Mind Over Matterby JakeTheBronyChaptersChapter 1 Where am I, and is that a Pegasus?Chapter 2 Introductions and CautionChapter 3 The Shadow ManChapter 1 Where am I, and is that a Pegasus?I have updated this chapter with newer edits. A thanks to BeardedRedMane for the edits. Curse it! I can't remember a damn thing! Where I'm at or what caused me to be here, who I am, my family, my loved ones...none of it. I remember trying to use my psychic powers for something, and then nothing. I remember a bright flash of light overtaking me and then the next moment I'm in a large grassy field. Looking around to get my barings I noticed some buildings in the distance, I seemed to be on the outskirts of a small town. To my luck it seemed that it rained the night before and I was able to get a pretty good look at my reflection in a puddle. I'm a light-skinned human with short black hair and brown eyes. I'm also kind of tall, around six feet to be exact; that is if my measurements are accurate. I'm wearing a pair of blue jeans and a black shirt with the band name Metallica on it! So my memories aren't completely shot, I can remember my taste in music but everything else.. seems to be missing. Turning my attention back toward the town I tried to get a better look at it. Most of the buildings looked old fashioned... good another vague piece of my memory returning. Deciding that I needed some answers I headed closer to the town. A few minutes of walking and I noticed a shadow passing over me as I saw a blue streak fly overhead. Immediately I focused on bending the light around me to conceal my presence. I knew I couldn't stay like this for long but I had to see whether or not this thing was hostile. A horse with wings? What was it called again? A Pegasus? I think that's about right. The realization hit me like a shit ton of bricks. Another memory floated to the surface that let me know that Pegasi weren't real in my world. I had to be dreaming or something. None of this could be real. I took a moment to observe the absurdity in front of me. The first thing that I noticed was that its coat was an unnatural... well actually everything about it wasn't natural. It sported a cyan coat with a shaggy rainbow mane. On either side of its' flanks I could see an odd colored brand; a rainbow lightning bolt shooting from a cloud. If I didn't know any better I'd say I was going nuts...absolutely nuts. I could feel the pressure in my nose start to rise. The splitting of the flesh in my nose wasn't a very pleasant experience nor was the feeling of the nerves in my head begging to tense up. I couldn't keep myself invisible like this for much longer and I needed to find someplace to hide. Low and behold I managed to find a large tree that wasn't too far from where I was currently standing. From the looks of it, it had some low lying branches and would be easy to climb. My decision made I immediately ran over to it, climbed up the branches and let my mental grip on the light go. The headache subsided after a few minutes and so did the nose-bleed. I continued to watch the Pegasus do its' thing as I wiped the blood from my nose onto my sleeve. I made sure I was pressed against the tree trunk where I wasn't too visible, so I couldn't be easily spotted. Peering around the leaves and branches of the tree at the Pegasus I continued to observe it. “I know I'm not crazy. I know I saw a flash of light come from this direction.” The pegasus spoke. Oh my god, it can talk! Its' voice sounded raspy, but it was definitely female from what it sounded! I really need to wake up from this dream. Maybe I'm still asleep with all of my memories intact, I thought. I slid myself up against the trunk of the tree, and adjusted myself to get comfortable on the branch I was sitting on. I tried to get into a position I was content with but I ended up hitting my head on a nearby branch. “DAMN IT!” I screamed as I lost my balance and tumbled out of the tree; landing on my back. “Damn it again!” “Huh?” The Pegasus flew down toward my direction. “What was that?” She flew toward me until she was right behind me. “Um, hello?” I shot up into a sitting position immediately and shouted; partly due to my having just fallen out of a tree, “Holy Jesus jumping Christ!” I turned to the Pegasus and she just gave me a stare. I noticed that up close, her eyes were huge and had a purple color to them. Violet maybe? Didn't matter to me. What mattered was that she scared the living daylights out of me. “What...are you?” She asked pointing a hoof at me. I didn't reply and kept giving her a blank stare. She began to look at me with an irritated expression and turned around to take off. “Okay, if you don't want to answer, that's fine. I'll just get more of my friends.” “Wait!” I quickly exclaimed. “Yeah?” I caught her attention as she proceeded to turn back to face me. “To answer your question.” I paused. “I'm a human, but I have no clue how I got here. I barely even remember where I'm from. Hell, I'm still convinced this all is a dream...despite the pain of that fall...” She narrowed her eyes at me and spoke, “Okay. Do you have a name, huumon?” The pegasus stressed the word human, as if it was very foreign to her. “Wish I could remember.” I answered, rubbing the back of my head. She cocked an eyebrow at me. “How'd ya forget your name?” I just shrugged. There was no way of knowing what my name was...unless! A thought came to my mind and I patted myself around my waist, slipping my hands into my pockets. To my relief I felt a soft rectangular object in my pocket and pulled it out. A laminated piece of paper could be seen from a clear pocket on the back of the item. It had a picture of me that included a name, dates, and a bunch of numbers on it. “It says on this...” I trailed off, “I guess my name is James Phillips.” The Pegasus gave me a puzzled look. “What a weird name.” “Oh yeah? And what's your name Mrs. Normal?” I replied as I put the items back into my pocket. “Name's Rainbow Dash. Best flier in Equestria.” She answered pointing a hoof to herself. It was my turn to raise a brow. I had to admit though, that name did sound pretty cool. And Equestria? Sounds like a pun. “Your name is an interesting name to say the very least.” I stopped and thought for a moment and felt like I should try and take back those words. “Actually, I think that's quite a cool name.” “It's a cool enough name for an awesome flier like me!” She boasted. “I guess I just fed your ego a little.” I stated. “Aren't you the least bit concerned that someone out there might be better than you?” She chortled at the statement. “You're funny, James. Everypony knows that I'm the best!” “Every...pony?” Didn't she mean everybody? “Yeah. Everypony. What is there something wrong with that?” “No, it's just you said everypony instead of everybody.” I scratched my head in confusion. “What does...everybadi mean?” she questioned sounding off the word I let out a sigh. “Actually, I'm not exactly sure. I can't really remember a whole lot since that bright light brought me here.” Rainbow Dash tapped her chin with a fore hoof. “So that means...you were that flash of light I saw earlier?” “I guess?” There was a bit of silence before Rainbow Dash spoke up again. “By the way, other than you I've never seen a human before. What exactly is a human? What do they eat?” She got closer to my face, peering into my eyes with her eyebrows furrowed. I hummed in thought for a second. “I'll explain to you as best I can.” I gathered my thoughts for a quick moment, trying to remember as many details as possible, “A human is a bipedal creature, meaning I walk on two legs. I eat meat and plants, so basically a human is an omnivore.” Rainbow Dash was a little curious about the eating meat part, and she continued to give me a glare. “Do you eat ponies?” “FUCK NO!” I responded loudly, with a hint of annoyance in my voice. “You didn't have to yell, I'm right here you know.” She said, rubbing her ears with her hooves to ease the ringing that resonated. “What is that word?” “What word?” “What is...'fuck'?” I think these creatures are a little too innocent be cursing if they've never even heard of the words before. I thought as she asked the question. “I-It's a very bad word...” I stuttered, “so please don't say it. I shouldn't have said it at all,” I answered. “Uh alright... that's okay, I guess.” Dash shrugged. “Is there anymore...ponies around here I should know about?” I asked as I got to my feet, stretching out my arms and letting out a yawn. “Lot's of them! I should probably introduce you to my best friends first. Then maybe I can give you a tour and maybe we can hang out later today after.” Rainbow Dash seemed enthusiastic about this. I would at least expect her to attack me, or call the police, being as I was a strange creature she had never seen before; then again, she might have seen weirder things than just little ol' me. “What's happening later today?” I responded to the ending of her statement. “I'm going camping with some friends. We're also going to tell ghost stories, and stuff.” She put a hoof on my shoulder. “It'll be fun. You should totally join us.” she said while giving a smile. “Okay... but you barely know me and you want me to join you on some sort of camping trip? Don't you think that would be the tiniest bit unsafe?” I gave Dash a deadpan stare. “Don't worry, everypony will know you after I'm done introducing you to them.” I sighed and after a little more chatting we started to head towards the town she called Ponyville. And oh man, just when I thought this experience couldn't get any weirder than it already was, Rainbow Dash kept staring at me the entire time. “Is there something I can help you with?” I asked tilting my head to glance over at her. “Well...I was wondering what you're able to do. You know, being human and all.” She said sounded curious as to any abilities I might have, so I decided to tell her about some of my mental abilities. “Well for one, I can fly.” I answered. She beamed at this statement. Seriously she barely knows me and she acts like we've known each other for ages. “What? But you don't even have wings! Can you really do that? I totally wanna see!” “Okay, sheesh. I've gotta let you know now that my psychic abilities are limited during flight.” I did a few stretches and rubbed my temples. “What do you mean you're limited?” "The most I'll be able to do while in flight is levitate and throw objects. That and I can manipulate elements such as electricity." I explained. "If I wanted to go faster and add power then I would have to focus on increasing my stamina, speed, and strength. So basically it's a one thing or the other situation.” I pondered for a moment before realizing something. “Come to think of it, increasing my physical attributes while I'm flying is a lot easier than putting my focus onto an external object during flight.” Dash stared at me with a puzzled look. Was she even paying attention? “I just want to see you fly.” She said dryly, managing a bored expression on her face. "I don't care about all that fancy-smancy nerd talk. “Okay then, here it goes.” I gave a small groan, and I closed my eyes for a brief moment. I then started to focus my energies on myself. Flight wasn't very strenuous, so I didn't suffer any nose-bleeds or headaches. After a few moments I was in the air. By the time I was about five feet off the ground I folded my arms, and grinned. “Like what you see?” “Whoa! You really are able to make yourself fly without wings! So these powers of yours must be magic, right? This is so awesome!” Rainbow Dash started zipping around with energy. She stopped right in front of me with a smile on her face. “I'll race you to Ponyville!” “Uh...sure?” I replied with an awkward stare. Really? A race already? “I hope you can keep up with me. I'm the fastest flier here in Equestria, and no pony has been able to beat me yet!” She sounded really confident in her abilities. I could see where Dash got her confidence. From the way she was zipping around, she really could fly fast. She didn't seem hot headed, or arrogant, just she was genuinely confident in herself. At least, this is what I could gather from all her boasting. I could say that she's just being arrogant but I didn't know too much about her; so making a judgment this early wouldn't exactly be fair. “You ready, James?” I nodded with a grin. “Am I ever.” I thought for a moment after my response. “Wait, where's the finish line?” “We'll end it at the entrance to Ponyville. That way we don't start too much of a panic.” Dash answered. I stared off in the distance and made a quick estimate about how far it was. “That's about a two mile race.” I replied, “Seems legit.” “I guess so.” We both took a starting position and readied ourselves for our little race to the town. "Three" I said as I steadied myself. "Two" Dash herself tensing every muscle in her body. "One." Chapter 2 Introductions and CautionCredit for the editing of this chapter goes to BarracudaJoe and AwkwardTaco (whom gave me a lot of pointers.) I will now use transitions for when to signal scene transitions. (I hope I used them in the proper spots otherwise this would be really awkward). I also feel that I kinda rushed it in the end because I just wanted to get this over with after 5 days of stressing over this crap. During the beginning of the race, I could see Dash going at a very light pace. It took me a while to understand how she did things when she raced others. It seems that she likes to be neck and neck with her opponent first, and start to pick up speed after luring them in. I noticed this as Dash picked up a good ten feet ahead of me. I focused my energies on my stamina and speed, and I could feel myself catching up. RainbowDash looked back and saw me speed up. She got nervous, and picked up the pace. I could almost feel myself within reach of her back hooves, but I flopped when my head started to ache and my nose began to bleed. I was pushing myself too much, and I needed to stop; but I couldn't when we were only half a mile from Ponyville. As soon as we got within mere feet of the small town, I lost focus and collided with the ground. I felt my body roll, and bounce as it hit the hard earth. The haziness in my eyes as I opened them made me see things in a daze, and my head was rolling. My muscles started to ache as well. I managed to muster up enough strength to slowly bring myself into a sitting position with my legs crossed. I rubbed the blood from my nose with my fore arm, and held my head in my hands. The pain was just so unbearable to the point that I wish I had been unconscious. I could hear Rainbow's voice calling out to me, but my hearing sort of suffered a bit after overexerting myself. What I was hearing were muffled words of worry from the mare's mouth. After a few moments I was able to see fine, and my nose-bleed along with my headache went away. Same goes for my hearing, which fully recovered as I fully awoke from the daze. “Are you okay, James?” Dash asked with deep concern. I looked up at the Pegasus hovering in front of me. I gave a weak smile and replied, “I'm fine. I just pushed myself a little too hard that’s all. ” “I don't know. Are you sure you're going to be alright?” The Pegasus helped me up to my feet as she said this to me. “Look its fine, Dash.” I said groaning with a hand on my head. Rainbow shrugged, but still felt worried after seeing me eat the hard earth violently just a moment ago. “Well if you say so.” I took a moment to take in the sight of the town. Colorful ponies going about their daily lives, and socializing with each other was one of the many things I saw. The houses seemed dated, but were made with what I think was concrete and wood...mainly wood with thatched roofs. I also saw many Pegasus placing clouds in some areas above the town, and busting them in others. At least I think that would be the plural form for the word. I thought over that word a few times, but I decided to just stick with it. From what Dash told me during our chat before we raced, was that the Pegasi could actually control the weather here. I guess that makes sense if you're in a world filled with magical talking ponies. “So, what are we doing first?” I asked. “Like I said, I'm going to introduce you to my friends.” She answered. “So, who do we visit first?” Dash thought for a moment. “Let's go over to Sweet Apple Acres. That's where my friend Applejack lives.” “Okay, let's get going.” We were still at the entrance to Ponyville as we conversed. We began to head through the town toward Sweet Apple Acres, with Dash leading the way of course. I got some awkward stares from some of the ponies as we walked into town. Many of them kept their distance, and some of them approached with interest; however it was all starting to freak me out. “I am quite uncomfortable with these stares from the ponies that are following us.” I whispered into Dash's ear. “Can we get them to stop?” She nodded as she began to hover in the air, and turned to the crowd. “Okay everypony nothing to see here. Just go back to do whatever it was that you were doing.” The Pegasus mare made shooing gestures with her hooves as she told the crowd. The crowd of ponies began to murmur, and speak amongst each other as they dispersed. They seemed disappointed; but to be honest, I wasn't comfortable with being followed or stared at like that. Well it looks like I'm going to be the talk of the town. I started to think to myself as we made our way to a large farm with apple trees laid out all over the place. The plantation looked like it went on for miles. “That's one huge apple orchard.” I commented with my eyes widened. Dash didn't respond as she began to fly over to an orange pony sleeping under an apple tree. The pony's back was slumped up against the base of the tree, with its hat covering its face. This one's rear had a picture of three apples on it after inspecting it thoroughly. Rainbow Dash tapped the orange pony on the shoulder with a hoof. “Hey, Applejack, wake up.” The orange pony, now named Applejack, let out a yawn, took off the hat off and stared up at the cyan Pegasus, then greeted her, “Well howdy, Rainbow Dash? What can Ah' do ya for?” Well I see that she has quite the southern accent. It was...just adorable, I pondered, well then again, the more I begin to look at these ponies, and they all seem adorable. Who could hate them? My thoughts ran through my head, one right after the other. Dash brought a hoof behind her head and scratched it. “Well, there is some...body, I'd like you to meet.” She said pointing a hoof in my direction. The orange mare was confused for a moment. She looked over in my direction and then an awkward silence kicked in. It was about a good couple of minutes before Applejack broke the silence, “So, who or what is that thing, Rainbow?” “I think it'd be better if he explained.” Dash replied. The Pegasus motioned me to come over and introduce myself. I wanted to be very cautious as to not to cause any sort of ruckus. I walked a few steps until it was close enough, but not too close. I held up an arm and wiggled my fingers as if trying to say “hello” through non-verbal means. “Oh, for the love of...just introduce yourself.” Dash sounded pretty annoyed. Hey I couldn't help it if I was trying to be careful. Applejack gave me a stare, and lowered one brow while keeping the other risen. I could sense that she wasn't going to let any more of her time be wasted; so I spoke up, “My name's James Phillips, and I'm a human.” Applejack got on all fours, and put her hat on. She circled me as if inspecting me, and making sure I wasn't harmful. “Are ya' sure you ain't some kind of monster?” “Y-yes. I am sure that I’m not a monster.” “Ah' don't know, Rainbow.” The orange mare spoke up, “If I were you, Ah' would keep an eye on it.” “Don't call me it!” I shot Applejack a glare. “I'm sorry, but you just don't look exactly the friendly kind.” “If you would give me a chance, then I'm sure you would change your mi-” I was cut off by the orange pony. “Now Ah' didn't say I wouldn't give y'all a chance.” She stated. “I'm just being cautious that’s all.” I turned to Rainbow Dash who just shrugged. Well, I'm sure in due time she'll come to accept me as a friend; however, I wasn't going to leave without knowing if she had any questions. “Oh by the way...” I began, “Do you have any questions you want answered?” The earthbound pony pondered for a moment. She opened her mouth to speak when she had the question, and asked, “Is there anything about you in particular that Ah' should know about?” “Well, just this.” I answered. I messaged my temples a bit to loosen some tension between my blood vessels, and nerves. I held out both arms, and aimed my psions at a handful of apple trees. I noticed some buckets lying underneath them. I used my hands to motion the apples be plucked from the trees, and put into the wooden buckets, about eight or nine buckets were filled. Applejack's jaw dropped and her eyes were the widened. She was in utter shock from what she saw. “W-was that magic?!” “Nope.” I replied. “Then what was that?” Applejack's mouth was still agape from shock. “This is what I call Psions, or Psychokinesis as it is sometimes called.” I wasn't being smug about it, but I had to do something to prove my worth to this pony. Applejack shook her head. “Well, Ah’ll be...that's some mighty fine talent you got there.” Rainbow Dash chimed in, “Yeah, and he can do a lot more. I'm sure he can show you later though. I still need to introduce him to the others.” Applejack looked over at me and held out a hoof for me to shake. I extended my hand out and grabbed her hoof, and shook her hoof. “Nice meeting you miss...Applejack. Correct?” I said as we broke the shake. “You don't have to call me miss. Just Applejack will do.” Applejack had a smile on her face. Rainbow Dash and I turned around to head back to town. We were barely a few steps when Dash's eyes popped open widely, and rushed back over to Applejack. I heard them talking for about a minute, but I couldn't hear them due to their lowered voices. The Pegasus flew back over to me and let out a relaxing breath. We continued making our way back into town. “So, what was that all about?” I asked. “Well...s-she...” Dash was stuttering. She took a deep breath and exhaled. “AJ still sort of has her doubts about you.” “Why?” I wasn't very surprised at this, but I would like a valid reason. “How to put it...” The winged mare thought deeply about how to answer my question. “She still thinks you’re some kind of dangerous monster. It wasn't just that you used those cool powers of yours, but AJ wants to keep a safe distance until she can fully trust you. She's not sure if you're not totally dangerous yet.” “I am going to assume that it's because I am a creature that she has never seen before and also because I am not a species native to this world.” I replied. Rainbow Dash reassured me with her next statement, “Hey, when we first met Zecora, we were all scared and freaked out by her appearance. We eventually learned to accept her, sort of, and I am sure my friends will do the same for you...” “But what?” I anticipated more words to come from her mouth. “But, I think because that you're not like us, or Zecora, it's going to take a little more time for the rest of us to get used to you. I'll admit though, I-I'm still a bit uneasy around you myself.” The mare gave a sheepish grin. “Understandable.” I replied. “Really? You're not going to go off on me even though I don't exactly trust you completely myself?” Dash was very confused. “Well, I have a feeling that somewhere in that conscience of yours, I am being judged rather harshly; however, I don't hold it against you.” I shrugged during my reply. “So, even though we still have some...doubts, you're still going to trust us?” “I need to if I am to survive in a place I've never been to.” “Well in that case, I kind of convinced Applejack to let you come camping with us.” Dash smiled sheepishly. “But how?” Applejack must be the one in charge of the camping trip. I immediately thought. “Well, I just told her that it would be a good opportunity to know you more.” She answered. A sigh escaped my breath as we exited Sweet Apple Acres, and we continued to talk. ***** Our conversation went on for quite a while, but we stopped when we re-entered Ponyville. I got those awkward stares again, and some of the ponies actually locked themselves inside their houses; while others either kept their distance, or stared with interest. At this point I decided to ignore it all as I would have to get used to it sooner or later. The next pony that I got to know was quite...quirky? Yeah that's what came to mind at that moment. A pink pony with a puffy, slightly darker, pink mane and blue eyes popped in front of my face out of nowhere upon arriving in a part of the town known as, Sugarcube Corner. What happened next was something I could never really explain. “So...uh...hi?” I faked a smile. The pink pony then quickly replied with the most rapid voice ever, “HimynameisPinkiePieandyoumustbenewaroundherewhat'syourname!?” I didn't even move my mouth to form words. Rainbow Dash just chuckled, while I was mind blown. I slowly started to introduce myself to the mare now known as Pinkie Pie, “My name is James Phillips and-” I was cut off immediately by the crazy pony. “Let me guess! You're from another world but then got brought here after using your mind powers for reasons you can't remember because upon arriving here in Equestria your memory got jumbled up?” She was jumping around as she said all of this without taking a breath. Pinkie Pie then gave me a huge ear to ear smile. I was flabbergasted, “How did you know all that?” “Just a hunch!” She quickly replied. “Anything else I should know about you?” I asked quizzically, raising a brow. She thought for a moment and opened her mouth to speak, “Not really. Unless the author wants to make that happen, I don't really have a say in the matter!” “Wait who?” Dash and I said in unison. “You know, JakeTheBrony! The guy who is writing the story we’re in.” She continued to smile. RainbowDash and I were very confused; although I had a slight feeling I knew what Pinkie Pie was doing at this point. There was no sense in questioning her now as Rainbow Dash just told me it was just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie. I was actually quite scared of the pink pony now because she just did THAT right in front of me. How could the other ponies be so comfortable with her breaking that kind of boundary? I decided not to question it any further as the mind blow I just experienced would drive me to insanity. After everything was settled, Pinkie Pie was gone into nothingness. I heard her mention something about a welcoming party. Okay that pony only had met me and she isn't uncomfortable about me the slightest bit? Well, maybe she is, and she just isn't showing it. ***** RainbowDash and I continued through town until we conveniently met up with a light-yellow colored pony with blue eyes, and a light pink mane and tail. I looked at her rear, and saw three butterflies marked on it. Okay...I need to figure out what these are called later, but it's not on the top of my list of priorities so I'll just let it go for now. I looked at the pony as if she were the most adorable thing ever. Actually she was the most adorable thing ever! Is! “Uh...um...can I help you?” She sounded very timid, and...shy? Rainbow Dash landed next to her and introduced us to each other. “This is my friend Fluttershy. Fluttershy, this is James.” “Oh...well it's nice to meet you...if you don't mind.” Her voice was very soft. Did she always talk like this? “It's fine.” I said waving my hand dismissively. “You look pretty scary.” “Well, I hope that will come to pass soon, and then we can be friends.” I said giving her a smile. I could never get mad at something as adorable as her. It would be...just downright evil! “Are you sure you don't mind? I mean...a lot of the ponies here seem to be very suspicious of you.” Fluttershy seemed to have a bit of concern to her tone. “Hey, it's perfectly normal for them to have fear. Dash here told me about some pony named Zecora.” I began. “I guess sometimes old habits tend to stick around for a while; but I don't mind. They're just trying to take safety precautions from what I see.” “You're not even offended by it?” Shy's voice retained its soft tone. “Do I have to be?” I retorted. “I-I guess not...” “I don't have any ills if you are not comfortable with being friends right away. We'll get to know each other soon enough and this thing will sort itself out.” I thought about those words, and realized how easy I made it sound. It's going to be hell trying to get to know these ponies. RainbowDash decided to chime into the conversation after hearing me and Shy talking, “Okay that's cool n' all. So, what brings you into town, Fluttershy?” “Oh, yeah...right. Um...I came into town to buy some food for my pets is all. What? Did I do something wrong?” Fluttershy lowered her head with her ears down. There was an audible squeak, but I found it adorable. “What n-n-n-n-no, not at all.” Dash answered. After a few more words with Fluttershy we continued making our way through the town. “Now, all there is now is to introduce you to Twilight and Rarity; however, Rarity can wait until the camping starts. I'm that they're getting ready by now, and they're supposed to meet me at their first camping sight.” Dash explained. “Let's get this over with then.” I let out a breath I didn't know I had. Thinking back on Sugarcube Corner, the houses looked different. Gingerbread houses covered most of the area. Quite interesting, and...well, delicious if you know what I mean. Eh, now I am just fantasizing about eating gingerbread, but I don't want to waste any more time thinking about it. ***** At the edge of the town we came by a tree house looking structure. I inspected the tree a little more closely, and noticed windows, and a balcony with a telescope mounted onto the railing that it supported. I looked over at the door and saw Rainbow knock on it. The door opened and a lavender pony with a horn and a mark on her rear which looked like a pink star with sparkles surrounding it came out. It came to my attention that this one was also a mare. Her mane was a dark purple with a pink streak; same goes for the color of her tale. I have been taking mental notes lately on these marks. Especially on the pink ones mark which happened to be blue and yellow balloons. They must symbolize something, but I wouldn't bother asking about it until the subject was brought up. When the lavender pony looked up at me after being greeted by Rainbow Dash, her eyebrows furrowed. This is not a good sign. She just stood there scowling at me, as if I did something wrong. “RainbowDash, what is that...thing?” I heard her stress the word 'thing'. Rainbow Dash put on a weak smile, and took a big gulp of saliva in her throat under the pressure. “T-this is James...Phillips.” Why is Dash scared of this pony? Scared may not be the appropriate word for this situation, but she was nervous as to how judgmental Twilight was being with her facial expressions. “Okay, that doesn't exactly answer my question. What is that thing?” She said that damned word again. “Stop calling me thing! I'm a human!” I exclaimed. I was pretty frustrated with how I kept being called a thing. “Y-yeah, he's a human. I saw a flash of light in one of the fields just outside Ponyville before I fell asleep on a cloud after finishing a few weather jobs I had to get done.” Dash explained. “So, I went to go check it out, and it turns out that James appeared from it.” “Have you been introducing him to our friends?” This mare was quite the curious one. Dash gave a nod. “Yes...yes I have.” “Did he harm any of them? Because if he did, I'd have to report him to the princess.” Oh of course you would! I shouted in my head. Cause I haven't been a good little boy all day right? Jesus Fucking Christ! “N-no, he didn't harm anypony. He's been on his best behavior!” Rainbow Dash said in my defense. The lavender unicorn came up to inspect me further. Oh God...here come the questions. “So...human, what do you eat?” My score: 1; Life: 0 Ha-ha take that. “I eat both plants and meat.” The eating meat part caught her attention, “Do you eat ponies?” “FU...I-I mean no...no I don't.” I answered. Before she bombarded me with another question I decided to ask for her name, “What is your name by the way?” “My name is Twilight Sparkle. I run the library you see right before you, as well as live in it.” She answered. “Now, Dash mentioned something about a flash of light. Were you the cause of it?” “If you mean that I made it happen, no; or at least I don't think I caused it.” I explained as best I could. “All I know is that it took me here to Equestria, as you ponies call your nation.” Twilight looked deep into my eyes as if trying to see if I was lying or not. She trotted back over to her library and opened the door with a purple glow. I observed carefully and deducted that this was that magic that Rainbow told me about. She turned around to address me. “Rainbow Dash will be keeping an eye on you to make sure you're on your best behavior.” Twilight began to speak with a direct tone. “I would also like to ask you more questions later so I can send a proper report to Princess Celestia; so don't get into any trouble.” “So...I guess I'm good for now right?” I questioned. “Well for now, yes.” The unicorn answered. She turned back around and closed the door. This introduction wasn't very eventful, but I happen to be thankful that something didn't go awry. RainbowDash walked up to me with nerve-wrecked expression. I looked at her quizzically. “Are you nervous about something, Rainbow Dash?” “Well I want to know what you think of my friends so far. I mean, I know I haven't introduced you to Rarity yet, but I think it's a little late to meet her at her place right now.” She replied. “Why would you ask for my opinion on your friends? It doesn't matter what I think of them.” I debated, “What matters is what they think of me. I'm the stranger around here.” “I-I guess you're right.” Dash's head hung low with her ears down. Silence filled the air for a bit until I broke it, “Hey, we still have that camping trip that's supposed to happen later. That get our minds off of this.” Her ears perked up, and a smile brightened her face. “Oh, that's right. It's already in the middle of the afternoon. We'd better get there before we're late.” “Where is this camping trip taking place exactly?” I asked. “It was just in some woods outside Ponyville. Just follow me and we'll be there in no time!” Dash said with enthusiasm. ***** We arrived at the woods just outside of town after about twenty minutes, and there we saw a familiar orange mare, and some other ponies I never met. “There you are, you two.” Applejack addressed me and Dash. “So, are y'all ready for some campin’?” “Yeah, we're ready.” Rainbow Dash replied. “I'll go on ahead and wait for you guys at the first campsite.” Dash took off in a blue blur. I noticed that I got some stares from a couple of fillies except for the third one who watched in admiration of the cyan mare taking off. I noticed one in particular unicorn with a white coat, a styled purple mane and tail, and three diamonds marked on her rear. That must be Rarity I presume? I thought. Every pony was looking at me with the face of discomfort. This is going to be a good camping trip...I can tell. Chapter 3 The Shadow ManLet me know what you think of the story so far. I think I could have done better with this chapter as well. PS: Read the notes in the A/N section Credit to: Doctor Strange for reviewing, and giving me ideas as well as helping me out. ******** This was a very awkward moment; however, I didn't let it get to me so much. If I didn't have their complete trust, then I'll have to find a way to earn it. I wasn't going to brood over this the entire day. What really made me wonder is why the white unicorn decided to pack so much stuff. That poor little white filly unicorn was doing all the hard work. It made me feel bad that I didn't really do anything to help; but I don't know if I would be able to, so I just kept my distance. The yellow filly kept staring back at me during the awkwardness before we started toward our camp-site “Applejack, what is that thing?” The young, yellow filly with the red mane and tale asked. Applejack gave a weak smile. “Well, he's a uh...human were it?” I gave a nod as my answer. We were walking up a dirt road that was leading us to our first camp-site, and boy did I feel like I was being watched. The white unicorn kept giving me glances every so often, and I was curious as to what she was looking at. “So...Rarity, right?” I asked. She kept staring at me, and it was creeping me out. The silence was awkward and I didn't really feel comfortable with it lingering in the air. A few seconds passed by before she decided to finally speak up, “Yes, my name is Rarity.” “Okay...now, is there something I can help you with?” Rarity shook her head, “Oh, nothing really. I just can't help, but uh...admire your taste in fashion.” Rarity gave a sheepish smile. “Are you serious? You can say you have a problem with what I'm wearing.” I responded directly. “Well in that case, I think your taste in fashion is absolutely horrid.” Wow...brutal. Hey I asked for her opinion, and that's what I got. I can't complain about something I asked for. I would strike up conversations with the other ponies, but they don't seem to up for talking much. Rarity doesn't even want to speak to me anymore because of the awkwardness of it all. I felt awkward about all of this too. I feel like I'm about to go mad with all that's going on. I can't use my psions right now without freaking them all out. That goes without saying that Applejack was genuinely freaked out by it. ***** We eventually reached the first camp-site where we saw Rainbow Dash. I noticed the orange filly in the front admiring what she was doing. I watched in awe as well. The cyan mare was flying at super fast speeds, and each time she passed by parts of a campfire set-up appeared bit by bit. Watching this, I observed how she tackled through the trunks of some trees with her hind hooves, and basically turned them into logs and firewood. It was a nice set-up, and I took in the sight of the ponies putting their tents up. I watched one filly in particular, it was the same orange filly who admired Rainbow Dash. It was quite cute to see the two together; and heart warming. I went over to one of the makeshift seats that Dash had made from the trees, and I sat down I heard a noise that sounded like something inflating, and when I turned my head, I saw a big tent that looked like it was fit for royalty. Seriously, couldn't Rarity have packed a simple tent? I guess not. I think the rest of us had a “seriously?” moment. It got later to where the sun was setting until it was completely down. Applejack had started the fire, and I sat across from the all the ponies on the opposite end of the fire. Even Rainbow was giving me awkward expressions. This whole situation was awkward I should say. We all sat around the campfire and I waited for someone to break the silence. I decided to speak up to break the silence, “So...are we going to tell ghost stories or something?” The ponies were looking away, and scratching their heads. At this point, I just wanted to get the night over with. “I have a really scary story.” Rainbow Dash started, “But I must warn you, it's one of the scariest stories around.” “Okay then.” Was all I replied with. Rainbow Dash began her story, and it went on for quite sometime. I paid attention, not exactly to all of the details, but I was paying attention nonetheless. It was a good half an hour when Rainbow finished her story; and I must admit, it was pretty scary. The olden pony, the rusty horseshoe, I got pretty freaked out. I would feel uneasy if an old pony or person was constantly following me because well...it makes you feel like they're gonna hurt me. I looked around, and saw the other ponies getting ready to get some sleep. I looked back at the fire. I just wanted to be comforted by its warmth a little longer before I got some shut-eye. “Time ta' hit the hay everypony.” Said Applejack as she let out a big yawn. I would go to bed inside one of the tents, but they were only big enough for ponies; and only two could fit inside at a time. That is without saying that Rarity's tent is a castle compared to the other two tents, but I knew she wouldn't let me inside. “I guess I'll just sleep out here for the night. The tents aren't exactly big enough for me.” Oh boy were those tents small. They could only able to shelter up to two ponies, maybe three from the looks of them. “Suit yerself.” Was all Applejack responded with, and then she went inside the tend with the small yellow filly with a red mane and tail. It's funny how I didn't really notice her, she never really spoke much at all during this trip. I think I remember he name being said by Applejack during the trek to the site...Applebloom? I think. “Are you sure you'll be okay out here?” Dash asked as she walked up to me. “Yes, I'm sure.” I answered with a more relaxed tone. “Well, okay, but I think I can give you some blankets and a pillow at least.” Rainbow Dash went into the tent to grab any extra blankets, and pillow. I happily accepted them and she went back into her tent to go to sleep. I tried to get a good night's sleep, but I kept hearing some moaning from Dash's tent. It sounded like the little orange Pegasus was having nightmares. 'I guess those stories did get to her. Poor Scoots.' I wanted to comfort her, but I didn't want to disturb Dash; and I assured myself that in time, things would turn out for the better in the end. I did finally closed my eyes as I gave out one last stretch and yawn. I let my mind wonder off into the dream world where I felt the freest. No restrictions, no limitations. Just me and my dreams. ***** I found myself in a city, that looked vaguely familiar. Lampposts lit up black pavement with yellow and white lines drawn on them. They also lit up white cement that stood maybe a few inches higher than the black pavement. Buildings stood in every spot on each end. I would also see metallic figures zoom by occasionally, and they moved really fast. I looked up at the sky, and it was dark. It happened to be in the middle of the night, and stars were lit up. I looked at my other surroundings, and there appeared to be some baron areas in between some of the neighborhoods; which to me looked like a desert. I watched a much longer, and bigger metal monster pass by which had “Antelope Valley Transit Authority” on it. As I saw that, I could have sworn something in my mind clicked. I tried to think, but no dice. I decided to roam the streets as I was able to recall them being, I mean Ponyville had streets...sorta. I was walking through a small neighborhood until I saw a black figure a good twenty feet in front of it. It ran off and I gave chase. I was able to get a good look at the thing before it fled. It was a human, just like me. I couldn't see he or she was wearing exactly, but I was able to keep up. I could have sworn I was losing ground when the silhouette appeared to be getting smaller and smaller. I tried to make myself aware that this was a dream, but the best I managed was a bit more speed. Curse my inability to lucid dream. I saw the person disappear as the lights in the street dimmed, and eventually blacked out. I couldn't see anything in front of me, but then a bright light turned on. It hung above a couple of metal chairs, one of which was seating the same shadow I had been chasing for a good ten minutes. “Come. Take a seat.” The figure gestured to the seat in front of it. From the sound of its voice, it was male. I furrowed my brows and kept myself on my toes. I walked over to the other chair, and sat down. The light did a good job at hiding his appearance in the shadows, which peeved me a little. “Who are you?” I asked immediately. The man gave a small laugh. “Oh? You want me to tell you who I am?” “Yes!” “For now, just call me Duran. Fitting name if I do say so myself.” He answered. “I also plan to tell you any necessary information that you may want.” “Okay, Duran...how about you first tell me if I am still dreaming?” This felt all too real to be a dream. Duran held a grin on his face the entire time. “You are still dreaming, but I did enter your mind to speak to you.” “About what?” “About you, and other important matters.” I scratched my head in confusion. “Why do you need to speak to me?” “Because,” Duran started, “You are a special human.” I rose a brow, “How am I special?” Duran's grin remained on his face still, “Do you remember at all when you were a child?” “I don't remember anything at all.” I answered dryly. “Oh, so I guess entering Equestria did do a number on you.” His grin disappeared as if he were not amused by this at all. “Damn it...what if he forgot how to use his powers?” Duran's voice went into an inaudible volume. “How do you know that I'm in Equestria?” I asked quizzically. His grin reappeared on his face, “I was the one who sent you here. I too, used to be a pony myself.” “What kind of pony were you?” I asked out of curiosity. “That information will not be disclosed.” Duran's silhouetted figure held out a hand as he replied. “What is important, however, is how you attained your powers and why.” He added. “How did I attain my powers?” I was even more curious than before. “I was the one who gave you your powers.” Duran's grin grew wider. “What? Stop messing with me!” I shouted in confusion. Duran adjusted himself and leaned forward in his seat. “Oh, but I'm not messing with you. I'm telling you the truth.” He adjusted himself into an upright position in his chair. “If you'd sit there and let me explain a few things, then this will all be over with quickly.” I decided to listen intently just to end this quicker. I sat in my seat silently waiting for Duran to speak some more. His smile was filled with pleasure. What does this man have in store? “No questions? Good.” He started. “Let us start with how I ended up on Earth. I was but a pony just like any other in Equestria. I found a kingdom I wished to bring to glory, and did so by climbing into power.” Duran let out a sigh before continuing, “However, I was sealed away for many years, but when I came back...I wanted the kingdom back, you see.” He went into much detail about when he came back and how six ponies interfered with his return to power. “That wasn't where it all ended though. I found myself in a strange place. Tall buildings, vehicles that moved without anything pulling them, and so on.” “Can we get to the point?” I was starting to get tired of his story. It nearly put me to sleep after a good thirty minutes. Funny, I was already asleep. Maybe it was the other way around, or...ugh never mind. “My, my, a bit impatient I see.” Duran remarked. “Fine then. You see, where you're from, magic doesn't exist, so I was unable to gradually refill my internal supply of it. I decided that I needed a...'person' whose intellect wasn't too...inconvenient.” He explained. “The ones you call 'nerds' were too out there and would probably irresponsibly use these powers with how they would describe how they would use super powers if they ever attained them.” Duran went into thought for a moment, and continued when he had more to say, “Oh, and as for the...dumber people. I couldn't stand how they would go around throwing gang signs, and would dope around all day. Those were two kinds of people I couldn't allow to have what I had planned to gift unto any of them.” “What made me so special?” I questioned. Duran cleared his throat a little before answering, “You...you were the only one around the city whom had any ounce of rationality, and intelligence to them. I didn't know what effects granting a human the last bit of my power would have done, but when I found out, I was impressed.” I didn't respond, but continued to listen. “You were no older than eight when I granted you your power; and how you handled your abilities, was quite interesting.” He added. “Why would you give such powers to a child?” I was confused. Such power to someone so young. I couldn't wrap my head around it. “Same reason as before.” Duran simply answered. He continued his explanation of my powers, “Your 'psions' allow you the ability to bend light, manipulate electricity and fire; even read minds along with the many other things you did upon arriving in Equestria. Though, when it came to reality warping, that was a big no-no. Also, your abilities appear to only match your brain's mental capacity.” This was all too much for me to take in. I had this much power? I feel like I'm just some mad scientist experiment from what he's been telling me. I was confused, angry; and I didn't know exactly how to react to all of this. “What the hell was all this for? And how did I end up in Equestria and why are my memories so jacked up?!” I was growing more and more infuriated as I stood up and flipped the chair over. My anger caused the room to shake, but I didn't care. “Calm down, incredible hulk! You can't let yourself get filled with too much rage!” Duran exclaimed. “Otherwise things can go so wrong you wouldn't believe the kind of mess that would need to be cleaned!” I grimaced at Duran. Just looking at him pissed me off now more than ever. “Shut your damn mouth!” I shouted and started to charge after him. I was immediately pinned down by an overwhelming force. What? This is my mind! My dream! How?! “You're going to damn well listen you pissant!” His voice echoed loudly with anger when he stood up from his chair. Duran took a breath and exhaled deeply. He took his seat and continued to explain everything. “I am the reason why you're in Equestria. Why your memories were messed up upon entering is because of what happened during our previous encounter in your world.” “W-what? Previous encounter...?” I winced as the force kept me pinned to the ground. It felt like my body was being held down, and crushed by a giant. “Yes, our previous encounter. I found a way to open a gateway to Equestria without magic. You may not be able to warp reality, but with what little power I had left, I was able to make it react with your psions just enough to crack open a portal. However it may have caused some psychic backlash, which would explain your memory loss.” Duran's mouth was up to my ear as he said this, “I now have my regular pony-shape back, but I have grown a custom to the human form. It proves to be quite useful in keeping me hidden from princesses.” I struggled a bit, but the invisible force kept me down. “How did you even bring me here if you used the last of your magic?” “I didn't use every bit of my power to grant you such a gift. I had a plan to get us into Equestria. Reality-warping maybe out of your jurisdiction, but with my help it was possible. You see, I found out that when magic and psions collide with each other, they don't mix well. They tend to cause small openings to other realities, or dimensions; and I sought the opportunity to pull you in with me.” “Can't you tell me why you brought me here!?” If I wasn't bound by this intense gravity holding me down, I'd go ape-shit on this guy. Duran's smile was sinister, demented, and just...evil! “Remember when I told you six ponies eliminated me?” “Y-yes?” “I want you to kill them.” His laugh wasn't maniacal, nor was it twisted. Duran's laugh was just...sane. I began to think of how sick this man was in the back of my mind. “What makes you think I'll do this!?” I scowled at him. Duran walked passed me, into the darkness, and answered, “In due time, you will do as I say, one way or another. Even if it means playing dirty.” The invisible force that kept me down had disappeared after his figure had vanished completely. I got up and looked around for him. Duran's voice echoed once more through the empty room as he spoke, “Earning the trust of these ponies, and restoring your memories are top priority. Then the real fun can begin.” With one last laugh, the voice disappeared. Things went dark again, and I blacked out. ***** I woke up breathing heavily, in a cold sweat. I felt like something had knocked the air out of me, and I felt a bit dazed. When my head finally had stopped spinning, and my breathing had returned to normal, I sat up; and held my head in one hand while I used the other for support. I picked my head up and saw the ponies looking at me with looks of worry. “What's wrong? Did something happen?” I asked. Applejack spoke up amongst them to answer, “We thought ya' weren't gonna wake up, and we kinda got worried for a moment.” “I'm alright.” I looked up at the sky, and saw that it seemed like it was already noon. I've been asleep that long? Rainbow Dash let out a sigh. “We tried waking you up for two hours, and you wouldn't budge. We were starting to worry about you.” I got up to my feet and packed the blankets and pillow, and finally replied, “I said I'm fine.” I walked off ahead and no one said anything. We headed toward our next camp-site, and I couldn't help but think about everything Duran said. ***** In the mountainous regions in the outskirts of Equestria, a man clad in shadow watches as his plans fall into place. Behind him a shadow with blood-red eyes, stood behind him. “Master, what is the purpose of allowing this boy to regain his memories?” The shadow asked its lord as its voice hissed and echoed. The man deadpanned, “There is no harm in him regaining his memories.” “Why not just brainwash him to get this over with quicker?” “I can't yet, and I might not be able to. Psions and magic are on the same level, but psions work differently.” The man continued to stare off over the horizon. He began to monologue, "Magic is more spiritual, and psions are more mental. Which means the focus of one's mind can amplify brainwaves, causing an external force of energy to be released from the mind itself; thus allowing resistance. I can take advantage, however, of one thing though: the boy's lack of control over it when his rage peaks." “Master Duran" The shadow spoke, interrupting his master's monologue, "As you now call yourself, I think you may have made a grave mistake giving him such an ability. You may have locked his ability of reality-warping, but the boy still remains powerful.” The shadow stood there, staring at its lord. “Are you saying I might be able to handle my own creation?” Duran chuckled. “I'll make sure he does my bidding. A simple spell should do the trick, but first, we need a way of blocking his psions just in case he resists.” He laughed evilly to himself. “And I know just how to do it. Humans are quite the scientific ones." “I'll keep a watchful eye on him, Master. My siren shadows and I will look for any weaknesses he might have.” The shadow insisted. Duran replied in a monotone voice, “Get to it then.” With that, the shadow dissipated. Duran then started to put his plans into motion, and with a laugh he disappeared from the mountaintop.
Chapter 1 Where am I, and is that a Pegasus?I have updated this chapter with newer edits. A thanks to BeardedRedMane for the edits. Curse it! I can't remember a damn thing! Where I'm at or what caused me to be here, who I am, my family, my loved ones...none of it. I remember trying to use my psychic powers for something, and then nothing. I remember a bright flash of light overtaking me and then the next moment I'm in a large grassy field. Looking around to get my barings I noticed some buildings in the distance, I seemed to be on the outskirts of a small town. To my luck it seemed that it rained the night before and I was able to get a pretty good look at my reflection in a puddle. I'm a light-skinned human with short black hair and brown eyes. I'm also kind of tall, around six feet to be exact; that is if my measurements are accurate. I'm wearing a pair of blue jeans and a black shirt with the band name Metallica on it! So my memories aren't completely shot, I can remember my taste in music but everything else.. seems to be missing. Turning my attention back toward the town I tried to get a better look at it. Most of the buildings looked old fashioned... good another vague piece of my memory returning. Deciding that I needed some answers I headed closer to the town. A few minutes of walking and I noticed a shadow passing over me as I saw a blue streak fly overhead. Immediately I focused on bending the light around me to conceal my presence. I knew I couldn't stay like this for long but I had to see whether or not this thing was hostile. A horse with wings? What was it called again? A Pegasus? I think that's about right. The realization hit me like a shit ton of bricks. Another memory floated to the surface that let me know that Pegasi weren't real in my world. I had to be dreaming or something. None of this could be real. I took a moment to observe the absurdity in front of me. The first thing that I noticed was that its coat was an unnatural... well actually everything about it wasn't natural. It sported a cyan coat with a shaggy rainbow mane. On either side of its' flanks I could see an odd colored brand; a rainbow lightning bolt shooting from a cloud. If I didn't know any better I'd say I was going nuts...absolutely nuts. I could feel the pressure in my nose start to rise. The splitting of the flesh in my nose wasn't a very pleasant experience nor was the feeling of the nerves in my head begging to tense up. I couldn't keep myself invisible like this for much longer and I needed to find someplace to hide. Low and behold I managed to find a large tree that wasn't too far from where I was currently standing. From the looks of it, it had some low lying branches and would be easy to climb. My decision made I immediately ran over to it, climbed up the branches and let my mental grip on the light go. The headache subsided after a few minutes and so did the nose-bleed. I continued to watch the Pegasus do its' thing as I wiped the blood from my nose onto my sleeve. I made sure I was pressed against the tree trunk where I wasn't too visible, so I couldn't be easily spotted. Peering around the leaves and branches of the tree at the Pegasus I continued to observe it. “I know I'm not crazy. I know I saw a flash of light come from this direction.” The pegasus spoke. Oh my god, it can talk! Its' voice sounded raspy, but it was definitely female from what it sounded! I really need to wake up from this dream. Maybe I'm still asleep with all of my memories intact, I thought. I slid myself up against the trunk of the tree, and adjusted myself to get comfortable on the branch I was sitting on. I tried to get into a position I was content with but I ended up hitting my head on a nearby branch. “DAMN IT!” I screamed as I lost my balance and tumbled out of the tree; landing on my back. “Damn it again!” “Huh?” The Pegasus flew down toward my direction. “What was that?” She flew toward me until she was right behind me. “Um, hello?” I shot up into a sitting position immediately and shouted; partly due to my having just fallen out of a tree, “Holy Jesus jumping Christ!” I turned to the Pegasus and she just gave me a stare. I noticed that up close, her eyes were huge and had a purple color to them. Violet maybe? Didn't matter to me. What mattered was that she scared the living daylights out of me. “What...are you?” She asked pointing a hoof at me. I didn't reply and kept giving her a blank stare. She began to look at me with an irritated expression and turned around to take off. “Okay, if you don't want to answer, that's fine. I'll just get more of my friends.” “Wait!” I quickly exclaimed. “Yeah?” I caught her attention as she proceeded to turn back to face me. “To answer your question.” I paused. “I'm a human, but I have no clue how I got here. I barely even remember where I'm from. Hell, I'm still convinced this all is a dream...despite the pain of that fall...” She narrowed her eyes at me and spoke, “Okay. Do you have a name, huumon?” The pegasus stressed the word human, as if it was very foreign to her. “Wish I could remember.” I answered, rubbing the back of my head. She cocked an eyebrow at me. “How'd ya forget your name?” I just shrugged. There was no way of knowing what my name was...unless! A thought came to my mind and I patted myself around my waist, slipping my hands into my pockets. To my relief I felt a soft rectangular object in my pocket and pulled it out. A laminated piece of paper could be seen from a clear pocket on the back of the item. It had a picture of me that included a name, dates, and a bunch of numbers on it. “It says on this...” I trailed off, “I guess my name is James Phillips.” The Pegasus gave me a puzzled look. “What a weird name.” “Oh yeah? And what's your name Mrs. Normal?” I replied as I put the items back into my pocket. “Name's Rainbow Dash. Best flier in Equestria.” She answered pointing a hoof to herself. It was my turn to raise a brow. I had to admit though, that name did sound pretty cool. And Equestria? Sounds like a pun. “Your name is an interesting name to say the very least.” I stopped and thought for a moment and felt like I should try and take back those words. “Actually, I think that's quite a cool name.” “It's a cool enough name for an awesome flier like me!” She boasted. “I guess I just fed your ego a little.” I stated. “Aren't you the least bit concerned that someone out there might be better than you?” She chortled at the statement. “You're funny, James. Everypony knows that I'm the best!” “Every...pony?” Didn't she mean everybody? “Yeah. Everypony. What is there something wrong with that?” “No, it's just you said everypony instead of everybody.” I scratched my head in confusion. “What does...everybadi mean?” she questioned sounding off the word I let out a sigh. “Actually, I'm not exactly sure. I can't really remember a whole lot since that bright light brought me here.” Rainbow Dash tapped her chin with a fore hoof. “So that means...you were that flash of light I saw earlier?” “I guess?” There was a bit of silence before Rainbow Dash spoke up again. “By the way, other than you I've never seen a human before. What exactly is a human? What do they eat?” She got closer to my face, peering into my eyes with her eyebrows furrowed. I hummed in thought for a second. “I'll explain to you as best I can.” I gathered my thoughts for a quick moment, trying to remember as many details as possible, “A human is a bipedal creature, meaning I walk on two legs. I eat meat and plants, so basically a human is an omnivore.” Rainbow Dash was a little curious about the eating meat part, and she continued to give me a glare. “Do you eat ponies?” “FUCK NO!” I responded loudly, with a hint of annoyance in my voice. “You didn't have to yell, I'm right here you know.” She said, rubbing her ears with her hooves to ease the ringing that resonated. “What is that word?” “What word?” “What is...'fuck'?” I think these creatures are a little too innocent be cursing if they've never even heard of the words before. I thought as she asked the question. “I-It's a very bad word...” I stuttered, “so please don't say it. I shouldn't have said it at all,” I answered. “Uh alright... that's okay, I guess.” Dash shrugged. “Is there anymore...ponies around here I should know about?” I asked as I got to my feet, stretching out my arms and letting out a yawn. “Lot's of them! I should probably introduce you to my best friends first. Then maybe I can give you a tour and maybe we can hang out later today after.” Rainbow Dash seemed enthusiastic about this. I would at least expect her to attack me, or call the police, being as I was a strange creature she had never seen before; then again, she might have seen weirder things than just little ol' me. “What's happening later today?” I responded to the ending of her statement. “I'm going camping with some friends. We're also going to tell ghost stories, and stuff.” She put a hoof on my shoulder. “It'll be fun. You should totally join us.” she said while giving a smile. “Okay... but you barely know me and you want me to join you on some sort of camping trip? Don't you think that would be the tiniest bit unsafe?” I gave Dash a deadpan stare. “Don't worry, everypony will know you after I'm done introducing you to them.” I sighed and after a little more chatting we started to head towards the town she called Ponyville. And oh man, just when I thought this experience couldn't get any weirder than it already was, Rainbow Dash kept staring at me the entire time. “Is there something I can help you with?” I asked tilting my head to glance over at her. “Well...I was wondering what you're able to do. You know, being human and all.” She said sounded curious as to any abilities I might have, so I decided to tell her about some of my mental abilities. “Well for one, I can fly.” I answered. She beamed at this statement. Seriously she barely knows me and she acts like we've known each other for ages. “What? But you don't even have wings! Can you really do that? I totally wanna see!” “Okay, sheesh. I've gotta let you know now that my psychic abilities are limited during flight.” I did a few stretches and rubbed my temples. “What do you mean you're limited?” "The most I'll be able to do while in flight is levitate and throw objects. That and I can manipulate elements such as electricity." I explained. "If I wanted to go faster and add power then I would have to focus on increasing my stamina, speed, and strength. So basically it's a one thing or the other situation.” I pondered for a moment before realizing something. “Come to think of it, increasing my physical attributes while I'm flying is a lot easier than putting my focus onto an external object during flight.” Dash stared at me with a puzzled look. Was she even paying attention? “I just want to see you fly.” She said dryly, managing a bored expression on her face. "I don't care about all that fancy-smancy nerd talk. “Okay then, here it goes.” I gave a small groan, and I closed my eyes for a brief moment. I then started to focus my energies on myself. Flight wasn't very strenuous, so I didn't suffer any nose-bleeds or headaches. After a few moments I was in the air. By the time I was about five feet off the ground I folded my arms, and grinned. “Like what you see?” “Whoa! You really are able to make yourself fly without wings! So these powers of yours must be magic, right? This is so awesome!” Rainbow Dash started zipping around with energy. She stopped right in front of me with a smile on her face. “I'll race you to Ponyville!” “Uh...sure?” I replied with an awkward stare. Really? A race already? “I hope you can keep up with me. I'm the fastest flier here in Equestria, and no pony has been able to beat me yet!” She sounded really confident in her abilities. I could see where Dash got her confidence. From the way she was zipping around, she really could fly fast. She didn't seem hot headed, or arrogant, just she was genuinely confident in herself. At least, this is what I could gather from all her boasting. I could say that she's just being arrogant but I didn't know too much about her; so making a judgment this early wouldn't exactly be fair. “You ready, James?” I nodded with a grin. “Am I ever.” I thought for a moment after my response. “Wait, where's the finish line?” “We'll end it at the entrance to Ponyville. That way we don't start too much of a panic.” Dash answered. I stared off in the distance and made a quick estimate about how far it was. “That's about a two mile race.” I replied, “Seems legit.” “I guess so.” We both took a starting position and readied ourselves for our little race to the town. "Three" I said as I steadied myself. "Two" Dash herself tensing every muscle in her body. "One."
Chapter 2 Introductions and CautionCredit for the editing of this chapter goes to BarracudaJoe and AwkwardTaco (whom gave me a lot of pointers.) I will now use transitions for when to signal scene transitions. (I hope I used them in the proper spots otherwise this would be really awkward). I also feel that I kinda rushed it in the end because I just wanted to get this over with after 5 days of stressing over this crap. During the beginning of the race, I could see Dash going at a very light pace. It took me a while to understand how she did things when she raced others. It seems that she likes to be neck and neck with her opponent first, and start to pick up speed after luring them in. I noticed this as Dash picked up a good ten feet ahead of me. I focused my energies on my stamina and speed, and I could feel myself catching up. RainbowDash looked back and saw me speed up. She got nervous, and picked up the pace. I could almost feel myself within reach of her back hooves, but I flopped when my head started to ache and my nose began to bleed. I was pushing myself too much, and I needed to stop; but I couldn't when we were only half a mile from Ponyville. As soon as we got within mere feet of the small town, I lost focus and collided with the ground. I felt my body roll, and bounce as it hit the hard earth. The haziness in my eyes as I opened them made me see things in a daze, and my head was rolling. My muscles started to ache as well. I managed to muster up enough strength to slowly bring myself into a sitting position with my legs crossed. I rubbed the blood from my nose with my fore arm, and held my head in my hands. The pain was just so unbearable to the point that I wish I had been unconscious. I could hear Rainbow's voice calling out to me, but my hearing sort of suffered a bit after overexerting myself. What I was hearing were muffled words of worry from the mare's mouth. After a few moments I was able to see fine, and my nose-bleed along with my headache went away. Same goes for my hearing, which fully recovered as I fully awoke from the daze. “Are you okay, James?” Dash asked with deep concern. I looked up at the Pegasus hovering in front of me. I gave a weak smile and replied, “I'm fine. I just pushed myself a little too hard that’s all. ” “I don't know. Are you sure you're going to be alright?” The Pegasus helped me up to my feet as she said this to me. “Look its fine, Dash.” I said groaning with a hand on my head. Rainbow shrugged, but still felt worried after seeing me eat the hard earth violently just a moment ago. “Well if you say so.” I took a moment to take in the sight of the town. Colorful ponies going about their daily lives, and socializing with each other was one of the many things I saw. The houses seemed dated, but were made with what I think was concrete and wood...mainly wood with thatched roofs. I also saw many Pegasus placing clouds in some areas above the town, and busting them in others. At least I think that would be the plural form for the word. I thought over that word a few times, but I decided to just stick with it. From what Dash told me during our chat before we raced, was that the Pegasi could actually control the weather here. I guess that makes sense if you're in a world filled with magical talking ponies. “So, what are we doing first?” I asked. “Like I said, I'm going to introduce you to my friends.” She answered. “So, who do we visit first?” Dash thought for a moment. “Let's go over to Sweet Apple Acres. That's where my friend Applejack lives.” “Okay, let's get going.” We were still at the entrance to Ponyville as we conversed. We began to head through the town toward Sweet Apple Acres, with Dash leading the way of course. I got some awkward stares from some of the ponies as we walked into town. Many of them kept their distance, and some of them approached with interest; however it was all starting to freak me out. “I am quite uncomfortable with these stares from the ponies that are following us.” I whispered into Dash's ear. “Can we get them to stop?” She nodded as she began to hover in the air, and turned to the crowd. “Okay everypony nothing to see here. Just go back to do whatever it was that you were doing.” The Pegasus mare made shooing gestures with her hooves as she told the crowd. The crowd of ponies began to murmur, and speak amongst each other as they dispersed. They seemed disappointed; but to be honest, I wasn't comfortable with being followed or stared at like that. Well it looks like I'm going to be the talk of the town. I started to think to myself as we made our way to a large farm with apple trees laid out all over the place. The plantation looked like it went on for miles. “That's one huge apple orchard.” I commented with my eyes widened. Dash didn't respond as she began to fly over to an orange pony sleeping under an apple tree. The pony's back was slumped up against the base of the tree, with its hat covering its face. This one's rear had a picture of three apples on it after inspecting it thoroughly. Rainbow Dash tapped the orange pony on the shoulder with a hoof. “Hey, Applejack, wake up.” The orange pony, now named Applejack, let out a yawn, took off the hat off and stared up at the cyan Pegasus, then greeted her, “Well howdy, Rainbow Dash? What can Ah' do ya for?” Well I see that she has quite the southern accent. It was...just adorable, I pondered, well then again, the more I begin to look at these ponies, and they all seem adorable. Who could hate them? My thoughts ran through my head, one right after the other. Dash brought a hoof behind her head and scratched it. “Well, there is some...body, I'd like you to meet.” She said pointing a hoof in my direction. The orange mare was confused for a moment. She looked over in my direction and then an awkward silence kicked in. It was about a good couple of minutes before Applejack broke the silence, “So, who or what is that thing, Rainbow?” “I think it'd be better if he explained.” Dash replied. The Pegasus motioned me to come over and introduce myself. I wanted to be very cautious as to not to cause any sort of ruckus. I walked a few steps until it was close enough, but not too close. I held up an arm and wiggled my fingers as if trying to say “hello” through non-verbal means. “Oh, for the love of...just introduce yourself.” Dash sounded pretty annoyed. Hey I couldn't help it if I was trying to be careful. Applejack gave me a stare, and lowered one brow while keeping the other risen. I could sense that she wasn't going to let any more of her time be wasted; so I spoke up, “My name's James Phillips, and I'm a human.” Applejack got on all fours, and put her hat on. She circled me as if inspecting me, and making sure I wasn't harmful. “Are ya' sure you ain't some kind of monster?” “Y-yes. I am sure that I’m not a monster.” “Ah' don't know, Rainbow.” The orange mare spoke up, “If I were you, Ah' would keep an eye on it.” “Don't call me it!” I shot Applejack a glare. “I'm sorry, but you just don't look exactly the friendly kind.” “If you would give me a chance, then I'm sure you would change your mi-” I was cut off by the orange pony. “Now Ah' didn't say I wouldn't give y'all a chance.” She stated. “I'm just being cautious that’s all.” I turned to Rainbow Dash who just shrugged. Well, I'm sure in due time she'll come to accept me as a friend; however, I wasn't going to leave without knowing if she had any questions. “Oh by the way...” I began, “Do you have any questions you want answered?” The earthbound pony pondered for a moment. She opened her mouth to speak when she had the question, and asked, “Is there anything about you in particular that Ah' should know about?” “Well, just this.” I answered. I messaged my temples a bit to loosen some tension between my blood vessels, and nerves. I held out both arms, and aimed my psions at a handful of apple trees. I noticed some buckets lying underneath them. I used my hands to motion the apples be plucked from the trees, and put into the wooden buckets, about eight or nine buckets were filled. Applejack's jaw dropped and her eyes were the widened. She was in utter shock from what she saw. “W-was that magic?!” “Nope.” I replied. “Then what was that?” Applejack's mouth was still agape from shock. “This is what I call Psions, or Psychokinesis as it is sometimes called.” I wasn't being smug about it, but I had to do something to prove my worth to this pony. Applejack shook her head. “Well, Ah’ll be...that's some mighty fine talent you got there.” Rainbow Dash chimed in, “Yeah, and he can do a lot more. I'm sure he can show you later though. I still need to introduce him to the others.” Applejack looked over at me and held out a hoof for me to shake. I extended my hand out and grabbed her hoof, and shook her hoof. “Nice meeting you miss...Applejack. Correct?” I said as we broke the shake. “You don't have to call me miss. Just Applejack will do.” Applejack had a smile on her face. Rainbow Dash and I turned around to head back to town. We were barely a few steps when Dash's eyes popped open widely, and rushed back over to Applejack. I heard them talking for about a minute, but I couldn't hear them due to their lowered voices. The Pegasus flew back over to me and let out a relaxing breath. We continued making our way back into town. “So, what was that all about?” I asked. “Well...s-she...” Dash was stuttering. She took a deep breath and exhaled. “AJ still sort of has her doubts about you.” “Why?” I wasn't very surprised at this, but I would like a valid reason. “How to put it...” The winged mare thought deeply about how to answer my question. “She still thinks you’re some kind of dangerous monster. It wasn't just that you used those cool powers of yours, but AJ wants to keep a safe distance until she can fully trust you. She's not sure if you're not totally dangerous yet.” “I am going to assume that it's because I am a creature that she has never seen before and also because I am not a species native to this world.” I replied. Rainbow Dash reassured me with her next statement, “Hey, when we first met Zecora, we were all scared and freaked out by her appearance. We eventually learned to accept her, sort of, and I am sure my friends will do the same for you...” “But what?” I anticipated more words to come from her mouth. “But, I think because that you're not like us, or Zecora, it's going to take a little more time for the rest of us to get used to you. I'll admit though, I-I'm still a bit uneasy around you myself.” The mare gave a sheepish grin. “Understandable.” I replied. “Really? You're not going to go off on me even though I don't exactly trust you completely myself?” Dash was very confused. “Well, I have a feeling that somewhere in that conscience of yours, I am being judged rather harshly; however, I don't hold it against you.” I shrugged during my reply. “So, even though we still have some...doubts, you're still going to trust us?” “I need to if I am to survive in a place I've never been to.” “Well in that case, I kind of convinced Applejack to let you come camping with us.” Dash smiled sheepishly. “But how?” Applejack must be the one in charge of the camping trip. I immediately thought. “Well, I just told her that it would be a good opportunity to know you more.” She answered. A sigh escaped my breath as we exited Sweet Apple Acres, and we continued to talk. ***** Our conversation went on for quite a while, but we stopped when we re-entered Ponyville. I got those awkward stares again, and some of the ponies actually locked themselves inside their houses; while others either kept their distance, or stared with interest. At this point I decided to ignore it all as I would have to get used to it sooner or later. The next pony that I got to know was quite...quirky? Yeah that's what came to mind at that moment. A pink pony with a puffy, slightly darker, pink mane and blue eyes popped in front of my face out of nowhere upon arriving in a part of the town known as, Sugarcube Corner. What happened next was something I could never really explain. “So...uh...hi?” I faked a smile. The pink pony then quickly replied with the most rapid voice ever, “HimynameisPinkiePieandyoumustbenewaroundherewhat'syourname!?” I didn't even move my mouth to form words. Rainbow Dash just chuckled, while I was mind blown. I slowly started to introduce myself to the mare now known as Pinkie Pie, “My name is James Phillips and-” I was cut off immediately by the crazy pony. “Let me guess! You're from another world but then got brought here after using your mind powers for reasons you can't remember because upon arriving here in Equestria your memory got jumbled up?” She was jumping around as she said all of this without taking a breath. Pinkie Pie then gave me a huge ear to ear smile. I was flabbergasted, “How did you know all that?” “Just a hunch!” She quickly replied. “Anything else I should know about you?” I asked quizzically, raising a brow. She thought for a moment and opened her mouth to speak, “Not really. Unless the author wants to make that happen, I don't really have a say in the matter!” “Wait who?” Dash and I said in unison. “You know, JakeTheBrony! The guy who is writing the story we’re in.” She continued to smile. RainbowDash and I were very confused; although I had a slight feeling I knew what Pinkie Pie was doing at this point. There was no sense in questioning her now as Rainbow Dash just told me it was just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie. I was actually quite scared of the pink pony now because she just did THAT right in front of me. How could the other ponies be so comfortable with her breaking that kind of boundary? I decided not to question it any further as the mind blow I just experienced would drive me to insanity. After everything was settled, Pinkie Pie was gone into nothingness. I heard her mention something about a welcoming party. Okay that pony only had met me and she isn't uncomfortable about me the slightest bit? Well, maybe she is, and she just isn't showing it. ***** RainbowDash and I continued through town until we conveniently met up with a light-yellow colored pony with blue eyes, and a light pink mane and tail. I looked at her rear, and saw three butterflies marked on it. Okay...I need to figure out what these are called later, but it's not on the top of my list of priorities so I'll just let it go for now. I looked at the pony as if she were the most adorable thing ever. Actually she was the most adorable thing ever! Is! “Uh...um...can I help you?” She sounded very timid, and...shy? Rainbow Dash landed next to her and introduced us to each other. “This is my friend Fluttershy. Fluttershy, this is James.” “Oh...well it's nice to meet you...if you don't mind.” Her voice was very soft. Did she always talk like this? “It's fine.” I said waving my hand dismissively. “You look pretty scary.” “Well, I hope that will come to pass soon, and then we can be friends.” I said giving her a smile. I could never get mad at something as adorable as her. It would be...just downright evil! “Are you sure you don't mind? I mean...a lot of the ponies here seem to be very suspicious of you.” Fluttershy seemed to have a bit of concern to her tone. “Hey, it's perfectly normal for them to have fear. Dash here told me about some pony named Zecora.” I began. “I guess sometimes old habits tend to stick around for a while; but I don't mind. They're just trying to take safety precautions from what I see.” “You're not even offended by it?” Shy's voice retained its soft tone. “Do I have to be?” I retorted. “I-I guess not...” “I don't have any ills if you are not comfortable with being friends right away. We'll get to know each other soon enough and this thing will sort itself out.” I thought about those words, and realized how easy I made it sound. It's going to be hell trying to get to know these ponies. RainbowDash decided to chime into the conversation after hearing me and Shy talking, “Okay that's cool n' all. So, what brings you into town, Fluttershy?” “Oh, yeah...right. Um...I came into town to buy some food for my pets is all. What? Did I do something wrong?” Fluttershy lowered her head with her ears down. There was an audible squeak, but I found it adorable. “What n-n-n-n-no, not at all.” Dash answered. After a few more words with Fluttershy we continued making our way through the town. “Now, all there is now is to introduce you to Twilight and Rarity; however, Rarity can wait until the camping starts. I'm that they're getting ready by now, and they're supposed to meet me at their first camping sight.” Dash explained. “Let's get this over with then.” I let out a breath I didn't know I had. Thinking back on Sugarcube Corner, the houses looked different. Gingerbread houses covered most of the area. Quite interesting, and...well, delicious if you know what I mean. Eh, now I am just fantasizing about eating gingerbread, but I don't want to waste any more time thinking about it. ***** At the edge of the town we came by a tree house looking structure. I inspected the tree a little more closely, and noticed windows, and a balcony with a telescope mounted onto the railing that it supported. I looked over at the door and saw Rainbow knock on it. The door opened and a lavender pony with a horn and a mark on her rear which looked like a pink star with sparkles surrounding it came out. It came to my attention that this one was also a mare. Her mane was a dark purple with a pink streak; same goes for the color of her tale. I have been taking mental notes lately on these marks. Especially on the pink ones mark which happened to be blue and yellow balloons. They must symbolize something, but I wouldn't bother asking about it until the subject was brought up. When the lavender pony looked up at me after being greeted by Rainbow Dash, her eyebrows furrowed. This is not a good sign. She just stood there scowling at me, as if I did something wrong. “RainbowDash, what is that...thing?” I heard her stress the word 'thing'. Rainbow Dash put on a weak smile, and took a big gulp of saliva in her throat under the pressure. “T-this is James...Phillips.” Why is Dash scared of this pony? Scared may not be the appropriate word for this situation, but she was nervous as to how judgmental Twilight was being with her facial expressions. “Okay, that doesn't exactly answer my question. What is that thing?” She said that damned word again. “Stop calling me thing! I'm a human!” I exclaimed. I was pretty frustrated with how I kept being called a thing. “Y-yeah, he's a human. I saw a flash of light in one of the fields just outside Ponyville before I fell asleep on a cloud after finishing a few weather jobs I had to get done.” Dash explained. “So, I went to go check it out, and it turns out that James appeared from it.” “Have you been introducing him to our friends?” This mare was quite the curious one. Dash gave a nod. “Yes...yes I have.” “Did he harm any of them? Because if he did, I'd have to report him to the princess.” Oh of course you would! I shouted in my head. Cause I haven't been a good little boy all day right? Jesus Fucking Christ! “N-no, he didn't harm anypony. He's been on his best behavior!” Rainbow Dash said in my defense. The lavender unicorn came up to inspect me further. Oh God...here come the questions. “So...human, what do you eat?” My score: 1; Life: 0 Ha-ha take that. “I eat both plants and meat.” The eating meat part caught her attention, “Do you eat ponies?” “FU...I-I mean no...no I don't.” I answered. Before she bombarded me with another question I decided to ask for her name, “What is your name by the way?” “My name is Twilight Sparkle. I run the library you see right before you, as well as live in it.” She answered. “Now, Dash mentioned something about a flash of light. Were you the cause of it?” “If you mean that I made it happen, no; or at least I don't think I caused it.” I explained as best I could. “All I know is that it took me here to Equestria, as you ponies call your nation.” Twilight looked deep into my eyes as if trying to see if I was lying or not. She trotted back over to her library and opened the door with a purple glow. I observed carefully and deducted that this was that magic that Rainbow told me about. She turned around to address me. “Rainbow Dash will be keeping an eye on you to make sure you're on your best behavior.” Twilight began to speak with a direct tone. “I would also like to ask you more questions later so I can send a proper report to Princess Celestia; so don't get into any trouble.” “So...I guess I'm good for now right?” I questioned. “Well for now, yes.” The unicorn answered. She turned back around and closed the door. This introduction wasn't very eventful, but I happen to be thankful that something didn't go awry. RainbowDash walked up to me with nerve-wrecked expression. I looked at her quizzically. “Are you nervous about something, Rainbow Dash?” “Well I want to know what you think of my friends so far. I mean, I know I haven't introduced you to Rarity yet, but I think it's a little late to meet her at her place right now.” She replied. “Why would you ask for my opinion on your friends? It doesn't matter what I think of them.” I debated, “What matters is what they think of me. I'm the stranger around here.” “I-I guess you're right.” Dash's head hung low with her ears down. Silence filled the air for a bit until I broke it, “Hey, we still have that camping trip that's supposed to happen later. That get our minds off of this.” Her ears perked up, and a smile brightened her face. “Oh, that's right. It's already in the middle of the afternoon. We'd better get there before we're late.” “Where is this camping trip taking place exactly?” I asked. “It was just in some woods outside Ponyville. Just follow me and we'll be there in no time!” Dash said with enthusiasm. ***** We arrived at the woods just outside of town after about twenty minutes, and there we saw a familiar orange mare, and some other ponies I never met. “There you are, you two.” Applejack addressed me and Dash. “So, are y'all ready for some campin’?” “Yeah, we're ready.” Rainbow Dash replied. “I'll go on ahead and wait for you guys at the first campsite.” Dash took off in a blue blur. I noticed that I got some stares from a couple of fillies except for the third one who watched in admiration of the cyan mare taking off. I noticed one in particular unicorn with a white coat, a styled purple mane and tail, and three diamonds marked on her rear. That must be Rarity I presume? I thought. Every pony was looking at me with the face of discomfort. This is going to be a good camping trip...I can tell.
Chapter 3 The Shadow ManLet me know what you think of the story so far. I think I could have done better with this chapter as well. PS: Read the notes in the A/N section Credit to: Doctor Strange for reviewing, and giving me ideas as well as helping me out. ******** This was a very awkward moment; however, I didn't let it get to me so much. If I didn't have their complete trust, then I'll have to find a way to earn it. I wasn't going to brood over this the entire day. What really made me wonder is why the white unicorn decided to pack so much stuff. That poor little white filly unicorn was doing all the hard work. It made me feel bad that I didn't really do anything to help; but I don't know if I would be able to, so I just kept my distance. The yellow filly kept staring back at me during the awkwardness before we started toward our camp-site “Applejack, what is that thing?” The young, yellow filly with the red mane and tale asked. Applejack gave a weak smile. “Well, he's a uh...human were it?” I gave a nod as my answer. We were walking up a dirt road that was leading us to our first camp-site, and boy did I feel like I was being watched. The white unicorn kept giving me glances every so often, and I was curious as to what she was looking at. “So...Rarity, right?” I asked. She kept staring at me, and it was creeping me out. The silence was awkward and I didn't really feel comfortable with it lingering in the air. A few seconds passed by before she decided to finally speak up, “Yes, my name is Rarity.” “Okay...now, is there something I can help you with?” Rarity shook her head, “Oh, nothing really. I just can't help, but uh...admire your taste in fashion.” Rarity gave a sheepish smile. “Are you serious? You can say you have a problem with what I'm wearing.” I responded directly. “Well in that case, I think your taste in fashion is absolutely horrid.” Wow...brutal. Hey I asked for her opinion, and that's what I got. I can't complain about something I asked for. I would strike up conversations with the other ponies, but they don't seem to up for talking much. Rarity doesn't even want to speak to me anymore because of the awkwardness of it all. I felt awkward about all of this too. I feel like I'm about to go mad with all that's going on. I can't use my psions right now without freaking them all out. That goes without saying that Applejack was genuinely freaked out by it. ***** We eventually reached the first camp-site where we saw Rainbow Dash. I noticed the orange filly in the front admiring what she was doing. I watched in awe as well. The cyan mare was flying at super fast speeds, and each time she passed by parts of a campfire set-up appeared bit by bit. Watching this, I observed how she tackled through the trunks of some trees with her hind hooves, and basically turned them into logs and firewood. It was a nice set-up, and I took in the sight of the ponies putting their tents up. I watched one filly in particular, it was the same orange filly who admired Rainbow Dash. It was quite cute to see the two together; and heart warming. I went over to one of the makeshift seats that Dash had made from the trees, and I sat down I heard a noise that sounded like something inflating, and when I turned my head, I saw a big tent that looked like it was fit for royalty. Seriously, couldn't Rarity have packed a simple tent? I guess not. I think the rest of us had a “seriously?” moment. It got later to where the sun was setting until it was completely down. Applejack had started the fire, and I sat across from the all the ponies on the opposite end of the fire. Even Rainbow was giving me awkward expressions. This whole situation was awkward I should say. We all sat around the campfire and I waited for someone to break the silence. I decided to speak up to break the silence, “So...are we going to tell ghost stories or something?” The ponies were looking away, and scratching their heads. At this point, I just wanted to get the night over with. “I have a really scary story.” Rainbow Dash started, “But I must warn you, it's one of the scariest stories around.” “Okay then.” Was all I replied with. Rainbow Dash began her story, and it went on for quite sometime. I paid attention, not exactly to all of the details, but I was paying attention nonetheless. It was a good half an hour when Rainbow finished her story; and I must admit, it was pretty scary. The olden pony, the rusty horseshoe, I got pretty freaked out. I would feel uneasy if an old pony or person was constantly following me because well...it makes you feel like they're gonna hurt me. I looked around, and saw the other ponies getting ready to get some sleep. I looked back at the fire. I just wanted to be comforted by its warmth a little longer before I got some shut-eye. “Time ta' hit the hay everypony.” Said Applejack as she let out a big yawn. I would go to bed inside one of the tents, but they were only big enough for ponies; and only two could fit inside at a time. That is without saying that Rarity's tent is a castle compared to the other two tents, but I knew she wouldn't let me inside. “I guess I'll just sleep out here for the night. The tents aren't exactly big enough for me.” Oh boy were those tents small. They could only able to shelter up to two ponies, maybe three from the looks of them. “Suit yerself.” Was all Applejack responded with, and then she went inside the tend with the small yellow filly with a red mane and tail. It's funny how I didn't really notice her, she never really spoke much at all during this trip. I think I remember he name being said by Applejack during the trek to the site...Applebloom? I think. “Are you sure you'll be okay out here?” Dash asked as she walked up to me. “Yes, I'm sure.” I answered with a more relaxed tone. “Well, okay, but I think I can give you some blankets and a pillow at least.” Rainbow Dash went into the tent to grab any extra blankets, and pillow. I happily accepted them and she went back into her tent to go to sleep. I tried to get a good night's sleep, but I kept hearing some moaning from Dash's tent. It sounded like the little orange Pegasus was having nightmares. 'I guess those stories did get to her. Poor Scoots.' I wanted to comfort her, but I didn't want to disturb Dash; and I assured myself that in time, things would turn out for the better in the end. I did finally closed my eyes as I gave out one last stretch and yawn. I let my mind wonder off into the dream world where I felt the freest. No restrictions, no limitations. Just me and my dreams. ***** I found myself in a city, that looked vaguely familiar. Lampposts lit up black pavement with yellow and white lines drawn on them. They also lit up white cement that stood maybe a few inches higher than the black pavement. Buildings stood in every spot on each end. I would also see metallic figures zoom by occasionally, and they moved really fast. I looked up at the sky, and it was dark. It happened to be in the middle of the night, and stars were lit up. I looked at my other surroundings, and there appeared to be some baron areas in between some of the neighborhoods; which to me looked like a desert. I watched a much longer, and bigger metal monster pass by which had “Antelope Valley Transit Authority” on it. As I saw that, I could have sworn something in my mind clicked. I tried to think, but no dice. I decided to roam the streets as I was able to recall them being, I mean Ponyville had streets...sorta. I was walking through a small neighborhood until I saw a black figure a good twenty feet in front of it. It ran off and I gave chase. I was able to get a good look at the thing before it fled. It was a human, just like me. I couldn't see he or she was wearing exactly, but I was able to keep up. I could have sworn I was losing ground when the silhouette appeared to be getting smaller and smaller. I tried to make myself aware that this was a dream, but the best I managed was a bit more speed. Curse my inability to lucid dream. I saw the person disappear as the lights in the street dimmed, and eventually blacked out. I couldn't see anything in front of me, but then a bright light turned on. It hung above a couple of metal chairs, one of which was seating the same shadow I had been chasing for a good ten minutes. “Come. Take a seat.” The figure gestured to the seat in front of it. From the sound of its voice, it was male. I furrowed my brows and kept myself on my toes. I walked over to the other chair, and sat down. The light did a good job at hiding his appearance in the shadows, which peeved me a little. “Who are you?” I asked immediately. The man gave a small laugh. “Oh? You want me to tell you who I am?” “Yes!” “For now, just call me Duran. Fitting name if I do say so myself.” He answered. “I also plan to tell you any necessary information that you may want.” “Okay, Duran...how about you first tell me if I am still dreaming?” This felt all too real to be a dream. Duran held a grin on his face the entire time. “You are still dreaming, but I did enter your mind to speak to you.” “About what?” “About you, and other important matters.” I scratched my head in confusion. “Why do you need to speak to me?” “Because,” Duran started, “You are a special human.” I rose a brow, “How am I special?” Duran's grin remained on his face still, “Do you remember at all when you were a child?” “I don't remember anything at all.” I answered dryly. “Oh, so I guess entering Equestria did do a number on you.” His grin disappeared as if he were not amused by this at all. “Damn it...what if he forgot how to use his powers?” Duran's voice went into an inaudible volume. “How do you know that I'm in Equestria?” I asked quizzically. His grin reappeared on his face, “I was the one who sent you here. I too, used to be a pony myself.” “What kind of pony were you?” I asked out of curiosity. “That information will not be disclosed.” Duran's silhouetted figure held out a hand as he replied. “What is important, however, is how you attained your powers and why.” He added. “How did I attain my powers?” I was even more curious than before. “I was the one who gave you your powers.” Duran's grin grew wider. “What? Stop messing with me!” I shouted in confusion. Duran adjusted himself and leaned forward in his seat. “Oh, but I'm not messing with you. I'm telling you the truth.” He adjusted himself into an upright position in his chair. “If you'd sit there and let me explain a few things, then this will all be over with quickly.” I decided to listen intently just to end this quicker. I sat in my seat silently waiting for Duran to speak some more. His smile was filled with pleasure. What does this man have in store? “No questions? Good.” He started. “Let us start with how I ended up on Earth. I was but a pony just like any other in Equestria. I found a kingdom I wished to bring to glory, and did so by climbing into power.” Duran let out a sigh before continuing, “However, I was sealed away for many years, but when I came back...I wanted the kingdom back, you see.” He went into much detail about when he came back and how six ponies interfered with his return to power. “That wasn't where it all ended though. I found myself in a strange place. Tall buildings, vehicles that moved without anything pulling them, and so on.” “Can we get to the point?” I was starting to get tired of his story. It nearly put me to sleep after a good thirty minutes. Funny, I was already asleep. Maybe it was the other way around, or...ugh never mind. “My, my, a bit impatient I see.” Duran remarked. “Fine then. You see, where you're from, magic doesn't exist, so I was unable to gradually refill my internal supply of it. I decided that I needed a...'person' whose intellect wasn't too...inconvenient.” He explained. “The ones you call 'nerds' were too out there and would probably irresponsibly use these powers with how they would describe how they would use super powers if they ever attained them.” Duran went into thought for a moment, and continued when he had more to say, “Oh, and as for the...dumber people. I couldn't stand how they would go around throwing gang signs, and would dope around all day. Those were two kinds of people I couldn't allow to have what I had planned to gift unto any of them.” “What made me so special?” I questioned. Duran cleared his throat a little before answering, “You...you were the only one around the city whom had any ounce of rationality, and intelligence to them. I didn't know what effects granting a human the last bit of my power would have done, but when I found out, I was impressed.” I didn't respond, but continued to listen. “You were no older than eight when I granted you your power; and how you handled your abilities, was quite interesting.” He added. “Why would you give such powers to a child?” I was confused. Such power to someone so young. I couldn't wrap my head around it. “Same reason as before.” Duran simply answered. He continued his explanation of my powers, “Your 'psions' allow you the ability to bend light, manipulate electricity and fire; even read minds along with the many other things you did upon arriving in Equestria. Though, when it came to reality warping, that was a big no-no. Also, your abilities appear to only match your brain's mental capacity.” This was all too much for me to take in. I had this much power? I feel like I'm just some mad scientist experiment from what he's been telling me. I was confused, angry; and I didn't know exactly how to react to all of this. “What the hell was all this for? And how did I end up in Equestria and why are my memories so jacked up?!” I was growing more and more infuriated as I stood up and flipped the chair over. My anger caused the room to shake, but I didn't care. “Calm down, incredible hulk! You can't let yourself get filled with too much rage!” Duran exclaimed. “Otherwise things can go so wrong you wouldn't believe the kind of mess that would need to be cleaned!” I grimaced at Duran. Just looking at him pissed me off now more than ever. “Shut your damn mouth!” I shouted and started to charge after him. I was immediately pinned down by an overwhelming force. What? This is my mind! My dream! How?! “You're going to damn well listen you pissant!” His voice echoed loudly with anger when he stood up from his chair. Duran took a breath and exhaled deeply. He took his seat and continued to explain everything. “I am the reason why you're in Equestria. Why your memories were messed up upon entering is because of what happened during our previous encounter in your world.” “W-what? Previous encounter...?” I winced as the force kept me pinned to the ground. It felt like my body was being held down, and crushed by a giant. “Yes, our previous encounter. I found a way to open a gateway to Equestria without magic. You may not be able to warp reality, but with what little power I had left, I was able to make it react with your psions just enough to crack open a portal. However it may have caused some psychic backlash, which would explain your memory loss.” Duran's mouth was up to my ear as he said this, “I now have my regular pony-shape back, but I have grown a custom to the human form. It proves to be quite useful in keeping me hidden from princesses.” I struggled a bit, but the invisible force kept me down. “How did you even bring me here if you used the last of your magic?” “I didn't use every bit of my power to grant you such a gift. I had a plan to get us into Equestria. Reality-warping maybe out of your jurisdiction, but with my help it was possible. You see, I found out that when magic and psions collide with each other, they don't mix well. They tend to cause small openings to other realities, or dimensions; and I sought the opportunity to pull you in with me.” “Can't you tell me why you brought me here!?” If I wasn't bound by this intense gravity holding me down, I'd go ape-shit on this guy. Duran's smile was sinister, demented, and just...evil! “Remember when I told you six ponies eliminated me?” “Y-yes?” “I want you to kill them.” His laugh wasn't maniacal, nor was it twisted. Duran's laugh was just...sane. I began to think of how sick this man was in the back of my mind. “What makes you think I'll do this!?” I scowled at him. Duran walked passed me, into the darkness, and answered, “In due time, you will do as I say, one way or another. Even if it means playing dirty.” The invisible force that kept me down had disappeared after his figure had vanished completely. I got up and looked around for him. Duran's voice echoed once more through the empty room as he spoke, “Earning the trust of these ponies, and restoring your memories are top priority. Then the real fun can begin.” With one last laugh, the voice disappeared. Things went dark again, and I blacked out. ***** I woke up breathing heavily, in a cold sweat. I felt like something had knocked the air out of me, and I felt a bit dazed. When my head finally had stopped spinning, and my breathing had returned to normal, I sat up; and held my head in one hand while I used the other for support. I picked my head up and saw the ponies looking at me with looks of worry. “What's wrong? Did something happen?” I asked. Applejack spoke up amongst them to answer, “We thought ya' weren't gonna wake up, and we kinda got worried for a moment.” “I'm alright.” I looked up at the sky, and saw that it seemed like it was already noon. I've been asleep that long? Rainbow Dash let out a sigh. “We tried waking you up for two hours, and you wouldn't budge. We were starting to worry about you.” I got up to my feet and packed the blankets and pillow, and finally replied, “I said I'm fine.” I walked off ahead and no one said anything. We headed toward our next camp-site, and I couldn't help but think about everything Duran said. ***** In the mountainous regions in the outskirts of Equestria, a man clad in shadow watches as his plans fall into place. Behind him a shadow with blood-red eyes, stood behind him. “Master, what is the purpose of allowing this boy to regain his memories?” The shadow asked its lord as its voice hissed and echoed. The man deadpanned, “There is no harm in him regaining his memories.” “Why not just brainwash him to get this over with quicker?” “I can't yet, and I might not be able to. Psions and magic are on the same level, but psions work differently.” The man continued to stare off over the horizon. He began to monologue, "Magic is more spiritual, and psions are more mental. Which means the focus of one's mind can amplify brainwaves, causing an external force of energy to be released from the mind itself; thus allowing resistance. I can take advantage, however, of one thing though: the boy's lack of control over it when his rage peaks." “Master Duran" The shadow spoke, interrupting his master's monologue, "As you now call yourself, I think you may have made a grave mistake giving him such an ability. You may have locked his ability of reality-warping, but the boy still remains powerful.” The shadow stood there, staring at its lord. “Are you saying I might be able to handle my own creation?” Duran chuckled. “I'll make sure he does my bidding. A simple spell should do the trick, but first, we need a way of blocking his psions just in case he resists.” He laughed evilly to himself. “And I know just how to do it. Humans are quite the scientific ones." “I'll keep a watchful eye on him, Master. My siren shadows and I will look for any weaknesses he might have.” The shadow insisted. Duran replied in a monotone voice, “Get to it then.” With that, the shadow dissipated. Duran then started to put his plans into motion, and with a laugh he disappeared from the mountaintop.
