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As I began to wake, the first thing I noticed was my bed felt different than I was used to and was somehow shorter than it should be. Taking a moment to have a lazy stretch, my eyes opened to a room I didn't recognize. For several very long, nervous seconds, I struggled with why it looked like the inside of a tree before my brain caught up with itself. Taking a moment to pinch my arm in disbelief, I sighed as I started to accept I wasn't in a dream. I could somehow read in dreams, but no feelings of pain worked.

I was still in Equestria.

Looking out the small window as I sat up, I noticed my typical waking time remained around that point where the sky just began to brighten. After being stuck in the hospital, waking up in a whole new world, recovering from stuff I couldn't really understand, I was thankful for this small familiar part of my day.

In silence, I got up and dressed. Once my button-up kung fu top was on, the cuffs fastened and my footwear tied, I put my hair in a loose horsetail behind my neck before I began to warm up for some exercise. A week in the hospital and so much being over my head meant I needed to check my physical state and let myself work through some techniques and forms as I got a feel for where my body was. Light today, tomorrow would be anything but light.

Feeling the main room would be best, I made my way down the stairs with little noise so I wouldn't disturb my unexpected host. A few longer ranging stretches later, I started on various strikes and kicking drills before switching into combined techniques and forms.

It was perhaps an hour later when I heard the clopping of hooves upstairs. From the corner of my eye, I saw Twilight making her way down. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs, watching me moving through my Tai Chi form, adjusted a little for the smaller space.

"Good morning, Twilight. I hope you slept well," I greeted her with a cheerful tone after she failed to say anything.

"Oh...uh, good morning, Vojin. I slept pretty well, actually. What is that you're doing? Some sort of dance?" Twilight asked with a yawn as she was still waking up.

I gave a small chuckle, starting into the final segment of the form as I replied, "You could call it a type of dance. Almost done, please give me a minute."

She waited nearby and I noticed her watching me with curiosity in her eyes whenever my head turned enough that I could see her. As I finished the last part and straightened, my arms lowering to my sides with palms facing the floor, I gave a quiet sigh of enjoyment at the feeling of a good bit of exercise. It had been too long since my last morning routine and my body relished getting to move again.

Turning to Twilight and giving her a satisfied smile, "I don't know how it is for ponies, but I always feel the difference after missing my morning workout routine for several days in a row. And the 'dance' you saw was my Tai Chi form. Although I did change it a little to fit into the available space in here so I wasn't running into walls."

She nodded with a smile of her own, "You'll have to tell me more about your Tai Chi forms later. It certainly looked graceful. How long have you been awake?"

"Just as the dawn began. I'm usually up early for my morning exercises. I hope I didn't wake you by accident with the link," I replied as I stepped over to her, my long hair showing visible signs of sweat as I brushed an errant strand from my face, "Also, mind if I hop in the shower? Tai Chi is also my cool down cycle from the more active exercises I did earlier and I need to clean up a bit."

"No, you didn't wake me. Go right ahead and clean up. I assume you remember where it is, right?" she said as she grinned, "Don't take too long. I was going to ask Spike to whip up some pancakes for breakfast. I know we have everything from when I looked yesterday afternoon."

"Yes, I remember where it was. I won't take long. Pancakes also sound pretty good right now," I told her as I paused at the bottom of the stairs before heading up to grab a change of clothes and a shower, "You know, it probably won't be long until your friends drop by too. Considering nobody was allowed to visit while we were quarantined, I'm sure they'll be anxious to see you again."

"I wouldn't be surprised if at least Pinkie Pie appears out of nowhere any minute now and the rest of the girls wouldn't be far behind. I'll see you when you come back down," Twilight returned.

A quick shower later, which was a somewhat interesting experience on it's own with the showerhead at chest level and my doing a lot of kneeling, I could hear several voices downstairs as I left the bathroom. It didn't take much effort to realize Twilight's friends had already arrived. I gave my sweaty training clothes a rough quick fold, now dressed in an alternate set as I started tying on my kung fu shoes. The set I wore was black with yellow edging and the school's logo on the left chest and across the back. Considering I had only three sets of the same packed for my weekend hike, I hoped Rarity wouldn't mind making a trade so I could have something more to wear before long. The little I had would wear out with such constant use.

Tying my hair back in another horsetail, I headed for the main room of the library. As I got closer, I could hear the other girls talking with Twilight.

"...ure you're absolutely positively totally ok?" Pinkie Pie's squeaky tones rang out as I started down the stairs.

"Yes, Pinkie. I'm fine now. She said there were no dangerous side effects," Twilight replied.

"You said no dangerous effects, but I get the feeling something happened. I know you promised Princess Celestia you wouldn't tell anypony, not even us, but are you sure you can't say anything at all?" Rainbow Dash's scratchy voice rang out that time, her tone worried and a little frustrated.

I made a slight clearing of my throat as I stopped at the bottom of the stairs unnoticed.

When they all looked at me with different expressions, Twilight gave me a smile and spoke up, "Vojin, there you are. I'd like to introduce you to my closest friends. I suppose you're already aware of who they are?"

Giving her a small nod, I smirked a bit lopsided as I stepped across the room to stand beside her, "Yes I am, Twilight. Before anything else though...," I said as I turned to Pinkie.

"Pinkie Pie, please postpone your probable party planning posthaste prior to putting up a welcome party. Partially pertaining to previously being a patient at Ponyville hospital and to provide a proper period to process my perplexing position. Tomorrow is perfectly pleasing for prodigious party processes per your pervasive preferred predisposition to plan popular parties for newcomers to Ponyville," I told her, the grin on my face hard to keep control of as the spiel I'd just delivered came out on a whim without stumbling.

The grin only got worse as I took in the surprised, dumbfounded looks on all their faces with exception of Pinkie Pie. She had the strangest gleam in her eyes, like she was going to burst with glee, surprise, adoration, and the most inexplicable, frosting. After a moment of surprise, she started springing in place much like she had on the show.

"WOW! That was super duper neat! I can save the party for tomorrow if you like. Did you have that written down and practiced already? Do you know any more stuff like that? How about jokes? You know I like to do stand up sometimes! I think I should do a show again! Oh! Maybe I could do it tomorrow for the cafe! I wonder if they have those tasty veggie pot pies again? Hmm, did I forget to clean that caramel pot in the kitchmmmfff?!" Pinkie just carried on until Applejack caught her mid-hop and covered Pinkie's mouth with a hoof, an exasperated look on her face that spoke of familiarity with the situation.

The rest of the ponies laughed a little at Pinkie's antics before looking back to me as Twilight gave a small giggle while waving a hoof in my direction before continuing the introduction, "Girls, I'd like you all to meet Mister Vojin Barloc Drayce. I know Rainbow already told you what happened just before myself and Vojin were taken to the hospital and this is the human I caught when he was falling out of the sky. As I already mentioned a little, he knows about us and Equestria from something on his world, though I haven't had a chance to sort out how that's possible yet. As you can see for yourselves, he is proving to be full of surprises."

I had to smirk at that last part before giving a low bow to the ponies I knew a fair bit about already. Speaking in a much more normal fashion, "It is good to me you girls, truly. I know it's more than a little weird to hear, but I've been a fan of all of you for a couple years now. I can explain more later but for now I will just say that I am thrilled to make your acquaintances. I look forward to getting to know each of you in due time and please, just call me Vojin."

Rainbow laughed, "Hah! I've got a fan from a whole different world?! Ok, that's just pure awesome!"

It then dawned on me I should refrain for as long as possible from telling her just how many humans think she's best pony and hoped I didn't spill the fact I had fanmade songs about her on my smartphone anytime soon. I wasn't sure Equestria could handle the swelling of her head. It might even reach all the way back to Earth.

I was looking forward to learning more about them, beyond just the things I knew from the show, and I turned to each one at a time to greet them by starting with Pinkie, "Pinkie Pie, I do mean it about holding off the welcome party. Considering I was quite literally dropped into Equestria when I arrived, then stuck in the hospital for a week, I have a lot to take in and will very much appreciate a day to adjust some first."

Turning to Applejack, who was still keeping a wary eye on Pinkie, an easy smile came to my face, "Applejack, I look forward to trying those famed apples from your farm, as well as that even more famous cider when the season comes around. I'm a bit of a country boy at heart and while there's some things Twilight and I have to work on before I could, I wouldn't mind helping you on the farm. I have a healthy appreciation of hard work and I'm sure I could put my hands to good use."

Next I turned to Fluttershy, who looked unable to decide between hiding behind her mane or looking at me with open curiosity as a new creature, speaking a bit quieter, "Fluttershy, I tend to be quiet and gentle most of the time, so I hope you won't be too nervous around me. If it helps, I like hugs and I hope in the near future you could introduce me to some of your animal friends."

Moving to Rarity, I made the effort of clear enunciation, "Lady Rarity, I understand your talents as a seamstress are without equal. Due to my circumstances, I fear I am left with only three ensembles identical to the one I now wear. I hope we can sit down at some point soon and make a mutually beneficial arrangement of services so I might obtain some additional clothing. As humans are more environmentally sensitive for lack of a coat of fur, I fear what little I have will wear out sooner than would be desired through constant use."

At last turning to Rainbow Dash, I gave her a challenging smirk, "And as for you, Rainbow Dash, I want to thank you for getting the message to Spike. Also, I know you're a speedster and believe you have some martial arts training. As I reached the rank of a black sash in kung fu on my world, perhaps we could talk sometime about our different styles and techniques. I'm really interested in how you ponies fight. It might even be fun to have a sparring match with you at some point."

The looks on each of their faces were different mixtures of surprise but I was relieved that they all appeared cautiously optimistic on some level, though Dash and Pinkie looked more amused than the others. It was weird for me to be meeting them face to face as they felt like old friends on some level, despite this being the first time we met. I supposed if I was stuck in Equestria for life somehow, getting to have them as friends would be a welcome blessing.

"I don't know how much Twilight has told all of you so far but yes, I do know a fair bit about Equestria, Ponyville and each of you already. Twilight can share what I've already told her if you like, considering it might be a bit of a shock to hear. I'll explain if you'd rather hear it straight from me," I told them.

Applejack spoke up first with a bemused look with a raised brow, her drawl rang out, "Well pardner, ya sure do know how ta make an impression but at least yer bein' honest, even if it is darn strange ta hear. Might as well tell that tale yerself since yer here."

As the rest of the girls gave me an expectant look, I knew I had to explain once again.

"Well, to get straight to the main point...um, in my world, which is called Earth by the way, there is a work of what was supposed to be only fiction that tells of Equestria and the main story focuses on you girls as the Elements of Harmony and the adventures you have together, starting with defeating Nightmare Moon. Until I wound up here, it was just make believe and imaginary. Everything was part of a fictional story about this world that was supposed to just be an author's imagination. A piece of entertainment written by a human for other humans," I kept my eyes roaming around between their faces as I gauged their reactions, a touch apprehensive about telling so many at once, let alone these particular ponies, "Equestria is just a fictional place on Earth. At the same time though, I've already learned humans are a matter of myth and fiction here in Equestria. It's admittedly a little overwhelming for me. Right now, I don't even know if I'll ever be able to get back to Earth."

There was a pause as they took in what I just told them, though it was Fluttershy that spoke up first, "Oh my...you don't know if you can go home again? That's just terrible!" she said in a gentle voice as she looked up at me with open concern. My cliche senses tingled at her response, though I kept it internal.

"That is just tragic, darling! Simply dreadful! Nevermind the parts about your world thinking we are mere figments of imagination as we are clearly quite real. I insist you pay me a visit if you need somepony to talk to in this most difficult situation you are in. No pony, or human in your case, should have to face such terrible circumstances alone," Rarity espoused, living up to her element so quick was a welcome sign.

Still, I had to jump in before any of them could say anything further and spoke up again, "Please don't think any of you need to go out of your way on my behalf. Yes, it is a challenging situation I'm stuck in right now but I will take it as it comes. It's all I can really do anyway. For now at least, I'll be assisting Twilight with some research for Princess Celestia regarding this unique situation. By the time we finish, I should have had a good bit of time to adjust. I'll just have to see where I'm at by that point."

"My dear Vojin, you are of course welcome to choose what you feel you need for yourself but my offer will remain. Please, do not hesitate to pay me a visit should you desire company for any reason," Rarity returned, offering me a kind smile.

Giving her a slight bow of appreciation, I returned the smile, "I suppose you leave me little choice, Lady of Generosity. I will have to see about visiting from time to time. Even if only for some friendly conversation as I learn about living in Ponyville and Equestria."

"Oh my... Lady of Generosity... I rather like the sound of that. You are beginning to make me think you a gentlecolt, Vojin darling. I will be most intrigued to getting to know you better in the coming days," Rarity smiled brighter as she looked at me with a more appraising eye. Something about her words seemed odd but I brushed it off, assuming it was just one of the things I'd be getting used to as I got the know her.

"Well pardner, if'n y'all wanna help out over at Sweet Apple Acres, we can always use another set of hooves. Aside from all the other things the farm provides, there ain't no shortage of work ta be done," Applejack gave me a playful grin, "Y'all better be strong an' healthy if ya wanna keep up. Ya don't seem ta be flabby or nothin' but hoomans ain't somethin' familiar ta me. Think y'all can hold up with them skinny lookin' limbs of yers?"

"Heh, I bet I could pick Big Mac up off the ground if I had to," I returned, "I don't know how I stack up against the strength of an earth pony yet, or for that matter ponies in general, but I'm sure I can at least carry bushels. Beyond that though, I might be able to help you with difficult fixes around the farm on account of my hands if you showed me what you needed."

"Y'all better be careful there pardner, Ah just might put ya to the test," Applejack said as her grin grew a little wider, "Ah'm a might curious though. Ah'm guessin' yer a stallion? What do they call ya back home?"

"Human males are called 'men.' Man, for the singular expression. I will say though, you are quite welcome to just refer to me as a stallion anyway. Humans are known to use the term for ourselves on occasion from time to time and it's fine with me. Heck, now that I think of it, I think I might actually prefer it just because it's amusing to hear and easier for all of you," I replied.

Applejack gave a shrug, "If that's what ya prefer. Easy ta remember, Ah'll give it that."

It was about then I caught the sound of quiet steps that seemed to come from upstairs, guessing Spike would be down soon. Sure enough, lighter footsteps hitting the stairs were quick to follow.

Spike seemed to talk through a yawn at first as he gave one eye a lazy rub, "Morning, Twilight. Morning everypony. You're visiting pretty early. Was there a special event today?"

"Good morning, Spike. No special events today. The girls just came over to visit since nopony was allowed to while Vojin and I were in the hospital," Twilight gave him a warm smile, giving Spike a hug and nuzzle in greeting when he got close, "And now that you're awake, could I talk you into making some pancakes for breakfast?"

"Sure thing, Twilight. Are the girls joining us too?" Spike asked as he looked at the gathered ponies and appearing oblivious to my presence on the other side of Twilight.

Twilight gazed around at her friends with a smile, "Well girls, would you like a few pancakes?"

"Ooh! I love pancakes! I hope you have lots of syrup!" Pinkie chimed as she made one of her springy hops.

Applejack nodded, "Well I reckon joinin' ya sounds fine, Twi. Just a little fer me though, seein' as we already had some grub over at the farm before gettin' some early chores done."

"I could go for a stack. Gotta fuel up for some more stunts I wanted to work on before lunch," Rainbow added, taking to the air with a hop and hovering a body length from the floor.

"While a lady must of course mind her figure, a couple pancakes do sound delightful," Rarity said.

Fluttershy spoke up in her quiet tone, "Um, if it isn't too much trouble, I'd like some pancakes too please."

"Well I guess everyone will be joining us, Spike. Would you like a hand with making breakfast?" I said as I looked down to him. There was a bit of amusement on my part when he seemed surprised to see me standing there.

"Oh, uh...no thanks. Pancakes are easy," he said with a blank stare for a second before he shook it off, "Ok everypony. I'll have breakfast ready soon."

As Spike hurried off to the kitchen, I heard him mumbling to himself about swearing he only dreamed seeing a human. I suppose landing in a world where I was pretty much relegated to the status of a living myth would take some getting used to for more than just myself.

"Well, knowing that all of you must be curious, you girls are welcome to ask me questions while we wait for the food to be ready," I announced, curious what they'd be interested in learning first.

Twilight was the first to think of a question and looked up at me with interest, "Speaking of breakfast, what do humans like to eat, Vojin? You mentioned knowing we ponies are vegetarian yesterday and said that was fine with you. What kind of diet do you have?"

Giving a small nod and a smile, "Humans have a fairly broad range. We're an omnivorous species by nature and have our origins as hunter-gatherers before discovering farming."

I heard a small gasp or two, Fluttershy just looked at me with curiosity while Applejack spoke with a wary eye in my direction, "Y'all mean ya eat meat?"

That gave me a small chuckle, "Well, while most humans on my world do eat meat on a regular basis, I haven't done so personally for nearly a year. And considering I'm now in Equestria, it's quite possible I never will again. Although now that I think of it, you ponies are omnivorous too. You'd have to be when you regularly eat things like eggs and milk, due to the animal proteins."

"You know Vojin, it's interesting to me that you noticed that. And you are right. While we do consider ourselves mostly herbivorous, there are some specific historical motivations for why. I'd love to tell you about it later, if you're interested. But what did you mean by not eating meat for nearly a year?" Twilight commented with a thoughtful look as she queried me again.

Taking a moment to find the right words to explain it, I decided it would be better to keep it in simple terms, "That's a bit tricky to answer and can explain more in-depth later if you would like, but it relates to my studies in magic on Earth. The simplest way I can put it is we all absorb some energy from the things we eat, in addition to taking in the basic nutrients. With that in mind, meat will also carry some of the animal's experiences and connection to their home area, as well as some of their suffering. That essentially means it is better for me to abstain from meat unless I have a need for enhancing my connection to a particular area of nature, or as part of a specific holiday respecting death and the dead, which itself is part of nature that deserves to be honored as part of the cycle of life."

Looking around at the mares before me, there were some expressions of thoughtful discomfort on Applejack and Rarity, Rainbow just looked bored, while Pinkie and Fluttershy were unfazed. I mused that was to be expected, though I realized I'd have to ask Applejack if, and then why, she raised pigs. Garbage disposals maybe.

Twilight looked to me with a twinkle of fascination in her eyes again, "So it was related to your magic studies? I definitely need to learn more later. Why don't you think you'll be eating meat again while you're here though?"

"Ah, that's easy. Ponies don't eat meat, far as I know. I see no reason why I should go against that. For a few years now, I've only been eating meat once a year for the holiday I mentioned anyway. It's not much of a change for me after that. As I will be in Equestria for the foreseeable future, maybe for life, it wouldn't hurt for me to adapt accordingly. Does that answer your question?" I told her, receiving a contemplative nod in response.

Turning my eyes back to the rest of the girls, I decided to open the floodgates, "Anything you're curious about, ladies?"

Rainbow Dash spoke up as she eyed me with a look between curiosity and mild annoyance, "You said you practice magic. You some sort of wizard or something? Or an egghead like Twi?"

That gave me a small chuckle as I shook my head, "No, nothing like that. As I already told Twilight, the kind of magic I studied is far more subtle than what you're used to here in Equestria with unicorns and alicorns. Unless there is something I missed, I don't even have the capacity for a levitation spell. Instead, my efforts on Earth were focused on the use of inner senses and methods for guidance towards the right path to take when I have a difficult choice to make. With a lot of preparation, it is also possible to have a small influence on events in favor of a particular outcome."

"Not enough magic for even a simple levitation spell? I cannot even imagine what I would do without it," Rarity gave a small wince at the thought, "Although I am quite curious. Whatever did you mean by influencing events?"

"Well, in some ways it is a lot like getting someone to agree with you on a given point of view about something. You have no control over their thoughts but you can nudge them to your side through conversation. Much like that can be easy or night impossible, my efforts through prepared magic could help push circumstances a certain way. It certainly can't force something to happen, so things that need to be the way they are will still do just that.

"And to get a little further into the current subject, Equestria appears to have much more natural energy around. My world has almost nothing left, though legends and myths suggest a time long ago when everything was almost saturated with magic, much like it is here. No, I don't have the slightest idea what happened or why," I gave my chin an idle scratch as I mulled over Rarity's question, noticing Twilight looking at me with that fascinated look again.

Rainbow spoke up then, her tomboyish voice jumping to a new subject, "Ok, enough about magic. You said you studied martial arts where you're from and what you called it makes me think of hoof fu. What's the name of your style?"

Her sudden question gave me a grin as I looked over at her hovering a little higher than I stood, "Patient as always, I see. Well, I studied a style called Ying Jow Pai, otherwise known as Northern Eagle Claw. Has a good mix of solid moves in addition to acrobatic ones. The style can be traced back 900 years and is attributed to a general of a country with a very long history on my world. It isn't a good time for a demonstration right now, but I'm sure we'll have time soon enough. What about your style, Rainbow?"

She puffed up a little, looking proud of herself with a smirk, "Swift Wing. I figured it was a good fit with a lot of focus on speed. It's one of the fastest pegasi styles around."

"Heh, that does sound like a good fit for you," I said with another small chuckle, expecting it would be rather intriguing to learn about this 'Swift Wing' from her.

"Well before we find ourselves any further into this discussion of rather brutish activities, I would like to ask what sort of music you play, Vojin. Twilight mentioned you had an instrument not unlike our own guitars with you when she caught you falling out of the sky," Rarity said.

A relaxed smile came to my face as I looked at her, "Well assuming nothing happened to my guitar from my arrival or while I was in the hospital, I could give you all a demonstration if you would like."

Rarity looked delighted, but Rainbow jumped back in before she could reply, "Got any rock from your world? I could totally go for hearing what humans rock out with!"

"Rainbow Dash, honestly! It is much too early in the day for such uncouth, noisy music. You do not even know if Vojin is able to play such things yet," Rarity retorted as she gave Rainbow a sharp look.

A faint chuckle escaped at that and I waved a dismissive hand as I headed for my guitar case nearby, "Easy there, ladies. Why don't I just play something first and you can ask about what I can play after, alright?"

As I opened the case and lifted my guitar free for a short inspection, I heard Twilight giving them a quiet scolding for arguing so soon after meeting me. It made me smile in amusement as I slipped on the fingerpicks before moving to a stool. After getting comfortable with my guitar on my right thigh, I began checking the strings and happy to discover it was still in tune for the most part.

"I think for now I'll just play something instrumental. As for a melody...I think something Celtic would be nice. This is one I really enjoy myself...," I commented once tuning was done, then began to play with practiced ease.

(For more immersion, something like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7PcMo3_qjw )

The six ponies all became transfixed as the melody began to flow out. It was a pleasant melody to hear and I had played it many times. Letting myself get lost in the music, I sank into the rhythm in short order. It was always a relaxing feeling, the music calming. I just listened to the strings fade at the end, looking at the guitar with half-lidded eyes and a small smile.

Once I finished, I looked up with a slight blush as they all gave applause of one form or another. "Now ladies, it was nothing too fancy. I'm just glad you enjoyed it."

"Enjoyed it? I found it positively delightful! I have not heard anything quite like that before," Rarity exclaimed with a bright smile, "Surely you must have performed many times. How many albums have you released?"

I had to blink a few times in confusion, eyeing Rarity with a blank look until my mind caught up and I had to chuckle with a bit more of a blush, "It's just a hobby, Rarity. I haven't released any albums or anything like that. Really, I'm not even in the same league as professionals considering I can do technical accuracy well enough but have a terrible time improvising anything. I just like making music for it's own sake and it's a nice bonus when it makes others happy."

Judging by her astonished look, she appeared to have enjoyed it a great deal. Before she could say more, Rainbow Dash broke in.

"I gotta admit, that wasn't bad even if it wasn't as cool as rock 'n roll. You know any rockin' riffs, Vojin?" Rainbow Dash seemed intrigued as she started hovering again, having settled down while I played.

"I know a few. Most of them have a singing part to go with it though, so I'd rather save that for another day. Considering I have a broad taste in music, I tried to learn a number of different styles. I'll bet you'll get a kick out of some of the harder tunes I know. But for now, I think the pancakes are almost here," I replied, turning my eyes and nose towards the kitchen, the smells wafting through the air were growing and the sound of Spike's footfalls were approaching.

Not a moment later, Spike came back into the main room carrying a number of plates on one arm, a large container of syrup and some forks in the other and a sizeable platter of pancakes on his head. I gave the sight a curious stare, not quite sure how he was carrying it all without dropping anything. I was further perplexed when he set everything down somehow in a smooth few movements, starting to divvy up the pancakes at the central table. I wondered if that was going to be a common display I'd have to get used to.

"Alright everypony, I made a ton of pancakes, so dig right in!" Spike announced, waving a spatula I didn't notice him carrying.

We all grabbed plates and got to eating. Noticing Twilight and Rarity levitated their plates to make room at the small table, I joined them and held mine in my off hand as I ate.

As I dug into the first bite, I found myself curious how pegasi and earth ponies went about things. Fluttershy was dainty and used a knife and fork pinched in her fetlocks, taking small bites. Pinkie, Rainbow, and Applejack were more engaged, slashing through chunks and enjoying larger bites. Applejack caught me looking and I realized I'd been staring more than I'd meant.

She raised a brow at me with a mild self-conscious look as she paused, "Y'all look like ya ain't never seen somepony eatin' pancakes before. Did Ah get some syrup on mah face or somethin'?"

Smirking at the thought, I shook my head before swallowing the bite I'd taken and responding, "No, there aren't any rogue bits of syrup. To be quite honest, I actually haven't seen a pony eating pancakes before. I suppose it's one of those little details we all take for granted until worlds collide like this and someone like myself shows up that never has seen a pony eating pancakes. It's kind of fascinating to me. I do apologize. I didn't mean to be staring."

Apart from Pinkie appearing oblivious to the world beyond syrup-laden pancakes, they were all looking at me a little strange at first while the idea worked through their heads, but they smiled a little after a moment and returned to enjoying breakfast again. Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Twilight eyeing me in open curiosity again, eating her pancakes almost on autopilot as she looked at me.

"You know, Vojin, I have to admit it's a little mutual. Watching you eat with a fork in your hand, I can see various differences when compared to how Spike uses it. With your longer fingers, you seem to handle the fork quite differently and make frequent position changes depending upon the manner in which you're using it. I'm already noticing you seem to have more dexterity than a minotaur," Twilight mused, a little lost in her own thoughts and observations.

Rainbow Dash spoke up, mild annoyance in her voice as she paused her eating, "Twi, you're not gonna go into egghead mode during breakfast again, are you?"

She took a moment to blink, then Twilight turned a sheepish grin towards her friend, "I guess I can finish breakfast before trying to learn more about human physiology and eating practices."

That gave me a small laugh, covering my mouth until I could swallow another bite, "We have time, Twilight. You can lock me in your lab downstairs later. We know I'm not likely to be going anywhere for a while."

They carried on with light conversation here and there as breakfast went on. Aside from responding to the occasional question, I stayed quiet and just took in the presence of these ponies that I had been a fan of for some time. It was strange on so many levels, we'd just met and at the same time, I had a sense of them feeling like old friends.

Of course, if I am stuck in Equestria long term, I would certainly enjoy being able to call them friends. Knowing what I did about them, they could be some of the best friends anyone could ask for.

Coming out of my thoughts as we finished eating, breakfast devoured and everyone appearing satisfied, it was like a cue for something to happen and Spike made a sound like he was about to hurl.

When he made a hurried twist to face my direction and let out one of those ever impressive belches, I had to make a sharp dodge as I leaned back and bent my knees to duck like I was doing the limbo. It was rather warm for a moment as a burst of fire filled the air where I'd been standing. The anticipated scroll appeared as the flames vanished again.

Snatching the scroll out of the air and standing back up again, noticing some curious looks at my reaction for some reason, I gave a somewhat embarrassed Spike an exasperated look and, in spite of myself, trying not to laugh.

"You know, Spike," I commented in a bemused tone as I held it out to him, "You really need to work on your aim with that."

He took the scroll with care, looking mollified, "I'm sorry! I tried to turn away from everypony but I didn't realize you were right there!"

Still resisting the urge to chuckle, I gave a quiet sigh and rolled my eyes, "I know, young one. I dodged easy enough. Just try to be more careful."

Spike gave a slight guilty nod as he opened the scroll, scanning through it before reading aloud, "Ahem... 'Twilight, my sister and I wished to inquire how the two of you fare this morning. As the present situation has proven quite unpredictable, we thought it best to check in on you both just in case further flux effects were to appear. Also, have you gained any new information about the link in this short span of time? Sincerely, Princess Celestia.' Well, Twilight, should I get a scroll and quill for a reply?"

Twilight smiled and shook her head, "No thanks, Spike. I think I need to handle it myself. Since I don't know exactly what parts Celestia wants to keep secret, I should write it privately."

"Well since the Princess let it out, can you tell us what she meant by a link?" Rainbow asked with no small amount of curiosity on her face.

Twilight rubbed her chin with a hoof for a moment, thinking before she smiled, "Well, I guess I can at least tell you girls that Vojin and I have some sort of link left behind by the magic flux. We currently seem unable to get very far from each other for reasons we have yet to figure out. A few hundred feet when we tested it yesterday. Unfortunately, I think that's all I can say for now. I really don't know what Celestia needs to keep secret or why but she seemed really serious about it. If I learn more about what I can share, you girls will be the first to know."

Rainbow Dash grumbled, rubbing a hoof behind her head, "Well I guess that's alright. I'm just really curious about what happened after seeing you catch Vojin here, then barely make it to the ground and collapse like that. I don't like thinking what could have happened if I hadn't been trying to sneak up on you. I'd have never seen you from my house."

The look on Twilight's face became fearful for a moment as she closed her eyes and shuddered before turning her eyes back to her friends. She then spoke in a quiet tone and a little shaky, "I-If you hadn't been there Rainbow, neither myself or Vojin would be here now. I wish I could explain why, but we almost didn't survive the m-magic flux..."

She seemed to have more to say but sniffled as her voice failed. Kneeling down since I was standing beside her, I put an arm over her shoulders in a gentle hug. I figured the obvious, having a brush with death without warning like that was coming to the front of her mind and sinking in. After a hesitating second, Twilight leaned into the hug with another sniffle, prompting a light squeeze of comfort from me.

I turned to her friends, seeing the shocked look they all wore and spoke in a soft tone, "The important part is we seem safe and healthy now, near as anyone can tell. I wish we could say more than that, but considering the nature of what could have been, perhaps it's for the best."

Several quiet seconds passed before Twilight's friends all rushed over to hug her, Spike clinging to her neck. As my arm was around Twilight as they moved in, I was caught in the middle, though after a moment I realized Fluttershy and Pinkie were hugging me just as much as they hugged Twilight. It was all a little strange for me, but a comfort just the same.

A long pause went by before they let go again. I did the same after giving Twilight another gentle squeeze prior to releasing her. She was a little teary-eyed, otherwise looking relieved. She gave me a grateful smile before turning back to her friends standing close by.

"Thanks, girls. I kinda needed that. There hasn't been much time until today to really take in everything that happened so suddenly like that," Twilight said as she dried her eyes with a fetlock, "Like Vojin said, as far as we can tell, we're safe and healthy now."

There was a comfortable quiet pause as the air seemed to relax again.

Rainbow Dash seemed fed up with serious matters though and broke the silence loud and proud, "Ok, that's it! This is getting me down and I gotta be fired up for those moves I planned to work on today! You ready for some flight practice, Twilight? I bet some training will get you cheered right up, too!" Rainbow flashed her typical confident grin.

Twilight returned it with a weak smile and an apologetic look, "Sorry, Rainbow, but because of the link with Vojin, I can't do very much flying yet. I don't know how long things will stay this way but we are hoping to work out how to get farther away from each other without causing negative effects. Presently, we're stuck with a firm limit that still needs to be tested properly."

A small flash of inspiration crossed my mind and I looked at her, still kneeling on the floor, "Twilight, maybe you could give a bit of flying a try."

Twilight gave me a confused look, "Why do you suggest that after the test we did yesterday?"

"Let me explain privately so we can respect Princess Celestia's request for secrecy," I replied, rising to my feet and heading for the door, motioning her to follow.

"Um, ok Vojin...," Twilight followed after me, casting a glance back at her friends, "Give us a minute girls."

Once we stepped outside and away from the door, I knelt down beside her, keeping my voice low, "Ok, since we need to test the link, I think it's as good an opportunity as any. And before you say anything, I want to note that we only tested for distance without line of sight. I suspect that if you go flying where we can still see each other, the distance you can get from me will be much greater. Heck, if we're lucky, this link is stretching or something."

Twilight blinked as the idea worked through her thoughts and she grew surprised and more than a little intrigued before she grinned, "That's a great observation. You're right. Maybe I can't fly far enough to do as much as Rainbow normally has me work through during practice, but I can at least do a few maneuvers she taught me. I think I'll give it a try before replying to Celestia so I can include the results."

I nodded and stood back up, "Alright then. I guess I should watch from the balcony. Just don't push further than the tugging sensation in case that more unsettling tension starts again. I don't want your flying ability getting messed with. Stay safe, ok?"

"Definitely. I need to stretch my wings as it is since I couldn't exactly do much flying at the hospital. Well, maybe flying into making that migraine worse...," Twilight grinned a bit wider at me as we shared a small laugh and headed back inside.

Twilight walked right over to Rainbow Dash, speaking with a bit more energy, "Ok, I need to stay a bit closer to the library than usual but I can go for a short flight. We're not sure how far apart we can be, so I have to be very careful about distance this time. We'll take off from my balcony."

Rainbow Dash perked up and grinned, "It's cool, Twi. That magic stuff you deal with is weird enough, so I'll just take your word for it."

Twilight turned to the rest of her friends with a smile, Well everypony, let's head up to the balcony. I won't fly too long since I was in the hospital yesterday, but you can see how my flying skills have been coming along."

"That sounds fine ta me, Twilight," Applejack said with a casual smile.

"Just be sure you don't push yourself too much, Twilight. I wouldn't want you to get hurt the day after getting out of the hospital," Fluttershy commented in her quiet tone.

"I'm not planning on visiting the hospital again any time soon, Fluttershy. I won't be doing any difficult moves today like the ones Rainbow has started teaching me recently. Just some easy things to see if I'm really back to normal. Follow me everypony," Twilight said before starting up the stairs, Spike by her side.

I stood aside for the girls to go first, being raised on the chivalrous side. The girls had also stopped as the confusion grew, prompting Twilight to pause and look back.

The girls were looking at me with expectant looks to match mine towards them. Applejack broke the building awkward moment, "Uh...stallions first, pardner. Yer welcome ta go ahead of us."

Blinking a moment, I quirked a brow in return, "That's really a thing here? It's always ladies first back on Earth."

Now it was Applejack's turn to blink and look confused, "Oh...well, it's just the way Ah was raised and Ah try ta encourage the girls. It's a might old fashioned, Ah admit, but y'all can go ahead."

A strained smirk grew on my face as I let out a small chuckle, seeing the girls in varying states of awkwardness like my own, though Rainbow just looked more annoyed than anything else. After a moment more to think, I spoke up again, "You girls go ahead. I take longer strides and haven't been to the balcony just yet. You can also consider it helping me feel a little more at ease for now. Little things like showing respect for ladies like I'm used to will make it easier for me to deal with my present circumstances. So...please?"

Rainbow Dash gave a long suffering sigh and a roll of her eyes before she just started to march up the stairs and settled the matter then and there. Applejack wore a bemused expression but gave me a nod as they all headed up. Twilight caught my eye for a moment with a glimmer of amusement in her expression before she started climbing again.

Trailing behind the rest of the girls, I caught Rarity looking at me from the corner of her eye with a small smile. Something about her was odd enough that I arched a brow as she went up last. Though she didn't say anything, she had to notice me catch her eye. Following up the stairs behind them, I would have sworn Rarity was swaying her flanks more than necessary and it gave me the strangest sense of something escaping my awareness. I just gave a mental shrug, putting it out of my mind as I wondered what pegasi flight techniques were like and what I was going to see.

As we stepped out onto the balcony, Rainbow Dash was quick to jump into the air and hover just off the edge of the balcony, looking like she was doing some quick airborne warm-up exercises in preparation for the flight. I started to think she wasn't going to be flying slow very often, even if Twilight would.

"C'mon Twilight! We got some clouds to kick!" Rainbow exclaimed as she started climbing into the sky, "I wanna see those moves!"

"Ugh...I guess Rainbow isn't going to take it as easy as I'd hoped. She better not push me too much after telling her I need to be careful today," Twilight grumbled before jumping from the balcony herself, hovering long enough to turn and look back at those of us still on the deck, "Like I said downstairs, just an easy flight while I run through a few techniques, I'll be careful not to go too far, Vojin."

She turned and started a more gradual ascent, circling over the library. I watched with interest, remembering portrayals of how well her first flying experiences went. I wasn't sure how long it had been since she first became an alicorn, but Twilight seemed to handle herself well as she she rose into the air.

When she looked to have gotten around three hundred feet up from the balcony, I felt the tugging sensation begin. Twilight seemed to notice as well as she glanced down around the same time. Working off how it had functioned before, she should have a few hundred feet to go before it would be problematic. I hoped she wouldn't push too much.

As we watched Twilight meet up with Rainbow a few hundred feet in the air, they began a sort of follow the leader approach, moving through a number of different aerial maneuvers that began basic and made a gradual shift towards more intricate ones. Lazy swooping turns drifted into corkscrews and ever tighter spirals. It was entertaining to watch, never having seen anything like it before.

After a couple minutes, Rainbow Dash seemed to fly next to Twilight for a time. I figured to chat about what else they could try. Being well out of earshot, I could only guess what they said but saw Twilight nod with a smile before Rainbow banked away prior to picking up speed.

Rainbow Dash switched into a complex flight pattern. Tight loops, an inverted dive turning into a spiraling loop and seeming to shoot up at a steep incline. It was fascinating to see maneuvers I'd never seen back on Earth. I wasn't sure anyone there could even pull off such aerobatics with the aircraft available.

I was a bit surprised to see Twilight start to follow some of Rainbow's tricks, though not taking turns as sharp or making moves as elaborate. Something in the way she followed an almost similar pattern looked different. There was a certain graceful fluidity in Twilight's approach that I found I couldn't look away from and realized I'd been smiling without noticing. A small part of my mind pondered why I was so enamoured.

It wasn't until Twilight seemed to be pushing herself higher that I noticed the tugging sensation starting to accelerate without warning. I had no idea why, Twilight should have been well within the safe range, but something felt changed about the link. I didn't have time to consider as the nervous sweating was surging forward after just a couple seconds. I was getting very concerned when I felt dizzy, swaying on my feet a bit as I pressed a hand to my temple at the sudden headache hitting me.

It could have only been moments later when I realized my eyes had closed. When I opened them again, the four ponies on the balcony were looking at me with worry, noticing after a moment I was also on my knees. They looked like they were saying something but I only heard a rushing sound in my ears.

I then noticed Spike point upwards as the girls all looked up. In that moment, I feared Twilight was in the same state I was. Forcing myself to look up, I saw Twilight was flailing with her hooves against her head, eyes squeezed shut as she grit her teeth with a look for pain.

She seemed unable to flap her wings very much, nor fast enough. A quick glance for Rainbow Dash showed she was much higher than before, already diving towards Twilight. A moment to gauge distance and I realized Rainbow was too far away, even with her speed.

Twilight was going to crash if she didn't recover immediately.

I don't know where the thought came from, but somehow I knew Rarity wouldn't be able to use her magic and Fluttershy wasn't strong enough to slow Twilight's fall soon enough. Twilight was going to fall close to the balcony and I knew I had a chance to catch her. Without thinking on what drove me in that split second chance, I sprang forward.

"MOVE!" I yelled, the girls ducking out of the way in shock as I took the two accelerating steps before my foot raised onto the banister and I leapt off into the air, my body twisting to one side as my legs kicked out to level me off with my back to the ground as I aligned myself to Twilight.

Somehow, I met her midair and caught her from below when she collided with me. Only having a moment, I pulled her back against my chest with the back of her head just below my chin, staying between her and the ground. The sudden change in velocity as her inertia connected with me left me breathless.

It seemed like the longest moment of my life as I felt myself slam down through branches and leaves, only a vague registering of their presence as I held her tight. It all seemed to take minutes as I shielded Twilight with my own body against the branches before a thunderous impact with the ground.

When I realized with some shock that we had stopped falling, and I was still conscious, I cracked an eye open as I felt myself start to come off the adrenaline rush. I saw some broken branches above where we had crashed through and thought we'd landed just on the edge of the road beside the library. Turning my eyes to Twilight as she lay against me, her eyes squeezed shut with her jaw clenched, her hooves and wings wrapped tight around herself as she held her breath like I had been. She cracked her eyes open and looked up at me, albeit upside down due to our position.

"You ok?" I croaked in a weak voice.

Twilight opened her eyes a bit more as she started to calm down, whispering, "I think so. Are you alright, Vojin?"

I couldn't quite tell if I was alright, feeling like I was buzzing all over. It wasn't numbness, yet I wasn't sure what I could compare the sensation to or why it felt a bit familiar. With slow motions, I moved my hands and fingers before giving a slow twist of my ankles and wiggling my toes before I made a hoarse reply, "I ain't dead yet and my limbs work...so, probably?"

Releasing my hold on her as Twilight worked on putting herself back together, I heard what sounded like rushing hooves inside and out, followed by a door being slammed open. A second later, we were surrounded by Twilight's friends with Rainbow landing next to us just before the others could run over.

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! Twilight! Vojin! Are you guys okay?! Are you hurt?! Anything broken?!" Rainbow spoke with understandable panic, rushing through questions without waiting for answers.

The buzzing sensation was fading away, slow as it was, and appeared to be countered by the almost buzzing sound of many voices talking in a rush at the same time.

With a gradual turn of my head to look around, I saw several of the townsfolk had rushed over as well, all of them jabbering in an incomprehensible mass of concern. My head was spinning even more as the adrenaline faded out. I closed my eyes and decided to give myself a minute to calm back down until someone said they could see blood, followed by what could only be a pony fainting somewhere nearby. My eyes sprang open again to check on Twilight only to find her look at me in shock for a moment before struggling to climb off me and stand in a hurry for some reason.

"Vojin! You're bleeding! A lot! You have cuts all over you!" Twilight exclaimed, sounding more than a little frightened for me.

"Ugh...feel like hell and my head's spinning, but I've felt worse Twilight. Calm down," I said, letting myself start focusing more on my own injuries and making careful motions as I began to get up.

I had only lifted myself enough to turn to my right sight with a pained grimace as I propped myself up on my arm, which seemed to be protesting a lot more than a few cuts would cause. I ached something fierce and knew I'd feel that little stunt for days before a light caught caused an immediate gasp and I hissed in pain from what felt like being stabbed in the ribs in a several places.

It wasn't difficult to figure out that I had a few broken, or at least bruised, ribs from how it felt and I focused on controlling my breathing so I wouldn't try to breathe too deep. I was glad when I quick brush of fingers over my ribs said nothing was sticking out. My left shoulder felt like it was on fire and a glance revealed a nasty gash, but not enough blood leaking to be an immediate major problem.

"Vojin, we need to get you to the hospital!" Twilight said before turning towards the crowd and yelling, "Somepony get an emergency carriage over here! Now!"

Someone in the front of the crowd replied, "There's one already on the way, Princess Twilight! They should be here any moment now!"

Rolling a little more, I started to pull my legs up and with slow movements to avoid aggravating my rather painful ribs, I sat up with care on my knees with another grimace. Twilight gasped and moved to try and make me lay back down before I stopped her.

"Vojin, you have a large chunk of wood stuck in your right arm! You need to lay down and wait for the emergency medics!" Twilight said with more than a little worry.

I gave a slow shake of my head before looking at her with a pained smirk, "I wasn't kidding when I said I've felt worse. I've been through worse than this, even if that might be hard to believe. I know it isn't pretty, but I'm sure I'll live. I'm more...," I was forced to pause from a few painful coughs, wincing before I could continue, "More concerned about you, Twilight. You hurt anywhere?"

"Vojin, you're crazy for catching me like that! I...I feel a little bruised but I seem fine...be... because... because you... s-saved me...," Twilight went from panicking about my injuries to teary-eyed as she took the time to process what happened with a bit more clarity.

In a slow motion, I reached out with my right hand and touched her shoulder, giving her a small smile, "I'm just glad you're alright, Twilight. Yes, I need a bit of medical attention, but really, I'll be fine. It's not as bad as it looks. Doesn't even...urf...hurt to much if I avoid coughing. Think I broke a rib or two when we landed."

I heard Twilight's friends getting the crowd to back off a little, catching someone yelling about making room for the emergency carriage to land.

Planting a foot, I pushed myself to my feet and stood. Twilight gave a small gasp, as did several others in the crowd. I took a moment to look myself over and really took in the state I was in. Multiple cuts and scrapes, a deeper gash in my left shoulder and a shard of wood sticking out of my upper right arm. Nothing major that I could see or feel on my legs beyond a bunch of smaller cuts. I was kind of glad I couldn't see my own head and back, though I found it strange that it wasn't hurting all that much like the rest of me was.

I was a mess but it still wasn't the worse ever, not after I was caught in that rockslide while on a group camping trip five years earlier. That experience left me in the hospital for a solid four months. This was only going to be a matter of a day or two at the longest, if they didn't just patch me up and let me go.

Then again, that was Earth...

"Vojin! How can you stand up after being hurt like that! You should lay back down and let the medics treat you!" Twilight exclaimed, starting to worry herself sick.

Giving her another small, pained grin, I had a had a decent grip on the pain thanks to all the kung fu training, rockslides and other 'fun' experiences, "Guh...gonna feel this in the morning. Like I already said, Twilight. I have been through worse, as difficult as that is to believe. After a month or so, you probably won't even be able to tell. Gonna leave me with a lot of fresh scars though. Might as well get ourselves over to the ambulance. Come on, Twilight. You know you have to go with me anyway. I want you to get checked out too, just in case."

She stared at me in amazement but gave a hesitant nod as she motioned for her friends to follow. I had to turn slow as I still felt a bit dizzy, but with a somewhat hobbling gait on my part, we headed towards the curious pegasi-drawn airborne ambulance that had just touched down. Applejack moved ahead of us to clear the way.

The gathered ponies made a path as we went to meet the medics. I was tuning it out but most of them were talking in quiet tones as they watched me, but I didn't pay much attention. I figured I was a rough sight, all cut up and bleeding while also being a living myth they only first saw yesterday.

When we reached the ambulance, the medical ponies were ready with the doors open. I figured since I was walking towards them, they could see I was moving on my own and it would be faster to wait a minute rather than unload their equipment. A deep blue unicorn nurse with a pale gray mane and silver-gray eyes came up to me, scanning over my injuries. Seeing what looked like a riveted metal plate in the shape of a heart for a cutie mark, I wasn't sure what to make of her at first glance.

"Sir, you should have waited for us to come to you with the condition you're in. Can you at least climb onto the gurney in a safe manner without injuring yourself further?" the nurse asked in a stern voice as she gave me a look of mild exasperation, her magic unfolding an extension to the gurney I was about to set down on.

I gave her a simple nod, "It's not as bad as it looks, miss. Been through worse."

The nurse looked surprised for a moment, then shifted to aggravation as she glared and began to chastise me, "Not as bad as it looks?! I already see several places you need stitches. You're going to need minor surgery to remove that piece of wood in your right arm and probably damaged the muscle in your left shoulder with how deep that gash looks. And as I heard it was a fall, you likely have several broken ribs with a head injury to top it off! Don't tell me what it looks like, buster! Now get your flank on that gurney or I'll have to put you there myself and strap you down!"

I could only grin as I tried not to laugh, "Yes ma'am!" was all I said in reply before doing as I was told. I winced as I bent over to climb into the vehicle and onto the gurney.

Once I'd managed to lay down, finding I fit well enough with the extension, the fiery nurse was quick as she tended to the major cuts after getting my ruined shirt off. She had gauze placed over the wounds before getting them wrapped in enough bandages to keep it in place and control bleeding while we headed for the hospital. I was quite hopeful all this medical treatment stuff wasn't going to be a common experience for me in Equestria.

When I heard the second medic trying to dissuade Twilight from climbing into the ambulance, I looked up at the nurse tending me and caught her attention.

"I don't mean to be a bother, Nurse Feisty, but if we try to leave without Princess Twilight Sparkle, both she and myself could die. Magic spell problem. Can't get very far away from each other right now. And I did get hurt breaking her fall in the first place."

To my surprise, she nodded without hesitation before sticking her head out of the vehicle, barking at what I guessed was her subordinate, "Swift Bandage! Let the Princess in the dang car already! She took a fall too and we best get her checked out!"

I heard 'Swift Bandage' stammer out a reply, "Y-yes, Nurse Tough Love!"

When Twilight climbed in, she found me caught between laughing and pained groaning as the nurse shushed and shooed her onto the second gurney. She stared at me like I'd lost my mind as I tried to wave off her concern with a hand, trying and failing to put her at ease as I got myself calmed down. It took a long, painful minute before I got back to just a wide grin.

"Heh, sorry Twilight...nnf... Just couldn't help myself there," I said, looking over to her, "It was just too much when I heard Nurse Feisty's name. It's entirely too fitting."

"You walk that line too much buster, I'll be using iodine on you," Nurse Tough Love said with a hint of a smirk on her mock serious expression, prompting a wince from me.

"Understood, ma'am!" I exclaimed, seeing the nurse's smirk grow a little bigger.

Twilight managed a small chuckle. After a moment longer, she made a sudden stop as she turned to look at me in disbelief, her voice was almost shaky, "Vo...Vojin... That mark on your chest..."

Quirking a brow, I gave her a curious look, "My tattoo? What about it?"

Twilight turned to Nurse Tough Love, "My apologies, nurse. I need to discuss something in private with him. I need to place a private discussion spell over the two of us. It won't affect your work and I'll drop it if you need to talk to one of us before we arrive at the hospital."

Nurse Tough Love just nodded, "As you wish, Princess."

Twilight's horn flashed for a second before it went out again.

"Vojin, why do you have that mark?" Twilight's expression became intense and serious when she turned back to me.

"Uh, I got it as a kind of reward for myself when I passed my test for earning my black sash in kung fu. Something wrong?" I returned, feeling some concern at her being so focused out of the blue over the thing. And a spell for a private discussion? Why was that necessary?

"Just answer the question, Vojin!" Twilight was more insistent.

"What do you mean? You asked why and I got the tattoo after passing my black sash test."

Twilight growled a little, surprising me even more but at a loss for why she was getting so worked up over it, "Grrah...fine! Why did you get that mark specifically and how did you find it?!"

Taking a moment to blink in confusion, not at all expecting such focused agitation from her, "Uh...well, it's kind of complicated. A few months before my test, I wanted to get a tattoo to commemorate reaching the rank of black sash and over the course of a month, I hadn't decided. On a lark, I spent a full two days out in the forest trying to figure out what I wanted and what symbolism I should use. Most of my time was spent in deep meditation for hours. Then, when I was getting frustrated and starting to feel it was time for another approach, I was hit with one heck of a vision and knew what I had to get, clear as day. The dragon's head for strength and determination, offset with the dove for always trying to live in love and peace with the world, the sword between for knowing I would have times I needed to fight for whatever reason. Beneath that is the shield for always trying to protect others whenever I am able. And all of it contained within the shining heart for the compassion I wanted to keep in mind for all I do so I never get lost in darkness."

Though I was already confused, I was at a further loss when Twilight just laid herself down, looking at the wall of the ambulance in front of her as we flew towards the hospital. When I felt unable to resist any longer and opened my mouth to speak, Twilight glanced at me. I was worrying even more when I saw a troubled look in her eyes.

"Please don't ask me right now, Vojin. It's a complicated subject and yes, I do know that mark. We may even need to head to Canterlot before the Princesses send for us. Give me some time to get my thoughts in order and I'll explain what I can," Twilight said in a quiet voice.

"I have no idea what is so important about my tattoo, but it must be serious if you're reacting like this. I can wait, but please talk to me when you're ready," I told her, drawing a half-hearted smile from her as she looked back at me in silence, her face unreadable.

I spent the rest of the ride to the hospital looking back at her as she watched me, wondering what had just happened and why the heck my tattoo would ever be recognized in Equestria.