Daybreak. Celestia's sun rose over the horizon, casting a warm glow over Ponyville. The denizens of said town rose parallel to the sun, ready to start their day with zeal.

This feeling was not mutual for Drake.

Did curtains not exist in Equestria? He cracked an eye open and saw that the curtains had been drawn back by Twilight Sparkle, who was currently shuffling some books around with her magic and disturbing the peace. He shut his eyes and flipped over, sinking further beneath the covers.

"Should we wake him up?" A soft, gentle voice.

"He looks exhausted, dear."

"It'd be like waking up a manticore, that's for sure!"

"If he's anythin' like Rainbow Dash..."

"Hey!"

Make the voices stop!

He reached out blindly toward the source of the voices and touched somepony.

"Eeep!"

His hands roamed around Lyra's silky mane, finding her horn and moving down her muzzle.

"His fingers are like a comb," she sighed, before she was cut off by Drake's hand clapping over her mouth.

He lifted the covers wearily and glared at the ponies and growled menacingly. They fell silent and in the blink of an eye, disappeared.

At last.

Drake's sleep was short lived as he felt his blankets being yanked unceremoniously from him. He tugged at them in a futile tug-of-war before they were gone.

"Come on, Drake. It's time to wake up."

Twilight Sparkle.

He grabbed a pillow and clamped it over his head. And that was taken from him as well. He hissed at the purple pony, who was unfazed. Drake rolled over and onto the floor with a painful thud. Seven pairs of colorful eyes gazed down upon him.

"Is he alright?" Fluttershy asked.

Drake groaned. "I've lost control of my life."

---

Water cascaded down his hair and body. He had received minimal assistance getting into the shower (which included seven ponies and a baby dragon) and was now getting himself cleaned up. It was his third, fourth day in Equestria? He still had clothes to wear. He decided on a plaid shirt over a T-shirt and jeans.

He dug around his duffel bag. Where were his socks? He dumped the contents of the bag onto the bathroom floor. Something metallic collided with the tiles. He frowned. There was supposed to be nothing but clothes. Underneath a pair of boxers he spotted something black.

A gun.

Most people would be frightened at the sight of a firearm. Perhaps he was too jaded already, or had seen or held too many to count. At the firing range, even as defense. A gun was the entire reason he was in Equestria in the first place. He did not regard the weapon with fascination or morbid curiosity. He knew what it was capable of and how dangerous they were. What concerned him more was why the gun was even there in his bag in the first place. It was a SIG Sauer P229 handgun, one he had never seen, held, or owned before. He was more afraid of the consequences of possessing a weapon after both princesses explicitly stated that he was not to bring any with him. He had packed his bags himself!

The Secret Service.

The pistol was standard issue to all agents. Perhaps one of them had planted it in his bags when he was blindfolded. Yes, that was the only possible explanation. But why? Celestia and Luna had spoken to officials, whoever. They had made their stance clear.

Did they give this to him to protect himself? Or to get him kicked out of Equestria?

The former made sense. The latter was a wild guess. Exotic creatures, dangerous and hostile roamed in the Everfree Forrest, in close proximity to Ponyville. Twilight and the others had regaled him with stories of manticores and sea serpents and dragons, brushing the encounters off as something that was seen every day.

There was a knock at the door.

"Drake? Are you alright?"

He scrambled and nearly slipped. "Yeah! Don't come in, I'm changing!"

Lyra muttered something about humans and their clothes before trotting away. He waited until it was silent to examine the gun.

No serial numbers. And it was loaded. The fact that the gun was not registered disturbed him. No serial numbers meant the gun had no owner and couldn't be traced. He reached into his drawstring bag and found his switchblade that he'd brought with him.

If Celestia or Luna found these...

He buried the gun and blade underneath his clothes.

---

"Oh no you don't!"

Drake was forced to sit down at the table.

"You simply cannot continue to consume raw eggs for breakfast!" Rarity insisted. "Sit!"

Drake examined the spread laid out before him and felt his mouth water.

Pancakes, soft and fluffy with homemade syrup and melted butter on top and assorted berries sprinkled over it. Orange juice, freshly squeezed. It smelled, and looked delicious. Pinkie Pie was currently spraying frosting all over hers. The only thing that would make the meal perfect was bacon. The thought of bacon made him woozy. Crispy and fried, oh yes.

This would have to do.

They all laughed and made conversation around the table. It was all trivial but kept his mind occupied regardless.

"Drake? Are you sure you're alright?"

He looked up. They were all staring at him.

"I'm fine. Really." He nodded. "You think you could grab my backpack over there?" It was hanging on a bedpost.

He unzipped it and reached into a pouch, revealing a small bottle about the size of his palm, emblazoned with fiery colors. Drake told a swig from it and stuck his tongue out in disgust.

"What in the hay is that?"

"Oh, this? It's nothing. Just a little treat to get me started in the day."

He wasn't sure if he should told them about the Six-hour Energy. Sure, Five-hour Energy was good, but it barely gave him a buzz. Six-hour Energy was a little more extreme and loaded with some other stuff. He drank it maybe once, twice a week, only when he really needed it. Really.

He danced around the room a bit, grabbing his things.

"Whatever that 'treat' was, you sure look a lot more awake," Fluttershy noted.

"Thanks."

"So, what's the plan today?" Lyra asked.

"I dunno!" Drake grabbed his ball and juggled it.

"Not in the library!"

"Re-lax, Twilight. He's just excited," Spike said. "Kinda reminds me of a certain pony."

"Who is it? Ooh, I know, I know! Pick me!" Pinkie giggled.

The dragon rolled his eyes.

"How about I show you ponies a thing or two about human games?"

The ponies pondered the idea before agreeing to it. Twilight was mostly interested in her research. Rarity refused at first before being persuaded by Pinkie Pie on the grounds of fun. Applejack and Rainbow Dash were already declaring their superiority at the sport of soccer.

They located a field not too far from the library at the park and helped set up "goalposts", which consisted of nothing more than a few buckets and cones, but it would have to do. Already they had begun to attract attention and now foals and their parents were watching as Drake set the ball down.

"So basically, there's two teams with a bunch of people and one goalie, which is the pony that tries to stop the ball from getting into the goal. You have to use only your hooves and legs and head, and since you guys are pegasi and unicorns, no magic either, to make it fair. Get it? Oh, and no roughhousing."

Although Drake had never really paid attention in regards to the last rule. If he had to count how many yellow and red cards he'd received over the years, he'd run out of fingers.

Soccer was quite easily the easiest sport to explain and play, with few requirements. After Applejack insisted Rainbow Dash clip her wings, he divided the teams appropriately, with Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Twilight on one team against Pinkie Pie, Lyra, and Drake. Rarity sat out out of fear of getting mud on her coat. Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were the goalies.

For a second there was nothing but silence. It was just a game, after all. But tensions were high and already ponies were watching. The wind stirred the grass and Drake whistled.

The ponies charged. Drake got to the ball first with his long legs, but made sure to go easy on them. He dribbled the ball rather slowly toward the opposite goal...

...and was rather surprised when he found that the balls was no longer at his feet. Instead, it was between Applejack's legs, who was slowly kicking it towards Pinkie Pie.

Wow. They were good. He would have to step up his game. He tore into the field and sprinted at Applejack and for a while they both struggled with the ball. Drake got a hold on the ball and rolled it towards him. The earth pony finally got the idea and danced around the boy with her four legs.

Not fair.

Applejack shot the ball towards Pinkie Pie.

"Ooh! Ooh! It's coming at me! What do I do?"

"Stop it!" Lyra called.

"Oh!"

Pinkie braced and tackled for the ball, which slipped between her hooves and past the goal.

Cheering and the stomping of hooves. The three fillies Drake had met the other day asked if they could join. Behind them were several of their friends, and other ponies like Bon-Bon and the DJ he had met the other day, dragging an exasperated brown earth pony. A gray wall-eyed pegasus was pulling an orange mare with a poofy mane, and soon there were enough players for full teams.

Drake sat back and watched with a huge grin. Even when he wasn't playing he was rooting for other ponies, hollering as they approached goals.

An impromptu picnic had been set up and soon, ponies were watching and enjoying the game.

---

"Could we have your soccer ball?"

Drake wasn't sure how to react at first. His first answer was a resounding, "No", clear in his mind as he opened his mouth to reply. The ball was hardly special by any means. It was tattered, yellow, and ugly. He had owned it for several years and it had withstood the test of time. It was his.

But it was just a ball. There were no signatures from any famous stars on it.

But it was his.

Ponies had never played soccer before. What was one ball? He could get another one back in the human world the second he went back. There were millions of soccer balls there. In Equestria, only one. So in the end, he said yes and let the school have his soccer ball. Now it would be enjoyed by all the fillies and colts of the school, and not just by him.

"That was nice of you."

Rarity had commended him on his generosity. And for some reason, that bugged him a bit. Was it really generous? It was a nice gesture, he supposed. He had given the foals his ball mostly because he didn't mind, that was all, right? Or did he do it because he wanted to feel good about himself?

He thought it was pretty ironic that being generous could also have selfish motives. He did feel good about giving them his ball. And he was a lot happier knowing they were going to play with it. Heck, somepony would probably reverse engineer it and make more for the rest of Equestria.

Well done, Drake. A job well done.

Maybe it wasn't too late to teach an old dog new tricks.

---

"Is something the matter, sister?" Luna asked.

Celestia regarded the parchment in front of her with a mixture of intrigue and disgust. "Rex Bloodwing."

"Remind me again?"

"King of Regnum Grypha."

"Ah, yes, the kingdom to the north. Honestly, how those griffons live in those mountains is barbaric..."

Celestia frowned. "That is not my concern. What I am concerned about is how he managed to find out about the boy."

"Drake, yes. I hear he is doing well."

"Regardless, Rex is coming."

Luna stared.

"Yes, I know. sister. He is due in Canterlot in a week or so."

"But that's when the Grand Galloping Gala is being held!"

"Then so be it. He requests an audience with me and wishes to discuss some matters regarding humans. Not specifically the boy."

"You could simply refuse if you dislike him," Luna chuckled. "Although I can't imagine he is any more unreasonable than any of the nobles in court..."

"The nobles are nothing compared to him," Celestia said. "His methods are underhanded and deceitful. Ponies are easy to read, but not a griffon. And refusing is not an option, apparently."

"Close off the borders!"

"Again, not an option. Ponies would protest and relations would sour between the Regnum Grypha and Equestria."

Luna sighed.

---

Drake traced his fingers over Lyra's back. The unicorn shivered and squirmed away.

"Ooh, it feels like a spider is crawling up my back! And now it itches!"

The boy rolled his eyes and helped her scratch.

"Right there, yes!"

Drake looked to Bon-Bon, who managed to shrug.

What an interesting day.

---

Far beneath the surface of Ponyville, deep within the mines resided the Diamond Dogs who scoured the earth for gems. However, on that night, there was one uninvited guest who was not of the canine specie.

"Listen up, ya dweebs!"

The voice was coarse and rough, albeit still feminine. Rover, Fido, and Spot looked up from their piles of gems to find themselves face to face with a feathered creature hidden within the shadows. There were several barks of surprise.

"A griffon? What are you doing here?"

"Shaddup! It was a pain in the feathers to find you in these tunnels."

"How did you get past the guards?" Spot screeched.

"It wasn't that much work getting past your 'guards'," she sneered. "I want gems. A lot of it. And you're going to get some for me."

"Or what?" Rover huffed.

A wicked claw came swiping at the Diamond Dog, who barely dodged it before it tore through the collar of his vest.

"How much are we talking?"

---

A new day came, which meant brand new opportunities for discovering Equestria!

"Whaddya mean we're not doing anything today?" Drake asked.

Lyra currently lay on her bed with a pillow over her face. She moaned. "Not today, Drake."

"Oh come on, get outta bed." He reached to yank her hooves. "If I can do it, you can too - gah!"

Downstairs, Bon-Bon nibbled at her breakfast.

Drake came storming down, rubbing his sore face. "What's with Mrs. Grumpy Hooves today?"

"It's Sunday."

He stared. "Yes, and?"

"Lyra doesn't like getting up on Sundays. She gets kinda lazy."

"Are you serious?"

"Very. The last time I tried to get her to get up she threw a book at me."

"Yeesh. Hey, don't you have to go to work or something?"

"It's Sunday."

---

It was Sunday, apparently. And that meant 99% of the shops in Ponyville were closed. Considering the amount of ponies roaming the streets, he was surprised there wasn't a parade going on. It was more packed than usual, with people strolling around the park and foals running around. Ponies didn't have the Internet, so that meant more constructive, creative ways to have fun.

Drake had found himself missing his Internet and video games less and less. Perhaps it was the thought of going on an actual adventure rather than living vicariously through a TV screen. He felt calm. Collected. There was simply more time to enjoy things, take in the scenery.

Dear God, he was a sissy.

After some inquiries, he found out that Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie were pranking everypony. Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy were enjoying a day at the lake, and as usual, Twilight was catching up on her reading.

"Which way to the lake?"

The pony pointed at the path that led to the lake behind the hills, which strayed dangerously close to the Everfree Forrest. Even during the day, it was dark and moody.

He ran home and unzipped his duffel bag and dug beneath the clothes and grasped what he was looking for. He held the knife and tested the edge on his thumb. He tucked the gun in the back of his waistband.

Drake gulped, eying the path warily. Perhaps this wasn't such a good idea.

No. He was going to be tough. He was going to be strong.

He took a few steps onto the path and his heart nearly jumped out of his chest when a bush shifted.

A bunny hopped on its merry way.

"Jeez."

It was the edge of the Everfree Forrest. That meant it was safer, right?

A branch snapped.

He bolted.

---

"Oh, why hello there, Drake! What brings you here?"

"I was going to ask you the same question."

Rarity was currently sunbathing on a towel, soaking up the sun.

"Applejack and Fluttershy are over there, honey."

Ponies could swim?

An orange leg popped up from the surface of the lake with a webbed flipper on the end.

"Fluttershy loves the fish and I thought Ah'd go fer a swim," Applejack called, her voice masked by her snorkel, her mane dripping as she treaded the surface of the water.

"Neat!"

Drake tore off his shirt and kicked off his shoes and dove right in. The water was rather chilly, until his body adjusted to its temperature. He could see all the marine creatures underneath, swimming along.

Three pairs of slitted eyes peeked out from behind a bush.

"Are you sure she won't 'complain' again?" one voice whined.

"Yes! Now shut up! This won't work if you give us away!"

"But couldn't we just snatch another unicorn?" a lower, slower voice questioned.

"Shut up!"

Drake swam around for a bit, floating on his back. He closed his eyes, sloshing around.

A high-pitched scream woke him from his reverie.

Drake sat up in the water and treaded, turning towards the source of the screaming. Three shadowy figures ran off with Rarity, who was being dragged unceremoniously through the dirt. He sprung into action and reached the shore, taking his few precious seconds to get his shoes and shirt on.

"Drake, you hafta save her!"

"I know!"

Oh jeez oh jeez...

Rarity had been kidnapped. Her kidnappers were headed...straight to Ponyville?

If he lost them in the crowd they'd never find her!

He neared the edge of Ponyville and nearly tripped over a set of hooves.

"Watch where you're going!"

It was a sea of ponies. Rarity screamed again, somewhere in the distance. He had to do something!

"Drake!"

He turned to see Twilight with Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash.

"Where is she?" he shouted to RD, who was flying in the air.

The pegasus squinted and pointed him towards the opposite side of Ponyville. She dashed off to help her friend, Pinkie Pie in tow.

Gah, they moved quick! Drake thought.

He shoved and pushed his way through crowds and crowds of ponies. Down winding streets, turning corners, he was barely able to stay balanced. He was still dripping wet.

"RD! Who is it?"

He listened and heard something about a dog.

"They're getting away!"

Too many voices, too much screaming...

Drake drew the gun and fired into the air. The gunshot cracked, causing one of his ears to go deaf with a high-pitched whine. With his other good ear he could hear ponies scream and saw them duck and start to part, allowing him room to run.

Where were they?

There!

Rarity was being held, tied up with a coil of rope and gagged, carried off by three hulking dogs. He looked frantically around for help, but none was there. Where were the others? He nearly screamed with frustration as he ran.

"Hey!"

The three dogs turned. He didn't get a good look, probably because he was running so fast. He held the gun extended in his hand and stopped when he got within distance.

"Let her go!" he bellowed.

"Drake!" The call came from behind him.

"Or what?" the shortest dog cackled.

"Drake, what are you doing?"

The clops came closer and closer. He had to make a choice.

One of the dogs wearing a red vest lunged at him. He smacked the dog with the butt of the pistol and pressed the barrel to his head.

"I'll kill you," he hissed menacingly, mustering as much courage as he could.

He'd do it too.

"I'll give you five seconds!" he growled.

Would he?

"Five! Four!'

He'd have to. To save her.

"Three! Two!" He cocked the hammer.

"Drake, don't do it!"

"One!"

He squeezed the trigger.

The round sent sparks flying as it hit the ground. They barked and dropped, covering their ears. Drake held the pistol with both hands and approached carefully, threatening the dogs at gunpoint while he fished out his switchblade and flicked it out, helping Rarity from her bounds.

Rarity looked terrified. Of him, or her kidnapers, he didn't know. She was crying as she ran into her friends' comforting embrace.

Drake looked back down at the shaking dogs. Twilight approached cautiously and eyed the gun in his hands warily as she tied the dogs up with their own rope.

He put the gun away and tried to steady his racing heartbeat. He'd almost shot him. Almost. This close. He was lucky he was an amateur and missed.

At point blank range?

He was a bad shot.

The scariest part of it all was that he had wanted to shoot the dogs.

He couldn't. You coward. You couldn't do it.

He turned and looked at the others. They watched him with fear. They saw what he was capable of now. They saw the blood on the dog.

Time moves forward. Nothing changes.