestia and the Elements recoiled in surprise, but all of them regained their composure. "Luna," Celestia said calmly, "you're just in time for dinner."

"Of course, sister," she said. Luna shot Alex another hard glare as she left to occupy her seat.

Celestia and the Elements shifted uncomfortably in their seats after that brief exchange, Hart even giving a quiet whistle as to mask his worry. The meal continued in complete silence after that, save the occasional statement from the ponies when they were praising the chef's cooking. Alex made it through his bread, soup, and salad quickly, due to a day's worth of an empty stomach.

"That was good," he remarked, sitting back in his chair.

"I agree," Hart concurred.

"Thank you, sir," the chef seemed to appear out of nowhere, startling both Alex and Hart.

"Where did you come from?!" Alex asked, surprised at the sudden quip.

"My nickname in Prance was the fantôme, or phantom in common Equestrian," he said proudly.

"Wait, did you say prance?" Alex queried.

"But of course!" the chef replied. "My home is actually Paris, Prance. La ville de l'amour, the city of love."

"'City of love?'" Alex repeated back, eyebrow cocked, "How original."

"Alex?" Celestia called from across the table, "have you finished?"

Alex redirected his gaze to face the alicorn, then looked back down at his empty plate. "Yeah, I'm done."

Celestia nodded, "It is getting rather late, and my sister and I must attend to our nighttime duties." She stepped away from the table and, as she walked by, nudged Luna's side, "Isn't that right, Luna?"

The younger alicorn nodded, "Of course, sister." The pair silently made their way towards the doors, but Celestia paused for a moment.

"I apologize for the brief meetings," she said sweetly to Alex, "but you simply... arrived at a bad time. That, and your constant bouts of unconsciousness have made your schedule quite difficult to arrange." She gave a kind smile, "But still, Hart and Witt have informed me that you have made a complete recovery and they expect you to be in perfect condition from now on."

Alex nodded, glad that he wouldn't have to worry about continually losing consciousness in the near future. "Thanks, uh, so... when do you need to see me next?" he asked.

"Well," Celestia thought, "Witt requested a meeting with you at the training fields tomorrow morning, so... I would assume that you would be open for discussion in the mid-afternoon?"

Alex thought for a moment before nodding. "That sounds sensible."

"Excellent. I'm sure that you'll be much more comfortable once you've had time to organize your thoughts." The Princess of the Sun gave a friendly bow, turning to Luna and clearing her throat rather obviously. The younger alicorn simply scoffed at Alex and turned, leaving the diners to their business.

"I'm terribly sorry, Alex," Celestia apologized. She hurriedly left the room in pursuit of her sister.

Alex sat there in silence for a few moments with the Elements and Hart. "Well," Alex started, "It appears that I've made another enemy within one day. That's a new record."
> After Dark...
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Eight
After Dark...


Alex walked down the halls with Hart and the Elements accompanying him. The last rays of the sun filtered through the ornate, stained-glass windows and splattered vibrant colors all across the pure marble floors. Alex kept his gaze focused straight ahead, but kept his mind open to all of the twists and turns of palace so he could memorize the layout should he happen to find himself without a guide. The group continued on, but the silence was broken by Twilight.

"So, Alex, are you coping well?" she asked with concern.

"Huh?" Alex looked down at the mare that was trotting along beside him, previously unbeknownst to him. "Uh, yeah, I'm doing better now," Alex answered, "the initial shock is gone and... acceptance... of my situation is starting to set in."

Twilight smiled but her look turned to a thoughtful expression, unsure of how to respond. "Good... I guess...? Uh..."

"Greetings programs!"

Everypony cried out at Witt's sudden greeting, but... he was nowhere to be seen. That is, until everyone looked up. To their surprise, Witt was walking on the ceiling, looking down at the group with a wide smile. "How are you all this fine evening?" he asked jovially.

"What are you doing, Witt?!" Twilight sputtered, "Are you insa-" Twilight's shocked expression changed to an irritated frown. "Oh, yeah. Right."

"I was feeling rather low for a moment," he said, "so I decided to turn my frown upside down! Literally!!!" he laughed. Witt wiped a happy tear from his eye. "Ah, this is much more fun then the time I base jumped off the tower," he added with a chuckle. "Good times..."

"How did you get up there?!" Alex asked, recovering from the surprise.

"Simple reverse-gravity spell," he explained, "very tricky stuff, but lots of fun at parties." The unicorn sighed and jumped up to the floor, his body somersaulting through the air, landing on all four hooves while he gave a dramatic pose. "Falling with style," Witt grinned.

"Where are you off to, Witt," Twilight questioned.

"I was on my way to Celestia's room for a game of chess, but then I was on my way to find you six," he pointed back at her and the remaining Elements, "regarding some issues with... temps pour planifier son voyage." Witt raised an eyebrow at her.

Alex noticed that a surprised look came over both Twilight -and Rarity's- faces. "Quand est-il arrivé?" the former asked excitedly in Prancian.

"J'ai détecté le bruit il ya quelques instants. Il devrait être à la périphérie de la ville," Witt replied with a smile. 

Alex just gave him a confused expression while Twilight beamed and turned back to the rest of the group, "I'll be right back, everypony." With that, she hurriedly ran down the opposite end of the corridor. Alex and the others watching her run through the hall and disappear around a corner.

"Where's she off to?" the human questioned the remaining ponies.

"She'll tell you if she needs to," Rarity replied in annoyance, though it wasn't directed at anyone in the present group.

"Okay!" Witt said, "I'll be off. Oh, and, Alex," he turned to look up at the human, holding out his hoof, "take this." Lying in Witt's hoof was a small, golden key tied around a thin metallic chain. "I needed to give it to you."

Alex took it with reluctance. "Um... what do I need this for?" he asked with uncertainty.

"It's one of my special keys that I made," Witt explained. "Wherever you are, just simply find a door with a standard lock, insert the key, and when you open the doors... poof," he emphasized a small explosion with his hooves, "you'll find that the new passageway will lead back to your room."

Alex weighed the metallic object in his hand and nodded, "Sounds useful."

"You better believe it," Witt said. "I'll see you at the training fields tomorrow, Alex." He turned to Hart, "please be sure to lead him there by, at the latest, ten in the morning, Doctor Hart."

The grey pony grumbled, but a quiet "fine" was heard. Hart glared at Witt angrily.

"Farewell," Witt smiled to them all. He walked up to one of the glass windows and pushed it open like it was a door. As he stepped through, Alex could just make out Celestia on the other side, frowning at Witt as he entered. "Hello, Cel!"

"WITT!" she shouted angrily, "HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU TO STOP USING WINDOWS AS D-!" The window/door slammed shut, cutting her off from the ponies' -and human's- ears.

Alex and the others stood in silence for a few moments. "That was... interesting..." he started. There was another brief, uncomfortable moment of nothing before Alex asked, "Let's try out that key, shall we?"

There were murmurs of assent that shifted through the group, and so they continued down the hall, looking for a door to test the key. While they were walking, Alex decided to make an attempt at a conversation, considering the fact that he had only spoken to the other ponies once, at the library. "So... that Witt... pony... That guy reads levels of crazy, eh?"

To his surprise, he actually got some response. "He's nothin' but a troublemaker," Applejack said with an obvious layer of irritation.

"He nearly killed me this one time!" Rainbow interjected. "If that had happened, then the next generation of Wonderbolts would have been destroyed!"

"Once again," Alex thought, "ego."

"He's not entirely dangerous," Fluttershy whispered, her voice just barely audible.

"He's super-duper-extra-kooky-wooky insane!" Pinkie voiced, her eyes growing wide as saucers.

"Not to mention that his suit is a crime to the entire history of fashion," Rarity complained, gaining her a few "really" looks from those present.

"Hey, a door," Alex said in dulled monotone. He was right, a door was right to their left (paradox-esque, huh?), and, luckily, it had a simple lock that was a perfect size for the key. "Ready to test it out?" Alex asked them all.

"Alright," they all answered simultaneously.

Alex quickly turned back to the door. Their answers in unison really spooked him, so he took out the key and thrust it into the lock. "Here goes nothing," he whispered. With a simple turn of the wrist, the key released the bolt and the door opened slowly. On the other side was, as promised, Alex's room. He gave an impressed whistle, "It worked? Wow." He stepped through the door and into the awaiting confines of his lavish prison cell/guest suite. At least, that's what he considered it to be, seeing as that he wasn't leaving this place anytime soon.

"Alex?" Hart approached him, but he remained on the other side of the entryway with the other mares. "I'll be returning to my chambers, as well," he informed Alex. "But... I'd rather take the long way."

Alex turned to face the grey pony. "Alright," he nodded, "I'm gonna stay up a bit. My unconsciousness has thrown off my internal clock, so I'll get to bed eventually."

The pony nodded understandingly, "That's expected. Well, I'll see you in the morning."

"You, too," Alex waved. "'Night girls," he repeated the gesture to them.

"To you as well, darling," Rarity replied.

"'Night, Alex," Applejack said.

"See ya later," Rainbow added.

"Goodnight," Fluttershy whispered.

"Keep an eye out for creepy, dream shadows," Pinkie Pie exclaimed excitedly.

"Umm... okay...?" Alex tried to sound aware of... whatever those were. The human silently shut the door, leaving the technicolor equines to their own devices. He sighed and made his way over to his bed, putting his hands down on the mattress and propping himself up.

"I never liked the white one," Devilin commented from somewhere behind Alex.

The teen didn't even turn around from his position and remained staring at the bedsheets. "What do you want Devilin?" he asked curtly.

"Hurtful," he gave a fake gasp.

"Just go fuck yourself, asshole," Alex cursed. "I really don't need to see you right now."

"That's quite humorous, considering the fact that you haven't even seen me, yet."

Alex released an exasperated sigh, "Just... leave me alone."

"I don't feel like it. So... how about I stand on the balcony, while you mope in your friendless, semi-depressed state," he suggested teasingly.

"Like I said," Alex repeated, "go fuck yourself."

A sigh was heard, and a pale hand came to rest on Alex's shoulder. "I'm doing this for your betterment, Mister Harper," Devilin said. "You just need to break out of that hard, little shell you've got around yourself."

Alex shrugged Devilin's hand off his shoulder and spun around to glare at the executive. Devilin was now wearing a dark blue, pinstripe suit with a red tie. "You're just trying to trick me," the human said coolly, "but it's not going to work." He began to advance, forcing Devilin to back away. "I'm not going to break anytime soon, and I will return to Earth."

The path of both brought them closer to the outside balcony...

Alex pointed an accusing finger at the smartly dressed character, "You have taken everything away from me!"

"Correction," Devilin said coolly yet defensively, "I'm simply improving upon what was already there."

The inched closer to the balcony's railing...

"I'm really sick of you!" Alex fumed. "You have a lot of nerve to bug me right now, because I am extremely pissed off!"

"That's nice," Devilin remarked.

"Fuck you, man!"

"I'd rather not. You're not really my type."

They were at the marble rail now, and Alex was pushing forward, causing Devilin to back against it. "Now, Mister Harper," Devilin sounded slightly panicked now, "Let's not do anything rash."

"You don't know me," Alex said, fists clenched, "and I'm going to prove it." He stared right in to Devilin's eyes, "I'm going to walk back inside right now, and you're going to fly away, teleport, or whatever you do to get to where you want. Now, FUCK! OFF!" Alex slowly unclenched his fists and took a step back, giving Devilin space to steady himself.

The executive brushed off his suit and straightened his cuffs. "That's much better," he commented with a small laugh. "I hope you didn't do that to your parents."

Alex spun on his heel and charged Devilin, wrapping his hands around the man's neck. "SHUT!!! UP!!!" He pulled Devilin away from the rail and forced him forward. The executive lost his footing and was pinned up on the edge.

"I'm liking this anger," Devilin commented. "It suits your inner nature."

Alex scowled, "You know NOTHING ABOUT ME YOU PIECE OF SHIT!!!" He lifted Devilin towards him and pushed.

The businessman stumbled back and, before losing his footing a second time, grabbed the front of Alex's shirt. Their current momentum brought Alex along, the two of them being carried over the banister.

"I'm not easily beaten, Mister Harper," Devilin smiled darkly. He instantly vanished, leaving only Alex to fall from the balcony.

Alex fell from the tower, the ground racing towards him with increasing speed. He did the only sane thing he could.

"SON OF A BI-!!!"

And he slammed into the ground.

One Minute (and three seconds) Later...

"HHUUUUUUUNNNNNGGGGHHHHHH!!!"

Alex sucked in a fresh blast of air, rushing down his throat and filing his lungs to the point where they were about to burst. He exhaled slowly, allowing the CO2 to escape his system and disperse into the outside air. Alex lie where he was for a few more moments, breathing carefully, returning his respiration levels to normal.

Alex grabbed his head. "Son of a bitch, Devilin!" he swore under his breath. "I'm going to kill him!"

"What you are about to do shall be far from killing, Alex."

The human went wide-eyed and slowly turned to his left. He was lying in a bed of short, vibrantly green grass, and could also see a dark shape through the semi-darkness of his half-alive haze. "Wh-who's there?"

The shadowed figure stepped forward and a blue glow emitted from their, now noticeable, horn. "I do not take well to strangers trespassing in my private quarters," the figure said, female by the sound of it. They stepped even closer, and Alex's vision cleared even further. He quickly realized who it was that stood in front of him.

Alex gave the dark blue pony a weak smile. "Princess Luna, right?" he asked the alicorn standing before him.
> Confrontations
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Nine
Confrontations


Princess Luna scowled fiercely, her level of anger rapidly approaching 'infuriated.' She had previously been sitting at the desk within her bed chamber, calmly filling out appeals in the Canterlot night court, as well as some separate work that Celestia hadn't finished the day before due to... him. Everything concerning 'him', for the most part, was going well. Although, the instance that the human had thrown himself from the balcony, as well as what had transpired in the dining hall, recently, was very disrespectful. Luna gave a frustrated sigh and used her magic to shuffle the papers into a neat order, placing them beside her on the desk.

Suddenly, a loud *THUD* came from behind the balcony doors, making her spin around. The princess frowned. "Witt!" she called, "If that's you again, then I've had it with your constant parachuting!" She strode over to the glass doors and peered out, but the darkness prevented her from making out much except a black, seemingly formless blob. Luna found it ironic that she ruled the Night, yet her vision in the dark was practically zero. She lit some simple, wall-mounted torches to shed some light on the intruding shape, and she gasped when it was revealed.

Alex was lying on her balcony in a pool of his own blood.

A large gash cut through the back of his head and was leaking large amounts of dark, red blood. The liquid was seeping into the grass, staining the green vegetation a deep maroon color.

Luna was utterly shocked. How could he have landed on her balcony? It was practically on the opposite end of the castle! Better yet, why? She watched the human for a few more seconds, looking for any indication of his revival. Witt and Hart had delivered the notes they took during their brief observances of Alex. Though, Witt had gone into much more intense detail when describing the resurrection process. Noting every single muscle twitch or describing each throbbing vein was slightly disturbing in Luna's opinion. So, she opted to wait for another few seconds.

"HHUUUUUUUNNNNNGGGGHHHHHH!!!"

Alex gasped for breath loudly. Luna was caught by surprise and her horn alighted, preparing a spell in self defense. The human before her quickly regulated his air intake and relaxed, leaving him staring up at the sky.

"Son of a bitch, Devilin!" Alex swore. Luna was taken aback. How dare he use such profane words in her presence! But Alex wasn't finished, "I'm going to kill him!"

This statement set off alarms in Luna's head. She knew he was dangerous! Luna decided that now was the time to reveal herself. "What you are about to do shall be far from killing, Alex." She watched as he went rigid and slowly turned his head towards her.

"Wh-who's there?" Alex asked, obviously unable to see her.

Luna internally scoffed, 'How ridiculous.' She increased the visible illumination that her horn gave off, revealing herself to the trespasser. "I do not take well to strangers trespassing in my private quarters," Luna said with a hint of agitation. She stepped closer to Alex, and it seemed as now he recognized her.

"Princess Luna, right?" he said casually, giving her a weak smile. Alex propped himself up on his elbows, "This suddenly got akward."

The alicorn of the night was simply annoyed. No other words, just annoyed. "Yes," she said through gritted teeth, "I am the Princess. What business do you have being on my terrace?"

"Your terrace?" Alex inquired. He looked over his position and saw another marble railing on the opposite side of him, the edge revealing the illuminated skyline of Canterlot. "Terrace," he nodded, "got it."

"Would you mind explaining your presence, here?" Luna asked again, with a hint of.

Alex grunted as he got back to his feet, "I was, ah... in my room... um..." He thought for a moment. "I was in my room..." Alex started to trail off. Alex walked over to the balcony rail and sat down on the edge.

Luna looked at him with a stony, unchanging expression. "What were you doing in your room that appeared to require such... interesting terminology?" she asked. This human was starting to get on her nerves, more than he already was.

"I was... ah..." Alex scratched the back of his neck. "I... honestly... don't know!" he admitted.

"You mentioned a 'Devilin?'" Luna asked. Luna hoped that he would recognize the name that he recently spoke of.

"Devilin...?" Alex looked up thoughtfully. After careful consideration, he shook his head, "No. I don't know a Devilin." 'What?!' Alex thought to himself, 'Why did I just say that?!'

"Well, you said that you were going to kill him."

"Then he must have deserved it," Alex said blatantly.

Luna's expression instantly changed to disgust. "How could anyone deserve death?!" she asked, outraged.

"Okay!" Alex put his hands up defensively, "Death is harsh, I get it."

"You are a pathetic waste of life," Luna sneered, "with that sarcastic attitude and being so full of yourself."

"What's with the verbal bashing and the sudden mood swing?!" Alex said, offended at the remark. "Listen, I'm sorry about what happened earlier, but I'm just trying to deal with the whole 'multiverse' thing right now!"

"My sister would make sure that I forgave you," Luna turned aside.

"Thank you."

"But my sister isn't here," Luna continued, "Is she?"

Alex's shoulders lowered, slightly. "Let me guess," he said dully, "since your sister isn't here you are not inclined to forgive me. And because you dislike me so much, you're going to do something bad to me? I take it that's why I was cuffed the first time I talked with your sister."

"I was just going to refuse forgiveness," Luna said in a matter-of-fact tone. "Because you have restrained yourself from doing anything ridiculous while you have been speaking to me, I'm not going to cause you any physical, or mental, injury. And the shackles were at my insistence. I wasn't aware of your threat level at the time of your arrival, so I asked the guards to take precautions."

"I'm glad I'm not going to receive any permanent scarring, but I don't exactly know what to say about the last bit." Then, something caught Alex's eye. A man in a black, pinstripe suit stood a few paces behind Luna.

Devilin mouthed a friendly, "Hello," and waved. Alex's expression quickly changed to anger when he saw Devilin. Devilin mouthed an eager, "Keep it going!" to Alex before vanishing.

Luna noticed Alex's sudden change in attitude immediately. "What are you looking at?" she asked, insulted by his lack of focus.

"Devilin," Alex practically growled. He remembered this time?! Alex turned back to Luna when he was sure that the executive wasn't reappearing.

"Who is this Devilin?" Luna asked impatiently.

"The cheap-ass son of a bitch that brought me here," Alex said. "He's the reason that I can't die because he said that he's trying to 'break me' and 'drive me insane.'" Alex let out a quick cough-like laugh. When he turned back to Luna, her face wore an expression of shock. "What?"

"You say that this 'Devilin' is trying to drive you insane?" Luna asked with uncertainty.

Alex gave her a confused look at the, again sudden, change of character. "Yeah. Why?"

Luna internally fumed. "It has been... nice... talking with you Alex," she said quickly, her horn alighting with its blue glow, "but I think that you should return to your bedchambers."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"Almost," Luna said.

Alex opened his mouth to question further, but he was suddenly enveloped in a bright blue light. When it disappeared, he was left sitting on his bedside, back in his room. "What the hell was that? Ugh, never mind," he said to himself. Alex just flopped back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. His internal clock was thrown off, and would probably take some serious work to get it back on schedule. Alex let out a long sigh before closing his eyes, trying to get as much sleep as possible.



The wooden bishop slid across the flawless glass surface of Celestia's chessboard. Witt's grey magic propelled it forward and across the alternating plaid patterning. "Check," Witt announced dully.

Celestia frowned and used her queen to attack Witt's rook, tossing the simple chess piece to the side. The simple move also blocked Witt's bishop. "Your move, Witt."

Suddenly, the doors to Celestia's chamber burst open and Luna practically shot in like a bullet. "Sister!" she exclaimed, panting for breath.

Celestia looked up at Luna with a concerned expression, "What is the matter?"

"It's Alex," Luna gasped.

"What did he do, now?" Witt asked, continuing to survey the chessboard. He moved his knight in a position that returned the status of check to Celestia's king, but also placed it in danger of being attacked by the queen.

"Alex appeared on my balcony after falling off of the tower. I don't know how it happened," Luna said, answering Celestia and Witt's confused glances, "but he knows how he arrived in our realm," Luna explained.

"Really?" Celestia said in surprise. She was focusing on Luna while simultaneously moving her queen to remove Witt's knight, but now leaving the bishop's path clear.

"He said that he was brought here be a 'Devilin.'"

Witt's ears perked up immediately. He quickly turned to Luna, "Are you sure?"

"Positive," Luna said.

"Did he say why he was brought here?" Witt asked.

"He said that Devilin wanted to 'break him,'" Luna stated.

Celestia instantly grew a worried look, while Witt slowly turned back to the board. "Well," he said quietly, moving his bishop to capture the king, winning the match. "It appears that the rules have now changed."
> The Unplanned Second Part of the Last Chapter
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Ten
The Unplanned Second Part of the Last Chapter


Alex sat up on his bed and covered his eyes. He propped his head up with both arms, elbows resting on his knees. "What the hell is going on?" he said, his moans muffled by his hands. He slowly stood up and brushed his hair across his forehead. Some small flecks of dirt fell in front of his eyes and he blinked them away instinctively. Alex checked the rest of his body for any more signs of the dirt and found that he was wearing a light coating of the stuff. He guessed that it must have happened when he crash landed into Luna's balcony. Giving a heavy sigh, Alex walked over to the small bathroom that he had yet to enter.

The simple, wooden door was practically a plank painted white, and its simplicity was a stark contrast to each of the ornate decorum in the suite. As he was about to turn the handle, Alex noticed a small, handwritten note taped to the spot right beside it. He lazily tore it off and read the small print.

Alex, for when you use this bathroom,
Simple little notes that I want to point out to you. 
1) Don't adjust the settings for the bath. The hot springs under the city are quite unpredictable, even for me, and can cause severe epidermal damage if not calibrated properly.
2) The soaps, shampoos, and other substances provided for cleanliness are absolute rubbish, in my opinion, and are most likely unsuitable for someone of your kind. There is a small slot next to the sink that could help if they are ineffective.
3) If you find a pair of goggles in there, could you please return them to me. I may have forgotten them from yesterday. They have light blue lenses with black, rubber straps.
Yours truly,
Witt.

Alex rolled his eyes dismissively and crushed the note in his hand. "I'm really not in the mood, Witt," he muttered. He tossed paper aside and continued into the bathroom.

The room he entered was far from what he expected: the typical toilet, sink, and shower/tub combo. Instead, the space was the size of a small home. A spot in the corner nearest to him housed an impressive porcelain sink, with an equally impressive toilet just across, nearly seven feet away. The two essential provisions paled in comparison to what Alex assumed was the tub. The 'tub' in question was far from it, though, as a pool that stretched across the remaining floor space took its place. A small waterfall flowed from a artificial rock formation, dropping down two extra levels before falling into the pool with a crescendo of mist and foam. The entire room was surrounded by magnificent stained glass windows -most likely depicting historical moments and achievements- that splattered the room with multicolored lights.

A second note was taped up in front of the sink, catching Alex's attention. It was labeled Important! He ripped it off and held it up to read it.

Yeah. It's bigger on the inside.
-Witt

Alex shook his head, rolling his eyes simultaneously. He balled it up in a similar fashion to the first note, tossing it into a trash bin next to the sink. A small, rectangular slot resided above it, and another note was taped up for him.

For those things that don't help you.
-Witt

The paper was immediately removed, but it had been covering some more, stamped text above the opening:

INCINERATOR
CAUTION: EXTREMELY DANGEROUS

"Really?" Alex was beginning to get annoyed by Witt's behavior. Sure, Witt seemed mostly fine when he first met him, but Alex was now beginning to realize why he was so despised. He pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind for the time being and decided to focus on washing up. Alex pulled his shirt off, slipping it over his head and discarding it on the bathroom floor, doing the same with his jeans, underwear, and socks. "May as well try it out," he muttered to himself.



Witt teleported into his laboratory in a flash of grey light and walked over to a bank of computers. He tapped away at the keys with deft hooves, quickly typing out commands for the system. "Time of entry and registered activity..." he searched through his databases and logs. A prompt came up and he clicked it, opening a window that displayed a past recording of himself.

"The date is, uh-" Witt waited as his recording looked at a calendar, "-June twenty-fifth, two twenty five P.M."

"That's what I sound like?" Witt commented on his vocalized expression. "I sound much too proper. I'll have to work on that, later."

"I've registered a new reading on the machine," the recording continued, obviously unaware of Witt's presence, "and the levels are much higher than anything I've seen since... you know... it happened," he grinned. "Anyway, the feed was quite a bit higher than anything previously recorded, and I've no doubt that the others have seen it, as well. The regulators reached seventy-eight percent activity and the energy signatures reached twelve-point-two kilowatts. If Canterlot had been hooked up to my power grid, then it would have fried, instantly."

"That big, huh?"

"In short, it was overly active and gushing energy. I suspect that something fell through into our dimension. Other than that, nothing much else to report. And, on an slightly unrelated note, you still have one-hundred forty-nine days, one hour, and twenty-five minutes until-" 

Witt shut the video off and sat back down on his haunches, sliding a hoof through his slicked-back mane. "Twenty-five..." he mumbled. "Why is it always twenty five?" A flash of light at the opposite end of the gymnasium-sized room brought Witt out of his thoughts.

"How was the match with Celestia, tonight?" Discord's jovial tone rang through the chamber, earning a grin from the seated stallion.

"Not a challenge. As usual," he replied, returning to all fours. "She was no match for my strategies. I did have quite a few years of practice. You should know that."

The draconniquis wandered over to Witt, giving his signature chuckle, "How could I forget? So, what's next on tonight's list? Do you want to compare the atomic bases of my chocolate milk rain and the homemade kind, again?"

"Actually, I could use a couple more drinks, right now," Witt mulled the idea over in his mind. "I need to unwind for tomorrow morning."

"I thought that you were going to train that human? Alex, was it?"

"I plan to."

"You don't want to end up having a hangover for tomorrow," Discord smirked, "it could ruin you concentration. He might even land a hit on you."

"Since when did you suddenly-"

"-Become so moral?" Discord finished with a smile, "I wasn't." He snapped his taloned fingers, making a pair of shot glasses appear in white flashes, along with a small table. "I was thinking... straight whiskey? Jock Dare's New Number Three?"

"I was about to suggest the same thing," Witt replied, trotting over and seating himself down. "First to pass out loses," he said, with a friendly sneer.

"You're on." Discord snapped his talons and a bottle of whiskey materialized, automatically filling each glass with the browned alcohol. 

"One... two... three!"



Alex climbed out of the pool and grabbed a towel that was conveniently folded on the edge of the "bath." When he had first stepped in, the water was about room temperature, but it steadily increased until it was like a large hot tub. 'I suppose that those were the hot springs,' thought Alex. He ruffled his hair with the towel and ran his fingers through it, messily combing it out. He wrapped the fluffy cloth around his waist and walked over to the sink, looking up into the mirror above it.

Alex checked his face for any external damage that might have accumulated over the past couple dozens of hours. Upon finding his face to be clean, he checked his stomach, where he had, supposedly, been stabbed with a plank. A pale, thin scar stretched from the left to right sides of his abdomen, jaggedly connecting the previously ruptured skin tissue. Alex traced the line with his index finger, feeling the smooth scar tissue beneath it. He pulled his hand back and stared into the mirror, again.

"What the hell is going on with me?" Alex asked his reflection.

Alex replied to himself, "You're in a land with pastel ponies who have been extremely nice to you and have shown you nothing but kindness. Except for that Luna mare."

"No shit." Alex sighed, "I'll just go along with whatever they have planed with me. After that, I'm getting back to Earth." He straightened up and exited the bathroom, making his way over to the dressers. He pulled out new pairs of underwear, socks, jeans, and a single tee-shirt. 'How did they even know to make all of these?' he wondered as he dressed himself. Another, full-length mirror stood near the bed, and Alex examined his getup. He looked like he was either going to be working at a construction site, or someone who forgot to remove their clothes before falling asleep.

As a matter of fact, he was aiming towards the latter of the two. Alex sat on the edge of the bed and laid back on the mattress. Sleep was his main priority, at the moment, as he remembered that Witt had something planned for him tomorrow. He closed his eyes and made an attempt at reaching some R.E.M.



Luna stood alone in her chambers, with ancient scrolls, texts, and tomes were being held in her telekinetic grasp, researching anything that matched what Alex had described to her. The pages flapped quickly as she scanned the volumes, the words so blurred that even a trained eye could barely read, yet was very little difficulty for her. She stopped and turned back a couple pages in one of the books, noticing something that she had missed before.

'There!' she mentally exclaimed. 'Celestia must know about this.' Her horn glowed with a bluish hue, and Luna teleported in a burst of azure light.

Celestia was mildly unsurprised to see her younger sibling appear in her room. She had received many unexpected visits from Luna in the two years since her redemption at the hands of the Elements, but such encounters usually regarded matters of state that were unfamiliar to the former princess.

"Sister!" the younger exclaimed.

"Yes, Luna?"

"I may have found something," she said urgently. Luna levitated an open book over to Celestia, indicating where she needed to read. The elder of the two studied it in detail, absorbing each word.

Celestia pulled back, "That's impossible. That was written by a mad pony. It's not right."

"You remember better than I do who wrote it, sister," Luna said.

"We mustn't let Alex know. If he remains unaware, then he may have a chance," Celestia stated.

Luna closed her eyes and shook her head slowly. "He doesn't have a chance either way," she added quietly.
> A Field Day
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Eleven
A Field Day


Alex had finally been able to relax, nearly seven hours since he first began his attempts. Sleep was slowly beginning to overtake him, and R.E.M. wouldn't be too far behind.

*BLAM*

Alex's head whipped around. "What was that?" he thought aloud. He was thrown off by the fact that he was standing in an infinite white room.

*BLAM*

The burst sounded like it was coming from a gun.

*BLAM* *BLAM*

Two more shots followed in rapid succession, and Alex searched for the noise.

"I'd say that I was surprised to see you, but that would be a false statement. Wouldn't it, Mister Harper?"

Alex turned in search of the voice, but was now greeted by some other physical location. He walked forward, stepping toward the tall, white, sectioned rows of a firing range. As he walked, dirt manifested on the ground and crunched under the combat boots that he was suddenly wearing, but he paid it no mind as he continued his approach. Walls began to form and the metal structures surrounded the room. Alex looked around. He recognized this place.

A tall man in a red suit with black pinstripes stood at one of the stations, holding a pistol out at a wooden target shaped like Princess Celestia. He fired off a couple rounds into the head portion and asked, "This place look familiar, eh?" Devilin turned to look at Alex without removing the pistol from its angle. He fired more shots, each of them finding their mark in the wood.

"Yeah..." Alex said like he was half awake, "this was the range that my dad would take me to..."

"Where you learned to fire twelve rounds out a of a bolt-action in ten seconds?" Devilin asked with a smirk before turning his attention back to the Celestia cutout. "Target practice is quite fun when you shoot those whom you despise," he mused, then emptying another four rounds into the image. He set the firearm down on the table straightened his tie. "Now! On to business. How are you liking your new accommodations so far?"

"You mean the room or this reality?" Alex questioned.

"Either. I really don't care, I just felt like asking something so that I could dismiss it like a used tissue."

"Yippie for you."

Devilin cleared his throat, "I understand that this pony, Witt, asked if you wanted to live or die, correct?"

"Why the sudden subject change?" Alex asked, giving him a suspicious glance.

"Just answer the question."

Alex walked past Devilin and stopped at another one of the firing stations, picking up the, ironically placed, Colt pistol. He felt the weapon and checked the magazine, sliding it back in and chambering the bullet. He fired a couple shots in the direction of the Celestia target, but each of the bullets missed their mark. "Yeah," he finally replied, "he did. What about it?"

"I want to tell you to stay away from him," Devilin walked up behind him, clasping his hands behind his back.

"Why?" Alex asked, taking another shot and missing, again. "You think he's going to teach me how I can get rid of you?"

"No."

"Kill you?" Alex elaborated.

"Definitely not."

"Then what?" Two more failed shots. "Damn it." He turned back to look at Devilin, keeping the gun aimed at the target.

Devilin sighed. "I know that he's going to help kill you."

Alex pulled the trigger in surprise and heard the wood splinter as the bullet made contact with the cutout. He looked back at the Celestia cutout, expecting to see a small hole in the wood. What he saw shocked him. Instead of the Princess of the Sun, there was a small hole that tore right between the eyes of his own image. Alex dropped the gun on the table, "What the hell?"

"Now, that was unexpected," Devilin said, genuinely surprised.

"Why did you do that?" Alex, full of rage, turned on him quickly.

"For once, that wasn't me," Devilin stared at the image, copying Alex's confused expression.

"I find that very hard to believe!"

"It's your subconscious!" Devilin said in defense.

"This is coming from a guy that's been screwing with me, lately," Alex shot back. "Now, I don't know what your problem is, but-

"WAKE UP SLEEPING BEAUTY!!!"

"Holy shit!" Alex shouted as he fell of the side of his bed, landing in an uncomfortable heap on the floor. "What is it, now?" he groaned in pain. A loud voice echoed in his eardrums, possibly deafening him for a couple seconds. He expected Witt or that pink pony

A multi-formed horse/deer/goat head with misshaped yellow and red eyes poked around the top of the bed and smiled jovially. "Ah! You're awake!"

"Who the hell are you?" Alex asked sleepily. "And why are you waking me up?"

The creature gave a throaty chuckle, "I am Discord. Spirit of disharmony and chaos, former enemy to the Equestrian crown, as well as former king."

"Well, pardon me for not bowing, Your Former Majesty," Alex grumbled, adjusting his position and standing back up. He dusted his shirt off and looked at his trespasser more clearly. He appeared to be a mix of snake, lion, eagle, dragon, bat, pegasus, and his facial traits that were previously noted. "I'm going to move from who the hell you are," Alex pointed at him, "to what the hell you are."

"Ah!" Discord snapped his taloned hand and disappeared briefly, reappearing next to Alex, with his lion paw wrapped around the human's shoulder. "I am a draconequus! Last of my kind, actually."

"I'm sorry for you loss," Alex said, brushing off Discord's paw. "Now, please leave."

"Alright, then." He snapped his eagle talons and the room was engulfed in a blinding, white light.

Alex felt something ram into his chest and he moaned. "Oh... What the hell happened?" He blinked the little, white stars out of his eyes and shook his head. He placed one hand on the ground to steady himself and the other hand on his temple, sitting back up on his knees. "Discord..." Alex noticed that the ground felt more rugged under his palm, and he focused on the area in front of him. "What... grass...?"

"Oh, pardon me," Discord's voice echoed around, Alex's hearing distorted slightly, "I should probably warn anyone when I'm about to teleport them. It could lead to a nasty headache."

Alex let Discord's words sink in, though it at least explained the grass. "You teleported me?!" he fumed.

"Oh, calm down. It wasn't just you."

"Who else, then?!"

A male voice came from somewhere to his left, "What just happened." A loud thump and a groan followed the mystery voice. Alex turned to get a better look and was greeted by the sight of Hart, lying on the grass and holding his head. "Mother of Celestia." the stallion complained, "What warrants somepony to take me from my research in the early morning?"

The slight crunching of grass underfoot, or... hoof, informed Alex that someone else approach the trio. From his point of view, Alex noted four brown hooves standing directly in front of him. "Tsk, tsk. I told you to wake him up gently, not to bloody screw up his senses," Witt's recognizable British accent scolded.

"My apologies," Discord said, but his tone indicated the opposite.

"Of course you are, as you were with the lake," Witt mocked.

The draconequus frowned, "Those fish were itching to experience a hot tub."

"Of course they were." Alex watched as Witt's hooves shifted slightly and the unicorn lowered his face to his. Witt's appearance was mainly the same: slicked-back black and brown mane with his mirrored goggles obscuring his eyes and reflecting Alex's own image back at him. "My... apologies for Discord's behavior, Alex. I was not aware that he would try to teleport you and Hart simultaneously, as it stimulates nausea."

The human scoffed, "Easy for you to say."

"Of course it is. Can you stand by now?"

Alex thanked the shift in conversation and gave a nod. "Probably." He pushed up with his hands and got to his feet. Witt stood by and offered his body to lean on, just in case. Alex steadied himself and finally earned the chance to further examine his surroundings. They were standing in what appeared to be a sort of courtyard, with what Alex assumed was the castle's walls surrounding it. The grass they stood on was cut short with precision that continued across the entire area. Alex noticed that the patch he was standing on was colored white, and stretched out from both his left and right sides. "Where are we, now?" he asked Witt.

"The training fields," Hart replied, trotting up beside Alex, "and it appears that you have an audience."

Hart, Witt, Discord, and Alex all turned around in unison. Behind them, dozens of stallions of varying colors, earth pony, unicorn, and pegasus alike, stood by in silence. One stallion, a white colored unicorn with a two-toned, blue mane, stepped through a gap in the crowd. He was clad in dark violet armor with solid gold trim, and the symbol of a red starburst was engraved on a medal around the collar. He looked to Alex and then over to Witt, shaking his head. "What did you do, now, Witt?" he chuckled.

Witt turned his head away, slightly, surveying the grounds behind the new stallion. "Did you receive Celestia's message, captain?" he asked.

"I did," he replied, glancing at Alex. Alex lifted his hand and gave a small flick of his wrist to signify as a wave. "I assumed that you wanted to intimidate the new recruits," the stallion continued, "but I have to admit that this was the last surprise on my list. The second to last was you wearing a dress," he stated.

"Actually, I was going to train our new friend Alex, here," Witt indicated. "Any other questions, Shining Armor?"

"I assume that Hart is here to make sure that you don't kill yourself?" the stallion, Shining Armor, asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'd find that funny, but no. Celestia assigned Hart to Alex upon his arrival at the palace."

"Good morning, Captain Armor," Hart greeted him with a smile. He held out his hoof, and Shining shook it.

Shining gave a nod and turned to Alex. "Why did Witt need to bring you here?"

Alex, at last given the chance to speak, shrugged. "He didn't tell me, necessarily. He only asked me if I wanted to live or die," he said.

"For good reason," Witt added.

Shining Armor thought about it for a moment, continually shifting uncertain glances between Witt and Alex. He sighed, "Alright. I'll section off a portion of the field for you to use."

"I'd like to take the Rathon Rectangle," Witt requested immediately.

"Easy enough."

Alex turned his attention away from the two and looked out over the crowd of ponies before him. He noticed that many of the stallions were giving him impassive glances, while others appeared to be suspicious. There was one pony in the back, wearing silver armor with a helmet that covered their face, who just stared at him. He leaned over and whispered into Hart's ear, "Why are they all staring, other than the fact that I'm a completely different species?"

"That's actually the only good reason I can give you right now," Hart answered. 

Alex watched the crowd followed Shining Armor as he led them away. The pony in armor watched Alex for a couple more seconds before mimicking the group and following behind. Alex turned to Witt, but found that the unicorn was gone from his side.

"Come along, both of you!" Witt called from further down the field, "We haven't got all day! Then again, I could ask Celestia to keep the sun up for a couple hours more," he considered.

Alex and Hart looked at each other and then back at Witt with confused expressions. They both shook their heads and followed Witt wordlessly.



They followed Witt for quite a while until they reached a unique section of the grounds. A rectangular sector of grass was outlined by the generic white paint, but a second outline, made from a pale blue substance, enclosed the white. As Alex crossed over both lines, he noticed that the blue substance reflected some light, making it sparkle slightly. He was intrigued and bent down to examine it, taking some on his fingertips. He examined it and rubbed it between his thumb and forefinger, feeling the texture and watching the sparkling bits fall back to the grass. As he smeared the dust, he felt something akin to touching a metal doorknob after rubbing your socks across a carpet. He recoiled in surprise, cursing under his breath.

"Don't touch the powder," Witt said.

"You're a bit late on that," Alex replied. He looked at his fingers and the small, pale mark that was forming on their tips. Just what he needed, another minor injury that would eventually lead to a brief death. "What is this stuff?" he asked.

"Rathonite powder," Witt explained. "Discovered in 473 by a stallion called Phillean Rathon. Named it after himself, as most scientists who discover new materials do. It is meant to amplify a creature's natural abilities, be it strength, will, intelligence, constitution, fortitude, dexterity, or even magical capabilities. This particular field is surrounded by it," he motioned his hoof in a small circle, "encasing us within an invisible force field meant to take advantage of those enhancing properties and increase the power as the energy bounces off the insides of the... container, for lack of a better word. It's precise definition is a Rathon Rectangle."

"So... they're like magical steroids?" Alex figured, interested with the idea.

"Eh," Witt opened his mouth, but contemplated Alex's statement. "I suppose that it could be counted as a form of enhancing drug, but any direct contact irritates the cells and causes permanent damage unless magically treated. Hence, the new scar on your hand."

"Good thing I didn't eat it, then."

"Indeed," Hart chimed in.

"Any way you could heal it?" Alex asked Witt.

Discord overheard and chuckled at him. "If he kills you, then you won't need any healing."

"Cut it, Discord," Hart frowned.

"Shut up, both of you," Witt said coolly. He turned to the pair, the only indications of anger being his slanted eyebrows and frown. Discord and Hart huffed at each other, but left it at that. "Are you prepared to start your training, Alex?"

"As ready as I can be."

"Excellent," Witt trotted to the opposite end of the rectangular field. "Discord, you can leave if you want to," he addressed the draconequus.

"No, no!" he shook his head. Discord snapped his talons, and small bag of popcorn appeared in his paw. "I'm watching this."

"And you, Hart?"

"I'd like to record any observations," he said, "though it would have been better if I could have taken my supplies before being rudely teleported."

"Simple enough," Witt said, his horn glowing grey. A stack of parchment and three freshly sharpened pencils appeared in the grass beside Hart. "Anything else?"

"That will be all, thank you."

"Now then, Alex," Witt turned the the human.

Alex looked back at him, "Yeah?"

"Hit me," Witt said casually.

Alex blinked at Witt's strange request. "Um... what?" he asked confusedly.

"I told you to hit me," the unicorn repeated.

"Why?"

"Just do it," Witt said impatiently.

Discord chuckled, scooping up a pawful of popcorn, "I have twenty bits saying that he can't lay a finger on you."

"I'll double that and bet that I'll be in the infirmary by the time we leave," he smirked.

"You're on."

"I'll tell you ahead of time not to ask me," Hart spoke up, "because I don't want any part in this foolishness."
> Everything You Never Knew About Magic Since you Figured that it Never Existed in the First Place
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Twelve
Everything You Never Knew About Magic Since you Figured that it Never Existed in the First Place


Alex stood at one end of the Rectangle, facing Witt on the opposite end. The human moved his right leg back and raised his fists, mimicking a simple fighting stance. Witt stretched out, lowering his head and raising his lower half raised.

"Are you sure that you want to do this, Alex?" Hart called from the side of the field. "You don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"I'm fine with this, Hart," Alex replied. "Really."

"Suit yourself." Hart returned to his note-taking, using his mouth to maneuver the pen across the paper.

Alex watched him scribble something down, listing the 'writes-by-mouth' oddity to his list. He turned to Witt, again. "What now?" he called over.

"We fight... parlay... duel... Whichever you find to your liking," he smiled. "En guarde!" Witt sprinted at Alex, but the latter remained stationary, on the defensive.

Alex waited for Witt to get closer, deciding to make a quick dodge and catch him in the side. Witt darted up and Alex dodged to the left, but Witt caught on to his plan. As Alex lashed out, he grabbed Alex's arm and pushed it to the side so quickly that Alex had not time to think. Witt followed by forcefully punching him in the abdomen, knocking the wind out of him and making Alex clutch his stomach in pain.

"A weak first attempt," Witt said, unimpressed. Alex just lay on the ground, breathing deeply as to regain his oxygen supply. "We shall try again," Witt continued, stepping over Alex's body.

It took another few minutes for Alex to stand back up, and he glared at Witt from back across the field. "What the fuck was that for?!" he shouted over.

"Stimulation!" Witt called back.

"You could've just cursed at me until I wanted to kill you!"

"It isn't as effective as physical stimulation!" he said. "Think fast!" 

Witt suddenly flashed out of existence, surprising Alex. A second later, Witt reappeared ten feet away from him. He disappeared and reappeared again, now only five feet. Alex repeated his defensive stance, alert and ready for Witt to teleport again. The stallion did as Alex expected, and he flashed in right in front of Alex. The human reacted be throwing a punch at Witt's neck, but the pony ducked and swept Alex's legs out from under him. He landed in the grass with a thud and Witt planted his fore-hooves on Alex's chest, effectively pinning him down.

"You must try harder, my friend," Witt said, disappointed. His horn flared and he vanished, returning to the opposite end of the field.

Discord whistled from the sidelines, waving a small, red, varsity flag with a big "W" stitched on it. He was wearing a red baseball cap with a similarly colored letterman jacket.
"Win this Witt!
Yes, you can!
If Alex can't do it,
then he's not a man!"

There was more hooting and whistling as identical clones of Discord applauded, waving their flags excitedly.

Hart stopped writing, turning to grumble and glare at the congregation beside him, unimpressed with their mockery. Alex rolled over onto his side and shot them a dirty look, and he gave the main Discord the finger for good measure.

Witt watched the exchange with impatience. "Would you dumb-assed bastards please refrain from doing anything stupid that could get either of you on my bad side! Please!"

Discord's clones, flags and all, disappeared along with his sporty getup. "Keep in mind, Witt, that I'm the Lord of Chaos."

"And keep in mind, Discord, that I can tell Celestia to coat you in cement, if need be," he countered. The draconequus gave a frustrated huff in response, and Witt turned back to Alex, now standing up from the grass. "I think it would be better for us to switch to close combat, for now."

"Isn't that what we've been doing?" Alex asked.

"Actually, I've been charging while you try to defend yourself. You need to take the offensive, now and then," Witt stated.

"Well, I'm not entirely sure of what to do!" Alex said, scoffing.

Witt sighed. "You need to let it come naturally," he explained.

"I'm not entirely sure how combat works," Alex admitted. "I've only been in one fight, and that was when I was a kid. More importantly, we were the same species!"

"Just... fight me," Witt said, frowning. "The third time's the charm!" he said, expression instantly brightening.

He's crazy, Alex thought, nothing more. He shook his head and faced Witt, the stallion less than ten feet away and standing erect, head tilted upward. "You ready?" Alex asked.

"Indeed."

Witt breathed deeply, "One..." He adjusted his stance, crouching with his forehooves with his lower half raised. "Two," he muttered, "three..."

Alex charged him and swung out with his right fist, aimed at Witt's jaw. The trajectory was perfect and would most assuredly make contact.

"Four!" Witt shouted, leaping into the air at the last second, avoiding Alex's blow and somersaulting over him. He landed on his hooves expertly. "Five and six."

The human was surprised by Witt's sudden burst of agility. Then, he was slightly confused. "What are you counting?" Alex asked, nearly lowering his defenses.

Witt smirked. "Possibilities," he replied, spinning around and bucking Alex in the gut. The human was propelled backwards about a dozen feet, winded and pained. "Ten," Witt said.

Alex wheezed and coughed, doubling over onto his side. "What... the fuck... was that for?" he sputtered.

"Stop trying to hit me and hit me!" Witt demanded. "I can't help you if you refuse to cooperate!"

"Calm down, Witt," Hart said from the sidelines.

"Shut up!" Witt snarled back at him. He turned back to Alex and sneered. "You need to stop being a lazy-assed bastard and HIT ME!!!

"Where the hell is this coming from?!" Alex shouted back. "You think I have some sort of special combat training?!" he shot out, struggling to his feet. "I am not in the mood to be messed with, right now, and you know that! My entire life has just recently been screwed with by a psycho in a business suit, I'm despised by that Lunar or Luna pony, or whoever the hell she is, and you think that I have some sort of special quality?! Well then, fuck you, because I'm nothing special!" He shouted at the top of his lungs. It was at that moment that Alex felt something happening within his chest, like a warm feeling that was steadily increasing within him. He felt it flow outward and into his arms, then down to where he sensed it inching along his fingertips.

He felt his body grow warmer and warmer, but it was soon becoming a burning sensation that began to cause him physical pain. He collapsed onto his knees and grunted.

Hart got to his hooves and started to run over to him. "What's happening?!"

"Stop, Hart!" Witt said, holding his hoof out. The doctor froze, just outside of the blue line dividing the area.

Alex seized a couple of times. "Are you mad?!" Hart shouted at Witt. They both watched as Alex tensed, his hands clenching and relaxing erratically.

"I'm performing an experiment," Witt said, less forcefully. Alex was on all fours, now, shaking violently. He felt like he was going to explode, implode, or even melt from the heat.

"And just what are you trying to prove?!" Hart exclaimed.

"That my theory about him is correct," Witt said, barely loud enough for Hart to distinguish.

Alex looked up at Witt, his irises glowing a deep blue and streaming wisps of light smoke. "What is happening to me?!" he rasped, "It burns so much!"

Witt slowly approached Alex with an emotionless expression. He knelt down in front of him and placed a hoof on the human's shoulder. Alex didn't react at the touch, too preoccupied with the unbearable pain within. "You have to let go," Witt said, his voice quiet and kind. "You must release all of your stress from within. Then, you will be alright, again."

"But what is happening?!" Alex growled. His body was beginning to glow, now, blue light emanating from his skin.

"You are overcoming the block that prevents certain beings from experiencing natural magic," Witt explained. "If you don't release your stress, then the raw power will consume you until there is nothing left. You will be dust in the wind."

"How do I get it out?!" Alex yelled.

"Open the door to your mind. Embrace the magic."

"But how?!?!" Alex raged. The light was quickly increasing and it spread to brighten the field in its glow.

Many of the soldiers were slowly being drawn to the scene. Shining Armor was in the lead, approaching the area where Witt stood, just within the rectangle. "Witt! What in Tartarus is going-?!"

A wave of blue light exploded from Alex's body, engulfing Witt and the portion of field surrounded by the Rectangle. The pure, blue glow filled the invisible container, preventing any visibility within.



Alex and Witt stood in a blue room, facing each other. They both looked around, the former in confusion and the latter in wonder. The room was covered in a variety of photographs that nearly obscured the actual wall, each of the pictures contained the image of different ponies. Alex recognized a couple of them: Celestia, Twilight, Luna, Hart, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, the dragon, Spike, was also there, even Shining Armor, and thousands more. Every single one of them looked to be completely unaware that they were being photographed except for Twilight, who was smiling sweetly for the camera.

"What's happening?" Alex asked.

"I haven't been here in a long while!" Witt exclaimed. "It's a tad different, though. Pictures everywhere, and such."

Alex stopped and looked back at the stallion across from him. "Wait. You know what this is?"

"Of course! It's the Dreamscape," Witt explained. "You know, land of peace and nightmares? The gateway to imagination?" He frowned at Alex's exasperated expression, "That's a 'no' then?"

"I just want to know why we're both in the same place!"

Witt looked around, then to the floor, jumping up and down a couple times. "I'd say that it would be a psycho-symbiotic manifestation," he said, scratching his head.

"What does that mean?!" Alex shouted.

"I don't know. Made it up. Just didn't want to say it was the same dream," he admitted. A small table appeared in front of Witt and he sat down before it. A cup of tea in a china glass appeared, as well. He lifted it in his grey, magical grasp and sipped it, quickly. He looked back up at Alex who was watching him with an annoyed expression. Witt made another cup appear and let it float a bit toward Alex. "Tea?"

Alex stood where he was, glaring at Witt from across the room. He didn't know what to do, now, everything was just getting stranger and stranger. There was more silence as the two of them just watched the other. The cup of tea hovered in the air, Witt's magical grasp unwavering.

"Why?" Alex finally asked.

"Because tea helps in relaxa-"

"I mean this," Alex clarified, opening his arms wide as if to embrace the room and all of it's blueness.

"You must be more specific, my dear boy," Witt replied.

"Why am I in here? With you?" he reiterated. He let his arms fall back down to his sides, a slight slap heard as they made contact with his jeans.

Witt sipped his own tea and took a deep breath. "I'll explain it to you if you'll come and sit."

Hesitantly, Alex took a step toward the seated stallion. Then another, and another. A white, fold-out chair appeared in front of the table, and Alex went around and lowered his body into it.

"Tea?" Witt asked him again.

"No, thanks," Alex said, his mood softening slightly. "Now, tell me why I'm here."

Witt sipped his tea a third time and looked at Alex, or what could be assumed as looking with Aviators goggles over someone's eyes. "Tell me, Alex. What happened before we arrived at this exact location?"

"I... was burning up."

"And..." Witt urged.

"I felt like I was... exploding... on the inside." Alex looked down at his body, checking to see if there were any major injuries. It took him a second to remember that he wouldn't have any physical imperfections within a dream, but he looked back up at Witt and folded his hands upon the tabletop. "What happened to me?"

"Magic," Witt said, matter-of-fact. "You were experiencing a large amount of magical buildup, growing within the very fiber of your being. And, I must say, you had quite a bit of it in you! I'm starting to wonder how special you are."

"What do you mean, special?" Alex asked, leaning in.

Witt placed the tea down on the table and cleared his throat, "Every being has a natural, albeit magical, ability within themselves. Earth ponies have enhanced sensitivity with nature and the environment. Pegasus ponies are gifted with flight and the ability to touch clouds, which, I would assume you know, is condensed water. Now, unicorns were bestowed upon with the most powerful of all the natural magics, this being pure energy. If they put enough thought into something, dammit they did it," Witt exclaimed. They were able to reach into themselves and extract the very essence of their being to use as power. I can accomplish such a task, as I am a member of that sub-species.

"Now, you are what is so fascinating," Witt continued, leaning toward Alex, now. "You have that very same magical ability which resides within unicorns, or alicorns, I might add, and you weren't even aware of it. What happened in the Rectangle was simply me trying to help you release that power. Usually, an emotional trigger is involved in the release: anger, sadness, excitement, pain, physical or emotional. In your case, that was the outburst you had when you were angry with me, enhanced by the Rathonite powder's properties." Witt sipped the tea, "Any questions?"

"That's crazy."

"That wasn't a question," Witt said. "Anything else?"

Alex nodded, "I think I'll take that tea, now."

"Cream? Sugar?" Witt asked, said items appearing on the table.

"Both."

Witt grinned and poured both the cream and sugar into the small cup, stirring them in with a spoon. He let Alex grab it from the air and take a sip. Alex let the drink enter his system, and, he must admit, it he sat back in the chair, relaxing and unwinding. There was silence as the two of them just sat there, sipping their tea intermittently.

"Am I dead?" Alex asked flatly.

Witt shook his head, "Indeed not. We're just sub-catatonic."

"Sub-catatonic?"

"A fancy way of saying unconscious. Any more questions? Some that are less ridiculous and much more sensible?"

Alex thought for a long, hard moment. He was stuck inside of a dream until he woke up, and he was with Witt. He mentally shrugged. May as well ask him something personal. "What was your release?"

Witt hesitated for a moment, briefly freezing with the tea halfway to his lips. He sat the glass down on the platter. "That's a bit personal, if I do say so."

"You haven't answered my question."

Witt turned his head to the side. "It was... strong emotional pain, coupled with rage."

"What kind?" Alex asked tentatively. If it were possible, he could have sworn that time stopped.

Witt turned back to him. "I'm an alcoholic," he said quietly. "Do you know why most people become alcoholics?"

The human opposite him shrugged. "Um... they're depressed. Maybe... for fun. I mean, that's what it looked like when I first met you," he gave Witt a grin. "Then... you could have lost something impor-"

"Bingo," Witt cut him off.

"You lost something important?" Alex pressed on.

"Right, again."

"What did you-?"

"Hang on! I think they're waking up!" a male voice echoed throughout the blue room. The sound reverberated off of the walls and bounced around infinitely.

Alex looked at Witt, who was now wearing a bemused expression. He opened his mouth, but watched as the world went white around him.
> New Plans
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Thirteen
New Plans


Alex opened his eyes slowly. His head throbbed and the wrist of his right arm was a bit sore, though he didn't understand why the latter of the two was in pain. Then, he saw some multicolored blurs within his visual, but couldn't place what they were. There was some purple... some white... some blue... some grey...

"He's coming to!" a female voice called out.

"Coming to where?" Alex mumbled. He was feeling rather lucid, at the moment, and said the first thing that popped into his head. "Did I win the spelling bee, mother?"

"He's confused," another female voice remarked.

"What happened to the frogurt?" Alex asked, dreamily, "Did I drop it?" He began to blink away the mishmash of colors from his sight, and the blurs began to take on more recognizable shapes. Ponies. He was seeing ponies. Right.

"Alex?" the white one, a female, spoke. "Are you alright, Alex?"

"The chemicals a confusing him, slightly. Give it a moment, the grey one, a male, replied.

"Shouldn't we check on, Witt?" he heard the purple one question.

"He's fine," the grey one quickly insisted.

'Witt, eh?' Alex felt himself chuckle, though the sound he heard was distorted and muted. "What... happened to that bastard, anyway? Did he fall off of his... high horse?" His chuckle suddenly escalated into a rowdy burst of drunken laughter. "High horse!" he repeated, partially realizing what he was saying, now. Out the corner of his translucent vision, the blue blur move, slightly.

"Should I slap him into sensibility?"

"Absolutely not."

The shapes in front of him gradually sharpened, and defining features came into view. The purple blur was actually Twilight, the grey one was Hart, the white one Celestia, and the blue one being Luna. 'What was she doing here?' Alex thought. Depending on their discussion last night, Alex figured that she would want to stay as far away from him as possible.

"Alex? Alex, can you hear me?" Hart questioned him.

A strange feeling of what Alex guessed was "sobering up" began to shock his system. His vision cleared further, but the light from wherever he was was agitating to his eyes, adding to a growing headache.

"Alex?!"

"Stop shouting, Hart," he replied, curtly.

WHAP!

Alex was rewarded by a hoof being rudely slapped across his face. "OW!" he cried out, sitting up -though he wasn't aware that he was lying down, in the first place- and lifting his hand up to rub his cheek. "What the fuck was that for?!" he glared at the stallion.

"That wasn't me," Hart replied defensively, hooves in front of him for emphasis.

Alex turned his gaze to the three mares, and he noticed that Celestia was shooting an angry glare at a suddenly distracted Luna. The smaller alicorn looked around the room, focusing on different objects at intermittent moments. She turned back to the group and noticed their staring. "What?" she asked.

Alex glared at her. "You hit me!" he shouted.

Luna shook her head slightly. "I was simply reviving you from your slumber," she replied.

"Well you could have just shaken my shoulder, or something," Alex shot back.

"I found brute force to be much more effective."

"Can both of you just SHUT UP!!!"

The sound of Witt's enraged and accented voice came from the left. Everyone turned to see the brown equine sitting atop a hospital bed, an IV drip slid into his foreleg. He hastily tore the tube out from his leg and jumped to the floor, though a bit unsteadily. "I would like it if you stopped arguing for a while," he addressed Alex and Luna, "as your voices are terribly annoying. Not to mention, the fluids that have just been flowing through my system have put me on edge in an unbelievable way!" Alex could sense that he was glaring through his goggles.

Twilight stepped away from the cluster around Alex and slowly approached him. "I think that you should calm down, Witt."

"Calm down?" he sputtered. "I was in a drinking contest with Discord, last night. The bastard used chocolate milk instead of alcohol, so I lost the competition," he added quietly. "The amount of liquor in my system combined with whatever the hell is in that IV is stirring them up! I'm going to either lose consciousness, again, or my lunch in a few minutes!"

"Twilight is correct," Celestia said, stepping forward, "you need to calm down."

Witt looked over at her, a frown present on his face. He grumbled, "Fine. Twilight!" he called, looking around.

"I'm next to you," the mare replied with an exasperated sigh.

Witt turned to her, "I need to speak with you. Not here, though."

She rolled her eyes, an annoyed, "Alright," her response. The pair walked out through the doors to the infirmary, speaking as they left.

Witt spoke to her. "When did you get back, and why in the bloody hell did it take so-?" was all that could be heard before the doors closed behind them, cutting them off.

There was brief silence in the ward. "Remind me why you had me sleep in his room?" Alex asked Celestia.

Celestia sighed. "It was the only option that was available, aside from leaving you strapped to a hospital bed."

"And that's the better option because...?"

"If you can be within twenty paces of him for over two hours, then you're not dangerous," she explained.

"Is that why Twilight can stand him?" he asked, pulling an IV out of his own arm. "From what I've heard them say to each other, it appears that she's perfectly fine with it."

Celestia shook her head, "They know each other. She is one of the very few who understands what he lets out of his mouth."

"So, the fact that I've been with him for a few hours is good, or not?"

"Partially," Hart answered. 

"'Partially' what?" Alex asked. "Good or bad?"

"I don't know. Though, if you can be in the same room for a few days..." he trailed off.

"I'd either be mad or dead, huh?" Alex finished with his own idea.

"Well..."

"Enough of that, Hart," Celestia interrupted, "we need to discuss some things with Alex."

The stallion nodded. "Should I step outside?" Hart asked, gesturing to the doors.

"Actually, you may want to stick around," Luna said. "Some matters concern you, as well."

Alex swung his legs over the edge of the bed, planting them firmly on the floor. "What do you need to discuss?"

"We have found the need to arrange new accommodations for you," Celestia stated. "Your recent outburst has informed us that you possess a bit magic, and a quite unstable batch, at that. Albeit, it is very weak."

Alex shook his head in disbelief. "What I did was weak?!" He scoffed. "I'd hate to see the strongest."

"I apologize. Your magical release was much larger than most," Celestia restated, "but it was, basically, just built up energy. Like a tide of water against a small plug hole. All of that power had been building up without you naturally excreting energy, so it was all forced out at that moment. The Rectangle was another factor, amplifying your magic to about ten times the natural capacities."

"I get it. Small explosion, long fuse," Alex said.

"For lack of a better phrase, yes," Luna spoke up.

Alex looked at the blue alicorn out of the corner of his eye. "So, you took a sudden interest in that, now?"

"No," Luna replied flatly. "My sister saw the explosion from her tower and investigated. I was only coming here to speak with Witt."

"Quaint," Alex stated, duly.

"How so?" Luna asked, eying him back.

"Everyone's complaining that he's insane, but, apparently, more of you can stand him than you let on."

"That's a problem?"

"I don't know," Alex sighed. "I think the drugs in the IV are getting to me. I'm having a hard time thinking, now."

There was a brief silence that lingered in the atmosphere of the ward, broken by the occasional beep or whirr of a machine. Hart coughed into his foreleg, disturbing the quiet, further.

"Why aren't we speaking?" Alex asked. Everypony gave him a blank look in return.

"Why aren't we speaking?" Hart turned to Celestia.

Celestia blinked in response. "I'm... not entirely sure."

"That was an awkward moment," Alex quipped. He suddenly thought back at something he heard Celestia mention, earlier. "Wait... you said 'new accomodations,' right?"

"Oh!" Celestia's expression brightened, "That's right. We're moving you out of the castle in favor of a more isolated area," she began. "Your incident has brought to light a serious health hazard, as the untempered magic that you possess could be harmful in the wrong instances."

"'Isolated,'" Alex air quoted, "being..."

"We're having a home built on the outskirts of Ponyville, close to the Everfree Forest," she explained. "It will be surrounded by a Rectangle at all times, containing any spontaneous explosions that might occur."

Alex nodded, taking in the information. "Two questions, though. One, what the heck is the Everfree Forest, and two, I thought you said that my 'release' was just clogged power, meaning that I was apparently 'weak' in the magic department."

"You are weak," Celestia continued, "but you are unstable, as I mentioned earlier. Your magic could be unpredictable, and... aftershocks... might occur. We don't want any major problems to fall upon the town's inhabitants, so you'll need to control that power. Both Witt and Hart will be accompanying you."

"I can't guarantee that the booze hound and I will get along, though," Hart added gruffly. The stallion scoffed at the prospect of being near, what he would later report as 'an insufferable, alcoholic pain in the flank.'

"Your distaste with Witt must be set aside for the time being, doctor," Luna said to him. "As much as you two despise each other, you will have to get along. For Alex's sake."

"I don't need anyone doing anything for my sake, or whatever," Alex interrupted.

Celestia shook her head, apologizing. "I'm sorry, but... I don't quite understand."

"I'll take the house offer and," Alex leaned forward and massaged his temples with his fingers, "-I can't believe I'm saying this- magic lessons... hell, maybe I could float some coffee over while I'm in bed. I'm all for the isolation bit, too, but I'm not having anything done for me because you feel like you have to do it."

Celestia pursed her lips, and she slowly nodded. "Alright then. Luna?" The night blue alicorn turned to her. "Go find Twilight and the other Bearers and inform them of this development."

"Yes, sister." Luna inclined her head slightly at her sister's order. Celestia watched her part through the double doors, Luna's blue aura swinging them open before promptly closing when she was clear. Celestia frowned, but the downward curve of her mouth vanished quickly.

"Any problems?" Alex asked.

"It's nothing," she replied.

"It looked like something."

"You need not worry about it," Celestia said, her small smile returning. "Hart will return you to your chambers. I suggest you think of things to pack while you're there. I assume that you'll be departing tomorrow afternoon.

Alex nodded, "Not a problem. The sooner I get out of your hair, the better. I think I've overstayed my welcome, as it is."

Celestia was perplexed by his answer. "What do you mean, this time?"

"I'm sorry for taking up you're time," he clarified. Alex slid off the bed and walked over to the doors, Hart right beside him. They both exited wordlessly, returning to the tower.

Celestia stood behind for several more moments, thinking to herself. 'Why is he sorry for the attention we've given him?' she wondered. Celestia looked back at the doors for another moment before leaving the room, herself, her thoughts lingering on Alex's comment.
> Inconsistencies
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------


Chapter Fourteen


Inconsistencies


Alex and Hart walked through the halls of Canterlot Castle in silence, quickly navigating their way back to Witt’s tower. The sounds of their footfalls -and hooffalls- sent muted echoes throughout the corridors, a steady rhythm of beats appearing to follow them as they walked. It was the only sound aside from Alex’s new sneakers they had given him which would, occasionally, squeaking quietly

        “How long was I out?” Alex asked Hart.

        “Approximately two hours,” he replied frankly.
        ‘Not as bad as last time,’ Alex thought. Considering that the past… two days, right… were, basically, his consciousness coming and going intermittently. It was a bit detrimental to his internal clock, as well, throwing off his normal sleep schedule and edging it more toward the nocturnal hours. Not that it really mattered, of course.

        “When we get back,” Hart’s voice cut into Alex’s thoughts, “you’ll have to get ready for the move. I assume that Celestia would want you to get out of here, ASAP, considering the run in you had with Luna, last night.”

        “Oh,” Alex’s face  immediately lost any hint of emotion at the mention of the encounter. He figured that Luna would tell Celestia about that, anyway, but, like his scheduling, it didn’t matter. The sooner he would be away from her, the better.

        “What exactly happened, last night?” Hart’s query cut into Alex’s train of thought, briefly derailing it.

        Alex shook his head dismissively. “She said something rude, so I returned the favor.”

        “And you made verbal threats against a ‘Devilin?’” Hart asked, giving Alex a sideways glance.

        “What Devilin?” Alex asked back. ‘The hell is wrong with me?!’ 

        “The Devilin that you said was trying to drive you insane,” Hart clarified.

        “I can’t say that I know him.”

        “Can you?” a familiar voice questioned. Alex turned and found Devilin, suit and all, walking beside him, right where Hart was standing. The grey stallion had been replaced by the suited executive.

        “The hell?!”

        “Cardiovascular is fine,” Devilin waved.

        “His name’s Hart,” Alex growled.

        “Quite frankly, I don’t care,” he dismissed him blatantly.

Alex scowled back at him. “I’d really enjoy punching you in the face, right now,” he hissed, clenching a fist and holding it up for the man to see.

Devilin chuckled, and removed a stray hair from his jacket. “If you wanted to, then you would have already.”

Alex turned away, focusing back on the hallway he had unconsciously continued walking down. “What are you here for? How many times do you need to appear and disappear before you’ll do the second part for good?”

“Oh, don’t worry about that, Mister Harper,” he waved the teen off with a grin. “I’m just finalizing a few details here and there. Soon, I’ll be out of your way for a good week or so.”

“I’d prefer you staying away for much longer. Preferably forever.”

Devilin gave Alex a small smile as his only response before turning off down a separate hallway.

“Hey!” Alex shouted, “Where are you going?”

“Ha! I thought you wanted my away from you?” Devilin laughed. “You seem to be conflicted. Do you need psychiatric assistance? I hear that Witt fellow is quite a helper!”

“I... You’re a bastard!” Alex cursed after him. He looked back down the hallway, but was met with a white abyss. “What the...?” Alex tried to comprehend the sight before him, looking back to where Devilin had just disappeared to, but… it was just a white abyss.

White abyss? Oh, great.

“Aaaallllllllllllllleeeeeeeexxxxx…”

“Wha…?” he grabbed his head with both hands, cupping them over his eyes. “What’s happening?” He felt dazed, a sort of blurry field surrounding him.

“Aaalllllllllleeeeexxx...!”

“Who’s... there…?” Alex asked out into the mesh of white and bits of black that had appeared.

“You need to get up…!”

“What do you want?” he asked again.

“Get up, Alex!” It sounded much closer, now.

Alex pulled his hands away from his head and felt as though he was now lying on the ground, or what could be considered the ground in an infinite sea of shadeless purity.

“Here.”

Alex froze. A man’s voice could be heard behind him, but not one that he recognized. “Hello?” he called out hoarsely.

The slight tap of shoes making contact with a floor began, slowly making their way around him. Alex watched as a pair of black sneakers stopped in front of him. They shifted slightly as the wearer crouched down in front of him. Alex couldn’t see the person’s face, but their perfectly pressed slacks were clearly visible. It was another moment before they spoke.

“I think you need some help, friend.”

“What?” Alex’s eyes widened in recognition of the voice. It was his own.

“Of course it’s you,” the voice replied, reading his thoughts.

Alex was speechless, lying on the blank floor of the abyss in silence.

“Stand up, Alex,” the voice commanded, “or I’ll do it.”

With a quick breath, Alex stretched out his arms and placed his palms on the surface beneath him. With a quick push, he was on his knees, still looking down at the shoes before him.

“A little more.” The voice sounded more impatient, now, rather than it’s previous, neutral tone.

Alex lifted himself to his feet in mere seconds after that instruction. A firm grasp on his arm was felt as the stranger pulled him the rest of the way up. Alex felt him standing to his side, but didn’t look to him. Instead, he found himself in a field, staring up at the Canterlot skyline and all of it’s renown splendor.

He looked to the marble pillars that appeared to glow in the midday sunlight, the twisting spires whose yellow and violet reached upward in swirling majesty, and the sparkling mist from the infinite waterfalls that cascaded down the mountain, bathing the area in a faint rainbow. He was struck by the city’s sheer size and scope, hanging off the mountainside to overlook the fields below it. It was amazing, to say the least.

“Are we outside?”

“We’re not,” his voice answered.

“Then where am I?” It was now that Alex spun to face the person beside him, but there was nothing. A slight breeze came from behind him.

“Do not look upon me, Alex.”

“Why?” he asked.

The response was almost immediate, “If you do, then you’ll wake up.”

“What do you mean?”

“You are still within your mind, Alex. And looking upon me will only end this construction.”

He was still dreaming? “Who are you?” he ventured, though refraining from looking back. “I mean, you’re obviously not me. I don’t know anything that you’re trying to explain. Hell!” he shouted, “I don’t even know half of the words you’re saying. I’m kidding about that last bit. I understand the words but needed to make my point clear.”

There was a light chuckle, “I understand. And you’re right, I’m not you.”

Alex was exasperated, “Then… why bother impersonating me?! It seems kind of ridiculous!”

“It was merely just a test of your natural perception of any abnormal inconsistencies, in the event that your mind was invaded by a certain individual,” was his reply. “You failed.”

“Well, I kind of understand how I failed. I didn’t even know I was dreaming until the hallway turned white,” Alex deadpanned. He heard a sigh come from behind him.

“Alright then.” A brief pause followed. “Seeing as how this charade has become a tad tedious, I’ll reveal myself. You can turn around now.”

Alex slowly turned, uncertain of what would be revealed to him. “If you’re going to try and jump-scare me then I’ll do my best to-” Alex stopped. He had looked in the direction where his doppelganger supposedly was, but there was nothing once again. “Oh, come on!”

“Ehem,” someone cleared their throat from his left.

Alex spun to face them, but was now met with a pony garbed in the armor of the Lunar guards. Their face was covered by what looked like a metal gas mask. A bronze pendant was around their neck, the symbol of an eight pointed star engraved upon it, catching the light.

“Alex Harper,” a deep voice came from the figure.

He was taken aback, “Whoa! Who the hell are you now?”

“A guardian. One of many, as you will come to know,” they replied, walking toward him.

“Guardian of what?”

“This place. This city. This world.” They looked out upon the rich landscape beyond the palace, as if surveying it. “We are few and far between, but we are strong.”

“What? You’re not Legion or something?” he smirked.

In an instant, his neck was touching the cold, steel blade of a sword, the pony mere inches from his face. He was too shocked and afraid to dare move.

“You are foolish. Unlearned in the ways of this world. You see care and friendship, but know not of what lies beneath some of those facades,” they whispered harshly. “You are callous and a flaw. Death is no escape for you, but life is.” Slowly, they lowered the sword, sheathing it with the soft grind of metal on metal. Taking a step back, they spoke again, “I know not why you were chosen, but it will be revealed in due time.”

Alex breathed heavily, fearing this mysterious stranger with a new degree of terror. He dared not speak for fear of provoking them again.

“I leave you now,” they nodded curtly. “May the builders grant you fortune.”

He was then blinded by a brilliant burst of light, and, when his vision cleared, he was left alone in the field.