A Strange Place for a Strange Man

James is in class, while wearing his first ever MLP T-shirt. It’s a picture of Rainbow Dash, which says Keep Calm, and Brony On.

“Haha, guys! Look at that! James has become a brony-faggot!”

“Stop it…. STOP IT!” He runs out of the classroom, out of the school entrance, and runs home. He runs inside the house, and upstairs, where he just sits down by his computer.

It was only like 7.00PM, so it was quite dark. He didn’t hesitate, before he found his favourite episode of My Little Pony. He needed some cheering up, and lately, the only thing that’s been able to do that, is MLP.

An oddly familiar scene appears, once more.

My Little Pony - My Little Pony… Aaaaaaa…. My Little Pony - I used to wonder what friendship could be…

He’s watching the episode of My Little Pony, which he also did in his earlier dream. He watches it til’ the end. And then he starts crying, just like before.

James woke up, and once again, he was confused. He just can’t understand what’s been going on. Why is he getting these dreams? All he remembers from before he became, well, a pony. Is that he was a human. Nothing else.

“God dammit, these god forsaken nightmares has got to stop.”

He noticed it was still dark out, thus guessing it was only the middle of the night. He went to the kitchen, and poured himself a glass of water. He took the glass with him into the couch, where he took a sip of it, and lay down again. He didn’t close his eyes. He was afraid it would appear again. The horrible nightmare he’s been having.

He finally got the guts, and went back to sleep. It wasn’t the same dream. This was… different.

He was standing at a graveyard, and in front of these two tombstones. They both had a name inscribed. But it was too blurry to really see, what it said. James kneeled down, and picked up a pitcher, which was right besides him, and started pouring water over the flowers by the two graves. After he finished that, he sat down on both knees, folded his hands, and started speaking.

“Please tell me you can hear me. Please.” He sobbed for a while, before he went on.

“... I can’t seem to live anymore… my life has been a complete mess, ever since you passed away. I wish he took me, instead of you. Why didn’t he take me?! I miss you. I can’t possibly live on like this. I have nothing to comfort myself with, which I haven’t had ever since you two passed away… I wish I could find friends, but it’s too hard. People hate me. There are nobody who wants to even talk to me. They just either hit me, or they just insult me.” He broke down crying uncontrollably. He wasn’t able to speak anymore, so he just picked up the pitcher and ran off.

He woke up slightly, and whispered to himself.

“That’s it. No more sleeping.”

He checked outside, it was morning. The sun was shining, and it seemed like a generally good day.

He remembered that he had to go help Applejack buck again, today.

“God dang it. I can’t be bothered doing that for a whole day again.”

“Goodmorning.”

He turned around to the face of Fluttershy.

“Oh, hey, Fluttershy.”

She motioned for him to come out in the kitchen with her, and began to talk, while doing so.

“Come on, we need to get some food. Especially you, you haven’t eaten anything for two days straight.”

James just shrugged, and went to the kitchen with her. He just got a bowl of apple bits and milk. It was actually pretty good. Although, he usually wouldn’t like stuff like this. Did his tastebuds change, during his Transformation? He tried thinking about eating meat, which, for some reason, disgusted him, more or less.

Fluttershy spoke.

“It’s kind of nice to see you eat, for a change.”

James just looked up and nodded, and said.

“Yeah. It’s also great to eat, in the first place. I was starting to starve quite a lot. But I’ve just had a lot of thoughts going on in my head, lately, so my appetite has been all gone.”

She didn’t say anything. She just smiled at him.

“So hey, are you up for going to meet our friend Rarity today?”

Fluttershy asked.

“I’d love to, Flutters, but I kinda have to help Applejack applebuck…. again.”

He said, sighing.

“Oh, well. I guess I can speak with Applejack, maybe she’ll let you go, just this time.”

Fluttershy said.

“Really? That’d be great! Thank you!”

James said, almost cheering.

They raised up, and went outside. They walked off to Applejack’s.

…

“Howdy, ya’ll! What’s up, James, are ya’ll ready to buck some apples?!”

Applejack asked, the second she saw them coming.

Fluttershy stepped in, before James was able to answer.

“Applejack. We actually came to ask, if it was alright, if he could come with me today. I was planning on introducing him to Rarity today.”

Applejack seemed to get a little disappointed.

“Well, if ya’ll need to, then I guess that’s fine. I could just really use an extra pair of hooves on the farm, while the Applebuck season is here. Ya’ll remember how it went last year.”

James spoke up.

“I guess I can stay here for a little while, and then I can meet Rarity later?”

Fluttershy stood still, and considered the offer for a few seconds, when she finally said.

“I guess that’s ok. Let’s say… 6.00PM?”

James just nodded, and smiled.

Fluttershy flew off into the distance, while AJ and James started bucking again. James was doing pretty bad, because his legs felt broken, after the previous day’s bucking. They both ran from appletree to appletree, just fighting their way through, one by one.

…

It was now 5.50PM, and James went to Applejack and said.

“Applejack, I think I should take off now.”

“Already? Oh, guess the time flies by, when you’re having fun, ey’?”

Applejack said.

“Guess so. But I’ll see you later, then.”

James yelled, as he ran off.

“Yep, see ya’ll later!”

As James ran, he thought about the dream he had, where he was at the graveyard. He didn’t remember what he was doing there.

“I really gotta see a psychologist about these nightmares.”

He said, while running.

…

He was now at Ponyville, and started looking for Fluttershy. He had no luck, for quite a while. He saw a white unicorn with a purple mane.

“Hey, Rarity! Have you seen Fluttershy anywhere?”

James yelled, as she walked by.

“Oh, me? Why yes. She’s at my Boutique.”

She replied.

On the way there, she asked him a question.

“Say, who are you again?”

“Oh, my apologies. I’m James. And no, that’s not a pony-name, I get it. Fluttershy was going to introduce me to you today.”

James said.

“Oh, ok… wait. How do you know who I am?”

She asked, in sheer confusion.

“Uh. That’s quite a long story.”

James said.

“Well, then. Let’s just go find Fluttershy.”

Rarity said, after a few moments of silence.

They weren’t far from the boutique now.

“Oh, Rarity. Why did you have to go to town, by the way? You aren’t carrying anything.”

James asked.

“Oh, I simply just went to the tailor to order some thread, and a bit of silk cloth.”

“Oh, ok.”

They were at the Boutique, and they went inside.

Rarity yelled, as she entered.

“Hello, Fluttershy. I’m here, and I brought your friend with me! Oh and hello Sweetie Belle!”

Sweetie Belle came running downstairs, almost slipping on the way. And Fluttershy just came into the living room, from the kitchen.

“Hey, sis’! Who’s that?”

Sweetie Belle exclaimed as she saw her sister and James.

“Oh, hey, I’m James. I’m a friend of Fluttershy. Aren’t you just an adorable little sweetheart?!”

James said.

They all stared at him kinda strange, after saying that. Maybe because he meets a little filly, and starts talking to her like that, the second he meets her.

Fluttershy spoke.

“So, James, was it fun on the farm today?”

“Yeah, it was decent. Might do that again, another day. Maybe even tomorrow. Depends if I have time.” James replied.

“So you’ve already met Applejack, then?”

Rarity asked.

“Eyeup! And Big Mac.”

Twilight arrived, and as she came in she instinctively yelled out.

“Hey, Rarity!”

“Oh hi, Darling. What are up to?”

Rarity replied.

Twilight didn’t reply at first, she was kind of frozen in place. She didn’t expect to see Fluttershy and James, as well.

“Oh, sorry. I was just coming over to see if you were busy. It’s just, my library. It’s getting really messy, and I would’ve asked if you could help me clean it up. Celestia made me read, celestia knows how many books, yesterday.”

She sighed slightly, and looked towards Fluttershy, and James.

“But I can see you’re probably busy, so I’ll just do it alone.”

“No, no. No need. I’ll come help you.”

Rarity said.

James joined in.

“Yeah. I can help too, if you want me to.”

Twilight’s eyes widened.

“Really? Thank you!”

James sort of blushed. He always had a slight crush on Twilight.

“I guess I can help too, then.”

Fluttershy added.

“Well, let’s go then.”

Twilight said.

…

They were at the library now.

“So, James, can you go sort the books over there, in alphabetic order?.”

She pointed at a big bookshelf, at the left corner of the room.

“Sure, no problem.”

He went over there, and started reading the cover on each book, as he asked.

“So, where should I start from? Like, where shall the first book stand?”

“Oh, let me show you.”

Twilight said, walking towards the shelf.

She picked up a few books with her magic, and put them on the top of the shelf.

“So from top to bottom?”

“Yes.”

She went back to the other two, and set them to work.

Apparently Twilight hadn’t cleaned the house for a little while, so Fluttershy did that for her.

Rarity sorted another shelf, and Twilight, the same.

They were close to finish, as a familiar event happened.

“WOOOOWWWW!!”

*Smash!!*

A blue rainbow-maned pegasus had hit the window, gone through it, and smashed into the treehouse floor, causing all the books to fall to the ground, once more. And all the ponies in the room, now covered in books. Well, except for Fluttershy, who was flying, and not covered in books.

“Rainbow!”

Twilight yelled, looking very angry.

“Not again! Why do you have to do that, all the time?!”

Rainbow Dash’s face darkened a bit.

“I’m sorry, Twilight. I can help you clean it up.”

Her frown turned to a slight nervous smile.

Twilight simply facehoofed and sighed.

“Sure. You go Sort out those books over there”

This time, she pointed at a mass of books, lying over where James was, who now stuck out his head from the mountain of books.

“What the hay just happened?”

James said, as he was kinda confused. Normally he would’ve said what the hell. But hay just came natural to him.

“Oh, sorry. I just crashed into the house…. again.”

Rainbow said.

James jumped all the way out of the mountain of books, as Rainbow Dash went over there, to clean it all up.

Suddenly Rarity appeared.

“Well, that happened.”

She stated.

And Fluttershy didn’t say much else, than. squeek.

They all began cleaning up again.

 It was starting to get late, and the ponies were getting tired.

“Well. Thank you guys, for helping me…. twice!.”

She stared at Rainbow Dash with her vicious glare.

Rainbow just looked towards the floor, and blushed in embarrassment.

Twilight broke the slight silence.

“Well. I think I’ll hit the hay. I’m really tired, and need sleep. I have to read even more tomorrow.”

“Yes, I think I’ll go home too.”

Rarity said, letting out a yawn.

“Yeah, me too.”

Rainbow said.

“Same with James and I. We need some rest, as well.”

Fluttershy said.

They all went outside, except for Twilight, who just stood by the door, waving.

As they all got home, they simply went to bed, and slept.