Chapter 6: Sleep Past Nightmares

Matt sat on a simple couch as the little child dragon known as Spike was near him on a separate sofa. He waiting patiently as the other ponies in a separate room were debating who he was going to share an estate with. The two were in an awkward silence, Matt simply just sat quite and stared at his hands, thinking. While Spike on the other hand was reading a comic book titled "Power Ponies". Matt then decided to pull out his guns as he started to take out the bullets in each gun, avoiding any future accidents. And after what felt like hours, he decided to break the silence.

"Sooo....Spike....right?" Matt asked the drake if his name was correct.

"Y-Yea, that's my name. Spike, Twilight's number 1 assistant." He self proclaimed with a pinch of valor. "And uh.....what your name again....sorry"

"Its okay Spike, My name is Matt, Matt Stine."

"That's a cool name." Spike complimented weakly as he continued reading his comic. The door to the debate room opened as Applejack stuck her head out.

"Matt, could you come in please?" Matt nodded and stood up .

"Can I come too Applejack?" Spike asked with excitement.

"Sure Spike, come on in." The two entered the room as Matt found all of the ponies with smiles at him, especially Fluttershy who had a bigger smile than the rest of the group. Once they all gathered around, Matt was ready to receive his caretaker. "Alright Matt, the one who you're sharing a roof under is.......

"M-M.......me." Fluttershy spoke up in a mild timid expression. "W-We all thought it would provide some therapeutic recovery."

"Therapeutic recover?" Matt was mostly confused, what kind of therapeutic recovery?

"I-I'll show you once we reach my cottage." She said as he flew up to Matt and took his hand. "Come along." She said slightly pulling Matt as he followed. After another basket of minutes of walking through the town, with a wolf's cloak over his head, the townsfolk fled from the 'monster'. But after that, the two led astray from the town towards a more isolated part of the area. Not too far from the town was a place more of nature and silence.

Fluttershy led Matt to her cottage. There was a small river along with a good sized house next to a forest. The house itself was surrounded by animals of all kinds and homes for them all. "Come on." She kept leading him inside the cottage as she stopped at her front door. "Well Matt, welcome to your new home." Fluttershy pronounced as she opened the door, inside was a flood of birds, birdhouses, friendly rodents such as mice, rabbits, and weasels.

"Woh.....you really love animals huh?" Matt asked, amazed with the flock of animals inside the house.

"Y-Yes, I-I love animals very much." A small chipmunk as hopped on top of Fluttershy's head as it squeaked in her ear. "Of course Nibs, I'll get you some more food. But just this once, no more until dinner okay?" The chipmunk nodded as Matt looked at her, confused.

"Y-You.....D-Did you just talk to the little guy?" Matt asked. He stared at her cutie mark to find three pink winged butterflies in a triangle formation. Although, the butterflies didn't really symbolized a communication between the two different mammals.

"Y-yes, it's my special talent." She claimed is pride.

"Doesn't really look like it." Matt said pointing to her cutie mark, investigating the symbolism of her mark. "But whatever, I don't really care. Where do I sleep anyways?"

"Oh follow me." Fluttershy led Matt to a separate room down the hall. The room was small but efficient, with a bed, a table, a chair, a drawer, and wardrobe. "This is your room, its not big but if you want, you could take my room if- eep!" Fluttershy was interrupted as Matt gave the shy pony a tight embrace of gratitude. He squeezed her like a pillow and set her down. After the surprise hug he set down his bag and other essentials (weapons) next to the bed.

"Thanks Fluttershy, I really appreciate it." Matt thanked as he took off his coat and flopped on the bed. He gave a very long moan of relaxation, burying his face in the pillow. "My god I'v never felt a bed so soooooooft." He rose up as he gave a long yawn. "Fluttershy is it okay if I take a nap? The whiskey is taking a toll on my eye lids." He said as he could feel small weights hanging down on his eye lids.

"Of course Matt, when you wake up I'll make you some dinner." She said slowly closing the door, but Fluttershy forgot one thing. She reopened the door to find Matt almost about to sleep. "Umm Matt? I apologize but I forgot to ask. What do you humans eat?"

"Anything pretty much, from veges, fruit, roots, and meat." Fluttershy froze at the term 'meat' and 'anything'.

"M-Meat? L-L-Like pony meat?" Matt realized that he had not told Fluttershy of human consumption. He quickly shook his head in deny as he quickly explained.

"No, no god no! Humans have never eaten hors..er....I mean ponies. Humans mostly just eat meats like chicken, cows, pigs, and uh.....other things that are orthadox towards humans. But those three meats are mostly eaten by humans back in my world.....well a fourth was added but I'd rather not say." Matt said, reminiscing the apocalypse and carnivorous survivors he put down. "But I can live without meat, don't worry Fluttershy. So long as I get protein."

"O-Okay Matt thank you, have a nice sleep." Fluttershy said as she closed the door leaving Matt to a hopefully peaceful slumber. She trotted over to the kitchen as something tugged on her tail to find her pet, Angel the bunny, thumping her foot in anger. He made multiple jesters and points towards the sleeping man as Fluttershy understood his language. "Angel please he's sleeping, and I'm trying to help him." Angel took a black crayon as he drew a question mark on his door and made multiple more jesters along with some squeaks. "From his words he said that he is called a human, and he comes from another world, although he doesn't know how he came here."

Angel was still angry (for some reason) and he approached the human's door to open it. But was stopped as Flutteshy immediately stomped her hoof in front of Angel with rumbling anger. Her eyes opened full like the moon as she stared deep into Angel's soul. "Angel, leave....him.....alone. He is a sad creature and suffered so much. If you don't be nice to him I will take away your special salad forever." Fluttershy stated in a very serious tone as Angel flinched, the horrors of his favorite dish becoming extinct. "Good Angel, now be a good little bunny and fetch me five tomatoes please?" Fluttershy requested as Angel hopped away with sweat dropped from his head.

"Hopefully Matt likes tomato soup."

"Hurry sweetie, we gotta go!" Matt said as he continued to fire upon the undead in front of him, clearing a pathway for him and his daughter. His daughter was behind him, she was scared for her life and all she could do is run, not fight. Only thirteen years old and understandably can't learn to fight yet.

"Dad.....I'm scared!"

"I know sweetie, just follow me and stay-" Matt was interrupted as a zombie ambushed him. Trying to bite him but Matt pushed him away, although the zombies strength was immense, Matt struggled to try and push the zombie away.

"Dad!"

Matt was forced to ignore his daughter's cry as he placed a hand under the zombie's jaw and pushed him away. He took his other hand and quickly reached for his machete and quickly shoved the blade up the zombie's head. As the zombie dropped dead he turned around to inspect his daughter only to find one of the many undead on top of his daughter trying to feed upon her. Matt quickly shanked his machete through the zombie's skull as he pulled his daughter up. "C'mon sweetie, we need to get inside the house!"

His daughter nodded as the two hurried to a building with a large red cross painted on it. The two ran until a large blue flash appeared in front of the pair. All of a sudden, a tall blue navy equine appeared before them as Matt aimed his rifle at the animal. But felt his rifle disappear into dust in his hands. He reached for his other weapons, but they were gone as well. "Sweetie get close to me." He said as he reached for his daughter but to see his hand phasing through his daughter. "Sweetie!?!?" Matt's daughter then disappeared into thin air as his tears emerged and flooded from his eyes, boiling with fiery anger towards the equine.

"Who are you strange one." The Equine asked as Matt clenched his fist in anger. He turned and swiftly launched a cannon fist at the equine, only to be paused mid-action by a blue force wrapped around his fist. He looked up at the equine to find that it had a horn and wings just like- "I will ask again, who are you?"

"I'll tell you if you bring back my daughter!" He hissed as the equine sighed.

"Your daughter was not real, not in your dream that is." She quickly stated as Matt continued to breath in anger.

"MY DAUGHTER IS REAL! DON'T YOU EVER SAY THAT AGAIN!"

"Mortal I know what is real and what isn't. And your daughter here isn't real in this world." She thundered her voice in the strange realm Matt was in. He realized the world around him, all melted, foggy, and transparent.

"Is.....am I dreaming?"

"You are. You were in a nightmare state but I stopped it, now I control your dream with my magic. Now who and what are you if I may ask."

"I could ask the same thing."

"But I have asked first."

"Touche." Matt sad on the floor which was nothing but air, the dream was in equal state as soon as this.....fantasy creature came to be. He didn't want to answer who he was exactly but-

"Mortal I know what you're thinking and it's not going to work."

"W-What? You can read my mind!? If you can then what number and I thinking of." He said as he held 3 fingers up behind his back.

"Three." He became frustrated as he continued changing them randomly behind his back without telling the equine but she kept getting the correct number every time, her wins were making the human impressed but annoyed at the same time.

"Okay well if you can read my mind, can you read my past?" He asked as he clenched up a fist.

"No." That answer had cooled Matt's scalding blood as he released his fist. He closed his eyes and with the power of his lucid dreaming, he summoned a piece of paper and a pen in his hand and wrote down a few words. After finishing his small letter, he folded it a few times and gave it to the equine.

"I think its time for me to wake up." He said with a smirk as he sat with his legs crossed. The navy blue equine looked at the strange letter, analyzing it at it's strange message.

Acronym,
FSPV
Try to find me, then we'll talk. I prefer for talking to be in person.

"W-Wha-" The realm shook three times with a long pause after the third with an echoing voice in the background. The mortal sitting before the Equine then vanished into thin air as the equine sighed in disappointment, repeating the phrase, "FSPV." She summoned a door in front of her and passed through it, leaving the dream realm.

"GUGHH!"

Matt woke up in a flash, breathing heavily with each pound of air rapidly processing through his body. He touched his head to find that he was sweating with a cool touch. He then heard a small cough behind him and looked to find a small snow white rabbit was standing on the headboard of his bed frame, and he looked irritated at the human. "W.....What are you lookin' at?"

The rabbit simply scoffed and faced away from him in a posh like posture. The rabbit then hopped out of the window leaving Matt confused. "......Whatever." A knocking came from his door, as he quickly stretched his arms and spine. "Come in." Fluttershy open the door with a tray of food balancing on her back. She had a weak smile on her face which Matt could easily read, him being a different creature from a completely different world.

"Good evening Matt, h-how was your nap?" Matt huffed and slightly chuckled "So far....best one in forever." He sighed in relief as he stretched his arms upward. Fluttershy set down the food tray as she sat next to the human.

"Why forever? Did you never have good naps from birth?"

"No no nothing like that. It's just that.... its been a long time since I slept like that."

"Why such a long time?"

"Well.....back in my world I had to be careful of my sleep. Like when to sleep, where to sleep, what to sleep with, and who to sleep with or near." He said as he gave a heavy sigh. "You see, the zombie apocalypse in my world made the human civilization crumble like a sand castle. The zombies flooded cities like water as the whole world became a frontier. Nowhere was safe, not even home." He paused and reached into his pocket, retrieving a small square dark brown object. "So every night, I had to find either a high place to sleep, a barricaded room, or set up alarms all around me whenever I was outside." He placed the brown object on the drawer next to the bed as he also noticed the tray of food. "Oh hey food, did you really have to?"

Fluttershy didn't respond, as she was still shocked from Matt's survival back in his world. "Um.....Fluttershy......you okay?" He sighed and patted Fluttershy's head which snapped her out of surprise. "Hey... its okay. I'm okay now, okay? I do realize that this isn't my world, that I have to adapt to it. But hopefully, I can live just like she wanted."

"S-She? Wh-" Matt quickly reached for the food tray and placed it on his lap. The tray itself was very unique looking, it was dark brown with a yellow square cloth clothing the tray. On top of the cloth was the small bowl of soup, a tiny plate with what looked like garlic bread, a glass of water, and utensils.

"Oh wow look at this its uh..... what is this." He weakly distracted his word 'she' and Fluttershy's question as he forcefully replaced her question with an answer.

"Oh! I made you tomato soup with some garlic bread." She said, proud of her culinary creation.

"Wow, fancy." He took a big whiff of the soup as the scent completely flooded his nerves with nirvana and euphoria goodness. "Whoa, this smells great." He took the spoon and placed a serving in his mouth, the sweet, hot, and summery taste filled his nerves with euphoric feelings, except there was one problem. It was too hot. He winced in pain (and pleasure) as he dropped his spoon back in the soup and coughed a bit. "Agghh *cough* *gough* that's hot!"

"I-I-I......I'm......sorry." Fluttershy whimpered as she slowly moved back in fear from the human creature. Matt looked over to her, his reread his reaction, looking at himself like he was about to become a demon. He quickly put his hands out in reassurance and gave a smile to the pony.

"No no it's okay. It wasn't your fault. It was my own for eating like a cannon ball." He said, taking the glass of water and drinking it down, attempting to nourish his burnt taste buds.

After the whole hot soup incident, and Matt finishing his food, Fluttershy decided to show Matt around her house. During her house tour, Matt studied, analyzed, and locked the various locations in the house. But mostly he loved how Fluttershy treated him, affectionate and kind in every inch of her soul. As the late night soon occured, and Luna's moon glowed in the sky, it was time for the two to go to bed.........until...

*knock* *knock* *knock*. Both the human and pegasus caught attention from the knocking which came from the front door."Who is iiiiiit?" Fluttershy asked in a happy sarcastic tone, as if she knew who was outside.

"I'm here for our little tea party Fluttershy. And tell the author to get moving, along with this story of his. And tell the reader to get to the next chapter because I'm back!"

"........what?" Said Matt in utter confusion.

I'm confused as well.

Author's Note

Took a while to finish this chapter but I've been hammering my own brain with a book, a book, and another book to get through school. I'll try to work on this story more as well as the Luna story. Though, that might take a while.

By the way, the chipmunk Nibs is a reference to a web comic. Here's a hint to which comic.

"Where's the Blacksmith?"

Theres your hint.