Chapters My big brother and I just got past this huge line to get into Comic-con. Man I knew it was gonna be crowded, but I didn't expect it to be this packed. Good thing I’m small – being a twelve year old boy and all – I am able to squeeze past all these random people. My brother, on the other hand, was having a harder time getting by, and was having to apologize to all the people I just happened to knock off balance as I made my way through the crowd.
We continued this dance of squeezing by people until we reached a clearing that was off to the edge of the vendors side of Comic-con. There we spotted a strange looking dude who was cloaked in a black hood, and was running a shady looking stand. I, of course, thought it would be awesome to check out what he had for sale. My brother, on the other hand, catching his breath from weaving through the crowd, groaned in dissatisfaction over my overabundance of energy and curiosity. "Oh come on, we just got by all those people," he sighed, "I need a break."
I continued my way over to the strange looking guy, and went up to his counter. "What can I get for you?" he asked in a raspy voice, that sounded on the old side.
"I don't know. Let’s see what you got first." I looked at all the goods he had. He had an assortment of things, ranging from giant swords, to jewelry, and even a strange looking golden sphere with wings. What caught my eye was this fishing pole, but not just any fishing pole. No, this one just so happened to look exactly like the one from the anime Hunter X Hunter, and at the moment I was cosplaying as Gon Freecss, the main character of the show.
My brother showed up next to a couple seconds after I spotted the fishing pole. He put his hand on my head and said to me sternly, "You shouldn't run off like that. I don't want to lose you to the mobs of people."
I looked up at him and apologized, "I'm sorry big brother."
He relaxed his face and said to me, "It's okay, just don't run off again, okay?" I nodded my head in response. He then took his hand off my head and looked at the stand we were at. "Sooo, see anything you may want here?" He looked at the merchant with a bit of a concerned face.
My mind went back to the fishing pole I spotted a second ago, and I told him enthusiastically, "I want that fishing pole right there." I pointed to the fishing pole from earlier.
My brother pulled out his wallet and asked the strange looking merchant, "So how much is it for the fishing pole?"
With a raspy voice and a creepy grin plastered on his face, the merchant replied to my brother. "Oh, that old thing over there?" He pointed at the fishing pole. "I been trying to sell that for years now, but no one's bought it, so I'll make you an offer you can't refuse." His grin got even bigger and creepier. "I won't charge you a dime. Here, consider it a gift of my generous nature." He went over and grabbed the fishing pole, which was hanging on the wall of his stand, then he came over and handed it to me.
I took it, and my brother had a face of pure shock. "R-really? Are you sure you just want to give it away?" He asked the old man.
"Certainly, no harm done," he spoke to my brother with mirth.
My brothers shock still didn't falter. "Well." He turned to me as I was admiring the fishing pole I had received. "What do you say to the nice man?"
I turned to my brother and nodded, before turning to the merchant and saying, "Thank you so much! It means a lot that you gave this to me."
"No need to thank me." His creepy smile quickly turned to a more malicious one. "The pleasure's all mine, trust me." I simply shrugged it off, and began to walk away from the strange stand. I was making my way back to the crowd of people with my brother following, but before I got there, this cold feeling enveloped my body, and I felt myself losing consciousness. I fell to the ground with a thump.
My brother quickly ran up to me and picked me up. "Hey, hey, little bro! Are you all right!?" he exclaimed with fear and concern in his voice. The last thing I heard before completely losing consciousness was my brother turning around and yelling at the merchant, and the godawful sound of his laughter.
I slowly began to regain my bearings. I felt groggy, and there was a sharp pain in my head. Sitting up from the ground I was lying on, I put a hand to my head, as a way to try and combat the pain I was feeling at the moment. "Wha-what happened?"
Then I looked around to try figuring out where I was. From what I could see, I appeared to be outside in a open field... I don't remember outside being this colorful before, though that could just be my imagination acting up. I also felt a bit different from before, almost like I was in a different body, but again, my head felt terrible, so it probably was just my imagination after all.
Next to me sat the fishing pole I got from that strange old merchant. I picked it up and examined it again. It was indeed a perfect copy of Gon's fishing pole from the show Hunter x Hunter. It's strange, how did I get outside in the first place? Last thing I remember was blacking out in the most crowded place in the world, now I am in what seems to be the most empty and serene place in the world.
It did look very pretty, but more importantly, I needed to find a way back to where I was, so I can find my brother, who I might add is probably pissed at me for not sticking by his side. I stood up and took another look around, spotting a serene looking town not too far away, which complemented the colorful environment perfectly. I then headed in that direction, but then I started to hear something running my way. I also noticed I was able to smell something like that of a horse, which is strange. There are no horses in sight, and I have a bad sense of smell, so I shouldn't be smelling anything right now.
A couple minutes later I felt the ground start shaking. I turned around to see what the commotion was, only to be greeted by the strangest of sights... I was looking at a mob of what appeared to be colorful miniature equines. Equines? Strange, I don't remember knowing that word, but oh well. What's more important is that there was a huge crowd of colorful equines dogpiling on a big red one with an orange-colored mane.
"This must be a dream," I said to myself. There is no way I just went from being in Comic-con, to a strange place filled with equines. I must have hit my head harder than I thought when I blacked out. Oh well, might as well enjoy this dream as best as I could while it lasts, after all, I heard before that if I become aware of my dream I could do anything.
There must have been something important over there in order for them to act like complete savages towards each other, so I tried to figure out what it was. I saw in the big red one's mouth was this strange looking rag doll. It looked aged and had patches all over it. For some reason I found myself attracted to it. I needed it. I then started to run towards the mob against my will. I didn't want to go over there, but I just couldn't stop moving.
I noticed I was running faster than I ever had before. I was moving remarkably fast, and for some reason I felt like I could keep on going for days. Strange, I was never this athletic before. I was usually in good shape, nothing to brag about, but at that point I felt as though I could take on the world. I ran up to the mob, and when I was about twenty feet away, I felt the impulse to jump, so I did. What happened next, though, left me flabbergasted. I seemed to soar through the air over the huge pile of ponies. I know for a fact I was never able to do that before, but I pushed it aside, because right now something else was on my mind.
In midair above the pile, I grabbed the strange looking doll from the big red one's mouth and landed on the other side. I admired the thing that was in my grasp. I had no idea why I wanted it so bad, but now that I did, I felt as though I was complete, like a piece of me that was missing is now there. Unfortunately for me, the ponies must have been having the same feelings, because they stared directly at me and looked determined to get the doll back.
I did the only reasonable thing at this point, and it also happened to be the first thing that came to mind – I began to run away from the huge mob as fast as I could. They gave chase, but they were no match for my speed, I easily kept the lead the whole time. It was at that moment that I noticed that there were different kinds of equines in this dream of mine. In the sky I saw what appeared to be winged equines, 'pegasus' is the word that came to mind. Strange type of creature to be chasing me, but this is a dream, and since this is my dream, I will have this doll.
The pegasi from before began to swoop down at me, attempting to snatch the doll from my clutches, but I saw through their little plan and jumped away. I stuck my tongue out at them, as their attempts failed over and over again. I eventually evaded all the pegasi who thought they could take the doll away from me, and continued on my way to escape these deranged equines.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a blinding flash of light. I put my free hand over my eyes in order to block out the blinding light. I continued to run, not wanting to give them the chance to catch up. The light eventually subsided, but what replaced it caught my eye. Looking at the large, white-coated equine, practically a horse, with a multicolored flowing mane. My mouth fell agape, and I was stunned at the majestic nature of the creature. I had to look away though, because I needed to focus on what I was doing, and what I was doing was running away from crazy ponies who want what was mine.
Another flash of light appeared at the corner of my eye. More than likely it was from the majestic equine from before, but I felt the strange feeling of attraction to the doll disappear. I wanted to stop and drop the doll now. I no longer was concerned with the thing, but I knew there were going to be a mob of crazy equines to greet me. So I continued to run around in the open field as fast as I could. I could hear them mumble out things like. "I can't believe that just happened," and "Oh come on, it's just a doll."
This dream keeps getting stranger and stranger, they could talk!? It was just then that I felt my foot snag on something, and I tripped as I was running. I was sent flying a good couple of yards before crashing into a tree. The tree shook from the impact of my head hitting it, and I felt a bit of pain wash over me. I then fell to the ground at the base of the tree. As I got back up from my quarrel with the tree, I put a hand to my head. "What! Pain? No no no, that can't be right. If that's true, then that means that this isn't a dream, and if this isn't a dream?" I turned around only to be greeted by a group of six small equines and the majestic one from before.
They all had looks of shock and confusion on their faces. The tall, majestic one from before was the first to speak up. "Hello there. Who, and what, are you?" I then raised my eyebrow at them, before I finally decided to take a look over myself. I was wearing the same thing from before, a green jacket with reddish edges covering a black tank top, green short shorts, and green laced boots. I still didn't get to look at my face, so I decided I should probably take a look at that. I looked around me, and spotted a small pond not too far off. Signaling the group to wait a moment, I walked away from them in order to satisfy my curiosity over my looks.
Once I reached the pond I looked into the crystal clear water. What I saw startled me. I knew I had a good cosplay of Gon, but this was something else. I looked exactly like Gon from Hunter x Hunter. I had long spiky black hair with green tips and big hazel-brown eyes. I let out a yelp of shock, "Ahhhhhh!" I then turned around to see the same group of confused equines, who were now staring to look startled. I then took in a deep breath, and then I let it out. I then said to them, "Sorry about that. To answer your questions, my name is Gon Freecss, and what I am is called a human. Scary I know." I then tried to give them a scary face, but it only came off as goofy.
I heard them let out a couple of giggles, especially the pink one with the chaotic looking mane. "Well, well, well, looks like this day is full of surprises," said the tall, majestic one. "I am Princess Celestia. If you would be so kind as to follow me. I would like to get to know more about you and," she then turned to the group, specifically the lavender colored one, "deal with a few other problems ." The lavender one gave her a sheepish grin.
I saw no reason to argue. After all, I would also like to know more about where I currently am, and what better way than to talk to a princess of the land I was now in. I put on a happy smile. "I would be glad to," I said with mirth.
She turned back to me and said, "Very good. Please follow me, then." She then walked over to the group and motioned for them to follow her, and I followed right along behind them. Today has been completely insane, but a part of me is loving it. I don't know why, but I am excited to find out what lies in store for me in this land of colorful equines.
Princess Celestia had brought me and the other six ponies – she told me they collectively go by 'pony' as a species – to a library which, to my surprise, was constructed inside a living tree. They told me it was magic, and I questioned that at first with arguments like 'Magic isn't real,' but the lavender one, Twilight Sparkle was her name, was quick to reply. She said to me that Equestria is run by magic. She told me everything in Equestria is affected by magic one way or another. I just rolled with it and nodded at her explanation.
Inside the tree library, Celestia first confronted Twilight about today's events. It turns out that she had put a spell on the rag doll from before, and that spell made everyone who saw the doll want it with a burning passion. She called it the the 'Want It Need It' spell, and that title couldn't be any more correct. I interrupted their discussion by saying sarcastically, "So you're the one who made me fall for that raggedy old doll. Thanks a lot."
Twilight simply smiled sheepishly at me and replied, "Sorry about that." She finally realized that she had not introduced me to her friends as of yet, and said, "Sorry again, where are my manners, you haven't even met the girls yet." She looked over to her friends and told them, "Why don't you introduce yourselves?" They nodded back and came up to me one by one.
The first one to introduce herself was the pink pony with a poofy out of control mane and tail, plus a huge smile on her face. She practically tackled me, and spoke a million words per minute. "Hey my name is Pinkie Pie and we're going to be be bestest of friends! I need to throw you a 'welcome to Ponyville' party, because you're new, and all newcomers to Ponyville get a party from yours truly." She was then grabbed by her friends and pulled aside to stop her onslaught of words.
After Pinkie Pie was an orange-coated mare with a blond mane and tail, sporting a stetson hat. "Howdy there sugarcube. Mah name's Applejack, but mah friends here call me AJ for short." She then took a look at them, and then turned back to me. "I run a l'il farm called Sweet Apple Acres on the outskirts of Ponyville. Feel free to drop by anytime for the best apples you've ever tasted."
I nodded my head and replied to her, "Thanks, I'll be sure to drop by whenever I get a craving for an apple." I honestly wasn't going to, though. All I wanted to do at the moment was ask the princess about getting back home, I wanted to see my brother again. I was worried that he thought I was dead or something.
The next one was a fair looking mare. She had a white coat and a lovely purple mane and tail that had nice curls to it, plus her voice was very high cultured. "Hello there darling, it's so nice to meet you. My name is Rarity, and I run the Carousel Boutique here in Ponyville. Come by anytime, and I am sure I could make you some clothes that you could simply die for." I was never a fan of fashion, that was always something girls liked and guys didn't. I was more into anime and action shows then anything.
I replied. "Thanks for the offer, I'll check it out sometime." I didn't want to make her sad by just saying no, that wasn't the nice thing to do. She nodded then went back off to her friends. The next one to introduce herself was a pony sporting a rainbow mane and tail, with a cyan coat and an athletic build. She flew up to me and extended her hoof. I took the offer and shook it. After we shook she said to me boastfully. "My name's Rainbow Dash! I am the fastest flier in all of Equestria, and soon to be a Wonderbolt. Yeah I know, I'm awesome." She then struck a pose to show her cockiness to me in full force.
I simply ignored her boasting, and said to her, "Nice to meet you Rainbow Dash, I hope to become good friends."
She then replied, "If you prove your coolness to me, then maybe we can be friends." She then flew back over to her friends. I didn't like her too much, she was a bit of a show off, 'a bit' being a bit of an understatement.
The next one approached me with hesitation, hiding behind her long pink mane. She had a yellow coat, and lovely blue-green eyes. She walked up to me slowly. "H-hello there sir... I-it's nice to meet you," she virtually whispered. Her voice was so faint I could barely pick it up, even with my now enhanced ears.
I replied to her with mirth. "No need to be so afraid, I promise I won't bite. By the way what's your name?"
She didn't seem to falter from her shyness. She weakly replied to my question. "I-I'm F-Fluttershy." That name definitely summed her up.
I don't know why, but I liked that yellow pegasus. I gave her a big smile and said. "Well it's nice to meet you Fluttershy, I hope you open up to me more, I don't mean to frighten you or anything." She gave me a small smile and went back over to her friends. Twilight then came back up to me. She wanted to properly introduce herself, rather than her telling me her name while she explained Equestria's magic to me on the trip to her library.
"As you already know, my name is Twilight Sparkle, and I run the Golden Oak Library. I hope you would consider reading books from this library, as it is a good way to gain knowledge. Anyway, I digress. I am also Princess Celestia's student, and with that you've met me and my friends." She gave me a smile.
I then nodded and replied to all of them, "Well it's nice to know that I have good company while I am here, It is a pleasure to get to know all of you."
Celestia then walked up to me beside her student. "Now that introductions are out of the way, I have a question for you. How did you get here?" she asked. I tilted my head and pondered on how to explain the events of what happened before I got here.
After figuring out what to say I replied to her. "Well for starters, I was at this convention with my big brother. This was my first time going to this convention, so I kinda wandered off from him in excitement. I then came across this strange looking merchant, who was running this mysterious little stand. I noticed that he was selling this here fishing pole." I grabbed the fishing pole that was in its hold on my back, then held it out in front of me to show them. "My brother come up beside me, and bought this fishing pole for me. Not even a couple minutes later, I blacked out, and woke up here. From there you should be familiar with what happened."
Celestia nodded, and I noticed that Twilight had been taking notes on my story the whole time. I continued on with my speech sadly. "I'm really worried about my brother, and I want to get back to him," I then basically pleaded, "I really do appreciate all your kindness, is there any way you could take me back to my brother, please?"
Celestia spoke up sympathetically. "I understand, and yes I can send you back with a simple teleportation spell. Just hold still while I cast the spell." With that the princess's horn lit up with a brilliant light, and I felt a tingly feeling encase me. Though it started to die down soon after it started. I then saw the light on Celestia's horn die down.
"Hey, what happened?" I asked in confusion. I saw the concerned look on Celestia's face. I was worried about why she had such a face on. The princess then turned to me and weakly said. "I'm... sorry... I'm so very sorry."
I looked at her confused and concerned. "Sorry for what?"
"I-I can't send you home." My pupils shrunk from hearing her words. I even heard the gasps coming from the other girls in the room. They stood there in silence to listen as to why I wouldn't be able to go home. I couldn't believe what I just heard, not even for a minute. She was basically telling me I wasn't going to be able to see my brother again.
"What do you mean you can't send me home?" I asked, with sorrow in my voice.
"I can't send you home, because you're not from here, and I don't mean from Equestria. I mean you're not from this world. You're from somewhere else, some other world." She then looked down in shame. "I'm sorry, but I don't know any spells that can send somepony across dimensional borders."
Twilight went over to her teacher to comfort her, and asked questions about what was going on. The other mares in the room still remained silent, which was surprising for the pink one. I was in denial, though. No, it couldn't be true, there was no way I was stuck here, in this land far away from home. I then felt the barriers that were holding back my tears begin to burst. Tears started going down my face in a stream of sorrow and despair. "No.... No... it can't be true. There is no way this can be true... This isn't happening! No, this is not real... This is just a dream, and I am just at a hospital in a coma from hitting my head when I blacked out... I-i'm really gonna be okay though... yeah, my brother will se-se... see me... soon."
I couldn't take it anymore. I fell to the floor on my knees. I had my hands on my face, and my sobs increased in intensity. The shy yellow pegasus from before was saddened by my sad state. She felt so bad for me, and wanted to help me badly. So she walked away from her group of friends and came over to me, looking down at me with a tear in her eye. She felt sad because I was sad. She then bent down to my level, and gave me a tight caring hug. "Shhhh. Please don't worry, I'm here for you when you need me. I'm sure that Twilight and Princess Celestia can figure out some way to send you back home. If there is anypony who can make a spell for a occasion like this, Twilight is the one for the job."
I then parted from her hug slightly, and looked into her ocean blue eyes, and let out another cry of sadness. She then hugged me again, this time a bit tighter. "There, there." Fluttershy then began to sing a lullaby. Her voice was so beautiful, It soothed me, and eased my suffering. I did not feel as lost in despair as she came to a close to her song.
I then parted from her embrace, and looked into her captivating blue-green eyes again. "T-thanks..." I muttered out in thanks for her lovely song.
"It's no problem. You needed a hug and something to cheer you up, so I gave it to you," she replied with a smile. I then hugged and thanked her one last time before standing up again. I looked around to see that everyone was staring at me, unsure of what to do.
I gave them a sheepish smile before replying. "Sorry about that." I then rubbed the back of my head.
Twilight then walked over to me and said. "No need for apologies, we can understand why you were so upset over the recent events." She then stood up on her hind legs and put a hoof on my shoulder. "I'm sure that I can find a way to send you back home." Dropping back to all fours, she turned and looked at Fluttershy, who was still standing beside me. "In the meantime you're gonna have to find a place to stay, and I can't think of anyone more willing than Fluttershy." She then winked at the yellow pegasus. "Ain't that right Fluttershy."
Fluttershy then nodded, and smiled back at her lavender-colored friend. "Of course, I would be more than happy to let you stay with me."
Celestia looked at all her subjects with a smile. "I'm glad that we could sort this out, my little ponies." For some reason her subjects seemed to like it when she addressed them like that. "Gon, I hope you don't mind the wait until are able to get you back home safely." She sheepishly smiled at me, hoping that I wouldn't be too upset.
I then gave her a smile and said. "It's not that big of a deal, really. I am sad over not being able to see my brother, but as long as I am able to get back to him. I am fine with staying here as long as it takes for you to find a way to send me back home." Celestia then gave a sigh of relief at my easygoingness.
She then looked back at her subjects. "Well, I'm sure we all understand what to do, and I am sure you will be able to handle showing our wonderful world to our guest." The girls nodded their heads in agreement. "I must be off now, I have duties to perform before Luna raises the moon. I bid you all a good day." We then all said our goodbyes to Celestia before, with a blinding flash of light, she vanished from sight.
"Gon and I should probably be going now, I don't want to get back home too late," said the shy pegasus. The sun was setting, so I assumed it was indeed getting rather late. We then walked over to the door, and I opened it.
I turned around and waved goodbye to the girls. They all wished me goodbye and good night in return. I smiled at them, and Fluttershy and I exited the tree library. I looked around the town, wondering where the path to her house was. Fluttershy came up next to me and pointed over to a dirt road that that she said led to her cottage on the outskirts of Ponyville. We then proceeded to walk down that path to her cottage.
As we were walking Fluttershy tried some small talk. "So Gon, Is there anything you could tell me about yourself, besides the whole 'being from another world' thing?" She looked at me with a relaxing smile.
I replied to her. "Well for starters, I am twelve years old, and I love to watch anime. Anime is a type of animated cartoon back in my world, it's from a place called Japan, and It's pretty far away from where I live. I also love animals."
Fluttershy then cut me off by blurting out. "I love animals too!" You could see the excited look in her eyes. "In fact, it's my special talent." She then looked at her flank where there was a silhouette of three pink butterflies.
"I've been meaning to ask. What's up with the butt tattoos?" Fluttershy then gave me a glare over my crude comment. "Sorry, but seriously what are they?"
She then replied to me. "Well, they are a representation of what makes us special, and what our special talents are. A young filly or colt gets one when they realize their destiny." I then let that roll around in my head for a second. That sounded ridiculous, but again this world is run by magic.
I then shrugged off that thought and said to the yellow pegasus, "That sounds pretty cool, I wonder if I will get one." A thought of a tattoo on my butt appeared in my mind. I then quickly got rid of that thought as soon as it came, because it was pretty outlandish.
Fluttershy let out a giggle from what I just said. "I don't know if humans could get a cutie mark, but I'm sure if you got one. It would be lovely." I nodded and smiled at her compliment, and we continued down the dirt path. It was mostly silent for the rest of the trip. After a little bit, Fluttershy's cottage came into view. It looked as though it was one with nature, and the color scheme melded perfectly with the nature look, I couldn't help but admire it.
"Fluttershy is that where you live? Because if so, then that is awesome. It's one of the coolest houses I have ever seen." Fluttershy smiled happily at comment.
She then replied to my compliment. "Oh really? thank you." I smiled back at her, and we then proceeded up the path to her cottage. When we got there, Fluttershy went to open the door to the nature-themed household. When she did, a grumpy looking bunny was waiting on the other side, thumping his foot impatiently. The bunny then looked at me with a glare.
"Who is this adorable looking bunny?" I then bent down on one knee and began to pet the bunny, and scratch behind his ear. He then purred a little as I scratched behind his ear, and his right foot thumped faster. After a second he noticed what was transpiring, and he backed up looking grumpy as ever. Though after he looked at me again, he softened his look, and it seemed like he has deemed me passable.
"Oh my, I have never seen Angel bunny open up so quickly to someone else besides me. You really do have a way with animals," Fluttershy said with shock and happiness in her voice.
I then turned to her and gave a sheepish smile while rubbing the back of my neck. "I've always been pretty good with animals, but I never thought I was this good." 'Must be a side-effect of being Gon now. ' I thought to myself, I was shocked and happy how I have gained Gon's attributes along with his looks.
"You're being modest," the mare next to me replied. I simply shrugged in response, and proceeded to walk inside the cottage. It looked very cozy. There were lots of mouse holes and bird cages around. She definitely liked animals and nature, you could tell by the look of the place. Over on one side of the room there was a fireplace that was lit, and a comfy looking couch was next to it. "Sorry if the place is a mess, I haven't had the time lately to clean," Fluttershy said to me.
"No need for apologies, the place looks nice if you ask me," I replied.
She then looked at me and said. "Really? Oh, thank you, I don't think it looks too good, but if you like it then that's okay with me." She then gestured at the couch next to the fireplace. "Have a seat and I will get us some tea and something to eat."
I couldn't accept her offer though, she has been nice enough as it is, and I don't want to be too much of a burden. "No I'm fi–" I was interrupted by, of all things, my own stomach, growling loudly.
Fluttershy let out a giggle over my stomach's interruption. "I think your tummy says otherwise." I couldn't help but agree. Damn you stomach, getting hungry when she has been nice enough to us as it is. She then asked, "So what would you like to eat?"
I then proceeded to think about that for a moment. After a second I knew exactly what I wanted. "I would like a steak with a salad please." Fluttershy then looked at me with a shocked expression. I tilted my head and asked her. "Is something the matter?"
Fluttershy then calmed herself down and replied to me. "Well... It's just that I wasn't expecting you to want to eat meat. Ponies are herbivores, and as such we primarily eat fruits and vegetables. I understand if you need meat, I take care of animals who are carnivores, so I know that you can't help it."
I shook my head at her response. "There is no need to worry, humans are omnivores, so I can adapt to your diet."
Fluttershy shook her head right back. "Oh, no, there is no need for that." She looked at the fishing pole strapped to my back. "You could fish for some meat, I don't mind. But as of right now I don't have any meat, so all I can offer is a salad, if that's okay with you that is."
With a smile, I replied, "It's no problem at all." Fluttershy then smiled back and went off to the kitchen to prepare our meal. I couldn't help reminisce over today's events in my head. I couldn't help but feel sad over not being able to see my brother until Twilight finds a way to send me back home. It's strange, If you told me before I got sent here that there was a world populated by ponies, and their world is run by magic, I would have called you crazy. I am okay with the idea now, though. These ponies have been very generous and nice to me, especially Fluttershy.
Before I could continue my reminiscing, I was interrupted by the return of the yellow pegasus carrying our food on a tray balanced on her back. When she approached the table near the couch and fireplace, she turned her head around and grabbed the tray with her mouth. She then set it on the table. "Eat up, and I hope you enjoy it," she said happily.
"Thank you very much for the food," I replied.
"It's no problem, really," she retorted. We then dug into our food, feeding our hungry stomachs. We didn't talk as we ate the salads and drank our tea. It was nice and peaceful, and I couldn't help but like it. After a little bit we finished off the salads, and I let out a burp. Fluttershy giggled at that.
She then looked over towards the window. It was dark out, and it was getting late. "I think it may be a good time to get some shuteye," she proposed. I yawned in agreement and she said, "The guest bedroom is upstairs, first door on the left." I thanked her and proceeded to the guest bedroom, while she carried the food tray back to the kitchen. Upon opening the door, I found a cozy looking bed with a purple blanket. There was a window by the bed, and a desk with a lamp. I looked at the bed with eyes half shut from exhaustion from today's events, and I then walked over and climbed in. I laid there under the blankets for a good minute before the door to the room opened to reveal Fluttershy.
"I just came by to wish you a good night." She then came up to the side of the bed, and tucked me in more comfortably.
"Good night, Fluttershy. Thanks for everything."
She then walked back out the door, but before she did she said, "You're most welcome." She then shut the door behind her quietly, and went off to her bedroom to get some shuteye. I then contemplated the day's events again. It had definitely been a long day, and I needed the rest. After a couple minutes, I found myself drifting off to sleep. letting the warmth of the covers envelop me, as I lay there on the guest bed.
Hunter X Rune Slayer (Un-edited)
Fluttershy and I were heading to a pond just outside the outskirts of Ponyville. The morning was nice and beautiful, and Fluttershy had suggested that I should go fishing for breakfast, because she thought that getting meat for me was vitally important.
I really was starting to like Fluttershy, she was so kind and generous, and that was something hard to find back in my world. The walk to the pond was quite and we didn’t really talk to eachother. We just enjoyed the scenery, and the chirping of the morning birds. After a couple of more minutes of walking in peace, we came across the pond Fluttershy had told me about.
The yellow Pegasus spoke up. “This is it.” She then pointed her right hoof at the pond. The pond looked lovely, with ducks and swans swimming in it, comfortable looking sandy banks, and beautiful flowers surrounding the pond.
I responded to her with awe over the sight of the pond. “It looks beautiful. I can’t wait to start fishing.” She smiled at me, and we then proceeded to find a place to rest, and then I casted my fishing line into the pond. It was relaxing, just peace and quiet as we waited to get a bite. I never really fished in my world, but right now I am wishing I did, because It is so relaxing and enjoyable.
It was about ten minutes before Fluttershy spoke up. “It doesn’t look like their biting, does it?”
“No, not really. Though it is relaxing just sitting here.” She nodded in agreement. It was about another ten minutes before I notice my bobber go under the water. I then felt a tug at my fishing rod, and I knew then that I had a bite. I knew that in this new body of mine, that I had increased strength. How much, I do not know. All I know is that I pulled with all my strength to get the fish. What came out though was something completely different from what I was expecting.
It was another human, he had red hair, Dark red coat, black pants and undershirt with a sword at his side. “What the! Is that another human?” is all I could mutter out as he was sent into the air by the force of my pull on my fishing pole. He soared through the sky, until he hit a tree about fifteen feet behind us. Fluttershy let out a gasp, and I heard him groan in pain as he slid from the tree, down to the ground.. “We better go help him out.” I said to Fluttershy before I went running over to the mysterious man. Fluttershy soon followed behind me.
When we got there, we were greeted by the groans of pain from the poor guy. “Are you alright mister?” the yellow Pegasus said to the red haired man.
Five minutes earlier…
Moments after going through a mysterious semi-solid painting that had a hook piercing through it, Nicko found himself at the bottom of a lake. Of course, the painting showed fish, algae, and what not; but he honestly thought that he would end up on a sandy beach, not physically in a body of water. Eris thought the same thing as well.
But before they could assess their current situation or before Eris could even cast a spell to allow them to breath underwater, something snagged at Nicko’s coat. Something strong enough to start pulling him upward at a faster pace.
‘Aww crap-!!”
Violently, the Rune Slayer was yanked to the surface and sent flying, only for him to collide in a tree a few seconds later. Just his luck…
“Oww… Son of a taint, that hurt.” Nicko moaned a little as he heard the sound of hooves and feet coming towards-. Wait… Feet?
“Are you alright, Mister?”
The voice was familiar to Nicko. In fact, it was a lot like Fluttershy’s. Turning around, the Rune Slayer was surprised to see that it was her…Well, this world's version of her. She wasn’t Anthropomorphic like the pegasus he knew and was on all four hooves like an actual Pony… which was quite small for someone his height. Motioning up and turning around, he looked at both the Pony and the human next to him… That was holding the fishing pole that had his coat on it.
“Y-yeah… Just… Can I have my coat back please? It’s on the end of your fishing line.”
Gon went over to the Rune Slayer, and unhooked the line from Nicko’s coat. “Sorry about that, I didn’t know any humans would be in the pond.”
Now that caught Nicko’s attention immediately. It was just his luck. First there was Bryce, then there was Amaterasu and Chibiterasu and now; this kid was meeting a Displaced for the first time. Three in a row… If this were a game of bowling, he would’ve gotten three strikes or what he would call a Turkey.
“It’s alright. Mistakes happen. Honestly, I didn’t think I would be fished out of the water like that. I’m Nicko. What’s your name?” He asked the boy, calmly since he could tell that he was young.
The boy smiled happily and replied to the Rune Slayer. “My names Gon Freecss, and.” he looked over at Fluttershy. “This here is my friend Fluttershy.”
“Nice to meet the two of you. I’m sorry if I caused you guys any trouble. It’s unintentional, really.”
The yellow Pegasus quickly spoke up. “Oh, don’t worry. It’s no problem at all.” She smiled at Nicko.
“That’s good to hear.” Nicko sighed, relieved while he scratched the back of his head. “That isn’t the first time that something awkward has happened like that on my travels.”
Gon said excitedly. “Travels? Oh please tell me where you're going, and where you have been.”
“Well, it’s not quite that simple to explain-.”
“I can handle it, just please tell me.” Gon’s eyes seemed to be beaming with excitement
“Are you sure? It might not be so easy to explain to someone as young as you-.”
Gon now went up to the Rune Slayer, and raised his voice a little. “It doesn’t matter my age, I can take it. Now please. I want to hear about it so bad.” Fluttershy just stood quiet on the sidelines.
Nicko sighed to himself. “Okay… but you may get confused. After all, I don’t exactly travel to different continents or countries.”
“What do you mean?” Gon tilted his head in question.
“I’m a Dimensionally Misplaced. Or Displaced for short. Which means I travel to other Dimensions. Other versions of Equestria.”
You could hear Fluttershy’s quiet gasp before Gon spoke up again. “Wait… Since I’m originally from Earth…” Gon put two and two together in his head. “Then that means I’m this Displaced thing you’re talking about! And...You’re also from Earth. Oh my God I’m not alone!” Gon went up to Nicko and gave him a huge hug.
“Wow… You catch on quickly.” was the Rune Slayer’s only response as he returned Gon’s hug with one of his own.
After moment Gon finally released his hug around Nicko. “Do you happen to know how to get back to Earth?”
Nicko shook his head. “Unfortunately I don’t. Back where I am, my Twilight Sparkle is trying to figure that out. My personal story about my travels though is quite a long story… Give or take the seven years I got imprisoned in Stone to protect my brother against a psycho maniac hellbent on destruction.”
Gon sighed in disappointment. “Well, it was worth a shot. I asked about returning home, because I left my brother behind after this strange Merchant gave me this fishing pole.” Gon held out his fishing pole. “It’s from the anime Hunter X Hunter, and it’s what I needed to make my cosplay perfect. Unfortunately it must have been enchanted or something, because I blacked out soon after. Now here I am.”
“Well, I don’t personally know anything about this merchant you’re referring to, but I know what you mean. Met a few others who told me the same thing. As for me, I’m a Rune Slayer. It’s a Job Class from the online game, Elsword. Even though my outfit isn’t exactly the same as the main outfit for the class, my other clothes would probably be too small anyways.” The Rune Slayer placed his sword in the ground to where the edge was piercing it as he put his coat back on.
“I never heard of Elsword before, but If I find a way back home I’ll give it a try.”
Nicko smiled a little. “That’s not the only thing that I brought though. Like you have Fluttershy, I have a companion as well.”
“Companion?” Gon tilted his head. “Who is your companion?”
“Well, mostly she’s my partner. Other times, Eris is just playful-.” Nicko stopped and facepalmed himself as he looked at Gon. While he was talking, the Draconequus took out a pink feather and used it to start tickling the boy by the ears.
Gon broke out in hysterical laughter, and fell to the ground with bits of tears forming at his eyes. “Make it stop… please?” He continued to laugh, and Fluttershy gasped at the creature who was tickling him.
“Don’t be alarmed. Despite being a Draconequus, Eris is a good person. She’s helped me out multiple times before and was willing to get turned to stone with me when I protected my brother. And it also seems like she likes you Gon.”
“Only because he reminds me of Chaotic.” Eris said, remembering her little brother. She was now tickling both Fluttershy and Gon by using the fluffy end of her tail to make the Pegasus squeal in laughter. Nicko himself sighed, watching in amusement as the Spirit was enjoying herself. Once she had enough fun though, she stopped.
It took a moment for Gon and Fluttershy to regain their bearings. Once they did Fluttershy was the first to speak. “Oh thank Goodness you’re not like Discord.” She shuddered from the thought.
Gon replied to Fluttershy. “Who is Discord?” He then turned to Eris. “And who is Chaotic?”
“Discord is the Spirit of Chaos. Where I’m from, he’s reformed and a family man. I’m his daughter and Chaotic is his son. He’s married to Celestia.”
Fluttershy Quickly responded. “Oh my Celestia, he is married to Celestia!” She then fainted on the spot.
Nicko just stared in shock as he looked at Eris. She had only reply to the situation.
“Um…… Oops?”
Gon was trying to suppress his laughter, the thought of someone who looked like Eris doing it with Celestia was too much for him to handle. He couldn’t hold in his laughter and began to let out hysterically the suppressed laughter. Nicko himself just sighed. He put his fingers by Fluttershy’s ear and with a snap, Fluttershy woke up and startled herself.
“Are you okay?”
She meeped silently, and that was her only response. She was still shocked over what she just heard. Gon waved a hand in front of the yellow Pegasus. “Are you okay Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy shook her head to recollect herself. “I’m fine, just a bit… Startled that’s all.”
“Trust me, it’s happened before. We’ve had to deal with other situations that are worse than just accidently making you pass out.” Eris said, making Gon tempted to hear more while Fluttershy was unsure. “What do you say, Nicko? We tell our friends here some stories?”
Gon jumped in excitement. “Oh yes, please tell us some stories. I love a good story.”
Fluttershy added on. “Well if Gon insists, I guess I’d like to hear as well.”
Nicko sighed. “Eris, which story did you exactly have in mind?”
“The Griffonia one.”
“You mean the one where we woke up the Griffon’s capital city, only to be interrogated by the guard, have us run for our lives and meet Ryu?”
“Yeah, that one!! It’s one of the classics!”
“Now I got to hear this!!” Gon basically shouted with a smirk.
Nicko sighed, recalling everything that occurred. The two of them ended up there because they were accidently summoned to bait the guards while a rebel assassin was trying to kill the king. However, despite fatally poisoning the Griffon king, another human was able to heal him. Turns out, that was the Elder Dragon named Ryu, who seeked out Nicko, helped clear his name, trained him and helped find the real culprit. From the Dragon, he learned how to cast his spells in different styles and methods. What one would refer to as Mastery over your skill or craft.
As Nicko was recalling his events, It got awkward because he wasn’t saying anything. “Are you gonna tell the story or what?” Asked Gon concerned over his silence. Upon realizing this, Nicko began to speak verbally and tell them what happened. He thought that Fluttershy would freak a little given that Ryu; his teacher, was actually a dragon. But she seemed to just be a bit surprised rather than scared. Gon himself though was enjoying Nicko’s story and the young boy found it quite… entertaining to say the least. Especially when Nicko conjured a sphere of magic to Demonstrate his runic magic.
This though, now had Nicko thinking a bit. “Hey Gon… I was wondering something… do you have any abilities that can help you fight?”
“Well, yeah…… I think.” The boy told him. “Gon only gains powerful combat based abilities after unlocking his Nen.”
“Nen? Is it like Magic?” Eris asked, a little interested in what the boy would say.
“Not quite. From what I remember, Nen is a technique where it allows a living being to manipulate their own life energy into a form of Aura to use in survival.” Gon explained to both of them. “But my character only gains this after opening up their Aura nodes, a series of internal parts along the body. I honestly don’t know if they’re open or not to tell you the truth.”
“Hmm……” Eris scratched her chin as she looked at the boy. Going towards him, she floated behind him and put her talon on his back. “Gon, can you relax a little? I’m trying to figure something out.”
Gon didn’t have the chance to ask what she meant as she placed her talon along his shoulderblades. He felt a surge of energy go through him, making the hairs along his neck stand on end as he felt it. The boy now felt… different. Like he could do things he previously wasn’t able to do. Somehow, Eris must’ve done the Initiation method and forced open his Aura nodes.
“There… how do you feel?”
“I feel strange… but at the same time, I feel like I could take on the world!” Gon raised his hand to his field of vision, and noticed that there was energy flowing around it. Gon then smiled widely. “Oh this is to cool.” Fluttershy only stared at Gon with a questioning face.
She said to him. “What’s so cool? You look the same as before.” Fluttershy was unable to see the energy around Gon, because she had no sense of Nen in any form.
Gon replied to her. “Well, lets just say that I may have gotten an upgrade.”
Nicko smiled, seeing the energy from Gon. “Well, seems like Eris was able to unlock your talents. Now… We need to practice them. Fluttershy, do you know where there are any open fields we can go too?”
Fluttershy replied to Nicko’s question. “There is one just outside of ponyville, Gon should remember. It is where he ran away from the ponies who wanted Twilight’s doll.”
“Oh boy…” Eris said. “Lesson number zero. A day that will live in infamy… for her at least.”Would you kindly lead the way?” Fluttershy nodded and the group followed behind her.
After a couple of minutes they arrived at their destination and Fluttershy said. “Here we are.” Gon’s face cringed remembering his little fiasco with the ragged doll.
“Okay, before we continue, maybe you should give me a breakdown on how you can control your nen. Something tells me that it’s different than magic.” Soon though, Gon found something in his back pocket, which turned out to be a chart to help explain things a little better.
Looking over the scroll, Gon remembered everything that the show Hunter x Hunter had said about Nen. “Well to start , as you may know. Nen is the life energy of a person manifest into a way of defending oneself, or destroying another, depending on what you wish to do with your Nen. There are six Nen classes, Enhancer, who can increase their natural abilities. Transmuter, who can change the quality of their aura. Like for example, Gon’s best friend Killua from the show can change his Nen into electricity. Conjurer, who can materialize objects from their aura. Manipulator, who can control objects or living things. Emitter, who can shoot their aura like projectiles. Last but not least we go Specialist, they can use all other classes of Nen. In some cases Nen users can become specialists later in life, but it’s more likely to happen the closer you are on the Nen tree to the specialist Nen class.” Gon then handed the scroll over to the Rune Slayer.
Nicko was quite impressed with how this was explained. It reminded him of the different properties of magic and also the different properties that a spellcaster could use their magic for. Summoners could conjure weapons as well as summon elemental beings while Magi could create projectiles of elemental magic like fire or ice.
“Okay, I believe we should start with just focusing on the abilities you are capable of. For me, I know a lot of spells and abilities and use them in different ways to fit my fight style. For you though, lets see what you can do first before we make any adjustments.”
Gon nodded, taking off his upper shirt. He now had a sleeveless white undershirt on and shorts, which made it easier for him to move around in. “Alright, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Nicko smirked a little. He loved this kids determination. Gon soon took up a fighting stance and focused on trying to remember how this first move was pulled off. He focused his Nen into his fist as he shot himself forward in a head on attack.
“JAJANKEN: ROCK!!”
If it weren’t for Nicko’s quick reactions, the punch would’ve hit him in the chest. Instead, he dashed out of the way at the last second and the punch caused a big hole to form in the tree that was behind him. Fluttershy almost freaked out by the damage done to “Mr. Tree” and advised Gon to please be careful so that way no other trees or animals could get hurt.
“That ability was powerful,” Nicko commented. “But it won’t help you unless you know how to control it. Tell me, how many abilities do you have?”
“Three.” Gon replied. “Jajanken is my Nen and it’s based on the origins behind Rock, Paper, Scissors. What I just did was my first attack, rock, which is an enhancement ability.”
“Because you put your power into your fist.”
“Exactly. Paper is an Emission based skill and Scissors is a Transmission skill. Each with it’s own properties.” Gon continues. “Need a demonstration?”
“Be my guest.” Nicko encouraged him. Soon, Gon prepared himself and placed one of his hands in front of him, almost like if he was trying to do a ki blast in Dragon Ball Z. The other arm was holding it in place as he began to focus. Soon, it began to work.
“JAJANKEN: PAPER!!”
This one, caught Nicko off guard. He thought of Gon to be more of the brawler type and focus more on straightforward attacks. So this Blast of Nen energy surprised him. He was still able to dodge it as the blast hit a nearby rock. Not exactly breaking it to pieces, but still scraping it.
“Heh… And that was only my weakest skill.”
“Well, that was definitely quite impressive. So… I’m Presuming that Rock is your strongest and Paper is your weakest?”
“Something like that.”
Nicko now took off his coat. “And I’m guessing your third one is somewhere in the middle? Stronger than paper, but not as strong as rock.”
“Yes, That’s Scissors.” Gon said as he demonstrated for a brief second. Taking the same stance as with Rock, but his energy forming a blade. “Not as strong as Rock, but can cut things that Rock can’t break.”
Nicko himself was personally impressed. “Well, now to find a way to improve upon what you know. Like I said earlier, you need to come up with different methods for your three techniques and apply them to your combat style. Just because you only know those three moves mean that you can’t use them in multiple ways. Paper could hit the ground and cause a smokescreen from the dust it’ll cough up. You can probably channel your Nen to have Rock be felt from the opposite side of a wall or better yet, strengthen scissors so that way, it can stand up to an enchanted sword or weapon.” The Rune Slayer now continued to speak, but on a different subject.
“There is one thing I did notice that you seem to struggle with, Gon. I’m not quite sure if it’s because of your young age or something else, but my only concern at this rate is you controlling your aura.”
The young boy blinked a little and tilted his head, confused. “Control?”
“Eris, I think you're better at explaining this than I am.” The Rune Slayer told the Chaos spirit as she picked up on the conversation. “Basically, what Nicko is saying is that you need to not use up too much power on a single attack. In fact, this reminds me of a method my dad taught us for chaos magic called ICE. It’s broken down into three steps. Imagination, Concentration and Energy. You have Imagination and the energy to pull off your skills, but Concentration is the thing you lack. At times, like with you using Rock, you use up a lot of energy, but can’t control it like you can do with Paper. Do you understand?”
Gon nodded his head, trying to follow along. Nicko sighed. “I believe the only way we can truly see if our teachings have paid off is if Gon and I fight. Better get ready.”
“Wait, what-?”
Without warning, Nicko dashed towards Gon and used his Explosive Fist skill to try and hit Gon with a fist full of flames. However, with the youngster’s speed, he was able to avoid the Rune Slayer’s attack. This didn’t stop Nicko though as he used the magic that was radiating in his fist to form two runes and send them in Gon’s direction. One behind the other. When Gon used Jajanken: Paper, it only struck the first one and surprised him when the second rune hit him.
It didn’t knock him back far though as he quickly went back on his feet. “Heh… you seem to be holding back.”
“Obviously… Why do I need to use my full strength anyways? I’m just in a small fight with you. I’m not trying to kill you or anything like that, but I know that there might be others who would do so. Therefore, this is for your own benefit.” Eris herself just returned to Nicko’s body as he and Gon clashed again for a few more strikes that lasted for another couple of minutes. At one point though, Gon was able to hurt Nicko with Jajanken: Scissors and scratch him near the right cheek.
“O-oh my!!” Fluttershy squeaked. “Are you alright, Mr. Nicko!?”
“I’m okay. It’s just a minor scratch. Still though Gon, I’m quite impressed with what you are capable of.” Nicko said as he picked up his coat.
“Wait… so that’s that!? We’re done!!?! Come on!! I want to hear more of your stories, Mr. Nicko!!!” The young boy complained, pouting a little as he sat down by Fluttershy. Nicko himself, while holding his coat, just walked over to him and patted him on the shoulder as he smiled.
“In due time. Right now though, my world needs me… But, if there is an off chance that you need me for anything, use this.” Nicko then handed to him his Rune Slayer mark. “That is my summoning token. You can use it to summon me to your world anytime you need me. I believe you may also have a token on you too that represents you.”
Gon didn’t know it at the time, but soon, his back pocket began to glow. In it was an item he recognized. The Hunter License of Gon’s father in the anime, Ging. Soon though, his aura caused the single license to split into two.
“Now… is there something you would like to say? How should the other Displaced in the Multiverse hear you?”
Gon sighed. Unsure of what to actually say. Then, it came to him."My name is Gon Freecss and I’m a hunter. If you ever need my abilities in Nen, then call upon me. To call upon me hold this License and say my name. I will hear you… and I will come." Gon then casted the license into a small portal he opened with his energy. He then said to Nicko. “So now what?”
“Well, I better get going. Our fight just now had probably attracted some attention. I feel Twilight’s magic closing in right now. So… See ya around!” With that, Nicko used his own token to conjure a small portal as he hopped inside and have it close seconds later, leaving Gon and Fluttershy there in the fields. But they were also left with an experience the two of them will never forget.
Fluttershy then looked at Gon. "Well... Today sure has been interesting." Gon nodded in response. Not but a couple moments later, the rest of the girls had come into the view. Twilight had a look of concern on her face, and the rest followed behind her.
A couple of moments later the gang had come up to the hunter and the yellow Pegasus. "What in the world was all those explosions!" Shouted the lavender mare.
"Lets just say I found out what and who I am." Gon said with a smile. Twilight just groaned from the not so straight forward answer.
