Man Alone

by Casper

Rating: teen
Tags: Spike, Adventure, Princess Celestia, Slice of Life, Human, Main 6, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Sad, Other
Length: 3523

A teenager goes to Equestria. But can he handle the pressure of.. Nothing?

Your average human in Equestria story.. However, this isn't live happily ever after, or monster arising for him to defeat. This is average, normal life in Equestria. However, when you're the only of your kind in a world full of strange creatures, can you handle the pressure?

This is my second story, however as always, that's no excuse for any errors you might find. Criticism is accepted!

Published 2012-05-22 11:14:01 UTC
Last updated 2012-06-04 13:02:17 UTC

Chapter 2: Another World

After what felt like a few seconds, I awoke. I saw nothing but darkness.

Great. Darkness for the rest of my life..

After a few dozen seconds, I could make out a few things.. Namely, walls and rock. Great, I was in a cave. I took a step, only to wish I hadn't, and stumble. The ground was loose.. Somehow. I looked down. Gems. Lots of gems. On the positive side, at least it wasn't eternal darkness. I crawled my way up the hill of gems, and smacked my face into something. It was solid, but not rock.. It was warm.. Scaly.. It moved a little, but otherwise paid me no mind. I saw some light. An exit. However, I also saw the silhouette of what I stumbled into. A dragon.

Fuck. What the hell? Dragons aren't real. Or maybe they're really good at hide and seek..

Using the light, I managed to maneuver around the dragon. However, as I was about to exit the cave, I stumbled over a stray gem, and fell to the ground. Not only did it hurt like hell, the dragon heard it. It didn't seem too amused that I had woken it up.

"Uhhm.. Hi?" I said, as I backed up to the closest wall.

The dragon stared. A cold stare. Maybe it didn't see me?

"Who are you?" It asked. Alright. It did see me. But at least I was left alive. For now.

I was scared. Trembling. Stunned into silence. Was I dreaming? No, that couldn't be possible. It had hurt like hell when I fell.

"Well?" It continued. It was clear it was getting somewhat impatient.

"My name is Casper." I answered. Hopefully sounding less nervous than I was.

"Hmm.. Strange. I have never heard a name like that before. Most ponies have names related to their cutiemarks, or their special talent.. I've never heard of the talent 'Casper'. But you're no pony, are you?"

Ponies? What the hell.. Cutiemarks? What the hell is going on here, and why is this beginning to look like Equestria..

"Uhm.. No, I'm not. I'm human." I answered.

"That race, I've never heard of it. Where do you come from?"

"Denmark."

"There's no 'Denmark' on this planet.." It stated it wonder.

"I don't doubt that. I doubt I'm from this planet.." It was at times like this that I was happy that I got the highest grades in English.

The dragon was silent. Perhaps it was thinking. It had stopped staring. I began moving around a little. I shot a look over at the cave entrance, it lead out into a place with lot's of light. If this was Equestria, I could at least take comfort in not being in the Everfree.

"Well, I must rest now, Human. I wish you luck on your journey." The dragon finally said, before going to sleep on his gems. I went outside, thinking.

That could have gone worse.. Good thing that dragon wasn't too aggressive. Now to figure out where I am.

The light was blinding. The sun was high in the sky, shining down. I was on a mountaintop.. I went a little closer to the edge of the plateau I was standing on, and looked down upon the land. I couldn't recognize anything.. Then I heard an earth shattering explosion behind me, and when I looked around, I could see a rainbow spreading across the sky.

Well, there goes the rest of my doubt. I'm in Equestria.. Though, I'm dozens of kilometers from anywhere I know from the show. This is just getting better and better..

I walked around, to the opposite side of the mountain. I was at the top, so it only took a few minutes. There it was. Canterlot. And, squinting my eyes I could see Ponyville as well. However, the one thing that caught my eye was the village at the foot of the mountain, a village I nearly missed. I could see small figures walking about on the streets. Ponies, no doubt.

I had a goal now. I had never climbed a mountain before, and having to climb down before climbing up was going to be risky.. Not to mention being afraid of heights.

Hmm.. Maybe the dragon can help me? Worth a shot..

I walked back around to the opening of the cave. "Uhm, hello?"

The dragon hadn't yet fallen completely asleep, and simply looked at me. "What is it?"

"Do you think that, maybe, you could give me a lift down to the ground?" I asked nervously.

"If you'll stop bothering me." It answered.

"We have a deal." I said, laughing slightly.

I quickly stepped out of the way as the dragon emerged from the cave. It was blue, and looked almost crystalline.

I climbed up it's tail, sat down, and held on. The dragon looked back, and I nodded. Then it took off.

Chapter 3: Arrival

With a small shock, the dragon landed. It reminded me of when a plane lands. It had always been my favorite part of the trip. Not that I didn't enjoy flying, because take-off was a close second. Maybe it was because landing was just more difficult. Anyone can keep a plane flying straight down the runway, but hitting a target only slightly wider than your vehicle? That's where the fun's at.

"Thanks for the ride!" I said, as I climbed off.

"Think nothing off it. I'm just happy to be of some use."

With that, it took off and flew almost straight up towards the top. I looked around, inspecting the landing zone. A big open field. Simple, yet effective. I began my walk to the village. I wasn't in a hurry, yet I couldn't help walking a little faster than usual. The walk made me notice something. I was hungry..

I arrived at the village after a few minutes of brisk walking. The streets were bustling with activity, ponies yelling out about their cheap wares and their good service. Nopony seemed to notice me as I got closer.

At least, that's what I thought, before I was surrounded by a few villagers.

"Uhm.. Hi?" I said cautiously. Some of them brought their tools, and I wasn't planning on getting stabbed with a pitchfork anytime soon.

"What are you? We've never seen an animal like you before." One of the villagers asked.

"I'm human. My name's Casper and I seek a place to rest and something to eat. I'm willing to work."

"What can you do, Casper?"

"Well, I'm a fast learner and good with math. And I'd like to believe I'm not a terrible actor."

"Acting you say? That might not be a bad idea. Could be a good way of making a positive impression in the village."

A few hours later

Casper's journal, day 1 in Equestria.

I've been thinking of Earth. I wonder if they continued on without me, if they even noticed I was gone? For their sake, I hope they don't remember I even existed.. Still, I miss my family, and my friends. I didn't have a lot of them. And most people would say none. But I've always considered the friends I have online just as good as real ones. School hadn't exactly been hell, but it could have been better. There was a general dislike of me, for whatever reason. If I sat down next to someone, they'd often find another place to sit, sometimes going as far as to just stand instead. I haven't yet understood why, and it would seem I never will now. A chance to start over. A strangely alluring idea. And I won't have to go to school either, I know all I need to know in this rather simple society, and a little more. But I'm not a pony, so it might not be so easy.

Today I arrived in Hoofington. I managed to get a job, some food, a place to stay and this journal. The ponies here seem to not mind me much, and when they do, it's usually out of interest. I plan to get to Canterlot as soon as I can. I need to speak with the princesses. They might know something. I still don't know if I want to go home, or if it's possible. I only know that I need a goal, or I'll get lost. Canterlot's supposed to be about 100 kilometers to the east. That's a day of walking, if I'm lucky. But hopefully humans are allowed on the train. Can't see why not. Until then, I need to practice this act. Let's see where the future brings me.

I looked down upon my rather terrible handwriting. I preferred using a computer for a reason. I'd never written a journal entry before. But then again, I'd never seen a Pegasus up close until now either. I took another bite of my bread. It was surprisingly delicious. I looked out upon the setting sun, and sat there for a while. I couldn't come up with anything to do. I used to sit by my computer most of the day, chatting and gaming. Even though I wasn't the worlds most active person, I still managed to not thicken up. I was surprisingly thin, actually. It seemed I grew up instead of out, and I was nearing 1.9 meters. So I sat there, staring at the sky. After a few minutes I checked the clock. It wasn't too late, but I was tired, in many ways. So I went to bed.

Chapter 4: Priorities

"It's hostile, it has to die!" The pony in front of me exclaimed.

"Agreed!" Said the rest of the ponies.

"Wait! I haven't done anything to you!" I pleaded.

"You came to town armed, it's not hard to figure out. Drop your weapon and surrender, so we can make it quick."

"Never!" I said, drawing my sword. I slashed at the pony in front, and he fell to the ground. Several gasps could be heard, as well as weapons being unsheathed en masse.

This wouldn't be easy. It never was. I blocked the first attack with my sword, and counter-attacked, taking my attacker down. I walked backwards a little, and got ready as 3 more ponies stormed my way. I blocked the first attack, took down the second attacker before he could act, and skillfully fell to the ground to avoid getting hit by the third. I rolled out of the way of the now recovered 1st pony, and quickly got on my feet. I took him down, and disarmed the remaining one.

"Any last words?" I asked. He didn't reply. I took him out too.

The crowd cheered. The ponies I had just taken down got up, and together, we bowed. It had been a fun performance. I had done a little theater before in school, but most of my classmates were horrible actors. It was nice to finally act with someone as good, if not better than me. Hopefully this performance would help spread the news about me in Equestria. I'd hate to have to be a 'monster' every new village and town I visit.

Backstage I deposited my sword in the storage room, and took a seat. I'm no athlete, and while fun, the performance was exhausting.

"You weren't too bad out there, Casper." One of my co-actors said.

"Hehe, neither were you.." I replied.

"Well, when you do this for a living, it gets hard to not be good." She replied, chuckling.

"Point taken."

"So, I've heard you're taking the train to Canterlot?"

"Yeah. I think it'd be a good idea to get a talk with the princesses."

"Shame, we could use someone like you here."

"Well, I've just arrived. Life's an adventure, and I've been craving for some adventure for a long time. Denmark isn't very exciting, no mountains, next to no dangerous animals.. Pretty boring."

"Good luck on your travels then. Hopefully you'll visit sometime!"

"I probably will."

I looked at the nearby clock. Time was 17:07. My train was leaving the next day, early in the morning. My stomach rumbled.

"You sound hungry."

"Oh really? I didn't notice.."

Casper's Journal, day 5 in Equestria.

Today we finally performed for an audience. I was a little nervous at the start, but it quickly diminished. I also figured out the train route. It'll pass by Appleloosa, then onward to Ponyville, and finally to Canterlot, stopping at all 3 places. Though I'd love to stop by Ponyville, I need to remember my priorities. Canterlot first, everything else after. Hopefully the trip won't be too eventful. The last thing I want is to get derailed in the desert or something. Then again, it's Equestria, anything can happen.

I had another burst of sadness this morning. I have no real reason, same shit different day, I suppose. Guess depressions follow you to magical lands of happiness and magic. Being all alone in this world has its benefits, but I kind of miss talking to another human, even if many of us are less gifted with intelligence than others. Perhaps you can be too intelligent too. I often over think things a little too more than I'd like myself..

"Another day, another entry.." I murmured to myself, as I took a bite of the carrot I had bought. Like most of the things I had eaten in Equestria, it was unnaturally well tasting. I guessed it had something to do with magic.

I finished off the carrot, and checked the time. It was getting late, and I had a train to catch early morning, so I went to bed.

Rare Authors Note:

As those who read my blog posts know, I'm open to suggestions on what'll happen on the train ride. Post a comment or send me a PM, and I'll see if I can use it. But for the love of god, make it sensible. I'm not planning on putting a dark or random tag on this story.

Chapter 5: All Aboard

"The train for Canterlot will be leaving in 5 minutes."

Plenty of time, I thought, as I approached my train. After purchase of the ticket, I still had a fair amount of bits left. I felt compelled to buy a snack for the trip, but decided not to. You never know when you'll need a little extra cash. As I stood on the platform, I stretched, and went into the train. It was build for ponies, and I was tall, so I had to duck to not hit my head. I had gotten accustomed to that. I received a few looks, but nothing special as I found my seat.

"The train for Canterlot will be leaving in 1 minute, last call."

I yawned. I had woken up a good 30 minutes ago, and was still kind of tired. Nothing out of the ordinary. The interior of the wagon quickly got boring, and I decided to look out the window, nesting my head on the windowsill. The train began moving, and my journey started.

50 Minutes later. Appleloosa.

The train slowed down to a halt. A dozen minutes ago the outside had been grassy plains. Now it was desert, stretching for miles. I recognized the town, both from the train plan, and the show. Appleloosa. It had grown a bit since I had last 'seen it'. Ponies got on and off. But not just ponies, a certain baby dragon entered the train aswell. Not to mention, I had somehow missed a pretty famous unicorn sitting behind me..

"Hi Spike! I didn't know you were in Appleloosa."

"Hi Lyra. I was just visiting some friends. What about you?"

"Oh, nothing special. I heard about an upcoming performance in Hoofington featuring a biped. It was pretty exciting!"

"Do you mean the one right behind you?" Spike asked.

"Huh?"

Lyra turned around, and looked at me. Having heard her, I had turned to face her a bit before, and she nearly headbutted me. She would have, too, if I hadn't moved my head out of her path. She blinked a few times, before retracting her head to a less destructive position. As were the norm with me and close calls, I began chuckling.

"Hi!" Lyra exclaimed, loud enough for most of the cabin to hear.

Getting myself under control again, I replied, still chuckling a bit. "Hi there."

While me and Lyra had nearly collided, Spike had taken a seat and had begun observing us. I guess he didn't feel like breaking into the conversation, if you could call it that at that point.

"You were great on stage!"

"Hehe, thanks. Name's Casper, if you're wondering."

"Mine's Lyra, but you probably already heard that from Spike. He's a-"

"Baby dragon. I know. I met a dragon earlier."

"Oooh, what'd it do?"

"Nothing special. Helped me down the mountain that I was stuck on."

"You rode a dragon? That's awesome!"

I began chuckling again. "I guess.. But it's not like he did loops and the like."

As we continued talking, I failed to notice the train speeding up again. I just barely caught a glimpse of the apple orchard.

1 Hour later. Ponyville.

Lyra continued to barrage me with questions the whole trip, and I was almost happy when I saw the speck in the distance that was Ponyville. We said our goodbyes, and parted ways. Spike had joined the conversation a few miles out from Appleloosa, and was getting off too. Every sense in my body told me to get the hell out of the train and make friends with everypony in Ponyville, and while I'd love to, I had more important things to do. A little like choosing between gaming and homework. So I stayed on the train, which was now pretty much empty. Makes sense, the only remaining location was high class, why would they travel to Ponyville, Appleloosa or Hoofington?

With the emptiness came silence, and with that, my thinking began once more. What'd happen when I finally arrived at the castle? Would they even let me in? Finally, once out of the last tunnel up the mountain, I stopped thinking. There it was, Canterlot in all it's glory. Seeing it in the show is one thing, seeing it personally.. Well, it leaves you speechless for a few moments.

I got off the train, and looked around on the platform. A few ponies here and there, but mostly empty. After 2 hours of sitting, I finally had a moment to stretch out without slamming a limb into the roof. I began my trip towards the castle, walking slowly, and examining my surroundings. A dozen or so minutes, and I'd be at the castle..

Chapter 1: E.T.P.

Wake me up before I change again

Remind me the story that I won't get insane

Tell me why it's always the same

Explain me the reason why I'm so much in pain

As always after a day of school, I was sitting on my laptop, listening to some music, surfing the internet, occasionally popping up Skype and checking for messages. I looked at the clock. 16:42

Ugh.. As always, I have nothing to do. Don't have the patience to boot up a game. Damn this depression.

Skype bleeped. I checked, and noticed a new contact request. "Huh? Who the hec- 'Equestrian Transportation Protocol'.." Alright, I've seen some trolls in my lifetime, but this beat it all. Who would fall for that?

Oh well, might as well accept. Trolls are amusing.

I chuckled as I accepted the contact request. Almost instantly, it requested a file transfer. I checked my anti virus. Up to date, protecting.. Damned be my curiosity, I thought as I clicked accept. The file was ominously small. 'Transporter.exe'. I right clicked, and scanned it. Nothing. Let's see what this troll has in store. I clicked. Nothing happened on screen.

Huh. Can't say I expected much, but this is downright disappointing.

Then I heard a strange fizzling sound. I went over to my window, and noticed the world around me disintegrating. Houses disappearing, trees popping out of existence, and it seemed centered around.. Me..

Wait.. I'm on the god damned 2nd floor!

I rushed down the stairs. If the house was disappearing underneath me, I'd fall. I proceeded outside, and looked around. The world was disappearing in every direction, forming a perfect circle with me as center. When I moved, more of the world disappeared so it stayed centered. The world wasn't forming around me though. I only realized that when I was standing on a small circular plate of grass in... Nothingness.

What the goddamned fuck is going on??

I begun freaking out mentally. I didn't dare move. The disintegration had stopped, as if it was waiting for me to step into the nothingness. After a few minutes of mental arguing, I came to the realization that it was either stepping into nothing, or starving on this grass area. Even if it meant death, I'd rather die instantly than starve. I jumped in. Then everything blacked out...