Celestia sighed. "This really is a shame. Well... you see, Dan..." She paused.

The door opened slightly, we both turned sharply to look at it. The entire room was deathly silent, so the noise alerted us both very quickly.

And there was Chrome, standing in the doorway and looking slightly embarrassed at the attention. "Sorry, did I interrupt something? I'm here to get Ebony... we kind of... forgot him."

I looked over to Ebony, he was still out cold. I shrugged. "Yeah, just come and get him. I would help you, but... something... stopped me last time."

Celestia looked away from me and slightly upwards for a couple seconds, then said. "Yes, I believe he was trying to help Ebony. Don't worry, I'll sort this out." She turned to Chrome. "Please, feel free to escort Ebony to his room, all he needs is rest."

Chrome seemed nervous about entering the room for some reason, but eventually dragged Ebony out of the room. By his tail. Not the best why of doing it, but it worked, I guess.

Celestia turned back to me and produced a large stack of paper, courtesy of her magic. She magic'd me a couple sheets of paper from the top of the pile. They were covered with writing on both sides. There was a quill rapidly writing on the top page, another blank sheet of paper replaced the top one as soon as she took it. She dispelled the large stack of paper, it disappeared in a pop of golden magic.

Celestia continued. "This is my log, a diary of sorts. It writes down everything I do in a way that I can go back to and read. In case I need to review a situation. These pages are of the last couple hours, read them through. While you are doing that, I will try to figure out what is happening here."

I took the pages out of her magical grasp, thanked her and walked over to a window, using the moon as a reading-lamp. I think Luna would be happy with me.

From what I could tell, the text she gave me was very close to 3000 or so words long. So it took me about half-an-hour to read. I was not a fast reader, nor an experienced one. Not to mention the fact I had to wrap my head around the fact of what actually just happened. I had no idea how, though. I had a feeling Celestia was about to give me another lecture on how magic worked, and that didn't go very well the last time.

So turns out, that invisible 'wall' was actually an ancient changeling queen or something. And for some reason, I could not see her, even though 'seeing things' is kinda my specialty here, having these 'powers' and all.

I finished the pages of text and walked back over to Celestia. She halted her one-sided conversation and took the pages from me, they disappeared in the same magical flare that the stack they came from did.

She smiled slightly. "I think, think, I know what has happened."

I put out my arms. "Well, your doing better than me, lay it on me."

She gave me a smug look. "You're not going to interrupt?"

I sighed. "Fine, I promise I won't interrupt."

She nodded happily. "Thank you, it is crucial that you understand what I am about to say."

She paused. For a very long time. I knew what she was doing, but I wanted to get this over and done with. I opened my mouth to speak, but she continued, with a mischievous grin.

Her voice remained serious. "Dan, I theorize that the reason you can see through my invisibility spell is because the magic used by me to cloak myself reflects off of the magic that is contained in you, since it is such an odd frequency. But, the reason you could see through Ebony's disguise may not have been for the same reason. I saw that in the memories I extracted from you and placed on the com-scroll a while ago, that you can see green specs in Ebony's eyes, yes?"

I nodded, not wanting to speak.

"This is not because you can see through shape-shifting magic, as I originally thought. You can only 'see through' invisibility. The fact is that changeling magic itself is invisible to you. Changeling disguises physically changes the changeling, and thus you can see it. But you could not, for example, see the aura of effect when Ebony lifted his wine-glass with his magic, could you?"

I thought back to when I was teaching Ebony to use the guitar. It never lit with that magical light that unicorns have. I shook my head, slightly shocked I didn't notice.

Celestia smiled. "So, you can see their disguises since they are physical changes. But you cannot see their magic itself."

I raised my hand.

Celestia rolled her eyes. "Fine."

I lowered my hand again. "Then why could I see Ebony's laser spell?" He had used it in the cave. Almost hit me.

"For the same reason you can see their disguises. It is a physical object. Well... laser in this case. The laser is not actually changeling magic, it is produced by changeling magic. Also, the specs you see in their eyes are actually their luminescent retinas. They use a spell to suppress them when they are disguised, but that is their magic, so you can still see it. Their retinas produce light, that is why Ebony's eyes glow slightly, it is also the source of their night-vision."

I thought for a second. "Okay... that actually kinda makes sense, considering it's magic we're talking about."

"Yes, I have been 'dumbing it down' slightly for you." She said, maintaining her goddamn grin.

"Gee thanks. But that does not explain why I can't see the-"

"What was that about not interrupting?" She asked, cutting me off. I gave her a blank stare. "Good. Now, I was getting to that."

She straightened herself slightly. "The reason you cannot see her, is that she used a changeling method of teleportation. So, in laypony's terms, she is covered, inside and out, in residual changeling magic. She is practically made of it right now. So you cannot see or hear her, since you cannot see or hear her magic."

I wasn't about to ask how teleporting worked, that speech would never end, if it were to start. So I just stood in silence and nodded my head, understanding somewhat, or at least trying to.

She continued. "So, in theory, eventually she will re-appear, into your vision. But it will take about a week, if we do not find a way to rid her of the residual magic."

I raised my hand.

Celestia rolled her eyes again. "We are working on a way to rid her of it, don't-" She turned away from me, craning her neck upwards slightly. "Pardon?... Oh, no. I don't think that would work." "Yes, but you would still contain the residual magic." "Yes, that would work, but then I would be invisible!" She said, laughing slightly.

I shrugged. "Hey, maybe it would be an improvement."

She gave me a mock-glare. She gave herself away by smiling. "Yes Dan, but it would also be rather bad for my health. So unless you have some 'out-side-of-the-box' human ideas, we'll just have to wait it out."

I thought for a second. "Use a bunch of magic, to use up all the residual stuff." I said, pointing a confident finger at the ceiling.

Celestia shook her head. "No Dan, it's the spells that create the 'residual stuff'."

"Oh... hmm, use a vacuum cleaner to suck it all up? I hear it works on ghosts, maybe it works on magic too."

She blinked. "...Vacoom cleaner?"

"Oh yeah, nevermind. It's a human thing."

She shook her head. "Sadly it seems we will have to wait." She turned back to the invisible figure. "I will however still have a team of my best unicorns try and figure out a way of speeding up the process."

There was silence for a couple seconds. I was not sure if the Queen was speaking or not, so I just waited, it seemed I had annoyed her enough already. Even if I didn't mean to.

Eventually, Celestia glanced back at me and said. "That would be rather sweet of you. I am sure Dan would like you to."

"I would like to what?" I asked.

Celestia fully turned towards me. "Queen Vicissit-" I am guessing she was cut off. She snorted a chuckle. "Vicissit would like to converse with you. Privately."

I blinked. "Erm, how do you plan on doing that?" I said, trying to look at the invisible Queen, but I probably missed.

Celestia answered for her. "She will follow you to room 271, I believe you have been there before?" I nodded. "There is a pencil and paper waiting in that room, she will converse through her writing."

"Hmm, good idea. Follow me, I... guess. I can't see you so... er... just... make sure to follow me." I said, awkwardly shuffling towards the door.

Celesti giggled. "She says she'll be fine. You two run along now, I have got a sun to raise tomorrow, so I have to get at least some sleep."

We all headed out of the doors, Celestia and me parted ways at the hallway, both going in different directions.

I looked back, seeing nothing but dark and empty hallways.

"I trust you are still following me?" I asked.

I got no response. I was about to reiterate when I felt a nudge on my shoulder, I turned and saw nothing.

"Oh, you're there. Okay, this'll sound weird, but can I keep a hand on you while we are walking, just so I know you have not ran off somewhere, and so I don't feel like crazy guy talking to thin air?"

I got no response aside from another nudge.

"Oh yeah... err, two taps for 'yes, you can keep a hand on me' and one tap for 'no, you can't'." I said.

I received two hits to my shoulder. I smiled.

"Thanks." I reached out, my hand around the height of Celestia's shoulders. Nothing. After a couple of very weird seconds of waiting, a surface touched my hand. "I'm guessing that's your shoulder?" The surface pulled back and hit my hand twice. "Oh okay, good."

Then the surface rose into the air, once it had stopped my hand was level with my head. "That's your shoulder?!" It nudged twice. "Wow, okay. No offence, but you are very large. Vertically, not... the other... direction... you know what I meant... You're tall."

I felt the surface shake slightly. She was laughing at me, great.

Eventually we made it to room 271, it was set up just like last time, two large sofa-chairs facing each other with a small desk in-between. But this time, it was my turn to sit on the wrong side of the desk. As there was a small pad of paper and a pencil sitting there on the desk.

I held open the door and waited way longer than a probably should have then sat down on the sofa furthest from the paper and I guess Vicissit sat on the one in front of the paper.

"So, you got me here. What did you want to talk about?" I asked as I watched the paper lift off of the desk.

The pencil scribbled onto the paper for a couple seconds, before it turned around.

"You are not of this world, yes? Tell me about your world." It read in very neat writing.

"Oh boy, that's a lot of possible answers. More specific maybe?"

She wrote under it, "History. Where are your species on the evolutionary ladder, and how did it get there?"

I shook my head, smiling. "This is going to be long. But also rather fun. Plus, you will be the first one I have ever told any of this, so feel free to take notes."

The notepad returned to the desk, and the pencil pressed against the page in anticipation.

I smiled.

I told her all about the multiple theories on how we were created. The scientific versions and a couple religious versions. I explained what religions were, and why they existed, so that she could understand what I meant. I went through everything that I could remember that those biology lessons back at secondary school told me about how humans developed, slowly making more and more tools and machines.

Soon (Aka: a couple hours and a sunrise later) I was explaining present-day technology. I even threw in the wars that I knew anything about. She was what... 7500 years old was it? I am sure she could take it. And she did. Almost every word I said was recorded onto the note-pad.

Once I had finished, I looked out the window, seeing the red sky outside. "Wow, okay. I've got to get to sleep. You okay to find your room?" I asked.

On one of the few remaining plank pages she wrote, "Yes, Celestia told me how to get there while you were reading her Log."

I nodded and headed for the door. Then a thought struck me. "Hey, you're Ebony's Queen right?"

"Yes." Was written.

I smiled. "He is going to be absolutely thrilled to meet you. You know that?"

"Oh I do. He could barely contain himself as we talked telepathically for the first time in years."

I chuckled. "That's Ebony. Speaking of which I should really get back to my room. The time is beginning to catch up on me." I said tiredly as I waved, turned and began to leave.

But a tapping noise stopped me. I turned back around to see note pad hitting the desk gently. It read, "Why is your room related to my scout?"

Ah, I could have worded that better...

"Well, if I remember correctly, Celestia told you that Ebony was in a relationship?"

"Yes. She did."

"Well... I'm the other half of that relationship."

The note was still for a couple seconds, before, "You are the one that has fed him? For all this time?" was wrote.

"Oh no, only for the last couple months. But I am also the one who revealed he was a changeling. Celestia was not at all happy about that, so I took him away from Canterlot for a while. 25 days in fact. Celestia eventually calmed down, and we returned. While we were away, we had to survive on what we could find, so he got me food, and I fed him love. It was purely to survive at that point, nothing romantic about it. But after a while, we decided that we were good for each other and made it official. That's okay with you, right?"

The note was again, still for a while. But the pencil eventually wrote "It is fine with me, as long as He is safe. Have you been keeping him safe?"

I laughed slightly. "Oh yeah, I literally put myself between him and Celestia when he was revealed. And Celestia meant business from what I could tell. Plus, a while ago..." I raised my hand, showing the still tender scar on both sides of my hand. "...This happened. Some guy who fought against changelings... kinda, came into a restaurant we were eating in. He had a knife... This one in fact!"

I held up the large knife. The note was scribbled on. "What did you do? And how did you end up with his weapon?"

"I kinda jumped at him and impaled my hand on the knife, that's how I got the scar. We tussled and I won, he died. Simple as that. Though I did slam Ebony's face into his plate while getting him out of the way. That's why there is a scar on his face." Ebony's scar had faded significantly, but was still there if you looked for more than a couple seconds.

"That explains his scar then. Thank you for doing these acts for Ebony's safety. Consider me in your debt." The note read.

"I would be a gentleman and refuse your debt, but I have learned that having royalty to back you up is a very good means to get out of things. Like, Celestia managed to get me out of having to spend time in jail once. Yes she had to kill herself and frame me for her murder, but it worked in the end." I said, chuckling slightly.

The note shook slightly. "Yes, Celestia seems to have a weird way of thinking sometimes."

"She certainly does." I said.

We exchanged some rather awkward and papery goodbyes and I left. Heading back to mine and Ebony's room. I opened the door and walked in, finding Chrome asleep on one of the couches, with a note beside him.

It read: "He said he was going to 'guard' Ebony. But I suspect he will fall asleep before you get back, Dan. Please leave him where he sits. - Luna

PS: Despite what Luna thinks, I am STILL awake. - Chrome st-" The ink trailed off the page.

The quill used to write the note was still held in Chrome's mouth... somehow. I took it out of his teeth so he didn't choke or anything.

I rolled my eyes and walked into the bedroom, Ebony was under the sheets. Smiling as he slept. Thanks Luna. She must have been giving him a nice dream or something while he was recovering.

I carefully laid down beside him, making sure not to disturb him. He needed his rest, from what I had heard. It took me a while to fall asleep, as I had slept against the wall outside the throne room that evening. But I eventually drifted away.

***

"Is he well"

I looked around me, a black void.

"Oh, sorry." She said. "This must be your first time. Let me help you with that."

The void around me faded. I found myself standing on a street corner. Houses and cars lined the roads.

"The hell?" I whispered under my breath as I looked around.

"This is a dream." She said from behind me. I screamed and turned, leaping back slightly. It was just Luna. "I am sorry, I did not mean to scare you."

I collected myself and stepped back up the curb I had fell off of. "No, no it's okay." I looked around again, it was strange to see my world again. "This is a dream?"

"Yes, this is a dream. Your dream. I used a familiar memory to create it's surroundings." She looked at a car, then up at a telephone pole. "Though I don't understand what much of this is."

I shrugged. "Human stuff. So what do you need?" I asked. Looking back to her. I tried to look casual, but I was still freaking out slightly on the inside.

"I wanted to know if Ebony was okay, as well as whether or not your meeting with his Queen went well. Celestia said you could not see her?"

"Ebony is fine, the meeting went well and no, I can't see her. Something to do with me not being able to see changeling magic, something like that. She had to talk to me through writing, since I cannot hear her either."

"Okay, that is nice. I will leave you to this dream." She said, turning and walking towards a portal of some kind.

"Wait!" I yelled, she turned her head. "What do I do here?"

She looked at me as if I was stupid. "Anything you want. It's your dream. Did you not have dreams back on your world?" She asked, looking slightly concerned.

"Not like this, no. The only dreams I ever had were all jumbled and meaningless. And I've forgotten most of the ones I have ever had. I've never been in anything like this before. It feels like I'm awake. Like, actually here."

She smiled. "Well, have fun." She said as she walked through the portal and it closed behind her.

I looked around the landscape. It was just down the road from my old house. Have fun? Anything I want? How? I looked down at my hands.

"Erm... fireball!" I pointed at a car. Nothing. "Aw..." I tried again, really trying this time. "Ffffffireball!" I thrust both my hands towards the car. Nothing.

"Well... this sucks." I closed my eyes and held out my hands. "Rocket launcher." I opened my eyes and looked down at my hands. Nothing.

I sighed and began walking down the street, going in no particular direction. I screamed as a portal suddenly opened next to me and Luna fell into me.

"Luna, what the hell?!" I yelled as I stood up.

She quickly righted herself, pointing her horn about the place. "I have detected violent entities trying to be created, did they make it in? I tried to stop them!"

"I tried to blow something up. Is that what you mean?"

She blinked. "You made those violent entities?"

"I... guess so. Let them in for a sec."

She looked unsure, but nodded. "Okay, I am no longer protecting this dream."

I held out both my hand and closed my eyes. "Rocket launcher." She didn't look any different, but apparently she changed something, because my arms were hit with an impossibly light and very typical-looking RPG. Probably from a game or something.

I looked to Luna with a face of pure joy. She looked to me in fear. "Dan... what is that?"

I pointed it down the street at a local shop and pulled the trigger. A projectile launched from the barrel and hit the shop. Turning it into a rain of rubble, budget food items and celebratory cards. "Yeeeahhh!" I yelled. "That was awesome. Thanks Luna. Literally, like, the best princess. Celestia never gave me a rocket launcher!"

She stood there and watched the dust settle for a couple seconds. "Dan... you're insane."

I looked to her, she flinched as the newly reloaded weapon pointed in her general direction. "Yeah, Celestia said the same thing a while ago." I pointed the rocket right at her. "What happens to ponies that die in dreams?"

She stared at me in fear. "...They wake up... wh-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence.

I woke up laughing. So hard in fact I actually fell of the bed, it wasn't a long fall, so I was fine. I looked to the clock on my bed-side table. 7am. Looks like time works differently or something in dreams. I looked down at Ebony as I stood, he was still out cold. Wow, he really DOES need his rest.

I stood and composed myself slightly. "What happens to ponies..." I chuckled as I walked out of the bedroom and into the main section of the apartment. "Celestia was right, I really am insane."

"I would certainly say so." I looked up from the floor to find Luna sitting by Chrome on the sofa, who was looking at me with a concerned brow.

Chrome spoke as I laughed and close the bedroom door behind me. "Why did you laugh just now?"

I shrugged, containing myself. "I killed Luna."

He stared at me, then looked to Luna, who sighed. "I gave him control over a dream last night. He created what I assume was a human-made weapon and-"

"Blasted her to pieces!" I finished for her. I didn't really get to see what the explosion did, as I assume it 'killed' me too. But I think it's safe to assume at least something came off in the blast, considering what it did to the shop.

Chrome looked like he was about to throw up. Luna just rolled her eyes. "Yes... you are lucky I like you Dan. The last pony to do something like that was sent to a mental institute and diagnosed with 6 different anti-social disorders."

I laughed. "Hey, I just like to blow things up sometimes."

They both gave me concerned looks as I casually whistled my way over to the kitchen and fixed myself some breakfast.

It's pancake time~

Updated:11/11/15
-Fixed grammar
-Fixed some tenses

Crisis averted, I think. That made sense to me. I spend the last couple days thinking about how to fix it and this was the best I could think of. The 2/3 day hiatus is over!!

Also, I made some more appropriate cover-art. I messed up a couple faces, but its better than the doodle I had beforehand. I made this one specifically for the fic, whereas I made the first one before I even began writing the thing. I didn't bother cleaning up the lines in the new one, I just needed something better than the first one. Plus I was bored and happened to have my tablet plugged in, it was the first thing that popped into my head. Probably because this fic has been plaguing my mind for the last couple days.

Oh and by the way, the new pic is 'Steve-Celestia-Dawn-Chrome-Luna' in the background.
And 'Ebony-Dan-Feather' in the foreground. Oh and the lantern, from the cave. I don't know why. --Image Updated Since--