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When Trey Came to Town

Chapter 1

By Pook

        “Come back soon!” Twilight’s call rang out along with her friends’ own remarks. Applejack trotted down the road away from Ponyville. The orange pony, as concerned about sales as she usually was, set off to Manehatten on one of her ‘get rich quick’ schemes.  No matter how many times she’s tried and failed, the country-bred pony never stopped trying them.

        Always so stubborn. Twilight thought. She chuckled under her breath. Once she has an idea... Twilight looked at the sunset, a deep orange-red. ...she’ll get right on it, no matter what time it is. She smiled and shook her head. To each their own.

        She turned to leave along with the rest of her friends, each going their own way, back to their respective homes. As soon as Twilight was away from the others, her thoughts wandered straight from her friends to her duties for that night. Princess Celestia had been assigning her tasks each evening that deviated from her normal studies. These tasks usually consisted of reading specific books, scripts, or scrolls, all of which focus on one subject: inter-dimensional travel. The book she was assigned last night, Tips and Tricks of the Trade: The Travelers Time Saving Textbook for Inter-Dimensional Traveling, had kept her up most of the night with its nine hundred and eighty-six pages. Yet, she read it all, and enjoyed doing it, because, well, that’s what she likes doing.

        What concerned Twilight was that the princess never told her why she needed to read the assigned material, only what she was to read. Sure, Twilight didn’t doubt the princess, however, she was curious as to why she Celestia wanted her to read about inter-dimensional travel. You will know when the time is right, my pupil. Princess Celestia had said in one of her letters. Twilight was bothered about not knowing, but she knew that the princess meant well. She recalled the Nightmare Moon incident. Princess Celestia had given her what she needed to stop Nightmare Moon, she just needed to find it out herself. So she applied that to this incident, and decided that whatever the princess was planning, it would become clear in due time.

        The large library was upon her before Twilight knew it. It loomed over her in the dwindling light, casting a long, eerie shadow over her. The library, which was in fact, built into a tree, was her treasured home here in Ponyville. She enjoyed the fact that it was a tree. It was interesting to look at. The way the windows were worked into many different parts of the tree, the pleasant earth tones that it naturally had, and the large, tree shape just made her feel good about it. She stepped in through the front door and closed it behind her.

        It was dark. “Spike?” Twilight called, calling for her dragon friend. When no response was given, Twilight lit her horn up. The purple light lit up the library with a violet glow, bringing to life shifting shadows all along the walls.

        Twilight trotted over to her desk and lit a candle, dispelling some of the shadows. She noticed an open letter on the desk, along with another, sealed letter. She lifted the open one magically, and read it.

Dear Spike,

It has come to my attention that I am in need of your services. It seems that Princess Luna has been rigorously studying my entire library, and has made quite a mess. After returning from the moon, she has been very ambitious to learn everything she can about the changed world, and is not very eager to clean up after herself. (She hasn’t even showered in days!) She has secluded herself to the library, and continues to read. There are few others here that can properly organize a library, and everypony here is on a tight schedule. I would ask you that you were to come here as soon as you can, it’s getting quite hard to see the floor.

Your Kind Ruler,

Princess Celestia

P.S. My Royal Pegasus Chariot Ponies are coming to pick you up shortly. I’ll need you to get to work tonight, so you will be staying here for the evening.

        Twilight sighed, and set the letter aside, her horn returning to normal. Spike wouldn’t be back until the next day, and he’d probably be tired. Why Celestia decided to have Spike do house cleaning at this time of day didn’t make any sense to Twilight. Perhaps the library was as bad as she said.

        Her attention then turned to the other, unopened letter on the desk. It rose into the air, opened, and floated to Twilight. This one was also from Princess Celestia, but was addressed to her and contained her instructions for tonight.

My faithful student Twilight,

As you have undoubtedly guessed the common nature of all of your recent assignments, I want you to learn to travel to another dimension. (Yay!) Now, I am quite sure you are oh so eager to know why I am assigning you this, but you’ll know when the time is right.

Anyway, I wish you good luck on your travels. Please refer to page 672 in your copy of  Tips and Tricks of the Trade: The Travelers Time Saving Textbook for Inter-Dimensional Traveling (Say that five times fast!) to follow the correct procedure of casting the spell. It is a very powerful incantation, so be prepared. Also, you may know that inter-dimensional travel requires a specific glyph, varying on the dimension. I have provided you with the proper glyph on the back of this letter.

This is just a quick test run for you. There is no specific task for you to complete in the other dimension, so go there, explore for a couple of minutes or so, and return (Returning spell, page 793!). Then I want a full report of your experience, from casting the spells to the sights of the other dimension. And remember, have fun! (And don’t die!)

Your Kind Ruler,

Princess Celestia

P.S. I don’t actually have anything else to say, I just wanted to add a post script to my letter, they’re always so fun!

        Twilight set the letter down and pondered for a bit. She knew she could successfully perform the spell, but she was curious as to why Princess Celestia wanted her to. There weren’t many reasons she could think of that would require inter-dimensional travel. And where is she going exactly? She shrugged and set the letter down. Time to begin.

*   *   *

        Trey shut off his computer after an hour of surfing the boards of Ponychan. He sat back in his chair and sighed cheerily. He had a good life. Why? Because he loved ponies, and was proud to love ponies. Sure, people thought of him as a very peculiar person, but he didn’t care. He was a seventeen year old brony and loved every second of it.

        Getting up from his chair, he crossed the room to the back door, stepping outside. That’s another thing he liked: the outdoors. The fresh air, the sunshine, the rain, he loved it all. He even sets up his computer outside once in a while to enjoy ponies and the outdoors at the same time. Ah, what a life. He grinned.

Peering up into the sky, he thought of the pegasus ponies. Man, if I could fly like them, I would never come down. He sighed, then sat down on the porch and surveyed the backyard. The grass was recently cut, courtesy of Trey himself. The wooden fence that surrounded the area was mostly blocked out by various bushes and flowers. There was only one tree in the center of the back yard, an old oak tree, its old branches overlooking the whole of the backyard.

Trey got up and shuffled over to the tree. He put a hand on it, and looked up into its leafy branches. He grew up with the tree, and he recalled many memories of climbing it. Many painful, broken leg, epic faceplant, memories. Ah, childhood.

As Trey was enjoying his reminiscence, a soft, purple glow grew from the bushes behind him. At first, he didn’t notice, but as the light grew brighter, he became aware of its presence. He turned around, confused. And at that instant the light vanished. In its place was a lavender... a lavender... pony.

Trey slapped himself in the face. It was still there. He slapped harder. The force of the impact knocked his head into the tree. Surprised, Trey fell backwards onto the ground. Groaning, he looked up toward the bushes again. It was still there, staring at him with the strangest look on its face, as though it were observing something very strange. Wait. I know that pony. The light purple coat, the dark purple mane with the pink highlight, the sparkly thing on its flank, the horn. Twilight Sparkle.

*   *   *

        Twilight was shocked at what she saw.

        After performing the spell for inter-dimensional travel using the glyph provided by the princess, Twilight was teleported out of her library in an instant. The time of the teleporting in between dimensions was approximately five seconds, as Twilight had noted. When the spell had been completed, she took in her surroundings.

She was standing in a small grouping of bushes. The sky was blue and scattered clouds drifted lazily across it. The sun was setting low in the sky, no different from the one in Equestria. There was a slightly too large house, plants growing against a wooden fence, and... well, something.

        The ...thing... was standing on its back legs. Instead of front hooves, the creature had hands. It had very little hair, just a peculiar mane on its head. On its head protruded a very small snout, just above the mouth. It was wearing strange clothing, and what wasn’t covered was bare flesh. Bleh. Twilight thought to herself. It looks so... weird. As strange as it was, it seemed to be thinking the same thing as she noticed it was staring back at her, a funny look upon its face.

        Then it did the oddest thing. It hit itself, smacking its own face with its hand. Twilight was paralyzed from the shock of everything, or maybe just the weirdness of it. Either way, she stayed where she was and observed.

        And then it hit itself. Again. The force of the blow swung its head into the tree it stood next to. From the looks of it, the thing was not expecting that, and jerked its head away from the tree, subsequently falling to the ground. Alarmed, Twilight took a step back, bumping into the fence behind her.

        The thing looked up at her again, and something crossed its eyes. Familiarity? Recognition? Impossible! Perhaps its just confused. Either way, I should head back, considering I’ve already disturbed the daily life of this... creature, Twilight thought to herself, noting the red mark on the creatures face. Twilight closed her eyes, concentrated, and her horn began to pulsate with a pink light. She stood there, recalling the returning spell, focusing on her magic, when she heard a masculine voice calling out.

“Wait!”

Her control slipped a little, but she bit her lip and ignored the shout.

“Twilight!”

Twilight’s eyes flew open, her concentration diminishing. She saw that the creature was coming towards her, and called her name again. Her spell continued to prepare, albeit slower due to her lack of concentration. Drowning in confusion and the buzz of the spell in her head, Twilight didn’t move. How does it...? Just as the spell was activating, the creature tackled her.

THUD.

The duo crashed into a shelf, spilling books into a heap upon them.

I... it came with me, thought Twilight as she realized where she was, and that she had brought an otherworldly creature into her home. That’s not supposed to happen.

Chapter 1 End.

Next Chapter

When Trey Came to Town

Chapter 3

By Pook

        “So let me get this straight,” Trey said as he and Twilight entered the purple pony’s sleeping quarters. “You had a guest bed, but it was... destroyed?” He gave Twilight a quizzical look, a grin creeping onto his face.

        Twilight blushed. “It was an accident! I... I didn’t mean too.” She looked away sheepishly. “I was... intoxicated.” She looked back up at Trey to see a look of utter shock on his face, which then changed into outright laughter. He laughed hard enough to start crying. “Hey, it’s not that funny.” She gave him a light shove.

        Trey managed to quell his laughter and wiped the tears from his eyes. “You? The book worm? Drunk? Yeah, I’d say that’s pretty funny.” He stifled another giggle. “Please, do go on,” he said smiling.

        The purple pony led Trey up a staircase, where the light became increasingly dimmer. “Well, Pinkie Pie had this late night party, and she thought it would be a great idea to secretly... spike the punch.” She shook her head at the memory. “Anyway, I got home, completely out of my mind. And that’s when I noticed there was a spider on the bed.”

        Trey arched a brow, but was silent.

        Twilight stopped at the top of the stairs. “In my drunken stupor, I thought it would be a good idea to... burn the spider.” She blushed with embarrassment. “And, well, that’s what happened.” She lifted a hoof, gesturing over to a barren part of the room. There was a very large and distinct burn mark in the center, which stood out in great contrast to the wooden floor.

        Trey chuckled. “Well, you sure know how to deal with spiders. Although, you aren’t very good at making beds, you seem more prone to destroying them.”

        Twilight facehoofed. “That was terrible.”

        “Well at least I didn’t burn something, now did I?” he chuckled again.

        “No, but I may burn you,” Twilight jokingly replied, pointing her horn towards the human.

        Trey put his hands in front of himself disarmingly. Twilight smirked and turned toward the other side of the room. “That’s my bed, you can use for the night.” She trotted up next to it. “It won’t be quite big enough for you, though.”

        “It’s fine,” Trey said, giving a reassuring smile.

        “Okay,” she said, returning the smile, then narrowed her eyes, the smile gone. “By the way, since we didn’t have enough time tonight, tomorrow morning you and I are going to have a nice, long chat about how you know so much about me and this place. Got it?”

        Trey grimaced. “Uh, yeah, sure.”

        “You can’t avoid it, Trey. I’m not going to just let it go.” Twilight gave him a stern look. “Now, I’m going to go look for a spell, and you should get some rest.” She started down the staircase. “Good night.”

        “Night,” Trey replied, yawning. He walked over to the bed and kicked off his shoes. He gave the bed a once-over, noting that it was in fact, too short for him, but it would suffice. Before entering the bed, he looked at his clothes, then shrugged. Nothing else to change into anyway. He peeled back the sheets and crawled in.

        After wriggling around for a moment, Trey found a comfortable position, and eventually drifted off to sleep.

*   *   *

        Twilight poured over her books for a couple of hours, learning all she could about performing a transformation spell. There wasn’t anything specifically on humans, and considering that they are practically unknown to this dimension, that was to be expected. However, Twilight found plenty of information on a wide variety of transformation spells. With this amount of material on the subject, she felt confident enough that she could cast a custom spell that would be successful for transforming Trey.

        Magicking the final book closed and back into its place, Twilight then brought some parchment and a quill to the desk, along with the letter from Princess Celestia. She read it over again, considering how to respond to it. The princess has certainly been in an uncharacteristically chipper mood since she started me on this assignment. She chuckled. Maybe it was written by somepony else, impersonating the princess! she joked to herself, then returned her attention to her own letter. After a moment of thought, Twilight began writing her reply. She explained everything to the princess, from the experience of casting the spell, to the strangeness of the other dimension. After that she wrote out a long explanation of the transportation of the human to Equestria, and asked for her advice in this matter.

        After signing it, Twilight bound the letter in a ribbon, and set it on the desk. She will have to wait until tomorrow to have Spike send it when he returns.

        Fatigued by the hours not spent sleeping, Twilight trudged up the stairs to her room, ready to rest. Upon entering, she gazed upon the sleeping human in her bed. He looked a bit odd, scrunched up to fit in the bed. The sheets covered him just fine, and the pillow was large enough for two heads. The bed was also wide enough to allow for a pony to sleep comfortably next to him.

        Twilight stopped her train of thought. Why would I get in bed with an otherworldly creature I just met a few hours ago? And yet, as strange as it sounded, Twilight found it oddly normal, like it wasn’t anything new. I shouldn’t intrude upon my guest... But then she realized there really wasn’t anywhere else to sleep, and the feeling of rightness compelled her, along with her sleepiness. Oh, what the hay.

        Twilight crawled into her bed slowly, so as not to wake Trey. He shifted a bit as she slid into bed. As Twilight found a comfortable position, facing away from Trey, the human moved around again, and Twilight felt his arm rest upon her, lightly wrapping around her body. Her eyes widened, and she became still. A tingle skittered down her back. She waited a few moments, making sure he was still asleep. Realizing that he was, she relaxed her tense body. To her surprise, she found the embrace oddly comforting.

        Again she paused her thoughts. Why? Why does this feel that way? And why does this feel so... familiar? She was puzzled by her feelings. She then recalled the fact that Trey hadn’t explained how he knew her. Maybe I’ll understand these feelings when he explains his knowledge.

        Twilight ignored her burning thoughts and her strange feelings, and attempted to calm her mind. Eventually, the purple pony fell into a deep sleep.

*   *   *

        Meanwhile, in a dark thicket near the Everfree Forest, a pony was sitting on its haunches, rhythmically waving its hooves back and forth above its head. Suddenly, a small flash of green light burst from the pony’s hooves, and moments later, it was gone. There in the pony’s hooves was a letter, sealed with the emblem of Princess Celestia. Though the pony was hidden under the numerous branches that sprouted every which way around and above it, the light of the moon penetrated the darkness of the thicket. This allowed for sufficient light to read.

        Removing the seal with its teeth, the pony rolled open the parchment. Hmm... this was sent hours ago, I should have done this sooner. The pony peered over to a bush, where a peculiar lump was carelessly shoved under. It’s a good thing Spike can’t receive messages under that sedative, and at least I could still extract it. The pony looked back at the parchment. Just an assignment update for something Twilight has no clue about. The pony chuckled to itself. I have managed to cut off communication between Princess Celestia and Twilight for two weeks now. Its a good thing neither of them noticed that they were being sent fake letters.

        The pony balled up the stolen letter and slipped it into its saddlebag. The time has come to allow them to communicate once again. The pony stood up. And if I predicted correctly, then everything should be going as planned. The pony grinned, its teeth gleaming in the moonlight.

*   *   *

        Trey was having the strangest dream. It was hard to see anything clearly, for the whole dreamscape was distorted. There were sobs coming from a shape in one corner. In another corner opposite the first, a creature who bore armor upon its body stood firmly in its place. Trey attempted to see it clearer, but his attention turned toward a strange, white light pulsating in between the corner figures. The light grew brighter and brighter, eventually enveloping Trey in its vastness, blinding him.

        He groggily opened eyes. His body was numb, and his vision was blurry. It took him a moment to focus on what was in front of him. As his sight became clearer, he realized that he was looking upon the sleeping face of Twilight Sparkle. The two were curled up close together, embracing each other in an awkward hug under the bedsheets. Their faces were inches apart.

        “What the f-ah!” Trey flew backwards out of the bed, slamming his head on the floor. The sound of the impact woke Twilight, who sluggishly looked over at Trey. He was sitting up on the floor, rubbing the back of his head.

“Good morning,” she said sleepily.

        “Um, why were you in the bed?” Trey asked, standing up.

        “There wasn’t anywhere else to sleep, and besides, there was enough room.” Twilight replied, and recalled the feeling from last night. The feeling that compelled her to be in the bed.

        Trey rubbed his head again, then shrugged. “Whatever, just let me know next time.” He proceeded to don his shoes.

        “Can do,” Twilight replied. Trey began walking toward the steps. “Hey, wait!” Trey stopped and turned toward her. Twilight patted a spot next to her as Trey looked over. “We need to talk, and you know what I’m talking about," she said, a serious look upon her face. Trey hesitated, but complied.

        As he sat down, he contemplated about where to begin. After a moment’s time of silence, he began.

        He started by telling her about televisions, explaining what they are and what they can do. From there he went on to tell her about My Little Pony, the bronies, and that this place was seemingly the same as it is on the show. He told her that he knew she came from Canterlot one day on Princess Celestia’s orders, that he knew all of her friends, that he saw the Elements of Harmony be revealed. He gave her all the details, figuring that it would be the best to not keep anything from her. Twilight remained silent throughout Trey’s entire explanation, soaking in the strange information.

        When Trey finished, they sat there in complete silence. Twilight took this all in, wondering what it could mean. Perhaps there are more connections between the dimensions than anypony knew. Unsure of what to say to all of this new information, Twilight remained quiet. She would notify the princess of all this in her next letter.

“Okay, lets get started.” Crawling off the bed, Twilight started down the stairs, Trey following close behind.

During the journey downwards, the purple pony began planning her day. First, she would get Trey on his way, then she would find every and any book related to other dimensions, creatures, or odd occurrences in spells, in which things happen that shouldn't have happened. After that, she would read. She would do as much research as she could on this new subject. She felt calmed by this thought. It would be relaxing to be back in her element, reading, secluded from others.

        After the spell last night, Twilight had felt very different. It had tired her out, and she hadn't felt as compelled to learn that night. But it wasn't only the spell that had changed her behavior. There was also Trey. For some reason, he had an air about him that seemingly calmed her, made their interaction feel more informal. She had become uncharacteristically sociable. It didn't really register to her until now. It felt... familiar, as though we knew each other, or something, she thought to herself.

Twilight shoved the thought from her head. Whatever it was about Trey that made her feel this way, she would discover it. She would find out all she could about these humans, and hopefully find some answers.

When they reached the end of the staircase, Twilight motioned for Trey to stand in the center of the room. As he did so, Twilight went over to her desk, magicking open a book. She turned to face Trey, the book floating to the left of her line of view. “Now, I can’t control what your appearance will be, including the type of pony. That will be determined by who you are. Do you understand?” Trey bit his lip, but nodded in understanding.

The book Twilight had contained the instructions on a transformation spell, one that Twilight would follow the guidelines of. She would make changes in the spell in order to make it work on the human. The said human was seemingly jittery to begin as Twilight prepared herself. Locking eyes with Trey, turning his expression to a serious one, she simply asked him “Are you ready?”

With a nod from Trey, the pony began.

Chapter 3 end.

Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

When Trey Came to Town

Chapter 4

By Pook

        Somewhere, in the confines of their home, a particular pony mulls over their scheme.

Everything going just as planned. I’ve released Spike, making sure he thinks he went to Canterlot, and it appears that the target has made a good relationship with Twilight. A simple spell was all it took to make them instant friends! For some unexplainable reason, they already had some kind of bond, and all I had to do was tweak that with my magic, and poof! Friends. What that bond is, I don’t know, but it doesn’t matter. Soon, Trey will be mine, forever!

*   *   *

        Mixed feelings filled Trey in that moment. Excitement, to be able to experience what it meant to be a pony. Apprehension, for fear that something might go wrong, or that it won’t be like what he had imagined. Hunger, because he was hungry.

        He stood in the center of the room, tense, patient, waiting. Twilight was reading from her book, her horn glowing a deep blue. Trey watched her with intensity as she turned from the book and closed her eyes. The light emanating from the pony’s horn grew brighter as she concentrated her magic.

Trey closed his eyes as well, feeling a faint pulse splashing against him. The dark blue of the magic cut through his eyelids. As the pulse sped up, Trey began to feel tingly. The magic felt to him as though it were creeping through his skin, and the intensity of this feeling increased in time with the rhythmic beat of the pulsating magic waves.

Suddenly, the pulse became a solid wave of magic pressing against him. The magic surged through Trey, tugging at him from the inside. He involuntarily began to hunch over, the spell reworking his form. In that instant his whole body became numb. He felt detached from himself, and unconsciousness came over him.

*   *   *

        As the light from her horn receded, Twilight reflected on what had just occurred. As she had read in every book on transformation spells, the process of performing the spell would be quite strenuous, due to the fact that the target is resistant to change. The excursion of breaking that resistance would leave the caster in a fatigued state.

However, that was not the case for Twilight. She had felt scarcely any resistance to the transformation. Breaking what little resistance there was had only required minimal output. It appeared as though it was either easier to transform humans, or there was more to Trey than she knew about. It’s the same as when he was teleported here! Twilight thought to herself. Something unexplainable happened that deals with magic!

Looking over at Trey’s new form, Twilight’s eyes widened. Nostalgia began pricking at her mind, but she couldn’t place any logical reason on this new feeling.

*   *   *

        Trey awoke to the muffled sound of Twilight’s voice. His entire body was numb, as it had been when he had fallen into unconsciousness. He managed to open his eyes, blinking a few times to focus them. Soon, his hearing became clearer.

        “...all right? Trey. Trey? Can you hear me?” Twilight stood over him, a strange look in her eye.

        Slowly, the numbness receded, and Trey sat up, flicking his tail...

        “TAIL!?”

        Trey launched himself up on his hind legs, subsequently falling onto his back.

        Twilight laughed. “You should try using all four legs.”

        Sitting up on his haunches, Trey looked down at his hands wide-eyed. Hooves. He heard a faint swooshing sound and felt a light breeze from behind him. He looked to his side. “WINGS! I’ve got wings! Wahoo!” He leapt up onto all fours, his wings beating in a quick rhythm. He turned in place a few times, examining his new body.

        Twilight laughed. “Here, use this.” She conjured up a magical wall about the size of a door. It was crystalline, and reflected very well, making the perfect mirror.

        Trey trotted up to the mirror, and as he examined himself, Twilight looked him over herself. He had a grey coat along with matching wings. His tail was black, short and layered, giving it a wild yet attractive appearance. His mane was similar in style, yet was cut long. It was black with a dark grey highlight down the middle. It was layered as well, and his bangs spilled out atop his head, just above his eyes. The back part of his mane fell well down onto his side. He had a short, slightly defined snout, giving him a young appearance. His build was slightly thin, which was to be expected of a pegasus, and he stood slightly taller than Twilight.

        As he took in his new appearance, Trey had noticed something odd. The way it felt, the way it seemed, it all felt somewhat natural. He was able to quickly adjust to this new form, hardly having any trouble learning how to walk and fly. It felt great, and he felt free. It was amazing. All of his dreams of being a pony had become a reality. He was ready to have the time of his life. Then he noticed that something was missing.

        Turning from the mirror he looked at his flank. “Hey, I don’t have a cutie mark.” He turned toward Twilight and met her eye.

        Something in Twilight’s mind sparked. Those eyes. Trey’s eyes were an icy blue, and as she looked into them, a wave of recognition crashing over her. I’ve... I’ve seen those before. But she couldn’t place where. She racked her mind for answers, but none came. There was nothing to tie those eyes to, but she felt the feeling of nostalgia when she looked into those eyes. Where...where...

        Her thoughts were interrupted when Trey poked her face with a hoof.

        “Um, are you okay?” Trey asked, a look of concern on his face. Twilight blinked, then blinked again.

        “Wah? Uh, yeah. I’m fine.” She closed her eyes and shook her head to clear it. “Now, where were we?”

        Still concerned, Trey gave Twilight a quizzical look, then replied hesitantly. “I was asking about my cutie mark... Are you sure you’re alright? Do you need to rest or something?”

        Twilight waved the question away with a hoof. “I’m fine. Just a little dazed from the spell,” she lied.

        Biting his lip, Trey let it go, giving her a doubting look.“Anyway, why don’t I have my cutie mark?”

        Twilight looked to his bare flank, her mind returning to the current situation. “Well, just because you may be older doesn’t mean you have found out what your special talent or trait is yet. And no amount of magic is going to give anypony a cutie mark, it’s just something that everypony has to earn for themselves.” Twilight thought back to the time when she attempted giving Apple Bloom a cutie mark.

        Trey laughed. “Well, I certainly have no idea what my special talent is yet, maybe I’ll find out while I’m here, being a pony.” He smiled cheerily, obviously enjoying his new body. “Man, I am so glad I got wings!” He bounced from the floor, flapping his wings and glided to the other side of the room. “This is easier than I thought!” He laughed in joy.

        Twilight grabbed him with magic, placing the surprised colt in front of her. “I just need your attention for just a little while, and then you may do as you please... within reason.” Trey nodded and smiled, excited to be on his way. Twilight continued. “First off, I’d like to mention that the spell isn’t permanent. It should last for a couple of days, but no more.” Trey nodded. “The other thing I’d like to mention is that obviously you can’t go around saying that you aren’t actually a pony, so I’ve devised a cover story for you to use. Are you ready to here it? You need to remember what I tell you.” Trey nodded again, and sat back on his haunches, his front hooves resting on the floor before him. He looked up at Twilight eagerly.

        “Now,” Twilight began. “You are an old friend of mine from Canterlot. We met during a summer break, and we used to occasionally get together during our breaks from school. However, you eventually moved to a different part of Canterlot, and I became wrapped up in extra studies, so we were unable to meet up after that. And now you have come here after a long period of time to see your old friend again. You just so happened to hear that I was in Ponyville after the Nightmare Moon incident. You won’t be staying for too long, and you should be returning home in a couple of days.” She paused. “Did you get all that?”

        Trey stood up, feigned a serious look and stared passed her. “Old friend from Canterlot. Met during summer. I moved, and we stopped seeing each other. I heard that you were here after the Nightmare Moon incident, and decided to see you again. Correct?” Trey looked to Twilight for approval.

        “A good summation. I’m sure you’ll do just fine.” Twilight replied. Just then the library door opened, and a certain small dragon walked in.

        “Who’re you?” Spike asked Trey.

        Trey cleared his throat. “Hello Spike, I am Trey, one of Twilight’s old friends-”

        Twilight cut him off. “Trey, we don’t need to lie to Spike. Besides, he was with me for most of my time in Canterlot, so he would know that you weren’t an old friend.”

        Spike laughed. “Yeah, you really only had one friend back then.”

        This piqued Trey’s interest. “Oh really? And who was that?”

        “Moondancer. She was Twilight’s fillyfriend a while back.” Spike said with a sly smile.

        Trey burst out laughing as Twilight’s entire face burnt red with embarrassment. “Uh, Spike, why don’t you go, uh, clean my room or something?” she sputtered.

        “But wh-”

        “Just go!” She shoved him.

        “Alright!” Spike trudged out of the room.

        As soon as he was out of sight, Twilight went up to Trey, a panicked look in her eye. “Please, please don’t tell anypony. That is something I’d rather forget.”

        With a sly grin Trey replied. “All right, but just as long as you tell me.”

        Twilight backed off a little, looked downward, then back at him. “Fine, but you can’t tell anypony.”

        “Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” Trey acted out the words.

        “You know, it kinda creeps me out that you know things like that.”

        “You’ll get over it. Now, onto the story!” He flopped back onto his haunches, beaming.

        Taking a deep breath, the purple pony began. “Well, a while back, when I was in school in Canterlot, I met Moondancer. She and I became really good friends. We used to hang out a lot and did a lot of studying and reading together.”

        “Can we just get past the boring stuff and get to the good stuff?” Trey interjected.

        “I was getting there, now shh!’ She regained her composure, then continued. “Anyway, one day, we were reading a book together, and well, at one point we looked at each other, and it just... happened.” She blushed.

        “So, you kissed?” Trey giggled.

        Twilight nodded, her face growing redder. “After that we became even closer, and we had a really good relationship. But don’t get me wrong, I’m not like that. I was just... curious at that age. I thought I really liked Moondancer, but I didn’t, not like that anyway.

Eventually, I told her that I didn’t feel for her quite the way she felt for me. She took it badly, and our relationship fell apart. We avoided each other as much as possible after that.”

“So, how did Spike find out?” Trey asked, getting up.

“He walked in on us when we first kissed.”

“Ah, and how did he take it?”

“He laughed. That’s it. And whenever I tried talking to him about it, he wouldn’t say anything. So I can’t honestly say that I know what he thought of it.”

“Well, maybe not knowing is better sometimes.” Trey shrugged. “Ignorance is bliss.”

“True enough,” Twilight was glad to end that subject. “Anyway, I’m sure you’re more than ready to head on out into Ponyville, but I need to tell you a couple of things before you go. One, I’ll be sending the letter to Princess Celestia after you leave, so expect news when you get back. Two, avoid talking about something that you shouldn’t actually know about. And three, try not to run into Pinkie Pie. I’d like to avoid a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party because who knows what the princess will say, and we may need all the time we can get.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” Trey said as he trotted towards the door. “I was hoping to just enjoy the day peacefully.” Just as he stepped out he came face to face with a certain pink pony. Gasping loudly, Pinkie Pie disappeared from sight, galloping down the road.

“Aw crap!”

*   *   *

        Pinkie Pie sped through town with a large, determined grin on her face. All of her hard work paid off.

        “Trey is mine!”

Chapter 4 End.

Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

When Trey Came to Town

Chapter 5

By Pook

        Rainbow Dash tore through the morning sky, a faint rainbow streak in her wake. Flying high above the few clouds, the blue pony aimlessly soared through the air. However, the usual gusto she had when flying was not present. As much as she loved to fly, her heart wasn’t really in it; her mind was elsewhere, wandering back to the night before, replaying the scene over and over...

        Dash alighted next to Applejack as she was leaving Sweet Apple Acres.

        “Hey, Applejack. Can I talk with you?” Dash said, slightly nervous.

        “Sure Sugarcube. Whatcha wanna talk about?”

        They continued down the path in silence for a moment until Rainbow found the right words to say.

        “Applejack, you know we’ve been good friends for a while now.”

        Applejack stopped and turned toward the pegasus, noticing the complete lack of confidence in Dash’s voice. “Yes. We sure have been. What of it?” she said with a look of concern.

        It was hard for Rainbow to meet the other pony’s eye, nervously scuffing her hoof on the ground. “Well, I was thinking that... well, maybe we could... ”

        Applejack knew where this was heading. “Rainbow, Ah know what your tryin’ say. Look, Ah’ve known about your feelin’s for a while now, it wasn’t hard to tell.” Her eyes grew stern. “You’ve been gettin’ clingy around me for a quite a while. An’ it’s been gettin’ worse.” She stomped a hoof. “Ah thought you would’ve noticed somethin’ about me by now, considerin how much notice you take of me. Ah know the others might not be aware of it, but you should know that I don’t do ‘get rich quick’ schemes. Didn’t that seem a mite odd to you at all?”

        “I... I just thought...” She didn’t know what she thought. She had never noticed.

        “No, you didn’t think Rainbow.” She shook her head. “You wanna know why Ah’ve left on these so-called ‘schemes’?” She took in a slow breath, then exhaled forcefully. “It’s because of you.”

        Those words were like a stab in the heart. “Wh- why?” Dash’s eyes watered. Everything she thought they had seemed to fall apart in that instant.

        “Ah just can’t take the way you act around me sometimes. Some days Ah just gotta leave, get my head straight, and hope that you do the same. But apparently that hasn’t happened.” The orange pony shook her head. “I’m sorry Dash, Ah ain’t that kind of pony.”

        Dash turned around, hiding her face from Applejack. Warm tears dripped down her cheeks.

        Applejack sighed, then said sincerely. “Look, maybe you just need to find a nice colt. Put your mind off me.” Dash stayed silent. “Ah’m not sayin we can’t be friends anymore Rainbow, you know you’re my best friend.” She took a step towards the pegasus.

        At the sound of Applejack’s hoofstep, Dash burst from the ground, rocketing into the sky. Her heart hurt, her eyes hurt, and she wanted to be alone...

        That night she had been thinking nonstop. She thought about Applejack, she pondered her feelings, she contemplated everything. When it came down to it, there wasn’t much else in her life without the orange pony. She spent a lot of the time either with her or thinking about her. They were best friends, greatest rivals. They completed each other, but not in the way Dash had wanted.

        Even though Applejack rejected her as more than a friend, Dash would stay loyal to her, had to stay loyal. It’s who she is. She doesn’t abandon her friends. Except for last night. She winced at her thoughts, and continued her aimless flight in silent contemplation.

*   *   *

        The sun was out, the air was crisp, and the sky was clear save for a few sparse clouds. Trey leapt from the ground, excited to be out in the open where he could fly. He expertly flew up into the sky, surprising himself at how naturally he did so. Deciding to test his flying ability, he looped around a cloud, and followed up by gliding towards the ground. When he neared it, he kicked off, propelling himself straight up. Next he shot towards a cloud and met it head-on. The cloud subsequently disintegrated, amusing Trey as he looked upon his handiwork.

        The grey pegasus continued on with his spree in the sky, failing to notice a certain pink pony trotting happily down the road towards the library.

*   *   *

        “So let me get this straight,” Spike said as Twilight continued searching through the shelves of books. “This human makes you feel... different? Different how?”

        “Being around him puts me at ease. I can’t really explain it, but when we interact, it seems... natural or familiar. I guess there really isn’t a good way to say it.” The purple pony read the cover of a book, then magicked it over to her desk, stacking it with several others.

        “Maybe you like this Trey a little more than you let on.” A sly smile crept upon the dragon’s face.

        Twilight looked over at him. “What? Oh, no, Spike. It’s not like that.” She shook her head. “Like I said, I can’t really explain it.” A knock on the door ended the conversation. “Now go put these back on the shelf please.” She turned toward the door. “Come in!”

        Pinkie Pie bounced into the library, her usual enthusiasm about her.

        “Hi Twilight! I saw your new friend and thought ‘Twilight made a new friend! We should celebrate, because not only did Twilight make a new friend but he’s also new to Ponyville so we should make him feel welcome!’ And now I’m here to tell you that I’m having a surprise party for him at Sugar Cube Corner this afternoon!”

        “Uh, Pinkie, he’s actually not a new friend, I knew him back in Canterlot.”

        The party pony seemed a bit more taken aback than she should, pausing for a noticeable moment. However, she quickly recovered. “Wow Twilight, I didn’t know you had friends before us in Ponyville!”

        Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “Pinkie, of course I had friends. Not many, but I had some.”

        Pinkie grinned. “Okie dokie lokie! I guess you have some stories to tell then! I’ll see you at the party!” She turned to leave, then turned back. “Oh, one more thing! His name is Trey, right?”

        “Yeah,” Twilight replied, arching a brow.  “How’d you know?”

        “Oh, uh, I heard you talking before.” The smile that came with that statement appeared less than genuine in Twilight’s eyes, but she ignored it. “Well, see you at the party!”

        As Pinkie closed the door, Twilight turned toward her desk. Several books were stacked there, each containing information dealing with other dimensions and creatures from other dimensions. Let’s get started.

*   *   *

        Resting on a cloud, Trey was on his back, hooves behind his head, enjoying the sunlight. The cloud felt like cotton, tickling his withers every now and then. A light breeze kept the cloud in a lazy but constant state of movement, keeping the scene around the pegasus fresh. He sighed out of bliss and turned onto his stomach.

        “Man, this is great.” He grinned. “Ponies. Flying. Lying on clouds! What else could I ask for?” He rolled over again, but instead of flopping down onto cushy fluff, he fell off the edge.

        Falling face-up and lacking proper experience to recover, Trey was unable to fly, and thus flailed around randomly, screaming his head off.

        His body hit the ground with a sickening thud, going limp from the blow. This caused the pegasus to become horribly disoriented, unable to hear or see clearly. A throbbing pain pulsed from the back of his head, jarring his entire body with each wave. He struggled to rise to his hooves, rolling to one side and hoisting himself up on shaky legs. Struggling under the effort, Trey collapsed onto his side, ragged breaths escaping his lungs.

        “Stupid!” He put his head in his hooves. “Oooooww. Confound it!” He lay there for the next minute, his body slowly becoming more stable. When he felt more in control, he tried to move. Rolling onto his back, Trey winced as pain shot from his head and rump, the major victims of the impact. “Ouch.”

*   *   *

        Torn from her thoughts by a distant cry cut off by a resounding thud, Rainbow Dash peered earthwards. Upon seeing nothing with a quick once-over, she circled back and scanned the area the sound originated from.

        Scanning the ground, the blue pegasus eventually came upon a strange sight. There in the middle of the road lay a pegasus pony Dash had never seen before. He appeared to be in pain, and was probably the source of the screaming. She glided down towards the groaning grey pony, his features becoming clearer as she neared the ground.

        Rainbow had seen many colts around Ponyville, but there was something that piqued Dash’s interest more than the fact that she had never seen him before.

        He just looks... awesome. She blushed at her own thoughts, continuing to look upon the fallen pony with interest. His unkempt mane stood out the most. It gave him a wild, adventurous appearance that surprisingly appealed to Dash. She couldn’t help but stare and wonder where in the hay he came from.

        Rainbow descended onto the road, settling a few feet from the unknown pony. She began to trot over to him. He was on his back gazing up into the sky, pupils shrunken to unreal proportions, and a pained look upon his face.

        He looks kinda cute. Dash blushed again.

        At the sound of Rainbow’s hoofsteps, the suffering pony peered over at her and continued to stare as she approached. Feeling a tad uncomfortable, Dash gave a confused smile. The grey pony shook his head, blinked a couple times, and spoke.

        “Hi Rainbow Dash!” he blurted, seeming very loopy, presumably from injury.

        Taken aback by the use of her name, Rainbow took a step back. “How’d you know my name?”

        “‘Cause you’re the Best Young Flier in Equestria!” He emphasized his words by waving his hooves about above him, creating a comical display.

        Dash laughed, then stopped abruptly. Her thoughts turned from this new pony, and even from the thought that somepony outside of Ponyville knew her name. Instead her thoughts shifted to Applejack. She hadn’t even genuinely smiled since she spoke with the earth pony, and yet here she was, laughing at some stranger. She knew getting over Applejack wouldn’t be easy, so she wasn’t expecting to be laughing again so soon.

“You’re kinda cute in person.”

This sudden statement nearly knocked Rainbow off her hooves, and she staggered backward a bit. What is up with him? She thought to herself as her face turned a bit red. The two remained there for a few silent moments, however, the grey pegasus was seemingly unperturbed by this.

“So uh, where’re you from?” Dash asked, trying to keep the conversation going.

        “I’m Trey.” the grey pegasus replied, grinning. “I fell off that cloud.” He shoved a hoof at said cloud.

        Rainbow blinked. “What?” An expression of utter confusion crossed her face. “I asked where you’re from.” Clearly, this pony hit his head way too hard.

        “Oh, oh!” Trey flailed about, apparently attempting to gather his thoughts. Oh, wait! Wait! Oh, oh, oh, wait! Um, um... Canterlot! Yeah. Canterlot.” He stopped flailing and relaxed his body. He let his head tilt to one side, his eyes blankly staring at nothing. “I think I killed my head.”

        Rainbow giggled. She was enjoying this ‘Trey’. What an odd name. She thought. I suppose it matches him perfectly. She smiled at that. She decided she wanted to know more about this pony. She bounced into the air, hovering above Trey. “So why’d you come here?” A thought occurred to her at that moment, and she grew excited. There seemed to be only one reasonable explanation as to why Trey knew her. “Did the Wonderbolts send you? Are you here for me? Oh, this is so awesome!” She looped around in the air, laughing in glee.

        “Actually, I’m just a friend of Twilight’s.” Trey shrugged.

        Rainbow’s face fell, and she slowly floated to the ground, a look of confusion crossing her face. “Wait, Twilight? As in, Twilight Sparkle?”

        Trey nodded. As he did so, his stomach rumbled, and his eyes grew wide. Leaping up onto his hooves, Trey exclaimed to nopony in particular “Oh yeah! I haven’t had breakfast yet!” He turned to Rainbow, looking excited. “Which way to Sweet Apple Acres?”

        Rainbow Dash protruded a hoof in the correct direction, a look of bewilderment set on her face. An instant later, Trey was off the ground, speeding away towards the farm. Rainbow chuckled to herself. What an... interesting pony.

*   *   *

        “Twilight!”

        Pulled from the trance of reading by Spike’s voice, Twilight Sparkle begrudgingly looked up from the book she was currently reading. “What?”

        The purple dragon entered the room carrying a sealed letter. The emblem on it was unmistakably Princess Celestia’s. However, that was to be expected, for she was the only one who ever wrote to Twilight. “Letter.” Spike stated.

        “Great, just uh-” The pony was cut off by several knocks on the door. “Just put it on my desk for now.” Her assistant obliged and left the room again. Twilight called out for the visitor to enter.

        The door opened and in stepped Rainbow Dash, unexpectedly enough. Of all the ponies in Ponyville, Dash was about the last Twilight could think of that would come to the library of their own accord. She walked in with a smirk on her face.

        “Oh, hi Rainbow. What can I do for you?”

        “You can answer some questions for me.” She stepped a bit closer to Twilight, eyeing her skeptically.

        “Um, okay.” Twilight uneasily wondered where this was heading.

        “So, who’s this Trey? He says he’s your friend. Why didn’t you ever tell anypony about him?”

        Twilight relaxed a bit. “Oh, I guess you’ve met him already. Well, he and I were friends back in Canterlot, and he decided to come and see me again.”

        “But why didn’t you ever tell anypony? What are you hiding? Are you two together or something?” Dash’s stare was serious, and her last question made Twilight blush.

        “No, we’re just friends.” Twilight replied. The pegasus’ expression softened at this. “We lost contact at one point, and he just slipped my mind I guess.”

        Rainbow trotted around the room for a moment, obviously considering this new information.

        When she turned back to the unicorn, Twilight caught a hint of pink in the pegasus’ cheeks. “So, is he always... a bit loopy?”

        The unicorn laughed. “Yes, he is a bit strange.”

        Rainbow looked at the floor, then asked, “So uh, are you sure you aren’t together or anything?” She nervously scuffed her hoof on the floor, her cheeks turning red.

        “Yes, I’m sure Rainbow,” Twilight said with a hint of annoyance. “Just because a random friend of mine that you didn’t know about shows up doesn’t mean he’s some kind of secret coltfriend.”

        Turning toward the door, Dash replied, “Okay, just making sure. See ya!” She hurriedly exited, slamming the door closed.

        Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Well, somepony found a new friend.” She chuckled to herself.

*   *   *

        Dash took off as soon as she left the library, her cheeks burning. Soaring through the sky, she thought to herself,  Maybe Applejack was right. Maybe I do just need to find a nice colt. She smiled to herself.

Chapter 5 end.

Previous Chapter - Next Chapter

When Trey Came to Town

Chapter 6

By Pook

“Hey, Rainbow Dash! Daaaash!” Pinkie Pie bounced about merrily, looking skyward at the blue pegasus heading her way. Dash coasted downward toward the hopping pony, looking slightly irritated. Pinkie ignored it, for she wouldn’t be long.

        “Yes, Pinkie?” Rainbow mumbled, her attention elsewhere.

        “Well, Twilight’s friend from Canterlot is here in Ponyville, so I’ve decided to throw a super-duper fun welcome party at Sugar Cube Corner so he can meet everypony!” The pink pony giggled, very giddy to finally meet Trey. “Oh, I can’t wait! It’ll be this afternoon, so make sure you’re there!”

        Rainbow, who clearly ignored the party pony, finally turned toward Pinkie. “So, have you met Trey, Twilight’s friend? He’s pretty cool.” She grinned. “Weird, but cool.”

        Pinkie snickered. “Silly, didn’t you here me? I’m throwing a super-duper party for him at Sugar Cube Corner this afternoon!” She lightly knocked on Dash’s head. “What’s on your mind, you silly filly?” She giggled.

        Rainbow blushed slightly, and stammered out her reply. “Oh, uh, I was just thinking about, uh, meeting the new guy.” She laughed nervously, rubbing her hoof on the back of her head. “Well, I gotta go, catch you at the party!” And with that, she was off. The rush of wind ruffled Pinkie’s mane.

        She laughed to herself as she fixed her mane. You may have met him first, Pinkie thought, a crazy smile creeping onto her face. but I’ve known Trey for much, much longer. The crazed look disappeared, and her face reverted to her usual smiling expression. “That reminds me,” she thought aloud. “I wonder what he’s up to right now.” Closing her eyes for a moment, the pony concentrated, contorting her face with effort. After a moment, her eyes popped open, and her face lit up with glee. “Found ya!”

*   *   *

        Trey’s experience at Sweet Apple Acres didn’t go quite as he had planned. He had been hoping to meet Applejack, but instead he ran into her siblings bearing the news that she was out of town. Trey also got the feeling that the Apple family was a bit uncomfortable about him, but he set it aside as being the fact that he was new. He also attributed it to his quirkiness. Still, he got what he came for: food. He didn’t stay long, leaving after devouring six apples.

        Fully content and still a bit loopy from his fall, Trey happily trotted down the road, eager to explore the rest of what Ponyville had in store.

        His expectations for Ponyville certainly had been exceeded. Everypony he had met so far had been very friendly, which, honestly, he hadn’t been expecting. This certainly raised his spirits. It sure is a whole lot different than back home. Trey scoffed, yet, retained his gleeful manner. He should just enjoy his time here while it lasted.

        While deep in his thoughts, Trey passed by a large bush. By chance, the pegasus glanced down at the shrub, and, to his surprise, staring back at him from the confines of the branches, were two, dark, murderous eyes.

        Trey let out an alarmed yelp and dashed on down the path. He looked backwards to see his pursuer, but there was no sign of it. The grey pony turned back just in time to see a yellow pony right in front of him.

        “Eeep!” The yellow pony was tackled to the ground by Trey, who tumbled with them, and consequently slammed his head into the hard dirt of the well-trod path, the yellow pony coming to a stop on top of him.

        Trey groaned, reaching for his head. It throbbed with pain, his eyes scrunched in irritation.

        “Confound it! My head! Again!” He opened his eyes, only to peer into a familiar pair of eyes. Fluttershy. He then realized she was draped over him. His cheeked flared red and he glanced around nervously.

        “Oh, I’m so sorry.” Fluttershy began “I... I didn’t see you and I... Eeep!”

        Trey had half-gently shoved Fluttershy off of him in attempt to remove himself from that awkward situation. He got up and began to leave. “Um, sorry for running into you, it’s my fault, sorry about that, and uh... I’m Trey. Sorry, bye.”

        The grey pegasus took to the air, his heart racing. After traveling a considerable distance, Trey alighted on a cloud and calmed himself. Laying on his back, he peered at the blue sky above him.

“I sure hope she doesn’t hate me now.” Trey joked to himself, then sighed, rolled to his side, and muttered “It’s not like I’m not used to it.”

*   *   *

        “Oh, I hope he’s okay.” Fluttershy said nervously as she watched him take off. “He hit his head pretty hard.” She stood there and observed the grey pegasus as he disappeared from sight, a look of concern on her face.

She tentatively began trotting back to her cottage. “I’d certainly like to see him again though.” She blushed, embarrassed by her own thoughts.. “To make sure he’s okay, of course.”

*   *   *

        Pinkie Pie emerged from the bush, giggling uncontrollably. Scaring Trey had been completely unintentional, yet highly entertaining. It got even better when he mowed over poor Fluttershy.

        However, as Pinkie watched Trey fly off, she noticed something that doused her laughter. Fluttershy was blushing. While she watched Trey. The party pony sat on her haunches and scratched her head. I’m getting the same feelings from Fluttershy that I did with Rainbow. Attraction. That just doesn’t make much sense, especially since that never happened to him before. Am I missing something?

        Pinkie slammed her hooves down on the ground. “What is going on here!?”

*   *   *

        Twilight stared at the parchment in disbelief. “She... she’s... gone!?” She groaned, dropping her head onto her desk.

        Spike looked over questioningly. “Who’s gone where?”

        Twilight replied in an imitative high, sweet voice, quoting the letter. “‘We are sorry. The Princess is in another castle. She will take your letter when she returns.’” The purple pony shook her head angrily. “What does that even mean!?” she shrieked. “Another castle!?”

        “Um, Twilight, I think you need to calm down a bit. You don’t even usually get angry, what’s wrong?” Spike asked nervously.

        Twilight sighed loudly, staring down. A few seconds later she looked back to Spike. “Nothing’s wrong Spike. I just want to understand this whole thing. There’s so much that I can’t comprehend, and the princess was my hope, and now she’s away somewhere.” The unicorn turned away, sighing.

She stared at the wall for a moment, then sighed again. “I care about him Spike, about Trey. I don’t know why. I can’t explain it. I barely spent any time with him, and I have no real reason to care, but... I do.” She turned back to the dragon, a distraught look in her eyes. “And that’s just another thing I’m trying to understand, which is why I need to contact Princess Celestia.”

        “Well, what about Luna?” Spike offered thoughtfully. “I haven’t seen her since we first came here.”

        Twilight began to speak, but stopped, thought for a minute, and then replied. “I don’t know. Princess Celestia hasn’t actually mentioned her since then either.” The pony shook her head. “I’m sure if she could have, Luna would’ve replied in Celestia’s place, so that would mean that she’s not available either.”

        “So, what do we do?”

        “Well Spike, now, we wait.” She returned to her desk. “I just hope they can help soon.”

*   *   *

        The room was dimly lit, the only light creeping in from the doorway. Just enough light was showing for one to see the dreary contours of the rocky walls. A skewed shadow blotched the pale stone floor. The origin of said shadow was located in the center of the room, floating a few feet off the floor.

 Celestia stood outside the grim room peering in, a sad look in her eyes. She studied the floating pony, peacefully resting in a state of forced unconsciousness. Her long form was stretched out, giving her the appearance of laying upon a bed, sleeping soundly.

Celestia watched the pony’s chest rise and fall, a tear forming in her eye. She couldn’t  believe she had to do this again, it killed her inside. “I’m so sorry Luna.”

Grinding sounds accented the closing of the great stone door. After sealing up the chamber with barrier magic, the princess focused her magic upon herself. In a flash, she was gone.

The mood in the Royal Sister’s library was tense, as were the ponies in it. A group of Celestia’s best magicians were strewn about in the vast expanse of the room. More books than could be counted lay randomly about the floor. Larger clusters of books cluttered the space around each unicorn, and each pony was deep in their work, whether it be reading or casting a spell.

The stark silence was left unbroken as Princess Celestia materialized into the room. She gazed around at each unicorn, eyeing them with the intense scrutiny of nervous energy.

“Bastion, status report.” Celestia turned to the nearest pony, a stallion with a blue coat and white mane.

“Your Majesty, we have yet to find the source, but I assure you, we are making progress.”

“Good, how long before it will be found?”

The unicorn stammered. “W-well, we are working as hard as we can Your Majesty, I can assure tha-”

“How long, Bastion?” Celestia glowered at him, anger seeping through her normally calm temper.

“S-several days at the latest, Your Majesty.” Bastion began to sweat, nervously wiping his brow with a hoof.

Celestia stamped a hoof angrily. “Dammit! Get it found as fast as you can! Every day it stays loose, the more risk we take!” She leaned in close to Bastion, and blunt fear crossed the unicorn’s face.

Her words were quiet, yet dripped with venom. “I can feel it in the back of my head. It’s out there, somewhere. Now find it!” She spat the words, and turned her head away, shaking it. Taking a deep breath, she spoke to the group.

“Forgive me. I fear this is worse than we thought. If it is affecting me now, then there is no time to waste. Continue your efforts, I must retire to my chambers to rest. Remember, nopony bothers me, and I am not receiving any messages at this time.”

With a flourish of light, the princess was gone.

Chapter 6 end.

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