A Whole New World

I almost screamed as I shot out of bed. The sun was just appearing over the horizon, and I could hear a rooster calling from the barn. As I sat on the edge of the bed, I heard Applejack knock on the door, "Ya'll alright Dutch, we heard ya yell somethin'."

I sighed, "Another nightmare AJ. I'll... I'll talk about it when I come down. Just give me a minute."

It took about ten minutes for me to collect myself. I decided while I did I would take a look through my pack. I rummaged through the pockets, finding the old map of Portsmouth, ha, I won't be needing that anymore! I tossed it to one side, and found my sleeping bag. I put that next to my pack, and delved deeper inside, finding my waterproof clothes too. I continued to rummage around until I found something that made me pause.

The picture of my family that I had taken off the fridge.

I still remember that day. Dad was having fun with a new camera, and had decided to issue a challenge. He set the timer on two seconds before the camera would automatically take a picture. Each of us would press the button, then try to get back to a seating position with the rest of the family before the timer ran out. Each time my other family members tried it, they wouldn't be fast enough. Then I had a brainwave. As I pressed the button, I ran round and slid in front of everyone, so that I was lying down with my head in my hand. It worked, and we decided to keep that picture as the winner.

From that day onwards, everytime I had looked at that picture it would get a smile on my face, because the smiles in the picture were filled with genuine laughter. But now, I only felt sorrow as I moved my fingers across my family's faces. I didn't know what I wanted anymore. In this new world I had found, these ponies would accept me without hesitation, judging me for my actions rather than my appearance. I had already found happiness and friendship here, and it hadn't even been a week.

But at the same time, I missed my family. I didn't know if I was able to return to them, or if I had died and this was my afterlife. If there way no way I could go home, I would at least try to contact them. I promised myself.

There was a mirror in the room, and I noticed I had a small beard forming. I called downstairs to see if they had a razor, and Big Mac said I could use his (yeah, ponies have facial hair, go figure). The razor was surprisingly easy to use, and after another ten minutes I was clean-shaven. After using the shower - as well as other essentials - I went downstairs and had a couple of apples for breakfast. Applejack was there, so I asked her if she knew anything about dreams.

"Hmm. Ah'm afraid Ah don't sugercube. Is this what's been botherin' ya?"

"Yeah. I keep having the same dream about my family. They're rejecting me, but last night it got worse. I'm trying to figure out if it's supposed to mean something."

Applejack rubbed her chin, "Well, there's a library in Ponyville, but it's been closed since the old librarian moved out. Do ya want some help with this?"

"I appreciate it AJ, but I think I need to figure this out on my own," I got up and went to the door, "I'm going to see the mayor about that apartment. I'll see you later today."

Applejack waved to me, and I made my way towards Ponyville. The town hall was fairly easy to see, as it was the tallest building in the town. As I walked towards it, I noticed movement in the corner of my eye, and look over. I saw a unicorn in the street, watching me. Her coat was mint-green, and her mane was the same, with a streak of white on one side. She was making no attempt to hide herself, and she continued to stare at me until I walked around the corner of a building.

Apart from that, the walk was fairly uneventful, and I was surprised by how few ponies there were on the streets. It had been bustling with activity yesterday. I opened the door to the town hall, and was greeted by a huge, empty room, with balconies lining one side of the wall.

I noticed a door on one side of the room, with "Mayor's Office" stencilled on the glass. I knocked, and heard a shrill voice say, "Come in," I entered, and saw a tan pony with curly white hair sat at a desk. She looked a few decades older than the other ponies I had seen. Her head was faced down on the desk, where she was writing with a quill in her mouth.

"What can help you wi--" She stopped as she noticed me, and the quill fell from her teeth. She sat there for a few moments, but quickly regained her composure and cleared her throat, "Oh, you must be the um... new arrival in Ponyville."

"Yes, and I was wondering if you could help me with something. I was hoping to stay here for some time and--"

I was cut off as the mayor interrupted, "You're staying? Well, in that case, follow me." She hopped down from her chair and motioned me to follow her out of her office. We left the town hall and headed towards what looked like a stage on the other side of some houses.

"I heard we had a new animal arriving in Ponyville, but when I was told it wasn't anything anypony had seen before, I didn't believe them. Guess I was fooled," she laughed to herself.

I chuckled nervously, still unsure why we were walking, "I appreciate your kindness towards me Miss Mayor, but where are we going?"

"Well, everypony has been very anxious to meet you. News of your bravery saving Rainbow Dash and Applebloom travelled like wildfire. We've set up a stage nearby where you can give a speech to everypony."

What? A speech? I don't do speeches. "Um, thank you Miss Mayor, but I'm not sure about this."

Before she could reply, we emerged from the houses and saw the stage had a couple hundred ponies standing in front of it, chatting amongst themselves. When they saw me, the talking stopped, and I could hear them whispering again.

"I'll go up and tell them your name," the Mayor said, "Then you come up, introduce yourself and tell everypony about yourself," she paused, "What is your name anyway?"

"Dutch,"

"Right then," the Mayor walked up to the podium and said in a loud voice, "Fillies and Gentlecolts, we are gathered here today to give our thanks to someone who risked his life to save two of our citizens. Please give a warm welcome, to Dutch!"

There were a few cheers from the crowd as I made my way onstage. I almost felt like running away, and my knees were shaking, but I didn't want to let them down. When I reached the podium, I started my 'speech'.

"Good morning everypony. My name's Dutch, and I'm extremely new to Equestria. I'm not entirely sure how I ended up here, but about a week ago I woke up in the Everfree Forest with no idea how I got there. I don't know how long I'll be staying here, but I want to help you and prove to you that I'm not a danger while I'm here. If anypony has any questions, feel free to ask."

"What are you?" came a voice from the crowd.

"I am part of a race called humans. In my world, there were about seven billion of us," I heard a few gasps from the crowd, "We didn't have magic were I came from, but we made up for it with technology. We were also the only sentient species on the planet."

"How old are you?" I heard another voice say.

Odd, but nevermind. "I'm about twenty years old." I guess they thought I was some mythical creature that lived for hundreds of years.

I continued to answer questions for some time, until the Mayor indicated that I was out of time by tapping her wrist, "Well everypony, that's it for today. If you're still curious about me, don't be afraid to ask."

I got down from the podium, and saw the Mayor, Applejack and Rarity waiting for me.

"Bravo on the speech Dutch," Rarity said.

"Thanks, but I've never done a speech before, so I don't know how it went."

"Ah think it went fine, everypony seemed happy enough." Applejack gave me a smile, and she and Rarity went on their way.

The Mayor turned to me, "Now, what did you want to see me about?"

"Well, I'm planning on staying in Ponyville for a while, and I was wondering if you knew of any apartments where I could live. Anything will do."

"Hmm. Try the Bannered Mare. Last time I heard they had a few rooms to spare, it's just down that way," she pointed towards a large brown building that looked like a cross between a pub and a block of flats.

I walked over and went inside. It was fairly empty, and there was a dark blue stallion at the bar, cleaning glasses.

He saw me approach and said, "Hey, you're that human, Dutch right?" I nodded, and he shook my hand, introducing himself as Full Pint, "So, what can I do for you?"

"I heard you had some vacant rooms. I'm looking for somewhere to stay."

"Well, you came to the right place. We charge fifty bits a week, which is a pretty good deal in case you're unfamiliar with Equestria's currency."

"Sounds good. I don't have any money though, so I'll come back at a later time when I do."

Full Pint waved his hoof, "Don't worry about it. You can stay here now, and I'll just collect what you owe me when you get enough."

"Alright then, thanks."

I left the Bannered Mare, and decided to sit on a nearby bench and just zone out for a bit. I did it all the time at home; I would just sit and stare at nothing, thinking about anything that popped into my head.

After about ten minutes of this, I noticed I had slid forward into a slouched position, with my head on the backrest. I looked around, and saw the same mint-green unicorn from earlier. I figured I would try to make friends where I could, so I beckoned her over. She didn't seem the slightest bit nervous as she approached, and gave me a smile when she was next to me.

"I noticed you've been watching me," I said.

"Yeah, I have," I asked her why, and she said, "Because you just look really interesting is all. Oh, my name's Lyra."

She climbed up onto the bench, and tried to imitate the position I was in. She ended up resting on her forelegs, swinging her hind legs back and forth.

"Huh, this is actually more comfortable than it looks. Do humans sit like this all the time?"

"Well, they don't usually slouch like this, but yes." I noticed she had a picture of a lyre on her flank. These marks had been piquing my curiosity, and I thought I would find out what they meant, "Hey Lyra, what are those marks everypony has on their flanks?"

She looked at her own and replied, "They're called cutie marks. Everypony gets them when they find that certain something that makes them unique from other ponies."

"So what's the story behind yours?"

She shifted a bit to get comfortable in her newly found position, "When I was a filly, I wasn't very good with magic. I could barely lift stuff compared to other ponies my age. Then one day I went to a music class at school. All the instruments had been taken before I had a chance to try them, except for a lyre, which the teacher said was a difficult instrument to use. I thought I might as well give it a try, and strings are much lighter than books, so I could move them with my magic. I started to learn how to move each string on its own, then moved onto some notes, and before I knew it, I was playing a short melody with one of the hardest instruments in the school," she laughed to herself. "All the other students were amazed, as well as the teacher. Then I felt a tingling on my flank, and this appeared."

She smiled proudly at her cutie mark, "I've been playing the lyre ever since." She turned towards me and said, "What about yours?"

I chuckled, "Humans don't have cutie marks, but we could use devices to draw marks onto our bodies. We called them tattoos. I always wondered what I would have if I decided to get a tattoo, but after hearing your story, it would probably be something to do with a talent," I noticed the time was starting to get on, so I stood up and said, "I have to go back to the orchard now Lyra, but it was nice meeting you."

She smiled, and got down from the bench, "Yeah, you too Dutch. For something I've never seen before, you're pretty cool," she held out her hoof, "Friends?"

I shook it, "Friends."

Lyra went back to her house, and I went back to the farm. When I arrived, the house was deserted. I wandered into the kitchen, and noticed a calender on the wall. I didn't know how the years worked here, so I had a look at it. I saw that they too had twelve months in a year, with 30 or 31 days in a month. But the month names were different. The calender said that it was currently the "15th of Spring's Apex". Well, April is the middle of Spring, so it must mean that.

I wondered through into the dining room, and saw a note on the table. It was addressed to me, so I read it.

Dutch
When you read this, can you come and help Big Mac and I in the barn. There are some wooden beams we could use your help with.
AJ

I put the note down and walked back out the house. I was looking forward to talking with Applejack about a job. I reached the barn door and opened it. It was completely black inside.

"Hey Applejack, I just got your note. Why have you got all the windows--"

"SURPRIIIISE!"

I fell flat on my arse as the barn was lit up to reveal dozens of ponies waiting for me. There were tables everywhere, covered in punch bowls and cakes, and the air was filled with streamers and confetti.

I was just about to get up again, but I was bowled over as Applejack, Fluttershy and Rarity came up and tackled me in a hug. As I hugged them back, I saw a fourth pony next to them, with a pink coat and mane, though the latter was a hot pink colour.

"Wow. I've never had a party like this thrown for me before, especially a surprise party!"

The three girls let go of me, and I stood up again, "Well, what did you expect darling?"

"Yeah, it was the least we could do for the town hero," Applejack said.

"We just wanted to say thanks for everything you've done. Do you like it?" Fluttershy asked.

I was about to reply, but I was knocked over again as the pink pony jumped on top of me, "Hi! I'm Pinkie Pie, and I'd like to welcome you to your super-duper surprise Welcoming Party! Were you surprised? I bet you were, you fell flat on your flank!"

"Pinkie, I was more surprised than I've ever been in my life!" I said, and Pinkie got off me with a huge smile on her face, "Well then, let's par-tay!" She shouted, throwing her forelegs in the air. She then announced she was going to talk to some of the readers, and wandered off into the crowd. I was just about to ask AJ and Rarity what she meant by 'readers', but they cut me off.

"Ah suppose we should warn ya before ya confuse yerself."

"Quite right. Anyway, Pinkie is by far the most unpredictable pony we know. It took some time to get used to her antics, but never try to use logic to explain them."

Applejack thought for a moment, "Actually, don't try to explain them at all. Ah seen that pony defy gravity without even tryin'."

The rest of the ponies were coming over now, and each of them shook my hand or said how thankful they were for me helping the town. After greeting all of them, Pinkie gave me a plate with a large slice of cake on it, "Eat up Dutchy! It's gonna be the best cake ever!" I was stunned when she called me 'Dutchy', and when I bit into the cake, I found she was right. The flavour was amazing, and I had to restrain myself from trying to eat the whole slice in one.

The party was great. We spent the next few hours dancing, talking and laughing. The music was much slower than most human music, but it was still cheerful, and it made me want to dance. Eventually though, everypony became worn out, and went to have conversations with their friends. I ended up talking to Applejack with a glass of punch in my hand.

"Hey AJ, I was wondering if I could talk to you for a second."

"Sure Dutch, what's up?"

"I was thinking about the possibility of working for you on the farm. I managed to find an apartment, and the stallion there is letting me use it straight away. But I'm going to have to pay him sooner or later."

Applejack thought for a moment, then said, "Ok then, we'll take ya onboard. Ya can start by pickin' crops and feedin' the animals. While ya do that, Ah'll see if ya got the potential fer apple buckin'."

"Thanks Applejack. It'll feel good to do some manual labour." At this point I felt something tap me on the shoulder, and I turned round to see Rainbow Dash hovering above me.

"Hey big guy, Dutch isn't it?" I nodded, "Can I talk to you for a second, privately?"

I agreed, and we exited the barn and sat down around the corner. Dash started, "I just wanted to say sorry for acting the way I did yesterday. You saved my life, and I owe you for that," she said with an apologetic look on her face.

I smiled, "It's ok Dash, anyone could've done that," I leaned in closer and said in a whisper, "The first time I saw a pony, I almost fainted," she started laughing, "I'm not kidding. You guys have tiny bodies, and huge heads. I took me more than a bit off guard."

Dash laughed even harder, and we bumped our fist/hoof together. When she stopped, she smiled at me and said, "I guess I misjudged you Dutch. Sorry for punching you."

It was my turn to laugh now, "Well, if you don't mind me saying, it wasn't a very good punch. But you've got potential, and I can teach you a thing or two about how to fight properly if you want."

Dash's face lit up at this, "You mean it?" She gave me a hug, "That's sound so cool. I can't wait to start." She released the hug, and went back inside to the party, leaving me to my thoughts. This turned out to be a bad move, as the only thing I could think of was my family, and the dream I had had. I forced those thoughts out of my mind. Now isn't the time Dutch, there's a party going on inside. Get back there and enjoy the moment!

I agreed with myself, and went back into the barn to have fun with my new friends.

Hope you're all enjoying it so far. Brony points if you can find the reference to a recent game.