“Ty! I’m back!” I called as I entered into the library. I didn’t get an answer. “Tyyyy! Hello?” Still no answer…

“He must still be asleep… I couldn’t imagine toiling with A.J. taking THAT much out of him, though…” With that thought, I walked up the stairs into my bedroom to find it devoid of any life. I noticed that the bed had been made, meaning that he had to have woken up at this point…

“Tyshawn! Hey, are you here?” Still no answer… I was beginning to feel a little worried that he’d left. But then, I specifically instructed Spike to give him that letter as soon as he was awake. Could he have forgotten? I trotted back down to the library, contemplating where he could’ve gone… That is, until I noticed a sheet of parchment set on my reading desk. Curious, I enveloped it with magic and brought it to my sight:

Twi,

If you’re reading this, then I didn’t make it back home in time. I got your letter from Spike, but went to Fluttershy’s house to help her feed her animals real quick. According to her, I shouldn’t be long. Sorry for the inconvenience.

Love,

Ty

P.S. Nine months!? We should celebrate!

“*sigh* Darn it…!” I was annoyed that he disobeyed me, but I suppose I couldn’t blame him for helping out a friend. In any case, if Fluttershy’s is where he was headed, then maybe he was still there. Not wasting another moment, I cast a teleportation spell on myself to make the trip quick…

*POOF* I’d arrived in the vicinity of the cottage, taking note of all of her animals frolicking in the area. I couldn’t help but crack a smile at how cute they were, but I needed to talk to Fluttershy. I trotted up to the doorstep and knocked.

“Fluttershy? Fluttershy, are you home? I need to talk to you!” I waited a few seconds that seemed to go by incredibly slowly before the door was finally answered. However, what I was greeted with shocked me.

“H-hi… *sniffle* Twilight…” my pegasus friend greeted, her face soaked with tears. She’d been crying for some reason.

“Fluttershy? What’s wrong?”

“Oh… n-nothing… please, come in…” I obliged as I followed the surprisingly-saddened yellow mare into her home. We sat down on her sofa, where Angel Bunny leapt beside her to console the poor girl.

“Why are you crying?” I asked in urgent concern.

“It’s… nothing, really…”

“…Are you sure it’s nothing?” I skeptically asked again, feeling more worried that she couldn't be honest with me.

“No… actually, there is something wrong…”

“Well? What is it? Whatever’s bothering you, I can help you…”

“Okay… but… can you promise not to be mad at me…?”

“Mad…? How could I possibly be mad at you, Fluttershy?” she gained my undivided attention with that simple implication of me developing any negative feelings directed towards her.

“Because… because…” she hesitated and whimpered. I assumed whatever she was trying to tell me was really bothering her…

“Fluttershy…” I rubbed her back with a hoof. “Please… you can tell me anything. We’re best friends, right?”

“Y-yes…” she looked at me and smiled. Almost immediately, however, the smile faded into a look of guilt as she refocused her gaze to the ground… “It’s just…" She took a deep breath before responded. "I think I like Ty in that kind of way that you like him but I know he’s your special somepony so I was really nervous when he offered to help me but I let him come along even though he said he was still in pain from helping Applejack and he did a really good job but then I invited him to have lunch with me and we talked and then I tripped and he caught me and I scared him off because I’m dumb and ugly and I’m really really sorry...” the grieving pegasus took a very deep breath after she finished her distraught rambling while burying her face into the palms of her hooves and letting free a new wave of tears.

I wasn’t sure how to feel. She LIKED Ty? The way I liked him? She had lunch with him? And scared him off? A large part of me wanted to be highly upset with her… but I trusted both her and Ty enough to at least gather more information on the incident before drawing a definitive conclusion. Another part of me felt worried… for both of them, considering how Fluttershy mentioned scaring him off…

“Oh… wow… well… first off: You’re not dumb OR ugly. You’re one of the prettiest, most kindhearted mares in all of Equestria. And who knows how to take care of wildlife better than you do? You HAVE to be smart to do that, right?”

“Yes… *sniffle*”

“Yeah, see? You have nothing to worry about in terms of your looks or intelligence. Don't beat yourself up for Ty running away. It wasn't your fault. If anything... he was... probably scared of how pretty you are..."

"But I'm sure he thinks I'M prettier...!"

"Whoa, where'd that come from? Ah, it doesn't matter... I need to focus..."

"If… you don’t mind me asking… how… long have you… had this crush?” I shuddered with contempt and disdain asking that question. I couldn’t stand the thought of him being with somepony else. He was mine and mine alone.

“Since… the Hearth’s Warming party… when you and Rainbow tricked us into standing under the mistletoe…” I mentally kicked myself for that… I should’ve known that would come back to bite me somehow… It’s a good thing I Pinkie Promised not to pull any tricks like that off again…

“Oh… and… when he was here, did you or he say or do anything out of the ordinary?” I just HAD to make sure nothing happened between them…

"Because if something did happen, so help me Celestia…!"

"Okay, seriously. Focus! I'm sure NOTHING unusual would happen between those two..."

“No… he was a gentlecolt the entire time… It was… my fault that he left… we were talking about what happened at the party, and then I accidentally told him I liked it when… he… kissed me…” I cringed hearing that.

"Ugh, is THAT all it takes for a stallion to win your affection, Fluttershy? Come on!"

"Stop it! She's a sensitive girl. I'd probably like it too if I were single and somepony were that chivalrous towards me after being pranked..." I reserved myself… After all, that incident WAS partially my fault…

“…but then he got really uncomfortable with me… he got up to take his bowl to the sink… I tried to stop him, but I tripped. He… he put the bowl down to catch me… and then… um…”

“And then… what?” I was trying my best to keep calm, thinking that the worst had happened. The anxiety in me was boiling, and there was very little I could do to keep it from showing. I felt my brow involuntarily furrow, my left eye twitching as I narrowed my gaze at my friend. I could tell she noticed, because she gave me a look of fright.

"Oh, I'd better not hear a WORD of what she's about to say that I dislike...! Because I swear on Luna's bright white Moon if I do, I'll--"

"*Eep!* A-And then he helped me back up and ran away from me. That’s all, Twilight, I swear! I’m sorry! Please please PLEASE don’t be mad at me or him! I promise!” she begged as she cowered in fear. I was completely confident that she’d never have it in her to lie to me; even IF it were to spare my feelings. So, I calmed down for the most part by taking a deep breath.

"Oh, okay. Whew, that was a close one... Ty, you dodged an arrow... a BIG one, I might add..."

“It’s alright… It’s alright…” I informed as I simmered down. “I know I can trust you two not to do anything I wouldn’t like… right?”

“Yes, of course! We would never do anything to hurt you, Twi! I mean, you remember that song he sang when you two first started dating… Never going to… to give you up or hurt you or… make you cry or make you dessert or something…” I let out a chuckle at Fluttershy’s mix-up of the song he sang to me a while back, but I was more so relieved that I really WAS able to trust them… even if Fluttershy DID have a crush on him… “…and I wouldn’t even DREAM of taking somepony special away from somepony else… especially if they’re my friend…”

“Good, good… I’m sorry if I came across as a little hasty or insensitive…”

“Oh, no… it’s okay. I-I don't blame you for worrying about your colt-friend... I’d probably do the same thing if we were in each other’s horseshoes…”

“Really?”

“Well… no.” We shared a tension-easing laugh.

“I didn’t think so… say, did you see where he went when he left here? He hasn’t come back to the library and I thought he might still have been lingering around here…”

“No… I haven’t seen him since he left… I couldn’t imagine where he went. He seemed to be really eager to go back to the library, now that I think of it.”

“Odd…” I pondered where he could possibly have gone if he wasn’t on his way directly back to the library. “Maybe he could’ve gotten sidetracked… You think maybe Rainbow has seen him? I’m not sure if you’d noticed by now, but the two of them seem to enjoy sporadic bouts of roughhousing…”

“I… suppose so. Maybe she even managed to ambush him on his way back…?”

“Probable… if it isn’t too much trouble, could you come along with me?”

“Sure thing.” With that, Fluttershy and I were off to find Rainbow…

Later…

“Nah, sorry. Haven’t seen the big lummox all day,” the rainbow-haired mare informed as she was busy busting clouds. Once she finished, she landed in front of us. “Why do you ask?”

“Well, he was supposed to be at the library, but…” I began.

“I asked him to help me feed my animals. We were wondering if you’d seen or maybe beat him up on his way back…” Fluttershy finished.

“Trust me, if I’d have seen him, I’d have let him have it..." She chuckled. "...I'd probably be carrying him back to the library after I was done with him... But yeah, I haven’t seen him around at all,” Rainbow Dash informed, much to my dismay.

“…Have you at least seen Spike?” I asked.

“Yeah. He’s with those two airheads, Snips and Snails. I think they were headed towards the shopping center. Something about needing carnations from Roseluck…”

“Roseluck…? What could they possibly…?” I wondered. But then I decided to drop it, thinking that maybe they were up to just another harebrained scheme. “*sigh* well then… I’m not really sure where he could’ve gone. There aren’t many places he’d be likely to visit around town… I mean… there’s the Carousel Boutique, Sweet Apple Acres, Sugar Cube Corner, Town Hall, the spa, the shopping plaza… Hmm… where would he be most likely to visit?”

“My guess would be most likely Sugar Cube Corner. If not there, then maybe Applejack’s place,” Rainbow theorized. “I can’t really see him going to Rarity or Mayor Mare for anything. He doesn’t have any money as far as I know, so there’s no way he’s at the shopping center or the spa…”

“…You’re right. I’ll go and check Sugar Cube Corner. Fluttershy, can you go and check at Sweet Apple Acres?”

“Yes,” she simply answered with a nod.

“Rainbow, if you’re not too busy, can you keep an eye out for him?”

“Jeez, Twilight. It’s not like he’s in some kind of danger or something, is he? I mean, he hasn’t been gone too long, has he?”

“No, but I—!”

“Then why organize a search team so suddenly? What, are you afraid he’s gonna vanish off the face of Equestria or something if you don’t see him for more than a couple hours?” She giggled at me, much to my dismay.

“Ugh, will you help me or not!?” I blurted in a sudden sense of frustration I honestly didn’t expect. I looked at Rainbow to see that she’d been offended. “I’m sorry Rainbow… It’s just that I’ve been under a lot of stress lately… I really need to find him… Can you please help me?”

“…Okay. I’ll make sure to keep my eyes peeled,” she replied with a comprehendible tone of uncertainty.

“Thank you. Let’s not spend time dillydallying. Let’s move out, girls,” I commanded.

“Yes, ma’am!” the two pegasi agreed, saluting before we were off in our separate directions, on the search for my colt-friend…

“Ugh… wha… where am I…?” I groggily asked as I came to. “Agh, my head feels like I got smacked with a fuckin’ brick…” I attempted to move a fore hoof to massage my temple, but found it impossible. In fact, I could only move my back legs while my forelegs felt bound to my sides. I blinked a few times before looking around. I noticed that I was suspended in midair with a long, thick strand of vine binding me tightly. I appeared to be in the middle of a dark, dank forest with no signs of life aside from what looked like a tent with some camping supplies near it.

“What the hell?? How’d I wind up like this?”

“Hey! Somebody out there? I could use some help!” I called in hopes of attracting the attention of somepony nearby after a short bout of futile struggling to break free.

“I’ll be there momentarily, my friend!” I heard a voice call. At first I was relieved to hear that I wasn’t alone. But then… something about the sound of the stranger’s voice… That’s when the stallion showed his face. The beige coat, the red eyes, that smug, toothy grin…

“You! What the hell are you doin’?!” I snapped as I struggled to free myself. “Why do you have me all tied up like this?”

“Relax, Ponder… I assure you, all is well… at least, for now it is…” he snickered.

“You… know me?” I asked in shock as I stopped my struggling.

“But of course…”

“But how? I don’t remember seein’ you at ALL before… And I guarantee I’d remember somebody as shady-lookin’ as you around a place like Ponyville.”

“Oh, where are my manners? Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Gillian. Gillian Swardson.”

“Gillian Swardson?” I asked, raising an eyebrow. That don’t sound like no pony name I ever heard of…”

“It isn’t?” he asked in shock. “Whatever do you mean?”

“Oh come on,” I remarked in skepticism. “You seriously never noticed how just about everypony has some kinda name that revolves around their talents or somethin’ about them? Like uh… um… like my name. Ponder Memoir. It circles around this Cutie Mark thing I have here,” I explained, trying my best to gesture at my flank. “A thought cloud. And what does the word ‘Ponder’ mean?”

“Yes, yes, I know about all that crap,” he informed to my surprise. Ponies don’t use words like ‘crap…’ “What I’m getting at is how you would know what a typical pony name would sound like. None of the other ponies I’ve encountered seem to care about my name. Care to explain?” He had me there…

“Damn! He walked me right int’ that one…”

“Uh… I… jus’ don’t hear names that don’t have to do with somethin’ relevant to the pony it belongs to very often. Tha’ss all.”

“Uh-huh…” he replied, seeming not to believe me. “Then why did you say it didn’t sound like a— and I quote— ‘pony name’ you’ve ever heard of?”

“Dammit, he GOT me again!” I was getting really nervous really quickly.

“Umm… I… *sigh* y’know what? No, I ain’t explainin’ myself t’ you, you kidnapper! Why do you have me all tied up in the middle o’ the woods?”

“I thought you’d never ask… You see, I’ve been in Equestria a long time… well, not that long. Maybe two or three months, tops. Truth be told, I actually spent most of my existence in this world in Saddle Arabia…”

“Whoa whoa whoa… What??”

“I said I spent most of my existence in this world—!”

“Stop. ‘In this world?’ What do you mean by that?” Gillian laughed heartily at my question.

“Look who’s playing word analyst now… Truth be told, I’m not originally of this world…”

“Not from this world… as far as I know, there aren’t really any other ‘worlds’ out there…” I said, playing dumb. I was determined to get some answers out of him. “What, are you from another planet or somethin’?”

“Oh, don’t you play coy with me. I’m from an alternate universe entirely…” His statement had me double take in realization… A pony with a name that didn’t sound pony-like, who used the word ‘crap,’ easily picked apart my words, basically tricking me into telling him that I wasn’t an average pony… No way… it couldn’t be…

“Where exactly IS Saddle Arabia?” I asked just to make sure.

“It’s far east of here. Why do you ask?” My eyes widened in complete bewilderment.

“Aw shit, son! I’ss that other human!”

“N-no reason… jus’ wonderin’…” I said in a wavering, nervous tone that betrayed my flabbergasted statement.

“I’m not entirely sure. My answer seems to have struck a chord with you… is there something you’re not telling me, Mr. Memoir?”

“Nope. Not at all. I was jus’ a li’l curious as t’ where Saddle Arabia was.”

“*sigh* I’ll let you know, I’m not one to enjoy being dicked around with… Comet?”

“Yeees, baby?” replied a feminine voice from within the tent. A second later, out came the light blue, purple-haired mare that I faintly remembered nearly killing me.

“I need… an example. Would you be a dear?”

“Of course…” With that, her horn took on a bright glow, aimed directly at me.

“Yo! Chill out, I swear I was tellin’ you the truth!” I pleaded. “I swear to… to pony-God that I wasn’t lyin’!”

“…Sweetie, hold on a second…” Gillian calmly ordered after a brief pause. The mare wordlessly complied as her horn’s dark purple glow died down. He turned his gaze to me.

“Now I’m going to word this question in a way I’m confident you’ll understand… Do I look like a bitch?” I was alarmed at his question, stifling a laugh.

“Wh-what?”

“DO I LOOK…! LIKE A BITCH!?” he shouted.

“Well… considerin’ you ambushed me an’ kidnapped me in possibly the most cowardly, underhanded way possible… yes.” I remarked.

“Ohhohohoho... A smartass, are you? I don’t appreciate smartasses. Comet!”

“With pleasure…” the mare said as she charged up her horn again. She was quick to fire a blast directed at me.

*ZAP* “AAAAAAAAA-GHA-HA-HOW!!” I screamed in agony.

“Allow me to repeat myself…” Gillian reiterated. “Do I look like a bitch?”

“No-ho-ho…ow!” I shouted, still in a lot of pain.

“Then why are you trying to fuck me like a bitch, Ponder?”

“I don’t even know what you’re talkin’ about! I didn’t do anything!”

“Yes you did! Yes! You! Did! You think you’re going to get away with lying to my face and sweeping the small details under the rug? Not to mention that little sneak attack you pulled on me when we first met?” Apparently, this guy was one for grudges. “I will tell you this… I don’t like being fucked, Ponder… Not by anypony… but my lovely, beautiful special friend here, Comet…” he trailed off as she nuzzled lovingly into him. Soon, the two decided to get a little frisky with one another as they began making out right in front of me… or below me, as I was still tied to a tree branch.

“Alright alright, save that stuff for when I don’t hafta be victimized by it. What do you want from me?”

“Finally coming around? Good… Now I’m going to be straightforward with this one… are you a human?” I wasn’t sure how to answer that. I didn’t want to play devil’s advocate and flat-out admit it, but he really had me in a tight spot. “And I DARE you to lie to me again.”

“…*sigh* yes…” I crestfallenly admitted.

“See? That wasn’t too hard, was it?” He taunted.

“Fuck you,” I spat in contempt.

“Aww, are we feeling a bit upset? Here, I’ll cheer you up by letting you in on a little secret… I’m human, too.”

“I figured as much,” I replied, shaking my head in shame.

“Did you? What tipped you off?”

“I’ve heard o’ you... back when I first got here. I almost got kicked outta here cuzza your little fuck-up over in the east. I jus’ wasn’t sure until now. How did you get out of your imprisonment? You were supposed t’ be locked up for good…”

“Oh, that? I assure you, Princess Celestia’s irksome interference with my plans for taking over Saddle Arabia and its rivaling land was the ONLY ‘fuck-up.’ But rather than bore you with details of my supposedly extensive incarceration, followed by my breakout by a few friends within the system and a subsequent escape to Equestira and meeting my wonderful Equestrian mare-friend here, I’ll just say that it was incredibly easy. All it took was a few connections and a penchant for cold, calculating contemplation and WHAMMO! Here I am, standing beside the prettiest mare I could ask for with the only other human in existence here in my clutches…”

“Grrreat… now what do you want with me?”

“Oh I’ve been watching you… not for very long, mind you, but I’ve been watching… and waiting for the opportunity to strike. I suspected that you weren’t like the other ponies in that drab little town… I mean, your accent alone just gives you away. In any case, I know you’re under some transformation spell that’s letting you maintain your form. I also know that the very pony you’re being aided by… is a pony who shows great potential… I’ve heard stories of her and her friends’ heroics… how she’s THE unicorn amongst unicorns… how she’s even the one and ONLY protégé to the Princess herself…”

“You son of a bitch!” I shouted, outraged at his implication of wanting something from Twilight. “Don’t you DARE even think about touchin’ her! I will demolish you if you do anything t’ her!” I redoubled my efforts in struggling to get free.

“Oh how droll. You of all ponies… or should I say PERSONS, are in NO place to be making threats. I assure you, I don’t plan on harming that pretty little filly you call your girlfriend. I only intend to use her to get to the Princess… You see, Celestia’s my REAL target. Let's just say I've some... unfinished business to attend to with her. And you were the key I needed to open the door to my opportunity.”

“You won’t get away!”

“You’ll do nothing to stop me, fool! In fact, you’re going to be helping me. Whatever magic resides in your body at this moment is going to bolster mine. Especially considering its source… you’ll make for a delicious supply…” with that, the unicorn stallion’s horn took on its silvery glow. Within seconds, a beam of magic energy had collided with me, sending shockwaves of agony throughout my body once again as I felt a sudden, rapid loss of energy. I tried to scream, but I couldn’t as this vampiric spell had disallowed me from even moving. A few seconds later, I began to feel familiar changes throughout my body. My hooves turning back into hands, my bones and organs restructuring and relocating themselves, my body elongating… eventually, I was forcibly returned to my human form as the magic keeping me under disguise was stolen.

“Unbelievable! So THIS is a taste of the ability of Equestria’s supposedly most powerful unicorn…”

*snap* *THUD* “D’OH!” The vine suspending me in midair had finally given way, (likely due to a possible shift in weight) sending me crashing into the muddy, swamp-like forest floor. Feeling unbelievably dizzy, tired, and under a great deal of physical despair, I managed to sit up, the vine still binding my arms to my sides. “You… suck… nrgh…!”

“Oh don’t be so glum! See it this way: You’ll die in this godforsaken, miserable forest knowing that you assisted me in making my way towards the Princess of the Sun!” Gillian excitedly stated much to my agonized chagrin. However, I couldn’t help but let out a chuckle at his ambition.

“You seriously think Princess Celestia of ALL ponies is gonna… be so easy to do away with…? She has protection all around… a sister just as powerful as she is… and six protectors who would… see you turned to stone on the spot if you… went through with such a… misguided attempt at revenge…”

“Are you done?” He impatiently inquired.

“Yea… yea, tha’ss all I gotta say t’ you… oh, an’ watch ya back… cuz if I find a way outta here alive… you best guaran-damn-tee I’m comin’ for you… and if I don’t… they will…!” The stallion leaned into my ear really close.

“As foolish as this may sound… I’m looking forward to it…” he whispered before backing away. In that instant, he took a mighty swing at me with his fore hoof.

*SMACK* A tsunami of pain whirled through my already-throbbing skull as I was thrown to the ground.

“Until we meet again… implying that you'll survive long enough in these woods for that to happen…” with a hearty, menacing cackle, he charged up his horn, his mare stepping beside him before the two of them disappeared in a flash along with all their stuff, leaving me stranded in the middle of an unknown landscape, beaten, wasted, and gasping for air. I wasn’t going to let fatigue and an enormous amount of bodily suffering stop me, however. I had to find my way back to Ponyville… I had to find Twilight… I had to warn her that danger had set hoof in Equestria. I pulled myself up to my bare feet and was about to begin an arduous, possibly suicidal run in no particular direction when I was approached by a mysterious figure. I was instantly convinced I was going to meet my end, but I figured that if I was going down, then I was going down without running.

"Stay...! Back...!" I warned as I braced myself as best I could for a gruesome fate before the creature spoke.

“Fear not, strange creature; I come bearing good tidings. That is, unless, in your nature, is fighting…”