//-------------------------------------------------------//
                     To Forge a Legend                     
                       -by Seance71-                       
//-------------------------------------------------------//
//-------------------------------------------------------//
                         Chapter 1                         
//-------------------------------------------------------//
Chapter 1
That summer day in the small town of Westfield was a warm and muggy day by any standards.  The clouds hung lazy and sparse in the large azure sky as flocks of bird fluttered and sung in the air.  The constant sounds of motorized vehicles roared from the amazingly hot black street of the highway which cut directly through the farming town.  Vast and beautiful fields of fruits and vegetables dotted the farmlands that stretched for miles away from the small cluster of buildings which represented town square.  It was in here, within a building that acted as both City Hall and the Public Library, where a young Southerner from Florida was browsing the racks of books for sale.
The room where the racks of books for sale was placed outside the closed wooden doors which lead to the normally quite and cool public library.  The floor was a fashioned with a blue zigzag designed tiles that was hidden under stands and a slightly damaged brown rug which stretched  down the massive hall.  The walls and ceiling were a bleach white color which partially hurt the eyes of those who visited the buildings and had not grown accustomed to it.  Constant chatter and bickering in foreign and domestic languages echoed down the lightly populated hall giving the disguise of appearing packed, though that could also be because many of the people talking were just a few notches away from screaming due to joy, anger, disappointment or another emotion which did not register in the young man's mind.
Wayward, a local farm hand and Martial Arts disciple, had his arms folded over his broad chest as his dull blue eyes scanned through the different styles of books that laid upon the four white racks that stood before him, his black and grey hat shading his eyes from the blinding light from the florescent bulbs overhead as  the hypnotic and bass thumping music playing through his headphones drowned out most of the unwanted sounds that echoed in the sanitized hallway.  He had recently finished working hard at the local farm and was given the rest of the day to do what he pleased, which he had hoped to use the computers to access some online spells to see if he could find any, but the library today was closing soon and he didn't really have much time to browse the web for the spells he was looking for, which would of taken him several hours to locate an actual arcane spell that wasn't blocked or erased.  So as a second best choice, Wayward had decided to find some action or fantasy book for sale so he could take it home and read while he relaxed.
After searching for several minutes and running his eyes over the books countless times, he decided to grab one of the unknown fantasy books which didn't acclaim to be New York Times #1 book of the year or something like that.  The book had decent reviews on the back and had a pretty eye catching cover so he decided to try it out, before he spotted the book that was hidden behind it.  The mysterious white leather book almost blended in with the wall behind it, lacking any symbol or text to identify what it was exactly and it seemed to be fresh off the press without any finger prints of even a hint of dirt on the flawless white cover.  Without realizing it, Wayward had replaced the novice written fantasy book with the flawless white one and walked into the library to purchase it.  He hadn't realized he had bought the nameless book until he pulled it out an hour later to read during his walk home.
A sense of irritation and unusual amusement began to flow to the surface of his head as he looked at the flawless book.  He had mentally convinced himself that he might as well examine the context of the book instead, seeing as the library was closed by now.  When he flipped the cover over to see the title of the book, his eyebrow unintentionally perked upward when he spotted a blank page, unaware the wind had suddenly picked up and blew against his back towards his small trailer.  Wayward thumbed through the pages once at a time and the sense of anger at paying for an empty book began to boil past the sense of amusement, his eyes narrowing as he flipped faster and faster through the pages in an attempt to find something, anything, written within the clean pages of the beautiful white book.
Before he could reach halfway through the book, however, he heard a familiar voice call out from behind him.  "Yo, Wayward!" The deep, British hinted voice called from behind the farmhand.  Wayward closed the book upon turning around to greet his slightly shorter, stockier friend who's skin glistened in the muggy summer day.  His brown hair was buzzed to hug tightly against his head to keep him from getting too hot during this time of the year and his brown eyes gleamed with enthusiastic life as he jogged over to the now waiting Wayward.  "Hey Patrick, how ya'll doin'?"  Wayward's voice was higher than Patrick's, but not by much and was more cold than the enthusiastic friend, which normally sent chills down the unwary spines of people.
"Just got out of work.  But what are you doing out of work so early?  Don't old man Johnson normally work your tail to the bone until sunset?" Patrick asked with a gentle chuckle.  The artist's voice had the unnatural ability to always lift the mood of people around him without much effort.  The younger convenient store clerk's gentle laugh helped in washing away Wayward's rising anger rather quickly because of their unbreakable bond and Patrick's talent and lifting almost any atmosphere.
Patrick and Wayward weren't actually blood brothers, nor were they step-brothers, their brotherhood was that of two wandering souls who had spent a great deal of time together and created a dependable and trusting relationship that has kept the two from going insane for the past five years of being alone.  Both having come from the South, Florida more specifically, they hadn't met until they became biological lab partners in high school were Wayward complimented the Japanese Cartoon drawing Patrick had sketched upon his own folder.  That was several years ago in a slightly larger town, but now their bond only strengthened with Wayward acting as the older, combat oriented brother and Patrick filling in the role of the younger, enthusiastic brother.
Wayward placed the white book back into the bag he had drawn it from and decided he shouldn't try to read while speaking to Patrick, that would obviously of been a rude act towards his closest friend.  "The old man had something to deal with and decided to let me off early to do my own thing."  The Martial Artist sighed as he placed his hands into his pockets and began walking, Patrick matching his stride as Wayward filled his friend in on his day at the library.  By the end of his story, Patrick had already started to laugh at Wayward's mistake, amused that the magic addicted Martial Artist could mistake a fantasy book which was nicely detailed and had actual color and words on it for a blank, white book with nothing on, nor in it.
"Didn't you at least look through the book before paying for it?" Patrick said after his fit of laughter, placing his hands behind his head as he walked without a care in the world with his friend who was still heading towards their home.
"I didn't know I was buying it until it was too late, you know how little I pay attention inside that double building!"  Wayward snapped back with slight irritation which quickly faded away.  "Besides, at least now I have something to transfer the spells from my old note book onto.  That poor thing was quite literally falling apart, I've had it since before we met in high school, remember?"  The young Martial Artist's voice held a note of joy as he reminded his friend.
"Duh, of course I remember."  Patrick said with a gentle shove against Wayward.  "After we spent the night you cast that good luck spell on me so I didn't flunk my Algebra test."  That same Algebra test which had he had scored a perfect score on a week later.  Before he met Wayward, Patrick wasn't a believer of the supernatural and thought magic was a mere optical illusion done by skilled biologist and chemists.  However, the week before his test had made the young artist worried since he had not done very good in the course in the past and was told if he failed this test he would fail the class, which means his mother wouldn't fail in tanning his hide five shades a brighter red!
"I still have that spell, you know?"  Wayward chimed in with a sly sideways smile towards Patrick.  "But I just haven't had the need to cast it lately, seeing as we have been having a really decent luck streak as of late."  Patrick let out a simple nod as he said "Oh yeah, we both got a job, a home to rest our heads and are making enough cash to survive with a little extra on the side."  Wayward looked over to his artistic friend as he added "And living in such a small town, we don't really need a car, so our bills are ridiculously small."
"Though our food bill ain't, huh Jaba?" Patrick said as he lightly slapped Wayward on the back with a playful tone in his voice.  "Seriously, I swear you eat about as much as a horse sometimes!"  With that comment, the two brothers laughed together and made their way to their small teal colored trailer.
The home wasn't really big, but it was enough for the two young men to live comfortably together where they would alternate daily between who got the couch and who go the single bedroom.  When one had the day off but the other worked, they would need to sleep in the grass green hide-a-bed while the other slept on the twin sized bed, though Wayward often found himself sleeping on the floor many nights due to their rough past of lacking proper beds for so long.  Tonight, Patrick had the couch since Wayward still needed to get up in the morning, though something kept the young spell caster up.  A sense was poking at the back of his head, a feeling of desire, of needing to do something, but what he did not know.
He was roused from his thoughts when he heard the sound of vibration cause his nightstand to shake lightly and a faint golden light suddenly envelope the strange white book he had bought today brightening the dark room and bringing shape to the black void that surrounded the book, defining the dark green carpet and swirling brown wood paneling that decorated the otherwise plane room.  When Wayward attempted focus his vision upon the source of the light, he found himself subconscious reaching to open the book to discover words had begun to appear upon the pages as if someone was writing the words down.
Wayward's eyes widen even more at what the words needed to say...
"To whoever is reading this, I need your help, please!  My name is of little concern, but our world is in trouble, monsters have begun to swarm our home and we are being slaughtered to the last of our soldiers.  This book is a two way communication tome infused with magic so that whoever is reading this can see the words I am writing.  We are running out of time, if anything can understand what these words are saying, please do something!  Let me know you'er there!"
Wayward's thoughts pondered at the amazement of the words that appeared upon the pages.  Had to be some kind of Divination magic or possibly Transmutation?  It mattered little to the young warrior; this writing was rather sloppy, but it appeared to be serious trouble.  Wayward's hand lightly held his chin lightly as he momentarily thought of what was happening and was actually only minimally impressed by the magic.  This could possibly be serious and whoever is writing this is in serious danger.  If so, then he is wasting time and should quickly respond to see how he could help.  A knight's duty was to protect the innocent after all, right?
However, something didn't fit right with him at the moment;  Was it just coincidence he had located the book instead of another individual?  What if someone who didn't practice the Arcane Arts had stumbled upon this book?  Why was a book, possibly so power as to send messages to unknown distances or even planes of reality, of been left undetected within the library of a farming town of Westfield?  As many questions that rose up in Wayward's mind, the thought of if the power magical item was active an a world where magic was literally being drained from the world.  The fact this book excised should of raised a red flag, but for some reason, he found himself reaching over to the drawer of the nightstand, retrieved the pen that sat upon his dream journal and wrote back a reply within the book.
"If what you say is true, then I need to to explain to me as best as you can, how I am supposed to be able to help you?"
The book began to glow as Wayward finished writing the sentence and in even sloppier writing than before, the words began to appear and show steps that involved ingredients, an incantation as well as instructions which would require time for Wayward to accomplish.  After reading several sentences of the new spell, the young martial artist became revitalized with excitement in the simple fact that he was about to learn a new spell.  It appears he was able to find something after all, it just took some time to do.
It took Wayward less than a few seconds to get up and head through to the kitchen, past the living room where Patrick was relaxing on the couch watching My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and enjoying the Grand wedding episode during Princess Cadance's solo.  The living room was not much larger than the bedroom, but instead had teal walls and a brown carpet that gave the room a more modern feel.  A large Televison set stood next to the sliding glass door which lead to their front porch, a stone floored patio with only a single wooden table and two chairs.  Leaning on the wall with the door that lead to the bathroom (which past that lead to the bedroom) was a small wooden computer table which had a rather nice black desktop computer that held a pink stylized symbol that held a red lightning bolt on the top, an orange apple on the upper right, a purple diamond on the upper left, a pink balloon on the lower left, a yellow butterfly on the lower right and finally a pink sparkle in the center on top of an intricate and beautiful golden badge as the background.  A pale yellow couch sat opposite of the TV where Patrick was relaxing before having his friend toss the pristine book Wayward had bought earlier that day at him.
   Thankful for his quick reflexes, Patrick just barely caught the book when Wayward tossed it at him as he passed through the living room into the small kitchen which held not only cooking herbs, but a large cabinet also held very rare and unique ingredients Wayward had received from his mother and grand mother.  As Patrick heard his friend rummage through the cabinet that held his herbs and spices inside the kitchen, he decided to pause the recorded episode with a single press of a black button with a blue "X" on it, causing the show to freeze before he opened the book to look through the pages, curious as to why his friend was acting the way he was.  At first with a neutral expression, Patrick's eyes slowly rose in surprise when he spotted the dialog and instructions at the back of the book, able to discern Wayward's neat and clean writing compared to the sloppy, rushed writing of the book.
"Hah, very funny dude."  Patrick had started as he stood up from the couch.  Wayward and him have had a few incidents where the young magician would act surprised and tricked Patrick in taking his medicine by mixing in harmless objects that only made the medicine slightly less grottoes.  Before the convenience store clerk could take a step forward to meet his friend in their small kitchen, he felt the book vibrate suddenly dropped the tome in shock.  If it was possible for the rising musician's eyes to widen anymore than they had, then they certainly did when glowing words began to appear upon the pages before him.
"Please, you must hurry!  The spell must be cast when the moon is full and at it's highest point in the sky!"
It had taken Patrick several moments for Patrick's eyes to return to their normal size as well as the voice of Wayward.  "Patrick, I need you to read out the portions and the instructions.  I have my hands a bit full here and your help would be greatly appreciated!"  After realizing he was dumbfounded by the sudden magic that he had just witnessed first hand, Patrick quickly picked up the book and looked through the instructions, reading them out word-for-word so that Wayward would not accidental mess up the concoction.  For a few minutes, Patrick's voice, the constant bubbling of water and the occasional sound of Wayward dropping something within the water were the only sounds that filled the trailer.
After a while, however, Patrick did eventually speak up.  "Alright, now we need to take the pot outside and let it soak up the moon's rays.  But dude, are you sure we should be doing this?"  The artist's voice held an obvious note of caution as he watched Wayward walk into the living room carrying a large pot that he assumed held the outcome of the concoction that the book requested them to make.  Wayward gave his friend a soft smile as he nodded slowly, his voice holding the adventurous and slightly excited tone that made Patrick’s stomach slightly knot up after hearing it.  “It’s a new spell, dude!  With any luck it could open a plethora of new knowledge!”  The last time Wayward had used that voice the two of them ended up getting into a pretty mean brawl that forced both of them to take three weeks off from work to recover.
Unfortunately, Patrick knew it was pointless to try and convince his friend otherwise.  So, he did the only sensible thing two friends with a brother-like bond do in a situation like this; go along for the ride.  Patrick opened the sliding glass door that lead to the front porch and followed Wayward out into the front lawn where the moon was almost hanging perfectly overhead.  The look on Wayward’s face made Patrick smile in empathic amusement.  The young magic practitioner only showed such enthralled attention whenever he discovered a spell that actually worked and, seeing as this came from what once was a blank book now having content via magic that might or might not of come from this very plane of existence, gave Wayward an incredible desire to draw as much knowledge as he could from this source.
When Patrick’s eyes gazed up at the moon, now looming just inches from its highest point, he suddenly remembered the last part of the message that appeared after Wayward had tossed him the book.  “Oh, dude, we need to hurry!”  Wayward gave his friend a look of minor confusion at what Patrick was saying.  “We only have till midnight to finish the spell, you need to-“Wayward suddenly interrupted Patrick as he said “We need to do the incantation.  As confident as I am in my magical ability, I’m going to need you to help balance out the power and let me keep some of my energy in case we do end up in trouble.”
“W-Wait, trouble?” Patrick’s voice raised in pitch, not due to the fact Wayward wanted him to practice some of his bibidy-bobidy-boo stuff, but by the possibility of being dropped into a hostile area where he could actually get hurt.  “Dude, I am not into getting wacked by anyone or anything, for that matter.  Why do you even want to jump into what possibly could be trouble?”  Patrick partially knew why already, but he wanted to hear it from Wayward first.
“Two reasons, really.” Wayward started, looking up towards the moon.  “But I’ll tell you those later, dudes.  We are running out of time fast if what you said is accurate.  Mind giving me a hand?” Patrick gave his friend a surprised look; this was like, practically the worst time to do something like this!  “But…But I…But you…But we…” His voice kept stopping as his mind was constantly restarted to find the right answers.  Eventually he mustered out his only excuse “But…Ponies!” He had said ponies an octave higher than his usual voice as he motions his arms towards the house to exaggerate his desire to return to his show.
“I’ll buy you all five seasons on DVD and pay for a weekend for you to stay at the next Bronycon when it comes up, alright?” Oh, that was just blackmailing now!  Patrick shoved both of his hands under his armpits as he stuck out his lower lip in frustration at the offer, pouting at the unfair deal.  Taking that motion as a yes, Wayward smiled a bit more as he gave an excited nod.  “Alright, now, you remember how I usually cast my spells?”  The pouting younger friend nodded slowly before taking a deep breath with Wayward and taking the position his friend normally did when he concentrated an incantation on him.
With feet shoulder length apart and arms outstretched in front of him over the pot, Patrick made sure the bottom of his hands and his thumbs touched as his other fingers fanned and stretched outward.  Wayward assumed the same stance as he looked down at the pot with a stern look, his brow furrowed as he asked “You know the incantation?” Patrick’s shoulder’s slumped with an exasperated expression, his eyes looking at Wayward with slight irritation.  “Yes, I totally remembered an incantation I only took a single look at and can recite it by heart.” Sarcasim was completely obvious in his voice, but Wayward only chuckled lightly as he nodded.  “Alright, I’ll recite it first since it is actually easy to remember, for me anyway.”  That’s because you’re used to this stuff, Patrick thought as he returned to his position.
Wayward took a deep breath as he returned to his focused expression returned, concentrating solely on the energy from his body and focusing it into the palms of his hands, the young man began to speak with a deep voice that appeared unexpected from the usually calm and happy individual.
“Two as one, one as two.
Show us the path and be it true.
One as two, two as one
As our will, so be it done.”
Simple enough, Patrick thought as he took a deep breath and began reciting the simple words with Wayward several times.  After approximately the fifth time they had chanted the incantation, the moon reached its peak and the local church began to play a tune, announcing to the people it had officially became midnight.  Patrick and Wayward glanced at each other, both showing more signs of fatigue than they previously showed, before looking down at the pot and noticed that the contents had begun to turn into mist and surround them.  Wayward looked around and nodded slowly as he took a deep breath, attempting to relax so that the spell could take its effect where Patrick was a little less…awake about the situation.
The moment the fine blue fog reached the already exhausted musician’s face, he felt his mind begin to fog up even more as he heard a calming female voice echo in his head, commanding him to relax.  He had done just that and more, falling flat on his face and beginning to snore lightly before he had made contact with the floor.  Wayward, however, remained awake for as long as he could before his vision blurred and a brilliant flash of white light engulfed his vision, slipping him into unconsciousness.

//-------------------------------------------------------//
                    Chapter 2 (Wayward)                    
//-------------------------------------------------------//
Chapter 2 (Wayward)
Relax…Sleep…Dream…  These were the only words the mystical voice had whispered within my mind as I attempted to fend off the dreariness from both working and putting energy into the pot before me and Patrick.  Try as I might, my body had failed me and I fell unconscious, however.  This was not the first time I had fallen asleep during a spell, but this was the first time I had failed to keep myself from giving into the fatigue of spell casting.  I will not lie; I am a bit embarrassed for personal reasons.
But what I felt was not a dream.  It was more along the lines of, the falling sensation you get when you were falling asleep.  I remember I was simply falling, or maybe floating, through limbo, my eyes closed and the sound of battle ringing all around me as I attempted to awaken myself with no avail.  The smell of sweat and sulfur tickled my nose as the constant sound of metal clashing against metal and incoherent words rang within my ears.  A battle was happening, and I couldn’t do anything to defend Patrick, nor myself.  I was beginning to feel uneasy, helpless…useless.
My concerns were all but lifted by the gentle touch of a slender and soft hand upon my forehead.  A warm sensation washed over my body slowly before the hand left its place and a pinch of sadness replaced it.  I don’t know why, but I wanted that hand to be with me, to stay on me longer, to wash away the worry that was slowly returning.  My eyes still would not open, nor would my mouth respond to my commands ether.  My heart told me I wasn’t really dreaming.
The voice that spoke by my side echoed within my mind, returning the warm sensation as her voice spoke gently yet with a tinge of regret.  “I am sorry, young one.  But you have not yet awoken to your true purpose yet, power still sleeps deep within you and remains untouched.  As you are now, you would be recklessly risking your life and stand no chance against the forces of evil that threaten our world.  But fear not.” I felt the voice’s hope flow through me as well, a faint glowing energy engulfing my being as it continued.
“Others have answered the call and are fighting.  It is uncertain whether they will be able to fend of the great evil alone, but at the moment, you have time to awaken, to grow stronger.  I will send you to your friend and together, you may both awaken to your true potential and possibly find the cure to both of your suffering.”  Suffering?  What could she be talking about?  Before I could attempt to get my body to respond, the pleasant sensation faded along with the sounds and smell of battle and I eventually found myself lying down upon a wet grass.
Now, when I attempted to open my eyes, I succeeded in seeing a canopy of leaves overhead absorbing moonlight.  The thick scent of wild flowers and fungus filled the humid air thickly as the sensation of wet grass tickled past my back.  The eerie silence deafened my ears as I slowly sat up, wincing at the incredibly tender and soar sensations of my muscles.  “Yep, still alive and without a doubt, just finished astral traveling.” My voice was raspy and parched and my head was still greatly foggy, as if I just woke up from an hour nap after staying up for forty-eight hours.  Something not common after astral traveling.
It had taken several minutes for my eyes to adjust to the thick darkness that surrounded me, tress of unknown origin surrounding me on all sides and wild flowers and fungi decorated the bottom of the forest floor.  But it wasn’t the exotic flowers that caught my attention, nor the cartoonish design of my surroundings.  What drew my attention was the pair of deep glowing eyes staring at me from within the veil of shadows.  I felt my stomach tighten at the terrifying and unusual sight, my thoughts still too clouded to be able to search my memory for any reference as to if glowing green eyes were hostile or not.
I wouldn’t need to use my memory, however, because the figure revealed itself and stepped forward from the black blanket that hid its defining features.  I was both amazed and confused at the wooden wolf-like figure before me, leaves protruding from random spots and still green with life.  The fear only grew when I heard a very familiar growl from the creature and I knew if I wasn’t petrified with fear at that moment, I would be giddy with finding a magical wood golem made in the likeness of a wolf.
I remembered my mother’s words about wolves and their territorial nature and how to avoid getting mauled and turned into its meal.  Attempting to steel my nerves and began to slowly raise my hands without breaking eye contact with the predator.  I didn’t try to make myself appear threating, nor did I try to make myself appear as prey.  If my assumption worked, then it would give me a rough estimate on where to go without wandering further into the wolf’s den.
Thank the gods it worked.
When I spoke to it in a soft and gentle voice, the Wolf Golem ceased snarling for a moment as I began to slowly step backwards.  I continued this, my bare feet feeling the uneven forest floor underneath thick underbrush as the Golem remained in its defensive stance, its ears perking up slightly as I continued my retreat.  Eventually the green eyes were swallowed up by the darkness and I stood straight up again, turning to see where I was going.
I had spent what felt like approximately an hour or two walking in what I hoped was a straight line before my body’s fatigue finally forced me to stop, making me lean on a tree for rest.  My head changed from feeling foggy and clogged to a pounding headache and my throat began to hurt greatly instead of feeling dry.  Not to mention my entire body felt as though I was microwaved; freezing cold on the outside and burning hot on the inside.  Even my vision began to blur, making it hard to discern my direction by sight.  But this wasn’t a sickness I was feeling, at least not a normal one that I knew of.
After I had attempted to steel myself as much as possible, I continued to trudge forward, having barely enough strength to make it to the next tree before falling onto the floor with a pained grunt.  The strength within me finally reduced to nothing, my breathing had become shallow and weak and my body only continued to grow in pain.  I didn’t have my pentagram necklace to ward off the negative energy just a bit more, nor did I have any herbs to subdue the symptoms.  All of my teachings, all of my knowledge and willpower that I had and was so proud of achieving, had become nothing but useless.
“Can’t…Give up…Yet…” I found speaking or thinking to cause only to increase the unbearable pain I was feeling.  Darkness slowly began to creep around the edges of my vision, despite my best efforts to fight it off.  I suddenly began to hear the sound of footsteps approaching my downed figure and my already nauseated stomach twisted in the thought that it was the Golem I had met previously, come to now feast upon my body.  My pride, anger, fear and stubbornness granted my body just a sliver of power, enough to lift my body up to observe the one who was approaching me.  My vision was too blurry to discern any characteristics, however, and I quickly felt the darkness numb my body and force me into an unconscious stupor.
I felt nothing.  No sense of falling, no anger, no unease, no pain, no joy, nothing.  The black veil that concealed my surroundings from me allowed me to see nothing, but I was not scared.  I remained suspended in the shadows for an unknown amount of time simply there and doing nothing.  Eventually, the veil was pushed back by a white force, granting me my senses once again, or what little there was.  I felt my feet touch down upon an invisible surface below me as the darkness was suppressed into a pinpoint behind me, before being obliterated.  I felt my emotions return, though heavily dulled, and my memory explain to me where I was; the lake I was meant to visit before visiting the Celtic Dragons.
A sense of minor bewilderment poked at the back of my head as I realized that I could normally only enter this place after meditating for some time and coming here via astral travel.  I tried to recall what had last happened to me and remembered what had happened; my body had given out and I passed out.  Could it of been possible for me to of entered this place of tranquility subconscious for some reason?  Did I wish to speak to my dragons without knowing it?
My thoughts were pushed aside when I spotted a figure standing upon the red wooden bridge that sat over the lake where one would toss away their worries of mortal life before meeting with his or her dragons.  I was bewildered to see a rather cartoonish horse staring down from over the railing at the fish that inhabited the lake, a small, comfortable expression upon its face.  This only caused even further bewilderment and confusion, due to the fact that normal horses were unable to have such expressions; granted normal horses didn’t have a flowing prismatic mane or tail, snow white fur and a tattoo of what appeared to be a sun upon their flank ether.  Nor did they have horns or wings and wore golden jewelry fit for royalty upon their hooves and head.
Before realizing what I was doing, I had already made my way to the bridge and taking my first hollow step, alerting the winged unicorn to my presence.  It was when her light violet eyes connected with my own dull blues when the memory calmly returned; this was none other than Princess Celestia, the wielder of the sun in Patrick’s beloved show.  Her expression remained as gentle as eve when she turned to face me, only changing to one of minor surprise when I knelled before her, the knuckles of my right hand lightly touching the ground in front of my thigh while my left arm was held to my chest, my elbow resting upon my knee as I lowered my head in respect.
Reflex, really.  Royalty was rare but to those who were of true importance, this was the greeting I was taught to give and it didn’t take a genius to know the title Princess was a mark of true importance if there ever was one.  A moment of silence hung in the air before the Princess giggled gently, causing me to look up to her with confusion.  The gentle look on her face only served to increase my sense of serenity and peace as she looked down to me and bowed her head politely, her voice as soothing as the lake water below.  "Oh my, you do not have to act so formal around me."
Nodding slowly, I began to stand up and look out upon the lake, watching the fish within the water swim around freely.  The water was clean and pure, despite the constant negative energy that was tossed into it whenever one came to visit their dragons.  Celestia and I remained in peaceful quite for a few minutes, enjoying the calming way that flowed so freely around the two of us until she asked "What is this place?"  I couldn't help but find myself smiling a bit at her question, though the answer she desired was a bit more difficult than it normally should of been.
"This place does not have a name." I began, my eyes never leaving the water and followed a yellow koi fish that lazily drifted with the stagnant water.  "It is where those who practice Celtic meditation come to dispose of their negative thoughts and emotions before greeting their dragons.  The waters remain pure and calm; a symbol of the purity of the ultimate energy that surrounds all of existence."  I lightly scratched the back of my head as I thought of a more fitting answer, pausing to think.  "Though if I would have to give it a name I guess it would have to be... The Lake of Tranquility .”
My eyes spotted Celestia nodding slowly as she spoke.  “A fitting name if ever there was one for a place like this.”  I saw her slowly turn towards me, her hooves making little-to-no sound against the wooden floor.  Turning to face her, my eyes locked upon the Princess’s as she continued, her voice holding a hint of concern.  “But why are you here, dose something trouble you?”
“To be honest, Princess Celestia, I am not entirely sure myself why I was called here.  Nor am I certain why you are here as well, I was lead to believe it was Princess Luna, your sister, who held the power to visit dreams.” As I spoke, I pondered if meditation could actually be called a dream at all.  It did hold similar characteristics and was only obtainable after a set period of relaxation.  Another question to point out is why Celestia is not alarmed by the fact that I knew her name, yet we have never met.  How was I even able to speak with her; she was a cartoon character!
My thoughts had been abruptly cut off when I heard the sound of hooves stepping upon the wooden planks of the bridge from behind me.  I slowly turned to spot a slightly shorter mare, her coat a flawless dark blue with black marking on her flank which allowed the waxing moon on it to pop out.  Her tail and mane flowed similar to Celestia’s, but instead of being plentiful in colors, it shared similarities with the night sky, stars twinkling in her mane as she furrowed her brow, an unamused look on her face.
“You can thank us for bringing our sister here to this unusual place.”  The horned Pegasus answered in a powerful voice which seemed to be swallowed by the calming air.  The way she spoke, the sound of her voice, the way the pony looked, it had all lead me to the same conclusion; this was indeed Princess Luna, Celestia’s sister and the wielder of the moon.  My reflexes had quickly taken effect and I bowed in the same fashion to Luna as I had to Celestia not so long ago, which earned me a stifled giggle from the bearer of the sun.
As I slowly rose with a slight knot of nervousness in my gut, Celestia drew my attention as she spoke.  “Yes, my sister did bring me here with her to see if you were alright.  My student, Princess Twilight Sparkle, should have located you by now where ever your body is in the real world.”  She paused for a moment as I raised an eyebrow at her, unaware she knew the question that was on my mind at the moment.  “You radiate quite a large amount of magic, just like your friend, Patrick.”
“P-Patrick!” I shouted as realization don on me.  I was in so much pain; so much disarray in the physical world that he had completely slipped my mind, as well as the encounter with the Timberwolf had just scared the life out of me.  The lake’s mystical effects began to slowly push my panic aside, though it was still very strong at the moment.  “Where is he?  Is he safe?  Did anything bad happen to him?”
My train of thought had been derailed when Princess Celestia raised her hoof to stop me as Princess Luna stepped to her sister’s side and the effects of the lake washed away the last of my concern.  “Your friend is fine, Wayward.  He had appeared in my throne room a day before you and was in quite better condition than you were when he awoke.”  She giggled a bit more before continuing with a bit of a larger smile on her face at the memory.  “He was so excited to see us that we feared he may have been slightly crazy.  But after he explained how he knew us and our history, he realized that you were nowhere to be found and began to panic, much like you had begun to do just a moment ago.”
“Forgive Patrick and my rudeness, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.”  I paused to bow respectively, dipping my entire upper body forward and straight as I continued.  “Our bond is strong, not much dissimilar than a brotherly bond.  We are friends who seek to protect each other till the end of days.”  Patrick and I had only known each other for a short six years, but those six years were years that revealed an unbreakable bond between the two of us.  I kept my bow for several moments before returning to my usual posture and waited for the Princesses to respond.
After exchanging glances to one another, the Princesses looked to me and both gave a slow yet firm nod.  Luna was the first to speak, her face showing no emotional expression as she said with a slightly quieter voice “We understand your concern, Wayward.  You have nothing to fear, we take no offense to you or your friend’s actions.”  Celestia chimed in after hearing her sister’s words and said “We actually find it quite refreshing to know we are so well known outside of our own world.  To think that my student had attracted so much attention and admiration from an entire world, it is rather flattering, actually.”
Our conversation was cut short when I felt a familiar sensation wash over my body slowly.  With a concerned look to the two Princesses, who spotted the look on my face, I said “I dislike ending conversations prematurely, but I am certain I am being pulled away from my meditation.  I believe your student has found me…” I paused for a minute to consider any other possible option and spoke out with a hint amusement in my voice “Or I could be a pack of Timberwolves dinner, which is a viable option as well.”
Celestia gave me a smile while her sister did not find the joke quiet as funny.  “That jest is in poor taste, Wayward.  You would be wise as to avoid jokes like that again while in Equestria.”  I bowed slightly to Luna, though I mentally shrugged; I thought it was a decent joke, considering everything.  “I apologize, Princess Luna.  I will keep your advice in mind during my stay.”
They remained quiet as the sensation of being pulled from my meditation grew even stronger.  The reason for the silence was made apparent when I straightened myself once again; they had left.  A rather abrupt departure, but at least now they wouldn’t be at risk of being kept within this land if I had awoken.
Breathing a sigh of relief, I turned and began to walk back from where I had come from, watching as the darkness appeared in the shape of a minuscule dot.  As my feet lead me closer to the darkness, it began to quickly overtake the white area around me and I felt my feet begin to feel sluggish before the sensation of falling overtook my senses.  With a deep breath, I closed my eyes, and prepared myself for whatever the world had in store for me.

//-------------------------------------------------------//
                    Chapter 3 (Patrick)                    
//-------------------------------------------------------//
Chapter 3 (Patrick)
This had to of been, without a doubt, the weirdest, coolest, freakiest, strangest, most awesome day I had ever had!  First, work went on without a hitch with no grouchy, forgetful and complicated customers and my manager being in an incredible mood.  Then, Wayward blackmailed me to help him cast an incantation that neither of us knew anything about.  Finally, I wake up in the very world I had dreamed of waking up in ever since the fourth episode of the first season!  I was in My Little Pony’s very own Equestria!
Though my visit to this wondrous and magical land started out a little…undesired, as my bro would say.  After having a dream that involved a Canadian superhero, twelve kilograms of plastic explosives, several neko woman (Those are cat girls for those of you who do not know) in maid outfits and a life time supply of bacon, I unfortunately found the dream to end rather abruptly as freaking ice cold tile slapped onto my bare back!  Needless to say, I was awake almost instantly.  But I was completely struck stupid at what I had seen when I opened my eyes.
The first thing that caught my eyes was the insanely high white ceiling being held by white marble pillars.  The pleasant fragrances that reminded me of a well-kept garden hung faintly in the air around me.  I could have sworn I had also seen a dot of brilliant light in the highest point of the ceiling as well, but maybe that was just a trick of my weary eyes.
As I began to stand up, I noticed exactly where I was and my heart fluttered with a mixture of wonder and fear when I spotted two six man…Er, pony squads circling me with spears pointing at my direction.  I raised my hands up to show I wasn’t going to hurt anypony as I scanned over what I had come to known from the show as Princess Celestia’s throne room.  Stained windows dramatized key moments in Equestria’s history and between each window were ether a white banner with a yellow sun which symbolized Celestia, or a blue banner with a white moon which symbolized Luna.  I found I had awoken just a few inches away from the red cloth carpet that lead to the throne room where Princess Celestia herself sat with a shocked expression on her face.
I actually found I had to fight back a bad pun as I was made quite aware of the very sharp metal tips pointing at me from all around; jokes may not be the best decision at the moment.  I remained in a kneeling position for several moments (which didn’t make the floor any warmer) until Celestia finally spoke up, her voice not holding any sense of kindness or gentleness that I had become used to.  I quickly understood how Twilight felt when she was tardy for making a letter to the Princess.
“Who are you and why are you in my throne room?  What form of magic brought you into my throne room?”  I…honestly had to focus really hard to not shit my pants there.  I wanted to totally fangasm over the fact I was before the one and only, Princess Celestia.  But, Celestia did not exactly look like she was in any mood to deal with a fan, especially since the whole ‘Suddenly appearing half naked on your floor’ thing might be raising several red flags.  That and I didn’t want to end up as a pin cushion.
Being slightly nervous and cautious not to offend Celestia or the ponies with really sharp looking spears, I began to speak.  “Alright, just chill ya’ll.  The name’s Patrick and I honestly have no idea how the hell I even ended up here.”  I paused so that I could shift my position before continuing.  “If you want an explanation, then you might want to talk to my bro Wayward.”  I quickly found myself shrinking when it appeared one of the spears got awfully close as I said quickly “But that’s just a suggestion.  It’s all cool if you don’t want to, we’re good, we’re good.”  I don’t remember my voice ever going that high before…huh…
Celestia gave me a terrifying look before it relaxed and finally turned into the gentle, caring and loving expression I had come to adore.  “Forgive me; I was simply startled by your sudden appearance.  I hope you will accept my apology.”  She raised her hoof and like I had seen several times on the show, all of the guards relaxed and put their pointy sticks away.  Thank JESUS for that!
However, when I looked around to spot my slightly tanned amigo, he wasn't anywhere to be found.  I assume Celestia saw my facial expression at that moment because she spoke up with a hint of concern as she asked "Is there something wrong?"  Hearing the Princess's concerned voice filled my heart with a slight sense of joy as I turned to her, realizing my eyebrows had raised slightly.
It took me some time, but eventually I was able to calm down as I explained what had happened and Celestia's brow furrowed even more around the end of my tale, which was a lot more difficult to finish than I thought.   "I see..." Her voice trailed off as she stood from her throne and began walking down towards me, every step she took echoing in the silent area.  Odd, since there is normally background music going on in the show.  "So, your friend, who is a practitioner of magic in your world, found a book that could relay messages from an unknown location and after casting a spell he was taught from said book, the two of you were knocked unconscious and separated?"  I nodded slowly, confirming the Princess's thought as she drew closer to me.
Her horn began to glow it's beloved golden color as my body slowly became engulfed by the similar aura.  I completely fangasamed as Princess Celestia herself, the teacher of Twilight Sparkle and ruler of Equestria, was casting a spell on me!  This was awesome beyond all comparison!  I attempted to feel if anything was different, but her magic had no actual effect that I could sense, similar to Wayward's spells.  Hollywood, you lied to me!
When her spell faded away, her expression only grew more stern as she said "You have a protective aura surrounding you, Patrick.  Would you mind explaining to me why it exists?"  I quickly began to panic at the loss of compassion and kindness that once resided within her voice.  Shit, Wayward, I hope you didn't end up being the death of me.  I quickly raised my hands in a defensive manner as I attempted to explain "W-Well I would have to say it is because of Wayward!  I, um...I don't normally deal with this magic thing, your highness, honestly!"  It was logical to be afraid of Princess Celestia, I had a lot of things planned for life and being banished to the moon was not one of them!
Eventually, the Princess's expression softened as she turned to the guards and spoke to them with a firm tone.  "I want you to begin searching for another human in Equestria.  He should be radiating a powerful magical aura and not be too far.  When you locate him, I want you to bring him here to me, unharmed.  Is that clear?"  The guards saluted to her with a snap of their hooves and quickly began running past me with gusto, leaving only a few guards to protect the Princess as she turned to me with a slightly softened expression.  It had taken me a moment to realize that her horn was now glowing once again and she was beginning to grow taller in my point of view.
Wait...She isn't growing taller, I'm growing shorter!
Though it was actually quite painless, I have to admit; the sheer panic I was feeling at the moment completely caused me to freak out!  My focus changed from the Princess's focused look to my hands, or hooves for this matter, as my fingers began to recede into my palms and dark green fur began to grow and conceal my normally flawless and sexy brown skin.  I felt my legs shorten as I witnessed my arms begin to widen into legs similar to Celestia's, save for of course being much smaller.
“Holy shit…” Was all I could think to say at that moment as I looked down upon my now dark green fur and pure white mane with amazement.  That is, until I realized I had one single bonus on either side of my barrel.  My eyes could not have grown any bigger as my smile practically overtook my entire face.  Two strong looking wings with feathers that matched my deep green coat hugged against my sides snug, just waiting to be used.  “I have wings, freaking AWESOME!”
I could not explain in words how awesome and how excited I was at that moment in time.  Pinkie Pie, the Element of Laughter, couldn’t match how much happiness and joy I was feeling; I was in the very world I had happily contributed art work, stories and music to and now I was a pony.  But not just any pony, I was a freaking Pegasus pony!  I could feel my hooves begin to tap against the ground rapidly with excitement at me being in a cartoon and I heard my throat release this high pitch squeak of glee as I closed my eyes and started to laugh.
After taking a moment to relax, I decided to take Wayward’s lead on this and greet her like the great Princess that she was, bowing down and saying in an even voice “Forgive me, Princess Celestia, your majesty.  It is just…how do I explain this?” I pause to sit upon my rump and think about my next words calmly, attempting to not sound too crazy…before I realized my current situation.  I took a deep breath before explaining everything about the human world, the show My Little Pony, about Wayward and how we got here, Celestia listening patiently and remaining quiet until I finished.
When I finish speaking, Celestia is looking at me with a mixture of shock and what I could only describe as irritation, though at what I couldn’t really tell you.  I bowed my head slowly, waiting for the Princess to speak before I do anything that may cause her to react.  After hearing her release a long sigh, I felt her place her forehoof on my shoulder and speak in a gentle, motherly voice.
“This is…A lot to take in, Patrick.  I had always known there were other worlds that existed and, as you know, have even sent my student to one of them.  However, after what you have just explained it is…honestly hard to accept.  Please understand, I will simply…”  The look in her eyes tells me all I need to know, which I offer her my winning smile.  “Don’t worry, Princess Celestia.  Wayward may be able to answer your questions a bit better than I can and explain the situation in more depth, magic is more his thing anyway.”
Celestia’s eyes took a moment to change from grief to a more caring look before the removed her hoof and took a step back, her gentle smile returning on her face.  “Well then, it would be an honor to be the first to introduce you to our world, Patrick.  On behalf all of Equestria, I wish you a great time and a fruitful experience in our world.”  Slowly I stand and use all of the willpower I have not to return to freaking out over the fact of what is happening again.
“Thank you, Princess Celestia.  It is truly an honor to be here in your world.  I will do my best to not impose.”  Celestia’s smile grows slightly before she calls a servant over and asks to bring me to one of the guest rooms.  I give Celestia one last bow of respect before turning around and following the adorable mare, though admittedly it takes me some time to get used to walking on four legs instead of two.  After slamming into two suites of armor, a pillar and a door, I eventually find myself in a large guest bedroom with a queen sized bed, a large armoire sitting next to the entrance, a huge dresser leaned against the wall and a nightstand on the side of the bed as well as several other odds and ends that make the place seem fit more for royalty than a DJ like me…not that I’m complaining of course.
I spend a good few hours trying to get the hang of my hooves, unknowingly singing a rather catchy song from a Christmas song about walking, before I heard someone (or somepony, I guess) knocking on my door.  Turning around to face the door, I am greeted by a young, light orange stallion with two toned blue mane and tail wearing clean and polished gold armor.  His blue eyes hold fast with my own as I instantly recognize this pony as Flash Sentry, a rather popular pony and speculated as the romantic couple with the Princess of Friendship.   His posture mimics the same style the guards had that I’ve seen around the castle; Strong, stern and powerful and showing no lack of discipline.
“Sup, mate?” Was the first thing out of my mouth as I take a step to the side and make a sweeping motion to allow him in.  “How can I help you?”  Flash looks around cautiously as he begins walking into the guest room slowly, his eyes scanning the room for anything dangerous would be my suspicion.  After he spends several moments scanning the area, he stops to look at me with a stern look.
“Who are you?”  The stern voice and harsh expression quiet literally catch me off guard from the usual happy and easy going Flash Sentry that the show has depicted and I find myself taking a step back with a shocked expression on my face.  It then occurs to me I have yet to think of a pony name for myself, seeing as I am possibly going to be here for a while until Celestia’s troops locate Wayward.
I take a take a moment to think and begin, hesitantly “I’m…uh…” I run my head ramped with thoughts and ideas of a decent pony name.  Thinking of my hobbies, likes and future all cause my head to begin feeling as though it is filling to the brim with ideas.  The name I choose now will be the name I am stuck with in this world, but a name that sounds right doesn’t appear.  Sound Killer…Noise Controller…Kick Pulse…Steel Faust…That last one sounded weird.  I begin to notice Flash’s eyes beginning to narrow with suspicion and he seems to be getting ready to move into action, bending down and spreading his wings slowly.
It is at the moment I look at his armor again I realize a way I could buy myself more time.  I clear my throat for a second and speak as calmly as I can without raising any more suspicion from the Royal Guard.  “I am a guest of Princess Celestia.”  I know the less I speak, the less I have to explain and the less I will shove my own foot in my mouth.  Flash, however, doesn’t seem so convinced.  Thankfully he had put his wings away, folding them on either side of his barrel.
“Are you alright? You seemed to of been having a hard time keeping your hooves under you.”  Flash’s words are cold and, surprisingly intimidating.  However, I was rather skilled at talking my way around bouncers and bullies at school back in my world.  So, I assumed it would be similar with talking to a private of a Royal Guard.  Clearing my throat once again, I begin to stretch the truth as far as I can stretch it without it snapping back into my face!
“I am simply tired from my long trip from the East, my good stallion.  For you see, my great-great-great grandmother, who is the thirteenth heiress from the throne-“ Flash’s eyes instantly shoot open at how I am about to begin my explanation of my family’s history and all intimidation or discipline he once had falter as a look that I can only describe as pure panic reaches his face.
A smile plays on my lips as Flash’s ears begin to pin back.  Deciding that this could be easier than I expected, I cut myself off and hold myself with a bit more of a confident posture as I say “Well, that can all wait until later.  If you would be so kind as to leave me to sleep, I am certain Princess Celestia will explain my situation tomorrow.”  The Royal Guard’s quickly nods his head as he salutes and leaves the room, finally leaving me alone.
I release a large sigh of relief at the fact I had dodged a bullet with needing to explain anything without Wayward with me so that we don’t end up making two separate stories that contradict the other.  The sun has already set by this time and even though I was not tired when I awoke, my eyelids begin to feel rather heavy and my body seems to be responding in a sluggish manor.  Deciding today has had quite a day; what with meeting Celestia, Flash Sentry, entering Equestria and being turned into a Pegasus, I head to bed early to prepare for the next morning.
I don’t know why, but something tells me tomorrow is going to be more eventful than today itself…

//-------------------------------------------------------//
                         Chapter 4                         
//-------------------------------------------------------//
Chapter 4
“Are thou sure this is to be the wisest choice thee has made, sister?”  Luna asked her sister as the two enjoyed their cups of tea out in the Royal Garden under the peaceful glow of her moon and the stars that dotted the sky.  The many noises of the busy Canterlot could still faintly be heard from where they sat, matched by the harmonious sounds of nature’s creatures.  The white gazebo they sat under provided a small amount of privacy as they both enjoyed their midnight snacks.
Celestia’s lips twisted into a minor frown as she sips her tea, enjoying the little relaxation it was providing.  She had just finished explaining to her sister what had recently transpired and the (quiet confusing) information she was given by the human who called himself Patrick.  She was not sure harboring an unknown species that seemed to of just teleported into her court without any of the Royal Unicorns detecting any magic was the best decision, but she couldn’t turn down such a unique creature that appeared to be relatively harmless.  After releasing a small sigh, Princess Celestia put her tea cup down and looked to her sister with a slightly concerned look upon her face.  “I am not entirely confident it was the best choice, but what choices did I have?  Act hostile to a creature that could possibly be harmless and live with giving the new species a horrible first impression?”
Luna’s frown only grew as she listened to her sister’s words, sighing with irritation after Celestia finished.  “Thou are right, Sister.  We shall not relax around such an unusual creature, however.”  Luna’s voice held slight irritation, not at her sister, but towards the uncertainty if this could end up like another attack similar to the Changling invasion not too long ago.
As Celestia began to levitate a small serving of crumb cake to dip in her tea, both Luna and Celestia herself suddenly felt a major distribution of magic erupt from the direction of Ponyville, both of the Alicorn’s eyes opening wide as they found the objects they were holding telekinetically suddenly fall onto the ground and table.  Celestia and Luna’s eyes growing wide with horror and shock at what had just transpired and their discovery; their magic had been cut off!
“What…What just happened, Luna?”  Celestia asked with eyes wide with disbelief as the servants quickly moved to clean up.  Her sister shared a similar expression as she tried to lift the a piece of crumb cake once again, this time succeeding in using her magic to bring it to her mouth, where she took a small bite out of it.
Luna’s expression softened as she let the sweet taste of the cake delight her taste buds before responding to her sister’s Question.  “We do not know, something had disturbed our magic and forced it to cease to function properly for a moment.”  The Princess of Night slowly placed the crumb cake upon her plate as she took a sip of her new cup of tea before continuing.  “What do you think we should do about this unusual occurrence, sister?”
No words left Celestia’s mouth as she furrowed her brow in concentration, choosing her next actions carefully.  It was unlikely it was an invasion seeing as her Royal Intelligence Group would normally inform her of any impending attacks.  The burst of magic came from Ponyville, so her protégé, Princess Twilight Sparkle, would have most likely felt a similar disturbance.  Could she handle whatever this was?  Would it be the best choice to allow her to deal with it?
Celestia looked upon her sister, whose expression held the certainty that she was prepared to follower her sister’s orders to the best of her ability, and gave a solemn nod before standing up.  “We will entrust Princess Twilight and her friends to handle these events.  Sister, would you mind checking to see if any of them are asleep and alert them.”
Luna’s face remained neutral as she gave her sister a firm nod before turning and heading towards the castle while Celestia herself let released a small quiet sigh.  She noticed the servants looking at each other with slight nervousness and fear before comforting them with a small smile.  “Do not worry, Brim and Clean.  I am confident that this is nothing to be concerned about.” Though that was not entirely a lie, it was not entirely the truth ether.
With that, she left the servants to clean up as she began to head towards the castle as well.  She needed to inform the girls of a possible alien in their peaceful village and be prepared if this wasn’t the Wayward their new friend was mentioning…
*****
“What in tarnation was that?” The orange coated country pony asked with alarm as she looked out the window in an attempt to spot the anomaly.  Her blonde mane and tail were loose and free from their usual ponytail design though her brown Stetson was back on her head.  Her emerald eyes quickly turned to her friends who were starting to wake up from their slumber party at Twilight’s Library.
A beautiful white mare was next to respond, her coat covered by a luxurious white robe with pink fur hanging around the collar and cuffs of the sleeves, her stunning sapphire eyes narrowed as she spoke with slight irritation “I don’t know, but whatever it was better keep quiet because SOME of us are trying to get our beauty sleep.”
Rainbow Dash, the last pony to be waking up, mumbled something under her breath as she rubbed her rose colored eyes.  “What’s going on guys?” She asked as she brushed her rainbow colored mane away from her face and spotted a light yellow mare cowering behind her, her pink mane and tail wrapped around her for protection as she whimpered weakly.  “What’s gotten into Fluttershy?”
“Ooh, Ooh, Ooh!” A pink, energetic pony hopped in place as she tried to get her friend’s attention, her wild and untamed poufy mane and tail bouncing along with her.  “It could be a giant cupcake meteor or somepony had REALLY bad gas and lit a match, or Crystal Shard could be discovering a new ingredient for pie or-“
Pinkie Pie’s words were cut off as their friend began to walk down the stairs and decided to spoke with a hint of fatigue which came from being rudely awoken.  “I don’t think it’s anything like that, Pinkie.”  The light purple horned Pegasus mumbled her purple and pink mane a total mess.
“But I am certain it is magic related, I felt a strange sensation when it woke me up, whatever it is.”  Rarity’s pouting expression was replaced with realization at Twilight’s words, as did the other mares around the room.  They all began to exchange looks at each other across the library, which confirmed their combined assumption; they also felt something strange when they were awoken from the sudden blast.  This didn’t ease the tension at all in the room, however.
Twilight looked down grimly as she attempted to think of what to do next, ether unaware she had a major case of bed hair or didn’t care.  “What…What do you think we should do, Twilight?”  Fluttershy asked from behind her azure coated friend.  The winged Unicorn only shook her head slowly as she made it to the bottom of the stairs, her eyes running around as she searched her thoughts in an attempt to think.
“I…I don’t-“Before Twilight could finish her sentence, the combined sound of belching and fire resonated from up in Twilight’s main bedroom, which was followed by the sound of a door opening and closing.  Curious as to what it was, all the girl’s turned their attention towards the stairs where a purple dragon with green ears and spines began to trudge downward, combating his eyes to stay open.
Twilight quickly grabbed the scroll which Spike held weakly in his claws as he mumbled something along the line of “Celestia” and “Amethyst and Topaz pancakes.”  The Princess of Friendship simply wrote it off as Spike being both hungry and tired, seeing as he hadn’t woken up fully just yet, and unfurled the scroll before her and read the contents out loud for her friends to hear.
“Dear Twilight Sparkle,
I am certain by the time you receive this letter that you have noticed the sudden occurrence that had happened not too far from Ponyville.  Me and my sister have also noticed it and have discovered it has created an unusual outburst of magical power.  Though possibly very powerful, we have reasons to believe it is relatively harmless and possibly even friendly.”
Pinkie Pie’s eyes lit up after hearing that and began to hop in place even more as she squeaked “Friendly?” with glee.  “Twilight, we TOTTALY have to go say hi to our new friend!  Can we, can we, can we, Pleeeeeeeeease?”  This got a slight chuckle and an eye roll from the Alicorn as she continued to read out loud.
“I am entrusting you with the responsibility of locating the creature who is possibly the cause of the magical disturbance and giving him a warm welcome into the land of Equestria?”  All of the girl’s eyebrows rose when they heard the last line, Twilight pausing to look around the room with uncertainty before taking a deep breath and continuing.  “Princess Luna and I have reason to believe it is not a resident of our world but actually an alien species from an alternate reality?!”
Applejack’s green eyes widened along with everypony else after hearing Twilight nearly yell out the last part.  “Eer…Big pardon?”  The other girls questioned what the letter had as well, a mixture of fear and excitement filling the air as they looked at each other, unsure how to really feel about what the Princesses mean by what they wrote.  Twilight took a deep breath as she decided (and silently hoped) the letter would explain what Princess Celestia is talking about.
“We suspect that the creature has similar characteristics to that of a thin, mostly hairless ape wearing clothing.  I believe it will not be difficult to find, seeing as we know it should still be radiating a decent amount of unusual magic from its body to keep this form for the time being.  However, it most likely is unaware of the fact it is even using magic to keep itself in its current form.
As you are well aware of, this actually very dangerous due to the constant strain the spell is placing upon the wielder’s mind and body.  Unfortunately, you may have little time to locate the creature seeing as it had cast a spell to bring not only himself, but a friend into Equestria from their world.  We have discovered the being’s name to be, Wayward, and his friend is in our custody now.  More will be explained, but for now you and your friends must make haste to locate Wayward and cancel out his magic as quickly as possible.”
Twilight’s eyes had become wide and everypony in the room, including Spike, was wide awake by the end of the letter.  The Alicorn’s mind raced with the information she was suddenly given and attempted to organize them all in her mind before she looked at the others, who were all staring back at her and waiting to hear what she had to say.  Many emotions ran through the Princess’s head as she contemplated what to do, but one thing stood clear in her mind and told her what she needed to do.
“If this creature, Wayward, teleported two creatures across reality, it probably means it has just used a large amount of his energy, enough to make a lot of great unicorns pass out.  But if what the Princess says is true and it is still unknowingly using magic to keep its form, then it is in serious trouble and we need to find fast before is possibly burns up the remaining amount of magic it has left!”
Rarity gasped dramatically at Twilight’s words, her eyes wide and her sapphire pupils turned into pinpoints.  “Oh dear, we can’t let that happen.  I refuse to let anything that could possibly be friendly perish.  We simply must hurry!”  What Rarity said seemed to of gained the attention of others more and added just the drastic situation to nearly cause a panic.
“Perish?”  Fluttershy asked fearfully, her fore hooves moving to cover her mouth.  “You…You mean he could…die?” To everyone surprise, the timid Pegasus quickly took to the air and shook her head.  “Oh no, we have to find it quickly.  Poor thing is probably scared, lonely, possibly hungry and sad.”
The girls all found their resolve, Twilight letting Spike hop on her back as she looked around with a determined look within her eyes.  “Alright girls, sorry to cut the slumber party short, but this is vital.  Everpony ready?”
All of the ponies announced that they were prepared before Rarity and Twilight’s horns began to glow.  “Princess Celestia said he will still be radiating magic so it shouldn’t-Whoa!”  Both of the girl’s eyes shot wide open as a bolt of energy ran through both of their bodies and their vision blurred suddenly, their minds buffered from the sudden rush of magical power they unknowingly sensed.  Rarity had actually fallen over where Twilight’s legs began to feel incredibly weak, the other showing an increase of concern as they ran to both of them to assure they were alright.
“My goodness.”  Rarity started, slowly rising to her hooves with the help of Rainbow and Applejack.  “I must say, never have I felt such…such a powerful presence before.”  Her eyes still appeared heavily unfocused and glazed as she attempted to regain focus, Rainbow and Applejack swapping concerned glances at each other as they held their friend steady for a while.
With the combined assistance of Fluttershy and Pinkie, Twilight quickly regained her senses and shook her head to finish clearing her mind.  “Wow, I don’t think we’ll have trouble finding him with a magical presence like that.  That was almost as strong as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna’s presence!”  This got the surprised, and slightly terrified, stares of the not-so-magically-sensitive mares in the room.
After assuring Rarity and Twilight were fine after a few moment of recuperation, Twilight was able to discern where the source of the magic was coming from; the depths of the Everfree Forest.  Applejack tipped her hat slightly with a stern expression on her face as she looked around at the group and headed towards the door.  “Well, let’s get this here show on the road, everypony!  We got a critter to save!”
With that, the girls headed outside and made their way around the curious and scared ponies of Ponyville who had been woken up from the sudden noise.  Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie and Applejack did their best to reassure everypony that the situation was fine, which quickly surprisingly settled a lot of them down.  By the time the girls had made it to the edge of the Everfree, most of the civilians had been calmed down and decided to go back to bed.
When the girls crossed the border of the Everfree Forest, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash visibly and violently shivered.  The two Pegasi’s eyes locked onto one another’s for a moment with shock before turning to the others, Rainbow asking with a slightly panicked voice “What in Equestria was that?”
“That is the magical presence of Wayward.  But something is wrong; it was much stronger than this earlier.”  Twilight glanced around at the other ponies with worry in her eyes before she decided to pick up the pace.  “We have to hurry; it’s fading away and fast!”
Noticing the serious and panic in their friend’s voice, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Applejack, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash matched Twilight’s pace as they all hurried quickly into the darkness of the Everfree.  Their hooves kicked against the uneven soil as the familiar sounds of the lively forest hummed quietly in the background.  The humid night air gripped their lungs as concern for the new creature forced them to move even quicker through the underbrush.
To Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash’s dismay, they began to sense the magical aura of the creature quickly fade away until they couldn’t sense it anymore.  The light yellow coated pony’s eyes shot open in fear as she moved even faster, quickly and quietly whisper “No, no, no, no, no.  Please hang on, little guy.”  Unfortunately, even Rarity and Twilight were registering the rapidly weakening magical force of their visitor and dread gripped their hearts.
They ran for a long ways, the unicorns eventually having to resort to using their magic to locate the weakening creature.  Their minds began to doubt if they could get to the creature in time and judging by the rapid deterioration of the magical energy, their doubts were quickly growing more and more profound.  Their hearts beat into their ears, sweat poured profusely out of all of the ponies’ coats, and even Spike was holding onto Twilight for dear life and could tell how dire the situation was.  They weren’t running for their lives, they were running for the life of somepony else!
When the mares turned around a rather large tree, their eyes shot wide open once again and all of them gasped at what laid before them.  Their hearts sank as their mind drew blanks at the image they had seen.  Twilight was the only one who could recognize what the creature was, yet she could not believe that it was right in front of her and was colored differently than the others were.

//-------------------------------------------------------//
                    Chapter 5 (Wayward)                    
//-------------------------------------------------------//
Chapter 5 (Wayward)
I was fully aware I was back in the real world with the similar pains and aches that plagued my body earlier, but this time they had been greatly reduced from the feeling I felt before I had collapsed.  As my senses began to slowly returned, I could hear the sound of something bubbling within a container in the distance.  The smell of exotic and unknown plants and herbs filled my nose as well as the welcomed scent of freshly burning wood.  The comfortable mattress underneath me and the cozy blanket covering me hugged my form as I began to move my head off of the warm pillow.
But before I opened my eyes, I had realized something felt different.  A part of me had changed somehow and my body was moving differently than it used to.  When I opened my eyes and gazed at my hands, panic and confusion exploded from my mind as I wasn’t looking at hands at all.  What connected to the long black coated fore legs that stretched to my figure were hooves, hooves that belonged to a pony.
Startled and starting to panic, I leaped out of the bed in the fashion I normally would, on my hind legs.  This turned out to be a poor choice of action because I quickly found myself falling backwards almost instantly after standing up.  I was indeed thankful that a mattress was still behind me to catch my fall so that I did not land on the hard ground.  I allowed myself to panic for a few more moments, questioning where I was, how I became a pony, what time it was and where in the divine Patrick was right now.
After a while, however, I began to calm myself down and began to remember the event back at the  Lake of Tranquility .  Slowly I recalled everything, being teleported to Equestria, meeting a Timberwolf, meeting the Princesses and remembering that Patrick was safe, for the time being.  The name Twilight Sparkle rung in the back of my head as I attempted to once again get off of the bed, my ears picking up the sound of footsteps, or more akin hoofsteps, approaching from the other end of a slightly tattered brown curtain that separated the room from the rest of the domain.
I only had enough time to learn to stand up before a zebra walked in with a wooden tray in her mouth that held a small wooden bowl, a white rag, a wooden cup and what appeared to be a vial of pale red color.  Amber eyes gazed into my own as she offered a friendly expression towards me, my defenses lowering slightly as she walked over to place the tray upon a night stand next to the bed.  My eyes gazed upon the golden rings that she proudly wore on her neck and around each of her legs as well as at the base of her tail.
When she turned to me, her friendly smile only grew before speaking in a thick African accent.  “It brings me joy to see you healthy and awake.  I was worried for a moment for your own sake.”  This earned only earned her a raised eyebrow from me as I noticed that she rhymed, though I was unsure if she had done so on purpose.  It was safe to assume she noticed my eyes falling upon the tray and the questioning expression I probably had on my face, because she moved to the side and motioned for me to take the objects on top of the tray.
“When I found you on the forest floor, I had noticed you beaten and sore.”  She started, watching me as I decided to, with great difficulty, walk over and look into the contents of the cup and bowl, the cup holding clean water and the bowl releasing a relaxing aroma that I instantly noticed and recognized.  “I brought you here to make you well, thankfully you are-“
I cut her off mid-sentence as I asked “That’s a lavender, jasmine and Chamomile combination, isn’t it?”  I could see her eyes open wide at the fact I could depict several of the ingredients she had used for the relaxing remedy.  Though I had to admit, I sensed other ingredients which were foreign to even my vast knowledge of medical plants that possibly could be in the bowl.  I sat down upon my hunches and reached for the cup of water and quickly began to drink the contents dry, noting how parched my pallet truly was.
Within the little time it had taken me to finish the cup, my zebra care taker had begun to speak again.  “I am surprised you know the ingredients to this blend.  Then you must know it is used simply to help mend.”  I nod slowly as I placed the cup back down upon the tray and looked upon the pinkish red vial that sat on the opposite end of the bowl of scented water and began to reach for it, only to stop after hearing the voice of the kind creature.
“I do not suggest you drink that so soon, less you start to act like a great loon.”  I glanced to her and slowly pulled my hoof away from the vial as I placed it back on the floor.  I began to search my mind for more information and noticed that I felt mentally sluggish, fatigued and vulnerable.  Could this zebra of known of my condition before I myself understood?
Deciding to introduce myself, I turned to her and gave my care taker a slow nod as I said “Thank you for your kindness and generosity of taking care of me.  My name is Wayward and I am looking for a pony that goes by the name of Twilight Sparkle, do you know of her?”  The kind zebra looked at me with a caring smile as she returned the slow nod actually chuckled lightly as I found myself having a difficult time keeping my balance.
“Zecora is what many call me, for I am an herbalist here you see.  As for the pony that you seek, I know where you can sneak a peek.”  Her choice of words made me question rather she was playing with me or if she was being honest as to where I could find my target.  Having no reason to doubt her, save for pure paranoia, I decided to trust Zecora and gave her another slow nod.
Before I could ask her to lead me to Twilight with haste, the very mare I was looking for walked through the curtain as well as her entourage of friends.  My eyes quickly scanned over each pair of eyes, sizing up the mares and attempting to see what emotion was dominating them the most; Fear and intrigue seemed to be the top two.  Seeing as I was within Patrick’s beloved show’s world, I predicted their reactions and mentally prepared myself.
My expectations were instantly shattered when a pink blur appeared in front of me and squeezed me so tightly into a hug that I released an adorable squeak, my eyes widening as I was both surprised at the sudden embrace and embarrassment at the fact I had made such a noise.  My assailant’s voice told me who it was, especially because of the amount of energy that practically radiated from the mare.  “Oh my gosh, how did you do turn into that hairless ape?  Are you really from an alternate reality?  Dose everypony in your world look like apes or do you also have ponies?  What is your world like?  How did you get here?  What’s your favorite color?”
“Pinkie, I will answer your questions as soon as you answer the few I have.”  I started, noticing all of the mares’ eyes widening as they heard me say her name since she never introduced herself to him.  This caused the energetic ball of energy to almost instantly release him as she shared her friend’s expressions.  I nodded to Pinkie and quietly thanked her before I stumbled over to where I could get a better view at all of the ponies as well as be close enough to jump out the window if they turned hostile.
“But I will answer as to the question you all are thinking right now; how do I know her name.  I actually know all of your names because of my friend.  I will explain more in detail as soon as I meet up with my friend.”  My eyes shifted to the purple Alicorn, which caused her to stiffen up slightly before I continued.  “Twilight, I had spoken to the Princesses during my slumber.  Where I thank you and your friends greatly for saving me, I must know as soon as possible if my brother is alright.  So please, take me to the Princesses, I beg of you.”
The girls all turned to Twilight for a moment before Rainbow zipped from over them and floated only a few inches away from my face, eyeing me irritatingly.  “Hey, we saved your sorry behind from the Everfree Forest, buddy.  The least you can do is start showing a little more appreciation for the fact that you are alive at all and not a timberwolf’s dinner!”  As she spoke down to me, I could see the irritation in her eyes grow as my expression never changed.
My dull blue eyes remained focused upon Rainbow Dash’s rose colored eyes until she started to be pulled back by Twilight’s magic scowling at me as I continued to stare at her as the purple unicorn began to speak.  “Sorry Wayward, Rainbow can be a bit-“
“Rash, hard headed and egotistical.”  This earned me a nasty look from all of the mares which started to change as I recited Patrick’s description of the obnoxious mare.  “But her loyalty to her friends and good hearted nature make up for her attitude.  Dreaming of one day joining a group of Pegasi named the Wonderbolts and have gained a decent chance with her unique signature flying technique, the Sonic Rainboom and being possibly the fastest Pegasus in Equestria.  As I said, I know a lot about you all because of my friend and you are all akin to celebrities where we are from.”
This earned a mixed response from the group, Fluttershy obviously began to hide herself behind her friends, Applejack scratched her head under her hat with utter confusion on her face, Rainbow and Twilight shared the look of complete shock and Rarity and Pinkie shared an increase in joy hearing they were famous in another world.  “Celebrities you say?  My, I…I am simply speechless, darling!  Never in all of my years have I expected to be called a celebrity from an alien species-“
“I thought you said you were speechless.” I interrupted Rarity’s words coldly and emotionlessly, stunning the mare with the tone of my voice before I turned to Twilight and said with the same lack of expression “I will not answer any more of your questions until you bring me to the Princesses.  I have questions that they can answer and I will answer questions they have.  I apologize if I appear rude but I am hurting, tired, hungry, in a new world, fatigued and as you may expect in an incredibly unpleasant mood.  If you would have caught me when I was feeling better, I assure you I would be more polite and courteous.  However, at the current situation, I must ask you to understand my current situation and sympathize with my worry for my friend.  So, if you will not bring me to the Princesses, I will ask to be pointed toward their direction and I will go there myself.”
Applejack gave me a similar dirty glare as Rainbow Dash, but Twilight nodded solemnly as she said “I understand.  You should not worry about your friend, however.  He is with the Princesses right now and couldn’t be safer anywhere else in Equestria.  I would gladly take you to them and reunite you with your friend.  However, you are in no condition to travel in your current situation.”  Her gentle and calm smile caught me slightly off guard before she added “Couldn’t have you snapping at the Princesses like you just snapped at us now, can we?”
There was no flaw in her logic in my mind.  I had met the Princesses at the lake, but the tranquil and magical power of the place made me feel no negative emotions, so it would not truly of been a first encounter that revealed how I truly act with the effects of the world surrounding my mind.  I knew I needed to think this through and how benevolent the Princesses truly were.  If Patrick was really with them, then there was little to nothing I needed to worry about.
I decided to release a defeated sigh as I nodded slowly to Twilight.  “You are right.  I am not thinking clearly and am acting hostile when I should be acting according to the Knight’s Code; I am truly ashamed of my actions.”  I found myself bowing before the Alicorn with ease, as if my body knew what I wanted and finally began to accept what I wanted.  Though I felt my back crack and pop painfully as it relieved some stress.  “Please, look within your hearts and forgive the rudeness I have shown you on this night.”
“I don’t get this guy at all.”  I heard Rainbow Dash whisper from where she remained.  I remained bowed until I heard them begin to walk closer towards me until they surrounded me from all sides.  I had to battle with myself to resist my phobia of enclosed and tight spaces and not to lash out.  My actions were unjust tonight and I needed to uphold my honor and ask for forgiveness to those who had showed me compassion and kindness.  This was an absolute truth that rung in my head that pushed all of the negative effects aside.
To my surprise, I felt a gentle hoof placed upon my shoulder, or what would act as my shoulder, and heard Twilight say in a warming and gentle voice “We forgive you, Wayward.  We couldn’t even begin to understand what you are going through, but your concern for your friend shows that you are not a bad pony at all.  It actually tells us how caring you are and we understand that much.”
I lifted my head to look around and saw most of the mares were looking at me with smiles.  Even Rainbow was giving me a slight smirk for some reason.  The heavy weight of guilt slowly lifted from my heart, though it wouldn’t leave until I made it up to all of them.  With a soft smile and a mental nod, I pushed this thought to the back of my mind to remember for later.  I simply returned their smile as I said with a hint of gratitude “Thank you.”
After a while, they decided to dismiss themselves and allow me to rest.  Zecora gently placed the cool wet cloth on my forehead, where the smell of the ingredients that was mixed in with the bowl of water lightly cascaded around my nose and made my head begin to feel incredibly fuzzy and light.  It wasn’t much longer after that when I found myself slipping into the embrace of sleep, where a familiar dream involving Patrick and I going through our lives back in our world.
For some reason, this left me feeling empty, lonely even.  I knew if we didn’t return to our world by the next full moon, we would be considered dead and Patrick’s family would be devastated.  It didn’t help in the fact I was all too aware how fond he would be to have ended up in the magical world and knowing he would obviously put up quite a battle to remain.
Then I found myself thinking; What did I think of this world?  My dream slowly shifted to every episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Patrick had ever made me watch, every fan fiction of the show I had decided to read, every picture I had looked at.  I didn’t know how long I would be in this world and I was well aware of the chances we would actually be able to return.
But if my brother wanted to be here more than with his family, then I would not hesitate to remain here with him.  This was the last thought I remembered before my dreams decided to drop me into a chaotic jumble of scenes and events that I had ether witnessed or experienced.
Tomorrow, Patrick and I would be reunited.  Tomorrow, we would begin enjoying our stay away from our dying world.  Tomorrow, I better thank of a better pony name than Wayward

//-------------------------------------------------------//
                    Chapter 6 (Patrick)                    
//-------------------------------------------------------//
Chapter 6 (Patrick)
The morning started off WAY too early for my taste.  I don’t know why, but I just knew it was just too early to be awake.  Hell, it was too early to be alive!  Despite this personal fact, I grumpily opened my eyes to see pillars of sunlight dotting the guest room and decided to get up and head to the bathroom to brush my teeth, which only occurred to me that I was without a tooth brush when I glanced around the sink and saw nothing of the sort.  Better put that on the shopping list the moment I get a job here.
After taking a nice warm shower and getting accustomed to using my hooves to lather my coat, mane and tail in suds, I began to dry myself off with a nearby towel and start thinking of a new name.  Something that was identical to my passion and personality was possibly keen to figuring it out.  A list of names danced through my mind as I finished drying and walked out of the room, only to stop dead when I spotted Flash on my right and another grey stallion to my left.
“May I ask where you are going?”  Flash Sentry asked with a raised eyebrow towards me.  The guard to my left looked to him before turning his attention to me, his aqua eyes looking to me with an indifferent look in his eyes.  I couldn’t help but feel myself release a slightly irritated sigh at Flash’s still suspicious attitude to me.
I then realized; I had no clue where the kitchen was.  With a new found smile, I looked toward the wary Royal Guard and said “I was going to get some breakfast, but it just occurred to me I am unaware of where the kitchen could be located.  Could you be so kind as to lead me to the dining room so that I can be prepared to partake in some of Canterlot’s exquisite delicacies?”
Flash’s expression slightly softened, seemingly accepting of my words before bowing to me slightly as he said “Of course, sir.  Right this way.”  As he began to lead me down the twisting corridors of the expansive palace, my eyes were drawn to the many banners and decorations that gave the place an official feel to it.  The pristine white walls and pillars that supported the insanely high ceiling trimmed with cyan to give it a peaceful look while still reminding it was a place where royalty resided.
Breakfast was surprisingly good.  Though I was hesitant to try a flower sandwich and salad, I assumed my new pony palate changed my taste buds and made it to where I could tolerate the taste.  Daffodils and daises were actually very light and had an interesting texture on my new tongue.  All in all, I actually enjoyed the herbivore meal.  Maybe I could get used to it.
After breakfast, I was surprised to of been summoned to Celestia’s throne room by one of the servants, Flash seemed intrigued by this turn of events and decided to continue to escort me to said room.  When I passed through the two large double doors, I was greeted by Celestia’s gentle expression, Luna’s stern glare and the eyes of the other guards that surrounded the two of them.  I was only slightly taken aback by the Princess of the Night’s eyes.  Mainly, I was excited to actually get a chance to meet her.
I made my way to the center of the room before I bowed respectfully to the rulers of Equestria before I spoke to them.  “Good Morning, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.  Thank you both for you generosity and kindness again.”  When I looked back up to the Princesses, Luna’s expression was unchanged where Celestia’s smile became more warm and caring.
“My sister and I are happy to hear your satisfaction for of your arrangements.  We do hope you slept well.”  Celestia’s voice was as gentle as I had ever heard it.  I was simply happy to be greeted with warm smiles and friendly gestures rather than pointy sticks and stern glares.  After I gave her a quick nod, the two sisters looked to each other for a moment before nodding slowly to each other and turned their attention back towards me.
“Patrick, we are happy to inform you that your friend is safe and is in fact on his way here as we speak.  Princess Twilight Sparkle has informed me of his location and should be coming here by train.  She mentioned some rather…interesting information was revealed and also informed us that he was in a very poor state when they found him.  Do not worry though, he is doing much better and is with Twilight and her friends now.”
I felt an extreme weight lift from my mind after hearing of Wayward’s condition and felt joyed to hear he was heading our way now.  I suspected they were possibly already here, seeing as the guy was practically a rooster, always getting up right before the sun’s light even touched the sky.  I decided to relay this information to the Princess and by the time I finished, low and behold, a servant walked through the front gates announcing the arrival of the Elements of Harmony.
And with them was a jet black unicorn with dull blue eyes and a build that nearly matched Applejack’s.  His dirty blond mane and tail remained their messy style and I could already tell Rarity might have been fussing over it for quite some time.
As the Mane Six made their way towards Princesses, I took a step to the side and watched as they all bowed in respect.  Celestia’s voice held its motherly tone as she greeted the mares. “Princess Twilight Sparkle, I am happy to see you all once again.  I assume that fine young stallion is our missing human?”
“Yes, Princess, this is Wayward; or as he wishes to be called in our world, Dusk Blade.”  Twilight said as the black unicorn gave a deep bow and the way he held himself instantly told me that she was not lying.  That was, without a shadow of a doubt, Wayward.
When he lifted himself up, I knew he was in ‘knight mode’ because his body was stiff, his gaze was direct and his shoulders squared to show off his muscle tone.  All in all, he simply radiated honor, discipline and respect.  “It is an honor and a privilege to meet you in person, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna.  I thank you for gracing me with your presence.”
I felt my eyes roll around out of habit from Wayward, or Dusk Blade’s, overly formal greeting.  I somehow knew he would go rather over the top, but the Princesses seemed to take it all in stride.  Celestia even waved her hoof dismissively as she said “There is no need to be too formal with us, Dusk Blade.  We are happy to have you in our kingdom and even happier to reunite two close friends.”
At this, he turned his eyes to me and I instantly saw his figure relax and change to the normal Wayward.  We both began to move towards one another and gave each other our brotherly hand shake, though we changed it to pony style.  We bumped our hooves together twice, hugged each other and stopped down once upon the ground to symbolize a snap.  The feeling of doing this greeting with him filled me with joy and relief beyond measure and the look in his eyes said he felt the same.
“You doin’ a’right man?”  Dusk asked me with a concerned smile before continuing.  “I woke up in the Everfree Forest and felt like I got hit by a freight train packed with sulfuric acid.”  Even though I was listening to him, I spotted everyone giving us a warm smile, even Princess Luna’s stern look gave way to a pleased expression.
I waved my hoof dismissively as I said “I’m all good man, I felt fine when I got here.”  As I placed my hoof down, we both turned towards the Princesses and the Elements before giving each other a confirming nod; we’d play catch up later.  But first, we needed to explain and answer to them all of their questions.
We had spent about two hours explaining how their world was thought to be an imaginary place created for little girls which quickly gained the attention of young adult males as well.  I explained the events we had seen, which ended after the Tree of Harmony was returned to its former glory and Tirek was defeated.  Wayward answered their questions about how he was so knowledgeable of magic and mentioned that for ten generations of magic users in his family tree.
Wayward also threw out a theory he had been thinking for some time, about how shows that aired on television in our world were dramatized events that possibly could be happening in other realities and viewed by the receiver who then showed the events for the world to see.  Because I had pony on the brain, the spell that teleported us here was actually meant to send us back to our world.  I guess I done goofed with that one.
When they asked about getting to know us personally, Dusk glanced over to me, signaling I should start off with my introductions.  After thinking through a brief summary of my history and who I was, I took a deep breath and gave them my most winning smile before I started.
“Back home, I was a convenience store clerk making my way to becoming a famous Artist of electrical music and illustrations.  Born on October 22nd and just one year after Dusk over here, I had a family of four and after high school we brought my best friend here into the family and basically adopted him.”  I wrapped my hoof around Dusk Blade and gave him a chummy shake which made him give me a neutral look.  Make him a mare and change up his style a little bit and he would look like Maud.
Almost everypony in the room voiced their emotions with an ‘aww’ before they looked at Dusk, expecting him to talk.  After several silent moments, I nudged him in the side to get him to speak, which earned me a slightly irritated glance from him that I ignored before he spoke.
“Before coming here, I worked on a local farm as a farm hand and doubled as a bouncer for a local bar when we needed the extra funds.  Through my life I have practiced magic and over twenty different types of martial arts, mastering only four however.  I live by the code of chivalry and have never found a single soul worthy of me swearing my loyalty to other than my brother.  Our different personalities and techniques grant us a wide range of skills we can do, though he is often referred to as the ‘brains’ and I am the ‘brawn’.”
This didn’t earn the same response as mine did, seeing as Dusk was a lot more stern and serious than I was.  Instead of affection, he gained looks of respect and surprise from the occupants of the room.  Celestia and Luna giggling lightly after a while until Luna said “They remind us of how we are, sister.  Two opposite ponies, yet with an unbreakable bond between the two.”
I chuckled lightly at Luna’s words where Dusk remained emotionless, mimicking some of the guards perfectly.  “Well, now that we know you a bit more.  Allow me to officially welcome you two to Equestria.”  Celestia said with a larger smile on her face.  “Now, I see how Wayward has changed his name to suit our more direct style and after hearing of your back story, Dusk Blade, I would say that name fits you well.  But Patrick, do you wish to do the same?”
When all eyes turned to me, I instantly felt myself shrink away a bit.  I had been trying to think of a name ever since I got here and still hadn’t thought of one, despite Wayward appearing to of thought of one on the spot.  I felt my brain seize up as I was placed on the spot suddenly and started to move my mouth, but no words left.  That was, until I heard Dusk say “Why not Art Mind?”
I turned to him with a raised eyebrow, surprised and confused about what he was talking about.  When he spotted my look, he explained “Well, you are practically obsessed with all forms of art be it drawing, writing, acting, sculpting, acting or directing.  Sure, music is your main focus but you have a certain knack for anything relating to creativity and expression.  What? Don’t like the name?”
After several moments of processing what he said, I couldn’t find anything to counter his argument.  He did help me with several projects when we both went to school like helping me with large sculptures or work on certain scenes, but I did usually receive pretty high marks even without his help.  I didn’t think about just art in general and, seeing how I was on the spot, I decided to go with it.  With an indifferent shrug, I said “Sure, Art Mind doesn’t sound so bad.”
“Well then, I here by decree from this moment on as long as you are on Equestrian soil, you shall be here by called Art Mind and Dusk Blade.  I do hope you enjoy your stay here in Equestria.”  The two of us looked to each other and smiled as we gave each other a firm nod.  To my infinitive joy, we were now officially members of Equestria.
Dusk decided to spend several moments speaking to the Princesses about policies and where we could rest during our stay here.  He suggested we live in Ponyville since we both actually prefer the calmer style of life rather than the bustling noise of Canterlot.  After speaking for a while, we were surprised when the girls offered us to stay with any of them until we got our hooves under us.
“Well, we can’t both live with any one of you, because we would make the place cramped quickly.”  Dusk pointed out as we made our way through the corridors of the palace.  “Besides, it would be better if we experienced different perspectives of Ponyville’s life style separately.  It would also raise minimal alarm if anypony gained suspicious of how we ended up here.”
Twilight nodded to his words before adding “You raise a good point, Dusk.  So, which one of us would ether of you like to live with until you can get your hooves under you?”  At this point, he and I both stopped as the girls fanned out before turning back to us, questioning looks on their faces despite their smiles.  Dusk and I looked at each other for a moment before we looked back at the girls and made our decisions.
Dusk walked over to Applejack with a soft smile as he nodded to her.  “I would like to join you and your family on the farm, if that is alright.  It would keep me busy and I wouldn’t risk losing touch with my farming skills as well as help you and your family out.”  I also knew Applejack was his favorite pony, despite him not being as big of a fan of the show as I was.  Though I decided not to voice this extra bit of information because I had grown very attacked to my limbs and did not want to risk having them ripped from me.
The orange mare gave him a big smile and tipped her hat as she said “Well, shucks partner.  We’re more than happy to have ya’ll along helpn’ us out on the farm.  I don’t see why we couldn’t put you in the guest room next ma’ room, hope ya don’t mind none.”  Dusk gave her a swift nod as to confirm he didn’t mind the idea at all and turned to me to see what I would choose.
Little did he know, I was already walking up towards Rarity and offering her a polite bow as I asked “I would simply be over joyed and humbled if a lovely mare like Rarity here would accept me in her beautiful home.  Though I have very little knowledge of sewing, I would find the possibility of learning from the best to be a very fruitful and amazing opportunity that I simply could not pass up!”
This earned me the blush I was hoping for from the mare as I lightly took her hoof and kissed it.  I could see Dusk giving me a sly smirk from next to Applejack at how I simply copied his actions to impress my favorite pony.  “Oh…Oh my, such a gentlecolt.  How could I say no after an introduction like that?  I am simply flattered and would be more than happy to accept you into my humble abode, darling!”
With our living arrangements now made and our little vacation ready, we once again made our way towards the train station, Twilight and Dusk talking about magical theories in front of us while me and Pinkie made small talk about upcoming parties that sounded like fun.  As we spoke, I noticed how my brother was beginning to show signs of relaxing and letting his true self show.  It appeared the land of Equestria’s happy colors and positive atmosphere was getting him to loosen up a bit more.
However, his expression changed to seriousness when we boarded the train and him and I went into our private room.  “Patrick.”  He started, and by the way he sounded I knew he had news that he thought I might not like.  I had a feeling it would involve us returning home soon and not getting to comfortable here in Equestria.
As I turned to him to listen to what he had to say, I decided to brace myself if this vacation was going to end sooner than I had hoped.  “You know we can’t stay here forever.”  He started, my nodding confirming what he already knew.  “Good news is, we’ll be staying her for at least a month, since we’ll need to wait for the next full moon to re-cast the spell, so I want you to enjoy yourself while we’re here.  I know this is something you’ve been wanting and you’re living the dream of almost anyone who is a brony.  However, I don’t think I need to inform you that you shouldn’t get too comfortable, because if we remain here for longer than three months, then we might as well not return.”
My eyes shot open at his words, panic striking my mind.  Before I could ask him what he was talking about, he sat down and explained.  “Think about it, if we remain here for longer than three months, which is three months we’ll spent missing.  A month being gone we could chalk it up to going camping in the woods without telling anyone.  It is around the time for Made’ Gras’ so people would be surprised, but understand.  Two months we can simply say we left to Japan and forgot to tell anyone and got carried away for longer than we intended.  But any longer than that and we’re considered dead.”
“I will do my best to get the spell prepared before the next full moon, so you don’t get too attached to life here.”  I took a step back shocked of his accusation but before I could say this, he once again stopped me.  “Yes, you!  I have read your fanfics and know there is a part of you that would possibly want to stay here.   But remember you have a family back home that will miss you if you are gone too long.  I just want to remind you again; don’t get too attached to this world, because though we know it now actually exists, we may not be able to stay here for long.”
With that, he folded his forelegs and lowered his head as he closed his eyes, telling me he was done talking.  Despite all he just said, I felt a part of me agree with him while another wanted to argue.  I will be honest, I wasn’t entirely happy with our world and how it was being ran.  Wayward and I both agreed on this but it was our home.  We were born and raised there and I had my mom, my brother and my sisters waiting for me back home.  They would be devastated if I never came home and I don’t want them to mourn me when I was alive.
On the other hand, I was in a magical world, thriving and alive where the possibilities were literally endless!  Happiness and Joy practically vibrated from the air itself and I was living the dream of any fan of the show!  The part of me that wanted to stay wanted to start a new life here where we could forget our past and enjoy the future.  It’s selfish I know but…PONIES!
Dusk pulled me out of my thinking tirade when I heard him unzipping a carrier with his magic and pulled out a red vial which is when I noticed his magical aura; a vibrant silver color which also surrounded the vial.  When I saw him pop the cork off of said vial and close his furrowed his brow with concentration which made both his horn and the vial blow a brighter color until the red contents turned into a similar color of his magic.
“Drink this; it will make it to where we can return to being human when we need to.”  My eyes shot open with his words as he floated the vial over towards me with a neutral expression, waiting for me to take it.  I remained motionless for a few moments before looking at the vial again and sat down on my hunches as I grabbed it with my hooves.
“But…But how?”  I asked, dumbfounded that a vial could actually change me back to a human when I wanted to.  I remembered when Rarity gained those gaudy wings during the young fliers competition but that couldn’t be the same thing…could it?
Almost as if hearing my thoughts, I spotted Dusk’s horn began to glow and a sudden flash of light erupted from him which momentarily blinded me.  When the spots left from my vision and cleared up.  My jaw practically dropped when I saw Wayward in his human form standing before me in his black slacks.  The only difference were the fact his eyes radiated the same silvery aura that his horn once radiated.
“Simply think of your human figure and wish for it to replace your current one.  This will not drain your body for a short time, though I have reason to believe it you can keep it up for longer periods of time but I assume this will require a steady stream of power.  When you want to change back, just think of your pony form and you will return to being a Pegasus.”  As if to drive the point home, a flash of light engulfed him once again and Dusk Blade the unicorn was standing in Wayward’s place.
Thinking that feat would prove to be incredibly useful in the future and simply accepting how Wayward was able to create a potion with such a convenient ability, I raised the bottle up and began to drink it with one great swig, throwing my head back to drink the contents.  I continued to lean my head back as I glugged down the slightly spicy and sweet fluid that ran down my throat like warm fire.  My head began to fog up as I tasted the last drop of the potion to touch my tongue and felt the vial removed from my hooves as I felt myself fall backwards.
Strangely, I never felt my back hit the floor as I slipped into unconsciousness.  But I did feel myself being lifted off of the ground and placed onto a rather stiff bed which did me in for some time.

//-------------------------------------------------------//
                    Chapter 7 (Wayward)                    
//-------------------------------------------------------//
Chapter 7 (Wayward)
Patrick, or Art Mind as long as he remains in his pony form, was as expected, rendered unconscious after drinking Zecora’s shape changing potion.  Yes, it was wrong of me not to tell him it would do that, but as I had experienced firsthand, you would rather be knocked out rather than feel your mind being rearranged and altered to where you could not only gain the ability to change nearly at will, but be able to be able to use ether body as well as you can.  Trust me, sleeping through it would be better for him in the long run.
Besides, it was a long train ride and since I told the girls, before entering our privet quarters, which we both intended to take a small nap before making it back to Ponyville.  And that was exactly what I planned on doing.  With Art sleeping on the top bunk happily snoring, I hoped into the bottom bunk and closed my eyes as the slight rocking of the train lulled me to sleep.
When I awoke once again, the train released its loud whistle and alerted the citizens of Ponyville of its arrival.  As expected, the whistle awoke Art as well, because I could hear him mumbling something under his breath after the whistle ceased its loud screech.  I was the first to crawl out of bed with Art sluggishly crawling off of his top bunk and falling onto the floor heavily which only got him to grunt loudly and groan “Stupid floor” as he struggled to get back to his hooves.
I chuckled lightly as we waited for the train to stop completely and departed, meeting up with the girls at the train station.  We made small talk as we walked down the street and said our good-byes as one by one we began to depart.  Eventually, I followed Applejack back to her home down the long stretch of dirt road.  I as we walked in silence, I glanced to my right and saw a large orchard of apple trees hidden behind a white fence which was mimicked to my left view.  I felt a tinge of uncomfortableness at just how obsessed with apples Applejack’s family was.
It was Applejack’s voice that brought my attention back to reality and not towards the sea of apple trees.  “So Dusk, how much do ya’ll know about livin life on th’ farm?”  Granted, I was never one for conversations.  But I assumed answering any questions she may have had wouldn’t be too bad.
“I actually grew up on a farm for a few years with my mother until I needed to move to a small city.  It wasn’t until a few years ago that I returned to farm life and it felt right.  So I guess I can say somewhere between four to six years.”
She seemed to be pleased with this because I saw a small smile grow on her face as she looked back at me.  “That’s good, mean’s less of the ropes ah’ll need ta show ya’.”  Several more moments passed by in silence until we made it to the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres, a large red barn sitting off in the distance that looked like a regular barn you would find in the human world with a matching silo sitting next to it.  Not too far from where we were sat yet another barn, but this one looked as though it was fashioned to be more like a house rather than for storage.
As we made our way up towards the house-barn, which I assumed was where the Apple Family resided, I spotted a rather elderly pale green mare rocking in an old fashion rocking chair, her messy grey mane poking out and standing out in random places.  When she spotted Applejack and I walking up towards the house, she offered us a nice big old smile and waited for us to get close enough before she spoke.
“Well, looky here.  Did ya’ll finally bring home a coltfriend to give me great-grand fillies, AJ?”  Where Applejack chuckled softly at her grandmother’s teasing, I gave her a warm and polite smile, remaining quiet until she introduced me.
“Not quiet, granny.  This here’s Dusk Blade and Celestia was hopein’ we’d give him a place to sleep until he got under his hooves.”  She looked over to me with her usual smile and took a step to the side as she introduced us.  “Dusk, Ah’d like ya’ll to meet Granny Smith.  Granny, Dusk Blade.”  I bowed my head slightly as I told her it was a pleasure to meet her.
This got Granny Smith to cackle for a moment before she looked at me with a warm smile.  “Well, ain’t ya just th’ definition of polite?  ‘course ya’ll welcome to stay here for as long as ya need.  As long as ya don’t min’ getting a bit sweaty with farm work.”
I let a confident smile slip onto my lips as I said “Actually ma’am, I prefer a job that makes me sweat.  It isn’t a job if you aren’t coming back sore and exhausted by the end of the day.”  The way Granny’s expression changed from good nature to interest made me feel slightly uncomfortable, though I never let it show and returned to my polite smile.
“Really now?  That’s mighty strange ta be hear’n that from a unicorn.  Usually ya’ll can’t stand getting all sweaty and sore.”  Ah shit, I forgot I was a unicorn!  I still expertly hid my panic as I nodded politely and looked towards Applejack, who has a slightly impressed look on her face.  Guess I just earned some brownie points with her.
“Well Granny, Ah’m gonna go an’ get Dusk here situated out in tha guest bedroom and then go out in tha field and help Big Mac.”  Applejack said as Granny gave her a confirming nod.  I, however, decided to speak up.  Little did I know this would earn an unexpected reaction from both Apples.
Unmoved from my current spot, I spoke with a polite tone in my voice.  “Actually, Applejack, I was hoping to get some time in so I can work off some energy I have built up.  Mind if I help you?”  This caused Granny Smith to stop rocking in her chair and Applejack to turn around with moderate surprised expressions on their face.  I felt myself shrink back, feeling as though I just broke an unspoken taboo of some kind, though my polite smile never wavered.
After an uncomfortable few moments in silence, Applejack turned to me and asked “Are you sure, sugarcube?  Ya’ll don’t haf ta work the moment ya get here.”  The concern on her face made my heart feel warm for some strange reason.  Deciding to push this feeling to the side for now, I regained my strong posture and gave her a firm nod.
“This one’s a keeper, AJ.”  Granny blatantly said with a satisfied smile on her face.  AJ held a similar smile as she shook her head slowly before walking over to me and stopping next to me.
“A’right.  But if ya want ta take a break, go ahead and rest fer a spell.”  I gave her a firm nod as my smile grew slightly.  With that, we both decided to walk into the orchard and began to work a bit late.
By the time I finished helping Applejack and Big Macintosh, who was a large red earth pony with a similar mane color as me and who I had gained a similar response and accepting smile from after our introduction, the sun had almost set and we were all heading back.  A yoke donned around all of our bodies and carrying the wagons back to the barn.  I had earned several concerned looks from Applejack throughout the day whenever I felt my strength leave my body momentarily because of the unicorn’s weaker body frame.  It made me wonder whether or not my human body might have been stronger than the unicorn’s body.  Eventually, however, despite my body crying for me to rest, my lungs burning from over exertion and sweat pouring from every part of my body, I was able to not lag too far behind from the two farm ponies.
When we placed the wagons in the barn and removed our yokes, I rolled my shoulders and felt them crack and pop which hurt for a moment until I relief replaced it.  I guess the pop was loud enough for both Applejack and Big Macintosh to hear because both of their ears perked up and looked over at me which made my eyes widen and look around in hopes they were looking at something else.  Sadly, they weren’t.
“Ya’ll right there, sugarcube?  That sounded awfully loud.”  Applejack asked with concern once again on her face.  I sighed softly as I waved it off dismissively as I walked up to meet them back at the door of the barn.  Big Mac watching me and closing the barn doors once I was clear.
“Yeah, I’ll be fine.  Just need to get this body used to manual labor is all.”  That earned a look from Big Mac and Applejack, which I returned with equal confusion.  When I asked what was wrong, they both began to laugh.  This earned an even more confused look from me as I glanced around and wondered if something was on my face.
Eventually, Applejack calmed down long after Big Mac’s chuckles died and whipped a tear away from her eye.  “Whew.  Dusk, ah think ya’ll fergot you were a unicorn again.”  At that instant, I felt my brain stop and the small voice in my head yell ‘YOU FUCKING MORON!’  I slapped myself in my face and slowly dragged it downward, stretching my face as I sighed with exasperation before my hoof returned to the ground.  This earned another bout of laughter from the Apples as we turned back to start heading to the Apple family’s home.
I had mostly stopped sweating when we walked through the front door and the sweet scents of dinner made my mouth water and my stomach growl loudly.  Applejack and Big Mac both chuckled lightly after hearing that where AJ decided to add “Gosh Dusk, is there a sound I hadn’t heard your body make yet?”  I decided to let out a quick bark and smiled when she lightly hit my shoulder and giggled.
The interior of the Apple Family’s home instantly gave me the feeling of being back at the farm of the family who I had helped in the human world.  Judging by where the sound of an oven opening and closing was coming from, the kitchen was not far from the entrance.
Before I could take in the environment fully, however, the sound of a dog barking caught my attention.  Turning to the source of the sound, my eyes shot open and I swore they started to sparkle as I suddenly lost all sighs of stallioness as I squeaked “Puppy!”  The dog that was running towards me was a happy border collie with a white coat with brown blotches.  I didn’t even notice Applejack giving me a warm smile as the dog hopped on me and started licking my muzzle, to which I responded with talking to it like it was a baby and earned a happy bark from it.
“Well, I take it ya’ll like dogs don’t cha’, Dusk?”  Applejack giggled as I continued to pet her pet collie.  I chuckled a bit as I continue to give the dog attention until Big Mac walked past me with a small smile on his usually expressionless face and their pet followed him with a wagging tail.
I slowly stood up and whipped my mouth free of dog slobber before I answered AJ’s question.  “Oh yeah, I love puppies and especially border collies.  My mother got me one a few years after I was born and for the early years of my life she was my tormentor.”  I chuckled lightly as I remembered my childhood pet before continuing.  “But after she turned around five, she was my best friend and my protector.  That dog was possibly the best dog ever.”
“She was my favorite pet because she was part of my family and was my rock after my mother passed away from Cancer.  When I was depressed she helped me find my strength.  Eventually, however, I had to put her down because I couldn’t stand to watch her suffer any more.  I love that dog and still think of her whenever I find myself with nothing much do.”  I chuckled sadly at her memory as I shrugged.  I only thought of the fond memories we had and didn’t want to think of the last moments she lived, her constant seizures and the fact she was losing control of her bodily functions.  Those were not the memories she would want me to remember her by and I knew it.
Little did I expect to find a foreleg over my shoulder and being pulled into a half hug by Applejack, her eyes holding sympathy and understanding.  “Ya lived a hard life, didn’t ya Dusk?”  I gave her an indifferent shrug and told her how I simply learned to live with it.  I needed to stay optimistic; I needed to stay positive for sanity’s sake.
“Ya’ll a good stallion an’ I’m sure ya ma would be proud of ya if she saw ya’ll now.”  I chuckled at her caring words and decided to return the half hug.  After a moment of comfort, I reached over and shoved her Stetson over her eyes in a joking manner and laughed as I moved away from her.  When she fixed her hat, she gave me a warm smile before chasing me upstairs where we got cleaned up for supper and she got revenge by splashing my face with comfortably cold water.
When I made it back down with Applejack, I spotted yet another Apple that I had yet to meet.  The young light yellow filly sat next to Big Macintosh with an expression of surprise, her eyes wide with interest as her crimson mane and tail was styled with a cute little bow.  I gave her a warm and polite smile as I nodded to her and made my way over to the other side of the table yet waited to seat myself.
Applejack walked up next to me and gave the pony a big smile as she raised a hoof towards me and introduced me to the small filly. “Apple Bloom, this here’s Dusk Blade.  He’s gonna be livin with us fer a spell or two and be helpin out around the farm during his stay.  Dusk Blade, this here’s my little sister Apple Bloom.”
I bowed my head politely once again towards Apple Bloom and gave her a bit of a bigger smile and accidentally let my southern drawl slip “Hope ya’ll don’t mind none.”  My eyes shot wide open as I slapped my mouth with my hoof and looked around nervously.  After seeing all of them raise an eyebrow at me I cleared my throat and spoke again without the drawl.  “Sorry, that happens sometimes when I get too relaxed.  Won’t happen again, I promise.”
“Now why are ya’ll ashamed of ya accent, sonny?”  Granny Smith asked as she walked over and dropped off the last plate of warm food onto the table where I suspected she planned to sit.  The look on every other Apple’s face asked the same question and I felt my face begin to heat up for the first time since High school.
I took a deep breath as I decided to sit down next to Granny Smith and waited for Applejack to sit down before I started to explain.  “As I said, I was born and raised on a farm for some years.  For the longest time I was unaware my teachers thought I had a problem speaking and gave me an extra class to try and rid me of my southern drawl.  I ignored it for a long time until I started to take chorus as a class and my instructor drilled me every day about how I spoke and how it affected my diction.  Afterwards, I decided to hide it and began to speak like every other student.”  I began to wave my hoof dismissively as I continued “It’s not that I’m ashamed of it or anything like that, mind you.  It’s just when you spend over half of your life being told your way of speaking is wrong, you tend to get this habit of speaking proper.”  I unintentionally growled with hidden anger when I said the last word before deciding to use my magic to lift a chunk of mashed potatoes to my mouth.
Not bothering to look at the other Apples, who I expected to be on the border of shock, disgust and sheer rage, I continued to eat until Applejack spoke up.  “That…”  She paused and when I looked to her, I was right in my assumption because her face was twisted with utter disgust.  “Now that’s about that the most…I-I can’t even begin to imagine….Ooh that just burns my biscuits!”  What surprised me more than anything at the moment was Big Mac’s expression.  His usual neutral expression was now replaced with a firm frown.
I began to wave my hoof around dismissively once again as I attempted to calm the Apples down.  “Listen, I know how you all must feel, trust me my father was less than happy about it.  But where I’m from what is right and what is wrong is decided by the pony with the biggest pocket and largest list of friends.”  I release a defeated sigh as I used my magic to mess around with the peas for a bit before continuing.  “I don’t like it one bit and if I had the power, I’d change it in an instant.  But even if I fought tooth and hoof to change it to where one could have any accent, somepony else would just sweep up and change it back in an instant.”
“Ah don’t ever wanna go to where you’re from.”  Apple Bloom said miserably. “No offense, Dusk.”  I gave the young filly a warm smile as I reached over and patted her mane before sitting back down and telling her I don’t blame her.  In truth, a part of me actually wished I’d stay here and start a proper family.  But I knew what I needed to do and that was bringing Patrick and I back home to our world.
It had taken me a while to bring the mood back to normal and after I had succeeded, it was finally time for all of us to go to bed.  I had eaten quiet a meal and thankfully was completely full, but still helped with cleaning the dishes.  After finishing up with the last of the dishes, I decided to take a quick shower to clean off most of the grim and relax my muscles from the long day.  My mind wandered off to different subjects and I felt a hint of rage boil up at how wrong the world I lived in was.  But there were things that made it somewhat worth living in, family and friends and my dream.
After I dried myself off and walked out of the bathroom, I found Applejack waiting for me with a look that simply screamed sympathy.  It required quite a bit of willpower to not allow my eye to twitch out of habit.  I didn’t enjoy pity or sympathy from anyone, it made me feel weak and I despised that feeling.  It was why I trained so hard to perfect my body and mind, so I never needed to feel weak, helpless or useless ever again
It didn’t stop it from returning when I got the very look AJ was giving me now.
I watched as she moved up towards me, her mane and tail released from their ponytail and allowed free and her hat having been removed.  It a strange way, she seemed beautiful.  After she got a bit closer to me, she stopped and looked at me as if she wanted to confirm something with me and I felt myself shake my head as I offered her a polite smile.  I don’t know what I said no to, but I had a distinct feeling I would have said no even if I knew.
She seemed to become a bit more depressed at my rejection and took a step back before lifting her head to me once again.  Her voice was soft, gentle and held the element I despised, sympathy.  “Listen, Dusk.  Ah couldn’ begin to understand what ya been through.  Somethin’ is tellin me you aren’t telling me everthing and ya’ll been through a lot.  Ah couldn’t-“
I raised my hoof to stop her from continuing what she was saying and did my best to control the anger that was beginning to rise up from my stomach.  I needed to stay calm; I needed to stay in control no matter what.  After taking a moment and looking at her, seeing her expression I returned to giving her a polite smile before I said calmly.  “Applejack, I do thank you for your concern and am glad you know a bit more about me.  But I am actually really tired at the moment and would like to simply go to sleep.  Can we talk about this another time?”
Applejack’s expression grew darker after hearing my words, but nodded slowly after a while and pointed to the door at the far end.  “The guest room’s over yander at the end o’ the hall.”  Satisfied with her dropping the subject, I gave her a nod and wished her a good night as I made my way to the guest room.  Before I closed the door, she spoke up once again.  “Goodnight sugarcube.  If ya’ll need anything, don’t hesitate to ask.  Ah wanna make sure ya feel welcomed.”
After giving her a gentle nod and once last ‘good night’, I closed the door and made my way to the bed on my right which leaned against the far corner of the room.  I didn’t really get a good look due to a mixture of pure exhaustion and irritation.  By the time I laid my head down on the pillow, I almost instantly fell asleep, but a feeling started to scratch at the sides of my mind.
I recognized it as the pain of closing out a possible friend.  But I resolved myself to avoid making friends in this world at all costs.  After all, we wouldn’t be here forever.
Right?