I Danced With the Sun

"Whoa...hey, Stone, come check this out."

"What is it?"

"No clue, but I think it's alive."

" 'Nicholas, go hiking,' they said. 'It'll be good for you,' they said...yeah, I'll show my coworkers how much good it did to my bitch-slapping arm."

"What is it, you two? I'm supposed to be at a meeting discussing foreign...oh, my..."

"As we told you, your highness...there's something out there, laying in the garden.

"And it would seem you're right."

"What is it?"

"Ah, crap, stupid mosquitoes! God, I'm cold, I'm tired, I'm hungry, and I'm lost! I'll *never** see my home again! *sob*"*

"What? Really?"

"But those are just fairy tales!"

"Just go get my sister, you two."

"But-"

"Sis...shut it and move."

"So...cold...so...tired. Dear God...have...mercy..."

"Bring it inside, and hurry."

"Wha-! B-but your Majesty, we don't know-"

"Silence yourselves and do as she asks!"

"I feel like I've been walkin' for decades. I dunno how much longer I'll be able to...wait...is that...? It is! Heh-heh! Civilization at last! In your *face,** nature!Ha-ha-ha-ha, Ha-ha, ha-ha, ha-" *Whump**

"He's coming around."

"Nicholas" had only opened his eyes a centimeter, and he already saw white light pouring down on him. This caught him off-guard and he thrashed around as if having a seizure. The paramedics tried to hold him down and calm him.

"Whoa, whoa, kid, easy, easy. You're still just recovering from severe dehydration and puncture wounds on your face! Calm down, pal," one of them coaxed.

It took awhile, but he eventually stopped his outburst. There was no way on earth he would open his eyes again, though.

"Oh, man...what happened to me?" he wondered out loud.

"A couple guards found you outside, face down and breathing heavily. You were in one nasty coma, but we healed you right up," another voice explained. This relived Nicholas to no end.

"Well, thanks, doc," he sighed, wiping his brow. "I appreciate your help, bringin' me here and fixin' me back up." He paused and thought about his situation.

"Speaking of which," he continued, "where exactly is here?"

One of the doctors told him plainly, "Canterlot Castle, Medical Ward on the Lunar Wing."

Nicholas stuck his pinkie finger into his ear and chuckled, "Sorry, could you repeat that? I thought I heard you say I was in some whack-ass place called 'Canterlo-"

As he dared to open his eyes to get a bearing of his surroundings, he saw in front of him people with an equine build. He froze in his current position for five seconds before his supporting arm caved in, his eyes rolled back into his head, and he fainted dead away.

/\/\/\/\/\/Just Before Sunrise\/\/\/\/\/\

The last caw of a raven returning to its nest was both close enough to the window and loud enough to pierce the glass that it woke Nicholas from a recovering sleep. He yawned and stretched farther than he ever had before.

"Well, that was an experience," he half-mouthed. "I think I'll chalk that one up for the 'Weirdest Dream of the Year' award," he said again. He scoffed. "Heh. Talking horses. Man, what the fu-"

When he grew accustomed to the light and had rubbed the sleep from his eyes, he froze mid-sentence. He was sitting upright on a large bed covered in royal violet sheets. The room around him was enormous, with tapestries hanging from the walls and a balcony to his right. The windows were open and the light breeze gave off a calming atmosphere, although once Nicholas saw the drapes flowing steadily in the wind, he became extremely paranoid and unnerved. He slowly lifted the silky covers and shuffled over to the glass door and carefully eased it open, stopping short when he heard even the slightest squeak. When he surveyed the outside, he was shocked, amazed, and nervous at the same time. He was in a high tower overlooking a wide courtyard that went back a ways, and was dotted with various detached buildings that he guessed were part of the castle. He couldn't really help but lean on the stone railing and whistle in awe.

"Not...bad," he said at last.

"I know, right?" said a disembodied voice.

Nicholas went rigid for a second and began calling out, "Who!? What!? Where!? And how!?"

"Jeez, calm down," said another, more feminine voice. "And by the way, we're up here."

When Nicholas looked up, he saw two flying horses fitted in golden Roman armor. Their coats were white as snow, and the stallion's blue eyes starkly contrasted with the mare's yellow irises.

None of them said anything for a long while, until the stallion descended to the deck and held out his hand as soon as he straightened up. Nicholas only stared at it, caught in a dilemma between common courtesy and racial distrust. He eventually reached out for the pegasai's hand, albeit, very slowly. The guard shook vigorously when he finally grabbed it.

"Hello, stranger. Good to see you're in better condition than when we found you," he said.

"Yeah," said the mare. "You were out cold right about...over there, I think," and she gestured to where the courtyard met the wild foliage of the mountain.

Nicholas smiled nervously. "Ooo-kay, then," he finally droned out.

The stallion suddenly smacked his forehead. "Bah, where are my manners! My name is Stone Wall, sir, and this..." he said gesturing to the mare, "is Topspin, my sister. We're twins" Topspin dragged her lower eyelid down with her forefinger and blew a raspberry.

Nicholas couldn't help but smile at his awkward situation. Here he was, surrounded by talking horses that could walk erect, and they had just about the same flaws as humans. Feeling a little more at ease, he told Stone, "Pleasure to meet you, Stone. My name's Nicholas, but you can call me Nick if you want. Everyone does, where I'm from." He looked around at the towering castle and wide gardens.

"Speaking of which," Nick continued, "I should probably get home. Now. Do you know the way back to Seattle, Washington?"

Stone Wall looked over at Topspin, who shared the same confused look. He looked back at Nick and said, "Sorry, buddy, I've got no idea what you're talking about. But seeing as how you're not from around here..."

"Big surprise," his sister cut in.

"...I think I do know somepony who could. Two of them, in fact."

"Oh, they must be ponies. Still weird as hell, though," Nick muttered.

"Did you say something?" Stone asked. Nick gave a fast, "No," in reply.

"Alright, then," said Stone. He gestured with his hand back inside the bedroom and to the door on the far side, indicating for Nick to go ahead. Nick bowed his head, and he and the twins filed on through.

"I'll explain whatever you want to know as we walk," Stone said as he held the door open.

"Well, for one thing," Nick said as they entered a long hallway, "who are we going to see?"

Stone thought a minute before saying, "We'll look around for Princess Luna first. During the night, it's easy to find her, but during daytime, she's never around when you need her. I've found the best strategy is to wander aimlessly and hope you bump into her." He chuckled.

"Hasn't failed yet."

Nick laughed and replied, "If it's stupid, but it works..."

"It ain't stupid," Topspin finished for him.

"...and so I told my mom, 'Look, if you didn't want me to do that, you shoulda said somethin'!"

Stone, Topspin, and Nick burst into hysterical laughter. Stone began laughing so hard, he choked and spat out, "It...it's funny 'cause she l-lost her voice!"

"I know, right?" Nick replied. The trio had been wandering around the royal halls for what felt like hours, but they had already started off on good terms.

"Oh, man, you humans are funny," Topspin said, "almost like us, but different enough to laugh at." Her eyes were still wet from the large amount of hysterics.

"Yeah, and even inside our society, we laugh at each other," Nick replied.

"Silence!" a woman's voice echoed through the halls. Everyone shut up. "Hast thou forgotten the first rule of speaking in the corridors? 'Speak easy thine voice unless dire peril arises!' "

"Well, I guess we found Princess Luna," Stone Wall whispered.

"You mean, she found us," Topspin whispered back.

From around a far corner a mare dressed in royal blue robes strode toward Nick and the guards. Luna was almost the same height as Nick, give or take a few inches, and her mane held the night sky in it: twinkling stars highlighted her deep-space blue hair. She was pure eye candy, but at the moment, it probably wasn't a good idea to keep staring at her. She looked pissed, at best.

"Hmph," she sighed, "Perhaps we should have expected it was the resident troublemakers befouling the silence of the castle." Her eyes fell on Nicholas and she gasped. "Oh! Thou hast awoken! We assume thou was making merry with Sir Stone Wall and Madam Topspin?" she inquired.

Nick hesitantly took a step back and cringed. "...'Yea'...?" he answered. Luna's previous expression disappeared and she smiled instead.

"Splendid! We can forgive these transgressions, as thou was not aware of castle law," she said. Stone and Topspin breathed a sigh of relief and wiped their foreheads. Luna continued, "May we ask thy name, stranger?"

"Nicholas H. Detram," he spoke in a proper tone. "Or, just Nick, if it's any easier for you, Princess...Luna, correct?" She nodded modestly. Stone smiled , feeling like the princess had settled down and was on good terms with their visitor. He stepped forward and cleared his throat. Luna turned to face him.

"You wish to inquire something of us, Sir Stone?"

"Yes, your majesty," he said. He cleared his throat again. "Nicholas, as you have guessed, isn't from here, and he wants to go back home. Specifically, a place called, 'Seattle, Washington.' Would you...happen to know any way to help Nick go back?" Luna stared up at the ceiling for a long time, until after what felt like ages, she solemnly shook her head.

"Our apologies, but proposing that Nicholas is from another dimension is beyond even our power," she explained. She continued, "However, our sister might very well be able to do something..."

"And what might that be?"

The trio looked forward down the hall they were in and saw none other than Princess Celestia walking toward them. The angle of the light streaming in from the stained glass windows caught Celestia's right side, accenting her grace. Nick could see she was similar to her sister, with her etheral mane gliding around her head and a robe of pure white that clothed her, a sure sign of godhood. Before he could speak up, Celestia looked at him and said, "Ah, you're awake? I was just on my way to check on you and tell you something."

Upon hearing this, Nick had no idea what to think. He was probably going to get sent home...but there was always the possibility of rejection. And even if he could go back, he was actually starting to get attached to Stone Wall and Topspin.

Celestia was staring out the window. "I don't know if Topspin or Stone Wall has told you or not, but I'm technically the most powerful alicorn in existence. Even so, there are things that are beyond me, and one of them is interdimensional warping." Nick's heart sank into his legs. "I'm sorry, Nicholas, but there's nothing my sister or I can do for you. You'll be staying here for a long time."

Nick was speechless. He was never going to see the friends he left behind. He was never going back to his own house. Never going to live normally again. Equestria was nice, but he was like that one trout in a tank of bettas. Completely different, and probably never going to be accepted into a society where he had nothing in common. He lowered his head and shut his eyes.

"Hey, man, are you...?" Nick turned and ran down the hall and out of sight before Stone could finish his sentence. "Hey, Nick wait up!" Topspin was just about to fly off after him until Celestia held her back.

"Don't worry, dear. I'll go talk to him," she said.