Leon opens his eyes. The bright purple flash had forced him to close them, and what he sees now is... Odd. A large, shimmering mass similar to a liquid window stood before him. "Oh my gosh." he mutters. He gets out of the small office chair and takes off his glasses. He really didn't need them anymore, since he got LASIK, but what the hell. Besides, these college girls thought he looked cute with glasses. He walks to the large mass and touches it. It reacts like gelatin, shaking all over. He looks through, and he sees... A library?

"Well, that's an unexpected result." a feminine voice says from his right. He takes a short step back, scared as to what may happen.

"Twilight, what exactly WERE you trying to do?" another voice, the voice of a young boy, says from more to the left. The sounds of movement reinforce the idea that someone is on the other side of this.

"Twilight?" Leon thinks aloud. All noise completely stops when he speaks.

"What was that?" the feminine voice, Twilight, asks her companion, who has remained nameless. Leon hears steps.

"Hooves?" he thinks, waiting for a figure to step into his vision. One does, but not one he would have expected. A pony with a lavender coat and a deep purple mane walks into his vision, and they both take a step back.

"What in Equestria is that thing?" the pony asks.

"What, what is it?" the other voice asks. More steps, then a reptilian, more humanoid animal steps into frame. He also takes a step back. "Whoa."

"Spike, did you get the notepad?"

"Wait, wait, wait." Leon says. The two animals take another step back. "I think we got off on the wrong foot."

"Don't you mean wrong hoof?" the pony asks. She finally gets a good look at the figure. Slightly taller than her, shaped similarly to a teenage dragon with less muscle, no scales, light colored skin, and a short, blood-red mane.

"No. I mean foot. I don't have hooves." Leon says with an annoyed tone. He holds his leg up, and takes off his shoe. Indeed, he doesn't have hooves. Instead, Twilight sees something similar to what a dragon's foot looks like, with five toes of varying lengths and no claws.

"What are you?" Spike asks. He can't stop staring at Leon's eyes, a piercing cobalt.

"I'm a man."

"A what?" Twilight asks.

Leon sighs. "A man. Homo sapiens? Sentient ape? Bipedal monkey? Human being?" With every suggestion, the two shake their heads no. "Wow, so I'm entirely new to you guys. So what are you?"

"A pony and a dragon." Spike bluntly replies.

Leon hits himself with the palm of his hand. "I can see that. How are you talking?" he asks.

Twilight raises an eyebrow. "What do you mean?" she asks.

Leon shrugs. "In my world, ponies and giant lizards-"

"Hey, I resent that." Spike interrupts.

"Fine. Ponies and dragons don't talk. In fact, we don't even have dragons, let alone talking ones. We don't have unicorns either."

"Wow, that world sounds like it sucks." Spike says. Twilight glares at him.

"I don't argue about that," Leon says, getting a chair and sitting down, "Not at all. This world is seven different kinds of fucked up." Leon checks his pocket and pulls out a cigarette. He doesn't smoke it, he just holds it between his fingers.

Twilight covers Spike's ears. "Please don't curse." she says in an agitated tone.

"Are you his mother?" Leon asks, spinning the cigarette on his fingers.

"Of course not... I'm what you may call his keeper and protector. I'm also his best friend." Twilight says.

"You're obviously the right choice for that, seeing as how much you care for him." Leon sighs. "Wish I had someone like that."

Twilight's eyes go from the agitation that was once there to a look of sympathy. "What do you mean?"

"I'm an orphan, for one thing." Leon shrugs. "Doesn't really matter, though."

"Of course it does!" Spike yells. Twilight removes her hooves from his ears.

"You could still hear us?" Twilight asks.

"Yeah."

"Wait, why would it matter? I don't dwell on it, why should you?" Leon asks.

"Because everybody deserves parents. I have the next best thing." Spike looks up at Twilight with happiness and admiration in his eyes. "She's been taking care of me for about thirteen years."

"It's been that long, huh?" Twilight asks. Spike nods. "Well, I was about nine when you hatched... And I'm twenty-two now, so your math is spot-on."

Leon coughs, causing the two to turn back to him. "Sorry to interrupt this beautiful family moment, but can someone explain the giant shimmering liquid glass... Thing in front of me?"

"That's a failed portal. It's supposed to allow me to enter wherever it's opened to. But as you can see..." Twilight taps it with her hoof, causing it to shake like gelatin again.

"Yeah, that would impede travel. So, science or magic?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Did you make this with a machine using science or with magic?" Leon explains.

"Oh, magic. An old spell I found... I think I used Toadstools instead of mushrooms." Twilight thinks for a moment.

Spike pokes the shimmering mass. He giggles in delight. "It's like a giant thing of gelatin!"

"That's what I was thinking!" Leon says, his mouth becoming a smile.

Spike smiles back. "Hey Twilight, can we try that spell again when we find out the problem?"

"I don't know..." Twilight says, looking at Leon like she was scrutinizing his every feature. "Wouldn't everypony else be a little shocked about... What's your name?" she asks the man, finally realizing that they've been talking for about ten minutes and neither side had introduced themselves.

"Leon. Leon C. Thompson." he says, smiling.

"I'm Twilight Sparkle and this is Spike."

"What's his last name?" Leon asks, although he knows he might regret it.

"I don't have a last name and I don't need a last name." Spike replies with an I don't care, don't judge me attitude.

"Fair enough. And I could just stay with you guys, so no one get's freaked out."

Twilight smiles, but then immediately frowns. "This mirror is going to stay open for days. You don't have any housemates, do you?"u

Leon smiles. "My roommate Nick's going to be back in a week. He'd probably like to meet you."

"Well, we'll try to keep this 'bridge' open and get the portal working after that." Twilight says. She smiles at Leon.

Leon smiles back. "I hope it works." he says, pulling out a match and lighting his cigarette. He looks around. "Work something out, I'm going to smoke outside."

Twilight and Spike nod. Leon opens the door, walks out, and slams it shut.