Dimensional Shiftby SilverFlameChaptersChapter 1. ArrivalChapter 2. Welcoming comitee.Chapter 3. MoonlightMorning routineChapter 1. ArrivalDimensional Shift Being pulled from my home dimension was both more, and less than I expected. Less in the fact that it happened almost before I realized something was happening, but more in the way of the blinding pain that left me crippled and unmoving for who knows how long afterwards. One instant I was sitting at my computer and felt a tug, the next, I was looking out at a forest before my chair fell a few feet and the pain hit me, bringing me tumbling out of my chair to the ground. I heard some crashes nearby, the sounds echoing in my tortured skull, the light burning my eyes even when they were squeezed shut. The hard ground felt like an unforgiving brick wall and every breath felt like I was inhaling glass shards. Eventually the pain started to fade, replaced by a blessed numbness. The sounds had finally stopped and I carefully opened my eyes. The light was still blinding from the midday sun. My mind hadn’t been playing tricks on me. I was in the middle of some woods and all around me were the contents of my room, scattered about as if dropped out of the sky. My computer desk was laying on it’s side, all it’s contents spilled about, most of them cracked, including the monitor. The rolling chair was on it’s side, but intact, even the bed was here, the frame busted but the box spring and mattress seemingly ok. TV, alarm clock, game systems, even some of the artwork from off my walls and a few of my swords that I bought for looks were there, lying on the ground. Even that stupid puzzle ring I got from my brother and an unopened bag of potato chips next to an empty glass that used to have water in it. I looked around at the huge mess that was once my room and did the only thing that made sense, I sat down on what was left of my bed and smacked myself, hard. Nope. Not awake. And that had hurt. Shit. Looking around the mess I spotted my cell phone, still attached to it’s charger. I picked it up and flipped it open, everything seemed to be working fine, and it was still the same day. Not even an hour since I last checked the computer’s clock. I looked around a bit before shaking my head. Yea, this place didn’t look like anywhere within a one hour drive from home, “So how did I get here?” I didn’t really expect an answer, and after taking a few calming breaths I decided to do the smart thing and at the very least gather up everything important before it got blown away or something. Grabbing the chips and glass first and setting them on the bed I continued gathering. A lot of this would be left behind if I moved from here I knew. So a lot of it got shoved in the computer desk’s drawers. Some I just left there on the ground, like the TV and gaming systems. They were too big to store and looked to be already broken. I grabbed my sunglasses, cracked in half and useless, and sighed. I liked those. My hat was nearby and I grabbed that too. Putting it on I tossed the rest of what I wanted to keep onto the bed in a pile and mumbled to myself, “I’ll sort it in a bit.” Finally I had the little dusty area cleaned up. It took a lot longer than I thought it would, the sun was starting to go down behind the tall trees already, and I quickly sorted what I had grabbed, racing the fading light. Thankfully I found my flashlight, and it still worked. Even had extra batteries. At least I wouldn’t be running around in the dark. So here I was, lost, with no clue how I had gotten there, with all my stuff around me. I’m out in the wilderness and it’s starting to get dark. Grabbing one of those swords, it suddenly felt so very flimsy, like it might as well have been made of tin foil and cardboard. I quickly grabbed the cover off my pillow to use as a bag and shoved everything I needed in it. Looking around quickly I tried to make out what direction to go. My only clue was that the forest seemed to be slightly thinner in one direction, so grabbing up the makeshift bag I started off. Hoping for the best. I had no clue what was in store for me or I might have just stayed in that clearing forever. I never was one for just sitting still anyways. Right before I made it to the treeline I turned back and quickly set up a few of the heavier pieces of junk I was leaving behind to make an arrow pointing the way I had gone. That way if someone came back for me they would know which way I had gone. Nodding to myself I started off again, passing into the trees without a second thought, bag of stuff in one hand slung lazily onto my back and a flashlight in my pocket. The trees were widely spaced, and there wasn’t much ground cover, so it was an easy hike. A few birds flying off every now and then as I walked too close was the only real excitement there was. Having nothing else to do and feeling bored of the scenery after a few minutes of no real change except the sun dipping below the treeline I started humming in time with the march, no real melody in mind, and it showed as the tones bounced all over the place like a sugar crazed kitten with ADD. But, it was a good way to make time pass faster, and before I knew it I had reached the edge of the woods again, and what I saw made me pause and go completely silent. What I saw before me at that moment made me start seriously doubting my sanity. For right there, on the side of a huge mountain, was a castle. One I recognized, but only from artwork and a show I considered a guilty pleasure. Almost not daring to look I turned to the right a bit and saw a village, nestled in a beautiful valley. Again, my mind ground to a halt. This should not be here. This should not exist. My bag falls from my numb hand to the ground behind me with a dull thud, finally shaking me from my stupor. Looking over the town, my brain giving names to all the places that shouldn't be there. “The library tree, Sugarcube Corner, Carousel Boutique, I think I even see the edge of Sweet Apple Acres over there...” Suddenly my legs gave out, dropping me onto the ground right next to the bag. “It’s official. I’ve entered crazytown. There is no way that this is what it looks like.” I pinch myself hard, but the crazy vision doesn’t even shimmer or anything. It seems to be quite stubborn about the fact that it is real. Which only makes this that much worse. If this wasn’t a hallucination or a dream, then that means either I had gone completely off the deep end and was in some sort of psychotic fantasy, or this was real. Both options horrified me quite a bit. Either way, I most likely would never see my family again. If I wasn’t sitting before, that would have dropped me to the ground. I sat there, contemplating what to do when a warm breeze suddenly rushed up the small rise I was on. Looking up I saw the sun about to set and the grass blowing in the breeze, a lingering scent of sweetness coming with it from the village, Ponyville. I looked over the sleepy town, finally realizing where I was, Whitetail woods. Relatively safe. I could probably sleep here and try to introduce myself in the morning. It wouldn’t do to have some strange new monster walking into town at night and terrifying the entire town. No, there would be enough running and screaming tomorrow without it being dark. Giving a deep sigh I leaned back against a tree and pulled my bag close, hoping to sleep. Little did I know I had already been spotted. One of the weather team had witnessed my crash landing, and of course had sent the bravest pony they knew to check on it. It seems they had just caught up with me after searching my landing site and the trees in the area. My eyes were closed when I felt another breeze, this one much stronger. Cracking open an eye to look at the sunset I instead met the gaze of a powder blue pony with rose colored eyes and a rainbow mane. I stopped breathing. This was not what I expected at all. Slowly I opened my other eye and slowly released the breath I had been holding. I made sure not to move anything I didn’t have to as I quietly looked her over. She did the same. Her wings were flared and ready to propel her away at a moment’s notice, or possibly straight at me. Rainbow Dash wasn’t one for backing down from a challenge after all. Seeing no other options left I did what came naturally when you come face to face with a multicolored flying pony. “Um... Hi?” The look on her face was priceless. Shock to confusion to anger and back to confusion. All in the span of a few seconds. After a moment more she tilted her head to the side and said... something. I had a basic idea of what she might have said, but it looks like there was going to be a language barrier, and truthfully I had no idea how to conquer it. So, I acted the fool. I gave her a bright grin and tried speaking again. “Hello.” This time she seemed to get the gist of what I was saying, and gave a small nod of her head and a smile of her own. A small one, but it was progress I guess. Very slowly I moved a hand up, she glared for a moment and took a step back before thinking better of it and standing her ground, but watching me closely as I pointed slowly at Ponyville with a small tilt of my head, as if asking about it. She seemed to know what I was pointing at without looking and realizing her normal venue of yelling was out she stomped her hoof and shook her head no vigorously. Looks like I wasn’t going to town, at least not right now. She pointed at me with a hoof before pointing at the ground where I was sitting. She repeated it a few times before I got the message. “Stay here.” I nodded and made a show of getting comfortable against the tree. Another small smile and a nod was my only warning before she took off again in a burst of speed that actually left a rainbow afterimage. I followed the trail to see where she was going and tried to keep track of her. Thankfully she was flying mostly straight, so it was easy to see her destination was the library. Seems I get to meet Twilight as well tonight. Lucky me. I closed my eyes and tried to get comfortable. I didn’t know how long they would be, but knowing Rainbow Dash it wouldn’t be long. I was right, as just a moment later there was a flash of light visible through my eyelids accompanied by a pop. Even expecting it I was slightly taken aback as I opened my eyes and saw a violet unicorn staring back at me. We both stared for a moment, neither of us quite ready to break the silence. Thankfully I was starting to get used to the strangeness of it all and offered a small wave. She seemed to take my moving better than Rainbow Dash did, giving a bright smile in return. Speaking of Rainbow Dash, she chose that moment to make her grand entrance, landing next to Twilight in a rush of dust and wind. Needless to say my wave turned into more of a flail against the wind to try to keep my eyes clear. My hat got flung off in the wind and landed on my makeshift bag, finally drawing attention to it. Being careful not to make any sudden moves, I grabbed my hat and put it back on before pulling my bag over, somehow, from just the few minutes on the ground it already was starting to look beaten up and dirty, as if I had been traveling a long time. As I did this both ponies watched me curiously. I opened the bag, deciding to grab out the chips and try to make friends with a snack. I was kinda disappointed that I didn’t find Pinkie Pie in there, but then again, I almost expected to, and you can never really predict her. Grabbing the bag of chips and opening them, I made a show of eating one before offering some to the mares in front of me. Thankfully it seemed that my offer was understood, Dash came forward and grabbed some with barely a thought. Twilight being a bit more reserved grabbed one with her magic while chastising Dash, I guess for being rude or something. I just shrugged with a smile and leaned back against the tree again. Watching the two interact made me a bit homesick. Sure, this was kind of a dream come true in a way, but it still meant I wouldn’t see my family for a while, if ever. Lost in memories I looked out beyond them, watching the sun go down over the sleepy town and realized, I really had nowhere to go here, much less a place to sleep. My expression must have given something away because the chatter between the two dies off without me noticing and the next thing I knew I was being poked, relatively gently, by Dash. Looking back to them I noticed they both had a slightly confused look on their faces. My initial reaction was to just blow it off as nothing, but something made me stop. Their eyes. Something about the way they were looking at me told me that they actually did care, and wanted to help. This shocked me a bit, I barely knew them, and yet they wanted to help. This place truly was wondrous. But how do you pantomime losing everything? No. That could wait. First things first. I pointed to myself and said “I.” Might as well try introducing my language a bit as I explained. Pointing to my head I continued, “Was thinking,” next I made a show of putting my head on my hands and closing my eyes, “About sleeping,” and patting the ground I said “Here.” This got a very confused head tilt from Rainbow Dash, but Twilight seemed to catch on and chattered at her friend for a bit. After a moment Dash flushed slightly and chattered back before repeating the motions she made to me earlier about staying there. Twilight actually covered her face with a hoof for a moment. They actually thought I was going to stay here because Dash asked me to? Before I had time to consider this further, I had two ponies trying to drag me to my feet. After a moment of tugging and a laugh from me I got up, grabbing my bag again. They smiled brightly and started back towards town, motioning me to follow. It seems my night just got a bit more interesting. Chapter 2. Welcoming comitee.Authors note: Last chapter kind of just dropped off at the end suddenly. This is mainly because at the time I just wanted to finish the chapter because I couldn’t think of anywhere to go from there. After posting it and seeing the response, I grew worried, I’ve never worked well under pressure, and to think people actually like this shocked and amazed me. Recently, I came across some inspiration. The song “The Call” performed by the Celtic Women. It put an idea for a scene in my head, and because of that, I stopped worrying about what to do next and instead decided to make major points that I want to get done and work towards them. Basically letting the story call me in the directions it needs to go. Hope it works well for you. *** Walking towards the town was actually quite entertaining. The two talked animatedly back and forth, and while I couldn’t even begin to try to guess what they were saying, the flow of the words was similar to English and seemed to be very upbeat. After a few minutes Rainbow Dash said something with a salute before flying off. I stood and watched for a moment before my attention was brought back to my now lone guide. She smiled happily and motioned to follow her again, and I realized we had stopped right at the edge of town. I wondered for a moment if I would scare any of the townsfolk with my presence, and tried to convey that as best as I could to Twilight, mainly by pointing to some of the houses, then at her, then cringing in fear comically. She actually laughed at that, then shook her head no and motioned for me to follow her again. I guess I didn’t look that scary or something. Then again, this was the town that was shut down by a bunny stampede, so what did that say about me… Wounded pride aside I followed after Twilight again, quietly marveling at the designs and colors of all the houses and businesses. A lot more than were ever shown in the cartoon, except maybe in far away placement shots. But the level of detail in every building was amazing. Each had a personality all their own, and no two were the same. Before long I noticed that there were still ponies walking about, most looked to be heading home, but none of them seemed to be panicked by me. I got a few curious glances, but after they noticed Twilight by me they just shrugged and continued on. I assumed that when Twilight was involved, nothing seemed to shock them anymore. Twilight waved at a few and exchanged words every now and then, always motioning for me to follow along when she started walking again. I followed obediently, my bag of possessions slung over my shoulder and smiling slightly at how she enjoyed every interaction. Sooner than I expected we arrived at our destination, the library, and her home. Standing out in front of it was the rest of the main six. I blinked, wondering how they all got together so fast before realizing that Dash must have gathered them. I guessed that was what the salute was about. Any other thoughts on the matter had been pushed from my mind as my vision was suddenly filled with a rapidly chattering pink face. Shocked and off balance from being tackled I fell over, thankfully not landing on my bag, though I still got the wind knocked out of me. Blinking rapidly and trying to breathe I looked up at Pinkie as she just continued on as if nothing had happened, though I heard the others talking as well. From what I could tell they were reprimanding her, uselessly I might add. At this point, I only had one response for the situation, I laughed. Pinned down to the ground by Pinkie Pie as she chattered excitedly at me whether I understood it or not, her grin was infectious. Of course, very quickly I ran out of breath and started gasping, grabbing at my ribs and trying to roll a bit to escape. Laughing right after you got the wind knocked out of you is not advised by the way. Finally the others managed to drag her off me to let me breathe, which I thankfully took, though still chuckling. I carefully sat up cross legged to stare at them. Pinkie was still chattering away and seeing as how reason had been thrown out the window I did what came naturally. I lifted up a hand to her face and “Boop!” poked her nose. She stopped immediately and crossed her eyes to stare at my finger, her nose scrunched up cutely. The others stared at me in shock for a moment before Pinkie burst out laughing and I grinned from ear to ear. After that they joined in and shook their heads, Twilight sobering up quickly and opening the door to the library and motioning for everyone to get inside. Ducking slightly to get through the door I quietly looked around at the first floor. Books were scattered everywhere and there was a large pile of them near a desk, seems I interrupted study time. I turned my head as Twilight started yelling at the stairs. A grumpy sounding response floated back down, followed soon after by an annoyed looking baby dragon who stopped halfway down the stairs to stare at me. I waved at Spike and gave a smile before sitting down near one of the tables before clearing my throat to catch Twilight’s attention. Once I had it, and the rests, I pantomimed writing on my hand to try asking for a pen. Her eyes lit up and she nodded quickly before her horn glowed and before I could even tell where they had come from, I had a blank scroll and a quill pen floating in front of me. A small part in the back of my mind was thankful for that calligraphy lesson during art class in high school. Quickly, I wrote out a key for our number system. A blank spot with a 0 below it, followed by a single dot and 1, two dots and 2, continuing up to 10. I turned the paper to the assembled ponies with a somewhat expectant look on my face and offered the quill. After a moment of staring Twilight seemed to be the only one that seemed to know what was going on and what I wanted. She looked to the others and I’m guessing explained it as they all started nodding slightly as she grabbed the quill from my grasp and below my own numbers wrote her own set. Looking closely I realized that just like mine, there was one digit from one to nine, and two for ten. I grinned happily, thankful I wouldn’t have to relearn math in another base. I was actually afraid they would use base four or something. This was a good sign for me. Now that I knew their number system, I had something to work with. I quickly wrote up a few example questions in their numbers, simple stuff that kept to whole numbers and under 10. I answered some right and put an o next to them, and others purposefully wrong with a x next to them, again, I showed it to Twilight. She looked momentarily confused by the extras I added, but suddenly started jumping slightly and chattering quickly to the others while pointing to the paper, more specifically, to the addition and other signs. I blinked, realizing I had used them out of habit and didn’t even second guess that they would be understood. But by the looks of it, they weren’t just understandable, but known. Unfortunately, the moment was ruined by my stomach growling loudly. It seemed like that small snack of chips didn’t do much for me. I scratched the back of my head a bit before gently taking the paper and quill back and making a very quick and rough sketch of a few different fruit, bananas, strawberries, apples. Hopefully they had some nearby. Applejack grinned at the crude drawing of an apple and shouted over to Spike, who had finally made it down the steps. He ran off for a moment before coming back with the biggest apple I had ever seen, and tossing it to me. I caught the apple right before it would have hit the ground in front of me and gave a smile and a nod before taking a bite. The crunch itself was satisfying, but the flavor was amazing. I usually prefer sour apples, but if sweet apples where I came from tasted like this, I would eat them all day. Savoring the flavor for a moment as I chewed I quickly moved on, devouring the rest of the apple down to the core. Wiping a bit of juice from the edge of my mouth I blinked down at the core, wondering what to do with it. My unspoken question was answered as it was wrapped in a purple glow and floated over to a trash bid I hadn’t noticed. I nodded thankfully with a smile and leaned back against the wall and looked over the group, not sure what to do now. I could tell from the windows that the sun was now fully below the horizon, so everyone would be heading home soon I guessed. My attention was drawn back to what was going on in the room as Twilight started talking again, a note of authority in her voice and turned to Spike. He quickly pulled out a quill and scroll and started writing quickly. Once they both finished she nodded and opened a window slightly as he shot a small jet of green flame at the now rolled up paper. Sending it on it’s way out the window. I looked around as the others started talking and heading for the door, each pausing to talk to Twilight, most likely giving her advice or offering assistance from her thankful smile and tone. While they wandered off, Spike came up to me and just stared at me with his arms crossed, clearly not impressed. I silently coppied his pose while staying seated, then grinned at him. He returned the smile before looking over his shoulder and talking to Twilight. She laughed a bit before responding and floating a pillow and blanket over to me. They were a little small for me, but I appreciated the gesture none the less. She motioned to a couch, again, slightly small for me, but it looked comfortable enough for me right then. I hadn’t realized how tired I had become from the long day, and it seemed Twilight had a long day as well as she yawned and started ascending the stairs. I sat down on the couch and pulled the blanket up over myself a bit before laying down, and with my thoughts racing this way and that, I drifted off to sleep. Chapter 3. MoonlightSorry about the long wait all. Writers block hit me like a ton of bricks, and I still have the bruises from it. But enough about that, lets continue on. I awoke with a start, stars spinning around my head for a moment before I became aware of the pain that woke me up. Rubbing my sore nose and glaring at the hard wooden floor, I quietly grumbled before looking around and panicking slightly. This wasn’t my room. Quickly looking around the dark and quiet library for any signs of what happened I sat up and backed into the couch that I had been sleeping on. Turning and seeing the pillow in the dim light my tired mind started piecing things together, the memories of the previous day flooding back to me. As quietly as I could, I got to my feet and got a better look around. The library was quiet, my sudden abrupt awakening not rousing any others as far as I could tell, and the soft moonlight was filtering in through the scattered windows and across the stacks of books in a calming way. Fumbling in my pocket for a moment I retrieved my cell phone and started it up. Claspin my hands around it as tightly as I could to muffle the starting jingle I then squinted at the screen to check the time. 2 am. Not exactly the best of sleeps, but I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to just drift back off, especially now that my mind was in full gear from the adrenaline rush of injury. Quietly I shook my head and did a quick search of my bag before finding what I was looking for, my mp3 player. I didn’t have many spare batteries, only 2, but I needed some music to calm me down, and a walk. I tip toed my way to the door and as quietly as I could opened it and stepped outside, wincing at the creaky hinge that is always there when you don’t want it. I left the door open just a tiny crack so I could get back inside, then placed in my ear buds and started up my mp3 player on random, not really caring what was playing right then, and started wandering randomly. I had a feeling none of the ponies would be awake to witness my presence at that time of night, so I just let my guard down and wandered. After a few minutes I wound up in a small field, away from most of the houses, my feet quietly falling in rhythm with the latest song, Gravity, from the wolfs rain soundtrack. Without realizing it, I had actually started singing along, though I caught myself start to cry as a snippet of lyrics reminded me of my biggest question. “Am I going home?” Would I ever see my family again? My parents, my brother and sister, my friends, all of them must be worried sick. The thoughts echoed in my head and kept twisting away whenever I tried to force them down. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and just fell to my hands and knees, letting out a long, pain filled mix of a scream and a sob. It was then that I realized how unobservant I had really been as I felt a soft prod on my shoulder. I froze up at the touch, my eyes going wide before I slowly turned my head to see who, or what, had found me. I looked up into the caring, and slightly worried face of Fluttershy, her hoof still resting lightly on my shoulder. I sat quietly for a moment, just staring at her before I gave a small, broken smile and relaxed. I let down all my guards and just let it all out, not as a loud sobbing mess, but silent, burning tears. I guess she sensed what I needed then, because she stayed by my side, gently patting my arm and speaking soothingly. I didn’t need to understand the words, I understood the meaning on a deeper level. After a while, the tears finally stopped, and I carefully sat up onto my knees before giving her another smile, still small, but a lot less forced. She smiled back, and I finally took the chance to really get a look at her. This was no cartoon, and there were some differences, like having individual hairs, but she looked almost exactly the same as she did in the show. Somehow, that calmed me, that things could actually be the same. She spoke again, and tilted her head slightly, as if asking something, and I momentarily cursed the language barrier again in my head. I tried to mime out that I didn’t understand her, and she nodded, before reaching out, and gently tapping my chest over my heart, then even more gently, wiped away a tear from my cheek. I was momentarily stunned at the touch, her hoof was a lot softer than I expected, then I tried to put two and two together. Heart tears? After a moment it came to me. “Why am I crying?” I said it softly, and to myself, but it seemed she got the gist of it when I repeated the actions. She nodded quietly, shyly even. Racking my brain for a way to answer, I decided for the simple route. “I miss home.” I spoke quietly as I pointed to myself, then tapped my heart, then mimicking pinkie, I drew a house on the ground between us. The look in her eyes as she finally puzzled it together was painful to look at, the sheer sorrow, not for herself, but for me, it was staggering. As I saw tears start to form I gently caught her attention and very softly poked her, then shook my head, then very cautiously wiped away the few tears that had spilled. I hoped the message was clear, “Don’t cry.” I think I would have died if she had burst out crying. Though my heart stopped anyways when after I finished wiping away a tear she closed her eyes and nuzzled against my hand. Only two thoughts were going through my head at that point. One was “Soft…” The other was “Damn that’s cute.” After a bit to recover from sudden onset diabetes I looked around, how did she find me anyways? It turns out I had wandered into her back yard, her home blending in almost perfectly, especially under the glow of the moon. I must have woken her up then. Having no other brilliant ideas, I quietly laid down on my back to look up at the stars. It was a nice warm night anyways. After a moment she actually settled down next to me on her back as well, and began silently tracing out the stars with a hoof. I quietly followed along, learning new constellations, if not the names, then at least the shapes and locations. I don’t know how long we were there, she didn’t seem to be in a rush to leave, and neither was I, but after a while I realized I should probably get back to the library before Twilight has a fit. Gently tapping her shoulder to catch her attention I motioned to the library, barely visible in the distance, then at myself. She looked a little sad, but after a second nodded. I didn’t want her to be upset at me going, or thinking I hadn’t enjoyed myself, plus, I was feeling kind of sappy, so when we both got to our feet, I very gently took hold of one of her front hooves. She watched me, curious, but oddly she didn’t seem afraid, though she did turn an adorable shade of red when I gently kissed the top of her hoof, basically her wrist if I had to compare. Smiling softly I gave her a deep bow in thanks before I started on my way back into town. I looked back as I heard her quietly giggling and gave her another smile and a wave, which she returned before returning to her house with a little bounce in her step. I smiled, happy I made her day, and continued on. The streets were just as quiet as the way out, though this time my music was turned off so I could enjoy it. I made it back to the library without any problems, and quietly made it back inside, the door being mercifully not squeaky this time. Dropping my mp3 player back in my bag I curled up on the little sofa again, trying to get comfortable as my mind blissfully went blank and allowed me to drift off almost immediately, it’s last spurt of distraction being Fluttershy’s face, blushing and lit by moonlight. I fell asleep with a smile on my face. Morning routineForgive me for taking so very long to post this. It's been rough, but things are looking up. I awoke early the next morning as a ray of sunlight nimbly dodged through the curtains and landed right upon my eyes. I tried swatting it away groggily, but alas, it evaded my every attempt. I opened my eyes slightly before immediately closing them again in pain. With a groan I sat up, looking around through squinted eyes. The room around me was strange, and I was sleeping on a couch. My mind processed this for a moment before my mind clicked into gear and I remembered where I was. I was instantly awake, looking around the room much more closely now. It seemed my blanket had fallen to the floor during the night, though I wasn’t cold, so that didn’t matter, and my bag was right where I left it. Grabbing it I sat it on the floor in front of me, doing a quick check of my supplies. A few changes of clothes, a pair of knives, one a small pocket knife and the other with a belt loop sheathe, a plastic glass, my MP3 player, my flashlight, and the shared batteries for them, and of course, that silly sword. Now it seemed even more silly. On Earth it might have scared off some wolves or other predators, but here, it wouldn’t even bother anything that came after me most likely. I sighed, putting the things back, stuffing my hat inside it as well. At least I brought spare clothes, so I wouldn’t have to run around naked while getting them washed. Who knows, maybe I could even sacrifice a set to Rarity so she could design replacements, if it came to that. My thoughts were interrupted though as my body made some complaints known, namely, that it wanted to use the restroom. I sat there for a moment, processing that before realizing I had no clue where the bathroom was, or how different it would be. I was saved from having a panic attack by the sound of hooves on wood. My head turned and I saw Twilight walking down the stairs, and bless her heart, she was at least trying to be quiet so as not to wake me, but when she looked over and saw me awake and alert she came down the rest at a more normal pace. Spike followed her down, still looking groggy and a bit queasy. I tilted my head at him curiously before my silent question was answered by a belch of flame that formed into a scroll. Twilight smiled before catching it and reading over it, speaking out loud out of habit. Once she finished she seemed a bit giddy and nervous, quickly moving about the room and tidying up. I had a good Idea what was going on, but I still had a problem to take care of that was growing more urgent by the minute. Waving to catch her attention I finally got her to look at me. With a sigh I smiled before pointing to all the doors, shrugged, then made a motion of eating, before tracing my hand all the way down to my hips. She blinked for a moment, confused, so I repeated the motion, followed by a bit of a dance that hopefully translated over. Thankfully it did and she face hooves before mumbling to herself with a giggle before pointing up the stairs, then tapping her hoof three times then pointing to the left. I smile and thank her as best I can before moving off. I reach the door without incident, and once I look inside, sure enough, it’s a bathroom. Thankfully the plumbing seems to be compatible, just a bit longer actually. No other problems arise, and I wash up once everything is taken care of before heading back downstairs. I give Twilight a relieved smile and thank her again. I look around for Spike, only to hear a bit of a clamor in the kitchen area. A moment later Spike walks out carrying two bowls and a plate. On the plate is a sandwich, most likely for Twilight, considering the flowers on it, and in one bowl is some assorted gems, In the other though, is strawberries. He sets down all three at a table before sitting down to munch at his breakfast. Twilight pats him on the head with a happy tone to her voice, then smiles at me, motioning to the strawberries. My stomach growls a bit and I chuckle before kneeling down by the table to eat. Just like the apple the night before, the strawberries have a burst of flavor that makes me hum appreciatively and smile like a fool. It got a giggle out of Twilight and Spike just shakes his head, mumbling something that makes Twilight shoot him an annoyed glace. I raise an eyebrow at her and she waves a hoof with a nervous giggle. I shrug and she seems to relax. After our little meal she heads towards the door before turning around and pointing at me and pointing at the ground. I chuckle and nod, having been given this command before. I sit down on the couch before smiling at her and making a shooing motion with my hands. She grins before heading out the door. Once Spike finishes cleaning the dishes from breakfast he starts tidying up the place some more. I watch him for a moment before walking over and taking the stack of books from him. He looks up at me with a glare before I motion to myself and making a show of lifting the books up, then to him as I pantomime putting a book away. At that point he grins and nods. For the next little while I helped spike put away the books, him finding the spots they belonged and me handing them over one at a time, but carrying the pile along for easy access. Most were sorted, so it went by pretty fast. We had just put the last of them away when the front door opened again and Twilight walked back in with the other five behind her. I gave a friendly wave and Spike rushed up to Twilight and chattered away at her excitedly, pointing back to me. She listened intently to his story before looking up at me and smiling brightly. Guess I did something right. The others look impressed as well, looking around the room with big smiles. Once everyone got inside and calmed down a bit Twilight turned to the others and reread the scroll for them. The others looked surprised, then smiled and nodded before Dash asked a question. Twilight blinked before looking at the scroll then at the clock on the wall just as there was a knock at the door. She quickly rushed to the door and opened it, revealing the tall white alicorn that was behind it, flanked by two guards. I stood there in awe, I kind of guessed that something like this was going to happen, but seeing Celestia for myself was certainly something I was unprepared for. Her fur literally seemed to glow a bit and she exuded power, warmth and joy. It was awe inspiring, and without the slightest bit of mockery or humor, I gave her a deep bow. After a moment I heard Twilight’s voice, followed by the others as they greeted her. I looked up to see her happily embracing Twilight, and it brought a smile to my face. Then I heard her voice, again, I couldn’t understand a single word, but the tones and flow were there. Calm, caring, motherly, but with that undertone of authority. After her greetings were done she looked at me and I fidgeted nervously. Her eyes definitely showed her wisdom and power, they felt like they were not looking at me, but at my heart and soul. A bit unnerving truth be told, but she must have liked what she saw, for she smiled at me. I smiled back and gave another quick bow. She giggled at that and gave a little bow of her own. With a Smile, Twilight looked up at Celestia and spoke with her. Celestia spoke back, then motioned to the others and me and then at a table. Twilight nodded and everyone moved to sit down around the table, three on each side and Myself and Celestia on the ends opposite one another. I sat there nervously for a moment as we all sat in silence before I coughed lightly and motioned for a quill and paper again, adding a bit of a please at the end. “Paper, please.” Celestia’s ear twitched before she smiles at me. “Actually, I think talking will work just fine.” I sat there, staring at her for a minute with my mouth hanging open, and I wasn’t the only one, the other six ponies stared at her as well, completely confused. She smiles a bit wider at me. “Gotcha~”
Chapter 1. ArrivalDimensional Shift Being pulled from my home dimension was both more, and less than I expected. Less in the fact that it happened almost before I realized something was happening, but more in the way of the blinding pain that left me crippled and unmoving for who knows how long afterwards. One instant I was sitting at my computer and felt a tug, the next, I was looking out at a forest before my chair fell a few feet and the pain hit me, bringing me tumbling out of my chair to the ground. I heard some crashes nearby, the sounds echoing in my tortured skull, the light burning my eyes even when they were squeezed shut. The hard ground felt like an unforgiving brick wall and every breath felt like I was inhaling glass shards. Eventually the pain started to fade, replaced by a blessed numbness. The sounds had finally stopped and I carefully opened my eyes. The light was still blinding from the midday sun. My mind hadn’t been playing tricks on me. I was in the middle of some woods and all around me were the contents of my room, scattered about as if dropped out of the sky. My computer desk was laying on it’s side, all it’s contents spilled about, most of them cracked, including the monitor. The rolling chair was on it’s side, but intact, even the bed was here, the frame busted but the box spring and mattress seemingly ok. TV, alarm clock, game systems, even some of the artwork from off my walls and a few of my swords that I bought for looks were there, lying on the ground. Even that stupid puzzle ring I got from my brother and an unopened bag of potato chips next to an empty glass that used to have water in it. I looked around at the huge mess that was once my room and did the only thing that made sense, I sat down on what was left of my bed and smacked myself, hard. Nope. Not awake. And that had hurt. Shit. Looking around the mess I spotted my cell phone, still attached to it’s charger. I picked it up and flipped it open, everything seemed to be working fine, and it was still the same day. Not even an hour since I last checked the computer’s clock. I looked around a bit before shaking my head. Yea, this place didn’t look like anywhere within a one hour drive from home, “So how did I get here?” I didn’t really expect an answer, and after taking a few calming breaths I decided to do the smart thing and at the very least gather up everything important before it got blown away or something. Grabbing the chips and glass first and setting them on the bed I continued gathering. A lot of this would be left behind if I moved from here I knew. So a lot of it got shoved in the computer desk’s drawers. Some I just left there on the ground, like the TV and gaming systems. They were too big to store and looked to be already broken. I grabbed my sunglasses, cracked in half and useless, and sighed. I liked those. My hat was nearby and I grabbed that too. Putting it on I tossed the rest of what I wanted to keep onto the bed in a pile and mumbled to myself, “I’ll sort it in a bit.” Finally I had the little dusty area cleaned up. It took a lot longer than I thought it would, the sun was starting to go down behind the tall trees already, and I quickly sorted what I had grabbed, racing the fading light. Thankfully I found my flashlight, and it still worked. Even had extra batteries. At least I wouldn’t be running around in the dark. So here I was, lost, with no clue how I had gotten there, with all my stuff around me. I’m out in the wilderness and it’s starting to get dark. Grabbing one of those swords, it suddenly felt so very flimsy, like it might as well have been made of tin foil and cardboard. I quickly grabbed the cover off my pillow to use as a bag and shoved everything I needed in it. Looking around quickly I tried to make out what direction to go. My only clue was that the forest seemed to be slightly thinner in one direction, so grabbing up the makeshift bag I started off. Hoping for the best. I had no clue what was in store for me or I might have just stayed in that clearing forever. I never was one for just sitting still anyways. Right before I made it to the treeline I turned back and quickly set up a few of the heavier pieces of junk I was leaving behind to make an arrow pointing the way I had gone. That way if someone came back for me they would know which way I had gone. Nodding to myself I started off again, passing into the trees without a second thought, bag of stuff in one hand slung lazily onto my back and a flashlight in my pocket. The trees were widely spaced, and there wasn’t much ground cover, so it was an easy hike. A few birds flying off every now and then as I walked too close was the only real excitement there was. Having nothing else to do and feeling bored of the scenery after a few minutes of no real change except the sun dipping below the treeline I started humming in time with the march, no real melody in mind, and it showed as the tones bounced all over the place like a sugar crazed kitten with ADD. But, it was a good way to make time pass faster, and before I knew it I had reached the edge of the woods again, and what I saw made me pause and go completely silent. What I saw before me at that moment made me start seriously doubting my sanity. For right there, on the side of a huge mountain, was a castle. One I recognized, but only from artwork and a show I considered a guilty pleasure. Almost not daring to look I turned to the right a bit and saw a village, nestled in a beautiful valley. Again, my mind ground to a halt. This should not be here. This should not exist. My bag falls from my numb hand to the ground behind me with a dull thud, finally shaking me from my stupor. Looking over the town, my brain giving names to all the places that shouldn't be there. “The library tree, Sugarcube Corner, Carousel Boutique, I think I even see the edge of Sweet Apple Acres over there...” Suddenly my legs gave out, dropping me onto the ground right next to the bag. “It’s official. I’ve entered crazytown. There is no way that this is what it looks like.” I pinch myself hard, but the crazy vision doesn’t even shimmer or anything. It seems to be quite stubborn about the fact that it is real. Which only makes this that much worse. If this wasn’t a hallucination or a dream, then that means either I had gone completely off the deep end and was in some sort of psychotic fantasy, or this was real. Both options horrified me quite a bit. Either way, I most likely would never see my family again. If I wasn’t sitting before, that would have dropped me to the ground. I sat there, contemplating what to do when a warm breeze suddenly rushed up the small rise I was on. Looking up I saw the sun about to set and the grass blowing in the breeze, a lingering scent of sweetness coming with it from the village, Ponyville. I looked over the sleepy town, finally realizing where I was, Whitetail woods. Relatively safe. I could probably sleep here and try to introduce myself in the morning. It wouldn’t do to have some strange new monster walking into town at night and terrifying the entire town. No, there would be enough running and screaming tomorrow without it being dark. Giving a deep sigh I leaned back against a tree and pulled my bag close, hoping to sleep. Little did I know I had already been spotted. One of the weather team had witnessed my crash landing, and of course had sent the bravest pony they knew to check on it. It seems they had just caught up with me after searching my landing site and the trees in the area. My eyes were closed when I felt another breeze, this one much stronger. Cracking open an eye to look at the sunset I instead met the gaze of a powder blue pony with rose colored eyes and a rainbow mane. I stopped breathing. This was not what I expected at all. Slowly I opened my other eye and slowly released the breath I had been holding. I made sure not to move anything I didn’t have to as I quietly looked her over. She did the same. Her wings were flared and ready to propel her away at a moment’s notice, or possibly straight at me. Rainbow Dash wasn’t one for backing down from a challenge after all. Seeing no other options left I did what came naturally when you come face to face with a multicolored flying pony. “Um... Hi?” The look on her face was priceless. Shock to confusion to anger and back to confusion. All in the span of a few seconds. After a moment more she tilted her head to the side and said... something. I had a basic idea of what she might have said, but it looks like there was going to be a language barrier, and truthfully I had no idea how to conquer it. So, I acted the fool. I gave her a bright grin and tried speaking again. “Hello.” This time she seemed to get the gist of what I was saying, and gave a small nod of her head and a smile of her own. A small one, but it was progress I guess. Very slowly I moved a hand up, she glared for a moment and took a step back before thinking better of it and standing her ground, but watching me closely as I pointed slowly at Ponyville with a small tilt of my head, as if asking about it. She seemed to know what I was pointing at without looking and realizing her normal venue of yelling was out she stomped her hoof and shook her head no vigorously. Looks like I wasn’t going to town, at least not right now. She pointed at me with a hoof before pointing at the ground where I was sitting. She repeated it a few times before I got the message. “Stay here.” I nodded and made a show of getting comfortable against the tree. Another small smile and a nod was my only warning before she took off again in a burst of speed that actually left a rainbow afterimage. I followed the trail to see where she was going and tried to keep track of her. Thankfully she was flying mostly straight, so it was easy to see her destination was the library. Seems I get to meet Twilight as well tonight. Lucky me. I closed my eyes and tried to get comfortable. I didn’t know how long they would be, but knowing Rainbow Dash it wouldn’t be long. I was right, as just a moment later there was a flash of light visible through my eyelids accompanied by a pop. Even expecting it I was slightly taken aback as I opened my eyes and saw a violet unicorn staring back at me. We both stared for a moment, neither of us quite ready to break the silence. Thankfully I was starting to get used to the strangeness of it all and offered a small wave. She seemed to take my moving better than Rainbow Dash did, giving a bright smile in return. Speaking of Rainbow Dash, she chose that moment to make her grand entrance, landing next to Twilight in a rush of dust and wind. Needless to say my wave turned into more of a flail against the wind to try to keep my eyes clear. My hat got flung off in the wind and landed on my makeshift bag, finally drawing attention to it. Being careful not to make any sudden moves, I grabbed my hat and put it back on before pulling my bag over, somehow, from just the few minutes on the ground it already was starting to look beaten up and dirty, as if I had been traveling a long time. As I did this both ponies watched me curiously. I opened the bag, deciding to grab out the chips and try to make friends with a snack. I was kinda disappointed that I didn’t find Pinkie Pie in there, but then again, I almost expected to, and you can never really predict her. Grabbing the bag of chips and opening them, I made a show of eating one before offering some to the mares in front of me. Thankfully it seemed that my offer was understood, Dash came forward and grabbed some with barely a thought. Twilight being a bit more reserved grabbed one with her magic while chastising Dash, I guess for being rude or something. I just shrugged with a smile and leaned back against the tree again. Watching the two interact made me a bit homesick. Sure, this was kind of a dream come true in a way, but it still meant I wouldn’t see my family for a while, if ever. Lost in memories I looked out beyond them, watching the sun go down over the sleepy town and realized, I really had nowhere to go here, much less a place to sleep. My expression must have given something away because the chatter between the two dies off without me noticing and the next thing I knew I was being poked, relatively gently, by Dash. Looking back to them I noticed they both had a slightly confused look on their faces. My initial reaction was to just blow it off as nothing, but something made me stop. Their eyes. Something about the way they were looking at me told me that they actually did care, and wanted to help. This shocked me a bit, I barely knew them, and yet they wanted to help. This place truly was wondrous. But how do you pantomime losing everything? No. That could wait. First things first. I pointed to myself and said “I.” Might as well try introducing my language a bit as I explained. Pointing to my head I continued, “Was thinking,” next I made a show of putting my head on my hands and closing my eyes, “About sleeping,” and patting the ground I said “Here.” This got a very confused head tilt from Rainbow Dash, but Twilight seemed to catch on and chattered at her friend for a bit. After a moment Dash flushed slightly and chattered back before repeating the motions she made to me earlier about staying there. Twilight actually covered her face with a hoof for a moment. They actually thought I was going to stay here because Dash asked me to? Before I had time to consider this further, I had two ponies trying to drag me to my feet. After a moment of tugging and a laugh from me I got up, grabbing my bag again. They smiled brightly and started back towards town, motioning me to follow. It seems my night just got a bit more interesting.
Chapter 2. Welcoming comitee.Authors note: Last chapter kind of just dropped off at the end suddenly. This is mainly because at the time I just wanted to finish the chapter because I couldn’t think of anywhere to go from there. After posting it and seeing the response, I grew worried, I’ve never worked well under pressure, and to think people actually like this shocked and amazed me. Recently, I came across some inspiration. The song “The Call” performed by the Celtic Women. It put an idea for a scene in my head, and because of that, I stopped worrying about what to do next and instead decided to make major points that I want to get done and work towards them. Basically letting the story call me in the directions it needs to go. Hope it works well for you. *** Walking towards the town was actually quite entertaining. The two talked animatedly back and forth, and while I couldn’t even begin to try to guess what they were saying, the flow of the words was similar to English and seemed to be very upbeat. After a few minutes Rainbow Dash said something with a salute before flying off. I stood and watched for a moment before my attention was brought back to my now lone guide. She smiled happily and motioned to follow her again, and I realized we had stopped right at the edge of town. I wondered for a moment if I would scare any of the townsfolk with my presence, and tried to convey that as best as I could to Twilight, mainly by pointing to some of the houses, then at her, then cringing in fear comically. She actually laughed at that, then shook her head no and motioned for me to follow her again. I guess I didn’t look that scary or something. Then again, this was the town that was shut down by a bunny stampede, so what did that say about me… Wounded pride aside I followed after Twilight again, quietly marveling at the designs and colors of all the houses and businesses. A lot more than were ever shown in the cartoon, except maybe in far away placement shots. But the level of detail in every building was amazing. Each had a personality all their own, and no two were the same. Before long I noticed that there were still ponies walking about, most looked to be heading home, but none of them seemed to be panicked by me. I got a few curious glances, but after they noticed Twilight by me they just shrugged and continued on. I assumed that when Twilight was involved, nothing seemed to shock them anymore. Twilight waved at a few and exchanged words every now and then, always motioning for me to follow along when she started walking again. I followed obediently, my bag of possessions slung over my shoulder and smiling slightly at how she enjoyed every interaction. Sooner than I expected we arrived at our destination, the library, and her home. Standing out in front of it was the rest of the main six. I blinked, wondering how they all got together so fast before realizing that Dash must have gathered them. I guessed that was what the salute was about. Any other thoughts on the matter had been pushed from my mind as my vision was suddenly filled with a rapidly chattering pink face. Shocked and off balance from being tackled I fell over, thankfully not landing on my bag, though I still got the wind knocked out of me. Blinking rapidly and trying to breathe I looked up at Pinkie as she just continued on as if nothing had happened, though I heard the others talking as well. From what I could tell they were reprimanding her, uselessly I might add. At this point, I only had one response for the situation, I laughed. Pinned down to the ground by Pinkie Pie as she chattered excitedly at me whether I understood it or not, her grin was infectious. Of course, very quickly I ran out of breath and started gasping, grabbing at my ribs and trying to roll a bit to escape. Laughing right after you got the wind knocked out of you is not advised by the way. Finally the others managed to drag her off me to let me breathe, which I thankfully took, though still chuckling. I carefully sat up cross legged to stare at them. Pinkie was still chattering away and seeing as how reason had been thrown out the window I did what came naturally. I lifted up a hand to her face and “Boop!” poked her nose. She stopped immediately and crossed her eyes to stare at my finger, her nose scrunched up cutely. The others stared at me in shock for a moment before Pinkie burst out laughing and I grinned from ear to ear. After that they joined in and shook their heads, Twilight sobering up quickly and opening the door to the library and motioning for everyone to get inside. Ducking slightly to get through the door I quietly looked around at the first floor. Books were scattered everywhere and there was a large pile of them near a desk, seems I interrupted study time. I turned my head as Twilight started yelling at the stairs. A grumpy sounding response floated back down, followed soon after by an annoyed looking baby dragon who stopped halfway down the stairs to stare at me. I waved at Spike and gave a smile before sitting down near one of the tables before clearing my throat to catch Twilight’s attention. Once I had it, and the rests, I pantomimed writing on my hand to try asking for a pen. Her eyes lit up and she nodded quickly before her horn glowed and before I could even tell where they had come from, I had a blank scroll and a quill pen floating in front of me. A small part in the back of my mind was thankful for that calligraphy lesson during art class in high school. Quickly, I wrote out a key for our number system. A blank spot with a 0 below it, followed by a single dot and 1, two dots and 2, continuing up to 10. I turned the paper to the assembled ponies with a somewhat expectant look on my face and offered the quill. After a moment of staring Twilight seemed to be the only one that seemed to know what was going on and what I wanted. She looked to the others and I’m guessing explained it as they all started nodding slightly as she grabbed the quill from my grasp and below my own numbers wrote her own set. Looking closely I realized that just like mine, there was one digit from one to nine, and two for ten. I grinned happily, thankful I wouldn’t have to relearn math in another base. I was actually afraid they would use base four or something. This was a good sign for me. Now that I knew their number system, I had something to work with. I quickly wrote up a few example questions in their numbers, simple stuff that kept to whole numbers and under 10. I answered some right and put an o next to them, and others purposefully wrong with a x next to them, again, I showed it to Twilight. She looked momentarily confused by the extras I added, but suddenly started jumping slightly and chattering quickly to the others while pointing to the paper, more specifically, to the addition and other signs. I blinked, realizing I had used them out of habit and didn’t even second guess that they would be understood. But by the looks of it, they weren’t just understandable, but known. Unfortunately, the moment was ruined by my stomach growling loudly. It seemed like that small snack of chips didn’t do much for me. I scratched the back of my head a bit before gently taking the paper and quill back and making a very quick and rough sketch of a few different fruit, bananas, strawberries, apples. Hopefully they had some nearby. Applejack grinned at the crude drawing of an apple and shouted over to Spike, who had finally made it down the steps. He ran off for a moment before coming back with the biggest apple I had ever seen, and tossing it to me. I caught the apple right before it would have hit the ground in front of me and gave a smile and a nod before taking a bite. The crunch itself was satisfying, but the flavor was amazing. I usually prefer sour apples, but if sweet apples where I came from tasted like this, I would eat them all day. Savoring the flavor for a moment as I chewed I quickly moved on, devouring the rest of the apple down to the core. Wiping a bit of juice from the edge of my mouth I blinked down at the core, wondering what to do with it. My unspoken question was answered as it was wrapped in a purple glow and floated over to a trash bid I hadn’t noticed. I nodded thankfully with a smile and leaned back against the wall and looked over the group, not sure what to do now. I could tell from the windows that the sun was now fully below the horizon, so everyone would be heading home soon I guessed. My attention was drawn back to what was going on in the room as Twilight started talking again, a note of authority in her voice and turned to Spike. He quickly pulled out a quill and scroll and started writing quickly. Once they both finished she nodded and opened a window slightly as he shot a small jet of green flame at the now rolled up paper. Sending it on it’s way out the window. I looked around as the others started talking and heading for the door, each pausing to talk to Twilight, most likely giving her advice or offering assistance from her thankful smile and tone. While they wandered off, Spike came up to me and just stared at me with his arms crossed, clearly not impressed. I silently coppied his pose while staying seated, then grinned at him. He returned the smile before looking over his shoulder and talking to Twilight. She laughed a bit before responding and floating a pillow and blanket over to me. They were a little small for me, but I appreciated the gesture none the less. She motioned to a couch, again, slightly small for me, but it looked comfortable enough for me right then. I hadn’t realized how tired I had become from the long day, and it seemed Twilight had a long day as well as she yawned and started ascending the stairs. I sat down on the couch and pulled the blanket up over myself a bit before laying down, and with my thoughts racing this way and that, I drifted off to sleep.
Chapter 3. MoonlightSorry about the long wait all. Writers block hit me like a ton of bricks, and I still have the bruises from it. But enough about that, lets continue on. I awoke with a start, stars spinning around my head for a moment before I became aware of the pain that woke me up. Rubbing my sore nose and glaring at the hard wooden floor, I quietly grumbled before looking around and panicking slightly. This wasn’t my room. Quickly looking around the dark and quiet library for any signs of what happened I sat up and backed into the couch that I had been sleeping on. Turning and seeing the pillow in the dim light my tired mind started piecing things together, the memories of the previous day flooding back to me. As quietly as I could, I got to my feet and got a better look around. The library was quiet, my sudden abrupt awakening not rousing any others as far as I could tell, and the soft moonlight was filtering in through the scattered windows and across the stacks of books in a calming way. Fumbling in my pocket for a moment I retrieved my cell phone and started it up. Claspin my hands around it as tightly as I could to muffle the starting jingle I then squinted at the screen to check the time. 2 am. Not exactly the best of sleeps, but I had a feeling I wouldn’t be able to just drift back off, especially now that my mind was in full gear from the adrenaline rush of injury. Quietly I shook my head and did a quick search of my bag before finding what I was looking for, my mp3 player. I didn’t have many spare batteries, only 2, but I needed some music to calm me down, and a walk. I tip toed my way to the door and as quietly as I could opened it and stepped outside, wincing at the creaky hinge that is always there when you don’t want it. I left the door open just a tiny crack so I could get back inside, then placed in my ear buds and started up my mp3 player on random, not really caring what was playing right then, and started wandering randomly. I had a feeling none of the ponies would be awake to witness my presence at that time of night, so I just let my guard down and wandered. After a few minutes I wound up in a small field, away from most of the houses, my feet quietly falling in rhythm with the latest song, Gravity, from the wolfs rain soundtrack. Without realizing it, I had actually started singing along, though I caught myself start to cry as a snippet of lyrics reminded me of my biggest question. “Am I going home?” Would I ever see my family again? My parents, my brother and sister, my friends, all of them must be worried sick. The thoughts echoed in my head and kept twisting away whenever I tried to force them down. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore and just fell to my hands and knees, letting out a long, pain filled mix of a scream and a sob. It was then that I realized how unobservant I had really been as I felt a soft prod on my shoulder. I froze up at the touch, my eyes going wide before I slowly turned my head to see who, or what, had found me. I looked up into the caring, and slightly worried face of Fluttershy, her hoof still resting lightly on my shoulder. I sat quietly for a moment, just staring at her before I gave a small, broken smile and relaxed. I let down all my guards and just let it all out, not as a loud sobbing mess, but silent, burning tears. I guess she sensed what I needed then, because she stayed by my side, gently patting my arm and speaking soothingly. I didn’t need to understand the words, I understood the meaning on a deeper level. After a while, the tears finally stopped, and I carefully sat up onto my knees before giving her another smile, still small, but a lot less forced. She smiled back, and I finally took the chance to really get a look at her. This was no cartoon, and there were some differences, like having individual hairs, but she looked almost exactly the same as she did in the show. Somehow, that calmed me, that things could actually be the same. She spoke again, and tilted her head slightly, as if asking something, and I momentarily cursed the language barrier again in my head. I tried to mime out that I didn’t understand her, and she nodded, before reaching out, and gently tapping my chest over my heart, then even more gently, wiped away a tear from my cheek. I was momentarily stunned at the touch, her hoof was a lot softer than I expected, then I tried to put two and two together. Heart tears? After a moment it came to me. “Why am I crying?” I said it softly, and to myself, but it seemed she got the gist of it when I repeated the actions. She nodded quietly, shyly even. Racking my brain for a way to answer, I decided for the simple route. “I miss home.” I spoke quietly as I pointed to myself, then tapped my heart, then mimicking pinkie, I drew a house on the ground between us. The look in her eyes as she finally puzzled it together was painful to look at, the sheer sorrow, not for herself, but for me, it was staggering. As I saw tears start to form I gently caught her attention and very softly poked her, then shook my head, then very cautiously wiped away the few tears that had spilled. I hoped the message was clear, “Don’t cry.” I think I would have died if she had burst out crying. Though my heart stopped anyways when after I finished wiping away a tear she closed her eyes and nuzzled against my hand. Only two thoughts were going through my head at that point. One was “Soft…” The other was “Damn that’s cute.” After a bit to recover from sudden onset diabetes I looked around, how did she find me anyways? It turns out I had wandered into her back yard, her home blending in almost perfectly, especially under the glow of the moon. I must have woken her up then. Having no other brilliant ideas, I quietly laid down on my back to look up at the stars. It was a nice warm night anyways. After a moment she actually settled down next to me on her back as well, and began silently tracing out the stars with a hoof. I quietly followed along, learning new constellations, if not the names, then at least the shapes and locations. I don’t know how long we were there, she didn’t seem to be in a rush to leave, and neither was I, but after a while I realized I should probably get back to the library before Twilight has a fit. Gently tapping her shoulder to catch her attention I motioned to the library, barely visible in the distance, then at myself. She looked a little sad, but after a second nodded. I didn’t want her to be upset at me going, or thinking I hadn’t enjoyed myself, plus, I was feeling kind of sappy, so when we both got to our feet, I very gently took hold of one of her front hooves. She watched me, curious, but oddly she didn’t seem afraid, though she did turn an adorable shade of red when I gently kissed the top of her hoof, basically her wrist if I had to compare. Smiling softly I gave her a deep bow in thanks before I started on my way back into town. I looked back as I heard her quietly giggling and gave her another smile and a wave, which she returned before returning to her house with a little bounce in her step. I smiled, happy I made her day, and continued on. The streets were just as quiet as the way out, though this time my music was turned off so I could enjoy it. I made it back to the library without any problems, and quietly made it back inside, the door being mercifully not squeaky this time. Dropping my mp3 player back in my bag I curled up on the little sofa again, trying to get comfortable as my mind blissfully went blank and allowed me to drift off almost immediately, it’s last spurt of distraction being Fluttershy’s face, blushing and lit by moonlight. I fell asleep with a smile on my face.
Morning routineForgive me for taking so very long to post this. It's been rough, but things are looking up. I awoke early the next morning as a ray of sunlight nimbly dodged through the curtains and landed right upon my eyes. I tried swatting it away groggily, but alas, it evaded my every attempt. I opened my eyes slightly before immediately closing them again in pain. With a groan I sat up, looking around through squinted eyes. The room around me was strange, and I was sleeping on a couch. My mind processed this for a moment before my mind clicked into gear and I remembered where I was. I was instantly awake, looking around the room much more closely now. It seemed my blanket had fallen to the floor during the night, though I wasn’t cold, so that didn’t matter, and my bag was right where I left it. Grabbing it I sat it on the floor in front of me, doing a quick check of my supplies. A few changes of clothes, a pair of knives, one a small pocket knife and the other with a belt loop sheathe, a plastic glass, my MP3 player, my flashlight, and the shared batteries for them, and of course, that silly sword. Now it seemed even more silly. On Earth it might have scared off some wolves or other predators, but here, it wouldn’t even bother anything that came after me most likely. I sighed, putting the things back, stuffing my hat inside it as well. At least I brought spare clothes, so I wouldn’t have to run around naked while getting them washed. Who knows, maybe I could even sacrifice a set to Rarity so she could design replacements, if it came to that. My thoughts were interrupted though as my body made some complaints known, namely, that it wanted to use the restroom. I sat there for a moment, processing that before realizing I had no clue where the bathroom was, or how different it would be. I was saved from having a panic attack by the sound of hooves on wood. My head turned and I saw Twilight walking down the stairs, and bless her heart, she was at least trying to be quiet so as not to wake me, but when she looked over and saw me awake and alert she came down the rest at a more normal pace. Spike followed her down, still looking groggy and a bit queasy. I tilted my head at him curiously before my silent question was answered by a belch of flame that formed into a scroll. Twilight smiled before catching it and reading over it, speaking out loud out of habit. Once she finished she seemed a bit giddy and nervous, quickly moving about the room and tidying up. I had a good Idea what was going on, but I still had a problem to take care of that was growing more urgent by the minute. Waving to catch her attention I finally got her to look at me. With a sigh I smiled before pointing to all the doors, shrugged, then made a motion of eating, before tracing my hand all the way down to my hips. She blinked for a moment, confused, so I repeated the motion, followed by a bit of a dance that hopefully translated over. Thankfully it did and she face hooves before mumbling to herself with a giggle before pointing up the stairs, then tapping her hoof three times then pointing to the left. I smile and thank her as best I can before moving off. I reach the door without incident, and once I look inside, sure enough, it’s a bathroom. Thankfully the plumbing seems to be compatible, just a bit longer actually. No other problems arise, and I wash up once everything is taken care of before heading back downstairs. I give Twilight a relieved smile and thank her again. I look around for Spike, only to hear a bit of a clamor in the kitchen area. A moment later Spike walks out carrying two bowls and a plate. On the plate is a sandwich, most likely for Twilight, considering the flowers on it, and in one bowl is some assorted gems, In the other though, is strawberries. He sets down all three at a table before sitting down to munch at his breakfast. Twilight pats him on the head with a happy tone to her voice, then smiles at me, motioning to the strawberries. My stomach growls a bit and I chuckle before kneeling down by the table to eat. Just like the apple the night before, the strawberries have a burst of flavor that makes me hum appreciatively and smile like a fool. It got a giggle out of Twilight and Spike just shakes his head, mumbling something that makes Twilight shoot him an annoyed glace. I raise an eyebrow at her and she waves a hoof with a nervous giggle. I shrug and she seems to relax. After our little meal she heads towards the door before turning around and pointing at me and pointing at the ground. I chuckle and nod, having been given this command before. I sit down on the couch before smiling at her and making a shooing motion with my hands. She grins before heading out the door. Once Spike finishes cleaning the dishes from breakfast he starts tidying up the place some more. I watch him for a moment before walking over and taking the stack of books from him. He looks up at me with a glare before I motion to myself and making a show of lifting the books up, then to him as I pantomime putting a book away. At that point he grins and nods. For the next little while I helped spike put away the books, him finding the spots they belonged and me handing them over one at a time, but carrying the pile along for easy access. Most were sorted, so it went by pretty fast. We had just put the last of them away when the front door opened again and Twilight walked back in with the other five behind her. I gave a friendly wave and Spike rushed up to Twilight and chattered away at her excitedly, pointing back to me. She listened intently to his story before looking up at me and smiling brightly. Guess I did something right. The others look impressed as well, looking around the room with big smiles. Once everyone got inside and calmed down a bit Twilight turned to the others and reread the scroll for them. The others looked surprised, then smiled and nodded before Dash asked a question. Twilight blinked before looking at the scroll then at the clock on the wall just as there was a knock at the door. She quickly rushed to the door and opened it, revealing the tall white alicorn that was behind it, flanked by two guards. I stood there in awe, I kind of guessed that something like this was going to happen, but seeing Celestia for myself was certainly something I was unprepared for. Her fur literally seemed to glow a bit and she exuded power, warmth and joy. It was awe inspiring, and without the slightest bit of mockery or humor, I gave her a deep bow. After a moment I heard Twilight’s voice, followed by the others as they greeted her. I looked up to see her happily embracing Twilight, and it brought a smile to my face. Then I heard her voice, again, I couldn’t understand a single word, but the tones and flow were there. Calm, caring, motherly, but with that undertone of authority. After her greetings were done she looked at me and I fidgeted nervously. Her eyes definitely showed her wisdom and power, they felt like they were not looking at me, but at my heart and soul. A bit unnerving truth be told, but she must have liked what she saw, for she smiled at me. I smiled back and gave another quick bow. She giggled at that and gave a little bow of her own. With a Smile, Twilight looked up at Celestia and spoke with her. Celestia spoke back, then motioned to the others and me and then at a table. Twilight nodded and everyone moved to sit down around the table, three on each side and Myself and Celestia on the ends opposite one another. I sat there nervously for a moment as we all sat in silence before I coughed lightly and motioned for a quill and paper again, adding a bit of a please at the end. “Paper, please.” Celestia’s ear twitched before she smiles at me. “Actually, I think talking will work just fine.” I sat there, staring at her for a minute with my mouth hanging open, and I wasn’t the only one, the other six ponies stared at her as well, completely confused. She smiles a bit wider at me. “Gotcha~”
