Accidental Pleasantries

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Contemplation
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Your head pounds as you strain to open your eyes. As your eyelids slide open slowly you realize that everything is a blur. Cursing under your breath, the events that led up to this point begin to collect in your head.

You remember the illegally obtained uranium rods, those large and rather stupid looking goons coming to collect money that didn't exist, even though you had promised it. You could still feel the way one clasped your shoulder, grabbing your arms and twisting them behind your head, allowing his friend to pound his fist into your gut. You could forget all of that if only they weren't stupid enough to turn the device on before it was ready. Your heart sank and you cried out for them to stop fooling with it but it was too late. The device powered up with a whir and a hum. You had no idea what would happen when it came to life but you soon found out as the whole room turned a bright green and you passed out from what you thought to be radiation overdose.

You realize that you were wrong seeing as you’re still alive. The absence of death from the event doesn’t reassure you very much as you can still barely see your surroundings. You decide to lay there for a few minutes to see if you can regain your eyesight. Sure enough, after about ten minutes your eyes begin to focus and you begin to take in your surroundings. You brace your hand against the grass and lean up to take a look around. That's when you realize you’re in the middle of a huge field right on the edge of a forest. You look both ways and can’t make out any end to the trees that line the edge of the seemingly endless cluster of pines. You shake your head and decide that you should take this the same way you would take any other event, with logical thought. First things first, you slide your legs underneath yourself and try to stand up. After a few minutes of struggling to get your muscles to respond, you can feel your body starting to listen again. You stand up and stretch your arms and legs. They're rather sore and you suspect you may have been laying there for a long time. Running your hands down the sides of your thighs, you check your pockets for anything of use. You find your pockets empty and on top of that your pants are rather dirty and torn up. Your shirt seems to be in the same state although it's more burnt than dirty. Then it dawned on you. You're stuck in an unknown place with nothing but the clothes on your back. No food, no water, no shelter. You need to find something to eat and somewhere to sleep quickly. You decide not to take the risk of being in the forest as you have no idea what sort of predators lurk in that area. So you begin to walk out into the field searching for some sort of food to eat or water to drink. You walk for what seems a few hours before you spot a small looking village in the distance. Yes! Civilization! Before you could become too excited, you notice a small animal walking slowly through the grass. You crouch down and begin to sneak closer, not wanting to scare it. As you sneak closer and closer, you realize that the animal is a pony and that it's surrounded by a menagerie of small critters. Rabbits, birds, raccoons, squirrels. All sorts of small furry things are congregating around the pony as it hums to its self. At least you think it's humming.

"That's crazy", you whisper to yourself. Ponies don't hum. You soon realize that the humming wasn't as crazy as it sounds when you realize that the pony has a pink mane! Pink! Ponies don't have pink manes. You contemplate what the hell is going on for a few minutes. Then right as you decide that it may just be a fluke of nature, the pink maned pony calls out to the rabbit that had just begun to sprint away from her.

"Oh angel, please come back we have to go home.." the creature calls in a soft voice.

"HOLY SHIT," you cry out with a gasp, stunned by the fact that there is a talking pony standing right in front of you.

The poor thing yelps in surprise and nearly jumps out of its hide at the sound of your voice. The pony runs off to cower behind some nearby grass that's a bit taller and thicker than the rest. You lean closer to the ground, trying your hardest not to breathe loudly, your heart pounding. You have no idea if the creature is hostile or not. It could talk, but how intelligent was it really? Would it try to harm you if you came out of hiding? You lie there for a good minute before you decide that you had to try and talk to it. As crazy as that sounds, the little creature might be your ticket to salvation. You take the risk and begin to stand up.

"Hello? I didn’t mean to scare you. I just want to talk," you cry out just loud enough for it to hear.

"W-who is it? W-why are you hiding in the grass like that?" answered the now seemingly shy pony.

"I apologize for sneaking up on you like that. You see, I've never seen anything quite like you before and I didn't know if you'd try and hurt me," you explain to it with a slightly slow tone making sure it can understand you.

"W-what do you mean you've never seen anything like me before?" says the pony, in a rather shaky and nervous voice.

"Well, I've never seen a talking pony before!"

The pony slowly peaks its head over the edge of the grass to get a look at you and gasps in astonishment at what it sees.

"You're standing on your hind legs! I've never seen anypony do that before. Where are you from?"

"Iowa."

"Where?"

“Not from around here apparently. Exactly where are we now?", you ask inquisitively.

"Um. E-equestria"

You step out from your hiding space and begin to walk towards the frightened creature. "I think I'm beginning to piece together what happened to me."

The little pony shrieks and hides behind the thick blades of grass. You pause your procession, "Oh I'm sorry, I guess I came out of hiding a bit quickly. I'm coming over so we can talk. Is that OK?"

"Um, I g-guess so."

You quickly walk over beside the poor thing and smile at it sheepishly," Hi my names Matthew"

"F-fluttershy."

You realize that the furry thing beside you is a female as she announces her name. You feel idiotic for not realizing it sooner since her voice was obviously feminine.

"Nice to meet you Fluttershy", you say with a grin.

"I don't mean to be rude but, you're not a pony are you? You're only walking on two legs and now that I see you closer, you don't look like any pony I've ever seen."

"No, I'm not," you respond with a slight laugh, "I'm a human."

"A h-human? What's that?"

You sigh," Well Fluttershy, I'm from a planet called Earth that's inhabited by creatures like me called humans, along with other animals. I was building a device that harnessed radioactive isotopes and," you pause as you realize from the look you're getting that you lost the poor girl.. er pony."Well lets just say I was doing something science related and an accident happened. Then somehow or another I was transported to this place you call Equestria. It's all very confusing. Even I don't know exactly how or why it happened." You look at her waiting for a response, your head sinking as you soon realize she doesn't understand any of it any better than you do. Not surprising.

"W-well, what do you think you should do?" she finally says.

"Well my first order of business will probably to meet any important figures in this land of yours. That way I can get consent to do as I wish, considering I don't really belong here."

"Oh well then you'll want to talk to princess Celestia."

"Could you help me? I have no idea where your 'Princess Celestia' lives or where to go from here."

"Well.. you can stay at my house for a bit and I'll get my friend Twilight to send her a message.I mean if you'd like."

"That sounds wonderful. Thank you so much for your hospitality."

“You’re welcome”, she says as she begins to trot off, expecting you to follow. It only takes a few minutes to reach the small cottage on the outskirts of town. Fluttershy opens the door for you, avoiding your eyes the whole time as you step inside her home. As you step inside, you're hit with a strong scent of crushed pine needles and freshly cut grass. You look around for the source of the smell but find nothing that could possibly be emanating them. After a failed attempt at locating the wafts of pleasant odors, you begin to piece together the room. It's very simply decorated with baskets of flowers littering the tables and stands. An average sized couch sits in the middle of the room along with a coffee table. At least you assume it's a coffee table. You have no idea if these talking ponies even have coffee.

“Do you want any tea?”, says the little mare as she walks into her kitchen.

“I didn't really expect you to have anything like that, but that sounds lovely.”

“Well truthfully I have no idea if I have anything for you to eat.”

“Well, all the ponies on Earth were herbivores, so I assume you eat vegetables also? Do you have any apples, carrots, potatoes or that like?”

“Oh yes! I'll bring those right out.”

After a few minutes of shuffling in the kitchen, you hear iconic whistling signaling your beverage is done. A few more minutes later, Fluttershy comes out carrying a plate full of carrots and apples, along with a cup of tea, held in her mouth at the saucer. Baffled at how she could have carried all that seeing as how she has no hands, you sit there dumbfounded and waiting. She sets the tea down in front of you and then the plate of food.

“Thank you.” you mumble still trying to take in how she carried it all. She answers your thanks with a timid smile and you reach down to take a sip of the tea. As you swallow down the tiny mouthful, you take in the taste. It's very good tea, better than you expected. You take another mouthful, this one bigger than the last. You grab an apple and take a large bite out of it. It was fantastic. The apple itself was a bright red, although it gave no hints to you as to what it tasted like. It was perfectly juicy. Not enough to run and make a mess, but just enough to make it taste wonderful.

“Mm, wow! That's a delicious apple.” you praise.

“Oh, um thanks” she says her smile growing a bit,” I didn't grow it though. My close friend Applejack did.”

“If i get stuck here in Equestria for longer than I expect, I feel I may have to pay her a visit to get some more of these apples,” you reply grinning widely.

Laughing softly, she takes a minute to say,”Tomorrow you'll meet princess Celestia. I sent one of my pets off with a letter to her. Hopefully she’ll get it and come right away.”

“Thank you. I'm glad i can see her so soon.”

“Yes, our princess is very close to her subjects and likes to take each matter personally.” she says proudly,”Um I don't really have anywhere for you to sleep, but you can stay the night on the couch if you wish?”

You laugh, a bit darkly, now that you realize you're officially homeless,” i think i have no other choice”

“Well goodnight then! It's very late,” the pink maned pony says as she walks up the stairs.

“Goodnight,” you say as you lay down to sleep for the night. As you lay on that small couch trying to get to sleep, you think about home. What is home? Is it a place to stay? Your family and friends? You can't say, but your mind keeps bringing you back to the vicious criminal from which you borrowed all of that money. Can you really return to Earth and expect everything to be OK? In fact you're probably safer here with the ponies than you would be if you found a way to go back. You fall asleep as you lay there weighing your options of escape from either situation, and whether or not you really wanted to.

You awaken the next morning to a loud fanfare. Fluttershy comes running down the stairs.

“The princess is coming!”

You hurry to get ready, although you have no other clothes to put on and have no idea how to address her. You and Fluttershy step outside to greet the princess. You're taken aback when you see her. She looks stunning. Well as stunning as a pony can look to a human. She has a magnificent alabaster coat which shines in the sun, as well as a fine looking set of wings on her. She has wings! You take a step back, not knowing what to think. Then you notice she also has a horn atop her head. What were these creatures? Unicorns? Pegasi? You remember back to mythological studies in high-school about the winged beasts and magical horned horses. But even if these ponies were magical creatures, that still doesn't explain why she would have a horn and wings. You look to your left and take a glance at Fluttershy. Sure enough she also has a set of, admittedly smaller, wings. But no horn. Was it only the princess that has a horn and wings? Another strange fact stands out to you. Fluttershy has a tattoo of 3 butterflies on her flank. At least you think it's a tattoo. Maybe it's a birthmark? You look over to the princess and she also adorns a similar mark but hers is of a sun. What strange creatures. Before you know it, the princess is upon you.

“Greetings Matthew,” the queen greets you in a voice that sounds almost as if it were gold. If you hadn't already been prepared for the weirdest of weird after the events of this morning, her voice would have taken your breath away. It's beauty was inconceivable. You drop to your knees as you realize you're just standing there staring.

“H-hi”, you answer slightly shaken.

“I hear you're new to Equestria. Seems that my curiosity has been answered. You don't look like any pony I've ever seen,” the princess says inquisitively, her multi colored pastel mane waving even though there was a noticeable absence of wind.

“Well princess. I'm not from this plane of existence. You see, I'm a scientist from a planet called Earth and I was doing a bit of an um experiment and things went a little haywire and, well here I am.”

“Sounds..interesting.” the princess says with a strange look on her face. ”Not to sound rude but, will you be leaving Equestria?”

“I'll be trying to leave as soon as possible but, quite frankly I have no idea if I'll even be able to get back. I have no equipment you see, and I really don't know how I even got here. Are you saying you want me to leave?”

“No, no, its not that, I was just wondering. But if you don't mind me asking, from the way you're talking, humans don't possess any magic do they?”

“Magic? No, not that I know of.”

“That's very unfortunate. In light of your circumstances and from the fact that I can’t seem to find any falsities in your statements, I hereby, in complete disregard for the requests of my advisers might I add, grant you complete citizenship in Equestria. We’ll also have to arrange to have a place for you to stay somehow procured. I think the easiest way would to just have me create one.”

“Um not to i-interrupt Princess Celestia,” Fluttershy interrupted suddenly,” but could the house for our newest citizen be made beside mine? I feel like if he’s close by, it would be easier for me to help him get acquainted and such.”

“That sounds like a wonderful idea Fluttershy,” the princess says turning to the creme pony. ”I know this may seem sudden, but I’ve thought about this quite a deal and I feel like Equestria shouldn't just be a home for ponies. It’s a land of love and kindness. Traits you exhibit most extensively Fluttershy. So I assume you'll be able to teach our new human friend all about pony culture and help him get settled.”

“Y-yes princess.”

“Good.”

The princess then leans her head forward and closes her eyes. She seems to be concentrating very hard on something as her horn begins to glow brightly. She begins to sweat as whatever feat she’s preforming takes its toll on her body. Her horn glows exuberantly for a good 30 seconds before you notice a house about fifty meters down the trail running away from Fluttershy’s home beginning to form. Within a few minutes, what used to be a faint outline of a building, solidifies in a full fledged home. The princess opens her eyes and her horn dies out.

“Now I'm sorry to have to leave so suddenly, but I really must get back to Canterlot,” she says as she steps back onto her cart. “I would love to hear more about your culture at a later time Matthew, time permitting.”

“Yes princess, thank you so much!” you cry out to her as her cart flies off pulled by two pegasi taking to the air just as quickly as it had landed.

You and Fluttershy look at each other, a big grin forming on your faces. You both run over to your new house. You open the front door and examine the living room. Your living room. The room is completely furnished with a couch, dining table, some chairs, fireplace and a few end tables with various decorations on them such as flowers and that like. You quickly walk into the kitchen and sure enough it's adorned also with a stove and cupboards. As you open them to examine the contents, you notice they are full of food and dishes. You slowly walk back out into the main room and plop down on the couch, letting out a long sigh. Here you were in a completely foreign land and in just a day you've solidified a place to stay. Fluttershy walks over and takes a seat beside you.

“You don't seem to be too sad to have left behind your old home,” she says with a bit of worry in her voice.

“Well truth be told I was in a bit of financial trouble and I'm actually quite glad to be away from it all. This Equestria has been quite peaceful so far. Besides I'm not one to make a bad situation worse with pessimism.”

“Are you still going to try and get home?”

“I'm not sure yet. Probably. I haven't really thought about it much and I don't really want to,” you say frowning slightly as you reveal your feelings.

“Oh. I'm sorry to bring it up.”

“Its OK Fluttershy,” you quickly wipe the frown away from your face and replace it with a light smile. ”Well I guess my next
order of business will be to get some sort of income. I can’t live off of what’s in the cupboards for long.”

“Hm, well what would you like to do for a living?”

“Well I think, being a human with fingers and all, I'd like to get a job that took advantage of that.”

“Hmmm...” Fluttershy begins to think to herself.

“Oh! How about a masseuse? I think with those fingers of yours you could do a good job at that.”
You think over it to yourself and then come to the conclusion that you wouldn't like to be touching ponies all day, “I don't think I’d like that very much.” Fluttershy goes back to brainstorming for a few minutes and then you finally come up with an idea.

“How about a tailor?” you ask her.

“Um no, I don't think so. We already have one of those here in Ponyville and she’s very good at what she does. Besides, we ponies only wear clothes to important occasions.” You forgot about the fact that they didn't wear clothing. You sigh and walk towards the kitchen, ”I think I'm going to cook some stew. I'm getting a bit hungry”. Fluttershy sits at the table as you begin to get out the required materials and vegetables to make your families recipe for vegetable stew. As you begin to prepare the meal and chop up the various plants and get everything ready, Fluttershy suddenly gasps. You turn around just as she yells out (well what passes for yelling by her),”I've got it!”

“You’ve got what, Fluttershy?”

“I figured out what you can do for a job, you can be a chef! I was just watching you cook. Think about it!”

“I don't know,” you think about the idea for a bit. You've never been the best cook but you never hated cooking and your whole family always praised you when ever you cooked the holiday meals. Finally you decide that it might not be such a bad idea.

“I guess I could give it a try,” you say grinning slightly as you imagine yourself as some 5-star chef making meals for talking ponies. God my life is just completely upside down isn't it? you think to yourself as you continue to prepare the meal. The rest of the evening was spent cooking the stew and talking to Fluttershy about your future as a chef. You two made plans, going over them again and again making sure that it was a good idea. After an hour or two, she announces that she needs to get home since it's getting late. She says she’ll be back tomorrow to help you find out more about cooking jobs. As you say your goodbyes and close the door behind her, you let out a long heavy breath and climb up the stairs of your new home, completely beat from the events of the day. You decide to skip cleaning for the day and just go straight to bed. A smile grows on your face as you lay in your bed, in your new home in the middle of Equestria, the land of magical talking ponies. Magical talking ponies, you keep repeating to yourself as you lie in bed. You're surrounded by magical talking ponies and you couldn't be more content.

Contemplation

You sit up quickly, gasping for breath as you jolt awake. It takes a few seconds for you to register where you are. You slide your feet out from under the covers and place them on the floor, resting your elbows on your knees, your face in your hands. You have a pounding headache. No doubt caused by the events that have encompassed the past few days. Slowly you shift out of bed and make your way towards the bathroom. As you step inside, you’re grateful to see that the bathtub the Princess put into your home was big enough for a human and not pony sized. Turning the knobs on, you begin to strip of your clothing as the tub fills with hot water, the room getting slightly steamy. You stop the running water and then dip yourself in. Sinking down into the pool up to your ears, the water just under your nose, you let the warmth soak into your bones.

I don’t feel like doing much of anything today, I’d love to just sit in here all day.

As nice as the thought might be, you decide against it. You need to get situated and more importantly you need to look for your stuff, if it even followed you to this strange world. On top of that, you don’t relish the thought of getting out and having your skin become all wrinkly from a day long soak. After a nice long dip, you let the water run out of the washing container and step out, grabbing a towel. You wrap it around your waist and walk back into the bedroom and begin looking for some clothes. Suddenly, it hits you like a sack of bricks. You don’t have any more clothes. Those pathetic, ragged, and dirty pieces of cloth that you had been wearing were all that you owned. You shiver at the thought of having to put them back on. You’re not the germaphobic type of person, but you could say that you’re overly hygienic. You can’t decide what to do. You don’t like the thought of putting your old, crusty clothes back on, but you also don’t like the idea of running around naked or in a towel, even though all the ponies are completely nude.

To anybody but me, dirty clothes probably seem like the stupidest thing to be worrying about right now.

You understand that it’s quite idiotic to be contemplating whether or not to put your garments back on, seeing as there’s practically no other choice. You can’t help but stand there and try and think of a different route to take. You think that you possibly might be able to wash the clothing in the bathtub and let them dry, but letting them air dry would take an extreme amount of time and you needed to get things done today. Suddenly, you hear a knock on your door from down the stairs. You have no other choice. Sighing, you reluctantly slip into your clothes and run down the stairs. You pull the door open and there stands Fluttershy. Who else would you expect?

“Good morning,” she says rubbing her hoof into the ground softly.

“Morning,” you reply, a bit embarrassed that you’re still in the same clothes you wore yesterday.

That’s stupid; they don’t even wear clothes, I doubt they care if mine are dirty.

You motion for her to come in and close the door behind her as she steps through the doorway.

She turns to you, “I looked into any work around Ponyville that involves cooking.” She looks away for a moment shyly. “Daisy Diner needs an assistant chef. Carrot Top is the head chef there and she said she could use an extra pair of hooves. I think she’ll be overly pleased with hands.” You grin slightly.

“That’s great!” you exclaim.

You think for a minute and then decide to ask Fluttershy about your clothing problem.

“I don’t mean to sound prude but, could we go to meet that tailor you mentioned the other day? I only have one set of clothes you see, and I don’t think I like the idea of walking around naked all day.” Your face turns slightly red as you imagine walking around completely nude.

Not fun.

Fluttershy also blushes slightly, realizing she forgot that you normally don’t go running around naked. ”O-oh yes. I’m sorry for not thinking about that earlier. I could have gotten you some clothes the other night so you had a fresh set this morning.”

“It’s all right. I doubt that whoever would be making the attire for me would know exactly how to make it. I’m not, after all, a pony.”

“Y-yes that would have been a slight problem. Oh my, I would have felt so foolish asking for clothing and then realizing they wouldn’t fit anyways. I just feel so stupid sometimes.” She says mumbling the last part with a slight frown.

“Aw, you’re not stupid Fluttershy. I’m sure you’re very smart.” You reach over and scratch behind her ear like you would a dog. At your touch she gasps slightly and jumps back her eyes wide in surprise.

“Oh I’m sorry…” you quickly apologize.

“No, it’s okay. Y-you just surprised me. But back to before, yes we can stop by Rarity’s shop. I’m sure she’ll be happy to make you some clothing. She’s always looking for a challenge!” she says returning to her normal shy demeanor.

“That’s great!” you say ecstatically. “Well let’s not waste any time!” You open the door and usher Fluttershy out. She may be a pony but she’s still female and you have your manners.

Most of the trip was spent in an awkward silence. You couldn’t really think of anything to say. You were never good at small talk. You rolled around idea after idea in your head for something to talk about but to no avail. Eventually, you arrive at a round looking building with columns made of what looks to be marble. They hold up a balcony that surrounded the whole upper level of the structure.

“Here we are,” Fluttershy states.

Just as you’re about to say something, the door bursts open and another pony around the same size as Fluttershy, with white fur and a curly purple mane, trots out.

“Fluttershy my dear!” she announces, rather loudly, as she comes over and gives Fluttershy a tight hug.

“Hey Rarity,” the shy pony replies hugging her back.

“And this must be that ‘human’ that Twilight mentioned.”

“Hm, seems like my reputation precedes me,” you mumble not sure how you feel about the fact that everybody knows who you are before you know them.

“Yes it does, why Twilight was practically jumping off the ceiling at the prospect of a strange being suddenly appearing in Equestria. ‘I have to meet him!’ she exclaimed over and over. ‘I wonder if he’ll let me ask him about his culture and habitat.’ She seemed quite eager to meet you,” the white pony laughs as she imitates her friend’s reaction.

“Sounds fun,” you grimace at the thought of answering a multitude of questions.

“So I hear that you humans wear your attire every day?” she begins again,” and I assume that since you’re here to pay me a visit that you want some clothing?”

“That’s correct. Miss Rarity is it?”

“Oh that’s simply divine! I can’t wait to get started.” Rarity steps behind you placing her head on your rump and pushes you inside, completely ignoring your question. Fluttershy follows you, giggling as she sees the scowl on your face.

As you’re pushed into the room, Rarity steps over to her desk. You notice she has a horn adorning her head. You’re not really surprised to see that there are others with horns just like the Princess, but you still can’t figure out why she seems to be the only one with a horn and wings. You push it out of your mind as Rarity addresses you.

“Now working from what Twilight told me the other night about humans, information she most certainly got from the Princess, I whipped up a few designs.” Rarity’s horn glows as some parchments lift off the table and float in front of you. Each sheet is adorned with a design for a magnificent looking set of garments. You look them over, each one becoming more and more fancy than the last.

“Um, I don’t know how comfortable I would feel accepting such extravagant apparel from you. Besides I was hoping for something a bit more…Practical?”

Rarity stomps her hoof with a loud humph expressing her obvious annoyance at your rejection.

“I won’t take no for an answer darling. You absolutely must let me make them to my standards. Besides, I think you’d look absolutely dashing in these,” she says batting her eyes at the last part, donning a now devious smile.

“I don’t know…” You contemplate it for a little bit. Realizing that flattery and flirting will get her nowhere with you, she bounces over to you and grabs you by the shoulders.

“Pleasssseeee let me make them! It’ll be a test of my fashion sense! I NEED to do this!” she pleads with you, a pout on her face as she makes puppy dog eyes at you. You can’t help but melt from her pleading and reply with a nod.

“Excellent!” she says stepping back from you. “Now I think I got the basic design right but I do need to take some measurements to make sure the wardrobes fit just right.” Her horn glows faintly and before you can realize that it’s happening, your clothes are magically being taken off. You quickly cover up your lower regions, blushing hard at your sudden nudity. Rarity seems not to notice as a tape measure is magically levitated over to you and a pair of glasses placed gently on her nose. She spends a good thirty minutes taking your measurements. The tape measure slides all over your body, taking the various lengths of your arms, legs, waist, chest, neck, shoulders, and other important lengths. When she’s done and has written all of the numbers down, Rarity addresses you.

“I do believe you won’t be needing these ragged old things anymore,” prodding your old clothes with a disgusted look on her face. “Allow me to dispose of them and I’ll make you a set as quickly as possible so that you can go out. In the meantime, you’ll have to wait here for me to complete the first set.”

You sigh, frustrated at the thought of sitting in her shop, naked, for even just an hour. You comply hesitantly. You sit down on Rarity’s couch trying to relax. You and Fluttershy begin discuss various things about pony culture and your culture. She tells you that there are three types of ponies: earth ponies, pegasi, and unicorns. She also explains how each one is different and the various jobs they usually possess. You’re surprised to hear that the changing of the seasons and various other things you assumed to occur naturally, were done by the ponies themselves. When she explains how the princesses, Celestia and Luna, raise and lower the sun and moon each day, you’re stupefied.

What interesting creatures.

In turn, she doesn’t seem to understand the concept of science or technology. Ponies apparently possess very little technology aside from steam locomotives and that such. You try to explain how computers work and how useful they are but, she doesn’t seem to be able to grasp the concept. Eventually you give up, much to her dismay and many apologies for being “stupid.”

After a few hours of lengthy discussions about various aspects of your lives and waiting anxiously, Rarity finally comes back with a complete set of clothing. Your jaw drops when you see it in person. The outfit consists of a ravishing pair of black trousers complemented by a magnificent white silk shirt with a red vest adorning it. The top wear is completed with a long black coat and a matching red cravat. The shoes are black and polished to a near blinding shine.

“Rarity, it looks wonderful!” Fluttershy exclaims.

“Yes, you’ve really outdone yourself. I don’t know how comfortable I feel accepting this now that I’ve seen it in person,” you say dumbfounded at the outfit. You would never imagine yourself wearing something like this. Not that you didn’t like clothing such as this, you just never had enough money to pay the bills, let alone buy extravagant clothing.

“Nonsense,” she says without giving you a chance to reject it, the clothes magically being put on you. She guides you over to the mirror and you look yourself over a few times. She smiles at her handy work.

“Well now that you have some clothes, you can finally leave. I assume you’re bored out of your mind, am I right?” she states with a grin.

“Um, yes I actually do need to leave. I still haven’t inquired about a job I’m looking to get at the Daisy Diner,” you reply still slightly speechless. She ushers you and Fluttershy out her front door hastily.

“Not to be rude darling, but if I plan to get these garments all done by tomorrow, I need to get to work! I promise I’ll make you something a little more ‘practical’ as you requested for working and that such,” she closes the door with a quick goodbye and a wink.

You and Fluttershy look at each other for a moment, piecing together what just happened.

“Did she just throw us out?” you ask.

“I think so,” Fluttershy says giggling. You can’t help but smile as she laughs.

“Well then I guess we should go and see about that job now,” you say as you both calm down a bit, a grin still on your faces. Fluttershy nods and leads you through town towards a location unknown to you. As you walk through the town, any pony that walks past stares in amazement, stopping in their tracks. You suspect that your attire alone would be enough to make heads turn. But that mixed with the fact that you’re a human stuns everyone who notices you. You can’t help but laugh.

I’m like a celebrity.

You hear various comments as you travel.

“Wow look at those clothes!”

“Is he walking on two legs?”

“What a strange looking pony,” says one unknown speaker to which another replied, “He’s not a pony you idiot, didn’t you hear the news from Canterlot? He’s a human!”

And one you especially like, “I don’t know what he is, but doesn’t he just look so dashing in that outfit?”

Darn Rarity, you were right.

You don’t know how you feel about the attention but soon it doesn’t matter anyways as you arrive where you both were headed.

“Here it is,” Fluttershy states. You both walk in and head towards the back where you assume Carrot Top is. As you enter the kitchen, you notice a pony with a bright orange mane and orange-yellow fur. She turns to you as you approach.

“Well, well. You’re the new comer huh?”

“Yes ma’am,” you answer grinning. The pony before you seems to be in her middle ages, with a mother’s figure.

“Well I see Rarity already got a hold of you. I’d probably want to wear some clothes that are a bit more practical if I were you. If you get the job that is.”

You laugh half-heartedly at the statement, “I tried to convince Rarity to make me something practical, but she refused. And if? Are there others applying for the spot?”

“No but you didn’t think I’d just hire you without seeing if you’re a good help did you?” she seems a bit amused at the prospect.

“Well now that I think about it, maybe just a little?” you say, laughing a bit again.

Carrot Top grins at your joke, “Well then, if you’re ready we can get started? I think I’ll just have you help around for the rest of today. It gets a bit hectic towards dinner time and if you do a good job then you’ve got the part!”

You roll up your sleeves, ready for a challenge. “I’m ready,” you state, matter-of-factly.

The next few hours are a living hell. Ponies swarm into the establishment around dinner time and the orders start flowing in. You can barely hear Carrot Top over the loud environment as she cries orders to you left and right. You help her with various things. Chopping, stirring, mixing, things like that. Whenever she’d forget about a dish in the chaos of the kitchen you’d take over and finish it so it wasn’t ruined. The diner served various dishes that were obviously made for ponies. Sandwiches made with flowers, Salads made out of grass and Soups made with hay, things along those lines.

This definitely isn’t human food.

It all seemed like a big blur of motion and work by the time you were done. Your fingers are sore from fixing various ingredients for cooking and you have a few burns from where you tried to handle something just a little bit too quickly. The day ended with you exhausted and sweating in your new outfit.

Rarity would kill me.

Carrot Top walks over to you, looking equally as exhausted.

“Wow, I always knew dinner time was hectic but that was especially bad!” she says panting slightly.

“That was one hell of a day,” you reply agreeing.

“I’ve never seen anybody handle themselves in a mess like that as well as you did. You’ve got the job Matthew,” She says happily.

“Thank you so much!”

“You start next Monday. Don’t be late,” she says walking off winking at you. You realize you have no idea what day it is and quickly recount the days you’ve been in Equestria and what day the accident had been. You come to the conclusion that it’s Saturday.

Good I still have a whole week to look for my things and to continue getting settled.

You and Fluttershy exit and begin the walk home.

“Well that wasn’t so hard,” you say jokingly. You both laugh. As you two make the long trek home, you discuss the various events of today. You confess how, even though the day was crazy, you enjoyed most of it, even the work at the diner. You talk about how peaceful it is in Equestria and how, even though it’s not your home, it’s still a very nice place and you’re glad to be here. Time flies as you make your way to your home and before you know it, you’re there. You open the door, step inside, and collapse on the couch. Fluttershy comes in behind you and sits beside you, not even giving it any thought. You notice that two more sets of clothing had been set on your table while you were out.

“Must have been Rarity,” you say. Fluttershy nods in agreement. You decide that you’ll put them away later. You sit and relax on the couch in silence with Fluttershy for a long while. The silence becomes a bit awkward and you decide you better clean up. You advance over to the kitchen to clean up the mess you had created the other night. Fluttershy follows you in and sits at the table still not talking. You didn’t need to worry about dinner; you had eaten a very quick one at the Daisy Diner.

“Would you like something to eat or drink?” you ask Fluttershy, not wanting to be rude.

“No thank you,” she says with a smile. You nod and proceed to clean up the mess you had left. Washing and then drying dishes and putting them away. Tasks you had never found fun before, but especially loathed at this moment because it was taking away time you could spend with Fluttershy. You quickly finish up the chores and then sit down at the table with your friend. You glance at the clock and realize it’s been nearly an hour since you got home and you two had barely said anything. You strike up a little more small talk about the day’s proceedings but there isn’t much more you two could talk about. After a little while, you announce to her that you should probably get to bed. She seems to get a bit sad at the suggestion. You reach over and scratch her behind the ear just as you did that morning but this time she doesn’t jump away.

“Don’t worry? I don’t think I’m going anywhere anytime soon. I officially think I’m going to be stuck here in Equestria for a very, very long time,” you reassure in a lackluster tone. You really didn’t think you were going anywhere. You had no idea where any of your equipment was and even if you did find it, you had no idea how you got here and even less of an idea of how to get back.

She smiles at you softly. “I-it’s just that I don’t get out very much. And you’ve been a good friend to me ever since you got here,” she looks away smiling a bit more. “My life’s usually predictable but ever since you arrived, I’ve been having so much fun.”

You smile back at her and scratch a bit harder. No words needed to be said. The feelings towards your friendship were mutual and she seemed comfortable with your smile. After a while, she gets up and says her goodbyes walking out the door. You call out a goodbye after her and watch her leave, closing the door behind her. You slump back down on the couch, processing all of today’s events up until now. I’m friends with a pony. The thought runs through your head over and over, you feel crazy for befriending a pony, but you compare how you felt the day before and how you feel now. You think about it for a while and decide that just because they weren’t humans didn’t mean you couldn’t befriend them. They were, after all, intelligent. You slowly fall asleep, thinking about how peaceful your life is ever since it got turned upside down.

Isn’t that the definition of irony, is your last thought before you drift into sleep.

Note: This is, if you haven't figured it out yet (shame on you), the end of chapter 2. If you liked great! If you didn't please leave detailed feed back on what parts I need to improve on. This fic is my first adventure into the wonderful world of character based literature. All of my past works have been about theoretical physics and astronomy so this is a new one for me!

Home

You grimace as the morning sun shines brightly through the blinds on your window. Rolling over, you grab another pillow and slap it on your face. You drift in and out of sleep again and again as the slow march of time causes the sun to push and retract its beams of light under the fluffy cover on your face. You slide out of bed eventually, a scowl on your face. You never liked waking up early but you had important things to accomplish today. Shuffling over to your wardrobe, you pick out a set of clothes that you aren’t afraid to get dirty. Sliding them on, you walk slowly down the stairs and proceed out the door. Tiredly, you begin the long trek across the hills towards the edge of the forest you appeared beside a few days earlier. You now know, thanks to Fluttershy, that forest is called the Everfree forest. Your walking is slow; a slight wind is blowing in your face, chilling you to the bone. The morning dew still covers the grass as you walk. The path through the hills, bobbing up and down and weaving back and forth, causes a slight absence of breath within you by the time you reach the outskirts of the forest. You’re not out of shape but you were never the athletic type.

Stretching your arms, you decide not to waste any time thinking about it. There was no need to have a game plan. You walk your way around the forest slowly, looking for any sign that there may be some metal or any of those sorts of things stuck in the dirt or in a tree. Anything would have been a breath of fresh air. You go over the contents of your basement in your head over and over but when it got down to it, you doubted anything was intact. Your search wasn’t for a specific machine, but just random pieces that had been part of it. Wires, scrap metal, glass, bolts, screws, anything would be welcome. But what you really needed were tools. Given enough time, almost anything could be replaced but the tools were irreplaceable. Without them, you had no way of working with whatever you would happen to find. Wrenches, screwdrivers, pliers, side cutters or saws, anything you could find. You’re glad you never had enough money to purchase power tools as they would be useless in this environment. The forest is extremely large, bigger than you first thought it to be. You didn’t know how close any item, which would have gotten sucked into the portal with you, would land. You also decide that it couldn’t hurt to search just a tiny bit into the forest. You change your motion of searching and begin to weave in and out of the forest and back into the fields as you walk. It seems like you’ve been searching the large fields that stretch outside the forest and the outer clusters of trees that make up the dark intimidating forest when you spot something out of the corner of your eye. You focus on it and realize that it’s just the root of a tree. It had looked rather square and jagged, that’s why it caught your attention. You brush it out of your mind and continue. You almost miss it again as you pass by. You look at the ‘root’ a bit closer and realize that it in fact was not a root, but a piece of finished wood. You run over to it and drop to your knees. The wood is infused into the tree itself. You study it for a while and realize what it is.

My bookcase! Why is it stuck in this tree though?

You notice how strange that is almost right away. The top of your bookcase was stuck inside the tree. Well actually more specifically it was fused with the tree and the dirt. You realize just how lucky you are as you piece together the scene in front of you. The way you were transported to this plane didn’t seem to be able to distinguish matter. You could have easily ended up like that bookcase. You shiver thinking about what it would have been like to have the trunk of that tree running through your abdomen fused with your guts, gasping for breath as your body fails and you die slowly. You begin to brush the dirt away from the wood. You conclude that you’ll have to dig it all up. Luckily the case itself had been transported horizontally and the books where only a few inches under the dirt. Glad to see that most of them had been undamaged by the transportation, you pull them out one by and one and stack them into a large pile. As you pile the books up, you grasp that you hadn’t brought anything to carry recovered objects home with you in. You curse under your breath at your stupidity. You begin to sort through the rather foreboding pile. Sifting them into different piles, you categorize them into ones you want to take back now and ones you can risk to come back for later. You end up with four smaller but still rather bulky piles. Sighing you grab the first pile, the most important books consisting of physics texts and mathematical books. Carrying the heavy pile across the hills, you head back towards your home. Your legs start to get tired and you weren’t even halfway back, but you gratify them and take a short break before proceeding. At about the halfway mark, your arms begin aching. By the time you get back to your house, your arms feel as if they were made out of jelly, your back is hurting and you’re gasping for breath, a layer of sweat covering you. Huffing you turn to look back at the forest.

Jesus…

You grimace at the thought of going back for more books, but it had to be done. Starting the long journey again you make your way back to where you left the rest of the books. The whole process was quite boring and a strain on your muscles. You went back and forth another three times, carrying pile after pile. Every journey straining your physical and mental prowess, but you were determined. Each procession took a good two hours for the trip to and back. By the time you were done, the sun had crossed the sky. After collapsing at your door and catching your breath for about ten minutes, you calculate the time of day.

Being a boy scout actually came in handy…

Suddenly you’re glad your dad made you go to the meetings and outings of the Cleghorn Boy Scouts. You come to the understanding that it’s about four in the afternoon. You decide that you’ve had enough manual labor for today, besides all these books did need sorting. After all the books are inside your house, you almost slam your head against the wall.

I don’t have a freaking bookcase!

Well you didn’t have one anymore. At this point, someone could put your picture under the definition for stupidity and you wouldn't object. You sigh and begin to sort the books by subject and author, stacking them up on your floor like dominoes and taking a vase off of your side table to hold the row up. The Universe in a Nutshell, A Brief History of Time, E=MC2, The Tao of Physics and The Dancing Wi Lu Masters are just some of the books that make up the rather small collection. As you sort the books, you consider all the possible scenarios that could have lead you to this situation. Wormholes and means of multiverse travel clouds your mind.

I don’t think this is a different planet. What are the chances that another planet in our system, or any system at that, would have a species similar to the ponies that are on Earth?

Although it was a possibility, considering probability says that with enough tries anything is possible. Even though the universe is infinite and that gives you an infinite amount of “tries” to land on a planet such as this one, you push that possibility out of your mind and continue to run ideas through your head. Wormholes are now not applicable as they could only, theoretically might you add, be used for inter-universal travel, unless somehow you absentmindedly discovered a new way to use them.

Even if I did discover something that amazing, it still doesn’t help me figure out a way home.

You curse rather loudly. You’re running out of ideas. Your books are now organized but you have nowhere to store them. It’s relatively late in the evening and you have no money, so buying a bookcase is out of the question.

I wonder where Fluttershy is. I’ve been gone all day, I thought she would be wondering where I am.

You wince as your stomach twists and growls. You take that as an initiative to go to the kitchen and grab an apple from the bowl sitting on your counter. You backtrack and then sit on the couch with a fwump as you munch on the fruit. At first you were perfectly okay with just eating apples and carrots, but after only a few days, you’ve now officially grown tired of the all-vegetable and fruit diet. If the apples around here weren’t so good, you probably would have gone partially crazy from the food already. You finish your snack sized dinner and stretch your arms behind your back. As you do, you nearly vomit from the odor that’s emanating from your underarms.

Oh god! I’m glad Fluttershy didn’t come to see me today, I stink so badly.

You hurry up the stairs, stripping your smelly clothes as you move towards the bathroom. As you enter, you begin to run a full bath and then quickly slip in. After lathering up a wash cloth, the long process of scrubbing off the slime and dirt from a day’s work begins. The soap is refreshing on your skin. Ponies apparently make some very nice soap. With your skin freshly scrubbed and your hair lathered to a nice bubbly puff, you lean down and dip your whole body down under the water rinsing it all off. Gently you set your head against the back of the bathtub and think about your family, and what friends you had. Emotions are swarming in your head. You can’t take it anymore; you can’t deny it any further. As wonderfully peaceful this place is, it’s not your home. You slowly break out into a quiet sob, the realization almost too much to bear.

God I’m never going to get home…

You hate yourself for being so weak but can’t help but sob in the warmth of the basin for a good ten minutes before you calm yourself down. You pull the plug on the tub with your foot and slip out and into the bedroom, quickly grabbing some undergarments and pulling them up to your hips. Slinking down the stairs, you take a seat on the couch once again, placing your face in your hands. You still have no idea how to feel about any of this. All of it happened so suddenly and you denied it at first with your false sense of inner peacefulness, but you just have no idea how to process the situation. As if some greater being wants to deny you any second of peace, you hear a knock on your door. You get up and answer the appeal for entrance. It’s Fluttershy. You can’t say you’re excited to see her but you also can’t say you wish she hadn’t come. Frankly you don’t know how the hell to feel.

“Hello Matthew,” she says, grinning just a tiny bit.

“Hey Fluttershy, Please come in,” you reply in a lackluster tone.

She steps through the frame, allowing you to close the door, the breeze from the cold outside cut off.

“Is s-something wrong? Did I come at a bad time? I can leave if you want.” Fluttershy’s tone changes to one of worry and she looks into your eyes, longing for an honest answer.

You can’t lie to her.

“Yeah, I’m not feeling the greatest.” You slump back down on the couch.

“I’ve just been thinking today about the situation I’m in. I miss my home. I miss my family. I feel like I’ll never get back home and I thought I was okay with that at first, but now I’m not so sure.”

“O-oh, is it something I did? I didn’t mean to make you angry.”
Ironically, her assumption is what makes you angry.

“No,” you growl.

She can sense the tension in your voice. An ‘I’m sorry’ in a mumble is all she can muster. You motion for her to join you on the couch, feeling slightly bad for the way you spoke to her. She slowly progresses to the couch, avoiding eye contact with you all the while.

“Don’t worry Fluttershy; I’m not mad at you. I’m just a little stressed is all?” reaching over you scratch her mane. She leans her head slightly against your hand, relishing the touch. Her eyes begin to close before she remembers something, her eyes opening wide.

“Oh I almost forgot to ask. W-where were you today? I knocked on your door this morning but I didn’t get an answer. I was so worried…” Your heart almost skips a beat at the thought that someone cares about you enough to be worried when you don’t answer the door.

“I went looking for my things.”

“D-did you find anything?” a fearful twang in her voice.

“Like my way back home?” laughing darkly at the thought you shake your head no.” all I found was my bookcase.” You motion towards the books lined up on your floor.

She takes a deep breath at the sight of the books.” Oh my, where’s the bookcase then?”

“Well see that’s the strange part. When I found it, the wood itself was fused into a tree. I came to the conclusion that whatever caused me to end up here had no regard for whether or not I ended up united, rather painfully, with a tree or random object.”

Her eyes become wide at the thought.” You mean you could have died?” she says her voice shaky.

“Well yes, but I didn’t.”

Fluttershy suddenly grabs you and pulls you into a hug. You’re stunned for a few moments before you embrace her back. Before long, you notice she’s sobbing on your shoulder lightly.

“Why are you crying Fluttershy? I’m not dead.”

She continues to cry for a minute before she answers between sniffles,” I know, and I don’t know why but I can’t help myself.”
You both sit there clinching together for what feels like an hour or two. In reality, it was probably only about thirty minutes. It begins to get quite awkward for you but you continue to hug her so she’ll feel better. Fluttershy is the one to break the hug. Immediately you regret your feelings of awkwardness as her warmth is removed from your body. She coughs slightly, a reaction you find amusing. Had she felt awkward too? And if so, was she also hugging you just to make you feel better? You heart pumps harder at the thought of it and you look down at your hands. As you look down, you realize that you’re shirtless. Blushing hard, you pretend like you still haven’t noticed, she also doesn’t seem to have noticed, unless she was also hiding it.

God I’m such a mess.

You glance back and forth wondering what to do or say. You’re at a loss for words. Women are so complicated, even if this one wasn't human. Eventually you manage to spit out a question.

“Well how was your day?”

“Pretty average, except I was worried about you all day,” she says teasingly.

“I never really caught what you do on a day to day basis.”

“Oh, I tend to needy animals most of the day. It’s my passion; I just love animals so much.”

“That’s great! I’m pretty neutral on the subject myself. I’ve never had a pet but I wouldn’t mind one.”

“Maybe one day I can help you pick one out.” She smiles at you goofily. You giggle at the way she smiled. Not a mean teasing laugh but a light hearted one.

Fluttershy then gets off the couch and rubs her hoof against the floor a few times.

“Um, I should probably get going its sort of late.”

“Yeah I need to get to bed, would you mind helping me with my search tomorrow?” you say leading her towards the door. You open it for her with a friendly smile. As she walks out the door she turns around abruptly and squeezes you tight for a few seconds. That's all the answer you need.

“Goodbye!” she says as she trots off immediately after breaking the quick hug. You call out a goodnight after her and then shut the door. You move to your room and collapse in your bed with a grin. Almost immediately, sleep finds you and you drift off into a land even stranger than the one you currently inhabit.

The next day, the whole process begins again. The slow descent out of bed, the travel across the hill territory that surrounds Ponyville, and the hunt for lost equipment. This time, luckily, you have Fluttershy there to talk to and help hunt. You describe all of the things that she should be looking for, but you’re skeptical if she knows what you’re talking about or not. After receiving the instructions and the descriptions, she flies high into the air, looking down at the ground for an aerial point of view. It took just less than half an hour for her to find something. She guides you to the spot and you both begin digging. She scrapes her hooves against the ground moving little piles of dirt in the process as you claw at the dirt. Finally, with a lot of caked dirt under your fingernails you get the item up. It was a wrench.

Score.

You were glad to have at least one tool. Even if it wasn’t all of them, one was better than none. You slide the metal tool into your pocket and allow Fluttershy to fly up again, continuing her search. Soon enough she spots another object and you meet her at the point. You begin digging at the ground again, paying no attention to how dirty your arms were getting. From your excavation, you discover a box. You can’t quite remember what was inside so you open the container. Most of the items that are in it are completely random. Some wire, side cutters to go with it, nuts, bolts, screws, and a flat head screwdriver. You were happy to at least be making some progress. These discoveries and recoveries went on the whole day. By the end of the day you and your friend had created a good sized pile of random objects. Glass, scrap metal, some random tools, gears, bars, and rods littered the ground. All of it would be useful. You’re glad that Fluttershy was smart enough to bring a large piece of fabric to wrap it all in. She flies down and helps encase all of the items in the cloth. After it’s all wrapped up she flies off with the large ball of crap hanging off her back. Carrying nothing but the wrench, you begin the long walk home. In about an hour, you finally make your way back. Fluttershy is already there and has the recovered items sitting in a pile smack dab in the middle of your living room. She had been examining them when you walked through the door. Her head nearly hit the roof as you greeted her; she had not been expecting you back so soon.

“O-oh hi. I was just, um, looking at your things. I hope you don’t mind.” She seems a bit embarrassed, her face flushing red.

“Not at all Fluttershy, do you want me to show you how some of it works?”

“That would be… interesting,” she says shyly. You grin, excited to show her something “interesting.” You quickly scrap up a few gears, cogs and rods, cradling them in your arms as you carry them to your couch. Slowly but surely, you piece the parts together. You have no idea what you’re making but you’ve always been good at ad-libbing. The pieces slip together effortlessly as you fit them all into one as quickly as possible. She stares at you in amazement as you work. It doesn’t take very long to get the object done; you end up with a makeshift water-powered mechanism. You then take the device and proceed to the kitchen. You place the device into the sink and turn the faucet on. The water runs down onto the wheel, collecting into the bins that line it and the circle begins to spin. You show her how when the water hits the wheel and causes it to spin it rotates the gears and rods causing the claw attached to it to move back and forth.

Rather stupid and elementary…

Fluttershy doesn’t seem to think so and is amazed that you accomplished something like that using just a few spare parts you had laying around. You’re happy she’s pleased with the creation but you decide its best to scrap it. You cut off the water and then take it back out into the living room proceeding to dismantle it. Screw by screw, bolt by bolt, you take the thing apart dropping the spare parts on the floor as you work. When it’s about half way taken apart, you give up finding the task boring and just end up throwing what’s left of it back onto the pile.

If I need any of that crap at a later point, I’ll take it apart then.

Fluttershy begins asking you how one’s able to make things like that and how they could possibly be useful. You explain to her that if you put enough mechanisms and systems like that together you can make all sorts of things happen. Stories follow suit about the large automated factories that litter your land. You talk about the mechanisms that do peoples’ jobs for them more efficiently and quickly than they ever could hope to achieve and how humans can fly without wings using engines and rotor blades. All of these things are new to her of course and you have to explain the concept of the engine and many other things to her as you go along. She marvels at your tales saying that “it’s amazing humans could accomplish all this without the use of magic.”

I guess our lack of magic is what helps us advance technologically.

She starts to ask you an array of questions about the device and all the other things you talked about and how they work. She also asks you if there were any other things you could make. You confess that you were never much of an inventor but you grasp the basics of mechanics and systems. Pulleys, levers, winches and that such, are not beyond your grasp. She asks you what those things are and you have to explain each in turn. You feel like a middle school technology teacher. As you explain all of these things to her, she keeps glancing back to the pile of scraps in the middle of the floor as if they would somehow magically piece together and create some amazing machine that can do all your chores for you. You find it amusing that the things you know the least about amaze Fluttershy.

I can only imagine if I tried to explain the Morris-Thorne wormhole metric to her.

Fluttershy yawns widely and you suggested that you both retire. She rejects your offer and asks you to continue talking about all the fascinating things in your world. You try to explain as much as you can about, well, everything. You can’t even scrape the tip of the iceberg as you enlighten her about all of the items humans have and how they work. Toasters, ovens, microwaves, washing machines, cars, trains, fans, televisions, phones, computers, speakers, C.D.s , mp3 players, and all sorts of other mundane things you never thought twice about were explained that night. At first when you explained some household objects, she didn’t seem very impressed but as you explain that they work by way of electricity she seems dumbfounded. Ponies also have ovens and that such but apparently they are all magical items. She acts like she understands and you truly think she grasps what you’re telling her, but you don’t think she understands that all the things you’re telling her aren’t even the start of things. Eventually she becomes too tired to continue to listen and takes her leave. She says goodbye and exits your home. As Fluttershy leaves, you feel great that you had someone to talk to about your hobbies and studies and all the things from back home. Ignoring the mess that liters your living room you move upstairs and
pull off your clothes, collapsing onto your bed nude.

Fuck it.

You’re too lazy to put any pajamas on and sleep quickly overtakes you as you lay there. That night, you dream of spaceships and time travel. You dream that you’re an amazing scientist that can harness the power of time and space and bend it to his will, going anywhere at any time. Childish things but you can’t help the warm feeling they create inside you, and lament over the fact that such things are out of grasp.

Redundancy, you didn’t know the meaning of the word until that week. Every day the actions repeated. An early morning followed by a long day of searching and physical labor. With the end of the labor and the diurnal cycle coming to an end, the education begins. Each night after you two had finished the scavenging, Fluttershy and yourself would sort through the various items you had found that day. As you’d array the objects, you would teach her about various technologies. Electricity, simple mechanics, systems, some advanced geometry and mathematics, and occasionally science. Ecology and Meteorology were especially hard subjects to teach to a pony. In Equestria, all of the processes of nature were done by the ponies themselves. You had to explain to Fluttershy that on Earth all of those things happened on its own. At first she didn’t believe you.

“What? No way,” she scoffed.

When she noticed you were serious, her tone quickly changed and her attention was grasped. Food chains and weather patterns were strange to her, so in response you had to explain it time and time again until she understood. Electricity was another hard concept to grasp for the mare. Thankfully, when it came to electricity, you had the ability to show her. Piece by piece, you crafted an object to show her the wonders of electricity. It took you a long while, three days to be exact, but with a snap as the rotor, stator, and turbine all clicked together, you were finished.

Done!

You now had in your possession a small hydro-electric generator. You never thought yourself capable of building something like that but apparently, as the object was sitting right in front of you, your knowledge of such things was wider than you thought. Soon enough, you were both at the river that runs through Fluttershy’s front lawn. You placed the object down into the water and watched as the water tugged at the small metal fins. They started to spin and it began to power up, all the pieces working together in a flow that was more beautiful than the river itself. You stared at the LED that you attached to the power output earlier to test if the instrument worked. Sadly enough, after a few minutes you realized that it wasn’t going to light up.

“It’s probably just a problem with the speed of the water. On the larger generators back on earth we would block off whole rivers, guiding the water to the point we wanted it so that the velocity of the liquid was more than if you just placed all the generators into the water,” You said.

“Surreee,” she said almost jokingly. At first you thought she was being a smart-ass but as you faced her, you came to the realization she was screwing with you. She believed you, you were sure of it. Her teasing demeanor was soon replaced with one of interest as you began to attempt to explain everything you knew about electricity. This of course wasn’t that hard, your knowledge was formidable but you didn’t know everything. Although your teachings were a bit mediocre, Fluttershy hung on your every word as if your lessons were the key to something spectacular. Ponies didn’t need technology anyways, they had magic. Anything you could accomplish with technology could just as easily be accomplished with the power of a unicorn. The lessons persisted, each day something new being taught. Your collection of items grew bigger and bigger with each passing moment and before you knew it, your living room was full of random scraps and parts. Each night you’d break something out that Fluttershy hadn’t seen yet and each night you would play with your new items, creating something fresh each time. It was an enjoyable time, relaxing. In fact, you don’t think you’ve had this much fun since you were a kid. As the week came to a close, you redefined the definition of “home” in your head. Home isn’t just where you lay your head; it isn’t defined by any sole group of people or any one action or feeling. It’s the combination of those things that makes a place home. If the place and people you’re with makes you happy, then it can be considered home.

This is my home.

// Frankly, I feel as if I tried to do more with this chapter than I should have, or at least have taken more time on it with how much i was trying to get out of it. Whatever, enjoy!

Courage

You wake up, your head pounding.

“Ugh, where am I,” you say out loud.

You try to roll over and stand up but you realize that your arms are bound. Reactively you tug on the ropes, trying to get free.

What the hell is this shit?

“Well, well, well, look who’s finally up.”

As you roll over to look at the source of the taunt, the back of your head starts to pound harder. Your eyes stretch as you see Fluttershy laying a few meters away from you bound also. Now you remember, as you were walking her home, somebody ambushed you both. You guess they knocked you both out and restrained and dragged you here.

Bastards…What the hell could they want.

Your questions are soon answered as the mysterious assailant steps out of the dark and grabs you by the hair, jerking your head up to look at him. It’s Rob, the man you had borrowed money off of on Earth. His short, dark hair complimented his hazel eyes and scruff beard. The beard was new but it added to the intimidating effect the man left. He always had that aura about him. Intimidating, however, isn’t a strong enough word. Your heart sinks, you’re tied up here at his will. You don’t even want to think of what he’s capable of. You’ve seen him at his worst and it wasn’t pretty.

“How the fuck did you get here!” you scream.

You jerk in pain as his knuckles slam into the side of your mouth. You taste blood as he brings your face back up to look at him.

“I’ll be asking the questions here, besides how the hell should I know how I’m here? One minute, me and my buddy are kicking the money you owe us out of you and then the next, I’m in this fucked up place,” he says seeming royally ticked off. His frown deepens when you don’t answer him.

“Well Mr. Scientist? What’s going on?” He grabs your throat, half choking you, slamming your head against the tree behind you.

“Fuck…you…,” you manage to gasp. His grip tightens as the words leave your mouth and he swings around again, his knuckles connecting with your temple. As he punches you, he lets go of your throat and your head hits the dirt. He walks a few meters away, his back to you as he speaks.

“Listen, I’ll be nice, and I know that you know that’s rare. I don’t want to know how we got here, just transport us back to Earth and I’ll pretend like it never happened. In fact we might be able to work something out with the cash you owe me.”

“Screw you, I don’t have to do shit,” you spurt at him, spitting the dirt out of your mouth. That did it, in a second he was beside you, his foot on your skull, smashing your face against the dirt.

“Listen here you little fuck! I’m being extremely nice but you’re trying my fucking nerves! Now you’re going to fix this shit, got it?” He presses your face into the dirt harder at the last part. You beat as his leg, trying to get him to let up.

“Jesus Christ, even if I did want to help you, why the hell should I believe you? You’ll just kill me the minute we get back. Besides I don’t know how we got here and I sure as hell don’t know a way back,” you gasp, his boot pressed against your cheek.

“You little fucking liar! I know you planned this, you brought us here just so you didn’t have to pay the money back!” he slams his foot down against the side of your head extremely hard and you try to roll up in pain. How the hell did this happen? Why is it the minute you get a break in life everything goes to shit? You were perfectly happy, but no, this asshole had to tag along for the ride and fuck your day up. Fuck this shit.

“Listen here you idiot,” you say, barely able to get the words out from the pain, “I don’t know anything, and even if I did, why the hell would I tell you?” That pissed him off. Rob grabbed you by the neck of your shirt, dragging you up into a sitting position as he slams you back against the tree. Quicker than you could realize, he yanked a switchblade out of his pocket and pressed it to your neck. Your head leans back a bit as the blade presses into your skin and you look down your nose at him.

“Listen here, you’re going to fix this shit or I’m going to cut your goddamn balls off and then slit your throat,” he growls, grinning slightly. You remain silent for a little bit.

“Fuck you, no you won’t, I’m your only hope of getting back.”

The grin quickly disappeared from his face, replaced by a frown of annoyance. That had really got to him. You’re so fucked. He pulls the knife away from your neck and turns around, walking away from you. You don’t know what he’s planning but you’re not just going to waste this opportunity. Moving your arms parallel to each other, you begin to rub the rope binding your hands together against the tree. You move slowly as to not attract much attention. Rob begins moving over towards Fluttershy and kicks her in the ribs.

“Wake up bitch,” he spurts angrily.

Fluttershy jerks and wakes up. She takes in her surroundings and she lets out a small cry as she notices the large man towering over her.

“Matt-,” she says right before she’s cut off with a slap to the face.

“Fuck you!” you scream at Rob. He grins manically and grabs Fluttershy and traces the tip of the knife up Fluttershy’s neck.

“Oh, so you do care for this thing. I knew this was your weak point. You say I won’t kill you but you can bet your sorry ass I’ll kill her!” He screams the last part. You couldn’t waste any more time. You grasp at the knot in the ropes binding your wrists together and tug and pull at them trying to undo it. You strain as Rob teases Fluttershy with the blade, whispering threats to her and telling her how you’ll just let her die. You pull on the bindings to no avail. He starts to press the sharp edge into her legs leaving small streams of blood as he drags the knife across her skin.

“Stop it!” you say.

“Are you going to take us back to Earth?!” he screams in response.

“I already told you, I don’t know how.” A bitter taste forms in your mouth. You hate not being able to do anything about this. Fluttershy whimpers as he drags the tool along her side and then continues along to her side slowly sliding down her ribs. You jerk against the rope, trying your hardest to get free, but the bindings hold true. He continues his way down her side slowly moving down her hips. More and more blood starts to collect on the ground as he cuts her. Fluttershy starts to cry silently, the pain too much. You continue to strain against the ropes, averting your eyes, unable to watch as he cuts Fluttershy. Suddenly the pressure on your wrists weakens. Hope billows into your mind as the bonds loosen just a tiny bit. You still can’t get free but you were getting somewhere. Fluttershy screams in pain as he continues to cut her. You cringe as she yells out. Her yelling makes you want to cry yourself but you keep struggling to get free.

I have to be strong; for her.

The ropes loosen more and more with each passing second as you jerk and pull at them. Fluttershy’s screams get louder and louder with each moment. If you ever get free, this bastard is going to die.

“Well I think that’s enough. I see you’re not going to budge without some drastic measures. I guess I’ll just have to end it.”

He grabs Fluttershy by the shoulder and turns her over a bit to get a better angle. He presses the blade against her throat. He gets ready to slice, but just at that moment the ropes holding your wrists together unravel and you leap up running towards him, fury in your eyes. Rob spins around just in time for your fist to smack him right across his jaw. He falls to the ground and the blade flies out of his hand landing in the dirt. That’s pure luck. You take the opportunity and lunge at the switchblade. As you reach for it, he springs up and grabs at you. His hand wraps around your ankle and you fall face first into the dirt. You roll over onto your back and kick at his face, you miss. You kick again, this time barely connecting with his chin. He pulls back at your kick and you roll to your knees, crawling towards the weapon. He swings at your foot but it’s too late. You grab the tool and swing around as fast as you can. The blade connects with his wrist sinking into his flesh and bone, blood boiling up over the edges. Rob yells out in pain.

“You motherfucker!” he screams.

You waste no time and pull the weapon out of his wrist. His eyes widen as you jump at him and sink it into him again, this time in the shoulder. He cries out again and you roll over on top of him. He flails wildly at you, trying to knock you off but you’re leaning back, just out of reach. Quickly, you jerk the knife out of his shoulder. He gasps as you swing at him again.

“NO!”

The blade plunges into his chest and pierces his heart and then lung. He gasps for breath as the metal slides through him. His blood begins to swell up over the edges of his wound. He claws at your wrist and you finally pull out, blood welling up out of the freshly made hole spilling down into the dirt. You swing again and plug the knife into his chest once more. You stab him again and again and again. By this point, Rob’s almost dead, unable to breath, but you continue your penetrations. Tears swell in your eyes and drip down your cheeks. You know he’s long been disposed of, but you can’t stop. The knife sinks into his flesh again and again as you weep over his corpse.

“P-please,” pleads Fluttershy form behind you, whimpering softly. You stop and spin around. Fluttershy’s still lying there crying.

Oh god.

You drop the knife and run over to her dropping to the ground. She’s covered in slices and blood is slowly running down her sides. A few more tears run down your cheeks.

“I’m so sorry this happened to you Fluttershy. You’ll be alright, I promise.”

You sit there thinking for a minute, trying to figure out what to do next. Quickly, you remove your shirt and tear it into strips. You wrap the strips around Fluttershy to try and stop the bleeding. There isn’t much of anything else you can do.

“I’m going to pick you up now. This might hurt, okay?” She nods in response. Slowly, you slide your arms under her and carefully pick her up. She flinches in pain but doesn’t resist. You begin carrying her, looking for a way out of the forest. Thankfully, it didn’t take long to find an exit and you can see Ponyville in the distance. It was getting dark. You move as fast as you can, heading for the town. It’s a long trip, truthfully you didn’t know if she would make it. She kept bobbing in and out of sleep but you managed to keep her from fainting. Her whimpers and cries only fueled you to try harder. Your pace increased to a jog, you couldn’t go any faster while carrying her. Step by step, you get closer and closer to Ponyville. You head towards the clinic. She doesn’t have much time. You burst through the doors and run up to the nearest pony.

“You’ve got to help! She’s badly hurt!” you almost yell pleadingly with the random pony.

“Dear Celestia,” the nurse exclaims. She runs off as quickly as possible and returns with another nurse and a stretcher. They quickly place Fluttershy on it and take her away. You try to follow them but a nurse stops you at the door and tells you to wait here. The wait was grueling. You waited for what seemed like hours. You can’t help but blame yourself for letting this happen. You wonder if Fluttershy will ever forgive you. In the middle of your thoughts, a doctor walks out of the back room and up to you.

“You’ll be happy to know she’s perfectly alright. She was badly cut and she had lost a lot of blood, but it wasn’t anything we couldn’t handle.”

Thank god.

The doctor leads you back to the room where Fluttershy is. She’s sound asleep. You walk over to her bed and look down at her. She looks so peaceful now, after all that happened. You sit down next to her bed, laying your arms on the side of her bed. You begin to wait for her to awaken.

Will she forgive me? Will things ever be the same?

You start to cry again, just a bit, your tears staining the hospital bed sheet. As you weep, Fluttershy’s hand suddenly reaches over and grasps yours. You look up in amazement to see Fluttershy finally awake with a dreary smile on her face. You smile back, one last tear rolling down your cheek. She squeezes your hand just a bit tighter and you know that everything is going to be okay.

// FIN. This is a very short chapter (obviously). Some of you may not be pleased with the ending or how short it was but oh well. If you want to read about what happens after this or anything related to this fic don't be afraid to comment or shoot me a message, I may just make a sequel! Watch out for more fics from me(Non-HiE ones.) very soon.