The Problem With Magic

by deathtap

First published 27th of April, 2012

An angry, bitter man bets with a rather strange character and ends up in the most unlikeliest world

A man gets transported to Equestria thanks to a particularly strange event.

After doing some pretty dastardly things, he finds himself on the run from the law and ends up in the presence of one of the most unlikeliest characters who gives him a strange deal: find out the true meaning of friendship and the magic therein within one month, or spend the rest of his life imprisoned in limbo.

With his freedom on the line, the man has to learn the value of friendship and what he learns could change his life. For better or worse, only time can tell.

- Set around +10 years from the current time-line
- Story has ceased being canon
- Story has characters from various stories (with authorization from their authors)
- Strong language from the start (i.e. lots of swearing)
- Cover art by Ephemurai
- Pictures by LuckyBreak
- Old cover art - 2
- Old cover art - 1
==============

List of OC's and Characters

The Bet

"Ha!" I laughed out loud, my voice disturbing my co-workers. "I don't really give a rats ass. I've slogged day in and out to get this project done on time, and this is the thanks I get? You're firing me for completing my job?"

"Mr. Smith, these are hard times. And we feel that..."

I didn't let him finish, "That I'm expendable?"

"We had a vote. You were the... least wanted person. Your anti-social behavior has caused quite a stir in the workplace. Essentially, you're creating a very difficult environment for your peers. Therefore, we're asking you to leave because, even if you're good at what you do, making the workplace difficult for your peers is out of the question," The balding man replied.

I had to admit, the man was keeping his cool under pressure. I could tell that he hated the thought of losing me, but creating a bad work environment meant that he'd probably lose more people. I understood the situation, but in the back of my mind I still wanted to strangle him. The company has been milking my brilliance for months! I've done almost everything the company could ever hope to achieve, and I did it for a salary that would make a nun weep.

Work my way up, my ass! This was bullshit!

My first thought was to damage the guy's face. Anger, you see, needed to redirected the right way. If I hit him, I'd most likely end up in jail for assault. If these assholes wanted to mess with me, I wanted to make sure that they'd regret it in every way possible.

"Fine. I'll pack my things. I'll finish here today, and then I'll use the rest of my vacation and leave," I looked at the balding man, "That okay with you?"

He nodded, stood up, and walked out of my cubicle. I could see the sweat dripping off the back of his head.

Packing my things, I purposely did it as slow as I could. Delaying. Waiting until I was the last one in the building. When I was confident that there were no others around, I briskly walking to the IT Head's desk and proceeded to open every damned drawer. Nothing.

Were they smarter than I thought? No, no way they would be. Walking over to the Administrator's desk, I shook his mouse. The fat bastard did not have a password screen. Idiot.

Opening up his email application, I found the password I needed. Then, using my credit card, I snuck into the balding man's office. I moved the mouse, and was prompted to enter a password. Now, the only way I could make this work was to access the computer as my boss, so logging off and then logging back in as him was out of the question. Still, no matter what I typed, the password was wrong! Then, just out of curiosity I opened his top-drawer in order to get a clue, and to my pleasant surprise, there it was on a yellow-green post-it! His password. What an idiot!

It did not take me long to transfer a huge sum of money to various charitable organizations. I would have loved to keep it all, but I didn't want to go to jail and be someone's bitch. At least this way, he wouldn't be able to get the money back without looking like a stingy asshole.

Locking up, I left the building feeling rather good about myself. Revenge never tasted so sweet.

"John?" A voice said from behind.

I whipped around, and got into a Kung-Fu stance. It was Raj, my only friend. I hated calling him that, but so far he was the only human I didn't mind being near for longer than ten minutes.

"Shit, Raj, you scared the shit out of me," I turned and unlocked the door to my car, "What are you doing here so late?"

"John, I'm the emergency contact in case something happens. Something just happened. Did you just donate over thirty thousand dollars from your boss' personal account?" He looked at me, tears in his eyes. Was he really crying? What a faggot!

"Yep. And I don't regret it.".

"Don't you feel any remorse?" Raj asked.

"Remorse? Ha! You wish," I sat down in my car seat, "Why would I feel any remorse?"

"Because what you did was wrong, John. Completely wrong. You can't do that."

"Cry me a river," Putting my key into the ignition, I started the engine.

"John, this is serious. You could go to jail for this."

"The only way I'd go to jail is if you told anyone I was here," I said, "No-one else will know."

"We have security cameras all over the place, John. Everyone will know it was you by morning! Why did you do it? I just can't understand..."

That pissed me off. Raj was always like this. His kindness was weak. I got out of the car, and did the only thing that I could think of. I punched his face. Hard.

"Stop being such a fucking pussy, Raj! Be a man! Grow a pair!"

Raj wiped his cheek from where I had hit it. He looked up at me. Those eyes. They weren't the same as before. They were definitely different. Before they were sad, disappointed. Now I saw something else, and it pissed me off more than anything else I could have imagined. Pity. Raj actually pitied me. I don't need his pity! I don't need anyone's fucking pity! I kicked him right in the jaw. Piece of shit.

Raj rubbed his face, and spat out some blood, "I'm going to give you one hour, John. After that, I'm going to call the police." He didn't bother looking at me, "Good-bye, John."

A part of me thought about killing him, but something stopped me. Going to jail for a couple years was one thing, going to jail for a few decades or worse was another. It was time to bargain, "Two. Give me two hours."

"Fine!" he barked, "Just go. Get out of here before I change my mind."

He did not need to tell me twice. As I drove off, I looked in my review mirror. He was staring after my car. I wanted to laugh at him, to tell him what a moron he was, but something inside my chest felt weird. A strange empty feeling. I could not describe it, so I did my best to ignore the feeling as I turned the corner away from that stupid piece of shit company.

It took me just under an hour to get home. My shitty studio apartment above a shitty Chinese restaurant where the owner had sex with his butt-ugly staff. Most probably illegals who had to 'pay extra' to work for him. I could hear him now, grunting away in the room next to mine.

I banged the wall, "Keep it down in there! I'm trying to concentrate!"

I heard laughing, then something in Chinese before the grunting and moaning became louder. Whatever, it's not like I'm sticking around anyway.

Packing everything I owned, including my shitty laptop into my bag, I shoved all papers into a large black plastic garbage bag, then proceeded to scrub the shit out of the studio. No evidence. Then, I closed and locked the door, breaking the key in the hole. The humping noises were escalating now. The woman sounded like a cat being drowned. I couldn't help but laugh.

Outside, the rain had started to come down hard. Across the street I saw an old bum warming his hands by an old barrel-fire. Walking over, I dumped my plastic bag of papers inside. The bum looked at me, confused and quiet, then his fire roared to life, a little bigger than before. He thanked me, and I gave him the finger, telling him to get a job and to fuck off -- as one does to homeless people. He ought to be glad that I was in a hurry and did not have time to beat the shit out of him, because I would have! No, probably not.

Why did I feel so angry?

Jumping into my car, I sped off as fast as I could towards the outskirts of the city. Two hours had gone now, and if Raj was a man of his word, which he was, the police would have been called by now. They were probably sending squad cars over to my place. A part of me secretly wished that they'd catch that Chinese son of a bitch going at it. Poetic justice.

Something in my pocket shook. My cellphone! I checked the number, it was not in my call lists or anything. So, curious, I answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hello, is this Mr. Smith?"

"Speaking."

"My name is Detective Mason. We would like to ask you a few questions regarding some unauthorized cash transfers..." He said a bunch of shit that I didn't care about before coming to the point. I let him talk. The more he talked, the further away I got, "We would like to see you down at the station."

"Can I come tomorrow morning? It's raining and wet now," I lied and he knew I lied, but he had to play the game.

"I'm sure you can just drive over in your car..."

"I'm sure I could, but I won't. I said I'd come tomorrow," I then hung up. I had to ditch the car.

Driving into a closed gas station, I drove around to the back. Then I took out one of my old socks and put it into the gas intake and let it soak for a moment before lighting it with the cigarette lighter from my car. Then, I ran. Ran as fast as I could all the while expecting to hear a resounding explosion. Nope. Nothing. There was a tiny one, much like a violent fart. The car had 'farted' into flames and the rain helped keep the glow to a minimum. Great. Now that was out of the way, I needed to get further away from the city.

Trekking through the woods, I felt good about myself -- and a little smug. I had burnt all evidence of my existence, destroyed my car for fun, and was now making my way through the woods with the police force lagging behind me. Perhaps it was foolish, I might have been able to get away with a few months on prison, but I did not care. This rush, this feeling, I loved it. Plus, I was fast. Running through the woods just felt so natural.

Then, something strange happened. As I walked through the trees, I felt a sudden pop. It was a strange sensation. As if you walked into a wall of air and it broke. Whatever the case, as I pushed my way through the wall something seemed to shut behind me. That left me both confused and feeling rather strange. The rain was much harder now. It pelted down violently.

Seeking shelter, I ran to what looked like a large cave. Woods and caves?

Something about this cave scared me. Perhaps it was the belief that a bear might have been living in there, but common sense took over. A bear this close to the city? Right. Convincing myself that getting sick and caught was far worse than maybe getting mauled by a bear that may have lived there -- how I arrived at that conclusion eluded me -- but I ventured deeper inside.

As soon as I did, something under me gave way and I felt that I was falling. I fell and I fell and I fell. Then, I fell some more.

My stomach was in my throat, and my throat was hoarse from all the shouting and screaming. The rush of the wind past my ears was deafening, and after a while of this I felt tired and exhausted. What was happening to me? I blacked out, I think. I'm not too sure.

Snapping awake, I found myself on the ground with my back against what felt like a wall. Opposite me was this really ugly, old hag. She was mixing something. Strange, she looked vaguely familiar, where had I seen her before? She turned around, and I heard myself scream. Yes, I screamed. Like a little girl. You would to if you had seen what I saw. What cruel joke was this? Did I die and get sent to Hell, or something? The old bitch standing there was the witch from that stupid kid's show! The one about the seven dwarfs?

"What. The. Fuck?" I said aloud.

The old woman turned around, "So, you're awake..."

"No shit. Am I dead? Did I die? Is this hell? Why are you a... a..." I couldn't say it. If I said it, I had to admit that I was bat-shit insane!

"A what?"

"A car... car... cartoon! Why are you a cartoon?" She was! I've seen animations before. She was not real, the colors, the shading, nothing about it was real! She was a living, breathing cartoon! "Am I high? Did I inhale poisonous vapors in this... cave?"

This was no cave. It was a castle or a keep. Strange. What the hell had happened?

"No, no, Mr. Smith. You see, I've been watching you. I'm somewhat of a... fan. As to why I look like this... well, there is a good explanation for that as well," Her voice was different than expected. It sounded strangely... nice?

"Fan?"

"You see, on your world everyone seems to have found someone for themselves. A friend, so to speak. Even people who have nopony - er - nobody still manage to somehow form new friendships with something else, such as pets or objects. But you. You're different. You've got no one and nothing. You are a... strange man, Mr Smith."

"Wait, wait, wait. You've been spying on me? How? What? When? Huh?" I was confused, and a little flattered. A stalker? I had a stalker?

"Don't worry your little head about it. You see, I'm not human. You can tell, can't you? But even this form is... somewhat of a lie. You see, my dear human, I'm a Changeling."

"A what?"

"A Changeling. I can change my body into anything that I want. Well, almost anything. I cannot seem to morph into your, shall we say 'colors'? They are too... difficult for me, it seems."

"Bullshit. Changeling? You expect me to believe..." She changed her shape, "Holy shit! I believe you! What's going on? What is happening to me?" I smacked myself. Ouch.

She laughed. She was now some black horse-like thing, with vampire-like teeth. I was on the verge of shitting my pants.

"I am going to have to start from the beginning." She sat down on the ground, "For, for the longest time I have watched you. Your hatred for your fellow humans was what brought you to my attention. You've... made me a very happy Changeling. You've proven to be a great distraction from this..." she looked up, "prison."

Whatever she looked at, I couldn't see it.

"Sit. It's been a while since I've had company to talk to."

So, here I was in a cave with this creature that could change into anything she wanted. Somehow I had ended up in here with her. There was no point in arguing, for all I knew she could have morphed into something big and terrible, then eat me, or she could have just munched on me with those canines. A horse with canines... that is a cartoon.

I had to pinch myself to remind me that this wasn't a dream.

"A few years ago in your world a strange event took place. An individual from my world did something that, along with other combined factors -- most of which I cannot explain to you so I wont -- forced your world and mine to merge for a moment. In that moment, a being from my world came here," she looked at me, "A man managed to find her, a human like yourself, and raised her as his daughter..."

"Wait, wait, wait. A human brought up a cartoon? How the hell did he not get caught?" I scratched my head, "How long ago?"

"He did not get caught because he understood the risk if she were to be discovered. He cared for her dearly and as a result of his kindness, I learnt compassion. For fifteen of your years I watched him bring her up, and for fifteen years with nothing but the love between them to see... well, let's just say from a cold-hearted monster I've warmed up quite a bit. I could tell that he was as miserable as you are now, only he knew it. He understood his loneliness and hated it. You, on the other hand, don't. While I watched them for amusement, I watched you for nourishment." She grinned at me when she said that.

My spine tingled.

"I'm not miserable! I'm perfectly happy!"

"You might think you are, but I know the truth. That is why I brought you here. You see, you're the perfect candidate for a little... experiment."

"You brought me here?" Now I was not only scared, but skeptical. Could this day get any worse? Prison started sounding like a pretty damn good idea now.

"Your world does not have magic inherent within it. I can only use magic close to certain points. You approached one such point after I... coaxed you. I can use magic to influence certain things on your world, but only very subtly, but it seemed that fate decided to bring you to me."

"So... you're going to experiment on me? Can I just go to prison instead?"

She ignored my last question, "As I was saying, I'm stuck between the two worlds, have been since that time years ago, and probably always will remain. A prison of my own choosing... but you, you have no restrictions. You have no friends that will miss you, no family that will care about you. You have a unique circumstance that makes you able to pass from your world without issue," The Changeling grinned, her teeth glinting in the light, "and I've somewhat become attached to you."

That was a scary thought. I gulped out of reflex.

"How? Why?" I knew the answer to the latter. For some reason she became attached to me because of my loneliness and hatred for people, but I did not care! Who gives a shit if I liked being alone?

"You know, I see a lot of him in you."

"Who?" What was this crazy bitch talking about?

"You'll find out. That is, if you care to take a little bet with me."

"A bet?"

"Yes. Since I cannot leave here, and you can, and since you don't mind being alone, my bet is this; find out the true meaning of friendship and if you can't you will stay here with me. Forever," the Changeling grinned, "If you find friendship, I will let you go. You can go back to your sad little life running from the law."

"That doesn't seem too difficult... what's the catch?"

"You see, there's something about us Changelings you should know. Usually we feed off the good feelings, such as happiness and joy, and strongest of all, love. All that changed that fateful day years ago. Let me ask you, have you ever seen the show 'My Little Ponies'?"

"That kids show? Yes. Wait, no. I've not seen it, I know of it... Why? Wait, I'm confused... what's that got to do with happiness and shit? And more importantly: what's all of this got to do with me?"

"Well, that's where I'm from. That world. I'm from that show."

"Bullshit! You're telling me that there's a real world out there with these ponies running around?" And yet here I was talking to a black, green-eyed pony-monster thing calling herself a Changeling. I groaned, "My brain is broken, isn't it?"

"No. It's not. You see, when the event took place all those years ago, there was a danger that the two realities would collide causing a cataclysmic reaction that would destroy both worlds. This was because the human and the other protagonist, a certain cyan colored Pegasus," she saw the look on my face and smiled, "Well, let's just say they had difficult choices to make, and in the end he sacrificed everything for her."

"He died?"

"No, he lived. You see, John... do you mind me calling you John?"

I shook my head. She could call me whatever she wanted. She was the boss.

"Good. You see, John, when she -- the Pegasus pony I was talking about -- went back to my world, she was forced to close the portal between the two realities. This was a difficult decision as it would forbid them from every meeting one another ever again."

"Was the man her lover?"

"No. The man raised her up as his daughter. It didn't matter to him that she was another species, let alone a... character from a children's show, he still brought her up as he would his own daughter. And he loved her with every thing he had. Still does, in fact," The Changeling walked over to what looked like a kitchen and poured herself something that smelt a lot like tea from something that looked like a teapot. While she was doing this, I noticed that her head had a horn like that of a rhino.

The realization kicked me hard in the face, "You're a unicorn?" I didn't notice it before because she was facing right at me, and with the lighting, or lack thereof, in that castle-like place (I still had no idea where I was), I couldn't see it.

"No. I'm a Changeling," she replied without even the slightest hint that my question should have been ridiculous from the start, "Now where was I? Oh, where are my manners? Do you want some tea?"

"Not from you." She gave me a stern look. " I mean, no thank you, ma'am." I grinned and made a mental note to be extra polite to the scary lady-pony thingy."

"As I was saying, the man chose his new life over the old. Although he did have a few regrets, the fact that he could be with his adopted daughter was enough to cancel them out. When the choice was made, the portals closed and all was happy and fine -- but you see, magic isn't so clean cut as that. It was not the all-powerful Celestia who closed the portals, or her councils, nor her best student, or the Pegasus," she looked me in the eyes and smiled. Again, those teeth! "I did. I closed them as much as they could be closed."

"Celestria? What's that?"

"Not what, who. She is a... god-like creature from my world. She's an incredibly strong Unicorn, far more powerful than me. She had enough power to rip through the two worlds when she found out the correct spells to manipulate. Of course, she couldn't have done it without me. The strange thing is that, I think that the Princess has been to Earth before, your Earth."

"Information overload," I muttered, "I am trying to understand what you're talking about, I want to, but to be honest, I have no fucking clue. I don't get it. So, this super-Unicorn," she gave me a look, "Just bare with me, okay? This super-Unicorn named Celestria..."

"Celestia. Like Celestial, without the last 'l'. You're not dumb, John, just completely clueless."

As much as I wanted to punch her, I knew that she'd probably have the ability to beat me senseless, so I just continued, "Okay, so super-Unicorn Celestia came from the cartoon world and into this one, the real one, to take back some blue-colored cartoon Pegasus and take them back to her world, where they both originally came from. Am I right so far?"

The Changeling nodded.

"Then her dad, this human male, went to other world, and now they live there together?"

The Changeling again nodded.

"That's great! That's fan-fucking-tastic! I'm getting goosebumps just thinking about it!" I exclaimed sarcastically, "But what has any of that shit got to do with me?"

"I'm just explaining how I came to be here." The Changeling sniffed, "You see, I've become a guardian of sorts. Celestia... or Princess Celestia, as she is called in my world, isn't as all-powerful as she thinks she is. She is strong, but only in certain types of magic. In others, she's as clueless as... you. And that's saying something."

"I have a bad feeling where this is going," I muttered to myself, "So you're guarding the bridge between the two worlds?" Yeah, I've played enough online fantasy games to know the lingo.

"Oh yes and I've taken my duties rather seriously. I can go back to my world, but if I did, I'd die. As I was saying, I've become something of an anomaly. I've changed."

"Fancy that... a Changeling that changes..."

If she heard me, she completely ignored it, "Before, I fed of love, and happiness. I was actually near a town called Ponyville feeding on the happy feelings of the ponies there when this magical anomaly took place. Some sort of explosion that I got caught up in. The shock wave propelled me, along with the Pegasus, into our respective realities. While she broke through to your world, I never completely crossed and I found that I was stuck in between. Outside both realities. Over time I found that I no longer hungered for good and happy feelings. It tasted disgusting to me." She made a face, "But I was starving, so in desperation I sought out sadness, anger, and most of all, hate. The spell had changed me. Now because I eat these feelings instead, I've began to feel rather 'good' for the most part. I no longer want to consume the happy feelings of the ponies, but I the malice and hatred from your world. There is plenty of it there."

"You were evil before?" I asked not really giving a shit about people.

"Not evil, just bad, I guess. You have to understand, Changelings are a part of a swarm, a type of hive-mind in some ways. I did not really have any individual thought apart from finding nourishment. After I was brought here, my link to the swarm was broken. Anyway, I'm much friendlier now, but because of my newly acquired appetite, cannot return to my world." She looked at me, "There isn't much sadness or hate there. I'd starve to death."

"Couldn't you just leave here, go there, and return when you get hungry?"

"There is no way to enter here from either side, unless someone here opens a way. Let's just say this is a prison of my own device. I cannot survive in your world, and I cannot survive in mine. Therefore, I stay here. In this limbo."

"Good for you," I clapped a few times. She gave me a stern look. I have got to stop doing that.

"Now onto the conditions of our little bet. The first is, you have one month to understand the true meaning of friendship. Not just an acquaintance, I mean a true, deep understanding of what a true friend is. Two, you cannot tell anyone you're human. Not a soul. Trust me, I'll know. If someone happens to guess, you might run into a few, it's your job to convince them otherwise, else you lose the bet. I'll be watching you and those that know you, so be warned. Three, you cannot harm a pony, or Changeling at all. You cannot harm anyone. Doing so would incur the wrath of Celestia, and that's the last thing you'd want."

"Three conditions? Find the true meaning of friendship, no one can know I'm a human, and I cannot hurt any pony... wait! You don't mean... you can't mean... you aren't going to..."

"Oh, that's right, I forgot to mention, you're going to my world. Not yours."

And that was the catch. I wanted to kick myself, but if I didn't accept, I'd be stuck with her here. For a moment, I contemplated it. Really, I did. A part of me wanted to stay, but the rest of me screamed that I ought to get the fuck out of there ASAP!

"Wouldn't me being a human be... obvious?"

She grinned, "Oh, that's easily remedied."

"You're going to do something to me, right?"

"Uh-huh."

"You're going to change me into a pony, right?"

"That's correct."

"I can't help but notice that I've had zero choice in the matter."

"Oh, don't worry. Since Celestia had closed this world off, I've been able to regulate the time between the two worlds. While five years have passed in my world, your world has only gone by one year. When you return, I can put you back right where you left off. You will have literally been gone hours from your reality. So, don't worry."

"Oh? Do I look worried about the passage of the fucking time? Perhaps your confusing my expression with pure, abject horror." I wanted to cry, "I don't want to be a pony!"

"I'm afraid that it has to be so. If Celestia sees a human, she will know that the two worlds aren't completely separated, and nothing in both my world nor yours can pry it apart anymore than what has been already done. So, what will it be, John. Will you stay with me or continue this bet. Those are your choices," the Changeling took another long sip from her cup of tea, and stared at me.

"I have a feeling I'm going to regret this, but... I will go... to your world. No offense, but you scare the shit out of me."

She put the cut of tea down using her magic, or what seemed to be magic. Every time she did something her horn would glow green, so I assumed it was magic. She walked over to me, and placed her horn on my head.

"This is going to hurt. A lot."

And what happened next was not a lie. It hurt. A lot. I felt my body go into throes of convulsions. My back twisted and turned as if someone had forced it to break in half. My hands forced themselves into fists, and then from fists into what looked to be hooves, but not really hooves, were they? I don't know! For the next minute or two the pain continued as every inch of my body yearned for it to stop. Then, when it was all done, I tried to stand up. I could do it. But it felt... weird. I plopped down on my hands and... hey, this was comfortable. What? Why?

"There. You're now a pony."

"You've got to be kidding me!" I said, but there I was, I could see myself in the mirror that she had brought over. I wanted to cry again.

"Not bad. I've made you an Earth Pony, I think you'd cause way too much suspicion as a Pegasus or a Unicorn, considering you've never flown nor done magic."

"I've also never been a Pony. But, thanks for your concern I guess, although having magic does seem convenient. Do I have to put up with that agony again in a month's time?"

"Unless you want to stay a pony, yes."

I sighed. What else could I do? Magical black-dangerous-looking-pony-Changeling was too badass for me, "Fuck it. Let's get this over and done with."

"Oh, and another thing, an addition to our agreement. No swearing. I won't be strict on that one, but you will refrain from being too explicit in your language, understood? Your... Earth-speak could lead you to breaking the second terms of our agreement."

"Fine, fine. No swearing. Give me a second."

For the next twenty or thirty seconds, I said as many profane and disturbing words as possible. To get it out of my system.

After my tirade, the Changeling nodded, "I'm going to open a portal now. I'll be dropping you off near the rim of a very, very dangerous forest near the town of Ponyville. When you step through the portal, you'll be on your own."

"Fine. Wait, did you say dangerous forest? Dangerous? Hey!" But it was too late and I felt my body get sucked through something, almost like a hole.

Damn that Changeling bitch! I didn't even get her damned name!

Day 1: Welcome to Ponyville

I awoke with the most severe headache you could possibly imagine. At first, I had hoped that it was all a really, very bad dream. After all, what the chances that I would end up in...

"Shit!" I muttered aloud to myself looking at my hands that were not hands. They were hooves. Yes, hooves. You cannot possibly imagine how annoying it is trying to spread your hands out and being unable to. The feeling of used to having hands was extremely strange. It felt as if my palms were wide open, yet there were no fingers I could move - yeah, it sucked.

The first thought that struck me was; How am I supposed to hold things? Even standing up was a project. Swaying my body from one side to the other, I eventually had to use my face to help myself up off the ground. As I stood up I practiced walking around the place getting used to being a four legged creature. It was not as simple as I thought, for my body seemed to naturally want to stand up, yet it felt more comfortable on all fours instead. After a while of learning how to walk, or crawl I guess, I took in my surroundings.

I stood in the middle of a copse and looked around. This area was treeless, and the grass beneath my feet was a familiar site. But that was about it. The trees and the scenery were completely alien to me. I could not recognize anything - not that I was botanist or anything, but the plants were completely weird. It was then that I noticed a familiar looking tan, greenish object. I walked over to it and looked. It was my bag!

Not daring to breathe, I opened it and lo' and behold, there was my laptop! I wanted to take it out, to kiss it, to touch it ever so lovingly, but I was too scared about getting caught by some damned Pony or whatever, so I left it inside my bag. If someone were to find me hugging this thing that be an automatic game over for me. Closing my bag - it had a flap and no zip, I hated zips - I slipped my neck through it and let it hang there.

A part of me felt smug. A few months ago I bought this rustic looking bag from a street vendor near where I lived. The great thing about China Town was that people there sold stolen shit and no-one gave a fuck. No doubt this bag was stolen from somewhere and the guy who sold it to me was eager to get rid of it. The bag looked like it was handmade, but whatever. It was big, and I could stuff a lot of crap into it. Two important things a bag needs. Strange thing was, although the laptop was inside, my clothes were gone. All of them, even the ones I was wearing. Essentially I was naked.

Looking between my legs, my jaw dropped. I even lifted my leg like a dog, but there was nothing there! Where was it? Where was my manly organ? Did these Ponies have no penises? How would I piss? How would I...

I stopped myself before I could complete the thought. This was Pony land. There were no humans. So I took that thought and put it as far away as possible in my brain. No. Just, no. Not going to happen. While here, I was going to remain celibate.

Shaking off the thought, I looked up at the sky. Daylight streamed through the forest's canopy. The sun seemed to be right above us, so perhaps it was around noon - if this place had the same chronology as mine. From what the Changeling was saying, I think they were the same, but she did say something about changing the flow of time. I might have learnt something if I was not busy freaking the fuck out. Taking a deep breath, I gathered myself. Needed to have my wits on me.

Managing to get some sort of bearing, and despite the lack of a male organ between my legs, I forged on. I needed to get this stupid bet over and done with and get out of this crazy nightmare. True meaning of friendship, my ass! How the fuck was I supposed to do that? I hated people. It's not that I'm introverted, it's just people annoyed the shit of me. Pathetic excuse for living beings. The world would be better off with them. The only person I need is myself! Why do I have to discover some sort of answer to some secret that I don't give two shits about? Now I had to essentially find someone and learn about this friendship bullshit.

Then I remembered that the Changeling had said that these woods were 'very, very' dangerous. Two verys. That's not a good thing. So I needed to get my caboose out of there before something bad happens. Death. Yeah, death is a very bad thing. I'd prefer eternity trapped with that creature than death any day. Or would I?

"Well, then. Straight I go," I muttered, and headed straight in one direction, hoping the sun would stay in the sky.

After a while of walking, I started to get that disturbing feeling that someone was watching you from the bushes. Every time I turned around, though, the feeling would vanish. This kept on happening for a while until I could take it no more!

"Look, I know you're there. Come out and show yourself!" I growled.

What growled back was a large wolf-like creature. It stood at least twice my height, and had two rows of very pointy teeth. This was not a friendly creature, that much was for sure. The strange thing was that it seemed to be made of wood. But those teeth! Very sharp. Somewhere in the back of my mind I could hear the Changeling's words echo in my head. 'Very, very dangerous'.

So, I did the only thing I could think of. I laughed. Hard. As if insanity had taken me. What else could I do? In my mind I thought, This was it! I've been in this strange land for no more than a few hours, and I'm already dead.

But my laughing confused the predator, and it stopped and stared at me for a moment, then actually took a step back. That was when I heard a voice.

"Do not stop to smell the roses, run to me before my door closes!" A voice shouted.

"The f..." I stopped myself from speaking and bolted. The... whatever it was - gave chase, closing in behind me. Go! I urged my stupid body. Go! Run! I yelled in my head, charging towards where the voice had originated from.

Running - or galloping - at full tilt I saw a path and instinctively followed it. Up ahead I could see a door in built into a tree. Then I realized that it was a house! I saw the door and indeed it was closing. With every last bit of energy I had, I charged forwards as fast as I could. The creature behind me was breathing hard, its breath seemed to be warming my rear. I did not want to turn around. I did not want to see how close that thing was to me. The door was almost closed, and I did not think I was going to make it! I gritted my teeth closed my eyes and jumped.

A part of me expected to faceplant against the door, but no, I faceplanted against the floor. Wham! Slam! The door shut behind me. Boom! The beast collided with it. I'm surprised the door did not break from the impact. The creature growled then whined before it gave up. I could hear it slink off, and I guessed that it knew better than to stay.

As my heart calmed down my first thoughts were to check my laptop, but I resisted the temptation. Could not risk it, not when I had company. I turned around to thank my savior and saw two glowing yellow eyes hidden behind a cape. The robe covered the entire body, and those eyes glowed pretty intimidatingly. My breath caught in the throat. Did I just literally jump out of the frying-pan and into the fire? The creature lowered her hood - how, I do not know - and in front of me I saw a striped creature. A zebra.

Sure, why not? I muttered to myself, Ponies, zebras, strange wolf-like animals. Can't wait to meet the elephants!

"You are lucky, I must agree, that Timberwolf nearly feasted on a pony," She said to me.

"Thanks. You saved my hide. I owe you one." Despite my overwhelming sense of relief, in my mind I felt really annoyed. Timberwolves? Made from wood? Timber and wolves? I made a mental note to strangle whoever thought of that.

"That is a good thing to know, but tell me how you ended up here, though."

"Um... well, you see, I... got lost... and... well... yeah. I'm on my way to..." What was the name of that town? "To... the town... and I guess I took a wrong turn somewhere?"

"That is a very strange thing, for here in the Everfree Forest there is only one way in," The zebra said and walked over to the window and peered outside.

"Yeah? Well, I think I walked in to... well, curiosity, you see... and then... I got lost."

"Curiosity killed the cat, you nearly made that Timberwolf fat."

"You... really talk like that, eh? In rhymes?" I said aloud, then to myself immediately afterwards, Yeah, no shit Sherlock.

"It has become a habit of mine, you do not approve of rhyme?"

"It's not that, I'm just impressed you're able to do it every single time..." This was perhaps the biggest bullshit I've ever heard. A talking zebra who spoke in rhyme? And why did she sound like someone from Africa? A zebra, from Africa? Right, did they have an Africa in Pony world? Of course she's going to have an African accent! What other accent would she have? Too many questions. No logical answers.

Wing it! I told myself, "Since I'm lost... is it possible to help me find my way out?"

"To town I will lead the way, for at night here you must not stay."

"Uh... that's kind of you to say?" I replied stupidly trying to tie on to her rhyming.

She just smiled at me, "Zecora was the name given at my birth, tell me yours, Pony of Earth."

At first I wondered how she came up with all these rhymes so quickly. But due to my brilliance I understood how she was able to accomplish this feat. She probably had certain pairs of words that she used to strong together naturally. That was how she was able to pull off all these rhymes. A part of me felt a sadistic urge to try and get her to break her system, but I am supposed to befriend these animals. What if I insulted her and made her hate me for doing that? Could not take the risk. Eternal prison with that Changeling was not an option and I was not going to risk it. If this Zebra could teach me what I needed to know, then I'd gladly be her friend. I shuddered at the thought.

I understood she wanted a name. But could my name be used? After all, the Changeling said that if any Pony guessed that I was a human then that would automatically result in me being imprisoned with her. And as stated before, that was not an option.

"I'm sorry, uh, Zecora?" She nodded, confirming that I had said her name correctly. Zecora, the Zebra. Great, at least I won't forget that, "I... er... seem to have forgotten my name. I... was climbing a tree... and I... er... fell down. I must have hit my head pretty hard..." Brilliant! A horse climbing a tree? Where the hell did I pull that one out of? My ass was already empty from all the shit I pulled out of it dealing with the Changeling. But, whatever. It seemed to work.

"Perhaps it's amnesia that ails you, in town we will find you a doctor or two."

"That sounds great!" I lied. Pony doctors? Wouldn't they be called vets? Fuck it, just play along.

She began to potter about in her hut, and I used that time to look around. I saw large masks on the walls that resembled those African tribes masks I'd seen at museums and movies. There were a tonne of bottles and shit lying around, filled with every conceivable color. And books, there were all round the place, and right smack in the middle of the room was a huge cauldron of bubbling liquid. Despite its greenish gooey texture, the smell that around from it was simply divine. Whatever it was, it made my stomach growl.

That brought another concern to me. Food. What the hell do these Ponies eat? Don't tell me I had to learn how to eat grass...

"Are you ready to go to town, or do want a snack to calm your stomach down?" Zecora said, smiling at me.

"A snack?" Why the fuck not, I muttered in my head, "Sure!"

She walked over to another part of her home and pulled something out from a shelf, and then opened it. Inside was a large green apple. Green apples. I love green apples. Before she could say anything else, I had devoured it in one bite. Perhaps I was a little too hungry. She chuckled to herself.

"There is something strange about your flank, for it is completely blank," Zecora said as I was crunching away on my apple.

Was she checking me out? Why was she staring at my ass? I looked over to hers and saw something there. It looked like a sun with a vortex in the middle. I did not want to say anything, so I kept chewing for as long as I could hoping that she would forget about it, but she did not. Now I had to think of something and quick.

"I... don't know..." Something true! Even though that was not quite what I meant.

"You are a very strange stallion, no name nor a mark, but come let us go before it gets dark."

I knew that she meant that we had to leave so that she could get home before night came. But I was still starving. Would it be polite to have another apple? Could not risk insulting her. So, I sucked it up. Food can come later. At least they had apples to eat, the prospect of eating grass did not sit well with me.

Away we went through the woods. Despite my slightly larger stature compared to the Zebra, I was not used to dealing with woods of any sort, so I kept close behind her hoping that the wolf had fucked off. She followed a large path that led in more or less a straight route. After a few more moments the woods started to thin out, and eventually we came to what looked like a bridge, or something.

"The Everfree Forest entrance is right in front of your face, do you remember passing through this place?"

Seriously, why did she keep talking like that? "No, I don't remember..." Because I never went through here, you stupid horse!

She frowned, and continued to lead the way. As soon as we passed the bridge, or whatever it was, everything seemed to lighten up and the sight in front of me took my breath away.

Ponies! Tonnes of them! Not only on the ground, but up in the air as well! My mind was blown. And they were from all shades of colors! Not just normal colors for horses back from my world, but all sorts. This must be what people on LSD must see. Something on my face seemed to make Zecora curious, because she stopped and looked at me strangely.

"Wha... what?"

"Is there anyone with which you can stay? Or perhaps a room at the hotel - if you can pay."

I stared at her for a moment, then explained that I had no money. But it surprised me that these creatures had a currency? What did Ponies use a money anyway?

"Then what you need is a job to do, do a good job and they will pay you."

This is getting really old, really fast. I thought to myself, but I forced a smile, "Do you know where I can work, then? To get a job?"

"Applejack's farm is the first place you should see, extra hands to help she might accept happily."

"A farm? Great!" Fuck no! I hated manual labor. Working with my hands? She mad? But then again, what hands? But I couldn't look a gift horse in the mouth - no pun intended. I needed to find a job, get money and shit.

All the while the fact that I no longer had a penis still was bothering the fuck out of me. No matter how much I tried to shove the though aside it would promptly place itself whenever I happened to see another male - or what looked to be a male. Seriously had to resist the urge to look between their legs. Didn't want them to think I was a gay Pony if such a thing existed.

Zecora smiled at my answer, and continued to lead the way. As we walked, we came over a crest of a small rise and down below I saw it. A town, "Welcome, stranger, to the happy town of Ponyville, does its sight happen to ring a bell?"

With her accent those two words actually rhymed. Well played, Zebra. Well played. I said to myself. "No." I said out loud to her.

Again she made a face, but continued towards the town. The brightly colored buildings took a moment to get used to. Here were more Ponies, and they were doing shit that humans do. Shopping, hanging out, being sociable. They all annoyed the shit out of me. Seriously. I envied them. They managed to get on with their lives, and a part of me wished I could go on with mine. So what if my life was mundane, but then again being a raging asshole was an inbuilt mechanism for me. So, being a mundane loser was impossible for me. But I couldn't shit like that here. What I needed to do was win this bet, get my human form back, then go home.

All the while Zecora was leading, she would sometimes pause and start digging the ground. Sometimes she'd put whatever she'd find into a bag that was hanging off her back. Saddle bags were the handbags of this world. Great.

"Hey Zecora, how's it goin'?" Came a very, very southern drawl.

Great. First Africans disguised as Zebras, now Pony red-necks! I muttered in my head.

"Oh, hi Zecora! Who's your friend?" Came a squeaky, high-pitched voice.

Before either I or Zecora could respond, a blur of pink rushed to my side. And I was staring into the big blue eyes of a florescent pink pony. Yes, she was pink. Pink! She peered deep into my eyes, and I could not help but back off slightly. The fuck was up with this one?

"This stallion was lost in the Everfree Forest you see, and he has lost his identity." Zecora explained.

The pink Pony kept moving closer to me every time I backed off. God damn it! Get this thing away from me! I wanted to shout, but I grinned and continued to back away. "Yes, that's true. I've forgotten... well, everything."

"You mean you don't know who you are?" The pink one said, shoving her head closer to mine again. She had said it as if it were the most shocking news she had ever heard in her life. I had to move my face back to avoid getting head-butted by her.

"Uh... yes... can't recall anything about me at all," I replied, moving back some more, Doesn't this bitch have a concept of personal space?

"I'm sorry, friend," The other one replied in red-neck accent, "Pinkie here means no harm."

She was orange. Orange! With a southern accent! Kill me now. "No, no. It's fine. Just caught me off guard." I lied. Get that psycho away from me! Was what I really thought.

"Applejack, dear, on your farm do you need an assist? This stallion needs to earn some coin, if you get my gist."

"Well, sure, Zecora, we could always use an extra pair of hooves over at Sweet Apple Acres. You don't mind workin' hard and sweatin', do you?" Applejack asked.

I hate working. Was my instinctive answer, and I would have said it, but I needed to make money. At least I didn't need to apply for a job, "Great! I love sweating and working hard. Builds character." I lied. All it did was make my muscles ache.

"Then it's agreed. We start working bright and early. It's Applebuckin' season, and we start buckin' them apples first thing in the morning!"

"Buckin'?" I asked.

"Come tomorrow and I'll show you how it's done." Applejack replied.

"What time?" I asked, "I mean, do I need to come by?"

"Well, I say around five in the mornin' we start, so anytime before then," Applejack looked at me.

"Yay!" I said sarcastically, but my sarcasm fell on deaf ears, and Applejack smiled widely.

"Five in the morning?" The pink Pony squawked, "No way I'd wake up that early!"

"You don't have to Pinkie. It's for this here stallion. So, I'll see you there. Come along Pinkie, let's go," Applejack said, dragging the pink pony with her mouth.

"But, but... he doesn't have a name!" Pinkie said, "How do I know what to put on his welcome to Ponyville cake if he doesn't have a name!"

"Welcome to Ponyville cake?" As soon as the question left my lips, the pink pony slipped out of her friend's grip and was at my side faster than you could blink.

"Yes, I always throw parties for new-Ponies that come to Ponyville! I'll throw one for you!"

"Now, Pinkie, I'm not sure that's such a good idea... at least, not now..." Applejack started. To be fair, she was trying to get Pinkie away from me. My hatred for the orange one diminished slightly for the effort.

"Why not, Applejack?" Pinkie then turned to me, ducked behind me and vanished. Then before I could turn around, she was back in front of me bobbing up and down.

Was I hearing... music? Yep, I was definitely hearing it. Where the hell was it coming from? Was I going mental? I turned around, there was a large portable music box-like thing behind me! Where the fuck did that come from? Before the thought could complete itself, the pink Pony twisted my my neck to face her.

"Welcome welcome welcome, a fine welcome to you," She sang.

Fuck no! You're shitting me! She's actually singing?

"Welcome welcome welcome I say how do you do? Welcome welcome welcome, I say hip hip hurray! Welcome welcome welcome to Ponyville today!" She skidded on her knees to me.

Then the box-music thing behind me exploded which made me jump and have a minor heart attack as confetti showered down on me from above, and in the next moment a cake popped out from the front.

"What do you know! I actually put the cake and confetti in the right places this time!" She went over to the cake, stood on her hind legs and lifted the cake up and walked over to me, "Blow out your candles!"

"But... it isn't my birthday..." Just then my brain interrupted me, Logic be damned. Make the pink Pony happy! Never has my brain made so much sense. I blew those fucking candles out. I blew them so hard, I could have sword the icing on the cake would have flown off.

"Okay, Pinkie, that's enough..." Applejack said in the silence that followed.

"But... he still needs to eat some cake!"

I was starving! And admittedly the cake smelt rather good. So, I took a bite. God damn it! This cake was friggin' gorgeous! The best cake I have ever eaten in my life! The texture, the flavors. Everything about it was exceptional. I tasted like mint, chocolate, vanilla and strawberries all wrapped up into a single perfect bite. No one flavor overpowered the other, and the icing had a flavor that complimented the sweetness. Chefs on my world would have killed to have this recipe. I think I had an orgasm in my mouth, that was how good it was. I destroyed the cake, and yet still I was starving. But perhaps, now that I had played along, the pink Pony would leave me the fuck alone!

"Pinkie..." Applejack began, but once again, Pinkie had something to say. There was just no stopping her!

"A name! He needs a name. Maybe his mark will give us a clue!" She zipped around me faster than I could blink. How the hell did she do that? "Ohmygosh! Applejack, looky! He's got no Cutie Mark!" She pointed at my ass. Now I noticed that almost every single pony had markings! But not me.

"Um... yeah, I don't know anything about that." I replied truthfully.

"A Cutie Mark is a mark that appears when you've learnt something special about you! Like a talent, or something like that!" The pink Pony said as if she were speed-talking, again well within my personal space. I backed up a bit away from her again.

"Pinkie, I think he meant that he doesn't know about why he doesn't have a Cutie Mark, sweetie, not that he doesn't know what a Cutie Mark is." Applejack said, trying once again to pull Pinkie away from me. She got more points deducted from my hate-scale for that. At this rate I might even get to like her.

"Oh yeah! I knew that," Pinkie grinned in response.

"Your talent is blowing balloons?" I asked, noticing that she had three balloons as her Cutie Mark. Even thinking of the name of the mark made me shudder. Cutie Mark? Seriously?

"Pinkie Pie's talent lies in something worthwhile, the ability to make everyone smile." Zecora answered my question.

I guess she was right. Despite freaking me out, I found that I did have a smile on my face, although it was more of a mocking one.

"You need a name." She began to think of one.

Don't hurt your brain. I said to myself, "Sure, why not."

"I know!" She shouted. That scared the shit out of me. Never expected her to explode suddenly like that, "How about Forest?"

"Forest?" I asked. That wasn't too bad. Better than I expected, actually.

"Why in tarnation would you want to call him Forest?"

"Because he came from the Everfree Forest, silly. It's just until he remembers his real name." Pinkie grinned, "So? What do you think?"

Better than nothing, and I really did like it, "Yeah. Yeah, that's great. Thank you, Pinkie." And the funny thing was, I actually meant it. Now I didn't have to think up of a name.

"Forest is a good name I must admit, to this namesake you must commit. Now we must look for someplace to lay your head, one with a nice, warm, cozy bed." Zecora turned and began to lead the way.

"Oh, it's scheduled to rain a little later," Applejack said, "About an hour from now."

"Scheduled?" I asked, a little too quickly.

"Wow, you must have hit your head harder than I thought. Scheduled. You know. The Pegasi control the weather, they're makin' it rain later." Applejack said, looking at me funny.

You've got to be fucking kidding me! I thought to myself, "Oh yeah! That does sound familiar. I think I am recalling that. Strange I would forget something so obvious." I laughed aloud. Got to be careful!

"The only place on Equestria that has its own weather is in the Everfree Forest... how long were you in there for?"

Shit! I shouted at myself, "No idea. I think... maybe a while? I don't know."

That seemed to satisfy Applejack, "Okay then. See you tomorrow, Forest. My farm is located over yonder. Just follow the path that way and you can't miss it." She pointed with her hoof.

"See you tomorrow, and thanks for the opportunity," I said, Please go away now. I thought, before the pink one could 'attack' me again.

Finally the two Ponies left much to my relief, and I followed Zecora (who did her digging a couple more times) to a nice looking place. It was a fairly large house, and on the front written in English - yes, English - it said 'Prancing Pony'. That name sounded very familiar to me, but I couldn't place it. Whatever. It's a hotel, inn... stables?

Zecora conversed with the receptionist. The main lobby area was tiny. In front of the main desk were two large sofas that occupied one entire end. Towards the left was a door that seemed to lead into a restaurant of some sort; I saw some Ponies in there sitting on tables. Next to the two sofas was a large glass window that spanned from the floor to the ceiling, outside of which you could see a large round building at the end. It looked fairly important.

I stood to one side and watched for a while. The Ponies here seemed different from the ones outside. Here they seemed more business-like, or industrious. The ones outside seemed a lot more free. It was as if this was a college town, and the Ponies here were students going nuts. The Ponies inside the seemed more professional Ponies, and disinterested in staying in this small town any longer than they needed to.

After a while Zecora returned, "A room you will have for just one week, after that another place you must seek. Remember to go to see the doctor later, perhaps he'll find something to make you better."

"Thank you, Zecora, you've done a lot for me today. And you saved my life. As I said, I owe you one. If you ever need anything, please let me know." I said aloud, If I can get you to teach me what it means to a true friend... then maybe I can end this stupid bet and go home.

She bowed her head, and walked off.

"This way please," The receptionist said. She had a high, nasal voice that grated against my ear-drums.

We walked up a slight of stairs, and almost immediately it was the first room on the left. She opened the door by using her mouth to put the key inside the door and opened it. I walked inside and looked around. Everything seemed to be like a normal hotel room. The bed, a table to sit and write shit on. There was even a chair. It was lower to the ground than human chairs, but it was a chair, nonetheless!

"This is the bathroom here." The receptionist opened a small door, and there indeed was a bathroom, and a toilet!

"Great," I smiled. Do I need to tip you, bitch?

"Dinner is at seven. Breakfast is inclusive." With that she slammed the door in my face and stalked off.

"Yeah, well fuck you too!" I said as quietly as possible.

The first thing I did was open my bag and pull out my laptop. Using my mouth, I carried it to the desk, and placed it on the table. Then, I had to find a way to open it, but no matter how hard I tried I couldn't get it to open. Using my tongue, I poke the latch on the front. It worked! I pushed the screen up, and it automatically switched on!

Then the strangest thing on the planet happened. I got a Skype call. Seriously. A Skype call? Did the Ponies get Internet?

Hesitantly, I used my tongue on the touchpad and answered the call.

"Well, well, well, 'Forest'. Not bad. You not only survived an encounter with a Timberwolf, but you also managed to find a place to stay and get a job. And it hasn't even been your first day," Came the voice. The video appeared a moment later, but a part of me wish it hadn't. It was the Changeling.

"How the fuck are you using Skype?" I asked.

"I imbued a spell in your computer, and yes, I know what a computer is, and no, I did not program it. I used magic. We cannot communicate any other way because Celestia might sense the magic. With the magic inside this device there is no way she can find out. There is a spell inside this for you to communicate with me. I only used this Skype thing because it is something you'd be able to relate to," The Changeling leaned back. She was eating something that looked like pie. As soon as the words left her mouth, the desktop and everything else vanished and I was given a full screen image of the Changeling's hideous face.

"Thanks, I guess. Does that mean I can use the Internet?"

"No. As I said, the only purpose of that machine is to communicate with me," The Changeling frowned, "That doesn't mean I won't be watching you, but if you need to get in touch with me then you'll need this. It's your only way to talk to me."

"Great. If anyone finds this, you do know that I'm screwed, right?"

"Then you best hide it somewhere that no-one will be able to find it," The Changeling grinned, "And I've also modified it using magic. It won't run out of battery."

"We could make a fortune with that in my world," I replied, never-ending batteries for laptops? Who wouldn't buy them?

The Changeling grinned, "You still have half a day. Why not familiarize yourself with the town. Get to know more of the locals, and places."

"Fine," I stopped, "Oh, and it's been bothering me for a while, but what is your name?"

"My name?" The Changeling put her piece of pie down, "Why?"

"I mean, what do I call you? Changeling? Vampire-horse?" Bitch? I smirked at that. Bitch was a name that suited her perfectly.

There was a long silence as she looked up at the sky. Then she smiled and turned to the camera, "Tutela. You can call me that." She replied.

Tutela? I thought to myself, "Fine, Tutela.Talk to you later."

She nodded, and the call cut off. Not bothering to close the laptop, considering how difficult it was to open it in the first place, I held it in my mouth. After managing to somehow open the closet door with my hoof, I searched for the one thing that is common in hotels. A safe! A part of me could not really believe it, but another part of my mind just accepted it. Using my mouth to open the lock, I set the laptop inside. A perfect fit! Closing the safe, I armed it and then turned to the toilets.

To be honest, it was not that I needed to go, but I just had to know! Where did the my penis go? I smirked at that, Zecora's got nothing on me!

Using the mirror, I took a good look at myself. I had not realized, but my body's color was this strange tan or light mud-like color. At least I wasn't neon pink! My hair - or what do you call it on these creatures? Mane? - was a dark brown hue, almost black, the same color also marked my tail. In all essence, I was a pony in every sense of the word - with the exception that I could talk. If I was in my world, I might have passed for a proper pony. Or not, after all my colors were far too cartoony.

"I need to take a piss!" I muttered to myself, and placed where I thought my penis would be over the toilet. Then, something strange happened. My body opened up as if it were a suit! Then, there it was! My manliness! Everything was where it should be. I emptied my bladder, and watched as it retracted back into my body. To be honest, it freaked the fuck out of me, and I felt strange about what was happening. Not the fact that it entered the torso - strangely it felt natural - but that fact that since my penis went inside me, would that count as autofornication?

"What the fuck is wrong with me?" I asked myself, "Well, John, you now know how Ponies in this world hide their dicks. You deserve a fuckin' medal. Oh, sorry, I meant Forest."

Somehow I convinced myself that I was wearing a pony suit. This conclusion sort of forced itself onto me, and I just let it happen. What else could I do? Otherwise I could not accept what just happened to me.

Locking my room up - after double checking that the safe was locked down - I headed down to the lobby and placed my key at reception. The annoying bitch of a receptionist was there eying me the way bitches do when they have bitching on their minds.

"Hi, I was wondering if you could tell me which was I could go to get me to the hospital?"

"Why? You sick? You ill? We don't want you here if you're sick..."

Relax bitch! I thought to myself, "No. I'm not sick."

"Then why'd you need to go to the hospital for?" She squawked.

My blood hit boiling point. I wanted to beat the living daylights out of this bitch. Seriously? But I swallowed my anger, and forced a smile on my face, "I need to go the hospital, because if I don't..." I'll kill you! "I won't be able to sleep tonight. I need to refill my prescription."

Accepting that I was not ill, and accepting that I genuinely needed to go, she gave me the directions, "Go out, turn left until you get to Carousel Boutique. Then take a right and head down till you reach the hospital. Can't miss it."

I turned and walked out. Fuck it. Not going to thank her. She didn't deserve a thank you.

Walking down the street, I noticed that the Ponies were rushing around. Some were putting stuff away, others were just walking briskly. I continued on my way when I started to feel drops on my head. I had totally forgotten about the rain! I ran towards the nearest building. It read something about a boutique on it, but I couldn't quite catch the name. I got in just as the rains really opened up. It poured down hard.

"Hello?" A voice cooed from behind me, "Welcome to the Carousel Boutique! The most fabulous boutique in all of Ponyville... oh my, did you get caught in the rain?"

"Yeah. Can I just wait here until it stops?" I said, near the door, "Forgot that it was scheduled."

"Oh my. I hate it when that happens. Come, come, you must not dally near that door. You might catch a cold..." She motioned for me to come in.

"No, really. It's okay. I'm on my way to the hospital, anyway."

"Oh? Really? Whatever for? You look perfectly fine to me."

Fucking hell! Can't I just be left alone for ten minutes! "I have amnesia," I lied, "I wanted to see if the doctors could help." And so that Zecora doesn't chase me down asking me why I didn't go see the doctors. Who knows what these crazy equines would do. Better not risk it.

"Oh, you're that new Pony that Pinkie was talking about. I believe she's named you Forest?"

"Yes, ma'am. Forest's my new name - wait, did you say Pinkie? You're friends with her?"

"Please, Pinkie is friends with everybody, whether you like it or not. She has a very strong personality."

"I would have to agree with you on that one." I nodded.

The white Pony laughed. She had a tiny horn on her head. Was she a rhino?

"My name is Rarity, I own this boutique," She gestured with her hoof, "I make the best fashionable clothing in all of Equestria! Let alone Ponyville, I have boutiques all over the lands, from Canterlot to Fillydelphia."

I have no clue what the fuck you're talking about, but since you're showing off, I'm going to play along. "That's simply the most amazing thing ever!" I said. Perhaps that was too sarcastic?

She must have missed the sarcasm in my voice because her eyes lit up, "Would you like to see some of my work?" She asked.

"Sure. Why not. While I'm here..." I followed her, having nothing else better to do at that moment. She pushed open a set of large swivel doors and inside were two other ponies. One looked like a copy of Rarity, only a little smaller. She sat at a table with a look of deep concentration in her eyes. Another pony, this one with wings, was moving some rolls of fabric from one side of the room to the other.

"Forest, let me introduce you to my younger sister Sweetie Belle, and her friend Scootaloo."

"Hello." I said, unable to think of anything clever to say.

Sweetie Belle ran over to me, "Is it true that you don't have a Cutie Mark?"

"Sweetie!" Rarity hissed, scolding her sister.

"Word sure does get around fast," I muttered aloud. I turned slightly and let my posterior speak for itself.

The two looked at one another, "We used to have Blank Flanks like yourself for the longest time. In fact Apple Bloom still has to get her Cutie Mark. We used to call ourselves the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Those were fun times..."

Cutie Mark Crusaders? "Apple Bloom?" I put two and two together, "I assume she's Applejack's sister."

"You know her?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Who? Applejack? Yeah, I'm working at her farm tomorrow morning." I replied. No use lying.

"No, silly. Apple Bloom."

I shook my head, "Never met her. Sorry. But the name..."

"Well, we're meeting her later on today. We're trying to find her special talent. I'm sure we'll find it soon," Scootaloo grinned, "Do you want to come? Maybe we can help you find yours too!"

"Can I think about it?" There is no fucking way that's going to happen.

"Sure." The both said together.

Then my eye caught something out of the ordinary.

"Ah, yes. I see you've noticed."

"Huh? What?" My heart beat in my throat. Did she notice something about me?

"Those strange clothes are for a human. They are made that way purposefully. This is probably the only reason why I remain here in Ponyville. My friends need me, I'm the only person in all of Equestria that can design clothes like this."

"Hu... human?" I felt that I was going to explode. Did they find out? Did I accidentally reveal myself? Did they find my laptop?

"Yes. Rainbow Dash's father. Mr. Brian Dash."

My heart froze, "What did you say?"

"A human. It's a type of creature from a far away place. Rainbow Dash's father is one. Those are his clothes."

I heaved a sigh of relief and sat down despite myself. Never before have I felt so tired so quickly, "Oh! I get it." Now that I think of it, the Changeling did mention something about a human in this world.

"Wait, Applejack mentioned that you needed a job to earn from money. Would you like to earn some now?" Rarity asked, turning to me.

"Sure. But I can't sew..."

"Oh no, I wouldn't allow you to make clothes," She said rolling her eyes.

What a bitch! I started liking this white Pony more and more. She was a complete asshole. Made me feel like I was right at home, "Then what do I need to do?"

"You need to deliver these clothes to Mr. Dash. He's expecting them today and I've underestimated the weight. Since you look like a big strong Stallion, how about you carry the delivery? And since you're new around town, Sweetie Belle, can you help and go with Mr. Forest?"

"Okay, sis." Sweetie Belle got up, and peered outside the window, "The rain's going to stop any minute now."

"Then let's pack up the clothes and get everything ready to go." Rarity stated, and went about her business while I stayed where I was near the door.

I watched as they neatly packed the clothes in large brown boxes. Like the Changeling, Rarity had a horn on her head. I understood why Tutela seemed completely unfazed when I asked if she was a unicorn. Obviously in a land of flying, talking and walking Ponies and Pegsuses - or was it Pegasi - there was going to be Unicorns and shit. That was probably why I did not give a shit when I saw the blue-purple glow around objects, and when said objects floated around. Magic.

Rarity obsessed in making everything perfect, even tying the bows as neatly as she could using her Unicorn glowy magic. She was a neat and tidy bitch. Wonderful. Just wonderful. Out of all the Ponies I've met so far, this one seemed by far the most normal and therefore the best.

"All done."

"And so's the rain." The orange Pegasus put in. Sure enough, the rain was done and the sun pierced through the clouds.

Using her magic, she lifted each box up. I noticed that each one she let out a slight grunt. She struggled with the heavier boxes, taking longer to lift those and I could make out she was struggling. Her sister combined her magic with her sisters to help move the heavier boxes over towards a strange carrier of some sort. It looked somewhat like a saddlebag that you'd see on horses from my world, but this one had a lot of embroidery on the sides, and the name of the boutique etched in the metal. Two large canvas-looking straps ran across the middle, as well as along the sides creating two basket-like areas where the boxes were loaded.

So, Magic is restricted by how strong you are - like muscles. The stronger the magic, the stronger the Pony's powers. I'm such a fucking genius. I deserve a medal. I thought to myself.

"Okay, there you go." Rarity stood back away from the contraption. When I looked at it now I understood what the contraption was. Essentially a saddle-bag, but with metallic support. Walking over to it, I lowered myself closer to the ground and put my body under the loops. Then, I stood up. The contraption lifted off the ground easy, but holy shit it was a lot heavier than I thought. How many clothes did this Brian need? Not only that, but how were any of these Ponies going to lift this?

"You okay there, Forest?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Fine, fine." I muttered. Lift, god damn you! I heaved my legs up, and once I got it lifted it wasn't so bad. Sweetie Belle lead the way, walking a little in front of me. We were going to head to the hospital first.

Scootaloo laughed seeing me struggling. Obviously she was better than me. The bitch.

"I'll catch up with you two later. I've got to help Rarity put some more things away."

Sweetie Belle nodded, and then held the door open for me as a walked out. The rain was indeed over and as I looked above I noticed that the clouds were moving in uniform motion. My keen eyes noticed that behind each cloud there was a flying Pony. Sure, why not. Flying Ponies that could push clouds. Who came up with this shit?

"The Pegasus control the weather," Sweetie Belle said, "Now that the rain's are done, they're moving the clouds out of the way for the sun."

I looked at her, I think someone mentioned it before, maybe Applejack, "Just... it's still something." Well, it was. That wasn't a lie.

As we arrived at the hospital, I walked in and let the package down. I felt so light, I thought I could fly. Maybe I was high? As I breathed in deep, I definitely smelt something in the air. Something strange.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" A Pony said from behind a desk.

Sweetie Belle spoke for me, "Hi Nurse Tenderheart. This is Forest, well, that's his name for now. He's suffering from Amnesia."

"Oh yes, we've been expecting you. Zecora mentioned that someone with amnesia was coming, but I'm afraid that the Doctor is just making his rounds, if you don't mind waiting for a while, he can see you later," Nurse Tenderheart looked over to me.

"Well, Forest?" Sweetie Belle asked me.

I thought about it, "How long will it be? Maybe we can drop these off, then come back?" I gestured to the heavy load. Might as well get it over and done with. I hated prolonging things.

"Let's do that then. We'll be back later, Nurse Tenderheart."

The nurse nodded and smiled as I struggled with the load and lumbered out of the hospital with it.

The trip towards Brian's house was not long, but annoyingly most of it was uphill. Once I got to his front door, Sweetie rang the doorbell, and the door opened.

"Oh hi, Rainbow Dash. I didn't think you were home. We're here to drop your dad's new clothes off," Sweetie Belle moved aside and I saw a light-blue flying Pony with a rainbow colored mane. So, this was the Pony that ended up lost on my world. Rainbow Dash. What a fucking ridiculous name! And is she gay? She has to be gay. She's definitely gay. Rainbows? Come on!

"Dad, Rarity's new clothes are here for you!" Rainbow shouted. I walked over to the front door, "Oh, yeah. Um... just leave it over there."

Walking in, I lowered myself and let the contraption lay on the floor. I heard the stairs creek and looked up. A human started walking down the stairs. He looked over at Rainbow Bash, then at me and finally at Sweetie Belle, "Hello Sweetie," He said.

"Hello, Brian." Sweetie Belle replied.

By the time he reached the bottom of the stairs, he looked at me, "I don't believe I've seen you before."

"New around here," I said, perhaps a little too quickly.

Sweetie Belle cut in, "He got lost in the Everfree Forest. He's got amnesia."

"Have you now? So, can't remember anything?" Brian said, and walked over the the contraption. I moved out of the way to let him get to his stuff.

"Not really."

"You don't seen really... concerned about me. Most Ponies who meet me for the first time are a little... scared, I guess. You don't seem phased by my appearance at all."

Shit, shit, shit! "Well, that's probably because I've used up my fear from narrowly escaping the clutches of a Timberwolf."

"You were chased by Timberwolves?" Sweetie Belle and Rainbow Dash said at the same time.

I nodded, "Zecora saved my sorry ah..." Damn it! No swearing! "Flank."

"What were you doing in the Everfree Forest in the first place?" Rainbow Dash asked.

Tired of explaining, I just shrugged, "Can't remember."

"Well, I hope that you remember soon. It must be horrible not being able to remember who you are."

"I hope so too." Looking around, I noticed that there were a lot of pictures. I focused on a few of them as the Rainbow Dash and Sweetie Belle continued to chat. Most of the photos there seemed to be taken from my world. Buildings in the background seemed extremely familiar. I knew that area. I worked near that area. This human was from the same fucking city! I recognized it. Most of the buildings in the pictures didn't exist anymore.

"Yeah, that's where I come from," Brian said, standing next to me looking at the picture I was looking at. It was a much younger him with a much younger Rainbow Dash.

"Looks... dreary." Dreary? Seriously?

"It is," Brian said, and turned to me, "The name's Brian. Brian Dash."

"Hello, Brian. I don't know my real name, but I've been dubbed Forest."

"Forest, eh? Not a bad name."

I agree. "A certain pink pony thought of it."

"You mean Pinkie Pie?"

I nodded.

"You don't have to listen to her, if you don't like it..."

"No, no. It's perfectly fine. I think it suits me, actually." I said, I didn't really want to get renamed, I liked Forest.

"Forest, we should go. The doctor is probably waiting for us." Sweetie Belle said from the door.

"Right. Well, nice to meet you, Brian, Rainbow Dash." I said, and walked out.

"Sure. Yeah. Catch you later." Rainbow Dash said, "Oh, did Pinkie throw a party for you yet?"

"I got a cake and exploding musical boxes full of confetti."

"No, you've yet to experience Pinkie's welcome to Ponyville parties. All she gave you was a Welcome to Ponyville welcome." Rainbow grinned, "You'll see what I mean. Everypony's going to be there."

I sighed, "Well, then. I can't wait. You guys will be there?"

The both of them nodded.

"Well then, will I get to meet everybody there?" I asked.

Brian looked at me, "Yes, you will."

Good. Maybe I can find someone to help me win my bet there. "Well, then, until that time." I walked out.

As I turned around to close the door, I saw Brian staring right at me in a very peculiar manner. Thinking nothing of it, I closed the door gently, and followed Sweetie Belle back to the hospital.

"Forest, I've got to go meet my friends. You don't mind if I..." Sweetie Belle said, at the bottom of the stairs to the hospital entrance.

"Not at all, I think I can manage from here." I said. Bitch, you going to ditch me?

"Okay, I'll see you later!" And she ran off before I could change my mind. Couldn't blame her. I'd do the same thing if I were in her shoes. After all, who wanted to hang around some strange person - Pony - you've just met?

Walking inside, I found the nurse I had talked to earlier and she told me to sit and wait. After a few minutes of waiting - the Healthcare system in Pony-land was the best I've ever seen - the doctor guided me to his office. He looked at me, prodded my head, and did doctor-like shit before concluding that I was perfectly healthy. There was nothing wrong with me, and he just recommended that I hang around until my memory returns. Better to stay here in Ponyville than go gallivanting around Equestria, what if someone came looking for me?

"I doubt anyone would look for me." I muttered to myself, "How long would it take for my memories to return?"

"Depends. Can take a day. A month. A year. You're going to have to be patient. You're lucky you're able to function normally, though." The Doctor got up, "I'm going to prescribe you some vitamins. It might help."

"Great!" Vitamins. Oh joy! "But, I don't have money, how can I pay?" I asked.

"Pay us next time." The doctor grinned, and then led me to the pharmacy.

"Well, wow." I said standing outside. I was impressed. They were actually trusting me completely. Fools!

I turned to look at the clock. It was late in the afternoon now.

With no plans, I started wondering around mindlessly looking at the stores. A part of me wanted to go back to my room, but I could not afford to waste even a day! I needed to make the most of the time I had, otherwise I'd regret it later. And it was imperative I understood this creatures in more detail. It was then I saw a large signboard with an open book on it. I walked over and knocked on the door.

"Yes?" I looked up and saw a purple lizard-like creature. I gasped, and backed off falling on my rear. What the fuck was it? He was eye-level with me!

"Spike? Who is it?" Came another voice from inside.

"I don't know. No-pony I know."

A purple Unicorn peered past the creature.

The creature was tall and if I didn't know better I would say that he was a Dragon. Oh wait, I didn't know better, so he probably really was a Dragon. But if the Ponies seemed comfortable around him, then I had to force myself to do the same.

"Hi," I said, standing up, "Sorry, just... never seen something quite like you before."

"I'm a Dragon." Spike said nonchalantly.

I'm glad I reserved my judgement... like I'm glad I'm in this fucking mess in the first place. "Ah. I see. Never seen a Dragon before."

"You haven't?" Spike asked, "Not one?"

"Well..." Damn it, learn to keep your mouth shut, stupid mouth! I cursed myself, "I have amnesia."

"Oh, you're that Stallion that Zecora found in the forest." The purple Pony said, "Welcome to Ponyville. My name is Twilight Sparkle."

"And I'm Spike!"

"Well, I can't remember my name, but Forest is the name I am going by thanks to Pinkie - and you're friends with her too, right?" I asked already knowing the answer.

"Pinkie is friends with everyone," Spike said, shrugging and rolling his eyes, "No-one can help it."

"I think I know what you mean."

"Forest. I think the name strangely suits you." Twilight said looking at me, I grinned nervously in response, "So, what brings you to the Library?"

I fuckin' knew it! I knew that this was the library. "Ah, well, you see, I can't remember who I am, or what I do, so I was thinking on taking out a few books to help me get to know... everything?"

"Like what?" Twilight asked, her eyes seemed wider than before, "I have books about anything you could think of."

"Well, I guess you could say I'm interested in the history of the land, and perhaps customs of the people? What else to try and job my memory, help remind me... of anything, really." Why had I not thought of this before! This was a great way in learning almost everything I could ever want to know about these Ponies, "Also, a book about... maybe... friendship?"

That made Twilight stop, "About friendship? What do you mean?"

Shit... "I mean... well..." I had to think of something! Anything, "How about a book about how to make friends?"

That seemed like an acceptable answer to her and she nodded, "Yeah, we have a few books like that."

As soon as she said that, her horn glowed a purple glow and several books floated towards me. The placed themselves on a table to my right, and I looked over them. How do I turn the pages? "Um... I must have hit my head harder than I thought... I can't turn the page..."

"Use your hoof, silly," Twilight said.

I did as she said, and I found that, although a little difficult, I could do it. I read the titles of the books, which were conveniently written in English; Equestria: An Abridged History, A Pony's Guide to Society, and How to Make Friends and Attract Ponies. The last one seemed a little familiar to me, I was sure I've heard it before - or something similar to it.

"Thanks, Miss Sparkle," I said.

Spike snorted back a laugh.

"You can call me Twilight, Forest."

"Thanks, Twilight. I appreciate it."

"Miss Sparkle," Spike snorted again. He laughed to himself.

"Ignore him. Teenagers." Twilight said, "He was less of a nuisance when he was a baby."

"Ah." I had no idea what she was on about. Was she saying that Spike was a teenager now? "Can I borrow these, I will bring them back when I'm done with them."

She nodded, "Of course. This is a library, after all. Just bring them back if you decide you want to leave town. Do you need a bag?" Using her horn, she lifted the three books off the table, folded them, and then placed them in a bag. This wasn't a saddle bag, so I held it in my mouth.

"Thanks," I mumbled, "I'll bring them back soon."

Making my way back towards my hotel, I heard a voice from behind me.

"Forest," I turned and to my horror, it was Pinkie.

Shit! "Hi, Pinkie. How's it going?"

"Forest, I tried to get a party in your hotel, but the lady at the desk said that I can't because she said that the hotel was for guests only and that I couldn't have your party there because its not fair to the guests to have your party without inviting everyone but then I said that I could invite everyone but she said that I it was not happening at the hotel because some of the guests did not want loud music and a party there when they need to sleep and rest up, so I've moved your party to the city hall instead!" She said really fast, really loud, really close.

"Aw." I said, backing up a bit, "That's a shame." I had no idea what she said. Something about not being able to have my party at the place where I'm staying at. I felt relieved. No party. I hated parties. Parties made me uncomfortable.

"I know, right? Anyway, come with me."

Not that I had a choice, she pushed me in the opposite direction from my hotel, and towards the large circular building.

"Okay, okay!" I shouted, "I'll walk." The bag of books still dangling from my mouth.

There was no point, because Pinkie has pushed me right into a building. As promised, or rather as threatened, this was her party she was throwing for me. There were ponies there from all over Ponyville here. Standing stupidly to one side, I waited for Pinkie Pie to introduce me to everyone. They all seemed to have the strangest of names. Most of them sympathized with me about my recent loss of memory, while others just nodded and went off to enjoy themselves.

After almost an hour of greeting Ponies, I saw a few familiar faces. Rather, familiar colors. Orange was there, and was white and pink. But not Zecora, she had probably gone back to the Everfree Forest by that point.

Everyone was dancing and singing, and being noisy and bouncy. I wanted to get away from there so badly, yet I knew that this was the best way to meet and befriend these creatures, so I stayed.

"So, Forest, did you talk to the doctor?" Rarity asked.

I nodded, "He gave me some pills... crap!" I exclaimed, Where did I leave them? I said in my head.

Rarity looked at me with a frown.

"Forest, I believe you left these at the library," Twilight said, she had just arrived with Spike, and used her magic and placed the pills in my bag, which was still dangling from my mouth.

"Hello Rarity," Spike said shyly.

Rarity smiled, and batted her eyelashes, "Hello, Spike."

A Dragon and a Pony? Was that even possible? I looked over at Twilight, "Thank you for bringing it over. It's a relief."

"No problem. Would you like some cider?" Twilight asked.

"Sure. Why not."

She walked off and soon returned floating four mugs from the cider table with her magic. The mugs were designed perfectly for Ponies. Using my hoof, I could actually hold it like I would if I had hands! It was simply amazing. I took a sip, and was instantly blown away. This was the most wonderful cider I have ever tasted in my entire life. It was sweet, but with a slight tang at the same time. The flavor filled up my nostrils and I enjoyed the scent of the brew from the apples, and you could feel the bite of the alcohol - yes, there was alcohol - in it. That surprised me.

"Forest! How are you liking you very special welcome to Ponyville party with everypony?" Pinkie screamed at my face.

Where did she come from? How was she able to do that? "Thank you, Pinkie. It's really nice. Loving this cider."

"Yeah, Applejack made it! She makes the best cider in all of Equestria," Pinkie grinned.

"Where is Applejack?" I asked.

"She says she'll come later if she can," Pinkie then bounded off.

"She ever run out of gas?" I asked.

"Gas?" Twilight asked.

"You know. Energy. Does she every run out of energy?"

Rarity laughed at that, "Pinkie never runs out of anything."

"Hello, everyone. Hey, Forest." Came the familiar drawl. Applejack was in the house!

"Hi, Applejack."

Behind her came a much larger Pony. He was about my height, "This is my big brother Big Macintosh. You'll be working with him tomorrow."

"Eeyup." Big Macintosh replied.

"I look forward to it," I said politely.

"Eeyup."

I narrowed my eyes, was he being serious?

"Where's Rainbow, Twi?"

"I don't know. Haven't seen her." Twlight replied to Applejack's question.

"Her father's getting on in his years. And Pinkie keeps throwing these celebrations. It's no wonder if he decides to skip a few." Spike said, and took another sip from his mug.

"Eeyup." Big Macintosh said.

Then I watched them. It was clear that these people were all close friends, and it was a very tightly knit group. It might have been the cider, but I started feeling uncomfortable and slowly backed away. Perhaps it was time to retire for the night, and get an early start in the morning.

As I turned to go, Brian and his daughter, the rainbow haired Pegasus appeared at the door.

"Hi, Forest."

"Hello. I'm about to go home. I feel... tired." That was true. I did.

"Well, sorry we arrived so late." Rainbow Dash said.

"Oh no. From what I've heard, Pinkie throws these kinds of things all the time. I would have understood if you hadn't come, but since you're here, try the Cider, it's simply amaz..." Rainbow Dash was gone before I could finish the statement, a rainbow blur straight to the cider table.

Brian stood there and looked at me. I looked back at him, but neither of us had anything to say, so I nodded and walked past him.

"How's the weather back on Earth?" He said just as I walked next to him.

How the fuck? No! There was no way he could have found out. I turned around, confused, "What?"

"How's the weather back home, I said." Brian asked again.

"I don't remember where I'm from..."

"I don't believe you. I think you know very well where you're from. I don't know how you're here, and I don't know why, but if..."

Fucking hell! I screamed in my head. He was guessing. He was guessing! How did he fucking guess? I needed to end this train of thought, and now.

"Look, Brian. I'm tired, and I've been overwhelmed by the events of today. I wake up in the middle of a forest I know nothing of, remembering no one and nothing, escaping the teeth of a Timberwolf, and then trying to find a place to stay, let along trying to evade Pinkie... I don't understand what you're talking about, or what you're implying? All I want to do is find the answers I seek, and then go home." I said aloud, and turned away, I deserve a fuckin' Oscar for that performance.

Brian stared at me for a moment, "Fine. But I'm keeping my eye on you."

"You can keep two for all I care. If you happen to discover something about me, then please let me know. I might be able to recall who I used to be."

Turning, I left the party, my heart only started beating when I got back to my room and safely locked the door. Closing the windows, and drawing the curtains, and double-checked to ensure that everything was 'Pinkie-proof' hoping that she was still going crazy at the party as I took out the laptop.

At once the Changeling's face appeared.

"How?" I asked instantly, "How did Brian know?"

"It was what you said in his house. You said 'anybody'. No one uses anybody there. It's anypony." The Changeling grinned, "You nearly lost on your first day. And now that the seeds of doubt have been planted, you can be sure that it isn't going to be easy from now on."

I cursed myself. How could I make such a stupid mistake!

"Just hope that he doesn't approach Celestia with this concern. It could be very bad for you."

"Well, shit. Anyway, I've got a job tomorrow, so if you excuse me, I'm going to sleep."

"Goodnight. Oh, and Forest..." I looked up at the screen, "Don't be late."

I slammed the monitor down. Hard.

Day 2: Getting used to Windows and Apples

I was sitting on a beach, laying in the sun, drinking up the sun’s beautiful rays. It was perfect. The weather was perfect, the drink in my hand was perfect. Everything was…

“Forest…” I heard a voice coming from somewhere.

Ignoring the voice, I continued relaxing in the heat. The sound of the waves lapping the shore lulled me into a state of 'I-don't-give-a-shit'. This was literally the best thing ever.

"Forest..." Again that voice. This time I managed to lean up off the towel I was laying on slightly and lowered my sunglasses to see who was speak. I could not see anyone. Where it was coming from? There was nobody on the beach; there was nobody in the water. Was it just me? Was I going insane?

The vast stretch of beautiful crystal blue water spanned to the horizon. To me left and right the empty beach stretched as far as my eyes could see. Usually I’d get bored out of my skull, but not now. Not today. Today, I was going to savour this moment. How I got here or when did not matter. All that mattered was that I was having the best time doing absolutely nothing at all…

“Forest…”

Who was saying that? Why was it saying that? Yes, there was a forest behind me, but I was not interested in that. It was this beach. That was what I…

“Forest! Wake up!”

My eyes opened suddenly, "Wha…? Huh?"

I lifted my head from the pillow and looked around. I started to panic. I did not recognize anything, or where I was, but it only lasted for a moment. The next second all the memories from the past two days rushed back to me; getting fired, giving to charity - illegally, running away like a bitch from the city, getting caught up with some magical shape-shifting horse, teleported to another world of fictional creatures that apparently weren’t fictional, getting lost in a forest, getting chased by a creature from hell.

Make is stop! I wanted to scream in my head. I wanted to scream. And I was having such a wonderful dream too...

Where was that voice coming from?

"Forest, open this laptop this instant!" The voice repeated itself. No wonder it sounded so far and distant in my dream. I had slammed the laptop shut the night before. At first I contemplated ignoring it and going about my business, but then I remembered that the Changeling could see me even if the laptop was not open. She would not be very happy if I ignored her. The laptop was the only way I could communicate with her. She could see me anytime she wanted. Would it be awkward to take a shower? Was she a stalker?

Hauling my tired ass out of bed, I walked over to the machine. In my semi-awake state, I used the edge of my hoof to open the laptop, as if I had fingers. I cursed myself, was I really getting used to using hooves already? Pushing the monitor back I saw Tutela's face glaring at me.

“What is it?” I asked.

“Well, good morning to you too. It seems that transporting you to that world took a lot out of you. You literally crashed last night. Anyway, look at the time. You’re going to be late on your first day at work,” The Changeling pointed to the lower-left hand corner of the screen with her hoof, "You better hurry."

My eyes drifted downwards, “Seriously? I didn’t know that Windows came with Pony Standard Time,” The joked sounded better in my head.

"Very funny," The Changeling replied sardonically.

"Give me a break! I'm still half asleep! Wait. Wait, wait, wait. The time system in this world flows the same as mine?" I slapped my head, forgetting for a moment that I no longer had palms - which hurt a little more than I thought, "Of course it does."

“No. The time between the worlds is controlled by me, remember? Time has no meaning here. A days has past there, only ten minutes have passed here. I can’t stop it completely, but by the time you’re month is up in Equestria, you would’ve only be gone for several hours.”

My mind tried to wrap itself around the concept. A part of me understood what she meant, the rest told me to just get on with what I needed to do to earn back my freedom, “Well, why Windows?” I asked.

“I thought you liked Windows. If you want, we can use Apple instead, considering that you’re going to work at an apple farm today, it makes perfect sense!” Tutela offered laughing. As she said it, the screen changed to one the represented the other operating system.

"You're pretty techy, aren't you?"

"Computers fascinate me. The Internet in particular. Did you know that there's a large group of adult fans that are into the..."

"I would love to discuss the Internet with you and about whatever interesting things you were about to say, but right now I'd just like to wake up, and by waking up I mean left alone."

She stared at me for a moment then backed away from the monitor, "Suit yourself."

I just walked to the bathroom and did what needed to be done. By the time I was done finishing my bathroom duties it was half past the hour. Not wanting to lose my job, not because I wanted to work but because I had no idea how hard it would be to get another one, I hurried up. Could not afford to be late – literally! So I picked up and the laptop and shoved it back into the safe, lowering the screen as I did.

“Have fun at work. I’ll be watching you,” She sang out as I closed the safe, arming it angrily.

Bitch! I muttered to myself.

It's a well-known fact that I am not a morning person. In fact, I hated the mornings. Mornings were made for sleeping, and waking up any time before noon for me was an effort and usually included a very, grumpy, bitchy me. Come to think of it, it's probably one of the reasons I got fired in the first place, “Damn you hindsight!" I said aloud to myself.

My room was on the first floor, near the front of the house. From my window you could make out the cake shop across the road shaped like a cake. As I walked down the stairs, the receptionist was there wide awake and staring at me.

"Uh... mornin'." I said, trying to sound friendly.

"There's coffee and breakfast in the restaurant," She replied in that ear-grating nasal sound she made. I would rather hear Freddy Krugar run his iron claws over a blackboard than that voice, but I sucked it up. Had to be nice.

"Coffee, eh?"

And indeed there was coffee, doughnuts, and all sorts of wonderfully delicious pastries. Freshly baked and perhaps the most beautiful tasting morsels I have ever eaten. There was literally nothing on my world better, and it made the burden of waking up that much better. The coffee was also scrumptious, the fragrance had a warm nutty smell, but there was definitely something sweet in there too, perhaps vanilla or hazelnut. It then occurred to me that everything I've eaten has had sugar in it.

As I thought that, for some reason I could not help but remember a certain pink pony. She did throw a do for me last night. It never really occurred to me how she managed to pull that off in such short notice. It did not seem as though her friends helped her - but then again, from what everyone was saying, she was friends with everyone - perhaps some else gave her a hand. I took another generous sip of coffee and got ready to go. As I passed by reception once more, I noticed the receptionist staring at me.

"Going somewhere?" She asked.

I cursed myself. Why did I make eye contact? "Well, yes. I got a job at Sweet Apple Acres."

Looking at me for a moment, she nodded before changing the subject completely, "Did you enjoy your party last night?"

"Sure. Yeah, it was alright. I came home early, though."

"I saw you did. Apparently the mayor isn't happy with Pinkie for throwing you a party at the Town Hall without telling her first. She's a real trouble maker, she is."

"She means no harm..." Wait. Did I just... did I just defend that Pink psycho? Maybe I woke up on the wrong side of the bed?

"No-pony means any harm, but that doesn't mean it’s right."

"You have a point, and I am inclined to agree with you. But I'm sure that it will be fine..."

"That's the thing, though. She always gets her way. She always never wrong. She always is everypony's friend!"

Whoah! Where the fuck did that come from? As she spoke her voice got higher, harsher and... well... scarier. She was friggin' nuts! She must have seen my face because a second later, she coughed to herself and was back to her cold ice-queen demeanor. Automatically I understood; this bitch was jealous of Pinkie! And what was up with the feeble attempt to hide it? Whatever, none of my business.

"I'll... see you later," And backed out the door.

It was good to get out of there. Standing outside I shuddered against the cool morning air - or was it from that scary bitch? Whatever. Heading down the way that Applejack had instructed me to yesterday, I soon made my way out of Ponyville. There was noway to tell the time exactly, but it was not hard to find Sweet Apple Acres - considering that all I needed to do was follow the rows of apple trees to the big barn on the next hill. There was a small house next to that, and lights on the
lower floors were on.

As I arrived, I saw Applejack with a scarf around her neck. Her big brother, Big Mac - yeah, I'm going with that - was there lifting some empty round wooden crates or baskets and placing them on a cart.

"Mornin', Forest. Sleep well?" Applejack asked as I walked up.

"As well as one can expect," I replied, and grinned.

"Did you have breakfast?"

"Yep. Had some at the hotel. They had some wonderful pastries - best I've ever tasted."

"That make sense. You're right next to Sugarcube Corner."

"You mean the building that looks like a cake?" I asked.

Applejack nodded, "Best deserts in Equestria."

Ponyville's got a lot of 'bests of Equestria'. Why is it such a small town then? The rent too high? I thought to myself. I smirked at me own joke.

"What's the matter?" Applejack asked, bringing my attention back to her, "What's so funny?"

"Oh, nothing," I quickly changed the subject, "So, what do you need me to do?"

"Well, we're apple buckin', so we've got to buck some apple trees," There must have been a strange, rather confused look on my face because she just sighed and shook her head, "Don't worry, Forest. I said that I'd show you how. You ready, Big Mac?"

Hey! She stole my nickname!

"Eeyup," He replied.

We all walked down to a large grove of trees. I had no idea what to expect, and Big Mac was pulling the cart along. When we got towards the middle a bit, both the Ponies stopped and stared off in the distance. Wondering what they were looking at, I stood beside them and looked at well.

Suddenly the sun rose, its light seemed to explode across the land. Everything seemed to suddenly wake up with it. The lands, the creatures, even the skies themselves. It was not so much the sun rising that surprised me, but how it rose. The sun got up there pretty quick.

"Hey, Forest, have you ever seen Celestia's Sun Ceremony?" Applejack asked me after a moment.

My silence spoke for itself.

"Perhaps one day you can get to see it. Or remember it. Everypony has to at least see it once."

Now I had something else I had to look up. Had to research it, I can't keep asking questions. If that damned Brian gets anymore hints of me being clueless about this world again he might pursue his crazy theory that I am a human. Can't have that! "I hope I get the chance... again... maybe..." I said stupidly.

"Watch me, Forest. This is how you buck for apples," Applejack lay two of the baskets from the cart on either side of an apple tree, then turned around so her rear faced the tree's trunk. Then she used her hind legs to kick at the same time. The apples all fell into the two baskets, "See? Easy as pie. Any questions?"

"Yes. How do you get the apples to fall into the baskets like that?"

"What?"

"You kicked the tree, right? The apples, they all fell right into the baskets. How did you do that?" I wasn't being a jackass, I really wanted to know.

"Well, now that you mention it, I don't rightly know. Hm. Funny that." Applejack kicked the tree, and again the apples fell into the baskets.

Great! Laws of physics be damned!

Taking a pair of baskets, I placed them under the next tree and kicked it as hard as I could. I turned to see the apples drop everywhere. And when I say everywhere, I mean everywhere. A few did land in the basket, but a whole bunch just landed up on the ground. Both Big Mac and Applejack just stared at the mess without saying a word.

"Strange. Did I do something wrong?" I asked.

Both shook their heads. Big Mac came to the tree and kicked it. The remaining apples dumped themselves into the basket without issue.

"Maybe your trees don't like me?" I jokingly offered.

Applejack shook her head, "Gee, Forest, I don't rightly know what's goin' on. Maybe we'll do the buckin', and you can get the baskets from the cart."

The rest of the morning was spent me walking to and from the cart, dumping the contents of the baskets into the larger cart, and bringing the empty baskets back to be refilled. It was a monotonous, boring, brain-numbing job. I absolutely despised it, but yet there was something great about working outdoors. Being able to harvest the fruit under the sun. Fun times. As a computer professional, I rarely got to do something like this. It was a nice change.

"Hiya, Sis!" Came a voice, and a smaller Pony came bringing a tray of cider-like liquid on her back, "You guys thirsty?"

"Eeyup," Big Mac replied, and walked over to the newcomer and took one of the glasses from her back.

"Here, Forest, this is my little sister Applebloom. Applebloom, this here is Forest. He's new to town."

I nodded politely.

"Sweetie Belle was talking about you yesterday. We have something in common," She turned to her side, and smiled.

At first I didn't know what she was talking about, but then I realized that she meant that she too had no mark on her posterior.

"Yes, I'm a - what do you call it again?"

"A Blank Flank," Applebloom muttered.

"Right. A Blank Flank." I looked at her face. It seemed that she was rather sad about the fact, "What's wrong?"

"Aw, nothin'. Just everyone else has their Cutie Mark, just not me."

I looked at Applejack, "Is having one that important?"

"I thought it was rare for a Pony her age not to have one, but now that I've met you, I guess there are others out there that don't have one. I guess it takes time to find somethin' you're good at."

"If your talent is an especially difficult or rare one, I suppose that would make sense." I replied, thinking about it as logically as I could.

That seemed to put a smile on Applebloom's face. I may be a cold hearted, uncaring, rude son-of-a-bitch, but the smile that Applebloom gave me was... well, I could not help but give her a genuine smile in return.

"Nice to see you're finally happy, Forest. Those fake smiles you kept giving us was startin' to make us feel uncomfortable."

"That obvious, huh? I guess I was still getting used to things," Like being here, in a world of talking Ponies.

"Would you like a glass of apple juice, Forest?" Applebloom grinned up at me again. Her smile was addictive. This little Pony was dangerous! That's the problem with women, and girls in general. Before you knew it, they'd get under your skin and you do stupid things like care about them.

"Sure." I took the glass with my hoof - and yes, I could hold it - and drank a sip. Delicious! Why was everything in this place so damned scrumptious! I downed the glass harder than an alcoholic before final call at a bar, "This apple juice is amazing!"

"Yep, Granny Smith makes 'em just the perfect way, with the exact amount of sugar and spice to make everythin' nice." Applejack laughed.

Granny Smith? Seriously? Just because you own apples, grow apples, and are good at making shit with apples doesn't mean you have to name yourselves after the fruit! "She certainly has a way with apples."

Applejack took it as a compliment. We got back to work, and Applebloom returned to the house.

Now, I go to the gym, and I work out pretty regularly, but the stamina of those two apple Ponies was incredible! Applejack was like a machine, buckin' and thumpin' the apple trees, while Big Mac just hauled the carts to and from the main barn without a hint of slowing down.

"Applejack, can I ask you a question?" I said when we were taking a breather.

"Sure, Forest. What you want to ask?"

"Instead of putting the baskets under each tree, buckin' it, waiting for the baskets to fill, then carry them back to the cart, why don't we," I paused for dramatic effect, "Just put the cart under the tree and then buck the apples so they fall directly into the cart?"

Applejack looked at her brother, who looked at her, then they both looked at me. I could almost hear the lightbulbs going off at the same time.

"That's great, Forest! I wonder why I never thought of that."

I couldn't tell if she was being honest or sarcastic. Apparently they were being genuine.

Big Mac backed the cart under the tree, and then Applejack bucked it. Half the apples fell into the cart, but the other half ended up on the ground.

"Aw, shucks, Forest. I sounded like a good idea, but we can't waste time pickin' these apples from the ground. It would take twice as long to complete the job..."

"If you give me half an hour, some long planks of wood, some tools, and two old bedsheets, I can fix that for you."

"Well, we are about to break for lunch. Usually we take an hour or two to relax depending on how fast we've harvested the apples, and we're behind. But considerin' you're tryin' to help out an' all, I'll give you get one hour, okay?"

Sacrifice my lunch hour to do them a favor? No way! Sacrifice my lunch hour to speed up efficiency? Fuck yeah!

As soon as they handed me the things I needed, I took the tools and began to work. Essentially what I did was create two trampolines with the planks of wood and the bedsheets in the middle. Then, using a couple more planks, I angled the trampolines to face the cart, cleverly using a wooden peg for the trampolines to swivel on the back and front corner of the cart - all with no fingers. The only problem was that it would only work on the left side of the cart, not the right. Well, nothing can be perfect.

All through this, Applebloom helped me, while Applejack and Big Mac kept a worried eye over my renovation. After I was done, I still had twenty minutes to spare, and was fed a bunch of apple-based foodstuffs. I think there was apple pie, crumble, cake, and strudel. For some reason, although it was all desert, I didn't mind.

"Okay, Forest, let's go test this out." Applejack said and we walked to the nearest tree.

Quickly, I pushed the two trampolines out, they leaned against the trunk of the tree, and I bucked the tree. The apples - or the vast majority of them, landed on the bedsheets, and then rolled down into the cart. In two hits, the tree was done and we were on our way to the next one. Suffice to say, we not only harvested the crop quota of the day, but almost half of that total on top of that. We were done far sooner than expected. A five hour work-shift only took us three hours.

"Thanks, Forest. That was really clever of you. You're pretty handy guy. You want to do another job?" Applejack asked.

With absolutely nothing to do, and not really feeling like going back to my room and seeing that bitch of a receptionist, I said, "Sure, why not."

"Cleanin' windows," Applejack said, wiping a large glass window, "Can you do the ones up there?"

Looking up, I wanted to groan. But I said I would, so I did.

As I was cleaning the window, Applebloom opened the one next to me and poked her head out, "Hey Forest, you want to try and find our Cutie Marks together later?"

I looked at her, "I don't mind, I guess..."

"Great!" She slammed the window down before I could tell her that I wasn't so sure that her siblings would approve.

Now, you might think that washing windows is an easy task, but let me tell you, for a Pony, that job was a pain in the... flank? Without hands, you can't hold on to anything. And if you use your hoof to wipe the glass, you need something to hold the water. So, how do you do it? Well, you hold the pale of water in your mouth by the handle, then you use your hoof to hold onto the ladder, while the other you use to wipe the window. Now, don't get me wrong, that isn't the worst part of it. The worst part is that you need to keep your neck up while doing this, and believe me when you are holding a bucket of water in your jaw and keep on having to keep your neck up... well, let's just say my neck was killing me.

Two hours of cleaning windows later, I got down and from the ladder and took a step back to admire my work. For a small rustic looking house, there were a lot of windows. My jaw ached, my back ached, and my hooves ached, but I strangely felt happy.

"Good job, Forest."

"Thanks, Applejack."

"Here's your pay. I'm fair girl, so I paid for your help in harvesting them apples and your help in cleaning the windows, plus a little extra for the harvester you made for us. It'll come in handy the next time we need to go Applebuckin'."

"Wow. Thanks!" I looked inside and took a coin out. A coin! And there was a Unicorn on it and everything.

Applejack looked at me studying the coin, "Is that enough?"

I looked at her, "What? Huh? Oh, I've just not seen a coin like this before... I mean, I can't remember seeing a coin like this before, so it's new to me. I was curious." Got to be careful!

"Yeah, that's Princess Celestia," Applejack said, taking the coin and showing me the face, "And this here is the Ponyville town seal."

The other side of the coin had a large number one minted onto it, with something in the background. There were twenty five of them in the bag. Was that a lot?

"I'm sorry, but I... don't understand the value of the currency. Can you... explain it to me?" I asked.

"I don't rightly know what you mean, but you can rent a house for that amount for a month," Applejack said, laughing, "Of course you won't be able to eat nothin'."

"How much is a room a night at the place I'm staying at?" I asked.

"I think it's one bit a night. I dunno, I've never stayed there before."

"I see..." Maybe renting a house or a room would be a better idea - then I can 'play' around more instead of working. That would help me find the answers I seek quicker! "Do you know of any place I can stay?"

Applejack thought about it, "No, I can't think of a place. Can you, Big Macintosh?"

"Nope."

"What about the Cutie Mark Crusaders' club house?" Applebloom said suddenly.

"A clubhouse?" I asked.

"Sure. All you need is a place to sleep, right? And me, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle built it up real nice. It's like a home now, 'cept it's got no toilet or shower."

The gesture, as great as it was, was pointless. There was no way that...

"That's a great idea, Applebloom!" Applejack replied.

"What?" I asked, bewildered.

"You can use the facilities in the barn - we got showers and everythin' in there. All you need then is a place to sleep, and get you out of that hotel."

"I'd... have to think on that. I mean, I'm grateful for the offer," Not in the slightest! "But I'd still have to see. Zecora already told the receptionist I'd be there for a week."

"Well, suit yourself. The offer remains open. I'll charge you a bit for every two days, instead of one." Applejack smiled.

"Can I let you know later?" I replied, there was no way I was going to sleep in a clubhouse!

"Sure. As I said, offer remains open."

For one thing, these Ponies were very trusting, and open. They believed in me despite giving them no reason to in return. Sure I work hard, and sure I was able to help them harvest their crops faster, but that doesn't necessarily mean that you invite them to live on your lands - even if you charge them for rent. A part of me warmed up to Applejack. She was kind, that I had to give her. Her brother smiled in the background, a straw of hay dangling from mouth.

Walking back towards Ponyville, my muscles screamed in agony. I was sore all over.

"Forest! Forest!" A voice suddenly called to me.

I did not even need to turn around to see who it was, "Hi, Pinkie."

"Ooh, I heard that you were working at Sweet Apple Acres but I was too busy today to come and see you so I worked really, really hard as fast as I could to come visit but I only just finished work and was wondering if you could help me deliver some baking goods to my friends?"

"What?" I asked. I seriously had no idea what she said to me.

"Can you help me deliver cakes to my friends?" She asked again, grinning.

Seriously? I asked myself. My body was already killing me from apple bucking and window washing. My jaw felt as if it would fall out of place. Still, Pinkie was everypony's friend. If I was rude to her, or did not help her, would she tell everyone and get me isolated? Could not afford it. So, sucking up the pain, I nodded, "Sure, Pinkie. I'll help."

"Hooray!" Pinkie shouted, leaping up into the air.

We walked together to Sugarcube Corner - next to my hotel. So close, yet so far.

As I walked inside, the first thing that I noticed were two little children rushing around the floor. One was zipping around the air, and the other was playing with toy blocks in the corner. Using magic, I could tell from the glow around the magical blocks.

"Well, hello there. Pinkie has told us so much about you. Forest, is it?" The stallion said, "I'm Carrot Cake, and this is my wife, Cup Cake."

"Nice meeting you. Are you the geniuses that created these deserts? I've never, ever eaten anything quite as delicious as these."

"Pinkie says you've lost your memories. That's so sad," Mrs. Cake replied sadly, I could see in her eyes that she felt sorry for me.

"It's okay. Hopefully I can remember things soon."

"But what were you doing in the Everfree Forest? No-pony smart goes in there," Mrs. Cake said, I think she was trying to scold me.

Shrugging, I replied, "Can't say I know. In retrospect, it might not have been such a great idea."

The Cakes laughed, "Well, I see that Pinkie's rounded you up to help us deliver some cakes."

"Happens." I said rolling my eyes.

"Pinkie!" A young unicorn squealed when Pinkie appeared.

Pinkie rushed over to the child's side and started making faces and having a ball. The flying one landed next to the Unicorn and both just rolled over one another in laughter at Pinkie's antics.

"She certainly has a way with kids," I said looking at the three of them.

"She's a wonderful foal-sitter. She'd be a great mother one day."

At the mention of being a mother, Pinkie turned around and blushed. For the first time since I've known her, she actually acted normal.

"Anyway," Mr. Cake cut in, "the boxes for delivery are over here."

Turning around I followed Mr. Cake out the back and saw a cart with all sorts of boxes loaded onto it. Unlike the cart from Sweet Apple Acres, this one was about half the length - a 'compact cart'. The boxes loaded onto it were all in bright colors, and I noticed that each box was a single type of color. Well, at least this time I did not have to carry anything.

Getting behind the pull-area of the cart, I found that it there was a comfortable belt that I slipped onto my body and pulled. It was definitely easier than carrying things, even with the fancy contraption that Rarity had designed. I walked out to the front of the store and waited for Pinkie to come out.

"Okay, first we need to go to Applejack's house," Pinkie frowned, "I'm sorry that you have to go back there, Forest."

"No worries, Pinkie," I replied, forcing a smile on my face. In truth I was extremely annoyed, but I could not insult the town's most favorite Pony.

On the way, Pinkie was singing to herself. Something about how happy she was, bouncing and dancing around. If she had so much energy, why didn't she pull the damned cart on her own? As we approached the house, where less than an hour ago I had cleaned the windows, Pinkie rang the doorbell. We waited for a few moments before Applebloom answered the door.

"Oh, hi Pinkie, Forest," She said, "You change your mind, Forest?"

I shook my head, "I didn't say yes or no, Applebloom. I just said I needed time to think about it."

"Think about what?" Pinkie asked.

"Renting out her old clubhouse instead of staying at the hotel," I replied.

"Ooh. That sounds like a good idea."

"Hi Pinkie, whatcha doin' back here, Forest?" Applejack said at the door. Behind them I could see Big Mac pottering about, "I see Pinkie's got you helpin' her now. You're a mighty helpful feller."

"I try..." Because I have little choice in the matter.

"What are you guys doing here?" Applejack asked, her eyes drifting towards the cart of cakes.

"I made too much batter today, and had some extra, so I decided to bake cakes for all my very, best friends!" She went round back and took one of the packages, the one colored orange, and gave it to Applejack.

"Why, thank you, Pinkie. Your cakes are delicious! I appreciate it."

"Okee, see you later, Applejack!" Pinkie then walked over to me, "Now, let's go to Rarity's."

"Okay, boss," I said jokingly.

Pinkie just grinned at that. Together we walked towards the town again and stopped by Rarity's. She opened the door, and upon seeing me she slapped her head, "Oh forest, I'm so sorry! I forgot to pay you yesterday for dropping off Brian's clothes. I must honor our agreement. How much did we say?"

"We didn't. I don't really have a value for money..."

"Neither do I!" Pinkie put in.

Rarity rolled her eyes at Pinkie, "Does two bits sound fair?"

You cheap bitch! "Sure."

Rarity gave me two coins, which I slipped into the pouch that Applejack had given me to hold the rest of my loot, "So, what do I owe the honor of such a visit?"

Pinkie explained the extra batter story she had given to Applejack before, and handed Rarity a white box with a purple ribbon. I had to hand it to Pinkie, she really put a lot of detail into her friend's cakes. As Rarity opened it, she was elated to find that it was her favorite cake, and icing. She thanked Pinkie, and the both of us turned and headed towards Twilight's library.

Spike answered the door. He looked like shit.

"What happened to you?" I asked.

"Nothing. Hi, Pinkie," He looked at me, "Forest, do you know a lot about girls?"

Where did that question come from? "Not really. Even if I did, I wouldn't remember, remember?" There was no use telling him that the few times I've even enjoyed company from the softer sex was during one night in high school filled with drug and alcohol induced regret. I was perhaps the worst person to ever help in any relationship.

"Oh." Spike turned and left the door open.

Twilight poked her head out moments later, "I don't know what's gotten into Spike, he's been in a real funk today. Oh, hi, Forest."

"Hi."

"He was just asking Forest about girls," Pinkie put in, smiling widely.

"Girls?" Twilight raised an eyebrow.

"He's a boy. Young. These things happen." I said, trying to act the part, "But I'm not really... helpful when it comes to these kind of things." In reality, I was probably unhelpful in all sorts of social situations. The only way I was able to participate thus far has been because I've managed to preoccupy myself with other things.

"So, what are you guys doing here?" Twilight asked.

Again the cake and batter story, and Pinkie brought a purple present to Twilight, but at the mention of cake, Spike had already intercepted the package and rushed it indoors. Expecting that, Pinkie had a second one in the same color. Despite her floozy attitude, she planned ahead. I had to give her points for that.

Saying our good-byes, I followed Pinkie to the next house. The Dash's. Every step I took towards that house seemed heavy. I did not want to see or meet Brian after the exchange the previous night. He had really struck a nerve in me, and I am perhaps the worst actor on either worlds. Luckily I had an excuse not to go inside. I was pulling the cart.

As we walked up the path to their front door, I saw Brian around the back watering some plants.

"Rainbow Dash!" Pinkie shouted, and a rainbow streak zoomed past me and tackled Pinkie.

The two were rough-housing for a moment, before settling down. The commotion had attracted Brian's attention, who put away his gardening gloves into his rear pocket, placed the watering can on a tree stump and walked over. He smiled at the two girls, but gave me a keen look. Not really in the mood for confrontation, I just looked away.

"Dad," Rainbow Dash said quietly, barely loud enough for me to hear, "Come on. He's not a human."

"Who's not a human? Forest?" Pinkie said out loud.

My bones stiffened despite myself, and I turned my head towards the three of them, "What?" I said trying to sound stupid.

"Brian thinks you're a human, Forest!" Pinkie said, bounding around me. Planning ahead maybe she was good at. Sensing awkward situations like this she was completely useless, "Isn't that funny?"

"I guess so. I mean, I don't look anything like him. For one thing, I've got these hooves..."

"If Celestia can change me into a Pony, which she did for a brief moment, then she can change you too," Brian replied. He was being very aggressive, and put himself between Rainbow Dash and me.

Somewhere in the back of me mind a voice screamed. I think it was mine, but I had to play it cool. Somehow, I had to convince this Brian that me being human was wrong. But how?

"Then why not go and ask her?" I said.

Brian's face suddenly changed. Good! He was not expecting that. Ride on it!

"Yeah. Why not go and ask her? Surely she would be able to tell if what you say is true."

Brilliant! Brian's face had changed. The aggressive demeanor of his body had subsided, and instead he just stood there looking at me, confused.

"You said 'anybody'. No-one in Ponyville says 'anybody'." Brian said, trying to rationalize his thoughts.

"Well, what about other places? Ponyville surely isn't the only town in... the world..."

"Equestria," Pinkie put in.

"In Equestria. Thank you, Pinkie."

"Welcome."

"Maybe I came from another place. A town where there are more creatures than just Ponies." That was the gambit. I made a huge gamble. There was no evidence that there were other sentient beings, but seeing Spike, a Dragon, this gamble might actually work. All I had to do was wait - I would know if it didn't work soon enough.

"See, dad. He's not from Earth," Rainbow Dash placed a hoof on her father's shoulder, "He's not here to take me away."

"What?" I asked.

"Dad was scared that you were here to take me back to Earth."

"Why would I do a thing like that?" And that was honestly an honest question. Really. Why would I?

"He's just protective of me, that's all. I mean, he did give up everything to come here." Rainbow looked at her dad and grinned.

He didn't leave shit behind. He was alone with nothing, you were all he had. Of course he's going to choose you over that empty life. I said in my mind, "For someone who means everything to you, sacrificing everything is a small price to pay." God damn, that was a great line!

"That' very... well put, Forest." Rainbow Dash replied, "See, dad?"

"Fine, suppose I buy into the fact that you're from another place, let's say a big city like Canterlot, that doesn't explain your lack of any reaction to seeing me for the first time. I've been around Ponies for five years now, five whole years, and I've seen them all react to me in the same way. First they are afraid, then after a while they warm up to me. You had absolutely zero fear of me from the get-go. In fact, I seemed familiar to you. You didn't even flinch when I offered you my hand."

The first time ever I wished I had pants so that I could shit in them. Instead I just stared at Brian for a long moment trying to come up with a reason. Any reason! But everything I could think of just did not make sense. It was time to repeat the fear of the Timberwolf again.

"The Timberwol..."

"Yes, yes. The Timberwolf scared you and you had no fear left. Don't buy it. You can tell me anything you want, and these girls might believe you, but I don't. I don't care what they say, there's something about you. Something... different."

"Fine. Suppose I say you're right, I am different, then my next question is this: why would I want to do anything to your daughter?" Now it was my turn to go on the offensive. Could not let him have the upper-hand on me. Now it was my turn to press him.

"I don't know." Brian said after a moment.

Good, now I have him doubting his initial reason to be wary of me. That's a start. My told myself.

"As I said to you last night, when you accused me of being a human, I told you that I was tired and was not interested in your accusations. I stand by that. And I will repeat, if you find out anything about me, then please, let me know. I will be very interested." I forced a smile on my face, but I held my breath.

Brian just turned around and stormed into his house without another word. I had to give it to the guy, he was sharp. He knew right away I was suspicious, and knew that I was not who I said I was. My only hope was that he really believed that I willed no harm to him or his daughter, and to steer clear of him as much as possible. But if Rainbow Dash is such great friends with Pinkie, would that even be possible?

"Dad!" Rainbow called out after her father, "Forest, I'm really sorry about this..."

Time to play the 'nice-guy' card! I said to myself, "No, don't worry, Miss Dash. Your father is only looking out for you."

"I'm not a baby..."

"Pardon me for saying so, but you'll always be his baby." Game set, and match.

Rainbow smiled, "Call me Rainbow. Doesn't feel right being called 'Miss Dash' by... a friend?"

"If you say so, Rainbow." Yes! I've been friended! "Pinkie. Isn't it time?"

Pinkie, who had been sitting quietly to one side since the start of Brian's accusations, now was back to her bubbly self. She picked up a cyan box, with a rainbow ribbon, and handed it to Rainbow, then another one, this one a skin-color not too disimilar to Brian's skin-tone was also handed over, at the same time explaining her cake batter story. When done, Rainbow watched us go, and didn't shut the door until we were quite a way down the road.

"I've never seen Brian get like that... well, once. When he first came to Equestria, Princess Celestia confronted him. It was so scary!" Pinkie shuddered.

I laughed. I was happy to have managed to somehow escape again. "So, where to now?"

"Next is Fluttershy."

"Fluttershy?" I asked, "I don't think I've met her."

"She's really, really, really shy. She didn't come last night because one of her animals was sick. Her pet rabbit, Angel. He's getting old, so Fluttershy is taking care of him." At the mention of Angel's name, Pinkie's bubbliness faded.

"How old is the rabbit now?" I asked.

"He turned ten a little while ago." Pinkie replied, looking up at me.

Now, when I was younger I had a pet rabbit. I got it for my sixth birthday, I remember it because it was the year that my father in all his glory, decided to beat my mother almost to death and therefore got himself thrown in jail, where he got shanked for talking shit. He died on the spot. My mother, glad to be rid of my father and his abusive control, went on a rampage of drinking and drugs. By the time I was twelve, she was in rehab, and I was living with my mother's mother. My grandma was a forgetful old tart, but she meant well. When I reached sixteen years of age, she bit the dust. I remember going to the crematorium alone - my mother was in rehab and could not make it. My rabbit died a few weeks later. Ten years old.

After that, I went to boarding school. Was bullied, retaliated, got into a light of fights, expelled. Rinse, repeat that for three more semesters, after which I buried myself into books and forgot everything else.

In conclusion, I hated rabbits.

The path we traveled on looked very familiar, and I turned to Pinkie, "This road seems familiar."

"It's the path to the Everfree Forest, but don't worry, we're not going in. Fluttershy's home is right over there, see?"

And near the forest, indeed was a little house. A chicken coop lay outside. Pinkie rushed ahead of me, and knocked on the door. By the time I reached, I saw a yellow Pony hovering a little off the ground.

"Hi, Pinkie."

Pinkie inhaled, but Fluttershy closed her mouth, "Sh! Not so loud. Angel is sleeping."

"Sorry, Fluttershy," Pinkie told her about the cakes, and handed her a yellow box. The rest of the conversation was held in whispers, so I couldn't hear them, but they were looking over my way and talking.

Eventually Fluttershy came over towards me and flew just above my head, "Hello, I'm Fluttershy."

"Hello, I'm Forest," I said whispering as well, "How is your rabbit?"

At that, Fluttershy landed on the ground, "Not good, I'm afraid. He's doing very poorly. I don't know what to do? He's always been..."

No! Don't you fucking dare! Don't do it! Oh, shit. She's doing it! She's going to do it! Ah, shit. Fluttershy began to cry.

As awkward as it was, I patted her back, "There, there. It happens. The Circle of Life must go on."

I turned to look at Pinkie, who also consoled her friend. For the next hour, I just stood there and watched the two girls. Even with her energy, and her excited attitude, Pinkie did her best to try and make Fluttershy smile. And what's more, she understood the situation, and acted in the proper manner. If you had told me a couple of hours ago that Pinkie was able to do that, I would have laughed at you and told you to stop hallucinating, but now I could see. Her friends really mattered to her.

When the cry session was over, Pinkie showed Fluttershy back to the door, and watched as she entered her house.

"Will she be alright?" I asked.

"Yes, I think so. I'll come again tomorrow and check up on her." Pinkie smiled at me, "But she talked to you. She rarely talks to anypony the first time."

"Guess I'm lucky."

We walked back together, stopping along the way for Pinkie to hand out random cakes to random Ponies. It was amazing just how many of them were so eager to get at Pinkie's cakes, and what was even more amazing was all the free stuff that Pinkie got in return for them.

Parking the cart back into the area behind Sugarcube Corner, I saw Mr. and Mrs. Cake standing on the ledge of the loading bay looking down at us.

"Did you guys enjoy your date?" Mrs. Cake asked.

"Wha-!" I said in shock.

Pinkie turned even more pinker than before - something I didn't think was possible; the fact that Ponies could blush was another matter. She just stood there looking embarrassed for a long moment, like a deer caught in headlights. After a pause she looked at Mrs. Cake, "It wasn't a date! Forest was just helping me."

Mrs. Cake just smiled and nodded, "Okay, okay. Sorry, I just thought..."

"Dear, I think I heard the kids crying out for you." Mr. Cake cut in.

Mrs. Cake, whether understanding the hint, or just was concerned for her children, disappeared into the shop. I gave Mr. Cake the man-nod, the man-sign for 'thanks'. He nodded back, and followed his wife inside.

"I'm so-sorry, I don't know why Mrs. Cake..."

"It's okay, Pinkie. I had fun," Dare I say it, "You're great company. We should hang out again."

Pinkie's eyes opened wide, and the smile on her face - well, it was priceless. Stumbling and fumbling, she walked up the stairs to the door. Eventually she opened it, laughing stupidly in the process. Then, when she eventually entered the house, and closed the door, only them did I start walking towards my hotel.

Walking up to the receptionist, she eyed me.

"What?" I asked.

"I saw you... and Pinkie." She said, then she leaned forwards, "Are you friends with her too?"

The venom in her voice shocked me. I know venom when I hear it, I produce enough venom in my words that would put a cobra to shame. I didn't say anything.

"I don't want you in my hotel," She said, narrowing her eyes, "Anyone who's friends with her can find another place to stay. Pay, and leave."

"Can't I at least stay tonight?" I asked, not really wanting to get into another fight after that bout with Brian earlier.

"Fine. But I want you out by morning."

She threw the key to my room at my face. Picking it up off the floor, I went to my room.

Automatically, I went for the laptop, and placed it on the table. Tutela was waiting for me.

"What is wrong with that receptionist?" I asked.

"She seems to have a... 'problem' with Pinkie. So, did you enjoy your day? You got paid twice. For helping at Sweet Apple Acres, and you got paid for the errand you ran for Rarity. Not bad. Then, you helped Pinkie deliver her cakes to her friends without hesitation, and confronted Brian again. It's too bad he's stubborn, but that is also perhaps the main reason why he's in Equestria in the first place. Once he gets an idea in his head..."

"Seems that I'm moving out tomorrow," I said, leaning back against the back of the chair, "Where will I find a place..."

The thought struck me already. There was a place.

"Clubhouse?" Tutela asked.

I nodded.

"Well, at least now you can buck all the apples and clean all the windows you want." Tutela grinned at me.

"You know, I'm beginning to hate apples and windows." I replied, putting my hoof on the back of the monitor to be ready to close it for the night.

"Then maybe you would rather use Linux?" Tutela laughed out loud at her own joke, and as she said it, the screen changed again to another operating system.

"I hate you. I hate you so much." I said aloud to the Changeling.

"I know." She replied, grinning like Dracula as I shut the laptop.

Then I lay on the bed, and passed out.

Day 3: Forest's Home

Waking up, I noticed that it was still dark outside. The laptop was in front of my face, closed tightly. Gingerly, I pried it open and saw the Changeling pottering about in what looked like a kitchen. It seemed that she noticed me and turned around, "Good morning."

I blinked my eyes open, and looked at the time. Just past four. "Mmmrning." I grumbled.

"You need a watch or something. You can't keep using the laptop to check the time."

"Do they even have wristwatches in this world?" I asked sitting up.

Tutela merely shrugged, "I'm a Changeling, remember? I never really interacted with other Ponies from that world, only with my kind, and we never had watches. We never even had clocks. Not that we needed it. We just... were. When there was food, we ate. When there was places to go, we went. We didn't really 'think' about it, so we never really 'thought' about time in general. To be honest, it took me a while to understand the concept."

"The more I learn about Changelings, the more I compare them to the Zerg," I muttered out loud.

"The what?"

"Never mind," I pulled myself out of bed, and went to the bathroom. Turning to the little stall, I turned on the shower. After setting the temperature just right, I soaked myself in the water. My first shower since I got here. I saw a huge plastic soap dispenser in the corner with an oversized pump lever. Pushing it, I saw a large glob of light-blue substance ooze out. I caught it in my hoof, then rubbed it on my body. Shampoo? Soap? Whatever it was, it made the skin under my fur feel cool, and a strong minty smell filled the bathroom. It was amazing! One handful - or hoofful - was enough to lather my entire body up. Then next to the extra large soap dispenser was another small dispenser with green liquid in it. I pushed on that, and a thicker goop came out. Instinctively I put that on my mane, and tail - this was shampoo, and it smelled wonderful. The scent was completely unique! It was not fruity, nor minty, but had a very pleasant odor. I couldn't tell if it was floral, but it seemed to be. Rinsing myself off, I reached for a towel and dried myself completely.

"That was great! I feel so refreshed!" I said, looking at Tutela, who was looking away from me. Were her cheeks pink? Was she blushing? Did she spy on me in the shower? "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," She said rolling her eyes, "Why are you leaving so early in the morning? You don't have to check out for a while."

"It's not that, it's... well, to be honest, I don't feel comfortable with staying here with that receptionist. I feel as if she might sneak into my room and stab me when I least expect it."

"Nothing I can help you with there. If you die in that world... you stay dead," Tutela leaned forward towards the screen, "So, don't die. If you do, neither of us win. Unless you prefer being dead than spending eternity with me."

"No. No. Life is much more appealing than death." It was. That wasn't a lie. I was in no way going to kill myself, even if it meant staying with the Changeling and her sharp pointy fangs.

Slipping the laptop into my duffel-bag, the only two possessions I had, I closed the door to my hotel room for the last time. Walking down to the reception, I took a deep breath and gulped. This was it.

"Good morn-"

"Five bits. Pay it and get out." She barked, cutting me off.

Without opening my mouth - for talking, I had to use my mouth to pull out the coin-purse that Applejack gave to me - I dumped five coins on the desk. She slammed her hoof as the last coin touched the table, which scared the daylights out of me, and pulled the coins towards her over the desk.

And that concluded our business. With my eyes wide open, I turned and headed for the door, but something bothered me. Something made my blood boil, my anger rage. Something inside me just wanted to... express itself, and I wasn't sure why, and I wasn't sure what was making me feel this way, but I just had to say something. Anything! I had to. I just had to.

"You know why everybo - pony, why everypony likes Pinkie and not you?" I asked turning around, "It's because she's kind, friendly, open, and gentle. She would never wish harm on anyone, and she only wishes the best even to you. I don't care why you hate her. I don't really see a reason apart from the fact that everyone likes her more than you, and trust me, even as new as I am I can see that, and for some obscure reason you can't stand that. You can't stand the fact that Pinkie has more friends than you! You can't stand that Pinkie is better than you! And there's no-pony to blame but yourself and that disgusting attitude of yours."

Then I stormed out the door without turning back. I heard a loud growl from behind me as the door closed, but I felt really good. Being a raging asshole isn't something new to me, but something about being an asshole to the receptionist just felt... right. I mean, it felt good. Usually after an episode of 'assholiness' (as I like to call it) I feel somewhat dirty, but not this time.

Walking past Sugarcube Corner, I saw the lights on in the kitchen. Walking over to the loading bay around back, I noticed that cart from yesterday was still parked where I had left it. Despite dragging it all over the place, I couldn't help but smile. I really had fun, except for the part where Brian attacked me again. That wasn't so fun.

Walking up the steps then to the rear entrance, I knocked gently on the open door.

"Hello?" I said, not too loudly, aware that there were children in this household. I can stand babies, but crying babies were a whole new ballgame.

Mr. Cake poked his head around the corner, "Oh, hello, Forest. Pinkie Pie isn't awake yet..."

"Oh, no. I just checked out and..." I started.

"You're leaving Ponyville already? But, you've only just got here..." Mr. Cake interrupted me.

"No, no. I checked out of the hotel. I... was essentially thrown out by the receptionist." I confessed. Mr. Cake was a real easy guy to talk to, "I'm currently homeless. The Apples have got a place for me for now."

"The Apples? I assume you mean Applejack and her brood."

"Yes, sir." I replied.

"Call me, Carrot."

"If you don't mind, sir, I'd rather not. Calling you 'Carrot' doesn't seem... appropriate." It sounded too much like calling him 'darling'.

"Well, suit yourself."

Just then Mrs. Cake walked in.

"Oh, good morning, Forest," She sang, "Pinkie is still asleep. Do you want me to wake her?"

"Oh no. Please don't. I just stopped by for a quick visit."

"Seems that Crystal has evicted him from her hotel." Mr. Cake replied.

"Crystal?" I asked.

"Oh yes, Cyan Crystal. She's a strange Pony, that one. She's fairly new to Ponyville, came here about four years ago. She set up that hotel across the road. She's... nice - usually, but sometimes..." He didn't continue. He didn't need to.

"My husband is a good man, but sometimes I think Pinkie Pie's lack of common sense rubs off on him. What he means to say is that Cyan Crystal is a mean, mean Pony, who seems to have a grudge against Pinkie and takes it out on everyone else." Mrs. Cake put in.

"I have common sense," Mr. Cake pouted.

Mrs. Cake ignored him, "Pinkie Pie was sick when Crystal first came, and so Pinkie never threw her one of her 'Welcome to Ponyville' parties. By the time Pinkie got better, everyone already knew Crystal - her attitude is infamous here in Ponyville, and she was no longer new. Still, Pinkie did offer to throw a party, but Crystal seemed to get angry at the thought and really was mean to poor Pinkie."

"I rarely see Pinkie cry, but I'll never forget how sad she was that day," Mr. Cake interrupted, "Pinkie only returned to her normal self after a few days, and in Pinkie's timescale, that's a long time. Nowadays Pinkie avoids Crystal as much as possible. Whenever she sees her Pinkie usually hides, but I think Crystal shot herself in the foot. By breaking Pinkie's heart that way and her mean attitude have completely isolated her from the rest of Ponyville. Now, nopony wants to be her friend. But you know something, I can't tell if she cares or not."

"I... see..." Oh, now I felt just terrible. Nah. She still deserved the verbal barrage I fired at her, "So, she's just a bad per-pony! A bad pony." I caught myself just in time. I nearly said 'person', "Just because she didn't get a party?"

This time Mr. Cake continued, "I doubt it's that simple. She goes through these mood swings. Sometimes she's normal and treats you indifferently. But other times she talks down to you, as if you were the lowest thing living on this planet, while other times she's downright rude and mean. But if you have anything to do with Pinkie she will become excessively cruel. Even after learning that Pinkie was everypony's friend in Ponyville... I have no idea what's going on in that head of hers, but we have a long standing order with her, so we deliver our freshly baked goods - even though she knows that Pinkie lives with us. She only comes here to pay for the next months supply of baked goods."

"I can understand why." I said, smiling, "Best in Equestria, I'm told. And I believe it."

Mr. Cake beamed at that, grinning widely.

Mrs. Cake was not done though, "About two weeks ago Cheerilee and her got into a big fight over at the café. It got so bad that others had to intervene. Now, for a small town like Ponyville, that's something that's just not done. I mean, if Crystal wants to live peacefully here she is ruining all her chances at that. She's making it very hard for anypony to be friends with her and quite frankly I don't think she cares."

"Cheerily?" I asked.

"Cheerilee is the teacher at the local school for the younger grades. My children will be in her class in two years." Mrs. Cake explained.

"Ah. Cheerilee," My nose suddenly filled up with the delicious scent of freshly baked goods. My mouth watered despite myself and I had to force myself to smile.

"Feeling peckish?" Mr. Cake asked, smiling, "Here, on the house."

He gave me a huge muffin! I gobbled it down eagerly. I did not eat dinner the last night, even after the work at the farm, and Pinkie's deliveries, I was totally worn out. I didn't realize just how hungry I was.

"Still hungry?" Mrs. Cake asked, and handed me another huge muffin, "Also on the house."

She did not need to tell me twice, and after demolishing the second one, they gave me a cup of chocolate and coffee mix that put anything on Earth to shame. The way the chocolate and coffee melded into one another, and there was a slightly pleasant bitter bite at the back where it lessened the overpowering sugar-like sweetness. There were no words to describe the sensations on my tongue.

"I see you like our coco-coffee mix. It's a secret recipe that Pinkie came up with." Mr. Cake said, leaning against a giant thermos with the magical liquid inside, "If you stick around, maybe you can help with the morning rush. Work off those two muffins."

Thinking about it, I nodded, "Okay, on the condition that I get another cup of that deliciousness. It's absolutely stunning, I haven't had coffee this good..."

"Are you remembering something?" Mrs. Cake asked, her face drawing closer to mine.

Shit! "That's strange... yes. I am. I've never tasted anything this wonderful before!" I took another long pull from the cup.

"Well, that only proves that you're not from Ponyville," Mr. Cake frowned, "And we already knew that."

"Thank you for trying to help me remember. As for helping, sure. I don't have anything else planned for the day. It would be a pleasure." That wasn't a lie.

I hated to admit it, but I really liked the Cakes. They were warm, caring, open. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not new to these kind of sentiments, but back on Earth I could always feel that arm out stretched, keeping me at a distance. This was something I grew comfortable with over the years. But I was completely involved in these peoples - Ponies, lives. Now, I might be fairly clueless when it comes to social cues, but I could tell quite clearly that I was completely welcome here.

The first task I was given was to mop the front. Mrs. Cake showed me how it was done. Now, I don't really have to be told that handling a mop with ones mouth isn't the most hygienic thing to do, so I tried to stand up on my hind legs and use my forehooves instead. After some practice, it was actually easy. Usually after mopping - and yes, I've done my share of it, my lower back would start to ache. But due to my 'natural' build from being a pony, my back was already bent in half, so no lower back ache!

It didn't take me long to finish, by which time Mr. and Mrs. Cake were putting a bunch of baked goodness on display across their numerous counters. Mrs. Cake then walked back into the kitchen once she and Mr. Cake agreed where the pastries went, the cakes were presented, and the breads put into a large basket next to the cashier's desk. The smell in the room was intoxicating. Who knew that I would be such a fan? A part of me blamed my sudden shift in biology - Ponies are vegetarian, at least I thought they were. Ponies eating meat was somewhat a bit of a stretch, even for me.

"Okay, Forest. Can you unlock the front door. There's a couple signs I want you to put outside as well, they're right over there," Mr. Cake pointed to two signs next to one another, leaning against the wall near the door. On it had some words in English (yes, English), but on others it had a different, unfamiliar writing. It wasn't anything I've ever seen before.

Taking the signs out, opened them out and placed them near the entrance.

"Hello, Forest," A voice said from behind me.

I jumped, and turned to see Rarity. "Oh, hello Rarity. You scared the... daylights... out of me." I was going to say 'shit'.

She gave me a coy smile, "You really like Pinkie, don't you?"

The suddenness of the question took me aback, "Wha-?"

"Oh, don't hide it. I know." And with that, she walked past me, and into the shop. I stared after her a few moments wondering what she meant by 'know'. Whatever.

When the last of the signs was visible, I turned and walked into the store. There were quite a few more Ponies in here than before, and all of them turned to me as soon as I walked in. A few of them giggled, and walked past me - nobody I knew. Damn it! It's no-Pony! I made a mental note in my head. Was not going to get caught out on that again.

As I approached the Cakes, Rarity was there.

"Well, look at the time," She said.

"Where?" I replied, keenly interested. Did she have a watch? Where would I get one?

"I have to go. It was nice talking to you, and remember what I said." She said to the Cakes.

The Cakes grinned and nodded in response.

As Rarity turned to go, she looked at me. Those eyes piercing mine. It was not scary, but it did make me feel a little naked, like she knew something. Then she smiled, "See you around, Forest. Do come visit sometime. Don't be a stranger."

Despite myself, I laughed nervously, "Okay?"

"Toodles." She half trotted, half skipped out of the store.

I turned to the Cakes, "What was that all about?"

Mr. Cake opened his mouth to talk, but I heard a loud 'stomp' and his face winced in pain. Obviously he was going to tell me something, but Mrs. Cake stopped him.

"Never you mind, Forest. As promised, another cup of our magical brew." She said instead, and handed me the cup.

Savoring this one, I took it to the far corner so as not to be in the way. Looking at the cakes, I was fascinated by the craft. Back on Earth, breads were usually plain, but here they put a lot of art into their work. The cakes were overly ordained with many types of decorations. Some were completely over the top, others were tastefully done, but each was indeed the work of someone who loved to bake. Truly and honestly loved to bake. Not someone who thinks they can bake, and then sucks at the task.

As I finished my last sip, I turned back to the Cakes. They were talking with Twilight. When did she arrive? As I turned around, they all just grinned at me at the same time. The action was somewhat comical, as I walked over and placed the empty mug on the counter. "Good morning, Twilight. I didn't see you come in. Did I do something funny?"

"No," She said trying to act as nonchalant as possible. She was a bad liar. "Oh gosh! Look at the time!"

Again that line! Where was everyone seeing this time? This time I wasn't letting it get away. I needed to know!

"Where is the time?" I said, perhaps a little too roughly.

"The clock over there, Forest." Twilight pointed at a clock behind the Cakes near the ceiling. It read ten past eight. I've been hanging around here for four hours?

"I think I ought to be going," I said, staring at the clock, "Thanks for the food and coffee, it was delicious."

"Come back again soon, Forest." Mrs. Cake said somewhat coyly.

I furrowed my brow, why was everyone suddenly acting strange? Did Rarity tell them something? Come to think of it, what was Rarity doing up and about that early in the morning? I shoved the thought aside, I had other things to take care of.

As I approached Sweet Apple Acres Applejack spotted me and waved as I headed for the barn. I turned direction towards the field and walked towards her.

"Hello, Forest." She said when I got close enough.

"Hello. I'm going to cut right to the chase. About that clubhouse..." I grinned.

"Well, it's funny you should say that, 'cause yesterday Applebloom and I went over to take a gander at it. Well, I'm gonna be completely honest with you. It isn't exactly in livable standards, the roof's got holes, the wall's are barely standin', the door's missin', and there's parts of the floor completely gone. I swear it was fine a month ago."

Inside I died a little.

"But, 'cause of yer nifty contraption, Big Mac, Applebloom and I suddenly have lot's of free time! So, we were dicussin' and we've decided to help rebuild the Cutie Mark Crusader Clubhouse, and turn it into Forest's..."

"Fortress?" Big Mac suggested.

"Forest's Fortress... it does have a certain ring to it." Applejack said through gritted teeth. It was obvious that she didn't like it at all.

"What about Forest's Floating Fortress?" Applebloom piped in, "After all it's up in a tree!"

"I dunno... that's..." Applejack couldn't find the words.

"How about 'Home'?" I said after a moment.

The two turned and looked at me.

"Forest's Home," Applejack repeated it out loud to herself, "Y'know. I like it. It's simple. It's rustic. And well, it's homey. Good one, Forest."

"Bor-ring," Applebloom voiced, but eventually accented that since she couldn't come up with anything better, and neither did her nearly-silent bigger brother - and to be honest, I wasn't expecting anything from him.

After looking around the clubhouse to assess how much damage there really was, and to get an estimate on how many pieces of wood and stuff was required, the four of us headed back towards the house. Judging by the height of the sun, it was close to noon, and I was getting hungry despite the generous breakfast the Cakes let me eat.

As we approached the barn I spotted an old, light green pony placing some bowls of food on a table outside. I instantly knew who it was.

"Ma'am," I said respectfully bowing my head - I've seen enough Western movies. If I had a cowboy hat on like Applejack's I would've tipped the brim. Anyone who could make apple juice taste as good as it did yesterday deserved respect, and considering how old she was... well, I was simply amazed.

"My, my. Who's this young Stallion here?" She crowed, her eyes looking on my face through these tiny glasses, "Are you Applejack's special somepony? She's a nice young mare, she is. Tough cookie to boot."

"Granny!" Applejack exclaimed, "Forest here's that feller I was tellin' you about. He's gonna rent the ol' Clubhouse. Remember?"

"Special somepony?" I muttered to myself not understanding what she meant.

"Yes, yes. But why would ye be offerin' it unless he be somepony special?" Granny replied, a twinkle in her eye.

Now I knew what she meant. Despite my embarrassment, I had to give it to the old gal. She had a very good point. Why would they offer it to me unless they thought I was someone trustworthy.

"Because he helped make that new cart-apple-catcher-thingy."

"Harvester," I corrected her.

"Harvester! Thank you, Forest. Because he built the harvester, and we were just bein' nice and neighborly!" Applejack replied.

"Okay, don't get your freckles all in a huffle. I was just teasin'."

Huffle?

Even Big Mac was laughing behind Applejack, who received a kick. That did little to stop the guy from continuing laughing, louder than before. Funny that this is the most I've ever heard coming from his mouth so far. Applebloom was giggling away as well, and even I wasn't immune to it. I smiled to myself and watched this family, a family which I never had, having fun with one another. Some part of me felt uncomfortable. I didn't belong here, not with these good people. People like me belonged to another genre - sorry, Ponies like me. Have to stop getting the two confused. There are no people in Equestria, except one.

"Have a seat there, Forest." Applejack said, pointing to the picnic bench.

I sat down, and Applebloom sat on my left, Granny Smith sat on my right at the head of the table on her own special chair. Opposite me sat Applejack, and next to her sat Big Macintosh. I felt somewhat sheepish sitting at that table, again I felt so out of place that it just didn't feel right.

"Relax, Forest. Granny ain't gonna eatcha," Applebloom said, laughing.

She was right, what was I freaking out for?

My eyes drifted to the food in front of me. Ever since I got to Equestria, all it seemed like was me eating something fantastic or drinking something spectacular. Everything just tasted so much better, fresher and purer than anything before. Honestly, that was not saying much as before my diet revolved around eating fast-food and ready-made meals heated in a microwave that I found in a dump. It's been years since I've sat down and had a meal with anyone. No, that's wrong. I've never sat down like this. Ever.

"Forest? Are you okay?" Applejack said, looking at me with concern.

"Yes. Why?"

"You're... you're cryin'."

I was taken aback, "Am I?" I felt the area under my left eye with my left hoof, and indeed, there were tears there, "That is strange. I hadn't noticed them."

"Are you okay?" Applebloom asked as well.

"Yes, I'm perfectly fine. I just... well, I don't know. It's just..." Words were failing me, what was going on with me? "It's just it's been so long since I've felt like this. It's... strange, but in a good way."

Applejack looked at the others around the table, and then smiled gently at me, "A fond memory?"

Fond memories, my ass! This is the happiest I've been in my miserable life! "More like feelings."

"Well, feelin's sometimes can trigger memries," Granny Smith replied, her voice was gentler, "Good ones, and the bad. Jest be sure you remember the meaning behind those feelin's, and you'll do jest fine."

In some strange way, she made sense, "Sure thing, Granny."

"Oh my! Just like that you're callin' me Granny! Are yer sure yer not Applejack's special..."

"Granny!" Applejack interrupted.

Applebloom and Big Mac were literally rolling over themselves in laughter.

I smiled, and laughed a little as well. Even though I was part of the brunt of the joke, I knew that she meant nothing by it, "No, Granny Smith. I am very grateful for this... invitation."

She smiled at that, and leaned over the food, and took a generous dollop of green liquid into a ladle and dumped it into a bowl in front of me. Not really knowing the etiquette of eating, I paused waiting for the others to start first, but their eyes were all on me.

Seriously? You guys want me to eat first, when I have no idea how Ponies eat soup in the first place? I asked in my head. There were spoons near the middle of the table, so I reached with my hoof for one and tried to pick it up, but it kept slipping. Seriously, why was it so difficult to pick these things up. Applebloom made a face, the kind one makes when you're trying not to laugh at someone when you're not supposed to. Big Mac looked away, but I could see his lips twitch as well. Even Applejack found my antics amusing.

I slammed the spoon down. To hell with it! And I picked up the bowl and drank from it straight.

Whatever it was, it was delicious. The warmth of the soup was perfect, it was enough to warm the pallette without burning the skin off my tongue. Definitely there was a tangy, apple flavor in it, much like that delicious juice from yesterday, but the thickness of the contents was a perfect fusion of texture and... no, the more I tried to describe it, the less majestic it was. Suffice to say, it was divine.

"Wow!" I exclaimed as I savored the last few drops.

"Now that's how you eat, Forest!" Applejack said, pointing her hoof at me, laughing.

We ate together for the next hour, telling jokes (Applejack's were terrible), they told me stories about the farm, their friends, their lives and adventures, places I ought to go and see, Ponies I should meet. They were really good Ponies, friendly and generous to a fault. I actually began to feel guilty that I'd been lying to them. But I had no choice. It wasn't as if I could tell them the truth anyway. If they found out, I was done for.

After we ate, Big Mac and I went down to the wood pile and loaded bits of scrap wood onto another cart. Applebloom helped, and she seemed to know which pieces of wood were needed even better than Big Mac. Now, I am not someone new to using tools, I've built my fair share of devices - usually dangerous ones, but I never really got to work with wood. So, considering how excited and authoritative Applebloom was, I let her take the lead. Then we took the tools form the tool shed and plodded over to the Clubhouse, where Applejack was moving some of the destroyed lumber and placing them onto another cart. How many carts did these Apples have?

"Forest, you make the ramp with Big Mac. Sis, can you cut these pieces of wood into rectangular shapes about this big," She put another piece of wood next to them, "I'll start on the floor."

Without question, we went about our assigned tasks. The ramp was easy to make, and thanks to Big Mac, we were done fairly quickly. Applebloom came over and started telling Big Mac to put in posts in certain areas. When I asked why, she told me it was to ensure structural integrity. Her words exactly.

With my job done, I walked over to Applejack, "Can I help you? Your sister is inspecting the ramp - so, I've got two hooves prepped and ready."

"Well, quick yer yakkin' and grab that saw over there," Applejack said, wiping her brow.

We started sawing the wood together talking about random things when the conversation drifted to the hotel, how my stay was, and inevitably the receptionist.

"I can't stand that Pony, Forest. She's a right mean ol'... well, I can't say. It ain't Marelike." Applejack said pausing her sawing.

I finished the rectangle I was working on and looked up, "Don't have to tell me. She evicted me."

"Well, if she hadn't evicted you, then you wouldn't been able to come and live here."

I blushed a little when she said that.

She realized what she said, "No-not that it matters, right? I mean... I'm sure you could've found another..."

"Thank you, Applejack." I said before she further embarrassed herself.

She smiled, "You're welcome, Forest."

"I think we ought to continue our work. We've attracted an audience," I gestured with my eyes towards the ramp where Big Mac and Applebloom were staring right at us.

Applejack must have given them a look, because they disappeared in the next moment.

Fixing the floor was quick and painless. Big Mac and I went under the clubhouse, while Applejack and Applebloom went inside; the two of them being lighter and less likely to fall through the rotting floor. Then we took out the bad planks by essentially ripping them out and throwing them into the 'waste-cart', and afterwards we angled the new bits of wood to replace the ones that were removed. In no time, the new floor was in.

"Would you like to come in and see your home from inside?" Applebloom asked.

No need to tell me twice. I walked in and looked around. It was small, but comfortable. The lack of utilities no longer mattered to me. Besides, the barn wasn't that far, only a thirty second job, or a two minute walk.

The walls were quickly completed. Each one of us took a wall and we raced to see who could replace the wall the fastest. There was no contest, as Applebloom destroyed us all, with Applejack coming in second and Big Mac coming in third. I brought up the rear. But it wasn't my fault. I had no idea how to use a hammer with hooves!

Last, but not least, was the roof. We all worked together on that. I was surprised that the roof didn't cave in, especially under Big Mac's massive weight. We took the rectangles that Applejack and I cut earlier nailed them down. It took longer, but that was because Applebloom kept telling me her misadventures with her friends when they were 'Blank Flanks', and were hunting for their Cutie Marks. Each was an instant classic.

After it was all done, we got off the roof and admired our work from the front. In one afternoon we managed to rebuild a decayed building into a livable one.

"Well, Forest. This is your new home. Do you like it?" Applejack asked.

"No." I replied with a serious face, then I turned to her and smiled, "I love it. Thank you."

Applebloom and Big Mac snorted in laughter, and Applejack shook her head and shoved me in the shoulder for telling such an awful joke.

We headed back towards the barn to return the tools to the right places, and the wood we didn't use to the lumber pile, and the rest of the scrap wood to the firewood pile. It was then that I saw a familiar pink Pony hopping towards the house.

"Hey, Pinky," Applejack said, as we reached the house.

Granny Smith and Pinkie had been chatting for a bit.

"Hi, Apple J.! I'm going to Fluttershy's house. You wanna come?"

"Well, sure. You don't mind if I go, do you, Forest?" Applejack asked looking back at me.

I understood she was being polite, since I was her guest, but seriously? In front of Granny Smith? She did not miss that comment and grinned at me.

"No, no. I'm not your guest anymore, remember? I'm your tenant, so please, don't let me hold you back." I replied.

"Hi, Forest." Pinky said, and zoomed over to me, "Did you find a new place to live?"

"Yes. We just finished building it."

"Oh yeah! The old Clubhouse." She went on, but I didn't understand a word she was saying bouncing around and zipping to and fro the way she does.

Eventually the two Mares were on their way. I watched them go for a bit, then turned to Big Mac and Applebloom.

"I've got some chores left." Big Mac stated, and lumbered off in his own pace.

Granny Smith said something about feeling tired and cold and that she had to get something, and she headed back to her home. Now it was just Applebloom and me.

"You know, you forgot about me yesterday." Applebloom said looking up at me.

"Really?"

"I asked if you wanted to go out and find our Cutie Marks, and you said you'd help."

"Oh?" Then it dawned on me. She had asked me while I was cleaning windows yesterday! But the fear from talking and washing the windows made me forget. After all, that was the second day I had hooves, and although I've sort of grown accustomed to having these new limbs, it was still scary. "Oh! I completely forgot. I'm sorry about that."

"It's okay. You want to start looking now?"

"Applebloom... are you sure you don't know what your talent is?" I asked.

"No." She sulked.

Seriously? You practically rebuilt the Clubhouse alone. "Ah. I see. Well, I'm not sure how it works. What do you do? I mean, do you just do something and you get your Cutie Mark? Who puts it there for you?"

"No, silly. Nopony puts a Cutie Mark on you. You just... get it. When you find something that's right for you, your Cutie Mark will just appear!"

I looked at her skeptically.

She groaned, "Well, when Scootaloo got hers, she was racin' Rainbow Dash! You should have seen 'em. Rainbow leadin' but Scootaloo right on her tail! They zoomed through the air," She jumped up high, "Came racin' down, then spun around..." I watched her describe her friend's movements, trying to picture it in my head. She made it sound like a dogfight between two top aces, "She was leadin' at one point! It was soooooooo exciting! But, Rainbow Dash roared past her in the last stretch, and Scootaloo lost. After the race when she took off the racing suit we saw that her Cutie Mark had appeared."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that."

"Magic?"

"Magic."

"Makes sense," No, it doesn't! "How long ago?" I asked.

"Not that long."

"And Sweetie Belle?"

"Oh, she got hers recently. Every year our school holds a talent show. This time our class decided to do a musical together, and Sweetie was volunteered to write the music and lyrics by Scootaloo and me. But during the the main show, our lead singer got sick and couldn't come. Nopony could cover, except Sweetie. It took some convincin', but when she sang..." Applebloom looked over to me, "We should go see her show tomorrow! She's doing an Opera!"

"That sounds really fun!" I replied sarcastically.

Applebloom didn't miss it. She was a lot sharper than her sister, "I used to hate Operas too. Borin' and I can't understand nothin' they sing about. But when Sweetie Belle sings... we're going! That's final!"

I pretended to cower in fear, raising my hooves above my head, and flinching, "Okay, boss!"

Applebloom giggled at my antics.

"Hey, you young'uns. Here's some warm cider for the both of yer. The one on the right's for you Forest. I put something extra special in there." Granny Smith said from behind us. She had managed to mosey on over to where we sat.

The sun was beginning to dip over the horizon at this point.

I took the cider meant for me and took a whiff. Smelt normal. I took a sip. Not normal. Not normal at all! Holy shit! Woo! I shook my head and looked at Granny Smith.

"My speshul Apple Hooch. Ain't nothin' finer, better nor stronger in all Ponyville."

"You could power a jet with this stuff," I gurgled to myself, my throat in agony. "It's fantastic! It's perfect!" For getting absolutely fucked up!

"You like it, Forest?" Applebloom asked incredulously.

"It's... interesting. Yeah. I guess I do." I replied. I did. So what if it felt like drinking lava. The aftertaste was ecstasy. It was as if my mouth had an orgasm, that's how amazing it was. There is no other way to describe this sensation. I just had a mouthgasm.

"You drink this often?" I asked Granny Smith still hanging around behind us.

"Every night. One mug. Keeps my mind sharp, and my wits sharper."

I laughed, "You... you drink an entire mug of this stuff? You're an amazin', ol' gal, aint'cha?"

Granny Smith laughed in return.

Shit, I'm getting drunk already! I haven't even had a second sip! But this... this is too awesome!

"I'll race you, sunny-boy. First one to empty the mug wins. What you say? Think you can take on a ol' gal like me?"

"You're on!" I exclaimed.

"Forest..." Applebloom warned.

"Get ready... go!" Granny Smith instigated before Applebloom could finish.

You know that voice in the back of your mind that tells you that you're going to regret this in the morning? The voice that tells you that this is a really bad idea? You know, the voice called common sense? Yeah. Fuck that voice. Like I was going to let an old lady beat me at drinking!

As I pulled the cup from my lips, I turned to Granny Smith who was already done, and grinning at me.

"No way! Ha! You actually -" I hiccuped, "You actually won!"

"Forest, granny only drinks a tiny sip! She never fills a mug all the way..." Applebloom said in my ear.

"Oh? Haha! You... you're a clever... clever..." Equestria spun around quite quickly. Too quickly for me, and I found myself struggling to maintain balance on her, "Damn. This world... this world is too awesome... talking Ponies... Dragons... flying Ponies..."

"Granny Smith! Look what you did! Forest and I were going to search for my talent!" Applebloom complained.

"Applebloom! You're incredibly talented! I've been here for three daysh," I held up my hoof, trying to hold up three fingers, but all that appeared was a solitary hoof. I saw that Applebloom and Granny looked at my hoof with a confused expression on their faces, "And I already know what your talent ish!"

"You do?" Both Applebloom and Granny Smith replied in unison.

"Shure do!" I hiccuped again.

"Well, spit it out!" Granny Smith exclaimed excitedly.

"It'sh..."

"Yes?" Applebloom asked, leaning forwards.

"It'sh..."

"Yes?" Granny Smith asked, leaning forwards.

"It'sh..." The next thing I knew everything went black, and I landed on my face. As my conscience was fading, I heard Granny Smith's voice coming from somewhere.

"Well, let's get him inside. No point in lettin' him lie there all night! I've never seen anypony able to drink a whole mug of my Apple Hooch. Mac!"

"Eeyup, Granny?" Big Mac's voice appeared a few moments later as my brain started fading out.

"Bring him to the guest room. He can sleep in the Clubhouse tamarraw..."

Granny's voice droned on for a bit longer before I drifted into a dead, dreamless, sleep.

Or, in human-speak; I passed the fuck out.

Day 4: Forest Fire!

"My head!" I groaned rubbing my poor brain with my hoof.

"Well, good mornin'! I was wonderin' when you'd wake up. Here, take these." A voice sang out from somewhere.

I opened my eyes enough to see Applejack. She walked over next to me and placed two blue pills on the bed-side table along with a glass of cold water - the condensation already forming around the body. Staring at the two oval shaped tablets, I reached over and picked them up before throwing them to the back of my mouth, and chasing it with the cool, refreshing taste of water. Only after I did that did I realize that I had just picked up two tiny pills with hooves. I'll never get used to this.

"Figured you'd not want any more apple flavored goodness, seeing as you took Granny up on her challenge and all," Applejack chuckled, shaking her head in disbelief, "A whole mug! You're a sucker for punishment."

"Tha-thank you," I replied in reference to the pills. I wasn't too sure about the other half of he statement.

My mouth felt dry and numb, even after downing the glass of water, and my brain did not stop thumping . Forcing myself to sit up, I looked around. I was in a small room, but it was cozy. The bed with me on it lay in the corner and next to me on the left was the side-table, and to my right was a wall with a long rectangular window overlooking the backyard. The edge of the barn was just barely in view from my angle. Opposite me was a small stack of drawers, on top of which lay a bunch of trinkets, and next to that was another door - the closet, I guessed. There were a number of pictures on wall, photographs of various Ponies in various places. Some looked very old. My eyes followed Applejack as she walked over, then reached across the bed and let the blinds open, the sunlight flooded the room in a warm glow. I squinted and stared up at the sun.

"What's the time?" I asked.

"Just past seven. I came to check up on you when you stirred. Honestly, I started gettin' worried." I turned to see Applejack staring at me with a frown on her face that spoke volumes. I was touched. She really cared about my well-being.

"I've made a total fool of myself, haven't I?" I asked, "I'm sorry for worrying you."

"Well, thankfully there's no harm done. On that note, that harvester of yours works too well! I've been suddenly findin' myself with a lot of free time."

"You make it sound like it's a bad thing?"

"Well, no, but it's still disorientin' to wake up early in the mornin' with nothin' to do! I'm runnin' out of ideas to keep myself busy!"

I smirked and laughed. Looking up at the ceiling, which was covered with stars cut out of what looked like gold paper, my mind instantly replayed the last moments before blacking out, "Applebloom..."

"Applebloom was all keen and excited. She said that you'd discovered her talent."

"By your tone, I think you already know."

"'Course I do. She's my lil' sister. But, it ain't for me to tell her, it's for her to discover it on her own! If I told her what her special talent was, then she might not want it or like it."

"I see..." In reality, I didn't. Why not just tell her if that's going to make her happy? I was used to being a social reject, and did not mind being alone. I highly doubted that Applebloom shared that trait. If getting her Cutie Mark was so important to her, and made her more comfortable around her peers, then wouldn't it be the right thing to do to tell her? To help her get it? But, I'm new. Maybe she had to go through all that - the words 'trials and tribulations' came to mind - to earn her Cutie Mark. If that was the case, then Applejack would be perfectly correct.

I rubbed my eyes, and rolled myself out of bed. "My bag?"

"Over there," Applejack pointed to it lying on the small dresser - I didn't see it there while I was lying down, "Can I ask what that strange box you're carrying around is? Sorry, but after you fainted, it fell out of your bag, and well, I had to put it back... I've never seen anything like it before."

You know that feeling you get when you know something just happened that wasn't supposed to happen, that if it did happen could mean that everything you've ever earned was suddenly pulled away from you? No? Well, let me tell you, it doesn't feel good at all. Not one bit. Forcing myself to remain calm, which was difficult, I went through a library of excuses. Nothing. Then I looked at the walls, and it dawned on me.

"I-it's a... picture frame. You know, one of those folding picture frames?"

"Really? A picture? Well, let me see!" Applejack said excitedly, "Maybe it'll give us a clue to who you are!"

Ah. Shit. Didn't see that one coming. "S-sure!"

Walking over to the dresser, I took my bag, opened it, and pulled out the laptop. As I opened it my breath caught in my throat. As I looked at the screen I saw a picture of a bunch of trees. My mind reeled, but then I saw a tiny little Tutela in the corner of the screen. She mouthed something. I think it was 'you-owe-me'. Then she was gone.

I showed Applejack the screen.

"Why would you have a picture of the Everfree Forest?"

"That's a very good question." I replied, my heart beating again, "I'm not sure. Maybe it's why I went there in the first place?"

She seemed to buy that.

"And what are all these numbers 'n letters 'n symbols on the other side?"

"Oh, it was just like that when I got it." I said, unable to think of anything clever.

"Oh! Like that modern art Rarity's always going on about."

"Yes! Like that! Maybe..." I closed the laptop, and slipped it back into my bag eager to stop talking about it. Perhaps I had acted to hasty?

If I did, Applejack did not comment on it. She turned and walked out the door, "Well, come on down for breakfast. Oh! Bathroom's the third door on the right down the hall that way," She said pointing to the right. She headed straight, the hallway was split by a banister, the left had two more doors facing the left side of the house, while the right half had the stairs that descended down towards the lower floor. Come to think of it, how did I end up here?

I watched her go, and counted to sixty before pulling the laptop from my bag.

"You do understand that if she mentions this to Brian, he's going to figure it out." Tutela said as soon as I opened it.

"Then I got to ask her to keep it a secret," I replied whispering.

"Well, if you do, that's only going to make her suspicious and she's going to talk to one of her friends about it. The purple Unicorn is very intelligent. Don't underestimate her. Twilight is very inquisitive. If she gets a whiff that you're hiding something, she will stop at nothing to find the answer. If you thought Brian was tough, then you are sadly mistaken."

My mind thought about the librarian Pony I met. The Unicorn that had a Dragon that seemed to be more like her adopted child than anything. That aside, my brain could not get past the stereotype. Of course is was the Pony who slept in the library would be the brainy one.

"So you're saying that my only hope is that Applejack doesn't mention it to either Twilight or Brian?" I inhaled deeply, "Can we rewind and start again?"

"Even if I could, would you really want to erase these memories? You've made quite a few in the short time you've been there." Tutela replied.

She had a point. These memories were already more precious to me than gold, diamonds, or anything. Strange that. Four days ago I was some stupid computer desk-jockey and now I'm a talking equine in a land of magical Ponies, and I was starting to not only become accustomed to it, but I was actually starting to like it here. Now that was a scary thought.

"You're right. But why are they so... nice to me?" I asked.

She shrugged, "I think they are just friendly. You have to understand, that in their world they don't have the same kind of horrors you do. Murder is extremely rare, so is death by unnatural cause other than disasters, and war is almost unheard of. Almost. All this is possible due to the supreme might of Princess Celestia, and her sister, Princess Luna who watch over the Ponies ensuring that they are safe."

"Must be quite handy, being all super-powerful."

"Magic does have its limitations. Princess Celestia might be all-powerful, but she is not invincible."

"You said she was god-like. At least, I think you did..."

"Compared to other Ponies, yes. But even she had trouble defeating Discord without extra help from the Elements of Harmony."

I stared at her blankly, "The fu..."

"I'm not going to go over that with you. Go to the library."

"Oh shit! Twilight's library books! I left them at the hotel!" I exclaimed quietly.

"Forest? Are you comin' down or what?" Applejack's voice called from downstairs, "Breakfast's gettin' cold!"

"Coming!" I shouted back, then reverted back to a whisper, "Just one more thing. Those three conditions of our bet..."

Tutela sighed, "One, you have one month to understand the true meaning of friendship. Two, not a singled being on that world can discover you're a human. Three, you cannot harm a pony or a Changeling - but I will excuse you from that one if there are extenuating circumstances."

"You mean like a jealous Cyan colored Pony coming into my room and stabbing me?"

"Yes, something like that."

I grunted and shook my head; now it was confirmed that I couldn't even hint to Brian about my human origins. The thought of giving him clues that there was something going on and try to make it obvious to him that I was a human and the fact that for some reason I couldn't tell him. The second condition of my bet with Tutela made that impossible. If anyone guesses, and is sure, then I lose. I understood that it was the second half of that bet that was keeping me in Equestria. If Brian was positive without a doubt, then it would all be over. Closing the laptop, I slipped it back into my bag, and left it on the dresser.

Walking out of what I could only guess was a guest room I headed down the stairs. It ended at the front door of the house and the main entrance hall. To my left it opened into a lounge area, where there was a fireplace at the far end of the wall - with no fire, and on the mantle were small frames of pictures. All the windows were open letting the cool air blow through the light translucent white cotton curtains that waved lazily whenever a breeze passed through them. To my right was a dining room with a long table that ran parallel to the stairs. There were twelve chairs, all identically shaped with a back that sort of resembled an apple. Five were neatly tucked in on each long side with a single chair at either end. Up against the wall on the far end were more chairs similar to the ones at the table, and considering the length of the dining room I could only surmise that the table opened out quite a ways. At the back of the dining room was a large cupboard where I could see plates and other dining room related paraphernalia stacked inside. Crockery, all with apples and apple-like art etched into them, stood out making it look somewhat like a trophy dresser.

At the far end there was a door where I heard noises coming from. Walking through the dining room, I could not help but scan the wall. Again it was covered in pictures of all sorts of Ponies. Some were pretty old, but others were taken recently. As I walked through the door at the end, I entered the kitchen.

Applebloom was standing on a small stool, her fore-hooves elbow-deep (or was it knee-deep?) in soapy water. She was obviously washing dishes. She noticed me as I walked through the door, which was to her left, "Hello, sleepy-head!"

"Good morning."

Applejack and Big Mac were sitting at a small table at the far end of the kitchen, Applejack had to turn around in her chair to look at me. The kitchen was long and narrow, and easily the biggest room in the house. There were three entrances from the main house here, the one I used, one that looked like it led into the hallway with the stairs, and the last one towards the den. There was an open door to a small alcove-like area, and I could see light streaming in from the outside, probably a door to the backyard.

"Nice to see you up and about! I was about to come and and check on you again." Applejack gestured with her hoof, "Come, sit down."

Walking across the kitchen, I looked to my left. The entire wall looked like one big window where you could see apple trees all around. Wherever there wasn't a window, it was being used for something else. Either the kitchen drawers, the counters, or even the stoves. I noticed a particular patch of trees that looked pretty much dead from where I stood. Yet they seemed to be in such a prominent place, I wondered why that was. My eyes drifted from the dead-looking trees to the stoves. There were three different stoves, and one was particularly bigger than the others and much, and also much lower to the ground.

"I see you're curious about that. It's for makin' our famous Zap Apple Jam!"

"Zap Apples?"

"You've never heard of Zap Apples?"

I shook my head.

"You've never tasted Zap Apple Jam?"

I shook my head.

"Never?"

It took me a second to realize what she was doing. I was getting careless, "Not that I can remember at least."

The answer seemed to both annoy and pacify Applejack, "Then come over and sit, yer in fer a treat!" She said the last part even more 'Southernly' than normal.

Walking the last few over to the table, I sat down at the indicated chair - between Applejack and her big brother. At once a plate of bread was buttered by a rainbow colored spread, dropped on a plate and placed in front of me. Picking it up, I sniffed it. It smelt strange. Not unpleasant, but not something overly enticing either, not like Pinkie's cakes.

"Take a bite."

I couldn't describe the sensation. Eating it not only tasted wonderful, but it was as if a jolt rushed from my mouth and tingled every inch of my body at once. I shook my head, "That's... that's amazing! That is the most delicious thing I've ever tasted."

"It's even better when it's served on bread made at Sugarcube Corner!" Applejack beamed.

Big Mac nodded approvingly of his sister's statement, closing his eyes and smiling in his way.

Destroying the piece of toast, I was sad to hear that I had eaten the last of the bread. But that was okay, because they had made pancakes! Before I could be polite, Applejack jumped up and quickly heated up one of the stoves and put a pan on. Within minutes she had whipped up three thick large pancakes, stacking them on a plate with the ease and dexterity of a professional chef, flipping them in the air. Then she brought it to the table, and drowned it with honey - I think it was honey.

"There you go!" She said, and sat down.

Eating a bowl of soup with your hooves was one thing, but to eat with my hooves with all that honey? No. It would get all sticky, and stuff. So, I reached over to a small wicker basket in the middle of the table where there were utensils, I tried picking up the knife and fork. It was not easy at first, but then I started to get used to it. But when I tried to cut the delicious looking cakes the knife kept slipping out of my grip.

Big Mac snorted out a laugh, but a look from Applejack silenced him in the next moment. Didn't stop him from laughing again once her attention looked away.

Trying again, I managed to pull the tiny blade back and cut a small incision. I was so impressed with myself that I had to stop and admire my work. I looked up to see Big Mac trying hard not to smile or laugh as was Applejack, and by the way Applebloom was shaking near the kitchen sink, I knew that she was laughing silently to herself.

Usually being made the brunt of a joke made me angry, but for some reason I didn't mind these Ponies laughing at my expense. In fact, it made me feel rather warm and fuzzy on the inside. It was both a disgusting and wonderful feeling at the same time.

"I'm really bad at this." I confessed.

That was the last straw. Big Mac could no longer contain his laughter, and he let us all know about it. I rolled my eyes and made a weak smile as Applejack joined in the laughing fit. Eventually I managed to get the hang of it.

After breakfast we all went to the lounge. I had tried to help with washing dishes, but Applebloom threatened to bite my hooves off if I came near the sink. We spent the rest of the morning playing a strange board-game. It had something to do with Pony lore. Many years ago there was a bad princess trapped on the moon - but then she got freed not that long ago. Long story short, the game was about how six friends defeated her by returning her to normal. It was essentially Snakes'n'Ladders, but with many more obstacles, follies and traps. Despite the simplicity of the game, it was really fun. We managed to play several rounds before we were graced with Granny Smith's appearance.

"Well, well. Looky what we got here. You fillies having a good time?" Granny Smith asked and sat down in a large lounge chair in the corner. It seemed to swallow her up, and yet she looked like she belonged there at the same time. Like a queen on her throne, "How's the head, Forest?"

"Better now." I replied.

She gave a short cackle, "That's what ye get for takin' on the champ!"

"I will be better the next time," I gave her a wink, and we both laughed together despite the disapproving glances from the two younger Mares.

"Forest, did you know that Applejack is one of the Elements of Harmony?" Applebloom said, placing her hoof on her sister's back in an obvious attempt to change the subject.

"No. No I didn't... wait! Then that means... this game is about you?" I asked, my eyes widened.

"Well, not just me. The six of us are Twilight, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity and me," Applejack explained. She then regaled to me how they had converted a creature called Night Mare Moon to Princess Luna using the power of the Elements. It was a fantastic tale, and I wouldn't have believed it, but I couldn't not believe it. Why? Because, as Applejack said, she represented the Element of Honesty.

Indeed, when I looked at the box cover for the game, I saw six Ponies together and each had a 'aura' around them with the title of the game in a language I didn't recognize! Was it coincidence that Tutela brought this up earlier this morning? For a while Applejack told me about the other Elements, but I couldn't really follow. All I got was that Applejack was honest, and got special super-magic because of it but could only be used when she was wearing some jewelry with her five friends. Yay me! Probably over-simplifying it, but there you go.

As I was thinking, I saw Applebloom stand up from the game and walk over to her grandmother and 'hugged' her, in the way that I suspected Ponies hugged - which was more of nuzzle. It was outrageously cute and I couldn't help but smile at that. Then Applejack walked over kissed her grandmother on the forehead laying her jaw on her head, and finally Big Mac nuzzled her as well (but not as affectionately as Applebloom's nuzzle - after all, there was another Stallion in the house) on the other side of Granny. They were a really close knit family, and so open and trusting. It just felt so wrong to lie to them, and with Applejack revealing herself to be the Element of Honesty, it just made the feeling worse. No matter how many times I told myself that I had no choice, it still didn't help.

As I sat there trying not to feel uncomfortable in the warm glow of the Apple family's display of affection, my thoughts drifted. I began to think of my family, or lack thereof. Thinking about Earth made me think of people, and thinking of people made my train of thought drift to the only human in Equestria. Well, the only other human. Brian Dash, the only person who truly suspected my real identity. Not that I blamed the guy, he was spot on in being suspicious of me right from the start. While all the other Ponies welcomed me and accepted me as one of their own, only Brian remained skeptical. He had correctly guessed that I wasn't from Equestria the very first moment we met. In retrospect, meeting him so soon was probably my undoing. My only consolation was that he would believe my words when I said that I willed no harm to befall him or his daughter. Even if he suspected my origins were not of this world, as long as I keep him from admitting and more importantly proving that I wasn't a Pony, I was fine.

I excused myself and walked out of the den, and outside onto the porch to clear my head. Brian was not stupid. If anything, he was the smartest one here. It was him, and only him that had the ability to weed out the truth from me, so I needed to practice every scenario, every conversation, every phrase, sentence... everything! I needed to be an Equestrian Pony from back to front and back again.

Applejack appeared a few minutes later.

"Sorry about that forest..."

"Sorry for what?" I asked. I honestly didn't know what she meant.

"For that," She gestured towards the den by tilting her head slightly, "We're just thankful that Granny's still with us, and we relish every moment we have with her. We didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable."

I had to admit, she was pretty sharp. She had guessed half of the reason why I went outside, "Please, Applejack. I only went outside so that Big Mac wouldn't be embarrassed with giving Granny a proper hug." I replied with my best smile.

She laughed at that comment, "Well, thanks, Forest, I appreciate the gesture, and I'll thank you on behalf of Big Mac as well."

A wind chime sounded somewhere down the path, and I turned to look at it, as a breeze blew gently against my face. Along with it came a hint of apple, very slightly, barely noticeable. I closed my eyes and relished this feeling. It was so peaceful here. Somewhere I heard birds singing, and the rustle of leaves in the trees as they danced in the breeze's wake.

"Bored?"

"Would you be offended if I said yes?" I asked.

"See? Now you can relate to what I was talkin' about this mornin'! With that harvester you made, this is what I get to look forward to most days!"

"Well," I turned my head to look at her, "It's not all that bad."

We both laughed. "I suppose I can find a new hobby."

Applebloom walked out the door as Applejack said that and I watched as the Filly stood next to her older sister. She gave me a huge smile, and I couldn't help but smile back - that little one had such an irresistible happy face! She turned and grinned up at Applejack, and said something under her breath, which earned her a not-so-rough nudge from her older sister.

Walking off the porch, and onto the lawn, I sat down on the grass and just did nothing. Perhaps it was my hangover, but I did not want to move.

"Maybe I'll go to the market, try and sell some more apples," Applejack thought out loud.

"Ya better git to town and help Forest get somethin' ta sleep on," Granny's said and then I noticed that she was slowly exiting the house with the help of Big Mac. I watched as she made her way to a rocking chair and plopped herself in it. She looked right at me when she was comfortable, "Unless ya wanna sleep on the floor."

Wisely spoken. Now with Granny awake and able to keep an eye on things the rest of us got ready to go to town.

Big Mac was to pull a cart full of fresh apples while I was given the task of pulling an empty cart for some reason. Not that I was complaining, after all Big Mac was a helluva lot strong than me. As we went on our way, Granny Smith waved to us from the porch rocking chair. To make the trip go by quicker, Applebloom started humming a tune, which was kind of catchy.

As we entered Ponyville, I suddenly had the strangest sensation that everyone was staring at me. Doh! I mean everypony. Everywhere I looked, I saw Ponies looking over to me turning their heads away when I glanced in their direction.

"I'm getting a strange feeling that everyone's staring at me..."

"They are." Applejack replied.

"What? Why? What did I do?"

"Here's good. Big Macintosh!" Applejack shouted.

She made me jump a little, and Big Mac quickly moved past me and came to sudden stop parallel to where Applejack stood, the rear of the cart facing in my direction. Then, she put up the lower part of the cart and it hung down much like a dispenser, and pulling on a small lever the back of the cart lowered itself. As it did, the apples fell into little chutes making it easy for other Ponies to pick up and choose. Then, she slid out a sign that was tucked in the side of the cart and folded it out. It had a bunch of prices. Five bits for a dozen! Special! That seemed to grab the attention of quiet a few Ponies, who immediately started to make purchases.

Applebloom and I stood off to one side unsure what to do.

"Forest, you go with Applebloom and get the things you need. I reckon you're gonna need a bed, mattress, and maybe a desk or table of some sort," Applejack said after the tenth Pony bought some apples.

So that's what the empty cart was for! I wanted to smack my head for not figuring that out sooner.

"This way forest! I know just where to go!" Applebloom led the way

We headed down a narrow alley towards a store marked 'Quills & Sofas'. After parking the cart, and taking off the pull-harness, we walked inside. A Pony rushed over to us almost immediately as we stepped inside, "Are you interested in purchasing a sofa?" He said, probably a little too eagerly.

"No," Applebloom replied, "Just a quill."

The Pony sighed, "That's all anyone wants here! Quills, quills, quills! If it weren't for quills, I'd be out of business!" He grumbled, and trotted off to the desk and pulled out a box of quills.

"Well, we're in such a small town. How many sofas do you expect to sell?" I asked.

The Salespony turned and looked at me and was about to say something when he stopped himself, and nodded, "Well, that is a good point actually. Never thought of it that way."

"You know, out of curiosity, do you have any sofa-beds?" I asked. It would be nice to have a lounging area in the clubhouse. After all, it was too small for a sofa and a bed, but if I got a sofa-bed...

The shopkeeper spun around, "No... wait! Do you mean a sofa that turns into a bed? Well, as a matter of fact, I do!"

We followed him around back to a really horrid looking sofa. It was full of what looked like water stains, and the seams were peeling at almost every stitch. We were relieved to find out though, it was just a dust cover and as he pulled it off, a dark brown colored sofa appeared underneath.

"So, the bed?" I asked.

"Ah, yes. You see this here? You just pull, like so, and..." He pulled a strap that was attached to the back of the headrest near the middle. As he pulled, the backrest of the sofa folded down, and then folded outwards. It was more of a sofa-futon than a sofa-bed, but it did the trick, and was actually a lot bigger than I thought. Not to mention the mattress looked really comfy.

"Coo-ool!" Applebloom sang out.

"I designed it myself! How did you know about it?" The shopkeeper asked.

Me and my big mouth! "Well... I... er... saw something like this... before... somewhere... I think..."

"Forest! You're remembering something!" Applebloom stated.

Shit! Forest, shut your fat mouth! "Yes... I think so... it just seems... that I remember things like that sometimes..."

"Well, that's great!" Applebloom smiled at me, "Maybe sleeping on this new bed will help you remember other things!"

Damn it! That smile! It was completely disarming, "You know what, maybe you're right." I ruffled up her mane a little bit with my hoof, "How much?"

"Twenty bits," He said, "It's my pride and joy. Can't let it go for less than that."

"Twenty bits!" Applebloom exclaimed, "Forest are you sure you want something that expensive? We can find something cheaper..."

"Fine. Nineteen bits. But nothing less!"

"Ten, or nothing." I replied once I realized that he was lower his price.

"Eighteen!"

"Ten!"

"Seventeen!"

"Ten!"

"Sixteen!"

"Ten!"

Applebloom looked at me with her mouth open. Was she shocked, embarrassed, or both?

"Fif-fifteen!"

"Twelve." I said after a moment.

"Sold!" The salespony barked, making me jump.

Taking out my coinpurse, I dumped the desired number of coins onto a nearby table. The salespony took them and pocket them with glee. From the way he was acting, it was almost assuredly that I got ripped off, but Applebloom seemed happy, so I guess it didn't matter. As I said, I had no idea what the value of the currency on this world was, but it was bothering me. I just needed to know, "How much would you have let it go for? Honestly."

The salespony rubbed the back of his head, "Promise not to get angry?"

"Sure."

"Eight."

Applebloom's mouth dropped to the floor, "What?" She asked.

On the other hand, I just laughed, and ruffled her mane again, "It's only four bits, Applebloom. No worries."

"Only four bits?" She repeated exasperated.

I sighed, "It's okay now. We got something cool, right?"

"I guess..."

"Come on, don't let it bother you." I said, looking at her. She was visibly upset, "Bargaining is a part of life! You got to know when to haggle, and when not to."

"I guess..."

I could tell she wasn't convinced, "Then how about we get a cake from Sugarcube Corner to celebrate?"

That seemed to cheer her up, "Okay."

With the help of the shopkeeper, we loaded my new sofa-bed onto the empty cart. It was slightly longer than the cart, so we had to let the back open, and tied it down with some extra rope that the shopkeeper had for those clients that did not buy quills. He had quite a good length of rope. A very good length.

"How much rope you go there?" I asked.

"Not sure. My brother makes ropes - he's a sailor Pony!"

Of course he is! "Well, Applebloom, at least we now know where to get some rope too!"

She of course, wasn't interested.

As we arrived at Sugarcube Corner, I parked the cart with my sofa next to the one that I had pulled for Pinkie the other day. Then, I walked around to the front with Applebloom by my side and we entered the bakery. Immediately I saw Pinkie, the Cakes, Rainbow, and Rarity there. At once I scanned the area for Brian with my eyes. He was not around - at least nowhere I could see. I walked up to them all.

"Hello," I said as I approached the counter, "Anything interesting happen?"

"Oh, not much. Apart from the fact that you've become the talk of the town, Forest." Rarity cooed.

"Huh?" I replied stupidly. Why would I be the talk of the town. I looked at Pinkie. She was looking away from me, and her face was a lot pinker than usual.

"Let's just say that yesterday somepony saw you check out. And let's just say that somepony heard you say... certain things about somepony else..." As Rarity said it, my face exploded. I could feel the blood rushing through my cheeks.

"But... it was four in the morning!" I moaned, "Nopony should have been awake!"

Rainbow Dash grinned at me from next to Rarity for a moment, then began to say something as if she were on stage at a play, with one hoof in front of her and the other one extended into the air - a typical pose for a Shakespearean actor, "You know why everypony likes Pinkie and not you?" She said in a deep (as deep as she could get it) boom voice before bursting out in gales of laughter.

My eyes whipped over to Pinkie, who was still looking away from me.

I was just protecting your friend! I said to myself, but my mouth refused to move!

"It's because she's kind, friendly, open, gentle, beautiful, majestic..." Rainbow continued.

Did I say majestic?

"No, no, Rainbow. He said she was special, beautiful, wonderful, fun..." Rarity interrupted.

Applebloom looked at me, "Are you okay, Forest? Your face is all red."

They all looked at me, and I looked away.

Mrs. Cake giggled, then stated; "He's blushing!"

The other girls joined in the chorus of giggling. Pinkie turned to look at me, but I just couldn't meet her eyes. Why was I feeling this way?

Before further being embarrassed, I turned to go.

"Wait, wait, Forest. Don't go, we're just teasing. We know that you were just protecting Pinkie as a friend." Rarity said looking away from me. I think she was giving her friends a wink but I couldn't tell, "But I have to admit that it was something I didn't expect to see."

I stopped in my tracks, "You were at the hotel yesterday morning?"

"Why yes, I was. I was on my way to drop off some new dresses for a client who was staying at the hotel, and was scheduled to leave on the five twenty express to Canterlot. I saw the whole thing. Imagine my surprise when I saw you at the reception with that rude Crystal and imagine my further surprise when you gave that wonderful speech!" Rarity was talking nonchalantly, relishing the attention she got from everyone, "At first I wanted to chase after you, but I was on my way to see my client, and well, I couldn't. After I was done, I came down and saw someone else! It was Brian."

My face blanched, "B-Br-Brian?" I stuttered, shocked.

But I wasn't the only one surprised by this. Apparently this was news to Rainbow too. "What was he doing there?"

"Well, it's a fact that Brian is the only Pony - relatively speaking, of course - in Ponyville able to talk to Crystal on friendly terms. Why, you could even say that Brian's Crystal's only friend here in Ponyville."

"I see," My brain was rushing now. So many questions. What was he doing there? Why was he there? What was his purpose? It couldn't have been coincidence. He must have been there to spy on me! By why so early in the morning? "About what time?"

"Oh, I'd say around five, maybe a bit later." Rarity replied, but she was being talked to by a few other Ponies.

As the girls were talking amongst each other, I pieced together what I could from the clues. The only reason I could come to was the one thing that made my disguise here on Equestria flawed. The one thing that I could not contest no matter what. My laptop! Indeed, it made sense. Placing myself in Brian's shoes, I thought about it. If Brian needed to make me fully admit that I was a human, then he'd have to prove it to everypony. And the way to do that was to gather evidence from my world. Surely, I would have something, anything. After all I did mention that I had to go and work at Sweet Apple Acres, and if he managed to get into my room and open the safe while I wasn't there...

"Forest? You okay?" Applebloom asked.

"Yeah, just..." I couldn't answer her, my mind was too preoccupied with other thoughts. My bag was safe for now, or was it? Back at Sweet Apple Acres. Brian didn't know that I stayed there, right? And even if he did... my bag! My bag was in the guest room! If somehow Brian got into the guest room, "It would be game over." I said aloud.

"What would be game over?" Applebloom asked, clearly confused.

"Applebloom, can you wait here for a moment? I'll be right back... I forgot something back at the house." I turned before she could protest and was sprinting - galloping as hard as I could back towards the farm. I ran as hard and as fast as I could, Ponies leapt out of my way as I charged down the road, leaping the fence, and charged up the path to the porch.

Granny was napping in her rocking chair, so tiptoed - tiphoofed? - around her and into the house, then up the stairs. My bag was there, and I reached inside.

Relief. I let out a long, deep sigh. The laptop was still there. I opened it.

"You run pretty fast." Tutela said as soon as it opened.

"Did anyone find this?" I asked.

"No. You're lucky."

"This is too dangerous. We need to find another way to communicate."

"No, this is it. There is no other way without giving away who or what you are. You have to understand that magic can be very unpredictable."

"And that's the problem with magic." I muttered.

"Indeed. If you break that laptop, then you'll be stuck there, as I can't pull you back from that world without the magic stored inside that device."

"Couldn't you have picked something smaller and easier to hide?"

"No."

"Well. That sucks."

"Go, Applebloom and the others will be wondering where you went. So, Pinkie, huh?"

I blushed, and slammed the laptop down. Placing it back into the bag, I hid it in the space behind the bed near the wall. Satisfied with my new hiding spot, I slipped out of the Apple's home, past Granny snoozing on her chair, and ran back towards Sugarcube Corner. By the time I arrived Applebloom was happily finishing a slice of cake talking with the other Ponies, and I noticed that Applejack had joined her friends. As I entered, everyone looked over to me.

"Where was the fire, Forest?" Applejack asked, "I saw you run all the way back home! Hooey, you run almost as fast as Rainbow Dash can fly, I never seen a Pony run that quick."

"What? Oh! I remembered that I had no more coins, so I had to run home and grab some." I replied in between gasps of air.

"You could have just paid us next time." Mr. Cake said, shaking his head.

"I don't like to leave debts."

"Well, at least we got to see you run, Forest," Mr. Cake replied, "Are you part of a team, or anything?"

I shrugged, "No clue."

"I've got a great idea! Forest, why don't you try out for the RACE?" Applejack asked.

"The race? What's that?"

"You don't know what the race is? The 'Relay Across Equestria race? R-A-C-E," Rainbow Dash zipped over to me, "It's only the toughest, meanest, hardest, race in all of Equestria?"

"Doesn't ring a bell. Amnesia, remember?"

"Dear, be a doll and let me explain," Rarity said, pushing a shocked Rainbow Dash aside, "The RACE is a relay race from all parts of Equestria. There are teams of three Ponies, where each Pony participates in a particular leg of a race. The race will start and finish at Canterlot."

I nodded. Canterlot, Camelot... yeah, I see.

"The first leg is a flying race where the Pegasi fly to a certain city to collect a specially made baton, and bring it back to Canterlot. Then the second leg of the race, is done with Unicorns where they have to magically solve puzzles or problems with their magic. The third and final stage of the race is done by Earth Ponies, such as yourself. It includes running and swimming," Rarity acted the running by running on the spot, and swimming by doing the front crawl with her forehooves.

"I see. So who won it last year?" I asked.

"Well, nopony did. This is the first year they're having it." Rarity replied, "So we were planning on holding tryouts for all the Earth Ponies. Since the entrance to the race is a hundred bits per Pony - a total of three hundred bits, as a town Ponyville can only afford one team."

Fat chance. There's no way I'm doing that. "When are the tryouts?" I asked, feigning interest.

"We've already had the ones for the Pegasus and the Unicorns. The one for the Earth Pony is in two days," Rarity replied.

"Two days?"

"I know it's short notice... well, there was no way we'd have known of your speed if you hadn't raced out of here the way you did."

"Ah. Good point. Then when's the big RACE?" I asked.

"At the end of the month," Rainbow replied before anyone else could answer. She seemed suddenly really unhappy.

"So, who is the Unicorn... uh... representative?" I asked.

"Twilight is," Rarity replied, "And the Pegasus is..."

"Let me guess, Rainbow Dash?"

At this Rainbow made a crying noise and lay flat on the floor of Sugarcube corner with her hooves on her head, "No," She replied weakly, "It's Derpy."

"Derpy?" I tilted my head, "Derpy? There's a Pony here in Ponyville named Derpy?"

Everyone seemed to ignore my surprise.

"Dashie, I'm afraid, will not be able to race for us as she will be on duty that day, seeing as she's one of the Wonderbolts now," Rarity chimed, proud of her friend.

That seemed to cheer Rainbow up and she stood back up on her feet as fast as the lighting bolt on her Cutie Mark represented.

"Wonderbolts?" I asked.

Rainbow made a noise that was only possible for her. It was a half gasp, half groan, with a disapproving moan thrown in all at the same time, "The RACE is one thing, but how can you not know who the Wonderbolts are!"

Suffice to say, after ten minutes I knew all about them. Every detail. The names of the members, fastest timings, racing times and schedules. Literally everything. I also found out that Rainbow Dash was part of this amazing aerial acrobatic group! I had to admit, Rainbow was one of a kind.

"Oh yeah! Now that you mention it," And given me all the details I would ever need, "I do recall something about them. I would love to see you guys racing."

"Well, we're have a pre-RACE race, so you'll be able to see." Rainbow said, slapping my back.

"So, Applejack was telling us that you've moved into the old Cute Mark Crusader Clubhouse," Rarity cooed.

"We built it together!" Applebloom piped in.

You did most of the work! I wanted to say out loud, but I didn't. "Yeah, that's why we're here. We're buying furniture."

"Yeah! We just bought a sofa-bed!" Applebloom boasted.

"Sofa-bed?" Rarity asked, "What's that?"

Rainbow gave Applebloom a queer look, then that look went over to me.

Shit! Human alert! Human alert! My mind screamed. "Well, I've heard about them before. Beds that are built into sofas to help save space. Especially in the bigger cities where people don't have large houses."

"That makes sense." Applejack stated, "And considering how small the Clubhouse is, that's goin' to be mighty useful. Good job, Forest."

Rainbow Dash flew over to me, "But how did you know what to ask for? I mean, sofa-bed is a pretty specific term, don't you think?"

"It sounded natural. Bed-sofa doesn't roll as well."

Dashie floated around my head, and I did my best to ignore her piercing gaze. Did I now have to worry about Rainbow Dash too? After all the effort I went through with her father? I needed to change the subject.

"Out of curiosity, what happens when you win the RACE?" I asked.

Rainbow leapt on that question, almost shoving me to the ground, "An audience with all three Princesses, who will grant you one wish each."

"Three wishes?" I asked. Great, now all I need is a magic lamp! "Princess Celestia..."

"Princess Luna and Princess Cadence!" Rainbow replied rolling her eyes when I stalled on Celestia's name, "Princess Cadence is Twilight's sister-in-law."

"Wait, what? Doesn't that make Twilight a princess too?" I asked.

They all looked at me.

"He does have a point," Applejack said after a moment, "But these princesses are Alicorns."

Another type of Pony? "What's an Alicorn?"

"Well, they're Unicorn, Pegasus and Earth Pony all rolled into one," Applejack explained. She was really patient with me, and I appreciated that.

"Also, one months supply of free cake from us here!" Mr. and Mrs. Cake chimed in.

"Sign me up right now!" I exclaimed - as a joke!

"Great, I knew that you'd accept!" Rarity replied.

"Huh? What?" I asked.

By the time I closed my mouth on my second word, a quill and the paper disappeared into a glitzy saddle-bag on Rarity's back. I had just officially been signed up for tryouts.

"See you at tryouts in two days, Forest."

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! I screamed in my head, "Hooray!" I said aloud, putting as much effort into it as I could - which wasn't very much.

"Well, I got to get back home. Maybe Dad's back," Rainbow suddenly replied hovering past me.

"Wait? Brian's missing?" I asked.

"He's not missing. He said he had errands to run, and that he would be back later," Rainbow replied. Despite her attitude, it wasn't difficult to see that she was worried.

"I'll come with you, Rainbow," Applejack answered, "Let's go Applebloom."

"Oh, I've got to make some last minute touches on the RACEing uniforms!" Rarity sang and followed the others out.

As they all left together, I stood there and watched them go with my mouth half open trying to say something to Rarity. Anything to get out of going to tryouts! Why? Why did I open my mouth? Stupid, stupid, stupid!

"... but sis', you said I had to help Forest find furniture..." Applebloom's voice faded out as her sister pulled her along.

"Oh my!" Mrs. Cake suddenly put in. I turned around, "The girls all left! Now what will you do, Forest?"

I raised and eyebrow.

Mrs. Cake nudged her husband.

Mr. Cake seemed to wake up suddenly, "Hm? Oh right! Pinkie," Pinkie stiffened at the mention of her name, "Can you help Forest?"

Oh please! I've seen better acting in cheesy soap-operas! I said in my head. I looked at Pinkie who was still acting quiet and weird, not the lively, bubbly Pinkie from before.

"Okay." She squeaked.

Walking over to her, with genuine concern, I looked her in the eye.

She turned away.

"Are you okay, Pinkie? You've been really quiet today."

"Yes," She squeaked again.

"Would you mind helping me? I would go alone, but... I don't know my way around. And... well, it's no fun alone," The way I said it made me feel really dumb.

"Okay," Pinkie squeaked again still not looking away from me.

I walked into her field of vision, but she just looked away.

Shrugging to myself, I lead the way to the rear exit. Pinkie followed slowly with her head lowered and her eyes looking down at the ground. As I walked out, I got in front of the cart and slipped the pull-belt over me from my cart. Pinkie was standing silently in front of me to the left. It was getting really awkward.

"Pinkie, look. What I said... to Crystal," I thought about what I wanted to say, "I meant it. I think you're a one-of-a-kind Pony. But... I said it because I thought it was unfair of her to not like you for who you are. If you thought I meant... I mean... I..." What was I trying to say? Take a deep breath, relax, "What I'm trying to say is, you're a special Pony. Just not my special somepony."

Pinkie looked up at me, "I'm not?" She asked.

"Well, no. We've only known each other for a couple days. Don't you think that's too quick?"

She thought about it. I could tell by her expression. "You're right! It is!" She perked up instantly, "Gosh, Forest. I'm sorry, but Rarity was saying that..."

"Shall we go?" I interrupted her. Didn't want to feel that weight of embarrassment from before. Plus the Cakes were standing at the door and were listening to our every word. I didn't want to put up with any more humiliation.

Together we walked side by side. Pinkie reverted back to her normal self already and was talking to me at a hundreds words per second. I just couldn't understand her fully. I caught some words and managed to get a gist of what she was talking about, but it all seemed to be gibberish. She didn't seem to mind, and was in her own bubble. Every once in a while she'd pause and I'd say something like, "Oh, really?" or "Is that so?" and that seemed to be acceptable. All in all, Pinkie was indeed one-of-a-kind.

Pinkie led us straight to a small furniture store. Here I saw dressers, cupboards, easels and all sorts of things laying outside on the ground. The stores name was 'Barns'n'Stables'. Unhitching myself from the cart, Pinkie led the way inside.

There honestly was not much selection, but the craftsmanship was simply amazing. Each piece was impressive and obviously hand-made by someone who enjoyed doing it. Some of the pieces were incredibly complex with carvings, while others were laminated with and painted, and a few were plain but each one had character and personality. These weren't just furniture items, they were pieces. In a strange way I realized that each piece of furniture chose their owners, and not the other way around.

The Stallion who owned the shop stood grinning at the other end of the store as Pinkie and I looked around. It was obvious that he had managed to get a whiff of that false rumor that was going around before. But Pinkie didn't seem to notice, so I shrugged it off as well.

"What about this one, Forest?" Pinkie said, pointing at a rather girly looking bed-side table. It was covered in red hearts, with a black background.

At first I made a face, then I gave her a half-smile, "Well, Pinkie, I was thinking something not so..."

"But it's cute!" Pinkie argued, "Lookie, you it's got a place where you can put late-night snacks!" She pulled open a small drawer.

"But... it's got hearts on it..." I said trying to hint to her.

"And that's why it's cute!"

"Can I get something that's not so... cute?" I asked.

"Okeedokee!" She moved on.

I let out a sign of relief.

We looked around a for a few minutes, but everything else was too big. Regretfully, and I do mean regretfully, I had to buy the heart-covered tiny bed-side table much to Pinkie's joy. But I did manage to salvage some of my masculinity by buying a plain looking dresser. The total of everything? Five bits!

As I was loading, I noticed Pinkie and what I could only assume was the shopkeeper's special somepony were talking to one another. Pinkie was back to her usual lively self. She caught me looking at her and blushed a little and waved. Because I was hold the dresser in place, I gave her a smile and a nod before returning my attention to the task at hand.

"So. You and Pinkie, eh?"

That caught me off guard, and I nearly dropped the dresser on myself, "What?"

"It's the talk of the town. Apparently you stuck up for Pinkie at the hotel, telling that receptionist off. Everybody loves Pinkie, but she can sometimes get on your nerves."

"I guess," I knew exactly what he meant.

"But, that Cyan deserved it I bet! Well, I'm not one for gossip. It was very good on you for sticking up for Pinkie like that, she never means any harm to nopony."

"Thanks... er..."

"Brawny Charger," He held out a hoof, "Pleasure to meet you. Call me Braw."

I grunted with the sudden increase of weight, when Brawny removed his hoof from the dresser. I reached over leaning the dresser against my thighs and shook his hoof, "Thanks, Bro. Don't recall my name, but everypony's calling me Forest."

"I know. Shame that you lost your memories. Must be frustrating." He put his hoof back on the dresser relieving the weight. I gasped in relief, but Brawny didn't notice. up onto the cart. It shifted under the weight a little.

"Not really. I've managed alright so far."

Placing the drawer next to the sofa-bed, we untied the sofa-bed and tied it down using the same length of rope. Then I carefully placed the small rose-covered bed-side table next to the sofa-bed. After tying it all down, which is hard for someone with no thumbs, I got behind the harness again.

Pinkie walked up next to me and smiled, "Where to next?"

I thought about it, "Pillows and stuff."

"Oh, Applejack said that she'll lend those to you," Pinkie replied waving her hoof in front of her.

"Did she now? Well, then let's head back to my place."

"Okeedokee," Pinkie said, and together we headed back towards Sweet Apple Acres.

"Have fun!" I heard Bro call out.

Pinkie turned around, "We will!"

Despite her innocence and the reality that she did not understand what Bro was suggesting, I could not help but find myself actually disappointed. What the hell was wrong with me? I shoved the thought aside.

Together we headed towards the road that led to Sweet Apple Acres.

"Pinkie!" I suddenly exclaimed.

"What?"

"Can you buy that frame for me?" I asked pointing to a frame outside a store. It was uhideous, but it was the perfect size.

"Sure," Pinkie rushed over before I could hand her my money-purse. She came bouncing back, "The shopkeeper says that it's going to be two bits, but she says she'll give it to you for one if you help her move some things in her storeroom."

Staring at me, Pinkie waited patiently for my answer. I narrowed my eyes, "You want me to help her, right?"

She nodded.

"Fine," I undid my harness, "Hi, what do you need help with?"

Leading me into the backroom, I saw a huge stack of boxes, at least two dozen of them, and all I needed to do was move them to the basement and stack them against the far wall with all the other boxes. Hefting two on my back, I started to job. The boxes weren't that heavy, but there were so many of them. After my eighth load, I could not help but stop for a break. As I did, I saw Pinkie blushing and shaking her head. So I stopped at the top of the stairs and listened.

"... so, you are going to help him set up his new home?" The shopkeepers asked.

"Yeah!" Pinkie replied, "That's all!"

"Nothing else?"

"No!" Pinkie blushed again.

"Really?"

"Really!"

I rolled my eyes. Gossip about my relationship with Pinkie most probably. And proceeded to my ninth load. As I was loading them onto my back, I saw Twilight join the other two. There was a very brief conversation before she continued on her way, Pinkie staring after her.

Not wanting to disturb whatever it was, and also needing to complete the task at hand, I placed the ninth load down and started up for the tenth. That was when I saw Pinkie with two boxes on her back standing at the top of the stairs. She came down and I helped her unload them. She looked at me.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Brian didn't go home last night, and he hasn't been home yet," Pinkie said.

Two thoughts came to my mind at that moment. The first one was relief! Maybe Brian went away. If he did, my cover was safe! But the second thought was how terrible it was for Rainbow. I mean, he is her father. Not that I understood what it meant having one, but I knew that losing something special was painful. Losing somepony special must be devastating.

"What do we do?" I asked.

"Twilight is rounding up the girls and we're going to form a search party. Everyone's going to be looking for him."

"Well, do you have any ideas?" I asked.

"No. But Twilight said that he was last seen at the hotel you were staying at," Pinkie looked at me eyes, "Twilight asked me to ask Crystal..."

I understood, "I'll ask her for you. She already hates me, and unlike you, I don't mind being hated."

"Really?" Pinkie asked, "You'll ask her for me?"

Did she just ignore the entire second half of that sentence?

"Yes, Pinkie."

Apologizing for being unable to finish the job, and being forgiven, Pinkie and I headed back towards Sugarcube Corner as fast as I could. Upon arriving at the bakery, I left my cart there, and told Pinkie to wait with the Cakes, and explain the situation while I conversed with Cyan Crystal.

Standing outside, I took a long deep breath, closed my eyes, allowed myself to calm down.

As I walked inside, I heard her voice, "What are you doing here? You're not welcome..."

"Stop. Please. I came to ask you for help..."

"What makes you think..."

"Brian's missing. Any information you can give would be greatly appreciated," I said cutting her off, "This isn't about you and me. This is about Mr. Dash. I know you don't like me, and I know that he doesn't either, but..."

Cyan Crystal put down whatever she hand in her hooves, "Missing?"

"He apparently hasn't come home yet."

For the next ten minutes, Crystal regaled the story from yesterday. How Brian got the key for my room, went there, found nothing, and then left. That was the last she saw of him.

The thing was, I wasn't shocked. Although I had predicted it, my mind was on one other thing - if Brian was not found, and giving the tense relationship I have with him, adding the fact that he was in the room I checked out of, it could look very bad for me if there was some sort of official investigation. I needed to nip this in the bud before it had time to bloom into something ugly.

"Then nothing?"

"Brian sometimes likes to go on this long walks. He walks all around Ponyville, usually taking a long cut towards his home," Crystal replied. She looked up at me, "Look, I don't care for you or for that Pink Filly, but find Brian. If you do... I'll..."

"No need, ma'am. If I can find him, I will," I replied cutting her off. I didn't want whatever she had to offer.

Leaving the hotel, I rushed over to Sugarcube Corner and relayed what I found out to Pinkie and the Cakes. That seemed to ring a bell with Pinkie.

"When Brian was new, he sometimes liked going to the Everfree Forest. He said that it reminded him of his home, whatever that means."

"That place? Isn't it dangerous?" I asked shuddering. The memory of the Timberwolf chasing me was still very fresh.

Pinkie's silence spoke volumes.

"Pinkie, find the others and tell them that you think Brian's in the Everfree Forest. I'll go ahead and start searching, okay? Mr. Cake, can you please go to the hospital and tell them to send a doctor the Everfree forest, just in case?"

Pinkie gave me a salute, and Mr. Cake ran out of the store with his apron still on. I nodded farewell to Mrs. Cake, and sped out of Sugarcube Corner and headed towards the Everfree Forest.

It didn't take me long to reach it. Pausing outside the entrance I could not help but stop.

"Okay, Forest. Just suck it up. You need to go in there. You might not like Brian, but he needs your help. You need to find him," I said trying to reason with my fear, "So, go in there and find him!"

I walked into the Everfree Forest.

It might have been my imagination, but as I did, it felt that the air got cooler, and the ground felt moist. Walking along the path, I suddenly jumped when my hoof snapped a twig. I instantly dove into the nearest bush. I waited, shuddering to myself. Was it a Timberwolf? Something else? Something bigger?

Instead I saw a light-blue Pony with a lighter-blue mane and tail. She seemed to be sneaking about the way she kept stopping and looked over she shoulder. That was pretty strange, so I watched her continue. She suddenly turned and walked towards me. My breath caught in my throat, did she spot me? Then she took a left just before she walked into the bushes where I hid. I heaved a sigh of relief. After giving her a head-start, I slowly came out of hiding and followed her from a safe distance. She walked along the edge of the thick foliage for a while. It was not long before the foliage-boundary ended. Here she paused and looked around. I ducked into the trees again, but it looked like she hadn't seen me. Seemingly satisfied that she was not tailed, she walked through some trees and straight into the thick forest. Waiting for a few minutes to ensure that she was not sitting there waiting to see if somepony else was following, I trotted up to place where she had disappeared into the thicket. I peered through the wall of greenery expecting to see nothing but more forest but instead I instantly saw what looked to be a trailer.

Well, that was slightly unexpected. I muttered to myself. Creeping towards the house, I walked over to one of the glass windows.

"... now the Great and Powerful Trixie will perform her magics!" She said aloud.

"Trixie, please. My little girl..." Came a second voice. I knew it was Brian's straight away.

"Silence! The Great and Powerful Trixie knows that the Rainbow Loud-mouth is not your daughter!" The blue Pony cut him off, "She is a Pony, and you are not!"

"I adopted her!" Brian exclaimed, he was frustrated, "Look, just let me go and tell them I'm okay, then I can come back."

They continued to talk with one another. But who was this Great and Powerful Trixie? And why did she have a trailer in the middle of the Everfree Forest? Surely there were better places to set up? There was something strange about this trailer and setup as well. It looked like a stage, but folded up on one side. Walking around to the side of the trailer, I looked for a door. None. That would mean that the door would actually be on the stage itself.

Slowly, carefully, I walked up the stairs. Not a sound. Then, as I placed my hoof on the top most step, I heard a loud groan as the wood shifted under my weight. I ducked down behind stairs. Nothing. I climbed back up again, avoiding the loose wooden floorboard, and made my way down a narrow corridor that was formed from the stage folded up, from one side, and the side of the house on the other. As I reached the door, I peered through the keyhole.

Brian was stuck in a chair tied down with rope straight ahead from where I was peeking. He was not gagged, and did not seem to be in any discomfort or pain.

Now here was my dilemma. What should I do? Should rush in there, and help him? What if that Pony kills me? Tutela said that if I died in this world, then that was it. I was not immune to death.

I peered again.

"... you will bring Twilight here!" The blue Pony was pacing in front of Brian.

Brian shook his head, "There's no need! She doesn't want to hurt you! I doubt she even remembers... Trixie! No!"

I gritted my teeth, ready to pounce. Ready to attack the blue Pony as she reared herself on her hind legs. As she did, I saw a long black rope unroll from her right hoof.

Pulling my head away from the keyhole, I rubbed my eye. Was my mind playing tricks on me? No, no. Better make sure that I saw what I saw. So, I peered through the keyhole again.

"A whip?" I whispered to myself, "A whip?"

She let it crack, but the way she used it and how careless she was seemed... childish. She was more likely to hurt herself than Brian. Relaxing a little, I continued to watch.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie demands that you obey!" She said and let the whip crack. It struck her rear, and she let out a yelp.

Brian burst out laughing, and I could not help but grin. But Brian was laughing really, really hard.

Just then I heard something that did not sound anything like laughter. It sounded more like coughing. Bad coughing. A deep, throat grating cough. It was coming from Brian. He was coughing really hard. He leaned forwards, his head bent at the neck. It looked like he was choking.

The blue Pony backed off away from Brian. From my angle I saw red liquid coming from his mouth and onto his chest. Blood. The blue Pony screamed.

I tried the door. Locked! I turned around, and using my hind legs from my apple-buckin', I kicked the door hard. Nothing. I did it again. Still nothing. I took two steps forwards, turning and ran as hard as I could into the door. That did the job. The door collapsed with me. The blue Pony screamed again when she saw me, but I rushed past her and right to Brian.

"Brian!" I shouted.

No response. Not good.

"Brian!" I shouted again, trying to undo the binds on his hands. I noticed that we were in the kitchen, so I turned and saw a knife lying on the counter. I took it, and cut the ropes that bound Brian to the chair. Then, I pulled him from the chair. He put his entire weight again me, but still no response.

Laying him down gently, I turned to the blue Pony, "Go to the entrance of the Everfree Forest! There should be a doctor there. Tell him how to get here! Go, now!"

Realizing the urgency of the situation, she turned and fled.

Placing my ear against Brian's chest, his heart was not beating. Could Ponies do CPR? Placing my hooves on my chest, I started pushing down in a rhythm trying to help his body along. I counted the pumps. Five, then check to see if he was breathing. No? Again! Five more time. Check. Is he breathing? No? Again! Do it! Again!

Just as I began to give up hope, Brian coughed, and I turned his head. Blood oozed from his mouth onto the floor. The relief washed over me in waves, and I could feel my heart slow down.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

He did not respond. I was not sure if he was conscious or not, but I was glad that he was alright. There was no doubt in my mind that I had to help him. No matter what, death was not an option. It was not an option for me, it was not an option for anyone else. There was a limit to how selfish I could be. Stealing a life, when life was stolen from me, is not something I was prepared to do. Not now, not ever.

"Don't scare me like that," I said leaning against the kitchen cupboards.

We sat there in silence for a long while. I kept an ear out for his breathing. They were no longer hard or labored as they were earlier.

"Over here!" I heard a voice outside

Rainbow was at the door faster than any of the others.

"Dad!" She screamed.

I jumped in her way and by the Powers of Grayskull! She was strong! "No, Rainbow! You're dad is in a very delicate condition right now. You must not move him without letting a doctor see him first!"

"What happened?" She screamed.

"I don't know. I'll tell you about what happened later, but for now, we have to get him stable," I looked into her eyes, "The doctor..."

"He's coming. He's coming," Rainbow fought back her tears, "Dad..." She said softly.

"Don't be rough with him, okay? Hold his hand gently. Your touch will help," I let her go.

She hovered next to me for a second, then moved over to her father, and gently gripped his hand. I saw Brian's fingers tighten around his daughter's hoof and nodded. If I lost the bet over this, there would be no regrets. I mean, it would suck that I had lost.

Leaving the Dashes alone for the moment, I ran outside. Why was that doctor taking so long?

"Where are you, Rainbow?" Came a familiar voice.

"Over here, Applejack!" I called.

"Forest? What in tarnation are you doin' here?" She asked as she came into view. Two doctors were right on her heels.

"No time to explain, this way, quick," I turned and led them into the trailer.

"How long has he been like this?" One of the medic-Ponies asked.

"I'm not sure. I'd say about ten minutes," I replied. I looked at Rainbow, and considered whether or not she ought to be there for the next series of questions. The thought of convincing Rainbow to leave would have just made matters worse.

"What was he doing before?" He asked, wiping the blood from his mouth, and checking Brian's neck.

"Coughing. He was coughing very hard," I replied, "He was tied down to that chair, and started a coughing fit."

"Tied?" The medic asked, "Did you tie him there?"

"No, but is that relevant?"

"Did he go into cardiac arrest?" The medic was now checking Brian's head and shining a flashlight, which he held in his mouth, into Brian's eyes.

I looked at Rainbow, who looked right at me. I could see it in her eyes. Fear. Raw, unrefined fear. I could feel her willing me to say no. To lie.

"Yes."

"And did you perform CPR?" The medic asked.

You guys know of CPR? I asked in my head, "Yes. Yes, I performed it. He started breathing, and I turned him."

"Well done, my boy. You might have just saved this Pony's - er, man's life," He nodded to the other medic and he started to unpack a stretcher.

"Will he be okay?" I asked.

The doc nodded, "Nothing is broken, and his pupils are responding properly. He'll be back to his usual self with some rest. We'll take him to the hospital for observation."

The medic placed the stretcher next to Brian's body and pushed him onto it. Then, using specially made harnesses, they carried him out. All the while, he did not leg go of his daughter's hand.

Outside the house, two Pegasi in white - also from the hospital I guess, took over from the doc and the other medic, and they used their wings to fly in the air, and towards the hospital. Rainbow flew with them, never once leaving her father's side.

Standing on the ground, I watched them go for a moment.

"Well done. You saved his life. Perhaps you're also a doctor, Forest?" The doctor asked.

"No, sir," I replied. I had done some First Aid training - it was mandatory in a company I worked for back in my world. I even had a CPR certification!

The doc placed a hoof on my shoulder and patted it, "Well, anyway, good job," Then he went off.

I followed him and once I got down from the trailer I looked in front of me. Applejack, Twilight, Pinkie and Applebloom were standing there.

"Where's the blue Pony?" I asked.

"She ran off once she told us where to go. The 'Great and Powerful Trixie' is long gone now," Twilight replied, "But, how did you find this place?"

"Pinkie explained about Brian's walking habits, and mentioned that he sometimes came in here. I entered here, and then I spotted that blue Pony and followed her to the edge of the clearing. I had thought I'd lost her, so I peeked through the trees and saw this," I gestured to the trailer.

"She said that you were punchin' him," Applejack looked at me.

"Punching?"

"Punchin' his chest."

"CPR," I looked at Twilight, "Surely you know what that is."

"Of course. It means cardiopulmonary resuscitation. A technique used to restart someone's heart."

"So, not punching, Applejack. Wait, are... are you guys accusing me of assaulting Brian?"

"Well, we weren't sure, Brian. Shucks, now I feel rather silly. It's just... well, Brian and you haven't been on good terms and we thought that you might have..."

I furrowed my brow, "What? Were you really thinking that I'd..."

"No, Forest, we knew you were helping," Pinkie replied.

All at once my anger vanished, and I smiled, "Thank you, Pinkie."

"I don't want to ruin this gatherin', but the sun is settin', and we're in the Everfree Forest. We need to go," Applebloom interrupted.

She did not need to tell us twice. We high-tailed it out of there.

Outside the entrance, I felt relieved and safe.

"So, what are you goin' to do now?" Applejack asked me.

"I've got to go back to Sugarcube Corner and get my cart."

"No need. I asked Big Mac to go grab it for you. He should be bringin' it to Sweet Apple Acres any moment."

"Thank you, Applejack. I appreciate it."

"I want to check up on Brian and Rainbow," Twilight said.

Applebloom looked at Twilight, "I'll come with you."

"Forest, you comin'?" Applejack asked.

"I doubt that Brian would want to see me there. I think it would be best if I stayed away."

To be honest, I was still shaken up by the events. Trained in CPR I may have been, but actually practicing it was something else. Now that the adrenaline had worn off, I didn't feel very much like facing anyone.

"I'll let you know if anythin' has changed," Applejack then followed her sister and Twilight back towards Ponyville.

I started to walk when I bumped into Pinkie. Pinkie grinned at me, "Ready to go?"

"Go?"

"You said that I you needed help with your new home," Pinkie looked up at me, "Moving the furniture and everything."

This Pony was ridiculous, "Sure, Pinkie. Let's go."

The cart with my stuff on it was outside the Clubhouse, and we wasted no time in getting everything inside. First was the sofa-bed. Taking it, we placed it inside. For the next ten minutes, Pinkie argued that it needed to go closer to the door, while I wanted it as far away as possible to possible. We came to a compromise and had it leaning on the far wall in the middle.

The dresser went opposite the sofa-bed, and finally the tiny heart-covered side-table went on the near side of the sofa-bed, closest to the door.

"Perfect," I stated.

"Oh! I have something else for you!" Pinkie said, and went outside. She came back moments later with a box, "Your first house-warming present."

"Aw, thank you, Pinkie," I opened it. It was that butt-ugly frame that I had wanted, "This is perfect!"

"Really? Because it looks kinda ugly," Pinkie replied. It was refreshing talking to someone completely honest and blunt.

"Now we need bed sheets and stuff," I stated.

Together we walked towards the house. By the time we reached, Applejack had returned from the hospital with Applebloom and they were preparing dinner. The table in the dining room was set, and we all sat down together, even Pinkie! Of course, the discussion automatically was all about Trixie and Brian. Brian was talking, and was saying that he was not going to press charges against Trixie, but Rainbow was furious with her father.

"I don't blame her," I replied, "I would be to. I was there, Trixie might not have meant to harm Brian, but in the end, she was a cause."

"He coughed blood, Forest," Applejack reminded me.

"So, Forest, have ye moved yer things into the Clubhouse?" Granny Smith asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Yes, ma'am!" I said, grinning.

"Well, then you'll be needin' blankets and sheets."

After dinner, Applejack and Granny selected sheets that I could use. I also got a towel, and a facecloth. As the mares were busy, I went upstairs and found my back hidden in the same spot. Taking it out, I took it downstairs with me. Pinkie was there playing a card game with Applebloom. Big Mac was in the corner looking at a newspaper.

"Uh, Big Mac?" I asked.

"Eeyup?"

"Thanks for bringing my cart from Sugarcube Corner."

"Eeyup," He replied.

And that was it. Our conversation was over. We stayed for a while, talking about the events of the day and soon it was getting pretty late, so I thanked the Apples again and was seen to the door. They watched me as I headed back towards the Clubhouse with Pinkie following me.

"Forest?" Pinkie asked as I opened the door to the Clubhouse.

"What is it, Pinkie?"

"Can... can I spend the night?"

"..."

"Well, it's just... it's just... I'm tired," She said looking down, "And... I want to see what it's like sleeping on the sofa-bed."

"..."

"I'm sorry, I don't know what..." Pinkie began, she was starting to get nervous again.

"Sure, Pinkie. I was just teasing you," I lied. In all honesty, I was too damned shock to think or speak.

The first thing I did was light a small candle, and put it on the dresser as I unpacked the bag of goodies the Apples gave to me. Next I walked over to the sofa and pulled it out - it was a snug fit against the dresser, but there was just enough room to walk past without having to stand on the bed. We put the sheets on it and then the blankets.

We stood at the end and admired our handiwork. It was clear that neither of us were good at making beds, but it didn't matter. Taking the candle, I put it down on top of the side-table. Then we both slipped under the sheets. She had her own, Pink sheets, and I had mine in black. I leaned over the heart-shaped table, and blew the candle off.

"Good night, Forest."

"Good night, Pinkie."

"Forest?"

"Yes, Pinkie?"

"What's supposed to happen now?"

"What do you mean?"

"Rarity said that if I spent the night that that you'd show me something special."

I was so, so, so, so glad that it was dark so that Pinkie would see my face turn bright red.

"Forest?" Her voice asked again.

I started making snoring sounds.

"Good night, Forest."

And, strangely, I fell asleep for real not long after that.

Day 5: Practice Makes Perfect

My eyes opened to the sound a of a rooster crowing in the distance. The sun shone through the windows, and a few birds were chirping away nearby. Struggling to keep my eyes open, I tried to sit up. Something was holding me down and I turned my head to my left and found myself staring right into Pinkie's sleeping face. I was shocked and tried to pull myself away from her. She was much too close. But Pinkie had one hoof over my chest, and another over my... middle? Suffice to say, when I pulled away, all it succeeded to do was pull Pinkie along with me. So, now I was on the edge of the bed with Pinkie clinging onto me like a baby monkey clings to its mother. I tried to get out of her grip but she held on tight. I tried a little harder, she resisted more. Using a significant amount of strength, I then tried to get her to let go of me. She wouldn't! And I had thought that Rainbow was strong when I tried to stop her yesterday...

Suddenly I didn't feel like getting out of bed. When I thought of Rainbow, I kept seeing her face looking at me while I talked with the doctor in that trailer. It horrified me. As I closed my eyes, I saw Rainbow with that deep, deep sadness, those tears she fought from forming. It was haunting. The minor heart attack that Brian suffered from yesterday bothered me. I did not need to be a medic to see that there was something serious underlying his condition. One does not simply cough out that much blood, not unless there was something serious. The memory was too vivid, and I opened my eyes again shaking my head trying to get rid of the burnt into my brain.

"Mmmm," Pinkie moaned when I shook my head, "Frrr..."

My heart stopped. Was she dreaming about me? Was she having visions of me? Was I in her dreams? And exactly why do I care?

"... osting..." She mumbled, "Frosting..."

Rolling my eyes, a shaking my head, I couldn't help but laugh silently, "Frosting, huh?" I asked looking at her sleeping face.

When I said those words, Pinkie smiled and curled up. As she did, she pulled me closer towards her.

My eyes opened wide. Was she trying to... was she going to... is she...

I turned my face away. I could feel the heat in my face, the blood filling my cheeks as Pinkie drew me closer towards her. My eyes grew wider and wider as her lips parted ways.

Then she bit my cheek. Hard.

"Nummy," She mumbled as she started chewing.

"Ow! Pinkie! You're hurting me!" I said loudly, "Pinkie!"

Whether or not she heard me, Pinkie did loosen her grip enough for me to pull my face away from her.

"Yukky," She mumbled in her sleep, making a face.

I rubbed my cheek where she had bit it. Since I couldn't get out of her grip, and since talking apparently turned her cannibalistic, I remained laying down staring up at the ceiling wondering what Rarity had in mind letting Pinkie stay the night with me. Not that I felt any sort of attraction to Pinkie, or any of the ponies, but even someone as socially retarded as I knew that you did not let a friend sleep with a stranger whom you've never met, know nothing about, and could be a serial killer. Either she was joking, and Pinkie didn't understand the joke, or Rarity actually thought I was a good person - pony! Got do stop doing that. But Tutela did say that the horrors of my world did not necessarily apply here. The Ponies were protected by their Princesses, who watched over them to ensure their safety. But could they watch every pony?

"God-like," Was what Tutela had said to me when describing the princesses. For some reason it was a good enough answer.

With nothing to do, I let my eyes wander around my new home, or rather my new room. I inspected each of the new pieces of furniture I had bought. The dresser took up the entire wall in front of me and was completely empty. Why had I bought it? I didn't need it considering that I had nothing to put in there except my bag and my laptop, which was safely 'hidden' away in the last shelf, along with the bag that I had borrowed from the Apples to carry the linen in last night. To my right was Pinkie's contribution: The Table of Emasculation. How had she convinced me to get it? The hearts on it seemed to scream 'girly-man' in my face, and each one looked like glowing red coals of estrogen in the light of the sun that bounced off of them through the window. Was I being mocked by a table?

The sound of the leaves of the tree where the Clubhouse was built rustled. There was some clattering on the roof, evidence that some small animals was scurrying over it, or perhaps a bird. It made me smile.

"Forest..." Pinkie suddenly whispered.

"Yes, Pinkie?"

"... muffins..." She mumbled a moment later.

"Muffins?"

This time she pulled me in such a way that my face was smooshed against her torso, and she bit my ear.

She began to half eat, half slobber on it.

It felt... strange. It tickled and was not necessarily unpleasant, but it did feel wrong. However, because of my position now, her grip was loose! I pulled my head downwards and away.

I was free! But Pinkie would not be denied! She reached again for me.

Had to think fast, and I grabbed my pillow and placed it in front of her. She instantly wrapped her hooves around it and squeezed, like a python gripping its prey. She drew the poor pillow into her clutches before she started chewing on it. Although I was not completely free yet for her legs were still tightly wrapped around my body, I was still making progress. So I tried to pry myself loose, but the stubborn Mare refused to budge. The harder I tried, the more she resisted.

"Pinkie! Let me go!" I pleaded, shaking her.

She made a sound. I think it was a 'no', but her mouth was full of pillow, and I couldn't quite make it out.

"What do you mean, 'no'?" I pulled the blanket off of her.

She shuddered then opened her eyes, blinked a few times, and then looked up at me, "Good morning."

"Good morning! Glad you're awake. Can you let me go now?"

She looked at her legs twisted around me, blushed a bit, and let me go. She yawned and stretched her body out, "What time is it?"

"No idea."

Finally free of Pinkie's clutches, I got out of bed and walked over to the door and opened it. The crisp morning air seemed to invade the Clubhouse filling it with a fresh cool breeze. It seemed to push the sleep out of the house, and I strangely felt revitalized. The Clubhouse had a small porch, or patio in front of the door that had a railing. It was nothing big. If I stood sideways, my neck would have been over the rail, but it was actually really nice to be able to walk outside and take a few deep breaths of the fresh morning air. I walked back indoors after a moment, and saw Pinkie huddled up in mine and her blanket on the bed.

"Get out of bed, you lazy Pony!" I said leaning against my dresser.

Pinkie pulled the blankets over her head, "Too early..."

Laughing, I pulled both the sheets off of Pinkie.

She narrowed her eyes, and grinned before grabbing a pillow and throwing it right at me. It hit my square in the face. In response to this wanton act of violence, I took the same pillow with my mouth and threw it right back at her. She grinned at that, and took both pillows in both her hooves, and attacked me swatting me from left and right. Somehow I managed to wrest control of one of her 'deadly' weapons from her, and we proceeded to have a 'sword-pillow' fight. Pinky bounced around on the bed, while I tried to hold my ground. Then we 'locked' our sword-pillows and glared at each other, as if we were two rivals in a duel. She pushed against me, and I refused to give back. Alas, Pinkie had the higher ground, and use her weight against me. Taking a step back, I slipped on one of the blankets that was laying on the floor. As I was falling backwards, I grabbed Pinkie's hoof out of reflex, but I was too heavy for her. So, I fell on my back and she fell right on top of me.

Applejack walked in, "What in tarnation are you doin', Fores... Pinkie?" Applejack asked in surprise seeing Pinkie.

Imagine hearing the sounds of a fight, then rushing over to see your tenant lying on the ground, the bed a mess, blankets on the floor, and your best friend on top of him. Yeah. That's what Applejack walked in on.

"It... it's not what it looks like," I said stupidly, understanding that she was shocked.

Applejack looked at me, "What do ya mean it's not what it looks like? It looks like two adult Ponies rough-housin'. Pink, you stayed here at the Clubhouse all night long?" She gave me a keen look, "Am I missin' somethin'?"

"We were just horsing around..." Wait, can I say that? "And I fell. Pinkie tried to catch me..."

Pinkie picked herself up from off of me, "Mornin' AJ!" She said, oblivious to the awkwardness of the situation.

"Hello, Pinkie," Applejack replied. She sounded angry, and gave me a look.

"She... she asked if she could spend the night. I said it was okay. It..." I stuttered, trying to explain. Applejack's expression spoke volumes, "Nothing happened!"

"Then what is she doin' here?"

"Rarity said that Forest would show me something special if I spent the night, but he just fell asleep," Pinkie replied, now sitting on the bed.

Applejack blushed, "Rarity said that, did she?"

"As you can see, she's... not... ready?" I put it in the form of a question, because I was not sure how to say it.

"That's mighty fine of you, Forest, not takin' advantage of Pinkie like that. Very... honorable of you."

I blushed a little, "Thanks,"

"Taking advantage of me?" Pinkie asked, tilting her head to one side.

"Never you mind," Applejack replied on my behalf.

"Why would Rarity do that?" I asked.

"Rarity means well, but sometimes she doesn't think, and does things for her friends that she thinks we'd like," Applejack replied, "But I think that Rarity was just teasing Pinkie. I doubt she thought that she'd actually listen and actually stay the night... no offense."

"None taken," Okay, so I was just a teeny-bit offended.

"What am I not ready for?" Pinkie asked again, obviously confused.

Applejack rubbed the back of her head with her hoof, "Well, Pinkie Pie, if you really want to know then I think that's somethin' you ought to ask Twilight."

"Okeedokee," Pinkie replied. She then picked up the blankets from off the floor, neatly folded them and straightened the bed sheet.

She put the pillows and blankets on the bed and I folded it in half, then pushed it back so that it returned to being a sofa. The blankets and sheets all tucked away nicely within the fold. It really was well designed sofa-bed

"What time is it?" Pinkie asked Applejack.

"Around eight, I reckon. Maybe a bit later."

"Excuse me, I need to use the toilet," I said, and took my towel, "And shower."

Walking to the barn, I spotted Big Mac loading a cart with wood. He spotted me and gave me a wave. I nodded as I walked up to him, "Good morning."

"Mornin'."

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"Loadin' wood for the fire stove. Zap Apple seasons comin', and we need the wood to make jam."

My eyes opened wide. This was the most he's ever said to me since I've met him. I didn't think he could handle more than one syllable. Big Mac interpreted my expression as someone who was excited about the prospect of a Zap Apple harvest.

"So, when is it?"

"Should be soon. The Timberwolves should be howlin' any day now," Big Mac said looking towards the direction of the Everfree Forest.

I gulped, "Timberwolves?"

"Eeyup."

"Hi, Forest," Applebloom said coming out of the barn with a small stack of wood on her back, "You really are a sleepy-head, ain'tcha?"

"Good morning to you too, Applebloom. Your brother was just telling me that Zap Apple season was coming."

"Uh-huh! I can hardly wait!" She gave me that outrageously cute smile. It should have been illegal being that cute!

I ruffled her mane, "I'll come help in a moment. I need to use the facilities."

"Toilet's over there, shower's opposite," Applebloom said, pointing to the rear of the barn.

After my business, I did indeed help load the cart, and Big Mac lugged it away. However, during the process, I had taken a fairly small piece of wood and a bunch of nails as well as a hammer. Carrying the objects, Applebloom and I returned to the Clubhouse. Applejack and Pinkie were still there sitting on the sofa.

"Hi, Pinkie. When did you arrive?" Applebloom asked.

"I stayed the night!" Pinkie exclaimed.

Applebloom looked over to me.

"Not what you think," I said without emotion. I was going to get this a lot today, wasn't I?

"So, what's your plan for today?" Applejack asked me.

"Get curtains. That's about it."

"Aren't you going to train?"

"Train?"

"For the tryouts! It's tomorrow!" Applebloom replied on her sister's behalf.

I smacked my head, "Oh! I'm such an idiot! I completely forgot!"

"How could you forget?"

"Well, to be honest, I didn't sign up. I was being sarcastic and Rarity just put my name down. Also, after the Brian incident..."

At that, the three girls nodded in silence.

"Have you heard anything?" I asked.

Applejack shook her head, "I haven't been back to the hospital yet. Rainbow is there, and I think Twilight as well. Right now I think Rarity is with Fluttershy..."

"Poor Fluttershy. Poor Dashie. Poor Angel. Poor Brian," Pinkie said. Did her hair just deflate?

"I'm sure that Brian will be alright. The doctor said that all he needed was rest and he'd be up and about," I said smiling. It was true, that was what he had said but I've seen enough television back on Earth to know that whatever Brian had, it wasn't something temporary.

But Pinkie did perk up a bit. Did her hair just inflate? "I'm going to go and make cakes and balloons and everything for Brian! Plus I've got to tell Mr. and Mrs. Cake that I'm okay!"

Inflating and deflating hair. Pinkie just put the term 'air-head' on a whole new level for me.

"Isn't Brian in the hospital?" I asked.

Pinkie looked at us, "I should get back. I need to tell Mr. and Mrs. Cake that I'm okay! I did say that I wasn't coming home."

"What did you tell them?"

"I told them I was staying over at Applejack's. Rarity said not to tell them I was going to stay with you," Pinkie replied. Her honesty was refreshing, but she just did not understand. Was it possible for even Ponies to be that naive?

"Pinkie, you can't tell just anypony about staying the night with Forest!" Applebloom exclaimed. Even she, who was much younger than Pinkie, understood.

"Why not?"

"They'll get the wrong idea!"

"What idea?" Pinkie tilted her head to one side, like a curious puppy.

Applebloom blushed. Applejack blushed. I smacked my head.

"Are you guys okay?" Pinkie asked us, looking at us as if we were the weird ones.

"Just don't tell anyone, okay?" I pleaded, "Not a soul!" I'll never hear the end of it!

She thought about it, "Not even Rarity?"

"Especially not Rarity!" Applejack cut in, making me jump.

"Okeedokee," And with that, Pinkie hopped away.

"Must be nice, being able to live life like that," I said watching her go, "She seems so... free."

"Yeah. Well, Pinkie's a Pony unto her own. She's the perfect Pony to go see the Dash's," Applejack said watching Pinkie hopping back towards Ponyville, "Why don't we go over to the track and you can run a few laps?"

"Sure," I replied.

"Do you want to have breakfast?" Applebloom asked.

"No thank you. If I'm going to be running, I don't think I should eat. I just need to do one thing, and I'll be right over, okay?"

"Okay, we'll see you in a bit."

I watched the two sisters go, and waited until they were a good distance away before returning to the Clubhouse. Closing the door and finding my bag, I opened the laptop.

"If only you could've seen your face last night!" Tutela was laughing so hard, tears were dripping from her eyes, "Your face was so red, I'm surprised it didn't glow! You could have fooled Pinkie into thinking it was her reflection!"

I made a face, "She caught me off guard."

"Did she? I didn't notice apart from the excessive blushing that lame pretending to be asleep act. You really are a glutton for embarrassment!" Tutela roared in laughter, "Now this is entertainment."

"I'm glad you find me so amusing," I scowled.

I got out the hideous frame that Pinkie had bought me. Then I pushed my laptop screen as far back as it could go and overlaid the laptop's monitor with it. The huge frame was big enough to cover the keyboard, and the picture area was the right size for the screen. Now, all I had to do was somehow fix the two together.

Taking the small piece of wood from helping Big Mac and Applebloom earlier, along with the nails. Taking the hammer in my hoof, I took the largest nail I had and hammered it into the back of the door. Then taking the shorter nails, I nailed the piece wood to the very bottom of the frame. Taking the rope that I had used for tying the furniture to the cart - Big Mac had left it outside on the porch, I cut a length and untwisted a part of it. Using that, I wove a small holder at the back and tightened. The rope - now a string - pulled the monitor against the front of the frame.

As I did so, Tutela nodded with an impressed expression on her face, "Very clever."

The majority of the weight of the laptop was now on the small wood block at the base, the ropes held the monitor close to the screen, and I could 'hide' it in plain site. Taking it, I hung it behind the door on the long nail.

Tutela looked at me, and I looked at her, "Think it'll work?"

"Sure. As long as no-one takes it off and peeks at the bottom half."

"How is Brian?" I asked.

"Not good, I'm afraid. He's still not awake, and Pinkie is baking a huge pile of cakes, while at the same time inflating as many balloons as possible."

"Where does she get all that energy?" I muttered, "Do you know what he's got?"

"No."

"Can you find out?" I asked.

"How would I do that? I'm not a doctor," Tutela asked, furrowing her bow.

"I don't know! Peek at people in the hospital over there, or look it up on the Internet?"

"I'll see what I can do, in the meantime, you should be concentrating on yourself and not on other Ponies or people. Remember, you're only there to earn your freedom. ," And with that, Tutela cut off. The picture of the Everfree Forest was now prominently displayed on the screen.

Walking towards the Apple's house, my mind again was filled with all sorts of thoughts. I kept going over the events. The blue Pony with the whip, the laughter - what went wrong after that? Did she use her magic on him? I didn't see anything glowing, so I doubted that was it. Definitely the blue Pony was as shocked as I was to see Brian launch into that coughing fit as I was. And then when I burst into the room, she was terrified.

Applejack, Applebloom, Granny Smith, and Big Macintosh were all on their porch as I walked up to the house.

"Ready to go, Forest?" Applejack asked.

"Ready!" I replied.

The girls, save for Granny, then led me towards Ponyville, while Big Mac stayed behind with his grandmother.

As we entered Ponyville, we ran into Twilight Sparkle and her Dragon. Spike was carrying a basket in his hands full of freshly picked flowers.

"Howdy, Twilight. Where're you off to?" Applejack asked, although we all knew where she was going.

"We're going to visit Brian at the hospital. What about you?"

"I'm takin' Forest here to the track for practice. You wanna walk together?"

"Sure!"

So, the five of us headed towards the hospital. In the back of my mind I was getting worried. Why was I going to the hospital? I didn't want to see Brian. Brian didn't even like me! In fact, I would say that he disliked me. A lot. The last Pony he'd want to see in the hospital would have been me.

As we approached the familiar looking building, I started to walk slower, trying to think of a way out.

"Forest?"

The sound of me new name jolted me, "Ye-yes?"

"How do you make girls like you?" It was Spike who had spoken.

"Come again?"

"How can you make girls like you?" He repeated.

"Well, it depends on the girl, I suppose. So did you have in mind? A hot dragon?" I asked.

He mumbled something.

"What?"

He mumbled something again, this time a tiny bit louder.

"Sorry, you're going to have to speak louder..."

He grabbed me by my shoulders, and held me so that I looked right into his face.

"Rarity!" He exclaimed in a loud whisper.

"Rarity?" I repeated also in a whisper, "But... she's a Pony. You're a Dragon..."

"Does that really matter?" Spike asked.

Why are you dumping this on me now? Don't you think I already have an assload of shit of my plate as it is? I said in my mind, "No. I suppose not."

"I like Rarity," He said and let me go.

"Well, what do you see in her?" I asked.

"She's beautiful, kind, gentle, generous," He went on and on and on. He really had it bad.

"Have you ever told her how you feel?"

"No! No, no, no, no, no! No way! Uh-uh. There is no way. Nope."

"Well, why not tell her how you feel?"

"It's not that simple!" Spike replied, angry.

"I see you've heard this one before."

"You think? Everypony says the same thing, 'tell her how you feel', 'tell her how you feel'," He repeated in a mocking voice - mocking all those Ponies who dared give him this lame piece of advice.

"Well, if everypony suggests it, then wouldn't it be the right thing?" Logic - best argument ender, ever.

"And what if she says no? Then what?"

"Then you move on. Find someone else," Doh! I meant to say somepony!

"There is no-one else," Spike then went on a monologue about how Rarity was 'the one', and that he was 'incomplete' without her. I have-listened to him, not because I wasn't interested, but because there were other things on my mind.

When we arrived at the hospital entrance, I stopped.

"Well, we'll see you guys later?" Twilight asked.

"I'll come with you, Twi. Forest, you go with Spike and Applebloom to the field," And Applejack pointed with her hoof.

The field in question was right behind the hospital. Well, not right behind, but close. Relief.

The three of us walked towards the field. Once there, I jogged around the track a few times while Spike and Applebloom watched. After my seventh lap, Applebloom shouted, "Faster!"

"Seriously?" I muttered, as I past her on another lap.

Still, I did as she asked. I ran. At first it felt strange. But then I started to get used to it. The more I ran, the faster I wanted to go. The faster I wanted to go, the more I pushed myself. The more I pushed myself, the more I felt like I was flying. The feeling of the wind in my face, the sound of the wind passing my ears, and the speed! The speed! Speed! I put my face down and dug my hooves into the ground. I watched the road rush past, the blur of the surroundings push past me. More, and more, I pulled my body forwards, willing myself to go faster and faster. It was amazing. I felt so light. So fast. Free.

It's too bad that I couldn't hold on to the ground.

"Forest!" Applebloom screamed, "Watch out for that..."

It was not that I didn't see it, but I couldn't stop. The momentum of my body propelled my forwards and I crashed into something solid.

"... tree."

"Ow."

Applebloom and Spike stood there. While Applebloom had the expression of shock, Spike had the expression of pain.

Eventually he rushed over to me, "You okay?"

"Fine," I said, seeing stars. Picking myself up, I checked to see if I had any damage. Nothing.

I looked at the track. Was that... fire? Fire on the tracks?

"What happened?" I asked.

"You happened! As you were running, fire started appearing whenever your hooves touched the ground..."

"What?"

"Really! Look!" Spike pointed at the ground. Two black streaks that led straight into the tree I had smashed into. The grass was black, as if it were set on fire, in fact in some places the fire was still going, "And while you were running, you created a small whirlwind! It was so cool."

"I've never seen anypony run that fast! We're to win the race for sure!" Applebloom exclaimed excitedly.

The commotion was enough that a couple nurses from the hospital had rushed over.

"Are you okay?" One asked.

"Nurse Redheart! Did you see? Did you see?" Applebloom asked excitedly.

"Yes, I saw," The nurse said, and walked over to me, and lifted my chin up with her hoof, "I saw you crash straight into that tree."

"I'm fine..."

"We still need to check..."

"Please, really, I'm fine..."

"And ensure you have no concussions..."

"But..."

"No buts. Come," The Nurse was not going to take 'no' for an answer.

"I'm really okay. Promise," I insisted. It was not that I didn't want medical attention, but the thought of going into the hospital where Brian was just did not sit well with me. As much as I hated to admit it, I was actually scared of the old man. And with last night's events still vivid in my mind...

Just then the doctor from yesterday appeared, "Why, hello there! Glad to see you up and about, Forest."

I nodded, and stood up. I faltered a little, but that was probably because my legs felt so tired.

"Well, relatively speaking. That's some mighty fine running, my good lad," The doctor continued, laughing at my wobbliness.

"Thanks," As I stood up, I looked at the doctor, "Doc, how's Mr. Dash?"

The doctor was taken aback by that question, "I-I'm afraid that I'm not at liberty to discuss the personal details of my patients."

A doctor saying that meant only one thing. Spike helped me on my feet, as Nurse Redheart looked into my eyes. It was not that she was being friendly, she was looking to see if I had any brain damage.

"Really, nurse. I'm fine. Just a little dazed."

She nodded, "You do seem fine, but if you start getting headaches, or anything, you must come. Why you're being stubborn when a simple check-up is..."

"I'll do it, Nurse Redheart," The doctor said, "Please leave him to me."

At this, the nurse seemed appeased, and she left heading back towards the hospital.

The doctor shined his flashlight into my eyes, and seeing nothing out of the ordinary gave me a clean bill of health - relatively speaking. All he said was, "You're fine."

In the far distance I saw three familiar Ponies standing near the hospital. One pink, one orange, and the last purple. They were looking our way. They weren't the only ones. Several dozen other heads were looking in our direction from the hospital windows. The sight of it was fairly intimidating. A few were laughing their heads off, I could tell.

"Why are they looking this way?" I asked.

Spike shrugged, "I don't know. Maybe it's because you set fire to the track, and ran straight into a tree?"

Applebloom, upon seeing her sister, ran towards her. The three of us stayed behind and watched her go. The silence was overbearing. Where moments before there was the sound of trees, the wind, life, now there was just silence. It was as if everything had stopped, but in reality it was only the mood that had changed. It was the way that the three Ponies stood on the rise where the hospital overlooked the field. None of us said a thing as we watched Applebloom run up the incline to her sister, who was instantly seized in a tight embrace.

"Forest?"

"Yes, Spike?"

"Is Brian going to die?"

The question hit me harder than a punch to the face. The doctor looked at me, then away.

"I don't know, Spike," I lied.

Together the three of us headed towards the others. As we reached the top of the rise, the doctor excused himself and returned to the hospital. Spike and I stood there looking at the three friends. After a moment, Pinkie burst into tears and hugged Applejack who was still clutching Applebloom tightly. Twilight looked at me and then shook her head. She already knew the question I wanted to ask, but I had already known the answer.

"How is Rainbow taking it?" I asked.

"Do I really need to answer that?" Twilight replied, "She's losing her father. How would you take it?"

I would've celebrated if it were my father. I said to myself, "Is there anything we can do?"

"The doctors are looking into that right now," Twilight looked at me, "We don't know much about humans and their physiology, especially when it comes to medicine. Brian is the only human in all of Equestria. It's a miracle our doctors have been able to treat him so far."

I looked down at my hooves, "Maybe... maybe we can get help? From his world?"

At that suggestion the Ponies looked at one another, "We can't, Forest. Princess Celestia closed whatever it was that connected our world to his. There is nothing that can reopen it."

Bullshit! I screamed in my mind, I come from his world! "I see."

"Brian wasn't supposed to come here in the first place!" Applejack put in, "His appearance here in Equestria caused quite a ruckus. Those were happy times."

"So, what now?" I asked.

"Well, I don't rightly know. Our friend Fluttershy is also havin' a bad time, though Rarity's been kind enough to stay with her."

"Her pet rabbit?" Not that I should judge, but wouldn't someone's father be more important that a pet?

"Angel is more than just a pet to Fluttershy," Twilight said, her voice cold as ice.

She saw through me completely on that one, "Oh. Sorry. I didn't realize."

"It's okay. It's strange, you know. You've only been here for such a short time, yet you've somehow become... involved with us," Twilight gave me a look. Not a particularly kind one, but neither was it mean.

"I think that's got to do with me having amnesia, and you guys being really open and friendly. Perhaps I ought to distance myself a little?"

"I think that would be best. Especially now. Don't get me wrong, I am grateful that you helped our friends especially Rainbow by saving her father, but we need time to ourselves without having to take of you. No offense," Twilight replied and then looked down at the ground. I could tell she was not happy about what she had said, but it was the right thing to say. I knew that, and even though it hurt - strange that it would affect me in that way - I completely agreed.

Both Applejack and Pinkie looked at Twilight as if she were a crazy person - Pony! Crazy Pony.

"Twi, you can't just..."

"She's right, you know," I said.

The others looked at me.

"You've all been very kind. But your friend needs you and I don't want to be in the way. I'll be fine on my own. And it's not like I'm going to vanish. You'll see me everyday, Applejack, and you're all welcome to my humble abode if you ever want to come visit," My nose started to feel funny, and my eyes began to hurt. What the fuck was wrong with me? Was I actually... was I... no. I refused to allow it. Taking a deep breath I forced myself to keep a straight face.

"Take care of yourself, Forest. And again, thank you for understanding," Twilight said and turned and headed back towards the hospital.

"You'll be alright?" Applejack asked.

"Of course! I'll see you back home, if anything," I gave her my best smile.

That seemed to be the right thing to say to Applejack, and she nodded, "See you at home, then."

Applebloom stayed with me and Spike as Applejack followed after Twilight. Pinkie remained behind looking at me.

"I'll see you around too, Pinkie. I'm not going anywhere. I've got tryouts tomorrow."

"Forest, you look sad."

"I am sad, Pinkie. For Rainbow and her dad. But right now, I think that they need you more than I do."

Pinkie thought about it for a moment, "You're right! I need to be there for my very best friend!"

With that, Pinkie followed her two friends and all three entered the hospital.

"Aren't you guys going?" I asked, looking at Spike and Applebloom.

"The question is; why aren't you going?" Spike asked.

"Me?"

"Well, you did save his life."

"How do you know that?"

"It's the talk of the town!" Spike said rolling his eyes, "How you found him in the Everfree Forest, how you broke down the door, and how you saved him."

"Where did you get all that?" I asked, furrowing my brow.

"I heard it from Twilight. She was here at the hospital with Rainbow all night and part of this morning. She only left because Pinkie arrived with her cakes and balloons," Spike said, stroking his chin, "We went home to get some books and we ran into you on our . When we heading back to the hospital."

"Cakes and balloons? In a hospital?" Why was I surprised? It was Pinkie after all.

"Well, are you going to visit the Dashes?" Spike asked again.

No! No way! I wanted to shout, "Not today, Spike. I think the Dashes will want to be alone with their friends, and not acquaintances."

Just then there was a commotion near the entrance to the hospital. A lot of Ponies were gathering there, and out of curiosity, I wondered what was going on. At once I recognized the costume, not that I'd seen it before but Rainbow had described the thing in explicit detail just the day before. Probably one of Rainbow's team-mate's.

"It's Soarin'," Spike whispered in my ear, "He's a Wonderbolt."

Thank you, Captain Obvious!

"I think he's here to see Rainbow," Applebloom said in a loud whisper.

I watched as he pushed past the crowd and into the hospital. He certainly was popular.

With nothing to do, and not wanting to get in anyone's way, I wandered back to town with Spike. Applebloom had decided to join her sister and the others. The fact that Soarin' was there was completely unrelated, apparently. At least, that what's Applebloom said to us.

With nothing to do, and hungry as hell, I made a beeline to my favorite place in town, Sugarcube Corner. As I was about to enter the bakery for some wheaty goodness, I heard a voice call my name. My blood froze in my veins.

Yes, Satan? I wanted to say, but I knew better, "Yes, Crystal?"

"I heard that you helped Brian yesterday. I wanted to thank you," She replied in that obnoxious nasal voice. Couldn't she blow her nose?

"I did nothing special," I replied.

Cyan Crystal took a good look at me before responding, "You left some books in your room. I saw that they were from the library, so I dropped them off for you."

"That was mighty kind of you," I said, still half-way into Sugarcube Corner, "Now if you excuse me, I need to eat something."

"I'll join you."

What did I do to deserve this? I roared to the heaven's - in my head of course, "Sounds fun."

As we entered, the first thing that happened was the table nearest to us with three young Ponies sort of gasped and yelped at the same time upon seeing Crystal and bolted out the door. I watched them go, wishing that I was a part of their fleeing mob. Crystal, on the other hand, completely ignored them or the fact that she scared them off. She promptly sad at their table.

Sitting opposite the Pony, I had a clear view to the large windows behind her, where I saw Spike standing across the street. He gave me a thumbs up and a wink mouthing the words 'good-luck' before disappearing around the corner.

Traitor!

"So. Forest. I wanted to apologize for the other day," Crystal began.

"There is no need. I think we both were... wrong," Fuck you, I wasn't wrong at all!

She looked at me evenly, "Don't patronize me. You and I both know we don't like one another."

You think? "Then why have lunch together?"

"Because... look, I'm trying to be civil," Crystal began, and leaned back in her chair, "We can make both our stays here unpleasant, or we can try and work past... our misunderstandings."

"Misunderstandings? What misunderstandings? As far as I know you were only hostile against me because I was friends with Pinkie," I said furrowing my brow.

Her expression instantly changed at the mention of Pinkie's name.

"I think we'll postpone lunch for now," She said standing up, "I would advise you to watch yourself, Forest."

"Is that a threat?"

"No. It's not a threat. Just a warning," And with the Crystal walked past me and out the door.

My body shuddered. The way she said it implied something terrible was going to happen.

"What was that about?" Mr. Cake asked, walking over to me.

I shook my head in response, "Not a clue."

"She is a strange one. Pleasant one moment..."

The rest of the afternoon was spent chatting with the Cakes, who agreed to give me dinner if I helped around the bakery. This was great, but why was it that all that I am made to do was lift heavy shit? Heavy bags of flour, or other sacks of heavy crap, carrying them from one place to another, stacking them, and basically just being a living, breathing forklift.

I had stayed till it was dark, helping around where I could. Where was Pinkie through all this? Eventually, with all the errands that needed to be done were done, I started heading back home after eating a nice dinner with the Cakes. Mrs. Cake even packed me a little box of goodies to take home and snack on, which was very nice of her to do so. As I approached Sweet Apple Acres, I noticed that the lights were on inside the house, so I walked up the stairs and knocked on the door.

Applebloom answer, "Oh, hi, Forest."

"Hi. Just wanted to let you guys know I'm back."

"Okay, Forest."

Something was strange. They all seemed so distant. They were being nice to me, but not the same as before. The last few days they had really enveloped me into their lives, and a part of me perhaps let my guard down as they did. Now it seemed that they were doing the thing that they should have done in the first place - keep me at a distance. Strange that they would do so after letting me get so integrated with their lives. My only guess was that somewhere along the way they must have woken up.

"Well, good night," I turned and walked away.

Walking into the Clubhouse, I struck a match and lit the candle - the only light I had in my home. After that, I pulled the bed from the sofa, and lay down I pulled the blankets over myself.

Day 6: Tryouts

Again that rooster. I wondered why it was that you always seem to wake up from the sound of a rooster's crow. I know that the bird always does his 'cock-a-doodle-doo-ing' in the morning and it essentially announces the arrival of the day - but why is that you wake up from hearing it? In a city there are other plenty of other things that make an obnoxious noise, especially in the early morning. Back on Earth - my Earth - you'd get drunkards who'd start singing horrid songs off-key in the wee hours of the morning, or some construction would start, or a car would drive by at a million miles-per-hour with a broken muffler. And yet, people manage to sleep through all of it - myself included. But one call from a damn rooster, and your eyes refuse to stay closed! Maybe if I get back to my world, I ought to buy a rooster. Or maybe a rooster-alarm clock. Yeah. That way I don't have to keep feeding it.

Then I tried to get out of bed. Didn't get far.

I pulled the blankets back and instantly spotted the culprit, "Pinkie, what are you..."

My voice died in my throat. It was not that I was suddenly overcome with Pinkie's sleeping face, but there was indeed something different about it. The lower parts of her eyes were red, as if she had been crying all night long. Had I slept through it all? Did she come to my room looking for comfort and instead got an unconscious me? I knew that I was a heavy sleeper, but to actually not notice Pinkie slipping into my bed? Was I drugged or something? Confused, and also kind of happy (not because Pinkie was there, so don't get the wrong idea) I let her sleep holding on to me.

Some time had passed before I heard a gentle knock on the door.

"Come in," I answered in a half-whisper.

Applejack entered, "Forest, sorry to disturb..."

I put my hoof in front of my lips, "Sh!"

She looked at me confused, and I pulled the blankets back and revealed a red-eyed, sleeping Pinkie.

Relief washed over Applejack's face, "Thank Celestia she's fine."

"What happened?" I asked.

"I don't know. With everything goin' on, she probably could not take it. No matter how hard she tries, she can't make everyone always smile. Sometimes... sometimes Ponies gotta make themselves smile when the time comes."

"Well, what is she doing back here?" I replaced the blankets over Pinkie.

Applejack fidgeted with her hooves, "Well... we all sort of... shouted... at her..." Applejack's voice got quieter and quieter towards the end, "She was making too much noise in the hospital, and well..."

Slowly, and steadily, I pried myself loose from Pinkie's grip. She did not fight back as hard as yesterday and I managed to escape fairly quickly. Taking my side of the blankets, I tucked her in snugly. It seemed to help because I saw a small smile on her lips appear. Not a complete smile, but a smile nonetheless.

"I must have been really out of it to not notice her. I don't even know when she came here!" I exclaimed standing next to Applejack and watching Pinkie sleep, "And on that note; why here?"

"She must be takin' a likin' to you, Forest," Applejack said, "And usually I'd make a joke and tease ya about it. But right now it doesn't seem appropriate."

Understandable - wait, did she just say, "Like me?" I asked astounded.

"Aw, come on, Forest. A Mare just doesn't go to some random Stallion's home, and sleep in his bed unless she has feelin's for him. Even if she doesn't understand them," Applejack walked over to Pinkie, sat on the bed and began to stroke her puffy hair.

They were close. Almost like sisters.

"Forest, can I ask you somethin'?"

"Sure, Applejack."

"If... and I do mean 'if'... if you were human, you'd tell us, right?"

What. The. Fuck! The question caught me completely off guard, and it took a second to snap myself out of the panic induced state that was threatening to envelope me, "What?"

Applejack ignored my question, "I mean, you'd tell us, right?"

I looked into those eyes, looked at her as she stared into mine. And for the first time since I got there, I felt really guilty that I had lied to her. It was not that I didn't feel so before, but right now I felt that I had a chance to tell her, to explain everything, but I just couldn't. It was not that I didn't want to, it was that I couldn't.

Then, like a ray of light in the darkness, something just clicked in my mind. It was a gamble, but anything was better than lying to Applejack.

"Yes," On that word, a sudden wave of feeling of lightness took me, "I would, but... I can't remember my past, remember? Am I really that... human?"

Applejack looked at me, "Y'know, I'm not sure anymore. I think the best thing would be to ask Princess Celestia."

"If that's what you think." I think I might have just screwed myself.

"Well, Twilight's been mighty suspicious of you for a while now," Applejack confessed.

Tutela was right! The purple Pony was the dangerous one, but where had I gone wrong? Where had I accidentally left a trail for her to follow? I rarely even met Twilight, how was it that she knew to suspect me in the first place?

"Really?" My voice sounded colder than I intended it to be. Applejack misunderstood the tone of my voice.

"Don't be angry, Forest. She's just tryin' to protect us."

"I know. I'm not blaming her nor am I angry, I just feel that I've messed up for letting her think that," What do you know, an honest answer! "Would you believe that Brian also thinks I'm a human."

"Honestly, I didn't believe it neither, but when Twilight started talkin' to Brian and Rainbow about it, well, she can be convincin' if she needs to."

I shuddered. Brian and Twilight? It was hard enough dodging the bullets Brian fired at me, now I had to keep an eye out for the ones from Twilight as well? In retrospect, maybe coming to Ponyville where there already was a human and Ponies that have dealt with humans in the past was not the brightest of ideas. But then again, a week ago I had no idea that there were real-life talking cartoon Ponies, let alone a magical land in a parallel dimension, if this was a parallel dimension. Could have been another planet in a galaxy far, far away for all I knew.

"And... do you think I'm a human too?" I asked.

"Honestly? I don't know. You act strange, but I just thought that was you being you. I mean, you don't have memories of your past, how are you expected to act like a normal Pony in the first place?" Applejack shook her head, "I just don't know. You do say things that are mighty strange, but then again you could be from a big city. Big city folk always talk funny to me."

At that, I couldn't help but laugh. Acting like a country yokel, yet I knew that Applejack was anything but backward. She was a helluva lot smarter than many people I knew, and her honesty was her greatest strength. It was understandable why she was indeed the Element of Honesty. She was perfect for that title.

"Twi asked us to stay away from you for a while."

"I know," Our conversation outside the hospital yesterday came to mind. I was still hurting over that.

"At first I thought she was off her rockers, but she started sayin' things about you, and the way you talk, your manners... it all seemed..."

"Convincing?"

"Yep. But Pinkie here said that she didn't care, that you were nice and kind. Twilight was concerned about your motivations and got angry at Pinkie for not listenin' to her."

"So that's why she's here?" My face started feeling a little hot, but I forced the blood in my cheeks away. There was no way I was going to blush over this!

"I guess. I wanted to come check last night, but..."

When Applejack stopped in mid-sentence, I helped her finish it, "Twilight's words still were too fresh, and you didn't feel comfortable?"

"That's right. Gee, Forest. I feel so..."

"Don't. You never have to feel uncomfortable with me. If something bothers you, or if you ever need me to do something, then just ask. You've already done far more for me than..." Applejack had done more for me ever. There was nobody on my world or this that has gone as far as Applejack in helping me.

"Thank you, Forest. I'll remember that."

"So, Twilight believes I'm human, gets into a spat with Pinkie, who then sneaks into my room and into my bed without me ever waking up. Sounds legit."

"But there were questions that she brought up. What brought you here to Equestria? Why you're here? And most of all: how you're here?"

"Well, I guess we'll just have to go and talk to the Princess."

"Twilight's already asked her," Applejack looked up at me, "She'll be here this afternoon."

Oh great, so now I have one day left before I vanish? "I see. Well, until then, I'll just continue being a Pony!" I laughed weakly at my own joke.

"Forest, this is serious. If you're a human..."

"Applejack, let's just let things happen as they happen. Do I really look like I'm out to hurt anyone? I mean, I could've taken advantage of Pinkie twice now, and yet I've been..." What was the word I was looking for?

"Well, I guess you have," Applejack stood up and walked over to me, "And, thank you, Forest."

"For what?"

"For at least bein' open to the idea that you might not be a Pony. I don't usually like confrontations if I can avoid them, but I've sort of taken you on and I feel responsible for you," Applejack looked at my eyes again.

No matter how hard I tried, I could not meet them. I wanted to, I wanted to look straight into her eyes and tell her the truth! I really did, I wanted to let her know that I was a man from Earth, and I was only here because of a stupid bet with a Changeling to discover the true meaning of friendship. But I had to lie. I had no choice. But telling myself that still did not help.

"I am not going to deny the possibility now that you seem so convinced, but I just want to let you know that whatever happens today, I am glad to have met you and your friends."

Applejack gave me a single nod of her head. It seemed as if a huge weight had been lifted off of her shoulders.

"Well, shall we go?" She asked.

"Go? Oh! The tryouts! Sure. What about Pinkie?"

"She'll be fine. Now that I know where she is I can stop frettin', I'm sure she'll be up and about in no time, and hopefully back to her usual perky self."

"Somehow I think that Pinkie will never change. Anyway, let us go," Moving aside, I let Applejack go ahead of me like a gentleman - Pony! Gentlepony - should. As I was about to step out the door, I turned back and looked at Pinkie sleeping on the bed. Good-bye, Pinkie. It's been fun while it lasted, but I can't take it anymore. This constant lying. When I first got here a week ago, I really didn't give a shit about anything or anyone. Now, I can't even lie to save my own skin if it meant that I'd hurt you or your friends in the process.

C'est la vie. I closed the door, and left everything. Mementos.

Although I knew that in a few hours I'd be screwed, I felt light, happy and jovial. The thought of running away just seemed... pointless. Even if this Princess Celestia kept an eye on her Ponies like a god-like creature, what good would hiding do? Not only would she be able to search me out, forcing me to constantly be on the run and eventually lose because I wouldn't have a chance to learn about friendships, but more importantly I'd really hurt my new friends. That seemed far worse than running like a little bitch and hiding. So, I was screwed no matter what I did! With that in mind, getting found out and feigning ignorance seemed the most logical solution. You could say that I felt free, like I did yesterday while I was running. It was as if a heavy burden had been lifted from me.

"You seem rather cheerful," Applejack commented as we walked towards her house.

"I do?"

"Yep."

"That a good thing?"

"Of course!"

We continued to make small talk as we walked towards her house and up her porch where Granny Smith was sitting on her rocking chair. She was up early today. She even had the nerve to scold me for not visiting and downing a batch of that delectable sludge she called 'hootch'. Jet fuel that tasted fantastic!

With the mystery of why Applejack and Applebloom felt so distant resolved, both of them started treating me like normal. Applebloom gave me that ridiculously adorable smile when she first saw me and her sister approaching the house. Next to Granny Smith, Big Mac was laying down and gave me a nod when I looked his way. Being the polite thing to do, I nodded back and he resumed gazing off into the distance. He really was a strange one. Stranger than me, I thought. Why didn't everypony suspect that he was a human.

After a flash-breakfast of one pancake with a spoonful of Zap Apple jam we all headed towards the tryout venue - with the exception of Big Mac and Granny Smith, who said that she was content on watching from Sweet Apple Acres. Watching what, I didn't know.

We walked for quite some time in the opposite direction from Ponyville. On the way we saw a familiar light purple figure walking slowly at the side of the road. He was kicking rocks out of his way, and mumbling something to himself.

"Spike!" Applebloom called out.

The dragon turned around, "Oh, hi, Applebloom, Applejack and Forest. You guys heading to the lake too?"

"That's the plan," Applebloom replied.

As we walked together, Spike regaled the tale of how he left me with Cyan Crystal in Sugarcube Corner, exaggerating the look of horror on my face. Well, maybe it wasn't an exaggeration.

"Why did she insist on eating with you if she didn't like you?" Applejack asked.

"Because of what I did for Brian. Apparently they are good friends, or something," I replied, "And I tried to be as civil as I could, but all I did was say Pinkie's name and..." She went bat-shit insane! "She didn't feel the need to try and befriend me."

"What was classic is when you heard your voice. Your face!" Spike laughed, slapping his head, and literally rolling around on the ground due to the sheer hilarity of it all.

"I can't believe you just left me!" I replied, pretending to be angry.

Spike was on his belly, and had stopped laughing long enough to look up at me, "Your face when you heard her voice! Ha! It was priceless!" He then resumed his rolling around the floor laughing.

Despite being the subject of said joke, I couldn't help but laugh along. Although I could tell Applejack didn't find it as funny as Spike, she could not help but get swayed by Spike and she giggled despite herself.

We all joked and jostled around, talking about the last few days. It was not that we didn't want to talk about the serious events that had transpired, but I could tell that a tiny break was needed. After all, with Fluttershy apparently taking care of her ill pet or more-than-just-a-pet rabbit, and more importantly Rainbow Dash's father... a small break for smiles was okay, right?

As we walked on we reached the top of a small hill. I gasped. The others stood there and beamed with pride; proud of their little oasis. There was a beautiful lake, the water was practically transparent, revealing the bottom of the lake, which was full of various types of fish lazily swimming around. Around the lake was a stretch of beautiful sand, and many Ponies were laying on it, and splashing in the shallower areas of the water. On the far side, I saw a river that seemed to flow out from the like and down a valley where a monstrous castle-like citadel was built into the side of the mountain.

"Canterlot," Spike said at my amazed face, "You can see it from Ponyville, but from here..."

"Wow," Was all I could say.

"Hey! You stole my line!" Spike said, punching me lightly on the arm... hoof... leg... front-left arm? Ah, whatever.

As I stared in awe of what I saw, my mind began to wander. Is this how people felt when they accepted their fate? Did people who faced the inevitable feel this sense of freedom and peace when coming face to face with your destiny? Was everything more beautiful and did you appreciate life more when you knew that your time was coming to an end? Does coming to terms with what was about to happen enlighten you and your life? Should I bother even trying out? After all, it was only a matter of time before my secret would be discovered. Might as well enjoy the ride while it lasted. And yet while all these thoughts were going on, something bothered me. For the first time since I got here, I realized that I did not want to go back. I will go through with this, I will stand up to it.

I wondered that would I be naked when I changed back into a human, or would I be clothed? How would everyone react? Would they accept me as they had accepted Brian? Not that it would matter, I would have lost the bet and Tutela would have pulled me away from this world one way or another - that was something I was quite assured of.

"Well, don't just stand there gawkin'! Let's mosey on down," Applebloom said excitedly, and pushed Spike with her head, then me urging us to get moving. Clearly she had appreciated the view of Canterlot quite often.

The four of us walked down towards the lake. From our vantage as we slowly descended the hill we noticed a series of tent along the beach. In the midst of them was a banner with the word 'start' emblazoned in large red letters across it - obviously the tryouts began here.

"Where's the finish line?" I asked.

"Same place. You need to go around Ponyville three times - that's about a quarter of the distance you'll be doing at the final race," Spike pointed out, "So, you run that way, then swim across the lake, out the other end, down that road there and around Ponyville, before coming up on this path, then down the road again to the starting point. Simple!"

"It's marked, right?" I asked.

"Yeah, don't worry. It'll be clearly marked all through."

We all headed down and into the tent area. It was obviously a fair of some sort. Applejack and Applebloom immediately pointed out to themselves that they were silly fillies for not bringing some apples with them to sell here, but business has been kind as of late, and Big Mac was going to come later with some barrels of cider. The knowledge of this managed to appease Applejack, because she stopped fretting and calmed down.

We wandered around for some time, checking out the tents and what they had. Some of them were still being set up, and I could see fires being stoked in stoves for cooking things, there was even a stand that sold candied apples. Not that Applejack minded, they were her apples being candied. There were even stands with a bunch of games for prizes to win.

"Hey, Forest! Try that one!" Applebloom said, pointing to a game stand where you had to throw balls at targets and try to knock them down.

"I'm really bad at this, Applebloom."

"Try! Please!" Again with the smile! Ugh! Couldn't say no to her.

"How much?" I asked.

"One bit for five balls!" The Pony exclaimed loudly. Putting the coin down, I watched as the five balls were put into a large tin can and placed in front of me.

Throwing with all my might, I completely missed everything.

"That's not how you throw," Applejack said pushing me aside, "Here, let me show you how it's done."

Taking one of the balls, Applejack easily lobbed it at the highest scoring target hitting it dead center.

Spike was next, and threw the ball at the next target, clipping it slightly as Applebloom took the next ball and finished the job on the same target. With my turn, I threw it again and it hit one of the targets, but it didn't knock it off. It was hard throwing with hooves!

"Here's your prize!" The Pony at the stand grinned at us, and handed me a fairly large stuffed animal.

I think it was supposed to be a lion, but it had a scorpion tale and wings. Taking the animal-scorpion-flying doll, I handed it to Applebloom who gave me another one of her super-cute smiles. We played a few more games at some other stands, one of my favorites was a fishing game, where you had a fishing pole with a magnet at the end and there were fishes in a large wood vat turning around - courtesy of a poor volunteer walking on a treadmill-like device. So you'd just use your fishing pole to try and get a fish. On each fish had a number, some had a plus and others minus. I kept getting minuses, but it was still fun. Although when it came time to tally the scores, I would always be around zero. I think my personal best was plus one.

"Hey, Forest! Let's go to the riverbank," Spike suggested, and I followed him.

When we were there, I instantly jumped in... and promptly sunk. Walking out of the water, a sudden feeling of dread overcame me. Spike saw my face.

"What's wrong?"

"I can't swim..."

"What?"

"I can't swim!" I yelled, "I didn't know I couldn't swim!" That was true. In my human form I could swim, but this Pony form - it was impossible!

"Well, try again!" Spike pushed me back into the water.

So I tried. Really I did, but I couldn't! No matter what I did, I could not even get my body to float!

"I'm sorry, Forest, but I don't think you can tryout. Swimming is a big part of the competition..." Spike said as I dragged myself onto the shore, coughing out the water I had inadvertently swallowed.

"Watcha guys doin'?" Applejack asked as she caught up to us. She was eating ice-cream in a cone.

"Forest can't swim."

"What?"

"He forgot," Spike shrugged.

"We better tell Rarity you can't race," Applejack turned to go, but I stopped her.

"Wait! I can swim! I know how! I know I know how! I just know!" I shouted, looking at her.

Applejack just did a double-take, and shook her head, "Forest, there's no use arguin'. You can't swim! You'll drown!"

"Let me try one more time... maybe I can relearn it," I turned and ran into the water again, this time I maintained a constant speed. The momentum kept me up above the water, but I was not really swimming, I was running with my legs underwater.

A few other Ponies laughed as they saw me trying to 'run', it was a type of doggy-style swimming. But I didn't care, I wanted to tryout. I wanted to try my best! Damned if I was going to not tryout because of some stupid reason like not being able to swim. Fuck that. For a while I thought I got the hang of it, but after being overtaken by a Pony a third my age, I really did not feel like competing anymore.

"Don't let it bother you, Forest," Spike said when I finally gave up trying to learn, "There's always next year."

"No," I whispered, my head facing down, then I slowly raised my eyes to look at him, "There isn't going to be a next year, Spike. Not for me. I have to do this. I want to do this. I need to do this. Please understand."

Spike and Applejack shared a look, "But if you can't swim, how are you going to race?"

"Winning isn't what's important, it's trying. And I need to try."

"That's crazy, Forest," Applejack tried reasoning with me, but I wouldn't listen. My mind was made up.

"Attention please, will all Ponies who wish to tryout please head to the main registration tent. Attention please, will all Ponies trying out, please head to the main registration tent," A loud voice echoed suddenly.

Walking out of the water, and shaking the excess off, I walked past Spike and Applejack. I wanted to say something clever and witty, but my brain was still full of mixed emotions. A part of me was terrified about what would happen when Princess Celestia arrived, and another part of me couldn't wait. I wanted to end the lies. Then I wondered why I didn't just end it right then and there. That question was already answered for me; I liked it here. Why would I willfully lose? If I lost, I get taken away. My only chance was...

"To win!" I exclaimed.

"What?" Spike asked, thinking I was talking to him.

"If I win, I can stay!"

"I don't know what's wrong with you, Forest, but you can stay even if you don't win, you know..."

But I was no longer listening to him. It made perfect sense. If I won the bet against Tutela then I got to 'go home'. What if I said that home was here in Equestria? Could I then stay? Would that be allowed? Could I live here, like Brian has done for the past... who knows how long. But I had to win the bet, I had to beat Tutela. The condition that I had to win my freedom was still very much there. Why had it taken me this long to realize it? There was only one reason; denial. Not that I denied that my life here was a million times better than the one on Earth, but the fact that I denied that I belonged here. All along all I wanted to do was leave and go back. But... back to what? There was nothing for me. No-one wanting for me. Go back to that empty life, when after only six days my life here has been so full and eventful? I think not!

If I had fists, I would have clenched them in determination. Since I didn't, I gritted my teeth psyched myself for what was to come. As of now my greatest challenge was to somehow fool or trick Princess Celestia. I needed to avoid her or prevent her magic revealing a human. That was the only way. But even if I was, even if Celestia could change me into one, then all that would have proven was that she could turn a Pony into a human. If I went along with that, then perhaps I could pretend that she was the one who turned me into a human, and that I was never a human in the first place.

Would that even work? I asked myself.

"Yoohoo! Forest!"

My attention returned, "Huh? Rarity?"

"Finally. You've been standing there mumbling to yourself for some time. Are you going to register for the race? A lot of Ponies are coming to watch you run. Apparently you're quite the athlete, I hear."

"It's a shame I can't swim properly," I growled.

"You what?"

"Nothing. Where do I sign up?" Forcing a grin on my face, I took the pen Rarity had and signed on the dotted line. That was it. I was in.

"Um... you need a last name."

"What?"

"A last name, you need one," Rarity smiled, "It's so that the press have something to go with."

"Do I need one?"

"Well, no, you don't need one, but I do have one in mind that you might like."

"Which is?"

She narrowed her eyes and gave me a smile that if I didn't know better I would say was suggestive, "Fire."

I had to admit, that was pretty badass, "I like it. Forest Fire. Thank you, Rarity. How'd you think of it?"

"Yesterday a friend of mine was visiting her aunt in the hospital when she saw a pony charging around a track. She said that he was a tan Pony with a dark mane, and I instantly knew it was you. Anyway, when she had told me that the ground behind you was burning as you ran, the name just came to me!" She struck a semi-dramatic pose, "Then she told me that you ran straight into a tree!"

"Yeah, that happened. Anyway, I like the name. Forest Fire! Forest. Fire..." That is so awesome!, "Thank you again, Rarity."

"My pleasure. Oh, and one more thing, good luck with the race, Forest, I hope that you win," Rarity smiled at me.

"I'm going to need all the luck I can get," I replied quietly, "Just promise not to laugh at me during the swimming parts."

"Why would I do a thing like that?"

"You'll see..."

Leaving the registration tent I was instantly pulled aside by Spike.

"So, did Rarity say anything?"

"She gave me a last name!" I replied, "Fire. Forest Fire. Pleased to meet you."

Spike shook my hoof, but that was not what he wanted, "Forest, did Rarity say anything about me?"

Somewhere in the back of my mind I remembered that Spike had the hots for Rarity, "Nope. Didn't mention anything about you."

He let out a long sigh.

"Spike, just out of curiosity, have you actually told Rarity how you feel? Ever?"

"Well, I tried once."

"And?"

"She didn't let me finish. She shushed my half way."

"How long ago was that?"

"I dunno. Years ago now."

"So, you've never thought of asking her all this time?"

He fiddled with his fingers at that question.

"She's not going to know if you're not going to tell her. I don't think she sees you in that light."

"Yeah, so what would you do?" Spike challenged me.

"Me? Uh... well, would go and tell her straight. Loud and proud."

"Well, what would you say?"

"I would say; Rarity, I really like you!"

"Oh my," A voice said from behind me.

Aw. Shit. I spun around and saw a thoroughly embarrassed white Unicorn looking away from me. Quick! Say something! I coaxed myself in my head.

"Uh... that is... well... Spike?" I prompted him to say something.

"Don't look at me, I didn't say anything," Spike replied shrugging.

No, you fool, explain the situation! "Isn't there anything you wanted to say to Rarity?" I asked, giving him a look that was so obvious, a baby would have guessed the meaning behind my words.

"Nope."

I really fuckin' hate you right now. "Rarity! I didn't see you there! How... how long were you..."

"Just the... part about what you'd say to me," Rarity blushed and smiled again, "Forest, I'm flattered by your feelings towards me and while it is refreshing, I am already interested in someone else."

Thank the heavens and beyond! "Oh? Who, if you don't mind me asking..."

"Nopony you know. He lives in Canterlot."

From the corner of my eye I saw Spike mouth drop. This was apparently news to him too.

"I see."

All three of us stood there silently. The awkwardness was suffocating.

"Well, good luck with the race, Forest," Rarity said, and started to back off, "Oh! I forget, the reason why I followed you. Your numbers."

She handed me two large white squares with the number 42 in black written on it. I took them and stood there confused, "How am I supposed to pin them on?"

"Pin? Don't be silly. Just peel off the back and stick them on yourself."

How was anyone supposed to do that without fingers! I tried for a few minutes, but when it was clear that such a skill was beyond me, Rarity took them and removed the protective layer from the back of them. Then I stuck them on both of my flanks. Number 42. Me. Oh yeah. Life couldn't get better than this.

"Thanks again, Rarity. Please, don't take what I said seriously. I was... practicing."

"Really? Practicing for what?"

"Practicing saying what I said to that special one!" I grinned nervously after that. Would she buy it?

She squealed in excitement, "Do you already have a particular Pony in mind?"

"Maybe..." I lied. I didn't.

"Is it Pinkie?" Rarity asked, whispering.

Well, since she brought the subject up, "Did you tell Pinkie to stay the night with me?"

"Well, yes. But as a joke. Why?"

I knew it! "Oh, no reason. I was just curious."

Rarity placed her hooves over her mouth, "You mean... she didn't... did she..." He expression changed to a hostile one a second later, "Did you..."

"No! I'm not like that!" I retorted, "Besides, you were the one who instigated it!"

Rarity kept the look on her face anyway, "I'll ask Pinkie. If you've..."

She humphed and walked off. As soon as she was out of hearing range, I turned to Spike.

"Why didn't you say something! That was the perfect opportunity!"

"Sorry, Forest, but I just froze! Not that it matters. Now we know that she has a special somepony in Canterlot," He looked so dejected.

"Look, you have to tell her your feelings otherwise how's she supposed to know? That aside... isn't she a little old for you?"

"What is age when it comes to true love?"

"I wouldn't know. I've never fallen in love before," I answered, but before he could say anything else, I walked away.

That was all the love-talk I was willing to take. I needed to set my mind on a more pressing matter, namely the inevitable show-down with Princess Celestia.

Making my way to the starting lone, there were quite a few other Earth Ponies hanging about. Some were stretching, others were just lounging and a few were even eating. But they all had one thing in common, they were all contestants. A part of me wondered why Applejack wasn't here. Wasn't she an Earth Pony too?

"Hi there, you must be that new Pony everyone's been going on about, right? The one that stood up to Cyan Crystal?" One of the Ponies said as I stood there awkwardly. Spike had again ditched me when I wasn't paying attention. Or perhaps he decided to heed my advice and finally go tell Rarity how he felt. Wouldn't that be great?

"I didn't stand up to her," I replied.

"Really? Well, anyway, I'm Lavenderhoof."

"I'm Forest. Forest Fire, apparently," Damn, I just loved that name!

"Well, Forest, good luck out there. I saw you swimming earlier... are you sure you're going to be okay?"

I shrugged, "I won't drown if that's what you mean."

We chit-chatted for a few minutes. She told me what she did, where she lived, a few of her hobbies and her friends (which Pinkie Pie was a part of). Several other Ponies had gathered around, and it was simply surprising how social and easy to get along they were. It was also a very disturbing fact that the vast majority of them seemed to be female. There were a few males, but not many. Were Earth Ponies predominantly women?

"Everypony please gather round," Came a voice from nearby. It was amplified somehow, but I didn't bother questioning as to why that was. It was just easier to go with the flow, "We will start the race in ten minutes."

Walking towards the starting line, I found a place behind a couple of other Ponies. The audience around the start was slowly getting bigger. It was strange seeing so many Ponies in one place, and I do understand that this being a land of Ponies and stuff, it was still strange to see so many of them. Perhaps news of Princess Celestia coming for a visit had increased the expected turnout...

"On your marks!" Came a sudden shout.

My attention focused now on the task at hand. This was it! I had to concentrate on what I had to do!

"Get set!"

The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. These Ponies really wanted to win this race! I could feel their determination pulsing from their bodies. Each one had a wish they wanted, and they were going to try their hardest to go and win it. Perfect! I cursed myself again for getting into this mess.

"Go!"

The crowd erupted into a cheer as the racers dashed forwards towards the lake. By the time I had reached the shore, several of the other Ponies were already a good distance away. I tried to keep up, but I just couldn't swim like the rest of them, and instead had to 'run' under the water, a few other Ponies laughed - I could hear them from where I was. But did that stop me? Well, no, but it didn't help either.

I was only halfway across the lake by the time the second to last Pony was exiting the water! Maybe Spike was right, maybe this was too...

"Go, Forest!" I heard someone shout. The voice was familiar, but I didn't dare turn to look, "Come on! Swim!"

Fuck this! I said in my mind and turned around so I was on my back. I stared at the sky above me... and was still afloat! Holy shit! Taking my hooves, I started to do the back-crawl. It worked! I was moving! A lot faster than before, and as I hit the shore, I whipped my body around and dug my hooves into the ground and pulled my body forwards. Water, I might have had a slight disadvantage, but running... running was a different ballgame altogether!

I roared past the second to last Pony, but did not bother looking back. My eyes were keenly glued onto the path in front of me, and I was not going to get lost. Then I passed another Pony. The grey Stallion let out a squawk as I roared by her. Then I overtook a batch of Mares who were more interested in gossip than in the race. They all squealed as I zoomed by them.

Rounding the bend near Sugarcube Corner, I saw the Cakes out of the corner of my eye, their two young children perched atop their heads. They screamed in delight as they saw me rush by - the kids did, not the parents. At least, I think it was the kids.

Then I bolted past Sweet Apple Acres, and I spotted the front runners were just going over the hill that led down towards the lake. Granny Smith gave me a holler as I whipped past the house. Big Mac may have said something, but the speed of his voice probably never caught up with me.

As I topped the hill, I launched myself down the other side being pulled along by gravity. Already some of the other Ponies were half-way across the lake. As I roared through the starting line completely my first lap, I could not help but take a quick glance at the audience. There was no-one there that I knew.

Jumping into the water, I turned my body around and began the back-crawl again. As I did so, the front-runners were already across and starting their second lap. Using my hooves as fast as I could, I reached the other bank along with some of the other Ponies I had past just before the hill. But then again, land was my domain!

As I ran, I kept my eyes ahead of me again. I had to catch up with the front runners! I had to pass them! I had to win!

Rounding the corner at Sugarcube Corner again, I did not notice the kids or the Cakes. My heart was beating so hard, and my legs felt as if they were on fire. The muscles burned! But, no! I had to continue! I had to keep going!

The hill! I reached the hill! I did not even noticed going by Sweet Apple Acres. As I started the decent once more, I noticed that this time the front runners were just entering the water! I was catching up!

Again I pulled along with the back-crawl, but my limbs felt exhausted! The swimming and the full laps of constant sprinting - or galloping - were killing me! My body just did not want to move.

Fuck it. I've done my best. Funny that this is the only thing in my entire shitty life that I've actually attempted to do that wasn't half-assed. No regrets...

"Go, Forest! Go! Go, go, go! Come on! You can do it!" I heard a voice call out. Although it was coming from the huge crowd on the shore, it was clearer than the others, "Use you super-duper-speed!"

That voice I knew. Very well as a matter of fact. A sudden surge of energy roared through my body, I had got my second wind! Grinning through the agony, I forced my arms above my head and kicked my legs. Each stroke was painful. After running two laps and trying to cross the lake twice, my body did not want to continue.

Okay, body! Let's do this! Come on! Let me at least try! Try, try, try!

"Forest! Go! Swim!" The voice shouted again. Why was it so loud?

I counted each stroke, letting my mind concentrate on the numbers. One, two, three, four...

My head hit something, and I spun around. I had reached the other end! My legs touched the ground, and I trotted out of the water, my limbs wobbled, but I had completed the last swim, and the front runners were still within view! Turning around, I saw the Ponies on the other shore all cheering away, and my eyes instantly found a pink Pony standing on the stage. She had shouted through the broadcasting system, or whatever it was. I couldn't resist. I reared up, and grinned, before turning towards the trail and continuing on with the race.

If I was fast before, then I was in warp-drive now. The ground raced under me, the trees were a blur. I could barely make out the route, I was going so fast. Sugarcube Corner suddenly was there, and gone! Then Sweet Apple Acres appeared, and was behind me. As I run I rushed passed the other Ponies. All but one.

Lavenderhoof!

She had her head down and was running at full tilt and was already crossing the final hill before the last stretch towards the finish line! As I reached the crest of the hill, I bolted straight down. She was just ahead of me now. My legs were moving and I closed the gap between us, the finish line quickly rising up to greet me. It was close, real close, but I had snatched victory from her at the last second.

As I rushed through, I fell down on my face, skidding to a halt gasping for air. All my limbs felt dead and my heart thundered in my chest.

"Wow, Forest! That was amazing! Look," Lavenderhoof said, pointing back up the hill I had run down from. Two lines of fire were still burning straight towards the finish line, "Forest Fire!" She stressed the 'fire' out.

I beamed. For once in my life I actually felt really proud of something. Not the fake pride I had in being an ass, but a good feeling that came from hard work and effort.

God lord, I'm turning into a Disney movie.

Before I had time to reply, the Ponies that were watching the race swarmed me. Each one patted me on the back and congratulated me on my victory. A few even picked me up and went on a mini-lap around the tents cheering as they went along. Eventually I was set down in the registration tent, while the other contestants were finishing up.

Rarity was there, and smiled when she saw me. If she felt any awkwardness from before she hid it extremely well, "Congratulations on your win, I just knew you would do it. You'll need to work on your swimming, of course."

"Of course. Anyway, where are you friends?" I asked.

"Well, I'm not sure. I think they might be with Rainbow and her father. I should actually be with them as well, but I did give my word to help with this project. Now that it's over, I can concentrate on other matters."

"Let me know if I can be of any help."

Rarity nodded, and turned and left the tent.

After managing to get a drink of water, I was taken to meet the rest of the team, who were standing in the corner of the registration tent in a small area roped off with a sign that said 'team-members only'. There were four other Ponies in there. A grey Pegasus that I've never seen before, and Scootaloo (who I had met at Rarity's shop), Lavenderhoof, and a light purple or violet Pony that I've not yet met.

"Hello, Forest!" Scootaloo said when she saw me entering the 'VIP section'.

"Hi, Scootaloo," I would never forget that name.

"Let me introduce everyone. First, the main contestants; Derpy and Twilight - who isn't here, and you."

"I already know Twilight's on the team. And Derpy?" I asked, I still couldn't get over the name.

"Hello!" The grey Pegasus promptly replied and made her way towards me, tripping over her feet, crashing into a small table.

"Are... are you okay?" I asked, my eyes open wide.

"Oh, don't worry about her. She clumsy, but she's also invincible," Lavenderhoof replied, "In all the time I've known her she has never once got hurt."

Sure enough, Derpy picked herself up and grinned up at me, "That was so cool how you made that fire! It was like whoosh! And then you were like zoom! But in the water you were glub-glub."

There was nothing I could say in response, so I just nodded.

"We are the backups," Scootaloo said putting her hooves over the other two Ponies, "I'll take Derpy's place if for some reason she can't race. Lavenderhoof is your backup, and this is Amethyst Star. She's Twilight's backup."

Amethyst Star smiled at me, "That was quite a show. How'd you make those tracks of fire?"

"Not a clue."

"The only times I've seen things like that is from the Pegasi. The Wonderbolts have thunderclouds that follow them, and Rainbow Dash has a rainbow that follows her."

"Really?" I asked, "I've seen her fly, but no rainbow."

"It only happens when she flies really fast," Scootaloo said, "She can do a Sonic Rainboom!"

"A what?"

"A Sonic Rainboom! It's totally the most awesomest thing ever. She goes faster and faster, then, ka-boom!" She jumped in the air as she went 'boom' and floated at the top of the jump using her wings, "Then you see a rainbow! It's soooooo awesome! If there was a word more awesome then awesome..."

"Epic? Legendary? Phenomenal?" I gave some suggestions.

"Yeah, like that... epic. It's awesomely epic!"

"I hope that I can see it one day," I replied.

We chatted for a while together, but all through I felt as if something was missing. Where was everyone else? Where was Applejack, Applebloom or Pinkie? And where did Rarity disappear off to?

"Hello, everypony, but we're taking down the tents now," A pony said to us a little while later.

We all left the tent together, with our 'fans' following. They were just excited that they had a pretty strong team for the great race that was coming at the end of the month. Already Lavenderhoof promised me that she'd teach me how to swim properly, and I vowed to help her improve her running. The tent we were in was being taken down by a gang of Unicorns who combined their magic together to remove the heavy poles and pegs, folding it neatly and then placing it on a large wooden cart that was marked with something that looked like an official Ponyville emblem, or something. Probably owned by the town.

It was amazing seeing the Ponies just work together, helping each other out. The little fair that they had was now packed up, and a long train of carts and Ponies made their way towards Ponyville. To a bystander, it might have looked like a parade, but we were just going home.

When we approached the edge of Sweet Apple Acres, Scootaloo and Derpy started to hover, "See you guys later. We've got to help move the clouds for tonight's rain."

"You guys scheduled a shower tonight?"

The two Pegasi nodded, "Yeah, a nightly shower. The race today ruined the grass around town, so we got to help it regrow, and the sooner the better."

We watched them go, along with a lot of other Pegasi. The rest of us just watched.

"I wonder what it would be like to fly," I whispered.

"Twilight can give you wings. Once, a long time ago she gave Rarity these beautiful wings. Too bad she flew too close to the sun," Amethyst replied.

"What happened?"

"They melted, apparently. To this day Rarity will not leave the ground without a significant amount of convincing," Amethyst laughed, "Maybe some day you can go visit Cloudsdale, but I wouldn't recommend using the wings. Just get the Cloud-Walk spell cast on you."

"Cloud-Walk?"

"Yeah, so that you can walk on the clouds. Twilight taught that spell to me. It's a little complex, but I've practiced it enough times now."

"Walk on clouds?" I asked, my eyes growing wider.

"Yeah, like all Pegasi," Lavender said, looking at me funnily, "You do know that Pegasi can walk on clouds, right?"

Ah! That's how they manipulate the clouds! I'm such an idiot. "Of course!"

As we approached Sweet Apple Acres, I noticed that a large line had formed in front of it.

"Have you tried the Sweet Apple Cider? It's the best in all of Equestria!" Lavenderhoof barked at me.

"Was it that delectable cider I had at my welcome party?"

"Yeah! Isn't it great, but nothing beats fresh cider," And she instantly got in line.

"I've got to do a few errands. It was a pleasure to meet you, Forest. I will see you around," Amethyst walked off.

Lavenderhoof and I stayed in line for a while. Strangely, though, we were the last Ponies, all the others had gone on ahead. As the line grew shorter, I noticed that only Big Mac was manning the cider sales. Granny was on the porch with her eyes closed, perhaps sleeping some more.

"Hello, Big Mac," Lavenderhoof leaned forward and gave him a wink, "How's Cheerilee?"

Big Mac blushed, "Fine."

"When are you going to ask her the big question?"

Big Mac's face turned a shade darker, "Soon."

"Aw. So sweet!"

Big Mac looked at me, I could tell from his expression that he needed rescuing of some sort, "Who is Cheerilee?"

"She teaches young Fillies and Colts at the school," Lavenderhoof said, "And Big Mac has had a crunch on her for years now, right?"

"Eeyup," Big Mac said barely audibly.

What is up with these Ponies and being unable to communicate their feelings? Granted, the other being I knew that was shy was a Dragon and not a Pony, but the principle was the same. You've got to tell the lucky lady your feelings!

"Well, let's go," Lavenderhoof took two steps before noticing that I wasn't following, "Aren't you coming?"

"Well, I live here. For now at least," I said.

"Oh yeah! I forgot. But are you coming to..."

We were interrupted by Applebloom, she had tears in her eyes, "What's wrong?"

Applebloom tried to answer us, between her sniffles, "Brian... is... sick... he's..."

That was as far as she got before she pushed past us and ran straight to Granny Smith, instantly seizing her in an embrace.

Without thinking, I turned and headed towards the hospital. When I got there, a large crowd had gathered outside the main entrance. The Pegasi had started the rains by now, as per schedule, so the Ponies outside all had their umbrellas open and some were wearing raincoats.

"What's going on?" I asked a random Pony.

"I'm not sure. I came here and there already was a large crowd," The Stallion confessed, "But from what I hear the Princess is in there."

It was then that it hit me! The Princess never showed up at the race! I had got so carried away with my victory that I completely forgot about my resolution to allow the Princess to do her magic-scan on me. She was now in the hospital - well, maybe inside the hospital. For what reason, I did not know.

The rain poured down hard, and practically all the Ponies fled the torrents, heading for cover, but I stayed. I stayed and I watched. Waiting. Not sure how long I was out there for, but it was after the rains had stopped before anypony was allowed into the hospital that was not an emergency.

I started to walk up the stairs towards the hospital when I heard a familiar voice coming from just outside the entrance. I was about to say hello, when I realized they were talking about me. I ducked behind a large bush before I was spotted.

"... I'm not saying that he's bad, I'm just worried."

That was Twilight's voice.

"Well, he's agreed to allow the Princess to scan him. I really doubt he'd be willin' if he was hidin' something."

Good ol' Applejack, coming to my rescue!

"I don't care if he's a human! Forest is nice. I like him."

I blushed. It was Pinkie.

"I know you like him, Pinkie. But we don't know what his intentions are."

"I trust him."

"How can you trust him, Applejack?"

"Because... I just can!" Applejack replied defensively, "He's honorable."

"What do you mean by 'he's honorable'?"

Applejack did not respond.

"It's because Pinkie has stayed the night at Forest's place and he hasn't done anything to her," Rarity's voice suddenly made itself clear.

This was bad. Very bad. I shouldn't be here. I shouldn't be hearing this.

"What?" Twilight shouted in shock, "How could you let her do that?"

"But Forest's done nothin'!" Applejack replied.

"Yeah! Wait, what's he supposed to do?" Pinkie asked.

There was an uncomfortable silence.

"Why is it that every time I ask that question, you guys become as silent as statues?"

"It ain't easy to explain, Pinkie," Applejack mumbled.

"So explain it! How am I supposed to know what he's supposed to not do if I don't know what he's not doing in the first place to not to?"

Rarity let out a loud sigh, "Pinkie, let me talk to you for a moment."

I heard the two of them move further away from me, obviously Rarity had taken Pinkie aside for a few minutes.

"He does what? Ew! Ew, ew, ew, ew! Nuh-uh! Forest has never done that! He would never do that!"

"How do you know he would never do that?" Twilight asked.

"Because... it's Forest. He would never hurt me."

My heart broke. I've never heard anything so beautiful in my life.

"See, Twi? Give him a chance."

"Fine. I just hope this doesn't turn out like that time at my brother's wedding. Remember how that went when none of you listened to me?"

There was only silence in response.

"So, who's on Fluttershy-watch tonight?" Applejack asked.

"I'll go," Pinkie offered.

"No, Pinkie, I'll go. The last time you went, you made Fluttershy worse," Rarity replied, "She's finally coming around to accepting the inevitable. It will take a delicate hoof to help her. Sadly, it won't be long now."

"I'll stay here at the hospital," Twilight stated, "Princess Celestia..."

Their voices trailed off as they walked away, so I couldn't hear what they were saying about the Princess. With the coast now clear, I moved out from my hiding spot and headed home making sure to stay out of sight.

Walking into my little house, I was exhausted that I didn't even bother pulling the sofa-bed out, and collapsed on it. My eyes saw the laptop hanging behind the door, "Did you see my race?" I asked.

No answer.

Shrugging, I just drifted off to sleep, wondering about many things, but the most forefront of those thoughts was now Princess Celestia and her ability to find out if I was human or not.

And Pinkie's words.

Because... it's Forest. He would never hurt me.

"Thank you, Pinkie," I whispered out loud, "Thank you."

Day 7: Fallen Angel

My eyes creaked open, they felt heavy for some reason. Where was I? Vaguely I recalled returning to the Clubhouse the previous night. This was my home now. Looking out the window I saw the stars above the leaves of the trees, it was still dark. How long had I been asleep? A watch would have been nice or something, it was like living in limbo. Pushing myself up from the sofa took a lot of effort, my legs felt horribly shaky as if they were made of jelly. As I stood up, the room suddenly decided to spin around. This disorientation felt familiar, It was the same as that night when I drank Granny's special hootch. Had I drank some yesterday without realizing it? When? What was wrong with me? Everything felt and looked so surreal.

Suddenly I saw a flamingo. I kid you not. It did a tap-dance in front of me, and then tried to kick my face! Where had that creature come from? What was it doing in my house? Then the flamingo's face changed and I saw Pinkie's face there, "Hello, hello, hello, I say hello to you!" She sang, before turning around and flying away.

The fuck?

Then something grabbed my leg, and I saw that my hind-leg had turned itself into an arm! My arm, I think, and tripped me up causing me to fall on my face.

Upon impact against the wooden floor the walls of my house suddenly started singing in chorus. Something about how night and darkness being all evil. Didn't really catch it considering that my face was in agony. Groaning, I placed each front-leg by either side of my head and pushed myself up from off the ground. Then a small Rarity, the size of a mouse, ran right up to me.

"What did you do to Pinkie!" She screamed in a very, very, very deep voice. Then she turned around and kicked my hoof out from under me. Once again I fell and the force made me bounce of my jaw. My limbs ached, especially my joints, and my bones felt sore as if they were burning. As if on cue, the muscles in my legs spread open and I could see past my nerves, my muscles, and right to the bone where three little Twilights were dancing around a fire, each one had a different color glow around them. They all stopped and looked at me, and pointed.

"Human!" Screamed one.

"Human!" Screamed the second.

"Human!" Roared the third.

Then all three of their heads inflated and combined into one super-head, "Human!" The combined heads of Twilight shouted at the same time.

Backing away from them, I slipped on something and again my head hit the floor. It was soaking wet. My eyes followed the moist trail to my sofa, where a dark stain loomed in front of my face. Did I urinate on myself? No, I don't think so. Had I fallen asleep wet? Was I soaking wet? My mind rewound itself, and I recalled lumbering in and literally fell asleep. It had been a tiring day, with the tryouts and... the hospital. But, what the hell was going on?

"Forest?" A voice said behind me.

The voice had come from the direction of the front door, but I saw nobody there, "Tutela? Is that you?"

"N-no! It's me, Applejack. Are you okay?"

Applejack? Was it morning already? "Applejack! Come on it! We're having a party?"

She pushed the door open, "A party?"

"Yeah!"

Applejack's face suddenly turned into two apples. They looked terribly delicious, and I walked over to her, "You look tasty!"

"A-are you alright? Yer actin' mighty funny," The two apples said to me, speaking in one voice.

"I'm fine!" I was. I never felt better!

"Forest, are you really okay? Big Mac said he heard you fall down."

"I fell? Oh yeah! Mini-Rarity kicked my legs! She's a bully! A little bully. Where did she go?" Where did she go? She was there a second ago.

"Forest, please, yer actin' scary now."

"Booga-booga-boo!" I replied, and laughed, "I'm not scary, tasty apple face! I'm Forest!"

"We were harvestin' apples and Big Mac thought he could ask you to help, when he heard you had fallen and hollered to me..."

The two apples slowly faded away, and I saw Applejack standing there looking all serious. She was always serious. She needed to loosen up a bit, "Oh, hi Applejack, when did you get here?"

"Are you sure yer okay? You don't look too good."

"I'm all fine. All hunky-dory! Just a little sore from the running..."

"Well, alright, if you say so," She turned to go.

Again the world spun around, and I tried to steady myself by holding onto the floor, but I missed and again landed on my face.

"Forest! Are you okay?" Applejack ran over to me, I felt her hooves on my back, "Goodness! You're burnin' up!"

"That's 'cause I'm Forest Fire! Careful, you might get burnt!" I took her hoof and put it on my nose, "Tssssssss! Smokin'!"

"Forest, this isn't a joke. You're really burnin' up! Big Mac, get in here!" Applejack shouted.

I heard Big Mac's lumbering steps coming up the ramp. When he entered, he walked over to where I was lying down and picked me up and, with the help of Applejack, sat me on his back. They carried me out of the clubhouse, but at that point the world faded to black. I think I just passed out.

Pain! A lot of it! Bolting upright, I smashed my head against something. The impact was completely unexpected, and I fell back into... water? Cold water. It was like I was in a tub of ice! My eyes opened staring straight up at a white ceiling. I glanced around confused as to where I was. If it hadn't been for Applejack's face looking down at me, I would have panicked.

"Owie!" A voice yelped.

"Where-where am I? Cold! I'm so c-cold."

"Relax, Forest. Glad to see you're back to normal. Applebloom, you okay?" Applejack asked, she was holding me down inside a bathtub. With ice in it. So, yes, I was in a tub of ice. Is that ironic?

I couldn't move my legs, and noticed Big Mac pinning the lower half of my body down without too much trouble. And I had thought the girls were strong.

Applebloom was rubbing her forehead, "Yeah. Just a little bump is all."

"S-s-sorry, A-A-Applebloom. D-d-didn't mean to headbutt you," I looked at Applejack, "T-t-that s-s-serious?"

Her silence was my answer.

Piecing together the obvious, I replayed what must have happened when I blanked out in my mind. They two older siblings must have brought me to their house, dumped me into their bathtub, filled it with ice and let the water run. The cool water was to bring down my temperature, but even I know you only do that in extreme cases. How high was my fever? I vaguely remember waking up earlier, and seeing weird things. What those things were, I had no idea.

"What were you doin' out in the rain last night? And why didn't you dry yourself before you fell asleep?" Applejack shook her head, "We've got enough problems to worry about, Forest..."

"S-s-sorry, I-I-I j-j-just..." There was nothing I could say. She was right.The least I could do was cooperate now. "I-I can stay here. I'll b-b-be g-g-good."

Big Mac instantly let my legs go and true to my word and I did my best to stay under the freezing waters.

He stood up and looked at me, "I'll get soup ready," And was gone before I could say thanks.

"Y-y-you can let me go too, Applejack."

Applejack didn't. She just held my chest down in the water.

"Your hooves are going to freeze..." I tried to push her hooves off of me, but it was like trying to push a boulder, she pinned me down easily.

"Forest. What were you doin' out in the rain?" She interrupted me.

"H-h-how did you know?" I asked.

"The sofa was soaked, and I know you weren't still wet from the race."

How did she know that?

"I c-c-came to see you all at the hospital," That was the truth.

"How come we never saw you?"

"D-d-didn't wanna be s-s-seen... got scared. Hid."

"Scared? What'd you get scared of?"

"You. T-T-Twilight..."

She understood what I saw implying, "So you heard... us talkin'?"

I nodded and shuddered at the same time, from both the cold and the disapproving look that Applejack gave me.

"You overheard us? You spied on us?"

I nodded again. I was not going to lie to her.

"Didn't you think that was wrong?"

I nodded. It was so cold!

"A-a-a-as soon as I unders-s-stood who were talking a-a-about, I tried to go, but..."

She looked into my eyes, searching to see if I spoke the truth.

"Th-Thank you for believing in me. You and Pinkie Pie."

We both kept looking at each other for a long moment, and Applejack sighed, "Although I don't like what you did, I appreciate you comin' clean."

"P-p-p-please believe me when I say that once I knew that you were talking about me, I didn't want to be there."

"You could have just shown yourself."

Shaking my head, I laughed sarcastically, "You think that really would have been better?"

"Guess not, considerin' it was a pretty heated topic about you."

"Applejack, why?"

"What d'ya mean 'why'?"

"I mean, why help me so much? Going as far as protecting me against your best friend... I haven't done anything to deserve it. Why have you been so good to me?"

She looked away and shrugged, "I guess I like helpin' you out."

"But this much? First a job, then you give me a place to sleep by rebuilding the old Clubhouse, cooked me breakfast... everything! Even going as far as f-f-freezing me in a tub to bring down a fever. W-w-why?"

"Because of that harvester you made, Forest," Applejack looked at me, "You've done a lot for me too."

"Really?" It was so obvious she was hiding something, "You're a bad liar, Applejack." I grinned at her through the pain. I think my bones were starting to turn into ice.

"You have!" She protested.

"Okay, apart from the harvester I made, what have I really done?" My body had stopped hurting, and I think I was used to the water, because I had stopped stuttering, and my teeth stopped chattering, "Please, I want to know."

"Forest, you're imaginin things, and you're not thinkin' straight... you don't know what you're sayin'!"

My vision was getting blurry again and another wave of that dizziness from before started coming along. I closed my eyes to stop myself from falling out of the tub and willed myself to drift off to sleep. Then it occurred to me; sleeping in an ice-cold bathtub? Yeah, that's not a good sign.

"Forest? Are you awake?" Applejack's voice sounded as if she was far, far away. Why was she far away? I didn't want her to go! I reached for her but I couldn't move a muscle. It felt like my body and my mind were detached, I couldn't feel anything. The only thing that was active was my brain. It felt numb. I felt something come closer to my ears. It was warm, comforting and made me feel safe. What was it? Then a voice, so kind and gentle, whispered something to me, "Forest? The reason why... I did those things is... well... because... it's because... I..."

Forcing my eyes, I say up quickly. I was in a bed now, warm and cozy. A bowl of soup lay on my bedside with a spoon in it. My mouth tasted funny, and I realized that I had been eating. Wait, I wasn't here a moment ago? Where as I? Why couldn't I remember? I felt that something very important had happened, and that something was amiss. I looked at my hooves confused.

Applebloom was sitting on a chair reading a book at the end of my bed, the same bed I ended up in when I passed out from Granny's challenge a few days ago. She saw me wake up, "Glad to see you're up, Sleepy-head."

"What happened? Where am I?"

"What d'ya mean 'what happened'? You don't remember being frozen alive? And yer in the guestroom, silly."

"I... can't remember. What do you mean 'frozen alive'?" Honestly, I was shocked.

"You really don't remember what happened to you this mornin'?" Applebloom looked at me funny, "Wow, you must have really been sick."

"This morning... I fell on the floor, Big Mac carried me here. That's it."

"That's it? That's it! Did all that ice freeze your brain too?" Applebloom shook her head, "Well, you had a high fever, so we dunked you in a bathtub of ice to bring your temperature down, which according to Doctor Stable, was pointless. Applejack was a little worried about you. A little too worried if you ask me," She muttered the last part to herself quietly, I could only barely make it out.

"Oh yeah! I vaguely remember that," I groaned, how could I forget that? But only bits and pieces. I remembered Big Mac holding me down, and Applejack as well. Applebloom was in there too, did I hit her? The bathtub and ice I recalled, but apart from that... nothing, "How long have I been sleeping for?"

"Just a few hours. You missed breakfast and lunch, apart from that nothing eventful has been happening today. According to Doctor Stables says you ought to be up and about tomorrow you just need to take that medicine there," Applebloom gestured with her head to the bedside table where there were two yellow or gold-looking pills.

Reaching over I put the pills in my mouth and swallowed them with the help of a glass of water, "Where is Applejack?"

"She's gone over to hospital to see the Dash's," Applebloom put the book away and walked over to me, and put a hoof on my head, "Yep, temperature's come down."

"Applebloom, when I was in the bathtub, I think your sister was saying something to me. I can't remember what it was. You were there, right? Do you know what she said? I think it was something really important."

"I... I have no idea," Applebloom stuttered, backing off a bit and rolling her eyes, "I didn't hear nothin'."

"Applebloom, I may not be the sharpest tool in the shed, but you and your sister are very bad liars," Oh wow, I got an overwhelming sense of déjà vu, like I had said those exact words really recently.

"Please, Forest. I didn't hear nothin'. It's not my place to say."

From her expression, it was obvious that she was uncomfortable with this inquiry, but what could have Applejack said? It sounded really important. And I really, really wanted to know! It was bugging the shit out of me.

"Forest, I'm angry at you," Applebloom cut my train of thought.

"What? Why?"

"First you said that you'd help me get my Cutie Mark, you didn't. Then you promised you'd come with me to Sweetie Belle's opera, you didn't. You forgot about me both times!"

She was right! I did forget. Summoning up my most apologetic face - I've been doing a lot of apologizing lately, I inhaled a deeply and said, "Sorry?"

"Come on, Forest. I know you like my sister, but you can spare some time to hang out with me too!"

"I know, I know. But with everything that's been going on, I'm surprised that I've remembered anything since I've been here. Yesterday I completely... why are you grinning like that?"

"Oh nothin'."

"That's a pretty massive grin for something that's nothin'," I looked at her suspiciously.

She giggled at me. Did I make a funny face?

"We all saw you race. Did you hear us cheerin' you on? It was more excitin' than the Runnin' of the Leaves we have every year!"

"Running of the Leaves? That another race?"

Applebloom nodded, "Applejack and Rainbow used to run it every year!"

"Then what?"

"Rainbow became a Wonderbolt, and on top of her weather-fixin' duties an' bein' a famous celebrity, she always so busy."

"Well, she is very popular. Anyway, the only Pony I heard clearly was Pinkie on the speaker system."

"Oh yeah! She totally got in trouble for that. The Mayor was so angry. Total Pinkie moment," Applebloom laughed and shook her head.

"So, Forest. What do you like better? Cakes or pies?" Applebloom threw that question out from nowhere.

"I dunno... I guess it depends on my mood."

"No, no. Which one would you prefer to eat if you had to eat one and only one. Forever."

"Forever is a long time."

"Just choose!"

Humoring her, I actually thought about it, "If I had to choose, I guess I'd go with pie. Why?"

"Oh, nothin'," Again that mischievous grin, "What about apple pie?"

"I love apple pie! Gladly take apple pie, please."

Applebloom roared in laughter, "So cute!"

"What's so cute?" I asked confused, "Are you making fun of me?"

"Oh, nothin'. You really ain't that smart, are ya, Sleepy Head?"

"I never claimed I was smart. So, 'Sleepyhead', huh? That your name for me?"

"Yep."

We shared a quick laugh before we heard a noise coming from the hall and Big Mac entered the room, "You okay?" He asked.

"Yes, I am. Thank you for... everything. Did you carry me?"

"Eeyup."

"She also says that you helped drown me in a tub full of ice. Thanks for that."

"Anytime."

My eyes popped open at that comment, but Big Mac turned his attention to Applebloom, "Your sister's not comin' home tonight. She wants you to drop off her toothbrush at the hospital later."

"'Kay!"

"The doctors have agreed to let one Pony to stay there with Rainbow and Brian," Big Mac explained.

"He's staying at the hospital?" I asked, confused. Didn't the doctor from yesterday say that he would be up and about in no time?

"I don't know much. You'd best talk to Applejack," With that, he lumbered off.

Not wanting to sit in bed anymore, I managed to stand up - much to Applebloom's horror. After a lot of fussing, I made my way down the stairs and out onto the porch where Granny was napping on her rocking chair. She was snoring quietly. A few minutes later Applebloom caught up with me with her book in her hooves. She opened it to the page she had earmarked and proceeded to read. Again, I took in the magnificent view of Sweet Apple Acres. This place was just simply amazing. If I ever make it back home - to Earth - I'd so get a farm. An apple farm, too.

Thinking of that, my thoughts suddenly returned to last night's events. Pinkie's words returned to me, and despite trying to rationalize it, I felt the blood in my cheeks filling up. But why was Applejack so adamant in defending me? That was something that was really bothering me. The thought of asking her crossed my mind, but it did not seem all that original. As if I already ask her? Did I?

"Ah! Forest! Yer awake! Wanna take on the champ again?" Granny suddenly blurted, making me jump slightly as I snapped back to the present.

"I don't mind..." Applebloom gave me a look, "On second thought, maybe not. I just took some medicine."

"And you're sick!" Applebloom emphasized, "You need to let yourself have time to recover before you start chuggin' down Granny's hootch. Your medicine needs time to help."

"Mah hootch is medicine," Granny replied.

That made me laugh, "It most certainly is."

Applebloom gave the both of us a disapproving and we laughed a little harder at her expense. Being a good sport, she joined in on our giggling fit. As our laughter started to subside, I saw a purple bipedal creature coming down the path towards the house, he was walking with his hands behind his back with a serious expression on his face. When he finally got close enough to the porch, we all said hello to him.

"Hiya, guys," Spike looked at each of us, "Forest, I heard you weren't feeling well."

"News gets around fast," I muttered.

"Applejack was visiting the hospital earlier and she told us."

"Yes I was, but I'm feeling a lot better thanks to nurse Applebloom!"

Through the corner of my eye I saw her checking out her flank, my guess she was expecting a nursing Cutie Mark. When nothing happened, she let out a quiet sigh, and returned her attention to the conversation.

"Can I talk to you for a moment. Privately?"

"Sure," Forcing myself to stand, and earning a very disapproving look from Applebloom, I walked down the porch and onto the large front lawn. We walked for a bit so that we gained some distance and not be overheard. Satisfied, I sat down heavily on the grass, "What's on your mind?"

"I've been thinking about what you said yesterday, about how I've not told Rarity about how I feel," He sat down next to me. I had to look up at him slightly, "But also what you said about me being a Dragon, and she being a Pony. To be honest, I've been thinking about it for a long time. And... and..."

"And?"

"I was wondering... could you... help me?"

"I tried, remember? You froze on me..."

"No, no. Well, yes, but not that," He took a deep breath, "I need to tell you something serious, something that I've told a very few Ponies... or humans about."

Alarm-bells rang in my head.

"Well, 'human', is more accurate."

Relief washed over me like a wave. At least Spike didn't suspect me.

"Forest, I don't really know what it is like to be a Dragon," He paused.

I realized he was waiting for me to react, "You are a Dragon. Right? You're a Dragon, right?"

"Yes, but I don't know what it's like being one."

"You're not making sense. You being a Dragon makes it impossible for you not to know what's it like being a Dragon."

"But I've been with Ponies almost all my life. I've grown up with them. Mostly with Twilight. I've never really grown up or hung out with my own kind, and I have rarely ever interacted with them. Most Dragons don't really like Ponies, and avoid them when they can."

"Really? Ponies and Dragons don't get along?"

"Not really. They usually just stay away from each other."

"I see," In reality, I didn't see. In a land of magical talking Ponies, could Dragons get along as well? But I let Spike continue anyway.

"Remember when you asked me if I told Rarity how I felt? Remember I said that one time I almost did?"

Nodding, I urged him to continue.

"Well, it was on my birthday many years ago..." He began to explain to me how Dragons got bigger when they got greedier, and that some Dragons can accelerate their growth by hoarding things - or something to that effect. How he had become big and started destroying Ponyville, only to be reminded of the act of giving by Rarity, the Element of Generosity, which reversed the magic in his body. Afterwards he transformed back to his baby form. Still, even without greed, a Dragon has to grow, and as Spike was getting bigger and bigger, until eventually another question started bothering him, "What if I get too big?"

"Ponyville will need a bigger library."

Spike just gave me the 'I'm-trying-to-be-serious-here' look.

"Okay, okay. Let's ask the obvious question then; what do Dragons eat?"

"Gems. Usually."

"Usually?"

"I eat most other things, but lately... lately I've started having a strange craving for..." He turned green in the face, "Meat."

"Well, those teeth are meant for something," I replied. Was I in danger? I hoped not.

"Forest, I don't want to eat animals. I don't want to hurt anypony. But these urges... they come and go, and I can usually stop them, but..."

"Do Dragons eat Ponies?"

Spike looked at me for a long moment. Then he looked away, "Yes."

"I see where you're coming from now."

"Y-you're not afraid?"

"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't, but I trust you don't see me as a tasty burger."

"Burger?"

"Never mind," Oops.

"Anyway, that's the thing! I know that I would never harm nopony, but when I went on that rampage I wasn't myself. My mind was hazy and I couldn't remember certain things, important things. All I could think of was more. More, more, more, more, more! I wanted to take, and I took."

"I think I know what you mean."

"Doesn't it frighten you when you get like that?"

"Well, I am a Pony, Spike," No I'm not. "I don't have to be afraid of hurting nopony badly. You're a Dragon. You've got pointy bits everywhere, and you're big. Those teeth are pointy, that tail is point, your things on the back are pointy and your claws are pointy. Get my point?" Yeesh, that was a terrible pun, "But I'm not afraid of you because you don't have a mean streak. If you did, this conversation would have ended ages ago."

"I never used to have claws like these. As I've gotten bigger, they've gotten longer and sharper."

"How big do Dragons get?"

"Pretty big."

"How big is 'pretty'?"

"Twice the size of the barn..." Spike pointed to the barn with his thumb without looking at it.

"That is pretty big."

"Some are even bigger."

"So, you're afraid that you'll lose control of your ability to reason," Gazing off into the distance, I understood a little of his predicament. Lashing out without thinking of the consequences, hurting the ones closest to you. It reminded me of what I had done over a week ago to Raj. The fight, me lashing out the way I did, the look he gave me. It took me a moment to understand that it was not pity in those eyes, it was betrayal. If I ever go back to Earth, I vowed to make it up to him somehow.

"Exactly. I'm scared that I'm going to hurt somepony, Forest. Somepony I care for. What if I hurt Rarity, or Twilight? Or even you. There's nopony in town that can stop me, well maybe except Twilight, but I know she'll never hurt me."

Suddenly I didn't like where this conversation was going.

"Forest, can I ask you for a favor..."

"No," I said and shook my head, "No way. I know what you're going to ask, and the answer is no."

"Come on, Forest. You're the only Pony I know who I can talk to about this."

"Not me. Another Pony perhaps more suited for the task. Not me. I'm not going to be the 'fallback' guy."

"Please, Forest," Spike clasped his hands together. He was begging!

"Isn't there another Pony that will be better? Why me?"

"Because... because I know you're the only Pony willing to do this for me," Spike handed me a closed container, "Rarity gave this to me to remind me of my generous soul. This... this will remind me of my time here in Ponyville."

Taking the box, I opened it. It was a snow-globe like thing, except instead of snow it had tiny bits of gold shaped like leaves in autumn. I picked it up out of the box and shook it, and as I did a song started playing. It was a nice gentle tune, "A music box?"

"Rarity gave it to me when I turned thirteen. It's my most prized possession."

"Then why give it to me?"

"If I should... go berserk again, I might need something to wake me up. This music box has strong sentimental value to me. It should be enough."

"You expecting to go berserk?"

"No! But... just in case."

"Oh good. I thought you were asking me kill you or something..." I said laughing out loud. As I did, I noticed the look on Spike's face. I kept laughing, hoping that he would join me. He didn't. God fucking damn it! "That is what you want, isn't it?"

Spike did not give away any emotion, "This. Just in case."

What he placed on the ground in front of me made me shudder. A dagger with the most ornate handle I had ever seen. The blade itself was split in the middle, with some sort of clear piece of glass on it, inside which had a dark blue liquid. Not daring to touch it, I stared at it on the grass.

"No! No way!"

"Forest... please. I'm begging you."

Sighing, I looked at the beautiful knife, "What is it?"

"It's a dagger."

No shit! "I meant what makes it so special."

"The blade is made from the same stuff that the Royal Guards armor's made from. It can cut through a Dragon's scale-armor. The liquid inside is blood from a Windigo."

"A what?"

"A Windigo. It's a winter spirit that feeds off of hatred and malice. The more hate there is, the colder it gets."

"How do you know that?"

"I help out in a Library. How could I not know all this stuff?" Spike shrugged, "Plus Twilight had acted in a play years ago that had Windigoes in it and she asked me to do some research about them while she rehearsed her lines. Apparently these 'spirits' have bodies that bleed, guess that explains the reason they need to feed."

"Seriously, Spike, you can't expect me to do this. We're not even that close of friends... I mean, I think of you as a friend, but this is a job for someone who really is close to you and can make a decision like that."

"Forest, that sounds stupid. I'm asking you because you're not such a close friend."

At this point, I wished that I had fingers to massage the bridge of my nose because that was perhaps the dumbest thing I've heard. Doesn't he understand that to make a decision like that you need to know one another better than anybody else? Whatever, he was a typical teenager. They were usually all angsty and fatalistic. I've not known Spike for a long time, but I was already confident that he was not going to hurt anything.

"Where do they sell that stuff?" I asked, pointing to the blood in the dagger.

"Well, I managed to find somepony in Canterlot who sold some Windigo blood and the blade. It's usually used to cover something in ice. It's pretty expensive. I had to save up a while to get it."

"How much?"

"A hundred bits."

"A hundred? That's... a lot of bits!"

"You don't say..." Spike rolled his eyes, sarcastically.

"Shouldn't you be bringing this up with Twilight?"

"Twilight is the last Pony on Equestria that would... that I would..."

"She's the last Pony you'd want to place this burden on."

"Exactly. Twilight mothers me too much. I know she's not my real mother... well, I love her like my real mother. We've been together for so long and I know her too well now. She would never hurt me, even if I destroy Equestria. One day I know that I will have to go," He looked at me.

"You planning on leaving?" I asked, bewildered.

"It's not that I want to, but I have to start thinking about it before... before something bad happens. I need to be ready," Spike sighed heavily, tears forming in his eyes.

Stop it! Don't cry! I hate it when... He started crying. Aw, damn it!

Standing up, I walked over to him and patted him on his back. Spike gripped me in a tight embrace bawling his eyes out, "It'll be alright, big guy. Just relax. There's no rush. Just... and even if you do get big and massive, what's to stop you from visiting?" After a few minutes of this awkwardness, he subsided and let me go, "Feel better?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Forest. You're a good a good guy. I'm glad you're my friend."

Ouch. My heart skipped a beat when he said that. No-one's ever said that to me before. Ever. Shit, now I feel like crying...

"So, how was it when you left your mother?"

"What? Why do you wanna know that?"

"I just wanna know."

"Well, I never had a chance to leave my mother. My mother left me when I was really small," The words came out of my mouth before I could think. Shit! Shit, shit, shit! Did I just get fooled by a teenaged Dragon? I did, didn't I.

"I knew you were faking your amnesia!" Spike said, pointing at me, "I knew it."

"N-no! Of course not. You just... you just don't forget something like that. You can't forget something like that," And that was true. Holy shit was it true. All my life I've always tried to deny or hide it, but deep down, you never really forget.

Something in my voice or on my face must have sated Spike because he sat down next to me quietly, "Sorry, Forest, for bringing up such memories."

"Well, one thing I can say for sure, Spike, is that in all my life, I've never told anyone that. You're the first."

"How would you know? You have amnesia," He replied with a smirk.

"I'm pretty sure that it's true," I replied, and pushed him gently.

"So? Will you do this for me?" He said gesturing to the dagger with his head.

Sighing, I took the dagger from the grass. It was ice-cold to the touch. What was it with ice and me today? Spike, knowing fully the limits of his Pony companions, handed me a small saddle-bag. It fit perfectly and I slipped the dagger in one of the pockets. It was like a fanny-bag, but much cooler. It was a shade darker than my tan-color and had small red markings that looked like fire. Loved it.

"Thank you, Forest. I owe you."

"Forest! Forest!" I heard my name being called by Applejack. She galloped right up to me, "Forest! I'm sorry, but could you mind Applebloom tonight?"

"I'm not a Filly anymore! I don't need nopony to watch me!" Applebloom shouted from the porch.

"She is pretty big..." I swallowed my joke, the expression on Applejack's face told me that she was in no mood to be joking around, "What's wrong?"

"It's Fluttershy. Angel just passed away, and Rarity says that she's gone..."

"Crazy?" I suggested when she didn't reply.

"Worse."

"Spike, you go tell Twilight and Pinkie. Don't tell Rainbow or Brian. They already have enough troubles as it is."

Spike saluted, and was off before I could get in a word edgewise, and Applejack was headed towards Fluttershy's house. About three seconds later, Applebloom came out holding a toothbrush by the handle in her mouth, "Applejack!" She mumbled.

"I can give it to her if you want."

She handed me the toothbrush, and I slipped into my new saddlebag and was off before she could say anything. Holy hell and the fire pits in between, I loved to run! Applejack was fast, but not as fast as me. Too bad I was sick and she had a large enough lead that by the time I reached Fluttershy's house Applejack was already inside. There was a large gathering of animals from all over the place here. They all looked sad. I walked up the path to the door, I noticed that next to it were boutiques. Thousands of them in all sort of sizes. Some were tiny, while others were massive.

Knocking on the door gently, I had to wait a moment before it was answered by a squirrel. Or was it a chipmunk? I can never tell these things. Awkwardly I walked inside, and hung at the back of the crowd. Animals were all over the place. And although the place was overwhelmed with animals, there was no stench there. It was just... well, you couldn't notice anything with your nose. These were clean animals. Even the skunks didn't smell. All the animals were in a line leading into a room. A few would go in, then a few would come out. Unsure of what to do, I remained where I was.

Eventually I spotted Applejack came out of the room. When she saw me and did a double-take before quietly trotting to where I was.

"What are you doin' here?" She asked.

"Applebloom asked me to give you your toothbrush," I pulled it out of my new saddlebag; it was just too useful not to have.

"Come. Pay your respects," Applejack said, and then led the way.

I followed and the other animals were kind enough to move out of our way. As I entered the little room I had seen before I saw Fluttershy in the corner with Rarity holding her and rocking her gently. Fluttershy's face was buried in Rarity's shoulder. In the middle of the room was a small bed with the rabbit, Angel. Applejack stood to one side, and I walked up to the deceased and bowed my head, then stepped away. I felt really out of place, and wondered if I had done it wrong. The other animals just continued doing whatever it was that they were doing.

"How was that?" I asked when I returned to Applejack's side.

"Good enough, I guess."

"How's Fluttershy?"

"Terrible. Why'd this have to happen now?"

I didn't say anything. There was nothing I could say.

"I was on my way to Fluttershy's house when I saw Sweetie Belle coming from there. She said that Angel had passed away last night while we were at the hospital."

"It's okay, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to," I said looking at her.

"I came rushin' over as soon as I heard. But... to leave Rainbow? And Brian? It's not good, Forest," Applejack said without looking at me. Her eyes began to water.

"What do you mean?"

"He ain't got long," She said in a whisper fighting her tears.

"What?" I asked, genuinely shocked. Brian? Was he that sick? Emotions surged through me. Guilt, sadness, anger. Why? Why did it have to be so? "H-how long?"

"Not long," This time Applejack didn't fight the tears flowing from her eyes, "Not long at all."

Seeing her there, crying like that, I wanted to comfort her. But how? Putting an arm around her neck, I pulled her close and she buried her face in my neck, her body shaking. What had happened? A few days ago every single Pony seemed so happy. All I felt was sadness. Why Brian? He didn't deserve this. Yes, we were both human and he had adopted daughter who was an animated cartoon Pony. At first I had thought he was a freak, but after the unconditional love he earned and gained I understood that the only freak around was me. The one who didn't fit in here was me. Yet these Ponies have done nothing but welcome me into their lives. Me! It made so much sense now. Brian loved his daughter completely. It was because of his love for her that he automatically suspected me. He wasn't out to get me, he didn't mean any harm to me. He was just trying to protect his little girl. He abandoned his own world for her. He was a good father. Correction; he is a good father.

I stayed. Fever be damned, I was not going to leave Applejack like this. Eventually she calmed down and pulled away from me, but for some reason she stayed close. Probably needed a Pony to lean on.

It was late in the evening by the time the last of the animals paid their respects, then two rabbits who could have been relatives covered Angel's face behind a sheet. The old bunny looked so peaceful and content. He had a good life.

Fluttershy let out a heart wrenching wail as she shoved Rarity aside, and dove for her rabbit. At this, Applejack intercepted her friend preventing her from reaching the bed. Poor Fluttershy. The other rabbits who had covered Angel's body continued to do what they needed to do despite Fluttershy's pleading that they leave him alone. Even Applejack was having difficulty holding Fluttershy back.

She was screaming for him. It is hard to describe the anguish I heard in that voice. It was as if she had lost a son.

"Forest, be a dear and do something!" Rarity said picking herself off from the floor and helping Applejack.

Walking to Angel's body, I helped carry it out of the room and closed the door. Fluttershy screamed so loud, that I thought my eardrums were going to break.

The other rabbits nodded to me in thanks, they then placed Angel's body into a little coffin - yes, a coffin. If it weren't for Fluttershy's despair, I might have found it amusing, but I couldn't. There was nothing amusing about this. Nothing at all.

After a long while, the wailing had stopped, and the door opened slowly. Applejack exited the room first, followed by Fluttershy wore a black hat with a meshed veil across her face. Applejack waited for her friend before walking by her side. Rarity followed behind Fluttershy; she wore something similar to Fluttershy's veil.

Not wanting to get in the way, I stood off to one side, I watched as they lead Fluttershy outside of the house. Once she had exited, the rabbits picked up Angel's coffin and led it out the door.

A slow procession then went underway. Angel's coffin was being carried by what I could only guess were his relatives. Following them was Fluttershy, flanked by Applejack and Rarity. Behind them were the other animals. I watched them go from the front door for a long while. Whoever this Angel was, he had a lot of friends that had cared for him - and one pink-haired Pegasus Pony in particular that really loved him. The trip was not long, and at the bottom of a large tree the animals placed Angel's body into an already prepared grave. Silence. No-one said a thing, or perhaps I was too far away to hear.

Then, Fluttershy took a hoofful of dirt, "Good bye, Angel-bunny," She tossed it on the grave.

They stayed there. After Angel's burial, Fluttershy did not move. She remained gazing down at the grave. Applejack and Rarity waited patiently for their friend. Slowly, the animals started to return to leave until all who were left was the four of us. I remained where I was a little away from the three of them, I just wanted to be there - more for Applejack. It was the least I could do for everything she had done for me. My mind was numb, I did not want to think of anything. I did not want to imagine what Fluttershy felt. I did not want to have anything in my mind. I just wanted to be blank.

It was very late at night before Fluttershy moved from her spot, and only because Rarity had coaxed her. They returned to the house, while I stayed outside.

Applejack came out a moment later, "Forest... thank you, for being here."

"You don't need to thank me, Applejack. Will she be okay?"

"I hope so. Forest?"

"Yes, Applejack?"

"Can... can you stay a little longer?"

"Of course. Anything for you."

Applejack gave me a small smile. She stood aside as I walked through the door back into Fluttershy's house.

"Do you want some tea?" Applejack asked me, "Rarity said I ought to make some for all of us."

"Not for me, thanks."

We made some small talk in the kitchen as she boiled the water and steeped the tea. We talked quietly, making sure not to disturb Rarity and Fluttershy in the other room. After the tea was ready, I watched as Applejack loaded it on a tray, then carried it with her mouth back to the room.

She returned a few moments later, gave me a smile, and closed the door. Now all the three Ponies were inside Fluttershy's room together.

After a while, with nothing to do, I got sleepy. Inevitably, I closed my eyes and drifted off.

Day 8: From Ponyville to Canterlot

My mouth felt dry. Probably because of those pills I had taken earlier. Waking up from the most uncomfortable position imaginable (my head was on the floor while my rear was comfortably on the sofa) I stood up and stretched my body. The dull ache from before had gone and I felt a million times better. Groggily, I walked into the kitchen and opened the cupboards above the sink looking for a glass. Nope, not there. So I kept on exploring until I eventually found one. As I reached for it I thought I heard something. Curiosity got the better of me, so I put the glass down and walked out of the kitchen. At once I noticed that the door to Fluttershy's room was ajar, so I went to go close it on behalf of the girls. As I approached it, I felt a cold draft blow through the hall. The sudden coolness in the air woke me up and made me notice that the front door was wide open swaying lazily in the night breeze.

"Strange," I mumbled aloud.

Walking outside, I stood on the front doorstep and looked around. Nothing. It was a nippy night, and I was eager to return to the warmth of the house when I caught some movement from the corner of my eye. Something was flying away from the house in a hurry. No, not something. Someone. More specifically, somepony. A yellow Pony, with a pink mane.

"Gaddamit!" I muttered to myself, and gave chase.

Even if I didn't follow Fluttershy, it was obvious where she was going. As I reached Angel's final resting place, I caught her starting to dig the grave up with her hooves. It was so sad and pathetic that I couldn't allow her to continue.

"He's dead, you know," I said, keeping my distance.

She spun around, "He's not dead! He's sleeping!" Her voice was cold, menacing and dangerous. Not like the kind and calm voice from when I had first met her. There was a hint of desperation in that voice as well, a sort of pleading. Denial.

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy, but what you're doing is... wrong. He's... dead..."

"He's. Not. Dead!"

I took a step back despite myself. What do I do? I've never been good with dealing with people (or Ponies), and this was something completely out there. This was... psychotic. She was digging up her dead rabbit thinking that he was still alive. Whether she really believed or wanted to believe that it was irrelevant, something told me that I could not let her continue, a nagging in the back of my head. But telling her the truth was just making it worse.

When I said nothing, she started to dig again.

"Do you think that Angel would be happy if he saw you right now?"

She stopped.

"What would he tell you? Do you believe that this is what he would want? To see you like this?"

"I... it's... my..."

She was incoherent.

"You've said good-bye," I said to her, then in a gentle half-whisper, "Let him go."

Just then Applejack and Rarity were on either side of me. Rarity made to go to Fluttershy, but I put a hoof in front of her, barring her way. Rarity looked at my hoof, then followed it to my face where she saw me shaking me head. In my mind I knew that what Fluttershy needed was to come to terms with loss herself. How I knew this? Well, I had to come to terms with the loss of my grandmother myself. Although it would have helped if there were other people around me, I understood that you needed to take the first step. After that... well, let's just say I might have turned out to be a better person if someone had been there for me.

I turned my attention back to Fluttershy, "He would have wanted you to remember him fondly. To remember the lives you two had. Not to obsess with the past."

"But... it hurts so much," Fluttershy said barely audible.

"I know, sweetheart," Applejack replied aloud, taking a step forward, "But that's why you live. Go out there, and enjoy your life. That is what Angel would have wanted."

We all remained standing in silence for a long moment before Fluttershy stood up. Turning to us, she forced a broken smile on her face, tears streaming down her cheeks, "D-do you really think so?"

"I know so," Applejack gave her a sympathetic smile.

Fluttershy turned back towards the grave and sat down where she was. Then, gently, she pushed the dirt she had dug up back onto the little grave, her voice saying something. It took me a moment to realize she was singing, "Hush now, quiet now..."

Seeing that, I lowered my hoof in front of Rarity, and she instantly ran to her friend holding her in a tight embrace from behind saying nothing as Fluttershy continued to sing, releasing the last vestiges of her grief with each tear. It seemed to free her. We continued to listened to her sing, her gentle voice seemed to help sooth her sadness. There was so much emotion in those words that I couldn't help but get teary as well. She had such a beautiful singing voice.

As the stars faded away as the sun's light started to spread across the sky, something had changed. Everything felt right, as if it was meant to be this way. As if a storm had come and gone. This was a new day, a new beginning. Fluttershy's sadness now gave way to a weak smile, as she made peace with herself.

"Come, sweetie. Let's get you home," Rarity said quietly and helped her friend up.

Together they headed back towards the house, but Fluttershy paused for a moment beside me, "Thank you, whoever you are."

I smiled and nodded to her, she looked so delicate and fragile that it felt that if I talked she would shatter from the force of my voice. Letting the two of them go ahead, Applejack and I walked behind them.

"Why didn't ya wake us up?" Applejack asked.

"I didn't realize what was going on, and I sort of just went with my instincts," I looked at her, "I never realized that I would care so much for a stranger."

"Well, what'd you say to her?"

I told Applejack what I had said to Fluttershy before she arrived.

"Fluttershy really loved her Angel. Guess losin' him was hard. He's been in her life for so long."

"He seemed more than a pet."

"Well, that's because Angel was more than just a pet to Fluttershy. He was like a child to her." Applejack smiled sadly, "Reminds me of Winona. I miss her."

"Winona?"

"My dog. She died a couple years ago. Took me a long time to get over it. My brother helped me get through it. The girls were there for me as well, but Winona was family and it helped that family was there. Fluttershy doesn't have parents here in Ponyville and they rarely visit her."

"I'm sorry for your loss."

"It was a long time ago. I've gotten over it, though it took me some time."

As we approached Fluttershy's home, I noticed two individuals walking towards us. As they got closer, I felt my blood began to freeze in my veins. Twilight.

"Hello you two," She said smiling cheerfully.

"Howdy, Twilight. Fluttershy's okay. We're bringin' her back home."

"Back? I thought the funeral was yesterday. Was it that long of a service?" Twilight asked looking at us.

Applejack explained what happened.

Twilight sighed in relief, "Thank goodness everything's alright. I'm sorry I couldn't be there, but I was with the Dash's and then with Princess Celestia after that. By the time I was done with everything it was very late."

"How is she?" I asked.

"Who? Rainbow? She's having trouble accepting it. We all are. Brian has been a part of our lives for so long, it's hard to think..." Spike patted Twilight on her back as she paused to fight the tears forming in the corner of her eyes, "It's hard to think that he hasn't got long left."

Applejack walked over to Twilight and held her. It seemed to help, "You can't get used to somethin' like that."

"Anyway, Pinkie's with them."

"How is Pinkie?" I asked.

"She's doing well. Being good 'ol Pinkie Pie!" Twilight replied, "I think she's taking Brian's condition especially hard - except for Rainbow that is. She knows that she won't be able to make them laugh, but I think Pinkie's presence there helps. She has a certain kind of charm."

That was something I couldn't deny, "She certainly does."

Poor Pinkie, I felt so sad for her. And for Rainbow Dash as well.

"Well, let's go see Fluttershy," Applejack said and turned to go.

"Actually, I'm not here to see Fluttershy. I'm here to see Forest."

Shit.

"What for?" Applejack asked.

"Princess Celestia has asked me to bring him to Canterlot."

Shit, shit, shit!

"What? Why?" Applejack replied, perhaps a little too aggressively.

"She just wants to meet Forest. Don't worry, Applejack. Even Brian asked the Princess to go easy on him," Twilight said, more than a little surprised at her friend's reaction.

"Wait... what?" I asked doing a double-take. Brian did what?

"She's right, Applejack. I was there," Spike said, "Don't get so... bullish."

"I ain't bein' bullish!"

"You kinda are," My voice made them all turn to me, "Don't worry, Applejack. Nothing bad's going to happen. The Princess sounds kind." And scary, but oh well. Nothing can top Tutela.

My words betrayed my emotions, and I knew that Applejack saw something in my expression that gave something away from the way she reacted to me.

Well, this was it. My time was running out, and there was nothing I could do about it. The best I can do is to prepare for the inevitable, and make sure that everything goes by without an issues.

"Thank you for understanding, Forest. Please follow me," Twilight turned and lead the way.

"Aren't you going to see Fluttershy?" I asked, trying to delay the inevitable.

"Fluttershy needs time to heal, but she will. I want to get this over and done with as soon as possible," Twilight looked at me and sighed, "I really want to see her, but I've got too many things on my mind. I wouldn't be of any help."

Twilight was such a good friend that she understood her limitations. Again she turned to lead the way and I followed without fuss or comment.

"Forest..."

Applejack stopped me. She looked so sad. Why? Why did she have to look so sad! Why was she looking so sad? Was the events with Fluttershy still too much for her?

"Don't worry. I'll be back soon," I said stupidly.

"Promise?"

Her face! Oh, why did she have that look on her face? It hurt to look at her, "I promise."

With that, I turned to again follow Twilight.

"Pinkie Promise."

"Huh?"

"Pinkie Promise me."

"Pinky promise?" I was confused.

"Just Pinkie Promise me!" She practically shouted at me.

"Okay, okay! I pinky-promise you."

"Good. Because nopony breaks a Pinkie Promise," And with that she smiled at me.

I couldn't help but smile back, "See ya, Applejack."

Then it dawned on me. This was probably the last time I would see her. So, I hugged her. What else could I do? She had given me everything, and I had returned nothing. A hug was a small token of my appreciation. I only wished that I could've done more. As I released her, I gave me a small smile and turned away.

Twilight had waited patiently through that and when I turned towards her she was walking a little ahead of me. Spike slowed and was walking by my side as we headed towards Ponyville. At the end of the path that led to Fluttershy's house I turned around and saw Applejack standing there. When I reached the end of the path, she was still standing there. She remained there until I could no longer see her.

An overwhelming sense of emptiness filled me.

Spike leaned in closer, "So, Applejack, huh?"

"What?"

"You and Applejack. Wouldn't have guessed, well not with you and Pinkie being so intimate,"

"Don't be stupid. Applejack doesn't see me in that way."

Spike just shook his head, "Really? You can't... you don't... never mind. I just want to go on the record here saying that I might not have confessed my feelings, but I'm at least aware of them."

"What are you talking about?"

"You're pretty clueless," Spike stated bluntly.

What was he on? Not really wanting to get into an argument, I change the subject.

"Twilight seems a little..."

"Don't mind her. She can sometimes get a little obsessive about things, especially when it comes to learning about something new."

"Like?" I asked.

"You being a human. It was a discussion Twilight and Rainbow had while you were running for the tryouts," Spike replied, "She mentioned that you were very... 'specific' about your needs for something called a 'sofa-bed', something that she says is common on Brian's world. When we checked with Princess Celestia, she used her magic and checked the cities, and found that although it isn't common, there are such items of furniture. But they had strange names. Sleeping-couch, dream-chair... even comfy-snoozer, but no sofa-bed. Coincidence, I'm sure. But Princess Celestia wants to see you to make sure that you aren't from Brian's world."

Lowering my voice, I pulled Spike's head down to my level with my hoof, "Then... can't you find some other Pony?"

He looked at me confused, then realized what I was alluding to, "No way! You agreed!"

"But what if something goes wrong?"

"We'll handle that when the time comes..."

"You can't be serious! What if I am a human, then what?" I retorted, "Who knows what will happen!"

"What are you too whispering about?" Twilight asked suddenly, "I didn't realize you were such good friends."

We both grinned nervously, "We're talking about... Rarity!" I said.

"Yeah, Rarity!" Spike put in laughing nervously.

"Just advising Spike on confessing his feelings for her, right, Spike?"

"Yeah, yeah, that's right!" Spike said, and we acted like we were the best of friends, his arm around my neck and mine around his, grinning together in pain as he tried to choke me and I him. Stupid Dragon! Why couldn't he burden some other Pony!

Twilight's eyes opened wide, then a nervous smile spread across her face. She slowly raised her hoof, and then gestured behind us.

I felt Spike freeze. And I did as well.

"She's right behind us, isn't she?" I asked.

Spike gulped. Twilight nodded.

"She heard everything I just said, didn't she?"

Spike gulped again. Twilight nodded.

"Oh dear," I muttered.

We were in the center of the market place. Rarity could have been going home for all I knew, but the coincidence was ridiculous!

Spike didn't turn around. Instead he closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and what came happened next was an unexpected surprise, "Rarity, I love you! I've loved you since the day we first met! I couldn't stop thinking about you then, and I can't stop thinking about you now!"

Whoah! I thought, backing away from the Romeo.

Rarity blushed ferociously. She lowered her head, obviously loving the attention, but also overwhelmed by it as well, "Why, thank you, Spike... I'm..."

"I know you fancy somepony else, but I... I just wanted to let you know," Spike now turned around and looked at Rarity, his face was also completely red. I had to remind myself that he was a purple Dragon and not a red one, "I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner."

Again, I back away from the scene of action until I was standing next to Twilight. A few other Ponies had come out of their houses now, probably going about their chores or commutes - whatever it is that Ponies did, but they were all keenly interested and paused to watch the events unfold in front of them. Although I had to admit, Spike was pretty cool.

Neither Twilight nor I dared to breath as we watched Rarity.

"Oh, Spike," Rarity began, "I have always known. But you're..."

"A Dragon?"

"Too young," Rarity corrected him with an elegant smile, "Too young, Spike," She lifted his chin up with her hoof.

"Y-you don't care that I'm a Dragon?"

"No, silly. Of course not. Maybe if you were older..."

Spike said nothing in response, but he had a huge smile on his face, and a little moisture in his eyes. Rarity looked past Spike to me and Twilight.

"Forest, do something," Twilight whispered to me.

"Wha-? Oh," I walked over to Spike placing a hoof on his shoulder, "Let's go, buddy."

Spike just nodded, and together we walked away from the two Ponies. I had to admit, Spike was pretty badass. He didn't look back once. It would have been even more badass if the tears didn't constantly stream down his cheeks.

"She... didn't care, Forest," Spike whispered as we entered the library.

"What?"

"She said she didn't care that I was a Dragon," He gave me a huge, beaming smile, "Did you hear?"

"I heard. I heard it loud and clear."

"Too bad I got rejected," Spike sighed.

"Yeah, sorry that I forced you to confess like that. That was a pretty... I did bad," Didn't quite know how to put it without swearing.

"Don't worry about it. I'm kinda glad it did happen," Spike said, fighting through the pain of rejection.

Being a cold-hearted bastard, I couldn't really relate. The function that connects the heart to... oh, who am I kidding. It wasn't that I didn't want to comfort Spike or cheer him up, it was that I didn't know how. I knew that he was hurting. Spike was a lot braver than me, and for that I respected him. He took the leap, he went all the way. I've never confessed my feelings to another person and have never been asked. That was pretty sad on my part.

Twilight entered the library a little later. Putting down her things, she turned to me, "Well, that was awkward."

"What did Rarity say?"

"Rarity was flattered about Spike's feelings, but she just wants to remain good friends."

Friendzoned. "Gee, that's too bad."

Twilight walked past me and Spike, "Forest, do you want to get anything?"

"Like what?"

"We'll be in Canterlot for a couple of days," Twilight replied walking towards a stack of books, "So, do you want to pick up some things from your home? We'll leave on the noon train, and we arrive in Canterlot by late afternoon."

"A couple of days?"

"I'm sorry, Forest, but those are Princess Celestia's orders."

"There is something I would like to do, if you don't mind," I replied.

"I'll meet you at the train station at noon then. Don't be late," Twilight threatened, "Spike."

"Yes, Twilight?"

"You're staying here."

"Okay, Twilight," Spike replied looking a little glum.

She then walked towards a mountain of books, and using her magic slipped a few large ones into a saddlebag.

While she was doing that, I sidled up to Spike, "Lucky," I muttered.

"Lucky? I'm so embarrassed! Can you imagine how... awkward it's going to be when I see Rarity? I bet everypony already knows!" He groaned, "I was actually hoping I'd be going with you guys."

"Meh. You'll be fine. I've found that word spreads around Ponyville pretty quickly, so hopefully it'll be a come-and-go story. By the way, you were so cool walking away without looking back," I grinned.

"You think so? It was hard not to turn around."

We both laughed lightly. I headed for the front door.

"Where are you going now?" Spike asked.

"I dunno. I just want to be alone to think for a while."

"I know how you feel. Okay, Forest. If I don't see you... well, it's been nice knowing you."

"Spike, about that... thing you gave me, are you sure you can't find someone else?"

"Very sure. I'm sure that when the time comes, you'll be able to do whatever needs to be done. And don't worry about me. I feel... content now," Spike gave me a thumbs up.

"Well, be seein' ya, big guy," And with that I walked out of the library, the door closing behind me.

In town, I looked at the large clock tower. It was just past eight in the morning. How long have I slept for? Oh well, better make the most of the time I had. After all, it wouldn't be long now. I thought I could hear Tutela laughing away from somewhere, but I decided that was my mind playing tricks on me. I now had to make the most of the time I had left here in this world. So I wandered around Ponyville, taking in the sites and places again. A part of me worried about Lavenderhoof, she said that she wanted to teach me how to swim, and little Applebloom. I never did get a chance to tell her about her talent nor see Sweetie Belle sing. During my musings, I ended up in the most unlikeliest of places; Sugarcube Corner.

"Oh, hi, Forest!" Mr. Cake said, scaring the living shit out of me as he came around the corner where the loading area was, "How're feeling? Heard you got sick."

"Better now, thanks. Yeah, had a fever."

"Pinkie isn't here. She's at the hospital. Sad about Brian. I really like him," Mr. Cake sighed, "It's difficult to imagine that he hasn't got long left. Things aren't going to be the same without him."

"Sir?"

"Yes, Forest?"

"Do you mind if I have some of that delicious coffee?"

"For our favorite racer? Anything!"

In my own way, I said good-bye to the Cakes. They were a family I wish I had. Kind, loyal, strong, caring, everything a family should be. They told me to give their best to the Princess when I saw her - yes, I told them I was going to Canterlot. I didn't tell them why, though. I think that would have been unfair to burden them with that knowledge.

Wondering around town, I still had a couple of hours left to kill. So I wondered around the marketplace. Big Mac was there selling apples. A part of me was glad that I didn't see Applebloom, I didn't want to say good-bye to her. I felt that it would have been too painful to do so, after abandoning her several times already. Yet, even after all that she still made an effort to befriend me. Couldn't fault her in any way, she was a good soul through and through, like her older sister Applejack.

Making my way across town, I paused for a moment in front of Rarity's boutique. This was where I had first met Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Rarity - and also acquired my first job! Funny how that happened, and it was not even that long ago. Granted, I didn't really care at the time, but now it seemed so precious. Another fond memory I would keep.

Then, for some reason, I was standing outside the hospital. Why had I come here? Quickly, I turned and started to walk away.

"Forest?" A voice said from behind me.

I closed my eyes. I knew that voice very well. I didn't even have to turn around to see, "Hello, Pinkie."

Pinkie launched herself into the air, knocking me down on the ground. Despite the suddenness of the 'attack', I couldn't help but smile. It was Pinkie Pie after all, you just had to accept her.

"Ohmygosh! Are you here to see Brian? Brian will be so happy that you came! Rainbow too!"

"I doubt that they'd really be happy to see me, Pinkie," I replied scratching the back of my head.

"Don't be silly! Why wouldn't he want you to come see him?" Her mood started to slow down, "Why wouldn't you want to go see him?"

"Okay! If you say so then it must be true!" I said excitedly, although in truth my heart died. It couldn't stand seeing Pinkie frown like that.

However, my sudden optimistic outlook cheered Pinkie up. The reaction was almost instant. She got off of me and I pulled myself up from the ground and together we walked into the hospital.

Nurse Redheart spotted me and walked over, "How are you, Forest? I heard that Dr. Stable did a house-call for you."

"Yes, ma'am, but I wasn't coherent at the time. You'll have to ask Applejack for more details."

"You were sick, Forest?" Pinkie asked, her eyes wide open.

"Yeah, but I'm fine now," I struck a pose for dramatic effect.

Pinkie loved it. Nurse Redheart on the other hand didn't approve as much.

"Dr. Stable said that you were put into an ice bath to reduce your fever," The nurse replied.

Pinkie eyes opened wide in shock as she gasped - and when Pinkie gasps, she gasps, "Oh-my-gosh-Forest-are-you-okay? Did-you-feel-cold?"

"Yes, Pinkie, I'm fine. And like I said, Applejack took good care of me."

"Oh goody! Nurse Readheart, can we go and see Brian?" Pinkie asked.

"Okay, but only for a little while, he needs his rest."

Pinkie led me down the hall and we went up a couple flights of stairs. Outside the door to the private ward was a small sign that read 'Brian Dash', and then all around it were cards and get-well soon stickers. It was incredible! He was pretty popular, perhaps that was not only because he was a human, but that he was also the father of one of the Wonderbolts.

Nervously, I watched as Pinkie knocked on the door.

"Come in," A voice called from inside. It was Rainbow's.

She pushed the door wide open and gestured me to go inside. I looked at her. She just smiled and nudged me towards the door.

Resigning myself to the inevitable, I walked inside, "Excuse me..." I said quietly.

Rainbow was in shock, I could tell by the way her mouth hung open. Brian was also a little shocked and he glared at me for a moment, just a moment, before his gaze softened.

"Say something," Pinkie said, nudging me again.

"Um... hi, Brian. I... was just coming to see how you were."

"Thank you, Forest. As you can see, I've had better days."

D-did he just make a joke? "S-s-sorry I didn't help you sooner in that trailer. I had no idea what to expect."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad you were there at all. Who knows what would've happened. But tell me, how did you know where to find me?"

It didn't take me long to regale the story of how I had tracked him down. How I had to extort information from Cyan Crystal, and then how I had spotted Trixie being suspicious in the woods, following her to her trailer, spying on her and eventually saving his life. But in the back of my mind, all through my story I was wondering; why did his condition suddenly get worse?

"Thanks, Forest. I owe you for saving my pop," Rainbow hovered next to me, and gave her dad that adoring look that only daughters could give, yet there was sadness in her eyes.

"No, you've already done a lot for me. Making me feel welcome here in Ponyville, and helping me without question. You don't owe me anything," My eyes caught the clock. It was almost eleven, and the train was leaving for Canterlot at noon, I had better start making a move, "Well, I've got a train to catch. Seems that Princess Celestia herself has requested my presence. Can't disappoint."

Rainbow and Brian shared a look.

"Well, good luck, Forest. Whatever happens, you've certainly made things interesting," Brian replied.

I nodded respectfully and turned to go.

"Forest is our runner for the Race! He's the fastest Pony in Ponyville!" Pinkie suddenly said, and threw her hoof around me, turning me around, "He won the tryouts!"

"Well, that's great!" Brian exclaimed, and clapped his hands.

I blushed, "Thank you."

"Hello," A voice said knocking gently on the door. A winged Pegasus walked in wearing the Wonderbolt uniform, "Am I interrupting?"

"Spitfire!" Rainbow rushed past me, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see my favorite human," Spitfire grinned at Brian, "So, how's the patient?"

"The patient is fine..."

They all continued to talk and joke with each other. Slowly, I backed out of the room not wanting to disturb them. When I was clear, I turned away and walked down the stairs. I had already said my good-byes in my own way, plus they had a celebrity visitor with them. But a part of me was glad; I got to talk with Brian properly. No accusations, no word games, and no attempts at trying to suss me out. In a way, I think we made pace. If not that, a sort of truce.

"Forest! Forest!"

"Hi, Pinkie," I replied still continuing to walk away from the hospital.

"Why'd you leave? I was planning on throwing a party!"

"I have to get to the train station, you silly Mare."

Pinkie walked with me for a bit in silence, then stopped, "Can I come?"

"What?"

"Can I come?"

My mind went blank. Why would she want to come?

"You'll have to ask Twilight, Pinkie."

Pinkie looked at me, "Oh. Okeedokeelokee!"

And she hopped up again. The level of optimism she possessed... it was both refreshing and a delight, "Well, then, let's go catch a train."

We walked together having a mock 'race', a fake speed-walking one that I let her win mainly because I didn't know how to get to the train station. I think Pinkie was acutely aware that if I actually tried, it wouldn't be much of a race, but we had a ball together anyway. It was amazing to me how the simple act of walking together was so fun with Pinkie. We reached the station with plenty of time to spare. I saw Twilight standing on the tracks talking to another Pony that I'd not yet met. As I approached, the white Unicorn turned to look at me. Then he pointed at me with his hoof.

"Him?"

"Yep," Twilight replied smiling.

"Yes. Apparently, I'm 'him'," I replied grinning stupidly.

"This isn't 'Him', it's Forest!" Pinkie giggled.

Now, normally when someone says a stupid joke like that I would roll my eyes and shake my head, but when Pinkie does it you cannot help but laugh.

"Hello, Forest. I'm Shining Armor, Captain of the Royal Guard of Canterlot," He bowed his head slightly, "And more importantly, I'm Twilight's older brother."

That startled me a bit. I had no idea, they looked nothing alike, apart from both being Ponies.

"I was on my way back from Manehattan and decided to drop by and surprise my little sister," He gave Twilight a playful nudge against her body. She nudged him right back, "Well, I was the one surprised, as I just got my new orders and from my own little sister herself! I am to escort you and my sister to the palace," Shining Armor looked at me, "And by escort, I mean make sure you're on the train. Twilight, Cadence is looking forward to seeing you again after so long..."

The two of them continued their personal conversation in front of me and Pinkie. They were talking about whom I could only guess was Shining Armor's wife. She seemed to be someone very important, not just to the two of them but on the whole. After a few more minutes they turned their attention back to us.

Pinkie opened her mouth and inhaled a breath.

"Pinkie, you can't come," Twilight said before she could even ask.

"Why not?" Pinkie protested.

"Because it's an important meeting, and you'd be too much of a distraction," Twilight looked over to me.

"D-don't look at me! She asked if she could come and I said she had to ask you."

"But how did you meet with Pinkie? She's supposed to be with Brian and Rainbow at the hospital," Twilight said, a little disappointed at seeing her best friend hanging out with me - well, at least it looked like she was disappointed about that.

"Silly, that's where he went! He came to visit Brian."

"You did what?" Twilight asked, obviously shocked.

Of course that wasn't the reason at all. My walk just made me end up there. Isn't that strange? "Yeah. We... talked. It was nice to... get past certain issues."

"Like the issue that you might be a human?" Twilight replied smirking.

"He's a human?" Shining asked, his eyes opening wide.

"We don't know that, and that's the reason why we're taking him to the palace. To put an end to that mystery once and for all," Twilight inhaled, "Don't think I'm doing this because I don't like you, Forest."

"I know. You're just being careful," Just because I knew that didn't mean it didn't sting.

"In light of this revelation, I think it would be better if Forest goes alone," Shining said, looking at Pinkie.

Pinkie wouldn't take no for an answer. And the more they tried to dissuade her, the more she wanted to come. A part of me was secretly delighted that she wanted to come and yet I also didn't want her to be there. What would she say if she found out that I actually was a human and that I'd been lying to her all along. Would she hate me? It wasn't something I wanted to risk. Not with her.

"Pinkie, I think it might be best if I went without... you," The other Ponies hushed up when I talked.

Looking at me as if I had betrayed her, she spoke to me in a soft, squeaky voice, "Why don't you want me to go?"

"Because..." I couldn't think of a good reason. Wait! There was one, "Brian needs you. He needs you to make him laugh and smile, Pinkie. Only you can do that."

Looking somewhat dejected, but accepting, Pinkie nodded, "You're right!"

A whistle blared aloud just then, and I saw something I had never expected to see in real life; a steam engine! In all my life I had never seen one - except for the ones in a museum. It was such an amazing machine. As it stopped in front of us it let off a loud hiss and bellowed steam.

"Train to Canterlot! Train to Canterlot, calling at," The Station Master rattled off some names of towns the train would be stopping at along the way. Canterlot was at the end of the list.

Twilight boarded first, and walked into the train sitting in one of the stalls, then Shining went in and followed her, and last of all me. However, before I could get up onto the train, I felt a hoof on my flank preventing me from boarding. Turning around, I saw Pinkie holding me. Something in her eyes told me that I had to say something to her. Something to sooth her. Anything.

"I pinky-promised Applejack I'd come back," I said, "So don't worry..."

"All aboard! All aboard!" The Station Master called, and blew a whistle letting everyone know that the train would be leaving pretty soon. Ponyville was only a small stop.

"Did you do it properly?" Pinkie asked ignoring the Station Master's announcement.

"Eh?"

"Did you do it properly?"

"I-I think so," There was a proper way?

She hopped back a step, then said, "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye," She shoved one of her hooves into her eye.

I copied her, mumbling the phrase. It was embarrassing! Every Pony on that platform was staring at me.

"Louder..." Pinkie insisted.

I repeated it, a little louder.

"Louder!" Pinkie demanded.

Fuck it. "Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" I shouted as loud as I could, punching myself in the eye.

Pinkie grinned in response.

The Station Master blew his whistle, and after a few moments the train started to move. I placed the rest of my body onto the train, and turned around. Pinkie ran along parallel to me on the platform, "Remember! You promised!"

"Bye, Pinkie!" I shouted back, not really knowing what else to say.

I watched her run to the end of the platform and when she stopped at the platform's edge. She sat down at the end of the platform as I peered out the train's open door (just like in the old movies), waving to her as the train took me further and further away until it curved gently to the left and the carriages obscured my view.

"Bye, Pinkie," I whispered before pulling myself into the train and closing the door behind me.

Walking through the compartment, a few Ponies looked at me and grinned. They had seen the little display and thought it was highly amusing. Fighting hard the urge to blush I walked past them. Eventually I found Shining and Twilight sitting together near the middle and I sat down next to the white Unicorn.

"So, Forest, Twilight has told me that you've lost your memories," Shining gave me a sympathetic smile, "I know how you feel."

"You didn't loose you memory, dear brother. You were brainwashed by a Changeling Queen," Twilight corrected.

"Must you always ruin my image?" Shining frowned, "You and Cadence never let it go."

"Do you blame us?" Twilight asked.

Shining laughed nervously.

"Can you tell me about the Changelings?" I asked Twilight.

Twilight explained to me what they knew of Changelings. A lot of it was old news thanks to Tutela. I had already known about how they fed and about their leader who was a queen. Twilight then explained to me that during her brothers wedding, the Changelings had actually attack Canterlot and a war ensued, the root of which had something to do with Shining's love. To be honest, I had no idea what she was talking about, but it helped me gain a clear picture that Changelings were a pretty horrible bunch. A part of me wondered if Tutela was the same, was she a just using me? For what purpose and to what gain? But then again, she did bring me to Equestria. So, in my head she wasn't bad, more eccentric.

"So, Forest, how have you liked Ponyville so far?" Shining asked.

"It's been really great."

"I could never live in a small town like that," Shining admitted, "I'd get too bored. Need bright lights, never-ending nights, and noise!"

We both laughed as Twilight shook her head, "Not me. I like Ponyville. When I first went though, I thought it was too strange and the Ponies were too weird. I guess it was thanks to the girls that I eventually got used to it."

For the next several hours, Twilight told me about how she had met with Fluttershy, Rarity, Rainbow, Pinkie and Applejack. Their adventures together, how they had defeated a creature known as Discord - twice, she was very insistent that I remember that it was twice - and how she was Princess Celestia's number one pupil. She was simply amazing and intelligent. It was a pleasure to talk to her.

As they saying goes, 'time flies when you're having fun' and we arrived in Caterlot Central just after five in the evening. As I disembarked, my eyes were hit with the most astonishing display of architecture I had ever seen in my life. If you thought Grand Central was a spectacular sight, then you ain't seen nothing. The first thing that catches your attention is the ceiling that stretched high up into the air as if you were looking up a chimney shaped like an upturned funnel. Smoke and steam from the trains rose high up into the vaulted ceiling. The clouds were obviously put there on purpose and I noticed that it would collect the steam vapor and the smoke. Coal-black clouds were removed and replaced by bright white ones, all done by Pegasi in green colored clothing with yellow or gold trimmings. As we walked I noticed that there were plenty of Earth Ponies and Unicorns in red uniform with gold trimmings, obviously porters to help with luggage.

As we walked down the platform I noticed that the high ceiling curved down slowly so that it merged with the main ticket hall. On the wall was a huge mural depicting a map of all of Equestria, and the many cities within. However, no matter where I looked I couldn't find one named on there - Ponyville.

"Where's Ponyville?" I asked gesturing at the huge map.

Twilight looked up, "Ponyville is too new. It won't be up there. Maybe it will be added later on."

The ticketing hall was beautiful. Nowhere did I see a corner or sharp angle. Everything was curved and flowy, the walls merged gently with the ceiling, and the floor, and there were little cubicle-like stalls built into the walls where a variety of items were being sold. Accessories, clothes, and pastries - it was almost like a regular mall.

There were plenty of Ponies here, but a few other creatures as well. Griffins, a Dragon or two - small ones, Minotaurs and some I couldn't even begin to guess. All through our walk, I had to pretend as if I've seen these creatures before and act casual, but I seriously wanted to just oogle at them. I've never seen anything like it, and probably never will considering that my time in Equestria was soon to be over.

Leaving the station, we were met by a group of Ponies in armor who saluted Shining and bowed in respect towards Twilight.

Together we walked up a street towards a huge building that was precariously built over a cliff. The Royal Palace.

"Isn't that not a smart idea? What if there's an earthquake?"

"Actually it's quite sound," Shining replied, "Some of the greatest architects in history have worked on the palace. I know that it seems precarious, but you won't find a safer place in all of Equestria."

We walked straight to the palace from the station, which was more or less of a straight walk down a large main road. Carts were going back and forth on the street and they even had traffic lights. Go figure. Probably powered by magic.

Finally we reached a tall fence painted in black. The high fence bordered the palatial grounds and was adorned with the Equestrian coat of arms every few paces. There were spikes just above the symbols them that resembled the Unicorn horn. The grounds had a slow incline as the palace was a little more elevated than the rest of Canterlot. We walked along side the fence as the road curved around in a slow climb upwards. The guards with us were giving reports to Shining most of the time although once or twice they would talk to his sister and asked for her opinions on certain things.

Finally we got to the front gates, and as we entered the guards at the gate bowed their heads to Shining and Twilight.

"I'll see you Ponies later. I've got to check up with a few things before getting home," Shining said once we past the gates.

"Don't keep Cadence waiting," Twilight replied, "I'll see you later."

Shining nodded and turned and went off with the group of guards that had come with us from the station. That surprised me, I had thought they were there to ensure that I didn't run away. I was glad that I thought wrong, or perhaps that now that I was on the palatial grounds running away was futile.

"Follow me, don't lag too far behind or you'll get lost," Twilight said to me.

I walked behind Twilight as she led me through the palace. There were guards everywhere, as was expected for a Royal Palace, but I was surprised by just how many there were. Twilight saw me scanning the guards and decided to comment.

"There's been rumors of another attack by the Changelings, that is why there are a lot more guards on duty," Twilight sighed, "I just wish that it didn't have to come to another battle."

"War still occurs in Equestria? Everything seems so peaceful..."

"Not war, Forest, there hasn't been a war in Equestria for centuries," She looked at me, "Are you interested in learning more?"

"Sure. I like learning new things," That was true, I've always had an obsession with knowing things, which was probably why I always had to try something new or read something.

Twilight began to tell me about the history of Equestria, starting from the beginning. How the three types of Ponies were actually three separated kingdoms that used one another for resources. It wasn't a long story, but it was nonetheless fascinating. After she was done, I had to admit that the Earth Ponies seemed to always get the raw end of the deal but also held all the cards in their hands, because no matter how much magic you had without food you couldn't do shit.

After a while she took me to a large room with a shit-ton of books. Another library, no doubt, but a lot bigger (obviously) than the one in Ponyville. A few Ponies bowed their heads when Twilight walked in, and she bowed her head back and rolled her eyes.

"You don't like it when they bow to you?" I asked.

"It's silly really. My brother is married to Cadence... oh, sorry, Princess Mi Amore Cadenza. Just because my brother is married to a Royal Princess doesn't make me one," Twilight sighed, "But I'm tired of explaining, so I just go along with it now."

Using her magic, Twilight took the books she had packed into her saddlebag and placed them on the librarian's table. The librarian did a double-take when she spotted Twilight, but before she could bow or whatever, Twilight had already started walking towards the far end of the library. Not wanting to be left behind, I had to job a few steps to catch up to her. We walked through a small gate and entered another area of the library where ancient looking books sat on shelves.

"Here," She pulled a book from one of the shelves, and placed it on a table in front of me, "This book is what I had used to perform the spell that sent Rainbow to your - sorry - Brian's world."

Curious, I peeked at it. Even if I had wanted to read it, I couldn't because the language was written in some strange script that I couldn't read. But the images looked strangely familiar to me. Where had I seen them before?

"This picture here, the illustration looks strangely familiar to me," I said pointing it out, "I know I've seen that before."

Walking over to the book she peered at the image, "That's probably because that's part of the mural in the train station."

"No. I don't think that's where I've seen this. Somewhere else," Where was it?

"It is because of this spell that I sent Rainbow to Brian's world. It tore a sort of doorway from this world to his, but the doorway was pulling our worlds together, slowly merging them. We had no choice but to close off the doorway once and for all. The source of this new power was Rainbow, and so we convinced her to shut the doorway behind her. But she still had a little magic left, and after years of getting her to tell me, she said that she had cast a hidden spell, to buy time for Brian to choose. Our world with his daughter, or his world without."

"Not a difficult choice," To me, I would have done the same thing.

"The funny thing was that when Brian first appeared here in Equestria, Princess Celestia was furious," Twilight chuckled, "But no matter what she tried she couldn't replicate my spell, and could not send Brian back. Over the years thought Brian has grown on her, and now you could even say that they're friends. Actually, I'm glad that Brian entered our lives and settled in Ponyville. If it hadn't been for that, Rainbow would have probably moved out of Ponyville a long time ago."

"Isn't there anything the Princess can do?" I asked.

Twilight shook her head, "There is, but Brian won't do it. Princess Celestia has offered to change him into a Pony, that would have renewed his life... oh my. Look at me talking about Brian with you. Sorry, Forest, I don't think it's appropriate."

"No harm done. But why wouldn't Brian choose becoming a Pony if it meant more time with his daughter?"

"I think he just wants to live the life he's had the way he knows. Sometimes you get set in your ways," Twilight sighed, "He's a lot like Rainbow. They can be really stubborn when it comes to things like this."

"I think I understand. He's a man of principals," And in a way, I envied Brian for that.

"Look, I have to go get a book. Do you mind waiting here?"

"Not at all."

Twilight left me and with nothing to do I walked over to a large window and peered outside. The city was beautiful. It was a majestic city with a quaint charm to it that felt both homely and regal at the same time. The Ponies here looked a lot different from the ones I was familiar with in Ponyville. Guess that boiled down to the difference between city and country folk.

My eyes were starting to feel heavy, I had not slept properly. It was hard to imagine that just this morning I was sleeping on Fluttershy's sofa, and now I was gazing outside of the royal palace. Looking out into the distance, I found myself searching for a small town in a certain valley. A part of me hoped to see Ponyville, but I had no idea where to look or if I even was on the right side of the palace.

"Forest, wake up," Twilight shook me.

I woke up with a jolt, "Wha-? Oh. Did I fall asleep?"

"Apparently. Come on, the Princess wants to meet us now," Twilight turned and lead the way again. I followed.

First we went down this huge corridor, before cutting across several twisting hallways. Eventually we ended up on a large balcony overlooking a large flat area, it was a perfect place to hold outdoor dos. At the end of the balcony was a strange sculpture shaped like a golden sun cut in half on a golden pole.

"Does that symbol ring any bells?" Twilight asked, making herself comfortable on some huge cushions near the edge of the balcony, "Sit."

Plopping my rear where I stood, I looked at the sculpture, "No. Doesn't ring any bells."

"This is where Princess Celestia raises the sun during the Summer Sun Celebration. That symbol represents our Princess and her guiding light. You must know this."

"I'd be lying if I said I did," I replied.

Just then two guards appeared from the same entrance we came from and stood on either side of the door as a while Unicorn-Pegasus Pony (an Alicorn) walked regally towards us, but she also had an aura of warm tenderness. She did not make me feel bad for not being royalty and I strangely felt welcome, despite the fact that she might imprison me or worse.

"So you're the famous Forest Fire I've been hearing about," She smiled at me, "Your reputation precedes you."

"I hope that they are all good things, your majesty," I bowed my head.

"So, shall we get straight to the point?"

This is it. Well, can't say it hasn't been fun. "Yes, your highness," I replied politely.

"I'm going to use a spell that will tell me if you're not a Pony," Princess Celestia smiled gently at me, "Will this be okay?"

"Yes," I replied and readied myself.

Standing up I waited for the inevitable. The princess' Unicorn horn then began to glow yellow as the spell spread across my body.

Now, it is hard to describe what happened next, but I will attempt to do so. Ever been hit by something really hard? Like a car? When the magic surrounded me that was exactly what it felt like. So, try to Imagine getting hit by a car, or jumping off a high-diving board and landing on your stomach or back. but being propelled through the air at the same time. Essentially that is what happened. The magic literally hit me with enough force that I was airborne for a few seconds. I couldn't tell because my entire body felt as if it was on fire and I had lost consciousness somewhere along the way. This felt nothing like before when I was sick and delirious, this really felt as if fire was burning my skin, and needles were being shoved into every inch of me. I might have screamed or shouted, but my ears had stopped working so I didn't know.

After a few minutes my vision cleared and I was looking at Twilight's worried face staring at me from above. I saw her mouth move, but I couldn't hear her voice. The ringing in my ears slowly started to subside.

"Are you okay?" The voice repeated faintly. It sounded as if she were very far away, "Quickly! We must get him to the infirmary!"

If I could have answered, I would have, but instead my mind decided to faint instead. As I lay my head on the ground, I felt a liquid goo on the floor. As I looked at it with the corner of my eye, I realized what it was.

Blood. My blood. How I knew? No idea, I just knew. What the hell had happened?

Did Princess Celestia just kill me?

Darkness slowly started to take over and I faded out of consciousness. In the back of my mind there was only one thought that pestered me.

I never did get a glass of water.

Day 9: Flashback

You know what people say when you are about to die? They claim that you see your life flash before your eyes, every single event cascading into each other bringing you a clear image as to why you are here, and what you have done to deserve this fate. A sort of cosmic replay of your past to let you know whether or not your life was worth living and if you have affected the world in any way, shape or form? Yeah, that's bullshit. You know what you see before you die?

Nothing.

Or at least that's what I thought.

A light was coming in from somewhere. It slowly got brighter and brighter until...

Pain. A lot of it. What. The. Fuck! I was in agony!

"He's losing too much blood!" A voice shouted. A woman's voice.

"He's haemorrhaging!" Another voice shouted, "We're losing him."

My eyes opened. Staring straight up, I saw the ceiling above me, white tiles overlaying one another in a steady pattern. Something was different. Something wasn't right. Suddenly someone poked their head into view. A human? It was a human! A human female with a blue mouth-covering! Wait, how? What? I reached for the human and my hand... my hand? Yes, my hand! My hands were back...

"He's slipping!" A voice shouted, "Give me 100cc's of..." It seemed to get muffled by something.

Blinking, I looked around.

"I feel him slipping away again! Something's not right, he's rejecting my magic!" Princess Celestia shouted. Why was it so loud? It sounded as if rain was pelting a tin roof.

"We have to do something!" Another voice shouted. Twilight's. Yes, it was her voice, but it sounded alien to me. She sounded... concerned.

I closed my eyes as another wave of pain pulse through my body.

"Doctor, his pulse is stabilizing," The nurse said aloud, she pried open my eye-lids with her fingers, "He's responsive."

"You're okay, boy. You're okay. Just hang in there, everything will be alright."

"Doctor, he's going into shock," A nurse said calmly. Although the voice was calm, it was not difficult to tell that it was serious. She poked her head into my view, and I reached out and touched her face. My hands were not my hands! I mean, yes, they were my hands, but they were so much smaller. Like the hands of a child.

My eyes glazed over, and the world suddenly got blurry. I felt tired again.

"Stay with us, John!" Another voice shouted.

My eyes blinked.

"Forest! Wake up! You have to help us!" Again, was that Twilight?

Why did it have to hurt so much? Couldn't they just end it? It was unbearable! Turning my head slightly to one side, I noticed that Princess Celestia was casting a spell at me. It was a continuous stream of yellow light pulsating around me like a bubble. Was I floating? Yes, I think I was floating. Next to Celestia was another darker version of herself doing something similar. A twin sister? Wait! That explains the two Ponies on the royal seal on the fence from before! That explains so much! And why am I thinking about that?

Again I blinked.

"He's going under again!" The nurse shouted.

"How does a kid his age get an injury like this?" A voice commented, "Right through the lung!"

"The cops say he jumped in the way of his father as he tried to stab the mother. Took the blade into his body. Ungrateful bitch was too doped out of her head to notice..."

The voices faded out again.

"How does such a thing happen, sister!" The black Alicorn shouted over the din, "Right through him!"

"I don't know! I just cast a simple detection spell! I never expected that it would hurt him! I cannot control my magic anymore, it's take everything from me to keep him from bleeding to death!" Princess Celestia shouted, "If I stop casting, he will die."

"Then let me cast the spell!" And the other Alicorn's spell struck me.

The pain! It was worse than when Princess Celestia hit me! I rolled my eyes up into my skull as my body reacted to the sudden surge of agony pulsing through me. Every cell in my body felt as if they were being ripped apart. I think I shouted or screamed, but I couldn't hear myself do so. Only the feeling of my mouth opening was clear.

"Again! Zap him again!" A voice shouted.

"I must stop! I am only harming him!" Another shouted.

"Again! Raise the voltage!" The previous voice shouted.

"We have to do something!" Another voice put in.

"You Pinkie Promised..." A voice whispered.

Then a light engulfed me. A bright light. Salvation! The pain was gone. Peace. So peaceful.

Opening my eyes, I looked around. My bedroom was the same as it had always been. My GI Joe posters were on the walls, and my toys were strewn on the floor. My especially favorite ones were still sleeping next to me on the bed. Rubbing my eyes, I looked out the window. Another nice day. Too bad that morning train always goes by the same time shaking the house and waking me up. Getting out of bed, I walked out the door and opened the one next to my room.

"Nana," I said walking over, "Good morning, Nana."

"Good morning, darling," Nana replied sitting up in her bed and slipping on her glasses, "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, Nana. I had a dream. A very funny dream. In it I was a Pony."

"A Pony?" Nana tickled me, "My little boy was a Pony?"

"Yes, Nana. A pony. And I made lots of friends too. Ponies."

"Were they nice Ponies?" Nana asked.

"Yes, Nana. They were all very nice. They were all good to me."

"Oh, Forest. You're such a good boy."

"Silly Nana, my name isn't Forest... is it?"

My eyes shot open again as another surge of agony ripped through my chest. I pulled myself up but two strong arms grabbed me by the shoulders and pinned me back down onto a bed.

"Sedate him!" Someone shouted.

"Doctor, he's slipping again! I don't think..."

I heard the beeping of a machine nearby. Humans all around. What was going on? The beeping was getting faster and faster. Where had I heard it before?

A flash of light blinded me, and my eyes closed.

"Princess, we need to sever the spell. It's getting too dangerous. The clouds are starting to react to your magic, if this continues the ramifications will be dire!" Shining's voice shouted over the din.

"He'll die," Twilight shouted back. Why was it so noisy?

"We'll all die if you don't stop!" Shining retorted, "Not just us here, but all the Ponies! You, me, our Princesses, your friends. Everypony!"

No. Not acceptable!

Mouth. If you're listening to me, you must move. You must say the words I will you to say. You must... speak! Speak, god damn you! Speak!

"Please," My voice echoed in my head a million times, growing fainter and fainter.

"Save," One more word! One more! You can do it, Mouth! You can say it! Go, go, go!

"Friends," Done.

"Forest," Twilight said. I felt her breath on my ear as she whispered, "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry..."

Opening my eyes a little, I looked up and saw her. Why was she crying? Why do these Ponies always cry? Tearing up over small things like this. She didn't stop apologizing. Forcing my lips to curve up, I gave her the best smile I could. It was probably really pathetic, but it was all I could do. The light around me disappeared and I felt my back hit the ground.

Then everything again turned to black. The noise had stopped. Everything was silent once more.

"Are you okay, darling?" Nana's voice jolted me.

Looking around, I was confused. Wasn't I... wait. Where was I? What was happening?

"You're looking pretty lost," Nana patted my back, "Why don't you help me get out of bed and we'll go into the kitchen. Make some breakfast. Some pancakes?"

"Okay, Nana."

Slowly, and carefully, I helped Nana down the stairs. She was getting along in her years, but her mind was still sharp. My Nana and me. Together.

"Dear boy, why are you crying?" Nana asked as I paused at the bottom of the stairs to wipe my eyes.

There was nothing I could say to her. Nothing that would convey the feelings I had. It was strange. Very strange. It was as if I knew all along, but what was it that I knew? So, I hugged her. I buried my face in her dress, the smell of her being there filled my nose. Lavender. My Nana always smelt of lavender.

"... got to teach you to swim..." A faint echo from somewhere.

Looking away from Nana, I searched around the room. Was it my imagination? The TV wasn't on.

"What's the matter?"

"Nothing, Nana. I just thought I heard something."

She hugged me. I could never get tired of her hugs. Ever.

Holding her hand, we headed towards the kitchen and she began to put the ingredients together. I helped stir. Nana's arms were getting tired already, and I was strong. I could do it. I'm a big boy. She put the mix on the frying pan and the smell of fresh pancakes rose into the air. She made three of them! Two for me, and one for her. Two for me because I was getting bigger.

Putting the pancakes on the table, I turned to Nana, "Nana, what would you like on your pancakes?"

"Do we have any Zap Apple jam, sweetheart?"

"... better when served on bread made at Sugarcube Corner..."

I stopped and looked around. Did I just hear something? Shrugging, I opened the fridge and looked around, "No, Nana. There's none left."

Wait. Zap Apple jam? That... that's not right. Was it?

Together we ate quietly, Nana always said that it was better to eat breakfast quietly and lunch and dinner were for talking. After eating, we went into the den and Nana sat in her chair while I turned on the TV for her. She always wanted to watch the news first thing when we woke up.

"... and now for the weather. Today we'll be scheduling rain from two in the afternoon to five. So be sure to bring your umbrellas with you..."

"... you do know that Pegasi control the weather..." A whisper echoed.

"... and since there's going to be some patches of sun, expect to find a rainbow..."

... she's so fast, she can do a Sonic Rainboom...

Another echo. But where was it coming from? And it was so faint, barely audible. Not even a whisper.

Taking a deep breath, I headed back into the kitchen. It was my turn to wash the dishes...

"... hello, Sleepyhead..."

And I scrubbed them nice and clean before putting them on the rack to dry. I took out a carrot out from the fridge and washed it in the sink before using the peeler to remove the skin. Walking up the stairs back to my room, I opened the small cage and took out my pet rabbit...

"Hush now, quiet now..."

Placing the rabbit on the ground, I let him run around for a bit before putting the carrot on the floor. He came and nibbled on it while I stroked his back. When it was done eating, I gently put it back in its cage and went back downstairs. Grandma was still sitting in front of the TV, but she was now sleeping. So I turned the TV off.

Silence. Only the sound of Nana's breathing could be heard. Everything here seemed so... surreal. It was my home. I know, and yet something about it was not right. It was as if I didn't belong here.

... don't care what they say, there's something about you. Something... different...

I ran to my room, and opened the door as wide as I could. Running to my bed-side table, a black wooden one covered in bright red hearts... wait, what? That wasn't right. I never had something that colorful in my room, did I?

"So. You and Pinkie, eh..."

I shook my head. Why was I hearing voices? What was happening to me? Wait... Pinkie?

"Pinkie Promise..."

"Nopony breaks a Pinkie Promise..."

Tears flowed down my cheeks. Why? Why was I feeling this way? I fell to my knees. It hurt so much. Why did it have to hurt so much. Physical pain I could handle, but not this kind. This kind of pain was... too much.

"Why are you crying, little one?" Nana's comforting voice said from the door to my room.

"I don't know. It just... hurts. I just... I feel so empty... Nana, why do I feel like this?"

My grandmother looked at me and smiled so gently to me. It didn't help, it just made my tears fall some more. She walked over to me and held me again, swaying me slowly, "You have to go home now."

"But, Nana... this is my home."

"Not anymore."

My eyes glanced up at the mirror behind Nana and I saw my reflection. I was a Pony.

"Where is my home now, then?" I asked.

"Home? Home is..." I looked up at Nana's smiling face, she touched my chest, "Right here, Forest."

The light from the window got brighter and brighter, and with it, I felt myself being pulled towards it.

"Goodbye, Nana. I love you."

"Goodbye, Forest. I love you too."

I hugged that woman as hard as I could. I hugged the only person in my life that ever mattered to me. I hugged her goodbye because that's what a good grandson does. That's what I should have done all those years ago. That's what I wanted to do all those years ago. So many years ago - when Nana died. And I watched as I ascended through the window and towards the light. She waved to me. I wanted her to come with me, but I knew she couldn't. But that was okay now.

"Bye, Grandma."

Gasping for air, I looked up.

"He's alive!" A voice shouted, "He's alive! This is unbelievable! He's alive!"

"S-Sh-Shining?" I croaked.

"No. Don't talk. Someone bring a doctor here! Someone get me some bandages!"

Twilight ran over to and looked at me. I could see her clearly now.

"W-w-why are you c-crying?"

"Because it's a miracle you survived what happened to you," She replied, "It's a miracle you lived through that."

"Th-through what?"

She didn't say anything, she just decided to shower me with those huge Pony tears that she didn't try to hide. They felt warm as the rolled down my face.

Seriously, all this crying has got to stop. It's depressing! And yet, something told me it wasn't sadness that made those tears.

"Thank Celestia you're alright," Twilight finally muttered.

"No. No thanks to me. I nearly killed him," The Princess said looking down at me as well.

"C-can... I... p-p-please... h-have a d-d-drink of water?" I smiled at my own joke, "Really t-thirsty."

Water was brought and a doctor was asked to see me. Most of the next several hours were a blur, and somewhere along the way I again passed out. I've been doing a lot of that lately.

It was late in the afternoon when I finally woke up. My body was sore all over. Most of all my chest area. It felt as if I'd been stabbed by something. Removing the blankets from over me, I saw the bandages wrapped around my torso. I ran my hoof - yes, hoof, over them. A little numbness, but apart from that I felt fine. Staring at my hooves, a part of me was sad that I no longer had my hands, but I was glad that I was still in Equestria.

"It took us over a hundred stitches, but we managed to fix you up. There will be scarring, but your fur should hide it," Someone said to me. I looked at the doctor who had a huge mustache, "Although how you survived a wound like that in the first place is a miracle. An inch to the left or right, and you would've been dead. No amount of magic would've saved you."

"What happened?"

"I'll fill you in on that," Twilight said entering the room, "Thank you doctor, you may go. And remember, not a word of this to anypony. You're obligated by your profession and by the Princess' decree."

"Yes, of course. Good luck, Forest, and try not to get hurt again," With that he walked out the door to my room closing it gently behind him.

"Forest, let me first of all apologize to you. We had no idea that would happen."

"Well, tell me what happened first, and then I'll tell you whether or not I accept it," I replied, a little peeved that no-one had told me what the fuck went down!

"Well, how far back do you remember?"

"I remember Princess Celestia casting the spell and waking up in a pool of blood. After that, just flashes," I didn't feel like telling her about Nana. That was private.

"Well, after this test we can conclusively say you're not a human," Twilight sat down on a chair next to my bed, "But when Princess Celestia cast the spell on it, it was supposed to surround your body and revert you to your original form. It didn't. Instead it went straight through you, like an arrow. We don't know how or why, only that your body rejected the magic in a way that we didn't foresee."

"What do you mean?"

"It means, Forest, that your body is immune to certain kinds of magic. It's rare, but it does happen. Some Ponies are completely magic-less, but those are so rare that it's nearly unheard of. You're one. You cannot cast or use any magic whatsoever. And when magic is cast on you, the effects range, but this is the first time I've actually ever heard of being... 'allergic' to magic. There's nothing about it in the library either."

"Allergic?" I furrowed me brow.

"Oh yes, magic won't just harm you, it will kill you," Twilight put her hoof on mine, "I'm so sorry, Forest. I didn't know."

"No, no. Don't apologize. There was no way you could have known."

"Actually, if I think about it, it is. A few days ago Applejack was telling me that you could not buck apples. I had no idea what she meant, but she explained that no matter how many times you kicked a tree, the apples did not drop in the baskets which you prepared to catch them in. Earth Ponies have a natural talent with the Earth and especially to food and farming. You didn't. This should have been my first clue."

"You're stretching it, and no offense, but I doubt you'd have thought of that. You just said that my condition was completely unheard of. So, there is no need to accept your apology, because you don't need to make one in the first place"

Even though I nearly died. Even though I felt pain that I've never felt before, Twilight gave me something that I could not hate her for. She gave me a chance to say goodbye to my grandmother. Never will I think ill of her again. As far as I was concerned, Twilight was beyond cool. She was perfect.

We sat there in awkward silence for a while, not really knowing what to say to one another. Eventually she broke the silence again.

"There's your water," She gestured with her hoof.

Taking the water, I downed the whole glass and the next ten refills without pause. Finally. Now I needed food.

"I'm hungry. Can we leave? I'd like to eat in town," I grinned, "Would love to see Canterlot!"

"Shouldn't you rest?"

"Excuse me, but I've just been in agony for the past several hours. I feel alive, and want to make the most of it. Plus, it's boring just sitting around doing nothing."

"You sound like Pinkie," Twilight giggled.

"Well, she does kinda rub off on you."

We shared a quick laugh at that.

"Well then, let's go," Twilight jumped up from her seat, "I can show you all my favorite spots in town!"

"Great, just one thing..." I looked at her in all seriousness, "Please don't mention what happened to Pinkie or Applejack."

"I was going to ask you not to mention it to them either," Twilight snorted a laugh, "But why?"

"I don't want them to hate you or Princess Celestia."

Twilight stared at me blinking for a few moments.

"What?"

"I was thinking the same thing. Thank Celestia we're on the same page."

We shared another laugh, and for the first time since I got there, I really think that Twilight stopped thinking of me as 'The Enemy', which was a little sad because that meant that I had successfully deceived her into believing that I was really a Pony. Again an overwhelming sense of guilt manifested within me. It wasn't as bad as lying to Applejack, but I still felt shitty for doing it.

Walking was a little painful at first but I quickly got used to it. The first few steps were pretty bad. In the back of my mind I was worried that I wouldn't be healthy enough for the big race at the end of the month... which was when? I never asked.

"Twilight, when is the big Race? The one I tried out for. I don't seem to have a grasp of the month yet."

"The race is in eleven days," Twilight's smile faded, "I don't know if you'll be in shape to run by then."

"Well, let's cross that bridge when the time comes."

Canterlot reminded me a lot of a big city, like New York or London. It was metropolitan, had all sorts of sights to see, both historical and current. Stores were everywhere, but one in particular caught my eyes.

"Ah, yes. That's Rarity's Canterlot boutique. She's renamed her stores after rides from a fair - after her original Carrousel Boutique in Ponyville, but for the Canterlot one she decided to call is something special."

"Ethereal Boutique?" The sign above the massive four-story building stated, "Looks pricey."

"One of the most expensive boutiques in the market. Every dress inside is a unique piece, and every piece costs well over fifty bits! If you buy a dress from here, you're guaranteed to turn some heads."

"Sounds like Rarity is doing well for herself," I grinned.

Twilight gave me a mischievous grin, "You know what's really awesome? I can get a dress for free..."

"Perks of being a good friend, I presume," I chuckled.

"And being related to the Royal family doesn't hurt," Twilight added showing off.

"And here I thought you didn't like being referred to as a princess."

"I didn't say I didn't like it, I just said that I got tired to explaining to Ponies that..."

I raised my hoof, "I know. I'm just messing with you."

She blushed and laughed, "Sorry, I thought you were being serious."

"Shall we check out the Ethereal Boutique?" Maybe I can get something for Spike for the fun of it.

"I don't know. It is expensive..."

Shit! I don't have money! "Oh, I left me coin purse in my... wait, where's my saddle bag?"

"Oh, it's back at the palace. Do you want to go and get it?" Twilight asked.

"I just don't have any money..."

"It's okay. My treat."

Couldn't refuse that. Not that I didn't want to pay, but with the pain in my chest I didn't want to hike all the way back to the palace just yet, "Sure. But I get the next one."

"Deal."

Together we went down into town and Twilight took me to a really fancy looking place. The name of the restaurant was 'The Lunar Sun'. I liked the name.

"This is one of the most popular restaurants in Canterlot," Twilight said as we sat down in the corner of the restaurant, "Because of my links to the royal family, we get a reservation every night. I made one last minute."

"Wow. Being royal certainly has perks!" I grinned.

Twilight laughed, and then leaned forward, "Really, I don't normally take advantage of it, but seeing as... well, you know..."

"I nearly died?"

"Well, yes... but, that's a little... morbid," Twilight grinned and then looked guiltily at the floor.

"Please, Twilight, don't take me too seriously. Sometimes the best way to get over a shocker like that is to joke about it. At least, that's how I get over it. And, I can't complain. I lived," And I got to say goodbye to my grandmother properly, if anything I would love to thank you for that.

A waited walked over to us, his nose stuck high up into the air, "Would you like something to drink, madam?"

"Yes, a bottle of your finest one," Twilight stated.

"And one for me too," I joked.

Twilight laughed. The waiter on the other hand rolled his eyes and walked away.

"You're actually really easy to talk to, Forest. The way Pinkie and Applejack go on about you, I thought you were putting on an act," Twilight said, visibly relaxed.

"I am kind of putting an act on, you know. I don't know who I really am. But I'm trying to be a Pony that... is likeable," Strangely, that was a lot truer than I had intended it to be.

"Well, I hope that the real you, and this you are the same," Twilight smiled, "So, shall we decide what to eat?"

The menu, would you believe it, was in French and English! And the cuisine was French-like vegetarian dishes! And some Italian thrown in as well. In a strange way, I was relieved. I mean there were some dishes on there that did not sound too appealing, such as 'Fig Leaf Ravioli', and 'Green Grass Salad', but most of it was completely delicious sounding vegetarian.

The waiter returned and showed us the bottle of wine, "Equino de Rojo. It's aged ten years," He then poured a tiny amount in a wine glass - with hooves, and handed it to me.

"I'm... really bad at this. Do you want to do the honors?" I asked Twilight. In truth, I didn't want to be handed the wine glass. I didn't think I would be able to hold it.

"Sure!" Twilight said eagerly, and took the glass when the waiter offered it to her.

She swirled it around, then put her nose a little over the inside and inhaled. Then, she took a little sip, "Dry, with a little hint of smoky oak."

"Not bad," I said raising an eyebrow.

She blushed, "Thank you, I've always wanted to do that."

"Rarity?"

"Rarity."

We both shared another laugh knowing fully how Rarity would have relished this moment. Strange, I didn't know her that well and yet I knew what she liked.

"Will that be all?" The waited said a little coldly.

"Yes," I said, "Thank you."

"I think he doesn't like you," Twilight said once the waiter was gone, "Might be your bandages are not acceptable part of the dress-code here."

"There's a dress-code?" I looked around. Indeed, most Ponies wore something like a suit, and here I was wrapped in bandages like a mummy.

Dinner was a delight. Twilight and I chatted about many things, from the history of Equestria to her classes and her keen interest in magic. We were having so much fun just talking that the rude waiter had to come and tell us it was time to leave considering we were now the last ones in the restaurant and they were closing.

"Wow. I had no idea how long we stayed for," Twilight said when we were outside. It was almost midnight.

"So, where to now?"

"Well, since there's nothing on my agenda, and the train for Ponyville leaves tomorrow at noon, I guess we could go and visit this club I've always wanted to go to," Twilight's eyes lit up, "Shall we go?"

"Hm... go clubbing or return to the palace and sleep. Tough choice."

Twilight giggled, "Okay, then follow me!"

And so I did...

Day 10: Canterlot Crazy Time

“This way, Forest,” Twilight shouted excitedly leading the way down another alley.

“It’s like a maze!” I complained slowly keeping up. Every time I ran, my pain in my chest would remind me that I had a huge hole there. Back on Earth, I would never be able to do this. Either Ponies had superior builds than humans, or they were better doctors. Who knows? I was just glad that I wasn’t lying around on a bed.

“Right there,” Twilight said exiting an alley and pointing across the street.

When I caught up, I looked. A huge line stretched completely around the block. Loud thumping music emanated from the building. Two large Ponies stood at the entrance as a large line of lead off from them. It was obvious they were bouncers.

Twilight walked to them, “Hi, Tiny.”

A huge Pegasus with the tiniest wings I’ve ever seen turned around, “Hi, Twilight! Long-time no see. Looking to get in?”

“Yes please. For two,” Twilight pulled me close to her.

“That a new style? Bandages?” Tiny gestured to me chest guffawing the most obnoxious laugh I’ve ever heard.

“A cooking accident gone wrong,” I lied, “Hurt myself pretty bad.”

Tiny looked at me for a long moment, “Usually we don’t let Ponies that don’t fit the dress-code in,” He gestured to the huge line, “But seeing as you’re with Twilight, I’ll let you in this once.”

“Thanks, Tiny,” Twilight said, and Tiny let the rope-gate down to allow us across.

Twilight went inside, but I was grabbed by the hulking Pegasus, “Twi’s my girl!”

“I-I beg your pardon?” Wow, that came out from absolutely nowhere!

“Twi’s my girl!” Tiny repeated, showering me with his spittle.

Wiping myself with my hoof, I took his hoof off of me, and gently threw it to the ground, “Look, Tiny – is that right? Look, Tiny; I don’t care. I’m here with Twilight as a friend. Whatever you two have or not is beside the point. I’m here to have fun, okay?”

“Just… I’ll be watching you!” Tiny did something with his eyes that made them bulge out.

As soon as I entered the club, my face was met with a wall of repeated electronic beats. Wow, the Ponies had this kind of music? I felt a hoof on my shoulder.

“Where’d you go?”

“I was busy being threatened by Tiny,” I shouted trying to be heard over the ‘phat beats’, “Says you were his girl.”

Twilight blushed furiously, “I went on a date with him once. It was a long time ago. Didn’t work out. Too much brawn, no brains,” She replied shouting over the music.

“Somehow I can’t picture you two together,” I shouted in response.

“Oh yeah? Who can you picture me with?” Twilight shouted in response grinning and laughing.

The way the lights bounced off her face, the way her eyes twinkled in the lights of the club, her laugh, her smile… everything about her was strangely enticing, “Me,” I whispered barely audibly.

“What?” Twilight asked, turning her head to hear me better.

“Nothing, nothing…”

Oh shit! What’s happening to me?

"Forest, what’s wrong?” Twilight asked, “Are you okay? Your face is all red.”

Shit, shit, shit!

"Forest?” Twilight leaned in closer.

“Nothing, nothing. I just had a pang of pain,” I looked up at her. Our eyes met and held for a moment.

“Are you really alright?”

“Really, really.”

“Okay. If you say so,” Twilight began looking away.

No! No, this can’t be happening! I’m… falling for her. No, no, no.

“Sorry, Twilight, I’m… I need a drink,” I shouted.

“Oh, okay! Let’s go to the bar,” She replied, concern was fading from her face.

Suck it up! Don’t spoil her night!

Breathing in deeply, I pushed the feeling growing in me aside. I would deal with it later. For now, the proper thing would be to grin and let her know that everything is fine. And that’s what I did.

Twilight face visibly relaxed as relief washed over her. She’d be useless at Poker.

We made our way to the bar, which was located at the far end of the club. A wall of drinks behind the bar stretched at least two stories high! I was wondering how they got the drinks from the top shelves but a Pegasus flew up and grabbed a bottle without any problem. And when there wasn’t a Pegasus to spare, a Unicorn would use his or her magic.

“What can I get you?” A Pegasus bartender asked.

“What do you want, Forest?”

“Something really strong,” I laughed, “But not as strong as Granny’s hootch.”

Twilight grinned at me, “I hear that. Two Blitzers, please.”

“Blitzer?”

“You said you wanted strong. That’s the strongest drink I know – except for Granny’s hootch,” Twilight laughed, “I can’t believe you drank a whole glass of it in one go!”

“Ugh, please don’t remind me…”

“Here you go, two Blitzers!” And two shots were placed in front of us.

“Forest, there’s a special way to drink this,” Twilight said, “Rarity showed me how. First, you take salt…”

“Then drink and chew on a lemon?”

“Exactly!”

So a Blitz was the Equestrian equivalent to Tequila. Awesome.

“To you, Forest,” Twilight stated raising her glass.

Shaking my head, I refused to be toasted to. It was not right, “Let’s toast to you and your friends instead.”

Twilight looked into my eyes, “Okay! To me and my friends!”

“Hear, hear!”

My throat burned as the alcohol found its way down my gullet and into my stomach. Wow. This was tasty! It wasn’t bitter or sour, and the alcohol had a pleasant scent to it that filled your nose with a cherry-like aftertaste. The burn went away with the lemon.

“Again?” Twilight said, her eyes wide open.

“Again?” .

“Come on! I never get to do this!” Twilight protested.

Shrugging and resigning myself to what was probably going to be a morning with a supreme hangover, I looked at the bartender, “Again!”

The Pegasus bartender grinned. He hadn’t moved from his spot, “Here you go!”

The second shot was not as bad. But I could feel my head swirling.

Twilight shuddered and giggled, “One more?”

“Are you sure?” I asked, “I think two is my limit…”

“Come on!” Twilight urged, “Let’s have fun!”

Smirking, I shook my head and laughed, “I am having fun. Fine, one more. Just one.”

Famous last words.

About six shots later, we finally decided to ‘cool-down’ with a couple of cocktails as we made our way to the dance floor. Let me tell you, it’s actually not that hard to walk on three legs while holding a glass.

The music carried me. It made me move. I’ve never been good at dancing, but at least I was better than Twilight. Good grief, she couldn’t dance at all. And as she tried, other Ponies began to laugh at her and move away. Soon she stood alone in the centre of the dance floor next to me, I wanted to help her but I didn’t want to get humiliated as well…

Fuck it.

I copied her. Exactly. Hoof for hoof, sway for sway. Well, as best as I could. Every crazy gyration, those ridiculous arm furls, that silly tail-shake thing, I copied them all. And after a while other Ponies started to join in. Slowly, more and more began to do the ‘Twilight’.

“DJ Pone-Three shout out to the Mare in purple! You go girl!” Now even the DJ was spurring Twilight on.

She screamed in glee. After a while her dancing started getting less ridiculous. I guess all she needed to do was find her comfort zone. Or maybe the alcohol had worn off and she was getting her inhibitions back. Whatever the case, she still was having a ball of a time.

“I’m sorry, Fillies, but this is the last one for the night! You’ve been a great crowd! Goodnight!” The DJ played a funny, happy song at the end and then the music shut off.

My ears were ringing with the sudden silence, but I had to admit it was pretty awesome. I hadn’t been to a club in years, and being in one reminded me just how much fun it was. Well, I can’t really say that, the only times I’ve been to clubs was because I was a ‘spare’ to someone else so they could get in for free, and then ditch me for the rest of the night. Still had fun though, in my own way I guess.

“Woo!” Twilight shouted and laughed, “I haven’t danced like that in a long time!”

“You danced like a pro,” I replied grinning.

Twilight snorted out a laugh, “Thanks. You weren’t bad, trying to keep up with me,” She emphasized her point by doing a toned down version of her crazy moves.

“What can I say? You’re the master, and I am but a mere pupil.”

We left the club and walked across the street to a coffee stand to try and sober up a little. A large clock on a tower told us that the time was currently a little after four. We watched as the club opposite was still bleeding Ponies. They slowly came out of the main doors, somewhere shouting and screaming about the fantastic night, others were more interested in their partners. Well, what do you expect after a night of fun and frivolity? Many other creatures were exiting the club as well. I even saw a Griffin and Pony literally mauling each other in the street, and by mauling I mean making-out-with-another-as-if-the-world-was-going-to-end. Some of the more lubricated equines ended up falling over onto the ground, drunk beyond their limits.

“Is this common?” I asked.

“Usually it’s a lot better, but there’s a holiday tomorrow, so I guess everyone’s let their manes down,” Twilight held her coffee in her hooves, trying to warm them up, “Aren’t you cold?”

“Too much alcohol and adrenaline,” I replied, “Can’t feel the cold.”

“Lucky. You seem pretty normal, despite drinking as many shots as me.”

“I think I’ve raised my tolerance.”

Twilight grinned and laughed gently, she knew I was referring once again to Granny’s special brew.

“Want to go somewhere else that’s cool?” She asked.

“Sure.”

We paid for the coffees and started back towards the palace, but instead of going inside we just walked past the gated entrance and continued up the road. The guards saluted Twilight as we walked by. The road kept following the edge of the palace grounds, the fence was on our left and a beautiful view of Canterlot was on our right

“Amazing! The train station is especially amazing,” I said pointing to it.

“It’s the second oldest building in Canterlot,” Twilight said, “It was built to be the magic guild, but… let’s just say it’s a part of our history we wish to forget.”

“That war you mentioned have anything to do with it?” I asked.

“Yeah,” Twilight looked at me, “But we came through in the end. All of us.”

I wish I knew what she meant, but judging from her reaction I could tell that she was in no mood to talk about it. So, we continued up the hill. After a short distance the paved road ended and was now covered with a thick luscious grass that rose slightly steeper before levelling out onto a large grassy plateau. It was bordered by a railing made from roughly cut stone blocks. Because of the darkness I could not see past those blocks the.

“What’s so cool?” I asked looking around slightly confused.

“It isn’t time yet, silly,” Twilight said, and sat down heavily on the grassy lawn. Following her lead, I sat next to her.

A few other Ponies had started to arrive as well.

“So, Forest. Have you regained any of your memories?” Twilight asked not looking at me.

“Yes, I think. Two, I believe.”

“Really?” Twilight edged closer to me, “That’s great!”

“It is. One is a sad memory, though. The other… I’d rather not think about.”

“Does it have to do with that scar on your chest? The one over your heart?”

“How did…”

“When the doctor was stitching your wound, he mentioned that you had a scar on the opposite side of your body nearly identical to the one that we gave you,” Twilight again looked glum, “Over your heart.”

“Well, at least now they’re matching,” I laughed. She failed to see the humor, “Come on, Twilight, I said you didn’t need to apologize for that.”

“I know you already said that, but I can’t help but feel responsible.”

Sighing, I placed a hoof around her shoulder, “Then I’ll tell you about a dream I had, my sad memory. After that, you can decide if you should feel sad for me, okay?”

So I told her about my dream with Nana. Of course, I left out certain details, and had to work around hearing the voices and things, but as I completed my story her eyes had that sparkle in them again. Sparkle. The name suited her perfectly.

“You gave me the opportunity to see my grandmother again, Twilight. You let me say goodbye to her, and for that I will forever be in your debt.”

“Thank you, Forest, for sharing that with me,” Twilight sighed and nodded, “I’ll try to get over this guilt, but it might take some time, okay?”

I let her go. And as I did, the sadness in those eyes evaporated. Then I understood, it wasn’t that I was falling for her. It was because she sympathized with me. I mistook her concern for my wellbeing as attraction. In the club she drank to lessen the burden of the knowledge that she had nearly killed me, although it was indirect. She treated me nice to make up for the agony she caused. She was just being good to me and somehow I felt that... I had actually thought… I’m an idiot! A part of me told me I should be angry with her, but I just couldn’t.

“Oh! It’s starting!” Twilight said, standing up.

The other Ponies also stood up, and so did I. I looked around confused, and they stared off into the distance, as if they were watching something. An explosion of light suddenly appeared on the horizon, and as it did the light fell through the darkness, and lit up a valley. I followed the light, every inch of it bathing everything in a new glow. A river glittered in the sun’s rays. It was beautiful. With the sun’s rise, a wave of wind blew past that seemed to pull the sun’s rays along with it.

“Wow,” Was all I could say.

“Wow,” Twilight whispered.

I turned my head to look at her, and she looked away quickly. Were her cheeks red? Why was she staring at me? Strange.

“Are you hungry?” Twilight asked.

“Famished.”

“Want to try my favourite café? They serve delicious cakes and pastries. Not as good as Pinkie’s, but its close.”

“Really?”

“No,” Twilight smiled, “It’s hard to match Pinkie’s ability. Even the greatest chefs in Equestria have difficulty when facing Pinkie in cook-offs.”

“Wow. I knew she was good… but that good?”

“Well, do you want to try the not-as-good pastries and cakes?”

I nodded, “Yes, please. Forest hungry!”

Twilight laughed at my stupidity.

Walking back towards the town, we ran into Shining and another Alicorn. This one was pink, and she grinned at Twilight.

“Cadence!” Twilight hugged her, “How’s my big sister-in-law?”

“Fine.”

“And the little one?” Twilight asked, hushed.

“Coming along nicely,” Cadence turned her body to reveal a huge tummy, “Remember you promised to Foalsit for me.”

“Of course!”

As the two Mares were talking and giggling Shining looked over to me, “She’s with foal.”

No shit! “Yes, I can see that. Not long now?”

“No, not long. Another two months,” Shining grinned.

“Your first?”

He nodded, “We were just too busy to think about raising a child before, but now… now is perfect.”

“So, Twilight, how is your date?” Cadence asked suddenly.

Twilight’s face blushed ferociously, and I think mine did as well.

“I-i-it’s not a date!” Twilight replied. Twilight looked over to me, “Right, Forest?”

“Better say something clever,” Shining replied, “Once my wife gets it into her head that you two are dating she’ll start planning your wedding…”

Can’t have that!

“Oh, no, your highness, but I’m afraid that my heart belongs to another,” I stated. That was neutral.

“Oh my, Twilight, are you trying to steal a stallion from another mare? You naughty girl. Who is she?” Cadence grinned.

“Cadence!” Twilight moaned.

“I’m sorry, Twilight, I’m only teasing you,” Princess Cadence walked over to me, “Take care of my little sister, Forest. Or else!”

It might have been intimidating if she didn’t have that huge grin across her face, “I will, your highness.”

And with that, Shining and his wife entered the palace grounds.

Twilight was still blushing away, “I’m sorry about that, Forest. Cadence always does that.”

“It was unexpected, but no harm done. Shall we continue on our ‘date’?”

Twilight looked at me for a moment, “Date?”

“Date. In quotations,” I replied smiling.

“Oh! ‘Date’! I get it,” She laughed again.

It didn’t take long to get to the café. It was just at the bottom of the hill we had come from, the one that led to the palace and opposite the corner of the fence that surrounded the palatial grounds. Upon entering, I was hit by the strong scent of coffee. I needed one, I was getting tired again, and I had not slept much the past few days.

“Hi, Twilight, didn’t know you were in town,” A stallion said looking at her, “When did you get back?”

“I arrived yesterday. I’ve been busy.”

“Studying more magic?” The Stallion came out from behind the counter.

“Sort of, it’s not my place to explain.”

The café Stallion dropped the subject instantly, “So, anything else that's interesting?”

“No. Just on a ‘date’ here with my friend Forest!” Twilight said, grinning.

“A date, huh?”

“No, a ‘date’. Within quotations, silly,” Twilight rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue.

The stallion looked at her confused, “I’m sorry, Twilight, I don’t get it.”

“She means it’s not really a date,” I explained, “Hi, I’m Forest, Forest Fire.”

“Hi, I’m Aiden Fomaio,” The Pony looked me up and down, “I’ve never seen you around before. Are you new to Canterlot.”

“I don’t know. I’ve lost my memory.”

“You mean to say you have no idea who you are?” Aiden asked.

“That’s right,” I replied, “For all I know, I could be your brother.”

“I don’t have a brother…”

“He’s talking about it theoretically, Aiden,” Twilight cut in.

The Unicorn was a strange green-blue mix, with a dark blue mane that covered his right eye. He was my height, about, and we both had the same type of build. His Cutie Mark was a fork on a plate… no, it wasn’t, it was a trident with a shield. Aiden caught me staring at it.

“Yeah, my Cutie Mark… I used to be a soldier,” Aiden smiled, “But I’ve retired now.”

“You’re pretty young to have retired, or you looked young,” I replied.

Aiden smiled, “I joined the forces when I was pretty young. I come from a long line of soldiers for Princess Celestia. But several years ago I got a pretty bad injury. I can’t really use magic anymore apart from some basic spells, thanks to Twilight,” He looked at Twilight.

They looked at one another and in that moment I saw it. It was brief, but was definitely there. It couldn’t have been obvious, but Twilight thought nothing of it and smiled back at Aiden as she walked by him. Aiden never took his eyes off Twilight.

“I’ll be sitting at my usual table, and I’ll have my usual. Forest, what do you want?”

“Something strong that will help keep me awake.”

“I’ve got just the thing,” Aiden replied gently as Twilight walked by him.

Pushing past him, I walked behind Twilight and we both sat at the far end of the café in a small alcove surrounded by windows on all side except for the part that lead back the way we came. A small table sat in the middle with cushions on the wide window ledges for the customers to sit.

“You always come here?” I asked.

“Yeah, I used to come here a lot as a student when I lived in the palace. Back then Aiden worked here, he eventually took over after the previous owned left Canterlot. He’s been here ever since,” Twilight looked back towards him, “I don’t understand why he choeses to stay. With the money he gets from retirement he could buy a nice farm, settle down and have a family.”

“Maybe he hasn’t found the right one,” I replied, “Maybe that’s why he stays here, waiting for his special somepony.”

“You’re a real romantic, aren’t you, Forest?”

“Am I?” Who was she kidding, was she really that blind?

“So, who do you like more, Applejack or Pinkie Pie?”

“Wha-what?” I shouted, “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, come on,” Twilight leaned back against the cushions, “It’s the talk of Ponyville! Everypony knows.”

“Everypony knows? Knows what?” I asked. This was interesting, purely from a curious perspective.

“Oh, never mind. You’re so clueless,” Twilight shook her head.

“Me? I’m clueless? Me?”

“Yes, you,” Twilight replied raising her eyebrow.

I laughed, “Is that right. Well, I can tell you right now that I know at least one Pony who adores you.”

“What?” Twilight’s face turned pink, “You do?”

“I do.”

“W-who?” Twilight asked quietly.

“Are you sure you want to know?”

“Yes.”

“A hundred percent sure?”

“Yes!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Tiny,” I leaned back and grinned.

Twilight smacked her forehead, and shook it, “Ooh, I should have seen that one coming.”

“If you want, I can tell you another Pony who likes you,” I said leaning in closer.

Twilight looked at me, “Anypony’s better than… Tiny!” Her eyes were no longer looking at me, but looking behind me. I have got to stop doing that. Twice with Rarity, and now…

“Hi, Twilight. I saw you from across the street and decided to say hello,” The white Pegasus Pony replied placing one of his hooves on my shoulder, “Didn’t I tell you she was my girl?”

God, I hated bullies.

“Well, let’s ask Twilight,” I turned to her, “Twilight, do you want to be romantically involved with this… Pegasus?”

Twilight shook her head.

“And there you have it,” I took his hoof off from my shoulder, “Now, we’re having an intelligent discussion and we wouldn’t want it to harm your remaining brain-cells.”

Tiny roared as he spun around and kicked me. Now, after the pain I experienced yesterday, the kick barely tickled. I just wished he hadn’t kicked my wound. That was bad.

Picking myself up from off a broken table, I saw Aiden standing in front of me, “Take it easy, I don’t want any trouble. Can’t you see he’s hurt?” He said trying to defend me.

“Out of my way!” Tiny charged Aiden.

Aiden’s horn glowed, and he picked up a piece of wood tossing it at Tiny’s front hoof. He stumbled and rolled into another table. Not to be outdone, Tiny picked himself up from off the ground hefting the nearest table over his head before using those tiny wings to hover over Aiden and me. Using his full body weight he threw it at us, a part of me wanted to shove the stupid soldier aside, but I couldn’t. My arm – hoof – forelimb (oh whatever) wasn’t responding to me. I couldn’t move it at all.

Aiden used his magic to pull a table from next to him and levitate it as fast as he could. The two tables crashed smashing each other into tiny bits, the debris showering me.

“Never a dull moment,” I shouted, trying to ignore the pain.

“Tiny! Stop it!” Twilight yelled.

Tiny slugged Aiden hard with his fore-hoof, spinning him around. But Aiden was not done yet, using his magic he pulled two chairs from the nearest table towards him, folded them in mid-air and smashed Tiny’s head from both sides, like cymbals in those old cartoons.

The bully didn’t even flinch.

Aiden leaned against the wall, and watched as Tiny walked towards him, his eyes a deep red. For the first time since I got to Equestria, I was actually worried. This was a little excessive, wasn’t it? For peaceful frolicking Ponies, this was a bit much.

Twilight rushed forwards and planted herself in front of Aiden, “Tiny! Stop it this instant!”

“Twilight! Get out of the way!” Aiden shouted, but he looked exhausted. Suddenly his words from before rand in the back of my mind, “... But several years ago I got a pretty bad injury. I can’t really use magic anymore apart from some basic spells...”

Twilight didn’t budge. She stood her ground. I had to admit, she was extremely brave.

“Tiny! I don’t want to hurt you!” Twilight threatened.

He seemed to stop when she said that, his rage seemed to abate. Then he smacked her. He smacked her. That stupid motherfucker actually hit Twilight! No way was I going to let him get away with that.

Twilight slid across the floor, clearly unconscious. Something happened in that moment. The world around seemed to darken so that all I could see was Tiny. I felt my blood boil; my indifference erupted into a volcanic explosion of rage!

Ignoring the pain in my leg, I forced myself up and lowered my head, “Hey Tiny!”

He turned around to face me.

“Eat this.”

Ever see a car go from zero to sixty in under three seconds? Bet you’ve never seen a Pony go that fast twice as quick. I felt his ribs fold as my head connected with him. The combination of my body’s weight and momentum ended our little ‘fight’ in one blow. It might have helped if he was on the ground instead of hovering just above it as we were propelled through the window and onto the street. I rolled a few times before coming to a halt. Tiny was a few feet away from me and he wasn’t moving.

Picking myself up from off the ground I swayed a bit, probably was still dazed from the impact, but hell, if I could survive colliding with a tree then smashing into Tiny was nothing. Although my fore-leg was still numb from before, I still managed to somehow limp back into the cafe where Twilight laid unconscious with her head on Aiden’s the lap.

“She okay?” I asked.

“She’s fine. She’s strong. You?” Aiden gestured with his head at my leg.

“I’ll live,” I replied breathing a sigh of relief, “Sorry about your café.”

The damage was pretty extensive. Half the tables were destroyed, the chairs were strewn all around and those the main window was smashed to bits and half of it lay on the road outside. The only thing that really survived was the main counter and the table where Twilight and I originally sat at.

Twilight’s eyes blinked open slowly. She looked up at Aiden. She sat up quickly, “Sorry Aiden.”

“You okay?” Has asked.

“Yeah,” She looked around, “Where’s Tiny?”

“Outside,” I stated out loud, he still had not moved, “I think he’s pretty badly hurt.”

She stood up and rushed past me. Despite the trouble he had caused, I genuinely saw concern in Twilight’s eyes. A part of was furious at Twilight for showing an inkling of kindness towards that jackass, but I think that was also what made her so damned awesome. She had that unreserved kindness towards others.

“He’s alright, just unconscious,” Twilight shouted, she returned into the cafe and walked over to me, “Did you do that?”

“Me?” I asked, “Well, yes, but... it was only because he hit you.”

“Forest, I can take care of myself. I’m not a Filly that needs...”

“I know, but I’m not the kind of Pony who will sit around and do nothing when my friends get hurt. When I saw you fall down on the ground like that, I just lost it.”

“You were incredible, Forest,” Aiden said standing by my side and allowing me to lean against him to take weight off my injured hoof, “How did you do that?”

“I don’t know. You weren’t so bad yourself! If you hadn’t used your magic to protect me with that table...”

“Everypony, freeze!” Two Ponies in blue uniform came into the cafe while a third trotted over to Tiny, “What’s going on here?”

Great. Pony cops.

“Hello, officer. I was here with my friend for some coffee and breakfast, when Tiny came and threatened...” Twilight stated almost as quickly as Pinkie.

“Whoa, whoa! Start again,” The officer requested.

Twilight repeated the story at the same speed.

“Look, miss, if you don’t slow down we can’t take a statement...”

“Officer, that Pegasus came in here looking to pick a fight with this Stallion because he got jealous that he was with Miss Sparkle. Miss Twilight Sparkle,” Aiden said her full name slowly.

The officer was busy writing down the statement in his notebook when he head Twilight’s full name, upon which he suddenly stood at attention, “Your highness!”

“Please, officer, I’m not really royalty,” Twilight replied, “I need to sit down.”

Aiden rushed to Twilight’s side barely giving me enough time to reposition my body to accommodate my latest injury. Seriously, if this keeps up, I won’t be able to run that race!

“He’s alright,” The police Pony next to Tiny shouted, “Just a little dazed.”

“I’m afraid we’re going to have to bring you in for questioning,” One of the police Ponies said, and looked at me, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. Why?”

“Your chest... is that blood?”

Looking down at my bandages it was indeed red and felt soggy. It was completely soaked, “Ah. Yes. That is blood.”

“That’s a lot of blood,” The police Pony said and walked over to me.

“Well then, let’s go to the hospital!” To be honest, I felt fine. Strangely.

The cops put me into their jail-cart thingy, and threw Tiny in there for good measure. It was a quick ride to the hospital where I was immediately seen by the same doctor from before. As soon as he saw me, he just shook his head and sighed, “I told you to not hurt yourself.”

“Seems like I’m accident prone.”

“I’m afraid that we’re going to have to keep you here for a few days just to make sure that there is no permanent damage to your body,” The doctor looked over his shoulder and I saw Twilight and Aiden standing there, “Your friend is here to say goodbye.”

Twilight walked in, “Sorry, Forest, but I have to go back…”

“That’s okay. You’ve gotta do what you’ve gotta do.”

“I’ve asked Aiden to come see you every day,” She looked back at and he entered the room and stood next to Twilight, “So at least you’ll have one Pony you know come and cheer you up.”

“But… we don’t really know each other.”

“Please, Forest, at least I’ll have a little piece in mind knowing that Aiden is looking out for you, okay?”

I was slightly taken aback by that. She cared.

“Okay. Thanks, Twilight, Aiden. I appreciate it.”

“It’ll be my pleasure. I can’t work at the café until the repairs have been completed anyway, which should take a few days,” Aiden stated.

“Yeah, sorry for getting your place all trashed up like that. What overcame that hulking monstrosity to do that, anyway?”

“No clue, I had no idea he was so violent,” Twilight shuddered.

“How’s your face?” I asked.

“It’ll heal,” She looked at me, “And you need to heal too!”

“Say hi to Applejack and Pinkie for me,” I said, “Tell them that I’ll come home as soon as they say I’m healthy enough.”

“I will. Take care of yourself, Forest. See you back at Ponyville,” Twilight put her hoof on mine and squeezed it. How? No idea, but the gesture meant a lot to me.

As she left the room with Aiden, I actually felt sad.

The doctor returned, “We’re going to give you some sleeping pills. While you sleep, I will re-stitch your wound and clean your bandages.”

“Fine,” What choice did I have? So, two large blue pills were put in my hoof, and I downed them with a glass of water.

“Now, count to ten,” The doctor said, preparing need and thread…

“One, two, three…” Yeah, that’s as far as I got.

The next few hours were a blur. I think I woke up once in the late afternoon, a nurse gave me something to eat and that was it. I only really become coherent when it was dark outside. The clock above the main door to the ward stated that it was now just after eight at night. In the back of my mind I wondered how everyone back in Ponyville was doing.

Bored, I got out of bed and walked to the large window to my room when I heard a voice behind me, “Forest?”

Turning around my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and I threw myself to the ground, “Your majesty!”

“Forest, please, don’t. After what I did to you, you don’t need to bow to me,” Princess Celestia stated.

Slowly, I raised myself from the ground, “What can I do for you, Princess?”

“I came to apologize. My sister, Princess Luna, has insisted that I come and make amends for the pain I’ve cause you.”

“Twilight has told me the circumstances of the accident, and in retrospect I cannot hold you to blame. There was no way you could have known that I was immune to magic,” Well, it was true! She had no idea.

“I appreciate the sentiment and your open heart, Forest,” She turned to go.

“Princess, if I might ask just one question,” She stopped and turned around, “What would you have done if I was a human?”

There was a long uncomfortable silence, but I needed to know. I just had to know.

“To be honest, I had no idea what I was going to do. I didn’t plan that far ahead,” She smiled, “But that’s in the past now.”

“And one other question, please. Brian. Why can’t you convince him to change his mind about being turned into a Pony?”

“That is something you’ll have to ask him yourself, Forest,” And with that, the Princess walked out of the ward.

Sitting in the darkness of the room, I stared at the door Celestia had exited from for a long time wondering about many things, but one thing was for sure. For now, I was safe from Tutela.

Crawling back into my bed, I didn’t bother looking at the time as I needed to catch up on something that I’ve seriously lacked the past few days; sleep.

Author’s Note: I want to thank MrFishberry for coming up with the name: Aiden Fomaio.

Day 11: Home Sweet Home

My eyes opened up to a beam of light that happened to land exactly where I was sleeping. Shifting my face to get out of the light’s path, I found myself having great difficulty getting back to sleep. There was nothing for me to do, except sleep. Thing was, I couldn’t! Usually I’d relish any excuse to remain in bed, to continue to snooze through the morning waking up just in time for lunch. Then again, that was before I got here, before I came to this magical land.

Lugging my ass out of bed, I moseyed over to the giant windows pushing them wide open. The air here was different. Not only was it cooler, but it had a crisp moist flavour as well, like fresh rain but not as obvious.

“Oh, you’re awake?” A voice said behind me. It was the doctor and his gigantic moustache, which seemed to be combed back, “I was about to check on you.”

“Hello, doctor.”

“Mind if you hop back onto your bed so I can look at your wound?” He asked, patting the bed with his hoof. I lay on my side as the doctor checked and after a bit of poking (around the wound) he nodded approvingly, “Well, Forest, it’s healing well. But you’ve lost a significant amount of blood, so I would like to do a blood transfusion. I’ll need to take some blood to find the appropriate donor…”

“You could just wring out one of my old bandages,” I muttered, “There’s enough blood there for a sample… or ten.”

“Well, yes,” The doctor coughed, “But we threw your old bandages away.”

The fact that he actually humoured me about that was certainly amusing. The only reason why I had suggested it was to avoid the inevitable needle. Despite all their magic, they still used needles. What is it about needles that make me shudder? Some are indifferent to them, while others absolutely abhor them! Like me.

I closed my eyes as I felt the tiny prick on my flank – wait, that doesn’t sound right.

“All done,” The doctor said, “That wasn’t so bad now, was it?”

“I guess not,” I lied.

“I will see you later,” And with that the doctor left.

And just like that I was again all alone in the ward. That was really starting to bother me. This was a huge room! Why was I the only one in here? Trying to push the nagging feeling that something was amiss, I once again got out of bed and sat near the large window. From my vantage I could see down one of the main streets of Canterlot, its citizens going about their own businesses. In a way it was actually quite therapeutic, and by that I mean extremely boring. Compared to the events that had transpired over the past few days, doing nothing was exhausting! I needed to do something! Anything! But I also understood that I needed to rest.

After a while of ‘Pony-gazing’ out the window, I explored the large room. There was not really much to see. The curtains that were used to give patients privacy were all pushed together against the corner opposite from my bed. High up along the walls were pictures of various Ponies, under each was that same writing I’ve multiple times before, but couldn’t read. It looked as if I was shoved into this room at the last minute; everything else looked as if it had been here for a long time with the exception of my bed and the furniture around it. Two chairs, a bedside table and a reading light. That was when I spotted the book. It lying on the bedside table, how had I missed that earlier? Picking it up, I glanced over the title. It read ‘The Complete History of Equestria’ and I could tell that it had been recently dusted by someone in a hurry – he or she had missed a few spots. There was only one Pony that would do this and as I looked over the book I noticed a piece of paper folded in half sticking out between the pages near the middle of the book, like a bookmark. I pulled it out and opened it to discover it was a letter, written very hurriedly.

Forest,

I hope that you really forgive me for what happened. I wanted to give this book to you myself, but I had to run and catch my train which leaves in less than ten minutes. I’ve asked Aiden to drop this book off for me.

I noticed that you were keenly interested in the history of our country. I hope that this book will shed some light on it. It’s from the library, so please take care of it. When you’re done with, just drop it off.

Thanks,

T. Sparkle.

I read the letter a couple more times, and smiled. She really did care! Putting the letter aside, I picked the book up and walked over to the window, and opened the first page. Instantly I got a little annoyed. This was a history book for children! There were little to no words. And what was up with all the illustrations? Beautiful as they were, I wanted to know more about the actual history! Flipping the page over, I noticed that the pictures fed into one another. In was literally a graphic novel – without words.

Surprisingly, I found myself actually understanding bits of it. It went something like this…

A long time ago, perhaps even eons, there were three kingdoms, one here, another above, and one below. Typical heaven, earth and hell type of structure, and yet there was something different about this. As I read on, the world above and the world below had a war, a terrible war that slew many, and left the middle world in desolation. This was extremely bad because it led to famine and other dastardly things. In order to save themselves, the world above and the one below agreed to forsake their homes and move to the middle world bring the two halves together. And thus, the world was born!

But there was more! It went on about how magic was discovered (I had no idea how I knew that, nor did I fully comprehend the story about it), but what I did know was that over time there were three races of Ponies that had their own kingdoms. They consisted of Earth-Ponies, the Pegasi, and finally Unicorns. The three races fed off of each other, not working together and only for each one’s benefit, which led to wars. The Pegasi controlled the weather, which the Earth Ponies needed to grow the food, which each Pony needed to live, while the Unicorns controlled the rising and setting of the sun. Then some frosty horses came along and ruined this system.

The frosty horses rang a bell. Recently I had come across them. Windigoes! The dagger that Spike gave me had a vial of it in the middle of the blade. The blade! My bag! My eyes scoured the ward, and hanging on a hook on the far end of the room was that bag-belt Spike had given to me. Walking over to it, I checked the pockets. Everything was where it should be, including the dagger. Taking it down, I slipped in on.

I was about to return to my reading when I heard voices in the hallway.

“Impossible,” It said in a loud whisper, “That’s not possible. Run the test again!”

“Doctor, we’ve run the tests several times. He’s got zero matches,” A second voice said.

“That is impossible? We’re the biggest hospital in all Equestria! We have blood for every creature under Celestia’s sun here!” He growled.

“Well, there is a very close match… but it’s…”

“What, speak up?”

“The close match is from the human, doctor. The only blood that comes close to matching Forest’s is the sample we got from Brian Dash when you did the operation to remove his wings,” The nurse whispered.

“What did you say?” The doctor was visibly stunned.

The blood in my face drained. Oh. Shit!

“We need to report this to the Princess,” The doctor took the clipboard and scanned it, “Run another test, while I confront the patient regarding this.”

No time to think! I had to get out of here! Why? No idea. Panic was slowly encroaching on my common senses and I just couldn’t think straight. I needed time to process this new knowledge. I needed… to hide! To get out of here and hide! But the only other way out was… the window. Leaning over the ledge I looked down at the grass below. Not a good idea. I’d break my legs and then I’d really be screwed.

The doctor was about to come in, my heart thumped in my chest and I dove behind the patient curtain privacy things that were right next to the window. I squeezed in between two of them hoping that the doctor didn’t bother searching for me there.

“Nurse, where is the patient?” The doctor barked.

The poor nurse entered the ward and instantly saw me missing, “I don’t know, doctor…”

“Go find him! We cannot let him out of this hospital! If the tests are accurate, then he is an imposter! For all we know he might be a… a Changeling!” The doctor exclaimed.

Changeling? You’ve got to be kidding me!

“What’s going on?” A voice asked. I recognized it instantly.

Aiden!

“Never mind, young lad. Looks like our friend here has decided that he doesn’t want to take my advice,” The doctor sighed, “He’s run off again.”

The doctor at least had the decency to hide the fact he thought I was a…

“Or he might be a Changeling.”

Son of a bitch!

“What? How can you possibly think that?” Aiden asked, his voice sounded bemused.

“His blood type does not match any we have. Either he’s entirely new creature, or he’s a Changeling. I task you with the job of finding him,” The doctor said.

“Sir, I’m retired. I…”

“I’m un-retiring you! I am placing you in charge of getting the fugitive Forest Fire back here, do you understand?” The doctor’s voice faded as he started barking orders to other individuals.

“Forest? If you’re here, come out. You cannot hide from the Royal Guard. Trust me,” Aiden shouted, “If you surrender yourself, I will guarantee no harm will come to you.”

My mind raced through every possible scenario, every outcome. Didn’t I already decide that fleeing was pointless? But what could I do? My blood gave me away…

But what am I still doing here?

That would mean… the bet hasn’t been lost! Not yet! Gulping, I poked my head out of my hiding place and spotted Aiden standing near the bed.

“Aiden!” I whispered.

He turned his head to see me, “Forest?” He walked closer, “What’s going on?”

“I need to get out of here,” I replied, “Something unexpected showed up on my blood test.”

“What? Like that fact that you’re not a Pony? You should have told us the truth! You should have told Twilight the truth! How could you lie to her like that?”

“I don’t… I don’t remember anything!” I said defensively, “And I didn’t lie.”

“The doctor seems convinced you’re a Changeling,” He whispered.

I wish. “Look, I know it’s asking a lot, but I need time to prove that I’m not a Changeling. Just help me get out of here.”

“You think that I’d betray my Queen and my friend for you?” He had a point.

“I saved you. You owe me,” I replied through gritted teeth.

That made him pause. He looked at me, “You protected Twilight, and for that I will help you.”

“Thank you,” I replied.

“But after I help you escape, I’m coming after you,” Aiden said, “I’ll give you a few hours head-start before I hunt you down.”

“A few hours?”

He gave me a look.

“Fine, that’s fair,” I grumbled. I didn’t really have a choice.

“Or, you could just let Princess Celestia change you to your normal form,” Aiden said, “She’s the only one with the power to change a creature from one form to another. I know that for a fact.”

“Yeah, about that… it didn’t work the last time she tried…”

Aiden looked at me funnily, “What do you mean?”

“Twilight didn’t mention it? We were here to do just that. It didn’t work. The process nearly killed me instead,” I pointed at me chest, “That is how I got this wound.”

He looked slightly confused and angry that I had said that, “The Princess would never hurt anypony – not even you.”

“It wasn’t as if she had a choice, Aiden. She had no idea. None of them did, okay? I’m not angry at the Princess or Twilight,” This moron was wasting time!

“Forest!” A voice yelled from behind us, “There you are!” Spinning around I spotted the doctor, and with him both Princess Celestia and Luna.

Shit.

“Forest,” Princess Celestia asked, “What’s the meaning of this?”

“Meaning of what?” I asked.

“The doctor says that you’re blood test says that you’re… you’re…” Princess Celestia was not very pleased.

I backed up towards the window, “I’m what?” I asked trying to play dumb.

“A human,” Princess Celestia’s voice was hushed, “You lied to us! You lied to us.”

“What?” Aiden asked, his eyes wide open, he had expected the Princess to accuse me of being a Changeling, not a human. And I wish that she had said that too.

“Yeah… about that, would you believe me if I told you I have no idea what you’re talking about?” I grinned nervously.

“But how are you here?” Celestia replied walking forward slowly toward me, “It isn’t possible!”

“I still have trouble understanding what you’re talking about,” My only chance was to continuously play dumb. I wanted to back away some more, to gain some distance between the Princesses and myself, but my flank press against the window sill. There was nowhere to go! Or was there?

“My sister demands truth, as do I!” Princess Luna’s horn began to glow, “You will tell us the truth!”

“Luna, no!” Princess Celestia shouted, but it was too late. A bolt of purple light hurled its way towards me.

Not wanting to suffer the agony of another one of those crazy spells, I turned around and leapt out of the open window.

I felt my body hit something soft and cushiony, and as I slowly opened my eyes I found myself in a disturbing yet familiar place. I knew where I was.

“I guess you’ve won then,” I said aloud.

“Actually, I haven’t,” Tutela walked over to me, and placed her hoof on my shoulder, “You haven’t lost yet.”

“What do you mean? Princess Celestia over there said I was a human,” I pointed with my hoof towards where it looked like I had come, the large window to my ward where just seconds before I had leapt through was clearly visible in an oval of shaped bordered by a faint neon-green light. It was like watching a TV. Whatever it was, it was clear that I was no longer in their world. I was no longer in the land of magic and Ponies. I could see Princess Celestia and Luna talking heatedly with each other while a bewildered Aiden and doctor kept looking down and around to see where I had gotten to.

“Doesn’t that mean I lost? And if not, why did you bring me here?”

“Because, Forest, if I had let you hit the ground with that wound, you wouldn’t be walking again,” Tutela smiled. Her fangs were gone.

“You… saved me?”

“That’s right. But I can’t do it often, and you made me do it in front of both Princess Celestia and Luna as well. If Luna’s spell had not blinded everyone in that room then this place would have surely been discovered. You really are a hoofful.”

“So… what now?”

“Celestia suspects that you’re a human. It’s up to you to convince her otherwise,” Her green eyes narrowed as she stared at me, “Our bet is you remain in Equestria until you get discovered. Otherwise you lose and stay here with me.”

“Do you have any ideas?” I asked. Look at me! Asking for her help! Was I mad or what?

She grinned, “Yes, I do. But I’m not going to tell you.”

“Figures,” I muttered, “Okay, so you’re sending me back?”

“Yes,” Tutela frowned, “But I can only send you back to the same place as last time.”

“Oh joy. Back to the Everfree Forest! Yay!” I cheered sarcastically.

“Oh, and one more thing, your wound,” She pointed to it, “I’ll help heal it for you, but no more freebies.”

“Okay,” I replied, “Oh, and Tutela on more thing. Thank you.”

Her face changed color slightly. Was she blushing? Before I could say anything else I felt a pull in my gut and Tutela became a tiny figure as it felt like I was rushing backwards through a vortex. My vision tunnelled and then blacked out.

My body hit the ground and I came sliding to a halt. Pushing myself up, I shook my head and waited for my vision to clear. Indeed, there I was sitting in the exact same place from when I first came to Equestria. I looked myself over, and using my hoof, took off my bandage. The wound was indeed healed! Only the scar remained.

Well, that’s convenient. I poked the scar a bit to see if it was still tender.

Somehow I had to convince everypony I wasn’t a human, then get back to Canterlot, and because I was now a fugitive I had to do all this without being seen. Who knows what complications might arise if I was found back in Ponyville, I couldn’t let my new friends take any flak on my behalf no matter what the end result. I may not have written in stone, but I didn’t want to see any of them get hurt because of me.

Now with a mission all planned out, I quickly searched for Zecora’s house. It was not hard to find. The exit for the gateway, portal - whatever you call it, was actually fairly close to her home. But first I had to make sure that she did not see me. So I hid in the thick bushes and walked around until I came across the main path.

At first it seemed like a great idea! But as I edged around the clearing between Zecora’s home, I got tangled in some vines that tripped me up and I came crashing into a bush full of bright red fruits, the goo turned sticky and it was a struggled to get untangled from everything. Angry, annoyed and frustrated I screamed in exasperation and bolted out from the bushes towards the main path, but a vine wrapped around my hooves tripped me up and I ended up face-planting against a tree.

The impact had dazed me, so I tried to shake my head to get rid of the stars that I was seeing. My head refused to budge. I was stuck. The goo from the berries had acted like an adhesive and I was completely stuck.

“Are you kidding me?” I shouted to myself. After a minor struggle the bark of the tree gave way as I managed to pull myself free using my hooves. Now the problem was the position of my new facial ornament. It blocked my view making it impossible to see straight ahead. No matter how hard I tried ripping it off my face it would not budge. Angry and annoyed, I pulled the edges of the bark down in an attempt to break it in half. Two pieces did break off, but they firmly fixed themselves on either side of my muzzle. Now it felt like I was wearing a mask. Frustrated, I let it be; at least now I could see.

As I walked out of the Everfree Forest, the first thing I saw was Fluttershy.

Can this get any worse? I muttered to myself. If she spots me I could get into a whole load of trouble. Couldn’t risk it. I quickly tried to move away but something was snagging on something else. When I turned to look, one of those vines stuck to my body was now snagged against a root of one of the nearby trees.

Fluttershy was outside her house checking her mail when she heard the noise I made trying to pull myself free. As she peered over my way, I ducked behind some bushes in a futile attempt to hide. Without breathing, I waited for a long moment before I peeked out from my hiding spot to find that she had gone! Was I in the clear?

“Um… hello?” A voice quietly called from just above me.

Aw, man! Fluttershy looked down at me, her wings gently beating keeping her aloft.

“I’ve never seen you before,” She said, landing in front of me. Wasn’t she being really friendly? I barely talked to her. Did my encounter with her… “You’re a strange looking creature.”

Creature? She thinks I’m a creature and not a Pony? Then it hit me - much like the tree from before. The wood, the vines, the ensemble that had stuck onto me and also the place where I was coming from all contributed to my disguise – I was a creature of the Everyfree Forest! As much as I hated fooling her, I ran with it.

“Are you hungry?” She asked, “Come, I’ll give you something to eat.”

Not really knowing what to do, I followed Fluttershy to her house. There she put a bowl of food on the floor for me – chopped carrots and some other greens. To be honest, I was kind of hungry, so I just started munching away.

“Fluttershy, what in tarnation is that thing?” A familiar voice asked from the doorway.

I nearly choked on my mouthful of food. Applejack!

“Oh, I don’t know. I saw it coming out of the Everfree Forest, and it looked hungry,” Fluttershy stated.

Fooling Fluttershy was one thing, but Applejack wasn’t easily fooled. I kept my head down and continued pretending to eat.

“Well, okay. As long as you think it’s safe, I guess. Are you ready?”

“Hm? Oh yes, I forgot that it was my turn to stay with Rainbow Dash tonight,” Fluttershy walked to the door and paused, “Nice meeting you, strange creature.”

I glanced over in their direction careful not to reveal any Pony-like traits. As they closed the door, I rushed to the window and peered out of it carefully.

“Brian’s really excited to see you, Fluttershy,” Applejack said, her voice muffled, “He wanted to talk with you…”

So, they were headed to the hospital. That was good. It bought me some time to think and create a plan to get out of this place. First thing I needed to do was get the debris from off my body.

Suddenly I saw this huge creature standing next to me in the room. It took me a second to realize it was my reflection. I looked like a fat bison! This disguise was perfect! You couldn’t see any real part of me hidden under all those leaves. After a moment of adjusting some vines, I exited Fluttershy’s house and walked along the path back towards Ponyville.

Wait! I screamed at my brain, Brian!

Of course! Why didn’t I think of it before? The doctors compared my blood to Brian’s, the only human in all of Equestria – apart from myself. Therefore there was something that matched between his blood and mine, something that stood out. That would mean I would have to break into the hospital and get a copy of Brian’s blood report, then get my ass over to Canterlot and do the same thing with mine, then compare the two together and see.

“Hi!” A Pony screamed in my face bringing me back to the present, “Who and what are you?”

Pinkie! Taking a step back I tripped on one of my stray vines and fell on my rear.

“Are you a wild animal? Are you, are you?” She said leaning forwards on her fore-hooves and looking straight at me.

I nodded. What else could I do?

“A wild animal! Ohmigosh! Are you… dangerous?” She asked with her eyes wide open.

I shook my head.

Pinkie wiped her brow overdramatically, “Well, that’s a relief. Okay, bye-bye, wild animal!” And with that she bounded off.

I sighed. That was Pinkie for you. Despite my current predicament, it was good seeing her. For a moment I just watched her bounce off into the distance before realizing that she was heading the same direction I wanted to.

Walking towards the hospital, I decided to scout out the area for a bit first. Of course, being a strange animal that none of the Ponies had ever seen before made them all stare at me, but at least they didn’t run away in terror. Using my disguise as an advantage, I circled around the hospital looking for another way inside. At the rear I spotted a backdoor that opened up onto a small pavilion where some patients were getting some sun. They all looked at me with a mixture of confusion, amusement and maybe a little fear, which slowly grew as I got closer to them.

“Oh no, Mr Wild Animal, you can’t go in there. The hospital is for Ponies only,” A hushed voice said.

I looked up and saw Fluttershy hovering over me again. A few moments later Applebloom and her sister appeared.

“What is that?” Applebloom exclaimed and rushed over to me, “What is it?”

“Careful, Applebloom,” Applejack said, visibly worried as her younger sister trotted over to me.

“Oh, don’t worry, AJ! He won’t hurt Applebloom,” Pinkie grinned at me, “He’s a good wild animal!”

“She’s right, Applejack,” Fluttershy said, landing next to me. She began to pet me, so I played along and pretended to like it by rubbing my head against her hoof.

“What is that?” Twilight asked, I looked and saw her standing next to Pinkie.

“It’s a new hairy animal from the Everfree Forest!” Pinkie replied, “But don’t worry, he’s safe!”

“How can you know that?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.

“’Cause he said so!” Pinkie grinned back.

Before Twilight could answer back, she heard her name being called.

“Twilight…” Spike’s voice shouted, and he came running out of the hospital door, “Twilight! You’ve got a letter! You’re not going to like it. It’s from Princess Celestia regarding… Forest?”

Shit! Did Spike just recognize me? I shook my head when the girls weren’t looking, their attention now focused on Spike holding the letter between his fingers.

Spike seemed to understand, and he looked from me to Twilight, “This letter… is about Forest.”

The familiar purple magical glow formed around the piece of paper and she read. Her eyes grew wider and wider, “This can’t be… I was there… the magic didn’t work…”

“What’s that, darlin’? You’re not makin’ sense,” Applejack replied.

“Girls, come with me for a moment,” Twilight led them all away from the other Ponies on the pavilion and were now standing a few feet away from me. Not wanting to seem out of place, I started pretending to graze. “Girls, it’s about Forest.”

“Well, what about him?” Applejack asked.

“Applebloom, I think you shouldn’t be hearing this,” Twilight said quietly.

“Aw,” She moaned, “Why not? I want to know too!”

Twilight’s eyes met Applejack’s, who nodded.

“Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you,” Twilight spread the letter out in front of her and began to read. “Dear Twilight, I apologize for this sudden letter, but we seem to have come across a couple of problems. This morning I received some disturbing news that your friend Forest’s is in fact not a Pony. After seeing the results for myself…”

“What, Twi? What about Forest’s results?” Applejack asked.

“He’s… human,” Twilight said looking at Applejack’s eyes.

“What? But you said that weren’t possible! You were there! You said that the spell nearly killed him!” Applejack exclaimed.

Twilight nodded her head, “I know, but we didn’t know anything about him then and we know nothing about him now. He just suddenly showed up one day… anyway, that’s not important right now. There’s more.” Twilight cleared her throat, “This morning, there was an incident. Forest leapt out of the window in the hospital… and vanished?”

“Vanished?” Applejack asked.

“That’s what it says right here. Vanished. Gone,” Twilight turned to Spike, “When did Princess Celestia send this?”

“Just now, Twilight. A few minutes ago,” Spike replied, stealing glances in my direction. It didn’t take a genius to see that he was pissed.

“Okay, I’m going to write a letter back to the Princess. Applejack, you stay here with Pinkie and Fluttershy. Applebloom, I want you to go to Rarity’s house and tell her to meet me at the library,” Twilight then looked over to me; I munched a lot more vigorously on the grass, “What about that thing?”

“Leave it. He seems harmless,” Applejack lead the way back into the hospital. Pinkie bounced along behind her, while Applebloom followed Twilight around the outside of the hospital towards the road that led back into Ponyville.

Spike had lagged behind purposely and walked over to Fluttershy who was keeping an eye on me, “Hi Fluttershy, do you mind doing me a favour?”

“Oh, sure Spike.”

“Can you go ask Twilight if she needs me?”

“Okay,” She turned and hovered off.

I waited until Fluttershy was far enough away before talking. “I can explain!” I said before Spike could say anything.

“You better, Forest,” Spike replied angrily, “Twilight told me about yesterday and how you got badly hurt but you look fine to me. How did you get here so fast?”

“Look, I’m going to level with you. There’s something wrong, but please believe me when I tell you that I’m not here to harm any of you. I just…”

“You can’t remember.” Spike glared at me, finishing my excuse off for me.

I had to admit that lying to him made me feel terrible, but I had no choice! It was frustrating that I could not tell any of them the truth.

“Please listen to me, Spike. Right now I need Brian’s medical files, okay? I can’t go like this… wait, how did you recognize me?”

“That’s not really that great of a disguise, you know?” Spike shrugged, “I can’t believe that you fooled Twilight and the others.”

A sudden overwhelming sense of panic struck me. What if I didn’t fool them? What if they knew? Would that mean they were actually helping me? That brought a tear to my eye; they really cared. Either that or maybe my disguise did actually fool them.

“Spike, can you get it for me?” I asked, “Brian’s files, I mean.”

“No, Forest. Not ratting on you was my favour for you; you don’t get to ask anything more from me.”

“I suppose,” He had a point. Asking him for his help was already too much, and if Spike did help me and I was found to be guilty he might get punished for it. I could tell he wasn’t impressed with me, which made the dagger incident even more mind-boggling. Reluctantly, I nodded, “You’re right.”

As if in cue, Fluttershy flew back to us, “Spike?” She said gently, “Twilight said that she needs you.”

“Thank you, Fluttershy,” Spike said still giving me a venomous glare. After a moment he turned and ran the same way Twilight and Applebloom had gone.

“Oh my,” Fluttershy said, landing next to me, “Your vines are falling off.”

What? Turning to look behind me, she was right! Large parts of my disguise were now on the ground having fallen off. It took me a second to realize what had happened. The goo was getting dry! Dry go meant no stick. No stick meant… no disguise! This was perfect. Just perfect.

No time to think. It was all about action now.

Running past Fluttershy, I headed straight for the hospital’s rear entrance. Once inside, nurse Redheart let out the loudest scream I had ever heard in my life. Two large orderlies opened a door to my left, and did a double-take when they saw me.

“Oh dear,” Fluttershy was pretty quick, “Mr Wild Animal, you cannot be here. This place is for Ponies only.”

“Sorry, Fluttershy, but I’m not a wild animal,” I replied.

She floated there with her mouth wide open, clearly in shock. A part of me felt bad for surprising her like that but I could not let her get involved with me anymore. Not until I resolved this issue. She might get into a lot of trouble.

Using the skill I had learnt yesterday, I put my head down and used the explosion of speed against the two orderlies, knocking them back into the room they had come out of, and knocking the air out of them. They groaned in pain as I picked myself up and rushed past Nurse Redheart (who screamed again) and headed for the stairs.

Pain!

Turning around, I saw that one of the orderlies had grabbed a stray vine, but my momentum was too fast and the vine had ripped itself off. I don’t know how I did not have a bald-patch there. All the vines along my sides were gone, the leaves lay scattered around behind me.

No time to loose! Up the stairs! I screamed to myself.

At the top of the stairs, the commotion from below had gathered everyone’s attention. Ponies were now peeking out of their selected wards wondering what was going on. As I reached the top of the stairs at the end of one of the halls a few Ponies screamed and ducked back into their rooms.

“What the hay is going on?” A familiar voice shouted.

A cyan Pegasus, a Pink Pony and an Orange one all poked their heads out of a room at the far end of the hallway. That was Brian’s room. That was where I would find what I needed. My mission was clear. Go to Brian’s ward, and steal his medical papers, then escape. Simple, right?

Wrong.

“There he is!” A voice shouted from behind me, “Get him!”

Nurse Redheart looked kind of scary. So, I bolted heading straight towards the three Mares.

Rainbow bounded into the hallway, and lowered her head, “Come on!” She taunted.

Pinkie bounced into the hallway too, and got into some sort of fighting stance on her two hind legs, while Applejack just stayed where she was with a look of amusement on her face. But there was absolutely no way I was going to rush those three. Hurting random orderlies was one thing, but I wasn’t going to hurt the girls. Coming to a halt at an intersection, I dove to the right, making it seem that I was running down the hall in that direction. Instead, I pressed myself against the wall. If Rainbow was as tough and aggressive as she made herself out to be, she would fall for it.

A rainbow colored blur zoomed past me as Rainbow completely fell for my trick and charged past me and down the hall. Of course, she realized that she had been had, and using her wings turned herself around. But that delay was all that I needed.

Rushing around the corner, Pinkie yelped in surprise to see me running straight for her. She bounced up in the air, and over me. Too bad I tripped on something and slid on my face right into Brian’s door, knocking a clipboard off a hook which fell right onto me. Brian’s file! Here it was!

I heard a gasp and looked up at Applejack whose eyes widened in surprise, she was staring straight into my eyes.

No! Can’t let her recognize me!

Gripping the clipboard tightly in my mouth, I got up and turned to face the entire hospital staff. Rainbow was at the front of the pack.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Rainbow said, looking at me. I felt the vines on my back slowly slipping off of me. My disguise was falling apart. There was absolutely no way for me to get past them all; Rainbow, Pinkie, Applejack, two large orderlies, a mean-looking Nurse Redheart and a few more Ponies behind them.

Backing up, I felt something press against my flank. A window.

Not again.

Then again, I didn’t really have a choice. As I jumped through the open window, I wondered if Tutela would teleport me to safety again. My answer came as I felt the ground beneath me greet my chest knocking the air out of me. Two stories straight down. It hurt, and I couldn’t breathe. Still, I had no time to think. I had to go. Rainbow was a Pegasus, she could easily…

“Hey! Give that back!” Her voice shouted at me from above.

Looking up, I saw her glaring down at me as she was floating just outside the window. Looking ahead of me, I spotted some woods just ahead not as thick of dense as the Everfree Forest, but I might be able to lose her if I could reach it.

Standing up, I got ready to run before I felt something hit me hard on my back forcing me to lay flat on the ground. Rainbow had just landed with her full bodyweight on her back. She wasn’t that heavy, but she must have used her speed. I let out a gasp of agony and released the clipboard from my mouth. It landed in front of my face on the grass.

No! So close!

Reaching for it, I spotted something lying written in red.

MA = 0.

“Rainbow,” A voice said suddenly, “Don’t hurt him!”

Was that… Fluttershy?

“Don’t hurt him? Did you see what kind of trouble it caused in the hospital? Plus it stole something!” Rainbow furrowed her brow, “What is it anyway?”

“He’s a…” Fluttershy looked at me, I turned my head slightly and peered at her from the corner of my eye, Rainbow Dash still sitting on me, “He’s a wild animal.”

Did she just lie on my behalf?

“Well. Okay. But you shouldn’t bring your pets into the hospital, Fluttershy, it causes problems for everypony,” Rainbow Dash flew back through the open window with the clipboard. She popped her head out of it a second later, “Are you coming?”

“Oh yes, I’ll be right behind you,” Fluttershy replied. When Rainbow again disappeared into the upper-floor window, Fluttershy leaned down and whispered in my ear, “I don’t know who you are, but if you ever hurt my friends again, I’ll… I’ll…”

“Thank you, Fluttershy,” I whispered, “But I’d never hurt you or your friends.”

Before she could respond, I heard an angry Nurse Redheart demanding that my hide be tanned – not literally, of course… maybe. Well, I wasn’t going to stick around to find out. I darted out of there as fast as my legs would carry me, but not too fast to cause the ground under me to catch on fire. Couldn’t let the Ponies see that, they’d know my identity instantly.

As I entered the woods, I felt the vines on my back drop off. That was way too close. If the vines had dropped sooner my disguise would have been… oh, who was I kidding? I didn’t even know if my disguise fooled any of them in the first place.

But I couldn’t sigh in relief just yet. My mission was a complete and utter failure; the fact that I didn’t get Brian’s report made that abundantly clear. And I had the damned thing in my hand – hoof! I had the damned thing in my hoof! The only thing I had to go on were those letters circled in red. What were they again? MA! That’s right.

But what did MA mean, and why was it circled in red?

“There you are!” A kind voice said behind me, “Why do you keep running away? Who are you? And how do you know my name?”

For someone who was supposed to be shy, she was pretty assertive; a completely different Pony from before. I supposed this was her usual self. But another question was bothering me, why was Fluttershy following me? And how did she keep finding me?

“Um… well, that’s a funny question,” I felt another large lump of foliage drop off my right side. That was the last vines stuck on my body.

“Wait. I know you. I know that voice,” Fluttershy narrowed her eyes.

Quick! Think of something!

“Wow! Look, a flying octopus!” I shouted pointing with my hoof behind Fluttershy.

A flying octopus? What the fuck is wrong with me?

“Where?” She asked, gazing at the sky behind her.

Without thinking, I darted away. I was not sure whether Fluttershy was taking me seriously or if she was just joking, but with her attention diverted the distraction was enough for me to slip away. Somehow I managed to sneak back into Ponyville without getting spotted. Or if I was spotted, nopony really thought anything about it.

What was I going to do now? What could I do?

I’m a dumbass! The answer was so obvious! What I needed to do was to go to a damned library and find out what the words MA meant! If it was circled in red, then it must be something important, and if it’s important it might help me resolve this… mess!

“… I can’t believe it!” Twilight shouted. Her voice was close, “Why didn’t you tell me sooner, Spike!”

I sneaked a peek from my hiding place and saw Twilight with Spike.

“I’m sorry, Twilight, but I wasn’t sure,” He replied defensively.

“I knew there was something really strange about that creature!” Twilight stopped, and spun around on the poor Dragon, “I can’t believe he was right there and he didn’t say anything!”

“I’m sure he must have his reasons.”

“There’s no reason! He lied…”

“He didn’t lie, Twilight. He just… didn’t say anything.”

“That’s still lying to me, okay? Then he has the audacity… wait, that can’t be right. Princess Celestia sent this letter less than an hour ago. Even if Forest took the train here, it would take him at least five hours to get from Canterlot to Ponyville. If that’s the case, then you can’t have seen him,” Twilight looked at Spike, “Even with teleportation that distance is too far, and Forest can’t teleport because of his condition.”

“It’s him, Twilight.”

“How do you know?” Twilight asked, her sharp gaze aimed at Spike.

Spike played with his claws, “Because… I sorta… talked to him…”

That look on her face scared the shit out of me.

“You talked to him? Is that why you sent Fluttershy after me?” Indeed, she had hit the nail on the head that time, “And here I thought you didn’t want to come to the library to avoid meeting with Rarity.”

“Actually, that was one of the other reasons…” Spike grinned nervously.

Suffice to say, Twilight was not amused.

“Twi! Twi!” Applejack shouted running towards Twilight, Pinkie bounced along behind her, “That wild animal…” She panted, “I think that it’s Forest.”

“It is Forest. Spike here had a good talk with him, didn’t you?” Twilight growled shooting daggers at him.

“Why didn’t he just tell us it was him?” Applejack asked, “If he’s got nothin’ to hide, why hide?”

“I don’t know, but I intend to find out! Where is he?” Twilight’s fury made me shudder, “What makes this strange is how he’s here so quickly!”

Applejack told Twilight of my antics in the hospital, and how Rainbow Dash tackled me after I leapt from the window. If she was mad before, she was livid now. There was practically steam coming out from her ears!

“There you are!” A voice stated behind me.

I jumped. Fluttershy had found me again! How did she keep doing that?

“That wasn’t very nice, Mr Stranger, tricking me like that,” She frowned at me.

“Mr Stranger?”

“Well, you won’t tell me your name,” She landed next to me, “So I don’t know what to call you.”

“You… you really don’t remember me?” I asked a little hurt.

“No. Is that bad?”

“Not at all,” I stared at her as she tried to peer past my ridiculous mask, “But we’ve met before.”

“Can you take that mask off?” She pointed at my face.

Why won’t you leave me alone! I wanted to scream at her. Maybe she’ll fall for another ‘look-behind-you’ ploy.

“… well, where do we look?” I heard Applejack’s voice asked, “He could be anywhere now.”

“I don’t know, but why would Forest want Brian’s medical files?” Twilight pondered for a long while before continuing, “It might be worth going back to the hospital and seeing Brian in case.”

“No way! Forest would never hurt Brian, or anypony,” Again Pinkie defended me and my actions.

“We don’t know that for sure anymore, Pinkie. Besides, I know you girls want to trust him, but he is a stranger we know nothing about. We need to be careful, okay? First, we need to find out what he’s doing back here and how he got here so quickly,” With that Twilight led her friends back towards the hospital.

“Aren’t you going with your friends?” I asked Fluttershy.

“Oh. No,” She smiled at me, “I said that I’d take care of you, and I will.”

What was up with their smiles! They were so disarming. Pony smiles were my Kryptonite! There was no way I could be mean to them if they smiled at me like that. Seriously, it just wasn’t fair!

“Look, Fluttershy, you could get into a lot of trouble coming with me,” I warned.

“Why?”

“You… you don’t even know who I am, and for all you know I could be a very bad Pony,” I said, checking my surroundings before quietly heading for the library.

Fluttershy just floated along behind me, easily keeping up with me and completely disregarding my attempts at being stealthy. “You’re a Pony?”

Her voice was strangled now. Was she scared? Of course!

“Yep, and not only am I a Pony, I’m a Stallion.”

She backed away from me. Apparently she wasn’t confident around male Ponies. Not willing to wait around for her to grow accustomed to my presence, I once again darted away from her, this time making doubly sure not to leave a trail for her to follow.

Peering at the library, I noticed that the door was wide open, and sitting on the doorstep was Applebloom. That meant that Rarity still had not arrived at the library, which meant that at any moment the entire group of the Elements of Harmony, their friends, and maybe a purple Dragon could show up at any given moment. That translated to; no time, gotta hurry.

“Why do you keep running away like that?”

I whipped around and saw Fluttershy fluttering behind me a foot off the ground again, “But how! How do you keep on finding me?”

“Oh, I’m very good at hide-and-seek.”

“You…” I grumbled, “Please, can you go away? I have something important I need to do…”

That face. How is anyone supposed to be able to be mean to that face! The way her smiling, bright face just turned into the saddest thing I had ever seen in my life. I was a monster! How could I make her frown that way, and were those tears? No fair! No fair! She was playing dirty.

“Okay, okay, I’m sorry, please don’t cry,” I said trying to pacify her at the same time as not be seen by Applebloom. I failed miserably. She spotted Fluttershy and came walking over towards us.

“Hello, Fluttershy,” Applebloom looked into Fluttershy’s eyes, “Are you cryin’?”

Fluttershy burst out into a crying fit, and zipped away. She could be really fast when she wanted to be. I turned to Applebloom and grinned nervously, I could feel the sweat pouring down my face.

“Forest?” She asked, her eyes opening wide, “What’re you doin’ here? Why’re you here? How’re you here? And why’re you dressed like that?”

“How did you recognize me?” I asked.

She pointed to my rear, “You’re a Blank Flank, like me, remember? Nopony else I know your size has a Blank Flank.” She gave me an angry look, “What did you say to Fluttershy?”

“I asked her to go away. I was trying to be all sneaky and get into the library. Guess the gig’s up now.” I frowned, “Are you going to tell Twilight and the others?”

“Aw, shucks, Forest, you can’t be mean to Fluttershy! She’s supper-sensitive.”

“I didn’t realize she was that sensitive. I’ll have to tell her I’m sorry later, but right now I’ve got to get to the library. Wait, why aren’t you more surprised to see me?”

“I knew it was you when I saw you pretendin’ to be that wild animal,” Applebloom giggled, “I wanted to point you out, but Twilight looked awful angry, so I just kept my mouth shut.”

“Somehow I think my disguise didn’t fool anyone. Can… can I go to the library?”

“Well, I ain’t stoppin’ you,” Applebloom’s smile faded, “But Twilight made it out that you did something bad.”

“I… I guess in a way I did. But it wasn’t intentional, and I promise to set things right, please believe me when I tell you that.”

Applebloom thought about it, and then gave me her super-cute smile, “Okay, Forest. I’ll believe you…”

“Thank you, Applebloom. Thank you, thank you, thank you…”

“On one condition,” She still had that smile on her face.

“Okay…” I replied hesitantly.

Her smile turned from super-cute to super-cute-and-black-mail-like, “You’ve got to take Applejack out on a date.”

“Wha-what?” I stuttered.

“You promise me that, and I’ll help you,” Applebloom grinned again.

My head spun. The heat grew in my face as I felt the blood rushing to my cheeks. Was she trying to extort a date out of me for her sister? The question caught me completely off guard, “B-but… me? B-b-but I’m in trouble!”

“You said that you’d set things right, right? So, after you’re done, I want you to take my sister out on a date, like you did with Twilight.”

“Beg your pardon?”

“Twilight said that you went on a date, I overheard her talkin’ to my sis yesterday. She said that you and her went to all the nice places in Canterlot,” She walked around me, “So, promise me you’ll take Applejack out, and I’ll help you.”

“B-b-b-but…”

“No buts! That’s my offer,” She waited for me to reply.

It wasn’t that I didn’t want to take Applejack out, but wouldn’t she prefer somepony she liked asked her instead? But I needed to get into the library and if I had to do this then so be it. As embarrassing as it might be later, right now I needed to go along with Applebloom.

“I’ll do it,” I said quietly.

“What?”

“I’ll do it!” I said a little louder.

“What did you say, I can’t hear you.”

“I said I’ll do it! I’ll ask Applejack out!” I shouted, closing my eyes while I did. My face was burning.

She grinned at me, “Great! Now, let’s go.”

We both trotted to the library, and I checked to make sure that the coast was clear before going inside. Applebloom poked her head in after me, “Remember, I can’t stall ‘em for long! I’ll try, but if I can’t go out the window.”

What was up with me and windows today?

“Alright, and thanks for this, I owe you,” I went inside.

“Just remember our deal.”

As soon as I entered, I started searching for medical books or any books about medicine. But with the amount of books Twilight had in her library, I was overwhelmed with the selection. Where would I start? Was there a list, or some sort of index I could go by? I let out a grunt of frustration and started going through the books, but found nothing to do with medicine.

Then I walked upstairs. Here I spotted a small study, and a bed. Oops! This was Twilight’s sleeping area, her room, but there were books up here as well. Without pausing, I started looking again.

“Hi Rarity!” Applebloom shouted, being a little too obvious, “What? I’m not shouting. I was just talkin’ loudly because I want to!”

“I don’t know why you’re being so loud, Applebloom. I’m not deaf. Now, where is everypony?” She asked entering the library and looking around.

No time to stop, got to keep looking.

“Everypony’s gone to the hospital,” Applebloom said, grinning, “We should go there.”

Good ol’ Applebloom! She really was trying to help me.

“Oh, hello, Rarity, Applebloom, have you seen Mr not-a-Wild-Animal around?” Again it was Fluttershy! She floated into the library and landed next to the white Unicorn.

“Who?” Rarity asked, understandably confused.

How? How does she manage to keep finding me? I asked myself peering over the ledge to the upper floor at Fluttershy. But I couldn’t delay anymore and continued to search around for a medical book, but having to make sure that I wasn’t seen nor make any noise made the search slower and harder.

Nothing! Not a damned book about medicine! Frustrated, I headed for the window past Twilight’s sleeping area when I spotted a large book on a desk. The cover had a large red cross and the words Equestrian Guide to Medicine. Of course! Twilight was visibly upset about what had happened to me, so of course she’d have studied up on my condition. Why did I not think of that, and why did she care so much?

My mind remembered those feelings from the day before. No! I had to remind myself that it wasn’t that kind of affection. She pitied me, and I only reacted to it.

First thing I did was go into the glossary at the back of the book. Luckily it was in English. It didn’t take long for me to find the page and reference. Quickly flipping through the book as quietly as I could I finally found it. There it was, clearly marked and circled in red, like the letters on Brian’s report. MA.

MA stands for Magical Affinity, the higher the number the more likely you are to be able to use and manipulate magic. The average MA count of a healthy Pony average around 500, while those with strong magical powers can reach much higher numbers…

That was it! No wonder my blood and Brian’s matched. We both had the same MA levels! In other words, we have no affinity whatsoever with magic! I continued to read on.

In order to transfuse blood from patient to patient, the MA level must be within 100 points of one another…

Well, that was great! That means that it wasn’t my DNA, which was what I assumed was how they determined my human-like blood! What gave me away but my lack of Magical Affinity, which only matched with the one other being that could not use magic – Brian Dash. At least, that’s what I understood.

Individuals with incredibly low MA can usually have adverse effects when magic is involved, and in some extreme cases can lead to deadly reactions…

Deadly… reactions? The weight of those words felt heavy on my conscious and I backed away from the book, I accidentally heard a loud ‘bang’, and spun around to find that I had accidentally knocked over the trashcan! Why? Why was I so stupid?

“There you are!” Fluttershy said, pointing at me.

Now, to be honest I was not sure why I did what I did, considering I came to the library and found the answer I sought, but I turned and dove out the window, landing with a splat on the gravel below me. Fluttershy was not going to lose me that easily, and charged right after me. Forcing myself up to my feet, I started to run when I heard a voice scream for me to halt.

Rarity stood to my right, her horn glowing blue.

“Rarity, no!” Twilight’s voice screamed from behind her.

It was too late. She fired a bolt of whatever magic she had conjured up. It flashed at my face, and… do you know that feeling when you stick your hand into a power socket? That sudden jolt of electrical current that paralyses you? That’s what I felt. The blue magic weaved itself around me then over my fur before changing direction heading straight towards the clock-tower. The explosion knocked me backwards past Fluttershy as the magic hit the base of the clock tower in a blue burst of blue energy. The tower started to sway, then fall. Towards me! Towards us!

“Fluttershy,” I screamed, “Get out of there!”

Fluttershy, who was looking at me, turned around and saw the tower falling towards her. She just stood there frozen in fear. Why did she not dodge?

“Move!” I shouted, but she was not paying attention to me. Without thinking, I rushed towards her and shoved her as hard as I could to the side just in time, “Shit.” I said quietly to myself as the entire tower collapsed right on top of me.

There were two things I expected to happen. One was Tutela saving my ass. The other was me being dead. However, neither one of these things happened. Instead, I was surrounded by a yellow aura, not directly on me, but around me in the form of a semi-circular bubble.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight voice shouted, “He’s… he’s…”

“I’m fine!” I shouted.

I was not sure, but there was a long period of silence before I heard voices again.

“Are you sure you’re okay, Forest?” This time is was Applejack.

“Yes. I’m fine,” I shouted, “Just a little dazed. How’s Fluttershy?”

“She’s safe,” Applejack replied, “Hang on; we’ll get you out in a jiffy.”

Light streamed in as the rocks were slowly removed from on top of me. The yellow glow around me had saved my life! I may have been immune to magic, but that didn’t mean that things around me couldn’t manipulate magic. Princess Celestia stood to the side, her horn was glowing and a very pissed off Luna stood to her right eyeing me with malice. Behind them were a sizable number of Pony guards in armor.

I gulped.

Suddenly Applejack rushed through the barrier and gripped me in a tight embrace, “Oh, thank Celestia you’re safe!”

“I was planning to, Applejack,” I said trying to breathe.

The Princess walked closer to us, “Forest, how did you get here so quickly? And why are you here?”

“I woke up in the Everfree Forest after Princess Luna’s attack,” I said bowing, “I didn’t mean to cause any panic.”

“First of all, I wish to apologize for that, Forest. I had no idea what Princess Luna was going to use her magic on you like that.” Princess Luna harrumphed at that, “But this is very strange. I’m afraid that until further investigation we will have to place you under arrest.”

The bark from the tree was still stuck to my face, so I tried to remove it but failed. The gooey stuff still held it firmly in place. When I stopped struggling with the mask I noticed that the Pony soldiers had surrounded me. Behind them I could see the local Ponies wondering what was going on. I seriously wanted to hide myself, but I did not want to touch the dome around me.

Aiden was standing next to me, “You okay?”

“Fine. How’s Fluttershy?” I asked.

“The yellow Pony? She’s fine. A little shaken up, but fine. You saved her life,” Aiden smiled, “I think I might have misjudged you. No Changeling would ever sacrifice themselves, unless it’s for their queen and I highly doubt that she’s Queen Chrysalis.”

At that moment the yellow bubble that surrounded me disappeared and Princess Celestia relaxed. Princess Luna was still glaring at me but after nearly being crushed to death I didn’t really feel like putting up any resistance. I was just really happy that I was alive.

“Forest! Omigosh! Are you okay?” Pinkie Pie asked.

She was stopped by three guards before she could reach me.

“Hey! He’s my friend!” Pinkie protested, “Ow! You’re hurting me!”

My blood exploded in rage, “Don’t touch her!”

The guards all looked at me, then they let Pinkie go, but didn’t let her get past them. At least they weren’t hurting her anymore.

“Sister, must we continue with this farce? Surely he is not a Pony and should be locked away in Canterlot’s dungeons,” Princess Luna said to her sister, I think she was meant to be whispering, but I could hear her clearly.

“You forget, dear sister, he stopped to save the life of another. Surely this earns his some reprieve?”

“Your majesty, please listen to me,” I said, “My… test… I have an answer.”

The Princesses looked at me, but said nothing. Taking that as a sign, I continued, “The reason why you thought that I was a Changeling, or a human, or whatever was because of my blood. After investigating I have found that the answer lies in the MA count.”

“Your MA count?” Princess Luna looked at me confused.

“Magical Affinity,” Twilight cut in for me, “It’s used to judge the strength of a Pony’s ability to use magic. Forest can’t use Magic, and nor can Brian.”

“That is why my blood and Brian’s matched. We’ve both got no affinity… to magic…” That made sense. No matter how I thought about how the events transpired, I was incredible lucky that it ended up this way. I might have bitten off more than I could chew, but at least I had replanted the seed of doubt in Princess Celestia’s mind..

“Twilight, can I talk with you?” Princess Celestia and Luna took Twilight aside and they started talking amongst themselves.

After a few minutes, they returned, “Very well, Forest, you have proven that you’re neither a human nor a Changeling. However, it still doesn’t explain that disappearing trick you performed.”

“I… don’t know. After Luna cast that magic, and I jumped from the window I found myself in the Everfree Forest,” That was true, for the most part.

“As I said before, until we understand more about this unknown power we cannot leave you unattended. But we are not without compassion, and we have been unkind towards you. Therefore we’ve decided to assign a Pony to monitor you as a soldier and also as a friend. Aiden?”

“Yes, your majesty?” Aiden bowed to Princess Celestia.

“Aiden Fomaio, will you accept the task of guardian to Forest until such a time as I judge he no longer needs one?” Princess Celestia asked.

“To watch over him, and ensure that he does not bring danger nor harm to others?” Princess Luna stated right after her sister.

“I shall, my princesses,” Aiden bowed lower.

“Then rise, Aiden Formaio, you will live where Forest lives, and watch over him,” Princess Celestia nodded, “Do not disappoint me again, Forest Fire.”

“Yes, your highness!” I bowed low, glad that I didn’t have to go to the dungeons.

Princess Celestia and Luna then got onto two large chariots pulled by Pegasi and were off before I could thank them. Aiden walked over to me and shook his head, “You’re a lucky Stallion, Forest.”

“You have no idea. So, you’ll be living in Ponyville now,” I said grinning – my legs were still shaky from that near-death experience from before, “Isn’t that great?”

“I suppose, but like I said to you earlier, small towns aren’t really my thing-” Aiden was instantly cut off by something.

A pink blur zoomed past him and collided with me making me roll on the ground, “Forest! Are you okay?”

“I’m fine Pinkie,” I said lying on my back on the ground. Even when Pinkie knocked me down, I couldn’t be mad at her, “How have you been?”

“Great! Can I throw you a welcome home party and invite everypony?” Pinkie asked her eyes growing bigger and bigger at each passing second.

“Not tonight, please. I just got home. I need to relax,” Did her hair just deflate? “Don’t worry, Pinkie, we can have a party. Just not tonight.”

“Okee dokee lokee!”

“Well, well, guardian now?” Twilight smiled at Aiden, “So you’ll be living here?”

“For a while, yes,” Aiden laughed nervously, “Do you know of any place I can stay?”

“There’s the hotel. Forest stayed when he first got here.”

“Where does he live now?” Aiden asked.

“I live in Sweet Apple Acres, in a clubhouse,” I grinned, but when Aiden gave me a strange look I got a little annoyed, “It’s nice and cosy, okay?”

“Of course it is,” Aiden replied humouring me.

Ahem! I heard a cough behind me. Turning around, I saw Applebloom there. She gave me a look.

“Now?” I whispered.

“Yep,” She replied stifling a giggle.

“But… now?”

“Forest, you promised,” She pouted.

“But everypony’s watching…” I said to her in a hushed tone.

“We made a deal!”

She was right. Slowly, I stood up and pushed Pinkie to one side. She looked at me slightly confused as I walked towards Applejack, who was pacifying a visibly shaken Fluttershy.

“Uh… Applejack… can I talk to you for a moment?”

She turned to look at me, and her face exploded in a bright pink hue. It didn’t help. I could also feel my face heating up at the same time. Why was she acting like this? It was so awkward!

“Sure, Forest. I don’t mind,” She said barely meeting my eyes.

I felt a nudge on my flank. Applebloom grinned at me and nodded.

“I was… wondering… would you… like to… go out some time?” My cheeks felt like they are were on fire! I felt the blood flood my face. Why was this so embarrassing?

Applejack didn’t say anything. As our eyes met again my face exploded again! This was too much. Maybe it had something to do with the near-death experience coupled with the relief of being able to stay here…

Applejack looked into my eyes, “Forest?”

“Yes?” I answered nervously.

“Why didn’t you tell me who you were? Didn’t you trust us? Didn’t you trust me?”

“Of course I trust you, Applejack! I trust you all, more than anything. I didn’t want you to get in trouble. If you had been caught helping me and for some reason things didn’t go the way they did today, I didn’t want you to get hurt. I’m sorry for not telling you who I was.”

“You still shoulda told us, Forest,” Applejack looked away again. Oh my god! Too cute… wait! What’s going on with me? “You’re our friend.”

I was dumbstruck. She was right! And there was nothing I could say.

“You know what? No. I don’t want to go out with you,” Her words stung so much. A part of me felt that I should have been relieved, but no, her words really hurt. She turned and marched away leaving me feeling rather stupid.

Applebloom was also visibly shocked.

“Well, it looks like your sister doesn’t want to go out with me tomorrow, Applebloom,” I sighed, why was it still hurting so much?

“I’m sorry, Forest. I didn’t think she’d be that upset.”

“I’ll go out with you, Forest!” Pinkie said, “We can dance, bake and party!”

The awkward embarrassing feeling I had evaporated the moment Pinkie opened her mouth, “Sure, Pinkie. Why not?”

“Great! So… what do we do?”

“I guess we could…” I was cut off by an angry looking Mare who literally walked right up to me and pressed her face against mine.

“And where have you been?”

“Lavenderhoof! I’m so sorry, I completely forgot about our training…” Give me a break, I’ve already have a shitty day as it was.

“No excuses! We’ve got a huge race in nine days, and we need to be in tip-top shape! We need to teach you how to swim properly! Tomorrow, at dawn, the lake, understand?”

“But…”

“Understand?” She growled.

Wow, she was vicious, “Okay, okay. I promise.”

She whipped around and walked off in a huff.

“Sorry, Pinkie, maybe we can get dinner?” I asked, “After my training?”

“That sounds like fun!” Pinkie grinned, “Then I’ll meet you at the lake after your training?”

“Sure. Are you going to see Brian now?”

“Yep, I’ll see you tomorrow, Forest,” And with that Pinkie bounced away.

I smirked at her. Pinkie was so ridiculous.

“Forest! That’s not fair!” Applebloom moaned, “You can’t go on a date with Pinkie!”

“We’re not going on a date, we’re just having dinner.”

“That’s a date, you dunce!” Applebloom shook her head, “You really know nothing.”

I was about to reply when I was cut off by Rarity. If I had thought Applejack was pissed, Rarity was beyond mad. She walked right up to me and started going on a tirade about how I caused the tower to fall, and that it was my fault.

“I allergic to magic,” I said after she calmed down a bit, “That’s the problem; I can’t use or have magic used on me. So, I’m immune to spells – to some extent.”

“Yes, yes, I know. Twilight said that you were in agony last night,” Rarity rolled her eyes, “But you seem to be fine now.”

“Well, I have a good recovery rate, I guess. And besides, I had some of the finest doctors in Canterlot examine me.”

“Speaking of finest, Twilight said that you went and ate The Lunar Sun, is this true?”

Wow, talking about switching subjects, “Yes…”

“And?”

“And… what?” I asked, not knowing what she was asking.

“How was it?”

“The food was good, the ambiance was nice, but I think that it was the company that made it enjoyable. Why?” I tilted my head to one side, “What’s wrong?”

“I can’t believe that Twilight took you to the finest restaurant in Canterlot! I haven’t been there yet.” She pouted.

“Well, she did feel really bad about what happened to me, so I guess it was her way of saying sorry. I’m sure that she’ll take you the next time.”

Rarity’s eyes widened open as she looked past me. I turned around and saw Spike trying to not look in our direction. After a few more seconds of this, he summoned enough courage to come over, “Hi, Rarity,” He mumbled.

“Hello, Spike. How have you been?”

Spike smiled. He looked at Rarity with so much affection in those eyes that I began to feel warm and fuzzy on the inside, “I’ve been fine. Yourself?”

“I’ve had better days,” Rarity could not meet Spike’s eyes. I couldn’t blame her, I could barely stand it as well, and he wasn’t even looking at me. Her face slowly started turning pinker and pinker as the silence between them grew. Eventually she could take it no more, “Excuse me, Spike.”

Rarity walked away, “Eyes over here, Spike,” I said quietly.

Spike turned to me grinning nervously, “Sorry.”

We both shared a short laugh. Applebloom was still fuming away behind me.

“What’s wrong, Applebloom?” Spike asked.

“Forest said that he’d ask my sister out…”

“I did! She said no, remember?”

“Then he asked Pinkie out.” Applebloom continued over me without listening.

“I didn’t ask her out!” I protested.

“You asked her to go with you for dinner, that’s askin’ her out,” Applebloom stated angrily.

She was right, but she was wrong!

“Now, go and apologize to Applejack. She was really worried about you, Forest,” Applebloom shook her head, “She’s just angry that you didn’t come to her when you needed a friend.”

Oh man, did I feel guilty or what? She was right! What was wrong with me?

“Fluttershy,” I walked over to her, “Can you please help me?”

“Oh…” She squeaked, her voice getting really quiet.

“Please, I need you to help me find Applejack. I need to tell her I’m sorry,” I smiled at her, “You said you were really good and hide-n-seek, right? I need your expertise.”

Fluttershy raised her head and looked at me, “Okay.”

Saving her life was probably a large contributing factor for her wanting to help me, “Lead on!” I grinned.

And we were off.

“Forest! Wait!” Aiden shouted, but I ignored him.

Fluttershy led me to the center of town before zipping straight up into the air. There she held her altitude, turning around. I guess that was how she found me so many times, I never looked up! I made a mental note for the next time. Then she descended gently in front of me, “She’s heading towards the hospital.”

“Thank you, Fluttershy.” And I was off.

“Applejack!” I called. She paused, turned to see who it was, but when she saw me, she continued walking away, “Applejack, wait! Please!”

“I’m not talkin’ to you, Forest,” She said looking away from me.

“Please, Applejack, I’m sorry. Really, I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings. I just wanted to protect you,” Was I… begging?

She stopped and whipped around on me, “That ain’t a reason to not ask us for help, Forest. Especially me.”

At once I knew that I had gone too far. She was right, I should have trusted them. I should have come straight to them. They had trusted me completely without question from the very beginning, going out of their way to help me at every step of the way. Originally I had thought that by not getting them involved with my shenanigans they wouldn’t be accountable for me actions, but I didn’t see it from their side. I had betrayed them. Even if I had wanted to protect them, I was being selfish.

“You’re right,” I looked down at her hooves, “I had just wanted to protect you all, but in the end all I did was cause you all headaches and grief. If I had come straight to you…”

I looked up at Applejack.

“It’s alright, Forest,” She sighed, “I forgive ya, just don’t let it happen again.”

“And… about taking you out…”

“I overheard your deal with Applebloom,” Applejack said looking away, “I was headin’ back to the library to wait for Rarity when I overheard you two talkin’.”

My face burned with embarrassment, “To be honest, Applejack, I would really like to take you out for dinner sometime, on me. Not as a deal with your little sister, but as a thank you for everything you have done for me.”

“So… not like a date, just going out as friends?”

The way she said it made it sound so… un-climactic. Did she really want to go on a date with me?

“Well, if you want… then a date does sound like a lot of fun,” I grinned.

The way her eyes lit up… oh my god! She really did like me! Relax, Forest. Relax. Deep breaths.

“Well, tomorrow I’ve got swimming lessons with Lavenderhoof – for the big race, and after that I promised Pinkie I’d take her out for dinner. As a friend, not a date,” I cut in before she got the wrong idea, “But I’m free now…”

“It’s kind of last minute, don’t ya think?” Applejack asked, tilting her head to one side, “I mean, there’s really nothin’ goin’ on tonight.”

“What about… what about Sweetie Belle’s singing? Applebloom says she’s the best. After that… we can grab dinner somewhere.”

“Well, why not! I haven’t seen Sweetie Belle sing in some time. But first, I’ve got to drop by and visit Rainbow and her dad. You wanna come?”

“I would love to, but I want to get these things off my face,” I said gesturing to the pieces of bark still stuck to my head.

“Oh, that? Just go and soak your head in hot water. Sticky-berry juice will wash right out.”

“Then, I’ll go home and get ready, then I’ll meet you at this hospital?”

“Sounds good, I’ll see you there,” Applejack turned and walked away. I waited till she was a good distance away before turning the opposite direction and headed for Sweet Apple Acres. For some strange reason I was actually really excited!

On the way, I ran into Applebloom walking back home as well.

“Hi, Applebloom.”

“Hi, Forest. Where’d you go? And why’re you so happy?” She asked.

“Hm? Am I happy?” I was. I had a huge grin on my face.

Applebloom stopped, “You’re actin’ mighty strange.”

“I am?” I tried to stop having that huge smiled, but I couldn’t.

“You’re really strange, Forest,” Applebloom shook her head and we walked together the rest of the way making small talk.

As soon as I reached, I ran to the barn and started washing myself with hot water. The Sticky-Berry goo turned into a blue-colored sludge and that washed off me quite quickly and easily. A strong scent of berry exploded in the bathroom. After a few more minutes, the bark on the sides of my head and my face came loose! Free at last!

Clean, and ready, I started my trek back towards Ponyville and towards the hospital.

On the way I spotted Aiden and Twilight at the local café.

“Hey, you two,” I said walking up to them.

“Forest, there you are! You need to wear this.” He handed me a large circular object, “It’s a magic absorber. If you get hit by magic, instead of strange and maybe dangerous reactions taking place, this bracelet will absorb the magic. Of course, it won’t absorb it all.”

I stared at it confusedly for a moment.

“It goes on your hoof…”

“I knew that,” I put it on my wrist – or its equivalent.

“How does it feel?” Twilight asked,

“Hot. It’s burning… ow!” I tried to pull it off, but it didn’t budge.

“Aiden, what’s wrong?”

“I don’t know! This hasn’t happened before!” Aiden leapt off his chair and over to me and tried to pull the bracelet off. He let it go suddenly, “Ow! That’s hot!”

“Okay! Okay, it’s starting to subside. The pain is going away.”

“Sorry, Forest, I didn’t know that would happen…” Aiden stated looking at the bracelet. It had shrunk in size and was tightly gripping the area just above my hoof.

Aiden poured some cold water on it. It helped a little bit.

“Shall we test it?” Aiden asked.

“Test it? As in, you cast magic at me?”

Aiden nodded.

“Why do I not feel like that’s a good idea?” I moaned.

We walked away from the café and towards an open space near the library. Twilight stayed behind Aiden and I gulped as he cast a spell at me. In retrospect, Aiden was probably the better choice out of the two considering his magic was not as strong as Twilight’s, but I still would have preferred Twilight testing the magic out. The magic hit me and my wrist burned! But not as badly as before, but I could definitely feel the heat.

“So?” Aiden asked.

“A slight burn, but nothing I can’t handle,” I shouted back, “Try a little bit stronger spell?”

Aiden cast another spell, this one as little bigger and brighter than the previous one. As soon as it hit me, the bracelet burned again, but nothing like the first time.

Walking back to Twilight and Aiden, I nodded, “It hurts a bit, but nothing like the first time. What does it do, anyway? I know that it absorbs the magic, then what?”

“Nothing. The bracelet will absorb magic and slowly dissipate it over time. Just to prevent it from harming you, and others.” Twilight grinned, “It’s something that I made for you.”

“A present, for me? Thank you!”

“Are you being sarcastic?” Twilight asked pouting a little.

We all laughed.

“You don’t know how glad I am to get that out of the way,” I sighed.

“Forest, why is such a big deal to you? To prove that you’re not human, you’ve been extremely defensive about it right from the start.”

Again, I had to admit it. Twilight was really brilliant. She would be a great detective.

“I don’t know,” I shrugged, “It might have something to do with the… tension, I suppose. You did say that Brian being here really upset Princess Celestia, so maybe I didn’t want to get on the Princesses’ bad side?”

“I guess that makes sense,” Twilight looked at Aiden, “What do you think?”

“No clue. As far as Princess Celestia is concerned, you’re still considered dangerous. I’m here to protect the citizens from you, and you from yourself.”

“Why you?” I asked.

“My not-so-weak magic,” Aiden said without shame, “I guess in a way my accident has become a blessing in disguise. Strong magic will kill you, weak magic won’t harm you. My magic might be enough to do neither.”

“Okay, I got to go, I’ve got to… meet somepony,” I grinned and started to walk away.

“Who are you meeting?” Twilight asked, trotting up next to me.

“Applejack,” I said, surprisingly my face felt hot when I said her name, “I’m meeting her at the hospital now.”

“Great! I’ll walk with you,” Twilight turned back to Aiden, “I’ll see you later, Aiden?”

“Probably not, but if I have time I will stop by the library,” With that Aiden turned and walked away.

“Does he seem… angry?” I asked.

“I think so. I just don’t understand him. He’s always so friendly in the café in Canterlot, but I heard that during the Changeling invasion he and two of his friends were badly wounded defending the Canterlot nursery,” Twilight sighed, “Nopony knew there were still fillies in there, and Aiden stood his ground against all odds.”

“It’s hard to imagine,” War in Equestria? Just couldn’t picture it.

Our walk to the hospital consisted of me replaying the events of my idiocy. Twilight laughed at my description of ‘attacking the hospital’ and how Fluttershy could find me no matter how clever I thought I was at hiding. We reached the hospital during the late evening, and walked up the stairs to Brian’s private room.

Twilight explained to me that Brian had special privileges given to him courtesy of Princess Celestia. One of those was that his daughter, Rainbow Dash, got to live with him in the hospital. That suited everypony just fine. Rainbow usually used the window to come and go instead of the door to do her weather duties, which was strange – she was rich and famous now, she didn’t need to. Twilight had a theory that Rainbow only performed these duties as an excuse to stay in Ponyville.

“Why would she need an excuse to stay?” I asked.

“You have to understand that there’s more to Brian that him just bring a human. In his world, we were something called a ‘cartoon’,” She explained to me what cartoons were, and how that he had grown to love the show over time. How a grown man like him did that was beyond me, but who was I to judge? “Anyway, the reason why Dashie stays in Ponyville is because of Brian’s love for this town because of that show.”

“I see.” It made perfect sense, “Have you seen the show?”

Twilight shook her head, “I wouldn’t want to.”

“Neither would I,” I replied as we stopped outside of Brian’s room.

“Are you coming in?” Twilight asked.

“Not this time,” I replied.

Twilight didn’t press me, and I secretly thanked her for that. As Twilight walked in, I saw Applejack sitting on a sofa in front of the door. She looked over at me, and smiled.

“Well, I’ll be goin’ now,” Applejack said standing up.

“Enjoy your date,” Brian’s voice stated.

My face exploded as soon as I heard that, and Applejack’s did as well, “T-t-thank you,” She replied avoiding my gaze.

The fact that she acknowledged it was a date made me almost die with embarrassment.

“Forest! Get in here!” Brian shouted.

I gulped, and walked in. “H-hello…” I said quietly.

“I heard you were making a nuisance out of yourself earlier today,” Brian was sitting on his bed, his arm had drip in it. Rainbow was lying on the bed with him, her head on his shoulder, and a book in his hands. It was clear they were reading it together.

“I was,” I replied, “Sorry about that.”

“Are you kidding? Thanks for the distraction!” Brian laughed, “I would keep away from Nurse Redheart for a while, though. Once she found out it was you… well, let’s just say she’s not very pleased.”

“Thanks for the warning,” I replied.

“Okay, you two. Have a good time,” Brian then turned his attention to his daughter, “Where were we?”

“We were when Daring Do got caught…” Rainbow’s voice continued excitedly as I left the room with Applejack.

“That was… nice,” I said stopping outside the door as Applejack closed it, “He wasn’t… he didn’t…” It was hard finding the right words. I was overwhelmed by his friendliness.

“Forest, Brian doesn’t care anymore. All he wants is to spend as much time as he can with Rainbow. As long as he can do that, then I’m sure he’s happy with you bein’ a friend.”

Even Brian was supporting me now. The more they believed me the more of a scumbag I was becoming. Lying to them was wrong, there was no denying that, and the fact that they still accepted me for who I was made just killed me.

“Are you okay, Forest?” Applejack asked, “We can postpone…”

“No! No. Sorry, it’s just… I’ve been overwhelmed. A lot has happened to do. I’ve had more close-calls than I can count, and if there is one thing I need it’s to have a little fun.” I smiled at her, “So, let’s go. And if possible, avoid Nurse Redheart.”

Applejack grinned, “Well, then let’s head t’wards the theatre.”

As we descended the stairs, we ran straight into Nurse Redheart.

“Forest!” She screamed in fury, “Get back here!”

Applejack laughed and pulled me along with her and out the front door of the hospital.

“Sorry!” I yelled.

Nurse Redheart was not amused, but she probably had other things to do because she turned back into the hospital.

Applejack stopped after a while, and we shared a laugh again.

“Whew. That was close.” I commented.

“You know you’re gonna have to apologize to her, right?” Applejack said, pausing her laughter for the moment.

“I know. But right now, let’s just enjoy the evening.”

We walked and talked back to Ponyville. Applejack told me about Twilight regaling her version of our ‘date’ (which I explained wasn’t really a date), how we went to the club and the fight with the angry Pegasus in Aiden’s café.

“Sounds like you had a really swell time.”

“It was fun. But it was also nice to get to know Twilight, she’s really smart, but something tells me she’s awkward around others…”

“You have no idea!” Applejack giggled and she proceeded to tell me about their first time meeting one another, and the first few months when Twilight was still learning about herself and what it meant to be a good friend, and then she told me about how each of them in turn learnt the true value of friendship towards one another.

“You guys are more like sisters than friends now,” I said, “But then that brings me to another question. When I first arrived, you guys accepted me practically without any hesitation. You’ve gone even as far as giving me a place to live. Why?”

“I dunno. I just like helpin’ others,” Applejack smiled, “And not to cause offense, you did look kinda pathetic when you first arrived.”

“W-what? Pathetic?”

Applejack just laughed at my expense. What could I do, whether or not she was serious, she had become a real good friend to me.

The sun was setting over the horizon by the time we arrived in front of the theatre. A lot of Ponies were standing in a line. Everypony there was staring at me and Applejack, grinning and whispering amongst each other.

“Methinks we’re the talk of the town,” I said leaning in and whispering in Applejack’s ear.

She laughed, “It’s a small town. Things like this spread really quickly.”

I had tried to buy tickets for the show, but a grinning Scootaloo just let us go in for free. We sat near the middle – the theatre wasn’t that full and there were plenty of empty seats, but it seemed that everypony sat in such a way as to get a clear view of us, rather than the stage.

“I feel… slightly exposed…” I whispered to Applejack.

She held back a laugh, “I’m so sorry, Forest. I had no idea it’d be this weird.”

As the lights faded, we turned the stage. There a spotlight beamed down on Sweetie Belle. She coughed, and inhaled some air then started to sing. I have never heard anything so beautiful in my life. If angels were singing, Sweetie Belle would put them to shame. Her voice was pitch-perfect, and she sang with pure emotion that you could not help but get enveloped by her music.

When she finished, I had to give her a standing ovation. Applejack had the same idea and stood up and stomped on the ground. It looked like fun, so I did so as well.

“Thank you, thank you. You’ve been a terrific audience. And now…” Sweetie Belle grinned, “A special song for two special love-birds.”

My hooves literally froze in mid-air, as did Applejack’s. We both looked at each other and sat down feeling somewhat strange being the center of attention.

“I’m so sorry, Forest,” Applejack whispered, “I didn’t think that this’d happen.”

“N-n-no harm done… just – er – feels strange…” I waved to some Ponies staring at us grinning. A few waved back.

Sweetie Belle began her song. It was even more beautiful than the last one. Her voice carried with it a sense of hope, happiness, and warmth. It felt inspirational and exciting, tender and caring at the same time. She really did have a special talent when it came to music.

When she was done with ‘our’ song, Applejack literally dragged me away before anypony had the chance to stop us. Outside, Scootaloo giggled at us, “Enjoy the show?”

“Very much,” I replied, “Thank Sweetie Belle for me…”

Applejack nudged me, “What you wanna eat?”

“That’s something I should ask you,” I replied.

We walked towards Ponyville, most of everything was already closed and the only place that was open was Sugarcube Corner. So we headed there.

As we entered, Mr and Mrs Cake instantly showed us to a table. There was a little bit of tension between the Cakes and us, for some reason, but that quickly evaporated. Pinkie arrived halfway through the meal and joined us. At first I had thought that Applejack would have gotten annoyed with her friend, considering that this was supposed to be a date, but she welcomed Pinkie without so much as a peep.

Pinkie was telling us about Rainbow and Brian reading Daring Do, apparently a character from a series of books, and Brian would read the part of the villains, while Dashie would read the part of Daring Do herself! It was amazing how excitable Pinkie could get over the simplest of things. After dinner, it was a real struggle to get the Cakes to accept payment! They insisted it was on the house, but Applejack would not accept that and I couldn’t let her pay. In the end, we played along with them then left the money on the table when we left. When Mr Cake tried to chase us and give us back the bits, we quickly ran down alleys and lost track of him.

We ended up near Carousel Boutique, and standing on the bridge next to it was a purple dragon.

“Spike?” Applejack asked walking up to him, “Are you okay?”

“Oh, hi Applejack,” He saw me behind her, “Hi Forest, glad that everything’s worked out for you.”

“What are you doing here, guy?” I asked, trying to sound friendly.

“I was going to talk to Rarity, and explain that I will be going,” Spike looked at us, “For a short while. I need to. It’s been really awkward here and I think I need to get some time away to think.”

“Have you told Twilight?” Applejack sat next to Spike.

Spike nodded, “She insisted that I talk to Rarity first, which is why I’m here…”

“Spike, you can’t go. You’re part of our family,” Applejack said gently.

“I know. I’m not going because I want to leave, Applejack. I need to find out who I am. I’ve spend years serving as Twilight’s assistant, but I want more for myself. I want to discover who I really am. I can’t do that here.”

“Where will you go?” I asked.

Spike looked at me, “North, that is Dragon country. Who knows?”

“Tell you what, Spike, why don’t you give it some time and think about this. Till after the big race at the end of the month. If you’re still dead-set on leaving then… I’ll go with you,” I didn’t meet Applejack’s eyes when I said that.

“Really?” Spike asked, “You’d come with me?”

“That’s what friends are for,” And I found that I actually meant those words, “So, think about it long and hard for the next week.”

“Thanks, Forest. I appreciate it. And I’m sorry about before…”

“Water under the bridge, no apology necessary,” I patted him on his back.

Applejack waited till he had gone a ways before talking to me, “Will you really leave with him, Forest?”

“If he does decide to go, then I will. But I doubt he would. He has the biggest crush on Rarity, the longer he stays the weaker his resolve will be,” I smirked and leaned in closer, “Why? You planning on following me?”

Applejack blushed. Even in the dark, I could see her cheeks getting rosy.

I found myself unable to react to the situation, so I leaned away and felt bashful too. Me! Bashful! Ha! But, I was. I really, really was. It didn’t help that she had such a tender smile.

“Let’s go somewhere more… private,” Applejack suddenly said.

My face exploded again. That was happening a lot with her. She blushed too seeing my reaction, but she pointed with her hoof behind us. There were at least three Ponies ‘hiding’.

“Really?” I asked no one in particular.

“Follow me!” Applejack was already bolting away.

Not to brag, but for someone with my speed it was not difficult to keep up, and we both headed away from Ponyville. Our pursuers gave chase for a while – there were a lot more of them than I had originally thought, but we lost them fairly quickly and found ourselves near the lake.

“I’m sorry, Forest. I don’t know what’s gotten into them,” Applejack sighed, “They never were like this before with other Ponies I dated.”

“You’ve dated a lot before?” I asked walking towards the shore of the lake and letting the water wash over my hooves.

“Now, I don’t want to sound mean, but there ain’t much of a selection here. My cousins from all over are always tellin’ me I ought to come visit them and find that special somepony, but I’ve… I’ve never had time,” Applejack joined me in the water. She shuddered from the cold.

“Well, now you have all the time in the world,” I said looking up at her.

The moon’s glow bounced off the water’s surface, and the shimmering effect seemed to twinkle in Applejack’s eyes. Strangely, I felt really attracted to her. Why? Because I was a human-fucking-being! She was a Pony! She was just a… no, she wasn’t just a Pony. She was a kind, honest, gentle, caring individual, and I was a lying sack of shit. She didn’t deserve me, she deserved someone better. Someone who could appreciate her for the kind of Pony she is.

She must have caught me staring because she coughed and looked the other way.

“I do have a lot of time, thanks to you and that harvester you made!” Applejack laughed, “It’s so good my brother can do half the farm by himself in one day!”

It was starting to get weird again, so I did the only thing I could think of; I splashed her. She let out a high pitched squeal as the cold water landed on her.

“Yer gonna pay for that!” Applejack laughed, and started soaking me with the freezing water.

Not wanting to get anymore wet than I already was, I intercepted her hoof by grabbing it. She struggled to get herself free from my grip, but my rear leg slipped on something and I fell forwards pushing her down into the shallow water.

She looked up at me, her eyes staring into mine. My heart began to race. Her lips… were so close. I started to lean forwards, and she started to close her eyes.

“Ow!” I said and looked at my wrist.

“Ow?” Applejack asked, confused.

My bracelet felt really hot again, and then it began to glow.

“What’s going on?” I asked, staring at it. The bracelet’s glow got brighter and brighter, until I could no longer look at it.

“Are you okay, Forest?” Applejack asked, looking at me in surprise.

“I don’t know!” I shouted. What was happening?

The bracelet was making the wind around us spin like a weak tornado, but I still had to shout in order to be heard. Then, it fired a beacon of light straight up into the sky.

We stared at it in surprise, looking straight up the bright light.

“There you are!” Aiden said running over to us, behind him followed half the town.

As soon as we saw them, Applejack and I quickly stood up and moved two paces away from each other.

“Wha-what happened?” I asked as Aiden took my arm (or leg) and placed his horn on the bracelet. As soon as he did, the light cut off.

“They said that you were missing, or lost,” Aiden gestured to the townsfolk, “So, I used the signal spell on the bracelet to find you.”

“I have a signal spell on this thing?” I asked annoyed.

Aiden shrugged, “You didn’t let me explain how it worked! You were such in a hurry to get to your date that you utterly ignored me.”

I snuck a peek at Applejack who was now talking to several other Ponies, who were obviously asking her really embarrassing questions considering how she was acting.

“I’m so sorry to have ruined your date, Forest. It’s just they made it sound as if you were in a lot of trouble,” Aiden muttered, “But the biggest culprit of them all is…”

“Me. I was just worried, okay?” Twilight muttered, “I had no idea it was going to be such an obvious signal.”

“Why are you dressed like that?” I asked. Twilight was dressed in dark pants, and shirt that covered her entire body.

“Well… I was… keeping an eye on Spike when you two showed up on the bridge. He had been standing there for nearly an hour. After you left, he went home and… I followed you. To my surprise, I wasn’t the only one.”

“Indeed.”

Applejack walked over to me, “Well, it’s been fun, Forest. But I think I’ll go home now.”

“I’ll come with you. After all, I do live next door.”

We both laughed at that, and all of us, including half the population of Ponyville headed back towards the town. As we returned, the others went about their business, Aiden walked Twilight back to the library, and Applejack and I headed back to Sweet Apple Acres.

We walked back in silence, not really knowing what to say.

“I had a lot of fun tonight.”

“Me too,” Applejack blushed, “Don’t forget to dry yerself this time, k?”

“Aw, you don’t want to soak me in an ice-bath again?” I laughed.

“As fun as that was, it’s a waste of perfectly good ice,” Applejack countered.

“Ouch.” I replied laughing, she was pretty good at dishing it.

“Forest, can I ask you somethin’ that’s been botherin’ me?”

“Of course.”

“Who’s Tutela?”

My heart froze, “What?”

“Tutela? Who is she?” Applejack looked at me, “You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

“That name sounds really familiar,” I lied, “Where did you hear it?”

“When you were sick and delirious, you asked me if I was Tutela.”

I did not remember that at all, “I’m sorry, but I just can’t recall…”

“Well, let me know if you do remember, it’s been bothering me for the longest time.”

As we walked up the driveway to her house, we spotted Applebloom sitting on the rocking chair, her eyes wide open and huge smile across her face. She jumped off the chair without saying a word, gave me the biggest wink I’d ever seen, and went into the house closing the door behind her.

It would have been a cute gesture, but the three Apples were peeking at us from the living room by pushing the curtain aside. It was rather comical seeing the three of them staring at us expecting something.

“So… good night?”

“Good night, Forest.” Applejack turned to go in, “We should do this again.”

“Anytime.”

And she closed the door behind me. I thought I heard Applebloom shout ‘why didn’t you kiss him!’ but I was a little too distracted by the embarrassment I had felt from the lake. I really was going to kiss her, there was absolutely no doubt it. I had actually wanted to. Still did.

Sitting on the sofa, I stared at the laptop still hanging on the door. I was in no mood to talk to Tutela, because I was exhausted. Learning from my previous mistake, I took the towel and dried my soaking wet body before grabbing a blanket and draping it over myself on the sofa.

“Good night, Tutela,” I whispered, then blew out the candle and drifted off.

It was good to be back home.

Day 12: Broken Hearts and Apples

“Wake up!” A loud voice shouted in my face.

“Wha- huh?” I asked raising my head from my pillow in surprise, “Waz goin’ on?”

“Dawn, Forest! Dawn is what’s going on! It’s now thirty minutes past dawn, and you’re not where you should be!” An angry Pony poked me in the chest.

“Lavenderhoof?” I asked as my eyes adjusted to the light. It was indeed past dawn, “Oh! I’m sorry, I completely overslept.”

“I can see that,” Lavenderhoof watched me as I got off the sofa.

Just then a loud noise came from the front of the house as Applejack walked in pushing past Lavenderhoof, “I told ya, I was comin’ to wake him.”

“I waited for you for nearly ten minutes! What were you doing in the bathroom for so long anyway? Putting on your makeup? We don’t have time!” Lavenderhoof argued, “The race is in less than two weeks, and he can barely do a doggy-paddle!”

“Mornin’ Applejack,” I said walking over to her flashing my best smile.

She looked at me, and giggled, “Mornin’.”

Was it just me, or did she look absolutely beautiful? My mind stopped working when I saw that smile. We both stood there looking at each other for a long moment grinning stupidly. I was content; it felt good just to stand near her.

“Come on!” Lavenderhoof shoved me out the door, “You can act all lovey-dovey later…”

As I was being pushed away from the clubhouse, I turned my head back and saw Applejack standing on the little porch staring after me. She waved shyly. Gah! My heart! It was too cute! All I could do was smile in return. It was impossible for me to take my eyes off of her. Last night’s events kept popping up in my head, but more specifically that near-kiss we shared. My face again felt like it was burning as I felt the blood flood my cheeks. Applejack must have thought of the same thing because I could tell her cheeks were rosier too.

“Okay, okay! I’ll walk!” I shouted after being dragged a few more meters. I didn’t want Applejack to see me blush. But I just stood there and turned slowly to sneak another peak at her.

Lavenderhoof nudged me, “Come on!”

That snapped me out of my reverie. As we trotted down the trail between the apple trees towards the main road, I snuck one more peek. She was still standing there watching me. At the road, I followed Lavenderhoof to the right and we headed towards the hill that overlooked the lake. The trip to the lake took no time as she was all about business and made me run. She seemed to forget that running for me wasn’t an issue, but I humored her.

When we arrived at the lake, Scootaloo was there lying on her belly under a beach umbrella stuck into the sand. She had bright pink sunglasses that were twice the size of her head. She sat up when she saw me, “Had a good night?” She grinned.

It didn’t take a genius to know what she was implying, “Nothing like that happened, okay?”

“Really? Aw, that’s too bad,” Scootaloo roared in laughter, slapping her knee.

“Why is that so funny?” I asked.

“Because I had a bet with Sweetie Belle that you’d be too shy,” Scootaloo grinned.

“Don’t you mares have anything better to do?”

“It’s not my fault you’re such a wimp,” Scootaloo roared in laughter again.

“Can I learn to swim now, please?” I asked turning to Lavenderhoof.

I could tell she was holding herself back from bursting out in laughter as well. “Okay, get into the water. We’ll start with some basics.”

“Thanks, Lavenderhoof…”

“Just call me Lavender, or even Lav. La-ven-der-hoof takes too long,” She said, stressing out each syllable in her name.

“Okay, Lavender,” I smiled, “Thanks for doing this.”

“It isn’t for you, okay? So don’t get the wrong idea. It’s for the race. No nonsense and no lovey-dovey-ness understand? I’m not going to be another marefriend. I’m not here to play games.”

“Yes, ma’am,” I saluted, “Wait, what? Marefriend?”

She ignored my question, “Good. Now, get your flank into the water!”

The water was still freezing; I shuddered the moment my hooves got wet. Lavender walked by me and deeper so that her entire body was submerged except her neck, and head, “Come here!” She shouted when I didn’t move.

Standing in the same depth, I saw her stick her hooves out.

“We’ll start with some kicks,” She stated.

I grabbed her hooves with mine and kicked. Easily enough, I suppose.

“Kick harder!” She coached. So I did. “Harder!” She yelled. “Stop kicking like a little colt and kick like a Stallion!”

She asked for it.

Lowering my head, I kicked as fast and as hard as I could. Somewhere I heard Scootaloo yelp as a wave of water hit her.

“Forest!” Lavender shouted above the din of my splashing, “Stop! Forest!”

By the time I did, I realized that I had pushed Lavender backwards quite a distance. She was treading water near the middle of the lake with me instantly starting to sink. “H-how’d we get out here?” I shouted trying hard to tread water.

Lavender was just laughing, “You might not be able to swim yet, but if you can do that in the race we’ll win for sure!”

Scootaloo hovered above me, and threw a floatation ring, “That was impressive, Forest!”

“Yay! I did good!” I rolled my eyes at my own joke as I put myself through the lifesaver.

The two girls laughed at me, “Well, your kicks are fine. We just need to teach you how to keep your head above the water now.”

They made me paddle my way back to the shore. In a way, I wished that I could have used the floatation device during the race but obviously that wasn’t allowed.

For the next several hours both Lavender and Scootaloo tried to teach me how to keep my head above the water, but no matter what I did my head would always start to sink. It was strange considering that I was able to tread above water without a problem. The moment I started moving forwards though…

“Okay! Enough! I need a break,” Lavender muttered in disgust.

“Hi everypony!” A sing-song voice sang out from behind me.

“Hi, Sweetie Belle,” Scootaloo sighed, “How’s singing practice?”

“Oh, it’s nice. Kinda boring, though. How’s the swimming?” Sweetie Belle asked looking at Lavenderhoof towelling her mane in anger, “That bad, huh?”

I shrugged, “Can’t seem to keep my head up out of the water.”

“Well, maybe some lunch will help. I’ve brought goûters! Rarity made them,” She picked up a small picnic hamper from off her back and placed it on the ground. Inside were delicious cakes, pastries and a flask of red liquid that smelt like berries.

I picked out a simple croissant filled with chocolate. The warm chocolate didn’t overpower the dough, and the dough complemented the chocolate. It was the perfect temperature for a voracious Pony like me.

“Wow,” I stated, visibly stunned. Equestrian food was friggin’ awesome! Even though it was all vegetarian, it was amazing. There was no possible way I could ever get sick of this kind of food.

Lavenderhoof took one of the croissants and finished the entire thing off in one bite. She munched away angrily to herself, no doubt frustrated by my lack of progress. I wanted to say something to sooth her, to let her know that I was really trying but seeing her chew like that made me decide that it was probably better to let her cool off on her own.

“Hiya,” A familiar voice said behind. I turned around, and my face must have lit up because Applejack blushed when she saw me, “Came to check on you. You doin’ well?”

Standing up, I walked over to her, “Not good I’m afraid, as you can plainly tell.”

Applejack’s eyes followed the direction of my hoof pointing at a visibly irate Lavenderhoof. She paused long enough to glare at me before resuming her munching.

“Aren’t ya gonna kiss her, Forest?” Applebloom asked. I hadn’t noticed her for some reason.

“W-w-w-w-w-what?” That question literally came out of nowhere.

“Applebloom!” Applejack exclaimed.

“Aw, come on! You know you want to…”

My mind was a blank.

“Aw. He’s blushing!” Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle taunted, giggling and rolling over themselves.

“Sorry-Applejack-gotta-practice-more-in-the-water-kay-bye…” I blurted as fast as I could before sprinting into the water as fast as I could go. My cheeks were burning.

All that served to do was humiliate me more as now Applebloom joined the laughing hysteria. I sunk my entire body save for my head under the water.

Hey! I was… I was floating! What? What was going on? I really was floating on the water! I did a double check to make sure my legs were not standing on anything and if I really was floating. Sure enough, the bottom of the lake was a good foot belong me. Not wanting to jinx it, I started to slowly kick. Still floating! No problems thus far. Maybe if I kick a little harder…

“Go!” I heard a shout from the beach.

Pinkie! I grinned, and I did exactly that. If my head could stay above the water’s surface, then there was no problem.

“Go! Go, go, go!” Pinkie shouted going nuts. Where did she get those pom-poms?

In no time I was across the lake, and standing on the opposite beach! Oh yeah! I reared up, and flashed a wide smile, “Oh yeah!” I shouted as loud as I could, totally caught up in the moment.

Then, not to forget the feeling, I charged the water and… no problem! I could swim! Well, I could float and use my legs like an outboard motor, but it was like swimming and that’s what mattered. As I returned, Lavenderhoof bounced around in jubilation, the three younger Ponies patted me on the back, and Applejack gave me a beaming smile. That was the best.

“Forest! Forest! Omigosh! Did you see? Did you see? Of course you saw, but I mean did you see what I saw? You were like whoosh! And the water was like splash! And… and… oh, hello Applejack,” Pinkie grinned at her friend, “Did you see?”

“Yeah, Pinkie, I was right here.”

“Thank you, Applejack.”

Applejack blushed at the sound of my voice, “W-what for?”

“I don’t know. I just know that you helped me somehow.”

Pinkie stood in between us and waved her hoof, “Are you two okay? Did you guys do ‘that’?”

“Uh… ‘that’?” I asked.

“You know, ‘that’. The thing that Rarity told me…”

Applejack had put her hoof over Pinkie’s mouth, “No!” Her face was a lot redder than usual, “No, Pinkie.”

Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle all roared in laughter.

“Forest, ten more times across the lake and back!” Lavenderhoof demanded.

“Ten times?” I moaned.

She gave me a look.

“Ten times!” I exclaimed, and was off.

It was sunset before I was done. The distance across the lake was enormous, and the girls never left the beach as I completed my final lap and walked out of the water collapsing in a heap out of sheer exhaustion.

“That distance you just swam is the distance you’ll have to swim for the Race. After that, you have to run four times that. So, you need to raise your stamina,” Lavenderhoof shook her head, “You may be fast, but if you can’t keep up with the other racers, you’re going to be the fastest Pony to quit.”

“So… much… tiredness…” I said in between gasps.

“We’re done here,” Lavenderhoof started to walk away, “Tomorrow at dawn. Don’t be late!”

I let out a grunt, but said, “I won’t.”

She didn’t look back as she crossed the crest of the hill disappearing from my sight. I hated to admit it, but she was one tough coach. A part of me couldn’t help but suspect that Lavender was none too pleased with me being the Earth Pony representative for the Race; she must have been training for it for so long and hard before I came along and snagged that title from right under her muzzle. Actually, I felt kind of bad for her.

The sun was beginning to set and I watched it set over the Everfree Forest. To my back was the lake and beyond that stood Canterlot Castle. Equestria was beautiful and peaceful - a paradise. I wanted to continuously feel that raw happiness but there was that constant reminder that I wasn’t who I said I was. I was a filthy liar betraying the trust of my new friends who had opened their hearts completely to me. I didn’t deserve their kindness, their friendships, or this utopia.

Applejack sat next to me, as did Pinkie Pie. The three of us watched the sun fade over the horizon together in silence for a long while.

“What’s on yer mind?” Applejack asked quietly breaking the moment of Zen.

“I was just thinking about how lucky I am to be here.” I turned to her and smiled warmly. She reciprocated with her own.

“Forest, is it true that you plan on leaving?” Pinkie suddenly asked.

My eyes widened open in surprise, “What?”

“Spike said that… that you’d leave with him.” Pinkie started poking the grass with her hoof.

“Oh, that. If he insists on leaving then yes, I will.”

Pinkie remained silent for a long time, she kept prodding the ground with her hoof. “Can… can I come?”

The question caught me completely off guard.

“He’s not going anywhere, Pinkie,” Applejack stated on my behalf, “Spike won’t leave.”

“But… if he does, can I come with you?”

How could I say no to her? “Sure, Pinkie, if that’s what you want.”

“No. I like Ponyville. I don’t want to leave.”

“Then don’t. You shouldn’t do anything you don’t want to,” I placed a hoof around her shoulders, pulling her close to me; she smelt strangely like cotton candy, “And if I do go, it won’t be for long.”

Pinkie turned her head and smiled at me, “Promise.”

“Promise,” I replied.

“Pinkie Promise!” Both the girls said at the same time.

I let out a long sigh, and closed my eyes and shook my head as I released Pinkie.

“You girls are incorrigible,” I took two steps forward before turning around facing the two of them, “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” I punched my eye again. Got to stop doing that!

They gave me the widest, cutest grins before turning to each other and fell into a giggling fit.

“So, where are we going for dinner?” Pinkie Pie asked after the giggling had subsided.

“We?” Applejack stressed the word questioningly.

“Yeah, the six of us! The more the merrier.”

Applejack smiled shyly, “Pinkie, are you sure…”

“Why are you acting like that? Of course I’m sure. Duh!” Pinkie grinned, “I love my friends, and I love eating with my friends! So, let’s go eat!”

“Aw, thanks Pinkie, but I gotta go listen to Sweetie Belle’s new song,” Applebloom replied.

“And I’ve got to help with moving some clouds for tonight’s rain,” Scootaloo added.

“There isn’t rain scheduled for tonight,” Pinkie sat down and looked to the upper-right, “Is there?”

“Why do I get the distinct feeling they’re finding excuses to ditch us?” I whispered to Applejack.

She just giggled in response. For all I knew she might have instigated them. And you know something, I kinda liked the thought.

The six of us walked back towards Ponyville, the three younger mares constantly making fun of me trying to learn how to swim. When we reached the town center, we ran into Aiden.

“Forest, I need to talk with you for a few,” He said, “It won’t take long.”

“Sure, do you girls mind?” I asked Pinkie and Applejack.

“Not at all, you go talk to your guardian. We’ll head over to the café, ‘kay?” Applejack replied.

“Okay, I’ll meet you two there.”

I watched as they walked away, trying to keep my eyes off Applejack’s fla-

“Hey, over here,” Aiden gestured with his head towards where I had just come from, “I’m going to go over the different powers of that trinket you’re wearing.”

“Can’t it wait?”

The look on Aiden’s face was enough of a reply. So I followed. We walked to a large open grassy knoll.

“Alright, Twilight has told me about how that thing works,” Aiden gestured to my new piece of jewelry on my wrist. Surprisingly I had managed to completely ignore it all day, “Remember when I said it dissipates magic over time? I was wrong. It retains it completely. Whenever you feel it heat up that means that it is absorbing magic. The hotter it gets, the more magic is stored, but the heat you feel is only something you feel. It actually does no harm to you, that is it’s not burning you.”

Aiden started casting a spell that surrounded the two of us. The colorful bubble floating towards the bracelet slowly before it suddenly was ‘sucked’ into it. The suddenness made me flinch, and the burning sensation. It was not too bad, but it was unpleasant. Like a quick pinch.

“Ouch.” I declared without emotion.

Aiden ignored my comment, “Now your bracelet is charged. Now you can ‘cast’ magic.”

“Wait. What?”

“You can cast magic, Forest.”

“You mean like you?”

“No, you moron, you don’t have a horn.” Aiden planted his hoof over his face.

“Moron?” I frowned at that, “You said I could cast! How am I supposed to know what you’re talking about?”

“Okay, my fault, I shouldn’t have said casting. You can… ask for magic to occur. You can’t directly use spells, but others around you can make you cast spells for them.”

That didn’t sound very nice. “So, everypony else can make me… do things?”

“That’s… one way of putting it, I guess. That’s what I wanted to tell you last night before you ran off! I don’t know all the spells, but there are a few… embarrassing ones that I wanted you to be aware of,” Aiden scratched his head.

“Oh, I am so not liking where this is going.”

“The first spell was that signal spell from last night. Luckily for us, the spell to ignite it is only known to me and Twilight, but I feel that you ought to know it,” Aiden leaned in closer, “It’s ‘Forest Fire, Show Me Where You Are’, three times.”

“Three times?”

“If anypony says that… well, I can show you if you like.”

“No, that’s…”

“Forest Fire, show-me-where-you-are, show-me-where-you-are, show-me-where-you-are!” Aiden said, barely whispering.

At once the bracelet reacted and heat surged through my body like it did last night and my hoof automatically pointed up at the sky and shot out a beam of light. It didn’t last long for long, perhaps a few seconds, but it hurt. After the last of the light faded, I rolled around the ground in pain.

“Ooh! Do you have any idea how much that hurts?” It was not that bad, compared with some of the other traumatic magical experiences I’ve had, but it was not pleasurable either, my rolling around was more from trauma from the suddenness of the spell.

“That spell is the ‘quickest to drain’ the magic,” Aiden stated, “I’m teaching you that one because if your bracelet gains too much magic it will be agony. You can teach that spell to somepony you trust. If the pain gets too much you can have them empty it. The issue is, you can’t do it yourself.”

“That’s useful. Thanks for that.” I picked myself off the ground.

“There are others. Other spells, I mean.”

The way he said it made me get this really uncomfortable feeling, “Do I want to know?”

“That’s up to you. Knowing is… important.” Aiden shrugged, “But if you have more important things to do…”

“Fine,” I sighed, “Tell me.”

“Now, keep in mind that this bracelet was intended to tame wild animals…”

“What?” No one had told me that!

“Oh, was it not mentioned?”

“No!”

“Well, now you know…”

God fucking damn it!

“… there are several spells that are used to ‘discipline’… you.” Aiden put on the widest grin ever.

“You’re enjoying this a little too much.”

“The first of these is the ‘beg’ spell.”

“Beg?” I did not like the sound of that.

“Yes, it basically makes you completely beg for whatever the original caster demands.”

My silence was enough of a response.

“So, let’s say I want you to beg for some food, or a bed…” Aiden put on a sadistic grin, “A kiss.”

“No! No, no, no! You did not just say that!” I looked around, “You can’t tell anypony about that spell!”

“Well, only Twilight and I know it. Shall I tell you how it works?”

I contemplated it. Did I really want to know? Yeah. I did. So, I nodded.

He leaned forwards to whisper, “It’s quite simple. You just say: Forest Fire Needs Something,” Aiden then leaned back, “It’s a flaw, I know, since the spell only requires it said once.”

“Once! Are you kidding me?” I shouted, “Wait, why didn’t it work that time?”

“That’s because there’s no magic in that thing,” Aiden pointed at the band on my wrist.

“Oh yeah, forgot about that part. But couldn’t you think of something… better? Do you know how many times I could get asked that?”

“Well, they first have cast magic at you. Then they have to say your full name before the spell,” Aiden smirked, “So, you’re safe as long as they don’t say your full name before saying the rest of it, and ‘needs’ needs to be plural, otherwise the spell won’t work.”

I groaned, “Still, can’t we change it? Or better yet, get rid of it?”

“Well, if you can get that thing off yourself, then yes.”

Impossible, the thing gripped my leg so tightly, it was a wonder how blood was getting into my hoof.

“Anyway, I think only Princess Celestia can take that off of you, and I’m not sure she’s willing to risk casting any more magic on you, not after last time…”

“Ah. Well, that’s understandable.” I looked at the bracelet again, annoyed that all this was coming now and not before. Perhaps it was my fault for not listening. “You said there were others…”

Aiden began to murmur to himself, “The signal spell, the beg spell, the want spell…”

“The ‘want’ spell?”

“It’s like the beg spell, except instead of you begging for something, you have this overwhelming desire to want something, or want to do something.” Aiden then returned to trying to remember his mental list.

“And?” I prompted.

“And what?”

“What’s the trigger spell?” Aiden was really enjoying this way too much.

He was stifling a laugh, “It’s your name followed by the words ‘please-please-please’, then the instruction.”

There was nothing I could even say to that. That was ridiculous! “Three ‘pleases’? That’s it?”

Aiden cast another spell and I felt the bracelet absorb it.

“You wouldn’t dare!”

“Forest Fire, please, please, please jump around like a rabbit.”

Nothing happened. I didn’t feel like doing anything, least of all bounce around like a bunny. My eyes gazed upon Aiden with a confused look in them.

“There is a certain way you need to say it. Forest Fire, please-please-please jump around like a rabbit.”

Instantly I felt this overwhelming sensation that I needed to hop about like a bunny. Whatever it was compelled me to obey. The urge was so strong that it seemed the most natural course of action at this point. So, I lift my hooves up, leaned back on my hind-legs and hopped around. Throughout the entire humiliating task I was acutely aware of what was going on, and no matter how hard I willed myself to stop my body just wouldn’t listen to me. It was if my body and mind were completely disconnected.

Then it just ended. The burning sensation in my wrist vanished.

“Do not do that again!” I exclaimed.

Aiden deliberately ignored me, “So, you see, it’s how you say it as well.”

“You just said the ‘pleases’ faster the second time,” I muttered.

“That’s the difference. So, just make sure that you don’t tell anypone about it, and you’ll be fine,” Aiden started to walk back towards Ponyville.

“Wait! You said there were more!”

“There are, but I think that three spells for now is enough. I’ll tell you the others next time, when I can remember them better.”

And I watched him go. To be honest, I couldn’t tell if Aiden really would tell me the others the next time and honestly, I didn’t really want to know. Considering the latest demonstration my already complicated life was going to get a helluvalot more complex. The bracelet was there to protect me from maigc, not manipulate me! I made a mental note to talk to Twilight about that.

As I entered the café I spotted Pinkie and Applejack at a table with Twilight! What were the chances of that? They were chatting and laughing together. Twilight, who was sitting facing the door, saw me and waved. I responded with a nod and a smile and started making my way over to them. As I approached, I took a deep breath and pulled the last empty chair back and sat down, “Sorry that took so long.”

“Ooh, ooh! What did Aiden teach ya! We’ve been trying to get Twi to tell us, but she won’t! She says it’s a secret! It’s not fair!” Pinkie pouted.

“Aiden was just showing me the signal spell, which you saw a few minutes ago, right?”

“That all he teach you, forest?” Twilight taunted grinning behind a glass of blue-green liquid, which hid half of that sadistic smile from me.

“He taught me some other things that we will not discuss here.” I replied knowing fully what she meant.

Twilight snorted back a laugh.

“That bad?” Applejack asked.

“Worse,” I muttered, “Much worse.”

“Are you ready to order?” The waiter said to us.

He had a light brown coat, much lighter than mine, and a dark brown mane that somewhat resembled my own. His Cutie Mark had three horseshoes together, and he wore what looked like a suit with a bowtie.

“Oh hello, Caramel, I didn’t know you worked here,” Twilight said.

“I’m filling in for Toffee, she got sick,” Caramel sighed, “I keep telling her that she needs to take breaks but she won’t listen to me.”

“Aw, that’s too bad. I hope your sister gets better soon,” Twilight looked over to the rest of us, “Are you guys ready to order?”

“I’ll have a green salad,” Applejack said shyly.

“A salad!” Pinkie shouted, “Are you on a diet?”

Applejack flashed a look over to me and my smiling face. She was being shy. Too cute.

“Don’t hold back on my part,” I encouraged.

“Let get a pizza!” Pinkie shouted, “And share it! But what should we have for toppings?”

“You alright with pizza, Forest?” Applejack asked.

“I’ll eat anything.” I really would, I was starving!

“Great! Pizza then! An extra-extra-large one!” Pinkie ordered. Then they ordered the toppings, which consisted of a variety of different things, but obviously no meat. I think I heard pineapple and jalapeños get tossed in there, but whatever.

As Caramel, our waiter for the evening, went off to get our order, I couldn’t but help notice a carafe of that blue-green liquid that Twilight was sipping on. She looked over to me, “Do you want some? It’s blue-grape wine mixed with spices, fruits and other… things.”

“Sure, a sip wouldn’t hurt. I see you’re all drinking it,” Pinkie Pie took a sip from her glass and smiled at me.

We chatted for a while before the pizza arrived. Caramel carried it on a tray on his back and carefully placed it on the table. We all dug in. If I thought I was a big eater, then Pinkie was a monster! In no time at all she had demolished a quarter of the pizza while I was still on my second slice and already getting full. The taste of the slices was incredible! The sauce was tangy and a little spicy, a hint of something hot to titillate the pallet, the luscious cheese was thick and mouthwatering, and the toppings added that extra bit of finesse that made every bite a new experience.

In short, the best pizza I have ever tasted.

After eating we sat and talked for a bit longer. It was nice to hear the three girls talk about their friendship, their experiences, their troubles, their hopes and dreams. They really were there for each other, and counted on one another. But again, that horrid feeling bubbled up in my gut. I didn’t belong here. Pinkie was a great storyteller – if you could keep up with her.

“What’s wrong, Forest? You’ve been looking glum for the past ten minutes,” Applejack said during a break in Pinkie’s verbal barrage, “You not feeling well?”

“No, just wished that I could… remember more.” And tell you all the truth. I really wanted to.

“Hi, Forest,” Someone cooed from behind me.

“Oh, hello Applebloom, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, I thought you were all busy…” Applejack narrowed her eyes at them.

They all just giggled.

“Hey, I learnt a new magic trick? Wanna see?” Sweetie Belle giggled some more.

“Sure!” I loved magic tricks.

Sweetie Belle reached over and took my napkin before folding it into the shape of a origami crane, all with her magic. I was impressed, so I clapped my hooves.

“Sweetie Belle, anypony can do that…” Twilight said, “Let me show you a real trick!”

Twilight’s horn glowed, and in her not-so-sober state, she readied herself and in one powerful pull, she had whipped the tablecloth out from under our food and drinks. Now that was impressive, so I clapped again and continued to do so until I felt a familiar burning sensation on my wrist. Magic was being absorbed.

“Ouch. I hate it when this thing absorbs magic. It really hurts,” I groaned waiting for the pain to go away.

Twilight made a face, “I think I’ve drunk too much. Excuse me… I think…”

She was off before she could finish her sentence.

Pinkie rolled her eyes, “She’s suck a light-weight. I’ll be right back.” With that Pinkie ran after her friend.

Funny, the bracelet was still burning me. I lifted it and looked. The glow around it wasn’t purple! It fact it wasn’t even coming from Twilight…

“Sweetie Belle?” I screamed perplexed.

“Forest Fire…” Scootaloo shouted.

It took me a nanosecond to realize what these three had in mind. Cute grins or not, they were evil! I whipped my head towards Applejack, “Run! Run as fast as you can!”

“Wha-“

“Just… go!”

“… please-please-please…” Scootaloo said the words trigger perfectly.

There was a ‘click’ in my head. The same kind of sound you’d hear when you click on a mouse, a tiny confirmation of a command about to be executed.

“Nooooooooooooooo…”

“… go kiss…” Scootaloo began. I felt the dread in my bones. I knew it! I knew it! That was why I feared this knowledge getting out!

“Kissing? Kissing is for babies!” Applebloom grinned, “Let’s make him do something… more.”

“No! Please!” I shouted, imploring them.

“Aw, come on guys. Anything more would be mean. Don't you think that anything apart from kissing will be going too far?” Sweetie Belle said, siding with me.

The two girls looked at one another. I could have sworn they grew horns as the evilness took them.

“Nah!” They both chimed together.

Aw fuck.

"Forest, I want you to..." Scootaloo began.

“Go and kiss Pinkie.” Sweetie Belle shouted before Scootaloo could finish her sentence.

There was a loud bang in the back of my brain, the sound you’d hear if a rusty, old, metal was slammed shut in an empty room. Slowly, I felt my body start to move on its own, my mind started to narrow itself. It was as if I took a backseat in my own body's cognitive function. I could see what I was doing and I knew what I was going to do, but I could not stop. All I wanted to do right now was fight Pinkie. And kiss her.

“Sweetie Belle!” Applebloom moaned, “Now look what you did! We agreed that he’s supposed to kiss Applejack!”

“Sorry, but I just don’t think it’s right making him…” Their voices faded away.

I found myself running towards the last known direction that Pinkie had gone. My brain only had her in mind. I wanted her. I wanted her lips. Nothing else mattered, just those lips. Those soft, plump, shapely, luscious lips! I wanted them. I needed them.

As I rounded the bend towards the rear of the café, I spotted her and Twilight heading back towards the library.

Before I could take a step forwards I felt someone wrap themselves around my hooves, “Make him stop! Get the signal spell!” It was Scootaloo.

“I’m tryin’, he ain’t respondin’!” Applebloom yelled.

“Show me where you are! Show me where you are! Show me where you are!” Scootaloo shouted.

Even though at the back of my brain I understood what she intended, for some reason my body ignored her words. They weren’t right, they sounded off, wrong, incorrect. And Pinkie’s lips were so close! Pulling myself forwards, I used all my strength to get to her.

“Run, Pinkie!” Sweetie Belle shouted.

“Why?” Pinkie asked, curious.

“Forest’s gone berserk! We can’t stop him!” Applebloom cried out still tangled up in my legs. She was strong.

“Where? What? Huh?” Twilight said, sitting up slightly dizzily, “Forest?”

“Must. Kiss. Pinkie!” I roared and pulled myself forwards.

“You know, if that was said with any other circumstances it might be cute, but not when…” Scootaloo grunted as I managed to take another step forwards despite her using her wings to try and pin me to the ground, “… you’re under that spell!”

You’re the ones who triggered it! I wanted to scream at them, but my body didn’t respond. All it wanted to do was reach Pinkie, and it was going to reach her… I was going to reach her… no… matter… what!

“Run, Pinkie!” Applebloom shouted again.

Pinkie got the gist that something was off, and bolted. My body reacted to her quickly receding figure in much the same way a predator would see its prey escaping its grasp. But the three younger Mares held me down.

“Sweetie Belle! Say the words!” Scootaloo shouted.

“Forest! Show me where you are, show me where you are, show me where you are!” Sweetie Belle shouted.

Nothing. She said it wrong! You forgot my last name!

Standing up, I shook the three of them off and bolted after Pinkie again.

Pinkie hadn’t gone far, but when she saw me chasing her she tried to run faster. Nothing in Equestria runs faster than Forest Fire. And I zoomed towards her, much like a cheetah on its kill, tackling her into the large lawn just outside of Ponyville.

“Forest! Stop! You’re hurting me!” Pinkie shouted, laughing at the same time.

And there she was, under me, pinned down with my hooves on her shoulders. We stared into each other’s eyes. Time stood still. My heart beat in my chest. Her lips. Her lips were so close. Right there! I wanted them. I wanted to place my lips on hers. I wanted to…

No! I yelled at myself. This is wrong! You can’t do that!

I must! I want to. I need to. I want to. I need to…

My body started to lean forwards. Pinkie’s eyes widened open.

“Are… are you okay, Forest? You’re scaring me.”

No! I can’t hurt her! If I do this, she will hate me forever! She doesn’t understand the meaning behind this. She doesn’t comprehend the weight of what is going on. She’s too innocent! I can’t do it! I won’t! I won’t!

My body didn’t listen. It leaned forwards.

“Forest? Stop… please…”

Tears in formed in her eyes. I was really hurting her! No! Stop! Stop it!

“Pink… kie… hel… help… me…” I willed myself to say.

At once she sensed that there was something going on within me. She might have been the brightest star, but she knew when something was wrong. As I leaned forwards something hit me hard on my left side sending my flying a few yards away.

“What do you think yer doin’?” Applejack shouted, and she looked pissed off.

Thank you, thank you, thank you… I shouted in my head.

“Applejack! Somethin’s wrong with Forest!” Applebloom shouted, catching up to her sister, “He’s still under the spell!”

“Under what?” Applejack asked confused.

Scootaloo crashed into me and pinned me to the ground, “Sweetie Belle, say it again!”

“Forest, show me where you are! Show me! Show me!” Sweetie Belle shouted, tears streaming down her cheeks.

No! You’re saying is wrong!

Wait. I talked to Pinkie just now. Come on, I can tell them. Mouth, move! Open and speak!

“A… den…” I managed to force myself.

“Aiden! Get Aiden, Sweetie Belle!” Scootaloo ordered.

That took everything I had. It was as if I was holding my breath for as long as I possibly could before my body’s reflexes took over and inhaled on my behalf. That was essentially what happened as I pushed Scootaloo aside, and once again headed straight for a shocked and crying Pinkie.

Applejack intercepted me again.

“What’s goin’ on?” She shouted in my ear, pinning me down. Holy shit, she was strong!

“He’s got these spells… we saw Aiden showing him them…” Applebloom confessed, “We were stargazin’ when we saw them in the field. We heard everythin’! We didn’t mean for it to get this bad! Honest!” Applebloom looked at her sister.

“That’s no excuse to be foolin’ with magic, especially when another Pony’s involved!” Applejack scolded her younger sibling.

Scootaloo dive-bombed my head, holding me down in serious headlock. Although it hurt, I was grateful that they were pinning me down like that. I knew what they were doing, and I tried hard not to fight them – but I couldn’t help myself. I wanted to kiss Pinkie, and it felt as though if I didn’t everything would end.

I dug a hoof into the ground and pulled myself forwards towards Pinkie.

“Oh Celestia! He’s as strong as Big Mac!” Applejack muttered.

One hoof in front of the other, I crawled on the dirt towards Pinkie, pulling myself closer and closer towards her. Why didn’t she run? As I inched my way towards her, she sat there staring at me, her face unreadable. What was she thinking? What was she…

She ran over to me, cupped my chin in her hooves and pulled my face towards her.

My mind reeled within itself as Pinkie placed her lips on mine. Something inside me felt like a pop, and the next thing I knew I was laying in Pinkies arms (hooves) her lips firmly planted against mine. Applejack was still sitting on my back, Scootaloo still had me in a headlock and Applebloom was hugging my hindlegs.

“If you wanted a kiss so bad, then say so! You don’t have to act like a hungry Timberwolf,” Pinkie stated blushing ferociously.

I just guffawed. There was nothing I could do or say, and only yesterday Applejack and I…

Ooh, I felt an aura of death emanating from behind me. Slowly, I turned my head to see Applejack’s face. She was trying to mask her anger, but it wasn’t working so well. She was pissed off. Really, really pissed off – I just hoped it wasn’t at me…

“Forest! How could you?”

“Applejack, I’m sorry! I didn’t…”

Applebloom jumped to my rescue, “It’s our fault, sis! We didn’t mean it!”

“What’s the big deal, Applejack? It’s only a kiss,” Pinkie Pie grinned, “Right, Forest?”

“Well… I…” I didn’t quite know how to reply to that.

“What is it?” Pinkie asked.

“Don’t tell me that was your first kiss,” Scootaloo said picking herself up.

“What? No!”

All of them stared at me.

“That was your first kiss?”

“No! It wasn’t… I mean… I… maybe… I don’t know, okay! I can’t remember if I’ve kissed anypony before, alright?” I wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

Aiden and Sweetie Belle arrived at that point, followed by a sober Twilight.

“What’d we miss? We tried to ignite the signal spell, but nothing happened…”

“Forest kissed Pinkie.” Applejack said stoically.

“It wasn’t on purpose!” I tried to explain.

“You didn’t look like you were fightin’ the urge to smooch her, y’know. I ain’t blind!”

Oh man. She was so pissed.

“Applejack, it was only a kiss. It wasn’t like he asked me to marry him,” Pinkie said rolling her eyes.

“M-m-marry him!” Applejack glared at me, “So now you want to marry Pinkie?”

“Wha-?”

She smacked me. I think it was supposed to be a slap, but it’s hard to slap with a hoof, so she clobbered me instead. I saw stars.

“Applejack! Wait!” Applebloom called after her sister.

“Girls!” Twilight growled, “How many times have we told you not to fool around with magic?”

“Sorry, Twilight, we were only foolin’.” Applebloom kicked the ground at her feet.

“And this is why I hate teenagers,” Twilight shouted to the sky, before turning around and heading back towards the library, “First there’s Spike and his ‘Rarity problems’, then there’s a bunch of fillies who think that abusing magic is a joke…”

Her voice faded away.

“Sorry, Forest. I tried.” Aiden placed a hoof on my shoulder.

“Why is everyone so angry? I only did what Forest wanted…” Pinkie said, again with tears, “It’s not like wanted to…”

Oh no! “Pinkie, Pinkie, Pinkie. Please. Don’t. Don’t cry. It was a great kiss. The best I’ve ever felt. Thank you for… thank you for that.” I couldn’t hurt her, but I didn’t want her to think that there was something between us either.

My life sucks.

“It’s okay, Forest. I know you like Applejack. Well, what are you waiting for! Go after her!” Pinkie shoved me, “Go!”

“Pinkie… I…”

“Go, silly! Before she hates you!”

Turning, I chased after Applejack. Only once did I turn around, and I saw Applebloom, Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle all hugging Pinkie at the same time, Pinkie’s face buried in Applebloom’s mane. Aiden stood behind them all with a sour expression.

“I’m sorry, Pinkie. I’m so, so sorry.” I didn’t mean to force myself onto her like that. I didn’t want to force her to do something she didn’t want to do! I was an asshole. How could I let some stupid magic spell control me like that?

But now I had to find Applejack and apologize to her. But where could she be?

I searched everywhere. All over Ponyville, the farm, her house where a really angry Big Mac gave me an earful about breaking his sister’s heart – that was scary, the barn and even Fluttershy’s house. I didn’t dare go into the Everfree Forest, and I knew that Applejack would not have ventured in there either.

That only left one other place.

“Hi Applejack,” I said, cautiously walking up to her sitting at the shores of the lake.

“I don’t wanna see you, Forest. Just go away.”

“Can… can I… can I explain…”

“I know! I know! I know it all, okay? That you had no control over your actions, that you were under a spell an’ all, but that doesn’t mean that I’m not hurt, Forest. I… I…” She looked at me with those huge green eyes damp from her tears.

I’m an asshole times ten! I screamed at myself.

“Applejack…”

She placed a hoof over my lips, “No. No more talkin’. No more waitin’. I’m still angry at you Forest. I’m furious. I know it wasn’t yer fault… but I can’t get it out of my head. She kissed you.”

“I know, but I just want…” I never finished the sentence.

And for the second time that night… I kissed a girl. Applejack was ferocious. She didn’t just kiss me, she kissed me. And, oh man could she kiss. Her warm lips embraced mine and I could feel her tongue… you know what, I’m not going into it. Let’s just say it was a magical moment.

As our lips parted, I couldn’t help but stare into her eyes. She smiled.

“Well, Forest, I might not be yer first kiss, but did I leave an impact?” Applejack smiled shyly at me.

“Applejack, Pinkie may be my first kiss physically… but, you’re my real first kiss. She kissed me to undo a spell. I…” My face burned, “I wanted to kiss you… last night…”

“Why didn’tcha?” Applejack held my cheek.

“I… don’t know. I’m really stupid. I so stupid…”

Applejack giggled at my lame joke, “Do you mind if we stayed here for a while longer?”

“Not at all,” I said as we both gazed across the lake under the moonlight, “Not at all…”

Day 13: Ursa Minor Issue

Applejack nuzzled my chin. We had been sitting together at the lakeshore for what seemed like hours now, gazing at the magnificent view. The moment could not have been more perfect. Her warmth, her breath, her everything… nothing in this world could spoil this moment. Nope. Nothing at all…

“Oh! My! Gosh!” Came a sudden shout from behind us.

Instinctively we pulled apart and looked back only to see Amethyst Star staring at us, her mouth half open. We stood there like children caught red-handed (hoofed) with our hands in the cookie jar. She stared at the two of us as we stared back at her with smiles in an attempt to look innocent. I don’t know why we did that. Amethyst then giggled, gave a little wave and ran in the direction of Ponyville.

“Well, I hope you don’t mind the whole town knowing by tomorrow,” I stated at Amethyst’s receding figure.

Again Applejack nuzzled me, “I don’t mind one bit.”

If I had skin, I would have goose-fleshed at that moment. She leaned up against me pressing her form against my body, and I did the same to her. It just seemed that I couldn’t get close enough, so I put a hoof around her and pulled her closer to me. She didn’t resist as she buried her face in my neck.

“We ought to be gettin’ back. My family might be worried ‘bout me.” Applejack said quietly after a while. She tried to pry herself loose from my grip but my body refused to let her go. She giggled at me and nipped my neck, “Let me go, Forest. It’s hard enough as it is.”

Through sheer will, I released her and watched her stand up. We walked back together towards Sweet Apple Acres in relative silence, but I unconsciously tried to get as close to her as possible again.

“Forest, you got to let me walk properly! You keep pushing me off the road!” Applejack commented, giggling.

I blushed and moved away a step, “Sorry, I just… wanted to be…” I mumbled the rest.

“What was that?” Applejack asked looking at me with those beautiful green eyes.

“I said…” I mumbled again. My face felt hot. Really hot. Why was I so shy?

“I missed that.” She had on a mischievous grin, and I could tell she was enjoying every minute of this emotional torture session.

Can’t say I didn’t enjoy it.

“I said,” I took a deep breath, “I. Just. Want. To. Be. As. Close. To. You. As. Possible!”

My face was boiling. It felt stupid to say something so… so… stupid! But it was how I really felt.

Applejack licked my cheek, “Yer cute when you blush, y’know?”

I thought I felt steam exit my ears when she did that. I had to sit down.

“Race you home…” Applejack taunted, and bolted before I could recover from my shock.

It didn’t take me long to catch up, but I let her take the lead. Frankly, for some reason, I was enjoying following her, staring at her fla-

“Oh my,” Applejack whispered, coming to a sudden halt.

I nearly bumped into her, “What’s wrong?”

She gestured with her hoof towards the house. There we saw Amethyst Star conversing with Applebloom and Big Mac. Applebloom was grinning from ear to ear. Big Mac’s expression was harder to read. A lot harder. I couldn’t tell if he was please, happy, furious or livid.

I shuddered.

“What’s the matter?” Applejack asked noticing me.

“This is a scary moment,” I blurted out.

“What?” Applejack looked at me confused.

“Your big brother is scary when he’s mad. And he looks mad. I think. I can’t tell.”

“Naw, he’s just protective,” Applejack replied, “He wouldn’t harm a fly.”

Typical ‘little sister’ logic – ‘big brother won’t harm the guy I like’. Big Mac would have no problems beating the living daylights out of me if I so much as hinted at hurting Applejack in any way, shape or form. And I had a feeling he’d beat me up for less, if need be. The way he chewed me out a few hours ago was still pretty fresh in my mind. And although I understood why but it still was one of the scariest things I had ever gone through.

After a few minutes Amethyst waved goodbye and was making a beeline for us. Since we were at the edge of the farm, we were concealed in the darkness. But she noticed us as the distance between us closed. Neither of us hid as she spotted us flashing a huge grin, “Hello you two. Enjoying yourselves?”

“Darn it, Star! What’cha say to my brother?”

“I just said that his little sister was snuggling up to that brown stallion, is all. Your sister seemed to like the news. I’m not sure about your brother…” Amethyst gave me a keen look, “And here we all were actually worried about our favourite Element of Honesty.”

My blood turned to ice at the mention of Big Mac’s outlook.

“I’m fine! We were just admirin’ the view!” Applejack countered.

Amethyst grinned, “If you say so, Applejack. It looked a lot more than just admirin’ to me. Kinda looked like snugglin’. Perhaps I came… after?”

The question was too obvious to miss. I blushed furiously. Again. Seriously, I couldn’t stop!

“Nothin’ like that happened!” Applejack barked back.

“Really?” Amethyst tilted her head at an angle, “You just sat there nuzzling one another all that time?”

I nodded stupidly, and looked away.

“Oh! My! Gosh! That is too sweet! You’re going to give me a cavity!” Amethyst giggled again and shook her head, “You can’t be that innocent.”

I wasn’t. I’ve had ‘relations’ before. Just not with someone I cared for this deeply. It was a very strange feeling, one that I’ve never experienced before, and I was not even sure how to describe the feeling to myself, let alone actually accepting it. All I knew was that it felt ‘right’ and that it was the ‘best’.

“Oh gosh, are you two… virgins?” Amethyst said the word silently, almost as if it were taboo.

“No!” We both cried out at the same time.

We looked at each other. That was perhaps the wrong moment to have opened my mouth.

“Okay… well, I’ll be going now,” Amethyst stated when she felt the mood change. She turned and galloped away, heading down the road towards Ponyville.

I did the civil thing and walked Applejack to her door. I stopped just outside the front door, letting her open it and step inside.

“I… I had a good time, Forest.”

“Me too.”

“We… should do it again.”

“Yes, definitely!” I exclaimed.

“That… whole thing about me being…” She didn’t finish the statement, but I knew what she meant.

“Doesn’t matter,” I replied, truthfully. It didn’t.

“Really?” Applejack looked down at the ground not able to meet my eyes, “Forest, I need to tell you something, something very important about me. Something that… you might not like.”

“Is it about a Stallion from your past?”

Applejack nodded.

“Are you still… involved?” Please say no! Please say no!

“No…” Applejack looked me in the eye.

“Then, you don’t have to tell me.”

“But I want to, Forest. I think I need to. I don’t want any secrets between us…”

That statement felt like a sledgehammer dealing a crushing blow to a fragile object called ‘my life’, shattering it into a million pieces. I had no right to make her that kind of promise. How could I? I’ve been lying to her all along! Not just to her, but to all her friends as well. I couldn’t tell her the truth. There was no possible way. If I did spill the beans, it would all be over. I would lose and be imprisoned in limbo forever. But she was the Element of Honesty and I understood – no, I knew – this was important to her. And to top it all off, I was the asshole who had to lie to her once again.

Yeah. I was quickly becoming a bigger asshole by each passing day.

“My life is one giant secret, Applejack. I can’t be honest with you if I don’t know who I am. It wouldn’t be fair on you to tell me your secrets when I have none… to give. I’m sorry.”

That was my saving grace. Two simple words. To give. I didn’t lie to her, just told her that I had no secrets ‘to give’; I only had ones to keep. That was true. Who was I really? Was I the human ‘John Smith’ from Earth? Or was I ‘Forest Fire’ from Equestria? If that was so clearly defined, then those stupid ‘body-control’ spells wouldn’t work on me. They used my Equestrian name. So in the end, who was I really?

“Well, when you’re ready, Forest, then I’ll tell you everythin’.”

“I hope that one day I can do the same, Applejack,” I smiled weakly at her.

I really hoped that I could, and on top of that I hoped that she could forgive me. That all of them could, all those Ponies that showered me with kindness and friendship. Not just Applejack, but Pinkie too. And there was Twilight, Applebloom, Big Mac, Granny, the Cakes and everyone else that had touched my life in their own special way. Even the Princesses, although their ‘touch’ nearly killed me, I hoped that when they found out the truth that they’d forgive me too. And Brian too, for he tried so hard to prove the truth and was right all along.

“Good night, Forest,” The most beautiful Pony I knew whispered.

“Good night, Applejack.”

We both stood there awkwardly for a long moment. I knew what she wanted, but the three heads that were staring at us from the living room window made it really uncomfortable. It was hard not to notice them. Applejack couldn’t see them from her perspective, but I could. I didn’t want to not kiss her. I just didn’t want an audience. But I didn’t want to miss a single moment with her.

So, I took one step closer to her. My heart skipped a beat as my body moved physically closer to hers. My head spun. Gently, I kissed her lips. Just a quick peck. Well, she wasn’t happy with just that, so she seized my face in her hooves and gave me a proper kiss. I think I got a heart attack; I was so happy and shocked at the same time.

“Finally!” I heard Applebloom yell from the den.

Applejack and I shared a laugh at that. Our foreheads pressed against each other as she stroked my cheek with her hoof, her eyes inches from mine. They were so mesmerizing. Then, regretfully, she took a step back away from me and I took a step back away from her. She slowly pushed the door closed while I stood there smiling stupidly. She paused just before it closed and gave me a wink, which made my smile wider. Then she closed it.

I stared at to door for a little while not quite sure whether or not I was dreaming. This was way too good to be true. So, I tried to pinch myself, but that failed – can Ponies even pinch? So, I punched my arm. Ouch. No, this was not a dream. I turned around and walked away shaking my head at myself. I had just fallen for a pony –not just any pony, but a cartoon pony. And I didn’t care.

Entering my home I closed the door slowly grinning.

“Well, well, well, Romeo. I saw that. You certainly are the ladies-man,” A voice said. Tutela appeared in the laptop’s monitor, “But aren’t you forgetting something?”

“What?”

“You haven’t won the bet yet. You are still mine, Forest, and until you win, you will remain mine.”

Holy shit! She was right! I hadn’t won this bet! I was still playing and somehow I had got side-tracked. Or did I? If learning the true meaning of friendship was my final goal, then wouldn’t falling for someone special also count?

“And no, Forest, you haven’t found the true meaning of friendship yet,” Tutela grinned, “You’re not even close.”

Don’t listen to her! I yelled to myself before diving into my sofa-bed and trying to sleep.

“What are you, a baby?” Tutela asked, finding my childish antics amusing.

“Sleep time now, please!” I yelled covering my face with a pillow.

I heard her giggle quietly, then silence.

All through the night I kept tossing and turning. I was trying to get some shut eye, but I couldn’t. Every single time I closed my eyes, I’d replay my first kiss with Applejack by the lake. Each time it repeated itself without fail. Again and again, and I enjoyed every minute of it…

“Forest, you promised!” What? What was that?

“You can’t do this!” Who? What? Huh?

“Why are you doing this?” What is going?

“Forest!” Another voice screamed. I knew that voice.

My eyes opened. Light, blinding light burned my eyes. So much light, so much…

“Forest!” A voice screamed again, this time it was a little different.

“Wha-?” What was that? A dream? What was going on? That was no dream. That was a nightmare! And I just woke up to another one.

“Forest! Get your flank out here right now! Don’t make me come in there and get you!” Lavender shouted again.

“Coming! Give me a second,” I shouted, and pulled myself from my bed. I must have only slept for a few hours, but what was that disturbing dream? It made no sense whatsoever. All I could remember was shouting.

Shrugging it off, I exited my house. Dawn was barely over the horizon today.

“You’re supposed to meet me at the lake at dawn, you doofus. Dawn is almost here and you’re not at the lake!”

“Sorry, sorry,” I tried to apologize, but Lavender was being really sullen, “What’s wrong, Lav?”

“What’s wrong?” She seethed, “What’s wrong?” She repeated louder, “I’ll tell you what’s wrong! What’s wrong is that you’re not where you’re supposed to be! What’s wrong is that you don’t understand anything! What’s wrong is that… that… you’re an idiot!”

Ouch. Where did that come from? I stood there staring at her with my mouth wide open in shock, unable to say anything. I was so confused.

“You really don’t know, do you?” Lavender smacked her head, “Of course not! You’re a male. I forget that all males are dumb.”

“Hey!” That wasn’t very fair.

“This is stupid. You’re just an idiot, and we have a race to train for. Let’s go.”

What could have gotten into her? I really wanted to know, but she was so pissed off that I couldn’t even begin to idle conversation. Every time I opened my mouth she’d gave me a savage looked, like she wanted to do nothing else other than strangle me. So we walked to the lake in silence.

“Ten laps. Now,” Lavender barked, pointing at the water with her hoof.

“But…”

“Now!” She screamed when I didn’t move, showering me in her saliva.

Yeesh. She was in a real foul mood. What else could I do but swim? So I swam.

A couple hours later, I crawled out of the water feeling rather exhausted. Lavender stood over me, and I looked up to her face in dread. She was still pissed off! Come on! I just swam ten laps for you!

“Now, run around Ponyville twenty times!”

“Twenty?” Was she mad? “That’s… five times more than the…”

“I know it is,” She rubbed the gap between her eyes, “Now go before I whoop your sorry flank.”

Grumbling to myself, I started my twenty laps. Yes, I could have just run away. Yes, I could have just ignored her. But I had an obligation. The entire town was depending on me to win this race, and I wasn’t about to disappoint anypony.

“Faster!” Lavender shouted when I wasn’t moving fast enough.

It was after lunchtime before I was done and I felt utterly destroyed, both emotionally and physically. Why was she so angry at me? I tried to think of everything I did to her but nothing came to mind. How did she go from treating me normally to treating like this? Did I do something unconsciously? Even the Ponies in town were acting strange. Some were really nice to me, and others were acting like Lavender, cold and a little hostile. I just didn’t get it. It felt like the town was divided into two halves for some reason.

When I completed the final lap I dropped to my face, too tired to even think. Lavender was making a note in a book before walking over to me, “Your time for the race is good enough, but you need to improve your stamina. Tomorrow we’ll concentrate on building that, okay?”

I nodded, my face still buried in lake’s sandy ground.

“Make sure you drink lots of water, and eat something. You need to rest your muscles. Also, you should apologize to Pinkie for breaking her heart.”

Wait, what? I raised my head out of the sand, but Lavender had already started walking away at that point.

“Pinkie,” I said the name to myself. The first thing I saw was her lips on mine. How she had caressed my cheeks, how she had pulled me close to her. How she was my first kiss – as a Pony. Lavender was right, “I am an idiot.”

“Forest!” I heard my name being called, “Forest, there you are!”

Forcing myself onto my feet, I smiled, “Hi there, Twilight. What’s up? Are you okay, you don’t look too good.”

“You need to help me! We’ve… got a problem.” She sounded really panicky.

“We?” I asked raising my eyebrow.

“There was a… mistake. I was teaching Aiden some summoning spells and he had somehow teleported a something into Ponyville…”

“A something?” I asked.

Twilight looked pretty exasperated, angry and annoyed all at the same time, “I’ve exhausted my magic trying to protect the town and I need time to recharge. You need to distract the Ursa until that time…”

“What’s an Ursa?” I asked, “And more importantly, why me?”

Twilight pointed to a big blob of dark blue night sky floating in the not-so-far distance. Wait a minute! How can night sky be there on the ground when it was day? Then again, why was it on the ground? That wasn’t a sky! That was an animal! A huge blue beast with what looked like stars on its fur lumbered towards us. The fucking was thing was huge! It stood over two stories high while walking on all fours, and had a great big mouth with great big pointy teeth and extra-sharp claws.

“That’s an Ursa,” Twilight said, backing up, turning and running away.

“Wha-?” The fuck!

I chased the purple Unicorn while she just ahead of me, “You’re the fastest pony around! If there’s anypony that can outrun that creature, it’s you.”

As flattered as I was by her sentiment, I was exhausted from my training, but I couldn’t disappoint, these Ponies were relying on me, and I wasn’t about to fail them, “What do I do? What do I do?”

“Take this,” Twilight threw me an object, which I caught. It looked like a hexagon and was really sticky. It fit nicely around my hoof, sitting prominently over my bracelet, “And keep that on you until I figure this whole mess out.”

“Okay… now what?” I asked taking a good look at the said object, while still jogging by her side.

“Keep running.”

“Keep… running?”

“Yes!” Twilight shouted, “That’s a Muzen honey comb.”

“Muzen honey what?”

The Ursa was heading straight for me now. A lot of thoughts went through my, most of them were curses in a variety of colorful expressions.

“Muzen bees are the biggest bees known, they make the sweetest honey and that little bit you’re holding is probably worth hundreds of bits! Everypony loves it, everything loves it! Especially a lot of really dangerous creatures! One of them is that Ursa!” Twilight shouted moving further away from me.

“Aiden summoned this?” I shouted.

Twilight’s silence spoke volumes, “Now run! Just keep away from it until I can think of a plan!”

“Are you kidding me?” Bait! I was bait!

All arguments were settled the moment the Ursa let out an ear-deafening, gut-wrenching, fear-surging, blood-freezing, shit-making roar. Bait I was!

Charging across the lake, the Ursa followed me. It was so big that it just wallowed across, fording the river effortlessly. I noticed this once I had reached the other side. If it was slowing the creature down, it wasn’t doing a very good job. Not wanting to stick around, I got out of there. The Ursa was in pursuit but it was not as fast me. It wasn’t too difficult to keep away from it. But I was so, so tired. If only Lavender hadn’t pushed me so hard! This would be no problem.

“You should apologize to Pinkie. You broke her heart…” Lavender’s voice echoed in my head.

What? Why was that thought popping up in my brain now? Had I really hurt Pinkie that much? Did I really cause her pain when I vowed not to? Didn’t she kiss me to break the spell so I wouldn’t hurt her? Did she actually… was she…

“Forest, a mare just doesn’t jump into bed with a stallion if she doesn’t have feelin’s for him…” Applejack’s voice echoed in the back of my mind.

No! I was with Applejack now. There was no way I would-

I fell on my face, sliding to a halt. Standing up, I looked down at my chest. The Muzen honey comb was completely broken, smashed into tiny pieces, which not stuck to my chest. I tried to pull them off, but it was impossible.

“No! No, no, no, no, no! This is not happening!”

A loud growl from behind me reminded me just exactly what was going on. If I lived through this, I was going to kill Twilight, and Aiden. Not really, of course… maybe.

But thinking of things from Twilight’s side, I guess it made sense. I was the fastest one around. The Ursa was already keeping up with me at a pretty fast pace, and even though I was fast I didn’t have unlimited stamina. I was like a cheetah, I could use short bursts of speed, the faster I went, the shorter the distance. And normally I could go on for quite some time at this pace, but after this morning’s training…

I spotted Lavender walking ahead of me. Speeding up, I caught up to her in seconds, “What do you mean I hurt Pinkie? How did I hurt her?”

Lavender was shocked to see me, “Forest, didn’t I tell you to rest…”

“What do you mean? I don’t have time!” I shouted.

Lavender turned around and spotted the Ursa. Fear gripped her, but I deserved to know.

“W-w-why is that thing chasing you?” Lavender stammered in fear.

“Please, Lav! Tell me!” The beast was closing in on us.

“She liked you, Forest. She still does. But you liked Applejack, yet you still asked her to kiss you. Even if you were under a spell...” Lavender didn’t finish. She didn’t need to. I had gotten the answer I wanted, “And be careful. You’re our best chance at winning the Race!”

A big beast is chasing me threatening to consume me whole, and that’s what she’s worried about? She dove behind the nearest bush, but the Ursa had no interest in her and swiftly sped by.

On I ran. On and on and on. My legs were feeling like jelly, my mouth felt dry, and my hind muscles were burning. But the Ursa was also getting tired, I could tell. It was lumbering along, but it was slowing down as well. So, I dropped my pace. I couldn’t take much more of this. I don’t know how long I had been running for, but it Ponyville was long gone. At my speed and direction, who knew where I was?

Still that stupid beast chased me.

The sky started to turn orange, the sun was setting. Here I was, still running, shattered, hungry, thirsty, who know how far away from home, and still being chased by that damned monster! Even animals needed to stop too!

Was this honey a drug or something? Was I covered in animal cocaine? Tutela would save me, right? Tutela would teleport me back to her haven where I could recover…

“No! No, Forest,” I shouted to myself, “You have to do this!”

No. I couldn’t do it. I was too tired. My legs were dead.

“Shit,” I muttered as I took my slow, struggling steps forwards.

The sounds of the Ursa’s footsteps were closing in on me. In retrospect, perhaps running in a straight line away from Ponyville was not the brightest idea. My legs gave out. They no longer listened to me as I lay on my chest on the dry, brown grass.

A gush of hot air breathed over my back. Stale, rank breath filled my nostrils. Long lines of saliva dribbled around me. Razor sharp teeth surrounded me. I was too exhausted to even lift up my head, so I closed my eyes and waited. What for? I don’t know. Either I’d wake hear Tutela’s voice, or I’d not wake up at all.

I felt myself rise up in the air. It was dark. Pitch black. I couldn’t see anything. Did I die and was not ascending through to another plane of existence? That was weird; the beast must have been very quick in ending my life. I didn’t feel anything. In fact… all I feel is icky, slippery, gooey wetness. It was a warm wetness. And it stunk very badly, like bad breath.

The thing was carrying me in its mouth! Alive! The tongue was savoring the honey on my chest! To the Ursa, I was probably a really fast treat running away from it! Stupid bastard was going to eat the honey one way or another. But why was it not chewing me?

I don’t know how long I was stuck in that creature’s mouth, but it must have been quite a while. Soon, I heard voices.

“Where’s Forest?” That was Twilight’s voice, “Where is he?”

There was no response.

“Let the Ursa go back to the Everfree Forest. Twilight, he must be safe. He must have run clear to Appaloosa by now,” Applejack’s voice stated.

I wanted to shout out, to let them all know I was in the damned beast’s mouth, but I didn’t want to risk it. If the beast knew I was alive, or that I was moving, it might think that I was trying to escape and actually bite me in half. So I remained as still and quiet as possible. Why hadn’t Tutela pulled me out of here?

“What’s that in its mouth?” A voice shouted.

It was Aiden who next spoke, “Everypony, get back indoors, we don’t want to distract the Ursa from going back to the woods.”

“But…”

“No buts. Now go. Twilight, I want you to stay here and make sure that the beast doesn’t come out. I’ll sort out… things on the inside of the woods,” Aiden didn’t elaborate.

“Aiden, what are you going to do?” Twilight’s voice sounded shaky.

Their voices started to fade. The Ursa was more interested in making its way back home than sticking around. It had gotten what it came for, and was now content – but I wasn’t dead!

Then suddenly my world opened up and I fell onto the ground in a slobbery pile next to some bones of other creatures. A large rat saw me and inched its way over to me. It opened its mouth to take a bite off of me. Perhaps it thought I was dead.

“Don’t even think about it,” I whispered before the rat could close its jaw. It stared at me with its eyes wide open before turning about and scurrying off. It paused once or twice to take a good look at me before it completely disappeared in the debris.

Without moving my head I took in the surrounding area. In front of me was a giant stack of bones of various creatures. To my right were some more bones of other creatures. To my left was a large rocky wall, and below me was a red-tinted, decay reeking floor. Blood, and lots of it, had been spilt right here. This was not a good place for a Pony.

I heard noises coming from behind me and I very slowly and very carefully turned my head to see what it was. I couldn’t see the Ursa, so but from the looks of things this was at the very back of a cave and the only way out was through the front door. Dragging myself, I pulled my body through the sludge using my front hooves, under the pile of bones going as deep below as I could. I didn’t care about the smell, nor did I care about the fact that this place was probably swarming with opportunistic creatures. I needed rest. I needed sleep. I was cold, hungry and exhausted.

As I lay on that cold floor, breathing in the putrid air, my thoughts went to back to earlier this morning, before the dawn, the moment by the lake. That was perfect. Why couldn’t shit like that happen to me all the time? Why does every high come with this ultimate low? My eyes felt heavier and heavier.

“Good night, Applejack,” I whispered to the wind.

Day 14: Ursa Major Problem

Something woke me up. It was pain. Pain, it seemed, was a common occurrence when it was time for me to open my eyes. This time it came as a sharp twinge on my left flank.

“Ow,” I said aloud without much emotion before remembering that I was supposed to be dead and rotting in a pile of discarded and forgotten corpses. The pinching stopped the instant I moaned. Looking back to the source of my most recent discomfort, I spotted a rat. It looked like the same one from before. It stared right at me. Was it hoping that I had died during the night and was settling in for a snack? Did I even sleep through the night? Was it still night?

My stomach rumbled. I was starving. Trying to stand up proved to be futile. My legs buckled under me and could not support my weight. Whether this was from exhaustion from my run or from lacking energy eluded me. Was my body more hungry than tired or was I too tired and hunger a mere annoyance?

“I wish I had something to eat,” I whispered.

Think, Forest! You need to get out of here!

But my body would not obey. Not only could I not stand up, but all I could think of was food. I could barely crawl, I felt so weak. Do I risk sleeping some more? Perhaps I needed more sleep. But my stomach was yearning for something to digest. It had not had anything in it since that pizza at the café… no! Don’t think about food. Think about something else…

But what? My mind was still shrouded with food. All those delicious, delectable Equestrian dishes, made with such love and care. And how they tasted…

What I would give for an apple.

Closing my eyes, I thought of Applejack. Was she worried? She was strong. She would be fine. She did worry a little too much about me.

There was a nearly inaudible squeak from behind me. Again, I turned my head and my eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. Food! Not the greatest of choices, but beggars can’t be choosers. The rat had brought me a bundle of grass or hay, I don’t know which, and had laid it down on the ground behind me. It took quite a lot of effort to pull myself around and then crawl towards it. The rat watched me and when it was clear that I was not going to reach it on my own, it pushed the bundle towards me.

I gobbled it down, and it was delicious. I guess it’s true about what they say; everything tastes better when you’re hungry. Well, I was starving and these few tiny handfuls of hay were the best things I had ever eaten in my whole life. Funny how grass would be so fantastic, but I guessed that was due to my new physiology. I was a Pony now, obviously I’d like grass. Already I could feel energy returning to me. But it wasn’t enough. I needed more.

“Thanks, little guy. I owe you one,” I whispered to the rat.

It gave a squeak in reply before touching my muzzle with its tiny hand. It held it there for a long moment as if trying to read my expression. After a moment it turned and departed. I watched it go. Perhaps ‘rat’ was too harsh of a word to describe it. Rats always seemed to have a negative connotation behind it. On Earth they were filthy, disgusting, dirty, diseased-ridden vermin - but what about here? Were they abhorred the same way? I found that hard to believe.

Slowly, and shakily, I managed to stand up for a full five seconds before I fell back down. Well, now I answered my own question from before. It was hunger that was holding me back. If I could get some more, I might actually have enough strength to get out of this situation.

As if on cue, the rat – no, my new friend – returned once more with more of that delectable grass. Again and again it returned with it. Each time it placed the new handfuls on the ground in front of me. After the ninth or tenth trip it came back empty handed. Either it got bored, or there was no grass left.

Taking a deep breath, I pushed myself up from the ground and found that I could stand! Guess I was more hungry than tired.

“Thanks, little buddy. You’re a lifesaver. Since you saved my life, is there anything I can do for you?”

The rat ran and sat down at the base of my hoof and looked up at me. It looked like he was blocking my way. Then, it raised its little arms upwards, similar to a how a human child would reach up to its parent. It gave me the silent demand of ‘carry me’. Did it want a ride?

“First, I need to call you something other than ‘rat’. Let me think…” What could I call this him? I smiled.

It stared at me blankly for a moment before tilting its head to one side.

“How about Jerry?” I asked.

It laid on the ground and put its hands over its eyes.

“Okay, okay. Not Jerry. Then… a girly name? Are you a girl?”

It sat up and nodded.

“You can understand me?”

It nodded again.

“How… how is that even possible?” It was impossible!

“Earth Ponies have an affinity to plants and animals…” I heard Tutela’s voice say in the back of my mind. She had explained it to me a long time ago. Perhaps she used different words at the time, but that’s how I remembered them. But even so, I had no affinity to magic. Unless…

“So, I might actually have some magic in me after all!” For the briefest of moments I had thought that I actually possessed magic like a normal Pony. The reality set in. It was faint, but I felt it. My wrist had a slight burning sensation, the same type of sensation from before. The bracelet was charged. The charge wasn’t there from before. Did it come from the grass I ate? It was weak, but that little bit of magic would explain how I was able to communicate with this animal.

“Okay, then a girly name. For a rat…” I thought and thought, but nothing came to mind. Then it just came to me, “What about Tessie?”

The rat tilted her head.

“It means ‘harvester’, or something like that. That a good name? I thought of it because you got me the grass,” I spoke in low whispers.

The rat stood on its hind legs and gave me one big nod. She liked it!

“Hello, Tessie. I’m Forest, Forest Fire. Pleased to meet you,” And I held out my hoof. She shook it carefully. I then lowered myself onto the ground, “Hop on.” Tessie didn’t need to be told twice as she bounded onto my back and sat at the base of my neck, holding my mane tightly. “Now, what d’ya say we get out of here?”

Tessie gave another barely audible squeak, and we were off!

Slowly, that is. I tip-toed (tip-hoofed?) slowly, making my way to the edge of the bundle of bones. That was when I spotted something strange. I had not noticed it before, but now that I was more away of my surroundings, the entire ground was littered in tiny, tiny skeletons. Sure, there were gigantic ones all around, but there were also tiny remains all over the place. Rodents, birds and various small creatures, anything! That made no sense – couldn’t these little guys get in and out of places like these easily?

Just then the Ursa walked in and looked around. Instinctively, I ducked behind some bones. It looked like a really big rib-cage, about half the size of the Ursa. Tessie was shaking pretty badly, shivering with absolute terror. The bear-like creature walked towards us swinging its head from left to right, sniffing the air. After a while, it turned around and exited the same way it came in.

Before I could breathe a sigh of relief, I slipped on something and fell to my side knocking over some bones, which had a domino effect. The ruckus drew the attention of the Ursa’s again as its face popped back into view.

Shit, shit, shit!

It approached the pile of bones and started to sniff around. I didn’t move. I didn’t even breathe. I closed my eyes as the large snout poked itself through between the ribs where I hiding and inhaled deeply. The sound of it snuffling a few feet away from my face made me nearly wet myself. I would have, but I was too dehydrated. A part of me wanted to run in panic, but I forced myself to remain calm. After all, if Tessie could remain quiet then I could too.

Finally the beast once again turned away and left the way it came. As quietly and as slowly as I could, I let out a long sigh of relief.

But what had I slipped on? Looking down, I saw the ground. It was a smooth stone slab that disappeared under the dirt. But why would it be so prominent here? Instinctively I told myself that I had to fully comprehend my situation. There was something amiss.

A few things really bothered me. First off were these bodies and their remains. It was understandable why there would be so many of them. The Ursa was a huge animal, and judging from the size of some of the skeletons, a very proficient hunter. Using that logic, why would there be so many tiny skeletons lying around? Surely a fierce predator like that would have no problems getting a proper meal from bigger prey instead of resorting to these tiny nibbles? But I wasn’t a predator, so I didn’t really comprehend the concept of ‘opportunistic hunter’. Still, an animal this small would be like a grain of rice.

Secondly; why was this guy the only rat around? Surely a pile like this would be swarming with rats and other creatures that fed on rotting flesh, but no. He, or was it a she, was only the one. There weren’t any sounds of pitter-pattering little feet or the occasional squeak, just complete and utter silence.

Third was exactly that. The rat’s reaction to the Ursa was complete silence. It didn’t squeak like crazy, which was what I would’ve done if I hadn’t spent a few hours inside its disgusting mouth, nor did the rat try to run. The rodent put the term ‘silent as a mouse’ to shame. It did not make a single sound. Rats don’t act like that, do they?

Then it dawned on me. This guy must be a prisoner here! That would make perfect sense. It didn’t matter if she was small. I ran for over six hours in a single direction in an attempt to escape. Did it work? No! I was caught eventually and brought back.

But why didn’t Tessie dig her way out? The ground was solid stone in a few places, but surely she could have dug through the dirt. Perhaps I could…

My hoof scraped against something hard and smooth after just two scoops of the dirt. It felt like a large rock, so I dragged my hoof over the rock in one direction attempting to find the edge. There wasn’t one. The ‘rock’ melded with the wall. Then I realized that the entire ground was solid. But what about the dirt, surely that had to come from somewhere, right?

My heart started to beat faster. It wasn’t just dirt either. It was decomposed remains of the unfortunate creatures that had met their tragic demises here. It was the flesh, blood, furs, pelts and whatever else that remained. A sudden wave of nausea threatened to make me empty the contents of my stomach. Where did Tessie get my little feast from?

My eyes spotted a little bit of grass growing underneath a skull. How did grass grow in this place? There was no sunlight, no… water.

That was when my eyes drifted upwards. A small hole at the top was enough to bathe this entire miserable place in light? It didn’t seem possible, and yet I could not deny what my eyes were seeing. So, this wasn’t a cave.

And water? Blood was like water, and the ground was blood. Dried, coagulated blood. I tried hard not to retch at the thought.

And why should I retch? I used to eat my meat practically raw back on Earth. But as a Pony, the thought of eating flash was… disgusting. Had I completely immersed myself in my new persona? Had I forsaken what I was? Was I… no longer human?

Stupid! Of course you are! I screamed to myself in my head. Now start concentrating on getting out of here. If Tutela hasn’t pulled you out to safety then that means you still have a chance.

That rationalization helped me calm myself down. Once again I looked up at the tiny dot of light so close yet so far away. Funny how light worked like that. Just that tiny bit had such an impact; it illuminated my situation, it brought life to this place and it gave me hope.

Walking to the nearest wall I rubbed my hoof across the surface. Smooth as glass. Unless I sprouted wings, I was not getting out that way. That left only one other way out and that was past the Ursa. I knew it, Tessie knew it, but that didn’t make the prospect any easier to accept.

Peering around the corner, I spotted the Ursa at the far end of the cave chewing on something. I shuddered.

Creeping along, I slowly walked around the edge of the cave, sticking to the far wall as close as possible, wishing that I could somehow become a part of it. The Ursa stopped, turned towards my direction. I froze. Then it let out a terrifyingly cute mew. Wait, that can’t be right. But indeed, it was mewling away, and spinning around and chasing its tail, looking at me it sat on its haunches with its paws up. It looked… cute. Or at least it would have if it didn’t have teeth longer than me.

Suddenly I felt a frantic tugging on my mane. It was pulling to my right, as if Tessie wanted me to look that way. So I did.

And I regretted it.

The cave wall had long since ended. My attention was so focused on the Ursa across from me that I failed to see where I was going. What was beside me wasn’t a wall at all. It was an eye. A massive, bloodshot eye, and it was looking right at me.

“Are you serious?” I shouted. There was no point in being quiet now, was there?

The eye lifted itself up off the ground, as it did it revealed a huge head. The creature had been lying down, rolled up in a dark violet or purple pelt with the same star-like pattern on it as the Ursa on the far side. Up it rose, on and on while I could only look in stunned silence. As it reared itself on its hind legs, I couldn’t help but feel a part of my soul escape my body. The sheer terror that gripped me when realization settled in didn’t help. This was an Ursa. The thing that chased me across Equestria was a frigging cub! A cub!

As the Ursa reached its full height, towering over me like a sky-scraper, it bared its fangs and let out a low rumble. It bared its teeth, snarling at me. Me! A creature the size of an ant! But that was not the worst thing. The worst of all were those eyes staring right at me. Right into my soul, telling me that it was not impressed that I was there. Anger. So much anger.

Tessie pulled on my mane again, and I turned instinctively to look. The little Ursa was heading straight at me.

Great! Perfect! Could this get any better?

Where was the exit?

The little Ursa launched itself at me, but I easily bolted to the right as it slid across the floor crashing into the bigger one’s feet. It growled after that. Perhaps the bigger one was the mother. Not that I cared.

No time to lose! Run!

As I ran, I spotted something out of the corner of my eye coming right at me. Slamming my hooves down hard, I stopped impulsively, before doing a ninety degree turn away from the object and ran as hard as I could. That action might’ve saved my life. Something like a typhoon blew past my body lifting my rear up into the air. That ‘something’ was the larger Ursa’s paw! A wall of muscle, flesh, fur and claws!

Picking itself up off the floor, the little Ursa charged towards me again. This time it had its mouth wide open revealing where I had sat hours before. I tried to turn around, but I slipped landing on my chin. Not missing an opportunity, the Ursa leapt into the air heading straight at me. Pushing with my legs, I slid backwards just in time as crashed hard into the ground. It was not pleased with this outcome. It looked at me from the top of its eyes, staring me down. It was hunting me.

But that wasn’t my only concern. Another huge paw crashed inches away from me, and slid itself along the ground towards where I lay. In that moment I tried to use my sudden burst of speed to escape, but there was no traction on the ground! Nothing happened. My necks snapped back, but I remained where I stood. So, I braced for impact.

It must have been for only a few seconds, but I awoke to find myself at the complete other end of the cave. My head was spinning. Where was I? What was I doing? What were those things? And why are they running at me…

“Ow!” I yelped as I felt a painful sensation on my shoulder. Tessie had bit me again. At once I remembered! Two Ursas, a big purple one, and a little blue one. Both wanted me dead. “Thanks, Tessie.”

The little Ursa charged at me again, and while it did so I noticed something behind the both of them. My salvation! An escape! The way out! The exit! Somehow, I had to get there. But how?

“You pinkie promised…” A voice whispered in the back of my mine. Pinkie’s voice.

“You’re such an idiot, you know?” Another voice. Lavender’s? Not sure on that one.

“There’s somethin’ I need to tell you…” Applejack…

Narrowing my eyes, I grinned, “Come on, ugly! Eat me!”

The little Ursa didn’t need to be told twice and it charged at me again.

“Hang on, Tessie. Hang on as tightly as you can!” I shouted at my passenger. She understood me and gripped my mane tighter than before.

Backing up a step, I pressed my rear legs against the wall and bent my knees. Already I could feel my body tensing itself, my body getting ready for what was needed.

The distance between us quickly decreased and when it got close enough the little Ursa opened its mouth.

“Eat this.” I whispered.

It was a lot faster than I had anticipated, but its effect was the same. I aimed just to the left of the Ursa cub, missing it by inches. It had tried to snag me in mid-air by turning its head and snapping its jowls shut. All that it caught was air. The sound of its jaws closing behind me sent chills down my spine. But I was out of the frying-pan, and was now heading straight for the fire. And it was a very big, angry looking fire.

The larger Ursa saw me running at her at full speed. Almost full speed; I still had one more speed above this.

The massive beast gave an ear-splitting roar that reverberated through the cave, and through me. Tessie pulled my mane over her tighter. She was a brave little rat.

The larger Ursa raised its gigantic arm above its head and swung towards me. This was what I was waiting for! This was what I wanted. I was gambling, my life against my freedom. It all boiled down to speed and timing. I just needed to time it exactly right.

The giant paw swung down at me, I could feel the wind shifting from the sheer force of it. That was when I turned, running laterally to the Ursa’s arm so that it looked as if it were chasing me, hot on my tail. Slowing down just a tad, I counted.

One. I inhaled a deep breath, keeping an eye on the beast as I ran in a wide circle around it.

Two. I narrowed my eyes seeing the target; the exit. It was there, just past the giant Ursa’s legs.

Three! I turned and jumped right into the Ursa’s palm. The impact dazed me for the briefest moment as we collided.

My mind was blank. For only a moment, though. That was when I noticed that I was flying! Really, I was! Soaring through the air, like a bird – no, more like a bullet. Tessie let out a long, drawn out squeak that made it sound like she was screaming.

My gamble worked! I had purposely made the giant Ursa swat me out of the cave. With the creature so prominent in the entrance there was no way I could have run around it. And, yes, I knew that if worse came to worse I would be safe. That was always something I was sure of; Tutela wouldn’t let me die. I was her toy, her plaything, her source of entertainment. But I couldn’t leave Tessie behind. For her, for saving my life, I was going to return the favor.

Hurtling through the air, I landed on the ground sliding to a halt. My lip was bleeding, but I was out of the cave. Slowly, I pushed myself up to my feet and looked up. I was free, right?

Wrong. This wasn’t a cave; it was a cave system or something like that. An underground expanse that was enormous! Light streamed down from above, and I couldn’t decide if I really was in a cave or at the bottom of a steep ravine. But as my dizziness faded, I became acutely aware that there were creatures staring at me from all sides.

I did the only thing I could think of.

I screamed.

Ursas. Dozens of them! In all shapes and sizes! Each alcove had one. Each nook had one. Each cranny had one. They were everywhere.

My scream acted like a trigger. They poured out of their caves and charged at me. If Tessie was making noises, I couldn’t hear her above the din the Ursa’s were making. Why they would get so excited over one little Pony was beyond me, but I didn’t feel like asking them why. Running as fast as I could, the Ursa’s filed behind me in hot pursuit. A few started to fight amongst each other, but the vast majority was far more interested in me and by the looks on their faces, they really wanted to eat me. Why? What did I ever do to them? I was nothing more than a raisin to them! Were Ponies an Ursa drug? Did they get high from eating Pony flesh? Was this a community of bear-crack addicts?

As I ran down the only path available to me, Ursa’s that were minding their own business instantly joined the pursuit when I rushed by. So, as I was running away more and more of those damned giant bears were tailing me, and the more bears that tailed me made me run! I was screwed! It would have been so easy to just let it all end, to go back to Tutela, but I couldn’t abandon Tessie. Not after she saved my life. She had risked everything to get out of here, gambling on me. And I was not one to disappoint.

Why do I get myself into these messes!

There was no option on where I could go. I had to keep dead center in between the walls of the cavern, which was beginning to stretch out into a long humongous tunnel now. If I went too far to the left or right, those Ursas would tear me apart with their sharp, nasty, pointy bits! Further and further, I made my way down the tunnel.

I wanted to look back, but I couldn’t risk it. It was getting harder to see where I was going; the cracks and holes high above that allowed light through were getting smaller had starting to close. With each step that took me deeper into the tunnel, the darker it grew.

Now I was running blind. If having an army of Ursas was not enough, now I was charging through darkness at breakneck speeds. But I didn’t dare slow down. Those beasts were right behind me. Their lumbering footsteps were right there.

Then I felt something whizz past me face to the left. What was that? Then it happened again on my right. Then, right in front of me was a stalagmite rising from the ground. Leaning to the left I barely avoided it. Behind me I heard the Ursas crashing into the obstacles. There was a little light in this area, still from the ceiling that towered high above me. And… was it getting hotter?

Then I saw something beautiful! Light! Lots of it! Without thinking, I headed towards it. Anything was better than getting stuck here in the dark.

Tessie squeaked out loud pulling my mane back, which made me come to a sliding halt.

“Why am I not surprised?” I yelled to no-one in particular.

In front of me there was indeed a lot of light, because it came from a damned ravine of lava! A river of lava! It was a long, long way down, but it still felt as if I was burning. Still, if I had run into that… let’s just say I’d become Forest Burned.

A roar bellowed from somewhere behind me in the darkness. Had to go round…

Two glowing eyes appeared to my left.

Doing an about-face, I headed to the right.

Two more glowing eyes appeared again, eyes that reflected the red light from the lava. I backed up. Tessie squeaked continuously. Now she was panicking? Think, Forest! You need to get out of here! I had no choice, I had to run back into the darkness…

Several dozen eyes glared at me before I could even take a step in that direction, eyes the size of my entire body. The Ursas were crawling on their bellies to get to me, trying to reach me, to catch me. What could I do? There was nowhere to go!

Then I heard a squeak behind me. Tessie ran into the gap where the lava was located far below! Why would she do that? Why should she kill herself after I worked so hard in trying to help her escape? Why was she giving up? Why wou-…

Tessie squeaked again. She wasn’t dead! She was… wait, where was she?

Not needing another warning, I bolted through the gap and leapt over the gorge looking down at the lava far below. The hot air felt like it was burning underbelly, and I closed my eyes as I landed face-first against a wall. I had made the jump! Tessie was there tugging on my tail. I turned around and saw a tiny path. The path led upwards, to a small light. Freedom! Salvation!

It was a shame that it was barely big enough for one hoof.

The Ursas attacked the hole where I had jumped through. Their claws were nowhere big enough to reach inside, but they were trying. If that wasn’t so bad, the tongues were next. A few Ursa’s decided that since they couldn’t reach me with their paws, they’d try to lick me out of hiding. Their tongues reaching quite close, but not near enough. Their manky, putrid breaths making me gag.

“Get out of here, Tessie! Save yourself!” I shouted, “Don’t worry about me! I’ll be fine!”

The little rat stood there and stared at me trying to avoid getting ‘licked’. In the back of my mind I was wondering if I should just leap into the lava and back to Tutela’s. That thought kept replaying itself over and over in my mind like a broken record. Still, there was that nagging comment from the last time. She also told me that she couldn’t save me all the time. She couldn’t pull my ass out of the fire whenever she wanted. That sometimes I really was on my own.

Was it worth the risk?

“Pinkie promise…”

“Damn you, Pinkie!” I shouted, why was it that every time I was in deep shit that stupid promise echoed in the back of my brain, and I actually smiled, “I said I’d stick a muffin in my eye, didn’t I?”

Tessie was gone. I didn’t even notice her leave, but at least she was safe.

“Well, Forest. You’ve got yourself in a fine situation this time,” I mumbled as the tongues kept trying to reach me, “Here you are on the ledge of a ravine that drops into a river of lava. In front of you is an army of Ursas trying to eat you, behind you is a wall. You’re trapped.”

The Ursas had begun clawing their way through the hole using their strength. Slowly the gap that I had jumped from grew wider and wider. Within minutes the hole was double the size and one of the Ursas peered through it staring right at me with one eye – as if it were peeking through a keyhole on the floor. It saw me trapped. The large head with the eye was instantly replaced by its large arm as it shoved in through the hole. I leapt to the side as the Ursa swatted the ledge I was on in a downwards strike destroying half of it. Things were not going well at all.

Well, if I was going down, then I might as well go down fighting! Placing my rear legs once again against the wall behind me, I got myself ready to attack. Right now I only had one chance, and I needed to time it perfectly. Just like before, timing was everything.

The Ursa peeked through the hole – either to see where I was or if it had killed me. That was what I was counting on.

Now!

Using all my power, I fired myself back across the ravine - right into the Ursa’s eye. I felt the slimy texture of its eye as the intraocular fluid acted like an adhesive sticking me to its cornea right in front of the pupil. Getting hit in the eye isn’t a pleasant experience, and the Ursa shrieked in pain. Instinctively it shut its eyes as tight as it could. My ribs couldn’t take; I heard a crack followed by a sharp pain. Not good.

Then the Ursa started to swing its head around, my body slowly getting unstuck. To make matters worse for one of the other ‘galactic’ beasts tried to attack me, but because the other Ursa was shaking its head so fiercely the latter’s attempt at me failed and instead clobbered the other one on the face. The impact shuddered through beast, snapping its head to one side, the momentum cobined with the impact freed me from the slimy goo, and I sailed through the air.

When I landed, I slid for quite a distance before coming to a stop crashing against something on the far bend. In the light of the lava’s glow, I saw that the two Ursas were now fighting amongst one another. This had distracted the rest of the giants and I used this distraction to slip away.

My right side hurt real badly.

As quickly as I could, I hobbled away, trying to get away from there. I had no time to loose! I had to get out of there. This was my chance!

I am not sure how long I walked for, but I was surrounded in complete darkness. On and on I went, using the wall as a guide, sliding along it for support.

Then I saw light! Not a red glow of lava, but the bright goodness of sunlight! Salvation!

As I exited the cave, or whatever it was I was in, I soaked in the sun’s rays. It was late in the day and the orange tint of twilight had already started to taint the beautiful sky. Taint, because it meant that the sun was already setting, meaning that I had no time to sit and rest. Applejack had clearly stated to get out of the little Usra’s way when it returned to the Everfree Forest. Night time would come soon, and I couldn’t be stuck there.

There was no clear way for me to go. I didn’t know how far I had come the night before, and I didn’t know the direction. So, I just followed the path that led away from the cave system.

Every step that I took felt like someone was stabbing me in the side, but I just ignored it as much as possible. I could worry all about it when I reached safety.

“Forest!” A voice shouted, “Forest! Is that you?”

Aiden ran over to me, “You’re alive! I knew you were! I just knew…” He actually hugged me. I groaned in pain. “What’s wrong?”

“Can’t… walk…” I said through gritted teeth, “Ursa… big ones…”

In his eyes, I could see a thousand questions that he wanted to ask, but Aiden knew what I had meant and didn’t like it.

“Ursa Majors? How many?”

“Lots.”

Aiden nodded, “Lean against me. I’ll get you out of here!”

Suddenly I felt something tug on my hoof. Looking down I saw a familiar looking rat, “Tessie!”

“That a new friend? You should thank her, Forest. She led me this way. She was very insistent that I followed her. I’m glad she was…”

All I could do was force a weak smile on my face. That was the second time that little Tessie helped me. She was one clever rodent. But we weren’t out of the woods yet. There was no time to relax.

Night had arrived. We were nowhere near the exit; it was really slow going because of me. The darkness of the woods coupled with the night almost impossible to see where we were going. Aiden did not was to use any light spells for fear that he would clue in the Ursa Major as to where we were. He did admit that he could fight off an Ursa Minor, but it would take a squad of very well trained Ponies to take down an adult.

Aiden kept talking. It helped me ignore the pain. There were no questions as he didn’t want me to respond. Statements and sentiments, opinions and concerns spouted out of his mouth endlessly and I was thankful for it. It was nice to hear about everypony back home. How they were doing, and how they were helping in their own way. It had only been a day since I was gone, but it felt as if I had been away for a long, long time.

Fear gripped me. It flooded into me when I heard something behind us. Not that far away.

“Was… that…?”

The look on Aiden’s face revealed what I feared. The Ursas were on our tail.

“Why… are they… chasing me… so badly?” I asked, trying to step up the pace.

“That’s something I want to know too,” Aiden shrugged, “Could be the Muzen honey…”

“Stuck… to my… chest…”

“Then that’s why. Muzen honey is very hard to get and very popular. They probably smell it on you. You don’t understand how… good it is, especially to Ursas.”

Bears and honey? Of course! It was so obvious.

“Oh no! This can’t be…” Aiden suddenly stopped before blinding me with a sudden explosion of light from his horn. It brightened the area around us bathing it in a bright white glow – strange seeing as his magic was a beige color. But the area in front of us remained unchanged. It was dark and a cold breeze blew towards us, and there was a distinct lack of trees, or any foliage. There was also a distinct lack of ground as well.

“Lost?” I asked.

In front of us was a sheer drop, and far below there was a river. We stood atop the edge of a cliff. Aiden looked down over the edge, while I plopped myself on my rear. The Ursas were still following us. We could hear them getting closer.

“I must have taken a wrong turn!” He looked at me, “I didn’t pay attention because I was following your little friend. I’m sorry, Forest…”

“Oh, that’s okay. I’m used to this.” I replied, the pain had subsided significantly when I sat. Sadly, my statement was true, I was getting used to it, “You should use your…” I grimaced in pain as a sudden wave of agony surged across my right side, “You should use your magic to get out of here.”

“I can’t do that, Forest. I’m your guardian. It’s my job to watch over you, and I leave nopony behind. Not now, not ever!” Aiden said walking over to me, “Let’s head along the ledge. We’ll find a way down…”

The expression on his face made it abundantly clear that he was going to stay with me. Stupid Stallion! Just run away already!

We didn’t get five steps before a large figure appeared, towering high above the trees. It looked around and before Aiden could turn off his magic, the Ursa had spotted us.

Man, I just can’t cut a break! I yelled in my head.

Aiden gritted his teeth, and a huge ball of magic surrounded me. My wrist burned.

“What are… what are you doing?” I asked, trying to ignore the pain.

“Forest Fire,” Aiden shouted, “Show me where you are!”

Inside my brain I felt something click. He wouldn’t dare! Not right now! Not with my broken ribs! Did he want the entire sloth of space-bears to find us?

“Show me where you are!”

My body started to react. Already I could feel a breeze swirl around me. My wrist was in agony! It was burning. How much magic did he put in there?

“Aiden… sto-“

“Show me where you are!” He shouted the last word, prolonging it.

The wind around me sped faster and faster. Aiden rushed to my side as my hoof pointed upwards, the pain from my broken ribs burned in my side. It. Was. Agony! How could he do this to me?

My hoof got hotter and hotter, the pain at my side increased with each passing second. Then the explosion of light discharged into the heavens. Like a pillar of light, it ascended upwards, slowly fading out of existence the further up it went. The sudden shock from the light’s ignition jerked my hoof in the opposite direction, sending bolts of anguish through me. But Aiden wasn’t done torturing me yet.

“I’m sorry, Forest!” He shouted over the din of the wind rushing around us. Little Tessie clinging tightly to his mane, “I’m really sorry!”

And before I could respond, he grabbed onto my arm that was extended upwards, and using his body strength, pushed it down right at the Ursa Major’s face. It screeched in pain before falling backwards as the light struck it. It landed with a resounding crash on the forest floor. Moments later, the light from my hoof died out.

Dropping to my knees, I coughed. In my mouth I tasted blood. This was too much. I couldn’t take it anymore. Aiden was trying his best to help me, but I… just couldn’t take it.

We heard crashing coming from ahead of us, and my heart sank as the purple figure of the Ursa started to stand again. Only one damned beast! Just one! At least it was only one… I hoped.

“Take him! I can get out of here on my on! Take him!” Aiden shouted. Who was he talking to?

Turning around, my heart leapt to my throat, “Forest, come on! We have to go! Right now!”

She hovered over me with her hooves extended.

Come on, Forest! One last try! You can do it! Up you go. Come on!

Pushing myself up one more time, I reached over to Rainbow Dash and fell into her extended arms. She was strong as she pulled me towards her in a tight, yet gentle embrace. Then she shot upwards easily, high into the sky. I looked down below as Aiden watched us rise. Then, in the next moment there was a bright flash of light and he was gone. In the back of my mind, I had hoped that Aiden had taken Tessie with him.

“Thank… thank you… thank…” My vision got blurry.

“Hang on! I’ll get you home in no time!” Rainbow yelled.

Raising my head, I looked up at her. She was incredible.

The last thing I heard before blacking out was the sound of the Ursa wailing. It knew that I had finally escaped. I was going home.

As the feeling of relief flooded through me, I felt the welcoming embrace of darkness. Nothing hurt anymore.

Author's Notes:

Fan art by the incredible Ephemurai

Day 15: Roommates

Soft.

That was the first conscious thought that came to my mind. Soft.

Slowly, my eyes opened. It was blinded by light. I squinted and waited as they adjusted to my new environment. When they did, I let them take a good look around to absorb my milieu, surveying my current location. On a bed, tucked in neatly with a bright white sheet, a blue blanket covered the lower half of my torso. To my left was a sleeping Aiden sitting on a stool his head sprawled on the bed, his drool soaking the area near my leg. In front of me I saw a blank white wall, with a long sofa leaning against it.

“Ah, glad to see you’re awake. Welcome back.”

My head turned to the right, and the last person I thought I’d ever see was sitting up in a bed next to mine displaying a wide grin, “Brian?” I asked, astonished.

“The one and only,” He furled his wrist and made his head bow a little, “We’re roommates. Well, for now at least.”

“So, I did make it back…” I leaned back into my pillow staring straight up at the boring, uniformed ceiling. Never has ceiling tiles looked so good.

Brian said nothing for a while. Then he closed a book he was reading, “I heard about what happened. You’re one lucky Pony.”

Was I? Was I really?

“Your daughter…”

“She said she spotted your ‘light marker’, something about you and magic bracelet?”

Brian was being really friendly and wasn’t being mean or hostile. I told him about the magic, the bracelet, and the three spells I learnt from it – carefully void avoiding the activation spells with the excuse that the fewer people who knew about it the better.

“Well, let me tell you what happened afterwards. After you passed out, Rainbow flew you straight here. You were completely gone, so the doctors decided to operate on you without using any anaesthetic…”

“Operate?” I asked, bewildered.

“Oh yes. Take a looked at your chest…”

My fur on my entire right was shaved off, and a nice new scar decorated the right side of my body. It was long and narrow, except for a tiny bit in the middle where it was rough and uneven.

“You have to admit, the medical services here in Ponyville are bar none – well, maybe except for Canterlot. When I had my wings removed, a doctor from Canterlot did the oprations. The doctors here took good care of me and helped me recover,” Brian looked at me, and my expression must have asked the unasked question, “Oh, I had wings at one point. Those were the days.” He looked up, and sighed. He must have had a wave of nostalgia.

“What happened?”

“It was a one-time spell, and it took me a while to get used to flying. In retrospect, it probably was for the best. For a while, I was an angel. Flying with my daughter, soaring through the skies,” He laughed at that, “Makes me wish I was born a bird!”

We chatted for a bit, making small-talk. He told me more about himself, about his days on Earth after he had adopted Rainbow Dash, their lives together; the part where they had to be separated was particularly painful to hear. Then how delighted me with his antics after he had come to this world, how he had adapted to his life here and his days in Equestria.

The more I knew about him, the stronger the feelings of guilt flooded through me. Before, I had thought of Brian as a desperate failure eager to get away from his life on Earth using his daughter as a convenient excuse. Now I knew better. He wasn’t a failure at all, and in many ways he was by far a better man or Pony than I was. He was the perfect father, a father that I wished I had. He was a father that was there for you, a father that you could look up to and respect. He gave up everything for Rainbow because that was what fathers are supposed to do for their children, to be there for her without question.

The last memory of my father was of him shoving a blade into my chest.

My depressing recollection was interrupted by a gentle knock on the door.

“Come on in!” Brian called out, and in walked the gang; Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie, Spike, Rarity, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, Lavender, Amethyst, Derpy, Applebloom, Rainbow, the Cakes and their two children, Fluttershy and last of all Big Mac.

Twilight rushed over to me, “How are you feeling?” She sounded frantic.

“Fine,” I replied, smiling gently, “Sorry about what happened. I was… I didn’t think. I should have kept doing laps around Ponyville, not run away from it. It was just… I thought you guys were in danger and… yeah, I just didn’t think.”

“Well, we’re just glad you’re okay.” Twilight put her hoof on mine, “We were all worried about you.”

“I didn’t mean to make any of you worry. I’m sorry.”

“We weren’t that worried,” Rainbow replied rolling her eyes, “We knew you’d be safe.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at that, “Thanks, Rainbow. It’s nice to think that you have such faith in me. And thanks for lugging me all the way back here. I think you saved my life.”

She just blushed, chuckled a little bit and rubbed the back of her neck.

“Speaking of lifesavers,” Aiden interjected, sitting up and blushing as he wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, “I have someone here who wants to say hello.”

“Tessie!” I yelled as she leapt out of a small bag that Aiden had and hopped onto the hospital bed before running up to me so she stood just to my left. She gave me a squeak as I pet her with my hoof, relieved to see that she was safe and sound.

“A rat?” Twilight asked more than a little confused.

“She saved me. Without her, I very much doubt I’d be here,” I pat Tessie again.

I probably shouldn’t have said that… too soon.

“Would you care to explain?” Twilight demanded when I didn’t elaborate.

For the next hour or so I amused my friends with my tale, starring little Tessie. Suffice to say, they were shocked with just how vital she was to my survival. I left out the part where I stood overlooking a ravine with lava at the base. Even with my selective omissions my tale was pretty unbelievable. Plus, I didn’t really want them to know just how close or how many times I brushed against ‘death’ – and that was another thing that confused me. Tutela had protected me before, when I had leapt out the window in Canterlot. But nothing happened this time around. Not even when I was swatted across the caverns by the Ursa Majors. Did she trust that I could escape that time, or was there another reason? I would have to talk to her about that.

“Incredible. I had no idea such a large community of Ursas lived in the Everfree Forest.” Twilight thought for a bit, “How far away was this cave?”

“Pretty far,” Rainbow stated, “Only the fastest and most awesome Pony in Equestria can make it there and back in one day…”

“Dashie, we talked about this, remember?” Brian gave his daughter a keen look, but he had a small knowing smile on his face that betrayed his stern tone, “Grace and humility.”

“Aw,” Rainbow blushed a little, “Yes, dad.” She fluttered over to him and nuzzled his neck.

I couldn’t resist a short chuckle.

“We’ve brought you a cake,” Mrs Cake stated, her husband carrying a beautifully wrapped box, “It’s from your friends at Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie made it herself!”

Pinkie smiled at me from where she stood as I looked at her. Why was she standing so far away? Was she still mad at me? “Thank you all.”

As I opened the box, what I saw blew me away. It was me! In cake form! The likeness was uncanny. The chocolate cake had a huge smiling face where the teeth were made of icing. My mane and tail were made from a delicious looking chocolate frosting. It was beautiful. The best present I had ever gotten from anybody.

“Thank you,” I choked. I was… crying? “I’m sorry…” I wiped the tears with my hooves. They wouldn’t stop! They continued to flow down my cheeks, and no matter how hard I tried to stop them, they just kept on going. “I’m so, so, sorry… I don’t know what’s wrong with me…”

Thing was, I wasn’t apologizing for crying. It wasn’t from the fact that I was so happy, which I was – they were all so damned wonderful. I cried because they’ve done nothing but open themselves to me, drawing me into their lives. I’ve only been here for two weeks, and already they treated me with more respect and tenderness than I’ve felt in my entire miserable existence. They really cared for me. And yet, my whole time here has been a lie. And that’s what really hurt. They had befriended a lie, and there was nothing I could do to change that.

“Forest, you don’t have to cry over one silly cake,” Applebloom laughed, before brandishing that super-cute smile.

I covered my eyes with my arm, “I know! I know… it’s just…” I couldn’t find the words.

“What’s going on in here?” An angry voice questioned from the door.

Nurse Redheart walked in with the doctor. They both looked at everypony there with a mixture of amusement and annoyance.

“I know everypony here is eager to see Forest, but this isn’t a place for social gathering. You’re all welcome to visit in small groups,” Nurse Redheart reprimanded them.

“I think due to these unique circumstances, we should excuse them just this once,” The doctor replied placing a gentle hoof on her shoulder and giving her a wink, “They’ve been through quite a lot of worrying.”

Nurse Redheart took a long, deep sigh. “Very well. But only this once. Remember you are in a hospital and there’re patients next door that need rest. That means no noises and no partying. Am I clear, Pinkamena Diane Pie?”

Pinkie just grinned nervously before nodding.

“So, how’re you feeling, Forest?” The doctor asked walking over to me, “And what is that?”

“I’m fine, sir. And this is Tessie, she’s… my pet.”

“Please, ‘sir’ is my father, call me Dr Stable. Have you already forgotten me? Anyway, pets aren’t allowed in the hospital, so please ask your friends to take her away when they leave.”

He stood by the side of my bed and pulled the blanket back. I felt naked without fur covering my torso, but he inspected the stitched wound. He nodded, “It’s healing well. Were you crushed?”

I nodded, remembering getting smooshed by the Ursa’s eyelid.

“One of your ribs on the right-hand side of your body was broken, while the rest have been cracked. The broken rib was protruding from your body causing some bleeding. Luckily, Rainbow Dash brought you here quick enough for us to operate and close the wound.”

My eyes found Rainbow who grinned at me. I nodded to her in thanks.

“You had suffered a significant amount of blood-loss, which is why you’re in this room.” Dr Stable looked over at Brian, “Brian is your blood donor.”

“Wha-?” I asked shocked.

“You both have low Magical Affinities, something that you brought to our attention a few days ago,” Dr Stable shook his head, “I never thought that human and Pony blood would be compatible.”

It can’t, I wanted to say. “How is that possible?”

“Magic,” Dr Stable replied.

“That makes no sense,” I retorted.

“Well, that’s the problem with magic. There’s always a mystery behind it.” This time it was Twilight who spoke.

That shut me up.

Dr Stable continued, “It will take time to heal, I’m afraid. That means you won’t be able to run that Race next week.”

My heart sank. All that hard work and effort was going to go to waste! That really sucked.

“I told you to be careful!” Lavender slapped her hoof against her face, “Now I’m going to have to run it!”

“Sorry, Lav…”

“No. Don’t apologize. I guess we all have to thank you for saving the town and all,” Lavender shrugged, “In your own way, as inane as it was to run away from the town. These things happen.”

“And I’m pulling out of the Race as well,” Twilight confessed, “The princess has asked me to oversee organization of the events, so Amethyst will be taking my place.”

As if on cue, the other Unicorn stepped forwards and gave me an awkward wave.

“Ooh, ooh! I’m making a theme song for our team!” Sweetie Belle put in, “I’m calling it The Ponyville Posse!”

“That sounds pretty cool. I can’t wait to hear it,” It sounded like a fun song.

“It’s not done yet,” Sweetie Belle blushed.

“Where’s Derpy?” I asked curious as to why she wasn’t here when the rest of the team were.

“Oh, she’s still delivering letters. She’ll visit later on,” Scootaloo answered.

At the back of the room next to Pinkie I saw Spike trying his hardest not to look at Rarity, and failing miserably. She, on the other hand was either completely oblivious to Spike or was very good at acting as if she didn’t notice. Either way, it was comical to see. The Cakes two children were sitting on a sofa next to Spike, they looked really bored.

“Okay, everypony. Let’s let Forest rest. You can come back later, it’s time for him to eat,” Nurse Redheart stated.

“Forest, save some cake for me!” Rainbow called to me while floating over to her father giving him a peck on the cheek. “I’ll be back later. Weather duty,” She explained.

“Okay, sweetheart, take care,” Brian answered, reluctantly letting go of his daughter’s hoof.

“Oh… um… Forest… I can take care of Tessie… if you don’t mind,” Fluttershy bashfully offered.

“That’d be great, Fluttershy. Thank you.”

Tessie understood the situation and jumped onto Fluttershy’s back and the two Pegasi exited together. The Cakes and their children were the next to leave; the kids were completely bored out of their skulls and elated to be leaving. Apparently I was not entertaining enough. Understandable.

Pinkie walked to the foot of my bed, and smiled shyly at me. She looked like she wanted to say something, but wasn’t able to.

I should apologize to her, but I want to that privately. I thought to myself as we looked at one another for a long moment.

“Can I throw you a welcome back party?” She suddenly burped out. I could barely make out the question.

It had completely caught me off guard, “Of course, Pinkie. If that is what you want.” I could only laugh. Ouch. It hurt to laugh. Maybe my painkillers were wearing off.

A huge grin appeared on her face. “Yippee!” She cheered.

Nurse Redheart gave her a sombre look before placing her hoof on her lips, “Sh!”

“Sorry,” Pinkie whispered right after.

I couldn’t help but laugh some more at her. That was Pinkie for you. Ouch. Again, the laughing hurt my ribs.

“Out, out, out! The rest of you go on!” Nurse Redheart began shuffling them out the door. “You too, Mr Fomaio,” She stated looking right at Aiden.

Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle, Spike and Rarity exited along with Lavender and Amethyst. It was obvious that Lavender was seething with either anger, or annoyance – most probably both. Angry that I couldn’t race and annoyed that her hard work training me was going to waste. I had thought that she’d be happy! She obviously trained hard for it, and wanted it more than I did.

At that point, Aiden got up and stretched himself. He walked out the room, but after a second he popped his head through the open door, “I’ll be back later on in the afternoon. Try not to get hurt in the meantime.”

“Very funny,” I declared impassively.

Twilight pushed Aiden out the door followed by Pinkie, who paused and flashed another wide grin. Pinkie’s mood had picked up quite considerably when she had talked to me. I mean, she went from silent Pinkie to normal Pinkie, and I was glad for that.

Still had to apologize to her though, that was important.

With everypony else gone, only the three Apples remained. Applejack had not said one word to me while I was there. She stood silently staring right at me, a morose expression on her face. She looked like she was in a lot of pain.

“Applejack, are you alright?” I asked, “You look sa-”

Her lips cut me off as she took the three steps to me and placed them on mine. My heart leaped in my chest, and as she pulled away, my face burned. That was… amazing. But, she didn’t smile. In fact she looked upset. Really upset.

Was it my breath?

“What’s wrong?”

“Forest… I’m sorry, but I can’t be with you.” She looked away from me.

“Wha-?”

“Please, just… I can’t, okay?”

I couldn’t think, nor respond. Did… did she just kiss me and then tell me she wants to breakup with me? Although, technically we weren’t a couple… but still! What? Why? Even Applebloom was visibly shocked. Everyone in that room was shocked! Even Big Mac’s eyes were wide open in genuine disbelief.

“I’m sorry. I’m so sorry,” She whispered. With that she turned and ran out of the door. I saw tears in those eyes.

“Applejack!” Applebloom shouted and was right on her heels.

Big Mac heaved a heavy sigh, nodded towards me and exited the room.

I sat there with my mouth half open. What just happened? It was all too sudden for me. I didn’t get it. What happened? It didn’t seem… real. The shock hadn’t settled in yet.

“Oh, that poor girl,” Nurse Redheart said shaking her head, “And here we thought you’d be the one to fix her broken heart.”

“Fix… her heart?” I was so confused.

“Nurse, please. I think that Forest deserves to hear it from Applejack’s own lips.” Brian looked at me, “Sorry, buddy.”

Did… did Brian just call me ‘buddy’? I wanted to smile at that. But my heart hurt too much. Why would Applejack just… do that? I’ve only been gone a day, and…

“Well, Forest,” Dr Stable said trying to change the subject, “As I said, you are healing nicely. You could go home, but I’d like to keep you here under observation for today, if that’s okay with you.”

I would have liked to go back home, but that was because I wanted to see Applejack. After this episode the thought of seeing Applejack hurt! It felt… wrong, awkward and strange. Staying at the hospital for the day was probably a god-send – sorry, a Celestia-send.

“Thank you, doc.”

“My pleasure… just eat something, take the painkillers and get some rest. Oh, and try not to laugh. I know it’s hard when Pinkie’s around, but try not to.”

Dr Stable left with ­Nurse Redheart. She returned by herself moments later with a small cart with two plates on it. She placed a tray of food in front of me and Brian, and our pills at the side of our respective trays with a glass of water.

“I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She turned and left.

The food didn’t look appetising at all. It looked like muck in sludge. Taking the spoon, I poked around the food for a while. I had no appetite.

“You should eat,” Brian advised before taking a large spoonful, “It doesn’t look like much, but it is really good.” He talked with his mouth half-full.

Gingerly, I took a little bit on my spoon and ate. Brian was right, it was delicious. But I still had no appetite.

“Those painkillers will feel wretched in your stomach if you don’t eat,” Brian stated.

“Why, Brian? Why would Applejack do that to me?” My nose tickled, tears threatening to leave my eyes.

He looked at me for a moment, before taking a long, deep sigh, “It’s not my place to tell you…”

“Does it have anything to do with a Stallion from her past?”

The look on Brian’s face made it clear that it did.

“Tell me, please,” I pleaded.

Brian thought for a moment, before looking back at me, “Let’s just say that a long time ago Applejack didn’t just have a coltfriend. She had a… fiancé.”

That was a shock. “She was engaged?” I shouted incredulously.

“I can’t tell you more than that, Forest. You’ll need to find the rest out from Applejack herself.”

And with that Brian returned to his book.

That was what Applejack wanted to tell me that night. She wanted to tell me everything, and I didn’t want to hear it! I thought that I was being kind to her, but in reality I could have just isolated her feelings more. This was my fault. She wanted to come clean right away and I had denied her that luxury. Why, oh why, didn’t I just shut my mouth and let her tell me?

“I’m an idiot,” I muttered out loud, “She wanted to tell me, but I didn’t let her.”

Brian looked up from his book again, but he didn’t say anything.

After a long period of silence, Brian put his book down and slipped the covers on him. “I’m taking a nap,” He declared.

That was a good idea. Perhaps a nap would help me calm down and think things through. I stared at the ceiling trying to guess what happened all those years ago with this mystery Stallion. She was to be wedded! She had somepony that she had cared enough for to marry. What happened?

I groaned and rubbed my eyes. This really sucked.

“… and you can’t blame him for being hurt.”

“I know, I know. I tried to tell Applejack that it wasn’t fair on Forest to let him down like that, but you know how stubborn she is.”

I was hearing voices whispering. They were talking about me. I opened my eyes and looked to my right. There was one of those privacy curtains that separated our beds from one another spread out so that Brian and company were hidden from my sight.

“Is he awake?” The first voice asked.

“Let me check.”

Somepony poked their head through the curtain. I pretended that I was still asleep.

“No, he’s still asleep.”

“Well, what are we going to do?” That was Brian’s voice, “I never expected Applejack to break it off. I thought she was over ‘him’, especially after seeing how frantic she was while Forest was gone.”

“It’s not that simple, dad…”

That’s Rainbow Dash, obviously.

“… Applejack believes that she’s the one that hurt Forest! She’s being stupid! Again!”

“But… why?” Brian asked.

“She thinks she’s curse, the silly mare. I don’t understand where she got that notion! Bad things happen, it’s not because of your feelings,” Rarity imparted. “She blames herself for what happened to Forest because she fell for him! It’s exactly the same as last time.”

“It’s irrational!” Twilight exclaimed.

“Sh! Forest is still sleeping,” Brian shushed them all.

“And here we thought that Applejack could finally get over it.”

There was a long lull of silence. That was when I let out a loud yawn, and sat up.

Rainbow pulled the curtain back hearing me.

“Did we wake you?”

“Hm? I heard whispering, and that woke me up,” That was true. I just didn’t tell them how long I had been listening for, “What time is it?”

“Late in the evening,” Twilight replied.

“Forest, I’ve got a proposition for you,” Brian asked, “I’ve been thinking, since you’re living with Applejack at the moment, and things haven’t panned out the way we would have liked, I’ve been wondering, do you want to stay over at my house?”

“You’d… you’d do that for me?” I was chuffed.

“There’s one condition though. You have to take care of my garden - and keep it clean.”

“That’s two conditions…”

Brian just gave me a look, “You want a place to live or not?”

I shut my mouth.

“Remember that it’s Dashie’s house, not yours.”

“Of course! Thank you, Brian. That’s really kind of you. I was actually… kind of worried about how I would be able to live at the farm with this… strangeness between Applejack and myself.”

“She’s just being a silly Pony!” Rainbow rolled her eyes, “Applejack is so stubborn!”

“Look who’s talking,” Twilight giggled in response, “You’re as bad as she is.”

“Am not!”

“So, Forest. How does it feel to be single again?” Twilight asked.

“Miserable.”

“Give Applejack some time. She’ll come round.”

“Thanks, Twilight. I think some space would be best at this point.”

“Well, I disagree,” Rarity interrupted, “You should go and comfort her. She’ll need her Stallion to be there for her.”

We all turned to look at her.

“When your heart is broken, being alone is the worst possible thing! Having your friends around always helps, but having that special somepony be by your side...”

“Rarity, I know what you’re saying, but it’s Forest.” Twilight looked over to me, “No offense, but Applejack just broke it off with him. Wouldn’t that make things… uncomfortable.”

“Oh, Twilight, you haven’t really dated, so I don’t blame you for thinking that. But, let me ask you this. If your feelings are hurt, then who would you rather be there for you? Us? Or your favourite Pony?”

“My friends, of course!” Twilight answered without hesitation.

“And what about your best friend then? The one who you want to spend every waking moment with? Wouldn’t you want them to be there?”

Rainbow Dash made a noise with her throat, “All this love-love talk is bo-ring!”

“I’ll… go…” I said to myself quietly.

They all stared at me.

“I’ll go and talk to her. I think I need to,” I looked up at them all, “Right now.”

“No, Forest. You’re not getting up. You need to rest…” Twilight began.

“The doctor said I could leave. I think that I can spare some time to go looking for… for… her. I have to talk to her. Rarity’s right,” I looked right at her, “I would like my most favourite Pony with me, even if they were the ones that hurt me. I need to hear her story.”

“You can do that after dinner,” Nurse Redheart stated wheeling in a tray of food. She placed a bowl of how soup in front of me, and then took a step back, “Make sure to take your pills.”

After finishing off the soup, I reached over and popped the two yellow-spheres into my mouth, followed by a generous helping of water.

“I’m sorry, Forest, but I can’t let you leave the hospital. Not until tomorrow,” Nurse Redheart said after I placed the glass down on the table, “You need rest.”

“I’m… fine, Nurse…” My head started swimming.

I shook it, trying to make the sensation stop. Then, my mouth felt numb, and I could feel my hooves starting to get numb as well. My eyes felt heavy, and were growing heavier with each passing moment. My head started to nod as I fought a huge urge of sleepiness envelope me. It took me a moment to realize what had just happened.

Nurse Redheart just drugged me!

My last thoughts of my fading consciousness were of Applejack, her smile, her beautiful voice, those eyes with that painful expression… and how she just turned around and walked away leaving me alone in the darkness that swallowed me whole.

Day 16: A New Home

“Ouch!” I hooted as a wincing force of agony erupted along the right side of my body forcing me to sit up.

“Oops. Sorry about that. I didn’t think you were awake,” Dr. Stable declared before flaunting a wide grin. “I’m proud of you, Forest. Staying here was the right decision. It has really helped your injury along.”

Even though the doctor was only checking on me, I couldn’t help but glare at him a moment. That really, really hurt! Shrugging off the pain, I asked the doctor: “What time is it?”

Dr. Stable used his magic to levitate a pocket-watch, “It’s time for breakfast!” He showed me the clock’s face. Just past nine. So, I had slept the entire night away. In truth, my body did feel a lot better, but my thoughts were only on Applejack.

As if on cue, my stomach growled. It was time for breakfast.

Peering to my right I saw that Brian was sitting up on his bed reading a book quietly with Rainbow lying next to him so that her head rested on his lap. She was peering over to me with her eyes completely disinterested in my goings on. She did raise her eyebrows and smile at me, her lazy and silent ‘good morning’.

Just then the door opened and Nurse Redheart walked in with a tray of food. She spotted me awake, “Oh, Forest. You’re up. I’ll go get you your breakfast in a sec.”

After shooing Rainbow off the bed to make room for the bed-tray, Nurse Redheart set down Brian’s plate. There were a bunch of things on there – eggs, waffles, toast, a selection of fruits... many delicious looking things. It looked so good that it made my mouth salivate.

Nurse Readheard exited the room and returned in a few minutes with my plate. It looked seriously lacking in the presentation and my heart sank when she put it down in front of me. It was porridge. Boring, tasteless porridge. My eyes looked up to her in confusion.

“Sorry, Forest, but you need to eat this. Trust me. It’ll help heal your broken bones faster,” Nurse Redheart then gave me an evil look, “Don’t think I haven’t forgotten about your antics the other day disguised as that animal. You’re lucky I couldn’t find you. Do you know how long it took me and my staff to clear out all the leaves? You cause me a lot of headaches.”

“But you had to admit, that tackle was amazing…” Dashie sang out the last part, “How I pinned you down. Remember, Forest?”

How can I forget? “Yes, I remember.” My voice lacked any emotion; I was still pretty bummed out about the breakfast. As if I wasn’t suffering enough already. My heart was broken, my ribs were broken and now my morning illusion of a complete breakfast was broken.

“Why didn’t you just come to us instead?” Rainbow rolled her eyes while shaking her head. “That would’ve been, ya know, easier?”

“I… didn’t want to involve you, or any of the others. I thought that by acting on my own anything that I did would’ve led to me being the one to suffer from any repercussions.”

“That’s stupid…”

“Eat.” Nurse Redheart pointed to the bowl of milky white grossness interrupting my conversation.

Sighing, I took a spoon and dipped it into the porridge before lifting it up to my lips. It didn’t smell so bad. Looking down at the bowl, I saw the gooey substance leveling itself to make up with the sudden loss of volume. Taking another long sigh I put the spoon in my mouth, closing my eyes bracing myself for the impact of blandness. But as I chewed, letting my tongue taste the flavors I was pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t bad at all, and to be honest it was actually quite delicious!

There was a slight nutty taste coupled with a sweet milky overtone. Also, my senses detected a hint of cinnamon and something else. My next spoonful was actually quite larger, and my stomach welcomed the nourishment eagerly.

All through my eating, Nurse Redheart was unhooking equipment around me. After she was done, she went to the door and peered out of it. From my angle I could make out that she was waving to someone down the hall. She stepped aside and allowed the two orderlies that I had crashed into during my run around in the hospital to enter. They carefully wheeled out the various apparatuses towards the door, both flaunting me a knowing look. They knew who I was, and were not too happy about what I had done.

I grinned back nervously.

Dr. Stable had been sitting on the sofa opposite the foot of my bed writing something on a clipboard using his magic. Even when he was so little of it, I could feel my bracelet heat up. It was hungrily absorbing magic. “Well, Forest. You’re fine. I’m going to prescribe you some painkillers and that porridge. You can get that from Sugarcube Corner. Oh, and no heavy lifting or strain on your body. Already you’ve been incredibly lucky, so try not to push your luck.” He tore off a sheet of paper and handed it to me.

I took it and placed it on the bedside table next to me. “Thanks for treating me and looking out for me…”

“Anything for my favorite patient,” Dr. Stable ruffled my mane, “Want a lollipop?”

“Uh… sure?”

He took one out from his breast pocket and placed it in my hoof before turning and heading out.

Brian guffawed. After a couple minutes he calmed down and wiped a tear from his eye, “Dr. Stable is an amazing doctor, but he has a nasty habit of treating patients younger than him like children.”

With my porridge now happily being digested, I opened the wrapper and put the sweetie in my mouth. It was awesome! It was sweet, but had this tangy flavor as well. “Wow. This is good!”

Brian laughed inwardly.

With the lollipop in my mouth, I slowly stood up out of the bed. There was a brief wince of pain as my body tried to get used to standing up again, my ribs remembering that they were broken. I took a deep breath and felt them expand in agony. As I exhaled, the discomfort faded away and I took shorter, lighter breaths that worked. Taking a few steps, I found that walking didn’t hurt them either. Great!

“Are you sure you’re okay, Forest?” Nurse Redheart looked at me with genuine concern, “You can stay. You don’t have to leave. You can leave after another day or two.”

“I know. But I think I should go. Thank you for worrying about me, I appreciate it.” It was not the fact that I didn’t want to stay, but I needed to find Applejack. She had been constantly on my thoughts ever since I awoke, her words ringing in the back of my mind.

Nurse Redheart smiled gently placing a hoof on my shoulder, “That’s my job, Forest. Taking care of my patients is what I born to do and you’re as accident prone as they come. So, please, please do me a favor and don’t get yourself hurt.”

“I suppose, but drugging me to make me stay… that was mean.”

“I know. But you really needed it. Medicine can only help you so much. Your body needs time to rest itself. I don’t really like doing things like that, but if it helps speed up your recovery, then I will do it, and I need you healed up.”

“What? Why?”

“For the mischief you’ve caused. Hurting hospital staff members, making a mess, disturbing other patients are a few things I can think of. You’re lucky that you’re hurt, otherwise you’d be mopping the floors from the basement up.”

Wow. She was a devil in angel’s clothing, although in this case I probably deserved it.

Brian once again burst out in laughter.

Did I really throw the hospital into chaos when I tried to take Brian’s medical files? If so, Nurse Redheart had a right to bear some sort of grudge against me. “When I’m better, I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”

“I’ll be waiting.” She then handed me the piece of paper I had placed by my bedside table, “Don’t forget that. It’s for your prescription for painkillers. You’ll need this to buy it from the pharmacy. And don’t forget to get some of that porridge to help heal you faster.” And with that she walked out of the room.

I stared after her with the piece of paper in my hoof.

“So bored…” Rainbow moaned, floating back onto her father’s bed.

Brian had pushed the bed-tray as far away from his body as possible so that it was not over his feet at the complete opposite end.

“Dashie, why don’t you go outside and get some exercise, or how about you help Forest move.”

“Nah. That’s okay. I’m fine.” Rainbow plopped her head down on her father again.

“You just said you were bored, you silly Mare.” Brian ruffled his daughter’s hair.

Rainbow squealed, “Quit it, dad! You’re mussing up my mane!”

They both had a good laugh as I headed for the door.

“Forest!” Brian called as he took something from his bedside table and tossed it at me. I flinched as I caught it in the nick of time, my body slightly discomforted by the sudden movement my hoof made. “Those are the keys for my house.”

I looked at the keys in my hoof as if they were treasured artifacts. There were two of them. A brass colored one, and a smaller silver one.

“The brown one is for the front door, the other one is for the shed at the back of the house.”

I looked back at him, “I… I don’t know what to say, Brian. This is very kind of you.”

“A simple ‘thank you’ would be enough.”

“Thank you.” He lied. It wasn’t enough.

“You remember how to get there?” Rainbow asked.

“Yes. I think I’ll be fine. If not, I’ll just ask Sweetie Belle, she led me to your place the last time.”

“I’ll swing by later to check up on you. Oh! The guest bedroom is on the bottom floor behind the stairs. You can’t miss it.” Rainbow looked at her father, “Help yourself to whatever’s in the kitchen, and the guest bathroom is right next to you.”

“You… you don’t know how much this means to me. Thank you. Thank you both so very much.”

“Get out of here, ya goof! You keep thanking us like that and we’ll get snobby,” Brain chortled.

He completely humbled me. Yes, he was aggressive at first, accused me of being a human and tried to find the truth. , but that was only because he wanted to protect his daughter. And with that, I stepped out of the room, closing the door gently behind me. Standing outside the ward, I gazed up at the ceiling. It wasn’t fair. It just wasn’t fair. He shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be the one lying on a hospital bed waiting.

Slowly, I made my way to Sugarcube Corner. It was great being back in Ponyville and I strolled through the town. Some ponies greeted me, others went on about their businesses and a few flashed me dirty looks. Not sure why they did that, but I suspected that it had something to do with being annoyed at me for what happened with Pinkie. After all, she was everypony’s friend, it would make sense that a few of them would find what I had done to her unforgivable. It would’ve been stupid to hold that against them.

The bell tingled as I opened the front door to the bakery.

“Forest! It’s good to see you on your hooves! Welcome back to Sugarcube Corner!” Mr. Cake greeted me with a wide grin, “It feels like you’ve been gone forever. How are you feeling?”

“A lot better,” I replied walking to the till, “I’ve come to ask if I can borrow your cart and purchase some of this porridge.” I plopped the prescription paper down.

“Sure, of course you can and I’ll just go into the back and pour out a couple cups of the porridge,” He leaned over the counter, “Might I ask why are you looking to borrow the cart?”

“I’m… moving out of the clubhouse and moving into Brian’s place. He’s letting me stay there until I can get things sorted out. I’ve… it’s… complicated… between Applejack and me.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, Forest.” Mr. Cake poured me a mug of my favorite coffee. “We’re here for you.”

Despite his sympathetic response, I couldn’t help but think he was actually happy about that news.

“Forest, what a pleasant surprise! Right, Pinkie?” Mrs. Cake grinned, and gave a ‘light’ shove to the pink Pony who stumbled a bit before catching herself. She stood there like a deer caught in headlights.

“Oh hi, Forest. It’s super-duper-luper cool that you’re back your hooves! Do you want to have that party tonight?” Pinkie asked after a long moment of silence.

I smiled at her, “No, not tonight.”

“Okee-dokee-lokee! How about tomorrow then?”

“Let’s wait a little bit, okay?”

Pinkie’s hair deflated a little bit. And that expression! Who could say no to that?

“Don’t be sad, Pinkie. I’m really, really happy that you’re thinking of me. Really, I am. But it’s just… I’m not in the mood to party.”

“How can anypony not be in the mood to party? Partying is the most funnest thing ever!”

“I’m sure it is, Pinkie, but let’s just wait a bit. Please.” My voice cracked, the pain in my heart was resurfacing. It was hard. I knew that Pinkie meant well, but the more she pressed about having fun and partying, the more I thought about Applejack and her words. “Sorry, my chest still hurts.”

“Oh, I’m super sorry, Forest!” Pinkie rushed over to my side and placed a hoof on my back. “Are you okay?”

Her touch was like electricity. Not in a bad way. It was nice to be touched without having pain as a natural side-effect. She was just being friendly. I smiled at her. “Thank you, Pinkie. I’m fine.”

“Did you take your medicine?” Mrs. Cake asked, walking over to me and looking at my face as I tried to hide the tears that were threatening to reveal themselves.

“Yeah, but it’s probably wearing off.”

“Forest is moving out of the clubhouse. Apparently him and Applejack are… taking a break?” Mr. Cake said it like a question. I couldn’t blame him; we weren’t officially going out in the first place. I mean, we sort of had one date… but I really fell for her.

“What?” Mrs. Cake and Pinkie both asked at the same time, clearly this news had not reached them.

“Yeah, last night after you all left, she… ended things. It’s strange because we never actually started… anything.” I tried to laugh, but it sounded strangled.

“Sorry, Forest. I had no idea… I guess… oh, that poor girl.” Mrs. Cake looked over to her husband.

What about me? I wanted to shout.

“Pinkie, Forest needs helping moving. Do you mind giving him a helping-hoof? He’ll need somepony.” Mr. Cake looked at Pinkie. “He’s probably still hurting on the inside. I mean from his broken ribs…”

Pinkie looked at me, “Do you want me to come with you, Forest?”

Her voice changed. It was… different. A nice different but different nonetheless, she sounded… concerned. My head swam, my heart sank, and my brain throbbed. Why did I feel so strongly for Applejack? And why did it have to hurt so damned much! We weren’t even going out…

“I’d like that, Pinkie. An extra pair of hooves would be welcome,” I replied truthfully, “Just… I don’t want to lead you on. What I did to you was inexcusable.”

Pinkie tilted her head to one side. “What are you talking about, you big silly?”

“The… the kiss… when I…”

“Oh, that! Don’t worry your lil’ ol’ head about that. It was just a teeny tiny peck on the lips. Nothing special.” She rolled her eyes as she said the last part, implying that any significant meaning to that exchange of affection was ridiculous.

Ouch.

“Oh. Well. Okay then.” Now this was awkward. What was I thinking? It’s Pinkie! Of course she’s not into me. She only kissed to help end that ridiculous spell. I’m such an idiot. “Well then, shall we go?”

“Okee dokee lokee!”

We exited through the back of Sugarcube corner to the loading dock where the Cake’s cart was parked. Pinkie placed herself at the front and I helped put the yoke over her head. Together we walked towards Sweet Apple Acres in silence. There were a few times I tried to break the silence, but I couldn’t find the words and Pinkie didn’t seem to mind.

Knocking on the door to the house, I waited a few minutes before Applebloom opened it. She looked at me, and then shook her head, “Applejack’s not here, Forest. She left this morning to do some thinkin’ and she hasn’t come back yet.”

“I see…” I hung my head.

“Forest, I hope you don’t think this rude, but I want you out of the clubhouse.” Big Mac stood behind his little sister. Despite the way he said it, Big Mac wasn’t being mean or discourteous, rather he was being quite gentlemanly. “My friend has agreed to put you up until you find a place on your own.”

“Thanks, Big Mac, but I’ve already got a place.”

“Oh? Where’s that?”

“Brian Dash’s is letting me stay at his for now.” It felt strange saying that. Just over two weeks ago we were practically at one another’s throats. Looking back, it all seemed surreal.

“That’s a surprise.” Big Mac’s only display of that emotion was his eyes opening a teeny bit wider. Did nothing faze this guy? “Forest, it’s been a pleasure havin’ you. I just wished things turned out a little differently. You’re a nice guy.”

Applebloom had huge tears in her eyes, “Ya don’t really have to go, do ya?”

“I’m just moving down the street, Applebloom. I’m not going anywhere.” She was too adorable.

“I know, but it ain’t the same!”

“You’ve been very kind and generous to me. But… it’s just… too much for me and it’s unfair to Applejack. She has a past, I understand that. Until she comes to terms with that, I can’t impose. It wouldn’t be fair to her. Please understand.”

“Forest, it’s you who doesn’t understand. You’re the best thin’ that’s happened to her since…” She didn’t finish. She knew that she couldn’t tell me.

“When your sister’s ready, I’ll be there.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Throughout this conversation, Pinkie remained silent. What was going on through her head was impossible for me to tell. I guess that’s true with everyone. She watched as I said bye to Granny, who challenged me to another ‘drink-off’, to which I politely declined. It was still morning! Then Pinkie did her thing, which pretty much was made up of making noise and saying random things. After that, we waved farewell to the Apple family and headed to the clubhouse.

After that, we both headed to the clubhouse. It didn’t take long to take out the only thing that I really wanted to bring; the laptop. And my belt-bag, the one that Spike had given me, which I had ‘hid’ inside the bottom drawer of the dresser. Throughout my ordeal with the Ursas it might have been useful, especially that blade. But then again, Spike entrusted me with it… so maybe it was good that I didn’t have it. Things might have gone very differently and I was glad to have made it out of there in one piece.

“Forest, aren’t you taking anything else?” Pinkie asked, “How about your sofa-bed?”

“Doubt I’d need it, Pinkie. After all, I’m moving into Brian’s guestroom. I think they’re going to have a bed and everything there.” We both stood there and looked at it. For some obscure reason, it felt painful leaving it behind. I had grown somewhat attached to it.

“Can… can I have it?”

“What?”

“Can I take it, silly billy?” Pinkie giggled nudging me. “It’s really cool!”

“Of course you can.”

“Goody-goody gum-drops,” Pinkie bounded around me, “I’ve got the super perfect place for it too!”

Despite the situation, I couldn’t help but laugh. It still hurt to do so, my ribs didn’t approve of my rapid intake and outtake of air, but I couldn’t help myself.

Together we somehow managed to take it down and place it on the cart. As we left, I saw Applebloom watching me from the porch with Granny. They waved to me as I started down the front path towards the main road with Pinkie pulling on the cart. I stopped and waved back.

“Let’s go back to Sugarcube Corner and drop off the sofa-bed, since we have the cart and I can help you move it,” I offered.

“Okee, dokee, lokee,” Pinkie grunted pulling the cart along.

“Do you need help, Pinkie?”

“No, no. I’ve got this!”

As much as I enjoyed her efforts, it was clear that she didn’t ‘got it’. So, I ducked under the yoke, and together we walked back to Sugarcube Corner side by side. It was actually not so bad; it hurt whenever Pinkie made me laugh, so she tried to not make me laugh. This plan failed miserably. The harder I tried to ignore her and not laugh, the funnier it got until I resigned myself to adapting a half-chuckle.

Our antics didn’t go unnoticed. A couple of Pegasi had spotted us first, fluttering overhead. Then more and more Ponies seemed to ‘come and see’ us. It actually got pretty ridiculous as we arrived into town.

“Do I detect a little hostility?” I whispered.

“Ooh. It’s all that Amethyst’s fault! Sorry, Forest. I told her to quit it. But she’s a super-duper stubborn Pony sometimes.”

“Quit what?” I had no idea what she was talking about.

Pinkie rolled her eyes irritably when two younger mares danced in front of us giggling away. “Forest and Pinkie, sittin’ in a tree…”

Pinkie growled. Really, she growled. It totally caught me off guard, and due to the ridiculousness of her actions and the situation, I had to laugh. “Ow, ow, ow. My side,” I moaned.

“Stop laughing, you ninny!”

“Stop making me laugh, you Pink clown!”

“I’m not a clown!” Pinkie then thought about it, “Oh wait…”

Finally we reached Sugarcube Corner, and parked the cart back where we had gotten it from. Mr. Cake had helped Pinkie unload and bring the sofa-bed upstairs into Pinkie’s room. And what I saw was the last thing I expected to see, especially because it was Pinkie’s room. It was so tidy! Almost uncharacteristically tidy. Not a single item seemed out of place. On the far corner of the room was a desk, and right next to that was a bed. The rest of the room was full of shelves and drawers.

“Welcome to my room!” Pinkie dropped her side of the sofa, making Mr. Cake fall into it.

Pinkie bounced around, “This is where I keep my streamers!” She pulled one of the drawers out, dug a hoof in and threw a hoofful of the colorful strips of paper into the air. Then she zoomed by me and went to another drawer. “This is where I keep my balloons!” She took one and blew it up until it burst, pieces of rubber getting everywhere.

“Pinkie…” Mr. Cake said dissonantly, still lying on the sofa.

“… and this is where I keep the confetti! And this…”

“Pinkie!” Mr. Cake yelled.

Pinkie stopped in mid-air and plopped to the ground. How? How does she do that?

“Oopsy. Sorry, Mr. Cake.”

“That’s okay, Pinkie. Where do you want your sofa?” Mr. Cake gently replied standing up.

“Um…” Pinkie looked around her room. There was really no place for it.

“How about we just get rid of it?” I offered.

Pinkie looked at me as if I had physically hit her.

“What’s wrong, Pinkie?” I was genuinely concerned. Was it something I said? I didn’t mean to hurt her feelings.

She looked down at her hooves for a moment before looking up at me, “I want it… for my bestest friends for sleep-overs and stuff…”

“Okay, okay. How about this, then? Why don’t we put your bed horizontal so that the head rests against the corner, then put your desk at the foot of your bed and then put the sofa where your bed used to be?”

“Yay! That’s a really smart idea! You’re a smarty-warty sometimes!” Pinkie Pie rushed to her desk and pulled it from the wall before helping her push her bed to the corner. Under her bed was a stack of books. Most of them were about partying, but I saw one in particular that caught my eye.

How to Woo That Special Somepony.

Out of reflex I picked it up and was about to open the cover when I heard a yelp from behind me and Pinkie’s face got several shades brighter as she literally dove across the room, snatching the book out of my grip.

“No! No, no! Don’t look! Bad, Forest! Bad!” She quickly hid it behind her back, still blushing ferociously.

“Me? Bad?” I made a face. Although she laughed, I could tell she was still really embarrassed that I had found her book, “So, who’s the lucky Pony?” I asked.

Pinkie just blushed more, “Oh, somepony. Twilight let me borrow it… she said not to let anypony look at it,” She looked up at me, “And I promised.”

A promise was a promise. But why would such a promise me made? “Okay, then let’s finish moving. I want to settle into my new place.”

Soon the sofa, the bed and the desk were in their new places. Pinkie had to fumble a bit to get the sofa to fit, but it was just right. The edge of the sofa pressed against the side of the bed, so that if you were to pull the bed out, Pinkie’s bed and the sofa-bed would be parallel to each other. The only difference was the height. The back of the sofa met the edge of the window sill so it did not disturb the sun’s light from flowing into her room. We couldn’t have planned it better if we tried.

We rested a bit as she showed me the rest of her party paraphernalia. She had almost everything in its own place, and in moments the room was a mess. I felt bad leaving it like that, so I helped tidy up, but my attention kept returning to that book. Woo somepony special? I wondered who Pinkie had in mind.

Mr. Cake had left earlier and had returned with two large glasses of yellow liquid, which he had carried on his back with a tray. It was delicious lemonade. It was amazing. Pinkie downed hers in practically a single gulp as I slowly sipped mine. After I was done, Pinkie and I left. I didn’t know where the pharmacy was, so I had asked her to lead me there.

“Well hello, Pinkie,” An old Stallion stated when we walked in, “Long time no see. And that’s a good thing. Who is this strapping young colt?”

“Hello, Amoxi. I’m not here to pick up medicine, my friend Forest is!”

I walked over to the counter and placed the prescription in front of him. He took it, read it then went into the back room. It didn’t take him long to return with a small paper bag. “Take two after eating and one more if the pain doesn’t subside. No more than ten pills in one day, and don’t operate heavy machinery when you take these.”

“Heavy machinery?”

“Yep. Anything else?”

“No… that’s all…” I took the bag and placed it into one of my free pockets on the saddlebag that Spike had given me.

As we exited, I thought I heard him say; “I thought he was with Applejack…” But I didn’t really listen.

We made our way back across town, all the while Pinkie was talking at a million words a minute, about all sorts of random things. It was hard to keep track of what she was saying, but it was a pleasant change to the silence I had to endure earlier on. In what felt like no time at all we were both standing in front of the house.

Using the keys Brian had given me, I unlocked the front door and stepped inside. Brian had a mail-slot in his door and I had to shove the door a little hard to get inside. A large number of letters lay on the ground. Picking them up, I carefully placed them on a small table in the hallway – I would have to bring them to Brian later on. Why hadn’t his daughter done so already? Surely she must have come to the house at least once the past few days…

Finding the guestroom was easy. Indeed, it was located right next to the stairs, the very same ones that Brian had descended from when I first came to Equestria. It seemed like another lifetime. A time when I thought being here was a curse. Now, I couldn’t imagine going back.

Just then I heard a knock on the door.

“It’s open!” I called.

“Hello, we just heard from Brian that you’re taking care of his place,” Twilight entered followed by Spike. Spike saw my saddlebag and it looked like he wanted to say something, but didn’t. Twilight’s eyes opened wide when she saw the Pony behind me. “Pinkie?”

“Hi, Twilight, I’m helping Forest move in. What is my bestest friend in the whole wide world doing?”

“Spike and I were on our way to visit Fluttershy and we decided to stop by. Are you going to Fluttershy’s, Forest?”

“What for?”

“Your pet?” Twilight raised one of her eyebrows. “Don’t you want to pick her up?”

“Tessie! I completely forgot about her!”

Spike snickered, “She saves your life and you already forgot about her…”

“I’ve had a lot on my mind, Spike.”

“Oh, sorry, Forest, I forgot.” He turned away, “Seriously, Applejack says she’s not interested and you bounce over to Pinkie.”

“What?” I asked genuinely having no idea what he was on about.

“Spike!” Twilight barked, “That is no way to talk about our friend.”

Friend? Do you really consider me a friend? I thought to myself. I was touched. “Spike, I don’t know what you’re implying but Pinkie has somepony else special.” I was getting good at replacing ‘body’ with ‘pony’ now. It was almost second nature to me.

“Pinkie does?” Spike furrowed his head, “Really?”

We all turned to Pinkie, who took a deep breath, “I don’t wanna talk about it! It’s a secret and I don’t like telling secrets.”

Twilight made a noise, “Pinkie’s really good at keeping secrets… and making sure you keep them as well.” She muttered the last part to herself.

The joke was lost on me.

“Okay, let’s go to Fluttershy’s together.” I said aloud when it was evident that they wanted me to tag along. Why they just didn’t tell me was a mystery.

On our way, we got to talking about my bracelet and the three spells that Aiden had explained to me.

“There are three more spells, you know. But they work differently. Do you want to know?” Twilight asked.

“As long as you don’t test them on me, I’m okay with that. I doubt my body would be able to take it.” I jested.

“I’m not really sure that you should know these spells...” Twilight began; the expression on her face was easy to read. They were bad.

“Why not?” Spike asked.

“Well, I made the bracelet out of an old magical obedience trainer that was once used to train dangerous creatures long ago. I had tried to modify it so that any of the spells initiated by somepony else would not work, but I couldn’t do it. Instead, I think I’ve managed to put certain types of spells into that bracelet.”

“What do you mean?” I was keenly interested now.

“To counter-act the three spells; the Signal spell, the Obedience spell, and the Want spell, I created three other spells that were supposed to counter-act those three. For the Signal spell, there’s the Hidden spell. The Obedience spell’s counter is the Disobedience spell, and for the Want Spell, there is the… what’s the opposite of ‘want’?”

“Un-want?” Pinkie offered.

“Dislike? Disinterest? Hate?”

They all turned to look at me when said the ‘H’ word.

“Hate is a little… strong, don’t you think, Forest?” Twilight looked slightly scandalized.

“Those are the opposites of ‘want’, Twilight. I guess we could just call it the Un-Want Spell.” I winked at Pinkie when I said this, making her giggle.

“Fine, the Un-Want Spell sounds a lot better than the… Hate Spell.”

“So, how does it work?” I asked.

“When a spell is cast, their opposites also activate. When you were… on your kissing spree…”

“A little bit more discretion, Twi.” Spike said through gritted teeth, gesturing over at Pinkie with his head.

“But Pinkie said she already has somepony else she likes,” Twilight replied.

Pinkie just blushed a little at that.

“Anyway, the night when Sweetie Belle activated the ‘Want’ spell, you resisted the urge to do it, that was from my counter-measure; the Un-Want spell.”

Despite the seriousness of Twilight’s statement, the name made me grin stupidly. It really was a ridiculous name for a spell. I’m so glad that Pinkie thought of it.

“The problem is that whenever you use it, you also lose some of your memory.”

“Some?” I asked.

“Well, yeah. I don’t know how serious it is, but at least I know that it’s not permanent.” Twilight looked at me, “I’m sorry, Forest. Every time we talk, I feel that I’m just bringing more misery into your life.”

“Well, can’t say I blame you. I mean, I’ve been here two weeks, and it feels like a lifetime. Plus, I bring most of it on myself. So, don't blame yourself.”

The girls grinned at one another.

“We’re super-happy that you feel that way, Forest. It’s always nice when a new Pony finds a home here in Ponyville!” Pinkie bounced behind me.

Fluttershy was outside watering some plants when we arrived. At first she acted shy, but then she seemed to mumble something to herself and instantly grew bolder.

“Oh, hello everypony,” She said gently, “Tessie’s just helping me weed the garden. She’s a very smart rat, aren’t you girl?”

Tessie had bounded up to us and sat herself on the corner of Fluttershy’s fencepost. When the yellow Pony praised her, Tessie hid her face behind her little hands.

“Tessie, do you want to come home with me?” I asked.

Tessie looked up at me, and shrugged. “Aw, you little meanie!” I pretended to be hurt.

The little rat flashed a grin at me as another rat bounded up next to her.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Forest. But it looks like Duncan has fallen for Tessie.” She smiled and let out the cutest squeaking noise.

“Well, I’ve never considered Tessie a pet. So, I can’t tell her what to do,” I grinned, “So, whatever you want to do, I’ll be happy with it.”

Tessie jumped off the fencepost and jumped on my back and hugged the back of my neck. Then, she leapt off and the two rats disappeared into the bushes that bordered the Everfree Forest. We all watched them go.

“At least one of us gets to be happy with somepony special…” Spike muttered quietly.

We all chatted for a bit before we heard a shout from above us. It was Scootaloo. “There you are Forest! I went to your old house in Sweet Apple Acres. Applebloom says you moved out! I didn’t know that.”

“Well, that’s because I just moved out this morning.” My response was met with a gloomy look on her face. “What’s wrong?”

“I just can’t help that this whole thing is our fault. We were only joking…”

“Sometimes magic can be fun to joke with, but not always.” Twilight gave her a stern look, then sighed, “But everything worked out in the end.”

“Not everything,” Spike interrupted, “There is that one small issue with, oh, your best friend, Applejack?”

“Applejack has deeper issues,” Twilight snapped back.

“Com’on, everypony! Let’s not talk about AJ this way, k?” Pinkie stated, standing up on her hind legs putting both Scootaloo and Twilight under her forehooves, “She’s just super-confused and we need to be there to help!”

“You’re right, Pinkie,” Twilight smiled at her pink friend, “We should be there for her.”

“If you’re looking for Applejack… um… I saw her at Rarity’s house,” Fluttershy whispered the last part.

“Should I go?” I asked everypony.

“If it were me, I would,” Spike shrugged.

“Oh, really?” I smirked at him.

He just blushed in response.

“I would give her some time to think and sort things out, Forest. You don’t understand what she went through… I’m not really selling this right, am I? Just, it’s important you do give her time. Trust me, she’ll come round. You just need to be patient.” Twilight was really smart, and her advice was sound.

“Oh, Forest, I just wanted to let you know that we’re having a team-meeting at the town hall at six. Will you come, Twilight?” Scootaloo looked at the two of us.

“Should I? I’m not going to take part in the race, but I am still on the team…” Twilight glanced over to me.

“We’ll be there.” I replied on behalf of the both of us.

“Great! See you then!” Scootaloo hovered over the ground for a moment then she raised her wings up to their highest point, flexing them. The next moment she pushed her wings down hard whizzing her high up into the air. She gave us all a quick wave before she sped away.

“Fluttershy, thank you for taking care of Tessie,” I expressed my appreciation with the warmest smile I could muster, “If you need any favors, please don’t hesitate to ask.”

“Oh… that’s okay, Forest…” She blushed a bit when she said my name, “You really helped me… after…”

She didn’t need to finish, I knew what she was referring to. We just exchange a knowing look. She didn’t want to relive that moment and nopony here would understand it, only Rarity and Applejack would understand the torment she had endured. It was easy to see that she was still fragile, and I instinctively wanted to protect her. Every Mare and Stallion from here to Canterlot would have felt and done the same if they knew what she had experienced.

Turning back towards Brian’s house we walked slowly, enjoying the evening air. We talked about random things, but I think the center of focus was on Pinkie and her ability in building huge cakes that continued to confound chefs and cooks around Equestria. It was a fact that Pinkie was amazing at baking, and she absorbed the skills and knowledge from the Cakes and using her own vivid imagination and flare, she created works of art. Delicious edible works of art.

Pinkie basked in the praises, but tried to act humble at the same time.

Stopping at Brian’s proved to be pointless. By the time we got there it was almost time for the team meeting in town. So, after I downed a couple of those painkillers, we briskly walked to the town hall. Of course we were late, and the meeting had already started. There were quite a few more Ponies than just the Race team.

“Glad to see you guys made it,” Amethyst put in. When Pinkie arrived just behind me I heard her gasp and put on a wide smile.

Pinkie just blushed and slightly shook her head. It would have been unnoticed if I hadn’t been looking at her.

Twilight sat herself on one of the chairs and I sat next to her. Spike made his way over to a table where there were drinks and snacks laid out and helped himself. Pinkie sat next to me.

“So, we’ve got a problem,” Lavenderhoof stated, “We’ve got no bits for the team. We need bits to buy the costumes. Rarity has agreed to design costumes for us all, but she needs the bits to buy the materials, and she needs them as soon as.”

“So, we were thinking about how to raise some bits,” Scootaloo sighed, “But we need something fun and that will raise enough bits. Rarity says she’ll need around fifty bits per costume.”

“Fifty?” Twilight eyes boggled, “That’s a lot!”

“You have to see what other towns are doing, Twi! If we don’t match their level, we’ll be the laughingstocks of Equetria!” Amethyst protested.

Twilight rolled her eyes, “This is a physical race, not a fashion show. Fifty bits it way too much. And if Rarity’s designing it, then she’s really going out of her way to give us something spectacular.”

“Rarity’s the Element of Generosity, she’s very kind and generous and likes to give, give, give!” Pinkie whispered over to me. In the same moment Lavenderhoof’s smile widened. We needed to hurry, otherwise we’d be late.

“How are we going to raise that much money? A bake sale?” I asked.

“No, we tried that. We only raised twenty three bits.” Lavender put a pouch down on a table that jingled.

“Can’t anypony think of anything else?” Scootaloo moaned.

“How about a date auction?”

Everypony turned to the source of that. It was Rainbow Dash. She was splayed down across the window sill.

“Date auction?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow sighed and glided down to us, “It’s simple. You guys will auction yourselves out on dates. When I was on Earth, I saw some movies about it.”

“It could work…” Lavender began, “But it just sounds so… scandalous.”

“It’s fine. As long as the Ponies are aware that it’s only a date,” Rainbow grinned, “Then we should have a fair or something going on. Pinkie, can you organize that?”

“Of course!” Pinkie bounced up, “We can have rides, games, fairs, games, rides, and more games! Ooh, and rides!”

“I think that’s a great idea!” Spike announced, “It will really help the team.”

“Then, let’s do that.” Scootaloo grinned, “What do you guys say?”

A part of me didn’t want to. I wanted to date Applejack exclusively. This felt like I was whoring myself out, but if this was the quickest and best way to do raised funds…

“I’ll do it.” I offered.

Everypony looked at me.

“If it’s something the team needs, then I’ll do it.” I looked at Twilight, “Unless you can think of something else.”

“I can’t think of anything else, and it does seem like something that would be fun for the town to take part in. I’ll do it.” Twilight grinned, “But what about Derpy?”

“Oh yeah, she can’t do that…”

“Why not?” I asked.

“She’s not single,” Twilight answered.

“Well, I’m sure that the five of us can raise enough. And we can cover Derpy’s costume.” That was optimistic of me, but with Ponies like Twilight and Scootaloo on the team, we were sure to get a lot of bits. And Lavender and Amethyst surely had Stallions interested in them.

“Well, then it’s agreed? We’ll have a date auction, and Pinkie will get a fair started?”

Pinkie nodded, “A party! Fun! Games! Oh my! I have so many ideas…”

My mind was unable to compute this new turn of events coherently, “Isn’t tomorrow too soon? How can Pinkie organize all that in less than a day?”

“It’s Pinkie. She has an uncanny ability of doing things like this, Forest. Don’t worry too much about it. When it comes to Pinkie, you just have to accept it.” Twilight rolled her eyes, “You haven’t had a chance to experience her ‘quirks’.”

“Quirks?”

“She has… these tweaks and twitches that happen, and when they happen things happen. It’s hard to explain.” Twilight saw my expression, “I don’t understand it myself, and I’ve been Pinkie’s friend for years.”

“Oh, you mean like my twitchy twitch?” Pinkie asked.

If I was confused before, then my mind was completely gone at this point, “What?”

“Pinkie Perks, we call them. When something is about to happen, Pinkie has these tweaks, and usually it means something will happen.”

“Ah.” I didn’t get it, but I dropped the subject.

“I will work on spreading the word. So, what time should we have the auction?” Twilight asked us all.

“Not too late, but late enough. Say, this time?” Scootaloo suggested.

“What do I do?”

“Forest, you just concentrate on resting your body. The rest of us will handle this.” Twilight turned to the others, “Is that okay?”

Nopony said nothing, so I resigned myself to accept ‘concentrating on resting’ as a valid team contribution.

“Then the meeting is adjourned. See you all tomorrow.” Lavender grinned at me, “You should get all gussied up. Have you been to the spa?”

“No… I’ve never been to a spa.” That was true. I’ve never been to one. Ever.

“Well, then here you go.” She put a ticket in my hoof.

One ‘full treatment’ was written in golden letters on a light, sky-blue background. On the other side it gave the address of the spa, where I had no idea where to find it.

“What’s a ‘full treatment’?”

“They’ll make you handsome.” She winked when she said that.

I just laughed at her insult, “Thanks, Lavender.”

“Anyway, you owe us for getting hurt, so the most you can do you is to raise as many bits as possible for our costumes.” Lavender grinned at me.

I saluted her, “Yes, ma’am.”

We all headed out separate ways. Twilight and Spike walked Pinkie and I to Sugarcube Corner before they proceeded towards the library.

Pinkie watched me starting to walk off and jogged after me. “Forest, are you sure you’ll be okay?”

“Yes, Pinkie. I’ll be fine. It’s only broken ribs.”

“Oh. Okay.”

I sighed, “What’s wrong, Pinkie?”

“You just… you just looked so sad, Forest. It makes me sad to see you sad.”

“I’m fine, Pinkie. I’m… I’ll manage. Go, you’ll need your strength for tomorrow. I’ll see you, okay?” I placed a hoof on her shoulder. “Really, I’m fine.”

“Okee dokee. See you tomorrow, Forest.” And with that, Pinkie returned to her delicious looking home and shut the door behind her.

Standing there, I watched Sugarcube Corner for a long moment when I felt a sudden chill in the air. My blood froze as I heard a voice from behind me.

“So, Forest Fire.”

Suppressing the urge to shudder, I turned around to face the source of the voice, “Hello, Crystal.”

“How have you been?” Her eye was twitching. It was freaky.

I gulped, “Fine. Just fine.”

“I hear you’re seeing Applejack… or was it Pinkie?” She said Pinkie’s name as if it were synonymous with evil.

“I… I’m really tired, Crystal. I need to get some rest.” I started to walk by her.

She whipped around, making me jump. I shuddered from the pain in my sides. “I don’t like you, Forest, but I’ve been told that Brian has let you stay at his place. You better take good care of it, or I’ll make you regret it.”

That wasn’t an empty threat. “I won’t.”

“Good, because if you do… I know certain words, phrases, which I can use that will make you sorry.”

Every time she said the word ‘make’, my bowels felt like evacuating. She was literally scaring the shit out of me. Message received, loud and clear. After that, she just left.

All through my walk home, I was worried. What exactly did that psychopath mean? She was starting to really freak me out. Cyan Crystal was never on good terms with me, and from what I heard she was not on good terms with anypony else in Equestria, and yet she somehow befriended the only human. I would need to talk to Brian about her one day.

I sat at the edge of the bed in the guestroom gazing at the pictures and posters on the walls. One photo in particular caught my eye. It was Rainbow as a little Filly, she was sleeping on a bed on Earth, and she looked so calm and peaceful. I took the photo from its place on the wall and studied it for a long moment. It was so cute and beautiful.

“Forest! Forest!” I heard my name being called.

Walking to the hallway, I picked up the laptop from the pile of my stuff and brought it into my room, and placed it in the corner, “Hello, Tutela.”

“Oh, Forest! Thank Chrysalis you’re safe.”

“Who’s Chrysalis?”

“My queen… sorry, my ex-queen, not really a Changeling anymore,” Tutela face smiled gently to me. She looked so different, not like the bug-like creature from before. Now she looked more… pony-like. “Forest, you need to get that bracelet off.”

“I can’t.”

“Then, I can’t help you. That bracelet won’t allow me to touch you. Surely you felt it heat up in the caves?”

“Yes, I did… I thought it was from the grass I ate.”

“That was gross. I nearly puked from watching it. But no, the reason why your bracelet was hurting was because I was trying to get you out of there. But that bracelet just sucked up my magic. As long as you have that, I can’t pull you to safety.”

“But… then I could just keep this on and live here.”

“You could, but there is one spell you cannot change. The spell inside you that will change you back into a human after thirty days. And that magic isn’t preventable, not even by that thing.” Tutela gestured to the bracelet followed up by her giving me a sour look.

“I wasn’t really going to do that, I was just saying…” My excuse was pathetic.

“Then there’s only one way back here. Remove the bracelet and I can pull you back into this world, or smash yourself through your laptop. The magic stored inside will bring you here.”

“Look, I’m feeling very tired. Can we talk tomorrow? I’m not really listening to you.”

Tutela looked at me humorously for some time before she spoke. “Good night, Forest.”

And with that, I dropped myself on the bed letting the sleepy-express take me on a trip to dreamland.

Day 17: The Crystal Strikes Back

Pain. Again. Why is it that the past few times I’ve woken up, it’s because of pain? However, this time felt a little different, an alternative kind of pain. Something within me was aching, and it was more agonizing by far than the other kind of pain. The outside kind, the kind I was used to. Far worse than getting a hole blasted through my chest, or my ribs being broken. As my eyes opened, I couldn’t help but gasp. Where was I? This wasn’t Brian’s house? This wasn’t even Ponyville! What the hell had happened?

Suddenly, everything clicked. I understood. What I understood, I didn’t know, just that I knew. Whatever was going on was incredibly important, and that I had to maintain a strong face as I stared down at the six below me. But they looked so angry. Wait a minute! I’m floating? That wasn’t right.

“Forest, you promised!” Twilight shouted.

“You can’t do this!” Rainbow Dash added.

“Why are you doing this?” Twilight asked, tears forming in the corner of her eyes.

And then I spoke. I couldn’t hear what I said, but whatever I said just made them even angrier than before. Whatever my words were, they cut through them.

“You can’t do that! That’s not fair!” Applejack practically screamed, “That’s not fair on us!”

“Forest!” Another voice screamed. Pinkie stood at the back glaring at me.

Those eyes.

No Pinkie, don’t look at me like that…

There was something crumbling all around us, and in the next moment I saw them all start glowing. Then –

I shot up and smacked my head against something.

“Ow!” It said.

“My head,” I moaned, flopping back down on the pillow rubbing the spot where it hurt. I looked up and saw Rainbow Dash hovering over my bed, rubbing her forehead.

“Rainbow? What’re you doing here?” I asked.

“I came to check on you and the place. I heard voices, so I thought you were awake. I didn’t know you were still sleeping…” She landed next to the bed as I sat up then dragged myself off of it. “Sounds like you had a nightmare.”

“You have no idea.” I shook my head; the dream was still fresh in my mind. I didn’t like it. Whatever was going on in that dream had put a bad taste in my mouth. And the way they spoke at me – not to me, but at me – as if I were… bad. “It’s just a dream.” I told myself, relief soaking in.

“What?” Rainbow asked, tilting her head to one side.

“Nothing. Just talking to myself.”

Rainbow just gave me a perplexed look.

“I knew that you had a thing for Applejack, but I didn’t know it was this bad.” Rainbow rolled her eyes, “Forest, you got to let things happen! You can’t mope about like this.”

In her own way, I guess Rainbow was trying to pep me up.

“This photo of you is… cute,” I said picking up the picture from before. I didn’t feel like discussing Applejack at the moment, every time I thought of her my heart would ache.

The photo was definitely taken on Earth; the colors of that world were evident in the photograph. She was snoozing lazily on a bed, a sweet smile on her face as the sun streaked in through a window behind her. “You really stand out in that world.”

“Yeah,” Rainbow looked at the photo, a small smile on her lips. “Dad was always worried about me getting discovered, so he did everything to make sure I was safe.”

“He told me about it. It must have been painful when you guys were separated.”

“You have no idea. And at the time I really didn’t want to go. I spent my entire life – again – with Brian. How was I supposed to go back to my old life without him? And then, after the mind changing spell…”

“Mind changing spell?” I asked.

Rainbow looked up at me. “I thought you said Dad told you…”

“He must have omitted that minor detail. I didn’t know minds could be… altered.”

“Princess Celestia thought it would’ve been better for me. To forget, you know? To remember my life without dad.”

“I take it that didn’t work?”

“I don’t remember much about that, but I do remember this huge feeling of emptiness. But before all my memories were changed, I remember locking up something inside me – like a box, only in my head, I think. A box full of memories and feelings… I forget, y’know. Don’t really like thinking about it. I just knew that it would remain there locked away if I never saw dad again. Then I sent a letter to dad without the others knowing explaining what I had done. I gave him a choice… and he chose me.” Rainbow’s eyes started to water, and she wiped away a tear, “And now he’s got no more time left…”

Quickly, I rushed to the other side of the room where a box of tissues were and handed them to her. She wiped her eyes as the tears refused to stop flowing out from them. She blew her nose in one and took another tissue out from the box.

“What am I going to do without him?” Rainbow looked at the photo of her Filly self. “What… what am I… going to…”

It was painful watching her. All throughout the time I’ve known her she seemed so free and full of life. Only now, sitting here in this house, did I realize the just how fragile she really was. All that strength she displayed came crumbling down in this one moment and I saw her heart laid bare. Unlike Fluttershy, who was always seemed fragile so that it was expect, Rainbow’s display of weakness seemed that much more… tragic. I realized that she had not come to this house because this house was full of memories of her father, and a reminder of why he was no longer living there. And I was the asshole who forced her to return to this place.

“I… I’m sorry, Rainbow. I didn’t mean to drag you back here.” My apology was heartfelt, but my words didn’t fit. “What I meant to say is… sorry for reminding you of the past.”

“You know, Forest, I thought you were pretty smart.” Rainbow’s words stung, but I listened to what she had to say. She wiped away some more tears. She seemed to be regaining her strong disposition. “You know things. I know you know because I can see it when you’re thinking, and I know that you mean well, but you need to wake up.”

“I… don’t understand what you mean.”

Rainbow let out an exasperated sigh, but she laughed a little, “You’re so thick! I came back here because I wanted to remember my past, because it’s precious to me. Some of the memories might be painful, but many of those are filled with times and moments that I treasure, and even the sad memories are a treasure. I don’t ever want to forget, ever. You being here was merely coincidence.”

She was right. I had no idea. And now I felt even more like an asshole because I had thought she returned because of me. It reminded me just how arrogant I really way. “You’re lucky, you know.”

“How so?” She asked. Her tears were subsiding now.

I wanted to tell her about my father, and my memories of him. I wanted to tell her just how much I hated him for what he did to me. How every memory I had of him was painful. If I had a father half the man Brian was I would probably be a better person – pony. Whatever. I’d be better.

“You have great friends, a father that loves you… I don’t know. Lucky is such a bad word, but you’ve got a life that I envy. I guess that’s because you’re really loved by so many.”

She looked at me funnily for a moment, and then she giggled. It was like music to my ears. Now I understood a little bit more of why Pinkie was so obsessed with making others laugh. “You’re weird.”

“I get that a lot. What’s weird about me?”

“Just you say the right things… but you’re so think-headed that you don’t know how ‘right’ your words are.”

I didn’t know whether to take that as a compliment or an insult. “Somehow I don’t think that’s a good thing.”

“It is, and it isn’t.” Rainbow collected her used tissues in one hoof, “Are you hungry?”

“Yes. I need to take my painkillers too, and eat that porridge. Doctor’s orders.”

She led me to the kitchen, where she opened the back door to let some air in. The cool morning breeze wafted through the room and the strong scent of coffee seemed to stir.

“So, how do you make this stuff?” Rainbow asked, picking up the bag of porridge the Cakes had given me.

“I guess I pour milk on it…” I wasn’t sure myself.

“You didn’t ask?” Rainbow shook her head and let out a chuckle mixed with a deep sigh, “Okay, then I’ll get you some milk. I’ll have to fly down to the market to pick some up.”

“You don’t mind?” I asked.

“Nah, also, it’s been bugging me, but do you always sleep with your saddlebag on?”

I looked at my flank. Indeed, Spike’s saddlebag was still firmly wrapped around my torso. “I guess I was so tired, I didn’t bother taking it off.”

“Wasn’t it uncomfortable?” Rainbow asked.

“Not really.”

“You’re… never mind. Give me twenty minutes. You need anything else from downtown?” Rainbow asked heading out the backdoor.

“No. Not really. Oh! Here, take some bits.” I reached into my saddlebag and pulled out my money purse.

“No, no. I’ll treat you this time. It’s only milk.” Rainbow insisted.

I looked at the money purse. It felt a lot lighter than before. Soon I would need to find a job that paid. I doubted very much I would be welcome back to Sweet Apple Acres anytime soon, and besides the Apples were already much more efficient than before thanks to the harvester I had built for them. I had put myself out of a job, in a way. But, I didn’t regret it.

Why did I think of that? My heart felt torn again as I thought about Sweet Apple Acres. My mind instantly pictured Applejack. Why? Why, why, why did you break it off with me? Was it something I did? Was it something I said?

“Forest? You okay?”

“Hm? Oh, yeah. Just thinking.” I laughed weakly.

“About AJ?”

“AJ? Oh. Applejack. Yeah. I was thinking about her.”

“Relax, Forest. She just needs time. She’s been through a lot.” Rainbow then went outside. I followed her as far as the backdoor.

“Do you want me to make coffee or something?” I asked as she started to ascend.

“Nah. I’m fine. See you in a bit.”

And with that, she zipped off towards Ponyville. Flight must be wonderful. A part of me wished that Tutela had turned me into a Pegasus Pony so I could flutter about the air. That would’ve been so awesome. And the way Brian had described flying around just made the matter worse.

Still, I really wished that Applejack would come and see me. I missed her.

Half an hour later, Rainbow returned with a bottle of milk. I hadn’t seen glass bottles of milk in ages, and it was nostalgic seeing one.

It turns out that milk wasn’t enough. Sugar was necessary. But all in all, it was a pleasant breakfast.

After eating my bowl, I studied Rainbow who was looking at some pictures on the kitchen wall. Why was she still here?

She caught me gazing at her. “What?”

“Nothing. Just wondering why you’re here and not at the hospital.”

“Dad’s taking a nap. He stayed up late reading a book, and I didn’t feel like sleeping.” Rainbow glanced over my head at a clock, “He should be awake soon.”

“So… what was I saying in my sleep?”

Rainbow raised an eyebrow and giggled, “Something about Pinkie looking at you.”

My mind replayed that moment. Even though it was a dream, it was so vivid. I took another large spoonful of the not-quite-as-good porridge to avoid continuing the subject. It was not something I wanted to discuss, especially not with one of Pinkie’s best friends.

“So, how long to you plan on staying here?” She asked.

“Not long.” That was true. Whether or not I win my bet with Tutela, I couldn’t stay in this house. It wasn’t my house, for one. And two, I hadn’t learnt shit about the true meaning of friendship, other than the fact that it was a helluva lot more complicated than I thought.

Despair gripped me. Perhaps this was all a gag! Tutela never meant to give me my freedom, and I was only here for her own amusement. I’m an idiot! My expression must have given away the turmoil in my brain as I felt Rainbow’s eyes staring right at me.

“Are you okay, Forest?” She asked.

“Yeah, I just remembered something about my past that I didn’t want to.”

“That’s great! I mean, remembering something, not the fact that it was bad.”

I laughed at that. “True.”

“Anyway, I’ve got to go. You’ll be okay, right?”

“Of course!” I didn’t want to keep Rainbow from going back to Brian, “I’ll see you later.”

She left herself out and flew away heading in the direction of the hospital. After taking a shower, and taking more painkillers, I left the house and headed towards Ponyville. It was nearly lunchtime and I had nothing to do. So, I decided to go and visit the library. Not to visit Twilight, but to read up on a few things. I never did get a chance to read any of the books that Twilight had suggested before, and I really wanted to know more about Equestria.

Knocking on the door, Spike answered and was somewhat surprised to see me. “Hello, Forest. What can I do for you?”

“Just wanted to take out a book,” I replied.

“Sure. Come on in.” Spike stood to one side and let me in. He closed the door behind me as I gazed at all the books.

“So, which book did you have in mind?” Spike asked, “Twilight’s not here right now…”

“I’m not here to see Twilight, Spike. I’m just here to read a book. Anyway, I have to go to the spa later. Apparently I have to go get ‘gussied’ up.” I grinned at my own joke.

“I’m afraid that no amount of spa treatment’s going to help, Forest,” Spike countered.

We both laughed at that.

“I’m sorry about yesterday.” Spike said leading me to the center of the library, “I just thought that after things didn’t work out with Applejack, you just… went to Pinkie.”

“Well, in that case I can’t hold it against you. You were protecting your friend, that’s not something you need to apologize for.”

“I’m not apologizing about that, you dolt. I’m apologizing for accusing you of… you really are an idiot.” Spike shook his head, “Anyway, what gives you the idea that Pinkie isn’t interested in you?”

“I found a book under her bed.”

“And…” Spike stood next to me.

“And what?”

“And how do you know she’s not interested in you!” Spike smacked his head with his palm.

“I could tell… I don’t know. The book was called ‘How to Woo that Special Somepony’.”

“And you can tell that Pinkie isn’t interested in you because…”

Now that he mentioned it... “Well, I tried to apologize for kissing her,” I blushed ferociously when I said the word ‘kiss’, it was completely childish of me, but it really was embarrassing to admit it out loud like that, “And she told me that it wasn’t anything special, and that I didn’t need to apologize for it.”

“Ouch,” Spike placed a hand on my shoulder, “That must’ve hurt.”

“A little.” I had to admit, it did sting, “But at least it’s safe to admit that she didn’t really see me that way.”

“That’s not quite what I heard…” Spike shrugged, “I guess Pinkie just resigned herself to accepting that you like Applejack more.”

“Wait. She… Pinkie… she…”

“You didn’t know?” Spike laughed. “You really are thick? Everypony in Ponyville can tell that Pinkie likes you… well, ‘liked’ is probably more accurate at this point.”

“I’m an idiot!” I announced.

“You’re an idiot,” Spike agreed, nodding his head.

“But… why would she say that my kiss didn’t mean anything?” I knew the answer, but I had to hear it from someone else.

“Probably because she doesn’t want to distract you from Applejack,” Spike replied, sighing deeply, “Even if Pinkie likes you, she loves Applejack. She would put aside everything for her friend. Any of them would. Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rarity would do anything for one another; even sacrifice their own happiness if it means that their friends will be happier. It’s selfish and generous at the same time.”

“Wow.” That was really deep. I never expected Spike to be so insightful.

“Do you always carry that around?” Spike said, not looking at me.

“You mean the saddlebag? Afraid so, but it’s got nothing to do with your dagger. The one time that it would have come in handy was the only time I actually left home without it. I mean, your dagger would have been really useful in that Ursa cave.”

“Just be glad you didn’t kill any. Fluttershy would’ve never forgiven you.”

My expression made Spike laugh.

“I’m just joking, Forest.”

I sighed in relief.

“Or am I?” He grinned at me.

We both shared a good laugh. Spike was a really cool Dragon, it was such a shame that he was so head over heels for Rarity, and I’m sure Rarity in her own way loved Spike. But it felt really unhealthy seeing just how much Spike adored her and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the Dragon.

“So, you got any books in particular that you want to read?” Spike gestured to the shelves as if her were presenting them to me, his arm spread wide open.

“Do you have anything about Changelings?” I asked.

“Changelings? Well, no… the closest thing we have is an encyclopedia description of them. They’re really mysterious. If you want more information, you’re going to have to go to Canterlot. Why would you want to read about Changelings anyway?” Spike looked at me strangely.

“I was just curious about them.”

“Ah. Anything else?” Spike still had that weird look on his face.

“Yes, is there a book about Equestria in general?”

“We have several. Do you have anything a little more specific in mind?”

“A book that has to do with travel…”

“Are… are you planning on going on a trip?” Spike asked looking at me excitedly.

The thought actually had not really crossed my mind – did it? Now that Spike had mentioned it, “Well… yes, I guess I might do just that. I don’t know.”

Without saying a word, Spike walked to a shelf of book and handed me one. It was old looking, the corners were creased had a lot of stains on it. I couldn’t resist, so I opened it. It was covered in hand-written notes.

“I… that’s mine,” Spike confessed, “I’ve been planning on leaving for a while now, as you know.”

“Do I?”

“Yeah, we talked about it. You said that if I left, you’d come with me, remember?”

That did sound familiar. Why couldn’t I remember it clearly?

“Anyway, it’s all raggedy like that because I’ve struggled keeping it hidden from Twilight. Forest, you can’t ever let her know that it’s mine, okay?”

“Sure, Spike,” I was honored that he’d entrust it to me. Or maybe he was trying to get rid of it. It looked pretty well read.

“Okay, thanks for that, Spike. I think I’ll be heading to that Spa now.”

“I’ll walk with you. It’s not far from here.” Spike stated following me to the door.

We walked and chatted about Ponyville. Spike telling me about the haunts. I had no idea there was a bar! It was a small one simply called Berry’s Bar. The fact that there that there was one amazed me in the first place. How did I not notice it before?

“There it is,” Spike ‘presented’ the Spa, like he did the books at the library, “I’ll see you later. Enjoy yourself.”

“Thanks, Spike. And don’t worry, your secrets safe with me.”

“What secret?” A voice asked from behind me.

“Twilight!” Spike and I stated stunned. She had just exited the spa.

“What secret?” Twilight asked again, walking up to us.

“You look different.” Something was indeed different about her.

“Oh? You like it?” She asked, fluffing her hair.

“Oh! You got a new style!” Spike stated, following my lead.

“Thanks you guys. Now, stop trying to avoid the subject! What secret?” Twilight asked.

She really was too clever.

“It’s a secret, Twilight. Can’t tell you.” I walked by her, but I could feel her gaze on me.

“Is it about you and Spike planning on leaving Ponyville?” Twilight’s words made me freeze mid-step, and Spike’s mouth hung wide open.

“You knew?” It was clear that Spike was just as stunned as me.

“Of course I know. I’ve known for some time that you’ve been planning this for some time. Spike, I really don’t want you to leave, none of us do. But I understand that if it’s something you have to do, I can’t stop you. You’re not a baby anymore. You’re a young, adult Dragon. I just… I don’t like the thought of you leaving us. Leaving me,” Twilight looked at Spike, and touched his cheek the way a mother would a child, “But I won’t stop you. And if you do go then at least don’t go alone. If Forest goes with you, I think I can accept it a little easier.”

“Actually, Twilight, I changed my mind.” Spike replied.

“You… you have?”

Now I could feel Twilight’s gaze on me. “You’re leaving us?”

“Maybe,” Slowly, I was accepting this plan. A plan to actually leave Ponyville. After all, now that I thought about it, I really didn’t have much time left in Equestria. If I was going to lose the bet with Tutela, well then I might as well get to know this world a little bit more. “You’ve all been great to me, and treated me with more kindness than I deserve. You let me into your lives, but I can’t keep mooching off you or your kindness. I have to discover who I am, and where I belong.”

“You’ll always have a home here in Ponyville, Forest.” Twilight walked over to me and gave me a hug. It was so gentle and warm, that it faltered my resolve. Still, the more I thought about it, the more it appealed to me. Leaving Ponyville might actually be really good for me.

“Thank you, Twilight. That means a lot to me.”

She released me from her embrace and we stood there looking at each other for a moment. It started getting weird.

“Well… I’ve… got some errands to do.” She said self-consciously.

“Yeah, I’ll see you later.” Turning away, I started to enter the spa.

“Just tell us before you go, okay?” Twilight stated.

I looked at her, right into her eyes then gave one firm nod. I would tell her.

“Welcome, we’ve been expecting you.” A cerulean pony said with a thick accent. She had the brightest pink mane I had yet seen. I’d given up on specifying the traits of these Ponies. They were who they were, whether or not they applied to Earth no longer mattered to me, but I just couldn’t help but note that this Pony’s accent sounded Eastern European.

“Here’s my… coupon?” I didn’t know what else to call it.

“Thank you. Now, please follow me.”

The spa was large. Huge! We walked past the reception area where I noticed a Jacuzzi and some Ponies lying on massage tables getting a vigorous rub down by their respective masseuses. As much as I wanted to get a massage, because it looked so relaxing, I couldn’t. Not with my ribs being broken and all. After going to the opposite area where the massage tables were located I was placed in a chair. This area of the spa looked like a barber. I’ve heard of places like these back home on Earth, they were called ‘beauty salons’, where women would go and get themselves beautified. The Pony that led me there instantly handed me over to another Pony, whose color scheme happened to be an exact opposite of the one that had led me here. Her mane was that light-blue color and her coat was pink.

She plonked me into a chair and took a good look at me. “Hello, my name is Aloe,” She said to me in an accent similar to the previous Pony’s. “You wish for full treatment, yes?”

I nodded.

“Then, how’re you liking your mane?” She asked.

“I’m liking it very much,” I replied, not really knowing what she meant.

She laughed, “No, no. How are you styling it?”

Ah! Of course that’s what she meant. “I’m not… I just… have it.”

“Then, might I… recommend something?” She leaned in and pulled on my mane, then spun the chair around so that I faced a mirror. She explained what she wanted to do, and how it would make my face look lighter or higher, I wasn’t sure what she meant. It all sounded good and all, but I didn’t get it. I was only here to pass the time.

Well, might as well humor her… “Sure, that sounds wonderful.”

That seemed to be the right thing to say to her. She clapped her hooves and in the next moment three different tables were rolled in by other Ponies who obviously worked at the spa as well. It looked somewhat intimidating, to be honest. There were a lot of things on those tables.

Zipping to the side of my chair, she pulled a lever and the backrest dropped slowly. When I was somewhat horizontal, she started massaging my face with her hooves. They felt wonderful. Not too rough, yet not too soft as well. And it seemed to push the stress out of my face. Who knew that hooves could be used for massages?

I had closed my eyes to enjoy the experience. I’ve never had this done before and I kind of liked being pampered this way. After a few more minutes of that luxurious massaging it stopped. I didn’t know what I was supposed to do, so I just remained lying down with my eyes shut. Then I felt a suddenly chill on my cheek and my eyes opened out of reflex.

“Is cream,” The spa Pony said when she saw me looking at her, “To make coat luxurious.”

Well, I hadn’t expected that, but I trusted in her judgment. After all, this was my first time doing this and I had already committed myself. What else was I supposed to do? So I let her have her way with me as she caked the creamy goo all over my face. I could feel the weight of it on there. Then I felt two things placed on my eyes. I had seen enough movies to know that they were slices of cucumber, and it strangely felt really nice. It relaxed my eyes and I soon found myself actually dozing off.

I don’t know how much time had passed, but I felt a gentle poke on my hoof, “Forest.” A voice said in a whisper.

“Hello,” I replied, unsure as to who was talking.

“Having fun?”

“Yep, this is kinda cool.”

“Do you know who this is?” I heard the voice murmur quietly.

“Sorry, can’t say that I do… wait! I know! Sweetie Belle! You’re Sweetie Belle, right?”

The voice giggled. “No, you’re wrong.”

I thought and thought. Who could it be? Who was taunting me? “Can I have a clue?”

At that moment, my heart skipped a beat because I felt the voice right next to my ear, “No.”

When I tried to sit up, I felt something pinning me down against the chair. It was firm, strong, and strangely gentle all at the same time. But, then again, it wasn’t someone that seemed to be holding me down; it was something. “Um… this is getting stran-”

My mouth was cut off. Something was on my lips. My eyes opened wide under the cucumbers so that all I could see was a lighter shade of green. I wasn’t an idiot, I knew what it was, but a part of me refused to believe it. Whoever was there had their lips firmly planted on mine.

“I’m sorry,” The voice stated in a hushed tone, “Please forgive me.”

No matter how hard I tried to resist, I couldn’t. I just couldn’t. My body didn’t want to. It absolutely refused to fight back. As if something was ordering me to remain where I was and do nothing.

Waitaminute!

That was when I felt my wrist burning. The bracelet was burning, barely. It was clear that Magic had been used. Someone had used a spell! One of my mind controlling spells.

“You used a spell!” I stated angrily.

There was a long moment of silence. “Yes.”

“Why?” I demanded, “Why! Who are you? How do you know that spell?”

“Nopony. Just… forget about this. Please.”

And then I heard the hooves retreat slowly.

“Wait! You can’t do that! Tell me who are you are!”

Silence. I struggled for a long while, but the spell didn’t allow me to react apart from speaking. And I tried to shout out and call for help, but my voice was weak. The louder I wanted to speak, the quieter my voice became. Over time the burning sensation in my wrist slowly faded, and after a long while I could finally move again. When I did, I sat up quickly, and removed the cucumbers. The only Pony in that room right now was the Aloe.

“Oh, you’re finally awake. You were sleeping. I didn’t want to disturb you.”

The Pony who had kissed me wasn’t her, unless she was a master at faking accents. But then again, why would she kiss me? She didn’t know me. So, unless that face-mask thing was extremely effective, I highly doubted it was her.

“Was there somepony in here with me? From before?” I asked.

She shook her head, “No. I don’t think so. I was making mane-dye in other room. So, I didn’t see. Why?”

“Its…” I thought about what the Pony from before had asked. She asked me to forget about it! Forget that I was forced to kiss someone without my consent! That was just… just… wrong! Who could have done that? “Someone was in my room, and if it wasn’t you, then I want to know who!”

“I check with reception. Please wait one moment.” She came back in a few minutes, “I’m sorry, Forest, but Vera – the Pony at reception – she say that too many Ponies have come in and out. She does not know which one you mean.”

Despite knowing that it was not her fault, I couldn’t feel anything but anger towards her. It was irrational, and stupid, but I needed to project my anger somewhere, and she just happened to be the only Pony I felt I could. Struggling with the knowledge that I had been forced to cheat on Applejack against my own will, I tried to look past the fact that someone kissed me against my will.

Suffice to say, the rest of my spa experience was tainted. I didn’t enjoy myself because not only did I have to put up with the feelings of a broken heart from Applejack, but also feelings of guilt that I had betrayed her! I was too confused and too annoyed to enjoy this fully, and it was evident in the way that Aloe always looked hurt whenever I glanced at her through the mirror.

“I apologize, Forest. This has never happened before,” Lotus expression drooped after the fiftieth time our eyes met in the reflection.

Seeing her that way made me realize I was being irrational. “No, no. Please. Don’t be sorry, I’m just annoyed, that’s all. It’s not your fault.” I didn’t tell her that whoever was in the room had smooched me, didn’t need any more rumors going around. “Just ignore me.”

That seemed to pacify her. “So… do you like?”

Now that she mentioned it, I did like. She didn’t really do anything to my mane that was different. She didn’t cut it, but she did clean it up a bit and she styled it in such a way that it made me look cool. It made me look less scruffy, cleaner and a little bit more defined. She also somehow managed to perform the same effect on my tail.

“I love it! Thank you, Aloe. You’ve been great.”

Aloe beamed at the praise, “We will see if we can find out for you this mysterious Pony. But, no promise, okay?”

“Okay. But don’t worry too much about it. It’s not that important.” It was, but I didn’t want burden the poor girl. If she was telling me the truth, then finding out the Pony who had infiltrated my personal space would have been closed to impossible. I had recognized some part of that voice, even if it was a whisper. There was something very familiar about it. That meant that I was going to have to play detective. Something I regretfully sucked at.

As I entered the reception, I heard my name being called.

Sweetie Belle was there sitting on one of the sofas, a magazine open on the table in front of her. “Finally, you certainly take your time! Come with me, Forest. Rarity has something for you.”

“Sweetie Belle… how long have you been waiting there?” I asked.

“About twenty minutes. I thought you’d be done so I asked the reception and they said you were still inside. So I waited for you.”

“Did you… did you come find me in the back?” I asked. Perhaps that was a little too obvious.

“No. I’ve been here.”

“Did you see anypony we know exit?”

“You mean Ponies that you know? I don’t think so. I was reading this magazine, so I wouldn’t ‘ve really noticed.” Sweetie tilted her head at an angle, “Why?”

“Nothing,” So, it wasn’t her. “Shall we go?”

She gave me a quirky look, “You’re acting funny again.”

I made a face, which made her laugh. We headed towards her sister’s boutique together, but my mind preoccupied with all kinds of thoughts so we didn’t really talk. There was a battle in my mind; should I tell Applejack what had happened in the spa? Would Applejack even talk to me? Where was she? These questions plagued me. In fact, I was so preoccupied that I did not realize that I had walked right past the boutique with a confused Sweetie looking at me with a frown.

Grinning nervously, I trotted back to her, “Sorry, I was thinking about… things.”

All that I got for that explanation were eyes being rolled as Sweetie pushed the door open to her sister’s home. I had not taken more than two steps inside when Rarity seized me, almost dragging me into the back room. There she threw a tux-looking thing at me.

“Forest, please be a darling and try this on. It’s for tonight. I’ve made dresses for everypony, and this simple suit was made especially for you.” Rarity grinned, “It will be a chance to show off my latest designs to Ponyville!”

“You designed this? Overnight?”

“Yes, do you like it? I’ve used only the best fabrics, and used blind stitches, so you can’t see the seams clearly, to give the illusion that it was one whole piece.”

Now that she mentioned it, I really didn’t see any obvious signs of a single stitch anyway. That was an amazing display of workmanship – workponyship? Even if this was a ‘simple’ piece, it was incredible. And it was free. She certainly was generous. It was easy enough to slip on, and Rarity used her blue magic to tie my bow-tie perfectly, taking extra care not to taint my bracelet with her magic.

I felt rather… new. I had a new hairdo, a new taildo, and now a new suit! It was a new me… sort of. Still, no matter how much I tried to be in the moment, my mind was full of Ponies kissing me! First Pinkie, then Applejack, and now a mystery number three – unless it was Pinkie or Applejack that had snuck into the spa. But did either one of them know how to trigger my mind-control spells? And why would Applejack do that? She could do anything she wanted to me, so why use a spell to pin me down? I wanted to scream in frustration, but I had to suppress the urge.

“Not bad, if I do say so myself,” Rarity gave said striking an overly dramatic posture, “I have really outdone myself this time. You look absolutely stunning. Here, take a good look at yourself in the mirror.”

I had to admit it, I looked rather dapper. All I needed was a top-hat and one of those fancy canes.

There was a knock on the main door and I heard Sweetie Belle answer it. There was a brief conversation before she returned to where Rarity and I were.

“Spike’s at the door. He’s waiting for you, Forest. The other Ponies are waiting for you at the Town Hall.”

“Well, why doesn’t he just come in and tell us?” Rarity asked.

Sweetie Belle looked at me and our eyes met. We both knew the answer to that question, and to be honest I think Rarity knew as well, but was playing ignorant. It was clear that Spike was avoiding Rarity in order to not deal with confronting his feelings for her again. He and I had completely opposite issues. I wanted to confront Applejack; he wanted to keep away from Rarity.

“Thank you, Rarity, but I’ll be taking my leave now. No reason for Spike to dirty your floor.”

“Oh? Good point, I guess.” She looked at me, “Good luck, Forest. And remember, to pose on the stage to let them all see your suit.”

“Will do!”

As I left, I heard Sweetie Belle say something to her sister, but I couldn’t quite make out what it was.

Spike was standing across the street in the grassy lawn just off the road. I walked over to him.

“Sorry to come and get you like this,” He mumbled.

“Why don’t you just go in there and see her, Spike? Just because you can’t get over her doesn’t mean you have to stop being her friend.”

Spike either didn’t notice, or just ignored it, “I wanted to, but I got cold feet. There’s no point, remember? She’s got some special somepony in Canterlot. What chance do I have? I’ve already told her how I felt.”

“I’m sure there’re other Ponies or Dragons out there, Spike.”

“I don’t want any others, Forest. I just… I just… want to be with Rarity.” He looked down at the ground, “But I know that that’s impossible.”

I looked up at him. The pain in those eyes made my heartache seem so childlike. He was hurting on a whole different level from me. My heart was broken, but I would live – relatively speaking. But not Spike. Spike looked as if a piece of him had been ripped off, that’s they kind of face he had. It was as if a piece of him was physically missing.

Was that kind of ‘love’ healthy? It seemed more like an obsession.

A really loud yell made me jump as Pinkie suddenly jumped out in front of me. The fair that she had been in charge of building was already pretty much up and already Ponies were strolling through the numerous stalls. It was not huge, but it was big enough to really make me wonder how she did it. Pinkie had only started this morning, and yet there were shops, stalls, games, rides and decorations all over town.

“You look nice, Forest.”

“Pinkie, you did all this?” I asked as she walked with us.

“Uh-huh. It was really hard convincing the mayor to let me decorate Mane Street, but I managed to! She is super-duper stubborn sometimes.” She grinned at me, “But my famous triple-fudge-chcolate-vanilla-cream-stuffed éclairs were enough to convince her.”

“Did… did you bribe a public official with baked goods?”

She nodded impossibly fast. “Are you ready for tonight?”

“No.”

Pinkie thought I was joking and hard a hearty laugh, her little air intake grunts were cute.

Then I saw the town hall and I couldn’t help but stand outside with my mouth wide open. Pinkie had really outdone herself. The décor was amazing, even if it looked a bit more appropriate for a child’s birthday party rather than a town-gathering bash. What made is amazing was the sheer spectacle of it. It looked fun, inviting and made you want to join in whatever festivities were going on inside. And if that isn’t good decorating, then I don’t know what is.

Spike led me through the hall and then up to the stage. Already half the town had flooded in and all the chairs had been cleared out. I couldn’t believe that this was the same place where Applejack and I sat to listen to Sweetie Belle’s amazing performance. The stage had the curtains drawn and Spike parted them for me. Behind them I met the rest of the team dressed in amazing dresses. Each one designed specifically for each Pony. Twilight had a blue colored dress, with some sort of tiara on her head, Lavender had green dress that made her body look like a flower, Amethyst’s dress was a very light, delicate blue that seemed almost transparent, and Scootaloo’s dress made her look like a jellyfish, and had a multitude of oranges and reds. And surprisingly Derpy was there as well! She had on a white dress with silver trimmings that made her look like a snowflake. She was munching on a muffin when she saw me she grinned widely, “Forest!”

“Hello,” I replied, “I thought you were already with a partner. Wouldn’t he get mad if he found out that you’re going to date another Pony?”

Derpy laughed goofily, and then rubbed the back of her neck with her hoof. “I haven’t seen him in years.”

Wow. That was perhaps the most inappropriate question I could have asked. I felt like the biggest asshole on the planet! “Sh- sorry, Derpy, I didn’t mean to ask you that. I didn’t know…”

“Naw, that’s okay,” She floated over to me and looked down, “He’s been gone a while. It’s just me and… ooh, muffins!” Derpy completely dropped our conversation and flew over to a small table that was stacked with a variety of muffins, each seemingly having its own color of icing on top.

“And?” I asked silently.

“Her daughter, Dinky,” Twilight answered on her behalf, “Derpy is a great mother, even if her heads in the clouds at times. I hope I can be like her one day.”

“You planning on being a mother?”

Twilight turned bright pink. “Yes – but not anytime soon. I haven’t found my special somepony yet.”

Spike and I laughed.

“What about you, Forest? Have you thought about having a family?” She asked.

“To be honest, no. Not really. I’ve never really thought about it and I’m not talking as an amnesiac. It’s something I know I’ve never really considered.” I looked at Twilight, “I guess in a way, it’s pathetic.”

She turned her head to one side, “I suppose… it does seem rather empty.”

Derpy flew back over to us with her mouth full and two muffins, one clutched tightly in each hoof. She had icing all over her lips. “Forest!”

“Yes, Derpy?”

“Muffin?” She offered me one.

“N-no thank you.”

Derpy’s eyes lit up, and she gobbled the two down at the same time. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Mom! You’re embarrassing me!” A younger Pony said walking up to Derpy. The young Unicorn had come from further backstage. She took out a small tissue from her saddlebag using her magic and wiped Derpy’s lips, “Why can’t you act normal for once!”

At the scolding, Derpy’s eyes began to water.

“Aw, mom, please don’t. I’m just joking. I love you, mommy.” The younger Mare pulled Derpy down and nuzzled her. Derpy’s eyes instantly dried up and a wide smile spread across her face.

Derpy seized the Unicorn in a tight embrace, “Muffin!”

The two laughed together. It was so amazing how happy the two were. Mother and daughter. I didn’t need to be told what they were. It was obvious enough.

“Are you Ponies ready?” A voice asked. It was the mayor. She was standing half out of the curtain.

We all gulped and nodded at the same time. This was it. She smiled and disappeared in front of the curtain.

“Mares and gentlecolts, welcome to the first ever Equestria Race Ponyville Fundraising Fun Fair!” We heard the mayor announce. The crowd erupted in a cheer, “Now, I know you’re all excited for the main event… so let’s get right to it! The Date Auction!”

A massive ‘woo’ erupted from the crowd, followed by laughter, and much merriment. The six of us behind the curtain just shuddered. It was scary! Imagine going out in front of a large crowd like that. I’ve never stood on stage or been the center of attention in all my life, and now I’m about to do both those things at the same time. My stomach felt fluttery, and in a strange way it was sickening and yet I did not feel ill.

“So, without further ado, here they are!” The mayor stood back with her hoof outstretched. “Ponyville’s very best!”

“That’s our cue, Forest, you go first.” Twilight stated just loud enough to be heard above the din the crowd was making.

“Me?” I asked bewildered.

“Please!” The four mares asked at the same time. Derpy was still munching away on muffins so she didn’t really notice.

“Fine.” I muttered.

As soon as I stepped out, a storm burst throughout the hall. It took me a second to realize that it was the Ponies in the Town Hall clapping their hooves and stopping on the ground. They continued to ‘clap’ until all six of us stood clumsily on the right side of the stage – our left. The girls seemed to duck behind me. There was a lot of hooting, calling, yelling, and the excitement was… insane! How do those famous people do it? How can they stand in front of crowds like this? It was as if every inch of open space had Ponies in it. Pegasi were lounging on clouds above the Ponies below.

“Now, the rules are simple. The winner of each auction gets to spend the rest of the evening with the Pony they’ve bid for. Nopony can bid on more than one candidate. And most importantly, you must have a wonderful time!” Every single Pony laughed at that. “Then, let us begin!”

Another roar of glee exploded from the audience. It was like a wall of sound that struck us head-on.

“Hey, hey, hey!” Another Pony bounced on the stage.

“Pinkie?” Twilight and I asked flabbergasted.

“Shall we get things started Ponyville?” She announced on a mic giving us a massive wink.

Pinkie was the emcee? That was… awesome.

The crowd shouted ‘yes!’

“I can’t hear you!” Pinkie put a hoof next to her ear.

Again, the crowd screamed but even louder than before. The Town Hall felt like its foundations were shaking.

I was overwhelmed. I couldn’t think. Lights above and around us flashed on and off. I tried my hardest to put on a smile. This was pure insanity! Suddenly music blared from speakers, and I saw the same blue-haired Pony from the Canterlot club on the second floor bobbing her head to the beats. After few minutes of this, Pinkie lifted her hoof in the air and the music quickly and smoothly decreased in volume so that it was no more than a heartbeat – albeit a very fast one.

How? How! How did Pinkie pull this off?

“She’s incredible, isn’t she?” Twilight shouted over the din. I turned my ears to hear her better, “To make all this happen in a day.”

“It’s a miracle. A dream. I can’t believe it,” I shouted in reply, “If I wasn’t at the meeting last night I wouldn’t have believed it. I can’t believe we only discussed this yesterday!”

“Okay, everypony! Now the moment you’ve all been super-excited for! Let’s introduce our Racers!” Pinkie shouted.

Again the audience erupted.

“And first off… he’s new in town, escaped scary Ursa Majors, and saved Mr. Dash’s life! A Pony with no past, who runs with streaks of fire under him, the only Stallion on the team! Please welcome, Forest Fire!” Pinkie screamed.

The audience hooted and yelled. My face flushed full of blood as I walked over to Pinkie. She pulled me along with her to the front of the stage before making me stand on the other side away from the others. I felt naked being there all alone.

In the crowd I spotted Sweetie Belle and Rarity grinning at me. They waved, so I waved back nervously. Rarity mouthed something. I pretended I didn’t understand what she meant. There was no way I was going to do those ridiculous poses in front of this crowd.

“Secondly, a Pony that needs no introductions, the Element of Magic herself, my bestest friend in the whole wide world, Ponyville’s very own Twilight Spaaaaaaaarkle!” Pinkie said Twilight’s name like a boxing announcer.

The audience was literally bringing the house down as they cheered for Twilight. She definitely was the town’s favorite Pony. The cheers did not subside was she sheepishly walked to the front of the stage, each step seemed to increase the volume of the noise. On and on they applauded her, and I could even see some banners being waved in the audience. One of them had Twilight’s Cutie Mark emblazoned on it. After a few more minutes of this, Pinkie guided Twilight next to me.

Amethyst was introduced next. I had no idea she was a jeweler, but I suppose that made sense considering her Cutie Mark was three diamonds in a triangular pattern. The crowd cheered hard for her too, but nothing like Twilight. Still, Amethyst was content. She said something to Twilight and they both laughed. I couldn’t hear them over the noise.

Then Lavender came next. She was a botanical expert, specializing in growing ‘super sweet, sweet smelling, beautifully bright colored’ flowers – as Pinkie described it. I suppose the flowery pattern on her flank should have hinted that to me, but I somehow forgot the significance of the Cutie Mark along the way.

Derpy’s cheer was the quietest out of all of us. I felt rather sad for her, but I doubted that Derpy cared. She floated across the stage still munching on a muffin. The Ponies hailed the clumsy Pegasus as she made her way across to us. She somehow tripped on her dress, even though she was in mid-air, which made quite a few in the audience laugh. She stuffed her face with another muffin as she stood next to Lavender.

But nothing prepared me for Scootaloo’s ovations. All Pinkie had said was her name. No introductions, no long descriptions, just one word. Her name. And that one word nearly brought Town Hall down on top of us. If I had thought that Twilight’s cheers were exaggerated, then Scootaloo’s was twice as nuts. It was so overpowering that I wanted to cover my ears.

Scootaloo was blushing even more than the rest of us, and I couldn’t help but laugh as she floated behind Derpy to hide from the audience. That brought quite a lot of laughter. That was when I noticed that somehow they were all hiding behind me again. How did that happen?

And Pinkie, she seemed so natural, so free and confident standing there in front of all those Ponies. There was no hint of worry, fear or embarrassment from her. She fulfilled the role of emcee and I couldn’t help but feel proud of her. It no longer mattered what happened from before, because I knew right then that I’d never be good enough for a Pony like her. She was a star, the brightest light in a room of bright lights.

“Now, is everypony ready! Let’s get this party… I mean auction… started!” Pinkie jumped up in the air when she said that.

The audience agreed! It was time!

“Now, everypony, you should all have a Lightsprite stick! Just raise it up and turn it on! Every time it you turn one of your glow-stick-thingies on, I’ll add five bits! If you hold it up, I’ll keep adding until your turn it off.” Pinkie stated.

The lights were suddenly cut off except for three bright spotlights that lit up the stage. Everything else was bathed in darkness and I couldn’t really see anything.

“First up, Scootaloo!” Again, the cheers reverberated throughout the room. This was it! I was so relieved that I wasn’t first.

“Good luck!” Twilight shouted as Scootaloo hovered to the middle of the stage.

Two of the three spotlights followed her, while the third stuck on Pinkie.

“Okay, everypony! Don’t be shy! Do I see an opening bid?”

Hundreds – or so it seemed – of lights ignited at the same time. I couldn’t keep track, but Pinkie had no problems with that. She instantly tallied up the initial count of bits to sixty! That was one uniform already set.

“Is that all?” Pinkie asked. “Well then… going once… going twice…”

Suddenly the door at the back of the Town burst open and a light turned on in mid-air. Everypony looked up and saw it.

“That’s seventy… seventy-five… eighty… eight-five… ninety… ninety-five…”

The audience gasped as the stranger slowly glided closer and closer to the stage.

“One hundred bits! One ‘o five… one hundred and ten… fifteen… twenty?” Pinkie questioned, but the light stayed on. “One hundred and fifty!” Pinkie skipped the other numbers.

By that time the stranger had reached the stage, the spotlights were now shining on his back as he spread his wings and glided down in front of Scootaloo. Her face was a mixture of shock and jubilation.

“Hi.” The Stallion said, grinning.

“Featherweight!” She gasped. “What are you doing here?”

He dropped to his knee, and the audience did one collective gasp. Scootaloo’s eyes were wide open and her mouth half open.

“Something I should have done months ago.”

My heart skipped a beat. Twilight seized my arm tightly. All the girls’ eyes behind me opened wide – except Derpy who was more interested in her next muffin.

“Scootaloo, ever since we were kids, I’ve always thought of you as my special somepony. Ever since you first talked to me working as the photographer with the Foal Free Press…”

A few audience members laughed at that comment as Scootaloo blushed even more.

“… I was entranced by you. You became my entire world. When you earned your Cutie Mark, I understood how much it meant to you. After all those long years of trying, you finally earned your dream. You’re the most talented flyer in Equestria, nopony can deny that. Your aerial acrobatics are second to none, and when you led the Pegasi in that aerial ballet… you completely stole my heart, Scoots. And I’m here to steal yours.” He reached behind him and pulled out a little box from his saddlebag.

“Featherweight…?” Scootaloo was breathing heavily now, tears in her eyes.

“Scootaloo, I know that what happened before was entirely my fault and I’m sorry for leaving you the way I did. I learnt the hard way just how much you mean to me and I want to spend every moment from now on making it up to you. I want to wake up with you every day, to be there for you, to cherish you, protect you, and be with you for the rest of my life. I want to always be by you. Scootaloo, my dear Scootaloo, I love you. Will you marry me?”

Not a sound. Silence. You could have heard a pin drop.

Scootaloo choked back a sob. Then she nodded, and in a whisper barely audible, she said: “Yes.”

Featherweight took a bracelet from the box and slipped it on her hoof as the crowd destroyed my ear-drums. And when they kissed… let’s just say I’m very, very surprised that the roof didn’t fly off from the roar of approval.

“Way to ruin it for the rest of us, Featherweight!” Somepony shouted from the audience, somehow being heard above the din.

“Finally! Way to go you guys!” That was Applebloom’s voice, I could recognize that accent and tone anywhere.

“That was beautiful,” I mumbled, and found that my eyes were watering.

“That’s an understatement,” Twilight sighed, “Scootaloo is one lucky Mare.”

“What happened? That guy was saying something about something bad happening to them…”

“Well, they broke up. Featherweight is the featherweight champion of Equestria in pugilism,” Twilight shrugged, “He left to pursue his dream of becoming the champion, but Scootaloo didn’t like the thought of her Stallion fighting for a living and demanded he quit. I don’t know if he’s quit, but he’s certainly not going to let some other Stallion date his Mare.”

“I can see that. A hundred and fifty bits! That’s amazing! At least that three costumes good to go,” I laughed.

Twilight laughed as well, “I hope to get a third of that…”

“Okay, okay, everypony settle down!” Pinkie said over the mic, “You can all congratulate them later.”

Scootaloo was so happy that she couldn’t stop grinning and admiring the huge rock on her bracelet. That diamond was huge! Even in Equestria, diamonds were a girl’s best friend. Featherweight kissed Scootaloo’s cheek again as they moved to the opposite side of the stage, nuzzling each other.

“Now, it’s time for the next candidate! Our own faithful and dedicated mail-Pony! Derpy Hooves!”

There was a strong applause, nothing compared to Scootaloo’s, but still loud.

“Let’s get this started! Do I see five?” A single light flashed on. “Five bits!” Then nothing. Not a single light appeared.

For some reason I got angry. Even if it’s Derpy, that was no reason to not allow her to have some proper bits for her.

“Five bits? Come on, somepony raise it!” Pinkie urged. Still nothing.

Twilight’s face looked scary. If I was angry, then she was livid.

But, the Ponies didn’t fail us. Slowly, one by one, the lights appeared. After a brief stint, Derpy got a decent fifty bits. And the winner? Her daughter! The two laughed and danced with each other on the stage, the daughter congratulating her mother with a basket full of delicious looking muffins. Derpy didn’t care. I doubt she would have noticed if she had made only five bits. She was beyond happy with what she had. And she showed it. That strength, that inner-peace was something to be admired. It was her daughter that was her pillar of strength, her world. She didn’t care about anything else.

“She’s incredible. How can she be so strong?” I asked.

“She’s been through a lot. If I ever have a daughter, I hope that my relationship with her is like that.” Twilight looked at me, “Forest, are you crying?”

“My eyes are hurting from the bright lights,” I lied, “But those two are amazing.”

I stared at Derpy and Ditzy in awe. It was humbling to see that; a mother who lived for her daughter and a daughter who protected her mother, both with unyielding love. I forced the feelings of jealousy and regret down. My relationship with my mother was… ugly. Nothing we had came anywhere close to this, and I felt that I had missed out on something important. Every moment I spent in Equestria just revealed to me how pathetic my life really was, and I thought that I was some hot shit. Discovering the truth hurt me deeply and at the same time helped me understand why I had become the kind of person I was, and I hated it. I hated who I was.

“Something wrong, Forest?” Twilight asked.

“No,” I replied gently, “I was just thinking…”

“And now, our very own Lavenderhoof!” Pinkie announced on the mic. There was another huge applause. Lavender was certainly popular, raising a whopping eighty bits! The Pony that won the date was our waiter from the other day, that Caramel fellow. He blushed as he came to the stage and stood somewhat shyly next to Lavender who was smiling coyly at him. They didn’t look at one another in the eyes. It was revoltingly cute.

“Some history there?” I asked leaning against Twilight to be heard over the applause.

She shrugged, “Not that I know of.”

Pinkie did a couple cartwheels across the stage forcing everypony’s eyes on her, “And now, Amethyst Star!”

Again, a very decent intake! A hundred bits! Her date was, surprisingly, a blue Mare!

“Did we meet our target?” I asked.

“A hundred and fifty, plus fifty, and eighty plus ninety, that’s a total of three hundred and seventy. So, yeah, I think we made it.” Twilight grinned, “This was a great idea! Rainbow does have some good ideas – once in a while. And now we also have a wedding in the works!”

“Do we have to go through with this?” I asked, not really looking forward to my turn.

Twilight shrugged, “I think we should. Rarity is already been extremely generous,” She looked up, “It would be nice to give her a little more for her time and effort.”

“Well, good luck.” I grinned.

Twilight just blushed at me as Pinkie announced her turn.

As she stood center of the stage, the room was full of lights even before Pinkie could start.

“T-two hundred and twenty bits,” Pinkie said, slightly overwhelmed by the number. I think everypony in that room did a double-take when the number reached that high. There was a long pause before Pinkie said, “Going once…”

Another light turned on.

“Two-hundred and twenty five,” Pinkie squeaked.

On the other side of the room, another light turned on.

“Two-hundred and thirty,” She said even quieter.

The two lights went back and forth until the number reached five hundred! Five hundred bits! This was insane. I knew that Twilight was popular, but this was crazy! The number just didn’t stop climbing. It kept going and going! Until…

“One… thousand…” The entire hall was hushed as Pinkie said the number, “… and thirty five bits…”

The other light didn’t turn on.

“Going once,” Pinkie started, “Going twice… going-”

The other light turned on. Everypony began to murmur out loud. That was insane! This was ridiculous!

“One thousand and forty bits!” Pinkie voice was barely audible even over the speakers. “Going once… going twice…”

The other light remained off.

“Gone…”

A few Ponies applauded. Everyone else was too stunned, as was I. I knew that Twilight was popular, but there was no one in Ponyville that could afford those kinds of numbers. Who could have made the numbers go that high?

Slowly, the guilty one walked towards the stage. The Pony who took the stage was the last Pony I expected to see.

“Aiden?” Twilight asked stunned.

Aiden just laughed nervously. “Hi, Twilight.”

They looked at each other, and you could see the emotions and confusion running through Twilight’s face. But who was the other Pony that was competing against Aiden? I wasn’t the only Pony curious about that. And, as if on cue, the other Pony started to ascend the stairs onto the stage. Everypony’s eyes were glued on the newcomer who stood there in a heavy cloak for a long moment before removing her hood.

“Princess Luna?” Twilight asked, stunned. We all were stunned, as each Pony bowed low to the presence of the Princess of the Night. Aiden, upon seeing who he had competed against turned green… well, greener. He looked sick.

“Your Highness! If I had known…”

“Please, Aiden Fomaio, if you had known then there would have been no fun in it.” Princess Luna looked up at me. At that moment I realized that I had not dropped a hoof. Clumsily, I bowed to the princess.

“Perhaps I can still have a ‘date’, it seems very popular.” She said date as if she had no idea what it was.

“Luna…” Twilight walked over to the princess and whispered in her. The princess’ face turned bright pink.

“That is… a date? Oh my. I had no idea…” Her face turned even rosier as she saw the crowd staring at her.

Pinkie sensing the awkwardness instantly intervened by doing some weird dance that made her the focus of attention. That gave Princess Luna a chance to slip back into the audience. Although I bet that none of the crowd thought anything bad of her, instead I bet that most of them found the princess’ naivety cute. I know I did.

“And now, last but not least… the only Stallion on the team, who has zero magical talent…”

“Thanks for that, Pinkie.” I grumbled.

The Ponies in the audience heard my sarcastic comment and laughed.

“Oopsy, sorry, Forest. Anyway, this special-special pony is ready for somepony special!” Pinkie grinned, “So, let’s start the bids!”

Not a single light. Not one. Not even from Princess Luna!

“Kinda figured it would be like that…” I mumbled, shaking my head.

Pinkie grinned, “Then, I’ll bid on Forest! That’s five bits!”

“Thanks, Pinkie.” I chuckled. Five was better than zero.

Then, one light twinkled on.

“Ten bits.”

Everypony turned around to see who had turned the light on. I couldn’t tell, not in the dark.

“Going once… going twice…”

Another light turned on.

“Fifteen bits!”

Then the first light went on again. And like Twilight’s battle of the lights, I had my own. It stopped at forty though. Still, it was better than zero.

“Come on, sis!” I heard Applebloom’s voice shout.

The light next to the source of her voice turned on again.

Applejack? That was Applejack? She was bidding for me? Against who? Who was the other Pony? Why was she bidding against me? Was she the bitch that kissed me in the spa?

Come on Applejack! Win me! Win me!

But I knew deep down in my gut that Applejack didn’t have the finances to compete against some of the other Ponies. She couldn’t spare that many bits and as the numbers started to climb higher, I knew it wouldn’t be long before the numbers would cease to rise. When it did, I had nothing else to do but hope with all my might that Applejack had come out on top.

“Going once!” Pinkie shouted.

My heart beat faster in my chest.

“Going twice!”

I started sweating bullets.

“Sold to the Pony on the left!”

Everypony watched as the mystery Pont walked up onto the stage. As she walked onto the stage my heart froze in my chest. I thought I was having a heart-attack.

You have got to be fucking kidding me!

“Surprised?” She asked.

“C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-Cyan Crystal!” I stammered. I couldn’t believe it. I just could not believe it! And yet, there she was standing there in front of me. Why? Why oh why did it have to be her! Any other Pony in Ponyville would have been better!

I wasn’t the only one shocked out of my skull. Even Pinkie couldn’t believe it and stood there with her mouth hanging open. It was so surreal, it seemed like a cruel prank, but Crystal took out her coin purse and handed it to Pinkie, flashing a cold expression at her before walking over to me and giving me a grin, which is how I imagine a shark would grin just before eating its prey.

“I look forward to our date.”

Forcing a broken smile on my face, I nodded, “Yeah, me too…”

Why didn’t Princess Luna bail me out! Even dating her would have been better! A lot better. A whole boatload better. Anything but this!

“W-well, that’s all folks. Thank you all for joining us!” Pinkie then turned and walked off the stage in a hurry. I didn’t blame the poor girl, standing that close to Crystal was hazardous to one’s health.

As the Town Hall began to empty, I couldn’t help but feel the other team members and their dates stare at me in pity. I felt so pathetic that couldn’t even turn around and face them instead gazed off into the distance hoping that this was all just a very bad dream. They all went our separate ways into the fair, except for Scootaloo, who had mysteriously vanished with Featherweight.

I stood there alone with Crystal not knowing what to do, say or act.

“Forest Fire,” She suddenly said. Was she blushing? “Please, please, please… even just for one night… please be my friend.”

My mind reeled within itself. It took me a moment to realize that she had used one of my mind control spells! She knew the trigger! But… I had no magic in my bracelet, the spell can’t work without it. Did she not know that? She knew the spells, but she didn’t know everything. But that wish, it seemed so… honest.

Think! Think, Forest!

“So,” I said trying to sound as natural as I possibly could, “Shall we go check out the fair?”

Her head whipped up at me and she actually smiled, “I’d like that very much,” That smile was… unfair! She wasn’t allowed to have a smile that kind and gentle! She was the bitch of Ponyville! What was going on?

We walked through the town. Many of the Ponies seemed to ignore us, but I couldn’t help but feel that a couple sets of eyes were constantly following us. Trying my best to ignore it, I continued trying to be a friend to Crystal, which was a lot easier than I thought it would be. Even with her nasal voice, she was actually fun to hang around. She had a sense of humor, was easy to talk to, even if her voice was like listening to a broken violin. And she talked a lot, mostly about her life running the only hotel in Ponyville. It was strange, she seemed perfectly normal now that she had dropped the ‘I’m a mega-bitch’ attitude. We played a few games – not of which we won anything, ate at a few stalls and she even bought me a silly hat to match my suit.

“Shall we go on a ride?” I asked, pointing to a Ferris wheel.

“Okay.”

As we sat on it, Crystal looked out and enjoyed the view. It wasn’t so high, but it gave me a chance to think. Why was she acting like this now? Why didn’t she act like this before? I remember someone mentioning to me that Brian and Crystal were good friends. Was this the side of Crystal that Brian knew? How had he managed to infiltrate through her sourness?

“Crystal,” I began.

“Hm?”

“I have a confession to make,” I gulped.

“Hm?”

“The spell you cast. It… didn’t work.”

She was in shock. “Y-y-you mean… all this time… you were acting?” Her expression soured.

“No. I wasn’t, Crystal. That’s why I’m confessing this to you.”

“Then… you really were trying to be my friend?”

I shook my head. “Crystal, I didn’t try. We got along so easily when you dropped that ridiculous act. Why the sham? If this is the real you, why don’t you just be yourself?”

She just stared at me with her mouth still wide open.

“Crystal?”

“I… I…” She lowered her eyes to the floor of the little gondola we were sitting in, “I don’t know, Forest.”

“If you just be yourself, then you’ll easily make friends. And I know you don’t like Pinkie, but she’ll really be a good friend to you if you just let her.”

“It’s not that I don’t like Pinkie. It’s just that… she intimidates me. She’s so friendly and outgoing, so nice and caring. You don’t understand, when I first came to Ponyville, I was running away from my life. I am… there was… and I…” Tears formed in her eyes and she put her hooves in front of them. “I’m so lonely.”

The way she said those words. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for her. Getting up, I walked over to her side of the gondola and sat next to her letting her lean against my shoulder. “What happened, Crystal?”

And she told me. And what she told me opened my eyes.

The Stallion of her life died saving her life, giving his life for her in a freak accident. But her friends and family refused to accept that, blaming her for his death. After months of it, she couldn’t take anymore and she left. But their words sunk like poison into her and she blamed herself for what had happened even though deep down she knew it wasn’t her fault. She was angry at everyone, but most of all, she was angry at herself. And she took it out on those around her. Her story broke my heart.

And Brian had seen through it all. He had seen through her charade. And when Crystal admitted to me that the only reason why she was probably still alive was because of Brian. That really struck a nerve in me. He had saved her life.

“Is there something that guy cannot do?” I muttered.

Crystal laughed wiping away the dampness in her eyes, “He is an amazing Pon- person...”

“Just be yourself, and I promise you that when they see the real you, you’ll find a lot of good friends here. I know I have.”

“You really think so?” She sniffled.

“I know so. Take a look at me. I’ve been here… what? Two weeks? And they’ve already accepted me as a part of the town. They’ll accept you. It might take some time, but they will come around. Until then, you can always talk to me.” And honestly, I really meant it. “Just promise me that you’ll make an effort.”

“I promise.”

“Pinkie Promise?”

She laughed at that. “Pinkie Promise. Thank you, Forest. And… I’m sorry about the spell thing. I just didn’t think you’d be this… kind.”

“Nah, don’t worry about that. If you hadn’t tried using the spell, then we wouldn’t have had this conversation. I wouldn’t have gotten to know you this way. So, in a way, it worked. You wanted me to be your friend, and that’s what happened.” I smiled at that.

She laughed. “Are you hitting on me? You do know I’m old enough to be your mother, right?”

At first I was shocked, then I realized that she was joking. I shook my head laughing, “You’re not that old, Crystal.”

And it seemed that years evaporated from her face. When she genuinely smiled, she was actually beautiful, in a middle-aged Pony sort of way. But that voice! If only she had another voice.

We got off the Ferris wheel and Crystal started to walk away. I followed her for a bit, but she stopped, turned around and shook her head. “Thank you, Forest. But I want to be alone. I release you from your duties as my date. Enjoy the rest of the night. You’ve given me a lot to think about.”

I stopped where I was and sat down on the ground.

“Besides, I think somepony else really wants to talk to you.”

I looked up and saw her pointing behind me. I turned around and standing there in the middle of the road was the most beautiful Pony ever.

“Applejack!”

I glanced back towards Crystal, but she was already heading back to the hotel. Something about her had definitely changed. I just hoped it was for the better.

“Forest…” Applejack said walking over to me.

“Applejack,” Despite everything, I hugged her. “I’m so glad you’re okay. I’ve been so worried about you.”

“Forest, we have to talk.”

“I know. I’ve been waiting.”

“Can we go… somewhere private?” Applejack asked.

“Want to ride a Ferris wheel?” Hey, if I could make Cyan Crystal open up to me in there, then it was worth a shot with the Pony of my dreams.

“Okay.” Something was off about her.

The Ferris wheel attendant saw me. “You again? Didn’t you just… with another…” He shook his head, “Youngsters these days.”

I might have found his comments amusing, but the mood was too serious. Applejack was going to tell me about her past and I knew deep down that I was going to hate this. The thought of her with another Stallion just killed me, but if I was going to be with her then I had to know.

We were silent for the first half of the first round. I could tell she was trying to find a way to start.

“You know,” I began, breaking the heavy silence, “When I first came to Ponyville, I didn’t know what to expect. I was lost, confused… but you all helped me so much. So, please, Applejack, you don’t need to hold back from me. Whatever you tell me, and whatever happens, I promise that I will always be there for you.”

“You don’t know how much that means to me, Forest.” Applejack took a deep breath as the Ferris wheel stopped. We were at the highest point. Time seemed to stand still for a moment. That was the kind of effect she had on you. This was it. I braced myself for what was to come. “Before you, long before you came to Ponyville… I was engaged.”

“I know.”

She didn’t bat an eyelid. “When you were taken… by that Ursa I…” Her eyes started to water.

No! No more tears! “Please, Applejack, don’t cry.” My words were futile. And I made to go sit next to her, but she held out her hoof, stopping me.

“No. I need to look at you. Please stay there.”

I slowly sat myself back down.

“He was a Pegasus, a very talented weather Pony. After Rainbow left to join the Wonderbolts, he came to replace her. Our first meetin’ was… not all that pleasant. Rainbow had always let a little bit of extra rain shower my apple orchards, but he didn’t allow that, even after I asked all nice. For a while we were always at each other’s throats.” She shook her head, “We’d constantly fight. Sometimes I’d win, and sometimes he would. Over time, we started developin’ feelin’s for one another. Over time I learnt that I… loved him. And then one day he proposed to me by the lake. I thought I was the luckiest Mare alive. I was so happy…”

Jealousy raged through me, but I pushed it aside. This was no time to be petty. I needed to be there for her. I had to. Be strong, Forest.

“But one day a Manticore managed to get to town. Everypony tried to stop it. Even Fluttershy couldn’t. There was something wrong with it. Something… bad. It attacked the school, and who knows what would’ve happened if it hadn’t been for him. He saved my sister, Forest. He risked his life to protect Applebloom.”

I didn’t respond, I just continued to listen.

“But, thing is… I was the one that led the Manticore to town. If… if I hadn’t gone to the Everfree Forest that day…” Her eyes flowed like streams.

“He… died?”

“No!” She snapped at me making me sit up. “But… because of me he nearly did. The Manticore went for Applebloom, and he used his body to shield her from the stinger. The venom nearly killed him. We managed to lure the Manticore away, but the venom had already paralyzed his wings. He lost his ability to fly. Without flight, he couldn’t do his job anymore. I had ruined his life, Forest.”

“But… then what happened?” I didn’t get it. He was alive? Wasn’t that good enough?

“I couldn’t be with him. Every time I saw him, it’d remind me of what I did.”

“That’s…”

“I ruined his life, Forest. Me! The Pony he was goin’ to spend the rest of his life with. I couldn’t bear the thought of it. To remind him day after day that I am the reason he can’t fly. I had ruined his dream, stopped him from doin’ what he was born to do.” Applejack looked off into the distance, gazing across Ponyville, “I couldn’t let him marry me after that.”

“You broke off the marriage with him because you felt that you’d remind him that he lost his ability to fly saving your sister?” I asked incredulously, “He saved your sister, Applejack! That… he… you…” I was so mad. So, so, so, so mad! “He protected his family. Why would you break it off with a Pony that would go that far for you?” I didn’t mean to raise my voice, but I did.

She didn’t say anything.

“And I suppose the reason why you wanted to end things with me is because you somehow feel that the Ursa that took me was your fault. And that you and me being together would somehow remind me of that fact? That you don’t want to burden yourself? That you…” I couldn’t finish. I was furious!

“Please, Forest. Don’t make this hard on me…”

“Hard on you?” I took a deep breath to calm the rage churning in my gut. “Applejack, when I was in that Ursa hell-hole, the only thing that kept me going was the thought of seeing you. It was the thought of being with you that made me try hardest, it gave me strength to make me come back.”

“I…”

This time I stopped her from talking. I held up my hoof, “I think you’re right. I think we need to end this relationship, the one that never got started in the first place. It’s apparent to me that you have no idea what relationships are all about, and if you’re going to run away every time things get hard, then I don’t see a point in pursuing it.”

My words stung. I knew they did. I could see her flinch at every syllable. But I was so angry! It wasn’t the fact that she was irrationally blaming herself for the Ursa taking me. It was because she obviously was not over her ex-fiancé. No wonder everyone in town said that I was good for her, they wanted me to distract her. I was nothing more than a replacement. But what put the cherry on the cake was that she was trying to end our ‘relationship’ on almost the exact same reason that she had broken off her engagement.

“I thought you’d understand…”

She sounded so distant just then. So… small. I wanted to hug her, to tell her that everything was alright, but it wasn’t. Nothing about this was alright. Not one thing.

“No, Applejack, I don’t. And it’s clear that you’re still not over… him. You might be honest about your feelings, and you might be honest about your ideas, but you honestly don’t understand yourself.”

The Ferris wheel came to a stop at the bottom of the full turn. The attendant opened the door to our gondola and I exited it with a huff. I walked away without looking back. I didn’t want to look back. I couldn’t look back.

“Forest!” I heard Applejack call my name.

But I couldn’t respond to her. I couldn’t. I just couldn’t turn around and face her. I was incensed, sad, hurting, scarred, scared and just… blah! There were no words that could describe the shittiness that I felt. I had to get away from there. Get away from it all.

This is good. This is perfect. I told myself, This way I don’t have any commitments here. I can leave Ponyville. I think I will take that trip. Leave town after the Race.

I wandered aimlessly away from the fair. In my stupor, I had no idea where I was going. Down one road, then up another. I just kept going until I heard a familiar sounding voice that woke me from my trance.

“Forest? What are you doing here?”

“Spike? I could ask you the same thing.”

The two of us were standing outside Berry Bar. The red neon glow of the main sign was blinking on and off.

“I suppose it didn’t go well with Applejack, then?”

I didn’t know how to respond to that. After a moment he just laughed. It wasn’t an unfriendly laugh, but more of an ‘I know how you feel’ kind of laugh.

“A drink? My treat.”

“I’d love one. Or a dozen.” I grumbled.

“After you,” Spike gestured and pushed the door open.

For the most part, the bar was empty. Of course it would be since the fair was still going strong outside. A few Ponies were in here, though. Most of them content with drinking alone in booths. There was an unused pool table in the back and the bartender was washing some mugs behind the bar. Spike and I walked to the very far corner and sat on the last two barstools. Despite the morose atmosphere, the interior had a very bright and happy color scheme. I guess this was where Ponies went to drown their sorrows.

“Hi, Spike. Who’s your friend?” The Mare asked, pouring him a drink.

“This here is Forest Fire. Forest, meet Berry Punch, the owner of this fine establishment.”

At first I had thought it was Pinkie, but only for the briefest of moments. It was perhaps because of her coat, it was almost like Pinkie’s, but her hair and her voice were completely different.

“Hello.”

“Ah, heartbreak,” Berry said pouring me a glass of the same greenish liquid Spike was drinking, “If it weren’t for broken hearts, I’d be out of business.”

“So, Forest, what happened?”

“I don’t wanna talk about it.”

“C’mon, I just want to know.”

So I told Spike the whole story, almost word for word. It was a long moment before he spoke again. “It’s uncanny. You and her ex broke up for almost the exact same reason.” Spike took a long sip from his drink, “You were both so angry at her, that you both just… left. Is that what you’re planning on doing now?”

I looked at the purple Dragon, “Did Twilight’s deduction skills rub off on you? Yes, I’ve been thinking about it.”

Again, Spike let out a light laugh, only this time it was laced with pity. Who he pitied, I didn’t really know.

“Forest, you can’t leave Applejack like that. She really likes you, she’s only trying to protect you in her own way.”

“No, I know that. That’s not what made me angry, Spike. I can look past that. That isn’t the issue.” I sighed and drank the green liquid in one go. Ouch. It burnt my nostrils.

Berry instantly filled it up again, and threw it down the back of my throat. We did this three more times. “Five bits for the bottle,” She stated and left it sitting in front of me.

I dumped the coins on the counter and poured myself another glass. I looked at the glass, and just left it empty, and took a swig straight from the bottle.

“Then?” Spike prompted me.

“Then what?”

“Then what’s the issue? Why can’t you just… be with her?” Spike took the bottle from me and poured himself a generous helping of the green liquid.

“Because! Because… because… she,” And this was really difficult for me to admit, “She isn’t over her ex.”

That seemed to shock Spike. “What?”

“She is the Element of Honesty, Spike. She wears her heart on her sleeve – er – she can’t hide how she truly feels. I think that was why I was so infatuated with her in the first place. I know she likes me. But she loves him. And what really…” I went through my mental thesaurus, couldn’t risk using bad language, “… what really grinds-my-gears is she doesn’t even realize it.”

“What do you mean?”

“She’s still in love with him, Spike. Do you understand?”

“No.”

“Neither do I.” I replied, taking a huge draught from the bottle.

Just then another Pony walked in. He looked just as dejected, or perhaps worse than I did. He made a beeline and sat next to, took my bottle from my hoof, and polished off the contents. “Bar keep! Three more bottles!”

“I take it things didn’t go well with Twilight then.” I looked at Aiden.

Aiden flashed me a venomous look, “I don’t want to talk about it.”

Spike and I shared a look.

“What happened, you can tell us. Forest here just dumped… or did she dump you?” Spike asked.

“Does it matter?”

Berry Punch put the three bottles down in front of us, sliding my original five bits into an apron she wore, “That’ll be fifteen bits.”

Aiden threw a large number of bits down. “That’s fifty bits. Keep it as advanced payment.”

“Sure thing, hun.” Berry slid all the bits into the apron, and walked off to serve another customer.

“Well, Rarity broke my heart, Applejack broke Forest’s, and now it seems that Twilight’s broken yours.” Spike raised his bottle up.

“Broke? Ha! Broke would have been bliss compared to what she did.” Aiden raised his bottle.

I raised my bottle as the three of us toasted to our misery. I took a long drag from my bottle, but Aiden had managed to drink half of his before he stopped.

“I… I can’t understand women!” Aiden began, “You tell them how you feel, how you want to be with them… you confess to them that the only reason why you stayed on in a bakery was so that you have the chance to see her once in a while, to talk with her, and she says that it’s… creepy! That you’re a stalker! A stalker!” He downed another good amount of the bottle. “I hate my life.”

“Thank that’s bad? How about having a crush on a Pony for years, only to find out that she’s in love with another Stallion in another city and that you can only be ‘friends’.” Spike drank another swig from his bottle, “Years!”

“How about an entire town using you as a distraction to the true object of affection for a Pony you like?” I muttered.

Aiden smiled, but it wasn’t a happy smile, “What about trying to open your heart out only to have the Princess of the Night reprimand you in public for being a stalker?”

Spike and I stared at Aiden as he polished off the bottle.

“Princess Luna did that?” Spike asked.

Aiden just nodded.

“You win.” Spike shook his head. “Hooves down.”

Aiden gave a feeble cheer before demanding another bottle.

Day 18: Return of the Pegasus

“Final call!” Berry Punch announced after a while.

It was much later now and the bar certainly increased in attendance as more and more Ponies had arrived throughout the night. All throughout Spike, Aiden and I were pretty much isolated in the corner. Our glum expressions, angry disposition, and drunken banter must have kept the others far away. If this bar was full of broken hearts, then ours were probably shattered and Aiden was taking it a lot harder than Spike or me.

“Okay, boys. What’ll you have?” Berry asked walking over to us.

“What’s the strongest thing you got?” Aiden flashed a grin, pushing his Mane out of the way of his left eye to see the drinks behind Berry better.

The barmaid frowned, “I think you need something to sober you up.”

“No I don’t! I’m ferpectly pine!” Aiden hiccuped, “I’s just wanna night - hic - n-nightcap.”

Sighing, Berry reached back and took three small bottles, “This is the strongest thing we’ve got. You won’t find anything in Equestria stronger.”

“What’s this?” Spike asked lifting the bottle up to the light.

“You know Granny Smith?”

“Oh! Is this the infamous hooch? Forest, your favorite!” Spike laughed.

His laughter was like music. It was a change in this sad environment. I couldn’t help but smile in return.

“The last time I drank that, I passed out.” I told Aiden.

Aiden’s eyes lit up, “Perfect! I’ll take six!”

“We’ve only got three bottles left.” Berry then placed the bottles in front of us, “Take it, or leave it.”

“How much?”

“A bit a piece.”

Three bits were placed on the table, plus two more for ‘impeccable service to a bunch of inebriated laggards sharing in their anguish’. A fairly eloquent way of describing us. Berry giggled, but it was clear that she was forcing it. If anything, we were pretty pitiful.

“Where do you get all that money?” I asked.

Aiden just waved his hoof in the air, “It's a secret.”

We each took one of the small Granny's Hooch bottles and stumbled out of the bar. Spike had to help Aiden stand, while I tried to keep myself from spinning off the ground. I took a generous swig from the bottle and could instantly feel the kick in the back of my throat. I coughed.

“You sissy!” Aiden chortled, “This is how you drink!” He took a huge swig from the bottle. His eyes shot open, his expression turned to one of horror and shock, and he nearly dropped the drink as he started coughing. After a minute of this, he looked at the bottle in his hoof. “Wha- what is this?”

“Granny’s Hooch.” Spike grinned, taking a tiny sip. “Forest wasn't kidding when he said he passed out. So, where to now?”

“Why not take Aiden back to the hotel?” I suggested.

“Good idea,” Spike then burst out laughing, “I’m sure he’ll feel better if he sleeps it off.”

Was it that funny?

“Better? Better! Howsh I shupposhed to feel better?” Aiden's speech had begun to slur. “Show shome reshpect! I’m a war hero.”

“Quiet you!” Spike growled in response, “How am I supposed to be unhappy in peace if I have to take care of you?”

“You lovesh me.” Aiden muttered, then exploded into a fit of laughter, after which he pushed Spike aside and put his hoof against the wall of the nearest building. The sound of water falling made the both of us shout and after he was done, he looked back at us wiping his mouth. “I feel mush better.”

“I bet you do.” I commented, backing away from the source.

Slowly, and with much difficulty we managed to get to Sugarcube Corner. The hotel was right across the street from here. At this point Aiden insisted on trying to sing; it was a shame that he could only remember one song, and about three lines of it, which only prompted him to sing even louder, as if volume would disguise his forgetfulness.

“Come on, Aiden. We’ll get you to bed.” Spike held out a hand.

Aiden shrugged off the Dragon’s grip and tried to walk by himself. “Shleepsh for the weak!” He shouted, and then laughed again.

We tried to get to the hotel across the street, but every time we'd get close Aiden would start galloping in another direction forcing Spike to chase him and after each chase the Unicorn would throw up. Where was he storing it all?

Eventually we managed to get Aiden to the front of the hotel. He was swaying, trying to maintain his balance.

“We’re going to get terrible hangovers,” Spike muttered, holding onto Aiden as if he were a prisoner. He was breathing heavily.

“I have painkillers!” I fished them out of my saddlebag, “Maybe if we take them now, we won’t suffer in the morning?”

“Do painkillers work that way?” Spike asked looking at me with his brow furrowed.

“I don’t care. My heart hurts. I’m taking two.” I stated drunkenly.

“Then give me ten!” Aiden shouted. He had such a pathetic expression and was leaning against a cart – perhaps owned by one of the patrons of the hotel. He took another swig from his bottle, which only prompted him to puke again. “Maybe I shouldn’t drink anymore.”

“You think?” Spike walked over and tried to take the bottle from Aiden, but the Unicorn just used his magic to keep it away. “Aiden!” Spike shouted in annoyance.

“You’ve got your own bottle!” Aiden whined, gesturing to Spike’s hand.

“That's not the point! You've had more than enough!” After a few more minutes of this, Spike gave up.

Shaking the bottle of pills, I placed two in the center of my hoof. There was a brief moment where my brain told me that this wasn’t a very good idea, but I hated the way my heart ached and I was desperate to make it go away. I hated the pain I was feeling and in a moment of weakness, I popped them into my mouth and downed it with the only thing I had – Granny’s special drink.

Spike walked over and took the pills from me. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

“I don’t care.”

“Give me a couple too.” Aiden wobbled on over. When Spike refused, he expertly used his magic to take the bottle. He popped several into his mouth.

“Wait!” But Spike was too late. “Are you crazy! Are you trying to kill yourself?”

Luckily Aiden’s stomach heaved from the alcohol he tried to chase it with. “Aw, nuts.”

“This is a really bad idea, you guys.” Spike insisted.

“Don’t care.” I was starting to feel numb. “Besides, it’s too late for us.”

Aiden and I started laughing like crazy suddenly. It was a strange feeling, and my brain felt relieved and the pain just... vanished.

Spike looked at us, then at the pill-bottle, sighed, shook it, put one in his mouth...

I woke up lying on a park bench staring straight up at a bright, beautiful day with the biggest headache of my life throbbing in my cranium. After letting my brain calm down, I sat up and looked around. Aiden was somehow sleeping in a fountain, the upper-half of his body resting safely outside of the water. Spike was sitting on the ground next to me, his back leaning against the bench. There were no other Ponies around. In fact there was a distinct lack of anything around, with the exception of the fountain. There were trees, bushes and… that was about it. Was there a fountain in Ponyville? I didn’t remember seeing one. Where the hell were we?

“My head…” Spike groaned, “What… where… where are we?”

“I was hoping you could tell me.” The banging in my head subsided, and I leaned over myself to try and stop the dizziness from making me feel any sicker than I already was. Granny’s Hooch certainly did a number on your head. I reached into my saddlebag only to find that the pills were gone! Or rather, the little jar for the pills was empty! When did that happen? “Oh. That’s not good. That isn’t good at all.”

“What’s not good?” Spiked asked looking back to me.

I showed him the empty bottle.

“Yeah, Aiden swallowed half of them, and the rest are probably all over the street in front of the hotel. Are you sure they were painkillers?”

I nodded, “Got them from the pharmacy.”

“I was being sarcastic. The last thing I remember was taking one. After that… I can’t remember what happened.”

“Wait. We... we took these? With alcohol? Who's stupid idea was that?”

Spike looked at me funnily. “Yours.”

“What? That...” Then I vaguely remembered the conversation that led to the pill incident. “Oh. Yeah. My bad. That was really, really, really stupid.”

Standing up, Spike stretched his muscles out, “I doubt we were capable of thinking properly last night. I guess we let the moment get ahead of us. Anyway, one thing’s for sure; we’re not in Ponyville anymore.” He stumbled a few steps before his body remembered how to walk. He then walked over to the fountain and gave Aiden’s back a nice, solid smack. Aiden just groaned in response. Spike laughed then took a closer look at the fountain. “We're Esperia.”

“Esperia?” I asked, “That far?”

“Far enough. How’d we get here?” Spike looked around, “It’s about half a day’s journey away from Ponyville if you gallop hard.”

Aiden sat up quickly, “Wh-who goes there? Wait. W-where am I?” He stumbled a bit trying to stand. He slipped and did a half-belly flop in the water. “Ah! Cold, cold, cold!” After a few moments more of struggling, he managed to get out of the water where he promptly emptied his stomach again.

“That’s nine! Nine times!” Spike laughed.

“You can remember how many times he’s puked, yet you can’t remember how we got here?” I asked, “At least I know you have your priorities straight.”

Spike just rolled his eyes, “Hey, at least I remember something from last night. And besides, it’s obvious what happened. We took those painkillers, and ended up here.”

“That just makes it even more confusing!” I retorted, “How’s that helpful in any way? Do you know how worried everypony will be?”

At those words, visions of Applejack flashed through my head. An overwhelming sense of regret flooded through me. Every single bone in my body hated what I had done, and yet deep down I knew that it had to be the way.

“Let’s try to piece what happened together.” Spike said, rubbing the bridge of his nose.

“Maybe I can help you with that. Glad to see you guys are awake.” A voice said walking out of a small shack. None of us had noticed it, since it was small and inconspicuous.

“It… can’t be…” Spike eyes widened open, “You! How? What? When!”

The Stallion laughed nervously, “A while now. I’ve… been working up the courage to come back. I’ve visited a couple of times… just…”

He was a black Pegasus, with a green mane. A Pegasus living on the ground? I understood why Rainbow did it; she wanted to be near her father. Why would a Pegasus live on the ground? Why would he know Spike – they seemed to know each other very well. What did he mean he was working up the courage to go back? Back where? Esperia? Ponyville?

It took me another moment to understand. A flightless Pegasus who used to live in Ponyville. I felt my heart sink into my gut.

“How have you been?” Spike laughed, “It's been so long!” He walked over to the Stallion and they did some special hoof-hand shake.

“Been well. Traveled a bit around. Found jobs here and there.”

“But… why? Why haven’t you come back?”

The black Pegasus shrugged, “I… have. Just... just haven’t really told anypony.”

“Forest, I would like to introduce you to my friend, Atom. Atom, this is Forest.” Spike rubbed the back of his head, “Forest… is currently seeing Applejack…”

There was a long moment of uncomfortable silence.

“If I remember it correctly, that is no longer true.” I stared at the Pegasus who stared back at me.

Taking a deep breath, Atom walked over to me, “Atomic Vortex.” He held out a hoof.

I did the same, and we ‘shook’ hooves. “Forest. Forest Fire.”

“I’ve heard about you. You’re that Earth Pony that survived that run-in with the Ursas in the Everfree Forest, right?” He asked.

“Wow. Word does get around.”

Atom shrugged, “I was near Ponyville the other day on a job. I... couldn't resist popping in, so I just visited… with a disguise... at night… alone...”

“And they call me a stalker!” Aiden shouted. He groaned aloud and dunked his head in the fountain.

“What’s his problem?” Atom asked, slightly offended at being called a stalker.

“You want the long version, or the short?” Spike replied.

“Let’s start with the short.”

“Well, we had a date auction,” Spike noticed Atom’s confused look, “It was to raise money for the Race, okay?”

“I don’t… get it,” Atom said confused, “You auctioned dates?”

“Pretty much. For fun. At least, that was its intention. Didn’t end up that way, did it now?” He looked at me.

“My date was with Cyan Crystal, Spike. That went rather well...”

“Wait, wait, wait. You had a date with Crystal?” Atom looked at me with a bemused expression on his face, “And it went well?”

“She's a lot nicer than she seems, okay?” I said, defending my new found friend.

“Anyway, Aiden – the green Unicorn over there trying to drown himself – won a date with Twilight,” Spike interrupted “And after confessing his feelings to her, he was chewed out by Luna for being a stalker.”

“Really? Princess Luna did that? And Twilight?” Atom scratched his head, “That seems rather… out of character. Seems pretty harsh for something Twilight'd do.”

“Don’t remind me!” Aiden shouted. “Ooh! My head!” He dunked it back into the fountain.

“How is Twilight? She still Ponyville's designated librarian?” Atom asked, ignoring the green Unicorn.

“Yep. She loves her job!” Spike grinned. “I thought you said you stalked Ponyville. You should know that...”

“I don't stalk, Spike,” Atom laughed without emotion, “And I only visited at night. Not many Ponies are awake then. And those that are usually aren't your Ponyville regulars. They wouldn't know who I am.”

Spike explained how the auction went, and mentioned Featherweight's proposal to Scootaloo on the stage. Atom couldn't believe that they were that old already. He had been gone for a very long time. Eventually the conversation got to me and my date with Crystal. It was then that Spike mentioned mine and Applejack's talk in the Ferris-wheel.

“I thought you said you didn't date Applejack?” Atom shot me a venomous glance. He was jealous. It couldn't have been more obvious unless he wrote it on his head.

“The name's Forest. And no, I didn't. We had a talk. A strong talk. A very strong, very final talk.” Sighing, I gazed up at the sky, “I hate to admit this, but she’s not over you.”

Somewhere in the back of my mind I regretted saying that. The selfish part of me did. But this was Applejack’s ex, the Pony who risked his life to save her sister. The one whom she loved. What chance did I have? This was the Stallion that Applejack loved. Right here! Hours away from her! If it were me, I’d be running back into her arms without a moment’s hesitation! What was wrong with him?

“R-really?” Atom stammered. He looked relieved.

Spike looked at me, but didn’t give away any emotion. I hoped that I had the same kind of face, because I was dying on the inside. “She told me about how you lost your ability to fly.”

“Ah. Yes. The Manticore incident. It’s strange, you know. When I put myself in self-imposed exile into the Everfree Forest, I fought those things off pretty easily. Killed a few… don’t tell Fluttershy.”

I couldn’t help but chuckle at that last part.

“Why’d you exile yourself?” I asked after the funniness wore off.

“I… don’t want to talk about that. It’s not something I like talking about.” Atom looked at me, those eyes staring me down.

“Understandable,” I had my own secrets too, and I had just met the guy. “So, then what happened?”

“When the Manticore attacked Ponyville, the Unicorns managed to scare it off, but on its way back to the Everfree Forest, it cut across the school. The students were all supposed to be evacuated, but for one reason or another the Cutie Mark Crusaders didn’t leave. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Applebloom were still in the school when it started destroying the place. I was flying overhead at the time when I heard screams from inside the schoolhouse. That only attracted the Manticore's attention, and it started hunting them. I managed to get the two older girls out of there without incident, but I wasn’t fast enough to get Applebloom to safety.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“Well, I had to fight it, while at the same time protect Applebloom. Fighting outside in the open is one thing, but inside the school's halls... while I distracting the Manticore, Applebloom managed to escape. And not a moment too soon. The Manticore’s tail had stung me.”

“You poor baby.” Aiden muttered.

Atom shot him an annoyed look before continuing with his story, “I crashed into one of the classrooms and managed to get stuck under a bookcase. Probably saved my life. The Manticore couldn't find me. I was stuck there for a while before I got rescued. Luckily Fluttershy gave me some anti-venom, but it was too late for my wings. The venom paralyzed my supracoracoideus…”

“Gesundheit.” Aiden uttered sarcastically.

“What’s your problem?” Atom barked, turning on Aiden.

Aiden didn’t miss a beat, “Oh. I’m sorry. What did you say? I couldn’t hear you over the sound of the Mare who you loved you waiting in the next town. You’ll have to speak up.”

Atom stood there dumbstruck. I couldn’t suppress the urge to laugh at that.

“He’s been through a lot, Atom.” Spike tried to pacify his friend and stood between the two, “He’s upset. And he’s kinda right, you did have somepony waiting for you there. But... it's been so long. You can't possibly expect Applejack to still be expecting you. What I can’t understand it why you haven’t come back. How long have you been here?”

“A… month, I guess. I’ve been… slowly trying to come back.” Atom looked down.

“Coward.” Aiden mumbled.

Atom shot him a rancorous look.

Spike looked over to me in the meantime, I could see the pity in his eyes. Pity for me.

“It’s over between her and me, okay?” I stated angrily, “There’s no reason to look at me like that.” Just because I said that, didn’t mean it didn’t hurt.

There was a real uncomfortable moment of silence between all of us. Aiden dunked his head into the fountain again, taking in a mouthful of water. He swirled it around and gargled a little before spitting into the nearby plants. He smacked his lips while making a face.

“What’s a super-co-deus?” I asked.

“The supracoracoideus? It’s the muscle that lets me… ‘flap’ my wings. I can spread my wings, but I can’t pull them down, so I can’t fly.” He demonstrated this by extending his wings and after a few seconds, used his elbows to push them back down against his body. First the left one, then the right.

“Couldn’t you use something that would pull them back for you? Like some sort of elastic band?” I asked.

Atom laughed at that, “I’ve actually tried that, surprisingly. But there’s more to flying than moving wings up and down. You have to turn them at various angles in the air to maintain speed and altitude. It’s funny, but when you’re up there you don’t really think about these things. One small mistake could cost you dearly. The last time I tried experimenting with flight I got lucky, I only fractured my left wing. Trust me, I’d do anything to get back up there.” He sigh then looked up and stared longingly into the sky.

Aiden walked over to us, “I’m hungry. Can we eat? My stomach is empty.”

“Gee, I wonder why.” Spike shook his head and laughed to himself.

“Sure. Just tell me what you guys want and I’ll go get it from the town.” Atom grinned.

Spike frowned, “Why can’t we just go into town with you?”

Atom just stared at us for a long while in silence. “You… don’t remember anything from last night?”

We all shook our heads in agreement, none of us recalled anything.

“How much did you guys drink? Or rather, what did you guys drink?” Atom shook his head and laughed mirthlessly, “You really don’t remember? Well, you guys can’t go into town because if you do, they’ll lynch you all.”

“What d’ya mean?” Spike was just as confused as I was. Aiden on the other hand had started walking down the path.

Atom sighed, “Fine, come with me, but I’m not responsible if you get mobbed. Oh, and tell your friend he’s going the wrong way.”

The town of Esperia was a mess! The roads were strewn were garbage, many of the windows along the street were broken, and several carts were upturned in the middle of the road. Ponies everywhere were picking up and clearing away the mess. That was until we were spotted .

“That’s them! They’re the ones that did this!” An elderly Pony accused, pointing a hoof at us.

The town started to surround us, angry Ponies all around. They were all really, really pissed off. What in Celestia’s Mane did we do?

“You! You brown one!” An elderly Mare shouted at me, “Why did you decide to run up and down our street at that ridiculous speed? Look what you did to my windows!”

“And you! The Dragon! You find it funny to throw garbage around and try to shoot it with your fire?” Another old Pony shouted.

Spike gulped as his face turned white. “I did what? Oh no…”

“What’s wrong, Spike,” I asked.

“He has two types of breaths, one is used like normal, to roast things. The other is used to send messages to and from Princess Celestia, practically anything as long as it’s not living – or in this case, piles of garbage. Far more effective method than using the postal service. ” Aiden replied on behalf of the Dragon, who was still too stunned to say anything.

“You sent Princess Celestia garbage?” Atom asked incredulously.

The rest of us couldn’t help but laugh.

“It’s not funny, you guys! Princess Celestia is going to be furious!”

He was right. That wasn’t funny at all. Especially not after she blew a hole in my chest.

“Atom, these troublemakers friends of yours?” A slightly larger, more groomed Pony asked walking up to the Pegasus.

The Stallion looked at us, then nodded, “Yes. They are.”

“Well, they’re in a whole lot of trouble! Do they know how much property damage they cost? Do you have any idea how much trash is floating around? And don’t get me started on what you did to the forest outside of the town…”

Atom laughed nervously, “They were drunk. These things happen?”

The groomed Pony was not amused, “I’m afraid that I’m going to have to call the Royal Guard on this…”

“There will be no need for that, sir,” Aiden stated stepping forwards.

“And why's that?”

“Because I am a Royal Guard.” The crowd of Ponies did a collective gasp.

Atom leaned in closer to me, “Is he really a Royal Guard?”

“Yep. He’s also my guardian.”

All that statement got me was a very confused look from Atom.

“I will compensate you for whatever damages have been done, and my friends and I will help fix anything that can be repaired and clear your streets. Please accept my humblest apologies for last night’s… mayhem. I assure you that we meant no harm.” Aiden bowed to the townsfolk.

They all started murmuring with each other. After a moment one of them spoke, “How will you pay for all the damages? There’ve been quite a lot of them.”

“Then I will go to each party’s property that has been vandalized and will assess and compensate as such. My friends in the meantime will clear the streets of debris. Is this agreeable?”

“It is. Might we have your full name, sir?” The well groomed Pony asked.

“Aiden Fomaio.” He did a salute. “Royal Guard to Her Majesty, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”

He failed to mention that he was essentially my personal overseer and that he was forced out of retirement to watch over me. That was probably a smart thing to do.

Another Pony walked up behind the well groomed one, pushing him aside.

“My name is Daffodil Meadow, the mayor of Esperia.”

“May I call you Miss Meadow?” Aiden flashed his best smile.

The mayor smiled in response, “Please do.”

Wow, Aiden did certainly have a charming side to him, and he flaunted it rather expertly. A part of me was secretly happy that Twilight didn’t fall for this rogue. Then again, Twilight was really smart, or as Pinkie would say: she's super-duper smart! Still, Aiden was a fairly cool guy. He did come after me in the Everfree Forest during the Ursa incident. I know it was his duty to do so, but when we were trapped along the cliff's edge, he stayed with me until I was safely away.

Aiden went with the townsfolk, all of them treating him as if he was royalty.

“Bastard gave us all the hard-lifting.” I muttered to myself.

“What was that, Forest?” Spike asked.

Oops. “Nothing, just thinking out loud.” I had to be more careful.

For the next few hours, Spike, Atom and I were clearing out the debris. Filling small baskets with garbage then taking the debris and loading it into a large cart. When the cart was full, we dragged it out of town where there was a small dump. It took us all morning but by the time we were done, the streets were clean and the locals were happy. All that was left was to replace the broken windows.

“You, there.” An old Stallion walked over to me, “I saw you last night zipping about. You got some legs on you, kid. Able to run that fast with a Dragon and a Pony on your back ain’t no small feat!”

“Come again?”

“Last night. The Dragon and your other friend were on your back. You said something about training and whoosh you charged down the road and back again!” The Stallion moved his hoof quickly from right to left to emphasize the speed, “After the fourth time… well, you can see for yourself.”

“I did all this?”

“Well, yes. Your friends are to blame as well. They egged you on. And then they started 'celebrating' your victory, but throwing garbage at you... I guess they thought it was confetti.”

“Now that you mention it… I do remember riding on your back, Forest.” Spike’s expression then lit up, “That would explain how we got here so fast!”

“Uh… yeah, we could hear you coming from miles away, and that trail of fire… “ The Stallion shook his head, “That was somethin’ else!”

“Don’t look now, but I think we have more visitors!” Another of Esperia’s citizens stated, “Three Mares.”

At the edge of the town I spotted Twilight, Amethyst and Lavender.

“Hey!” Spike waved to them.

“Spike! Forest! There you two are… where’s Aiden?” Twilight looked around.

“He’s busy at the moment, Twi.” Spike replied.

A look of relief flooded her face, “Oh. Well, I’m glad to find that you’re all okay. What was the purpose of running around like that last night? We were concerned. You guys were acting strange… well, you guys were acting stranger than usual.”

“Do we act strange?” I asked.

“Constantly.” Lavender laughed.

“What happened here?” Amethyst questioned, looking at the houses, “Esperia have something against glass? Your windows don’t have any.”

“Now that you mention it…” Twilight looked around.

Spike and I shared a look – we seemed to be acquiring this uncanny ability to communicate without words. He gestured with his eyes. He wanted me to explain. I shook my head and nodded to him. He should explain. To which he shook his head…

“These two broke them all last night with their high-speed running.” The old Stallion explained when he understood that neither Spike nor I wanted to.

We looked around. Something was missing… or rather, someone was. It was then that I realized that Atom had mysteriously vanished. Strange, he was right behind us a second ago.

“Oh, Twilight, there's somepony here that…”

Before Spike could continue, I interrupted him with a loud cough. He looked over to me. It took him a moment, but he understood what I was doing. Atom was hiding for a reason, and it wasn’t our place to reveal him.

“That?” Twilight asked.

“That... that...” Spike looked over to me, pleading with his eyes for help.

“Thinks we...” I prompted.

Spike continued, “Thinks we... won't.... won't win the Race!”

“Good one! I mean... yeah! Can you believe that?” I grinned nervously.

Twilight just frowned at us, “Why do I get the feeling you're hiding something? Well, are you guys ready to head on home? There are a lot of worried Ponies back in Ponyville.”

“We’ll catch up. We have… things to finish. We’ll be back later on tonight.” It wasn’t that I didn’t want to return, it was that I needed time to think and get my thoughts sorted. I didn’t want to return so soon. The emotional wounds from last night were still too fresh, and I couldn’t even bare to think of being in the same town as Applejack without seeing her. My heart was still aching, and now there was another detail that I had to contend with.

“Oh-kay,” Twilight replied slowly, “You… don’t want to go back together? I can teleport us.”

“Allergic to magic, remember?” I showed her my bracelet.

Twilight's eyes lit up, “Oh yeah, I completely forgot about that.”

“I find that hard to believe,” I replied, “Anyway, I’ve got to wait for Aiden… and we haven’t finished fixing the town yet… so…”

“Hey, guys. Everything’s fin- Twilight?” Aiden eyes bulged out of their sockets when he saw her.

Twilight blushed, and turned away, “Hi.”

There was another long period of silence between all of us.

“I see you kids have some catching up to do. We’ll be over there if you need us.” The old Stallion pointed across the street before grabbing his friend's hoof and led her away.

You could cut the tension with a knife.

“Forest, do something!” Spike whispered.

“Me?”

“Yes, you!”

“Well! That was a crazy night!” I laughed, “We ended up in another town! How about that, huh? Funny, right?”

“Yeah! Funny!” Spike laughed nervously.

“I don’t see anything funny about it. You all acted irresponsible, and from the looks of things, you boys continued to be irresponsible throughout the night. And now Applejack’s upset, Pinkie’s furious that you left without her, and Princess Celestia’s study is currently swamped with garbage.” Twilight narrowed her eyes, “So, yes, I don’t see anything funny or amusing about what happened.”

Wow. Where did that come from? It was almost as if Aiden was a catalyst for Twilight's rage!

“Your turn to do something,” I whispered to Spike.

“No way!”

“Twilight… I’m sorry about last night, but please don’t take it out on those two.” Aiden said standing in front of me. “We were upset, and we acted… stupidly.”

“Yes, you all did. Now, Spike, Princess Celestia wants a word with you, and Aiden, you take Forest back to Ponyville. Girls? We're leaving” Lavender and Amethyst got closer to Twilight, “Spike, we’re going. Now.”

“See you later, Forest…” Spike whispered.

“Good luck, Spike.”

Spike gulped and walked over and stood next to Twilight.

“Oh, and Forest, I don’t know what you said to Applejack, but she’s clearly very, very upset. I thought you were better than that.” Twilight glared at me.

I looked away from her, “Did she tell you about last night?”

“Well, no… but…”

“I’m not going to explain, Twilight, but she’s clearly got issues from her past. We… it’s over between us. Applejack and I are not together anymore. We never were. And I know it might sting a little, but she’ll get over me.”

Twilight said nothing for a long moment, “Fine. But you should still talk to her.”

“What? Why?”

“Because that’s what friends do, Forest.”

Her words felt like a slap to the face. She was right! That is what friends do, and she was my friend. A very dear friend.

“Ready girls?” Twilight asked Lavender and Amethyst. They both nodded at the same time.

“I’m not a girl…” Spike muttered.

In the next instant they were swallowed by a bright light and were gone. All that remained was a faint smoke, the fumes rising up slowly before melding with the air. A part of me felt jealous, that is something that I could never experience due to my ‘condition’. Teleportation. I wondered what it was like.

Aiden looked at me, “Well, that was awkward.” He flashed a grin.

"She hates you, you know."

Aiden's grin vanished, "Don't remind me."

“Are we done? Can we leave now?” I asked.

“Pretty much. Although I’m now officially poor. All my savings! Gone!” Aiden grumbled, “If only I didn't spend that amount last night. I’m so stupid! Did you see the way she looked at me? I’ve had warmer looks from a Windigo!”

The mention of that creature brought my attention to the saddlebag around me. I could feel the coolness of the dagger resting securely in one of the pockets. Something else was in there with it. Why hadn’t I noticed it before? Now that my attention was brought to the bag, I felt it poking me in the side. Reaching in, I pulled it out. It was that silly hat that Crystal had bought me last night.

Now that I thought about it, what happened to my suit? Oh, man! Rarity’s going to kill me!

Atom appeared from behind the nearest house. “So, you guys are leaving?”

“So that's where you ran off to.”

Atom pocked his hooves together nervously, “I… didn’t want Twilight to see me.”

At this, Aiden literally stormed over to Atom practically standing on top of him, “You… you just…” He grunted in frustration, “How can you just sit here on your flank for a month and not go back to Ponyville to the mare you care for? What is wrong with you? If you really loved her then you wouldn't be here! If I had somepony like that, I’d never want to be apart from her! You’re pathetic! Both of you are.”

“Didn’t you do the same thing with Twilight,” I countered, my anger rising, “You hid from her as a baker in Canterlot, right? Why?”

“Because I was a coward. But then I said to myself, ‘If I don’t try, I’ll never really know!’ Forest, you were actually the one who inspired me to do that. And yes, I did get hurt. Badly. But now I have no regrets.”

“Except for wasting a thousand bits and becoming the object of Twilight's anger...” I muttered.

Aiden just heaved a frustrated sigh.

“So what do you suggest we do?” Atom retorted.

“Figure it out yourselves. You’re big boys. I don’t need to hold your hooves,” He shook his head slowly, “You guys just don’t realize how lucky you are. Don’t you care for her?”

“Of course I do!” Both Atom and I stated at the same time. We looked at each other, a little confused, shocked, and angry at the same time.

“Whatever. Let’s get going, Forest.” Aiden started walking.

“Wait. I’m… coming with you.” Atom caught up to us. “I… I…”

“You want to see her again.” Aiden stated bluntly. “Is that okay with you, Forest?”

“Okay with me? Why does my opinion matter?”

“Because he had his chance. He blew it. Do you think it’s fair to Applejack if he returns to Ponyville now when he could have done so any time he wanted? Only now when she’s found another Stallion in her life he decides it’s time to return. That doesn't seem very fair on her.”

Aiden did have a point.

Atom looked at the two of us, “I'm going. I'll follow you if I have to, but I'm going.”

Just then Aiden's stomach growled. “I need something to eat.” He reached into his saddlebag and his face drooped, “Forest! Can I borrow some bits?”

“You've got nothing left? Well... neither do I, actually.” I held up an empty coin-purse.

“I... I can treat you guys. If you let me come with you.” Atom offered.

“Forest, let's go...” Aiden's stomach roared in defiance. “Fine! You can come with us! Let's grab something in town.”

"Everything's closed because of you two." Atom pointed out the obvious. All the residents were too busy repairing their broken windows.

Seeing as there was nothing available, we left the little hamlet of Esperia. When we got far enough along, I turned back to look at the town. It was a beautiful little place, set in a tiny valley surrounded on all sides by a trees. Outside the trees were fields and fields of crops in a variety of colors. Shades of green, yellow, purple and red as far as the eye could see. In the far distance I noticed a train chugging along. Equestria was so beautiful. So lush and clean.

“That train goes by Ponyville.” Atom stated standing next to me and following my gaze, “We don't have a train station here. The nearest station is in Altai, the nearest big town. It's in the opposite direction, though.”

“Where's the nearest place we can go eat! I'm starving!” Aiden moaned. His stomach moaned in agreement.

“There's another town not far from here called Messara. There's a nice restaurant there owned by a Mare named Mint Dumpling. It's called the Hoof'n'Hay.”

“Well then, what are we waiting for!” Aiden charged on ahead.

Without Aiden to distract us, Atom and I walked side by side in uncomfortable silence. It was painful for me to accept what happened last night, but this? This was beyond a cruel joke. Questions rushed through my head. What would Applejack say to me? What would she say to him? I had ended it with Applejack. I broke it off! So, why was it so hard to accept this and let go? Why couldn't I just let her go?

“It's hard, isn't it?” Atom was looking at me.

“I beg your pardon?”

“It's hard. Trying to let Applejack go, I mean."

"How did..."

"I know that expression. Trust me. I've seen it every day for the past Celestia-knows how long. In the mirror. Every single day...”

I looked away from him. He was right. It was hard. But the more I thought about it, the more I came to realize that I needed to. I couldn't be with her. I couldn't be with any of them. Not until I beat Tutela in her game, and with the way things were going, that wasn't going to happen. She did tell me that falling in love wasn't the same as finding out the answer to her question. The true meaning of friendship. How was I supposed to discover something like that if I kept getting distracted by every pretty Pony I came across! And I didn't have that much time left!

Perhaps helping Atom find peace with Applejack will give me an insight to this elusive concept. I thought to myself. Worth a shot.

“How long have you been gone?” I asked, curious.

“A... while.”

“A year? Two?” I asked.

“No. About... eight. It was just after Rainbow got into the Wonderbolts, before she left for her special training.”

“Eight years! You kidding me?” I was astounded. “How old was Applejack when you left?”

“Twenty.”

“Eight years!” I shook my head.

“I know.” Atom muttered, “But she... she really hurt me. I'm not make excuses, but I couldn't believe she was breaking it off with me because she didn't want me to remind myself she was the reason why I couldn't fly. No matter what I said to her, she insisted, and the more I pushed the harder she convinced herself that was true until I just couldn't take it anymore. You think I wanted to leave? You think that I liked spending the past eight years wandering around aimlessly hoping in some weird way she'd come after me? She could have sent a letter. A note. Anything! All she'd have to do was ask Spike to use his magic breath. But nothing. All this time, and still nothing.”

Applejack had hurt him as well, perhaps even harder than she had hurt me. Compared to my broken heart, he had been through hell and back. Even after all this time he still hoped that she would still want him back.

“What have I gotten myself into?”

Atom laughed, and wiped his eyes with the back of his wrist, “I sound pathetic, don't I?”

“Honestly, I'd probably be in the same place if it were me.”

“You seem like a nice Stallion, Forest. I know it might sound strange coming from a complete stranger, but if there's anypony that I'd want to be with Applejack, it would be somepony like you.”

It killed him to say that, I could see it in his face. “Why would you say that?”

“First of all, because Applejack is an excellent judge of character. If she fell you for, it's because she saw something in you that was special. Secondly, because you just seem like somepony who is willing to do anything for others.”

“No. I don't deserve that kind of praise, Atom. Please don't say that.”

The lies! How many lies had I spun in the short time I was here. My entire existence was a lie. Special? Ha! Do things for others? Ha! Everything I've done was purely for selfish reasons. I wasn't a good person, and perhaps an even worse Pony.

“Food!” Aiden shouted seeing a small inn at the side of the road. He had gone on ahead and was now a good distance away. Probably a good thing too. I was thankful for the interruption. It was beginning to get really uncomfortable. Well, more uncomfortable.

A small wooden sign was right in front of the inn that said 'Welcome to Messara, home of the Vegemaster!'

“Vegemaster?” I asked.

“Oh, you've got to try it! It's delicious!” Atom grinned, “And it'll fill you right up!”

The inn looked slightly old and rustic. But all that changed once we got inside. The outside betrayed just how popular this place was! Ponies everywhere! It took me a second to realize that there were two entrances. The front of the inn had numerous carts parked outside, and Ponies were coming and going. There were two floors made for eating, the lower floor in front of us, and there were two large stairs that led up to a second floor that overlooked those below.

“Hello. Table for three?” A gray Stallion asked.

“No, we're looking to take-out the food.” Atom replied. He turned to Aiden and me, “There's a nice park about two minutes away. Let's go there. I don't really like big crowds.”

“Anything! Just feed me!” Aiden begged.

“So, what'll you have?” The waiter asked, holding a pad in his left hoof and the pencil in his mouth.

“Three Vegemasters, please. With everything... right guys?” Atom asked, turning his head to us again.

“Don't forget the kitchen sink!” Aiden commented.

I couldn't help but laugh at that.

“Wait here for five.” The waiter then walked off.

Looking to avoid conversation, especially with Atom, I took in more of the inn. There was a huge picture on the wall above the front door overlooking the dining area. It was Princess Celestia sitting in this very dining room with a Vegemaster hovering in front of her, a somewhat bemused expression on her face. Princess Luna was to her left with a huge smile.

And in the background I saw Twilight, Applejack and Rarity.

“They came here four years ago,” Aiden said, “The Princesses were touring the land and had heard about this place. I think Princess Celestia was a little overwhelmed by the sheer size.”

“Here you guys are. Hey. Hey! I know you! You're that crazy pony from last night! The one that ran around on fire! Hey, Silver, isn't this the guy from yesterday? The one that set fire the road?”

“So it is!” One of the chefs stated poking his head out of the kitchen window, “Hey, guys, take a look, it's the fire Pony I was telling you about yesterday!”

“Hey, if you do it again - make the road catch on fire - we'll give you these Vegemasters for free! What d'ya say?”

“Make it two Vegemasters each and he'll do it!” Aiden cut in before I could respond.

“Wha-”

“Do it for me, Forest! Me and my empty stomach!” Aiden batted his eyelashes while clasping his hooves together.

“You got a deal! He burns the road, and we'll get you two Vegemasters each. Free of charge!” The waiter grinned.

“Fine,” I muttered, “Let's get this over with.”

I walked out the back-door, followed by every waiter and chef in the establishment.

“I'll need to get a running start. So, wait here.” I jogged up the road a bit.

The commotion had attracted more and more attention, and soon there was a sizable amount of Ponies standing around, most of whom were wondering what was going on.

Great. Now I've got an audience.

Putting my head down I took a deep breath and ran. I loved running. The feeling of the wind rushing past my ears, the breeze in my face. And I started feeling really happy and excited as well. The feeling was simply amazing, no matter how many times I felt this in the past, it was like a new rush all over again. It felt so... natural, and free. Faster and faster I forced my legs to go. Then, I felt it. The sensation I felt before my legs would kick into the special mode. And it happened. Aiden and Atom were suddenly behind me as I exploded by in a burst of speed.

I stopped myself, sliding quite a ways before coming to a halt. Turning around, I had completely overshot the inn. I grumbled to myself and trotted back. The road still had flames on it that was quickly fading away. The guests, waiters and chefs were shouting and cheering for me as I approached them where they all slapped my back and rubbed my Mane. It felt really nice to be praised like that.

“Here're your Vegemasters!” The gray waited beamed, and Aiden took all six, his mouth salivating. “See, I told you! Guess you'll think twice before doubting me...” The waiter's voice cut off as he returned into the inn with his co-workers.

“Food!” Aiden opened the wrapping on one of them and demolished it in two bites.

Atom couldn't believe it, “Guess you really were hungry.”

We ate the rest at the park down the road. It was a pleasant place, full of chipmunks and squirrels. Unlike Aiden, I could barely finish one Vegemaster, so I gave him my second one, which he practically inhaled. Atom couldn't believe it, and offered his second one as well, but by this time Aiden was sated and he lay down on the grass on his back, his fore-hooves behind his head. So Atom walked over to a bunch of young colts that were playing in the park and gave them his last Vegemaster. They thanked him and split it amongst themselves.

“Nothing like a full stomach.” Aiden sighed staring into the sky.

“How far is it to Ponyville from here?” I asked.

“At the pace we've set? We won't get there till well after midnight. We'll need to pick up the pace if you want to get there today. What's the hurry, anyway?” Aiden asked, turning sideways, he used his hoof to support his head, “It's not like we have anything to do...”

“You don't, but I do. The Race is in two days! I need to be in Ponyville tonight.”

“Then why don't you just use your speed to get us there. You carried us yesterday.” Aiden grinned.

“I was drunk, and on painkillers.” I replied standing up and dusting myself off.

Aiden jumped on my back.

“Giddyap!”

“Hey! Get off me!” I tried to shake him off, but to no avail.

“Come on, you carried me and Spike! You can carry me and Atom.”

“Wait, what?” Atom's eyes opened wide, “I'm not riding on Forest.”

“Good luck in keeping up.” Aiden roared in laughter as if he had said the funniest thing ever.

“It's just... wrong!” Atom replied, trying to defend himself.

“Suit yourself. Forest, let's go!”

Shrugging, I lowered my head and readied myself to run.

“Hey! Wait! You said we'd go together!” Atom ran in front of me, “Come on! You can't just ditch me!”

“Forest needs to get back lickety-split! So, unless you can think of something, we'll see you in Ponyville.” Aiden then grinned maliciously, “After Forest gets a chance to talk to Applejack first.”

“That's not fair, Aiden...” I whispered.

“I've got it! Wait here a minute!” Atom ran off.

“Quick, Forest! Let's go before he gets back!”

“I'm not like that, Aiden.”

“You're too soft.” Aiden shook his head sadly. I could tell by the way his weight shifted on my back.

“I'm hard when I need to be. This isn't one of those times.”

“You mean like how you were with Applejack last night?” Aiden sighed, “Honestly, do you think she really deserved that?”

I looked down at my hooves. He was right, she didn't deserve it. I might have been angry, but that was no reason to be as aggressive as I was. I needed to apologize to her.

“No, she said things that made me furious with her, but she didn't deserve me blowing up in her face the way I did.”

“And yet you're allowing her ex to return to Ponyville with us. You're really an idiot.”

“I think Applejack deserves to know, Aiden. I might be thick and dumb, but I really want her to be happy. And if that means I've got to set aside feelings for her, then I'd gladly do it.”

“Spoken like a true moron. But it's your life. I guess you could say I'm rather bitter and cynical after what happened to me, but there you go.”

“What did Twilight actually say to you, Aiden?”

There was a long moment of silence, then he inhaled deeply, “After I confessed my feelings for her, she didn't speak to me for a long, long time during the so-called 'date'. We spent most of it in silence. Then suddenly she just asked me how long I had felt that way about her, and I told her the truth. For ages, I said. After that she just... blew up. I don't know why. Maybe if I had said that I've only been attracted to her for a few weeks she'd not have been that angry. I guess that's what's killing me, it's the fact that I don't know what I did that so wrong.”

“Girls are weird.”

“You can say that again.”

We both shared a good laugh.

“Hi guys. Sorry I took so long. Forest, here.” Atom handed me the end of a rope. He was standing on one of those foot-push scooters. He probably had bought it off one of the colts from the park. “You run, and I'll just ride along on this!”

“Great. So, not only do I gotta run with Aiden on my back, but I gotta drag you along with my mouth as well?” I shook my head, “That's real low you guys!”

“Hey, I could just teleport, then you can drag Atom by yourself.”

“That's actually not a bad idea...”

“Fool! He won't ride on you. What are you going to do? Stop at every intersection along the way to ask him which path to take?”

Aiden did have a point.

“Fine. Let's just go.” I put the end of the rope in my mouth.

"Think of this as training."

“I'm not racing, Aiden. I just need to be with the team."

"Sure, sure. Whatever you say, Forest."

I rolled me eyes, "Ready?” I shouted with my teeth clenched.

“When you are!” Atom shouted back.

I started off slowly, but quickly built up speed. The sound of my hooves hitting the road went faster and faster until it sounded like one step. I could never get sick of this feeling. It was incredible! I loved running! Faster! I wanted to go even faster. Aiden had wrapped both his hooves around my neck now, I could hear him shouting, I think he was asking me to slow down. Down the road we charged. Faster and faster and faster! Go! Go, go, go! Then I felt the rope in my mouth rise up, and I turned to look up. Atom was in the air! His his wings wide open and with my speed the momentum had pulled him into the air like a giant kite!

“Forest! Watch out!” Aiden shouted.

I turned to see what he meant and saw the fence in front of me too late. Slamming my hooves into the ground, I skidded into the fence ploughing right through it. Aiden had flown off of me as I stumbled, rolled and came sliding to a stop in the middle of a field, dust rising up from where I had crashed.

Atom glided down slowly landing in front of me. He folded his wings back with his hooves. “You okay?”

“It's your fault!” I accused. “I didn't know you were flying!” I pushed myself up from the ground and spat out some dirt that had somehow managed to get into my mouth.

“Well, that wasn't really flying. Anyway, I didn't know either. The scooter must have hit a pebble or a rock and I spread my wings out of reflex and up I went. Lost the scooter, though. Anyway, that was pretty impressive. You're fast.”

We heard a groan as Aiden stood up. “Let's not do that again.”

I ignored the Unicorn, “Where are we? How far away?”

“Not far now, actually. If we walk, we'll get there by tonight.” Atom rubbed the back of his head, “Do you mind if I sleep over at yours tonight?”

“I'm staying at Rainbow's house. I don't know if Brian'll like that.”

“Rainbow's?” Atom asked, “I'm sure Brian won't mind...”

“He's not there, Atom. He's in the hospital.”

“What? Why? What happened to Brian?”

“You... you don't know?” I looked at Aiden, but his attention was elsewhere, “He's... in bad shape. Real bad.”

“How bad?”

“Bad.”

Atom just stood there with his mouth open. It was clear that he had no idea. The news certainly came as a shock to him. He sat down on the ground and shook his head, “Do the doctors know what's wrong with him?”

“I have no clue. I... honestly didn't think it was in my place to ask. It's none of my business." I couldn't very well explain to Atom that Brian had accused me of being a human and he was doing his best to reveal me for what I was - am... for what I am. "Are you two good friends?”

Atom looked at me, “I was engaged to one of the Elements of Harmony, Forest. Applejack's best friends with Rainbow. Of course I know Brian.”

I ignored the sarcasm in his voice.

“How long's he been...”

“A while.” I replied, remembering the incident in the trailer in the Everfree Forest with the light blue Pony. Why did she have a whip?

“I... I never knew... I have to go and visit him...”

“Hey Forest! Come check this out!” Aiden shouted.

Walking over to him, I looked in the direction he was pointing. My heart sank. “What the hay!”

“I take it from your reaction that is your suit from last night?” Aiden asked, then bust out laughing, “How did it get on that thing?”

In the middle of the field was a scarecrow in Rarity's suit!

“Hey you! What did you do to mah fence?” An overweight Pony asked walking over to us, “You better pay for the damages... oh. It's you boys. Didn't you have a Dragon with you?”

“Yes, but he's busy. Can you please tell us... why is your scarecrow wearing my friend's suit?” Aiden pointed to it, and burst out laughing again.

“You boys don't remember? You dressed 'im yourselves. You thought he'd be... cold, or somethin'. Not that I'm complaining...”

“C-can I get it back? It actually isn't mine. I was wearing it for a friend... and she'll probably want it back.”

“Well, I kinda thought it was a little excessive for a scarecrow to be wearin' something nice and fine like that. Why, if I were ten years younger, I'd be wearin' it mahself!” The Stallion chuckled, “I knew you boys were out of it last night, but I had no idea it was that bad.”

Aiden finished his laughing fit. At least he didn't puke this time round. “Tell you what, if you agree to giving us back the suit, I'll fix your fence, and my friend here will compensate you on the crops we damaged.”

“I will?” Atom asked surprised.

“If it weren't for you flying in the air, this wouldn't have happened.” Aiden replied grinning at the black Pegasus. The smile seemed somewhat... evil. “So, yeah, you will.”

Atom groaned, “Fine. But I'm doing it for Forest for getting us a free lunch.”

“Whatever helps you sleep better,” Aiden replied, “Forest, you rest up.”

I didn't argue. I lay down on the ground to rest my body, the feeling of the ground under me was nice and comforting. It was then that I remembered that I had broken ribs! The hell? Why didn't it hurt? Were the painkillers that effective that I couldn't feel my pain anymore? No, that's not right. It hurt when I crashed through the fence. But... that's impossible. I can't be healed, could I?

“What's on your mind?” Atom asked, sitting down next to me.

“Nothing. Just... thinking about a few things.”

“About Applejack?”

“Not this time. Have you thought about what you're going to say to her?”

“You're assuming that I'm going to go see her, Forest. I don't think I'm ready. Can you promise me one thing? I know it's asking a lot, especially coming from me, but can you please not tell Applejack that you met me? I just... want to see her one last time with my own eyes, then I'll be gone.” Atom turned away from me. “I've been giving it a lot of thought, and as much as it pains me to admit this, the green Unicorn is right. I've had my chance and I blew it. It wouldn't be fair to Applejack if I suddenly showed up in her life again.”

“I...” Could I make a promise like that?

“Just don’t mention me.” Atom sighed, “Once I see her, I'll be on my way. You won't see or hear from me again.”

“That's stupid, Atom. You should just go talk to her. It might hurt, but you might also gain closure with her. Wouldn't that be worth the risk?” It killed me to say those words, but I had to.

The sad fact of it was that it wasn't for Atom or Applejack, but for me. If helping this Stallion would help me find the true meaning of friendship then I had no choice but to sacrifice my heart for my freedom. I knew it was selfish of me, especially after Applejack got furious for not telling her about trying to get to the bottom of my magic-less condition, but this was different. This was my future, my life.

“I won't mention you, Atom, but I'm not going to lie to her.” I've already lied enough to her.

“I guess that's fair. Thank you, Forest."

“Hey, you guys, I'm finished!” Aiden called out. He saw us staring at him blankly, “Did I interrupt?

“No.” I replied.

“Uh... okay... anyway, are you rested up, Forest?”

“Yeah, I'm good to go... strange that. My ribs no longer hurt.”

“Oh! I completely forgot about that... wait, they don't hurt? At all?”

I shook my head. Aiden walked over to me and poked me in the side. Nothing. It felt normal, there was no wincing pain.

“I've heard of Ponies healing quickly, but that's ridiculous!” Aiden narrowed his eyes at me, “There's something really wrong with you. Or maybe it's something really right. I'll have to put this in my report.”

“Do what you need. Anyway, shall we get a move on?” I asked, “I'd like to get back home before it gets too late.”

“Here ya go!” The farmer had somehow managed to sneak behind me and I jumped a foot in the air in surprise. He roared in laughter and handed me the suit. “So, you boys going for the race the day after tomorrow?”

Aiden flashed another one of his grins before responding. “This is Forest, he's on the team for Ponyville!”

“Are you now? Well, then Ponyville's sure to win! I doubt there're other Ponies out there that can match your speed.” The farmer beamed, “Can I get an autograph?”

That surprised me a little, I've never been asked for an autograph before. “S-s-sure!”

As I stared at the piece of paper in front of me, I wondered what my signature should look like. It had to be cool, but unique. Something that would stand out!

“You okay, son?”

“I've... I've never signed something before.” I rubbed the back of my head laughing nervously.

“We're burning daylight here, Forest!” Aiden was expertly folding the suit for me before slipping it into the saddlebag.

Then I had a brilliant idea! It just came to me. It probably wasn't unique, but it was good enough for me. I drew a large 'F' followed by 'orest' and just below that 'ire'. It wasn't that bad, at least I didn't think so. Still, it was hard getting used to writing with your mouth.

“Thanks, Forest.” The farmer held up the piece of paper to the light, “Now, if you and your team win, I'll be able to frame this.”

We said our goodbyes and once again I had to carry Aiden on my back while Atom took to the skies this time. On I ran, the countryside of Equestria rushing by. Even at my speeds, the sheer beauty of the land did not disappoint. It really was a gorgeous country. As we continued on, I noticed that more and more Ponies and carts had started sharing the road. It was starting to get crowded, and at my speeds, dangerous.

“I think we'd best slow down, Forest!” Aiden yelled over the roar of the wind, leaning in so that his mouth was close to my left ear, “We could really hurt somepony if we keep this pace up. We're not that far from home now.”

He was right, so I slowed down until I was running at a slow trot. Atom was still gliding above us, but now that his 'engine' had stopped he started his descent.

“I wish that I could fly too...” I muttered.

“If you weren't sensitive to magic, I could have cast a spell that would give you wings for a couple of hours.” Aiden slid off my back when my trot slowed down to a walk.

“Couldn't you do that to Atom? Give him wings for a couple hours?” I asked.

Aiden shrugged, “I guess I could. I don't know. He's have to control four wings... that might actually be interesting.”

The terrain had started to change. It was getting a lot hillier and the road that we were on elegantly wove through the various mini-valleys in an attempt to remain as level as possible. In the distance I could see the edge of the Everfree Forest, the road taking a wide loop around the boundary.

Atom had landed on a hill in front of us and waited by the side of the road, wrapping the rope around his hoof as we drew closer. When we reached him, he took the remainder of the rope from my mouth and tied it to itself.

Why did I spend the past ten minutes walking with a rope in my mouth?

“This rope isn't bad. You want it?” Atom asked.

“Not really, but I can hold onto it for you if you want.” I offered.

Atom nodded in thanks, and handed me the rope which I then placed in one of the saddlebag pockets. It fit in there perfectly.

“How far now?” I asked.

“Not long at all. I'd say about an hour.” Aiden guessed, “It's right around that bend. You can't see it from here because of the forest.”

Suffice to say, Aiden's judgment of distance was not very reliable. It had taken us over two hours to walk the distance, so that it was late in the evening by the time we reached the outskirts of town. Along the way we spotted a purple Dragon dozing off under a tree.

“Spike?”

His snoring broke and he yawned while stretching, “About time you guys showed up...” He did a double-take when he saw the flightless Pegasus, “Atom? What are you doing here?”

“Just visiting. I won't be long.”

“Okay...” It was clear that Spike didn't like that idea.

“How is Applejack, Spike?” I asked.

“Well, actually Princess Celestia was pretty nice about what I did to her study, thanks for asking. She didn't send me to prison or anything... so, thanks for asking.” Spike replied sarcastically, “Applejack is still upset, but from what Applebloom's been saying, she'll be up and about in no time.”

“I knew she would. And sorry, Spike, I'm glad you didn't get punished for messing up Princess Celestia's study.” He was right! I should've asked about him first! I was an idiot.

“Oh, I didn't say that. I said that she didn't send me to prison or anything, I still got punished. Spent the entire day clearing the mess I made, while resorting her personal library. I only just got done about an hour ago. Twilight teleported us here.”

“Twilight teleported you here from Canterlot?” Aiden asked incredulously. “That's incredible! I can barely teleport myself that distance.”

“Not just me, she teleported Lavender and Amethyst as well. They wanted to get a good look at the venue for the Race.” Spike explained.

Aiden groaned, “I knew she was strong, but that's ridiculous! Great, now I know two ridiculous Ponies with abnormal abilities.”

“Who's the other one?”

“Our dear friend Forest, Spike. Watch this.” Aiden punched me in the rib. “See? No rolling around the ground in agony? No squeal of pain? Nothing!”

“You're healed? H-how is that possible?”Spike poked my ribs with his finger.

I shrugged, “I dunno.”

“Since when is running around with fire coming out of your hooves considered normal?” Atom asked, looking at Aiden, but pointing at me.

Aiden ignored Atom's comment, “That healing power could be something to do with Princess Celestia's magic.” Aiden thought aloud to himself, “Your ability to heal fast, that is.”

“She a healer?” I asked, wondering if that were the case, why was there a need to have hospitals? That seemed strange.

"No... I don't think so. Spike, is she a healer?"

"I guess so. I've never seen her heal anypony before. Not sure. Don't think so." Spike shrugged.

“On another note, how does Princess Celestia blowing a hole through my chest give me super-healing?” I asked.

“Princess Celestia did what?” Atom stared at me with wide eyes.

“Long story,” I didn't feel like explaining it.

“You see, that's the problem with magic. You can never predict how it'll turn out.” Aiden explained, or rather didn't explain.

I was slightly fed up of that answer, “Let's go to Rarity's. I've got suit then needs returning.”

The four of us walked towards Rarity's boutique, Atom keeping a low profile behind us. Every time he would spot a Pony, he'd duck behind the nearest bush, or whatever happened to be convenient at the time. It was actually pretty entertaining.

When we arrived in front of the boutique, Spike and Atom hung back. I knocked on the door and it was answered by Sweetie Belle.

“Hi, Sweetie, is your sister home?”

“No, she's at Sweet Apple Acres,” Sweetie Belle replied, her voice laced with ice.

Did it just get colder? “Well, okay. I'll come back some other time.”

As I started walking away, Sweetie Belle ran over to me, “How could you do that to Applejack, Forest! You're just like her ex! You're as pathetic as he was.”

Aiden and I shared a look and it took every ounce of my being to prevent myself from looking over to where Atom and Spike were standing.

“What do you suggest I do, Sweetie?” I asked, “Applejack said she didn't want to be with my anymore.”

“She's always like that, Forest. She puts others ahead of herself all the time! It's up to you to make it work.”

“Well, what about Spike and you sister. He's tried hard so many times and he's got nowhere.”

Aiden made a face. That was not the right thing to say.

“That's different!” Sweetie scowled, “Plus Spike is too young for my sister.”

“Am not!” Spike shouted from the dark.

Sweetie just ignored him, “So, what are you going to do now?”

“Go home. I detoured here because I wanted to give back the suit I borrowed to your sister.”

“What are going to do about Applejack, Forest!” Sweetie looked so angry. “Where have you been all day? Everypony's been looking for you!”

“Esperia.”

“Esperia... wait, are you talking about the small village?”

“That's the one!” I started to walk away.

“Then how'd you get back to Ponyville this quick?” Sweetie walked over to me. “Are you telling the truth?”

“I can vouch for him, little one,” Aiden stated, “I was there with him. So was Spike.”

Sweetie Belle still couldn't believe us. It took a while to explain how it was possible. At the mention of Aiden riding on my back, she just shook her head.

“I know that can't be true! You're hurt, Forest. The doctor said you wouldn't heal for weeks!”

“Normally you'd be right, just not this time.” I replied, “I'm actually fine.”

And to emphasize the point, Aiden socked me in the side. It hurt, but not too badly. Certainly not enough so that if I did have broken ribs I wouldn't be standing. Still, he did manage to knock the wind out of me.

“So... you can race? You can run the race, right?” Sweetie's entire demeanor towards me changed.

“I... guess I could.” It was that I didn't want to, but I had already told myself that running the race was now Lavender's moment. I had already stolen the ability to represent Ponyville once, it wouldn't be fair on her to do it again. “I think Lavender will be fine.”

“But... all that hard work you put in. Those laps, those lessons trying to learn how to swim.”

“I'm just as happy to be able to say I can swim, Sweetie. You don't think that Lavender can win?”

She looked around, then leaned in closer. “No. There's three runners in the Race that will totally leave Lavender in the dust. You're the only one that can keep up with them.”

“Forest's pretty fast, Sweetie. I don't think those representatives will be able to beat him.” Aiden patted my back hard.

“You forget about the swimming part! That's Forest's weakest point. If these Ponies can gain enough distance then they'd beat you, even if you are the fastest land pony.” Sweetie sighed, “At least tell Lavender that you can run.”

“Okee dokee. I will.”

At that, we went our separate ways – Sweetie returned to the boutique, while the four of us headed towards Brian's house. We had to walk around Ponyville because Atom was too terrified about the prospect of getting spotted.

“What he needs is a disguise!” Aiden suddenly blurted, “And I know just the thing! I'll meet you guys at Brian's house later, 'kay?”

Before any of us could say anything, he trotted off.

Entering the house, I had to make sure that Rainbow wasn't there before Atom would step inside. He sat down in the living room and looked around while Spike went into the kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. In the meantime I walked over to the guest bedroom and saw Tutela in the laptop's monitor grinning at me from the corner. She didn't make a sound, but I could tell that she was highly amused by my latest antics. I stuck my tongue out at her before leaving the room.

There was an aggressive knock on the door. Atom dove behind the sofa, and Spike tried to look inconspicuous. As I opened it, Aiden burst inside, “Surprise!” He laughed when he saw Atom's expression as he raised himself from behind his 'hiding' place.

“Thanks a lot,” Atom grumbled.

“Pleasures all mine. Anyway, here's your disguise.” Aiden handed Atom two bottles.

He looked at them confused, “What are these?”

“Those are dyes for your coat and mane. That black coat and green mane are easily recognizable, that is why changing them will completely disguise you!”

“You really think so?” Atom asked.

“Of course! Forest, can he use the shower?”

“Sure. It's the door after the guestroom on the left, just before the kitchen.” I pointed the way with my hoof. “There should be a spare towel there as well... I haven't used it. Come to think of it, I haven't taken a shower in quite a while.”

Aiden pinched his nose, “So that's what that horrible smell was...”

We all shared a laugh at my expense. This was great! I've never had this kind of banter before, and I liked it! Was this what it was like having good friends? Were these guys good friends? My eyes began to water for some reason, and I quickly wiped them away.

“What's wrong, Forest?” Spike asked, genuine concern in his eyes.

I couldn't admit that this was the first time I've really had friends I could hang out with. I've always been alone, always kept to myself. Only now with them all here did I realize exactly what I was missing.

“I'm just glad to be back.” I lied.

We chatted for a few, but Aiden kept silent with a huge grin on his face. I was about to ask him what was so funny when I heard a blood-curdling scream come from the bathroom. Moments later Atom ran into the den, only he looked really, really different. Spike and I stared at him with our eyes wide open while Aiden burst out in fits of laughter.

“You... you... you...” Atom failed to find the words, “You didn't tell me the dye was pink!”

Spike and I cracked up. Atom's black coat was now a bright pink, brighter than even Pinkie's coat! And his mane was a blue similar to Rainbow's color. Atom jumped on top of Aiden and started to pummel him in the arm, but Aiden was too busy laughing to care.

“That was low, Aiden!” Spike said when his laughing fit subsided, but he just looked at Atom and fell to the floor, rolling around laughing his lungs out.

“Well, if it's any consolation, nopony's going to recognize you.” Aiden looked at Atom and he too rolled on the floor laughing.

I just shook my head. Although it was funny, it wasn't that funny...

“What's goin' on in here?” A voice yelled from the front door and in walked Applejack with Rarity right on her heels, “We heard a scream and...”

All laughter died. My heart stopped beating. Atom’s eyes widened and his ‘fist’ froze in mid-swing. He didn't turn around.

In that moment all time seemed to stand still.

“Uh... hi, Applejack.” I said stupidly.

Somewhere in the house, a clock struck midnight.

Day 19: Trains, Plains &... Airships?

Applejack looked around, “Pinkie? What're you doin' here?”

“Pink-” Aiden roared in laughter again, “Pinkie! She called you Pinkie!”

Spike grinned nervously, “Aiden, stop it, you're making it worse...” He whispered in a sing-song voice through gritted teeth. He did his best to prevent his eyes from gluing themselves onto Rarity without much success, she responded with a kind, friendly smile.

“What was that unearthly scream we just heard? We were walking past when we heard it.” Rarity looked at Atom, “And this isn't Pinkie, Applejack. For one thing she has a cyan colored mane, not the luscious pink, plus this pony is clearly a Pegasus, or did Pinkie suddenly sprout wings?”

“I'm not a 'she'!” Atom muttered, still refusing to turn around.

“Oh my. I'm terribly sorry, sir.” Rarity leaned in.

Spike flashed me a look. Uncannily, I knew what he wanted me to do.

“Okay, everypony, that's enough! There's too many of you here, and I need to get some sleep!” I shouted, the suddenness of my voice made Rarity jump a little. “This isn't my house, and the Dash's might get really angry if they found out that I've had this little gathering here without their consent.”

“I'm sure Rainbow wouldn't mi-”

Spike cut her off, “That's a good point, Forest. She must already have a lot on her mind without having to worry about us trashing the place...”

“Fine. I'll be going, then,” Aiden shoved Atom off of him, still unable to contain himself. “See you later, 'Pinkie'.” He roared with laughter as he left the house.

In other scenario, the joke would have been hilarious. But this wasn't one of those scenarios, and things were going from bad to worse. My eyes and Applejack's met, and a wave of guilt washed over me. Her eyes were red, she had been crying her eyes out. And I was probably the reason... no, I am the reason. Those things I said. It was simple; I was jealous. Jealous of the very pony who now sat on the floor with his back facing her. Deep in my heart, I knew what had to be done. And I hated it.

“Applejack, can I talk to you in private for a moment?” I needed to get us away from Atom to clear my thoughts.

The orange mare just nodded. Rarity gave her a reassuring smile, and a nod. We went round the back and into the yard. She was beautiful, the most beautiful creature I had ever seen, which was why this was going to be incredibly hard for me. Every cell in my body wanted me to stay with her. She was perfect! She was kind, nice, gentle, strong, but I knew that it could never be. Not unless I win the bet. And at the rate things were going, that wasn't going to happen. I couldn't risk it, I couldn't let her be with me only to turn around and leave her. That was something I was not willing to do. I had already hurt her too much.

“I... I wanted to apologize for my rude behaviour last night. You didn't deserve that. That was completely uncalled for. Sorry, Applejack. I'm a bad pers- pony! I'm a bad pony for making you cry.” That was way too close.

Applejack shifted on her hooves for a moment, “Forest, I thought about what ya said, and yer right. I do have issues. It's just... I can act like such a filly. I know it was unfair to you, but it was hard for me to put my past behind me. But, if you don't mind, and if you wanna try, we can start over? I'd very much like to see where we could end up.” She was blushing, and my heart jumped for joy! In that one moment she had made me the happiest man – stallion – in the whole omniverse. But... but... I couldn't. What was the point in trying to establish a relationship with her only to have to leave her? But how can I end this without breaking her poor heart.

“I... can't.” I forced myself to say. It felt like someone reached into my chest and ripped out my heart. The look on her face killed me, but I continued, “But it's because I remembered something about my past. I remembered it while we were travelling back here.” That seemed to pacify her a little. I had to go with it. “I mean... you remember that name I said to you while I was delirious with that fever, right?”

“Yeah. Tutela.”

“Yes. She's... my... my...” What I was going to say next was going to hurt me more than it was going to hurt her, “She's my special somepony.” I felt my heart sink into my gut. “I vaguely remember her. I'm sorry, Applejack. I'm so, so sorry.”

“What're you apologizin' for? That's great!” She smiled at me, “You remembered somethin' about your past!”

“You're... not upset?” I felt disappointed.

“Well, I can't say that I'm not, but if she's your special somepony, then there's nothin' more that needs to be said. I'm just a little angry that you didn't remember sooner.” Applejack laughed leaned over and gave me a gentle peck on the cheek, “We can still be friends.”

“Thank you. I... thank you. I'd like that very much.” I fought hard to hold my tears back. It was hard. “You're incredible, you know that? And... I just wish that things were different.”

“So do I.” Applejack replied gently.

We shared the next few moments in silence. Our eyes were watering. I don't know about her, but I had to remain strong and had to maintain my resolve. But a part of me just wanted to tell her how I really felt, and that every moment since our first kiss all I wanted to do was be with her.

Stay strong, Forest. For her.

As if on cue, Rarity exited the house and walked over to us.

“We're leaving.” She said stiffly.

“What's wrong, Rarity?” Applejack asked.

“Nothing. We're just leaving. Forest, you have a good night.”

Emotions flooded through me. Did Rarity recognize Atom? Was she going to tell on him? How would Applejack take to the news? What was going on?

Rarity walked off in a huff, and Applejack gave me one more reassuring look letting me know that everything was going to be alright. It broke my heart, I didn't want her to go. Not like this. But, no! I had to remain strong. Keep those tears inside, Forest! One drop will ruin everything! I shouted in my head.

I watched them go, my eyes never leaving them as they rounded the corner and started the trek towards Sweet Apple Acres. Only once did Applejack stop to look back to me. We held one another's eyes, even at that distance I could see them as clearly as if she were right there next to me. The most beautiful eyes in the world. Then she turned away and was gone.

It felt as if I had been holding my breath as I dropped to my knees and let it all out. Every tear that I held back, every torturous moment that I had kept inside. Everything. I let it out. It hurt. It hurt so much! Physical pain I could take, but not this. This was too much.

After a while, I'm not sure how long, I walked back into the house. Spike was sitting on a chair, his face was pink, but it wasn't from blushing. He looked over to me as Atom handed something to Spike.

“You okay, Forest? We... heard you...” Spike looked at me.

I wiped my eyes, “Fine. Just... I don't want to talk about it.”

“Then, is it really over between you two? I mean, really, really, over?”

I gave a single nod.

“At least we've got something in common, right Forest?” Spike let out an empty laugh.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Rarity... Rarity started to recognize me, I think.” Atom looked over to Spike, “Spike... well he...”

“I kissed Rarity, okay? I won't lie and say that I didn't want to, but I did it to stop her from discovering Atom, and now she hates me. She hates me, Forest! All because of... him!” Spike whipped his attention towards Atom, his eyes full of rage. “This is your fault!”

“That's not fair, Spike. I didn't ask you to go and kiss her! And I'm sorry, okay? But you can't blame me for that! I didn't mean for any of this to happen. How was I supposed to know she'd recognize me with this... coat.” Atom pointed to his chest, “I mean, just look at me! Applejack called me Pinkie for Luna's sake!”

We all stared at him for a moment, then Spike shook his head and laughed, “That was pretty funny.”

I had to admit, it was funny.

“Spike, really, I'm sorry.” Atom sat down where he stood.

The Dragon shrugged, “Well, I guess I would've been the odd one out if I didn't have my heart actually broken by the pony I love.” He stood up with his arms stretched out into the air, “I'm now a fully qualified member of the Broken Hearts Society!”

I just shook my head, while letting out a sarcastic laugh, “Should I invite Applejack to join then?”

Both Spike and Atom stared at me.

“It's really over this time.” I walked out of the living room with the intention of going to bed, “I'm going to sleep. I need some rest.”

“Okay. 'Night, Forest. I'll see you in the morning.” Spike stood up understanding that I didn't really want to talk about it. I saw him run his cheek.

“She slap you?” I couldn't help but ask.

“'Slap' isn't the right word. She more like clobbered me.” Spike sighed, “Guess I can't say I didn't deserve it. I'll take Atom to the hotel.”

“See you later, Forest.” Atom stood up and looked at himself, “I'm so getting Aiden back for this.”

I watched them leave, Spike giving me a reassuring nod before closing the front door behind them.

“So,” I heard a voice from the corner of the room, “I'm your special somepony, eh?”

“Had to be done. I couldn't let her have feelings for me. I'm losing our bet, and I'm not going to hurt her any more. It's better this way.” Was I saying that to Tutela, or to convince myself I had done the right thing? I wasn't sure. “Are you happy?”

“No, Forest. I've got nothing to say on the matter, just that... it felt strangely nice to be called your special somepony.” Tutela grinned, “A part of me wishes that were true.”

“What?” The shock evident in my voice.

“I'm kidding! Jeez, can't you take a joke?” I saw her roll her eyes.

Now that I noticed, Tutela looked a lot different than the last time. Her coat was still a deep black, but the horn on her head wasn't as sharp or blade-like as before, and it kind of resembled Aiden's or Twilight's now. But the biggest difference were the eyes. This time Tutela actually had pupils. Was she changing so that I could talk to her without getting scared? Well, whatever she was doing was working because I didn't find her scary at all. Well, I feared her a lot less than usual. “You look different.”

“Do you like it? I've been practising changing my form. Check this out.” Tutela turned from the pony-like creature to that of a woman. With the exception of the color, she looked like a real human being. “Well?”

“That's... nice.” I was confused, “Why are you practising changing shape?”

“What else am I supposed to do with all this free time?” She countered, “Just sit around and do nothing?”

“Good point.”

“You better start really trying to find the answer, Forest. You haven't got much time left, you know.” Then she leaned forwards closer to the screen, “And if you want your secret to be safe, you'll have to somehow get rid of that bracelet.”

“What secret?”

“The secret you've been hiding all this time, Forest. The clock is ticking.” She began to laugh.

“So what if I change back! My friends will stand by my side!”

“Will they, Forest? Do you really think that they'd forgive you to lying to them all this time about everything? Your entire existence here is nothing but a lie.”

She was right. I walked over the bed and dumped myself onto it, “You're right, Tutela. You're perfectly right.”

“‘Night, Forest.”

I grunted in response.

I woke up with a start. No dreams this time. Or if I had any I couldn't remember them. Walking out of the bedroom and into the bathroom, I took a nice long hot shower. After drying myself off with a slightly pink-stained towel, I went back into the bedroom and slipped my saddlebag back on. It was a lot easier now, almost second nature. It was simple to do, actually. You plopped the center part around your butt, then let the straps dangle along your sides. Then you just reach down and slip the leather straps through the buckles with your hooves and tighten.

Reaching inside one, I took out my coin-purse and frowned. I was literally penniless (bitless?). Without any money on me, I had to scrounge around the kitchen to look for something to eat. Nothing. Not a single morsel of food. I suspected that Rainbow had eaten and drank whatever was left. Not that I blamed the Dash's, they had a lot of other things to worry about than feeding me. So, I explored the lower part of the house, gazing at the pictures of Brian and Rainbow on the walls. There were so many of them. Pictures of them on picnics, going to places – always with the lack of people, though. Brian had enough sense to keep Rainbow's existence a secret. I shuddered to think what would have happened to her if someone else had discovered her first. How her life would have differed.

“You're one lucky mare, Rainbow.” I muttered looking at a photo of her dressed in a baby outfit. She must have been a little older than three in that photo. It was absolutely adorable.

There was a knock on the door.

“Hi, Forest!” An excited voice shouted at me when I opened the door.

“Pinkie!” I replied, smiling at her, “How've you been? Long time no see.”

“Has it been long? I haven't noticed!” She bounced around me, “Twilight said to come and get you! We're leaving for Canterlot soon to go and see that really awesome Race! Well, I'm going to see it! You're going to be part of it, right, right, right? I'm so super excited! I can't keep still!”

“Well I think Lavender's going to run the race, Pinkie. So, I'll be watching it with you this time 'round.” I grinned at her, “Let's go.”

We walked side by side, Pinkie telling me everything in her hyperactive way. Apparently she had not heard that things were over between Applejack and myself, because she kept trying to bribe me by using her friend as the ultimate reason why I should go to so-and-so's party, or eat at some restaurant, or even visit her workplace for some 'apple-eatin' goodness' – her exact words.

“Pinkie... it's over between Applejack and me. We're going to be friends, nothing more. There's a lot more to me than you believe.”

The pink pony stared at me, “You no longer with Applejack?” She looked so sad.

“It's okay, Pinkie. We're still good friends! Applejack and I had a nice long talk last night, so please don't be upset.” I hated seeing her upset. The way her hair deflated was like my kryptonite. “So, don't feel upset.”

“Oh. Okay.” Pinkie looked at me and tilted her head, “So, you're free?”

“Free?” I asked. “What do you mean?”

“As in 'free-to-find-somepony-else-that's-special' free, silly! Well, are ya? Huh? Huh?” Pinkie got down on her hooves like a cat ready to pounce on its prey.

“Well...” I began.

Pinkie stood up suddenly making me jump back out of reflex, “Because I know somepone who's really, really, really interest-” She cut herself off by putting her hooves in front of her mouth.

“What is it, Pinkie?” I asked, not really understanding what she had said.

Pinkie just shook her head.

“Something wrong?” I asked looking at her.

She made her eyes look away. She was hiding something, that much was certain.

“Pinkie?” I pressed, “You can tell me, you know.”

“No! I can't! I... I...”

She was looking so guilty, as if I had caught her with her hand in the cookie-jar... sorry, 'hoof' in the cookie-jar. It took me a second, “That was supposed to be a secret, right?”

She nodded.

“Then that's okay, Pinkie. I'll pretend that you didn't say anything, okay?”

“Oh, thank you, Forest. Twilight would've killed me if-” She put her hooves in front of her mouth again.

My mind did a double-take. Did she just say 'Twilight'? That can't be right. Not Twilight. That's... what?

“Did you say something, Pinkie? I didn't quite catch that,” I lied.

Twilight? I must have heard that wrong.

Pinkie shook her head, “I didn't say anything, Forest...” She was as bad a liar as Applejack!

I dropped it. Couldn't think on that. I'd just broken things off with one pony, I wasn't about to start things off with another. Besides, I still had very strong feelings for Applejack, and I doubted that would change any time soon. We walked together in relative silence, Pinkie humming a tune to herself as we arrived in front of the library. Lavender and Amethyst were already there talking to Spike and Twilight.

“Hi, Forest! Spike just told us that you're... fine? Is that right?” Lavender asked as she walked over to me and poked my side.

I nodded in response, “But I want to let you know that I'm not going to run...”

“What? Why? Forest, I hope you're not saying that because you think that I want to run it, are you?” Lavender was one sharp Pony, that was for sure.

“Well...”

“Good, because you have to run, Forest. You're the only one that can keep up with... him.” She pointed to a poster of a pony dressed in red with a yellow lightning bolt on it. The costume looked extremely familiar. “That's Flash Hoof. He's the fastest Earth Pony in Equestria... that is, until you beat him.”

“Wow... that's...” I didn't know what to say, “But I thought you wanted to run, Lavender.”

“I did! Until I heard he was running.” Lavender grunted in frustration, “And not only him, but the other fast ponies in Equestria will be there! These ponies are famous for their speed, Forest. I hate to admit this, but if I compete, I'd be left behind in the dust. Ponyville would lose!”

“Are they faster than me?” I asked.

“Maybe not on land,” Amethyst replied, “But you still have to swim quite a distance, and let's just say your swimming isn't the best. We're the smallest town that's competing in this race. Most of the other contestants come from really big cities.”

“Oh. Why is that?” I asked.

“Not many towns could afford the entrance fee. We were lucky because we worked hard to raise the funds to compete.” Amethyst replied, “Everypony in town chipped in.”

“Wow. How long ago was that?” I asked.

“Months ago. The idea was something that the Council had come up with to improve harmony between the various towns and cities in Equestria. Princess Celestia was against it at first, but I think she warmed up to it after Twilight convinced her that it'd be a lot of fun.”

“The Council?” I had no idea what Equestrian politics were like. I just assumed that the Princesses ruled the lands – but if that was the case, wouldn't they be queens instead?

Twilight had looked over to me and Amethyst at the mention of her name. She smiled at me when our eyes met before she turned her attention away and resumed talking to Derpy, who had just arrived with her daughter a moment before.

“I think that Princess Luna is the most eager to get this race started. She's always loved these kind of things.” Amethyst grinned.

“Really?” I asked, surprised. Every time I had met with the dark blue princess, it had been rather uncomfortable. Yet, these girls talked about her as if she were good friends with them all. Is it possible for a princess to be friends like that with her subjects? “Well, then if it's okay with you, Lavender, can I run the race.”

Lavender grinned then nodded. “Now all that's needed is for you is to try on the costume!”

Scootaloo arrived a few moments later.

“Hey, hey. Look who's here!” Pinkie shouted.

“How's Featherweight?” Lavender asked, grinning from ear to ear.

“H-he's fine. He's flying back to Canterlot now.” She replied blushing. “He'll meet us there.”

“Is everypony here?” Twilight asked interrupting the conversation.

We all looked around. Yes, indeed all the members of the Ponyville's Race Around Equestria Team were present.

“Okay,” Twilight turned towards the library, “Rarity, we're ready!”

On cue, three ponies walked out dressed in a full body suit. The head was colored purple, then there was a strip of yellow in a lightning bolt shape around the neck area that continued down the front part of the front hooves. After that, the a light blue color covered the front half of the torso area and the rear half of the front hooves, with a thin pink strip that made a diagonal slash before the entire rear half was in white. The shoes were an orange color, as well as the border around the eyes and the ears.

We all did a collective gasp.

“That's... a lot of colors...” I commented.

Rarity stepped out, “Well, we are the town that is representing the Elements of Harmony. So, it's only natural for all the colors to be used.” Rarity beamed, “But I do agree it does seem a little tacky. I've made unique after-race clothing for each of you, but I have to put the final touches in Canterlot tonight at my boutique there. Besides, from what I've heard of the other costumes, ours is by far the best.”

“That's because we have one of the best fashion designers in Equestria design them,” Twilight smiled at her friend. “We should get going.”

Our models took off their costumes. They were Applebloom, Sweetie Belle and a Pegasus pony I had never met before. Apparently her name was Cotton Cloudy. All three of them grinned at us as they posed and showed off the costumes.

“Forest, you'll have to forgive me, but I didn't have time to complete yours fully.” Rarity said handing me my costume. It was essentially the exact same thing as everyone else's except that my costume didn't have any part of it covering my head.

“That's okay, Rarity. I'll manage.”

She handed me a pair of goggles, “I do hate not completing things.”

We all walked together, me following the others as I wasn't sure where we were going. As we strolled through Ponyville, the citizens throughout the town cheered us on, some ran out of their homes, while others poked their heads out of their windows and doors.

“You guys better bring home the cup!” A black stallion shouted from his second story window.

A cyan earth pony ran up to us, “Make us proud, girls... and Forest!” She grinned at me remembering that I wasn't a female when she saw me give her wry smile.

The cakes were outside and they gave us each a glass of the most delicious juice.

“Take care of Pinkie for us, Forest.” Mr Cake said to me.

“She's coming?” I asked.

“Of course. The Elements of Harmony are all supposed to go... that's why I'm not taking part in the race, Forest. We're the guests of honor.” Twilight answered.

Sure enough, the rest of the Elements arrived. Fluttershy walked next to Applejack, who gave me a warm smile.

Great! I thought, Now I have to be near the pony I have the biggest crush on throughout this entire event! How am I going to survive?

Fluttershy had a beautiful saddle on her back, and on it was Tessie, my 'pet' rat!

“Um... I hope you don't mind... but Tessie really wanted to go...” Fluttershy said shyly.

I grinned, “That's perfectly fine with me!”

We then heard a voice call out and looked up. Rainbow Dash flew down and landed next to us, “Hey, everypony!”

We all returned the greeting.

“I'll meet you guys there tomorrow. I'll fly over in the morning.” We understood, she wanted to spend all the time she could with her father, and she would fulfil her obligations to both her title as an Element and as a daughter. “Besides,” She continued, “I'm only taking part in the after-show with the rest of the Wonderbolts.”

“Will you be making a Sonic Rainboom?” Scootaloo asked excitedly.

I turned my head to one side, “Sonic rain... boom?”

“How can you not know what a Sonic Rainboom is?” Scootaloo's opened wide in shock.

“Uh... amnesia, remember?”

I grinned when her expression did not change.

Rainbow floated over to me, “Oh! You're going to see something awesome!” She beamed at me.

Just then Aiden walked up and waved when saw us looking his way. Twilight turned away from him, and his wave died in mid-air, while his expression dropped.

“Wow, Twilight really has it in for that guy.” I muttered.

“That's 'cause Twilight's angry with him fer not tellin' her about his feelin's sooner.” Applebloom confided in me, “She's got somepony special in mind, but I'm not sure who it is. Yet.” She grinned, “But I'm gonna find out!”

“You're coming with us?” That was going to be fun. I liked Applebloom, she was always kind and warm towards me. Come to think of it, she was perhaps the very first pony to actually consider me a friend. Well, at least I liked to think she considered me a friend.

“Alright everypony, let's keep going,” Twilight said when we had our fill of snacks.

Aiden, Spike and I were walking at the rear of the group when we heard a noise.

“Pssst!” The three of us looked and saw Atom, still pink as ever standing behind a building.

We all snuck up to him.

“What's up?” Spike asked.

Atom looked at us shyly, “I want to come with... but there's a problem...”

“What's the problem? Nopony recognizes you, and I doubt Rarity is going to think about you after Spike's heroism yesterday...”

“What happened?” Aiden asked me, interupting my sentence.

“Ask Spike. Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, so you've got nothing to worry about.”

“Forest, Forest, Forest, you've been here how long?”

“Three weeks almost.” I replied.

“Three weeks, and you still don't know? Pinkie... well, let's just say that despite her aloofness and her... 'Pinkie-ness', nopony can slip by her unrecognized.” Atom smiled, “We're going to have to make her Pinkie Promise not to tell anypony who I am.”

“I doubt...” Aiden began.

“No, he's right,” Spike spoke up, “Pinkie can tell. Pinkie can always tell. She's Pinkie.”

She couldn't tell I was a human... I muttered in my head. “Okay, then let's make Pinkie Pie swear.”

As we walked out, Pinkie appeared in front of us. Atom ducked behind Spike automatically.

“What are you boys doing?” She asked tilting her head to one side.

We all looked at each other. “Pinkie, we need to tell you a really big secret, but you have to swear that you'll tell nopony. Promise?”

Pinkie did her standard promise routine. When she was done, Atom stepped out and smiled.

“Hi, Pinkie.”

Pinkie eyes opened wide, her mouth dropped, and for the first time since I've known her she was a lot loss for words.

“Atom?” She asked, “Is that really you?”

“Yes, Pinkie. It is. Please, please, please don't tell anypony else, okay?”

Pinkie sat down, “I made a promise... but... but...”

I could see conflicting thoughts flying through her head. Maybe it was not fair suddenly shoving this burden onto her like this. Did we go too far on the poor mare?

“Please, Pinkie.” Atom repeated.

“But... but...”

“Pinkie,” I stood next to her, “It's up to Atom to tell Applejack that he's back, okay? It wouldn't be fair on her if you told her.”

“But... but...” Pinkie looked at me. “Okay, Forest. But I don't like this.”

“I know, Pinkie. Neither do I. But it's not our secret to tell.” She frowned, “Aw, don't act all sad. Tell you what, I'll buy you whatever you want in Canterlot! It will be a present from me.”

She smiled weakly, “Okay.”

We all headed for the train station. The train chugged along, the Canterlot Express, the same one I had taken before arrived at the platform, but Twilight and the others did not board it. Confused, I mentioned it to Spike.

Spike grinned, “That's because we're not going to Canterlot by train, Forest.”

“Then how?”

“You'll see,” He giggled, “It's a surprise for everypony.”

Another train arrived, only this one going in the opposite direction arrived as soon as the Canterlot Express departed. This one only had one carriage and one engine. As we boarded, more and more ponies came along and waved to us. Some had signs, while others were just cheering as the train departed. It was a pretty overwhelming reception.

I was sitting in one of the compartments when Aiden came along and plopped his flank next to mine. Atom sat opposite us with Spike.

“I... I just don't understand why Twilight's so angry with me!” Aiden stated quietly. He looked at her through the corner of his eyes.

“Pinkie... did mention that she's mad at you for telling her your feelings so late in the day.” I replied, equally as quiet, “I think she's just angry that you didn't tell her sooner.”

“Well, that's partially your fault. When I saw you and Twilight enter my bakery, I got so jealous.” He sighed, “I hadn't seen Twilight smile like that in a long, long time. She really had a good night with you on your not-date.”

“What's a not-date?” Atom asked.

Spike put his arm over Atom's shoulders, “It's when a date isn't a date. They went out as friends.”

“Then it wasn't a date at all... wait... oh, I get it!” Atom smacked his head with his hoof.

We all laughed together.

“What's so funny!” Pinkie jumped out at us from above our heads. She had somehow managed to fit herself in the overhead baggage area and was peering down at us.

“We're just laughing at your pink-twin over there,” Aiden grinned maliciously at Atom.

Atom made a face, but laughed as well. What was done was done. It was a mean practical joke, but in the end it really did serve its purpose – the disguise worked!

“So... what do we call 'him'?” Pinkie asked quietly, “Since we can't call him you-know-what because you-know-who might overhear.”

“Fandango.” Aiden grinned at us. When it was obvious that none of us knew what that was he sighed. “It was the name of the color of the dye.”

“I'll go with it. Better than anything he's done to me so far,” Atom grumbled.

We all cracked up.

“You boys seem to be havin' a good time,” Applejack said plopping herself in the seat across the aisle from us, “What's gotcha all smilin'?”

“Spike told us a really terrible joke.” Aiden replied, he was sitting closest to her, “Right, Spike?”

“Oh, it wasn't that funny.” Spike grinned nervously.

I looked up at Pinkie, “Are you going to sit up there all through? How'd you get up there in the first place?”

“Du-uh! I climbed up. How else?” She grinned at me as if that explained it all.

“Tryin' to understand Pinkie's gonna get yer brain melted.” Applejack laughed, “She's probably the hardest pony to understand out of all of us.”

All through this, Atom – or Fandango – was staring out the window. His pink hue failed to disguise his pink blush.

“What's with yer friend?” Applejack asked motioning to Atom.

We all jumped in on that at the same time, each one of us coming with a reason. Whatever Pinkie's was, it made Aiden roar in laughter.

“He's just shy, Applejack. He's not good with meeting new ponies.” Spike said when it was clear that no one else had a good reason. Brilliant!

We felt the train slowing down at that moment, and Twilight stood up. “This is our stop.” She flashed another angry look at Aiden before heading out of the carriage.

“Aiden, why'd you have ta kiss her?” Applejack asked quietly while standing up and looking at him.

That explained so much! No wonder he would always duck away from the subject.

“You kissed Twilight!” Spike practically yelled, “And you ask why she's so mad at you!”

Aiden blushed and frowned, “Look, it was stupid of me, okay? I know it was. But I... no, no excuses, it was a pretty dastardly thing. I sort of... just did it.”

“It most certainly was. Girls don't like being kissed like that. It needs to be... special.” Applejack looked over to me at that moment making my face explode.

It was heaven having her look at me like that, and I felt so warm and cared for, but then I felt daggers hitting the side of my head and my eyes found their way over to Atom who was staring at me with venom. I just grinned nervously in response.

When I got off the train, we weren't at a station at all. In fact, there wasn't anything around, except for a large expanse of green. I looked at the others, but they were as confused as I was. Finally, Twilight walked ahead of us and turned around.

“Welcome, friends. Today the Princess Celestia and Luna have decided that the Elements of Harmony are to arrive in the new flagship Intrepid Explorer! The first ship designed to explore the far reaches or our world, beyond the Known Lands! And we get to ride on it on its maiden voyage!”

The girls all screamed in delight, and Aiden eyes opened wide, stunned. Atom just stood there flabbergasted and Spike grinned from ear to ear. I, on the other hand, had no idea how to react.

“So, fillies and gentlecolts, allow me to introduce our ride, the magnificent airship, the Intrepid!”

And there it was, sailing down from the clouds, a ship attached to a hot-air balloon. A blimp! But unlike the blimps I had seen in magazines from Earth, this one was brightly colored, with all sorts of patterns. The ship itself looked amazing, like an old ship, with the sails coming out of the sides of the main hull instead of on top of it, as in traditional boats. Probably a smart thing, considering the masts would probably punch a hole through the balloon.

My mouth dropped to the ground in amazement. That was the most wonderful thing I had seen... that wasn't a beautiful mare, that is. My eyes drifted again to Applejack, the way she stood there gazing up at the ship, the way the light shined off of her... I was in love with her. I knew it. Deep down, I tried to deny the feelings, avoiding the 'L' word like the plague, but the harder I tried to push the feelings aside, I knew them to be true. If it wasn't love, then I don't know what love is.

She caught me gazing at her, and I quickly averted my attention; my face felt hot while I did so.

Before the airship touched the ground, four leg-like structures descended from specially made grooves in the ship's sides. It landed on them perfectly and gently in front of us.

“Amazing, isn't she?” Spiked asked.

“She is...” I replied, and grinned, “Oh, you mean the ship?”

We both laughed at that joke. It wasn't a big boisterous laugh, but a light-hearted one.

“I don't understand you, Forest. If you still like Applejack, then why break it off?”

I looked down, “I can't tell you. I have reasons, okay?” Like the fact that a Changeling literally has me by the balls and if I lose this bet, I'm as good as dead – as far as I was concerned. Life imprisoned with her is as good as a death sentence.

I could tell he wanted to know more, but he dropped it. I liked that about Spike, he understood me.

We all walked together towards the ship, except Pinkie, who was hopping along side us.

“Welcome to the Intrepid, I'm the captain Far Sight, and I wish to welcome the Elements of Harmony on board this humble vessel.” He bowed low to us.

I knew he was bowing to Twilight and the rest, but it still felt nice to be bowed to.

“Thank you, Captain, but only five of the Elements will be travelling with you today,” Twilight replied, “The Element of Loyalty has other business to attend to for now.”

“Ah, yes. We have heard that Rainbow Dash will not be travelling with us, and although we are saddened by her lack of attendance, we understand. Family is more important.” He looked at her, “The Princess has told us about her father being in hospital.”

Twilight nodded, “Okay, everypony. Let's get on board!”

Applebloom rushed forwards with Sweetie Belle and Pinkie Pie, much to the amusement of the crew. Rarity and Fluttershy boarded next, along with Spike. Twilight and Applejack followed before the rest of us. When I got closer, I couldn't help but stop in my tracks and marvel at the ship's beauty – and size. It was overwhelmingly huge! How did they manage to get it to fly?

The word 'magic' came to mind.

“You coming?” Aiden asked at the entrance.

“Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this for the world!” I jogged into the ship.

The first thing that I saw was a large empty hold. It was a complete contrast to the beauty of the exterior. There was nothing here but empty space, perhaps to store souvenirs for the upcoming voyage. Aiden waited up for me along with Atom, while the captain and the others had already gone on ahead. I could see them walking up a ramp that ascended into a higher level.

As we came off the ramp, we pushed past a double-door with the words 'Lower Cargo Hold' written in black letters on a golden plaque. The second level was the crew quarters, we could tell by all the doors that lined the halls. We walked to the front of the ship where another set of double-doors opened out into a small lounge area with four doors, each had a symbol on it which I didn't recognize.

“These are your quarters for tonight,” The captain stated, “I apologize that you'll have to share these four rooms. We didn't expect so many visitors. They should be ample in size, they're suites reserved for... well, anypony that has a right to travel on this ship. They were originally for the Princesses, but then again, I doubt that they'd have enough time to embark on a voyage like this. Perhaps a slight oversight by the builders.”

Curious, we all filed into one of the rooms. Along the hull at the front of the ship, the 'bow' in nautical terms, the rooms had windows that stretched from the floor to the ceiling. Right now we got a complete panoramic view of the plains where the ship was 'docked'.

“This is awesome!” Applebloom squealed leaning against the glass.

“Careful, Applebloom, we don't know how strong that glass is.” Applejack stated nervously.

“It isn't glass, ma'am,” The captain explained, “It's layers of quartz crystals that's built into the ships hull. This is the strongest part of the ship. We could ram into a mountain-side, and these rooms would be perfectly intact.”

“Doesn't that make the ship too heavy to fly?” Twilight asked, also leaning against the window.

“We've managed to balance the weight out...” The captain continued to explain the mechanics of the ship's design while I looked around the room we were in.

Pinkie hopped next to me, “Which room you stayin' in, Forest?”

She made me jump. “You're going to give me a heart-attack if you keep doing that.” I sighed, “I suppose whichever room is free.”

“Ooh. Can I stay with you?”

The question brought a stunned silence from everypony in the room.

“Uh... I...” I didn't know what to say. Granted, Pinkie has stayed over with me before, but...

“Pinkie, you can't be so brash, young lady!” Rarity stated, scandalized. “A mare much show some class, my dear.”

“She doesn't mean like that, Rarity.” I defended, blushing at her implication, “She means something like a... a...”

“Slumber-party?”

“Thank you, Twilight. Yes, like a slumber-party. Right, Pinkie?” Just because I said it, didn't make it any less embarrassing.

“Uh-huh! That's exactly what I meant!” Pinkie grinned, then looked at Rarity with a confused expression, “Why? What did you think I meant, Rarity?”

Rarity blushed, “Nothing! I didn't say anything!”

“Well, we should be going. If you need anything, there will be a crew member stationed just outside your rooms. Just inform him and it will be done to the best of our abilities.” The captain turned to go.

“How long will the journey take?” Twilight questioned.

The captain thought about it for a moment, “If the winds with us, it should be around four or five hours. If not, perhaps seven. No matter what, though, we'll be in Canterlot tonight. You have my word.”

“I'm going to take a look around.” I stated, and headed out the door after the captain. I really wanted to see the upper decks.

Aiden followed along with Spike and Atom.

“Don't you get the feelin' the boys are hidin' something from us?” Applejack said loudly just before the door closed.

Every single one of us blushed as we turned back to face her just as the door closed.

Oh no! We've just confirmed that we are hiding something from her! I yelled in my head.

“Guys, what are we going to do?” Atom asked whispering, “She suspects something!”

“Just act like Forest!” Aiden whispered back, “Completely clueless.”

The three of them laughed together, while I made a face at them.

“Very funny. I'm not clueless!” I muttered.

That only brought more laughter from the three of them.

“Aw, forget you guys! I'm going upstairs.” I harrumphed and stalked off, the three of them laughing even louder than before.

The ramps to the main-deck were numerous, so we ascended the one just outside the second room on the starboard side of the ship. On deck, we were greeted by a gentle breeze and a bunch of crew members running to and fro along the sides of the ships where the sails were tied down. They moved like clockwork, each one specifically doing a certain job. They were preparing the sails for 'lift-off', but it was quite exciting.

The captain had reached the quarterdeck, standing proudly at his command. He did not say a word as the sailors finished up, and stood at attention. Then he turned to his first-mate and gave a single nod.

“Unicorns at the ready!” He shouted.

Ten unicorns took a step forward, five on each side of the ship.

“Let loose!” The first-mate called.

The unmistakable aura of glowing magic suddenly appeared and it floated up into the large balloon above us. As it did, we could all feel the ship starting to shift under our feet. Within moments, the ship was slowly rising up in the air. Then, the captain gave another nod, and the first-mate shouted the order to stop. We were rising quickly, and I couldn't resist the urge to run to the forecastle.

Standing at the very front of the ship, I watched as we started upwards towards the clouds.

I couldn't resist, I stood on the railing over and shouted: “I'm the king of the world!”

The wind blew my mane back, the feeling of the breeze, the excitement, the life that I felt... it all made me so glad that I came here, to this world. In less than three weeks I had come to love this land, and those that dwell within it. Every memory, both the good and the painful, was precious to me.

“Won't be long now.” I whispered to the wind, “Might as well enjoy the time I have left.”

“Something the matter, Forest?” Spike asked, walking and leaning on the railing next to me watching the ground get further and further away.

Stepping down from the ledge before I got vertigo, I shook my head at him, “Nah, just talking to myself.”

The girls arrived on the deck, and Applebloom ran over to us, grinning from ear to ear in her super-cute way. We all stood there and relished the feeling. I don't know what thoughts went through them all, but I felt refreshed. It was as if everything was suddenly clear.

“Wait!” A sudden shout snapped us out of reverie, “Where's Derpy?” It was Lavender.

“Oh no! How could we forget her?” Amethyst replied.

“You guys wait here, I'll go get her...” Scootaloo was about to fly away, when she was enveloped in purple magic that held her down.

“No, I'll send a note via Spike to her. No use tiring out both of our flyers. She'll just have to come directly to Canterlot on a later train.” Twilight then walked over to Spike who fished out a quill and paper from a bag that he was carrying on his back.

When the letter was done, Spike blew on it and it vanished in a puff of purple-green smoke.

So that's the breath that sends things. I wonder how Princess Celestia reacted when garbage started appearing. I grinned to myself.

“Do you guys want to see the crow's nest?” The captain walked over to us, he had a pipe in his mouth.

I suddenly had the urge to smoke, not because I liked it, but because it was a pipe on a ship! How cool is that? It took me a moment to register what he had just asked.

“Yes please!” I shouted. I've always wanted to be in one, and now that we were on a ship flying through the air, I would be insane not to take advantage of such an offer.

“Sure. Blue Breeze!” He shouted for a crew member, a blue Pegasus pony with a yellow or blonde mane. His red eyes looked intimidating. “This here is Blue Breeze, one of our finest flyers. He'll show you the way.”

“Um... hello, I'm Forest.” I said offering a hoof.

He shook it and smiled, “Blue Breeze, as the cap'n said. Welcome aboard the Intrepid Explorer. Pleasure having you. I've got fifty bits on you and your team, so I'm going to make extra sure that the winds are behind us and we have a safe and uneventful flight. Also, I'm an ex-native of Ponyville myself.”

“You use to live in Ponyville?” Spike asked, “I've never seen you before.”

“Blue Breezy!” Pinkie bounded over to us, landing on me, making me lie flat on the ground, “Ohmigod you're exactly the same! How've you been?”

“Pinkie knows you? That confirms it!” Spike shook his head and laughed.

“BB used to work with Rainbow,” Pinkie answered us, “But he had to leave. I think I threw a farewell party, right?”

Blue Breeze laughed, “Oh yes, you did. But it was short, because it also was Cranky's farewell – he tried to escape without Pinkie knowing.”

That seemed to jog everyone's memory.

“Oh yeah! I remember that party!” Spike laughed, “That was a long time ago.”

“Indeed it was. Anyway, after I left, I took odd-jobs here and there, studying weather, until my skills were scouted and I was asked to join this crew. So now I'm not only part of this amazing crew, but I'm also the foremost expert in strange wind-related weather! You never know what the weather will be like out there, beyond the Known Lands, and I'm the best pony for the job!”

He stared off in the distance, he seemed to relish the thought of going forth towards the unknown. The look in his eyes, the freedom he must have felt. I liked the thought of it, and a part of me wanted to go too. To go beyond what is known, to explore strange new lands, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where nopony has gone before!

Ah, the thrill of adventure.

“How long are you guys going for?” I asked.

“Who knows? A year, maybe two.” Blue replied.

“That's a long time,” Applejack stated walking next to me. Her proximity to me made my face explode. What the hell was wrong with me? “Won't your special somepony miss you?”

Blue laughed nervously, “I... don't got a special pony.” He blushed.

“Well, who needs somepony special when you've got this beautiful girl to take care of,” Aiden patted the ship's deck with his hoof, “At least she won't break your heart.”

I flinched at that remark, and we all looked at Twilight, but she just looked away.

“Now hold on just one dog gone minute...” Applejack started.

“It's okay, Applejack. He's right. I may have... overreacted a little.”

“No, Twilight. You didn't. You reacted exactly how you should have. It's my fault for not telling you my feelings sooner, and it's my fault for... forcing that kiss onto you. That was completely wrong of me. I was just... angry. Can we be friends?” Aiden walked over to her and offered her a hoof, “Like old times?”

“I'll try, Aiden,” Twilight replied touching Aiden's hoof, “But I can't make any promises.”

Aiden nodded, “That's better than 'no'.”

Blue coughed politely, “So, Forest, ready to go up?”

“Am I!”

He led me to what I can only describe as a bucket. He flew outside the bucket as I hoisted myself up. The bucket swung out over the immense drop over the side of the ship, and I had to admit, I got pretty freaked out. It was a long, long, long way down. Already clouds were floating by underneath us. But I was determined to see the crows nest, and so I continued pulling myself up.

The little nest sat elegantly on top of the the center of the balloon, and as I arrived, I couldn't help but stare in wonder at the world above Equestria. The clouds were something else, beautiful and amazing. They looked like balls of cotton.

Blue floated over to a cloud, and pushed it along side and sat on it, “So, how's the view?”

“Are... are you riding a cloud?” I asked incredulously.

“Uh... yeah. Pegasi can sit and rest on clouds.” He looked at me strangely, “That's common knowledge, buddy.”

“Yeah. Of course it is. So, I can't...”

“No! Of course not! You'd fall through.” Blue looked at me shocked. “Please don't try...”

“I won't! Falling to certain death isn't my idea of a good time.”

Blue kept talking about himself. I was only half listening, taking in the breathtaking views that spread out in front of me. In the distance I could see Canterlot slowly getting closer to us. The palace still stunned me. How was it still standing on the edge of the cliff like that?

“Are you ready to go down? It's starting to get dark and cold.” Blue said after a while.

“Oh? Not that you mention it...” I looked around, the sun was beginning to set, “How long have we been up here?”

“A while.”

Getting back into the bucket, I started to lower myself, while Blue kept a constant vigil on me.

About halfway down I heard a shout by the captain below. It didn't sound good.

“Watch out! Squall! Squall! Lower the sails, you land-lubbers! This isn't a drill!”

Blue’s eyes opened wide, “Forest! You've got to hurry and lower yourself down now!” He practically shouted.

“Dear Celestia!” The captain shouted staring up at us, “Get that pony down here this instant, crewman! That's an order!”

“Come on, Forest! Come on!” Blue insisted.

“I'm...” I grunted as I lowered the rope as fast as I could, but the latch thing that prevented it from descending fast didn't work! “Trying!”

“All hands, brace for impact! Blue, secure yourself!” The captain yelled.

Blue flew into the bucket with me and held the rope, “Hold on!”

The ship shifted to the right, the balloon getting pushed almost all the way over so that it almost touched the sails on the port side. The sudden drop in altitude forced us in the bucket to suddenly get flung over and out of the boat, much like a sling. The rope couldn’t hold. It was then that I heard a horrible noise. The noise a rope makes when it snaps. The next thing I noticed was that I was weightless!

“Forest!” I heard someone shout.

“What are you doing?” That was Spike, “Atom! Stop!”

A pink Pegasus dove over the edge of the ship and right down at me, but without full use of his wings to propel him down after me, he would never catch up.

Blue was tangled in the bucket, the rope had somehow twisted itself over him. He struggled to get himself free. If I could save him, he could help me! I pulled on the rope, and he moved in the opposite direction. He tried biting on it.

That what when I remembered the dagger! Reaching into the pocket, I pulled out Spike's knife, and proceeded to cut the rope. Blue did not move as I cut through each one. The last of them cut free, the Pegasus opened his wings, but at the speed we fell, he zipped up and away from me.

No! No, no, no! I screamed in my head, looking up as the two Pegasi started to give chase. They're never going to catch me...

The ground below was quickly rising up towards me. If only Rainbow Dash were there! If only...

My life flashed before my eyes. Everything that I had ever done zipped by in quick succession. Earth, my childhood, my mother, my father, the stabbing incident, Tutela, my first meeting with the ponies, Zecora, the Timberwolf, the Ursas, the Princesses, the clock tower landing on me, Brian, the Everfree Forest... everything! Even Tutela couldn't save me. With this bracelet on...

“Oof!” I shouted as I hit something. Was I dead? Did I hit the ground? Wait, that was too quick...

Standing up, I looked down. Suffice to say, I was shocked, happy, and relieved that I was still alive.

Atom spread his wings and did a long loop around, while Blue expertly landed in front of me.

“Forest, are you okay? I'm sorry about before... it was out of reflex.” He rushed over to me, “How are you standing here?”

Before I could answer, Atom landed on the cloud as well, “Forest, thank Celestia you're alright. I thought you were a goner. How are you able to stand on a cloud?”

“Excuse me while I kiss this cloud first.” I landed a large sloppy kiss on my life-saver.

“Well, then I'm kind of glad that I didn't save you...” Atom joked.

I was still shaking, but I managed to give a little giggle at that. My heart was still beating at a million beats a minute.

“What happened?” I asked.

“A squall. They're not common... it was just bad timing, Forest. If you had been in the nest, you would have been safe.” Blue replied, “I'm sorry.”

“Buy me a drink.” I shouted and sat myself down on my rump.

“I'll buy you a whole crate, if that's what you want.” The blue Pegasus looked at me guiltily, “I can't believe I left you like that... not after you saved me.”

I replaced the dagger, I had been holding onto all the while. How? I had no idea. Perhaps I somehow felt that it would help me for some reason.

Atom pushed his wings back, “Okay, now for the ultimate question; how are you standing here?”

“That's a good question. I don't know.”

“Perhaps one of the Unicorns cast a cloud-walking spell on you? I know that it's possible...” Blue offered.

Atom looked at the crewman, “No. Forest is allergic to magic. Which makes this scenario extremely confusing.”

“We can continue this on the ship. Hang on. I'm going to push this cloud over.” Blue spread his wings and got behind the cloud and began to push it upwards and forwards.

Scootaloo flew over and landed in front of me, “Forest? How...”

“No idea.” I replied before she could finish the question.

“Sorry, I was in the toilet when the squall hit. I didn't know anything until just now.” Scootaloo looked at me for a moment, “Are you okay?”

“A little shaken, but glad that I didn't hit the ground. Clouds are a lot softer...” I laughed weakly at that, but I was too happy to care. Surviving a fall like that and walking away without a scratch deserved a laugh.

It didn't take us long to reach the ship, and when I landed on the deck, I proceeded to smooch its lovely wooden surface. Never before had I loved ships more than this moment.

“You've got a lot of explainin' to do!” Applejack said angrily walking over to me.

“I don't know how I managed to land on the cloud...”

“No, not that! Him! Why is he here?” Applejack pointed behind me.

Atom looked away.

“Oh. Right. That.” I scratched my head, “Um...”

“It isn't his fault, Applejack,” Aiden stepped between the two of us, “We met him by accident during our trip to Esperia.”

“You... you met him in Esperia!” Twilight shouted, “You... lied to me!”

“No, we didn't!” Spike stood in front of me, “We just... didn't mention it.”

“So this was the big secret you've all been hidin' on us!” Applejack was livid!

“Please, Applejack, Forest just...”

I got up and placed a hoof on Aiden's shoulder, “It's enough, Aiden.”

“But...”

“I'll take it from here.” I stood in front of him, and face Applejack. “I knew who he was, yes. We did indeed meet him in Esperia, and he tagged along on our return.”

“Well, why didn'cha say anythin', Forest? I thought I could trust you.” Applejack looked at me as if I had struck her.

“What would I say? ‘Oh, by the way, I ran into your ex-fiancé, you know the one. The one that you still have feelings for. The one who you broke it off with for the exact same reason you broke it off with me.’ What could I say, Applejack? Tell me! Please, because it kills me to see you like this. I just want you to be happy. I'm not the smartest pony around, but I know what I saw. You can't lie to me and tell me that this pony means nothing to you. And, it wasn't my secret to tell. I'm sorry for hiding it from you, but I had no choice! I'm... just...”

I felt light-headed.

“I thought after that incident in the hospital, you'd understand me better. Guess I was wrong.” Applejack didn't looked at me when she said those words.

I shook my head, trying to get the blood back there.

“Forest, are you okay?” Aiden asked.

“Fine... fine...” I started swaying. “Actually...”

I felt something hit my face. It was the desk of the ship.

“Somepony get him to the infirmary!” I heard the captain shout.

My eyes slowly closed, and I looked up to see Applejack staring down at me. Was it hatred I saw in those eyes? No. Not from Applejack. Disappointment. That was it. She was disappointed with me. Couldn't blame her. Couldn't blame her one bit.

I awoke with a jolt.

“Ah, welcome back. You've been out for some time.” A voice said.

“Spike? Where... where are we?”

“Canterlot docks. Everypony's gone out. I decided to stay.” Spike looked at me, “You use my dagger, didn't you?”

“Yes. How did...”

“The blade is magic, Forest. You're allergic to magic. That was probably why. Or perhaps your fall just knocked you out. It was a pretty long one...”

“Applejack?” I asked.

“I'm not going to lie to you, Forest. She and Atom went out together. I think for a nice long talk. After you passed out, they did some reconciliation, got to talking... I don't know. Personally, I was more concerned about you.” He patted my back, “You always seem to get yourself into these messes.”

“Seems that way.” I replied, and sighed.

“Oh, hey, Forest! You're awake!” Applebloom rushed in, “Thanks for bringin' Atom back! I know my sister's gonna be just fine now.”

The words were like a sledgehammer to the stomach.

“N-no problem! Anything for my favorite filly.”

“I ain't a filly no more, Forest, I'm a mare!”

I grinned, “Well, then, anything for you, my favorite mare.”

Applebloom just giggled at that. “Are you comin'? We're all meetin' in town for dinner.”

“Thanks, but I think I'm going to sit this one out. I'm still a little dizzy from the fall, and it's late... I think I'll just rest up. Tomorrow's an early day.”

“I know! Scootaloo's already sleepin'. Sweetie and me are just so bored. We know nothin' about Canterlot, and everypony's busy.” Applebloom pouted. “They all still treat us like fillies.”

“Why not ask Blue to show you around? I'm sure that he's got shore-leave.” I offered.

Applebloom's face lit up, “Thank you, Forest! Now why didn't I think of that!” She jumped up and darted out of the room.

“Why don't you go ahead too, Spike?” I asked.

“No. I don't want to run into Rarity and her...” He couldn't say it, or rather, he didn't want to say it.

“Suit yourself. I'm going to sleep.” I turned away from him pulling the blanket over me.

There was a long moment of silence.

“It's okay to cry, Forest,” Spike said quietly, “I know how it feels.”

“It sucks, doesn't it?” I replied, feeling the tears fall from my eyes and onto the pillow. The thought that Atom and Applejack were together killed me. It really, really killed me.

“Yes. It does,” Spike sighed.

“Well, there's one good thing, though.”

I could tell that Spike had no idea what I was going to say. “What's that?”

“The Broken Hearts Society has one less member.”

We both laughed. But my tears didn't stop, and the humor died in my throat.

“Good night, Forest.”

“Good night, Spike.”

Day 20: A Day at the Races - Part 1: The Pony Parade

“Time to get up, Forest.”

My eyes opened, and I tried to get up, but something was literally holding me down.

“Pinkie...” I said quietly, “Can you let me go?”

I heard the voice from before laugh, “It’s funny how you automatically know it’s her.”

“Who else would sneak into my bed in the middle of the night without waking me up and manage to hold me down like this?” I asked.

“Oh yeah, that's right. I'd forgotten about that.” The voice sighed, “Come on, Pinkie, it’s time to wake up.”

I felt a slight jostle as Spike shook Pinkie in an attempt to wake her. When she didn’t stir, the Dragon walked over to the other side of the bed so I could see him.

“She’s totally unconscious.” He laughed, “You know, I was pretty surprised to see her come in last night. I was sleeping on the couch over there when I heard the door open. Then she just... jumped into bed and hugged you from behind. What I found really strange was how you just slept through the entire thing. ”

“I must’ve been really out of it not to notice.” I could feel my face get a little hot. But Pinkie was being Pinkie. Just because she slept with you didn't mean she slept with you.

“Yeah... anyway, I got a message from Twilight. She said that I should wake you. She's headed over here now to take you to the palace gardens. It won’t be long till they start the Race and all the team members are supposed to assemble for the parade...”

“Parade?” I shouted.

Spike had jumped at my sudden outburst, but I was shocked. He walked over and shook Pinkie’s hoof. “Yep. To show off the racers, I guess. You didn't know?”

“Just five more minutes...” She mumbled as she released me and turned away.

Taking advantage of the moment, I rolled out of bed and away. She didn’t even flinch. I couldn’t help but shake my head and laugh, “She’s utterly ridiculous.”

“That’s Pinkie for you. Shall we go?” Spike gestured with his hand towards the door.

“Let’s.” Turning to the sleeping mare, I shouted really loudly: “See you later, Pinkie!”

She just raised her hoof and waved it lazily in the air, the sleepy version of 'okee dokee lokee'.

Spike and I exited the room and headed up to the upper-deck. The sun made me squint for a moment before they adjusted to the light. Aiden was leaning against the railings, gazing over the edge looking at the valley below us. I could clearly see the long, long drop far below even from my vantage point, safely away from any semblance of an edge. After all, I did take a nosedive in a bucket the other day.

The Canterlot docks were located along the sheer cliffs on the far side of the palace, opposite where the train station was. The towers overlooking the valley were located to the right this time instead of the other way round. Scanning the area, I noted that there were plenty of other airships docked here, but the Intrepid Explorer was the only one at this dock. There were guards all over the place here. There were even Pegasi Royal Guards floating around the ship.

“Welcome back to the land of the living,” Aiden said when I got close enough to him. He didn’t even turn around, “Did you sleep well?”

“Can’t complain.” I replied, “Yourself?”

“Didn’t sleep. Couldn’t. A lot’s been on my mind.” He looked over to me, “Let’s just say that I’ve finally come to realize a few things that I just don’t like. It’s nopony’s fault but mine.”

“I know the feeling.” I mumbled in response.

“Hardly.”

Did the temperature just get colder, or was is it his expression or demeanor towards me?

Whatever.

“Howdy, boys,” A southern twang came from behind us. We all turned around, “What’cha all doin’?”

“Nothin’,” I replied mimicking her accent, “Just relaxin’, gettin’ ready for the race - er, parade, apparently.”

Applejack laughed, “Well, that’s good. Did'ja sleep well?”

My heart still yearned to be with her. “Yep. Did you?”

“Slept fine.” She smiled brightly at me. My heart leaped out of its chest. Why did I fall for her as hard as I did? This was absolute torture! “So, I heard Pinkie slept in your room again.” She laughed at that.

“Yeah... she snuck in. Surprised I didn’t notice.” I shrugged and sighed, kind of wishing that it was Applejack who had sneaked into my bed instead, but I knew that would never be the case. It couldn't be the case, but no matter how many times I told myself that, my heart still ached. “How’d things go with Atom?”

Applejack blushed, “Well, we’re takin’ it slow. It’s been so long, and I need time to process a lot of things. It was good catchin’ up an' all. We did part on some pretty bad terms, so it was nice to put it all behind us. You were right, Forest, I still had feelin’s for him, and it took a mighty kind friend to see that I needed closure.”

Steady, Forest, steady. Just suck it up. You’ve gone this far now, don’t choke.

“That’s great!” I forced myself to smile, I hoped it looked convincing, “I’m glad for the two of you.”

“But I’m still mighty angry at you for keepin’ it a secret from me,” She walked over to me and stared deep into my eyes making my face blush ferociously. I leaned back away from her scrutinizing gaze. Did Applejack like seeing my face light up like this? “Any more secrets in that noggin’ of yers? You still hidin’ somethin’ from me?”

“Everypony has a secret, Applejack,” Aiden replied on my behalf, still staring over the valley, “Even you. Even Forest,” Then he said in a very quiet whisper, “Especially Twilight.”

My heart panicked at that. What the hell? Did Aiden know something about me? Did he discover something about my origins?

Before I could ask him what he meant, something distracted my attention. We heard the sound of hooves stomping the deck as Twilight arrived on deck. The Royal Guards had all stood at attention when they saw the Element of Magic, much to annoyance of the captain who obviously didn’t like the way the guards did that.

Twilight just sighed as she walked past them. I remembered how annoyed she got when people referred to her as royalty the last time we were in Canterlot. Even though she tried many times to get them to stop, the guards still saluted her whenever they saw her. After all, she was an Element of Harmony. In a way I guess it was frustrating, always garnering attention even when you didn’t want it.

That night we spent in the city together was certainly a lot of fun, though. Come to think of it, I was walking around and dancing even after that injury Princess Celestia gave to me. I know that the reason why I completely healed up quickly that time was because Tutela had teleported me back to her ‘world’ and let time flow in Equestria slow enough for my body to catch up and repair itself. But, how did I recover from the broken ribs this fast? I am not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, but this was starting to really bother me. Maybe Granny's hooch had special healing properties? Nah.

Twilight spotted us and trotted on over, “Good morning, everypony. Glad you’re awake, Forest...”

“I bet you are...” Aiden grumbled.

Twilight furrowed her brow at him. She wasn’t the only one, Applejack and I did as well.

“Anyway...” She continued, awkwardly trying to talk over our stunned silence, “The girls are ready and I’ve come to get you.”

“I bet you have...” Aiden grumbled again.

“Uh... Aiden... we can hear you, you know...” My voice seemed to snap him out of his reverie.

“What?” He snapped his head to look at me, then he looked at Applejack next to me, then at Twilight, “Y-y-you can? Um...” He quickly looked away again.

“Well, the wind is blowing from that direction, and you aren’t using the quietest of voices...” I pointed out. Ponies had great hearing! Which, in this case, wasn’t a good thing for Aiden.

Aiden’s face just turned from a pinkish tone to a dark red hue as he tried his best not to turn around and face us. He was clearly embarrassed. We weren’t supposed to hear his comments. Or at least Twilight wasn’t supposed to hear them. He let out a nervous chuckle.

Twilight let out a frustrated sigh and shook her head sadly, “Let’s go, Forest. Applejack, where’s Pinkie?”

“Pinkie’s still sleepin’ in Forest’s room, I suppose.” She shrugged.

I nodded, “That she is. Unconscious as ever.”

“Alrighty, I’ll go get her then. I'll see you at the palace, okay Twilight?” And with that Applejack trotted off towards one of the many ramps that led down into the crew quarters.

“See you there,” Twilight called after her friend. She look at me and smiled, “Let's go.”

As we walked in front of the soldiers, they all did their ‘attention stomps’ again. Despite expecting it, the noise still made me jump in surprise. They all looked exactly the same, in their gold armor and white coats. Did they have to dye their coats and manes? As I stepped closed to the edge of the gangplank, I looked down the tiny crack straight down into the valley far below. Something in me panicked and I took a step back.

Twilight hadn't noticed. She only stopped when she reached the end of the gangplank and turned around. “Something wrong, Forest?” She called back to me.

“I seem to have suddenly become allergic to sheer drops,” I shouted back, “Just give me a second.”

The feeling of the free-fall from yesterday still haunted me. At the time I must have gone through shock and didn’t really comprehend just how close to death I had actually come. Now that my rationality had set in, my stupid logic rightfully decided that venturing near anything remotely resembling a drop to certain death should be avoided at all cost. Although I knew it was irrational, and although I knew that there was absolutely no way I would fall unless I vaulted over the railings, my legs refused to move! Now that ‘saving grace’ (my ability to teleport safely back into Tutela’s realm) was gone, there was nothing either of us could do to save me if I needed it. Why did these things always happen to me?

It’s like I’m cursed, or something.

Twilight walked back up the gangplank and leaned against me, “Come on, I’ll help you.” She offered me her hoof.

Seizing it like my life depended on it, she slowly led me down the ramp. It must have looked incredibly silly with me holding onto Twilight in the middle of a ramp where six ponies could walk together side by side literally trembling in fear. But I just couldn't move! I couldn’t do it!

“This is so embarrassing...” I muttered still holding onto Twilight like a frightened child.

“I’ve got you. Come on. Slowly.” Twilight coaxed.

Step by step, I walked down the ramp, gradually getting faster when I got closer to the end. When we got close enough, I leapt the few remaining feet and jogged away from the gangplank heaving a long sigh of relief. I spun around just as she got off the ramp and gave me a highly amused expression.

“It's not funny! I had a major scare yesterday, okay?”

“I know, Forest. Sorry. I know it’s not nice to laugh.”

“Oh, that’s okay. Thank you, Twilight. I appreciate you helping me.” Honestly, I did.

Twilight grinned at me. Were her cheeks rosier than usual?

I followed her lead. It was amazing how she knew which way to go. In this particular area, the tall buildings had made it impossible for me to see anything save the top of the palace towers and the sky. The docks were now completely hidden from view as we ascended these wonderfully carved staircases that had been built into the side of the cliffs. It was an amazing display of architecture and workmanship – workponyship? It reminded me of those hillside towns I had seen in magazines back on Earth.

The buildings were all in a light blue and purple color that seemed pretty uniform. A few stray buildings here and there were in different colors, obviously painted by ponies that wanted their homes to stand out.

“You like it?” Twilight asked as she saw me snapping my neck back and forth taking in the sights, “This area is famous for its artists. There's the National Gallery not far from here. It's where all the great art pieces throughout Equestrian history are kept. Maybe we could go and see it some time?”

“Well... art's not really my thing...”

She just laughed, “It's not mine either, but it's still worth a visit.”

As we continued I couldn't help but notice that there were small stalls and shops all over the place, strategically built into every available space. Some shops were big and took up entire floor, while others were tiny, barely big enough for a pony to stand it. I couldn't resist going window shopping, peering inside and looking at all sorts of things. Trinkets, art pieces, small statues and clothing. Too bad we didn't have time to stop and look, not that it mattered. I couldn't buy anything even if I wanted to. With no bits left, what could I get? That and the shops were all still closed; it was still pretty early in the morning.

Suddenly she smiled and pulled me aside. “Come, I want to show you something.”

We took a minor detour and ended up in a small park that overlooked the docks. In such a short time we had ascended quite a ways. Twilight walked over to the edge of the park and stood against a very flimsy looking fence. My heart started to race. It looked like a sheer drop from my vantage, so I stood back, but a part of me kept asking ‘what if Twilight slipped and fell?’

“Come on, Forest. I'm right here.” Twilight again offered me her hoof.

Trust her, ya big idiot! I muttered to myself.

Inhaling a deep breath, I took the five steps forwards and gripped her hoof as tightly as I could – again. My eyes were shut tight. The feeling of the strong breeze again my face failed to reassure me even a little. The thought of the drop a few feet away didn't help!

“Open your eyes, Forest.” Twilight giggled, “I can't show it to you if you keep them closed.”

Slowly, I opened my eyes and looked down at Twilight’s warm expression. My eyes refused to leave hers, “O-o-okay... I'll get over it, I swear!” I stammered. My head began to spin. “Sorry, Twilight. I think I need to step back from the edge.”

“There isn't an edge, silly. Look.”

And I did look. The park had a slow gradual descent before making a short sharp slope that fed into a large wall made of the same blue-purple stone. Even if I fell over the flimsy fence, unless I was a Pegasi, there was no way I'd be able to clear the wall. Well, with my luck something would probably launch me over it – or the wall would break apart.

I pointed to the wall, “What's behind that?” I asked, curious.

“I think more houses and homes. I don't know, it's been a long time since I've wandered the streets here. My status as the Element of Magic usually attracts a lot of attention. I'm not as free as I used to be, especially when it comes to walking around the place. In Canterlot I just usually teleport wherever I need to go. That is probably why I like living in Ponyville. At least there, everypony knows me and doesn't really hassle me... with being an Element.”

I smiled and laughed, “Still hassle you over other things, eh?”

She rolled her eyes, “Doesn't everypony? Anyway, look over there.” She pointed somewhere behind me.

Turning my head slowly, what I saw stunned me. I felt my draw drop.

“That's Cloudsdale. The Pegasi city where Rainbow’s from.”

“Wow!” I exclaimed, completely mesmerized. It was an entire city made of clouds! And it was floating! In the sky!

Where else would it float, you moron.

It looked so close, but I knew that it probably wasn't. Big things like that had a habit of looking closer than they actually were. Still, it looked so beautiful. The towers, the pillars, the sheer majesty of such an impressive city. I wanted to go see it right then and there.

My eyes slowly lowered themselves and I could see the Intrepid docked at the dockyard. I could even make out a grumpy Aiden still standing where we had left him overlooking the valley.

What's the matter with him? He’s not usually that cold towards me.

“And, I don't know if you can see it clearly, but there's Ponyville...” Twilight pointed somewhere in the valley.

Indeed, there it was! It looked so... warm, and cozy. And small. Very, very small. Home.

I'm going to miss it.

We continued on our way, eventually ending up on the corner in front of Aiden’s bakery. It was still shut, and there were no signs of an attempt to fix it. The windows were boarded up with plywood, and the door had a huge sign that read ‘Closed for Renovations’ written in red paint.

“Aiden not planning on fixing it?” I asked.

“Doubtful. Until Princess Celestia says otherwise, he’s going to be your guardian and will stick with you no matter what. So, he’s not going to live here in Canterlot until his ‘mission’ is done.” She suddenly let out a light laugh, “That was a fun day.”

I couldn’t help but laugh as well, knowing what she meant. “Which part? The part before Tiny beat me up, or after? Say, whatever happened to him anyway?”

“He’s doing community service downtown. I didn’t think you’d want to press charges against him, so I pleaded on his behalf and got his sentence reduced to a fine - and community service, of course,” She looked at me, “Or did you want to?”

From my experience on Earth regarding courts and the like, I shook my head, “Press charges? No, no. That’s perfectly fine. As long as he doesn’t beat me up again, I’m cool with it.”

We both laughed at that. “If I remember correctly, you beat him up.”

“As much as I would love to say that’s how it went, I can’t. I was desperate... and I just sort of... ran into him.” That was the first time I used my ‘explosive acceleration’ in that way. If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t have been able to do it during the Ursa incident. So, in a strange way, I owed the big bully for saving my life.

The main path up to the palace was decorated with banners, streamers and all sorts of sports-related themes. There were quite a few ponies here, even this early in the morning. They all seemed to be lining up along the sides of the street.

“Hey look, it’s Twilight Sparkle!” Somepony yelled.

“Oh no...” Twilight muttered as a mob headed towards us. They shoved me aside as they started begging her for an autograph, or show off some of her magic – typical fan-mania. At first she was resigned to humoring them, but after about a dozen I could tell she was getting annoyed.

“Hey! Everypony! Wait! Come on, Twilight’s being real generous with her time.” I shouted when it was apparent she was getting overwhelmed. “You do know that she could just teleport out of here at anytime, right? So, please... come on... give her some room to breathe.”

“Who are you?” A voice demanded, “Her coltfriend?”

My face exploded into a blush, “No!” They all began to ignore me. “I mean... yes!” That brought their attention back to me. “Now get away from her!” I pushed through them and placed myself in front of Twilight trying to look as threatening as possible, which probably failed miserably.

They looked at each other, then at me before taking a step back allowing her some breathing room.

“Thanks, Forest...” Twilight whispered from behind me. She gently pushed me aside as she smiled at a small colt who had backed off after my outburst. She motioned for him to come closer. Emboldened by this, a few more fillies and colts excitedly ran up to Twilight pleading for her to sign their souvenirs. By this time she had visibly relaxed and was gladly signing away, the adults seemed to be content with letting their children do all the work.

I had to admit, the ponies were actually very understanding. A mob like this on Earth would have started ripping Twilight’s hair out for mementos. Whatever the case, I was glad that she was able to relax.

“Thanks, Forest. I appreciated that.”

“Hey, no worries. I hope I didn't embarrass you too much by claiming to be your coltfriend.”

Twilight blushed a little and laughed, “Well, maybe a little. I've never had anypony say that before.”

I blushed from her reaction, “Oh... um...” Aw, great! Now I feel stupid.

“Shall we go?” She said when the last little pony ran off grinning from ear to ear.

“Alrighty. Lead on.” I said, following her.

Just then another filly ran up to us.

“Oh! Oh! Twilight Sparkle! Twilight Sparkle!” She called out a little too excitedly.

She was abruptly shoved aside by an older colt who had rushed right up to Twilight with a piece of paper, quite literally shoving it in her face.

Twilight's attention was too distracted and her vision blocked in a way that it was impossible for her to notice the filly. The colt was now begging her to sign whatever it was he wanted signed, jumping up and down excitedly. The newcomer was probably unaware he pushed the young pony to the ground.

“You okay?” I asked, offering a hoof to help her up.

“Yeah...” She said, taking my hoof and pushing herself up from the ground. She rubbed her front left knee – elbow? - then looked over at Twilight, her eyes still wide and hopeful.

“Hey!” I shouted, “Watch out! You pushed this filly to the ground, you bully!”

The colt spun around and looked at me, then at the young filly, then at Twilight. He grinned nervously at Twilight’s expression, “Sorry. I... sorry.” He quickly snatched his item from Twilight’s clutches and bolted off down the road.

“Shall I go teach him some manners?” I offered taking two steps in his direction.

Twilight gave me a look, “Forest...”

“I was kidding!” No, I wasn’t, and Twilight knew it.

“Hi there, sweetie. Sorry about that,” Twilight moved past me to the filly and smiled gently at her, “I couldn’t see past him.”

The young girl looked up at Twilight, her eyes opening wide. She was an Earth pony with a coat of bluish-green and her mane was red and orange. Seemed like a sweet kid. When Twilight knelt down so that her eye level was equal to hers, the filly's face broke into the sweetest, most excited smile I had ever seen.

“Oh... that’s o-o-okay...” She was visibly starstruck. “I’m your biggest fan! I know everything about you! How you beat Nightmare Moon, and Discord - twice! A-a-and how you fought the Changelings...”

Wait? Twilight? Fighting? Who or what was Discord?

Twilight was visibly overwhelmed by the praises and rubbed the back of her head, “Well, I did what any pony would’ve done.”

The young girl ignored Twilight's attempt at trying to be humble, “When I grow up, I want to be just like you! Saving ponies, being a hero and helping others in need!” Her eyes were like two big saucers. It was adorable.

Twilight blushed, “I’m not a hero...”

“You are! You so are! You’re the bestest hero ever!” And the little filly hugged Twilight grinning widely. Twilight was a little shocked, but in a good way, and hugged the filly back. “I want to be a hero too! A firepony! I want to help others, and protect them! Just like you!”

“Firepony?” I asked, confused.

The girls ignored me, “That’s a very noble profession. I think you’d make an amazing firepony.”

“When I was real little, a firepony saved my life. I don’t remember all of it, but I do remember how safe I felt in the firepony’s hooves.”

“Now I know that you’ll make an amazing firepony.” Twilight ruffled the filly's hair a little bit, “Do you want me to sign something...”

She shook her head from side to side faster than I thought possible, “No. I just wanted to talk with you. Anyway, I... I don’t have anything for you to sign. I came all the way here to meet you, but the guards said that I couldn’t go inside the palace without special permission.”

Smiling, Twilight walked over to a stand. There she picked out a plushie of herself, the shopkeeper visibly shocked to see the Element of Magic there.

Twilight walked back to us and knelt down again, “Now, who should I make it out to?”

“Aqua! Aqua Inferna!” The filly replied excitedly.

“To Aqua Inferna, my number one fan. May you be the finest firepony in all Equestria! With love, Twilight Sparkle!” Twilight dictated to herself, as she wrote with a marker (how she had a marker, I don't know, maybe she bought it at the stand) onto the doll itself along the flank over where the plushie's Cutie Mark was.

Aqua looked at the doll then gave Twilight another hug, which the unicorn returned. With that, the girl ran off with her newly signed plushie stopping every few moments to wave to her. Eventually she ran into the protective embrace of a pink mare.

“Mommy Strawberry!” She squealed in delight, “Look at what Twilight gave me!”

‘Mommy-Strawberry’ knelt down and listened to Aqua's excited rendition of what had just transpired. The pink mare smiled widely at what I assumed was her daughter, before looking over to Twilight and nodding gratefully. Then they held each others hooves and skipped down the road together.

I couldn’t help but chuckle, “You’ve made that filly one happy pony.”

“It is nice to have fans like that. I’m glad that I walked. If I hadn’t, I would’ve never met her.” Twilight’s smile looked different this time. It seemed so... peaceful.

“What’s wrong, Twilight?”

“Oh, nothing. It’s just everywhere I go, I get swarmed with ponies asking me for my autograph, or asking to show them something that only the Element of Magic can do. That's why I usually just teleport where I need to go nowadays, to avoid the crowds. Aqua's the first one in a long time that just wanted to... talk.” She looked at me, “Except you, that is. That reminds me. When we first met, you didn’t react to me at all. It was refreshing to be looked at... nonchalantly, but the fact that you didn’t even know what the Elements of Harmony were...”

“I blame my amnesia. Guess it worked to my advantage then, eh? I guess if I had known, you wouldn’t have been my friend.”

“I wouldn’t go that far, Forest. But yes, you certainly were less annoying than other ponies I’ve met for the first time...”