I woke up again. This time, I dreamed of a great mystery.

Not surprising really. I DID sleep in the mysteries section. I guess they are magic. Hehe. Magic. As if...

Wait a second...

NO! Bad me! Back on topic. I woke up to the sound of... something frying. For a second I was thinking BACON! But then I remembered that I was in a land full of herbivores. So no bacon. Equestria suddenly seems not that great... But as I went into the kitchen, I smelled the air. It smelled like bacon. I saw Spike on a stool, frying something in a pan with a comically large chef's hat on his head. I cleared my throat to let him know of my presence, instead of scaring the crap out of him, because that had the potential to harm the bacon. I didn't want to harm the bacon.

He turned around, surprised, luckily not losing his balance or cool.

"Hey Cinder." he said, turning back to breakfast. "You're up earlier today."

I looked out the window, realizing he was right, the sun was just peeking out over the horizon. "So I am." I said nonchalantly, shrugging. "It was the smell of... Whatever it is you're making." I paused for a second. "What are you making anyway?"

Spike smiled. "I'm making hay strips. It's a new recipe I'm trying out. They're really-"

I didn't hear the rest, I was too busy running around the library, doing my best not to yell and wake up Twilight. Don't look at me like that! I couldn't help myself. There was a bacon substitute in Equestria! Now I REALLY want to go there. Oh, wait a second... Anyway, back on topic. After I calmed down a bit (Emphasis on "a bit"), I bounced back into the kitchen, still quite excited, just in time to hear Spike finish his story.

"And that's how I found this recipe and how Equestria was made!" He finished, turning back around to see me bouncing up and down with a smile on my face.

I had a feeling I had missed an awesome story. Then I got the strangest sense of Deja Vu. There was something about a cat there... Anyway, Spike bowed after he climbed down, holding the plate of hay strips over his head. They looked like golden colored bacon. If I had saliva glands, I would have fainted. They smelled like a mix between bacon and fried tofu. Both of which are awesome smells. I couldn't wait to taste it.

Luckily, it wasn't a present for Rarity. If it was, I probably would have exploded. Twice.

Because when I tried a piece, I almost died. It tastes like bacon. How is that even possible? I had just eaten hay bacon. Hay. Bacon. Don't question it. Magic.

After that breakfast worthy of a god (Ungehorsam approved of it!) I decided not to just sit around and read all day like I did on Earth, I was going to explore!

After Twilight came down, that is. She IS my temporary guardian after all. I need to tell her where I was going. Until then, I decided to start book three.

After Twilight came down the stairs, I went right up to her and asked I kept reading for a while before I realized she was up. By then it was almost 10 if my amazingly accurate internal clock was right. I walked up to her at one of the library tables. She had a serious bedhead. Or was it bedmane? Anyway, it was serious. It looked like crazy Twilight from the "Lesson Zero" episode times ten. Except without the crazy face. Twilight has the best crazy face.

She sat at the table, looking into space, obviously thinking about something. I decided now would be as good a time as any to test out the scaring ability in this tiny body.

...

Yeah I couldn't think of anything. So I just went up behind her and shouted the one thing that can scare a man in a missle silo surrounded by the greatest defensive technology in the world.

"Fire!" I shouted at the top of my lungs, right into her ear.

To say she jumped would be an understatement. I was glad we were inside, because I had a nagging suspicion that if we were outside, she would be on the moon. In a hundred foot deep hole. That she made.

She groaned, rubbing her head, stars above her head. Yes, there were actually stars above her head. I could see them.

Then, she jumped up, looking around. When she spotted me, she sent me a soul-freezing glare. I could feel my soul ice over. It was quite uncomfortable.

"Umm..." I started, looking around, anywhere except Twilight's face. "Hi?" I finished with a hopeful look at her.

"Cinder..." She growled menacingly. "Didn't you annoy me enough yesterday?"

"No." I replied without thinking.

She is really good at scaring the crap out of me with glares.

"Er..." I quickly replied, saving myself with my wit. "Is there anything I can do that involves not being in the library when you explode?"

"When? I explode? Cinder..." Twilight growled, her right eye starting to twitch a little bit.

"Like, restock on apples?" I suggested, starting to back away.

It was then that Spike saved my life. "Actually, we do need to restock on apples. If you want to, you can go and get them." he called from the kitchen. Twilight sighed and backed off.

"Come on Spike! I was getting revenge on Cinder!" she said, playfully annoyed. I was shocked at her sudden change in attitude, but was still wary of her. So I just ran out the door.

Of course I forgot money. So I had to go back and talk to Twilight again. Not at the top of the list, but it had to be done. After getting the money, I ran out the door again, taking in my surroundings. It was quite a beautiful day actually. The leaves on the trees were just starting to turn red, the two colors contrasting each other in a beautiful way. Then I realized something. I ran back into the library.

"Twilight!" I shouted. She turned toward me, obviously trying to resist rolling her eyes.

"What now Cinder?" she asked.

I looked left. I looked right. I turned toward Twilight. "Where the heck did I put the money?" I said quickly, before running out the door, earning a frustrated- no, REALLY REALLY frustrated scream from Twilight. I was laughing my head off.

I stopped running about a block away from the library. I assumed it was far enough away. Thought it probably wasn't. If Twilight exploded, then all of Equestria would burn. All of it...

I viewed my surroundings. I was pretty close to the town square, judging from the constant sound of ponies chatting coming from the... Let's just say North-West. I pivoted in that direction and started walking. Hopefully, I would make it there without anything too bad happening.

"Incoming!" I heard from behind me. 'Great,' I thought. '20 bits on it being Rainbow Dash about to crash into me'.

"Nope," I heard Ungy say before I was hit from behind by a very fast moving object that felt suspiciously like a scooter. 'I NEVER MADE THE BET! IT WAS ALL A LIE!' I thought. Then I realized something. I hadn't sung anything yet.

"I believe I can fl-" I began, but was cut off when I finally hit the ground. It hurt. Not as bad as I expected though. I looked up from the really deep hole I had just dug. How did that even happen? I was flying at an angle, the hole was straight down.

Needless to say, I dismissed it as cartoon physics. I heard three recognizably adorable voices coming closer. Then I saw three familiar heads peek at three points on the edges of the hole. It looked quite comical actually.

"How did you make a hole that big when we hit you going pretty slowly?" the familiar orange filly asked.

"Slowly?" The familiar white filly said, "If you call that slow, I'd hate to see what you call fast!"

"Fast is Rainbow Dash speed!" Scootaloo retorted, "Mach eleventeen!"

"That's not a number!"

"If it was it would be really fast okay!"

"You could have just said ten! Or five or something!"

"That would be too slow! Rainbow Dash flies at-"

I cut Scootaloo off, "She can only reach Mach one if I remember correctly."

"Oh yeah" Scootaloo said. "But that's still really fast!"

"Yes" I said, bored. "It is very fast. Now can you get me out of this physics-defying hole please?"

The three traded a look. "Oh yeah."

After about twenty minutes of attempting to get out of the hole, Twilight came by and got me out with magic. Nifty stuff that. I wonder if she could cook marshmallows instantaneously. That would be awesome.

After I escaped, Twilight took the money and went to get the apples herself. She was muttering something about "Carbonitium alloy of the third degree" if I heard correctly. Which I didn't. But anyway. After that brief encounter with the embodiment of magic, the CMC and I shared a glance.

"So..." Sweetie Belle began slowly, "What exactly are you?"

I stood there for a moment, silent. The I leaped up. "I am a Cyndaquil!"

"What's a-" Scootaloo started to ask.

"Nope!" I interrupted. "Nope! I already explained it thirty two thousand eight hundred and fifty times." I paused. "Minus thirty two thousand eight hundred and forty seven."

The stared at me for a second. "That's three." Sweetie Belle said, quirking an eyebrow.

"That's four too many." I retorted like a sir.

They stared at me for another few moments.

"Okay! I'll tell you." I said, exasperated.

After explaining it for a whopping fourth time, we made a mutual agreement to go to Sweet Apple Acres. By mutual I mean the literally forced me into the wagon and drove me there.

Although it was pretty fun, it was pretty scary as well. I mean, seriously! Scootaloo can make that scooter go very, very fast. I'm pretty sure I was screaming, but I couldn't hear much. We literally flew over the gate to Sweet Apple Acres and took a right into an apple field. I had about three seconds to admire the beautiful scenery before we reached our destination.

We screeched to a halt in front of a very familiar clubhouse of awesome. I looked at it. It seemed a little more fixed up from when I had last seen it. On television. In a cartoon. But that's beside the point. It was pretty and it was shiny. Well it was pretty shiny at least.

"This," Apple Bloom began proudly, "is the Cutie Mark Crusader clubhouse!"

"It's where we plan all of our plans to get our cutie marks!" Scooaloo added.

"Most of which end with us getting covered in tree sap..." Sweetie Belle finished, "Rarity always yells at me for getting sap in my mane."

I quirked an eyelid, "How does that work?" I inquired, "I personally find it quite difficult to get covered in tree sap."

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle looked at each other then at me. "Scootaloo" they said simultaneously. While said pegasus looked a little guilty. Only a little though.

"So is she a tree sap magnet or something?" I asked, cocking my head to the left.

"Pretty much," Apple Bloom said.

I was silent for a moment. "That's actually pretty cool," I said, much to the disdain of Sweetie Belle.

"No it's not!" she shouted, "It makes Rarity yell at me every time we go out to do something!"

"I see your point." I replied, remembering when Rarity had made an entire diamond dog den work for her because she whined.

"Back to the point!" Scootaloo yelled, jumping in between us. "We need a plan to get our cutie marks!"

"Cutie mark crusader sap magnets?" I offered, gaining a glare from Scootaloo.

"How about..." Apple Bloom said, thinking, "cutie mark crusader lumberjacks!"

"I have no objections," Said Scootaloo.

"I do," Sweetie Belle said grumpily. "It has the word 'tree' in it,"

"No it doesn't," I pointed out.

"It has something to do with trees then!" she shouted.

"Can't argue with that," I said, shrugging.

"So since Cinder's vote doesn't count because it's his first time-" Scootaloo began.

"Oi!" I objected, "I resent that!"

"Quiet!" Scootaloo snapped. "We are going to do it, so let's go,"

We stood on the crest of a hill, overlooking a lonely tree in the center of an empty field. It would be standing tall and proud, but it was old and hunched over.

"Okay," Apple Bloom began, "AJ has wanted to take this tree down for a while, but has never had the time to do it,"

"So we're doing it" Sweetie Belle said, giving the tree a critical eye. She was silent for a couple seconds. "What could possibly go wrong?" she said, shrugging.

"We're doomed," I said, knowing that that phrase was pretty much the signal for the destruction of the universe surrounding anything that related to the object in question that the phrase was about.

"I agree with Sweetie Belle on this one." Scootaloo said, shrugging. "There's not much that could go wrong with this,"

"Now there is." I deadpanned.

"Can we just go earn our cutie marks now?" Apple Bloom asked, exasperated.

"Sure!" Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo chorused.

"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS LUMBERJACKS!" They shouted simultaneously, reminding my ears of how they felt when a Pokemon used Screech. I went tumbling down the hill as the Cutie Mark Crusaders followed.

In seconds we were at the tree. We all stood still for a second, wondering what to do.

"We need something to chop this down with." Scootaloo said.

"Eeyup." Apple Bloom said. "There's an old hatchet in the barn that I found a little while ago while looking through a bunch of stuff."

"Let's go get it!" Scootaloo said, eager to get started. "Come on, you can show me where it is!"

The two ran off, leaving me with Sweetie Belle near the tree.

"Huh." I said, wondering how they could possibly have forgotten something that important.

"Do you think that you could have done something to chop down the tree before they left?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"Yep." I replied.

"Can you do it now?" she asked again.

"Try and stop me." I replied.

I went up to the old tree, testing the strength of the tree with the little stub thing at the end of my leg. I should really ask Twilight what the proper terminology for that was. The tree felt pretty hard, but I was confident that I could take it down with a couple tackles.

"Stand back" I said, trying to remember how to crack my neck. "This could get messy."

Sweetie Belle backed away as the tree and I had an epic stare-down of epic proportions. Then I ran at it, shouting 'Tackle!' as I went. I unwittingly felt my body shoot forward as I collided with the tree at an impressive speed. Back first. And of course I had forgotten what happened whenever I felt aggression of any kind, and using tackle counted as aggression.

So the tree caught fire.

The fire quickly encompassed the entire tree, which let out a groan as it fell to the side, leaving nothing behind but a pile of ashes.

All was silent for a few minutes.

"... That was freaking awesome." I said, nodding my head, turning to look at Sweetie Belle, who was just staring at the ashes.

"... I don't think that that counts as chopping it down." She said slowly.

"I don't care!" I shouted, running around in a circle. "That was cool!"

"Scootaloo is going to be-" she trailed off as I was hit by an orange and purple blur. "Mad..." she finished cautiously, watching as I got the tar beaten out of me by an angry pegasus.

She sighed as Apple Bloom walked up next to her, sitting down beside her. "This is going to be a long day." she said, lying down on the dry field.

I didn't want to be the one to tell Twilight that I had burned a tree down, but who else was? No one. So I didn't tell her and she would hopefully never find out.

I let out a yawn as I sat down at the table in the kitchen. Casting a weary glance to Twilight and Spike. I was sore and tired. Running from Scootaloo had given me the workout of a lifetime. But I eventually had got away, thinking of how I was going to apologize. I eventually decided I didn't.

We ate in silence. I was brooding, and Twilight was reading. Spike was happily crunching on a few gems. By the time it ended, I realized I had been eating hay for a quarter of an hour, followed by a "Bleh! Hay!" and an "are you kidding me" glance from Twilight. After that I sat down and read until it was about time for me to go to bed.

I searched the library for a suitable spot, eventually deciding to sleep in a gap left by Twilight in the research section.

As I drifted off to sleep I began to wonder what I was going to do if I had to leave.

A/N

Sorry this took so long, there was a lot of school stuff that was keeping me from working. High school is hard when you're just starting out! So anyway, thanks for the support and not yelling at me blah blah blah goodnight.