As I left for Twilight’s place, I saw Big Mac and Applejack working on the fields to the left and right of the road. He was carrying baskets filled with apples into the shed and came back with empty ones. They were so busy bucking trees that no one took notice of me. I would thank them later for giving me a place to stay after I figured out a way to pay them back. I hated owing people. So much that I hated lending even one euro. I didn't have money, but I knew that Caramel was their only help and that they needed more.

My throbbing head didn’t really help my mood. When Twilight offered me a chance to visit Equestria, I was also thinking about visiting but not living. Slowly, I reached Ponyville, and the first villagers greeted me but flinched as they saw my face. Quickly, I wandered down the road and got to where I wanted. The candle in the door wasn't lit and indicated that the library was closed. Nonetheless, I knocked on the door. Nothing happened, so I knocked again, and this time I listened. I could hear hoofsteps and then the door also opened. A small pegasus foal opened the door sleepily.

“We´re still closed. The party yesterday went crazy, and we still have to clean up the mess,” he moaned. His fur had a purple similar to Twilight, just a few shades brighter. His mane was a mixture of the colour of his fur and white stripes.

“I suppose you are Dawn?” I said, still a little bugged. He nodded and moaned again, but this time he covered his mouth with his hoof.

“I´m looking for your mother. It´s really important.” This time, I spoke calmly. I had affection for kids and liked to play with them. Probably because the difference in age between my brother and I was so big. I was used to it, and it wasn't his fault.

“She left this morning for Canterlot because of something important. If you wanna borrow a book, please come back later when Spike is there to help you.” I looked over him, which was not difficult, and I saw the remainders of the party all over the place. Since Twilight was in Canterlot, I couldn’t do anything.

“Please tell your mom that Tio was here and that I badly need to talk to her.” The foal rubbed his eyes and stretched his wings.

As I was about to leave, he said, “Then you are the reason we didn’t get any sleep? Come in. Mom left a note for you.” He opened the door, and I now saw the whole dimension of chaos Pinkie’s party had caused. I don´t know how much I had contributed to the chaos, but I felt guilty nonetheless. A shelf was lying on the ground, and the books were scattered all across. The table had buckled on one side and some jars looked like they had fallen down. I hoped that it was a foldable table. Confetti was also everywhere. Dawn guided me through the chaos into the kitchen and pointed at a parchment. “I feel bad for Spike,” giggled Dawn as he saw my reaction to the chaos. I ignored his reaction and opened the scroll, which was quite difficult to do with hooves.

Dear Tio,

I´m sorry for not telling you everything. I don´t know whether you heard me yesterday, but I hope that you give me time to explain. I´m already working on solving the problem which probably made you hysterical, but I can´t promise anything. Please enjoy your stay until I´m back, and if you need some bits, ask Spike. He can give you some. I´ll be back near the end of the week to answer all of your questions. And hopefully know how to solve your problem.

Hopefully still your friend,
Twilight Sparkle

I read the letter again and summed it up in my mind. Twilight knew that there wasn't a simple way back for me and still brought me here deliberately. When she realized that I found out and went crazy about it, although influenced by salt, she put everything, her work, her son aside to find a solution. Did I always have to screw up? If I had just told Twilight right away that I was a human, she wouldn't have brought me here in the first place. I recalled the conversation I had overheard. “It was so cold,” she had said. She wanted to show me how the rest of ‘my’ kind lived. It was obvious that she thought I would be happier here, and she must have been convinced of it. Her impressions of my world clearly weren't the best either.

My own brother letting a pack of carnivores loose. The Christmas story was also very sad and only in the end, where she never got to, was it happy, and then the news broadcast. The world must have seemed cold and cruel to her as one didn’t belong there. A pony alone in such a strange world. I was at least as guilty as Twilight. Slowly, I began to rage more against myself than her. I was such an idiot. Why didn't I just tell her the truth? I lied, no, even worse, I kept her believing.

Dawn came back into the kitchen. I didn't even notice when he had left. “Everything okay? You don’t look very good.” He really took after Twilight.

“Yeah. Everything´s fine.” I came to a conclusion. When Twilight explained herself, I would do so as well. By the end of the week, I would tell her the complete story. But for now, there was something more important: this mess. I was responsible for it to some extent, and I wouldn't feel comfortable letting Spike clean it alone.

“Dawn, could you please wake Spike. We're going to clear the deck now,” I said with my newfound motivation. I wanted to stay in Ponyville this week anyway, so I could follow Twilight’s advice. I would make the best out of my situation.

“Clear the deck?” Dawn asked.

“You know, tidy up.” I smiled as he sighed. You won't get around it, buddy, I said to myself. I went into the library and lifted the shelf from the ground as Dawn slowly walked upstairs. It was relatively easy, considering that the shelves’ contents were lying everywhere but on the shelf. As the shelf got to its former place, Spike and Dawn walked down the stairs. Just like Dawn had done previously, Spike rubbed his eyes before greeting me.

“Morning, Spike,” I said happily. “If you clean up now, you’ll get some free labour.”

Spike seemed grateful and dashed past Dawn and started picking up the books.

“Why are you helping us Tio? This isn't your business, is it?” he asked when he finished packing the first shelf.

“No, but I partied as much as the other ponies, and cleaning afterward goes with that. I also owe you one.” The dragon seemed to remember the incident with Rarity, and he gave me an angry look as he looked at me. Then, as he looked at me, he noticed that my shorts were missing.

“Oh, so all of a sudden, the fine pony can go without them?” he asked sharply. Dawn used his wings to gather the confetti in one corner.

“I guess all I needed was a little salt.” I laughed. Spike rolled his eyes and went back to work. After some time he found my beloved shorts between some books and held them like a trophy before he threw them in the bin. I knew that I would lose them; I just didn't know Spike would be the one to end up trashing them, literally.

“So, Tio, why don´t you simply use magic to clean? Everything would be much faster that way,” Dawn said.

“Because I can´t use any except for maybe levitating a few feathers. And even then, the wind has to help me.” That might have been shameful for a real unicorn, but it was just funny for me.

“I think mom would go crazy if she couldn't use magic anymore.” You have no idea, my young friend. Still, I wondered. Dawn was about as large as the Cutie Mark Crusaders or at least regarding to their height in the series. If he really was Twilight’s son, he must have experienced when Twilight went crazy. But if he was adopted, then why was he so similar? I would have to talk to Twilight or Spike about it… alone. Luckily for me, the table actually was foldable, and we were able to clean up the whole mess in just about two hours.

“Done,” I said finally. Happily, I inspected our work, and I could now recognize the library. I also found my saddlebag during the cleaning. Spike came out of the cellar where he had carried the trash and gave me a pouch.

“Twilight said you should take this.” I laid the pouch on the ground, and even before I opened it, I could recognize the unmistakable sound.

“No thanks, Spike. I don´t want alms. I was going to help Applejack on the farm in order to return the favour. Maybe she even has a job for me.” The dragon shrugged and took back his pouch while mumbling something I couldn't understand.

“Spike, before I forget, do you have a book about transformation magic?” He nodded and climbed up on a small cupboard. He scrambled a bit and returned with the book before he placed it in my bag.

“Thanks. I should really go to Sweet Apple Acres now though. See you.”

“Sure, see you.“

“Wait, Tio. I want to go there as well,” Dawn said as he walked past me towards the door. “Sweetie Bell and the others are most likely already waiting for me.” I asked myself whether the mention of that particular name had a special reason. I always could sense such affairs miles against the wind, at least if I was not involved.

With Dawn guiding me, I didn't have to look out for way points, and we quickly arrived at the border to the farm. When we reached the fence, Dawn leaped over and disappeared into the bushes. I thought about following him, but the incident with Big Mac yesterday held me back. So I decided to take the long way, and about five minutes later, I arrived at the entrance. Applejack was lying on the porch, seemingly taking a break. At least I didn't have to search for her on the giant orchard.

“Hey, Applejack!” she looked up to me while she stretched herself.

“Well look who came back from the dead. I was thinking ya would still be asleep, sugarcube. Ya really hoisted a few too many,” she reminded me of yesterday’s disaster.

“Didn't Big Macintosh tell you that I was awake?” She shook her head.

“Ya´ know we don't talk much.” I only could agree with her on that one.

“But how do ya´ know his name? I didn't introduce him to ya, did I sugarcube?”

“I asked Spike earlier today.” Phew, close one. Applejack just nodded knowingly.

“An´ what exactly can I do for ya?”

“I wanted to ask whether I can help in some way. I want to return the favour since you gave me a place to stay.” She gave me a strange look and then started to laugh.

After a few seconds of me keeping a straight face, she stopped and said, “I hope ya ain't offended, but ya ain't exactly looking like a hard worker.” She was right. Chopping wood or stacking stones was not that I would call hard work. I was never allowed to do most physical work due my asthma, but I hadn’t noticed it a single time here, so I was confident.

I put my saddlebag aside and replied, “I can at least try, right? There´s always a first time.” She looked at me for a few seconds and then agreed. I was expecting to talk her into letting me work, but I was happy that she wasn't as stubborn as in the one episode where she tried to do everything all alone. Actually, everyone behaved a bit different than I knew from the show. They weren't the same ponies, and I supposed it would be better to not expect them to be. I wouldn't like it either, being treated as an image of myself that was inaccurate.

“Then let´s see what we got for ya.” We went to the nearest apple tree, and with a precise kick from Applejack, all of the apples fell into buckets which Big Mac had carried out this morning.

“All yours.” She made an inviting gesture with her hoof. I tried to copy her motion as well as I could. I pressed my front hooves into the dry ground and flexed my hind ones. Like a spring, I released, and they hit the tree with a thunk. I could feel how the shockwave went through me and made my teeth chatter. Aside from one or two, all fell down, which not only surprised Applejack but also me. Not all of them landed in the baskets though, but I was satisfied, and Applejack seemed to be as well. I turned around and tried to get the last ones with my levitation off the tree, which only caused Applejack to smack my shoulder.

“Ya can use your fancy magic elsewhere. Here on Sweet Apple Acres, we work with our hooves and nothing else, understood?” I nodded. The pain in my left shoulder where she hit me was immense even though she had barely struck me.

“I can´t use magic whatsoever. I just started learning to use magic a few days ago.” Applejack looked at me, surprised.

“A unicorn who ain't using magic? I like ya, fella,” she said and hit my shoulder again. “Then keep going that way and we just might have some work for ya.” She said, smiling.

After tree number two hundred and one, I stopped counting and slowly starting to feel exhausted. Applejack told me I should stop when it became too much, but I wanted to prove something. Not only to her but also to myself. In the hours I spent working, the only distraction was a sleeping Rainbow Dash in one of the trees ahead of me. I didn't want to let this chance go by. I stepped next to the tree and gave it the strongest kick I was capable of. Not only the apples but also a pegasus with a rainbow-coloured mane fell on the ground.

“What in the hay, Apple... Oh. Tio, it´s you. What did you do that for?” she asked while getting back on her hooves, and this time I was the one laughing.

“Revenge.” I grinned. I expected her to pay it back, but after a few seconds, she joined me laughing.

“Man, your laughing really is horrible.” She looked around and saw only bucked trees around.

“So AJ put you to work for your little performance yesterday?”

“No, I offered my help for the accommodation.” Rainbow made a bored face.

“Lame...” I was more interested in what she meant.

“What performance do you mean? Me wreaking chaos at the party?” Now she was all into my words again.

“Don´t tell me you forgot what happened?” When she realized I wasn't about to answer, she started laughing again. “It simply gets better and better.”

“Come on, tell me what happened?”

“No way,” she said, and before I could ask, she continued, “Revenge.” She poked her tongue out at me, grabbed her pillow which was still in the tree, and flew away. Women and their little secrets, I said to myself and got back to work, but not for long. Less than ten trees later, I was done. Judging by the sun, it had to be late afternoon by now, which meant that I had been working for about three to four hours. Now I knew why Applejack was so strong if she did this the entire day.

I wanted to get back to the house, but I had forgotten the direction I had come from. I was lost. I was definitely an excellent farmer. I glanced through the woods, trying to get a view of the house, but I couldn't see anything except trees, which made me decide that it would be the best if I followed the filled baskets. But I soon realized that I had no memory of the way I came either. I don't know how long I was wandering over the fields searching for the farm, but I finally saw the clubhouse of the Cutie Mark Crusaders. The girls and Dawn surely knew the fields like the back of their hoof. I walked up the small ramp and entered the clubhouse. It was decorated very roughly as I expected. Aside from a chest of drawers, a map, and a table on a small carpet, the room was pretty much empty, but the map was everything I needed. It wasn't the one I knew from the series but a more detailed one. Important places were marked like the farm and the clubhouse. According to the map, the trees blocked the view since I was no more than two minutes away. I left the house and ran into déjà vu. Big Macintosh was standing at the bottom end of the ramp, glaring at me.

“Hey, Big Mac. Good to see you.” This time, I wasn't conscious of any guilt I could have. “I was looking for the way back. This farm really is gigantic; makes it easy to get lost.

“Eeyup.” Although he responded normally, something seemed to be bothering him.

“Can I do something to you?” If I had to stay at least a week or even more, then I had to get rid of this thing between us.

“Nope.”

I waited shortly and asked, “Would you mind telling me what´s wrong then?” How do you solve a problem you're not even aware of? He still looked at me with his cross look and I thought about forcing him to tell me. I knew he had Smarty Pants somewhere; at least I thought so. But that wouldn't be the ideal way either and would only increase the tension.

“Keep your hooves of my sister.” He bristled with anger, his words ripping me out of my thoughts. His answer hit me totally unexpected, and I was so stunned that I didn't even know how to react. Was that something he told every stallion who came here or was it just me? He didn't wait for my answer and went his way. I marked this as an encounter as the fourth of its kind since the encounter of the third was already taken by Pinkie. I watched him for a minute as he disappeared towards the farm. It wasn't clever to go there now, and it was also time to apologize to Fluttershy.

That was easier said than done. About midway, I realized that Fluttershy’s house was on the other end of the town, and with my awesome orientation, it could only take hours. I asked several ponies in the town for the directions to reach the house before midnight. When I finally reached my destination, the sun had already gone down, and the evening’s red was reflecting in the windows and in the river in front of the house. For the entire walk, I tried coming up with the words I would say, but with the first knock on her door, all of it dissipated. I listened, but I couldn't hear any hoofsteps, which surprised me even more when the door suddenly opened.

“Yes?” asked a quiet voice, and I saw Fluttershy looking up to me from her bowed stance. As usual, her mane covered her right eye, but I only needed to look at the left one to see that my presence made her uncomfortable.

“Hello, Fluttershy, I don't think I´ve introduced myself before. My name is Tio. It’s nice to meet you. I’m here to apologize for what happened yesterday. I didn't quite have a clear mind.” She opened the door a bit wider.

“Come in… umm, I mean if you want to.” Now she opened the door completely, and I gratefully accepted her invitation. I entered her living room which had stairs leading upstairs and the entrance to the kitchen in it. As one could imagine, her house smelled like a petting zoo, just without the excrement. Since animals were capable of understanding the ponies, they were probably kind enough to do their business in the forest.

“Do you want ... umm some tea?” she asked shyly, the way I was used to from the series.

“Yes, please. I’m dying of thirst.” She pointed towards her sofa, and I sat down and waited until she came back. The walls had small holes all over them, giving the small animals an easier way through the rooms. Beneath the ceiling were several bird houses, but none of them were occupied, so they were most likely just decorations. After about a minute of me inspecting her home, Fluttershy came back balancing a tray on her back, placing it on the small table. She gave me a cup and then sat down in her armchair. I had to try out the balancing thing; it didn't look too hard for her. We sat in silence for a while since I just didn't know what to talk to her about. I liked Fluttershy in the series, but she had the most opposite characteristics compared to me. I liked to meet new people and talk a lot. I was like the counterpart to her.

“Err, regarding yesterday, I'm sorry that I scared you. From now on, I'll keep away from salt, so such things shouldn’t happen anymore.” She nodded as I took a big sip of the tea and emptied the cup in one gulp. The tea was hot but also good.

“So I umm... heard from Twilight that there are also animals in your world?” That was the first real thing she said to me

“Yes, we have pretty much every animal that I've seen here so far. Birds, squirrels, and so on.” Animals were her area of expertise, so it was clear that she would be interested in such matters.

“Is it true that humans ... eat meat?” I nearly spat out my tea. Could I tell the innocent Fluttershy about something like that? But I already knew where lies had gotten me.

“Yes,” I said shortly.

“What kind of meat?” I was surprised that she was so open all of a sudden, especially regarding a subject which scared Twilight so much. On the other hand, I was happy that I now could speak normally with her.

“Most eat beef, pork, or chicken. But it's mostly just a side dish to all kinds of vegetables.” She took a sip.

“So did you ever … umm, eat meat?” My heart skipped a beat. “You don't have to answer if you don't want to,” she added when she saw my reaction. I was thinking of how I could possibly explain it, but Fluttershy added, “You see, I care for all kinds of animals, even carnivores. I'm just curious how a species which is intelligent as we are that also eats meat behaves.” That was a question I would have more expected to come from Twilight, so factual. I really had to stop thinking of them as the ponies of the series.

“Humans don't eat other humans. Well, there are some who try, but it's a major crime and is punished. But there are also those who have sworn off meat. So there are both extremes. And to answer your first question, yes I have eaten meat.” Somehow, I felt as if I should feel ashamed for it.

“Does it taste… nice?” She really took it more calmly than I would ever expect.

“For a long time it did, but after an incident, I gave up. It just wasn't the same anymore.” She nodded again. “Why do you wanna know?” She had gotten me curious.

“I feed a lot of animals the same food we eat, so I can try it out first and make sure it's still good, but meat is a problem. I couldn't bear the feeling of eating another creature.” It was so simple that I never would have even gotten a hint of the real answer. I could weep for tears since I was already thinking of shed.mov after those questions. Sometimes, having seen too much was really a curse. A look out of the window showed me that the last sun rays were nearly gone, and I still had to get home.

“Thank you for the tea, Fluttershy, but I have to go now. It's getting late.” She also looked out of the window.

“I think you are right.” Fluttershy stood up and took my empty cup and carefully placed it on the tray. I did the same and slowly walked towards the door.

“I don't mind to continue our talk another time. So, see you later, Fluttershy.” I opened the door and waved to her. With the tray on her back, she waved back.

It was unfortunate for me that I had misjudged the time, and by the time I reached the small town, the moon and the stars were the only ones left. All except very few houses were covered in darkness. I walked slower than usual due the fact that an injury sure doesn't come in hoofy. While walking under the moon, I kept thinking the thoughts I already had the entire time, just in a completely different direction this time. I didn't think of what would be but of what was going to happen in the worst case instead. Well, if that was the case, I would simply be on the moon. But I thought of what I´d do if I came back to the “real” world as a human. How should I explain all of this to the press and the police? If I returned as a pony, it would be more important to not end up in some kind of lab. I mean, how could I prove that I was a human once and those rights counted for me? What would I do if I had to stay here and later turn back to a human? Being here as a pony was rather enjoyable and my first choice after returning as a human, but as of right now, I didn't want to deviate from plan A. That meant that I would work on the book about transformation magic tonight.

I reached the entrance to Sweet Apple Acres and just made the first steps towards the house when an angry Applejack approached me. The moon shone at just the right angle so that I could barely see her face. I twitched, expecting another hit ten times stronger than the one she gave me earlier, but I heard her angry-sounding voice instead.

“Thank Celestia you're finally back, sugarcube. Ya can't jus´ go missing. I already thought you lost yourself and somehow walked into the Everfree Forest. Ya gotta tell us when you wanna stay away late.” To me, she sounded more worried than angry, but I didn't know whether that was a good thing or not.

“Sorry, Applejack, I was finished with work and wanted to visit Fluttershy to apologize.” She sighed.

“All right, sugarcube, but next time, give notice when ya leave.” I nodded understandingly. “Now come inside. The others are all already asleep.” I followed Applejack back to the house but not without picking up my saddlebag which was still lying in the entrance. We went up the small stairs to the sleeping rooms, said goodnight, and went into our respective rooms. An apple and my glasses were still on the night table. I ate the apple and put my bag into a corner of the room. I took the book and lied down on the soft mattress. I flipped open the first pages, but I didn't get any further.

Author's Notes:

Edited by JBL. Thank you!