You know how beautiful it is when you are still half asleep and feel the comfy warmth of your bed in the morning? To get up becomes so hard after that point. Now the thing is, I would enjoy it too. If not for a certain purple pony princess here starts the day with the first sunbeam or so it seems.

So, I am currently in my bed, well rested, enjoying the warmth and I just want to snuggle some more with my blanket. You would think that the beds in Equestria are not as good as those from earth, because we invested a lot of time developing our beds and cushions. The thing is that the beds here are literally like clouds. Now that I think about it, it could be that there are clouds embedded inside. I mean, they have magic and pegasus who have the ability to touch and form clouds.

Back to the topic at hand… me, who is in such comfortable bed and still half asleep and the approaching pony. The hooves make enough noises on the floor to announce my coming disturbance. I try to keep my eyes tightly shut and hope that the storm passes by… it does not.

“Good morning, my number one student. Time to wake up.”

Damn it. “Just five more minutes, please,” comes my muffled answer. Sadly Twilight seems to have no intention of letting me have those minutes. There is a moment of silence, followed by a chuckle and a force tugging on my shirt. I am lifted off my bed. With a very manly scream I open my eyes and see that I am floating a good three feet above my bed. A purple aura is around me and the same glow is around Twilight´s horn. This magic is really handy and also annoying when you are on the short end. Wait a second. Today starts my own lessons in magic too!

My teacher and temporary guardian, Twilight Sparkle, stands there with a smirk on her face. Indeed is she what you would call an early bird, her perfectly made mane and coat are clearly indication for this. “I guess that means... no?”

“Exactly. The early bird catches the worm. And we have a lot of work to do.” Someone takes it really serious being in charge of me. “Now, make your bed and prepare yourself. We are having breakfast and Spike is already hungry.”

The purple glow fades from around me and I fall back on the bed. I consider throwing the pillow at her but I discard this thought. “Yes, mam.” Groggily I crawl from the bed and pick up my clothes from the nearby chair. Twilight has probably taken me to bed yesterday. I fell asleep in the library with her.

“Oh and before I forget, we are having a guest for breakfast.”

By this my ears perk up as I have trouble handling all the clothes. “Really?” This stupid mage outfit, it keeps on escaping my grasp. “Who is it?”

“Discord insisted on preparing us something. He said it´s his personal welcome gift.”

I freeze on the spot and turn to her. “He did?” Don’t get me wrong here; I like Discord, even with all THIS partly his fault. Somehow I think that there is always more to his actions, some may be random but my mother would call him a sly weasel and always questioning his intentions.

Twilight just nods. “Yes, he was really persistent. Currently he is in the kitchen and handles everything, making some pancakes.” A frown appears on her forehead. “I hope he doesn’t do anything… stupid.”

The thought of Discord in an apron working in the kitchen makes me giggle inwardly. “Like blowing everything up or preparing something like man-eating-pancakes?”

She moans and rubs her forehead with her hoof and shakes her head slightly. “You get my point.” Gesturing me to hurry, Twilight rolls her eyes. “Now go and prepare for the day. I meet you at the dining room.” With this she turns around and leaves my room. You can hear the sound of her hooves echoing from the walls while she walks towards the kitchen. She is moving pretty fast? Pretty easy to figure out why she does.

Well then, I better get myself ready. This day could start pretty funny… and I don´t want to miss even the slightest bit of it.

After getting myself cleaned up and ready for the day I am heading towards the dining room. I really should get some new clothes soon, or these cleaned. They smell a little and I find it disgusting to wear the same pants again. Then again, who can blame me? I only have this set up till Rarity prepares me some new ones. Hopefully she really has enough materials for making me something.

The thought of the actions from yesterday make me shiver. Today is not only the day my training in magic starts, it is also the day when Twilight shows me around Ponyville. Up till now I only met some of the residents who live in Ponyville. Oh there was this first pony I met… Trixie. I hope that the other ponies of Ponyville are more like Twilight and her friends; otherwise my stay here will become a lot more hairy.

A sigh escapes my lips answered by a low growl that comes from my stomach. I am really hungry right now and I look forward to some pancakes. Funny that this is another thing my world and this has in common. This and hundreds of other things like the language for another example. Some of my friends from school would debate now if this is just a parallel dimension which would explain the similarities. Other would call this just another planet and that all the similarities are just a coincidence. This would drag on for like five to twenty minutes and in the end there would still be no answer. But dimension-theories are not something discussed on an empty stomach.

I increase my speed and keep my wizard hat with one hand in place while my cape flutters behind me. The bells on the cape rattle and a soft echo comes from the walls. Funny thing is that the outfit doesn’t smell even if I wear it every day. On second thought, it holds the essence of a being with great magical power and it constantly infuses me with this magic. A non-smelling-spell seems to be a minor thing compared to everything else that this thing can do… probably. Hopefully I can master these powers before something bad happens. Should I tell Twilight about it? Probably not… now. Remembering Discord´s expression, when he told me to NOT tell others about the things we discussed, makes it clear I shouldn’t tell anypony anything for the moment. Anypony… still funny.

The dining hall soon comes into view and I enter through the brown big doors. Behind it welcomes me the nicely decorated dining room with its big table and comfy chairs. On the far end sits Spike, asleep it seems. He has his arms crossed over on the table and his head rests on them. At least I am not the only one who is NOT an early bird.

As I make my way over to Spike I hear dimly some voices coming from the kitchen. If I am correct Twilight and Discord are arguing about something. The tone is still calm, which means that they don´t quarrel about something too dramatic. I can´t wait to see what Discord is preparing. It will be something out of the ordinary and it will probably be confusing. That is what is so funny about this guy, you just can´t predict what his next move is. The randomness is something Discord and Pinkie Pie have in common.

… did I just hear the word 'baneful'?

“Good morning.” My greeting stirs up the little dragon and he yawns extensively.

His eyelids flutter and he looks at me sleepily. “Good morning Robert.” He gives his eyes a good rub and stretches after that. “I sleep well every night in this castle. Maybe a little too well, waking up got so hard.”

I take a seat beside him. “Exactly my thoughts as Twilight woke me up. Your beds here in Equestria are great. Or are they just so good because my beds were something for royalty?”

“Naaah. Twilight and I tested many beds,” he lets his shoulders pop, “and let me tell you this: There are a lot of really uncomfortable beds out there too.”

“I can´t imagine. But the castle is really impressive and makes me recall some of the fairy tales from back home.”

This gets his interest, as he leans over to me. “I love good stories. And when do you get the chance to hear about fairy tales from another world.”

I don´t mind telling him one or two stories, but a certain sound from our stomachs cuts it short. “Hahaha maybe not with an empty stomach. But I promise later.”

Disappointed with my response, Spike nods halfhearted. “Ok… but you made a promise.”

We sit there for a few seconds in silence and just let our thoughts wander until I break it.

“I hope that Discord doesn’t need much more time. I am starving here.” I sigh and let my chin rest up on the table. The small dragon plays with his fork, making it spin on its edge. Something troubles his mind, as he glances over to the kitchen door a few times with a grim face. “A penny for your thoughts.” His confused gaze reminds me that he doesn´t know such phrases. “Just a human saying. What do you think about?”

At first it seems that he isn’t too fond to tell me but after a few seconds he gives in and moans slightly. “To tell the truth it isn´t something about his food that came to my mind. Rather some of his… past.” He leans back in his chair and looks at me. “You already know that he once was an enemy of Equestria and has two defeats up till now. Maybe three if you count the last incident.”

“You mean this being imprisoned in stone by Princess Luna and Princess Celestia, Twilight and the girls and… what was his name?”

He nods, “Tirek is his name.” For a fraction of a moment his expression changes to something that could be best described as pure anger. But it passed on as soon as it came. “… yes. That is the guy that persuaded Discord to join him. Well he betrayed Discord after a short while, since he didn’t need Discord anymore. It was a pretty hopeless situation, after he captured all elements of harmony except for Twilight and used them as hostages against her. Discord was captured too. She gave in and freed us for a dire price, the combined magic of all alicorn princesses.” A shiver runs down his spine and he looks really uncomfortable by the memory. “Luckily Discord finally understood what true friendship means and gave the last key to the crystal casket. You know the rest of the story. After his apology and displayed regret, they hope that Discord is reformed for good.”

Explains the quarrel, that they had on my first day over him. “Do you think he is trustworthy?”

The answer from him is silence for a few moments and he thinks hard about my question. “I guess to a certain degree, except for his antics. He can still be quite a handful but… for as far as I know he behaves well up till now.”

“Oh that is sweet of you little lizard. I didn´t know that you think like that.”

We both jump by the sound of Discord´s voice, which comes right from below the table. Spike nearly falls of his chair. Quickly we look under the tablecloth only to find… nothing? I can only see Spike peeking from his side of the table and nothing else. But I could have sworn…

“What are you looking for?”

I jerk up and hit my head at the table and fall from the chair. My hat falls off my head and I lie dazed under the table. That hurt and will definitely leave a nice bump on my head.

This is just like him.

“Discord,” I groan while I pick up my hat and crawl back to my chair. “Was this necessary?” Slowly I sit down on my chair and look at the draconequus who is floating above the table. His goofy grin, together with his cooking hat and apron, make it obvious that he is in great mood. “I really don’t know if having you a good mood is good for everyone else around you.”

“Oh you didn´t see me in a bad mood yet. And to answer your question, yes it was necessary.” He waves off and four plates fly down before me and Spike, who also seems still a little bit startled, and one beside each of us. A fair amount of still hot pancakes are before us and the amount would feed a big family. The pancakes also look surprisingly normal. “And I have an apology as you can see. So don´t be too hard on the poor me who worked soooo hard for a decent breakfast for his friends.”

I have to admit they really smell delicious, only problem is… it´s not the smell of pancakes. Instead they smell like grapefruit, cotton candy and… rubber? Somehow I think that there is more to these 'pancakes' than meets the eyes. “What is this?”

My answer comes from Discord with a deadpan face. “Pancakes.”

“Made out of what?”

“Uhm… you see there weren´t enough indigents for a lot of pancakes. So I may have….”

*BANG*

A canon like sound roars through the room together with squeaking, crackling and popping sounds, followed by a scream of a certain little dragon. As I quickly turn to the origin of the sound I see Spike flying across the room, completely surrounded by… party accessories. Balloons, confetti and party hats are sailing together with the dragon as he is catapulted to the wall. With a smacking sound everything hits the wall and just sticks there trapping Spike in a spiderlike party web.

“… used some other things that I thought would vitalize you in the morning.” Without any remarkable reaction Discord continuous. A smoking pancake on Spikes plate indicates that these pancakes pack quiet a punch. He looks at Spike and smiles. “Congratulations Spike you got the only one with one of Pinkie Pie´s party cannons. I hope you like it?”

The door to the kitchen slams abruptly open and a batter covered Twilight Sparkle stands in the doorway. Her furious expression shines only partly through the batter. “DISCORD!” The shout is so loud that a small gust of wind arises, lifting the table cloth slightly. Holy crap what was that?

With slow speed but pretty intimidating presence she comes closer to him. Her horn glowing slightly and she peels the poor dragon out of his comical trap without looking at him. “Y-you… bucking incarnation of…”

“Twilight! There are kids around,” he lectures her sternly, which makes her stop midsentence.

A very frightening expression builds itself on her face. She lowers her head, her horn is glowing strongly and her lips are pressed hard together. Meanwhile Spike is lowered back on his seat and he looks still a little bit shaken. Maybe it is my imagination but I can see smoke coming from her head.

“Urgh… just look around.” She waves around with her hoof. “This is a mess. I thought you wanted to make us breakfast… not ruining my castle!”

Only a chuckle comes from the draconequus as he takes the chair beside me, seemingly not really bothered by the enraged alicorn in front of him. “Twilight, my dear friend, I only wanted to bring a little bit of… oomph… to the meal.” He points at the smoking pancake, which somewhat reminds me of an exploded mine. “The party cannon may be a little bit… unique, but you just have to believe me that my intentions were the purest.” A small yellow glowing halo pops up above his head and he gives a good impression of puppy eyes.

This doesn’t work with Twilight, who continues to glare at him. “Unique? First you make a living dough nightmare out of my kitchen, then you let me handle this mess alone only to blow off my assistant?”

“She has a point, Discord.” I try to calm the mood a little, firstly I really don’t want any trouble right in the morning and secondly I really want to try these pancakes. Not one like Spike happened to get but the smell indicates a vast variety of different ‘taste experiences’. “You really should know better, I mean you are an ancient being with powers far greater one can imagine.”

“Hmm… yeah. I am pretty, strong and wise…,” trailing off, Discord scratches the back of his head. Is he blushing?

Oh the fawning is strong in this one… don´t judge me. It works. “So, a mighty being as you should know better right? Hey don´t get me wrong. We do appreciate that you went out of your way to prepare this. But I want to enjoy your cooking, not fear for my life.”

“Or that of others,” mumbles Twilight faintly. Looking at Spike, who slowly regains his senses, she shakes her head in annoyance. True to her nature, she walks over to him and is looking him over.

Finally this convinces him and he sighs. “Probably, I am sorry for that. Sometimes it is hard to not do things like in the good ol' times.” On the other side Twilight relaxes and smiles at me. Seems like, she accepted his apology. Meanwhile Spike waves Twilight off, reassuring her that he is fine.

“So can we start now?” My empty stomach and my curiosity yearn for these pancakes.

“Yes, Robert. But after just a second.” He flicks with his finger and the poor dough cowered princess is back to normal, who really is happy about this. “And the second thing.” He grabs at my plate and pulls out one of the pancakes. “Now we are ready.” With a quick move he gulps down the pancake. Did I see some teeth there?

After this we had a pretty normal breakfast, by Discord´s standard. The pancakes were made with all kinds of things and each and every single one was special in its own 'unique' way. Excluding the maybe lethal pancake which Discord ate from my plate, I had some good picks.

Altogether I had four pancakes and boy oh boy did I enjoy them. The first one was indeed what I smelled at the beginning, cotton candy. You can believe me that you would not expect something like this inside a pancake, even less since you can´t see it from the outside. But I would lie if I say that I didn´t like it. To describe it better, it gave me the impression of walking over a fair. Other flavors were chocolate chips, milkshake and my personal favorite sour-drops. Not something you would normally enjoy when eating pancakes but the surprise made me laugh. The other also had a good chuckle over my cramped expression.

As we finish I lean back in my chair with a light moan. “This is it, I am full. Thanks for the meal.” Spike has a similar reaction as I; good for him that he didn´t lose his appetite after the rough start.

Even Twilight looks pleased as she looks over to Discord. “That may have been a somewhat odd breakfast but nonetheless thank you for preparing.”

The being in name just sits beside me and scratches his pointy front tooth with a toothpick that looks like a banana. Why? Like I would know! “You are welcome. Somehow I had a feeling that I just had to do it.” Nodding by this, Twilight turns over to Spike to discuss something, sounds like the plan for today. From Discord comes a whisper, only loud enough that I could barely understand it. “Maybe this feeling was guilt and I may have to make it up to somebody.”

By these words I look up to him, an apologetic expression on his face. My answer is a slight nod and a mouthed “thanks” to him, not wanting to let Twilight take notice.

Suddenly his expression changes for a second and he looks… shocked and annoyed? Before I am able to ask for the reason he stands up with an unreadable face again. “But now that my feelings are dealt with I have to take my leave. As much as I would like to spend some more time with you all but being the god of chaos has its downsides.” He walks around the table but as he does he glances over to me with anxiety.

Not giving off that she took notice, Twilight waves to Discord goodbye. “Be sure not to stay away too long, again. Last time you did that made Fluttershy worry.”

Happy about her comment, he flashes us a big grin. “Will sure do. Toodeloo!” He bows before us, before diving into the ground like a diver. The ground appears to be liquefied for a split second, swallowing the draconequus. Moments later the ground calms down and is solid again.

While I still stare in awe at the point where the god of chaos vanished, speaks Twilight to me. “Robert, I have scheduled the day for you and it would be best to start soon.”

“Ok, Twilight. What´s on today?” I refocus on her. “If I remember correctly today starts my lessons in magic.” I get giddy just by the sheer though. A lingering memory of my last escalation comes to my mind, before I shake it off.

Nodding her head, Twilight smiles brightly, not noticing my insecurity. “Yes, that will be today’s biggest part of your agenda. Other than this, you will visit Rarity to get the measures for a new set of clothes. We will stop by her shop after I showed you around Ponyville.”

“Do I have to?” Anxiously, I play with my thumb.

“Uhm is something wrong with it?” She looks at me intensely; a frown shows itself on her forehead. Apparently she gets where my feelings come from. “Are you afraid of something?”

“Maybe.” Not really too fond of admitting it.

“Is it what happened in Canterlot?” My silence is answer enough for her.

A burp comes from Spike, which Twilight responses with a glare, and he sits up. “You don´t have to be. The ponies of Ponyville are a lot different from those… um… stuck-up ones of Canterlot.” He points at himself and gives a sheepish smile that could compete with Fluttershy. “They also welcomed me with open arms and I am the only dragon in Ponyville.”

“You are still an inhabitant of this world and you came together with the student of the princess. I on the other hand am an alien to this world.”

“You are also with Twilight as was I. Just trust them. Hey the princess of friendship resides here. Doesn’t that count something?” He has a point. It´s Twilight´s territory and she and her friends are all so friendly.

“Ok,” I give in. “But if they behave like those from Canterlot we go straight to Rarity and then back to the castle.”

“We will do that, not that it will happen in the first place.” Standing up from her seat she comes over to me and pokes me with her hoof. “So get up now Robert. Spike will hold down the fort, while we have a lot to do.”

Trustworthy Spike salutes and picks up all the plates. “I got this. See you later Robert.” Without further comment he leaves for the kitchen, balancing the tableware on his hands and head. Impressive!

My teacher and I leave the crystal tree and step out into the bright warm sun. Only for a second do I stop at the doorway to the city before Twilight gives me a little push with her head. A timid smile on my face I say ‘sorry’ before we head out.

The weather is perfect, no clouds, a wide blue sky, birds singing their peerless songs and the smell of spring in the air. As expected are the ponies of Ponyville busy. Many get ready for their jobs, young ones walking to school with their schoolbags stripped to their back and shop owners opening their stalls or shops.

“Rainbow Dash and the team did a good job with the weather.” With a pleased smile, Twilight continues down the stairs before turning around. “You coming?”

“Oh, yes.” Quickly I catch up with her and walk closely beside her. As we are continuing our way towards the town I unconsciously tense up. My steps are a little bit haltingly and my breathing gets irregular.

“Robert, calm down. Everything will be just fine. Relax yourself or I get Pinkie Pie to do so.” Laughing slightly, she watches me with a bemused look. “We can come by her shop later after Rarity anyway. The products of Sugarcube Corner are really good and I think that something sweet raises your mood?”

Indeed it does… hey… don´t judge. I love candy. But trying to hide my feelings I just mumble, “mhm, ok.” But I relax a little and try to set my prejudices that I got yesterday aside.

“Now that we cleared that,” she points down a street, “how about I show you around. We take a little tour through Ponyville and stop by the Mayor Mare to tell her about you. After that I guess we can…”

Continuing her plans for me, we walk down the street and I got distracted in listening to her. Instead I look at all the residents. They all walk around with smiles on their faces, greeting each other warmly. All in the entire atmosphere is a lot different from Canterlot.

“Good morning.”

Turning around, we see some ponies on the other side of the street, casually talking to Twilight. Wait, isn´t she the princess?

My companion just answers cheerfully. “Good morning to you, too. Have a nice day.” Ah, yes. She said that she doesn’t want that everypony around her is overly formal. But… are they ignoring me?

“Thanks. Hopefully it will be a peaceful one.” With that they resume walking down in the other direction. No they are not ignoring me. I saw that one mare clearly looking at me curiously before shrugging and walking off.

“Hey Twilight?”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Not sure but did they just ignore me.” Confused I look after them, not really understanding their reaction.

“No?” She turns her slightly and looks as confused as I am. “They greeted us, didn´t they?”

“I thought they just greeted you.”

Still looking confused, Twilight takes a glance after the ponies. “Why would they just say hello to me and completely ignore you?”

“Hmm… I don´t know,” sarcastically I reply. “How about the fact I am an alien to this world!?”

Finally getting my point she chuckles. “Oh that, sorry to disappoint you but you are not the first strange thing that they saw.” Blushing slightly she mutters, “especially since I came to town.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing,” she says quickly evading the question. “Anyway, I told you that my friends and I had our share of adventures?”

Slowly I nod, getting where she comes from.

“They saw stranger things with crisis taking place here. That is why they indeed don´t know who or what you are… maybe some know. Probably did the girls talk about you and some may know a little.” We stroll further through the street as we get greetings left and right. “And because of this and that you walk with me makes them not really distrustful.”

“Especially when you are the one, who is the center of all these ‘happenings’.”

Being said that, makes her pout. “Hey, we have cleared every obstacle that disturbed Equestria´s peace so far. Even the princess is proud!”

Feeling a little cocky, I decide to fop her some more. “And how many problems did you guys cause?”

Plainly she just stops and stares at me a little baffled. Trying to speak up, she opens her mouth and closes it a moment later without saying anything in. Got her good. After staring at me for a few moments she smirks mischievously. “Maybe we caused some of them, but you know who the student of that named pony is, right? And you know that I am your teacher and will look over your studies. You didn´t think that far ahead?”

Uh oh.

“Uhm… Twilight you know that was only a jok-…”

“Hello Twilight!”

Breaking in our conversation is the simultaneous greeting of little girls, so it sounds. And I am right… well not the girl-part since they are obviously fillies… but you get my point! From the path beside us come three little foals. Adorable is the best word to describe them. They are all pretty small and they reach me about shoulder-high. The first one has a yellow coat, a reddish mane and a pink bow behind her head. Her orange eyes shine brightly and make a nice addition to her gleeful expression. Oh and she doesn’t have either wing or horn, which makes her an earth pony.
Right beside her is a filly with a white coat, two toned mane, one color seems to be a light violet and the other is a grayish rose and peeking through her mane is her horn. Also worth mentioning are her green eyes, quite piercing.
Last one is a … oh god!

“Watch out!”

“Uff,” I groan as I am tackled head on by an orange blur, carrying me off my feet. Something metallic connects with my chest and I tumble together with my predator across the road. The bells on my cape ring violently and my hat flies off my head again. Ultimately I come to a stop on my back, seeing nothing but stars. “Ouch, that hurts.” My chest feels heavy and I have difficulties to breath. Please don´t tell me I broke something.

“Hehe uhm… sorry. Got kinda carried away.” The voice comes from above me and I become aware of the orange pegasus filly on top of me. A gasp comes from her. “Wait a second! It can talk! Cool.” That´s her second thought? Big purple eyes look down at me and her cerise mane drops over one eye as the rest of her mane is under a helmet.

“Hi,” I murmur shyly, blinking a few times to lose the stars. “Would you mind?”

Cutely she tilts her head without moving an inch, while she continues to observe me intensely.

“Scootaloo!” Twilights voice brings the pony in name back to Equestria as she guiltily steps off me. “Oh my gosh oh my gosh Robert are you alright? Anything hurt? Anything broke?”

Before she can continue I stop her rambling by raising a hand. “Yes yes… just a little bit dizzy.” I stand up and knock off the dust from my clothes and pick up my hat. After confirming that it took no damage I put it on anew. “But if this continues I will be even quicker in need of new clothes. They may be well made but that doesn’t mean that they can take on everything.”

“Sorry.”

Scootaloo, who picked up her scooter and looks remorseful at me. Scooter… Scootaloo. I see what you did there. How can they all be so damn adorable? … And my friends from school are NEVER allowed to hear me saying this.

“It is fine. No harm done. You too?”

Quickly she switches from guilt back to curiosity and she and her friends pace around me like lions ready to pounce a poor antelope.

“What are you.”
“Seems to be intelligent.”
“I have never seen something like you.”
“Where do you come from?”
“What do you do?”
“Those clothes look funny.”
“Why are you with Twilight?”

I am a little bit overwhelmed by the flood of questions and it is making me uncomfortable. As I slowly step back to Twilight, to hide behind her slightly. She glares at them sternly.

“Girls.”

Taking note of the princess they back off and say “Sorry” simultaneously. Obviously they don´t mean harm, but tell that my head. Canterlot left a deep scar in trusting in others. Calm down and be open, just as mom taught you.

“Ah… h-hello. I am Robert.” Good start so far. “I am 13 years old and I am a human from Earth. Somehow I ended up here by some magical disturbance and now I am currently in the care of Twilight Sparkle. She will be my guardian and tutor for the time being.”

With big eyes they stare at me and the white filly gasps. “You are the one who dropped on the market a few days prior?” So they do know what and who I am?

Well maybe she knows but her two friends look puzzled. “Huh what do you mean,” asks Scootaloo eager.

“Oh come on you know, Rarity and Applejack talked about this creature they accompanied to Canterlot. You at least have to remember Applebloom.”

Giving herself a facepalm… or is it a hoofpalm…. the yellow coated groans. “You are right, they came back yesterday and she talked a lot about something called a human.” She glances over to me and rolls her eyes. “But I couldn´t understand their description or imagine how he looks.”

“Uhm… sorry to interrupt,” quietly I speak up, “but who are you?”

“Yes yes. My name is Applebloom,” introduces the yellow one herself. “You met my sister, Applejack and I also live at Sweet Apple Acres.” Painfully I remember Rachel, my own little sister. Have to keep calm, tears won´t help you in anyway.

Next in line is the white one. “I am Sweetie Belle and I am the sister of Rarity.”

I take a deep breath, co calm down a little, as Scootaloo steps up. “And my name is Scootaloo and you didn´t meet any sister or other family of mine.” Ok? She sounds sad?

“And together we are the…” They all dance and jump around each other. Foals on our farm did something similar when they were in a good mood. “… the CUTIE MARK CRUSADER.”

For a few seconds I just stay silent while they watch me expectantly. Are they cheerleader? “Come again?”

Sweetie Belle rolls her eyes annoyingly. “The Cutie Mark Crusader. We are a club searching for our special talent to get our cutie marks.”

Indeed, as she tells about it I realize that they are indeed without cutie marks. Seems like quite the big deal for them to find their special talent. Well… who doesn’t want to know what you are good at? “So… how do you guys try to find your special talent?”

“We tried all kinds of things. Writing, performing, fishing, cooking, playing in a theatre,” Applebloom trails off. “And many many other things.” The thought of them by their activities raises a smile on my face. “Do you have a cutie mark?”

“No,” I deny their answer quickly. “And I don´t think I will get one.”

All of them stare sadly at me, even Twilight looks a little bit unhappy. Why is she glum? “Why not? Don´t you have a special talent.”

“Hahahaha. No that´s not it. I think you misunderstood me there.” Chuckling by their reaction, I try to explain myself. “You see, people from earth don´t get any cutie marks. Everyone may have a special talent, some won´t know of it and it will take a whole life before realizing, but that is how it is.”

Sweetie Belle pouts and seems to be close to tears. “That is horrible. How do you find your place in life?” Great making a girl cry… ok Rachel probably cries still about me disappearing… but that was not my fault!

Squatting before her I poke her head. “Don’t be sad. Humankind is bound by nothing and we are perfectly fine with that. That’s what dad always said to me.”

Finally this seems to raise their mood and they nod in acceptance. “Ok, Robert. We understand.”
I chuckle and stand up, they are really adorable. My dad really knows how to act mature. It is a good thing that we had such discussions…many times... hey don’t look at me like that!

“But would you still like to come and play with us sometimes? You seem like fun.”

Abruptly I stop in my motion and look at them. That sounded so familiar to what Rachel always said to me and it pierces my heart. Sadly not in a good way, as I feel the suppressed tears welling up again.

A hoof is placed on my shoulder and I see Twilight looking at me, trying to comfort me. “It´s ok. Everything will be fine.”

I shake my head and rub my eyes with my cape. “Yeah. Everything just fine,” I lie half heartily, “just some dust in my eyes.” Plainly visible, it´s clear that she sees through me and I am grateful that she doesn’t dig deeper into my emotions. One deep breath later and I regain some composure. “Sorry, not for now.”

All of them give me the puppy eyes. Nooo… don´t you dare… for heaven´s sake. “But maybe after I got a little bit more settled.” This makes them beam and they jump around me like some rubber balls.

Also Twilight is smiling but she asks them something that really wakes them up. “Isn´t school starting soon?”

“Horse apples!” Falling over one another they hurry to the direction where most likely the school is. “Bye Robert, Twilight. See you later.” Soon they are just a small dust cloud at the end of the street. That was indeed fast.

“They are really sweet girls. Sometimes they have a certain knack on getting in trouble.” Like their sisters? But I will not make the same mistake twice and say such thoughts out loud. “Shall we continue?” Perplexed I nod and we also go our way.

Along our stroll I get to know a lot of ponies and locations. Mayor Mare is a nice older mare who took it really good; me being a new resident of the town. Twilight had to sign some documents and I also had to do that. After a brief reminder to not cause hassles, we walk further through Ponyville… my new official home for now.

After some time I knew all kinds of shops, the spa, the local park, a hospital, they also have a theater and some clubs and bars. Which Twilight reminded me, I am not allowed in at my age. We passed by Sugarcube Corner, which really looks amazing. They went out of their way to build the whole building like a gingerbread house. Pinkie Pie told me about the shop and its products. All the cake, bonbons and other sweets make my mouth water.

“Can we not go in? Please. I may have no bits, but I want to see it.” No longer am I able to suppress my longing for some delicious sweets. The one we got in Canterlot had a bitter aftertaste.

Unfortunately my impression of puppy eyes isn´t as good as from those three fillies. Twilight just shakes her head. “Not now. We have to meet up with Rarity.” Evidently this makes me drop my head a little. A chuckle comes from her and I look at her smiling face. “But I should mention two other things. First, we can go there after our visit and the second thing is that you are mistaken about the fact that you have no bits.”

“Huh?”

“You have no income, you are too young to get a real job and you are in my care. I see it as my duty to provide you a certain amount of pocket money. What do you say?”

This is awesome! I grin from ear to ear. “That is just amazing! Thank you!” Some ponies look at me a little startled but I don’t care. I got mon-… bits!

“Hehehe you are welcome.” Rarity´s boutique comes into view as we pass around a corner. “There we are, Carousel Boutique. Look, Rarity awaits us already.” Carousel Boutique fits perfect to Rarity. The round building has two floors, the second floor is like a tower, and the colors are mostly blue and pink. Everywhere are ornamentation and frills, in the windows are pony-mannequins displayed with some nice looking clothes. And standing in the doorway is the owner, Rarity. She waves to us with a big smile.

“Good morning you two.”

We close the gap between us quickly and smile back at her. “Good morning. Did you wait for us?” Quickly, Twilight and Rarity hug friendly.

“No, not at all my dear. I just happened to see you from the window upstairs.” Leaning over to me she also gives me a big hug. “And Robert I just die for anticipation to create you some fabulous attire. You will look magnificent.”

Still not really used to all this overly friendly greetings, I smile shyly and fumble with my cape. But I don´t just need an attire even if this would be nice. “Yes. B-but… y-you know…” My cheeks turn beet-red at the moment.

Rarity tilts her head slightly and looks at me inquiring. “Is something wrong?”

“You see I also … also need something else besides some nice attire.” Hey look how interesting the ground is. Hiding behind my hat, I mumble quietly, “un-underwear.” There I said it.

“What did you say? I couldn’t quite understand you. And stop hiding behind your head. You have to look at somepony’s eyes when you ask for something.” Seriously Rarity! Hello? Kid being uncomfortable here!

“U-Underwear,” I stammer, this time a little bit louder. “I have just this one and it is getting uncomfortable.”

For a short time there is no reaction but then comes a hearty snicker from Rarity and she shakes her head. “Oh Robert, of course I make you some underwear.” With a push of her hoof she shoves me inside the boutique. “To tell the truth, I already thought that you would also need undergarment. You told me about your kind´s clothing habits. Makes sense that you also need something to wear under it.”

Nearly tripping over my feet, I stumble into the shop. “You are a life saver Rarity.” One problem less to worry.

“You are welcome sweety.”

The inside of Carousel Boutique is really something. First room is the actual shop, with mannequins, materials, sewing patterns, tools, mirrors, shelves and wardrobes. But don´t misunderstand, if you think that it looks chaotic than you are far off from reality. Everything is neatly placed and organized, except the table where she actually prepares the clothes; this place looks a little bit messy.

Similar to the outer decoration is the interior. Curtains, ribbons, hearts, stars and a lot of other things are placed everywhere. This would make every girl happy. Heck even I think it looks perfectly fine for the fashionista. Maybe the coloration is a little bit over the top, since the room is mostly colored in all kinds of pink.

“Welcome to my shop,” announces Rarity and smiles brightly. “It isn´t much but it´s my whole pride.”

There are two doorways that lead to the more private areas and a staircase to the upper floor. “It looks nice. A little bit too frilly for my own taste, then again who is the fashion designer?” Interested about all the different clothes, I walk around the room once. Most of the pieces look like they are right out of a fairy tale and only a few are more… native. One piece even reminds me of the 60s. Who would wear something like this?

“Rarity is a magician with her works. She has a hoof for creating something that puts your good points to show.” Praising out loud, Twilight makes Rarity a bit embarrassed visible by her blush.

“Oh stop it Twilight. I am just a small establishment residing in Ponyville. Canterlot is the real deal. There is fashion history crafted by their magnificent hoofs.”

Unfortunately this makes me recall MY encounter with these so called geniuses. “Don’t forget to add wicked and mean as their good points,” I mumble my silent complaint.

“Robert,” Rarity puts her hoof on my shoulder, “I am sorry that you had to encounter something like these rude snooty ruffians, but let me tell you this. There are also those who are really kind and well behaved.”

Defiantly I face Rarity, not really convinced by that. “You think so. After all the looks everypony gave me? Not sure about that.”

“You can be sure about this. Trust me on this and don´t throw all ponies in one bucket.” Mom said something similar all the time. Knowing one doesn’t mean you know everyone.

“Ok, I believe you.” That is a total lie but I don´t want to discuss this now.

From behind comes Twilight and stands alongside Rarity. “Even if they treat you not right, doesn’t give you the right to act the same. That is an important lesson. Friendship cannot spread if no one takes initiative.” Being harassed because of looks is just plain racism… and I despise racism.

“So you tell me, even if I get bullied because of my looks, I should just forgive them and chum up with them?” Both of them nod without a second hesitation. “That’s just fucking bullshit!”

Now they gasp and look at me shocked. “Watch your language young one!” Angered by my outburst, Twilight comes close range. I respond with taking a step back. “You are in my care now and I won´t tolerate such behavior.”

Wow, that triggered her hard. But she is right. I am now the pupil of Twilight Sparkle, hero, former prodigy student of the sun goddess and princess of friendship. This is really a position where I have to watch my steps. Still, her reaction is a little bit over the top.

“Sorry.”

Calming down, she hugs me tightly. “That’s fine. I understand where this came from.” She puts a hoof under my chin and raises my head. “But you have to be better. Better than wrongdoers and bullies. Only like that can we make a better tomorrow.”

“But just put it off? I don´t want to be so quick with forgiving them, if there is no remorse.”

“I didn’t say it´s easy.” Oh you don´t say! No offense, but I don´t think it is right to pardon every misdeed when chances of change are little to none. “For the start, how about you are just civil? This doesn’t seem to be too hard. There is no need for you to be friends with them for now but maintaining a certain degree of manners is important.”

Princess of friendship is the perfect job for her. Maybe she is a little bit too into it. “I think I can do this.”

Finally getting the result she wanted, Twilight looks pleased. “That’s my number one student.”

“I am your only student… and I hadn´t even have my first lesson.”

This makes her roll her eyes and titter. “Don’t split hairs now.”

Rarity cracks a big enthusiastic smile and clops her hoof together. “You two just look sooooo adorable, perfect match of teacher and pupil.” Blushing slightly, I separate myself from Twilight and scratch embarrassed the back of my hat. “So, how about we start with creating you something divine?”

Three hours! One hour of taking measures and two whole hours to answer all her questions about human clothes. Good that the questions were not that hard to answer. Most of them were about the pattern of clothes, which I could answer partly, but with my clothes at hand was that not a problem. She took pleasure in looking my clothes inside out and going on about the differences between our two worlds.

I only understood maybe half of it but it is obvious that she loves her work. Finding a new challenge brought out her inner working demon, hardly stoppable. The true issue was the topic underwear. Not only had I been taken my measures in only my boxers, I also had to take it off when she insisted on analyzing it. Otherwise she couldn´t make me some of them. Praise the Lord that I was allowed to wait in the bathroom for that time.

Twilight was also a handful. My teacher may not see me as an object of science but that doesn’t mean that she wasn´t interested in my anatomy. Yes I can understand that I am an alien to this world. Humans also love to look into everything they find interest in. But did she have to inspect every single exposed area of my body with a magnifying glass. Where did she even keep that?!

Lucky for me that Rarity has now relieved her hunger for clothes and I am able to put my clothes back on, much to Twilight´s regret. “Ok, I think I got everything that I needed for a few sets of clothes.”

“Thanks Rarity, I will make sure to pay for it.” Seem like Twilight pays for my clothes this time. Makes me a little bit uncomfortable being dependent of others money, but it can´t be helped. “Just tell me how much.” A bag is magically lifted from behind her mane and the sound of bits comes from it.

In an overdramatic display puts Rarity her hoof to her chest. “Don’t you insult my generosity, my dear. This is the least I can do.”

“But Rarity, the costs for the mat-…”

“I said no and it stays no.” She shakes her head violently and her mane flies from one side to another. “Not only is this a little gift, it is also a little apology for my acquaintance´s behavior.”

Giving in to her friend, Twilight sighs and looks at her inquiringly. “You really sure?”

“Yes!”

“Then we are grateful you for your kindness.” Her purse sails back behind her mane. Do all ponies hide their purse like this? Wait I saw a few walking with saddlebags.

Adjusting my hat on my head, I look at the generous mare. “I appreciate your help a lot Rarity, thanks. One day I will repay you… not in payment, but something equal.” Adding the last part as she was about to interrupt.

“That’s ok. But don´t overdo It.”

“Nah, I won´t.” Either she is the most generous person… pony in Equestria, or she still feels really guilty for what happened in Canterlot. “So, can we go now to Sugarcube Corner? And I also really want to start my first lesson.” Sugar and magic, the dream of every kid.

“Yeah yeah as promised.” Twilight smirks and heads to the door. “And I am happy to hear that you value knowledge. There are so many books from where we can start. But rest assured I already have a schedule for you prepared.”

Jumping from one foot to another, I follow her quickly. “Really awesome!” One certain thought comes to my mind and I make a U-turn, hug Rarity and bury my face in her neck. “Thank you once more. And I don´t believe that you are responsible for what happened.” I only whisper the second part and she twitches shortly.

“Gracias, dear.” Her silent response is only heard by me. Then I hurry back to Twilight and we both wave goodbye to Rarity, promising to stop by again soon.

We are strolling through streets of Ponyville back to the crystal tree. Happy with my liquid chocolate filled cupcake, I hum that certain tune that I heard before I got here. Twilight walks beside me with some vanilla strawberry cookies. At first I just started the melody unconsciously, remembering a few seconds later the fear that something new could happen to me. But my worries were for not needed, since nothing happened. I didn´t hear the tune after coming to Equestria again and I would rather not forget about it. Who knows, maybe it will bring light upon a few things later.

“What do you hum? Is it something from your world?”

I shake my head and look up to the sky. “No. Remember that I told you that I heard a strange melody throughout the day before my arrival and that this also activated the orb which resulted in this outfit? That´s the melody and I don´t want to forget it.”

“Rather logical. We should look into this matter at a later time.”

“I second that.” This melody is indeed strange. Not only was it in my head out of nowhere, it also started all this. Taking into account the fact that the tune activated the orb which held Starswirl´s outfit and a ticket to Equestria makes it even stranger. “Do you think we can find something out about that? I know it sounds strange… but could it have any connection to this world?”

My purple teacher thinks for a few moments in silence before speaking again. “I guess. To be frank, music is not one of my professional specializations. Some books are at the library about music in Equestria, but we are best off talking to someone like Octavia.”

“Octavia?”

“Melody. Octavia Melody, a famous cello musician who lives here in Ponyville. Not only is she part of the Canterlot Orchestra, she is also good friend with Vinyl Scratch, who is also in a league of her own. Her music is more… peculiar.” For goodness´ sake! At least another lead that is not far away. “But if I am correct did she leave Ponyville with her troupe for a holiday trip.” Cancel my last statement.

This makes my head drop and sigh. “And let me guess, the rest of the music academics are in Canterlot?”

With a wry face she nods. “Except for a few hobby musicians, yeah… and you don´t want to go there. If I´m right?”

“A B S O L U T E L Y,” I spell her and cross my arms. “Not in the near future. And I would like to say never, but you will probably not allow that.

“A b s o l u t e l y.” Mimicking me, Twilight chuckles and we drop the topic as we reach her castle. “But let us do something more to your liking. Your first lesson in magic awaits you.”

Finally!

“So Robert, what do you know about magic?”

Currently we are inside the biggest library of Twilight´s castle. I am sitting behind a desk with papers, quill and ink and Twilight stands in front of a blackboard. This feels exactly like a class… well if you ignore the fact that a magical winged unicorn princess is my teacher and floating books are around that very pony´s head.

“Uhm… it´s power?”

Chalk sticks start to fly through the air and start writing on the board behind her, without her even looking. “Partly right, magic something that everypony in Equestria has and so do many other creatures.”

“You refer to pegasus interacting with clouds and flying through the air, despite that their wings would normally be too small. The earth ponies with their enhanced strength, stamina and tendency to the nature. And lastly the unicorns who are the only ones controlling the magic directly through their horns.” A lot of it did I read in the books and the rest is easy to conclude. Reminds me, I should ask her about the flag that the founder of Equestria had placed. Doesn’t make sense that there is no hint of Celestia or Luna but they are on the flag.

“Exactly! Really good.” Well, like I said that wasn´t hard. I mean remembering some things from the book and further seeing it firsthand make it a lot easier. “Alongside the three pony races are the alicorns who…”

“… are a mix of all three. Making your lot the most powerful ponies,” complete I her sentence quickly.

“Yes, but please restrain yourself a little.” The look she gives me says ‘I know how you feel’ but she is right.

“Sorry.”

The chalk draws two planets with a human on one and a pony on the other planet. “Magic is a natural thing in our world and was always there. Since our environment is constantly exposed to magic it is natural that nature adapted and absorbs this very magic.” A red chalk creates waves on the side of the pony planet, all pointing towards the pony. “Earth on the other hoof has no magic, or only little, and you worked your way around it with technology.” She lets the chalk draw red waves to the human but they bounce off. “That means that humans should not have the possibility to access magic.”

Slightly I raise the end of my cape. “But I that is difference, I guess. I CAN use magic.”

“Precisely.” A wizard cape and matching hat are drawn on the human. “This outfit gives you access to the magic in our world and the wand is your ‘horn’ for using magic.” The red chalk zips over the board and creates red waves that go to the cape and from there to the human body. “Similar to us you store magic now inside your body and you become a magical entity.” Both the human and the pony get a red vortex inside their body.

“That is the storage? Means you can´t use the magic around you instantly?”

“It is similar to a bottle,” she nods, “you can fill it and empty it but not both at the same time.”

The body is like a battery and the horn is a light bulb making use of the electricity. “Did one try to use the magic in their close surroundings to have more magic at han-… hoof?”

“Yes and it didn’t work.” A new picture is created on the blackboard. This time it is a gigantic bottle with a long bottleneck. “When you use magic it uses up your energy from within,” an arrow points outward, “leaving a hypotension behind.”

Oh, I see where this goes. “So after you stop using magic the reservoir automatically sucks the magic from outside up.”

“That wouldn’t be the problem. Regretfully the dilemma lies here.” She circles around the bottleneck with her hoof. “It is stiff. Spells need a lot of magic, even the smallest, and because of this nature did some precautions. An opening in the container is as big as needed for the spell.” Increasing the bottleneck evenly in width, Twilight states the problem. “The reason for this is safety against magic overuse. Magic overuse would exhaust you for a longer period of time, together with headache and problems using magic for days. Exactly this stiffness prevents us from receiving and using magic at the same time.” The arrow is exactly as big as the tube and an incoming arrow is blocked by it.

Interesting. Magic is very interesting and learning it is like a dream come true. Let me say it like this magic, pleasant dream, quill and ink… nightmare. Really hard to write everything down when your hand hurts after a few words.

An idea comes to my mind and I immediately state it. “And you can´t forcefully widening the width? Like simulating that you need a lot more magic.”

Another time she shakes her head violently. “No. Your idea was tried by many and failed horrible, ending in a horrible way every time. As you increase the possible output you don´t focus the magic for the spell anymore.” Everything behind her becomes slowly chaos as small arrows pierce the bigger arrow that symbolizes the output. “Not only will the spell fail, it also brings chaos to your connection to your magic reservoir.” Small whirlwinds build itself inside the bottleneck. “And after that…” Finally, the tube gives in and explodes, shown as Twilight wildly starts to draw over her picture.

“Urgh… rather painful experience. I guess that leaves us with using magic in economical ways and refilling later.” I copy the drawing on my papers and add some side notes beside it. Learning sure is fun. “You are really knowledgeable, Twilight. And you seem somewhat used to teaching?”

Why is she getting so stiff now? “Y-yes I had some foals to teach a few times. Also some of my friends were in dire need for some help at learning.”

“Rainbow Dash?”

“Rainbow Dash,” answers Twilight with a sigh. Bullseye!

“What about your time studying? Where you always the top of the class, with swarming ponies around you? Which schools did you went to?”

Instantly she gets pretty distressed and fumbles with her hoofs. Behind her stumble the chalks through the air. “N-no, not e-en-entirely. Partly… maybe.” Twilight seems to be troubled with answering those questions. “B-back to class.” Aaaaand there she drops it. Guess this is a no-go-topic. “There are different kinds of magic. First of all we have three different kinds of magic. One is the unconscious one; newborns do that all the time and use magic without having full control of it. Also some magic activates itself unconsciously. My theory is that your magic is similar to it, at the moment.”

Yay… I am a newborn. To be frank I stranded in a different world with a magic outfit. Being born anew isn´t an entirely false statement. “Ok and how long does it take for newborns to get a knack for magic?”

“Oh only seven to eight years.”

“Please what?!” Those are horrible news! Not only makes that a long time that I need to be here to use magic properly, I also have the problem with my increasing magic powers due to the Starswirl´s essence in the outfit. This is a disaster!

“Don´t freak out now my student. You are probably able to use it muuuch quicker.” As I turn to Twilight, who smiles at me, I get a lot calmer.

“What do you mean?”

“The fact that you forcefully got magic and are a lot older than a newborn should reduce the amount of time.” A slide rule appears out of nowhere and Twilight starts mumbling, pushing the balls left and right. “Maybe two or three months… depending on your talent for magic.”

“This is a lot better.” Not perfect though. “I really want to use magic and get a knack for It.”

“Yes I can understand that.” She points at the blackboard behind her. “So let us better get back on track. Like I said do we have three types of magic. The unconscious one, the ones without words and with words. The second one is the category for spells we magic users are able to perform without recite any kind of wording. In the last category are those spells with wording. They are complicated, making them in general the hardest to master.”

“Uhm… what about different types of magic?”

“That’s where I wanted to head now.” Another time is the blackboard wiped before the chalk rushes over it and creating a ring out of seven small circles. “We have top categories and subcategories for spells. Conjuration spells, in this category are spells like healing, teleportation, creation and others. Enchantment, the category for spells affecting the minds of others. Illusion, defense and offense and lastly transmutation, for spells their name already indicates. And our last way to divide spells is their spell rank; ten ranks to be precise.”
Desperately in my tries to completely copy everything, I feel my hand cramp. Sighing I put the quill down and shake my hand to loosen it up. “I really need a pencil before I can continue further.” Rather, if I get not my hand will fall off. I pinch the quill and spin it around.

“Wait a second… somewhere here should be one.” Twilight turns around and walks to a desk at the window. Could perhaps be her study place? Books are stacked to towers on each side and reach an impressive high; at least 9 feet.

I rock my chair back and forth and nibble at the end of the quill. My hand is pleased by the short break. Magic categorized by three classes. Ten ranks, three consciousness states and seven types… wait seven? One circle is empty. “Twilight?”

“Hmm,” comes her answer without looking at me. Her head is currently inside one of the desk drawer.

“What about the seventh magic?”

Abruptly she tenses up and for a long moment comes no reaction from her. Then, without turning around she asks, “what do you mean?” Slowly turning around, she gazes at me with wary eyes.

My finger points at the seventh circle on the board. “You drew seven circles but only six have names in it.” As she stares at the seventh circle she seems to be lost in thoughts. What is with this look? It is something between wary and unease.

I am about to say something but she speaks first. “That is for a later lesson,” she declares as a sponge eradicates the seventh circle, “you will learn about this when I deem you ready. Even I had not known of this for a long time.”

“O…k?” Ignoring my questioning view, she just smiles lightly now. ”You know that there are probably enough books in here where I can learn the seventh type?” Her eyebrows furl and make her look really mad.

“I doubt that.” Her stern expression makes me shut my mouth. “And you are better off by listening to me.”

That topic is not worth the glare I get. Pretty intimidating view and I feel really small. “I un-understand… sorry ma’am.”

“It´s ok. You only want to learn and seeking wisdom is nothing to be sorry for.” A long sigh escapes her lips and she shakes her head. “But some knowledge should only be taught when one is ready for it.” She is right and I should not pressure her; at least not for now. “So where was this pencil?” Continuing her search for the desired tool, she examines the desk again.

Meanwhile, I take a deep breath and lean back and stare outside the window. Should I be more delicate with some topics? Probably that and also staying away from answering back every time. The day is too nice to be ruined by some quarrel during my first lesson. Also the view from the window is really nice, if there wasn´t this crack in the window. That disturbs the scenery a little. Normally somepony must be in charge of it? Wait a second, something is off.

I lean my head from one side to another, but the crack is staying still. “Huh?” My interest is awake and I walk over to the window. As I come closer and closer I realize that the crack isn’t in the window… it is in the sky. Quite a distance, should be around four miles away. Like and old painting and some tears start to build. Is this Discord´s doing again or is my mind playing games?

“Twilight, take a look at that. What is th-…”

All of a sudden the crack rips open as if a giant grabbed both sides and pulled it apart. A shockwave is traveling to Ponyville quickly and it hits us a moment later. An ear shattering sound, similar to thousands of glasses breaking at the same moment, comes together with a big shaking. This is so strong that books fall off shelves, vases topple down and the crystal chandelier on the ceiling rattles severely. Some things break, given the shattering sound that is heard around the castle. The buildings also take their toll as they waver from side to side, dropping roofing tiles on the unlucky ponies walking below it.

I early losing my balance but I can hold onto the window ledge. My gaze fixed on the rip in the sky. Inside the eerie hole is nothing but darkness that creates the impression that something is moving inside. Gets my hackles up and all senses tell me to get as far away from that thing as possible.

Breathing becomes really hard and my heart rate drops as I see what happens next. Black creepy smoke oozes disgustingly from the hole and spreads across the ground in a fast pace. Like water it flows toward Ponyville, blackening everything on its way.

“Robert! Are you ok?” Twilight turns me around to look at me worriedly. She gasps at my expression that mirrors true fear and hugs me tightly to her chest. “Ssssshhhh, all is fine now.” I snivel and rub my face against her coat, inhaling the soothing lavender smell which sadly doesn’t help me right now.

“I d-do-don´t think s-so.” With shaking finger I point at the open crack at the horizon. She tenses up and grip me more tightly.

“Dear Celestia,” she whispers fearfully and pulls me closer to herself. “What is this?”

Twitching I turn my head a little and look outside the window. Even more black mist comes from the hole, already engulfing an area as a football field. I relive every moment of a certain dream again. Despair wraps itself around my body and I think my heart is being crushed.

“I know what this is.”

My mumbled answer makes Twilight switch her gaze to me. Shock is written all over her expression and oh she doesn’t know half of what is probably to come.

“A nightmare.”

Author's Notes:

Cliffhanger… I am mean I know.
But the next chapter will be the first action packed one. You can look forward to it.
Currently I am still looking for good critic to help me improve my work.
See anything that picked up your interest, good or bad? Then tell me! I am happy to hear from you.