A few days had passed since the changeling invasion. From time to time, Elu would randomly feel a tingling sensation in his horn; and sometimes, it would emit sparks. They were dim and white, resembling fireflies during the night. Surprisingly, they attracted the attention of Elu's family pet — the fruit bat, also known as the flying fox. It would chirp curiously, watching Elu closely when he had the tingles. From his side, it was both adorable and somewhat creepy. Still not used to the presence of such a creature, the colt had some trouble closing his eyes while the bat looked at him.

During a night, Elu lay in his bed. It was no longer a crib, its protective rails were removed, turning it into a miniaturized bed. As he prepared to go to sleep, nestling into the bedsheets, the bat flew down from the ceiling and landed near him. Elu stopped moving, turning his head to face the pet. After a few seconds, he reached out with his hoof and lightly tapped on the bat's muzzle.

"Boop," he said, letting out a childish giggle. The bat blinked, and then touched his muzzle with a thumb of its wing in return.

"Bup," the bat echoed. Elu tapped its muzzle again, and the battle of boops started. For a few minutes, the two would give each other boops, caring about nothing more than to tire out the opponent. The colt was determined to win this random and silly battle, continuing to tap the muzzle of the bat. However, being a kid, he quickly tired out, and finally allowed the bat to win with one last boop.

Elu let out a chuckle and relaxed on his bed, closing his eyes. The bat stood by his side for a few moments before lying down and nestling close to the colt. Not minding such a development one bit, he snuggled closer to the warm and fuzzy bat and hugged it. And soon, the two fell asleep.

One day, Elu was minding his own business, trying to find a way to entertain himself. His parents were away to buy some groceries and other things, so he was left all by himself. At first, he walked around the house, climbing on different things, exploring each corner he could physically fit into. Once that grew stale, he found a ball and rolled it around, kicking and pushing it in different directions. However, it didn't keep his attention for long — he needed something more, something to keep him busy for around an hour.

"I'll invent the internet..." the grumbled silently to himself. "And games. And... ugh, I didn't get to play Metro Exodus!" he let out a sigh, "Not that I would be able to play it, my PC is crap... But maybe if I stayed alive for longer, I would buy a new one." he slapped himself on the forehead but quickly rethought: "That's just a minor thing, though. Who cares about one game? Things are generally better for me now. I just should use the time I have to its fullest," he looked up, "But I do need to invent the internet. As long as some sick bastards don't make the Darknet and other, uh, things... ugh..." shivers ran down his spine at that last thought.

As other random thoughts appeared in his head, he finally found something to entertain himself with. He returned to his bed and lay on it, eyes staring at the ceiling. It was the perfect opportunity to daydream.

In the future, he would be a nice colt. Probably handsome, too. As long as he exercised and ate healthily, he should be fine. He had the willpower to do it, he knew he did, he just needed a small push. He was certain his parents would provide just enough to get him started on what he thought would be best for himself. So, the future seemed bright and colorful just like the ponies surrounding him.

Then his mind shifted to finding a loved one. At the moment, his hormones were gone, and so his desire for a girl greatly diminished. It, however, still remained somewhere in the corner of his mind, waiting for its moment. While such a thought brought him excitement, it also brought fear. In his first life, he had only one love, and it was unrequited. It was a long story, spanning almost ten years, but those years marked one of the biggest failures in his life.

Now, when he became a pony, what would be different? Would he be able to avoid making mistakes that put him in the grave in the first place? Would he not end up in the same situation he did in his first life? He knew he was just a hormone-filled teenager with an almost constant boner in place for brains, but it was no excuse. He could've been better, he should've been better, he should've thought better.

Elu rolled on his side, now staring at a wall with a blank look on his face. The new world gave him a second chance, a chance to start all over again with all the experience he got. It wasn't something he wanted to mess up; he couldn't afford it. And yet, there was a seemingly immovable obstacle in front of him.

He was an alien. A complete outsider. And if he truly loved someone, he would have to reveal his true self to them someday. But who would believe him? When he wrote about it in his stories, it seemed so easy. But now he faced it in reality, and it looked so much more complicated. With a story, he could always edit some things here and there to fit the situation or the other way around; in this life, there was no going back. It was a constant movement, constant progress. With each second, he was traveling forward, and he couldn't turn around to change anything.

Such a thought scared him. If he made a mistake, he wouldn't be able to undo it. He wouldn't be able to make the situation better or revert it completely. And most importantly, all the consequences would affect him in many direct and non-direct ways. His actions had consequences, and he wasn't omnipotent anymore. He was the only character of his life story, and he had only one thing he could control — himself. Not his parents, not Luna, not anyone else at all.

He stood up from the bed, making a sigh. The daydreaming turned sour, and he decided to take a shower to wash it off. The sound of running water, the sensation of it impacting his body and flowing down to the bottom of the bathtub should be enough to calm him.

Once he entered the bathroom, he climbed into the bathtub and turned on the shower. As the water cascaded from the hose above, he let it sink into his fur. He felt it traveling across his skin, soaking his fur; it flowed down his face, making him close his eyes and feel the streams of the water. He listened to the noise of it, letting his thoughts fall back deeper into his mind.

He turned in place from time to time, changing his position to let the water wash different parts of his body. And then, a dark thought crawled into his head.

Just around a month ago, he was getting into the bathtub to electrocute himself, bring the end to his own life. And yet, now he didn't feel anything. He was familiar with the concept of PTSD, and he thought that if he were to survive, he would face it in some way. And yet, there was nothing — only a memory reminded him of what happened. Fortunately, the bathroom of the current house he was in was good. Tiles were whole, uncracked, and painted a nice shade of blue; the bathtub looked new, having no cracks or anything like that either; the lighting in the room was warm, an edge between white and yellow; no dust or web was visible; the ceiling didn't have paint peeling off of it.

Elu let a small smile appear in his face. The new situation was better indeed. He wasn't in a sad-looking bathroom to die; he was in a nice bathroom to enjoy some washing. The water was cool, but not ice-cold; the shower hose made it seem like it was raining. It was a nice sensation, one he could stay for and enjoy.

After another few long minutes, the colt turned off the shower and stepped out of the bathtub. He reached for a conveniently placed towel and began to dry himself off, turning into a fuzzy ball of fur in the process. His ear twitched as he heard the door open downstairs, and two familiar voices could be heard.

A wide smile made its way onto his face — he was not alone, he had someone to rely on. And most importantly, his new parents reminded of a whole another life ahead of him. With their help, he would be able to achieve his dreams. At the very least, he believed this.

"How are you feeling today?" Luna asked. She was visiting Elu once again, having found time in her busy schedule. The aftermath of the Invasion was dealt with, and the peace was restored in Equestria once again. The colt knew it would be disturbed time and time again, but for now, he could relax and just talk with whom he considered to be his friend.

"The buzzing in the horn and sleep aren't a good combo..." he complained, stifling a yawn and tapping his horn with a hoof. He tilted from side to side in an armchair, trying not to fall asleep. "But otherwise? I'm good, I suppose..."

"First magical surges are rather exhausting for foals, yes," the alicorn nodded in understanding. She saw Elu tense up, so she quickly added: "There's nothing dangerous to it. It would feel like... a huge relief once it's done."

"The same sensation when you feel your ear unclog itself when you didn't know it wasn't clogged in the first place?" Elu suggested.

"I suppose so, yes," Luna chuckled in amusement. "You know, Elu, you seem to come up with interesting and funny things to say rather easily."

"My mind is full of references and trivia," he replied with a playful smile, "Maybe not much in comparison to what some people know, but I've been collecting useless information for fifteen years! You know, since there are no memories from when I was younger than three or four years old. Also, technically, if I use that information in some way, it's not useless anymore..." he tapped his chin and then gestured at Luna, "Buuut you get what I'm saying, right?"

"Ponies can start remembering things from when they become one or two years old," the alicorn replied and then raised a brow, "Now, tell me... What is the age of maturity of your species?"

"That's a random question, but to answer it, I... I don't actually know for sure," Elu shrugged with uncertainty. "A lot of people say maturity comes at the age of eighteen. Personally? I think it depends on a person. Some are idiots at twenty, some are mature at fifteen. And I think I'm somewhere in the middle of that. Can't really say if I'm mature right now. Well, I'm not, since I'm a foal," he let out a short laugh. "But chronologically? I guess I'm mature... Even though it's not about time, and... whatever, I think you get what I mean."

"I agree with your views about maturity," the alicorn nodded, "As for us ponies, we take full responsibility at the age of fourteen. It might surprise you, but I'm pretty sure there is a big difference in our species' aging and development."

"That's what I thought, actually," the colt nodded enthusiastically, "Neither of us can really apply time to determine the mental and physical age. Speaking of that, how much is a year?"

"It is four seasons, and each season is one hundred days. A day is twenty-four hours, an hour is sixty minutes, and a minute is sixty seconds." Luna explained quickly.

"That last part seems way too familiar to what we have," Elu commented with curiosity, "How did you come up with that?"

"Unfortunately, this part was described in one of many books that were destroyed or warped during the reign of Discord. Are you familiar with Discord?" after receiving the nod, Luna continued: "So, we don't know why we use the current time. Some of our scientists have been trying to figure out—"

"Wait a moment..." Elu suddenly cut her off, hearing a buzz in between his ears. A spark appeared on his horn, quickly fizzling away. Another one followed, glowing more intensely. The colt asked in an uncertain tone: "Uh, is this it?"

"Alright, just stay calm, Elu," the alicorn told him, "Nothing will go wrong, I promise you," she looked him in the eyes with a soft and caring expression. "There is nothing to go wrong in the first place. Don't suppress it, don't fight it — just let it flow."

Elu nodded slowly as more sparks appeared on his horn, and they no longer faded. He closed his eyes and shakily exhaled, feeling power coursing from inside his body and concentrating in his horn. It generated more and more energy, making him feel like a balloon that is about to explode.

With a grunt, he released a wave of electricity, making his mane and fur stand up. In a moment after, he sneezed, and then finally opened his eyes. Luna was standing nearby, her mane electrified, and a confused look on her face.

"You don't look bad with that style," Elu commented on her looks. "That's classic metal look right there."

"Uh, what?" she asked, turning to him.

"Neeevermind," he replied, "Anyway... I feel better now. A bit tingly over my whole body, but I think that's the electricity dying out..."

"Well, it seems you did well for your first surge," Luna said, straightening her posture and trying to smoothen her ethereal mane. "It's comparably weak, but I'm sure more will come later. Possibly in a day or two. I'll try to find some time for you then, you could definitely use more ponies to help you go through this part of life. By the way, how do you feel after this discharge?"

"I... uh... I just said that. You know, feeling slightly tingly?" he said in puzzlement.

"Oh..." Luna blinked a few times, "Sorry, it seems your electricity messed up my thoughts. I'd say that's good news — your magic isn't weak."

"Oh yay!" Elu smiled widely. "In that case, onwards to magic!"

Author's Notes:

A note - yeah, my bathroom can look like something out of a horror film. Unfortunately, it seems my parents would like to spend more money on keeping my mom's hair color and all the cosmetics she's using than to, I don't know, fix a leak that's been there for a few years.

If I live long enough and earn enough money, I will get myself a house, and I will make sure it will be a nice place, a place worth living in.

I probably would've been slightly happier if I didn't live in an old soviet apartment that hasn't had repairs in forever.