Sunshine

Chapters

Ch.1: Good Morning
Ch. 2: Tattered
Ch.3: Introductions
Ch.4: Mannequin
Ch.5: Zap Apple
Ch.6: Twilight
Ch.7: Myth
Ch.8: Unwelcome Guest
Ch.9: Recovery
Ch.10: Our Time in the Hospital. (Part One)
Ch.10 (Continued): Our Time in The Hospital (Part Two)
Ch.11: Training Days (Pt.1)
Ch.11(Continued): Training Days (Pt.2: Patience)

Ch.1: Good Morning

Sunshine

A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction

By Gen

DISCLAIMER: This is a non-profit fanbased work of prose. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is the property of Hasbro, and the reinvention of Lauren Faust. No copyright infringement is intended, please support the official release

Everything was so quiet. It was almost like the entire world was at peace for just this moment in time. Birds tweeted and whistled their well mannered songs that welcomed the rising sun as it came to hang itself in the early morning sky that had already casted shadows on the earth in an almost generous manner. The soft breeze wafting across the grass, and tree tops made the plant-life dance individually in their own unique way. Even the sounds of a roaring river called out to nature peacefully on a morning such as this.

The warm heat of the sun felt extravagant as I laid asleep underneath this grand oak tree. The tickling that the grass gave the back of my neck caused my expressionless face to twitch and twist in minor disturbance, all the while brushing itself against the remainder of my unclothed body. Ignorant to my surroundings, it was difficult for a sleeping person to question his current location. Even so, how I wound up here was a complete mystery.

Opening my eyes just enough to make them appear to be slits, the blurred image of vibrantly green leaves wafted and waved on their branches for my entertainment. My briain had yet to function beyond a simply re-boot, but there was still the capacity for me to wonder as to where I was. Easily remembering falling asleep in my recliner back home, it was a quick assumption to be made that all of this was a dream. Sure, living in a two room apartment wasn't glamorous, but it was better than a dorm. No bills to pay after graduating from classes, no awkward interaction with other people. Just going to class, work, and then coming home. It was my kind of living, and the one that I would soon awaken to.

Sitting up and stretching out my back, I could feel my spine popping a couple of times before my chest plate followed suit. Giving out a small grunt, I lifted my arms up to the sky before they lazily lowered themselves. This was nothing much to pay mind to, just something that I tended to do when waking up sometimes.

Taking note of my newest surroundings, I groggily took in the sights of my dream environment. "What is this place?" The half-asleep craggy words were spoken upon hushed lips. I paused before pulling a smirk. "A dream?" I rubbed a balled fist against one of my eyes before pulling both knees to my chest. The emptiness in my eyes clearly stated how my mind had yet to catch up with my own consciousness. How early was it, anyways? -And for that matter, did time even matter in a dream?

Any yawns that tried to vex me back into a steady slumber had now gone ignored, but this did not mean that I still did not have the desire to do so. Continuously fighting the urge, I did my best to make it to my feet before falling back upon my bed of lush green grass. If I was in a dream, there might as well been reason for me to enjoy it for reasons other than sleeping. to be frank though, this looked to be a pretty vivid dream by how much of a mess my clothes appeared to be.

Honestly, I was a mess. Sure grass stains and dirt never hurt anyone, but that doesn't mean that they look nice on a pair of blue jeans and t-shirt. At first, I made an effort to straighten myself up by running a hand through my hair a couple of times. The thick black hair on the top of my head fell down to the top of my shoulders. I could still hear my grandpa threatening me to cut it before shaving it off himself with an old razor. However, this was quickly dismissed when adjusting the wire-frame glasses that sat on the bridge of my nose. Pulling out any evident wrinkles in my shirt was the easiest part. There weren't many, but there was no helping the grass stains stuck on my pants. There was even the occasional dirt stain. Odd... Dreams weren't usually this lucid.

"Kind of detailed, for a dream..."

The couple of dirt patches on my pants brought the need to pat down the denim slacks. It did not do much help, but it was hard to realize that smashing dirt even further into your clothes was a bad idea when you had my current mind-set. Placing a hand on my chin for a short ponder shortly afterward, I let my eyes begin scanning the scenery in front of them. Obviously, this area was a forest. The plant life was filled with certain things that I didn't believe that I had ever seen before. There were odd, spiny vines that seemed to twist their way through the bushes. Trees that either drooped or stood tall. There were also some mushrooms of different varieties scattered around the area from what I could see; not that I could probably eat them, that would just be stupid. There was no way of telling just what my brain had cooked up for me in this dream, but I wasn't feeling up to exploring. Not until I got everything straightened out in my head.

"Really detailed."

There was some unease when taking the time to think about all of this. The warmth that I felt, the harmonic song sung by birds, and just the level of description of this forest. It just felt so real. Of course, I still knew that this was a dream.

'What if it isn't though?' The thought trailed across my train of thought.

A laughable assumption, I know; still would it not be interesting if it were true? Now that you think about it, I never really was the kind of person that was able to have lucid dreams. It would only be fair to take that thought into consideration, right? It would probably be recommended to do so, but how could I possibly do so? How could one really be able to tell the difference between a dream and reality? Just assuming this was real would throw most logic out the window. Such unlikely assumptions were easy to disregard however, and I stifled a breath just to smirk at my foolishness.

My right hand lightly tapped on my forehead, playfully. "Come-on Jacob, what are you thinking? What could this be other than a dream? You remember going to bed last night. You sat in your' recliner and fell asleep while listening to the news. That's always a sure-fire way to get knocked out cold. The only possible explanation if this wasn't a dream would be that you sleep walked, and that just doesn't seem possible since this place seems to be nowhere near the city. I would have had to of walk for miles on end to get here."

Thinking about this logically did help me rationalize things. It was interesting to consider that I could have just droned out here in a slumbering stupor. Even with that being stated, there was still one sure-fire way for me to put any doubt in my mind to rest about where I was. So with my confidence flaring, I was more than ready to show myself that I was right. Not like there was ever an argument, but humor me here. "Still, maybe it would be best to put this all to the test." Tightening my right hand into a fist, it balled itself up tighter and tighter while finishing up the last details on what kind of stupid plans that I could have possibly been planning. The fist raised itself in front of my face. "I'll just punch myself. Since this is a dream I shouldn't feel any real pain and if a pinch could wake up a normal person, then a blow to the schnoz will definitely do the trick!" I showed absolutely no hesitation when following through with my plans, and quickly slapped the hand across my face.

Waking world, here I come.

'WHAM!'

I stood there silent for only a moment as my fist still pressed itself into my face. The blunt sound of bare knuckles coming in contact with flesh bounced around in my head just long enough for my arm to slack downward slightly. There was a warm pain that eminated from the punches' impact site as a small trace amount of red left a single nostril. I placed a hand to my nose cautiously, and held the hand out in front of me to see the red on my fingers.

It was then that I came upon a disturbing possibility.

"I'm... Awake?"

Shock had already begun to take over my decision making skills as I hastily wiped the blood off my hand and on the blueness of the t-shirt that I was wearing.

I had to stay calm.

"That's impossible."

Well, this whole 'stay calm' thing was turning out horribly, wasn't it?

"This must be a dream!"

Fleeing away from my sudden shout, a small group of birds flew from the grand oak tree and vanished behind other trees in the area. Too distracted by my sudden starting melt-down, I grabbed my hair to give it a quick pull before slipping on a mushroom and falling back onto the grass behind me and back under the oak tree.

Of course I squirmed a little at first while I wondered such thoughts as, 'Where am I' and 'What's going on'. In fact, they seemed to be the only things occupying my mind at the moment. Both me and my brain screamed at the existence of this nonsense before I could return from my frustration and back into the real world... Or, where-ever I was at the moment. My limbs splayed out beside me, no longer clutching my hair as I laid in the tall grass like a rag-doll. After I managed to calm down just a tad, the last of the birds from the tree above me were seen flying from my shouts of frustration. Only then did I realize the fault of my booming tantrum. Actually, I felt bad for having to put the birds through such an experience. I mean, I wouldn't want some screaming weird-o around me. "Sorry, Birds. That one's my bad." Darn right, it was! I needed to keep my head in a situation like this, not go crazy!

Wherever I was, it seemed like I was going to be here until I could find a way out. The best that I could really do right now was to try and figure out just where I was at the moment. Yes, that's just what I needed to do. "I'm curious though... Could it be that I really sleep-walked all the way to wherever I am now?" Crossing my legs and arms as I sat-up, I tilted my head to try and decode this puzzle in whatever way I possibly could. "How is that even possible?" Finally focusing on the problem at hand, I fell quiet to think. It was good to have finally reclaimed some of my calm attitude. It wouldn't last though, as while I did a shock of realization hit me.

"Wait, a sec. I forgot about something!"

So much for reclaiming some calm.

Rummaging through my pants pockets, I pulled out a small cellular phone. It wasn't the latest model, but it worked well. Turning it on, I was given some relief to see the phone screen light up. As it did, I could see a small cluster of individual icons on the screen. When noticing that there wasn't any connection, I bit my tongue before I could start shouting once more. "No connection..." As disappointed as I was, it was to be expected for places like this. By the way the foliage on the treetops looked, there was only a small ring around this oak tree where there had been an absence of any trees to block out the sun. All of the trees must have been disrupting any signals, so having decent reception was out of the question until I could leave this place.

Now, I needed to think of a plan. I needed to know just what had to be done about all of this. There had to be a way back since I got here, and since this wasn't a work or school day for me it could work out in my favor. Standing up once more, I slowly began the tedious effort of walking in circles around the grand oak with my phone in-hand. The phone said that it was around half-past ten; so the morning wasn't over just yet. Even if it was only the time, knowing something was better than nothing. "Maybe..." I came a slow stop before leaning a shoulder on the oak. I was far too distracted with my current problems to really care about much else at the time, so I made quite the effort to try and solve my current predicament as my fingers swiped across my phones' touch screen.

"Maybe I can use the Maps application to try and find where I am. If I waited long enough, it had to be certain that something would come up.

At first, this all seemed like a good plan on my part. Ideal, even. Heck, I even found myself laughing mentally with a smirk as I could remember my father telling me that phones were absolutely useless at a young age. "Looks like I've proved you wrong, Dad. Phones are useful." The thought of this did comfort me, and it was greatly needed to at least help keep my head firmly planted on my neck. "Now all I have to do is wait for my phone to load the map. It should be no problem since I have a decent amount of battery power left." Little did I know that my plan wouldn't go as I would have hoped.

Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes into hours as I waited for my phone to finally load. Now leaning back against the oak, I earnestly watched my phone time and time again as I tried to get it to work in an intensifying frustration. There was with no luck in getting the screen to load though. Pretty soon, a little bit more than a hour had passed by with me mindlessly staring into my phone, and to be honest I was losing hope of it ever obtaining any sort of connection.

That is until I finally lost enough patience to come up with a brand new plan.

While one could say that this was in no way a praise-worthy plan, it still gave me confidence in finding a way out of this situation I somehow landed in. It sort of gave me comfort. So snapping my fingers as a imaginary light went off in my brain, I continued speaking to nothing. "Hey, hold-on. Why don't I just try and call someone? I'm sure that if I keep trying, I can find a spot where I can get a decent signal. Heck, if I can do that I bet that I could at least get a hold of one person from my contacts, or I could even just call my phone company. I can ask them to send the the location of where my phone is, and I'll know right where I am." Oddly enough, this plan actually sounded reasonably suited for my current situation.

So clearly not ready to call it quits, I left the maps application before pressing down on the contacts button. It felt like this could be the idea that gets me home. I was certain that I could find a way out now! I just knew it!

Running through my contacts, I pressed on the number for my current phone company. The peace of mind I felt was invigorating, and the ringing... Wait...

My phone wasn't ringing.

The grim realization I had was more than distressing. After taking the phone away from my ear, I felt a coldness rush through me.

The battery had just died.

Merely staring at the screen of the phone go black left me dazed and confused. I wasn't sure just what to do now. I had no idea where I was, how I had gotten here, and now I was left without any way of getting home. At first, I wasn't even sure how to react, but that all became very known to me very soon. Frustration, and annoyance turned into anger. My emotions already getting the better of me, I threw the phone as hard as I possibly could above the trees and as far into the forest that I possibly could.

"You're just as good as a rock now!"

My temper had caused me to temporarily become a little staggered in my posture. Throwing away my phone felt alleviating. Like I was able to blame everything that happened to me on the device. So after catching my breath and straightening my back, I scoffed in the direction of the tossed phone before trying my best to keep a positive point of view. Feeling awfully disgruntled however, I moaned to describe just how I felt at the time. "Well, some help that was. I guess that I have to find some place to ask where I am." Sticking as best as I could to any optimism, I only now began to walk away from the grand oak tree with a plan in my mind already on how I was going to get out of all of this trouble. Sure, I may not have been the greatest of optimists, but I did like to keep things from becoming too out of hand.

"Now, it shouldn't be too difficult to get all of this out of the way. I couldn't have gone too far from the city. All that I need to do is find a house somewhere, and ask if they have a phone, or any means to use my phone. Then if i can at least find a charger I can... I can..." Trailing my words off silently, I stopped myself before shouting up to the sky in anger.

"AW, CRUD!"

I only just realized the consequences of my actions. Without my phone, I may be without a single way to actually contact anyone. Being as forgetful as I was, I wasn't exactly the best at remembering the numbers that my contacts actually had in them. It was usually just a simple point, drag, and click for me to call someone. It seemed that this was my eventual downfall when it came to phones.

In my halt I just stood still with a sort of unamused look toward my own careless actions. Growing ever more annoyed with every passing second, I had to force back another yell with everything that I had just to keep my composure. Instead, I slammed a hand into my forehead over and over again in my own disbelief.

"Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!"

Seeing no other way around this, I looked back in the direction that I had thrown my own phone to. The area beyond the large gap of missing branches that surrounded the oak I stood under appeared to dark enough that it was difficult to know what could have lied beyond its' border of thorn bushes. It wasn't a fun sight to behold, and I hoped to believe that I couldn't have thrown it too far. I was probably just a couple trees away... if the impact of the ground didn't destroy the device entirely.

Going into the darkness of the forest and away from the sunlight didn't seem like a good idea. I could get seriously hurt, or even attacked by an animal. I couldn't just wuss out though; it was far too late for that. I had to go get my phone if there was even a smidgen of a possibility that it may still be working. Still, just looking further out into the wooded area gave me the creeps. Looking upon such an area made me despise myself even more for throwing away my phone in such an hour of need.

"I'm gonna hate myself for doing this..." I spoke under my breath as I took my first step out from under the great oak and toward the darkness of the forest.

The first step was always the hardest, but in this case it didn't help knowing I was going to have to walk further past it. The moment I came out of the sunlight, I could feel the warmth of the suns' rays being sapped away from me in order to venture into the cold, damp areas of this evergreen filled forest.

The trees that stood around me now were so terribly different from the oak only meters behind me. They stood crooked, and strangely shaped. Bent, and twisting in ways that I knew normal trees were never supposed to. Still, this wasn't exactly the thing that I found the most strange. After only entering the chilled darkness of this forest, I looked down to see something truly peculiar in the mud beside my own feet. Kneeling down to get a closer look, I gazed upon an odd-looking print in the wet dirt below me. Dragging my thumb through the arch of the print, I raised a brow in my own clueless stupor.

"A hoof-print... Looks like it's fresh."

Now, I'm no professional, but it actually seemed like this print was a little fresher than I first suspected. Pointed edges, and a well defined imprint in the mud. Even small traces of water were left in the small shape it left in the earth. It seemed that I had an animal audience as I had been waking up. I wouldn't be surprised if I could have been around some sort of farm. If anything, finding that farm may be my best bet for me to get back home.

Recovering my standing posture, I dusted a couple of wrinkles out of my shirt before letting my eyes trail along the hoof prints that seemed to have been leading in the same direction as I was going before blending in with the shadows further into the forest. It's true that the prints were unusual, but it was not something to be alarmed about. I was just getting my phone, and maybe even finding a farm somewhere out here. All that I needed to do was avoid any animals that may try to pose a threat against me, and I didn't think that most animals would try to kill me if I just walked by it. So dismissing any worries, I fixed my glasses and tried to adjust to the lack of light in such a place.

Slightly hesitant to keep moving forward, I had to take a quick look-around due to the foreboding feeling that something bad would happen if I were to continue. Maybe it was simply paranoia, but it felt as though I was being watched. Running a hand through my hair, I struggled to find logical reason behind continuing to venture around this forest. "I must be crazy to head out in a place like this..." My loss in confidence was soon to be replaced by just enough of a boost of positive reinforcement to make me press onward once more half-heartedly. No matter how much mental reinforcement I received though, the stone-heavy fear in my gut didn't pass as I looked down to the hoof-print I now came to walk beside. "No worries Jacob, just find your phone and get out. Simple as that." As easy as I made this sound, a cold chill went down my spine when hearing the discomforting noises of what sounded like the howl of a wolf.

"Just keep moving, and don't die." I spoke to myself while pocking up the pace.

I couldn't help but be curious about the animal tracks in the mud beside me at the moment. It was really the only thing that I could focus on right now and still feel calm about. Everything else about today was beginning to become much too unsettling, so this made me feel at least somewhat safe as I cautiously went deeper into this forest while it grew darker and darker with every passing step I took. If anything, it let me feel a bit more comfort... Well, up until the tracks disappeared without a trace.

This had most certainly caught my interest. The ground didn't change in any way in front of these prints; the ground was still very much malleable and wet. There being no real tracks that spoke otherwise, It just looked like whatever had been there had simply vanished without a trace. Hastily jotting this down as nothing, I swallowed hard when letting my imagination explain what kind of misfortune could have befallen such a animal to cause it to disappear so suddenly. Not wishing to stay on the subject I continued forward inside of the ever-growing darkness of the forest.

The darkness of the forest had become overwhelming. The twisted and mangled bodies of the trees that hung over my form seemed to peer down at my insignificant existence. Their deformed shapes loomed above my head with the darkness seeming to give them lives of their own as I passed each tree to see a new, unique, and terrifying face staring down at me. With the occasional vine drooping across my body when I would walk into one unintentionally, I would jump from the thought of being attacked by these horrifying plants above me. The occasional creaking noises from them didn't help either.

Going even deeper into the forest, it wasn't long until I had picked up quite the repulsive smell. The stale and sour air was enough to make me gag as I had already come to have a bit of a difficult time letting my eyes adjust to the growing darkness in front of me. How long had I been walking now? I had absolutely no idea, but my phone couldn't possibly be this far. Still, I trudged on through the bushes and vines with displeasure as my positive outlook was quickly diminishing as I cupped a hand over my lower face to block what it could of the disgusting odor around me.

With the putrid air and the way everything looked at the moment, it felt like I was stuck in some sort of horror movie. I could even picture what part of the movie that I was in:

'The clueless bystander steered himself aimlessly in the woods with no hope of escape. He would then be eventually hunted down and have his life ended before he knew it.'

I was lucky to have snapped myself from my thoughts or I may have completely ignored the sight in front of me.

Almost not believing my own eyes, I could not comprehend just what I was looking at.

Nothing.

In front of me, I couldn't see anything. It was just a bunch of inky blackness. Of course thinking that I had gone blind, I looked around to see that it wasn't so. It was faint because of the shadows, but I could easily see a tree not too far away on my right side. Even behind me was a growing light that seemed to become even more powerful the further away it was from me. It surprised me to turn around and see the darkness in front of me once more. It was terrifying.

"It's so dark... I must be near the heart of the place."

There was nothing in front of me from what I could see. Even a tree that seemed to be caught in the darkness seemed to almost disappear from my own sight and out of existence. With a shake of my head, I stepped back from the darkness as my heart had now been almost beating out of my chest. "This is where I draw the line. Finding my phone is one thing, but... It just isn't normal for it to get this dark. I don't even know if it's still day time." Feeling some fear build up inside of me, I made no intention of adverting my gaze from the darkness if not only because of the uneasy feelings that this darkness gave me. Taking a few more steps back from the darkness before me, I quickly turned my body around to get as far away from this pitch blackness as I possibly could. Call me a chicken if you want, but there's no way that I was going into a place like that.

However, a low growl that had silently risen itself from the darkness caused my body to lock-up.

Coming from behind me, I could feel the hostility within the growl as it sounded from the darkness of this strange forest. Just the feeling that the sound had created in the atmosphere almost drove me to panic. I didn't want to turn around, and I argued with myself mentally about just why I should just run for my life right now. Something in my brain had convinced me otherwise though as I slowly turned around to the noise. Blood running cold, I could feel my face becoming pale the moment my eyes met with a pair of veiny green orbs locked onto my position. In their center were two black slits, both focusing in on me. My heart was racing as I finally finished turning around. My mind screamed at me to run, but my body wasn't listening. Nearly frozen in terror, I was barely able to take the slow step backward that I had to try and move out of the way of whatever was behind those green eyes.

Before I could even make my second step, a heavy thudding sounded from beyond the dark making me flinch every time I could hear the alarming noise. Following the sound, a huge paw stepped out from the darkness. It looked like a lions' paw, but the front paw alone was bigger than anything that I could have imagined a lion having. The second thundering paw coming next, I could begin to make out just what was stepping from the darkness. The head looked almost exactly like a lions, but much bigger. The bottom jaw protruded outwards as it had two fangs spiked upwards. It's long ears stood pointed on end like daggers. Even the mane was gigantically terrifying. I prayed that I was imagining all this, but I knew this wasn't my mind playing tricks on me.

Approaching me, I could see something else emerging from the shadows on the lion. A huge set of wings were folded up at the beasts sides as a giant scorpions' tail swished back and forth behind it. This thing wasn't a lion. What was I looking at right now; some sort of circus attraction? Astonished, I lifted my shivering hands to my face and rubbed my eyes to confirm just what I was looking at. Nothing changed when I lowered them. Without a single idea on what to do, I was left to backing away from this creature. It didn't matter how hard that I tried though, my mind wasn't wanting to work no matter how much I wanted it to.

"What the hell is this thing?"

Already, I could see that this thing was standing at least two feet taller than I was as it showed no signs of stopping its' approach. There wasn't a part of me that dared to think how tall it was on it's back legs. I simply watched this creature almost hypnotically sway its tail from left to right behind itself until the appendage hung above the body of the beast.

I knew what it was doing. It was getting ready to strike. I knew that this thing was going to attack me with its' tail, but I still couldn't find the power to move! All I could really even do was just back up in fear while trying to force myself to move out of the way.

My mind still blanking out on me, I was completely oblivious to how I had just backed myself up against a tree until the last possible moment. Feeling the thick bark against my back caused me to nearly jump out of my skin. After the shock of backing up into the tree, I gave a quick jolt and looked to it for a split second before going back to the beast. My jaw hung open in disbelief at what I had been looking at. Both of my eyes now just scanning over the pieces of its body once more, I was at least able to recognize what this was... Even if I couldn't believe it in the slightest.

"Lions' body, wings, and a scorpions' tail... There's no possible way for any of this to be real."

I watched as the beasts' tail as it began pointing that ominous stinger right at me, and my body tightened up out of my own fear as the beast got even closer. There was no mistaking just what this was. This was the creature known most commonly as the legendary Persian creature, Man-Eater. "... The Manticore..." The two words left my mouth as I could feel the beasts' breath on my skin.

It was only a few inches away from me now, I could feel its' warm, rancid breath hit my skin. The smell from the manticores' breath was all but different from the sour smell in the air. I don't know how, but I must have stumbled into its' home somehow. This wasn't good. First, I wake-up not knowing where I am, and now I'm pinned up against a tree with a man-eater eyeing me like its' next meal. Was today destined to be mine to die?

I didn't want to take my eyes off this monsters' face in fear of it just eating me right here. The sounds of droll splashing against the ground touched upon my ears, making the beasts intentions only that more clear. I had to force myself to look up when I could notice its' tail aiming downward for me. I had to move. I had to move or I was going to die. My eyes stared on intensely watching the stinger as it plotted to skewer me in one fell swoop. The manticore had already been pulling its' tail back for a strike. I was about to die if I didn't get moving, but I still couldn't bring myself to move my own legs. How could I even expect myself to survive something like this if I couldn't even move? I had to try and move. I had to try and survive, even if the chances were slim. I had to move!

To this day I don't know if it was from the shock of the moment or just dumb-luck, but as soon as the manticore brought its' tail forward to end my life I was somehow able to jump out of the way. The jump wasn't graceful in the slightest, but I was alive. The belly-flop of a landing that I made almost knocked the breath out of me, but there were worse ways to be injured. Muddy, wet, cold, but alive. I slipped on the damp ground a couple of times before I could make it to my feet. Doing so, I looked to the beast surprised to see its'current situation.

It did not come as any news to me that this creature had the power to tear through a tree, but by how the tail had completely lodged itself within the wood let me unnerved with the thoughts of 'what could have been'. The beast had almost attached itself to the tree like a dog to a post. In a brutal attempt to free itself, the monster pulled and clawed at the tree in an enraged state. Watching as a stunned on-looker, I knew that this was just going to be something momentarily distracting the beast. Not even thinking about running at the moment, I just stared wide-eyed at what unfolded before me. In front of me was a mythical monster known as the Man-Eater, and I couldn't believe how I had so narrowly evaded such a gruesome death at its' claws. Needless to say, I was stupefied by what the had just happened. I stayed momentarily still until every bit of fear came rushing back to me; and when it did, so did my desire to live.

Finally turning around, I broke into a full-on sprint. Screw my phone. Screw the manticore. I'm out of here! I could feel my shoes slipping in the mud underneath them as I made a hasty retreat towards the light of the forest. I was not going to waste this golden opportunity to get as far away from that monster as possible. Just knowing that I had come that close to death had given me the energy to run faster than I ever had before.

Jumping over tree stumps and evading all sorts of roots and vines, I sprinted the hardest that I had ever done in my life. Even when I could hear the inevitable splitting of wood behind me, I knew that if I wanted there to be any chance for my survival that I couldn't let up for even a moment. I had to keep running, or die. That was the only choice that I had right now as I wished for the comfort of my apartment once more. The only comfort that I was getting though was the forest beginning to brighten up every few feet during my escape to tell me that I had to be getting closer to the exit of this god-forsaken place; at least, I prayed that's what it meant.

It had been at least a good ten minutes of sprinting before I even began to feel remotely safe about slowing down. How far I had ran, I'm not sure. By how much time had passed though, I was sure that I was at least in some sort of safe-zone now. The shadows of the forest now seemed to cool down the area as they gave their surroundings the look that you would normally expect to see for the shade underneath a tree. These trees didn't even look too intimidating either. They just looked like regular, old trees. Sure, they still blocked out the sun somewhat, but these were better than the trees with evil faces. This comforted me like you wouldn't believe. Knowing that I could get near these things without feeling like the trees were going to kill me did wonders for my composure.

Trying to brush off some of the mud that covered my body, I moved over to the largest tree that I could find to catch my breath. I supposed that it would make decent cover just in case I hadn't lost that creature just yet. When you think about it, this was miracle that I had run as far as I had without being caught. From the darkest areas of this blasted forest, to an area with normal shade covering the ground. Sure, the shade was abundant due to the tree tops blocking out most of the sun-light but it was nice to feel the shade cooling me off as I leaned my back up against the tree. I looked up to the leaves above me while my worries seemed to rise up once more. "The dangers of this forest are more than evident. I need to be careful from here on out." The stillness that I felt told me that I was right to do so. Lowering my head now, I scanned the area cautiously.

"Wherever here is."

It was then that the familiar sound of heavy footsteps then snapped me from my mumbling as I pressed my back against the tree even harder than I already was. Pressing a hand over my mouth to silence my heavy breathing, my heart began to thrash and panic within its' chest. I could hear the growls of the manticore sounding behind the tree as it moved around the area. The heavy thumping of each passing step would soon be followed by the occasional crack of a fallen branch or a stick snapping underneath this beasts' powerful paws. Just the feeling of dread that the creature brought with it was enough to convince me to stay silent. Even my heavy breathing somehow came to a slow-halt. With curiosity getting the better of me now, I needed to know just how far away the monster was from me. So ignoring the feeling in my gut, I swallowed hard before working up enough courage to look on the other side of the tree.

It was sniffing around. I knew that it was looking for me. One little slip-up now, and I was doomed to perish here. Once again my breathing fastened as I brought my head back behind the tree, knowing full-well what was going to happen once I was caught. I could feel my heartbeat once more as I tried to think of a way out of this one, but nothing came to mind.

The feeling of dying in a place such as this was not comforting to say the least. Nervous beads of sweat dripped down my face as I tried to comprehend just what I could do. Only beginning to mumble to myself once more, I tried to figure out a way to live through this.

"Alright Jacob, you're stuck in the middle of a dark forest, with no way of contacting the outside world, low chance of survival, and being hunted by-"

A low growl cut me off as a chill ran up and down my spine.

"-That."

The fermenting worry that had been in my stomach for the longest of times wouldn't leave me as I attempted to comprehend the magnitude of everything that had conspired today. First waking up in the middle of nowhere, then ending up walking through the darkness of these blasted woods, and now I was being hunted. Definitely not one of my better days. Better yet, how could this thing even be hunting me down in the first place? I fought back every urge I had now to look around to the other side of the tree. Somehow, I knew that if I did so, it would be looking right back at me. "I just don't get it... Manticores aren't supposed to exist. They're just a fable." This didn't seem to be the case though since one was currently hunting me down. It seemed that for now, all reasoning was thrown completely out the window.

"I need to stay focused. If I lose focus, I'm as good as dead."

It was true. if I had any chance of survival, I would need to stay focused on the problem at hand. "Maybe I can find something to distract it with? A rock, maybe?" Looking at my feet for some sort of answer, I only could see the grass at my feet along with a couple of mushrooms. Nothing at all that I could use. What a let-down. I couldn't even get one measly rock? It was hard not to believe that fate wished for my demise today.

I was left with only one solution to my problem at the moment. Although it wasn't the most favored tactic of mine, I had no better ideas. "Damn... I guess that I'm gonna have to wait this one out. As long as it doesn't see me, I should be fine until it leaves." Still, even then how could I know that the manticore really left? It could just be waiting for me to emerge from my hiding place to finally pounce. I had to take that chance though. It was the only one I had at the time.

Once again, I was left with only the option of looking out from behind the tree and trying to spot the hunter. I only peeked out at first. Just enough to see that the manticore wasn't there. Taking it as a clear sign to move, I pulled back my head while giving a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness, it's not there anymore." At first, I was more than happy to know that my pursuer had possibly given up. Of course, I knew that I was going to have to wait a while to move as a safety precaution. There was always the chance of it still being around.

Oddly enough now, I could feel something warm and wet hit my shoulder in a huge glob. Feeling the spot on my shoulder growing drenched in the substance, I turned my head to look at the shoulder in question. On it had been some sort of clear gooey substance that I soon drug a finger across. It was disgusting just looking at it, but feeling it was another story. "Ew, what is this stuff?" A single liquid strand pulled itself off with my finger as I gave my hand a good shake. Pretty soon, I was met with the unsettling answer to my question.

The same low growl that I had heard only minutes ago began slither through the air above me. The sound struck my ears roughly as I feared looking up in the tree that I stood beneath. Once again, I could feel my face go pale as I reluctantly let my eyes trail upward in the tree only to meet with the same beast that was chasing me.

Mouth dripping with saliva, the manticores teeth were fully bared at me as the beast dug its' claws into the body of the tree just so it could be right above my body. A paw raised, I could see the sharpened claws held up at me ready to strike. It had actually found me! Was this thing actually intelligent enough to know where I had been hiding?

"C-c-crap!"

Now, I'm going to be blunt here. I was never the fastest runner in my school. If anything, I was just as normal as you may expect when it came to this. This being said, when that manticore brought its paw down at me, it was like lightening in a bottle. Just the speed that I was running at had put my past sprinting to shame. My constant yelling also showing how my fear was the thing fueling my body right now. "Leave me alone! I want to go home!" The thunderous might of the manticores strike sounded like thunder when it bounded off of the tree in pursuit of my flesh.

I didn't care if I got cut or pricked by an occasional thorn bush, or a loose branch. A little bleeding was more than a better substitute than being killed. Who cares if my clothes got torn? As long as I made it out of this alive. That's all that matters. Occasionally, I would get caught on a vine for a second or trip over a tree root, but it never mattered since just as soon as I had tripped or gotten tangled, I recovered even quicker than I had fallen victim to these misfortune bringers of the forest. All I wanted to do was get out! I had to get out! I could hear the monster roaring not far behind me! I needed to find a way to lose this thing and fast!

'M-Maybe if i can find some water I can wash the scent off my body. At least then that thing couldn't sniff me out!"

My mission was clear. What was that mission, you ask? Find some freaking water, that's what! Still to search a forest completely unknown to me, finding water wouldn't be easy. It would probably be a stroke of pure luck if I could even get away from this Manticore monster. Thinking about all that had happened today, it was very clear that someone in those fluffy clouds in heaven wanted me dead. Still, that didn't mean that I would just lay down and die!

Miraculously, I had somehow come across a large opening in the forest that had a river stretching from one side of my vision to the other. I counted my blessings and my luck for this one. No trees being around the river for a few meters, I could feel the warmth of the sun touch my skin once more. I had no time to enjoy it though. The river stretched from one point of view to the next, so it was more than evident that I was going to have to cross. It would be a good, long-distance swim by how I could see the instant drop-off into deep crystal clear waters right at the edge. I could see fish swimming around the sun-lit floor of the river. It had to have been at least thirteen feet deep, but I didn't care about the depth at the moment. With the luck that I've been having today, I wouldn't be surprised if the river was infested with piranhas or if I was swept away by currents that came out of nowhere! Looking at my reflection in the moving water, I bit my lip as I knelt down and patted the water. You couldn't blame me for being suspicious of this place with all the weird stuff that had happened to me just today. "I-is it safe?" My hesitation had vanished without a trace though after hear a blasting roar that drained the blood from my face.

"You know what? Safety is suddenly a lot less important all of the sudden."

With a quick jump, I was already splashing through the river, struggling just to make it to the other side. My will to survive was almost admirable at this point as I gave it my all to get on the other side of the river. My survival wasn't the only thing keeping me going though. Over my gasps for air and splashing, I could hear the hungry roars coming from behind me. Every so often, I would look back at the side of the river that I had left to make sure that the manticore wasn't already there, but I showed no signs of letting up while doing so.

The mud had washed away from my clothing and body by the time that I had pulled myself onto the opposite edge of the river. I had no time to recover though, so I was quick to get to my feet. Gasping for air when picking myself up, I turned around quickly to see the manticore pacing from left to right on the other border of the river. The malice that it aimed toward me made me back up a couple of steps before I could notice something odd about this. Why didn't the manticore chase after me? It was just standing there.

Wait... Had I just beat the manticore?

At first, I just supposed that it was because I was putting up too much of a fight, but by how it was staring at the river and lunging back at the occasional splashes at the sides of it... things all became very clear.

The manticore was afraid of water.

Splashing the water with a paw, the manticore snarled at the river and then to me. Honestly, I wasn't sure what to think at first since such a being could be afraid of something as harmless as a swim. I guess that this manticore was more house-cat than red-lion. As hysterical as this looked, the only thing that I could do was crack a smile.

"The manticore is afraid of water? How cliche..."

I wasn't going to complain though. I was over here, and that beast was over there. A cocky grin was now on my face as I looked at the Manticore. It seemed that for now that I was on the safe side of all of this, and I was more than celebrating my victory. Standing up and laughing jollily, I held myself proudly over my triumphant escape. "I did it! I survived! I did it!" On the other side of the river, the manticore most definitely didn't seem to enjoy my celebration. If anything the roar showed me just how angry it was, and after recovering from the sudden spike in fear I made sure it went more than noticed. In a mocking tone, I spoke to the manticore. "What's wrong kitty, afraid of a little water?" Laughing a little, I watched the creature pace the river side a couple more times before spreading its' wings. Right about now, my laughter had died.

By how the manticore had reacted to me, it almost seemed like the thing could understand what I was saying. That couldn't be possible though... Could it? My mocking had now stricken a nerve with the manticore from what it seemed as it spread out its' gigantic wings like it was a bringer of death. Watching it back up from the river a few steps, it unsettled me to see it charge at the river. When the manticore reached the edge, it jumped off but never even touched the water. Instead, it had been gliding across the top and toward the other side of the river where I was. My feeling of safety had now more than diminished.

Jumping back in my own realization of all of this, I almost couldn't believe that I had forgotten this. I spun on my heels as quickly as I could before sprinting away. "Crap! I forgot this thing had wings!" Once again, I was left running for my life through the forest. It didn't matter to me that there had been much more light in this area, or even the fact that this could mean that I may be close to getting out. No, I was too busy running for my life! This time however, I had been yelling my lungs out. I could feel streams of tears leaving the corners of my eyes from the build-up of fear that I was subjected to. I began to think that all of my efforts were meaningless in a time such as this. How could I even manage to escape this forest, and even if I could leave how could I know that I would escape the monster chasing after me?

"Wait, what's that up ahead?"

My girl-ish screams only stopped when I could spot something in the distance. Not that far ahead of me, I could see a large patch of land of what seemed to be flowers. The variety of colors that I could see was more than enough to confirm it. Just the sight of all those colorful flowers had been comforting to me. "Flowers? Are those are snapdragons..." At first slowing down slightly from my distraction, the booming roar of the manticore behind me did more than snap me from my eased mind-set as I picked up my sprinting once more. "W-who the hell cares what they are! I'm going for it!" Though it was odd seeing such a flower out in such a forest like this one, I wasn't about to die because I found it strange that a flower was growing in the middle of a forest.

"At any rate, I can hide in them! It's a huge patch of flowers, so I bet that I could easily hide and escape in those!"

My plan was perfect! Hide in the flowers, and leave while the manticore was searching through the plants! It had to work! Just being as close that I had been was enough inspiration to finish and make it to the flowers. That is, until I tried to look back behind myself. Now completely using its' wings, the manticore was catching up and fast! It was already only a few feet behind me, and while I had to dodge trees in my path, the beast just tore through them like tissue paper! Just the thought of being caught by that thing scared me to no end, so I turned back around to the flowers as they drew even closer than before.

You know, I smiled a little when I saw how close I was to these flowers. I felt as if I really had a chance at survival. I was really going to make it. I was going to survive. It seemed that I wasn't allowed to feel like this however as I had soon caught my foot on a tree root when I was only a meter or two from the large group of flowers. The hopelessness I felt was horrifying, but mixed with the beautiful sight of all of those flowers... Maybe it was worth it. These flowers must have been like some sort of consolation prize. Who knows, maybe I could die like this. Maybe, I could die happy with this being the last thing that I would ever see.

Then I face-planted in the dirt.

I was expecting to have my face gnawed off by now, but it seemed that I still has some luck left in me. As it had turned out, the manticore had apparently flown right over me and over the huge assortment of colorful flowers.

Picking my head up with a throbbing migraine, I could see that I was only inches away from the group of flowers that I so desperately tried to hide in. Locking my gaze on a flower that was right in front of me, I found myself admiring the way it looked. I looked a bit in awe at first, but was soon brought back into reality as soon as the flower actually began to move a little. "Whoa, just what kind of flower is this?" In my own amazement, I was now reaching out to attempt to touch this plant. It was to my surprise though that when my hand got close enough to the flower that it actually began trying to bite at it! Needless to say that I pulled back my hand before it could succeed.

"W-whoa! These snapdragons really snap!"

My amazement soon came to an end though as I could then hear a bellowing roar coming from further into the cluster of flowers. I felt my heart skip a beat as I scooted back a little. "What the hell was that?" It sounded like the manticore, but... Something was different about it. It sounded much different now. Needing to see this, I slowly stood up before having to take a step back at what I now bore witness to.

Gripping themselves around the manticores' tail, I could see that quite a good number of these snapdragon flowers biting down on the monster while trying their best to pull it down into the group of flowers. The manticore in return was scrambling and struggling to break free as it frantically flapped its' wings. Amazed at the irony that was unfolding before me, I couldn't help but feel that this was something that I had just so narrowly avoided by tripping.

Watching the manticore being pulled further and further down from the air, it wasn't long until the flowers had soon began to bite down on the beasts bottom paws. The creature cried in pain as its' wings flinched momentarily causing the manticores' entire form to fall into the assortment of colored flowers below. I could hear the flowers attacking the manticore viciously as it cried out in pain. Having witnessed all of this, it was very clear that I had stayed far too long in this place for my own liking. I didn't wait for everything to end with this merciless onslaught. I was speeding off into the forest to do my best to try and find my way out!

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS PLACE!?!?"

My body was screaming at me to stop, but I still couldn't afford to take such a leisure. The forest had already brightened up to the point to where this place actually had come to have less and less trees around me. This didn't mean that I would stop moving though. Breath already too fast for me to really pay attention to, I struggled to keep myself in a slow and steady jog. The cuts and bruises on my body ached as clots of mud mashed up against them. My hair was a mess, my clothes were torn to shreds, and my body felt like it had been hit by a truck. Needless to say, I had almost given up on finding a way out.

As I moaned in my own aches and pains, I yearned for the world outside of this forest. I just wanted to go home and relax. Was that so wrong? I didn't even care how I had ended up in a freaky, life-threatening forest anymore. I just wanted to go home and forget all about this.

Feeling my legs beginning to give out on me, I clumsily stumbled over to a nearby tree to rest and catch my breath. The moment I made contact with the body of the large plant, I almost instantly felt my knees hit the ground. My chest burned, and it was agony to me. Just the feeling of torture that this place had given me was almost enough to drive me to the brink of madness, and exhaustion at the same time. Even when speaking, I had to space out my words through harsh breaths.

"The... The first... Thing that I do.... When I get out of here... Is that I'm... I'm going to burn this forest to the ground... And laugh... when it's nothing left but a smoldering pile of ash..."

My anger and frustration was very clearly filling my threat at this moment as I forced myself back up to my feet. My legs were begging me to stop, but I couldn't afford to listen to them. It still wasn't safe. I wasn't safe until I was out of this hell. I didn't go through all of this just to die in the end. No, I was going to live! "I just..." My voice cracked on itself as I tried to stand. "I just need to stand up so I can find a way out..." I did stumble around a couple of times, but my will to live was more than enough to overpower the pain of my body. The strain was nothing compared to that desire.

The moment I made it to my feet, I could feel myself beginning to tilt from one side to the other as I took steady steps from one tree to the next. I didn't dare look behind me for the fear that I could still be pursued by whatever-else this forest could throw at me. Minutes passed however, and I still wasn't able to look behind my own body. My eyes seemed almost traumatized from this ordeal. They focused on the ground as my vision blurred in and out of focus. I knew that I wasn't going to be awake much longer. I needed to get out before I could stop. This place couldn't be trusted.

Stumbling from one tree to the other, I never adverted my gaze from the comfort of the ground. Already expecting it of this place though, I was sure that it wouldn't be long before this forest took that comfort from me as well. "You're doing good so-far, Jacob..." I told myself as I forced myself to push onward. "I just need to... Need to..." Leaving my most current tree, I could feel my consciousness fading a little when I couldn't feel the next tree in front of me. This being the case, my body had no way of stabilizing itself before I eventually lost balance and belly-flopped onto the ground.

The impact had been more than enough to keep me awake, if not knock the breath from my lungs. Already, my breathing had become more frantic as I did my best to reclaim my normal breathing rate. Doing so, I had begun a hasty effort to get back to my feet. Struggling to stand though, it was only then that I had begun to notice a major change in my surroundings.

Once more on my feet, I was left gawking at where I was now. The soft dirt underneath my shoes, I didn't know if I had been seeing things or if this was actually real. I don't know how I was able to find it, but I had actually been standing on top of a dirt road. The clearing that the road had been on was enough to make me question my own eyes, but the road made me question my sanity. To my left, the road led further back into the forest from what it seemed, and to the right... I could see the trees of the forest finally coming to an end.

My eyes widened the moment I saw the opening out of the forest. I had actually found the way out. Almost overjoyed about this, I wasted no time in moving to it. Taking my first step though, I was quick to find out that my legs had just about given it all they could before forcing myself to land on my knees. Just the realization of my legs giving out on me once more had left me doubled over on my hands and knees. The exit was in sight. It was right there! It couldn't have possibly been more than fifty feet away, and I was actually looking right at it!

Wincing now as I raised a hand on a knee, I strained my body while fighting against it just to stand up once more. My voice cracked and choked out angered noises as I forced myself onto my legs once more. "I don't care what it takes..." Still leaning over in my posture, I pushed my hands off of my knees so I could at least stand somewhat regularly. Wincing, I was quick to notice how I was only looking out of one eye at the time of my next step. "I've had enough of this forest..." Giving it my all just to walk forward, my body stumbled with every movement I made. Each time though, I had either caught myself before I could fall or pushed myself back on my feet with every last bit of energy that I had left. "I've woken-up stranded in these woods-," I could already taste copper in the back of my throat every time I had begun to cough. "'-Walked though the darkest parts of this hell-," I gritted my teeth every time I had to mentally scream at my legs to stay up with every step that I took. "-Lost my only contact with the world outside of this stupid forest-," At this point, I had lost any and all feeling in my legs as I completely collapsed onto the ground.

My body slammed into the ground with a thud and left me to try my best and recover. My legs screamed out in pain as I laid there on the ground for a moment. My body twitched and shook while I did my best to stay awake now as I could feel my thought process leaving me. After using a forearm to support my body, it had become difficult for me to even hold my head up so I could keep the forest exit even within my own eye-sight. My body was trying to make me quit. I knew this, but I wasn't going to have any of that. I didn't care if I died beyond those gates, but I wasn't going to die here.

Throwing a hand forward, I dug my fingers into the dirt in front of me on the road and began dragging myself to the exit. My desire to live must have hit an all time high as I pulled my body along the ground. "-Was hunted down by something that shouldn't even exist-," I could feel my fingers hurting for every time I pulled my body down the dirt road. At this point, the pain was the only thing that kept me awake. "-and almost eaten by god-damned flowers!" I really must have been on the edge of insanity if I was pushing myself this hard just to get out of a forest. At the time, I could even feel a spark that had soon begun burning inside of my own body. I could feel it scorching my insides as the anger I felt fueled me even more.

"I'm not staying another minute in this god-forsaken place!"

Dragging myself even closer to the exit, I could feel my arms aching just my legs were. There was no way that I would just stay in a place like this though. I had to get out, or die trying! I made it this far, so why not go all the way? I was closing in on the exit!

At least Ten feet away already, I could see the outside of the forest. I didn't care that I didn't know where I was. I was finally getting out of this forest, and that's all that mattered. I could even see a house not too far off. A nice cozy little cottage. Someone there would help me, I know it! All I had to do was get there. As of right now though, just exiting the forest was enough for me.

Do you know how it felt for me to finally be on the outside of this murderous forest? It was the greatest feeling that I had felt in my life. To have made it out of everything that had happened today so far, it was like I was spitting in the eye of destiny and telling it that you weren't going to abide by its' rules. Even if I was just lying there, this was by-far the greatest achievement of my life so far.

I was now laying outside the forest by quite a few feet now. A tired smile exhibited for all of the world to see of my triumph today. I had defeated that place, and I had no intention of re-challenging it anytime soon. Feeling my vision blurring once more, I did nothing to stop it. At last, all of my determination vanished as I simply laid on the ground motionless. Hearing the birds overhead, the only thing on my mind though was that things seemed just as peaceful as they were when I woke-up.

Something cold was on my forehead. A light weight from my neck-down made itself known as I laid down on something soft, and comfortable. I didn't know what it was exactly, but you never question anything when you would first wake up... Well, okay, maybe I could question it this one time, but that was all that I could promise. "Uhg... My head..." Oh yes... The pain that I had been in. Groggy as I was, there was no way that this physical distress would let itself go unnoticed. To be completely honest I almost forgot all about my past conditions, but I supposed that memories would usually come rushing back just as fast as pain usually does. Just as you may have suspected, the need to investigate my surroundings was inside my mind. The throbbing in my head had been more than enough to convince myself to stay lying down though. Not that I had much choice in the matter, but that was just the case.

Opening my eyes, it came to my attention that I had been laying in the middle of a large, darkened room. Not that it alerted me. It was just that I've been waking up in places that I don't remember passing out in all day today. The lights that I had been able to see cracking through the window shutters made sure to at least show me that I was in a house of some sort. From the way that the small streaks of light entered the home however, I was at least given some sort of clue on just where I had landed myself. Too bad that I couldn't move, or I may just have gotten up to explore the place.

Supposing that I could deal with lying down for a while, the only thing that I really wanted to do at the time was find out just what the heck was making my forehead so cold. As an unexpected turnabout to this, I soon discovered that I couldn't even move my arms or legs. Not because I couldn't in general, but because of the pain I felt every time I tried to move them. Too bad I had to figure this out the hard way because the moment I even tried to lift even my hand, I could feel how painful moving was at the time. Even the flinch I took hurt, and that was just a simple twitch! "Great Greens, that smarts..." I hissed while squinting my eyes to the point of them nearly shutting on themselves. Just the simplest of movements sent a surge of pain through my body, and that wasn't a comforting thing to think about. What was I supposed to do; lie here motionlessly? Just from how my body was acting right now, it seemed that all of my movements had been rendered to a simple turn of the head. This entire waking-up experience just wasn't for me, was it? All that I wanted was to enjoy a nice day-off, but so much for that idea. Straight out the window. At any rate, since I already had my eyes open I took this as a chance to take in the sights of what I could currently see of this strange home.

From what I could observe, I was lying on a large comforter while being covered with another in the middle of what I suspected to be a living room. The darkness of the room did make it hard to see, but I managed. Both these comforters and a pillow being the only thing keeping my body from sleeping on the top of a cold, wooden floor, I was grateful to whoever was kind enough to show me such hospitality. Other than this, I could see a wide assortment of wooden furniture. I had to admit, whoever lived here did know how to decorate. It all looked very nice for everything being made out of wood. Termites must have been a real problem for the person living here though. The only thing that didn't even seem remotely made out of wood was the stone fireplace right beside me. Seeing some pans hanging from the front of the fireplace, I could take notice that it had also been a sort of conventional stove. A nifty little added touch to it, if I do say so myself. There was even a small staircase connected to it. The owner must have a pet, or something. As I took in my surroundings, it seemed that my thoughts had become just too powerful to remain as such; even if they did come out as a delicate whisper.

"Just where am I?"

Wherever I was, this was definitely a decent change from the dangerous setting of those woods earlier. I guess that there was no reason to think ill of the owner. If anything, I would have to thank whomever it was that had helped me when they did. Maybe they could even direct me back home? That would definitely be useful. It would also be nice if I could get a cup of tea, but only if they didn't mind. I wonder what kinds that they had. Maybe they have some chamomile? Green tea would be just as good. Preferably, I could go for some jasmine. Listen to me ramble on about such a thing as tea. I sounded like an old man. Wishing to have tome tea, I was then snapped from my day-dreaming from hearing the sound of the front door opening.

I'm not sure why this was the action that I chose, but as soon as the front door opened I instantly went into a still panic. Maybe I was a little bit paranoid from what all happened to me in the forest? At any rate, I had wasted no time to close my eyes to try and feign sleep. From what I could expect to be the noise of a light switch, the sound of a closing door came to my ears. What could happen next would be completely up to fate.

"Now, now, Angel-Bunny. Our newest arrival is a friend, I'm sure. Just because he looks a little odd does not mean that he's dangerous."

The voice that I was hearing was most definitely feminine, and the tone of it was the most delicate that I had ever heard. Had someone with a voice such as this really have been able to drag me to her home? A part of me kind of wanted to open my eyes and thank the girl for her kind deed, but by the time I had even opened my eyes a little she was nowhere around me. I figured that it would be better to just wait and shut my eyes.

I could hear whoever it was that had been moving around this living room with the most absolute care. Moving from one side of the room to the other before stopping. I wasn't certain why this person was moving around so mcuh, but I was able to hear at least two pairs of feet moving around the place. It must have been who she called 'Angel-Bunny' that was walking around the room with her. I actually feel sorry for the sap that's stuck with that nickname.

Now feeling something rough place itself on my forehead, I did my best not to flinch. Just what had been happening wasn't clear to me, but pretty soon the cold thing on my head had been lifted off and taken away. "Angel, could you be a good boy and get me a couple of ice-cubes? I can feel the ice-pack already melting from his fever." So that's what was on my head? Well, I suppose that it was kind of a no-brainer once you thought about it.

"Um... Excuse me. Are you awake?"

Looks like the jig was up. Hearing this, I scrunched my face already knowing that I had been found out. I could already feel my eyes opening to show that I was indeed awake. There was no point in hiding it now though. I had to face the music, and it seemed that the radio was playing my song.

"I'm sorry, but we need to disinfect your cuts before I can wrap your injuries. I had to go to the store and buy some antibiotics and ointments first since I had run out, so I hope you weren't left alone for too long."

Opening my eyes a little bit more, I could see a light yellow blur. It seemed that the lights being turned on did more to my eye-sight than I would have wanted by just how things seemed to blur in and out of focus for me. I felt as if I could trust this person though. Their voice sounded very light but concerned. I could tell that she meant me no harm. How could I really deny a voice like that? Only grunting as I begun adjusting to the light, I did my best not to move. I didn't really want to be in any more pain for now, but that wasn't exactly what the person helping me had in mind. If anything, she was actually causing me even more pain. How, you ask? Well, I could feel her lifting me up off of my back and into a sitting position. To say the least, the pain I felt did make me choke on air a little bit.

"I'm very sorry. I know it must hurt, but I need to disinfect the injuries on the both the front and back of your body. We wouldn't want any of them getting infected."

I suppose that she was right, but that didn't mean that I enjoyed this. Getting through the pain that shot through my body was difficult, but at least the girl apologized for it. To me, that meant a lot to apologize even if it was about the smallest of things. It told me a lot about this persons character. With my eyes still adjusting to the light little by little, I had already been looking back at the yellow blur to see that there had been a tuft of pink hair on whatever it was talking to me. A strange color, but not unheard of. She must have dyed it that color, but not like I was going to point it out and make fun of that. I didn't want to be rude to someone that probably just saved my life. Instead, I only tried to let my eyes adjust to the light by blinking them. "It's fine. Just tell me when you're about to begin." After speaking, there was a light squeak from the figure. An odd sound. "Oh my, you can speak Equestrian? I've never seen an animal that could talk before, but I've never really seen an animal like you before either." Brushing off the animal subject I tried to keep on one subject. She sounded somewhat happy that I was able to talk, but it sounded a little unusual to me. "Sorry to say, but I think just about everybody can talk; I suppose that I'm just not the most fluent." There was a slight pause as I could begin noticing my vision returning to normal. That's a relief, for a second there I thought I had lost my glasses... and had been staring into the sun for an hour. Oh well, at least that wasn't the case.

"Um... I think that you mean everypony. Not to be rude or anything."

Sure, I wasn't going to say anything, but just saying something as absurd as that was just... Well, absurd. I supposed that it must have been some sort of new fad, or something. I wasn't going to be apart of it, that's for sure. Shaking my head at the comment as I looked to the girl, I made sure to act polite. "I'm sorry but, no. Why would you think somethi-" My vision completely returned to normal, and I was now able to see the girl that had now been right beside me. Honestly, I wasn't sure just what I was looking at for a second there. Just staring at the person in front of me, my jaw dropped as soon as I could confirm just what I was looking at. That yellow blur wasn't even a person though... That girl was... well... I'm not exactly for certain what this strange thing was.

I was left a little lost about all of this. Okay, that was an understatement. I was really lost. Stranded on a deserted island, lost. Where was that girl that I had just been talking to? Was this creature speaking to me? A small horse-creature? No, that couldn't possibly be what this was. I mean, it certainly wasn't like any horse I've ever seen. It looked so alien to me that the only thing that the only similarities between this being and a horse was the singular fact that they both stood on four hooves. Even so, it had those bulbous eyes. That big, round head. Those simplistic anatomical features. Not to mention the short muzzle. What was I even looking at right now?

"Not to be rude, but it's only proper pronunciation, isn't it?" Her coy correction went partially ignored as I could feel my brain beginning to overload when trying to comprehend what this little creature was.

Taken quite a ways back, I sat back still and surprised as the being only half my height went ahead with applying the antibiotics to my injuries. "Okay then, let's go ahead and help prevent any infections. Just hold your breath; this might sting a little." That was a dirty lie. It did not 'sting a little'. It in fact stung a whole freaking lot! I could tell exactly when her hoof had come into contact with my back, and that was saying something since the pain was about the only thing that had snapped me from my long held pause.

Throwing my head back from the surge of pain, I had to clinch my teeth together to prevent myself from screaming my lungs out. My reaction was more than enough to draw the attention of the one beside me though. The poor girl actually seemed to feel bad for me, but why was she doing this in the first place? "Oh, I'm sorry. Are you alright? I didn't know that you had been hurt this badly. If you need, I'll try and be more careful." Trying to recover with some grace now, I had already begun to sweat. Panting breaths made themselves clear as I slowly began moving my form back in a slumped sitting posture.

"No... It's fine. The only thing wrong with me right now is that I think that I've lost my mind."

Maybe it had perked her own curiosity, but pretty soon the little creature had a question for me. Making sure not to touch me with the antibiotics just yet, she tilted her head. "Why is that? Are you seeing things?" I had to think before replying.

"I hope so..."

Author's Note

Alright, here we go. I'm taking over Sunshine. Thank you Gen for trusting me with this!

Ch. 2: Tattered

Sunshine

A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction

By Gen

"Ow, ow, ow! Please, not so tight!"

"S-sorry! I'm so sorry! Just let me tie on this last piece of gauze..."

"It's fine... This just sort of hurts..."

The tightening sensation around my chest at the moment was more than uncomfortable for me, but it was nearly impossible for me to sit still in my boxers. I actually had to grip my feet to prevent any additional movement. The butter-yellow life-form I had only just been introduced to was sitting on her haunches directly behind me while doing her best to tie bandages on as gently as she possibly could. All efforts seemed to be in vain though, as even the gentlest of tugs had been able to cause me distress.

Well, I suppose that you can't say that I wasn't grateful to this strange little creature. She brought me into her home, kept me warm, and she was even now nursing to my wounds. It was like she was a guardian angel of some kind. Heck, I haven't even told you all about how well those antibiotics and ointments worked. In short, they worked like a charm. Sure, they stung like hell, but the moment that was over I could actually move without any pain! Now I did still feel a little sore, but that was a small price to pay to be able to actually move once more. I will admit, I was rather insistent on applying the medicine on my legs, but my new friend was very insistent that she would be the one to do so I didn't even want to let her bandage them, but she managed to convince me to let her. I'm still kind of embarrassed just mentioning it, so I'm not sure why I did just now.

My entire torso had been covered with the bandages. From my neck down, the strips of gauze covered my neck, chest, stomach, arms, legs, and back. That sweet four-legged blessing had even managed to wrap the stuff around my fingers. One thing about all the gauze that I liked at the moment was a long strip that was wrapped around my forehead like a headband. Even though it looked cool, the cut on the back of my head that it covered was more than proof that I wasn't as far away from that Manticore as I may have once thought. That scratch wasn't my only reminder though. After a look to a close-by table, I could see just where what remained of my clothes had been put for the time being.

Lying on top a near-by table, folded up as neat as it possibly could have been had been my shirt and pants. My pants seemed to have survived everything that I had gone through with just a few scrapes or stains. My shirt however seemed to have been less than lucky as it was now covered with red gashes that were already turning purple from blending into the blue fabric. It was really something that made me question just how many times I had gotten hurt out there.

"I want to thank you for this, by the way."

I had been still looking over at my shredded clothes on the table by the time that I had said that. My eyes a little cold, but only due to me partially spacing out at the time. There was a lot on my mind, and being bandaged up by a talking four-legged organism was the least of my worries. That same 'organism' did take note of what I had said as she managed to tie on my last bandage completely, but was puzzled by my words of thanks. She let out a confused little hum before responding. "Um... You're thanking me? For what?" I guess she just didn't understand how much she had helped me out. As amusing this may have been, I tried to keep my head calm and level.

"Well, you did kind of save me. I'm really grateful, so I just wanted to say so."

Embarrassed from the praise bestowed upon her, the butter-yellow being could not help but accidentally press down a little harder on my back as she attempted to straighten out any wrinkled bandages.

Tripping over word after word, I could hear her fumbling around with the last knot while stumbling in her own attempts to accept the words of thanks. "O-oh, well it's nice to be thanked. I'm sure that any of your' friends would have done the same." I made sure not to let how hollow I felt from that comment show. In all truth, I was kind of a loner. I never really liked being around other people. They never liked me so I was always left by my lonesome and it ended in me rarely ever leaving my own apartment. I wasn't going to tell her this though. It may just make her regret that she had even spoken up.

Instead, I only smiled at her. I was used to bottling up my emotions, anyways. What was the problem with adding a little bit more emotion to the bottle? It was better to just carry on the situation. There was only one thing that I couldn't really let go of from what she had said.

"Not to be rude, but I have to say that you're wrong there Ma'am."

From what I could tell, I had already gotten the attention of this four-legged being relatively well by how she froze up when straightening out the last of the wrinkles on the band aids. She didn't really respond right away, so I went ahead and continued with what I was saying. "Where I'm from, people have a tenancy of avoiding anything that could mean trouble for them. Drug wars, drive by shootings, and robberies being the least of our worries." For a moment, I exhaled a long sigh to wonder if I wanted to go back home at all. "That being said, when seeing someone as injured as I was just appearing out of nowhere... To say the least, some people have learned to... Well..." With a twist of my wrist and the spinning gears in my mind, I stared blankly up at the ceiling for a second. There had to be an easy way to word this.

"-They sort of leave you there to bleed."

There was a gasp from behind me as the four-legged being now walked out from behind me and to my side. She kept her eyes on mine with a moralized sense of concern. "Oh my, it sounds so rough where you live. I certainly hope that you aren't as mean as those people." She paused before recoiling at her own poor wording. "I'm sorry, you look like a very nice person... It's just... I mean, you did look a little scary, but..." Saying this, the small horse paused before blinking almost in realization to what she had just said. Then jumping from her own shock, the poor thing was more embarrassed than ever. "O-oh no, I didn't mean to say that. I'm sure that anyone would look scary in your' condition; I mean... Oh no... That came out all wrong..." Well, this one was quite a worry-wart, wasn't she? Still, it was nice to know that someone was worrying.

Patting her head was more than enough to at least brighten her spirits up a little. Sure, the poor thing looked a little down, but that wasn't anything that couldn't be fixed. "Hey, hey, don't start that now. There's no point in worrying about something like that." Pointing to my now grinning mouth, I made sure this was the first thing that she saw when looking back up. Without a doubt, the first thing that she had seen was a beaming grin as I had pointed at it with a bandaged hand.

"Just smile. Don't you know that it's good for your' health?"

I was unsure if she just wasn't expecting it or what, but without a doubt the poor girl was smiling. Taking my hand off her head now, I just looked forward. "Don't worry. I get what you're saying. I actually get it all the time back where I'm from." Living in a town like I did, it wasn't really fun. It anything, living in the city was actually quite dangerous; not to mention the rise in crime now-a-days... Still, someone needed to stay positive. "Everyone is always really on edge and jumpy. You could get tasered pretty easily if you're not careful." Between you and me, I had even gotten tasered at one point just for asking for directions. Definitely missed my bus that day... Fun. Looking at the butter-yellow creature once more, I gently smiled her way.

"So it means a lot that you would take me in and help me like that. I'm very grateful."

Just by how she was fidgeting with her hooves, It was evident that I had made my new friend feel a little flustered from how I had been praising her. She acted like no-one had ever done so before. It wasn't like she could hide it; even her voice told me how she felt. "I-it isn't a problem. Really it isn't. It's just my job to take care of the wild animals, so it doesn't matter how odd they-" Stumbling over her own wording once more, the small horse just seemed tormented by her speech. The way she just lied down on her stomach and hid her face in her fore-legs was adorable. Even her ears folded back. Adorable!

"Oh, I messed up again! I didn't mean anything by that, I promise! I didn't mean to call you an animal, I just haven't ever seen some-pony that looks like you do."

There is was again. That word. It was really something to make you think. "Hm, Some-pony, huh?" I scratched my chin before leaning back while using my arms to prop me up. "So that's what you are; a pony?" She had already been looking up at me at about this time with those large eyes, but made sure not to look too far up from her lying position.

I laughed when finally coming to the conclusion. I was talking to a pony. A PONY for crying out loud! Little by little, I began to think that I had somehow descended into madness but that would have been too easy. The pain that I felt over the time spent here was much too real. It seemed that I was living the real thing here. No dreams. No illusions. This was somehow reality. "I like it." Those words were a little shocking for me, even. Still, I had said it.

"I'll admit, a talking pony is a little odd, but that's just how I like it. Plenty of surprises."

At about this time, the pony beside me had already picked up her head slightly at my words. Apparently, something that I said had caught her attention. The grin on my face had already returned as the pony stared at me blankly. Only after a second of seeing this, my smile faded into a smirk of my own embarrassment. "Where are my manners? How could a gentleman go this long without a proper introduction?" As I said this, there was no hesitation before I warmly held out a hand to the pony.

"The name's Jacob. What's yours?"

Just the utter look of clueless-ness that I was given at this time was enough to tell me that this pony didn't quite understand what I was doing. She simply looked at my hand, and then back to me. I swear, it was hard not to notice how beautiful this little ponies' eyes were. A peaceful shade of teal.

Motioning my hand a little closer towards her, I watched as the pony sat on her haunches and just continued staring at me. I guess she just didn't understand, but I was going to fix that. "Don't worry, it's just a hand-shake. It's how I greet the new people I meet." She only stayed silent as she then let her eyes run down to my hand once more. I'll admit, I was a little unsure if this pony was going to trust me enough, but the moment I began to pull my hand back I could feel a hoof upon my palm.

"M-my name is... Um... It's... My name is Fluttershy."

Not really knowing what to think of this, I was now the one left at a loss. How this little pony had put her trust in me so quickly was phenomenal. I definitely wasn't going to over-look something like that. Raising Fluttershys' hoof upward slightly, I then slowly brought it down to complete the hand-shake. "Fluttershy... What a beautiful name. It suits you well." I could see that just from saying this that I had ruffled a few feathers with her... Literally! I can't believe that I had missed this! This little pony had wings! I'll tell you this much, that was enough to catch me off guard. I even found myself muttering to myself when seeing Fluttershy having to straighten them after my compliment. "Feathers..." I didn't make a scene about this. No, that would be rude. Instead, I just looked right back at Fluttershy to see her hiding a smile from me.

"Thank you... It was my grandmothers name. I always loved her photography, so I'm glad you think so..."

The moment that I had let go, the two of us did smile at each other for a moment longer, but the subject changed just as quick. As I laid back on the comforter once more, I had done my best to relax. If anything, I was going to need a little bit of rest after what I had been through. I doubted that Fluttershy would let me leave so soon anyways in my current state.

"Um, excuse me, Jacob... Would it be alright if I asked you a question?"

Putting both hands behind my head, I looked at the pony. For what she has done for me, it's literally the least I can do to just answer some questions. "Yeah, sure." Fluttershy seemed a little uncomfortable at the moment, but she did finally manage to speak.

"Well, I was just wondering how you got here. I've lived next to the Everfree Forest for years, and I haven't ever seen something like you before."

Everfree Forest, so that's what that place was called? That aside this was an excellent question. Still that didn't mean that I had the answer. If anything, I was just as much in the dark about it as she was. Heck, the only answer that I was left with was blankly staring up at the ceiling. "You know, I'm not really sure, myself. I just woke-up there. The last I remember before waking up was falling asleep in my apartment." Strange it may be, there really wasn't anything that I could go off of to tell how I had gotten here. It was literally a point-A to point-B situation. "After waking up, I got chased by a manticore, and was almost eaten by flowers." Like I needed a reminder about what had happened today. "-Then I wound up here after getting out of that forest." Closing my eyes for a second, I could still picture that slobbering carnivore trying to eat me. It was unsettling.

Fluttershy seemed to understand where I stood on all of this so far. I was just some guy that woke up in the wrong place and had some of the worst luck that you could probably find anywhere... Or maybe I had the best luck? Anyways, you get what I'm saying here.

Appearing to be a little saddened by hearing this, Fluttershy seemed to have had a sudden moment of clarity. "So that's why you were in such horrible condition." I nodded in response. Left in a state of a sort of withdrawn disbelief, the little pony held a hoof to her mouth as if lost in her own thoughts. "To have survived a manticore attack is one thing, but you must be very lucky to have seen through the disguise of the Snapdragons of the forest..." Oh, that's really what those monstrosities were called? Cute.

"They're known to disguise themselves as regular flowers, and pick the meat clean off the bones off those unfortunate enough to stumble into them. Sometimes, they can even eat the bone if they hadn't fed for a while..."

Wait, what!? Those things were that dangerous!? I... I don't even know what I'm supposed to think about this. If anything, I suppose that I was... What am I even supposed to suppose in a situation like this!? Sure, I saw what they did to the manticore, but all that I saw was them biting the thing. Looking back on that, maybe I should have expected as much.

"Um, excuse me? Are you alright? You look a little pale."

Sweat ran down my face like raindrops while trying to stay calm about all of this. I wasn't just going to panic. I could feel my throat drying up, but I did my best to speak. "Y-yeah, I'm fine. No offence, it's just that-" Now, how was a proper way of wording this?Adjusting myself to get a good look at Fluttershy, I raised a brow before lifting a hand to try and make a point. "-How can you say something like that and be so calm about it?" Well, at least some color was coming back to my face right about now.

Beside me, Fluttershy didn't seem the least bit off put by anything that she had just mentioned. She actually looked like this was nothing new for her. Even while shuffling her fore-hooves together, I could tell that she wasn't normally one to boast of her skills. "Well, I just find nature fascinating, so I try to keep myself educated about stuff like this. Not to mention that just talking about something is a lot different from experiencing it." You had to admit, she had a point. "Truthfully, I've never seen Snapdragons during a feeding... If I did... It would make me a little..." I could already see Fluttershy swaying the top half of her body from side-to-side as if she was going to hurl. Her face turning a little green in her movements, it wasn't long before she just fell onto my lap.

"-Woozy."

Sitting up completely once more now, all I did was look at the pony with slight concern. I suppose that picturing something like what I had would be a bit of a trip for this frail-looking pony. There was no point in letting her keep herself in this state though. Patting the top of her head, I tried to ease whatever discomfort may have risen from this conversation. "Hey now, let's not get into that if it just makes you feel uncomfortable. Why don't we just change the subject?" Not a bad idea on my part. Not to mention that this also seemed to have gotten Fluttershys' mind off of the Snapdragons.

The pony had slowly risen her head from my lap before speaking; the green in her cheeks already leaving. It really was for the best that we would move the subject along. "Um... Alright... What would you like to talk about?" Sitting up by herself once more, Fluttershy blew a couple stray hairs from her face before acting like she had before. Her question took a bit of contemplating to answer. Well, I did have one thing we could talk about.

"How about just the common introduction? Who we are, where we come from, what we do, that kind of stuff. We already know each others names, so why not get a little more acquainted with one another?"

If anything, my recommendation only seemed to make Fluttershy a little nervous. I suppose that sharing personal information with a stranger would sort of seem a little strange to me as well, so I couldn't blame her. It seemed that I was going to have to take the lead here. Beginning by pressing a hand against my bandaged chest, I smiled to assure Fluttershy that I meant no harm by this. "Look, how about I start? I'll tell you about myself, and you can decide whether you want to talk about this. How does that sound?" She didn't seem against it, but didn't seem for it either. I think that Fluttershy was just waiting for me to speak. Clearing my throat, I made sure to keep my voice calm and clear.

"Well, you already know that my first name is Jacob, but my full name is Jacob Matthew Froster. As a college student, I also work part-time as a chef. I'm nineteen, and was born on May fifth. I was born in a small town, but began jumping around America for a year after my folks divorced... It was when I was young, so I don't remember too much of it."

"Um... Uh-merry-kah?"

Fluttershy had been sitting with her fore legs gently planted onto the floor at what I had just said. Her ears folded back as if in deep thought for a split moment, but looked at the floor. Only looking back at me after a moment, I could see that she was filled with befuddlement. "I'm sorry, but I've never heard of a place with such a name." I paused the moment when hearing this. Fluttershy hasn't heard of America? An entire country? A nervous chuckle escaped my lips as I rubbed the back of my neck. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck beginning to stand on end, but I chose to appear calm. "No, no. America. It's a country, silly." My optimistic tone wasn't very soothing for me right now. Surely this was a joke. Trying to assure Fluttershy, I rambled on.

"You know... The United States? Eagles? Hamburgers?"

Once again, I was only given a look of Fluttershys' complete ignorance of what I was talking about. I knew she was thinking, but nothing came to mind for her. "I'm sorry, but... What is a 'hamburger'?" Wait, what?! Was this for real?! Turning my head away from Fluttershy for a split moment, I exhibited just how shocked I really had been from just that.

"Oh my God, I'm really not in America anymore..."

Well, that settled it; I was probably as far away from home as I could possibly be! Maybe I could just click my heels together three times just for hopes sake, hm? Well, I needed to stay calm about this. I came here, so I could get home just as easily, right? I just needed to take a couple of slow and easy breaths.

Exhaling heavily, I finally turned back to Fluttershy already looking a little depressed. Placing a hand on one side of my face, I slowly drug it downward until hit hit against my lap. My vision then slowly drifted to the pony beside me. I did my best to sound normal, I even forced a smile. "Um... Are you sure? Positively sure?" When Fluttershy shyly nodded in response, I could almost feel my mind slipping from me.

What was I to make of any of this? I had just somehow wound up in some sort of strange place that I don't know anything about for no good reason? How troubling this was. Still, I couldn't just let Fluttershy see me in such distress. It would make me seem ungrateful for everything that she had done for me. Still I needed a little more information. So calming down first, I began to speak once more. A cheerful demeanor about me right now, I made sure to force on just enough to not look weird. "Now, I'm very sorry, Fluttershy. I just need to ask you a question." Getting her attention quite well, I could see that Fluttershy was at least comfortable with me at the moment. Now, how could I word this without being creepy?

"May I ask where we are... Country-Wise?"

Fluttershy seemed more than able to answer. With a quick nod, she smiled happily at me. "Of course-" As I eagerly awaited her answer, I could feel butterflies in my stomach.

"I'm glad to say that we're in the country of Equestria. I'm not really sure just what place you spoke of, so I'm very sorry that you're lost."

I was afraid of that kind of answer. Not the apology, that part was actually quite nice. Just being stranded in a place that you've never even heard of; that's what rattled me at the time. This just made it even worse since I knew that I wasn't dreaming. Even worse, I had never even heard of a place called 'Equestria'. Never in all of my education had I ever even seen it on a map. It scared me to think that I wasn't even in a place with geography even similar to my own. I was in deep trouble... Deep. Realizing this, I leaned forward to run a hand through my hair.

"This is bad. Very bad."

Fluttershy tried to comfort me by placing a hoof on my shoulder. She was looking at me with a sort of concern that you would have to trust. Not like I had any say in the matter, but still-. "Jacob, is something the matter?" That was just it. I was in a strange place, talking to a strange person, in a strange home, while in a strange country. How was I going to get home? It was hard just looking back at the pony to speak up. I had too much on my mind.

"I... Don't know..."

Things had just seemed to go from bad to worse. First being stranded in an unknown place, talking to the strangest of creatures, and now this. Being stranded in a whole other country. Was something like this even possible? A part of me wanted to believe that I had just slipped into some sort of coma, but if that were possible this entire world would have shattered at the exact moment I thought that. Wouldn't it have? No, this was much too real to be just some sort of comatose hallucination. Just like the experiences from earlier, this was all too real no matter just how unrealistic this all seemed. I was going to have to accept this at one point or another, but there was still that screaming thought in the back of my head that tried to convince me that none of this was real. That I was still asleep, and this was just a lucid nightmare descending from its' own horror.

"Are you sure that this 'Twilight Sparkle' can help me?"

Fluttershy told me that there was some other being in a town not far from where we were that may be able to help me. She told me of a scientist in the towns' library. A certain 'Golden Oaks Library'. This other being was supposedly a unicorn, but previously something else that I wasn't quite sure what to make of. Something called an Alicorn. It was kind of like a flip-flop kind of thing, I guess. First she was a unicorn, then an alicorn, and then a unicorn again. I didn't ask what kind of metamorphosis happened there, but I was told that something big happened a couple years ago. This was quite literally the best that I could get from the yellow pony. Fluttershy also told me about how she was quite intelligent, and if there was anyone to help me in this strange place that it would be her. If I wanted to find out how to get home, Twilight Sparkle was my best bet to getting there.

Knowing that there were other talking ponies in this world came as both a surprise and an obvious truth for me. I mean, it was even in the name of this country. Equestria was literally one letter away from being 'equestrian'; a term for horseback riding. Was this purposeful, or just some odd coincidence? No matter, there had to be some sort of dominant race to this country, and judging by how Fluttershy doesn't even know what I am it's easy to say that it's not humans. I swear, the only comfort that I got from any of this was relating all of these pony names to ice-cream flavors.

"Quite sure. If there's any pony that can help you, it's Twilight. I was actually planning to take you by there when you felt well enough to travel. I visited her when going into town for medicine, hoping that she would have an answer to what you were. Instead, Twilight was insistent that I brought you to her after a brief description about how you looked."

So someone was already expecting me, huh? Sliding my shirt back on, I could already feel the cuts and stains of the cloth against my hands as I pulled the bottom of it over my waist. My pants didn't give the bandages on my legs any trouble. I always did wear baggy clothes, so they made no difference. Looking down at my clothing, I could already spot purple splotches across the front of my shirt. I had to put them out of mind so I could buckle my belt around my waist.

"Are you sure that you want to wear those? They're covered in... Blood."

All the while I had been getting myself dressed, Fluttershy had been with me by the table my clothes had been lying on only moments ago. While I had been making myself at least somewhat decent, I could see that she was packing a lunch. Plenty of fruits, vegetables, and a couple of sweet things to eat. I guess it was expected for ponies to not have any meat foods. I may not have been the brightest crayon in the box, but I knew that ponies were strictly herbivorous. It may have just made a pony that took care of animals a little uneasy to be around an omnivorous being such as myself. This being said, it may be best to keep my teeth hidden for a while. This meant no grinning. I could smile, but not grin. The last thing that I needed was to screw up my way back home.

Straightening up my ragged shirt the best that I could, I gave Fluttershy a thumbs up. Looking back on it, that may not have been my best choice in action since ponies don't have fingers but... She seemed to get the gist of what I was doing. "Don't worry. It's better than going around naked." Flinching slightly from a small question popping up in my head, I lowered my hand. It was very clear by the look on my face that the question was at least a little bothersome. "Hey Fluttershy, you said that your' friend was a unicorn, right?" She nodded with a hum to tell me that I was right while putting everything in a paper sack. Adjusting my glasses on the bridge of my nose, I couldn't help but arch a brow at the pony. "Then what does that make you? Do you just distinguish other ponies as simply ponies, or is it something different?" Fluttershy closed the paper bag shut before handing it to me when lifting it up in her mouth. Taking it, I waited patiently for my response as Fluttershy thought of a way to explain this. I could already tell that this was going to be lengthy.

"Actually, there are three main species of ponies. Unicorns, Pegasi, and Earth Ponies. It's actually very easy to understand if you can get the mental image in your' head. It's something that most ponies learn during their times as fillies or colts. Usually they even learn this before attending school. The easiest way to know this is that Unicorns have horns, Pegasi have wings, but Earth Ponies have neither. Since I have wings, I'm a Pegasus. This is just the quickest way to explain, but Twilight can fill you in on all of this much easier if you ask politely."

Okay then, there were three different species of ponies? This was easy enough to compress into my head, at least. I did suppose that this meant that I had to refer to Fluttershy as a pegasus now, instead of a pony so this had to make it at least a third easier. Still, I wasn't always the brightest person so it may be good to always keep this in mind when talking to this friend of Fluttershys' when I get there. Still, with there being a world inhabited by sentient pony creatures, I felt as if I was trapped within an eight year old girls' coloring book.

Warming up my leg muscles, I could still feel that familiar aching in my joints. It will just have to be ignored for now. There were more important matters. I had to get to the unicorns' tree-house... Geeze, that sounds weird.

"Well, if that's just about it, I should really get going. If you can just give me directions to this library, I'll be out of your' hair."

In a calm manner, Fluttershy walked around the side of the table. Her hooves silently clopping against the hard-wood floor to create just the perfect sound to break the current quiet. "I'm sorry, but I cannot allow you to leave by yourself. It's just much too dangerous for some-pony that isn't familiar with this land." Well, you had to give her that much. Given my current day, I wouldn't doubt anything else going wrong. Still, this accurate point didn't keep Fluttershy from following up with her timidity. "Not that I don't think you can, you look like you are very good with directions. I just think that it would be quicker if I could help you make it there." Not really much of a problem. If anything, it would be a lot better for me. It would save me plenty of time knowing that Fluttershy would be taking me there.

"Fine with me. It'll be good having someone reliable with me."

While turning on a dime, I pocketed my hands before making my way toward the door. Fluttershy was quick to follow after. Of course, the door being about my height, it was certain that I would have to duck down if I didn't want to scrape the top of my head on the door frame. I'll admit, the idea of having to duck my head down under a door was a tad bit unusual, but it was mandatory if I didn't want a bump on the top of my noggin.

The door of which had been just a simple double-door. If I hadn't noticed before, I can guarantee that I would have just pushed open the top half rather than both completely. It was a clever little thing to have. Although not as good as a peep-hole.

"Well, let's not sit around like a bunch of dust-bunnies; let's get going."

Pressing the door open, I made sure to lean my head downward while looking at Fluttershy. The pegasus of which had been watching me with what I could only suppose to be interest. "Oh my, you walk so well for some-pony that only uses their back legs." Wow, she really didn't know what I was, did she? Still, no point in ruining this for the girl.

The moment that I stepped outside, I was more than pleased to feel the warm rays of light touching my skin. The sight of my clothes in the full light of the sun however was less than pleasing. The purple stains on my blue shirt were much more clear now, and I could see that there were even a couple hard to see spots on my jeans. No way that I was wearing these again. It was too bad, really.

Poking a finger through a hole on my shirt, I grouchily frowned at the pieces of tattered cloth. "Man, this is embarrassing. I couldn't have been stranded with two sets of clothes?" As Fluttershy stepped out in the open with me she did seem to share some of the same thoughts as I had, but the look on her face at least told me that they were more polite than mine were. After adverting her gaze for a moment, Fluttershy did bring herself to look at me once more. For the reason that she did, I suspected it to be out of pity.

"It's not that bad. It's not good, but it's not bad either..."

Even with Fluttershys' positive reinforcement, I couldn't help but mope a little over this. I breathed out my nose just to express my displeasure as the sight of these rags that I had now been wearing. "This was my favorite shirt." I placed a hand on my forehead in my own disgust with what I had now been wearing. With a moan, I slid the hand down my face before returning it to my side. "I look like some sort of punk-hipster..." Nonetheless, this wasn't important right now; no matter how embarrassing it was to look like this.

Using her wings to lift herself, Fluttershy carried herself off the ground a few feet before flying in front of me to obtain my attention. It was easy to say that she had gotten it. Staying eye-level with me, she tried to give helpful suggestions.

"Well, maybe you could just take them off? You could certainly walk around without feeling embarrassed then, I'm sure."

Take my own clothes off? Just the thought of doing so had caused my face to brighten up. I know that she meant well, but all she really did was embarrass me even more. Still, she was only trying to help. While reaching up to scratch the side of my face with an index finger, I could already feel how warm my face had gotten. I made sure not to break the smile I had, even if it was wavering every now and then. "T-That's not an option, I'm afraid..." Fluttershy had found this peculiar for some odd reason. Of course, she tried to ask me why, but I cut Fluttershy off with a lifted hand in between our faces before she could even make it past the first letter.

"Just... Trust me. Don't ask."

Ch.3: Introductions

Sunshine

A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction

By Gen

So here I was; walking aimlessly down a dirt road on my way to the Golden Oaks Library to try and get home. Speaking of homes, you rememberthat cozy little cottage that I had seen when escaping the Everfree Forest? Beleive it or not, that turned out to be Fluttershys' home. A rather interesting coincidence on my part. She must have been able to spot me lying on the ground just by standing outside the front door.

The green grass beside the road danced with the wind, and made the flowers even more beautiful when they decided to move in unison almost like a rhythmic ocean wave. The sky was such a brilliant shade of light blue that it almost felt like the clouds above me were simply islands floating upon an ocean of air. It was almost impossible to think that I was really able to bare witness to something as beautiful as I had. Maybe it was just because of the fact that my city was usually so dreary.

Do not misunderstand, I loved it where I lived. It was my home, and that's all that mattered. Even so, as I've stated before, it wasn't exactly the nicest place to live; or healthiest. To not make things sound too bad, there was a majority of factories built causing a lot of the air in the city to simply look like smog. The skies were always a dreary gray color because of all of the smoke and ash shot up into it, so that only made it that much harder to breathe. There was a lack of any plant life, and what there was of it was on the verge of being completely wiped out, but that still wasn't saying much. The most that the city would get with the demand of any plants in the area would be a couple of trees planted into the side walk every few miles. Even then those looked like they were on their last legs with the lack of needed attention. I can't even describe how difficult it was to keep my indoor vegetable garden looking healthy.

That's was made this place look so interesting to me. This wasn't some suffocating wasteland; it was wondrous, and so full of life. The vibrant colors actually made me feel contempt with everything that happened today. These landscapes were almost like peering into a painted picture.

"Jacob, are you alright? You seem a little lost in thought."

Any thoughts that I had at this time had come to a sudden end for the moment as I brought myself back to reality. Looking right at me while we walked, Fluttershy had seemed to be growing concerned for my previously spaced-out state. You know I didn't expect it, but for a being with such short legs compared to mine Fluttershy was keeping up quite well with my current pacing. However, this didn't keep my mind off of how I had embarrassed myself due to all of the constant daydreaming. A pink shade spread across the surface of my face as I replied. "Very sorry about that, I was just admiring the scenery." Closing my eyes bashfully, I gave her a careful smirk. Still needed to watch out for showing too much of my teeth.

Even with a forced back grin, my response was more than enough to satisfy my traveling companion. When opening my eyes, I could see Fluttershys' accepting smile waiting for me as her worry had come to a steady end. "Oh, well then feel free to look around. I'm sorry to have interrupted you." I appreciated just how trusting that she was. Respecting my boundaries; it was something that you wouldn't find in a lot of people now of days. Not once did she even try to pry into what I was thinking about. However, I couldn't help but notice something out of the ordinary happen as Fluttershy smiled gracefully upon me. Some sort of noise had been made. Nothing too weird, but still very clear. It was much like a squeak that one could compare the sound to a squeaker-box inside of dolls or pet toys. Already focusing on the sound alone, I kept an eye out for the source. "Hey, uh... Did you hear that squeaking noise?" Funny, for a moment it sounded like it was coming from Fluttershy. That was just silly to even suspect though.

"I'm afraid not. Maybe it was a field mouse? They are quite lively at this time of the day."

Yeah, I bet that was it. Fluttershy did say that she took care of wild animals, so it would only be expected that they would flock to her every once in a while. It was quite the strange occurrence none-the-less. Not one that I would have normally expected, but still strange.

The one thing that I will note about today was that it was a exceptionally windy. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing. The wind felt nice against my bandages. Sort of gave them that cool feeling when you flip over a pillow right before you fall asleep. Unfortunately, it managed to push my scratched up shirt around enough to where it had been showing my bandaged belly. It was a little humiliating, so I did my best to try and tuck what I could into the waist of my pants before Fluttershy could notice. Despite my efforts the sounds of the soft giggling beside me told me that the pegasus had already noticed. Now feeling the hot blush of embarrassment appear on my face, I did my best to advert my eyes to hide the patch of burning red that stretched over the bridge of my nose. I guess that I can admit that it was a little funny though, even if all I did was silently chuckle to try to pass the incident along.

"Hey!"

The blaring shout easily stifled any laughter as Fluttershy and I jumped from the shock we received from hearing it. It most certainly wasn't my way of grabbing someones' attention, but apparently it was someone else's. The troubling question though was 'whos' was it?' The call sounded as if it came a little further down our current path, but there wasn't another living being around to confirm the presence of anyone other than Fluttershy and myself.

Suspecting that I could be victim to some sort of ambush pushed me into a sort of defensive mode while I lifted my arms as if I were about to guard myself in a brawl. It almost made me suspect that something had crawled out on its' belly from Everfree just to finish me off. Eyes shifting around to take in the environment, I did my best to keep on my best guard in case things took a turn for the worst.

"Please tell me that you heard that."

Daintily stopping her hooves with a light trot in place, Fluttershy appeared to be even more lost than I had been. Her posture showed just how uneasy she had become as she gave a slow yet short nod. "Yes, I did hear something this time." Looking all around herself, the little pegasus did her best to catch sight of anyone that could have made the noise, but was ultimately unsuccessful. There wasn't a direction to really pin-point the voice to anymore. The voice had been strong enough to cast an echo making it almost impossible for us to trace back to any origin by now. The voice in general was a peculiar one. It wasn't really threatening sounding. More like the shout was just something to grab our attention.

"Hey! Hey! Hey!"

Whatever was shouting at us was definitely getting closer. The voice only made me tighten my stance while my heart began to pick up the pace. I didn't get it; the shouting had definitely gotten our attention, so why continue? It was pointless. Was there someone else around to attack while another caused a distraction?

"HEY! HEY! HEY! HEY!"

Whoever it was had been getting closer to us, but there still wasn't anyone in sight. Listening closely, Fluttershys' ears adjusted themselves after every couple of seconds. As odd as it seemed to me, it was just the thing to make me drop my guard. "Hey Fluttershy, are you alright?" Not reacting right away to me, Fluttershy took her time when looking back up at me.

"I think that I know who's trying to get our attention."

Wait, how could she-

BANG!!!

Was that a gun? Did someone just shoot at us!? I could feel my heart nearly burst from my chest. Without thinking, I wrapped an arm around Fluttershy before jumping off the dirt road and into the grass on its right side. "Get down!" Landing on the grass with a heavy thud, I could feel my injuries taking a toll on my body once more while lying flat on my back. Fluttershy had more than easily recovered from the fall after accidentally landing on me, and had now been looking down on me after making her way to her hooves.

"Oh my goodness, are you alright?"

Just that landing had been more than enough to send pain surging through my body once more. Through tightly shut eyes, I tried to manage my breathing quickly so we could get to the library quicker. Although, right now I was just trying to wait for the pain to leave me alone so I could get back up. What the hell was that noise though? A gun? Could ponies even use guns?

When my breathing had eventually slowed down, I had only just begun to open my eyes once more. When they did, I was more than able to see Fluttershy through wincing eyes. She was worried, I think. "Yeah... Just a little sore..." I struggled to my feet once more with Fluttershys' assistance. It had become painfully evident to me now that my bandages began to tighten against my body every time I bent or flexed a muscle to move as small shocks of pain surged through my body while I attempted any movement. Just from a simple task such as standing, I was already out of breath by the time that I had gotten back up. Speaking in gruff and weary words, I spoke with a hint of exasperation in my tone.

"What the hell was that?"

Short gasps left me winded while I muttered out these words. The helplessness that I felt just a few moments ago had left me clueless to my current situation. I did the best that I could to stay calm, but it was getting to where being calm wasn't going to help me. I had already more than become slightly on-edge to make sure I didn't get shot. "Who on earth was that?" A good question. There still wasn't anyone around besides me and Fluttershy, but there had to be someone else somewhere. Maybe this was just me falling into some sort of level of insanity? Maybe I was just hearing things? Maybe it was a trap? The repetitive poking of my side begged to differ.

"Hey, I'm down here, Silly."

The voice that I heard was a bit more high pitched than I would have expected some sort of assailant to be. Any form of hostility was not the feeling that I got from this voice. The sound of this voice had been down-right cheerful.

Looking beside me, I could already see another pony that was standing directly in-between me and Fluttershy. Upon noticing, my body flailed its' limbs around in a sudden panic only for a streak of pain to straighten my posture out once more. This pony was a pink one with fluffy hair. It was almost incomprehensible on how one could get their hair to have the appearance of cotton candy, but somehow this pony seemed to have more than mastered the technique. Even the tail was puffed up. The best way that I could even describe the hair would be to compare it to how cotton candy looked if you could mold it into a horses mane. Even if it was a shade darker from the pink coat of hair that covered this pony, I'll admit that it matched.

It was then to my embarrassment that I had discovered the source of the previous 'gun-fire' that startled me to such a great extent. In her mouth was a party popper. Not the cheap bulbs that are the size of your thumb. The cone kind that you could always normally could find at any good party store. I could see the string hanging from her mouth while the cone just dangled from it under her chin. Just now looking back at the dirt road to see a good amount of confetti and glitter lying on the ground, a rising blush formed on my face as this misunderstanding began its procedure to being completely understood.

"Hi there!"

The greeting was energetic, but that didn't seem to be the end of it. The tiny, pink horse skipped, and bounced around me as I tried to keep it in my sight at all times. Fluttershy didn't seem too taken back by this ponies' actions, but I wasn't exactly sure how to judge the pegasus for her decision. "Ha-ha, what are you?" The pink pony spoke to me in a peppy manner. It brushed past my mind if she had been mocking me for a moment, but I wasn't sure. Before I could even reply, the little pony had zipped right out of my eye-sight before she slunk against my body on her hind-legs. Back pressed against my waist, Her fore-legs had already been pulled up against her chest and her head pushing against the bottom of my ribcage. "Oooo, Oooo! I know! I know!" Only after looking in the direction of the pink pony, I could see that she had already vanished. This had left me at a loss about just where this little pink... Thing had gone to.

"Where did she-?"

Looking from one side to the other on my body, I did a quick turn around just to make sure that the pony wasn't standing behind me. No such luck. Instead, it wasn't until that I had completed my turn that I noticed the pony now standing back on the dirt road where she had been doing some sort of 'zombie walk'. "Are you some kind of mummy?" It was very clear that she was talking about how I had been covered in medical gauze. Once again, before I could even open my mouth that pony had already sprung into action. This time however, the pink pony sprung in my direction, jumped on my body, and began to crawl all over me like an arachnid.

Any tense nerves that I felt had already vanished by the time that I could catch the smell of her hair for some reason. It was really sweet; kind of like cake. I get the feeling that I this pony bathed in sugar. I bet that I would be right to think so too.

Feeling a slight tickle across my body, I could feel the urge to squirm growing inside of me becoming stronger and stronger with every passing moment. At first, I tried to fight it, but I couldn't hold back the laughter that built up from all this tickling. It had begun in a soft snicker, but pretty soon it escalated into booming laughter as the pony seemed to be exploring the surface of my body with almost spider-like abilities. Tears formed in the corners of my eyes as the tickling become noticeably unbearable from the strange dance I had begun in place.

"Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Please- Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Please sto-Ha-ha-ha! Please stop! Please stop! I'm begging you! Ha-ha-ha-ha! It tickles too much! Too much!"

My pleading for mercy had gone unnoticed as the pink pony only seemed to continue scavenging my body even further. This time, the pony had even somehow managed to get her entire body underneath my shirt as a bulging lump protruded from it. A fluffy, pink tail followed it around while hanging from the bottom of my shirt while she moved under the cover of my clothes. Pretty soon, the pony had even found her way to the collar of the shirt and managed to push her head through. Doing so, the pink pony now began looking at me with the same questionable gaze I gave her. I found it impossible that this pony could do something like this without ripping my shirt, but I suppose that somehow this pony could do this. I didn't know how, but I didn't question it either.

"Okay, I give up. Just what in the name of everything sweet and sugary are you?"

"Um, Pinkie?"

Simultaneously, both the pink pony and I brought our attention to Fluttershy. Standing by my side, the coy mare fiddled with her fore legs as they took turns scraping across the ground. Just seeing the pegasus was apparently something that made it worth for the unknown pony to begin leaning from my shirt collar with a beaming grin. I wasn't sure just how my shirt was able to take such a punishment like this, nor did I know how much longer it would last. The pink thing had even stretched the collar enough to be able to easily pull one of her fore-legs through for a jovial wave. "Oh, hey Fluttershy!" Upon greeting Fluttershy, the pink pony pulled herself back as I had begun to give the pegasus a strange look. Did Fluttershy know this strange creature? Choosing to remain silent for now, all that Fluttershy did when seeing my expression was give me a sort of embarrassed grin for what had been happening. She didn't expect this to happen, I knew. It was just that this was getting to be quite the distraction. We needed to carry this along and get to the library. A couple blunt pokes on the top of my forehead then pulled my attention back to the Pink Pony.

The pony had been poking my head with a hoof as she continued staring happily at Fluttershy. Just what this weird thing was trying to accomplish was unknown to me. "Hey Fluttershy, did you know that you were walking with a mummy?" Fluttershy tried to intervene, but her voice was quickly spoken over when the pink pony just stared at me once more almost to judge my appearance. "It looks more alive than dead, but I guess it's still spooky... Sort of." Okay, this was getting on my nerves. Returning my gaze to Fluttershy, I couldn't help seem annoyed as I pointed a finger at the pony inside of my shirt.

"Fluttershy, do you know this girl?"

Still a little embarrassed, Fluttershy scrunched her face almost too bashful to answer. The nod she gave me explained it. It seemed that she really did know this pony, but what this pink menace was doing had put her in a state of discontent. Fluttershy looked so embarrassed that it looked like she could barely speak. The poor pegasus managed to push out an embarrassed 'Um', but that was just about all she could do before that pink pony interrupted again. Scrambling for a second, the pink pony burst from the top of my shirt, and bashing a hoof under my chin before completely escaping.

Rubbing my chin, I held some distaste for the pink pony as she touched the ground with a snorted chuckle. Having landed right beside Fluttershy, the pony threw a foreleg over her neck and brought the pegasus close as if to hug the mare in some manner of way. Just how excited this little odd-ball could get was beyond me. "Of course she does, silly-filly! We're very good friends, right Fluttershy?" Finally lowering the hand from my chin, I raised a brow at Fluttershy as if I questioned her sanity for having such a friend. She must have had the patience of a saint. In turn, Fluttershy innocently smiled at me already knowing how I already doubted her better judgment.

"Um... Yes. Jacob... I'd like to introduce you to another one of my friends, Pinkie Pie."

Still feeling the aching under my chin, I watched the pink pony for a moment. Fluttershy seemed to just be waiting to see how I would react to Pinkies' little 'introduction', but it seemed that star attraction at the moment was just standing there looking at me with a blank smile. This entire confrontation was just one big mess, and we knew it. Still, there was the need for me to just brush this entire thing off. I feel that Fluttershy had suffered from this, so I'm a little obligated to make peace here. Knowing this, I muttered under my breath. "I'm going to need therapy after all of this, I just know it..." Let's see if this could all be fixed.

To greet Pinkie Pie, I extended my right hand out after kneeling down to her eye level. Of course, I smiled at her to be nice, but I wasn't really sure how this would really play out. Sure, Fluttershy was able to figure out what a hand-shake was, but Pinkie seemed a little... Out there, if you catch my drift.

Pinkie Pie brought her foreleg off of Fluttershy as she noticed just what I was doing. At first looking a little clueless, Pinkie approached me while gazing at my hand. Standing in front of the hand now, Pinkie looked at it blankly. She looked at my hand, and back to me. Then back to my hand, and back to me. I didn't know just what was going on in that little pink head of hers, but Pinkie did seem to be trying to figure out what I was doing. I was honestly wondering if she was ever going to put it together, but soon enough I found my entire arm being shaken vigorously by the tiny horse.

Using both of her hooves to shake my hand, her actions were easily making my arm shake around like a wet noodle. I could already feel my limb becoming numb. All the while, Pinkie seemed to be enjoying this greeting as she had already taken the complete initiative.

"Hi there Jacob, my name is Pinkie Pie! Wow, you look so weird! Are you a mummy? You're all bandaged like a mummy. Maybe you just have some sort of rare skin condition? I'm fine with that, if you do. Hey, I just noticed that you don't have too much hair, did you burn it all off? Is that why you're covered in bandages? I like cupcakes! Do you like cupcakes?"

Dear heavens, that was a mouthful. I couldn't even manage to get any words in edge-wise before falling on my rear the second Pinkie had let go of my wrist. How could ponies even hold onto my hand, anyways? They had no fingers, so could they really grasp anything? The contemplation of this had been short lived however as Pinkie had already begun skipping and bouncing in circles around me while blurting out high pitched squeaks and giggles.

Fluttershy had a twitching smile that was trying to force itself into a shy frown. Her ears already bent backwards, it really didn't take a genius to see that she was usually the one in a group that could be been spoken over easily. "Um... Pinkie-" Slowly, Fluttershys' voice became more and more quiet as she had already noticed that Pinkie couldn't hear her. "-N-never-mind, I'll just be right here if you need me... I guess..." Eventually, the pegasus had given up on speaking her mind. This bothered me more than you could ever know.

Seeing how Fluttershy had already withdrawn from the conversation after being spoken over, a grimace soon formed on my face. Making it to my feet once more, I had been more than able to dust myself off casually while the high pitched laughter coming from Pinkie circled around me with her. Pain or not, I would not let myself look any worse than I already did. "Pinkie-" The call out to the pony had all been in vain as she hardly even seemed to notice what I had said. Instead, she was only focused on skipping, bouncing, and laughing. It seemed that I would have to try a little harder to get her attention next time. "Pinkie-" Straightening up my shirt by the collar, I once again tried to get the attention of the pony. My tone a bit more blunt, I hoped that it could get her attention. There wasn't much luck this time either, and it was getting a little aggravating. I don't even think that Pinkie knew that she had been ignoring us.

Heaving a heavy sigh, I placed a hand on my face in disbelief. There was a thought in the back of my mind that wished that I could just walk away. I knew this wasn't going to happen though. That would be much too easy. As I lowered the hand from my face, my eyes did manage to catch glimpse of the pony as she once again bounced around me joyously. Now, this was going to have to be handled professionally. I would have a word with Pinkie and we could carry on with our lives. Simple. The only question was, 'just how would I get her to stop?'

Well, as it turns out I sort of winged it there. Wasn't really sure what to do, so I just went with a gut feeling. By that, I mean that the moment Pinkie Pie was suspended in the air during a jump, I grabbed her under the fore-legs and set her back on the ground to get her attention. Cutting off the laugh entirely, Pinkie just looked at me as if I had just spoiled her fun. "What did you do that for?" I should be asking her that. Still, I chose to ignore the pink pony for a moment and look back over to Fluttershy who had just been staring at me a little wide-eyed from my actions. To move the conversation along, I motioned a hand to her.

"You were saying something?"

For some odd reason, my actions only seemed to cause the pony to freeze up as if she wasn't expecting to be able to speak up at all. Fluttershy just stared at me with her mouth agape before trying to get on with what she was saying before. First things first, she had to come back from whatever kind of state of shock that she had been in. "O-oh, yes..." Fluttershy began as she brushed back her mane cautiously. The entire time, she kept her eyes on me still a little surprised. "I-I was just saying that Mr.Froster and I were going to visit Twilight, so we needed to hurry. She does like to keep an orderly schedule." Fair enough, you couldn't blame someone for being organized.

"Holy Faust!"

Being tackled back onto the ground in the blink of an eye, I had shut my eyes tight to brace for impact on the ground. I could feel the back of my head smack against the ground after landing on my back. Compared to the rest of my body it was nothing too bad, but it did ache. Just what on earth got into that little pony that she felt the need to knock me on my back?

Pinkie had somehow managed to pin my body to the ground as she stared down at me, wide-eyed. Her face getting closer to mine, it wasn't long until our noses were only inches apart that she actually stopped. "Froster? As in Frosting? As in, the stuff that you put on cake, frosting?" Left at a loss for words, all that I could really do was stare at the pony. For some reason, she was drooling a little. As I blankly nodded at her, Pinkie had already begun rejoicing and squealing as she bounced in place a couple of times before looking back at me even more excited. "Does this mean that you're a baker? Are you? Huh? Huh? Huh?" With every passing 'huh', Pinkie had drawn ever closer until her snout was pressed against my nose. Managing to pull myself back from Pinkie, I forced myself back up into a sitting position. I had to pause to recover from Pinkies actions before answering.

"I do work as an assistant-head chef in a friend-owned restaurant back home. I will admit that my specialty is confectioneries, but that doesn't mean that I don't like to broaden my horizons."

Pinkie continued to stare at me with the same excited smile. It seemed that she didn't understand what I meant.

"That means 'yes'."

Letting out an ecstatic gasp, Pinkies' smile soon stretched into an ear-to-ear grin. The grin wasn't strange, or creepy. Instead, it was kind of funny. It was actually difficult for me not to show any of my teeth when I smiled at Pinkie. Now, I wasn't aware how, but this strange being seemed to just be able to make me feel happy even though she had literally ambushed me just a few minutes ago.

"What's with that grin of your's?"

In her own excitement, Pinkie just trotted in place for a couple of moments while letting out sounds of joy and wonder. Pretty soon, her excitement did get the best of her as she just seemed to begin working up a dust cloud as her legs stomped faster and faster to try and keep up with her giddy attitude. I swear, it's like Pinkies' legs were trying to keep up with her mouth.

"Oh-my-Faust! Oh-my-Faust! Oh-my-Faust! This-is-so-exciting! I'm-so-excited! Are-you-excited,-because-I'm-so-excited! Do-you-want-to-know-why-I'm-excited? It's-because-I'm-a-baker-too! We're-both-bakers! Do-you-know-how-long-that-I've-wanted-to-meet-another-baker? Well,-other-than-the-cakes-but-I've-been-waiting-a-long-time,-and-I-mean-a-really-long-time! Oh-my-Faust! What's-your'-favorite-thing-to-bake? What's-your'-favorite-flavor-of-frosting? Do-you-like-frosting? Of-course-you-like-frosting,-you're-a-baker!"

Her hooves were kicking up a small amount of dust at her feet as she spat words like they were bullets. Pretty soon, the trotting in place wasn't able suffice Pinkies' intentions. When the action was no longer able to satisfy Pinkie, she had instead begun hastily hopping up and down. Well, at least when she was bouncing I could understand her easier. "This is just so cool!" In the blink of an eye, I had soon noticed how Pinkie had almost vanished from sight. If there wasn't the fact that I had seen her climbing up one of my legs and onto my back, I may not have even noticed the tight hug that Pinkie had given to the back of my neck.

"You have to be some sort of super-duper-double-special-weshial-wowie-zowie baker to actually be an assistant head chef!"

With each made-up word that came out of Pinkies' mouth, a small tickling feeling in my gut grew stronger and stronger. It was getting hard not to laugh. This ponies hyper and overly-friendly nature was too much. Not needing to break into laughter once more, I simply took her off of me. Picking Pinkie up off my back under her fore legs, I held her out in front of me with my elbows bent. As confusing as this pony was, it was nice to meet her even if she kind of blind-sided me. "Wowie-zowie? You certainly are a special one, aren't you?" It wasn't long until Pinkie had touched her forehead into mine by pulling herself back to my head.

"Oh my Faust! We need to make cupcakes together!"

Special was the least that I could say when trying to describe this unique little mare. I don't even think that there are words to accurately describe her. Making the chore of prying Pinkie off of me the most important thing for the moment, I set her on the ground only once I was able. "Well, I suppose that we can at some point later today or something. Chefs can never keep themselves out of the kitchen for too long." Beaming with joy once more, Pinkie snickered to herself; her mane bouncing every time she did so.

Now, I wasn't one to usually want to end conversations, but I'm sure that being late to this appointment with Twilight may be a bad thing. I'm sure that this 'Twilight'-character would be looking forward to this little confrontation. Fluttershy did say that she liked learning, so who knows just how this other friend would react to seeing me?

"Well at any-rate, we need to get going. It was nice meeting you Pinkie, but we're expected to go to the Golden Oaks Library."

At first patting the top of Pinkies' head, I pocketed my hands with a grin before realizing how I had just shown my teeth. Quickly re-coiling, it didn't take long before Pinkie just gave me a look of slight interest. "My Frosty, what pointy teeth you have." I could hear her tease. It didn't last long however as she simply went back to her normal happy appearance. "So you and Fluttershy are visiting Twilight?" She paused as if to wait for a reply, but too impatient to wait. "Do you think that I can come too?" Um... that actually might not be a good idea. To meet someone was one thing, but intruding in on a scheduled appointment? That sounded a little unprofessional, so all I did was put on a happy smile as I tried to pass Pinkie along.

"Ah, well, I'm not sure. You'd have to ask Fluttershy something like that. I don't even know Twilight, so I can't imagine how she would react to it."

Almost disappointed, Pinkie snorted at me before having to think to herself. Just the stern look on her face was one that I didn't like. She was tinkering away inside her mind, and this was something that concerned me. It was only when getting an idea that Pinkie began smiling once more as she walked right past me. I didn't like that smile.

Making her way over to Fluttershy, Pinkie stopped directly in front of her. Staring at Fluttershy with closed eyes and a happy smile, Pinkie had showed us that she was quite bent on not being left behind for this little trip. "Hey Fluttershy, you don't mind if I come along, right?" As Pinkie looked back at me, she stuck her tongue out at me playfully with a wink. "I kind of want to tag along so I can bake some cupcakes with Jake." Something told me that there was more to this mare than what appeared on the outside.

Of course, at first Fluttershy was skeptical. Tapping a fore-hoof on her chin before coming to her own decision. Her eyes strayed to the dirt when finalizing the decision. "I-I suppose that it won't hurt if you came along. Twilight shouldn't be frustrated if her friends visit, I think." Just hearing this was Pinkies' signal that she was already stuck with us for the while. Turning back at me, Pinkie gave me a wink as if rubbing in her victory to be able to tag along. This pony was crafty. I'd have to remember that. By how she looked, I could tell that Pinkie was more than happy to be able to tag along. She had even taken a stance on her hind-legs while pointing down the road to what I could only suspect to be the direction of Ponyville.

"Alright! Pinkie Pie Joined the party!"

Wait, was that a video-game reference? Could these people even play video-games without fingers? Oh, this was going to give me another headache pretty soon. Still, the disbelief that I had now been feeling was nearly overwhelming to me as I couldn't even retort with a reason why Pinkie shouldn't come along with us. Instead, I just watched Pinkie now bounce around to celebrating her victory. There was nothing to be done about this, so it was best just to suck it up and be a man.

All things aside, we needed to get going. I dared not imagine the concequences to being tardy for a meeting with possibly the only pony that could send me home.

Beginning to walk back onto the dirt path that Fluttershy and I had taken once more, I beckoned a hand to the two ponies to follow after. We couldn't just talk all day, you know? "Alright then, come along. We have to hurry before it gets too late in the day." Agreeing in silence, Fluttershy quickly made her way back to the road before taking the lead. Pinkie however seemed more than happy to aid in the making of any conversation for our little walk while trailing beside me.

"You know, I think that you're really going to really like Ponyville! Everypony there is always so super nice!"

I cannot tell you just how glad that I was when walking by the Ponyville town limits sign. The walk had been long enough, but seeing how I couldn't have been more than thirty feet away from the first building was enough to let me know that it was paying off. Quite the unusual array homes that they had. Straw roof-tops, and mostly wooden buildings. I was beginning to sense a trend when it came to building materials. Still, to know that I wasn't just being led around in circles was good to know.

Thanks to Pinkies constant reminders of the wonderful ponies that lived here, the thought of just how trusting these citizens had to be caused a rise in confidence enough to make me believe that I was on the right track of getting home. It's not like I could really put the thought out of mind though; Pinkie wouldn't stop telling stories about her encounters with the ponies that lived in town. Not that I wanted her to stop; I actually enjoyed it quite a good amount. It was nice to be able to talk to someone for once instead of just listening in on passing conversations.

"Oh, and you have to meet the Cakes! They run the bakery that I work at, and have to be some of the super-nicest ponies that I've ever met!"

Funny, it felt almost as if all of my problems so far today had literally disappeared into nothing by now. Normally quite anti-social, I was glad to have the desire to meet some of these strange new creatures... Well, granted that they aren't really even 'creatures'. They were ponies, so I suppose that it was best just to call them by what they were. Best to be polite, you know? Now, I knew that male and female horses were called either mares or stallions, but what about the younger generations? It's not important, I'm sure. I'm just going to be here until I get directions home, after all.

Drawing ever-closer to the town, I could feel some excitement building up in my stomach. Just by the look of the buildings in the outer parts of the town, I could already see just how cute this town looked. Bright colors, and the soft tweeting of birds did make sure to give the homes a look of serenity.

"Hey, look! It's Time Turner!"

Stopping the moment that I heard the name, the other two ponies with me soon followed my actions when noticing what I had done. Time Turner... was that some other pony? Maybe a friend of Fluttershys'? Pinkie was the one to call out the ponies' name; maybe she knew him?

Not quite believing my eyes, somehow I had completely missed seeing that there was another pony standing at the borders of the town. Unlike the two that I had already met, this one was male. A stallion. The body type looked different enough for me to be able to differentiate between the two genders. He was a pony that was colored with different shades of amber. A light amber for his coat, and a darker for the mane. Compared to the two mares' tails that I had seen, this stallion had his kind of short, but noticeably at a decent length. A shirtless collar hung around his neck with a tie drooping down from it. Apparently this was a fine example of these ponies wearing clothing.

The distance in-between us wasn't too great. About twenty feet at most, but the silence that he gave us was simply almost too creepy for me to bare. There was something odd about this one, and I'm not just saying this for the fact that he was staring right at us... Well, he was staring right at 'me'. Just the expression he had was almost as if he had been expecting something entertaining. Still, that only scraped the tip of the ice-burg when it came to the weird vibes that this guy was giving off. Somehow, I felt as if that I had seen him somewhere. I hadn't met him before, but it was like I had seen him somewhere else than this. It was very strange.

"You know, he looks kind of familiar... I wonder why..."

No, nonsense. All that I did when I wasn't working was stay at home and watch some television. If I had previously met this being, I heavily doubt that being tossed into a world populated by ponies would have come as such a shock to me. Still, I couldn't shake that feeling that I had seen him somewhere before.

"He's quite the mysterious stallion. Always around, but never when you would expect it. Not to mention how he always chooses to be addressed."

Fluttershy had already backed up a few steps to me as her ears folded back. Intrigued by what Fluttershy had said, I directed my gaze to her while waiting for a follow-up. It wasn't Fluttershy that gave it though. "-The Doctor!" Pinkie cut-in to the conversation as she tried to make a mysteriously intimidating pose while on her hind-legs once more. Scratching the side of my face, all I could really do was look at Pinkie with the same confusion that I held for the stallion further off in front of us.

To my shock, by the time I looked back at the strange pony, he had already vanished. Where he went, I wasn't sure. Taking the time to let all of this soak in, I quivered with a hint of uneasiness. "Mysterious..." This had been more than enough to take my mind off of just who this pony was, but what he was doing was a whole other story.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you something. What's in that bag of yours?"

Looking back at Pinkie Pie, the state of recoil I had been put into was only beginning to settle. For a split second, I didn't even know what Pinkie was going on about. "Um, what?" It took a moment, but after following Pinkies' gaze to my hand I could see that I was still hanging onto that very same bag lunch that Fluttershy had made for me earlier. "It's lunch..." I said continuing to look at the bag dryly. I could hear that Pinkie had the urge to look inside of it.

"Is there a banana in it?"

Talk about out of left-field. Going with a gut feeling on this however, I just looked at Fluttershy as she had given me the same questioning look that I gave her before looking into the bag.

Not including a couple of muffins and cupcakes, there were fruits and vegetables inside of the bag; a banana being one of them. I looked back at Pinkie when closing the bag once more. "Actually, yes. Why?" Pinkie only seemed to then carry on with her happy ways of thinking. A smile once again lit up her face as she started walking into town once more.

"Good source of potassium."

Wait, what?

"Let's hurry, you guys! Twilight might not like it if we're too late!"

Something about the way that Pinkie was laughing didn't set right with me for a moment. No matter how she may put it though, Pinkie was right. We really needed to hurry up to the Golden Oaks Library if I was ever going to get home. Still, that stallion did spook me a little. I'd have to have a word with him if I had the time later.

Against my better judgment, I chose to keep this stallion out of mind. There were more important matters to take care of now, so he would have to wait. Picking up the slack, both Fluttershy and I once again began our venture into the town. I could already hear Pinkie calling us as she bounced down the dirt road. The town wasn't that far away, but Pinkie just seemed too eager to get there. "Come-on, you slowpokes. Let's get a move-on." Pinkie was trying to pressure us to move faster, and it was working. Heaving a heavy sigh, I followed suit with the pink ponies' demand before Fluttershy followed after me. Was I really taking orders from a pink pony that stood a little more than half my height?

After that short and awkward confrontation with the pony that I could only suppose was named 'Time Turner', it didn't even take more than a couple of minutes for us to reach the first building of the town. The thing that I had noticed the most when reaching the first home was the light aroma of flowers. I had to admit, the smells really did go well with the colorful looks of the buildings that this quaint little town had to offer. The colors of these buildings looked more vibrant up-close. Not to sound weird, but I really just wanted to touch one of them just to be able to to know how they felt. I kept my hands to myself however as it may have made Fluttershy and Pinkie to feel uncomfortable. Well, maybe just Fluttershy. I wasn't sure if anything that I could do would make Pinkie feel uncomfortable. This aside, the town looked rather comfy. Everything was just so serine.

Well, until we actually passed by a couple houses...

The serenity of this entire town had literally vanished into thin air the moment that we passed by a few of the homes. Just as expected, there were a lot of these ponies living here. Different colors, different sizes. The same basic body shapes for either male or female, but not a single one had matching coats or manes. Hell, some ponies even had two colors in their manes. There were a couple farther off from from me that were trotting around with saddlebags strapped onto their backs. It looked adorable, really. I could almost compare them to people shopping at a grocery store.

The first pony in town to see me was a mare with a pale yellow coat and what I could describe as a multi-colored raspberry mane. She was watering a patch of roses growing from a half-barrel filled with dirt by the use of a watering can held in her mouth. Standing in front of what I could only suppose to be her home, I did my best not to make any unnecessary conclusions. The home in general seemed just like the others. The outer walls painted in a pale cream color while support beams were a lighter shade of raspberry than this ponies' mane. There had been flowers growing all around the building in barrels, pots, and even a small fenced off garden in front of the home. I don't know this because I drew attention to myself though. It was more the other way around.

The sound of a full watering can hitting the ground isn't exactly quiet, nor is it really a nice way to make it known that you would be staring at someone. Hearing the noise, I came to a slow and steady halt before directing my attention at the watering can. At the time, I was more than admiring this little town from what I had already seen. The clattering sound of a clunking watering can was what drew my attention to this other mare before stopping in my tracks.

Fluttershy and Pinkie had already stopped with me as I looked on to this pony. Fluttershy bit her lip seeing how my entrance to the town had already started off shaky. As expected, Pinkie seemed more than able to get introductions out of the way. A flailing fore-hoof as a greeting wave, Pinkie made her presence almost as well known as this other pony. "Oh look, it's Rose Luck! Hi Rose!" The unusually loud introduction caused me to flinch lightly, but other than a quick look back at Pinkie there was no other reaction to this that I could have supplied. Fluttershy on the other hand... Hoof... Whatever. In the meantime, Fluttershy had been lightly tugging on my pant legs for me to keep walking.

"Um... Jacob, it may be best for us to keep moving."

I did as I had been asked. Ever-so-slowly, I moved along with Fluttershy while still keeping my eyes on this pony. Pinkie called her Rose, right? Well, whoever she was, she was afraid. Afraid of me. Her dilated eyes never left my direction even when I did decide to look away. Why was she afraid of me? Was it my clothes? Once I really did think about it, I guess that I could understand where this was all coming from. Back at the cottage, Fluttershy didn't know what I was. Pinkie surely didn't know what I was. This only meant that I was something that these ponies probably have never seen before, and arriving in the condition that I had wasn't comforting, I'm sure. Not to mention that if they were like humans, they would blow anything new or different out of proportion.

After looking at the bandages on my arms, I then did the same to my torn up shirt. If I really wanted to get to that Library without problems, I may have to get some new clothes. Who knows, maybe some new duds would make a more positive impression with these towns-folk? This would be impossible, but I knew that. How would there possibly be clothes for a human in a world like this? I guess that I was just going to have to stomach the looks that I got.

That was easier said than done however. Every last one of the ponies that I saw in this town on my way to the Golden Oaks Library avoided me like a plague. Some of them even ran at the very sight of me to hide in their homes. I said nothing. I didn't want to talk. I only wanted to go home. Nothing else.

Fluttershy had been looking back to me occasionally to see if I had been alright. Not a single one of the times that she had did she see me to be alright. I just looked emotionless, and withdrawn from the world. Much like I would have preferred to vanish from it. Fluttershy wanted to say something, but never did. She just looked back ahead before bringing herself to look back at me a minute later only to see the same sight.

I pocketed my hands while trudging on through the town. Ponies stared at me with every step that I took, and I knew that it was with fear. They were giving me the strangest of looks. I kept a straight face though, and continued moving forward. That's all I needed to do now. Just keep moving forward. If I did that, nothing else could possibly go wrong today.

"Oh my goodness! Pinkie Pie! Fluttershy! What is that... That... That thing!"

The label 'thing' stabbed into me like a verbal knife, but I made sure not to show any reaction to it other than the casual turning motion toward the source of the noise. The sound had been coming from somewhere to my left, but I wasn't sure how far. If anything the voice sounded Trans-Atlantic, but I couldn't be too certain. Accents never really were my forte.

Another terrified looking pony stood at a good distance away from me down a sort of four-way intersection in-between houses. I could see that this mare was a unicorn by that stubby looking horn on her head. This must have been what I would be expecting from Twilight. The unicorns coat was a sort of marble white, if not a sort of pearl. Maybe a light gray? It was always so hard to tell with shades of white.

Waving a hoof at the shouting other down the road, Pinkie had once again wasted no time in letting me know just who this was with the 'casual' greeting that I had already come to expect from her. Just the jolly fashion that Pinkie seemed to be in looked unable to be stopped. "Hi, Rarity!" Raising a brow when looking at the unicorn, I kept my hands pocketed while watching her with a slightly tilted head. Of course I was a little suspicious, but what kind of person wouldn't be when in a situation like this? I was in a whole other country that I knew nothing about. For all that I knew, I could be breaking some sort of law just by being here. I'll admit however, this newest ponies' name did come off to me as a little strange.

"Rarity?'

Now, I'm not sure if these ponies were capable of super-speed, but the way that this unicorn came sprinting up to me had easily broken my composure. Stepping back in my own dumbfoundment over the unicorns' approach, I froze in place as this 'Rarity' pony just kept staring me down. Well maybe not 'me', but she was staring at my clothes. Pretty soon, she had even grabbed the bottom of my shirt with a hoof before tugging it down in her line of vision. Not even sure how this creature could perform such a task, I was left at a loss when the unicorn had yanked my clothes hard enough to make me flinch.

Just looking at my clothes in the condition that they were in seemed to cause this pony a high amount of distress. Not letting go of the scraped remains of my shirt, Rarity only turned her head away from me as if she was trying to recover from some sort of horrible trauma. Her one spare fore-hoof resting on her forehead right beneath the base of her horn, the unicorn made it clear that she had been looking at something that she wasn't fond of. "Oh, just look at these clothes!" Almost as a follow-up to Raritys' own demand, the unicorn violently shook her head before covering up her own eyes. "No, I don't even want to look!" Well, that's one way to make me feel self-conscious.

Taking a little effort, I had finally been able to pry my shirt from this little unicorns' grasp. No matter just how she said that she disliked it, Rarity just wouldn't let go until I shook it from that iron grip of hers'. Doing so had made me step back once more before planting my feet on the ground.

Dusting myself off, I made my best effort to try and figure out the white pony. She was still covering her own eyes to keep herself from looking at me. Already knowing what to expect at the time, I looked at Fluttershy. Somehow I already knew the answer to what I was about to ask.

"A friend of yours'?"

In return to my question, Fluttershy nervously tapped a fore-hoof against the ground to signal that I was right to think this. A slow nod from her confirmed any and all suspicions. "W-well... Please don't be offended. Rarity just has very distinct tastes." I could see that. I actually think that currently this entire part of the town could see that. Couldn't I just walk straight to this library and get directions home? It was like these ponies wanted me stuck here.

Trying to step in on the conversation, Fluttershy bashfully spoke up with some small cracks in her voice. She kept her nose pointed at the ground while speaking, but her eyes were on Rarity. "Um... Rarity... This is Jacob Froster... He's new here and is-" Still in a sort of dramatic state, Rarity spun on her hooves violently before proceeding to stomp them and cut Fluttershy off harshly.

"-Out of fashion!"

A sharp silence came over both me and Fluttershy as we stared at the fashion-pony. That had more than left us speech-less at the time so we really had no way to really know how to react. The best that I could muster up was what had been shoved out of my mouth to show that I was still alive.

"Huh?"

The vacant expressions on mine and Fluttershys' faces seemed almost identical to one anothers' as we just stood there, staring at this strange fashionista as she had begun to take a step toward me. Luckily, Fluttershy had already been there to try and intercept Raritys' approach with a kind, if not fearful smile. "N-now Rarity, let's not get out of hoof. Jacob was just going to go to Twilights' home to get some help." It didn't take much for Rarity to maneuver herself around Fluttershy before giving me quite the serious stare.

"A trip to Twilights' cosey little abode? In those?" She lifted a pristine hoof to point at my clothes like they were garbage. "Oh no, no, no, no, NO! I will not allow such a crime on fashion to go unjustified!"

Again, my only means of replying was that same scatterbrained word. "Huh?" Putting my hands up in open palms over my chest, I had already begun to try and guard myself from the accusation. I did my best not to panic, but I could feel myself beginning to sweat. "C-c-crime on fashion!" Alerted to hear this, Fluttershy perked her ears up only to make them fall back when realizing what Rarity had meant.

Pointing her horn at me now, Rarity may have well pointed a gun at me from how I looked. My arms shooting up into the air in surrender, it was already looking like I was going to be impaled by this unicorn. Was I really going to be punished for wearing the clothes that I had on? Sure they were pretty torn up, but they still looked a lot better than a lot of the stuff that was worn on some beaches back home.

Seeing the horn begin to glow was that one instance that my brain had shut down from the fear that I felt from wondering just what the hell was about to happen. The thoughts of death did come into my mind when standing there. Had I really escaped that forest just to die here at the hooves of a pint-sized-pony-person? It seemed that there was no escaping the eminent death in front of me, so I did the only thing that I possibly could. I closed my eyes and waited for my end.

-But it never came.

The inky blackness that was left in front of me was all that could be seen. Silence was all that could be heard. Were they waiting for me to open my eyes? I wouldn't give them that pleasure. My eyes were staying closed. Wait, what if that's what they wanted? I... I had to look. Come on, if I'm going to die, I may as well die like a man.

I opened my eyes to find myself floating in the air almost as if gravity has completely vanished entirely. By how all that I could see was the sky, I supposed that I was flying around on my back. At first taking a moment to let this all set in, I began to thrash around when realizing that what had been happening wouldn't have normally happened unless I was dead... Probably. I mean... Angels fly, right?

"W-what's is going on!? Am I dead? Did that pony kill me? Why am I flying!?"

Just thinking that I had already died would have almost been a traumatic experience for me if it wasn't for that one voice that snapped me to my senses. "Do calm down, Darling. If you ruin my focus, I'll drop you." Ceasing my wild thrashing, I could confirm that this was the same voice that the white pony had. Didn't she kill me just a couple of seconds ago? "All of that flailing didn't help either, so please do keep yourself calm." Choosing to ignore my conscience while giving my hips a few twists, I was able to spin my body enough to finally realize that I had indeed been laying in the air with my front to the sky before my repetitive twists. Now, I floated off the ground like a balloon in a thanksgiving day parade. By how far the ground appeared to be from me, I had to of been at least seven feet in the air. Maybe a little bit higher!

Looking ahead at the three ponies below me, I couldn't help but show my cluelessness at what was happening. Fluttershy did her best just not to look at me because of how awkward this situation had gotten. Pinkie didn't quite seem to care from what I could tell. She only skipped happily beside her friends. This new pony, Rarity just held her muzzle up, almost snobbish-ly.

"Wait, you're the one lifting me in the air?"

It was pretty accurate to say that knowing this amazed me. To summarize it all, my mind had blanked when trying to comprehend just how astounding this really was. Speaking as if it was something that should have seemed obvious, Rarity rolled her eyes when answering me. "Of course, it's only the most basic of spells that a unicorn could learn." Spells? There was more than just floating around? My mind had completely frizzled up from the possibilities that this kind of ability could hold. Motorized transportation could literally become out-dated if this could be applied in the right areas. Even air-crafts may become obsolete!

"That's... Incredible."

My reply had been one that did catch the ears of Rarity as she seemed to flinch in her steps. Her tone had more than changed by now. The unicorn had already turned her head back around to me the moment her ears picked up on this. "Excuse me?" By now, I had already begun laughing while maneuvering myself through the air. I curled up into a ball and performed a couple of flips. I even pretended to be an air-plane with a couple Aileron Rolls.

"Oh my, this is wonderful! Look at me! I'm completely weightless! This is something that I've only dreamt about! I'm flying!"

By now, Rarity had come to a halt. Her eyes looking at me with some clueless curiosity while trying to figure me out. "Pardonne moi?" Her pardon had gone unheard as I only slowed down my spinning only to hold my gut with laughing. For some reason, I didn't even care anymore if my teeth were seen. I could deal with that later! I was just having too much fun!

Only opening my eyes to get a good look at the unicorn, I joyously praised her name.

"You're incredible, Rarity!"

The statement doing more than stun the mare, it was a moment before she could properly reply. At first blushing a little from the praise I had given her, it only vanished the moment she spoke up. Pressing a fore-hoof onto her chest, Rarity took the compliment with stride. "Now no matter how true that may be, I must remind you that these abilities are only the basics, Darling. It is good to know that there's somepony here that knows how to speak to a mare though." By this time, Pinkie had even joined in with my laughter.

Pointing to her horn, Rarity made it clear that I needed to look at it. Doing so, I ended my laughter to get a better look. Sharing the same color as her eyes , I could see a glowing light surrounding Raritys' horn. "My horn is how I'm able to do all of this, you know. I will admit that I'm not the most skilled at the art of the book as some others that I know, but I know a thing or two in this department. My horn allows me to perform magic like you're witnessing now, and much more." She pointed at me. "I'm sure that if you look closely, you will see that you're surrounded by the same magic as my horn is emitting." Sure enough, looking at my arms led me to discover the same light surrounding them. Not sure what to make of it, I guessed that it was only right to call it magic.

"Wow, I didn't even know that magic existed."

The only signal that I got when we began to move again was when I could notice the ground moving underneath me once more. "Now, that's enough dilly-dally. let's get you to the Carousel Boutique and out of those rags." Rarity seemed more than eager to get me to this location of hers. Not that I had a problem with it. I was just a little curious to where this was.

My curiosity had indeed gotten the better of me as we moved along through town. I had actually forgotten all about the eyes that watched me when moving through town during all of this, miraculously. "So... Where is this place that you girls are taking me to?" As you would expect, my question didn't go unanswered. Maybe a little over-exaggerated, but answered.

"~We're going to Raritys' house!~"

The peppy little tune Pinkie sung out was more than informative. It only added to her personality that she would do this while walking backwards to look at me. I was going to the Raritys' house? Well, this was bound to be an interesting experience. I was actually a little curious to know what it was going to look like. I guess that there was going to be some hay bales here and there. Then again, Fluttershys' cottage wasn't exactly like that. It was just going to be something that would be figured out with time.

Wait, hold on just a second. Wasn't there something that needed to be taken care of?

"What about getting to Twilights?"

My question did more than draw a gasp from Rarity as if just thinking about doing such a thing would make her shudder. "Darling, in those clothes? Punk-Hipster went out of fashion more than a decade ago." Hurtful. "I wouldn't dare let anypony visit our friend, Twilights' humble abode without proper clothing!" Proper; last time I checked a T-shirt and blue jeans were... Wait... Right, I almost forgot that they were destroyed... and that I was horribly injured. Flicking her head back at me casually, Rarity made sure to get it across that she wasn't letting me go so easily. "Even a renounced princess deserves respect as if she were still a princess." That sounded reasonable.

"Oh, yes. Perfectly understood."

A princess is still a princess. I mean, if I was royalty... Wait, what!? It had taken a moment, but once letting this little tid-bit of information settle-in my mind it went completely crazy! Almost freezing up from shock, I was once again reminded by just how far away from home that I was. "Wait, Princess? So this society revolves around a Monarchy?" Once again, Pinkie had let out a snort and a giggle at me. It seemed that something had more than amused her enough to laugh.

"Of course not Jake-ie, you silly! This is an Autocracy! Didn't you pay attention in your' world history classes?"

If I had, I would have known that Autocracy was a type of Monarchy. Sleep was much more important though. Hey, don't judge me!

The apologetic look plastered on Fluttershys' face seemed to be a re-occurring one for her. When speaking to me, I couldn't help but notice that she was still a little embarrassed about all of this happening when the two of us were just on the simplest of visits. "Sorry Jacob... I guess that getting to the library is going to take a little longer than previously thought..." Yeah, I figured that much when we were stopped by the walking sugar-high. "I hope you can wait a little while longer. Rarity just takes her job very seriously." Well, it's not like I wasn't expecting this day to go-on a little longer than I would have wanted. I suppose that I could just come to expect that a lot of stuff was probably going to happen today.

Ch.4: Mannequin

Sunshine

A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction

By Gen

The regal atmosphere of the Carousel Boutique was rich in fine art and fashion. I counted my blessings for the fact that I would be fortunate enough to meet Rarity, a pony who is well known around this country for making fine lines of clothing for ponies around Equestria. From what Fluttershy told me, she is a prodigy in the fashion industry. All I have to say is that if her work is like her home, there was no need to deny such a claim.

Other than the fine decorating, you could tell that this mare had experience with a thread and needle by the countless dresses hung around the room on clothing racks. Not only that, you couldn't turn your head without catching a glimpse of what lies inside of this home. Opulent and velvet-like fabrics that were obviously used for sewing, mending, and creating. Gems that could land even the richest man I could imagine in an even richer position. The pony mannequins though... Just as creepy as the human kind, if not worse. Now, you would expect it to be just a simple mannequin, right? Looks like a pony, but it's clearly not. Nope. It looked like a blank copy of one of these mare ponies. All it was missing was some hair, eyes, and color. Maybe I was just over-reacting though. Either that or it was the way the things looked like blank carousel horses. I have been known to feel uncomfortable around the lifeless devils.

"Mr. Froster, do be a dear and raise your' arms. The angle you have them at is making it quite difficult for me to properly take your waist measurement."

Yes, Rarity has been taking my measurements for the past half-hour. Every. last. One. Sewing needles of all kinds had been held in between my teeth as closed lips held them into place. At the moment, I had taken up the game of counting each one of the tiny, metal needles sticking out of my mouth over and over again. There were fourteen. Yes, the number has been permanently burned into my memory.

The pedestal that I stood on wasn't that high at all. It would be much like a stepping stool for a human, but I wasn't sure about a pony. White and circular, I couldn't help but feel bored when pointing out the only two things about the pedestal. The boredom wasn't the worst part though, oh no. Not like being stripped down to my bandages wasn't enough, I was now put on display in the middle of this boutique! It was humiliating, but I couldn't say anything out of line. Rarity was making me some new clothes, after all. For free, might I add!

"Oh yeah, sure..."

Aside from having to talk through clinched teeth, being used as a live mannequin wasn't all bad. I got to stand there in my bandages... Standing there for a really long time... Blessed to still be wearing my boxers. Okay, maybe it was bad for me. For a little while, I felt like I was going to die from my own embarrassment. I was just grateful that Rarity had taken the liberty of lowering the curtains to her windows.

Doing as I had been asked, I lifted my arms parallel to my shoulders to notice some floating yellow measuring tape wrapping around my waist tightly. This magic stuff really was mind-boggling to me. Soon as it wrapped around me, it left just as quickly to float in front of Rarity, whom had been standing a few feet from the pedestal. She looked at the measurement before taking a mental note of it. Her red, work glasses had been easily adjusted by a fore-hoof when taking a closer look at it. I never would have guessed that a pony like Rarity would have been farsighted.

"Again, I'm dreadfully sorry about this, Mr. Froster. I hate to have made you stand there for such a long while, but I just do not have any kinds of mannequins for a proper reference to your' body-type."

Magic had now surrounded the needles in my mouth before pulling them away to a small tomato pin-cushion so that it could allow me to speak clearly. It was a real relief for me to be able to speak, but I didn't understand just why Rarity didn't just use the tomato pin-cushion from the very beginning. Well, maybe I could. Her cat did enjoy playing with the ones that she didn't need anymore. It would be a shame if that nice little kitty pricked herself while playing.

Taking a moment or two, I eventually managed to get that metallic taste out of my mouth. Whatever those needles were made out of, they had to have been made out of some good metal. Doing so, I did my best not to show just how bored I had become with all of this. "Oh, it's no problem at all. You would probably get the same treatment back where I'm from..." I paused before fading into a mumble. "...If you talked to the right person." Despite my mumbling though, Rarity seemed to have perfect hearing.

"You mean the right pony, correct?"

A tad annoyed to hear this, I arched a brow at Rarity. I was really getting fed-up with being corrected about that right about now.

"No, I do not. Humans don't talk like that."

Once my moody moment had passed, I took a quick breather before passing a glance over to a single sofa sitting along the walls of the boutique. Both sitting down to relax, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie had been taking the time to kick-back during the time that Rarity had been making my new clothing. I could tell that Fluttershy was trying to prevent any of my wounds from re-opening by how she was eyeing me like a hawk. That mare really was something else, you know? Really looking out for me. Pinkie on the other hoof... Hand... On the other hand. Never mind. Pinkie, in her oblivious glory, had been rummaging through the sack-lunch that Fluttershy had taken the time to pack for us. Us as in Fluttershy, and me. As frustrating as it could have been, it was funny seeing Pinkie reach down into the paper bag like she was a child trying to sneak something from a cookie jar. Almost made me think that this was worth the fact that Pinkie had eaten all the food. Almost. There was no point in stopping her. Pinkie had already eaten both the muffins and cupcakes. The fruit never stood a chance, and the vegetables were taken down the moment I had looked at the pink mare.

Even if it wasn't intended, it really added insult to injury that Pinkie had the nerve to crumple up the bag right in front of me. The rumbling in my gut only spoke scornfully toward the mare, but I did my best to shut it up. The last thing Pinkie had done to the paper bag was that she had tossed it into the closest trash can much like it was a basketball. She looked almost lazy by how she didn't even move from her place on the sofa. It went in at least... Yay.

"Swish! Three-pointer! -and the crowd goes wild!"

Taking the moment to celebrate, Pinkie stood up on her side of the sofa while pretending to imitate a cheering audience in a hushed tone. All in the while, Rarity had left me standing up on the pedestal as a sort of reference to her work while the while going to sit at a desk to begin on my clothes. She had her measurements, so all I needed to do now was be a good reference and wait for my new clothes. What Pinkie had been doing was something that I did notice to have distracted the fashionista. From the way Rarity was looking at Pinkie, you would suspect that she had that thing shipped in from somewhere. "Pinkie, don't stand on that sofa. I had it imported from Saddle Arabia." Called it.

Taking the warning with a positive attitude, Pinkie nodded in her ever-cheerful way before hopping down from the imported furniture. Making her way in my direction, I couldn't help but hear her laughter. "Wow, now you look like a scarecrow, Jake." You know, she was actually sort of right there. With my arms sticking out like they were, I did sort of look like a scarecrow. "You're a mummy-scarecrow." -And she lost me there. "Hey, If I go get some crows can you scare them?" It was getting extremely difficult for me to even take Pinkie Pie seriously right about now. She had to be the biggest, most random optimist that I had ever met, but I can't exactly say that this is a bad thing. It's entertaining, if you have that kind of sense of humor.

Tapping a hoof on her working desk, Rarity boldly cut in on the conversation. "You will not be bringing any filthy crows into my home, Pinkie. This is a boutique, not a cornfield." Rarity was kind of a neat-freak, wasn't she? Still, it wasn't like it was irrational to be. I wouldn't exactly like someone bringing crows into my house either. Partially disheartened to hear it, Pinkie did seem to become a little gloomy. It was short-lived however as the pony popped right back into her cheerful way of living once more, and twice as strong as before.

"Okie-dokie-lokie then."

Clearing her throat, the sound had gotten Rarity my attention for the while. If I knew girls from my world even the slightest, this meant that they had something to ask of me. "So Mr. Froster, you've spoken of where you are from but I've yet to really know anything about it." It's not like I was trying to be descriptive. I've really only told her that we had clothes, and that must not be enough. "Would you mind sharing just what you know with us?" Well, I suppose that I could. What was the harm? I wasn't exactly the type to turn down a question like this anyways. Who knows, it might just be fun.

"Sure, but I'm not exactly the brightest bulb in the box. I just hope you don't want to know everything."

Rarity had already moved onto a sewing machine that had been built into her working table. By the way her magic was holding up all sorts of cut-outs of denim, I suspected that she was working on my jeans. Hearing me did make her lift her glasses at me with confidence. Only taking the time to talk, Rarity ceased her working as the repetitive threading of her sewing machine came to a stop. "Oh no, Darling. All that I really want to know about is the fashion of your' world." The fashion? I should have expected that. This mare looked like she ate, slept, and breathed fashion.

Saying that I answered this without thinking would be a lie. As I said, I'm not the smartest person in the world. I needed some time to think. "Well, it's... Decent. Most of the time, it's nothing really fancy." Joking-ly, Rarity scoffed at me as if she had gotten a kick out of it. It wasn't amusing how Rarity did so, but I just met the girl. She must have been expecting so much, but it seems that she's on-top of even human fashion. "Usually, we only dress in fancy clothing for special events like weddings, or parties." I couldn't help but notice Pinkie smiling a little bit more when I said the word 'parties'. "Any other time humans wear things like shirts, shorts, pants, and skirts. Socks and shoes are essential, but there are times when we would also wear coats for the winter months." The look that Rarity gave me did more than tell me that the basic information was sure not to suffice. I needed to go a little deeper into detail, but how? "Not good enough, huh?" I couldn't help but feel the pressure on me at the time. "Sometimes we paint designs on shirts, but that's just to make them look cool." Maybe that would suit Rarity better.

By the expression of shocked intrigue that Rarity had frozen on her face, I could tell that it at least let her know where our styles may have differed. It looked like this was something that not even Rarity had heard of. "You... Paint on your clothes?" The possibility that one could actually paint on anothers' clothes sounded absurd to Rarity. The fact had come as such a shock to her that she seemed to have almost messed up on her own work when trying to ease her own mind. Luckily she had caught herself before anything happened. Adamant in her determination to know more about this strange custom, the white unicorn showed no signs of letting go of the subject. Rarity was quite persistent to figure out more about this. "I'm sorry, but that sounds simply absurd. You're meaning to tell me that your' species actually incorporates painted art onto clothing?" The only reason I didn't answer was because the question sounded more like it was meant to confirm suspicions. "What would one use to perform such a task?" Was she asking me? I wasn't the professional on this kind of stuff, but I do recognize what paints could be used for such a thing.

I could feel my arms beginning to grow sore, but I couldn't just let them fall at my sides just yet. The thought of disobeying a being that could throw me around like a rag-doll didn't sound too ideal at the time. Call me paranoid, but I just didn't like it. If anything, this conversation was sure to take my mind off of the desire to lower them. "Mostly acrylic paints, and dyes. You would normally have to use some sort of adhesive spray to keep it on the shirt, I think..." As I previously stated, I wasn't a professional on any of this so I could easily be wrong. I'm sure that Rarity could easily work out the bugs if I was.

From where I had been standing on the pedestal, I could see that Rarity had already finished both a shirt, and a pair of pants. Dang, she worked fast. Rarity even had the time to let her magic fold them up together while she began working on a pair of socks. Taking the time to look up at me in her own disbelief, Rarity arched a brow. "So you honestly paint on your clothing?" The thought almost seemed barbaric to her at first when she looked back down at her current work, but with time it seemed to set well for her. Taking the moment to think it over, Rarity tilted her head at an angle to look at the shirt a little differently. "To paint on ones' clothing... What an odd custom..." Then bounding back in a boost of morale, Rarity had something that I could only call a 'flare of inspiration'. With a gasp, Rarity placed a hoof on her chin..

"I-de-a!"

The gasp had more than caused me to fall out of my frozen stance, and off of the small pedestal. Once again, I was lying flat on my back as an aching feeling spread throughout my body. A low moan left me when attempting to sit up once more. Unfortunately, I was a little less than able to sit back up due to my injuries. My body had just about had it for today, and this was becoming all the more obvious to me.

Fortunately enough, I did finally manage to make it back to my feet. As slow as the action was, I was relieved to be able to stand up at all. The struggle that I had made to stand was the last thing that could have possibly interested me at the time though. Right now I just wanted to see what was so important that Rarity needed to make me fall off that pedestal.

Holding my head was not an easy task for me right now. At first, I had even been seeing double after just pushing myself to stand again. From what I could see, Rarity had pulled some black paint and a paint brush to her sewing table with her magical abilities. My shirt had been neatly unfolded and was now lying flat with the chest of it pointed up toward Rarity. She set the paint can down while the brush stayed suspended. Dabbing the bristles into the inky black paint, Rarity looked down at the shirt with pride and confidence. "I hope that you don't mind Mr. Froster, but I'm going to be using your clothes so I can practice this strange new process." Practice? That was comforting. I could only guess what Rarity would do to my shirt.

The brush slowly began skimming across the top of the shirt while I could see Raritys' eager expression begin to slowly fade as seconds passed. Ever so slowly, I could plainly see that Rarity had been becoming more and more displeased with the work that she had been doing. Pretty soon, she just seemed to look angry as she muttered something illegible under her own breath.

"Oh, This is impossible!"

Tossing the paint brush into the can, Rarity made her annoyance very well known. She bit her bottom lip to conceal what I could only suspect were un-lady-like words while looking at her work with displeased stares. All in all, it was a little uncomfortable to see the mare pressing her fore hooves down on the table when glaring at the shirt. It almost seemed like she was trying to intimidate it.

It didn't take much to persuade myself to go see what had gotten Rarity so angered in the first place. What did I have to lose? So placing my hands behind my back, I slowly made my way towards the magic pony. The sound of bare foot-prints caused Raritys' ears to perk up. "What's the big problem? I'll have you know that fall was literally a pain in the rear." Unfortunately, my approach had caused quite a reaction out of the unicorn. Using her forelegs to circle around the shirt, she began using her head to block my vision while closely looming over it.

"No! No, don't look! It's dreadful! Awful! Distasteful! I should have never tried such a silly idea!"

The words that were spoken didn't set too well with me while I looked down to the white mare with a suspiciously furrowed brow. A mixture of my curiosity and stubbornness had forced me to reach down at the mare before lightly brushing her away with a hand to look at her work. Following my movement silently, Rarity withdrew into herself as if I was a designer judging her work. What I saw surprised me.

It wasn't 'surprise-bad', but more of a 'surprise-wow' kind of thing. What I had been looking at was a dark-cyan colored shirt with strange circular marks on it. It was like looking at a circle, but there were four smaller circles rimming the larger in an almost square-like formation. The crazy brush strokes had more than shown me how wild Rarity had gotten with this.

After taking a look at the shirt, I proceeded to analyze the cloth as if I was inspecting some sort of modern art. My gaze then fell to Rarity. Her own self-induced humiliation had made her try and shield her humiliated state from me. "Before you say anything, I feel the need to say that I was only practicing." Just that stubborn reaction was enough to push a single chuckle past my lips. Hearing me do this, I could already notice Rarity beginning to glare daggers at me. "What nerve! I'll have you know that laughing at a mare is not a proper mannerism!" Well, didn't she just have some pep in her step?

A smile soon revealed itself on my face when looking back at the shirt. I remained silent when lifting up the shirt so I could get a better look at it. How I did this must have caused Rarity to enter some sort of silent state of her own as she froze with uncertainty. What drama. "You really need to be more confident." Turning the shirt completely around to the two other ponies in the boutique, I revealed the shirt to Pinkie and Fluttershy. "I have glasses, so there must be something that I'm missing here. Does this not look alright?" The expression Raritys' face... Priceless.

"NO!"

The moment that I had showed the painted design to the others, Rarity had gone into full-on panic mode. According to that shout, she really didn't want me to show it to anyone. I was still gonna though. Rarity jumped at the shirt to swipe it from me, but I easily pulled it out of her reach like a Spanish matador. "Nope." Was my only statement spoken when dodging Raritys' assault.

The pony landed on her hooves once more before forcing me to lift the shirt out of her reach. The little unicorn bounced and bounced, but even when Rarity got close to grabbing it from me all I did was lift it just a bit higher. "Please, Mr. Froster! Lower that from sight! Don't let them see that! We must dispose of it properly! Stop immediately! Stop!" When she grew tired of bouncing, she softly patted a hoof against my thigh as some sort of last resort. It was kind of depressing, but I showed no regret or remorse. Her attempts completely stopped however once she noticed that both Fluttershy and Pinkie were now staring at the shirt both perplexed by what they were looking at.

The stares that had been given to the shirt did more than cause Rarity to over-exaggerate on all of this. She had actually done something that I never would have really expected from even someone like her. The shocking part of her dramatization was when Rarity used her magic to push Fluttershy off of the sofa before pulling it over to her. The fashionista then proceeded to fall on the sofa in the most dramatic way possible, and plunging her face into the cushions. What drama; she acted like some sort of natural disaster had taken place. She had even gone as far as to only raise her head to speak pitifully before throwing her face right back down into the upholstery. "Mr. Froster, how could you? To treat a mare so poorly." Raritys' voice drug itself along to match her own depressed appearance. Dear goodness, this girl was worse than my sister.

"Actually, it looks nice."

The dainty words of Fluttershy brought Raritys' ears to stand at attention while her face rested in a pillow. Slowly raising her head to the pegasus, Rarity couldn't help but stare at her as she felt a tad bit clueless to what had just happened. Fluttershy, though rubbing her backside after being pushed off the sofa, seemed more than able to throw a good compliment Raritys' way. Even Pinkie was entertained by the design. Sitting on her haunches, the earth pony swished her arms around in inter-looping circles joyously. "Round, and round, and round, and round-" Finally breaking the looping, Pinkie threw her hooves up into the air. "It's like a roller-coaster!" The expected giggling afterwards ensued.

Rarity on the other hand didn't seem to accept the heart-felt compliments while pressing her face into the sofa cushions once more. "I don't believe you..." This was just getting ridiculous now. My stubbornness finally getting the better of me, I did probably the best thing that I could have done. Throwing the clothing over my head, I proceeded to wear the shirt. Granted the paint was a little wet, but it was better than not wearing a shirt at all.

I had already straightened out my shirt before checking it for any wrinkles or dripping paint. From what it seemed, Rarity had only put a thin layer of paint on so there wasn't even smudging on other parts of the shirt. "You know that you're acting ridiculous, right?" Near instantaneously, Rarity jumped to her hooves and off of the sofa in a sort of out-raged fit.

Rarity was staring daggers at me while I gave her a blank stare in return. It didn't take long before she had given me a piece of her mind. "Ridiculous? How dare you, Mr. Froster! I have never been so insulted in my life!" In her own fit of rage, it took only seconds before Rarity looked down at the shirt that I had now slipped on.

Her initial reaction to seeing the shirt was something that I could only identify as helplessness. What I had done seemed to have rendered her into a state of disbelief when looking wide-eyed at her own creation. "What... What in Celestias' name are you doing?" I had shown no signs of regret when stretching my arms upward to almost brush Rarity off in a way.

While snatching up the jeans that had been only a few inches from my shirt had lain, I couldn't help but notice that they were a little bigger around the waist line than one would really know, but that wasn't anything my old belt couldn't fix. "You don't have to believe it looks good, but I still like it. That being said, I'm taking these clothes." Already fastening my belt around the the pant loops, I snatched the socks and my old shoes before successfully throwing them on as well while Rarity blankly stared at me.

I tapped the bottom of my right shoe on the ground to make sure that it was on just right before looking at Rarity. "Don't mis-understand though. What you made was good, just don't blame me if you don't want to see that." Smiling once more when turning to Pinkie, I spread my arms out wide almost to present my appearance. "I mean, these are some pretty snazzy clothes you made me and that mark actually makes it look even better." Unable to see it myself, Rarity had already seemed to have a sort of approving judgement of my actions but still held some questions about them. Even so, the fashionista only watched me begin to converse with Pinkie. Grinning widely at the Pink Pony, I gave Pinkie a thumbs up of approval. "Pretty cool, right Pinkie?" The pink mare was more than happy to give her opinion.

"Are you kidding? Anything Rarity makes always looks like the best clothes in the entire world!"

As previous words had done, Rarity once more begun to feel complimented by the ones before her. Pinkies' comments, and my own reckless decisions. Only directing her gaze away from me and Pinkie when Fluttershy had decided to stand by her, Rarity had been slowly regaining her composure. "What a peculiar stallion. Just where is he from?" Fluttershy had no real answer for this. Only a soft shrug.

"I'm not completely sure. I can tell that he's nice though, and I think that is good enough for me at the moment."

There couldn't have been any more true words spoken at the moment, and Rarity agreed with this without saying a word. Seeing how I had been showing off my new clothes as if some sort of model, Pinkie applauded over the rising noises of our laughter. There was one thing that still lingered on Raritys' mind though. "Mr. Froster-" Bringing ourselves from our imaginary fashion show, Pinkie and I froze in a stylish pose when hearing the call. Unlike Pinkie though, I had scurried back into a well-mannered and dignified posture. "If I may ask you a question, why is it that you felt the need to take the clothes even after my..." She motioned her head in a circle as if trying to find the right word. "...Episode." My hands plunged themselves into their pants pockets respectfully while I pondered for an answer.

I furrowed a brow during my deep thinking process. Do you remember when I said that I wasn't the brightest person? Well, this usually led me to doing things that I mostly do not have reason for doing. "Well, I guess that it was because-" I paused for a moment to think the answer over for a couple more seconds. "It must be because... it was made by someone who cared enough to make it." My lost expression on my face had more than led me to be unable to notice how the sentiment tugged at Raritys heart strings. My deep thinking had only led me to close my eyes to aid my extreme thought process. "Yeah, that sounds about right. I think that's it." There you have it. That was my answer. Set in stone.

Ending the process completely, I looked back at Rarity to see her bashful reaction. Surprisingly, this answer got more of a response from Rarity than I could have ever expected. At first, the unicorn could only stay silent, but when she tried to speak it came out in mumbles. I wasn't sure if she was just nervous, embarrassed, or feeling shy at the moment but it was sort of cute. Continuing on with what I was saying, I at least attempted to express my gratitude for all of this. "I know it probably sounds dumb to say, but I really do appreciate you doing this for me. In all seriousness, I thought you were going to kill me whenever you said that I had committed a crime on fashion." Once you think about it, I probably should have been even more thankful to this tiny pony. It seemed that Pinkie had been more than right about just how kind these ponies really could be. That aside, it was enjoyable to share a laugh with Rarity over the 'crime-on-fashion' incident.

"You really did look terrible, Darling. Much like you sent them through the wringer and back."

After being thrown around the Everfree Forest, I'd consider that a kindness from this world. Seriously, compared to anything back in my world this blew any kind of punishment out of the water. That was in the past though, and wasn't important. Everything that was important had been right in front of me at the moment. "Yeah, I guess so." I chuckled. "Still, you shouldn't be so quick to toss your work aside." The only thing that kept Rarity from reverting into her depressed state was the uplifting tone in my voice. I guess that my behavior was just key in this kind of thing. At least by how her ears flipped back, I knew she felt a little guilty for her actions. "You really should be proud of what you made. For a first time painter, you actually did really well." Adding on a thumbs up and a wink to boost her morale, I lightly laughed before continuing my little speech.

"You really are a natural for this kind of stuff! It all turned out awesome!"

The compliment almost taking her back, Rarity had to fight the step back from the recoil she had felt. Negativity had completely vanished from her entire being. If anything, Rarity had become even more confident about her work than she had before. Flashing her hair in another elegant throw, Rarity brushed off her self-induced criticisms like a bad dream. "My, you are absolutely correct, Mr. Froster. I have no idea what I could have been thinking." It was almost as if Rarity pretended that her dramatic episode was brought on by a magic spell that had only just been broken. At least it was nice to see Rarity out of her dramatic rut. Who knows, this might mean that I may finally get to the Golden Oaks Library now.

With goal in mind, I had already turned on my heels before heading towards the door. "Well, not that this visit hasn't been fun, but I do have a place to get to." My mindless nature taking over, when Rarity had spoken up I casually interrupted her like I knew what she was going to say. "Oh, no need to worry. I can show myself out." The cluelessness expressed by Rarity did more than stump her at my attitude, but in my oblivious way of thinking all I did was face the door while wondering just how I would get home.

Just like Fluttershys', it was a small door. Not a double door, mind you; just the same size. I was going to have to try and not hit the frame, but this would probably be something that I would have to come to accept as a harsh truth of this place. Oh well, not like it was something that I would have to live with.

"Wait!"

The shout brought me to a halt before turning back around to see that Rarity had already caught up with me on my attempted exit. The call had successfully stopped me, but I was uncertain to why Rarity had done this. Did I not thank her enough? Did I have to pay her now? "I simply cannot let you leave my boutique while your' paint is still wet." Really? That's why she stopped me? "It wouldn't look well for this place of business for you to just leave with wet paint smearing while you walked, so I must insist that you stay until it dries." Raritys' argument blanked my mind while I began mentally struggling to find reason to retaliate against the fashionistas' wishes.

There were none. All that I could do was deal with it. I mean, what was I going to do? Just brush Rarity off after she had made me these clothes for free? So as much as I disliked it, I would just have to manage. My chipper smirk vanishing into an unenthusiastic frown, I spoke somewhat absentmindedly as my brain struggled to compute what was happening. "I guess that I could stay until the paint dries." I spoke while rubbing the back of my head. "Do you think that it will matter to the pony waiting for us?" Drawing a good point, Fluttershy had then approached once more with Pinkie trailing behind her.

Fluttershy did seem a little concerned about the subject, if not a little more than I had been at the time. To get Raritys' attention, Fluttershy had quietly cleared her throat before tapping what I could only suppose to be Raritys' front shoulder. "Excuse me, Rarity. I'm afraid that Jacob is right. We really must be going, so we can't just be standing around while somepony is expecting us." Quite the puzzling problem for Rarity. Humming to herself in mild thought, the unicorn tapped a hoof silently on the floor.

Almost thinking that we were going to get to the Golden Oaks Library, it took only seconds for my idea to go up in a puff of smoke. Rarity, being the devious little designer that I could already see her as, had apparently come to the most obvious of conclusions that she could have. I could see it on her face... Well, maybe not 'see', but when you grow up around a manipulative sister, you learn those looks. She kept a gentle tone in her voice that I could clearly match to my sisters when she wanted something. "Well I don't mean to be rude Fluttershy, but why do you not just alert one of your bird friends to send a message." Fluttershys' submissive side had already gotten the better of her when she had quickly backed down from the argument with only a hesitant nod, and left to go relay the message.

This pony had won. Another pony had bested me in the art of argument. Not like I was ever any good at it anyways. Needless to say, now I had already become compliant to Raritys' demands. When she looked at me, I could clearly see some gloating sass in her eyes which had then caused me to give up right there. This mare had to be exactly like my sister in almost every way. "Fine-" I grunted while trying to force a happy tone. "-I guess that we can wait for the paint to dry..." Seeing how I had already become obedient toward her, Rarity turned away before going back to her sewing table with a triumphant smile on her face.

"Very good, now let's do something about those leathery chunks you call shoes. Honestly, they are nearly worn out to the soles."

The pause I had taken now was almost hilariously awkward. Stopping in place before checking the soles of my shoes, I tried not to feel to offended.

"My shoes?" Checking my shoes once more, I looked back up to Rarity before following after her. "-but I like my shoes..."

A pair of brand-new, black work boots stepped down on the floor as my feet guided them in my new outfit. The denim jeans that I had been wearing were more than comfortable for me, and my shirt did more than supply a decent amount of cover for my waist as it hung past my belt. My old shirt had been thrown away while my pants and shoes were going to be used by Rarity for a future reference just in case she ever ran into someone like me ever again. It was the least that I could do after Rarity had supplied me with what she had.

Finally stopping in front of a vanity mirror, I took the moment to straighten myself up. The paint on my shirt had just dried, my jeans looked fantastic, Rarity had taken the time to brush my hair for any stray strands, and I only just now had begun to clean my glasses lenses. If you ask me, I looked pretty nice; dare I say,snazzy. Like I never even strolled through Everfree.

Turning around from the mirror, I could see the three mares I had only just come to know standing not far from me. Presenting my appearance to them, I spun around once to see just what they thought. "So, how do I look?" The three seemed quite pleased.

"Wonderful, Darling. That attire suits you quite well."

"I think that it looks very nice."

"I like the pants!"

Raising an eyebrow to Pinkie, I watched her return the look. "What? I really do." I wasn't even going to try and understand Pinkie anymore. She was just a mystery to me, and that's how it was going to stay.

Rarity didn't seem the least bit bothered by the statement. In fact, she used it to spark a new conversation. Straightening out her posture to perfection, Rarity almost seemed as if she had been boasting now. "Ah wonderful observation skills, Pinkie Pie." What? "Selvage denim. It's quite durable, so it should last you a good long while." So this stuff was even tougher than my old pants?

Neat.

"Well, I suppose that time is something that I have plenty of at the moment."

Almost catching me in a sort of false joy, Rarity had been chipping away at it in her head to try and figure out just what that was all about. One may not have noticed easily, but I did seem to carry a bit of a mysterious feel when saying such a thing. Just this alone was enough to put Rarity in a befuddled state.

"Odd, whatever do you mean-"

Rarity was unable to stay on the topic no matter how hard she tried. This was completely because of the Pink Party Pony, herself had jumped in on the conversation with her own booming realization. Her fore hooves pressed on both sides of her face, Pinkie had already seemed to have become quite alarmed. "Oh yeah, we were supposed to get to Twilights' house! I completely forgot!" It's almost like she also forgot that she wasn't even supposed to come along with us in the first place.

Unlike her pink friend, Fluttershy wasn't alarmed about this at all. She was actually the confident one at the moment, no matter how timid she seemed while doing so. "There's no reason to worry, Pinkie. I already sent a letter to Twilight explaining how we will be there a little bit later than usual." Pinkies' questionable attitude only continued to perplex me when seeing her completely cut off any panicked attitude, and wiping her forehead of any imaginary sweat beads. Could ponies even sweat? No matter, it was a relief to know that Fluttershy had sent a letter. Then directing her attention at me, Fluttershy tried not to seem too imposing by what she was about to say.

"Also, I hope you don't mind Jacob, but Rarity will be coming along with us."

I would be lying if I said that I wasn't expecting this. First there was Fluttershy, then Pinkie, and now Rarity? Just what else could this world throw at me to side-track progress? There was no point in putting up a fuss about it though. All that I had to do was smile and nod. "Yeah, I guess that it's okay." Truthful this may have been, but I did wonder just why I hadn't heard about this until now.

"Pardon me for seeming un-lady-like for pushing my muzzle in another ponies' business, but why is it that you are heading to Twilights' humble abode?"

Raritys' curiosity had not died down through all of this, and the unicorn seemed a little more than dedicated to finding out just what was going on now. The question did bring up a small amount of discomfort in my gut, but it wasn't an unexpected question. There really wasn't a way for me to describe why I was visiting Fluttershys' friend, but it wasn't like I could evade the question entirely. With a rub of the chin, all that I was left to do was to think of the way to describe this incident. "Well it's sort of odd sounding, but I'm on this visit to know why I'm even here." I could see that the question had risen questions in both Rarity and Pinkie.

"Really? I thought you were here for some sort of super-secret-chef-business."

As random that Pinkies' rambling had become, I had come far more than to expect this from her. She wasn't the only one with something to make known, however. Rarity seemed more than able to give me her opinion on all of this. "Darling, don't you think that you're a little old to be looking for a Cutie-Mark?" A Cutie-what? What the heck was a- "Granted, it must be hard to make friends with that appearance of yours', but that's no excuse for laziness when coming to know your special talent." I could feel a headache forming at the back of my skull when rubbing my eyes. I didn't know what the heck that Rarity was talking about, but that wasn't important.

Deciding to take the high road on this subject, I lowered my arm with a cocked brow at Rarity. "Sorry, but I don't what Cutie-whatchamacallits are, so I'm just going to ignore everything that you just said." Raritys' ears flipped back while giving me a sorry smile. I think that she could see that comment had more than offended me, but I was just going to take that as an apology and move-on. "Anyways, I woke-up in the Everfree Forest and nearly died out there." I looked to Fluttershy with a smile before she coyly hid her face behind a fore leg and her mane. "Lucky, Fluttershy here was able to get me back to some-what working order." My smile quickly fading, I couldn't help but look at the ground; lost in thought. "Honestly, I've seen so many differences between here and home that I've come to expect the worst." Looking at the bottom corners of my vision, I had already picked back up on these thoughts.

Slowly approaching, Rarity once again tried to pick at the subject from earlier. It seemed that my expressions did more than hint her to that they were similar subjects. "-And what is the worst?" I hesitated before answering.

"Something that I hope isn't even possible..."

Author's Note

Well, I finally finished Chapter 4 in its' re-write. It took a while to do so, but I hope you will all enjoy it.

Ch.5: Zap Apple

Sunshine

A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction

By Gen

Making my way through town for the second time had to be at least a little worst than the first. Of course, I did have much better clothes thanks to Rarity, but that didn't lessen the awkward feeling that I got when getting across town. It being a little while since departing from the Carousel Boutique, I had already been more than eager just to get home if not only because of the stares that I had been attracting from the townsfolk.

The three mares pacing behind me had been none-other than the three that I had already come to know little-by-little in this strange land. They weren't the only ponies around at the moment, however. Along the sides of the street there were quite a few of these beings either fleeing from the area to hide in their homes, or just gawking at my appearance. Filled with shock, confusion, fear, or paranoia, the ponies seemed to stray from me the best that they could as whispers filled the air around me. What sky that hadn't been taken up with these words had been filled with the flying ponies as they too joined in on the murmuring. The pegasi were something that I could notice easily by how their shadows slid across the ground as their owners loomed over me. I could even see a few unicorns in the crowd that had already begun to line the streets, but with how the majority had been Earth Ponies there weren't much to see. This would be probably a good time for me to identify all of the different species of ponies, but there were a few more important things on my mind.

I did my best to not let this crowd get to me during this little trip down the middle of the street. Due to the majority of my life being lived in seclusion, I was more than able to move along without much thought given to what had been happening. I only kept my eyes forward with a neutral expression. Although, one of the mares behind me seemed to think a little differently.

Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie had been having a conversation in-between themselves on the current matter at hand. From what it sounded, each one of them seemed to have a different take on the matter. Fluttershy was the most worried, Rarity had not seemed to have a reason to be concerned, and Pinkie Pie was just being Pinkie Pie. Strange that this was the only way to describe her, huh?

Kicking off the conversation with a bit of uncertainty, Fluttershys' eyes darted around from side to side to get a good look at the ponies lining the streets. Just the idea of all of these ponies staring looked like it gave her the jitters. "Rarity, Pinkie; I hate to disagree with the directions, but was it really a good idea to bring Jacob this way?" Fluttershy directed her gaze out to the crowd of ponies once more before swiftly pulling her head back. "Everypony is..." Her ears began to fold. "-looking..." In response, Rarity lifted her chin proudly. The thought of these ponies looking at the fashionista didn't bother her in the least bit. She actually seemed to crave the attention.

"Why of course they are looking, Fluttershy. When a mare such as myself steps out in public, it's expected to turn a few heads."

Forget having the patience of a saint; Fluttershy must have had the patience of the Buddha himself to stand such an egotistical remark. Unsurprisingly, it had somewhat sparked a small amount of annoyance in Fluttershy, but not enough to make it known. All that really happened was that Fluttershy paused for a split second before continuing on with what she had been saying. "Rarity, I was talking about Jacob." Even with a smooth as silk voice, you could tell that Fluttershy had become serious. This had only made it all the more embarrassing to Rarity once this had all become clear.

The realization hit her rough. Rarity had even almost stumbled over herself when catching this. A little slack-jawed, the unicorn tried not to make it seem that obvious to how oblivious she was and tried her chances at a recovery. "O-oh, of course." Shaking the blush off of her face, Rarity moved on. "Even if we should not have, you must try to keep yourself from worrying like you are. You will give yourself stress marks on that pretty forehead of yours'." Oddly enough, the mentioning of that caused Fluttershy to take a fore hoof and rub her forehead as if to check for any wrinkles. I suppose that even if they are ponies, girls will still be girls.

Jumping in on the conversation, the high-pitched voice of Pinkie Pie more than merrily joined in with the pink pony. Just as you would expect, Pinkie had been talking much louder than the other ponies that had been both lining the streets and walking with her. Not to mention that she was talking a lot more in general. "Yeah Fluttershy, what's gotten you so worried? It's not like we're in trouble, or anything." Saying this brought on a confused downcast from the jolly pony. "Are we? No? Yes? Maybe?" It seemed debatable to Pinkie for the next few seconds.

"I don't know. It's not like I ate all of the corn-cakes again today, so I'm not."

Eyeing Pinkie Pie as if she was some sort of oddity, both Rarity and Fluttershy couldn't help but to be at a loss. Pinkie seemed to be just as much of a puzzle to them as she had been to me. Even with the absolute randomness intruding on them, Rarity was able to pick back up the talk after clearing her throat. "I'm sure that there's nothing to worry about, Fluttershy." As much as Fluttershy wanted to believe this, it did not appear that she really did.

The pagasus tilted her head to the side, haunted by possibilities that the future may hold in store. "I don't know, Rarity... Maybe it would have been better to take Jacob around the town to Twilight." All of the nervousness Fluttershy had shown no effect on Rarity. The proud clopping noises of her hooves hitting the ground were unwavering.

"Please Fluttershy, you mustn't be so nervous about this. We all know that you're just worried, but there is no need. Look at Jacob, for example. He's acting quite brave for somepony in his current position. Strong steps, perfect posture, not to mention that well managed hair. He's handling this professionally, if I do say so myself."

Bringing herself to see this, Fluttershy had at least lifted her head up to see me walking. My pacing had already revealed on how dead-set I was on getting to the Golden Oaks Library. Even if I had clinched fists, the posture that I had wasn't threatening. It was more steadfast than anything. Still, this did not mean that I could escape the worry that had already consumed me. It just wasn't ever easy for me to speak about how I felt. It wasn't much like I had the current ability to really show it though. My thoughts had easily cluttered my mind to bring my fullest attention to them.

The outcomes for what had been transpiring before me were not promising to say in the slightest. As stated time and time again, I was in a land of talking, pastel-colored ponies on my way to speak to a magical unicorn in her tree house about how to send me back to my home.

Even after accepting this as reality, it is still difficult to accept that this isn't a dream.

There was quite literally no logic in anything about this situation. My mind had even begun to thrust itself into some form of denial by beginning to think up ridiculous ideas to try and deter me from what was really happening. There was no denying the truth, however.

I could hear many of the ponies along-side the road beginning to speak with each other with illegible words. I could only suspect that they were wondering why a strange, lumbering creature was parading around this quaint little village like I had been. You couldn't blame them, but a part of me wanted to tune the world out right now. It was probably best that I didn't do this though, or I may have over-looked the fact that me and my little group had found our way into what seemed to be a marketplace.

There had been different vendors selling various kinds of goods around me. Fruit, vegetables, tools, drinks. I didn't even know that anyone still used a quill for writing purposes. I guess that no-one around here likes to use pencil. None-the-less, this was quite the interesting experience, and it did more than successfully get my mind off of the matters at hand... Well, until I got a good look at the ponies at the stores.

Either terrified or confused faces stared at me while I had been walking through this strange little market. Somehow during the time of my own growing interest, I had failed to notice how a few store owners had closed up their shops at the sight of me. They must have suspected that I was going to cause trouble. Some of the other ponies though... Were a little braver than the rest.

"Hey!"

The blast of this shout had stopped me and the ponies behind me in our tracks. The shout had brought on a fearful squeak from Fluttershy as she proceeded to cower behind one of my legs. Not as easily located as it was heard, I could tell that the origin of this shouting was somewhere close by. The direction it came from however was a harder to determine. Turning my head to the three behind me, I arched a brow.

"Hey, um... Is someone talking to us?"

There wasn't even time to think before I could feel something slam itself right into my forehead. At first, I had suspected that someone had hit me with a ball because of how the impact had felt. I could be wrong though because it's sort of hard to determine things when something hits you in the face. Whatever it was, it felt small and round; like a baseball.

Flinching upon impact with the unidentified object, the hit lifted me off my feet and momentarily left me motionlessly air-bourne. Stillness had been brought on as Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie looked on in shock or fear. The pain that surged through my skull did more than force my eyes shut as whatever had caused this momentary floating feeling inevitably ended with me falling flat on my back.

Deciding just to lie there for a little while, I could already feel something wet trickling down the sides of my face. It must have been blood. Not like I would really expect any different on a day like today. You know, one would think that this day could start making some sense, but that seemed to have been too much to ask for right now. However, there was one thing that had been made crystal clear. Someone really didn't want me here.

Slowly opening my eyes, the clear, blue sky was all that I could see. My arms and legs spread out about the ground when I tried to figure out what just happened as a wet feeling continued to slide off of my face and dampen my hair. Aside from the panicked murmuring or silent cheering from the sides of the road, things had actually become rather tranquil. It would have been really enjoyed if there wasn't just a physical assault.

A low growl emanated from my throat when I tried to sit up. One hand on my head, I used the other to prop myself up. My head had felt like it had been crushed with a sledgehammer. The empty expression in my eyes fought back the thought of unconsciousness as I faded in and out. After I had successfully managed to sit back up, I could feel all the blood rush from my head only to make my headache even worse than it had been before. It was a never-ending battle just to keep myself awake for the first few moments.

For whatever reason that there was, there had been something on my face. No, that's not the bump on the head talking. There was quite literally something on my forehead, under my hand. So this was either pieces of flesh that had come off from impact of whatever hit me, or whatever other option that there could have been. I really hoped it wasn't the first one. My curiosity getting the better of me, I took my hand down to inspect just what on earth it had been stuck to my face. Whatever it was, it had enough force behind it to tear my forehead bandage clean off of my head.

It was no surprise to me when seeing blood on my hand. It was the one thing that I expected to see besides torn flesh, which thankfully wasn't there. What did surprise me was yet to be noticed. Along with the blood, I could also see what appeared to be... Wait... "Are these apple seeds?" Did someone throw seeds at me? No way, whatever hit me felt way to big just to be some seeds. If anything had been thrown, it would have had to be a whole apple. That didn't make sense though. It felt more like getting hit with a baseball than an apple! I was getting a head of myself though. There was no real proof that I had been hit with an apple. There were just seeds. If I was supposed to believe that I had been hit with an apple, I would need proof.

Ask and you shall receive, I suppose. A sweet taste had soon found its' way into my mouth from the liquids that poured down my face. Strange as it sounds, it took a second for me to confirm that it wasn't blood that I had been tasting. "Apple juice?" Why did I taste apple juice? I thought that I was just bleeding. Was I bleeding apple juice? No, no, that's the bump on the head talking. The confusion setting in ever more, I looked down at my shirt to see what I could only suppose had been small chunks of fruit. I could feel my hair getting all the more sticker with every passing moment when confirming to myself on what had just happened. "Did someone hit me with an apple?" No, that's impossible. If that were true, then that would have meant that the apple would have exploded upon impact! That couldn't have been what happened, but the pounding in my head begged to differ.

Being left unable to say anything else without stumbling over my own words, it wasn't long before Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity had come to try and see what on earth had happened. Fluttershy, being the angel she was, had been at my side while helping me stay sitting up. Even if it was just a hoof behind my back, I was more than grateful for the assistance. "Oh my goodness, what happened? Are you quite alright?" Fluttershy spoke with worry completely overtaking her normally coy voice. She looked concerned, but It wasn't until noticing that the gauze on my head had completely come off did Fluttershy see the new injury that replaced it. Following the sudden discovery, Fluttershy had begun to panic.

Gasping in shock, Fluttershy put both fore hooves on my face before pulling it close for some sort of inspection. With a troubled tone, Fluttershy turned my head in every which way when speaking to me. It seemed to be that she was looking for any other injuries that I may have obtained. "Oh my goodness! Y-you're bleeding!" Whenever Fluttershy let go of my face, she had quickly went into a greater state of alarm while trotting in place. Eyes wide, I could tell that her mind had already gone blank by how she was looking every which way. "Oh my goodness! Oh my goodness! We need... We need-" Her worried trotting came to an end when coming to her own conclusion. Even then, I could tell that a mental siren was going off somewhere in Fluttershys' mind. "Bandages! We need more bangages!" The poor thing was worrying herself to the point of apprehension.

Fluttershy flinched a little when I put my hands on the sides of her face. Slowly directing her gaze to me, I kept a smile on my face to try and ease her worry. It was also important that I kept my voice slow and soft to keep Fluttershy from becoming any more excited . "It's alright Fluttershy. I'm alright. Just a little banged up, but I'm fine." Taking my hands off of her face, My smile only faltered when the pegasus tried to make an excuse for herself. A lifted hand and a momentary frown did more than stop Fluttershy in her tracks when attempting at an apology. "None of that. You'll worry yourself sick doing that." My voice staying firm for a moment, it quickly went back to a careful demeanor.

As much as I would like to say that Fluttershy simply calmed down, I really cant. It looked like Fluttershy had been trying, but nothing was really working. Her eyes looked around in a dilated size while she had been keeping a hastened breath. My, this girl was quite the nervous wreck at times. Still, it was kind of cute to see her get her feathers ruffled like she had. Even so, Fluttershy needed to calm down to really view this situation correctly.

Dusting off the gauze on the ground, I did my best to tie it back onto my head as I could. It was a little tricky, but I did manage. My shirt sleeve worked well as a way to clean off the remaining blood and apple from my face before directing Fluttershys' attention back to me. Putting a hand under her chin, I then slowly adjusted her head in my direction once more. Of course, she jumped when I did this, but I made sure to be gentle. "Fluttershy, I need you to look at me for a moment, alright?" Fluttershy seemed caught off-guard by how soothing my voice had now become. I could already see her breathing had slowed a little.

Moving my arms around the back of Fluttershys' neck, I slowly wrapped them around her and pulled her close for a hug. Even though I couldn't see it, Fluttershy had been more than taken back by this as she hadn't even been able to fight back at the time. The action alone had almost taken her breath away.

Truth be told, this was the number one way that my mother always calmed me down as a kid. If I was angry, sad, or hurt she would just have to give me a hug and everything would be all better. I could tell that the same rule applied for Fluttershy as I could feel her entire body loosening up while breaking free of her panic. "You know, my mom always said that a hug is all anyone needs to make everything better." Feeling Fluttershy put a foreleg around my back did more than make me grin. "She has yet to be proven wrong." Easing out of the hug, I could already notice the blush spreading across Fluttershys' face. She kept her nose pointed at the ground with her eyes on me with a small smile on her face.

Upon letting go of Fluttershy, I had only then attempted to stand up once more. A head rush pounded on inside my noggin as I stumbled while getting up. Thankfully, both Fluttershy and Pinkie did more than keep my body stable while I attempted this. "Careful; are you gon'na be alright, Jake?" Well, I suppose that Pinkie couldn't sound cheerful all the time. In truth, the pink-pony actually sounded kind of scared for a change. She watched me struggle to stay standing with a hoof covering her mouth. It seemed a surprise to her that I could stand at all after how many times I've been hurt today. Taking a quick look around, Pinkie had tried to see just what could have caused this to happen, but Pinkie was just as clueless as the rest of us. A quick laugh brought her attention back to me.

"Me? Yeah, I'm fine. Humans might not be the strongest, or fastest, but we sure as hell are the most stubborn."

Saying this had at least comforted Pinkie from what I could tell by her smile. Wiping her forehead, Pinkie let out a breath to show her relief. "Whew, thank cake that you're alright. For a second there, I thought you were down for the count." Are you kidding? I've been chased by a monster today, and Pinkie thought that a piece of produce was going to do me in? No way. I smirked at Pinkie a moment before coming to the attention of a question that had only just popped inside my head. Blankly, I looked around in a mild search.

"Wait a second, where's Rarity?"

Without a moments' hesitation, my question was anything but unanswered. "Why the nerve!" The booming voice more than matched Raritys', but you wouldn't think that someone with such a lady-like appearance would use such volume like she had.

I guess that you could say that Rarity had been taking a more hands-on approach to all of this. Now, when I say 'hands-on', I don't just mean that she is handing this in a physical manner. What I mean to say is that she had that look in her eyes that someone was about to get their lights knocked out, and shoved into an early grave. This lady-like fashionista was on the prowl and out for blood as she leered out into the direction the fruit had flown from. The ponies that crowded the streets seemed to advert their gaze from Rarity while she had done this almost as if to dismiss themselves as possible suspects. They just seemed to not want to be involved in the slightest. The silence that they had given her was less than what she could have desired. "Well, who was it? Who out of all of you would take such a-" Rarity was just scaring everyone now. I couldn't let this continue.

"Rarity, let's not get carried away."

Causing her to stop mid-sentence, Rarity looked back at me as I had been dusting off the seat of my pants with a couple good pats. Letting out a simple sigh, I cracked a smile at the fashionista. "Don't get me wrong, I appreciate what you're doing, but there's no need to worry." Taking a moment to breathe, I placed my hands on my side before bending my back a little. I grunted a little with pleasure while feeling a couple vertebrae pop, crackle, and snap. It felt wonderful to get any kinks out of the system. Straightening my posture, I exhaled to continue. "Still, you can calm down. Wouldn't want you to dirty your' hooves just for me." I let out a soft laugh when saying this, but Rarity seemed to understand what I had been going on about. There wasn't any need for this to get out of hand. We had a destination, and had to get there soon. The unicorn understood my reasoning completely, but this didn't mean that she wanted to leave whomever had hit me without some sort of punishment. As some sort of consolation, Rarity snuffed her nose in the direction the fruit flew from as she found it better than delivering a few well deserved blows to the assailants head.

"Well, whomever it was... They should consider themselves lucky that I'm too lady-like to go against a polite gesture of a new acquaintance."

Having this behind us, once again the little group that the four of us had made up begun moving to our destination. You know, things had actually gotten pretty simple from here. All that I had to do was keep moving forward and make sure that there weren't any other distractions.

"Ya'll slow down there!"

So much for that Idea. I had barely gotten even seven steps from where I had been before hearing the demand. At least I got to stop in the shade of a cloud to cool off a little.

As I began turning around, a minuscule feeling of annoyance pricked my being. What could have possibly been important enough to stop us now? I'll admit, I had my fair share of intrigue when seeing who had called out for us, but I was a little more interested in why.

An orange Earth Pony had just begun to emerge from the crowd of ponies the moment I had completely turned around. I couldn't describe the feeling that I got from her, but looking into her eyes let me at least know that I could trust that there was good reason for her stopping me. Both her mane and tail had been styled into probably the most suitable thing that I could imagine for a pony; pony-tails. The white freckles under her eyes only became visible after a quick adjust of the stetson sitting on the top of her head.

While I had only stared at the pony during her entrance, the three around me did a whole lot more. Pinkie Pies' jaw dropped, Rarity pulled her head back in shock, and Fluttershy widened her eyes through their own surprise.

"Applejack?!" The three spoke in unison.

Applejack? Like the drink? Goodness, these names were odd. Still, this at least let me know that this pony was yet another friend of theirs. It didn't explain to me just what the reason this new pony would have for stopping us, but I would let time explain that for me. The look on this ponies face already told me that she had been responsible for the apple throwing, but also that this entire situation may have just been a bit misconstrued.

Applejacks' expression was embarrassed to say the least. Clearly there had been some sort of miscommunication somewhere along these lines. Pausing mid-step she stood not too far from the group, but focused on me alone. Adjusting my glasses after her slow stop, I gave a light grunt when sitting down once more. "I swear, it's just one distraction after another." I muttered under my breath. Noticing a few twinges of pain in my sides I let out a short gasp as Fluttershy stopped beside me and whispered into my ear.

"Jacob, you shouldn't be doing all of this body movement. Walking is fine, but you've been put under too much stress today to perform as well as you have."

I tussled her hair in response, but showed no signs of doing anything but what I planned. "No worries, Fluttershy. This pony has something to say, and it would be rude if I just ignored it." As I patted her back, I gave Fluttershy a playful wink. "Why don't you give the two of us some talking space. This might be private stuff." Seeming to find comfort in my actions, Fluttershy gave me a nod before moving over to Rarity and Pinkie as the three took a few steps back to allow me to talk to this 'Applejack'.

Directing my gaze back at this newest pony, I had pressed my hands on my knees before sitting cross-legged. Once lifting a hand to beckon her to me, the hand went back to its' designated knee. "Well, come on now. We can't have a conversation with you all the way over there." Applejack grinned a cheesy grin at me before approaching me.

Applejacks' sorry expression had more than come into a better view when in front of me. To greet one another, the pony tipped her stetson while lifted my glasses somewhat with a thumb to symbolize the same guesture. "Uh... Howdy." Her southern accent had the subtlety of a steamroller, but it fit her. Acknowledging her greeting, I laughed before plucking off a piece of apple that had been stuck to the collar of my shirt.

"Hello, I think that you misplaced this."

Applejack folded her ears back while biting her tongue. The situation must have seemed awkward to her now. "Ah'm really sorry 'bout that." The apology had been accepted when I gave a slight nod, but Applejack still felt the need to explain herself. She tried to play it off at first since I forgave her, but I could see that this entire misunderstanding had been bothering her. "Ya see, Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity are really good friends of mine, and Ah jus'..." Applejack paused to try and find the right words to use.

"You were worried for them?" Applejack jumped at my assumption, but I laughed at it and continued. "Honestly, I can't blame you. I guess that I do look a little frightening."

The accusation to myself hung in the air as many ponies along the street watched either in awe or fright that this conversation had really been happening. Applejack however just watched me as if unsure what to make of this. A raised brow with the other furrowed, she watched me call myself this and laugh it off. This conversation didn't quite seem to match up to her. "Well, still-" The orange pony cleared her throat. "It wasn't right, what I did." She began. "Me and mah friend had just been doing some business when we saw our friends following ya like they were miserable. For a second there we thought that you had captured them, or something." The whole idea was laughable as I had done no such thing. "Ah guess that we jumped to conclusions a little too soon." An understandable explanation, but something struck me as odd.

"Um... We? There was another pony with you?"

My question perked Applejacks' ears up while looking at me with a smile. Looking around calmly, the orange pony seemed somewhat at ease now that things had come to be straightened out. "Oh yeah, Rainbow should be 'round here somewhere." A light blush of embarrassment lit up her cheeks when rubbing the back of her head with a fore leg. "Ya know, Ah'm glad this got settled out before Rainbow got her hooves on ya. If she had, I can bet that you'd be..." Falling silent, Applejack looked to have come to some sort of grim realization. "Are we sitt'n in the shade?" Her eyes went wide while looking at the ground to see that we had indeed been sitting in the shade. Noting this suspicious behavior, when Applejack looked up at the sky I made sure to do the same.

For whatever reason that there could have been, and god forbid there be a reason, there had been a cloud looming over the two of us. Not even more than thirty feet above us, it hung there like a bad omen. Just the sight of it caused Applejack to clinch her teeth. I however stared at it with a sort of clueless intrigue before bringing my attention back to Applejack. A finger pointed up at the cloud while I tried to make sense of this. "Is that a cloud?" Quite an odd phenomenon. Applejack gave me no response while looking up at the cloud. All she did was stare at it.

"Oh horseapples..."

The cloud slowly began to spit and sputter white streaks of electricity along its' underbelly while slowly becoming darker and darker with each time a spark shot across the fluffy, floating tuft. The sparks, growing larger by the second were more than alarming for the orange earth pony. Having already lowered my eyes to Applejack, I was only left to watch Applejack stare at the sky like a zombie. It scared me a little, to be honest. "Hey, are you okay-" I didn't even have the courtesy of being able to finish my sentence.

Scrambling to her hooves, Applejack was quick to act. For whatever reason she had, it had apparently led Applejack to tackle me back out of the shade just before I could ponder what was going on. At that exact moment, a blinding light filled the air as a shot of electricity bolted down from the cloud in a mere instant. I didn't even realize just how close I had escaped this brush with death.

The ponies around me had either blocked their eyes from the light or fled from the area. A loud crack sounded as the energy struck the earth and scorched its' destination. I could hear Fluttershy scream as she shielded her eyes. Rarity kept her composure, but seemed to need to both shield her eyes by closing and covering them. Pinkie however just watched the scene play out with a pair of green rimmed glasses. To this day, I don't know where she got them.

"Look out!"

Did EVERYONE want to kill me today? Did someone in heaven or hell just think that it would be wonderful to try and strike me down with everything that they had today? Mother Nature must have hated me, and in turn sent ponies and storm clouds to kill me. I could hardly believe just how quickly that this was getting to be one messed up day. For Petes' Sake; I havent even been awake five hours and I've almost died more times than I could remember! Manticores, talking ponies, exploding fruit, and now hostile clouds? This sounded like some sort of bad drug-trip. Too bad that I didn't do drugs, or this may have made just a little bit more sense than it does. It would have explained so much.

Remember, don't do drugs kids.

Now as my luck would have it, the tackle that I had received caused me to bang the back of my head on the ground before just lying there like a lump. I swear, how many injuries will my head be subjected to? The weight on my chest let me know that Applejack had landed directly on top of me. The Earth Ponies' stetson hat had landed over my face preventing me from seeing anything that could have been possibly occurring around us, but I didn't need to. The ringing in my ears kept things quiet for a short while, but pretty soon I could hear screaming and running. I guess that flash scared a little more than just a couple of the townsfolk off.

Once feeling some movement coming from Applejack, it wasn't long before her hat was removed from my field of vision. I would have done so myself, but it was getting more and more difficult to move with every passing second. Even Applejack could see the tears of pain that I had been holding back at the moment when taking back her hat. Once off of me, I could see her eyes falling down to their bottom right corner, already telling me that this was somehow partially her own fault. "Heh, sorry 'bout that, partner." She chuckled wryly while putting her hat right back on the top of her head. I made no response other than forcing a raspy exhale to show her that I was still alive, but it didn't seem to bring the stetson-wearer any comfort as any reassuring smile soon formed to a worried grimace.

"Whew, you okay there? You look like you had a run-in with a manticore or somethin'."

...If only she knew...

No, I just had to shake all of this off. It didn't matter what was happening. I just needed to get home before this place had enough time to kill me. Doing just that, I slowly began to attempt to sit back up once more. "I-I'm fine..." I spoke through a couple of coughs, but finally managed to sit back up onto the seat of my pants. The sight didn't bring Applejack any comfort. Just making it back to my sitting position was enough to leave me gasping for breath. "I just need to stand up for a little while and walk this off." At least standing was easier for me. Even if there had been a bit of a head-rush, it was still easier than sitting up.

Having been already on the way to me right as I spoke, I was glad that Fluttershy had been helping me stand once more. I swear, this was getting repetitive. I get knocked down, and stand right back up. Almost always on my back, none-the-less. Something told me that this wasn't going to be the last time this happened here, either. "Careful,-" Fluttershy gave me all the assistance that she could while pressing against my legs for support. "-I knew we should have just kept going. I don't think that your' body can take much more of this excitement." When we had finally managed to get me standing, Fluttershy gave me a light pat on the side. She then directed her gaze to Applejack. She wasn't mad, but more shocked at the actions that had take place. I think that Fluttershy was about to scold Applejack, but had soon been interrupted by a voice from above.

"Hey AJ, did I get it?"

I could already tell that this voice was coming from the cloud above. It didn't take a genius to know that. Upon a closer observation however, I was met with a surprising spectacle. When looking up at the cloud as it's dark shade began to lighten, I could clearly see something colorful appear out of it. Now, this didn't mean that in a figurative sense; I literally mean that there was something rainbow-colored leaning over the side of the cloud! Only moments passed before I could see yet another pony poke her head out over the edge of the cloud. As it turned out, that assortment of color turned out to be that ponies hair!

This pony was a cyan pegasus with a rainbow mane. Every spectrum of the rainbow that covered her mane seemed to have been separated into different areas as it stood in a messy fashion. As the pony wrapped her fore hooves under the edge of the cloud, I couldn't help but wonder how she was able to pull off something so impossible as actually laying on a cloud.

Upon spotting me, it could clearly be seen that my presence was not something that had been expected from the mare at the time. From what I could see, it actually caused her some sort of mental distress. "What? Are you kidding me?" The pegasus spoke almost mortified of what she was looking at. "That didn't even work? I thought a good lighting bolt would take care of that thing for sure!" These words weren't comforting to me in the slightest, but seeing her rolling her shoulders as if the pegasus was getting ready for a fight frightened me.

"I guess that I'm going to have to handle this without clouds."

Flying up from her cloud, it was to my dismay that the pegasus donned a cheeky grin with her wings flapping vigorously. I didn't like that grin. I didn't even know that ponies could look even close to as menacing as this one did. Even with all of her bright colors, I couldn't help but feel that my life was once more in danger. "Now hold-on there, Rainbow! We weren't ever trying to send the feller into an early grave!" Oh, God bless Applejack. God bless her and her pony-tails. Unfortunately though when hearing this the Rainbow mane pegasus swooped down to the ground at great speeds, only to somehow professionally stick the landing without crashing. How fast she had been going was impossible for me to tell, but the pony didn't even break a sweat! Things weren't looking up for me since I was the thing that this pony had targeted. Now planting her hooves on the ground, the Rainbow Pony snarled at Applejack.

"Hey, I knew that! I was just going to get really close to it with a lightening bolt and send that thing running! You screwed that up though!"

This pony pointed a hoof in my direction when describing me as 'that thing'. A part of me wanted to run for my life right here and now to get as far away from these crazy ponies as my legs could possibly carry me. Still, the numbness in my legs told me that I wouldn't be getting very far if I did. Not to mention that I would be taking the possibility of setting off that Rainbow Pegasus, and it would take a blind man not to see how fast she had been flying while still being able to pull off that nose-dive without falling flat on her face.

"Rainbow, are ya kiddin' me? You came this close to frying me and this poor feller both with that daggum stunt you just pulled!"

I guess that was her name; Rainbow, was it? Anyways, the pegasus pulled her head back in some disbelief when hearing how her actions almost resulted in major concequences. It seemed that something didn't quite go according to plan with her. She did her best to cover up her ego with a stubborn turn of the head, but it could be clearly seen that what had happened wasn't intended. "I knew what I was doing. The closer the strike was, the quicker that thing would run." I had my doubts. That lightening strike was pretty close. As Rainbow whipped her head back around to Applejack, a low growl game from her throat. "If you hadn't of butted in, that thing would be high-tailing it out of town by now!" I couldn't help but flinch a little when Rainbow called me a 'thing' again.

Her gaze only growing colder, Applejack bared her teeth before making her way to Rainbow. Applejack wanted to get something very clear across to this mare. Stepping aside to let her get a full view of me, Applejack pointed at me for Rainbow to observe the current state of the matter. "Rainbow, what in tarnation makes you think that this guy would be able to run anywhere?" Rainbow only let out an 'uh' before Applejack cut her off. "If you ask me, what I did wasn't butt'n-in if there wasn't any reason to attack no-more." At this point, Applejack had been putting her face directly in front of Rainbows'. In the meantime, Rainbow could only pull her head back to try and keep at a safe distance. After taking a few steps back, Rainbow found the common sense to finally observe my state of wellness. It would be accurate to say that she wasn't impressed in the slightest with what she was up against. One good look at the bandages that wrapped around my body was enough to let Rainbow know that I probably wasn't in the best of condition.

"Yeah, I guess that he does look pretty wimpy."

Well, that was hurtful. This entire day has just been ponies stabbing me with a verbal knife, hasn't it? It actually made me want to get away from these two even more than ever. Who knows, doing so might be a blessing. Before I could really do such a thing, the Rainbow Pony zipped in front of me as if to inspect me. Her eyes looked me up and down while examining the bandaged parts of my body. All the while, the Pegasus hummed to herself as if judging me. "Not the normal wimpy either. Really wimpy." Okay, I had just about enough of that. I would have given this pony a piece of my mind if she hadn't begun flying around me.

The rainbow blur that surrounded me came to a sudden halt when the pony stopped in front of me once more to glance over my body one more time. Serious at first, Rainbow stared point blank into my eyes before cracking a wise smirk. "Eh, I guess you could pass for harmless." Was she judging me, just now? This pegasus seemed like the type who was a show-off, and a competitive type right off the bat. "Well, aren't you gon'na thank me for doing such a great job?" Not to mention that swelling ego. When her hooves touched the ground once more with a light clop, she spread her wings out to try and impress me. My only reaction was a blink as she stood there waiting for applause. "I know it must be exciting, but hold that enthusiasm." Rainbow lifted her chin at me as she arched a brow. "How's that for a first impression? You've just had the honor to be approved by me." I was clearly unamused.

"No offense meant, but you have a horrible sense of perception. Also, your' first impression was that attempt to kill me."

Saying this seemed to have flipped a switch in the cyan mare as she had already zipped up in the air and in my face. The look of pure rage that she gave me caused a few beads of sweat to trickle down the side of my face. "SCARE! I WAS TRYING TO SCARE YOU!" -And boy was she doing a good job at that right about now!

It had looked like Rainbow was about to clobber me. Judging by how athletic this pony had appeared to be, it may have not been a good choice to try and get smart with her. So quickly waving my hands from side to side as a sort of boundry in between the two of us, I did my best to put some distance between us. "O-Okay, okay! You were just trying to scare me, and right now it's working very well!" The cold stare that Rainbow gave me was almost artic as she steadily floated back down to earth. The soft clopping of hooves against the ground made themselves known as Rainbow landed. Meanwhile, Applejack gave me a look of sympathy upon her return to Fluttershy and me.

The cowgirl-looking pony shook her head slightly for a moment before looking to me. "Sorry 'bout that Sugarcube, but Dash here has had a bit of'a... Run-in with such things as that kind of death in the past with her hold'n onto the wrong end of the stick if ya catch mah drift." So, there was death in such a place like this? For a while there, I was kind of just expecting sunshine and lollipops. Still, since this was a touchy subject with the cyan mare I figured it would only be proper to apologize. I mean, if someone brought that up when I had been in that kind of hot-seat I would hope that they would apologize. With a casual bow to Rainbow, I tried to make-up for any offence taken by what I had said. I could only really hope for the best when it came to if she accepted my apology.

"Well, I am very sorry for saying such a thing. I do hope that you will forgive me."

Dash had just raised a brow for a moment as she watched me bow in apology. Almost casting the entirety of my action aside, Rainbow Dash looked to Fluttershy. "What's with this guy? Is he some sort of stuff-shirt, or something because he's acting really up-tight." As I pulled myself back up to stand straight, my head tilted to see Dash with a slightly boastful look on her face. I could see her polishing a hoof against her chest before inspecting it. "-But you didn't know, so it's cool." Almost as a refreshing breeze, Rainbow did her best to start over. "The name's Rainbow Dash, by the way." Not like it sounded any less of an ice-cream flavor as 'Rainbow'. Still, it was nice to know how to address Dash. Once again showing herself to be an overly prideful pony, Rainbow Dash stuck a strong posture. "Just remember that name, 'cuz I'm gon'na be the next big thing to Equestria! I'm going to be one of the Wonderbolts!" What the heck was a Wonderbolt?

While I had been relieved that Rainbow Dash had accepted my apology so easily, Applejack could still see that there was some unfinished business to attend to on the current matter at hand. "While we're all apologizin', I guess that it would only be right to apologize for attackin' ya out of the blue." How Applejack had been taking responsibility for her actions was something that I could deeply respect and honor. Truth be told, it let me be able to respect this pony quite a bit already. "We thought that you were gonna hurt our friends, so Ah guess that we got a little out of hoof." All the while Applejack had been putting her heart into this apology, she had easily been able to know about how Dash was day dreaming of her previous claim of being what she called a 'Wonderbolt'. Narrowing her gaze to Dash, Applejack cleared her throat. "We're very sorry; Right, Dash?" Applejack bumped Rainbow with her hip to knock Dash back to her senses. Snapping back to the real world almost instantly seemed to cause her to lose any boastful nature for the moment, and instead now a cheeky smirk was stuck to her face.

"Oh yeah... Eh-heh, Sorry."

Already accepting Applejacks apology once more, I pocketed my hands. "Oh, no need to apologize. You just thought that your friends were in trouble." There wasn't any real reason for any apologies now that everything had settled itself out. Although I'm sure that Applejack and Dash feel bad for what they did, I knew that they only did it with good intentions. To carry on the conversation, I figured that this might as well be the best time as ever to get my introduction out of the way. "By the way, I don't believe I've told you my name yet. It's Jacob Froster, but Jacob is fine if you prefer." I could see that a name such as mine was just as strange as theirs' was to me. Applejack didn't quite know what to think about it, and Dash... Dash just cracked a smile as if it was a ridiculous name.

The light touch of a velvet-like substance dragged itself across my face as it wiped away any remaining dust or debris. With a turn of the head, I could see a handkerchief surrounded by a familiar magical glow. This was a fancy little kerchief; rather regal, might I add. "Really now, Mr.Froster? I only just gave you these clothes, and you've already gotten dust on them?" Well, not like it was my fault. Rarity had lifted her head to look at me while using what I could only call her 'magic' to carry the handkerchief in the air as it dabbed against my face to remove whatever it could. "You simply must take better care of yourself if you hope to continue remaining among the living." Grumbling, I simply stood there as Rarity continued with cleaning off my face.

In the meantime, Rainbow seemed to have gotten a good laugh or two after confirming what my last name was. "Froster? Really, that's your' name?" She seemed unable to control her laughter as she rolled on her back while holding her gut. "What kind of name is Froster?" It was Irish, thank you very much.

Jumping on my back with haste, Pinkies' weight caused me to teeter in my stance slightly. Aggravated as she was, Pinkie still couldn't make me believe that she had been really serious at the moment. "It's a bakers' name!" Pinkie Pie shook a hoof at Rainbow angrily. "Jacob is an Assistant head Chef!" All the rage in the world from this little pink pony couldn't have made Rainbow even the slightest bit sorry for what she had said.

Having trouble standing from all of her laughter, Rainbow held her gut to try and restrain it all. Rather unimpressed, Dashes laugh soon died down to a chuckle. "Yeah, I guess that would fit a chef." Rainbow then leaned her head in toward me mockingly. "What's your specialty; Desserts?" I couldn't help but blush from embarrassment when Rainbow had hit the nail on the head. Letting my eyes trail to their bottom right corners, I spoke softly.

"Pastries, cakes, pies, and sweets actually..."

By the look on Rainbow Dashes' face, I could tell that I wouldn't be able to give her trouble about her ice-cream sounding name any time soon. As a sly grin crept on Rainbows' face, she let out a cocky laugh. "Well then, Baker-boy... What are you doing out of the kitchen?" I felt so humiliated when hearing this that I couldn't even dignify it with a proper response. Pinkie however had a mouth-full to say. Leaning over my shoulder, Pinkie seemed more than ready to defend my honor on this verbal battlefield.

"Hey, don't be mean to Jake! We bake, so we are Bakers United!"

Dash had laughed in response to hearing Pinkies' come-back before taking to the air once more only to nudge me in the side of the arm. "Oh, don't get your' wings ruffled, Baker-Boy. I'm jut having a little fun." This didn't feel like it had been much fun to me. Petting Pinkies' mane for a moment, I could already see her stick her tongue out in some sort of joy-filled pleasure. What was it that Pinkie said? Bakers United? I would have to remember that.

Slowly taking Pinkie off of my back, I set her on the ground gently. As a bit of a thank you, I scratched behind Pinkies' ear for a moment before I could see one of her back legs kicking like how you would normally see a dog would in this situation. "Thank you for that, Pinkie. I appreciate it." With a giddy giggle, Pinkie gave me a wink and salute before letting me go back to what I had been doing. So looking at Rainbow with a soft, yet uncertain smile, I did my best to make up for my misunderstandings.

"My apologies, I've been told that I can be a tad bit sensitive at times."

Shrugging off my appology, Rainbow let it slide off of her as if it was nothing to her. "Geeze Baker-Boy. No need to get so formal. It was just a joke." Yes, a joke. I never did have too much of a healthy sense of humor, but I guess it was better to get one now rather than later.

As things had already calmed down completely, it was strange just how well that I had been able to understand who these two 'characters' really were. Applejack seemed to have a good heart, and was responsible. Still, she looked like she would normally take everything and thrust an entire task upon herself instead of sharing. Dash however seemed like a complete different story. Boastful, confident, and a bit on the tom-boyish side. She had determination that was admirable, and looked to have a goal already in mind for her future. Not bad ponies in the slightest.

As I had been taking in these observations, Applejack had taken it upon herself to make sure this entire situation was handled. As she turned away from me for a moment, she took a few steps toward the road-side closest to her and the crowd of on-lookers that waited for some sort of results. "Alright everypony, nothin' to see here. Just a misunderstandin'. Jake here, ain't gon'na cause no trouble." At first, I did not expect much to happen just because one pony spoke about me in such a way. Applejack was just one pony, so why would they trust her so much? However, I was impressed to see how the crowds began to disperse, all the while the ponies were ignoring me and going about their usual routines. It was interesting to see just how much these ponies trusted Applejack. They actually trusted her word so much that they could put themselves in a calm sence of security at the sign of her approval.

Such an impressive feat was nothing to simply be left unnoticed. Astonished, I watched pony after pony continue on with their day as if I wasn't even here at all. "Wow, these ponies must really trust you." Turning toward me proudly, Applejack closed her eyes and lifted her chin.

"Yer darn toot'n! I ain't called the Most Honest and Dependable Pony in Ponyville fer nothin'!"

Now it sounded like she was being the boastful one. It was funny, really. She took so much pride in that title, but who wouldn't? "Well, it's wonderful that they have so much trust in you. It really makes you look like a perfect role model for a younger generation, so I'm impressed with you." My flattery was appreciated by Applejack with a tip of her hat, but it wasn't long after I lifted my glasses in turn that I slowly spun on my heels before walking off. Giving them a jovial wave over my shoulder while I walked, I tried to get my mind back on track about just where I was headed. The Golden Oaks Library. "Well, it's been... Exciting to meet you both, but we must really be on our way. I need to go have a visit some unicorn named Twilight." I just had to get there after all of this.

Following me close at my side Fluttershy seemed to be glad that we had once again begun our way to Twilights' Library. She still seemed greatly appreciative on how I calmed her down earlier as she had begun to walk a little bit closer to me at this time. "Yes, I do believe that would be good. Twilight must be getting impatient with us right about now..." I hadn't even considered it, but I would imagine Fluttershy would be right. With all the distractions that we've run into, I could imagine that this unicorn would be quite frustrated with waiting on us.

"Hey, hey! Hold on!"

Here we go again. Just as Pinkie Pie and Rarity had begun after us, we had been quickly stopped by Rainbow Dash as she had soared in front of me to block off my path. She was floating in front of me with a smirk. "Why are you headed to see Twilight?" She had obviously been intrigued by what motives I might have had. "You look more like someone a little more laid back than an egg-head like Twi." Egg-head? That wasn't too nice. Still, I guess it was nice for Rainbow.

Almost as if it broke the laws of physics itself, Pinkie had somehow been able to bounce in between Dash and myself with the greatest of ease. Both of us had lunged back from our shock from the impossible intrusion from Pinkie Pie. "We're going to see Twilight to talk." Well, I'll give her this; Pinkie knew how to sum something up well. A little too well for someone that talked as much as her.

"Talk? Jus' what kinda' talk are we talkin' 'bout here?"

Applejacks' suspicion had already begun to rise once more when approaching me. Placing a hand on my forehead, I had only just begun to notice how exhausting it was going to be to really explain this whole incident from start to finish, so I did my best to mimic Pinkie Pie and sum this all up the best ability that I possibly could. Directing my vision at Applejack first, I did my best to explain this without sounding too strange. "Actually, I'm going to see Twilight about how I got here." She didn't understand what I was saying, and neither did Rainbow Dash.

I had already been expecting a few questions just from that one line along, but the only one that seemed to have been scrounged up was a confused one from Applejack. Taking a step forward, the orange earth pony eyed me strangely. "How ya... Got here?" My explanation sounded absurd, I know. It even still sounded that way to me, so I in no way expected them to believe it.

Rainbow Dash didn't look to believe even a bit of what had been being said. Automatically putting herself on guard once more, she had easily cut through the confusing atmosphere only to replace it with one of distrust and suspicion. "Whoa, whoa, whoa." Holding out her fore hooves while doing this, she had brought them back to her chest only to push them pack out in my direction with every 'whoa' she spoke. I could then feel the pressure as Dash poked me in the chest with a fore hoof. "You're going to see Twilight to find out why you're here? That's the weirdest reason that I've ever heard." Already in my face once more, Rainbow looked me in the eyes. "How do we know that you're not lying?" My calm expression never changing, I leaned my forehead in towards Dash. I didn't appreciate her doubt.

"I don't lie, Rainbow Dash. I suggest that you remember that."

The two of us glared at each other for a pretty good amount of time until Dash simply began to lower herself back to the ground. Both of us had been being as stubborn as we possibly could. Apparently, I was going to have to show this mare that I meant no true harm to anyone. So in an attempt to make Dash feel a little more comfortable with my presence, I decided to try and set a middle grounds in this situation. An act of good-will, if you would. First of all, both of us needed to calm down. "Look, maybe we could strike a deal to let you know that I'm not here to cause any problems." Dash raised a brow at me.

"I'm listening."

Putting my hand out for a handshake, Rainbow Dash looked at it curiously for a moment as I went on to speak. "Here's the deal-" I began. "If I cause any major problems in this town, and there isn't any way for me to fix it-" Rainbow looked at me as she earnestly waited for me to finish. "-you can decide my punishment, okay?" The deal wasn't really beneficial for me as it had been rather one-sided, but if it at least let this mare feel at a little bit more comfortable until I got out of this crazy place, then that was fine with me.

It didn't take long before Dash put her hoof in my hand. A little more accepting of my presence now, she grinned while we shook to seal the deal. "You got guts, Baker-Boy. Let's hope you really stay out of trouble so I don't have to beat'em outta you." Yes, let's. I wasn't that worried about any of this however. I wasn't going to be here for very much longer. This entire escapade was practically a visit.

As soon as I had let go of Rainbows' hoof, I once again wasted absolutely no time in walking past these two ponies as Pinkie, Rarity and Fluttershy followed close behind me. "I don't expect to be here long, so don't worry about it. As soon as I know how to get back to my home, I'll be out of your hair." Well, I finally did it. I got away from those two other ponies. Applejack and Rainbow Dash seemed nice, but I just couldn't afford any more distractions.

"Baker-Boy, one more thing!"

I froze in mid-step while feeling some minor annoyance beginning to burn me from the inside out. Only walking in front of me once more, Applejack and Dash looked at me with a smile to them. I knew what they wanted. A wry expression on my face, I sighed before saying anything. "You want to come along too... Don't you?" I couldn't help but feel that my kindness was being taken advantage of.

Seeing how they both nodded innocently when I spoke with them, I silently groaned to myself. There was a stinging pain jolting through my back as Rainbow Dash proceeded to slap it casually. "Oh, don't be such a hermit. We're coming along whether you say yes or no." Damn rainbow pony and her comebacks. Once the aching had gone away, I took an easy breath to try and calm down. Everything was fine. I was going to get home eventually. I just needed to let these ponies come along. All... Five of them. To think that it only started with Fluttershy showing me the way.

Now, I won't lie to you; it took a couple seconds for me to accept this, but I eventually did with a nod. Who knows, I may just be able to learn something from these new ponies. Speaking of which- "Alright then, but I just want to know one thing." The two listened close.

"What's a Wonderbolt?"

Author's Note

Dear lord this chapter-re-wright took forever! Well, I won't let you guys wait any longer. As of right now, I will be doing my best to push new chapters out while still doing re-writes. I don't know when it will come out, but I will do my best!

Ch.6: Twilight

Sunshine

A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction

By Gen

Overhead had been small tufts of the sky that so aimlessly kept to themselves. They knew where they were. They knew where they would go. I envied them for the freedom they so carelessly flaunted, but I didn't see the generous blessing being bestowed upon me at any time today.

"Okay, so now do you understand what the Wondebolts are?"

As my eyes drifted around the blueness of the sky above me, I could feel hair against the palms of my hands while they held onto each other behind my head. It had been fifteen minutes of non-stop ranting about these 'Wonderbolts' from Rainbow Dash since I asked the regrettable question on who they had been. The cyan pegasus, whom I feel knew a little more about these characters than I was comfortable with, was more than happy to enlighten me to their greatness. At least, I guess that's what you might call it.

What would be a good word to define how Dash was acting? Excited? No, that's thinking much too menial to describe her as she was right now. There had to be something else. Elated? That sounded a bit more on the right track. Yes. She was elated to tell me about these ponies. Well, now that I say it, maybe... No, Elated was fine. Anyways, while I did choose to listen, this didn't mean that I had not come to contract quite the headache from just trying to comprehend the magnitude Dash had give this conversation.

As I pulled my attention from the sky, I lightly closed my eyes as the gears in my mind came to grind against one another to no end. The mental pistons that lifted themselves up before driving themselves downward gave my head a pounding sensation like no other. One of my hands fell to my side while the other tried its' best to help me relieve tension by rubbing a temple on the left side of my head.

The reasoning behind Rainbows' claim that these ponies were 'The Greatest Ever' had been flimsy if anything, but I was finally managing to piece everything together. Sure it took a couple of times to really think about it, but now things had started becoming somewhat clear to me. "Yeah, I think that I'm starting to get it." My reply didn't sound assuring, but thankfully I didn't think Dash picked up on that. Pressing my index finger upon my temple a little rougher to try and think a bit harder was all that could be done. Too bad that all it did was help the information come in one ear and out the other. It was like my brain was so crammed right now, it felt like my brain would pop!

"So what you're saying is that these Wonderbolts are a specially trained flying team that only consist of the best fliers? Not only this, but they are also a major part of weather teams, and an academic staff; all in the while being an exclusive aerial acrobatics team for your' princesses?"

I could almost feel the smoke fuming from my ears. I hoped that there was no misunderstanding here, or the lingering nightmare of having to be forced through the same fifteen minute lecture once more would have become a reality. Thankfully, it seemed that the idea had been successfully explained... Even though it absolutely made no sense at all. At least I got the gist of it. Dash floated beside me, a smug smirk shot my way. "That's right on the money, Baker Boy. Pretty cool, right?" I didn't feel as if there was any way that I could possibly disagree without ending up on the wrong end of this mares' temper, so I made sure to mumble my own conjectures to myself.

"Sounds kind of irresponsible to me."

Not like it mattered much. Dash seemed more than content with my partial silence while proudly boasting. Not to mention how dead-set she seemed to get things clear to me about this. Flipping on her back in mid-flight, Dash inspected a fore hoof much like a human might have with their finger nails. "Yeah, I know, you know it is." Rainbow proudly stated before poking the same admirable hoof into her chest. "Not to mention that yours'-truly will be joining them one day." I could not help but scoff slightly at her overconfidence. She was joking, right? Did she not just explain to me just how much work went into being a Wonderbolt? Something told me that this would be easier said than done, but I wasn't one to crush another persons' dreams. If she could manage to pull it off, then more power to her.

With an unnoticed shake of my head, I carefully backed out of this one-sided conversation with Rainbow so that I could be left alone with my thoughts once more. The remaining lifted hand finally fell to its' side as my brain began taunting me just because we were alone. Granted, I wasn't really alone but I was good at blocking the world out. What had been on my mind at the time wasn't the most important subject to most, but it sure was important to me. It was the subject of how exactly I had wound up here. The thought wouldn't leave my mind no matter how hard I may have wanted to shake it away.

I was so far away from home that I felt that it couldn't even be plausible to human knowledge. I wondered if anyone back home had even noticed that I had been gone yet. Probably not, I lived alone after all. Not to mention that this was my day-off from work. It would probably be like I had never left in the first place. It could be days before anyone would notice that I had left. Unfortunately, this left me with an uncomfortable feeling in my gut joined with an unpleasant realization in my mind.

It didn't matter how quickly we moved. My stubborn desire to move forward was a pointless endeavor. No-one would notice that I was gone. No-one ever noticed me in general. An undying itching in the back of my mind wouldn't let this thought perish, and it only forced me to really think about what kind of mess that I landed myself into. How far away was I, really? Did it matter? Did anything matter right now? Did I matter right now? My mind had already become quite the cruel creature as it tortured me with these thoughts just to watch its' victim squirm in a vice.

The thoughts of being stranded in this strange land crossed my mind a couple of times, but I did my best not to acknowledge them. It was impossible anyways. Stranded? Me? It was laughable; unrealistic, even.

Still, what if it wasn't?

Could it really be possible for me to be... No. That wouldn't happen. I had a life back home. Granted, it may not have been much, but it was still my life.

There's no point in thinking that way. It will only bring trouble. Twilight is going to send me home. Granted, I don't even know this person, but she sounded too kind to not listen to the plea of a stranded wanderer. She was going to send me home, and that was final.

"Hey, Baker-Boy; you alright? Do you need me to repeat something?"

Rainbows' offer brought on an uneasy quiver. Did she just pull me back into her conversation? Oh dear lord, no! Come on, Jacob. Look at the pretty pony and smile. Smile so she won't go on about those Wonderbolts for another duration of time. God knows' how long she might take this time! "O-Oh no, you've make things quite clear." I did my best to keep my smile from looking as cheesy as it could have. "Clear like spring water!" The tension in my nerves loosened when going back to what had been bothering me in the first place. Mindlessly lifting a hand, I tapped the side of my head with an index finger. "It's just my thoughts. They're making it a tad bit hard to understand everything." I slowed in my tracks slightly. Upon noticing, my group slowed up a bit themselves so that I could keep up with them. It didn't take much to notice that my odd reply did a little more than cause some discomfort in them.

Rarity, being the first one to speak up, turned her head to me with an unsuspecting innocence. Although the only one to have this expression, Rarity wasn't the only one to have a strange look on her face. In fact, every single one of these ponies stared at me a bit vexed by my wording. You couldn't expect any less from any of them. I was an outsider to them. What I knew as fact was most definitely not the same for them. "Everything? I'm afraid that you have lost us, Darling." Raritys' hair bobbed when tilting her head at me. I might have found that sort of cute, if not for the bellowing thoughts that my mind spewed at the time.

Once more, a struggling forced smile finally gave out into a frown while my brain threw around ideas on how I could explain this to them. The girls may not like it, but speaking my mind may have only been inevitable at this point. "Oh, where do I start?" I asked myself this before looking down at the ground. The dry enthusiasm I spoke with only made my day sound even more like torture. A couple of low-bearing clouds sat still in the sky as I could see their shadows stretching over us. Was it wrong that I was becoming paranoid of clouds now?

"Well for one; where I come from ponies can't talk."

The idea in general must have sounded ridiculous to the five around me, and boy did it ever. The shocked look on their faces told me already what they thought about my remark. I didn't stop there though. I had quite the number of strange things to say. I had even begun to count every different significance I spoke of. "Not to mention that pegasi and unicorns don't exist where I'm from." I couldn't help but pick up on a faint gasp around me as I counted a second finger. "Also, that mental telekinesis that unicorns do with their horns-" I rolled my eyes as a third finger popped up. In the meantime, I was fully aware of the fact that everyone in this group held their breath while listening to me.

"-It doesn't exist, either."

Now, the last thing that I could have possibly wanted to do right now was to cause distress to these ponies, but this update on the differences of my world and theirs' seemed quite drastically taken. I bet it sounded crazy to them. It sure as heck was crazy for me when I was greeted with a day like today.

A light stammering was the only thing to pull myself away from my rant as Fluttershy spoke. "Y-y-you m-mean that m-magic doesn't exist w-where you're from?" She was clearly unsettled. Still, if she wanted to be that blunt with it, that was her decision. Even so, there was a bit of guilt building in me for making the poor girl feel that way. I didn't want to scare Fluttershy. She was really sweet, and what kind of person would I be if I treated the person that saved my life so poorly?

Instead, I nodded before trying to pass off the subject. Didn't want to spook her, so I guess that I would have to wrap this up pretty quickly. The free hand that hadn't been counting lightly scratched my face. "Well, technically not." Releasing a laugh, I made an attempt to pass this off as nothing. "We have illusionists, but that's it except for the slight stories of witchcraft..." Shut up, you're making this worse. Try to make things sound a bit more comforting! "Who knows; maybe I'm just stupid and magic does exist in my world?" Nice save, Jacob. Smooth. Just keep going and pray that magic won't appear in the conversation again. Pausing to switch the subjects of the conversation around, I could hear my voice cracking for a split second. "-B-but America doesn't have any Princesses. That I know for sure." The reaction that I got was exactly what I expected.

An array of surprised faces looked at me from these ponies. It wasn't comfortable to be stared at in general, but this was just plain nerve-racking! My fourth finger actually twitched a little when it attempted to lift itself to join the others. "No princesses? Don't tell me that you live in a Dictatorship? A Communist Country? Democracy?" Rartiy had already taken the liberty to question my way of living? Snapping my fingers at Rarities last guess, I did my best to stay on subject..

"Bingo. We have a 'president', not a 'princess'."

In turn to my answer, Rarity scoffed at me with a raised chin. Not like she was trying to mock, but more like the pony pitied me. "My, what a backwards little world that you live in." Whoa, whoa, whoa! Excuse me? What the heck was that just now?

"What's wrong with a Democracy?

My voice sounded colder than the stare delivered to Rarity as she returned the same look in my direction. Applejack had to step in between us just to keep us from busting each others' chops over this. Yet again, Applejack gave me an apologetic smile. "Heh, sorry 'bout that Jake." Well, at least some of these ponies had manners. "We're sure that there ain't nothin' wrong with a Democracy. Raritys' just one'a those types that think Monarchies are better than any other kind of way to run a country." Huh, I think that I could give a few names that do the exact same thing with Democracy. With a pouting huff, Rarity had already begun to put on the drama.

"Is it so wrong that I can picture myself perfectly as a princess? I was born for the position! I mean, just look at me! I'm stunning!"

Just the pose that Rarity took when saying this was more than hamming it up. She did her best to strike the most regal pose that she possibly could have. By how small cracking chortles came from me, I think that it was very clear that I found this quite hilarious. As some kind of retort, Rarity glared at me. "Well, if you find it that funny, I suppose that you wouldn't mind if I became a princess where you're from?" My laughter didn't cease. As much as I hate to shoot down dreams, I hated losing an argument to someone like my sister even more.

"I suppose that could work... If ponies were actually sentient where I'm from."

My unshared laughter only died the moment that I noticed that the entire group stopped walking. It actually took me a couple of seconds to really notice them stop, so when finally noticing I had to stop as well before turning back to them.

Have you ever had one of those moments where you wish that you kept your' mouth shut?

Shock had overcome the ponies as they stared at me. Not a single one of them spoke up as my smile slowly began to fade. It was strange to see them so astonished, but I tried to break the tension. To pass the subject along, I couldn't help but feel a bead of sweat trickling down the side of my face. "Sorry, did I say something weird?" No response; only a slow nod. This could be problematic. Did I really say something that could have troubled these ponies? It wasn't like anything that I said actually mattered to them, right?

'THUNK'

It seemed that this wasn't true as I had seen that in a matter of seconds, Fluttershys' eyes rolled back before she passed out on the ground with a dull thud. The sound alone had been enough to cause me worry, but the sight of it brought on extra. Needless to say that I made an effort to get to the pony.

Hey, she saved my life! I think that I damn, well owe her a little bit more than you may suspect!

I moved past pony after pony as they slowly pulled themselves from their strange stupefied state to notice their friend had finally passed out. Not like it mattered to me. Nope; all that I was interested in was checking to see if that little yellow pony was going to be alright. "W-wait, did Fluttershy pass out from that?" I could hear Rainbow Dash comment on this while I knelt down to Fluttershy as she laid unconscious on her side.

"Please be okay. Please be okay. Please be okay."

My soft chant, which was unknowingly heard by the rest of the group, did no favors for my nervousness. I was hesitant when turning the pony over on her back, but I did do so... Eventually... After a few nudges. I just wanted to make sure that Fluttershy was really knocked out. Now aside from the few questionable stares that I received from this, I pressed an ear against Fluttershys' ribcage. Worry, still consuming me, had already begun to reform into one for this little creature. "Slight heart-palpitation-" I mumbled this to myself. Already fearing the worst, I placed a finger on Fluttershys' neck, much like to check her pulse. All in the while, the few stares that I received from this small group got somewhat closer.

"H-hey, is Fluttershy going to be okay? It's nothing serious, right?"

A wave of relief went through my body after Dash asked this. If the look on my face didn't at least say something, I suppose that it could be explained. So while releasing a light breath, I put Fluttershy back on her side; I, of course still knelt down beside her. "No signs of swelling." The careful look in my eyes had been carefully placed upon Fluttershy when I rolled back on my butt. "Nah, she's just passed out." Already wiping a hand across my face, I smirked. "Thank goodness. For a second, I thought she was dehydrated." Why would Fluttershy have even passed out in the first place? It puzzled me quite a bit as I found myself just staring at the mare. "What on earth could have shocked her enough to do such a thing?" My ignorance baffled the ponies around me.

Pinkie bounced to my side with an attention grabbing 'ahem'. "You mean before or after you said that ponies weren't even people where you're from?" I caught myself before speaking with an embarrassed hue appearing around my cheeks. Did I really say that? For some reason, I had yet to even consider the fact that speaking about my world could possibly cause a result such as this. Well, no going back on this now. I just had to roll with it... Even though I sort of wasn't even able to throw in an apology before being spoken over by Applejack.

"Well, what do we do now? Ah don't really think that it would be a good idea to just leave Fluttershy here, but we do need to get something to carry her with to Twilights'."

Applejack had already been looking at me with mild concern. Of course I had been looking back down at Fluttershy at the time so I hadn't even noticed the look. Even with my obliviousness to Applejacks presence, I fully understood the urgency of this situation. It seemed that drastic measures might have needed to be taken... No matter how much discomfort it might cause me.

My steady foot steps treaded slower than they normally would have. Hanging back a little bit more than I probably could have been, there was an effort made in my steps when moving along. My feet touched the ground a little heavier than usual, but that would have been expected from having to carry a pony on my back.

There had to be responsibility taken on my part for being the reason that Fluttershy passed out in the first place, and I wasn't just the type of person to just leave someone there in a time of need. Even with this being true, this wasn't enough to keep me from feeling an embarrassed hue of pink begin to take over the surface of my face while making an effort to walk as smoothly as I possibly could have.

Fluttershy was such a nice pony. She had done so much for me already, so it made me feel terrible that I was the one to bring something like this upon her. I kind of felt like hitting myself, but doing that out in public might simply raise some unneeded suspicions about me. Instead, I bottled up these feeling for later. Biting my lip, I just couldn't seem to shake the tormenting thoughts from my mind that screamed curses and insults at me for causing such harm to Fluttershy. I deserved it. I knew that I did.

Causing me to catch my breath, I had been taken by surprise when Fluttershy rested her chin on one of my shoulders. Listen, I'm going to be honest with you. Please don't laugh. This was kind of the closest that I've ever gotten to anyone of the opposite gender. Ever. Even if it was with someone of a completely different species, this was enough to cause me to break out into a nervous sweat.

I didn't deserve to carry around this angel. She had done so much for me, but what have I done for her? Scare her to the point of fainting? I must be a terrible person. I had to put on a mask for now though. Pretend that nothing was wrong. Don't let anyone see. Just pretend like you were back home, and this didn't matter. That's how things needed to be, after all.

Lifting my eyes up from the ground the ponies in my group soon came into view. I could see by the looks on their faces that they had either been thinking about making some sort of smart remark, or they held back laughter. Their faces told me everything. I tried not to make it too known that I had noticed their stares, but the red color on my face turned to a bold shade while sweat continued to form along my brow.

Already giggling at me with a bit of a jocular laughter, I could see Pinkie turning around to trot back to me. I wasn't too far back from them, so it didn't take long. However, when she reached the front of me, all she did was go into reverse just in time to keep a steady pace while moving backwards. "Hey, Jake-" She teased. "Why are you turning red?" I could hear Rarity making a smug remark just ahead of us.

"I do believe that Mr. Froster may have taken a liking to Fluttershy."

I refrained from looking at Rarity while I could feel my stomach flip in its' current position as a slight sickening feeling lingered inside of it. For a moment, I did look at Pinkie with a contorted wry expression but I looked away just as quickly. "I-It's not like that, okay?" The timid feeling that my voice held was almost an equivalent of Fluttershys'. "I just have these Golden Rules that I always have to follow." There, that was settled. Not like anyone would be interested in my list. No-one ever has before, so now I just had a quiet walk left ahead of me, right? No such luck.

"Pardon me for askin', but... Golden Rules'?"

Trailing beside me, I couldn't help but notice that Applejack had become a little more than interested in knowing about these rules of mine. Nothing was working out in my favor today, was it? The orange earth-pony looked up at me questionably about how such a thing could really fit within this kind of jurisdiction. "Ya mean like the whole, 'Treat everypony like ya would want others to treat yerself', thing?" If she wanted to think that basically, I guess it was close. Following suit, Rainbow took me by surprise when popping up beside me. Her wings flapped powerfully as she flew eye-level to me.

"Rule, Shm-ules; what does that have to do with anything?"

I'll do my best just to ignore that last comment, and focus on Applejacks'. Doing the best I could to do so, I still had to roll my eyes at Rainbow. "It goes a little deeper than treating others nicely. I have strict rules that I set for my everyday life." Dash quietly doubted my statement with an arched brow. It had become clear that she didn't quite believe how dedicated I could have been at the time.

As the cyan pegasus mocked me with a light chuckle, she made a snide grin my way just in time for me to catch a glimpse of it. "Oh, come on; it's not like you had to make a list for them." Just keep quiet, and let her finish speaking. "I mean, just how many could you possibly have to put up with? Four? Five?" I wasn't going to let that sarcastic tone get to me. Instead, I looked at Dash blankly.

"Forty-Five. Also yes, I do have a list."

That shut her up quite nicely. Seeing Rainbows' eyes go wide as dinner plates was almost an enjoyable sight. Her wings scrambled for a moment as she then began to try and regain stability while flying. "Wha-? Wait, what?" I guess that forty-five is sort of a high number to have for a list of rules. Still, it was my list, and I was sticking with it.

The only one of these ponies that didn't seem the least effected by this news had to have been Pinkie Pie. Her careless backwards bouncing showed me just what she thought about them. "Wow, you must have a rule to keep making more rules." As cheesy of a joke that this was, it did make me crack a smile; one that which seemed to bring Pinkie content with her bad punch-line. Now, I can't say that I have a rule like this, but it wouldn't be that it hasn't been expected of me in the past. I mean heck, sometimes I even noticed a few people trying to change-up my rules to try and mess with my head. Not like it ever worked.

Lost in a mild thinking process, it seemed that Applejack had been trying to deduce something mentally before looking up at me as if giving up. "Well, Ah give up. Jus' what kinda' rule was this for?" Almost instantly, I replied in a strong voice.

"Rule Number Two: Always provide assistance to those in need."

Seeming a little flabbergasted from it, Rarity sounded a little impressed with my memory. "Dear me, you mean that you've memorized all of your rules?" I nodded while smiling at her. Looking at each other in silence, the ponies didn't quite know what to say. "Well, I suppose that humans must be quite the noble race to live by such a code." Now this brought on a laugh as I motioned a hand to dismiss the idea.

"I'm afraid not. I'm the only one that I know to do such a thing. I just find living easier when you don't just do it for yourself. It's always just nice to do something to help out everyone while enjoying what life has to offer. Everyone that even knows about them kind of calls me some sort of cheap knock-off of a poorly made protagonist."

Seeming to get a kick out of my reasoning behind this, I could already hear Applejack speak with an uplifting tone. "Well, if that don't just make ya feel cozier than two gophers in a wool sock, I don't know what will." Two gophers? Well, I suppose that was enough to easily conclude that Applejack had to of lived out in the country at some point of time in her life. Not that I wanted to jump the gun on this kind of thing, but I've never heard anyone that spoke like that without having some experience out in the country. "Ya must be some sort'a real good... Eh, whatever ya are, if ya really stick to them rules of yers'." I don't really know if these rules were enough to obtain such praise... If I could really call that praise, that is.

Pretty soon however, Rarity showed some appreciation toward my way of living. Her hair bouncing around during mid-steps, the unicorns' hair moved ever-so-slightly with her chin raised proudly. "I must say that is quite kind of you, Mr. Froster." Staying silent, I did my best not to show any of my flustered nervousness that had been appearing because of such kind words. "Accepting any boon and favor that comes your' way must not be an easy task to carry out." Well, maybe just a little. This didn't mean that I didn't enjoy the good feeling that I got after helping others.

A chill ran up my spine when I could feel Fluttershys' tail wrap around my waist. The feeling had brought on an exasperated gasp. There was that shy demeanor around the opposite sexes again. It made me feel so weird when stuff like this happened. My mind had already gone blank as every current subject floating around in my mind flew out of their skull. I was lucky that none of these ponies had noticed what had happened by the time that Rainbow decided to finally comment on my life-style.

"Well, I got to admit that you have a lot of rules; You actually sound kind of like Twilight."

Feeling the urge to look over at the cyan pegasus, my senses soon returned to me by the time that I had done so. It was a relief to see that Dash wasn't mocking me anymore, but I didn't hold my breath. "'Like Twilight'; is that a good thing?" A hint of cluelessness caught itself on my breath. I hadn't even yet met this other person, so I wasn't sure if something like this was a compliment. Dash seemed to think of it as such, at least. A rough knock to the shoulder caused me to teeter slightly while a bruise began to form underneath the bandages.

"Of course it's a good thing, Baker-Boy. Twilight is probably the good-est kind of good out there."

I cringed at this poor vocabulary usage before resuming a slightly up-beat demeanor. At least that I knew that the pony that I was going to visit wouldn't attack me. If anything, she should be able to send me right back home in a flash by how she sounds. "Well, I gotta hand it to you though; If you can really live by forty-five rules without going crazy, I guess you're sort of cool. It actually sounds kind of like something a super hero would do." Me; a superhero? Pardon my rudeness for calling Dash out on that one.

"I'm afraid that you're wrong there, Dash. I'm not a hero of any sort. I'm just your average, everyday guy."

I kindly waved an open palm to dismiss Rainbows' assumption of how I sounded, but this only seemed to cause her to become ever the more stubborn with the point she was trying to make. "See? That's exactly what some sort of comic-book hero would say!" Although this was a very kind thing to say, I didn't think I was anything of the sort. The only thing that I was, was 'normal'. Plain and simple. In order to defend my side of the newly forming argument, I blew off the idea entirely.

"It's just how I live. It's not special. It's just me."

Rainbow seemed like she was on the verge of pulling either her hair or mine out. By the looks of it, she was definitely considering to give mine a good tug. All she really did however was throw her front legs in the air in a sudden burst of frustration. "Oh, come on! That's exactly what a super hero would say!" I had a feeling that it would be wise if I stayed silent for a while.

We're here. We're finally here! It was a long and harrowing journey, but we finally made it! Now, I will admit that I was a little taken back about the fact that the Golden Oaks Library was actually a giant, hollowed-out tree that was turned into a house. Just how could it still be alive? Magic, you say? Yeah, that just about sounds right for a day like today.

All exaggeration cast aside, I will admit that this looked like a pretty cozy home. I was half-tempted to call it a 'tree-house', but the cheesy pun may not have been as appreciated as I may have thought it to be.

Beside me the entire time that I began to approach the door to the library, my small group of ponies kept together while casually speaking to each other about the topics that Pinkie could randomly spout from her mouth. Strange, I had become oddly accustomed to that kind of talk in less than a day. It was like that pink pony was trying to pull me into her own little world with words.

Fluttershy, still hanging onto my back, gently nestled herself against my neck. I could feel her tail tighten when she wrapped her legs around my waist. By how things sounded, Fluttershy was starting to awaken from her unconscious state. I could hear light mumbling coming from her, but other than this there wasn't much to note aside from a few small movements. The poor dear must have still been exhausted.

Reaching the door, I carefully examined it to be almost exactly like Fluttershys'. It was a wooden double door, but the only real difference between this one and Fluttershys' was that there was a painting of a lit candle being held on a small holder on the top half. At the bottom of the painting, I could easily see a small hole in the door almost as if it was to insert something into. I could only guess that the painting was some sort of instruction for those that didn't know how to put a candle holder on a door.

With my current situation of giving a pegasus a piggyback ride, I bet that you could guess that my hands had been plenty occupied while trying to make sure that Fluttershy wouldn't fall off my back. This being said, to make my presence known I regrettably had to kick lightly on the door to make any noise at all. There was a thought in the back of my head reminding me to make sure and duck a little before entering, lest I want a bump on my head from the door frame.

'Knock, Knock, Knock'

I could already hear a voice from the inside of the building. It sounded kind of like a little boy. "Hold on, I'll be right there!" The voice called out frantically as if whomever had been coming to answer was rushing to the door. Drawing back my foot, I waited a few seconds before watching the door pulling back slowly. On the other side, I had been met with quite the odd sight. It was a small, purple reptilian creature with green scales running along its' spine. The green scales stood up kind of like a mohawk, but they trailed down its' spine and to the end of the tail. I guess this creature really was a kid by how he barely stood tall enough to be eye level with my knees. From what I could see, this strange being stood on his back legs, like a human would.

Yeah, I told you; quite the sight.

Anyways, it seemed that the small reptilian had yet to notice me with his shut eyes during the process of opening the door. With his eyes shut cautiously, the strange reptilian spoke. "Hello, Welcome to the Golden Oaks Library. How may I help y-" It trailed off when once opening its' eyes to me. Already looking up, this creature had only been able to welcome my belt-buckle. The reptile had to almost look directly upward to get a look at my face.

Now, I'm not sure if the light that I was in just made me look intimidating or something, but it could be seen that the little creature had definitely not been expecting something such as myself at the door today. Granted, my shadow fell upon him in a possibly unsettling manner, but I meant no harm. To be honest, I think that the two of us were thinking the same thing about each other.

'What the heck is that thing?'

The true awkwardness began once our eyes met each others. Our silence was almost too uncomfortable to even speak up about, so I counted my blessings when Pinkie interrupted this little introduction. The Pink pony zipped in between us happily hugging the purple reptile. "Hey, Spike! Is Twilight in?" Pinkie blurted out before releasing the tiny reptile, whom I would suppose was named 'Spike', fall out of her hug.

Spike held his head with some slight disorientation, but that probably would just be expected after getting a hug like what I just witnessed. The reptile shook the dizziness off of him before looking back at Pinkie and the rest of my group. It must have looked like it was strange to see all these ponies at the libraries front door, I'm sure. Still, Spike treated it casually as if it would be something normal. "Oh, hey Pinkie. What's everypony doing here?" Then he looked at me. It made me feel terrible to see something so small tremble in my presence. "Is, uh, this guy a friend of yours'?" A quick nod from Pinke was all that had been needed before any fearful shivers vanished from Spike. Knowing this, he opened the door a little bit more in an inviting fashion. "Oh, okay then. Twilights' been expecting Fluttershy for a while, but I'm sure that she wouldn't mind a visit." I cleared my throat when hearing this.

"Well, actually-"

Turning my body to the side casually, I revealed the butter-yellow pegasus on my back. "We've come because of that appointment." Her pink mane somewhat drooping over my shoulder, I was surprised that it wasn't noticed sooner. Then again, I did sort of tower over this tiny reptilian so there could be reasoning behind this. None the less, this didn't mean that the lizard creature in front of me wasn't at least somewhat surprised by the sight. Spike took a step toward me before timidly taking a couple back in case I had been responsible for any violent nature.

"Fluttershy? What happened to her?"

A soft humming proceeded to come from Fluttershy as she opened her eyes with a peaceful yawn. "It's fine..." The relaxed words spoke. Well, at least I knew that Fluttershy had been awake for a while now. Looking down upon Spike from up on my back, Fluttershy kindly smiled. "I'm afraid that I might have passed out earlier. Nothing to worry about, I can assure you." Not questioning any of this, I suspected that Spike either had been able to see this as the truth or that it was just totally expected of this little pony.

Slowly turning around, the purple lizard before me motioned for us to enter with a friendly smile. "Come on then, don't just stand outside. Twilight is actually starting to become a little impatient." You're telling me. All of these distractions had begun to cause my patience to teeter as well. So slowly following in the treehouse after Spike, I could already tell that the rest of the ponies with me had already begun to follow suit. I couldn't help but notice Spike showing a bit more enthusiasm when seeing Rarity for some reason.

I had to duck my head down just a little bit to get inside, but it wasn't anything too bad. The sights did more than make up for the small door. The ceiling was surprisingly high to have a door like this building did. Sure, this was a fashionably small library but I hadn't ever seen one like this. The walls were lined with shelves upon shelves of books. Opposite to what you would expect, there were only shelves built into the walls of this establishment and no place else. Sure, all of the other libraries that I had been to usually had some shelves out in the center of the floor, but this wasn't really any kind of library that I had seen before. The only thing that was out on the floor had been a large stump that had been turned into a table. Rooted into the tree somehow, the large table top held an abundant about of books, scrolls, and texts all along the top.

It seemed that this pony enjoyed reading a little too much.

A large, wooden Trojan horse head stood tall and proud in the center of the table as its' neck connected with the table top. It was quite the head-turning decorative piece. So all-in-all, this place was pretty nice, if not just a little strange. A very high ceiling, and good lighting. Books being everywhere, I could see this was a home but also a Library to the core. Still, the one thing perplexing me about this library wasn't the shelves, books, or ceiling.

"Hey, why are you just staring at me like that?"

Oh geeze, I must have gotten so caught up in things that I didn't even notice that I had been staring at Spike. Shock already overcoming me, I tried to cover my tacks in a nervous jumble of words. "S-sorry,-I-didn't-mean-to-stare!" Dear goodness, I really was hopeless, wasn't I? Still, I suppose that I owe Spike some sort of explanation for what I had been doing. Didn't want to look like some sort of creeper. "Well, the thing is that I don't really know what you are exactly." If I had a hand free, I would punch myself for saying that. Thank goodness Spike didn't find any offense to this. He was actually quite mature and understanding about it. That is, until he gave me a sly point of the finger.

"You know, I was kind of wondering the same thing about you."

I deserved that.

A comical chuckle broke out from Spike as he seemed to find joy in my embarrassment. He must have been only joking. "Don't sweat it, Big Guy. I'm just playing with you a little." There was a light tap on the side of my leg when feeling Spike knock his knuckles against it playfully. Spike was quite mature for how old he looked. "Anyways-" Spike began while crossing his arms proudly. "The name's Spike. Aside from being a dragon, I'm also the number one assistant of the pony that lives here." he paused before striking a pose of anticipation. "Wait for it." His moderately child-like demeanor was amusing as he tempted me to wait. "The one! The only! Twilight Sparkle!" As the dragon struck a pose, I somehow found myself calmly admiring Spike for such a way of wording. It definitely wasn't one like I had ever seen before. Kind of over-the-top, but in a tolerable way. Not to mention that I found it intriguing that Spike had been a dragon, but that was also something that perplexed me.

Weren't dragons supposed to be... you know; giant, scale covered, death creatures? All the while, Spike seemed calm, if not just plain down to earth.

"Well, that's quite impressive. You're the first dragon that I've ever met."

This only seemed to boost Spikes morale as he stood even prouder than before. "I bet that's pretty cool, huh? I can even breath fire and everything." I was quite impressed to see that this had been indeed true as the last few words he spoke burned with the small green flames coming out of his mouth as if to try and show off; and show-off he did. Even going as far to flex his muscles, I felt somewhat as if he deserved applause. However if I did, it could cause Fluttershy quite a bit of a rough landing on the floor. For this reason, I would wait to give any more praise. In the meantime, Spike had already guided us to the center of the room to wait.

"Here, you can wait here while I go get Twilight. She's upstairs, so it will only take a minute."

Watching Spike run upstairs, I kept a brow arched as there had been a feminine voice heard coming from upstairs. The slightest of pitter pattering from Spike climbing the stairs made sure not to drown it out. I tried to listen to what was going on, but from what it sounded this voice was going on about something similar to properly alphabetizing the dictionary. Nothing that I needed to concern myself with. All that I needed to do was wait.

In the meantime, I suppose the best thing for me to do right now would be for Fluttershy to get off my back for the time being. Not that it still bothered me, but I wouldn't expect that the pegasus would still want to be close to something as weird looking as I was. To her, I must have looked ghastly. A monster, perhaps. Yes, it was probably best to get her off my back soon.

Shrugging a couple of times to get her attention, the movement brought some focus upon me. Raising her tired head up as I looked back, I tried to be polite about this. "Not to kick you off my back, but wouldn't you prefer to stand? I'd hate to make you feel as I had to carry you against your' will." You know, I said this but a part of me wished to believe that I could have kept carrying her around. I supposed that there had been some enjoyment in all of this for me. Oh well, it was a passing feeling and would vanish over time. No use thinking about it too much.

Fluttershy didn't quite confirm what I had said at first until completely arriving to the waking world to fully realize just how close that she had been to me all this time. Her tail that wrapped around my waist pulled away from me as the mare flew off my back. "O-oh, sorry. I didn't realize..." The yellow pegasus kept herself suspended in the air as she shuffled her fore hooves together. By how she hung her head, it looked almost as if she had been blaming herself for something. Did she think that I would scold her?

Showing no such desire, I sat down on the floor before patting the wooden space beside me. "How about we sit down for a minute. We might as well relax before anything else weird happens today." With how my day had been going, I guess it was only second nature to expect misfortune to come my way by now. There was a moments hesitation to Fluttershy when hearing me, but eventually she did lower herself onto the ground beside me. She sat down quietly as the two of us could hear the conversing between the other four ponies that had graciously blessed us with their presence today. No, that wasn't sarcasm this time. I had actually come to enjoy the company of these ponies. They were so trusting, and kind.

In my time of observation of those in front of me, I had yet to hear the sounds of hoof steps coming down from the staircase. A lavender unicorn that stood half-way through the flight of stairs had paused to gawk and stare at the back of my head while I sat and stared straight forward. Unsure to what she was seeing at first, the mare rubbed her eyes for a moment before taking another look. What she had been seeing must have appeared to be unbelievable. "That looks like a-" She mumbled to herself when inching down the stairs. "-but it couldn't be." Moving further down the stairs, this pony was now able to get a better look at me. "It looks so different from the others. The body is much more proportional. Tan-ish skin, small eyes?" It was like she was comparing me to something all the while drawing closer and closer to me. The lavender pony squinted slightly to try and get a better look at me. "It looks so different, but how?" The question lingered in the air for a moment.

The unicorns' first hoof touched the bare floor as her eyes never left where I sat; slowly approaching as if a precaution. She was already staring at a profile view of my head when I finally caught a glimpse her. In the corner of my peripherals, I turned my head to the lavender unicorn as the action caused her to jump with awe. "Ah, you must be Twilight sparkle. I've been looking forward to meeting you" It was good that I had finally been able to meet this pony; the pony that was going to send me home.

To my statement, she gave no reply. Staring at me, the pony drew closer at a slightly quickened pace until she was oh-so-uncomfortably in my face. "This was a little closer than I expected this introduction to be." I lightly joked to cover up any impending nervousness. My words were ignored. Sure, our faces never touched, but the discomfort was more than felt. Even Fluttershy was at a bit of a loss when taking a look at her.

"I don't believe it."

Already gaining the attention the remainder of the group, this pony had come to receive quite a few unsure looks... Well, except from Pinkie, of course. Pinkie Pie just didn't seem the least bit phased by this interaction. "Hey Twilight. Have you met Jacob?" That upbeat demeanor couldn't falter, could it?

So this was the ever-so-genius, Twilight Sparkle that I've heard about? The pony staring at me point-blank with those gargantuan orbs they called eyes? I hope you won't think less of me for questioning why someone thought bringing me to this pony would be of any help in the slightest.

There could have been something to say on my side of the conversation if not for Twilight letting out a shrill scream of excitement, that of which sent me into a reeling state of shock. Rearing back on her hind legs, the unicorn kicked her fore legs out happily before bringing them down onto the floor. "I don't believe it! A human!" All in the while, I once again landed flat on my back. My ears had already begun to ring and pulsate from the cries from this unicorns screams. Fluttershy had been staring down at the zonked out look my face gave as my own eyes spun in circles.

I had to slap both hands against the sides of my face to cease the independent actions that my eyes had taken upon themselves to provide. Strange, they had never done something like that before. I didn't even think that this could be possible. Wait, was this place effecting my body somehow? I know it's weird to say, but the last time I checked my eyes were incapable of mimicking a chameleons'!

Pretty soon, my body had pulled itself right off the floor against my own will. Little did I know that a lavender hue had begun to cover my body as I sat up once more. I never even noticed it dissipating, let alone being there in the first place. A light heartbeat pounded against my chest as my teeth bit down onto each other.

For whatever reason that there could have been, Twilight had been looking up and down my body as if I was some sort of science experiment. "Lyra must have been right! Humans do exist!" At this point in time, I had more than plenty of reason to be afraid of this unicorn, and afraid I was! Lucky for me, Applejack had already begun to intervene.

"Whoa, hold yer hooves there, Twi. We ain't here for ya to study Jake like a apple for rot."

Thank God for Applejack! A second later, and I feared that I would be strapped down on the top of a dissection table. Planting a soft push against Twilight to give me some breathing distance, Applejack seemed a bit worried by how worked up this unicorn had become. "C'mon Twi, try to stay with us." Almost oblivious to the presences of the ponies around me, Twilight lifted her head away from me and to Applejack almost as if discovering that they had been here the entire time. The country pony motioned her head in my direction before continuing. "Fluttershy said that Jacob was coming to see ya for some help." Twilight bashfully let her eyes trail along the ceiling, regretting her overreaction. Her ears flipped back before giggling quietly to herself.

"Heh-heh...Oh... I see..."

When looking back at me, there was a twinkle in Twilights' eyes. It was as if she had begun to mentally take notes over my appearance. She tilted her head and lifted a brow before saying anything. "I remember that Fluttershy had come by today asking me what kind of animal could meet a description similar to this-" This pony was having quite the ordeal just trying to contain her curiosity. "-,but I never imagined that what she found would be like you." Twilight cleared her throat upon noticing that she had been stumbling backwards into her previous state of intrigue. Pulling herself from it, Twilight managed to keep herself from examining me. "Still, you said that you've come here for a reason?" She wanted to change the subject quickly.

Slowly, I got to my feet for the um-teenth time today. It was a relief that my height didn't frighten Twilight. Wouldn't want to ruin any chances of getting home, you know? "Yes, but it may be a tad bit complicated." The lavender mare was more than interested to hear me out, if not skeptically curious. The only problem was to try and figure out how to word my predicament properly. My arms crossed themselves during my time of mental struggle. "How could I word this?" There was no easy way to explain it. All that I could do was try not to land myself into an even worse situation than I had been already.

"This morning, I woke up in the place that you all seem to all call The Everfree Forest; a land mark that has never even been remotely similar to any other forest where I am from."

Twilight started to question the reliability of my statement, but continued listening.

"I've been chased and almost eaten by creatures that I never knew existed, almost died multiple times, and lost my only way to call home."

There was a heavy weight in my gut when thinking about how I so carelessly threw away my cell phone.

"What I'm getting at is that I need to get home."

My explanation, although vague, did seem to be enough to at least bring the unicorn to ponder over my explanation. A hoof had been under her chin while doing so. Soon after, the unicorn turned around before making her way to one of the bookshelves built into the walls of her home. Although curiosity had more than gotten the best of me on what action the unicorn could have in mind for my problem, it was again Applejack that was able to speak up once more. "Do ya think that there's a spell for this, Twilight?" Ever silent as she reached the bookshelf, Twilight began letting her eyes glide across the names labeled on their spines. As she did so, the books on the shelf glowed with a lavender hue.

It was quite the sight to see Twilight use her magic to look through the books. Here I was, watching a bunch of books levitating off their shelves all the while forming a circle around a pastel colored unicorn. She hummed to herself as if in deep thought, looking through the individual titles as they slowly rotated around her. "I'm unsure, but from what it appears this could just be a case of spontaneous teleportation." Spontaneous tele-... What in Great Greens was 'Spontaneous Teleportation'?

"Ah-ha! Here it is; An Equestrians' Guide to Simple Mythology and Pony Tales."

Staring at the book with curious eyes, I could see that this thick book levitating in place as the remainder of the books slid back on the shelf in their designated places; in alphabetical order, no less. As the light color left the covers of these books, the same shade that carried the large book Twilight decided to keep flipped open the books hard cover. "Now, let's take a good look at the index." Using a hoof to skim through the first few pages, Twilight lightly tapped the table of contents the moment she reached it. The very same hoof slowly drug itself downward as the unicorn scanned the book for any possible leads from the index. "Now, let's see... Har-Machis, Harpy-Ponies..." Trailing off into mumbles, it wasn't for a few seconds that Twilight spoke up once more. "-Humans; page four-hundred and fifty-seven." With that, the pages in the book began to flutter about as magic carried them from one side of the hard-back, to the other.

"I hope that you will not think any less of me for saying so, but I never expected something like a human would ever wind up in Ponyville."

A heavy feeling had soon to make itself present within my being. I was beginning to get a little jittery knowing that the only possible lead on getting home was a book on mythology. Twilights' statement kind of rubbed me the wrong way, as well. Not to the point of anger, but to concern. There had been no qualms to showing some worry, but I had to force some back to prevent any sort of overreaction. "Why is that?" My voice shook, realizing how the chances of getting home had become all the slimmer with every passing second.

"Well, I'm not an expert on anthropology, so maybe the book could explain that a little better than I can."

There was that heavy feeling in my gut again. It felt like my stomach was doing flips when finally noticing Twilight beginning to read.

"Humans; a mythical creature of the classification of the Homo genus. Closely related to the subspecies beyond the Crystal Mirror known as Homo equus, Homo sapiens hold strong similarities to their close relatives yet hold major physical differences."

Pausing from her reading, Twilight looked up from the book to make her own personal discovery. She looked at me with excitement. "So that's why you looked so different. I mistook you for a different kind of human." Different kind of human? Did this mean that Twilight had met some sort of human before? I couldn't help but feel lost.

"-Said to be bi-pedal creatures, it is known for the members of this name to use height for a symbol of authority and dominance. Homo-Sapiens are a barbarian race that are rumored to have existed before the reign of the Alicorn Sisters. Although it is unknown what or where their point of origin was, it is suspected that Humans inhabited Ancient Equestrian Territories at one point in time before disappearing completely."

It was becoming more and more difficult to not just lose it right then and there. The tormenting thoughts from earlier chewed at the base of my brain as Twilight read off information about my own species. It didn't sound accurate, but this was the least of my worries. "A-ancient Equestria? Disappearing completely?" I wheezed these words out in an unnoticed mumble.

It was right about now that the majority my worry had finally begun to show. A slight trembling in my shoulders told me that this may have been the tipping point for me today. I had to force back any possible signs of speech behind barred teeth. From what I was hearing, I couldn't have expected it to be any worse.

-But it could, and it did.

"No evidence has been found to prove the existence of Homo-sapiens, so it has been scientifically concluded that these creatures never existed."

Author's Note

-Another re-written chapter. I am glad that I am re-writing these.

Ch.7: Myth

Sunshine

A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction

By Gen

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!?"

That was it. That was all that I was going to take. Granted that this probably wasn't the most physically damaging, but all of the stress that had built up throughout the course of this entire messed up ordeal of a day had finally bubbled and frothed to the point of escaping its' confinement.

My eyes had widened almost enough to completely reveal the ocular organs within my skull. Fists clinched themselves tightly as their arms stiffly pointed their knuckles downward to the floor. Not to mention my slacking jaw that had opened only enough for one to somewhat see the contents within my mouth. Within the following silence, I could feel a drop of sweat sliding down my face.

This was probably the worst news that I could have been told.

Twilight Sparkle had taken a step back upon my frantic outburst. Her head recoiled back somewhat from the yell, but her neck kept it upon her body easily. The book she had once levitated was now lifelessly sprawled open on the floor. The booming thud had barely been heard over the echoing volume I used. All this time that the two of us stood still, our gaze didn't leave each others' direction. We just stood there; staring at one another with our own unique panicked expressions.

My shout had already done more to draw attention from the remaining members of my party while they either stood still or watched me with the utmost anxiety. Making sure to keep a close eye on me for the moment, Applejack slowly made her way next to me in case I did something I might regret later. Making sure that I didn't do anything potentially harmful to her or her friends, Applejack was ready to strike if the moment called for it. A single flinch that she spotted in my posture caused the Earth Pony to let up however.

I hung my head low now as I could feel any anger, depression, and despair fade from reality, only to be replaced with sadness and confusion as my shoulders began to sag downward. Giving the floorboards a solemn shake of my head, I begun to be uncertain if there was anything to do now.

"No, no, no... This can't be right."

The last ounce of hope that I had for getting home was now reduced to nothing. My right hand covered it's side of my face as I fought back the urge of a mental break down. "This can't be right. This is just a nightmare, and I'm going to wake up any time now." Denial had already begun to set in before falling to my own knees. I shook my head, not wanting to realize the possible truth. "How can humans not exist? I exist, so how the hell could any of that be true?" The on-looking ponies near me watched, knowing that there might not have been anything that could have been done to console me.

I felt broken. Like everything that happened today, and all the effort that I put into getting home was all for nothing. It was like my life was slipping away from me. What was going to happen now? What would happen back home? What about my family? What about them?

With minor hesitation to her approach, Twilight took a step toward me in attempt to reason with me. The familiar, soft clopping of hooves on wood came to my ears. I knew when she had been in front of me by the time a hoof placed itself on my shoulder.

"Jacob, I'm sorry." Twilight paused, not knowing exactly was was to be said to comfort me. "I thought that it would help if you knew what we did about humans, but it seems that it hasn't shown you any kindness."

There was nothing kind about this. To find out that ones' own existence was false was not kind; it was devastating.

What could be done about that now though? Not like anything could be done. Any urge to fight on toward a way home had already drained from my system. All that I could do now was sit on my knees and stare at the floor. "Please, just send me home." This pitiful plea seemed to shed light on what had been unfolding before her. By now, Applejack had come to see what was happening as the country pony looked upon me solemnly. Even if suspicion said to them that I was some sort of monster about to go ona rampage, I was the exact opposite. I was just a poor soul who was lost and afraid.

Saddened to see such a sight, Twilight watched me stare down at the floor as if it could hold answers for me. Looking upstairs warily, Twilight pondered to herself whether anything could have been done to help me at all. At this point, anything probably would help. Twilight showed a hint of doubt at the doorway, but eventually seemed convinced to try whatever she had been planning.

The lavender unicorn looked back at me with a smile to try and comfort me, but I dared not look up from the floor. "Well, there could be something up in my room. It's an older book of for more complicated folk tales. I believe that there is chapter over human mythology." I felt Twilight take her hoof off of my shoulder. "I can go get it, but it will take a while. I'm not sure where I placed it last." Twilight showed pity for me for what possible tragedy I could have been swept up into. Lost, troubled, and who knows just how far away from home; Twilight felt somewhat blessed that she wouldn't be put into that position any time soon. Slowly turning on her hooves, Twilight turned to the remainder of the ponies in the room.

"Girls, I'm going to head upstairs. Jacob will have to stay down here, so would it be possible to watch him while I'm gone?"

Hanging her stetson over her chest, Applejack watched me sitting lifelessly on the floor. Donning it once more she gave a soft nod. "Yeah, that might be for the best." It seemed the others shared the feeling. At least with some confidence that I would be safe in her absence, Twilight gave me one last look. She was about to say something to me, but it seemed that the words escaped her as Twilights' mouth closed before a single word came out. At the first step up the stairs, Twilight seemed to have found the courage to speak once more. She looked at her friends before continuing up.

"I know that it's a lot to ask, but it would be best if Jacob wasn't alone right now. I fear that this may have been too much for him to handle, and leaving him alone wouldn't be the wisest thing to do. Try and help him relax. There's a sofa in the basement, so try and see if you can get him to calm down before I get back."

Twilight was right. I needed to keep my wits about me, but how would something like that be possible after learning what I had? I was in a strange land with no ensured way of getting home. How could I possibly relax after knowing this? I could only wonder as the sound of a shutting door came from the top of the staircase.

"Whoa... That escalated quickly."

Almost as if Twilight Sparkles' absense was a signal to begin conversing, Rainbow let out a long exhale. Any chance of a awkward silence had now been broken by the rainbow pony, and I was more than thankful for that. Allowing myself to sit cross-legged, I leaned backward a little to stare at the ceiling while using my spare arm to prop myself up. I said nothing. Did nothing. Thought nothing. "Hey, are you gonna be alright, Baker-Boy?" I continued to stare at the ceiling, slowly blinking.

"Yeah... No... I don't know." The correct answer escaped me. "I guess that was just too much to take in for one person."

Only now did my right hand finally fall from my face. Not far from me, Fluttershy sat quietly on the floor; my angered outburst had brought on a jump from the little pegasus, but nothing else besides a fearful look. By now, that expression had more than faded when seeing how distraught I had become. Although it was true that she couldn't feel my pain, she knew that what I had been feeling must have been excruciating on some level.

Standing up, Fluttershy stayed where she was for a second before slowly walking to my side. Having yet to notice her, I was too caught up in my own empty-minded-ness to hear her getting closer. Only when she spoke beside me, was I finally able to finally notice her. I could feel Fluttershy lightly nudging against my shoulder to grab my attention. "Jacob, what's wrong? Twilight didn't mean to say anything rude, I'm sure." I wish that it was that simple. To blame how I felt on what Twilight said. No matter how badly I could have wanted to, it just wasn't possible.

"No, it's not that."

The truths of this world had begun to crash down upon me in an almost suffocating manner. It had become difficult for me to collect any of my bearings. All attempts to remain in a constant calm state had all been in vain. I tried to look at Fluttershy without seeming saddened, but even that was impossible. Still, no matter just how confused I was, there was one thing that I knew for sure.

"It just seems that I was right all along."

My comment had stunned Fluttershy from what I could tell, but I only took this as a time to sit up straight once more. A strict moment of silence passed before I could feel Fluttershy leaning against me. One of her wings stretched over my back until it wrapped around my furthest shoulder. For some reason, the action made me feel a little better.

In a quiet mumble, Fluttershy looked down at the ground. Once more, the timid pegasus fiddled with her hooves when letting her eyes trail back up to me. "You said that your' mom always said that hugs could make anything better, right?" There was a thought in the back of my mind denying that my own mothers statement was wrong, but a growing warm sensation in my gut told me that thought was wrong. Thanks to this feeling I wasn't sad anymore, but left a little confused. All that I could do was sit there and listen as Fluttershy continued with what she had to say. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm glad that your' here." She lifted her head up at me with a smile before looking down at the floor, saddened.

"I know that sounds selfish of me, but I really am. I don't know where you're from, but you are still the nicest pony... or, um... person that I've ever met. You're so forgiving and friendly. You have such a good sense of humor and you're a very a good listener." Fluttershy paused before continuing. "You even carried me when I fainted. I know that it sounds dumb, but that was one of the few kindest things that anypony had ever done for me. You even let me speak whenever you met Pinkie Pie. It felt so strange that you would go out of your' way to just let me talk, but at the same time I really liked it. No-pony would have done something like that for me, and I'm just glad that it happened."

My hands had clasped together tightly while Fluttershy spoke of how kind of a person that I was. It actually sounded like she didn't want me to leave at all. For a moment, it felt like I thought the same thing. Looking down at my hands, I couldn't help my notice their trembling as they held each other tightly.

"You're not selfish." I released a silent laugh as a soft smile formed on my lips. "If anything, you and your' friends are one of the only good things that have happened to me lately."

Shaking my head slowly, I couldn't help but notice that an unchangeable, calm smile had already appeared on my face. Something about what Fluttershy told me just made everything feel like this wasn't as terrible as it seemed. Taking in a rough breath in through my nose, I tried to remain calm. "What a messed-up day this has been." I had to run a hand through my hair to really be able to recollect any thoughts about what all happened over the duration of the past few hours. If anything, a day like today shouldn't have even been able to exist... Yet, neither was I, apparently.

FWEEEEEEEET!!!

The noise of a party blower rang directly in my ear as Fluttershy and I fell back from our own shock. Barely even a couple feet from me, Pinkie bounced up and down with a joyous smile on her face. "I knew that would work! I just knew it!" Donning a pointed, polka-dotted party hat on the top of her puffy mane, Pinkie grinned a toothy grin. Switching between two hooves to stand on, Pinkie bit down on the mouthpiece of her party blower feeling rather accomplished for her actions.

Sitting up in a huff, Fluttershy had been so terrified that she clung to my arm like crazy glue. I had to twist a pinkie in my ear just so that I could hear properly. Shooting a glare at the party pony, I couldn't help but feel mildly annoyed. Yanking the pinkie from my ear, I switched fingers with my hand to point an accusing finger at the pony. "Pinkie, what in Great Greens are you doing?" Pinkie showed no remorse for her actions as she giggled to herself, triumphantly.

"Not sad anymore, are you?"

Catching me more than off guard with this, I could feel my pointed finger beginning to slack a little as it slowly just flopped downward to point at the floor. Being left at a loss, I wasn't quite sure what to think about what all had been happening. I actually had to take a moment and try to understand the logic behind these actions. "Well, no but-" Seeming to be enough for Pinkie, the pink pony shoved a hoof in my face to silence me.

"Mission accomplished! Next on the agenda! Jokes!"

Jokes?

Fluttershy had begun to loosen her grip on me by the time that Pinkie lowered her hoof from my face. There now being a small imprint of a hoof-print on my face which vanished upon the hoofs removal. The small stinging sensation had been ignored however as I arched a brow to watch Pinkie clear her throat with a dignified and sophisticated posture, only for it to become wild and crazy one barely even a second later. "How do you crack an egg?" Pressing her face close to mine, I had to pull my head back to Fluttershy as the two of us blankly watched Pinkie pull herself back to give the punch-line. "Tell it a good yolk." Pinkie giggled and snorted at her own punchline before looking to see that neither I nor Fluttershy had begun to laugh. "Darn-" Sitting on her haunches, Pinkie patted one hoof onto the other. "-Looks like I gotta use the really good material." She rubbed a hoof under her chin in a strange sort of way to think, but her eyes twinkled before letting out an excited gasp. "Oooo, Yeah; I'll use that one!" With that, Pinkie jumped back from us a few steps before starting her next joke.

"So there were two muffins in an oven. The first one leans over to the second and says, 'Man, it sure is hot in here!'. The second one looked shocked and screamed, 'Holy moley, a talking muffin!!'"

Okay, that one made me laugh a little. When the first laugh left my lips, Pinkie followed her jokes up with one last one-liner as she slunk to my side. "What's the matter Jake, do you find me 'punny'?" A wide smile on her face, Pinkie found joy in my laughter.

How crazy could one little pony be? It was like Pinkie was permanantly on some sort of sugar-rush. Not that it wasn't fun to watch Pinkie do all of this; it really was, but there was something that I just couldn't peice together about it. "Yes, Pinkie. You're very punny." I spoke with a laugh. "Why would you go through all of this just to tell a few jokes though?" Pinkie now stood in front of me with a pridefully comical stature. The moment she pressed her hoof against my nose, Pinkie laughed after giving a single 'boop'.

"Ha-ha, because Doctor Pinkie Pie knows exactly how to cure a bad case of the grumpies."

Hm, I guess that she does.

The topic still lingering in the room somewhere within its' shadows, it was inevitable that it would be brought up once more. I just expected that I would be the one to bring it up, instead of Dash. The cyan pegasus didn't seem too enthused about getting back to the topic, but it was much too vital at the moment. "Not that I want to break up the good feelings, but what do we do now?" The subject did seem to turn quite a bit of attention towards finding an answer to that question, but I was the only one that spoke my mind on the matter.

Pushing myself to my feet, I tried my best not to sound ungrateful about what I was about to say. It would be a difficult task to say the least. "Much as I hate to say, it might be best that this be the time I go on alone." Yeesh, even I didn't like how that sounded. My mouth formed a wriggled 'S' shape as I could feel my bandages when scratching the back of my neck. Taking one good look at the ponies around me had let me know their confusion about my suggestion. "Listen, I know that this has been fun. It's been the most enjoyable experience that I've ever had just to spend a portion of a day with you all." I smiled at them all to try and make this not seem as bad as it really was. I could hear Pinkie let out a 'daww' like my words had tugged at a heartstring or two. I was going to hate myself for saying this later. "I've pulled you all from your' own lives, and I don't want to be the one getting in the way of what you all have planned to do today. So it may just be best that this be where I part ways with all of you since..." My mind blanked almost as if I didn't even want to think of a reason for leaving this little group of ponies.

"Sorry Jake, but Ah don't think that we'll take ya up on that offer."

I blinked once or twice to confirm what I had been hearing. A subconcious need to tilt my head had been fufilled as I tried to understand the logic behind all of this... Well, until Applejack was able to shed some light on the subject. "Don't get us wrong, Jake; we get where yer comin' from on this. Yer afraid, but if anypony can help you it's Twilight. You'll just have to sit this out with us until she can find out what the problem is." You couldn't debate well with that kind of logic. Not unless you were a politician. Seeing how the others completely agreed with Applejack, I knew that my idea had vanished like it never existed.

"Now, how 'bout we go grab that sofa from down in the basement? Ah hear that Twi bought a big one not too long ago while in Canterlot."

The sofa from the basement that Twilight had been talking about was a round, 'C' shaped couch that stretched around a good sum of the table that sat in the center of the library foyer. It was a soft, purple color that only caused me to suspect that these ponies only bought funiture like this if it matched their own coat color. Well, granted it was quite a few shades darker than Twilights' fur had been, but I think you get what I'm saying.

All sitting around the library table, me and the girls had begun conversing with one another while awaiting Twilight Sparkles' return. Quite a few subjects passed around the sofa that day. Some that I wish to never repeat. Never again. Some others, I wouldn't mind speaking about. Like the last subject about the topic of illiteracy between me and Fluttershy. There is no possible way to explain how this talk got to the point that it had been at now, so it would just be best to drop you in right in the middle. Trust me, it will make better sense that way.

Here I was, staring down into a book that I couldn't read anything about. No, that doesn't mean that I was too stupid to know what letters were. I mean that this wasn't some rinky-dink human alphabet. These letters were lines, and dots. Some just looked like squiggly lines.

Beside me had been Fluttershy, looking into the book in my lap that had been oh-so-carfully placed there. Holding onto one of my arms, Fluttershy read the page to herself as I struggled to comprehend what it was saying. The little pegasus had been more than clingy ever since we all went to get the sofa from the basement. Her eyes moved from left to right while easily decoding this strange jibber-jabber that I could only suppose was a written language. "This... This is embarrassing." How was I supposed to tell these girls that I couldn't read a lick of this?

H-hey! Don't you laugh at me! This was like an alien language to me. Actually, this really was an alien language to me.

Picking her head up to look at me, Fluttershy could easily spot that I had been having trouble with something about this, but couldn't exactly tell what it was. When she leaned closer against my body it was inevitable that a little pink blush tinted my cheeks. "Is something wrong, Jacob? You seem to be distressed." Yeah, I wasn't really sure how to explain this one. How could you tell someone that you couldn't read? Oh, how embarrassing this was.

Before adjusting my glasses with a hint of nervousness, I tried to calm the mysterious pounding in my chest that had only occured when Fluttershy began to lean on me. I couldn't understand the reason for the light squeezing in my chest, but it was probably best not to focus on this right now. There were more troubling things happening right now... Like explaining that you were completely illiterate to someones' language. "Well, you see..." My throat dried up before I could continue. "The thing is..." A silly, fake smile worked its' way onto my face while I struggled to say this.

"I can't..."

"...Really..."

"...Read this."

Out of all of the ways to have taken this, Fluttershy understood exactly what I had been getting at. It wasn't that she suspected that I didn't like the book. Nor was it that she thought that something had been bothering me to the point of being unable to read. Nope, she got it right on the money. At first, I could see that Fluttershy thought this was some sort of joke when she sat up; giggling a little before seeing how the laughs brought on a form of verbal withdrawal on my part. Realizing what I said was indeed truthful, she stopped short a laugh before folding her ears back a little surprised. "O-oh my, I'm sorry. I didn't think that you were serious." There was nothing that I could really say to try and defend myself on the subject. I just looked away before realizing how lucky I was for the two of us speaking so quietly. We hadn't even made a dent in the conversation that the others had been having. I believe it was something about Pinkie being able to fit fifty marshmallows in her mouth and still speak fluently.

Closing the book, I placed both hands on the top of its' hard cover. My fingers tapped against it lightly enough to not grab anyones' attention. The burden of self-conscious had begun to bare weight on my shoulders. "It's not like I can't read. I just can't read how you do." Couldn't really seem to break through to Fluttershy with this wording. Not like I expected it to be that easy, but I figured that I could at least try and give a better understanding.

On the table, I couldn't help but notice a well of ink with a quill sticking out of the top. Beside it had been a loose piece of parchment. With everything that was scattered about on the tabletop, I was surprised that one would be able to find anything. I hadn't ever used writing tools like these before, but it was worth a shot. So scooting close to the edge of the sofa, I took the piece of parchment and brought the ink closer to me.

"Um, maybe this could use an example. Please come closer so I can explain."

Doing as asked, Fluttershy moved closer to the edge of the sofa to watch what I had been doing. I dabbed the quill in the ink well a couple of times before taking it out and over the paper. A couple black blots stained the parchment before I began writing, but when I did it brought some interest from Fluttershy. "Alright, I'm going to spell something simple while using my alphabet. I'll make it something simple, if that's alright with you." The quill drug itself across the top of the paper as my hand guided it along the way. I had to dip the quill between letters, but it turned out that using this was easy. Pretty soon, I had a sloppily written word chicken-scratched onto the paper for Fluttershy to see.

'DOG'

That's what it said. Just 'Dog'. Plain and simple.

Fluttershy looked down at the word with befuddlement in the same way that I had looked a few moments ago. A hoof placed over her mouth, it was like Fluttershy was wondering just what kind of strange language this was. "My, it is quite different from ours." She leaned her head in a little bit closer to get a better look at the scribbling before returning any attention back to me. "What does it say?" Just the look of curiosity she showed me made me feel at least somewhat better about not understanding their written language.

I made sure to place the quill back into the inkwell that it came from before picking up the piece of paper and handing it to Fluttershy. She took it in an open hoof to study it for a moment, almost like it was a completely new element in society. "That's how we spell 'dog' where I'm from." I could see that this had been an easier way to explain this already.

"Okay everypony, I've found the book."

I had hardly even come to notice Twilight entering the room once more; let alone with a huge, dusty, dictionary-like book. Just the thickness of it this collection of paper frightened somewhat.

Trotting down the steps with the book being held by means of magic, Twilight made herself feel at home when sitting on the edge of the sofa directly beside me. This didn't stop Pinkie from trying to climb over everyone just to get a good look at the book though. "Ooo, that's a huge book!" At the time, Pinkie had been both standing on Fluttershys' head and using mine as a sort of counter-balance to prevent herself from falling. "I don't think I've seen that book around here, Twilight. It's all old, and nifty!" Pinkie Pie leaned down to get a better look at the book while using Fluttershy and myself like a couple of rocks to lean on.

"Ahem."

My rough voice came as a surprise to Pinkie when she looked down to see what her actions had done. Once more, a mild annoyance built up inside of me before the pink pony carefully stepped down off of us and back to her spot with a nervous chuckle.

"Oh, sorry about that."

The book Twilight had was a large blue book with a golden emblem baring some resemblance to the Trojan ornament in the center of the table we sat at. I could only guess that it was a hint that this book may have been older than all seven of us combined, though the cobwebs inside the first page got that hint across quite well too. No wonder Twilight needed time finding this thing. It must have been locked away or lost somewhere.

"Oh, that layer of dust must have a generation all its' own!"

Rarity nearly bolted to the opposite end of the sofa while treating the book as if it carried the plague. You could only expect that from a froufrou kind of girl like Rarity. The sight of that dust terrified the mare when thinking about it coming in contact with her. This drama being something that caused Applejack to snort from her nostrils with frustration.

"Consarn it, Rarity. A little dirt never hurt nothin'."

The fashionista seemed pretty dead-set in her ways as Applejack rolled her eyes before looking back to Twilight from the middle seat of the sofa. "So Twi, you got something that could help Jake with his problem?" A little bit closer to Rarity than Applejack was, Rainbow was lounging on one of the seat cushions on this furniture rather calmly. Not seeming to care, all that seemed to matter to this mare was her relaxation.

Rainbow let out a long yawn while stretching her wings and legs out in every direction. A light popping sounded from her back when working any kinks from her system. "Yeah, let's try to wrap this up. I have to clear the skies in half an hour, so let's get Baker-Boy on his merry little way back home." Wasn't she just being sweet as vinegar? None-the-less, Rainbow had a point. I needed to get home no matter what.

Some frustration of her own coming to fruition, Twilight cleared a place on her table before placing the book down with a heavy 'whump' of a noise. Twilight was able to shrug off any frustrations with Rainbow, but did still give her a look to express her mild discontent with her friends' partially rude behavior. "Rainbow, I think that this might be a little more important than clearing the skies." As some sort of retort, Twilight snidely smirked at the rainbow pegasus. "Besides, when are you ever on time?" Her eyes shooting open wide in shock, Rainbow quietly laid on the sofa without a single word.

Aside from the large amounts of dust stored up in the book, I could clearly see letters that even differed from the ones in the book Fluttershy and I had been staring into. They were more of a bulky text, but still text. Feeling a stress only similar to not paying attention during a reading lecture in a fourth grade literature class, it was becoming more and more evident on how screwed I really was to getting back home.

"I know how badly you wish to return home, Jacob. It's for this reason that I was wondering if you would like to read from the book yourself."

You remember that metaphor about not paying attention in fourth grade from just a second ago? Yeah? Well, now add the same amount of embarrassment you get when the teacher calls you out to read! With the book levitating in front of my face, I swallowed hard when looking at the blocky text inside of the book. I could feel my eyes straining to try and squeeze whatever information they could try and decipher this code with. Eventually, all attempts only wound up in failure.

Aside from the thumb and pointer finger squeezing the bridge of my nose, I could feel both of my eyes straining behind closed lids. Just trying to comprehend meaning behind this text hurt my brain! Not only was I incapable of reading this language, but now I was put on the spot to read aloud from one of these books.

The thought of pretending to read the book blew across my mind, but lying never solved anything. I would just be digging myself into an even bigger hole that I couldn't crawl out of. It would be better if I just came out with it, and told the truth. So thinking up my next words carefully, I tried my best to not sound like a complete idiot.

"I... Can't really read this..."

I awaited the ridicule from these ponies as the book only glided back to Twilight. The unicorn made herself comfortable where she laid before pulling the dusty book away from me and plunging her fullest attention into it.

"Oh, that's fine. I just wanted to see if humans could understand ancient Equestrian hieroglyphs. It was worth a shot."

They had even more languages!? They weren't all just squiggly lines!? This news was heaven-shaking to me. With a dropped jaw, I had to manually press my mandible back up before even expressing my disbelief. "H-hieroglyphs; you can read hieroglyphs!?" Just who was this little pony!? The recoil that this had sent me in was almost alarming to all those except Twilight, who had been flipping through her book.

"Of course I can. Ancient Equestrian culture is so rich in knowledge and insight that I can't resist in knowing about it."

It did sound kind of interesting.

"Book of Equestrian Mythology
Chapter Four-hundred and fifty-three:
Humans."

I won't lie to you, wondering what kind of information could be locked away in those dusty pages did perk my interest. As soon as Twilight narrowed her vision to the pages in front of her, I couldn't help but feel a negitive foreboding beginning to form.

"That's odd, it says that humans are supposedly a global threat."

Barely a second of silence from these ponies went by before they began to laugh at the mention of this. They all seemed as if they were casting this aside as fiction, if anything. "Oh, that's rich, Twilight!" Rainbow held her gut. The rainbow pegasus had been laughing so hard that she was only able to look through one squinting eye. "Next I bet you'll say that they can fly without wings!" Seeing how even Fluttershy was laughing, it was hard to tell if I was being made fun of. All that I had to do was make sure to not let any of this mocking laughter bother me.

Twilight had been wiping her eyes, only being able to talk with a giggle squeezed between the beginning of some sentences. The laughter not yet dying down, I guess that it was luck that Twilight could even feel as if she could get a word across edge-wise. "I'm very sorry Jacob, but it is a little difficult to see something like you as a threat." I don't know why, but hearing this bothered me. Not because I wanted to be a threat, but because it felt like I was being dismissed as something insignificant. I couldn't act like this bothered me though. I had to stay focused. There was no point in focusing on such menial feelings. They were useless.

"Feh, if you all want to look like jerks, then that's fine with me."

Choosing to try and look macho, I crossed my arms as I began to lean back onto the sofa. I shot a breath of air from my open mouth to sigh as I continued to listen to a the laughter that surrounded me. My comment had not even done anything to phase these girls. A part of me felt as if they thought it was a joke, but another felt like they didn't care. Well, maybe I thought they didn't care until I could feel a shove coming from Dash.

The pegasus had taken the liberty of climbing over Applejack and Pinkie just to playfully bump me into Fluttershy. Teasingly, Dash chuckled before trying to get back to lazily reclining . "Don't get so defensive, Baker-Boy!" Dash planted herself on the sofa with her fore hooves behind her head. "The book said it, not us." Maybe so, but it wasn't the book that laughed at me.

"Okay, okay, let's not get out of hoof. We've gotten our laughs out of the way, so let us continue."

Even if some of these ponies didn't stop their laughing, Twilight was right. "Let's see, humans are said to be-..." When Twilight trailed off, I uncrossed my arms and sat back upward to listen closely to what was being read.

Twilights' eyes shot open wide, and her lavender shade began to pale when I first saw her staring into that book. The lavender magic around the book faded in and out of existence before the chunk of paper and knowledge fell to the table top, and silencing any remaining laughter within the library.

What was going on? Was something wrong? My vision had followed the book as it had fallen and hit the table, successfully squishing a couple rolled-up pieces of paper that were unfortunate enough to be underneath its' weight. Concern had been what drove me to see what could have possessed Twilight to have dropped the book like she had.

About the time that I looked back at Twilight, she was steadily getting off the sofa; all the while, not letting her gaze leave where I sat. Twilights' widened eyes opened as far as they possibly could while their irises shrunk to a fraction of their usual size. The cautious maneuvers Twilight made were worrying. It made me wonder just what Twilight read in that book. Whatever it was though, it must have been devestating.

"Twilight, is everythin' alright? Ya look pale as a sheet."

Twilight didn't reply. All she did was get off the sofa and take a few steps back from us. No, not from us; from me. Becoming wildly suspicious of these actions, Applejack made her way off the couch before trying to see what had put Twilight in such a state. When close, the farm pony placed a hoof on Twilight. "C'mon Twilight, yer startin' ta scare everypony." No reaction. Only those long, fearful stares pointed in my direction.

Bouncing over the table, Pinkie stood in front of Twilight to try and snap her friend out of her current state of being. Seeing how Pinkie made an even greater mess of what had been on the table, I could imagine that if Twilight wasn't in this strange trance, she may have given Pinkie a good piece of her mind. Not even when Pinkie landed right in front Twilight did the unicorn seem phased though. "Hey Twilight, what's with all the staring?" When there was no reply, Pinkie arched a brow before waving a hoof in front of the unicorns' face in some sort of last attempt to grab Twilights' attention. "Hello, Anypony home? He-llo~?" Becoming even difficult for Pinkie to draw a reaction, the pink pony placed the same hoof on her chin. This was perplexing to say the least.

The thought of assisting the others to try and assist Twilight had brushed past my mind. Maybe there was something that I could do to help? "Hold on, I think she's in a state of shock." Scooting around the table and off the couch, the moment that I stood up Twilight took a step back from me. It was almost like she had considered fleeing at that very moment.

Just seeing how Twilight backed away from me brought on a feeling of dismay. Since Twilight didn't quite seem comfortable to have me around at the moment, I could only guess that I needed to sit this one out for her sake. Doing just that, I planted myself back on the sofa while most of the other ponies left their cushions to attempt and aid their friend. Rainbow had been the only remaining while she looked on at what stood before us with shock. I could tell that Dash wanted to help, but wasn't sure how to do so.

Applejack had already stepped up her game with trying to figure out what Twilight could have possibly read to have brought on this dramatic state. Rarity was busy fetching a blanket while Pinkie had gone to what I could only guess to be the kitchen, and Fluttershy was busy trying to comfort Twilight. Only about the time that Pinkie and Rarity came back with a mug of hot chocolate and a blanket did I turn to Rainbow about all of this. Maybe she could have some answers?

Rainbow had been even more worried than I had been. Just like me, the only reason she stayed on the couch was due to our cluelessness about what could have been done about any of this. I could see that she wanted to help, but didn't know how. "Hey, is she going to be alright? Just what did Twilight read, anyway?" Dash looked at me for a moment as if to try and guess what could have happened. She was just as in the dark as I was.

"Beats me; Twilight's the only one that can read that squiggly mumbo-jumbo."

Twilights stare had already started burning into me during the time I had been speaking with Dash. I didn't want to look back at her, but it was going to be an inevitability. When I did, the same fear was all that could be seen.

Clasping her fore hooves on Twilights face, Applejack pulled Twilight to look directly at her. Having to use a new strategy, the earth pony attempted to force her friend to look her in the eyes. Even then, Twilight stared at me through her peripherals. "Twi, we gotta know jus' what ya read from that there book!" The pressuring had seemed to bring on some sort of responce by how Twilight now looked to Applejack. "Twi, what did ya read? Ya have to tell us now!!" Applejacks' stern voice seemed to have finally broken through as Twilight began speaking in stammering sentences.

"I-I have-"

Struggling out of Applejacks' grip, Twilight broke free before bolting out of the room and upstairs. "I have to alert the Princess!" Galloping at full speed up the stairs, Twilight slammed the door behind her when reaching the door-frame at the top of the staircase. It couldn't get any more foreboding than this. Not even a few seconds in to reading this book, and something like this happened. This couldn't have been good news.

Whatever reason that Twilight could have had for leaving in such a hurry concerned us. What could Twilight have read to bring on such a reaction? All of us were left to wonder and guess what could have possibly driven Twilight to such actions when left standing alone in the room.

We no longer sat on the couch. We didn't feel comfortable enough to sit anymore.

The girls had been speaking with each other in one part of the foyer while I was left by my lonesome. I preferred it this way, it gave me time to think. No matter how hard I tried though, no answers came to the questions lurking around my mind at the time.

A light creaking of the upstairs door caused every last one of us to turn our heads upstairs to the doorway in hope of any good news. What we saw wasn't the most promising of sights.

Twilight had exited from the upstairs room, but close behind her was Spike. I don't know why, but both of them looked as if they had been beaten and thrown in a burlap sack. In Spikes hand was a rolled up piece of paper with a red ribbon wrapped around it. A distinct seal of a sun was pressed upon the ribbon, but I tried not to pay too much attention to detail right now.

As the pair climbed down from the stairway, they did their best to avoid eye contact with me. Just what happened up there? I could only watch in silence as the two reached the bottom of the stairwell and approaching me.

A guilt-ridden look had been carried by Twilight when the unicorn and dragon stood in front of me. Spike, whom had been hiding behind Twilights back leg, slowly stepped out from behind her to get closer to me. His claw trembling when holding out the piece of paper, I could see that Spike was doing his best to try and keep distance between us even as he drew closer.

"The... Princess... Sent you this..."

I wasn't sure even if I wanted to take this letter from Spike by how the poor kid was acting. He was so vibrant and confident before, but now he was cowering at the sight of me. Reaching down at the little dragon to take the letter, he flinched and caused me to pull my arm back abruptly. What on earth could it have been that made Spike so fearful of me? I could only guess that the answer was located within that rolled up piece of paper. Continuing to reach onward before softly taking the paper from Spike, I made sure to reach for the paper slowly. My action alone seemed too much for the kid as the moment I took the letter from him, Spike bolted upstairs and slammed the door behind him.

"Don't hurt me!!!"

Spikes' shriek caused me to pull the piece of paper to my chest out of sheer recoil. My hands couldn't help but tighten against the letter when hearing what Spike had to say. Hurt him? Why on earth would I do that to such a nice little guy like him? Trying to understand any of this, I looked around at the other ponies around me to see that they shared the same reaction as mine.

Looking back at the rolled up paper in my hand, I untied the ribbon before unrolling the paper to reveal the message inside. Doing so, it wasn't long until Twilight interjected to my actions. "Princess Celestia thought that this language may have been best to communicate with you." I looked to Twilight for a moment to see her sorrowfully looking my way. There was a sort of regret in her.

Looking back at the letter, I kept to myself as I read its' contents. Surprisingly, what had been written on these pages were clearly the english language. How this was possible perplexed me while I tried to continue reading this.

Twilight,

Thank you for bringing my attention to this situation. In times such as these, it is always important to remember that panicking is always the last thing that needs to be done. For the time being, I will be coming down to your' home to handle this. In the meantime, give the human this. It is urgent that you do so.

I will be using this written language to properly speak in secret with the human. For this reason, I advise that you do not read any further than this point.

Going on to read, my eyes were glued on the page.

Attention Human,

I have become fully aware of your presence in Equestria. Although it seems that you are peaceful, more drastic steps will need to be taken. Your race is destructive and manipulative, but can also be trustworthy and loving. This being said, it must be determined just what kind of human that you could be. I know that humans can hide so much about their true selves that it becomes difficult for even themselves to bare witness to their true nature.

My faithful student, Twilight Sparkle has informed me on your location, so you are soon going to be taken into custody. I have a desire to create a safe world for my little ponies, so if there is any chance that you could bring harm to them I will not hesitate with terminating your' existance. You will be given a fair trial, but if found guilty of being a deceptive and manipulative human, you will be executed. For this reason, I will be preparing a set of tests for you to take so that I may conclude what will need to be done with you.

I warn you now, human. Do not try to run. We know where you are, and we will find you no matter where you may flee to. Make it easier on those around you and give-in peacefully.

I could not help but feel a little taken back by this news, myself.

Was this for real? I was getting arrested?

Holding the letter in my hands, I kept my cool while rolling the paper back up with a sigh. With closed eyes, I did my best to contain any disbeleif. Someone like me was going to jail. Someone that had never committed a single crime in his entire life was going to jail.

"How long?"

Even if I was not directly facing anyone, Twilight knew that I was addressing her directly. Twilight didn't seem willing to answer at first, but when she did it sounded like she had possibly made a grave mistake. "Soon; A few minutes, at most." So much for going home. Right about now I could hear the others approaching. I hoped that the girls wouldn't be too saddened to see me leave.

Taking a breath as I opened my eyes, I walked past Twilight and went to sit at the corner of her sofa; paper in hand. I rested my face into my hands the second I sat down. Just what kind of mess I had been thrown into was unknown to me, but it was happening whether I liked it or not.

Soon being greeted by Pinkie jumping on my back, the first thing she noticed was the blank stare I had that peered into nothingness. I knew she was just trying to cheer me up, but I feared that this time there was no cure for my atitude. "Hey come on Mister Frowny-wownie, cheer up!" When her laughter didn't even bring a reaction from this, Pinkie did begin to show some signs of suspicion. Standing on the cushions now, the pink pony leaned on my back as her fore legs wrapped themselves around my neck in a playful manner. "Don't worry about anything, Jake. Maybe we can go bake some cupcakes to make everything all better?" There was some content to Pinkie when she saw me pulling my head out of my hands. I'll admit that her cheerful attitude had some effect on me, but it wasn't much. Just enough for what I could expect to be a farewell to these ponies.

Reaching behind me, I was able to grab onto Pinkie before pulling her up and off of the sofa. As I carefully placed her on the floor, I tried to think of how to explain what was going on to Pinkie and how I needed to refuse her offer to making any baked goods. Apparently, the excited little mare thought we were really going to make those cupcakes. Her wagging tail told me everything. However, I didn't think that I would be able to. Placing a hand on Pinkies head, I could see her tongue sticking out once more in enjoyment when I scratched behind her ears.

"I'm sorry, but I don't think that will be possible, Pinkie. Your' Princess needs to see me, and I'll be gone for a while. For this reason, she's coming to take me away."

I made sure to force a smile on when saying this. in return, Pinkie returned the smile.

"Oh, that's okay. We can make them when you come back."

My smile faltered a little as I had to wipe my eyes with one of my forearms just to keep Pinkie from seeing me crying even the slightest bit. Why was I crying? I barely knew these ponies, but I was still sad that I had to leave them? What was wrong with me? Tilting her head at me, Pinkie seemed to start becoming worried, herself.

"Is something wrong?" She spoke as she tried to make a despirate bargain. "I-if you don't want to make cupcakes, we can make brownies instead. Cookies? Maybe muffins?"

I had come to shake my head at this. As much as I could have wanted to take Pinkie up on this offer, I truly couldn't. Instead, I was forced to reveal to her the harsh truth of things.

"No Pinkie... We may not be seeing each other again after this."

I could see that Pinkies' hair had begun to fall flat, strand by strand. Pressing against my hand, Pinkie had already begun pressing for answers. "W-what do you mean? You aren't coming back?" Seeming to try and find hope in this, Pinkie forced a smile as her hair completely fell flat. The poor thing even placed a hoof upon my lap as if she was desperately pleading to me. "W-we can come see you, right?" It was getting harder to handle this goodbye, but it had to be done. When I shook my head, I could see Pinkie falling into a sort of depression that I don't think that I've ever seen before. To try and make things seem better, I placed a finger on Pinkies nose.

"Sorry, Pinkie. This is super-secret chef' business."

This choked out lie felt like I was gargling vinegar, but just as long as it brought some comfort to Pinkie it was worth it. Taking Pinkies' hoof off of my lap, I tussled her mane before seeing Dash flying just a few feet away from me. Her wings flapped silently as I approached her. By the look on her face, I think she knew what was going to happen to me. In turn to her expression, I did my best to keep smiling. Giving her a playful shrug, I arched a brow to her as if unsure where to start. "Baker-Boy..." I gave the mare a cocky smirk to assure her that everything would be fine, but I don't think she believed me. Before she could say anything to me though, I held out the letter to Dash. Her shocked expression had been directed at the letter before looking up at me; her sullen state becoming all the more strong with the passing moment.

"Have Twilight read this to you all after I leave. Make sure not to worry, alright? Everything will be fine no matter what."

Reluctantly, Dash took the letter before watching me walk away.

Not too far from me, Applejack made it her first priority to get to the bottom of this suspicious behavior from Twilight and me. To see that it looked like I was never coming back after reading a letter brought up quite a few questions that Applejack was sure to demand an answer for. Along with her, Rarity had been thinking something similar as she wondered what could have possibly brought on such words from me. "Twi, just what the hay is goin' on here?" Twilight didn't answer. She only stared down at her hooves while her ears bent back. I had a feeling that her curiosity led Twilight to read the entire letter. Seeing that I handed the letter to Dash, Rarity looked to her friend a little lost in thought.

"I'm quite curious Darling, what did that letter say?"

Twilight turned away from the two of them before any other questions could be asked. Doing so, she turned her head to get a good look at me and those that I've already spoken to. Pinkie had now been sitting on her haunches, her hair fallen straight. A couple sniffles left the pink pony before Twilight adverted her gaze to Rainbow Dash. She was holding the letter in her arms, watching me move on with what goodbyes I had left. Twilight then looked to me. I had stopped for a moment when catching her stare through my peripherals. I could feel that there was some understanding between the reasoning behind this. Apparently, I was a little bit more of a threat than we all suspected. Twilight just wanted to keep her friends safe. I'm sure that was the reason. Knowing this, I gave her a soft smile.

"It's alright. You were scared. That's nothing to be ashamed of."

I don't know if it was just my words, but the moment Twilight heard me she bolted from the room and back upstairs. She felt guilty; anyone could see that. Thankfully, I was sure that Spike would be able to console her. He was a good kid. I could tell.
A slow sigh sounded when knowing to move on with what needed to be done. I couldn't let this bother me; there were still things to do. "Jacob, where are you going?" I already knew the soft murmur beside me came from Fluttershy. She had been standing right beside me as she tried to look me in the eyes. Even with a smile, I could not appear to be anything other than sorrowful when speaking to this little angel.

Slowly, I turned and knelt down to the mare. There wasn't any possible way that I could explain what was happening. I didn't have the heart. She would just have to wait to hear it all for herself. Instead, I embraced her in my arms once more to try and make our goodbye a short one.

"Fluttershy, thank you for everything that you've done for me. You have done so much that I will always be thankful for. You treated my wounds, saved my life, and gave me the greatest day I will ever remember." I tightened my squeeze a little around the little pegasus when I could feel her hug me back. Only after hearing a few sniffles from Fluttershy could I feel ready to continue. "You and your' friends have treated me with such kindness that I never knew existed. I know we just met today, but I feel as if I can call all of you good friends." The wetness on my shoulder let me know that it had become difficult for Fluttershy to see me go. Within my thoughts, I was unsure why. "For this reason, I'm sorry that I might not ever be able to repay what you all have done for me this day. For that, I am ashamed."

I released my hold on Fluttershy as I began to stand once more. The yellow pegasi kept her grip around me a little tighter than what I would have expected, but her forelegs slid down to her after a couple of seconds. By the teary-eyed look on her face, I knew she was confused. It was better this way.

A light knocking then sounded from the door as any signs of a smile vanished from my face. Keeping a stern stature, I tried my best to keep it together for everyones' sake. Taking one last look around the foyer of the Golden Oaks Library, I looked to each individual pony that stood in the room with me. If I were to die. I would hope that I could re-live this day for the rest of eternity. Even if I could just remember the happiness these ponies made me feel, it would be worth it. To be completely honest, through the manticore chasing, fainting from exhaustion, lightening strikes, and crazy ponies... This had to of been the best day of my life by-far. Letting out a soft laugh, I tried to at least leave on good words.

"If this really is the last time that we shall meet, I want to wish you all luck in the future. I hope that all of you fulfill your dreams to the fullest." Starting towards the door, I caught myself to speak one more thing. "Also, tell Twilight 'no hard feelings', alright?"

There was nothing said when I turned around to face the door. My new black shoes tapped against the floor in the quiet while I made my way to the exit. I couldn't help but place my flattened hand upon the door to ponder to myself. My palm rested against the door only long enough for me to dismiss any troubling thoughts so that it could slide down to the handle and open the door. I made sure to remember to duck so that I did not bump my head. Halfway through the doorway though, I turned my head back to everyone. They looked sad to see me go. Preferring to not let them worry, I gave them all one final thumbs-up.

"Hey, don't sweat it. Everything will be fine."

Stepping outside, I made sure to close the door behind me before letting out a soft breath while facing the wooden entrance. I stared at the painted candle design on the door for a moment before turning around. What I didn't realize when doing this was that someone was waiting for me to do so.

Upon turning away from the door, the first thing that came into view was a large, white horse standing in front of me. Unlike the ponies that I've seen around these parts, this one was much taller with a thinner body type. A dazzling mane and tail had been kept by this pony as it seemed to ride a windless breeze. Magenta, cerulean, turquoise, and heliotrope were all colors that shined upon the majestic mane as her coat was a spotless light gray. A thick, golden necklace and tiara were worn by this horse-like being as a single diamond shaped gem had been placed in the front of the accessories. Donning both a set of wings and a long unicorn horn, this newest pony stared at me in silence. Besides the chimera, this pony was the first life form that I've seen to be taller than me. Granted, it was only by a few inches, but I still had to lift my chin just a little to look this pony in the eye.

Around this pony stood a great number of white, bulky ponies that were adorned in golden armor. I could only guess that they were either soldiers or guards. The types of ponies that they were varied as I could see Earth Ponies, Unicorns and Pegasi within this mob of armored miniature horses. By how they held their spears toward me, I could only guess that they would turn hostile if I didn't play my cards right.

Just as I had finally taken in enough of these sights, the tall pony began to speak.

"Good evening, I am Princess Celestia." So this is the Princess? "I would take it that you are the human in question?"

Cautiously, I nodded only to bring curiosity to Celestia.

"Are you not going to run?"

Shaking my head, I gave some attention to the bandages that covered my body by using an arm to bring the princess to look upon it. "I don't think that I'm in any condition to run anywhere." Placing any jokes aside, I crossed my arms before speaking a bit coarse. "I've already said my goodbyes. It would be better for my friends if I comply, anyways." The two of us looked at each other for a moment before Celestia motioned two of her armored guards to place cuffs onto my wrists via magic. The rough metallic slap around my wrists were not comforting, but I supposed they were indeed necessary. One of these guards made sure to keep a watchful gaze upon me as the other checked the locks to see that they were nice and tight.

"Our apologies, but precautions must be taken."

At least they were polite. I nodded with a smile to show that I understood. It was just for everyones' safety that I complied. "That's quite alright. The last thing I want is someone getting hurt." The two guards acknowledged this as they guided me to a carriage that was not too far from us. It was white and regal with four larger pegasi pulling it in the same gold plated armor. I did not envy their profession.

My first step onto this carriage was frightening. Was I really submitting to the possibility that I could die soon? Yes I was, and I was okay with that. It was scary, but it wasn't like I didn't want to make sure my new friends were safe.

Speaking of friends, when turning to the library door one last time I could see them there. Just as confused as ever, I could see Dash still holding onto that letter I gave her. Looking up to the window above me, I was able to spot Twilight looking out it. I could only guess that this was the window to the room she left to.

"Are you ready to go?"

Pulling my attention away from the window, I could see that the princess was already seated beside me. Even sitting down, she was taller than I was. Not to mention that professional, yet regal personality. Returning the politeness she showed me, I looked ahead before addressing Celestia. "Yes, Ma'am." Giving one last look to my friends, I reassured them with a smile.

"Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

With that, I soon departed and left for wherever it was I was being taken.

Ch.8: Unwelcome Guest

Sunshine

A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction

By Gen

Hard to beleive that it's been a day since then.

A day since since I was plucked from my normal life, and thrown into another filled with what I could only describe as 'chaos'. Granted, it wasn't all bad. I got to meet Fluttershy, and her friends. No matter how much trouble they may have put me through, the experiences they provided were more than worth the pain. Everything about them almost made things seem less important. Fluttershys' incredibly angelic personality, Pinkies' bottomless well of happiness, Raritys' unique but fancy way of living, Rainbows' blunt attitude, Applejacks' honest sincerity; even Twilights' constant efforts to study me was something to be missed.

Perhaps I should explain myself, hm? Easier said than done, but I will make an attempt. Following my departure from Ponyville, I was escorted to my current residence in the royal city of Canterlot for the tests that Celestia spoke of in her letter. To be flown out on a chariot pulled by winged ponies was a frightening discovery to make when leaving with the princess, but it definately was not an experience that would be soon forgotten. My fear of falling off and splattering on the ground like a water balloon made certain of that. As much as I would like to go into more depth about how unsafe I felt to be breathing such thin air though, at the moment I had much more dire affairs to attend to.

Canterlot, the capital of Equestria, and a thriving city built onto the side of the Canterbury Mountains. If there was ever a single city that you could ever wish to visit, this would have to be on your top five 'must visit' loctions.

Just as you would expect from the city that was home to a princess, Canterlot was a bustling city where profit seemed to be an inevitability. Everything was an unquestioned success; no matter what it was. If it was in Canterlot, there must have been a reason for being so popular. Strange, I could have sworn to have spotted a few designs showing in store windows that looked exactly like what Rarity had in her boutique...

Although it was true that most of the inhabitants of this rich town seemed rather snobby, the view I had from within the chariot more than made up for it. Not only that, but when looking at everything with a sort of birds' eye view, Canterlot had an astonishing image to give off. Ivory towers that seemed to pierce the sky with golden spires. Gushing waterfalls pouring down the sides of the very mountain the city stood on, but missing the city just enough to trail underneath the main bridge that allowing entry into this fair city. Not to mention the elegant castle where Celestia resided on a daily basis. It goes without saying that Canterlot was most certainly a beautiful place to live.

Unfortunately, I would not be given the leisure to view more.

Canterlots' royal dungeon was the exact opposite from everything the city displayed on the outside. Underneath the Canterlot Castle, a dungeon resided within the mountain itself. Dreary, and lifeless were mere understatements to describe such a place. I feel it unfortunate to say that this is where I've been staying for the past day while awaiting Celestia to call for my attendance.

A stronghold of sorts, the intricate layout of this location proved to be impossible to navigate through without proper guidance. Pitch blackness, and freezing cold worked hand-in-hand with one another within these underground walls. It would be impossible to step out of ones' cell, let alone escape this place.

Stone composed these walls that made up the Canterlot Dungeon. Hallways, staircases, everything but the bars to each individual cell had been made of the stuff. It was a old-fashioned, castle style dungeon; kind of like it took references from a medieval design. Different kind of rocks and stones protruded from a wall as it seemed that its' entire composition was made of a concrete mixture of different kings of stone and gravel. The thick walls were not anything to scoff at either. If it could handle the weight of being underneath a castle, I could only imagine just how tough these stones were.

Bar after bar of interlocking steel rods crisscrossed themselves horizontally and vertically to make up a strong sliding cell door for easy access to my cell. The bulky steel bars would be impossible to move without the key needed, so any attempt to flee would be useless. Not like I would be able to see past this blasted darkness even if I could manage to get my hands on a key.

A thick candle stood in-between me and the bar door to my cell as I sat and watched the flame dance to provide me my only source of light. To expect such a measly amount of fire to provide me much warmth was a ridiculous assumption, but it was better than having nothing. The light projected from the wick only stretched a couple feet so that I could easily see a small piece of my cell door letting the light glint off the black bars ever so gently. The only blessing that I could think of from having this candle had to of been that it told me that I was still alive.

I remember how I had to burn my bandages yesterday just for a little more warmth. It didn't last more than a couple minutes, but those minutes were bliss to me until I could feel how sore my body had become from the cold numbing my muscles.

From what warmth that could be retained within my body, a thick quilt surrounded my body in a gracious hug. Aside from my face, my entire being had been swallowed up by the lump of fabric and embroidery. The blanket did a great job on keeping me warm, but every now and then I would feel my nose beginning to freeze over.

Without this quilt, attempting to acquire warmth would be a useless endeavor. I was better off with it than without. The moisture in my breath had come to be a constant reminder about how careful I had to be around my candle. The moisture in my own breath had become visible enough to where it was beginning to make me paranoid. One strong breath, and I would extinguish my only source of light. Every puff of air was a cruel reminder of what there was to watch for. I feared that if that candle went out, I would not last too much longer.

Since the intense cold scared off even the rats of this dungeon, sleep had come to me very easily after everything that happened yesterday. I always woke up to darkness though. Not a single dream occurred, but with a rough stone floor acting as a mattress this was to be expected. As long as there was this surprising lack of vermin, it gave me enough peace of mind to rest.

Every once in a while I would begin to wonder how things were back home. How was my family? Was my apartment still as messy as I left it last? Only now did I truly appreciate my sister deciding to take both the cat and dog with her when we decided to live in different apartments, otherwise my cat would have been growing impatient with me by now. Has work called? What was I talking about, of course they've called. I worked as one of the top chefs at a restaurant. They would notice if I was missing, right?

It tore me up inside that I could have been worrying my family right about now. Sure, usually no-one noticed when I was gone, but a part of me guilted myself into feeling this way. Sometimes, I would ponder about how I was going to get home, and the complicated factors that it could take just to do so. One thing was for sure though, if my family found out about my time of absence an apology would be most definitely in order.

Sure this place was cold, dark, and miserable, but I did at least get some visitors. A couple of guards here and there with their trusty torch or lantern to guide their way. These visits were actually the only time I got to see light other than my own candles'. On the most common of occasions however, I had even begun to receive visits from the very same princess that brought me here. It seemed that I was more than enough for Celestia to bring her watch upon every now and then.

While these visits were enjoyed, that did not mean that they weren't odd. Celestia did always stay for about thirty minutes after every few hours passed. She would visit, leave, and wait a few hours before revisiting. The visits were the oddity, but it was nice to speak with somewhat while I waited. I do feel the need to say that these conversations were not bad. She did not threaten, or interrogate me. Celestia actually only seemed to wish to ask me about some things about my life. Don't take this the wrong way, but coming down only to ask a question every few hours was a tad bit suspicious.

"What was it like growing up?"

"Did you have many friends?"

"What is it like where you are from?"

Simple questions, but complicated all the same. With Celestias' constant baiting and guidance, things became somewhat easier to clearly answer. The purpose of these questions eluded me, but I suppose that was to be expected from someone as dim as me. I was only able to answer Celestia through her assistance and constant assumptions. One thing that I could come to notice about these questions was that they eventually led up to one single topic every time. Somehow, the conversation would always steer in the direction of what was important in my life, and how I decided to live during my time among the living. At around this point, it had become nearly impossible for me to understand what Celestia was asking without her assistance during every step of the process. If I remember correctly, she said that 'I knew myself less than a complete stranger would'. I'm still not sure what Celestia meant by that.

The reason behind my indecisiveness with these questions may have been due to the fact that I've never really tried living for myself. It was dumb to say, but true. Throughout my life, I've always been the guy taking orders from the background and never questioning what was asked of me. It was an enjoyable trait to have. Helping family, and friends always made me feel happy. You would think that something like this wouldn't be a problem, but occasionally there would be a time when it could set myself up for failure. As you couple possibly imagine, I was easy to take advantage of when it came to asking for favors.

It was hard for me to turn others away when they asked a favor. Okay, scratch that; it was impossible for me to do so to when asked a favor. Granted, at about the time that I figured out how manipulating people could be, I had closed myself off from the world and the people in it. Other than school or work, I did the best that could be done just to keep myself away from other people. Truth be told, Fluttershy tending to my wounds yesterday was the first thing anyone had done for me in a very long time without having something they wished from me in return. The warm feeling in my chest told me that I was grateful to have met such a kind individual, but the sinking rock in my stomach caused a slight depression upon realizing that I may not ever see that sweet little pegasus again.

No use in focusing on all of that though. If I could get out of here, I could just get back to Ponyville and see Fluttershy again. Maybe I could find a way back home too. First, I had to be rid of any damper on my spirits. Slowly shaking my head, I tried to be rid of the thoughts that clouded my current mind-set before gazing back to my candle. The fire carried upon the wick lit up the area only enough to somewhat see the forlorn expression on my face. As breath escaping from my lips, I watched as its' moisture vanished into nothing during its' drift upward in the air.

"I wonder how it is that I wound up in this predicament."

You know, that was a pretty good question. How did I wind up like this? Thrusted into the strangest of places that I could even imagine. Left to shiver in the dungeon belonging to the ruler of an entire country. In all honesty, I knew how I ended up in this dungeon. The only answer that escaped me now was about how I could even be here in the first place. To exist in a world where your' entire species doesn't is sure to bring rise to at least one or two questions; all of which have gone unanswered. I could try to think about it, but it had become greatly difficult just to ponder in the harsh conditions of the Canterlot Dungeon. The only thing relevant that I could think about at the moment was the trip I had with Celestia on the ride here. The memory was still clear and pristine as I could plainly remember the haunting truth that Celestia revealed to me.

Barely even a minute passing after we had left the town of Ponyville, Celestia and I were being pulled through the sky on the princesses chariot. The moderately large chain connecting to my cuffs had been stuck in a locking mechanism on the dash of our ride. If I had only known where I was going, I would have enjoyed the sunlight a little bit more. I could feel the wind while it pushed back my hair enough to let my forehead be seen completely.

"Do you know why I have brought you away from Ponyville, human?"

My answer was slow only due to my lack of morale. My mind was elsewhere while I watched the clouds ahead of us pass by. I was too worried about what my future held for me. "I'm afraid that I don't." My gaze never left the direction we moved in. I placed my hands on the front border of this carriage just enough to where I could lean on them. Slight sorrow had overtaken me for the moment as I remembered how Twilight and Spike looked upon me so frightfully. "Whatever it was, it scared Twilight pretty badly." The wind that pushed past us blustered against my ears in a low whistle.

A look of compassion from Celestia was directed my way after noticing my grief. With the gentle finesse of a parent, Celestia watched me with a kind smile while letting my eyes trail along the chariots front railing. She almost seemed pleased. "Yes; I suppose it did." A prolonged silence stretched itself out before us as Celestia sat in her seat with a satisfied posture. Veering off subject, I could feel that the only reason she did so was to try and bring some peace of mind to me for the time being. "I wouldn't suppose that you would be offended for me to think that you are not native to Equestria." Hearing this tugged a sarcastic laugh from my lungs as a matching smirk appeared on my face while I brought myself to look upon the princess. I couldn't help but notice her multi-colored mane flowing like the wind had no effect on it.

"My, whatever gave you that idea? Could it be that I'm a freakishly tall creature that in no way resembles a pony?"

With a roll of my eyes, I slowly backed out of the conversation. Letting my head hang downward, I peered over the edge of the chariot to see a few clouds hovering above a grassy plain. "-Also, spare me on the whole 'different world' topic." My cheeky smirk then faded when a mono-toned voice overtook my regular one. "It was the only answer that that I could think of, while still making any sense." Celestia almost seemed a little surprised to my insight, but kept quiet in case I had more to say. Finding nothing else of interest to look at underneath us, I picked my head back up before looking at any other clouds that came our way. A wry look carried itself within my eyes. "I guess that I was just going through denial. Still..." I let out a momentary silent laugh. "You're 'Faithful Student' was the one to finally get it through my thick skull that I was at least a few universes away from home." The momentary smile I showed faded away in the blink of an eye.

My lack of frustration now seemed to have brought rise to Celestias' urge to speak as she kept her eye on me. She made no effort to press for any answers, but instead spoke calmly. "You are not angered by Twilight Sparkles' actions?" Not adverting my gaze from the clouds ahead, I simply flicked a wrist to show how easily I cast the statement aside.

"Why would I be? She was just doing what she thought was right. You can't really blame someone for that."

My answer more than pleased Celestia, but her satisfied state of being went completely unnoticed while I so negligently ignored it to look at the clouds before they passed us by. For a second or two, the silence we gave was accompanied by wind brushing past our ears as a constant clinging and clanking sounded from the chains to my cuffs. "I'd give anything to know just what it was that scared her though. It made me feel like a monster to see someone cowering in front of me like that." Once more, my returning sorrow left a bitter taste in my mouth. The rhythmically soothing song these chains sung for me were something to ease my mind, but they did not quell the emptiness that mental image brought on to me.

"Would you like to know?"

Pulling a reaction from me, I straightened my back before quickly looking to Celestia. The clueless appearance I gave off was slightly laughable, but did show my urgent desire to listen. Once again, Celestia seemed to be quite content with my reaction. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." She spoke with a laugh. The blank nod I gave confirmed her guess. "As you may have noticed, humans are non-existent in this world for reasons that do not concern you at the moment." In other words, I'll tell you later. "This being said, in ancient scriptures, humans are commonly seen as a form of harbinger." Hmm, that word was not one that I believe to have heard before. Harbinger... What did it mean? The mystifying term left me baffled.

"Harbinger? What's a harbinger?"

Giving a definition must have been an easy feat to the Princess, so Celestia took her own time with an answer.

"A Harbinger is known as something that foreshadows a future event. An omen, if you would like to call it."

An omen? So I was an omen? As truly interesting that this may be, I couldn't help but wonder what was the point of stating that I was some sort of sign for the future. Wouldn't that be good? I would just have to listen closely and find out. "Humans were known to be a sign of an upcoming event in Ancient Equestrian mythology. Predicted to bring one of two different events, it was said that the direction would be fully reliant on their essence." My essence? By the way she looked, I guess that she was expecting me to have something to say.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not sure what exactly an essence is."

Celestias' stared back at me in a calm radiance as if to understand how I couldn't comprehend what she spoke of. It was kind of odd to see, but kind of nice at the same time. "What do you think makes you, you, human?" The first question that Celestia would ask to leave me stumped would be this exact one. Before I could answer anything though, it was time to make one thing clear.

"Ma'am, my name is 'Jacob', not 'human'."

'Human' wasn't a nice label. It would be like I called Celestia, 'horse'. In that same calm joy, Celestia acknowledged this in slight embarrassment. "Oh, my apologies. I'll try to remember next time." Not like it was her fault. The two of us never really got to introduce ourselves to each other before I was pulled onto this crazy trip.

As if to take the apology but continue from the situation, I brushed it all off with yet another slight hand movement to try and get it across that there was nothing to fret. Getting back to the question asked, focus was needed to think properly. My eyes trailed along their upper corners to search for an answer. "What makes me, me, huh?" I couldn't help but hold my chin while the other arm crossed my chest to hold onto the joint between it's forearm and bicep. A tricky question, but I eventually came up with a confident answer. "I suppose that would be my personality." The playful shake Celestia gave with her head let me know that the answer had been wrong.

"I'm sorry, but no. Your' essence is the core of your true self. Another term for it would be a soul."

Making surprisingly good sense of the matter, how Celestia soon grew a little more serious prevented me from speaking up. "Your essence will predict a future that you will be involved in one way or another." Hearing this wasn't easy, so talking had become an all the more difficult task for the moment. I really was beginning to miss the calm joy that Celestia showed only a couple moments back. My cautiously earnest desire to learn more about this subject caused me to press the matter at hand.

"What do you mean?"

As much as I may have wanted to believe it to be so, all of this was beginning to sound almost like a screen play. Like it was all a movie, or just some action flick. The pause Celestia gave sent me into a state of uncertainty of whether I truly wanted to know the truth of this. My curiosity was the winning side of this argument however, so I prevented myself from objecting to any explanation. Moments passed as the princess directed her gaze downward before back to me.

"If your soul is kind and pure, it will be a sign of prosperity and a long standing peace in the world. However, if your soul is to be tainted-"

If my soul was tainted? What would happen if my soul was tainted? By how Celestia trailed off while showing her own concern on the conversation, the gravity of it was weighing down upon me. Not showing any signs of backing down, I pressed on even further. "What? What will happen then?" I gently clinched my teeth at how Celestia looked upon me; worry and caution were the only readable emotions. What could it have possibly been that brought such a feeling upon her?

"If your soul is to be tainted, it will be a sign of the complete annihilation of this world and everyone in it."

The unexpected shock caused me to lunge back enough to where my shackled cuffs yanked at me the moment I tried to leave their grasp. A growing fear inside of me began to make itself known when I spoke. "W-what?" A joke; this had to be a joke! Any second now, Celestia would start laughing and I would awkwardly go along with it. Yeah, that's what would happen.

Moments passed, and this did not happen. This was quite real.

My knees nearly buckled in on themselves, but by some force of will I kept standing. This was ridiculous, how could something so urgent rely on me of all people? "You've got to be kidding me." Weakly, I tried to shake myself of this news. It had to be understandable just how difficult it could be to absorb this kind of information. Showing pity on my behalf, Celestia hung her head and shut her eyes as if to shield herself to the sight of my unsuspecting reactions.

"I fear that this is not all."

I almost could not bring myself to hear any more of this. Didn't Celestia believe that enough had been said? I regretted ever wanting to learn about this. It was too late to stop though. I would be learning one way or another. "Humans may predict certain things about the future, but that is not truly what they are a symbol of." I held my tongue to prevent myself from interjecting as Celestia struggled to speak this truth. "Humans are a symbol of war." A symbol of war? No, this couldn't mean that... No... it couldn't. "It pains me to say, but there will be a war in the near future." No, that couldn't be possible. What about my family? What about my job? What about my life?

"I refuse!"

My shout did more than bring Celestia to look at me a little surprised. In my mind, I didn't know where she got off to telling me something like this. This horse just comes up out of no-where, starts taking me to God-knows-where, and tells me that I was going to be fighting in a war!? No Ma'am! The rivaling glare she gave me was one that caused me to back away for a split-second, but I stood my ground firmly the moment after. "I beg your pardon?" Celestia kept polite formalities with her even now as she glowered down at me. Leaning ever closer to me, I did my best to step away while doing my best to stand ground. "You refuse? Refuse to what? To fighting to protect those that live within my kingdom? Are you selfish, or just idiotic?" So much for formalities. Celestias' angered, mono-toned voice shot through my bravery like a sword through a sheet of paper. "Do you fail to understand this weight of this? What on earth could it be that you do not understand?" Going off of my last shred of courage, I blasted out against the princess with a shout.

"Everything!"

Any leverage that Celestia had at the time completely shifted to me as she now leaned back to her side of the chariot. The posture she had immediately let me know that she was not used to having someone raise such a tone to her. Even the pegasi that pulled us through the sky showed signs of panic in their flying when I raised my voice. The fire in my tongue vanished quickly though. With the heat of the moment gone and passed, and I couldn't bring myself to look at Celestia. I felt bad for yelling, but I was also dealing with the inner conflicts within my mind. The wrestling opinions kept battering at each other relentlessly while I tried my best to keep my brain together.

Once more, I rested myself upon the front border of the carriage while Celestia watched me curiously. Thankfully, enough time had passed for me to speak calmly and reasonably. A noticeable sorrow hung in my voice while I spoke. "Listen, I don't know what you were expecting from me, but I'm not some sort of soldier. Nor am I a warrior; heck, I would be lying if I even told you that I was a fighter of any type." I refrained from looking at Celestia as I moved a hand from right to left in one slow sweep across the flat top of the edge that I leaned upon. "I'm not some sort of god that can just sweep the playing field with the wave of a hand." I turned my head only enough to get a look at Celestia from the corner of my eye. She had already reclaimed her stature by the time I began to fidget with my posture to the point of standing up once more. "I'm just your average, every day guy. Nothing more, nothing less." With her relaxed attitude obtained, Celestia began to oppose my argument.

"Maybe, but even gods and goddesses must ask for assistance when they cannot conquer the challenge at hand. That is why I am asking you to do this for not only me, but for Equestria as well."

At first unsure to what had been heard, I looked at Celestia strange. It took a second to compute with what she had said, but finally the realization hit me. "Wait, you're a-" It felt like a stone landed in my stomach. I was just shouting my lungs out at a goddess... Holy crap! Celestia brushed off my question with a sharp interruption.

"To a certain point, but look past that for a moment."

A little hard to do so, but I guess all could be done with a little bit of time.

"As I said, you will be involved with this war until further notice. There will be tests that await for your attendance when you arrive in Canterlot. They will determine what kind of human that you are, and if you will be ready for the inevitable path that fate has chosen for you."

So that was it, huh? I was sunk into this mess lock, stock, and barrel? Still, what was there to do against the orders of someone like Celestia? A 'goddess', for crying out loud! Lord knows what she might do if I refuse. This could mean life or death for me, so it was impossible to deny Celestia to perform such tests. No, this did mean life or death for me! "If you are proved to be too dangerous for the people of my nation, you will be executed on the spot. I cannot afford for you to cause harm to any of my subjects." That was that, then. Celestia wasn't letting me out of this. There was nothing that I could do besides rest my head in my hands while awaiting our arrival to wherever this crazy horse was taking me to.

"Fine. Just give me some time to get my head together. A day. That's all I ask."

Looking down at me once more while I leaned onto the railing in my own misery, my defeat had been anything but unexpected for Celestia. She said not a word before directing her gaze ahead in time to see the capital city of Canterlot come into view from their hiding place behind two large clouds. Letting herself be merciful, Celestia let out a dull sigh. "Very well, you will be granted this time to gather yourself." Although I was thankful, the reason why couldn't be explained. "Your living arrangements will not be the most satisfactory, but they must suffice for the rest of today. Apologies in advance for this, but at the time you must be forbidden from associating with the public under my rule. There have been warnings of your' arrival, and if you were to walk freely in the public, I fear it would cause panic." Understandable; not like I was really the most comforting thing to look at in the world. "I will have you summoned to the throne room later tomorrow; try to get some rest for the day ahead." Not sure what to say, I kept to myself. It was only right about now that Canterlot had come into view for me as well with only the turn of a head. It surprised me that such a place as this was so close to Ponyville.

I hoped everyone would be alright back at the library.

So, here I was. One day later. Shivering, cold, and in the dark. The time for my tests had been drawing closer. Had my nervousness made itself known? Of course. It was only natural to act as such. I wasn't ready to beg for my life if it came down to it; I was far too prideful for such a thing. if I am to die, I will die with whatever dignity I have left intact.

Something had come from the ordeals from yesterday, at least. Not only was I able to meet some girls that I felt to be able to call my friends, but somehow I felt at least a smidgen closer to finding out what brought me here in the first place.

So many questions; so little time. I feared that my death would arrive before any mysteries could be solved. They relentlessly zoomed around my cranium ever since I got here, and it seemed that they will be here even in my final moments.

"Ha, ha, ha, ha..."

That is, unless the sound of a deep cackling laughter slices through every single one of them, killing the taunting questions instantly. That would put them to rest very easily.

The laugh erupted from out in the darkness and bounced off the walls to project a menacing echo. The sound of it alone froze my already shivering spine in place.

"Oh, what's this? Could it be that the word really is true? Why, yes; it does seem so! There is finally a human in our midst once more!"

My face shot up to look into the all-consuming darkness beyond my cell. This voice... It didn't sound anything like any of the guards that I had seen currently. It sounded male, so that definitely kicked Celestia from the possibilities. Then again, she was a goddess... Who knows what she was capable of?

Already on my guard, I took the dim candle in hand before jumping to my feet. Leaving my blanket behind, I left it where I once sat to warm my spot. Air vapor steamed between my upper and lower jaw. As adamant as I was to finding the source of this voice, my candle did nothing to help. "Who is there? What purpose do you have here?" My solid tone did nothing but bounce off stone walls. It wasn't until a couple seconds passed that I finally got a reply.

"Oh, don't be so cruel. I'm just here to visit everyponies favorite little jail-bird."

Blast this darkness! It sounded like whomever it was that had begun speaking to me was directly on the other side of these iron bars. My candle didn't nearly have enough light to shine that far as it was. I would have to get closer. "Where are you?" I inched towards the cell bars, cautious of what possible dangers could await for me.

Grasping the cold metal of one of the bars my remaining free hand, I held my candle out on the other side of the cell after managing to squeeze my arm through one of the moderately sized gaps between them. There was nothing to see but the same darkness as before. "You're getting warmer." My body had become worked up enough to cause my breath to fog up the glasses sitting on their nose. I could feel my body tighten as I held out this candle in a constant struggle to search for anything visible in the dark. My mind had come to play tricks on me so it was uncertain if whatever movement I saw was real or just a hallucination. "Oh, just a little bit farther. I'm sure that you will see me then." The voice beckoned me further while I now pressed my body against the bars just to gain some extra ground. "Just a little bit further." What was driving me to do such a thing as this? Had the cold finally caused my brain to catch freezer-burn? Why was I listening to some voice that was coming out of nowhere? Maybe my mind was desperate for a little comfort about what was yet to come.

Then I dropped my candle.

That was quite literally the best way to describe what happened. I lost my grip on the chunk of wax before it fell onto the ground, extinguishing its' flame and leaving me to be enveloped by the dark.

My breathing already becoming panicked, I pulled my arm away through the bars and jumped back a few steps. In the dark, the cold burned my skin even more than usual. My mind began playing tricks on me while fear spread through my body like a disease. I suppose that you could guess what was going on right about now. You know how fearful of the dark I was. "Oh, look what you did now." I jumped when listening to the mild scolding. I could not tell where I was any more. The dark left me blind as I could then hear 'tsk'-ing in my direction. "What a klutz. What. A. Klutz." The voice sounded just as quickly as it subsided into a bitter sigh. "I suppose that I'll have to come to you. I swear, you're more trouble than you're worth." I could feel that the voice had begun to sound somewhat burdened. How I was being talked down to left a spark of frustration in my gut toward whomever it was that had been speaking to me, but the pitch darkness kept me quiet.

'Snap!"

The snap echoed throughout the dungeon before the entire area was enveloped in a blinding light. With the transition between complete darkness to nearly the same burst of light that you would expect from a flash bomb, it goes without saying that I was left covering my eyes. Even shortly after, I couldn't help but feel a little blind. At least the feeling went away. That's all that matters in the long-run, I suppose.

Upon my eyesight returning, I could feel something else; warmth. Such a drastic change in temperature made me suspect that I had caught some level of hypothermia, but the feel of my skin was still ice cold. I couldn't even see my breath anymore. The dungeon was getting warmer somehow...

"Stunned by such a weak flash? My, you must be the most pathetic human in existence."

Weak? A flash like that could blind someone if not careful! Finishing the task of trying to rub the stinging from my eyes, a muttered low grunt expressed my detest for what had been said. I swear, once I got a hold on this guy he was getting a black-eye. As I finally lowered the hands from my eyes, I couldn't help but notice a problem. That was the problem, too! In darkness, one was not supposed to see anything! Yet here I was looking at the hall on the other side of my cell bars, and into the cell on the opposite side of mine. Darkness was now non-existent! It had been like one huge light bulb lit up this entire dungeon!

The lighting was not my biggest concern at the moment however. Sure, I could now see, but what was there to see? An empty brick chamber on the other side of mine? From the direction that a voice once spoke was now vacant and empty. Seeing this left me quite befuddled. A part of me believed myself to have gone mad, but that would just be too easy. My vision lingered towards the outer area of my cell to try and catch a glimpse of anyone that could have been around. Who had only spoke to me moments ago? Who turned on the lights? Who turned the heater on?

I got my answer in the form of a hand resting on the back of my shoulder.

"Looking for someone, boy?"

My blood ran cold once more, and would have frozen if not for the growing warmth. My head tried to force me not to look behind me as I slowly twitched it around to gaze at that hand that had now been placed upon my right shoulder. To my shock, I soon found it to not be a hand at all.

It was a large birds talon.

A mental siren went off in my head, already alerting me of a possible danger. Immediately, I slid out of reach from the talons gasp just in time to spin on my heels and spot just who it was behind me. Looking back on it, I wish I never did.

Whatever it was standing before me, I wasn't sure. One thing was absolutely certain; this thing wasn't like anything seen before. Much like the manticore, this being was composed of different body parts. However, this layout of parts was... unsettling. A deer horn, and a blue deformed goat horn was pointed upward from the skull of this being. His head showed its' elderly age. A white goatee sprouted from the bottom of its' chin. Matching the beard in color, the creature had bushy eyebrows that hung over large yellow eyes. Both eyes had a red pupil, but neither pupil had been the same. One seemed to be permanently dilated while the other was about as normal as it could have possibly been. It had a muzzle which pushed past its' cheek bones and led to a jaw showing off one sharp fang that pointed downward to the floor.

The neck was elongated and wriggly as a thick coat of gray-ish fur grew there. I could plainly see a mane when getting a good look at it; its suspicious likeness it had to a horses mane went noticed. The gray hair ending at its' shoulders, a new brown coat of fur started directly above the shoulder line. It's arms were nothing similar to one another. An eagles claw for the left arm, and a lions paw for the right. Just as the same case, the legs were nothing alike with the left being a goats' and the right belonging to a lizard. All four of which attached each other to the snake-like body this being owned. Two wings were attached to the back of this being. One looking much like a cyan pegasus wing, and the other showing resemblances to a bats wing. A tail flicked out the back almost making the body look like a giant 'S'-shape with arms, legs, and a head. Scales only made themselves known when the hair ceased to exist a little ways back from this things' legs. it was a sort of a watered down red color with a white tuft at the very end. The scales alone sort of made me feel as if this thing was some sort of Chinese dragon, but that couldn't possibly have been true. It looked like some force of nature used all of the crayons in the box just to make this abomination.

"A chimera?"

Off put by my labeling, the creature showed a loathing nature towards me. Furrowing a brow, this being placed a hand on its' chest. "A chimera; Moi?" A quick wave dismissed this while giving a puff of air through puckered lips. By the look it gave me, my assumption was quite laughable. "I, my boy, am a draconequus." A draco-what? I've never heard of such a ridiculous thing. To call this thing as such smelled a little fishy, but that wasn't the only thing that smelled about this guy. "Head of a horse, and such. I guess you can say that I'm a grab-bag of fun." The same cackling laughter from before blasted powerfully through my cell.

Whoever this was, he reeked of bad news. Not just because of how he looked, but it was like I was talking to some sort of con-artist. It felt if I let my guard down, that I wouldn't be given the time to regret it. My guard wasn't as well as I would have hoped for though.

Slinking to my side, the creature wrapped its' talon of an arm around my shoulder while rubbing his lion paw against his chest. Taking the time to check his nails, a crooked smile appeared on his face. "So, I hear that you're the human. You know, the one that's here to either bring harmony or chaos?" I suppose that was me, no matter how much I hated to be involved in any of what was currently going on. Lifting a hand to try and brush the claw off me, I could feel a sneer forming with my lips.

"That is true, but-"

Happiness filled the creatures being as he spun me in circles like a top. Overjoyed, the creature cheered. "Wonderful! Absolutely wonderful!" My spinning came to an end when the beast grabbed me by the shoulders. The tight grip that effortlessly restrained my movement explained to me clearly just how strong this creature was. "So, if you're anything like the humans I think you are, you must be here to pillage, kill, and..." Letting me go, the creature nudged my shoulder with an elbow while giving me a cocked eyebrow. A soft giggle left him. "-have some fun with the female population." I was still recovering from all that spinning, so any blushes I had were on the floor with me while sitting on my rear.

The room was spinning, but things were becoming far too obscure even for my dizziness to keep me down. Holding my head, I struggled to my feet to get another good look at the creature. "What are you talking about? Why in Great Greens would I do something like that?" Was this abomination out of his mind? I wouldn't stake my life against it. "Who are you, anyways?" The creature 'tut-tut'-ed me, which sparked annoyance in my soul most indefinitely.

The creature held his lion paw behind his back and his talon-arm to wag a finger at me. With a lifted chin, his posture was one of a scholar. "Now, now, Mr. Froster. Do you not know that it is impolite to ask for someones name without proper introduction?" Coming out of his posture, the creature carefully placed a hand upon his lips for a sarcastic state of worry. "Didn't your mommy teach you better?" I scorned this being for his words, but he was right on some level. I guess it was only polite to introduce myself first. Let my patience run thin before letting out any unneeded outbursts. For the remainder of my patience, I was just going to have to appear calm and professional.

"Alright, my name is-"

I barely got past straightening my shirt collar before being cut short in my sentence. "Boy, if I call you by your' name, that means that I'm already familiar with what your name is. Keep your introductions to yourself." Okay, that certainly rubbed me the wrong way. If I were to say, my patience had already begun to vanish enough for me to let a few loose words fly.

"Then don't play dumb, you old geezer."

My snap caused the creature to applaud my frustration and anger to show that he was impressed. The creatures' gaze narrowed while his smile showed its' one large fang. "Well, you have some spice in you, after all." He was enjoying this. It didn't take a genius to see that any arguments made against this thing would be pointless.

In the blink of an eye, the creature used its' wings to slither through the air like a snake would on land. It flew in gentle swaying motions until simply gliding on nothing but still air. Our gaze never left the others' for a moment. I feared what would happen if I did. "You may call me Discord." He chuckled before rolling on his back to somehow move through the air while reclining. "Lord of all Chaos works just as well, but I'll let you take your pick." Discord; so that was this things' name? Nothing like the other names heard around these parts, but this wasn't really a pony that I was looking at. It was a draconequus; whatever that was.

"Okay, Discord..." I stopped to ponder what could have been possibly said next. "Would you mind telling me how you got past all of the guards just to see me?"

The draconequus scoffed to mock me for questioning his abilities. "My boy, that was the easy part." When Discord lifted his talon arm, I pondered over his actions while looking at the hand he lifted. The middle finger pressed together with a thumb made their steady preparation for snapping. "All it took was a little bit of this." What was he going to do? Snap his fingers?

'SNAP!'

It was that noise again.

In a split second, Discord disappeared into a flash of light. I was left aghast and wide-eyed at what had taken place before me. My body froze in place when fully realizing what had happened. Where Discord once stood, there was now nothing.

"Surprised?" The disembodied voice of Discord earnestly asked.

'SNAP!'

Another flash of light, and Discord was standing back where he once stood. It was like he never left. That crooked smile kept me in its sights while its' owner stood there smugly.

What was this guy? Some sort of magic user? Breaking myself of any fear that paled my skin, I did my best to make a stand. "What do you want from me?" The rushed question never once tripped up Discord. He took it with stride. To play off the question as if it were nothing at all, the Lord of Chaos shrugged his shoulders innocently.

"Why Mr. Froster, I'm here to offer your freedom here in Equestria. I've been watching you for sometime now, I feel as if that needs to be said."

Watching me? It would be hard to believe this, but that display of power Discord just showed... It provided more than enough evidence that Discord shouldn't be underestimated. If he could vanish at the drop of a hat, who knows what else the chimera-like creature could do?

This mild display of power had put me on edge as I tried to keep myself in some dominant stance in the conversation. It was a struggle, but still manageable. "My freedom? Do you believe that I need help from someone just to live freely?" Discord looked down upon me like I was a child in his presence. Thinking out loud, the sarcastic tone that came from him burned me.

"Oh, you are right. You're just being held against your' will, forced to fight in a war that you want nothing to be a part of, and got thrown in jail to wait for tests that you will inevitably fail and be sentenced to execution for. Sounds like freedom to me."

On every point made, Discord made sure to count each one with a separate finger. That last thing he said though caught my attention the most. Was he expecting me to turn a blind-eye to it, or was Discord baiting me? It had become hard to tell. "What?" One word was all I could think of saying. Discord however had plenty more things to speak of. He showed me pity with a sullen shake of his head.

"It's a shame, really. The princess is going to put you to the test in the most difficult ways possible. Your' death will certainly be unavoidable."

I had a hard time thinking this to be anything but false. Celestia didn't look like the type to do something so backhanded. This guy on the other hand looked like he would sell me for a shoe-shining, and it got under my skin how Discord would describe Celestia. "I don't like liars, Chimera." One of Discords' eyes twitched. It seemed the title struck a nerve with him that I could classify him as a chimera. In a follow-up, I crossed my arms sternly. "Besides, I have no intention of failing." It seemed that now I was the one bothering Discord, for a change. Not by much, but enough to where his expression turned sour.

I did not give any ground when Discord approached; leering down upon me as if I was some sort of problem. I kept my fists tightly clinched together while Discord glowered down at me, scornfully. His towering height over me by at least a foot and a half was something he did not waste. He appeared to have almost become angered, but it slowly contorted to neutral after giving a raspy laugh. "Do you think that these tests will be easy?" He leaned in close to speak. His voice had become rough. "They won't be." Reaching for me with his eagle talon, Discord pinched my cheek before giving it a good tug. The enjoyment Discord got from this showed while he smiled. "This is not some sort of pen-and-paper exam. Do you really wish to tread on this subject so lightly?" The moment Discord released, I brought a hand up on my face to try and sooth the stinging in my cheek with a slow rub. "Do you not realize just how foolish you were for requesting a day to wait? Thanks to that, Celestia has made sure to find any ways for you to pass and exclude them from your tests!" Standing tall , Discord swooned and placed the back of a hand on his forehead. "Alas, now you are doomed for sure." With a snap of his fingers, a pony-like skull landed in Discords palm just in time for him to rehearse Shakespeare. At least, I think that's what he was doing. "Oh Jacob, I hardly knew thee." He inspected the skulls empty sockets with a smile.

"I told you, I have no intention of failing."

'CRUNCH!'

The sound of splitting bone hit my ears as Discord smashed the skull in his claw like styrofoam. It was hard to tell with the look he was giving off, but it appeared that Discord was about to snap. It didn't take much to set him off, did it?

My unwavering stubbornness had begun to strike at Discord like he did with me only earlier. As Discord loosened his grip, I watched shards of bone clack against the ground while his hand went back to its designated side. He turned toward me, struggling to keep a smirk. His anger and frustration had become more than visible. "What did you say?" He laughed. "You have no intention of failing?" He angrily laughed to mock me. This time, when Discord stepped towards me, I made sure to take a step back. "Oh, golly-gee! I guess that means that you'll live for sure!" The sneer Discord gave backed me into the wall just in time for the draconequus to pin me against it in what I would expect to be the least violent way possible. The lumpy rocks that formed the wall behind me pressed into my back painfully. The finger that was pressed into my chest held me still while Discord looked upon me with anger. The power that he held was unnerving. I dared not think of what he could do with a little more pressure.

"Listen here, Cupcake-"

The beginning of this obvious threat was all that came out of Discord before he stopped himself mid-sentence. Taking the time to think to himself, Discord grumbled before starting to back off. First taking the finger off of me, he moved away slowly to give me room. A jocular smile now replaced Discords scowl while he left me to recover. You could be as brave as you wanted, but no amount of bravery could keep you from feeling even a twinge of terror from what had just transpired here. Still, Discord seemed to think that he could pick up the conversation like nothing happened.

Doing just that, the draconequus dusted himself off casually. "Pardon me, I got a little frustrated. Maybe I should try a different approach to explaining things to someone as thick headed as you are." My heart felt as if it was going to burst from its chest cavity before I finally stepped off the wall with a right hand grasping its' chest. It was getting to where I felt as if that I could die before it came time for my testing.

Discord had been busy muttering to himself while I did my best to reclaim whatever bravery possible. Cowering in the presence of this thing was out of the question. To someone like Discord, there would be no backing down without serious consequence. Call me a do-gooder if you want, but that would not change my mind. "Let's see if I can get this across to you." Discords pointing talon hung in my direction.

An instant is all it took for Discord to snap his fingers to bring a green, translucent screen into reality. Unfolding in the air like a folded up piece of paper, it weightlessly floated in place. As peculiar that it was, I couldn't help but notice that the screen seemed kind of hi-tech. Much too advanced for anything to compare back to my world. Linear lines intersected each other on this screen to separate different areas.

"Watch closely kid, I'm I'm only going to show you this once... Or maybe twice if I find it funny enough."

Discords eyes were locked on his screen as he chuckled to himself. What was he planning? It was becoming a well argued mental debate whether I should interject to Discords' abilities, but any intentions of putting an end to this stayed locked within my mind. For the time being, I was just going to have to allow Discord to continue.

Upon giving a second glance to the floating window, its empty screen stood still. There was no noticeable significance going on with the screen. It was just a blank slate of nothingness that composed this viewless window. It did not stay this way for long, as a dark shade of green lined the bottom of the screen about two blocks deep. It was obvious that what was being observed had been a formation of land. A flat section of land for someone to walk upon.

Moments passed now as a figure began its trek on screen. The character was easily identifiable, even though it was just a silhouette. A tall, white, two-dimensional figure of what could only be thought was an alicorn elegantly stepped into view. It would take a fool to not know this was Celestia. Aside from its' horse-like body, the large wings and horn were a dead give-away.

Upon the screen, Celestia had been walking from the right side of the screen before coming to be the focus when reaching the center. At this point, Celestia was simply in a stationary walk to no-where. "I'm sure that you are perfectly familiar of Princess Celestia. One of the Royal Sisters, leader of a nation, highly loved and respected political figure." Discord gagged after his unintentional complimenting. "Blah, blah, blah." Yes, I was quite familiar with her. She threw me in prison. Maybe that was his point? "I bet you aren't familiar with her zero-tolerance policy though." A zero-tolerance policy for what? When I could see other silhouettes entering from the left side of the screen, I felt as if I would know soon enough.

Many different forms of different shapes and sizes passed by Celestia along this two-dimensional plain. Many different creatures passed Celestia by without there being any problems. Each of which, walked by on four legs or had strange features that left me unable to identify what could have been the organism to take such a shape. Ponies were the easiest form to identify, but that was about it. Except for the last figure that entered the screen.

It took me a moment to fully realize that I was looking at the form of a human being.

Celestia came to a halt as this other figure tried to walk by her like the others. It never got the chance. The moment that the humanoid got within a few steps of her, Celestias' silhouette shot a beam from her horn and reduced the figure turned to a pile of ash in the blink of an eye. It was truly a terrifying sight to behold.

'[ P A U S E ]'

The word appeared in the center of the screen. An amused humming sounded from Discord as he walked to my side. "Ooo, that was my favorite part." Discords' lion paw placed itself around my back and upon my shoulder. His talon hand was already preparing itself to snap once more. "Let's watch that again." A mischievous look accompanied Discords grin as he placed pressure upon his fingers.

"...Shall we?"

'Snap!'

A fuzz striped itself over the screen like when rewinding an old VHS tape before going back directly to when Celestias' sillouette vaporized the humanoid form. The level of disturbed nature that this had to of held sky rocketed by the time Discord laughed at both my misery and the sight before us. "Oh, oh! That tickles my funny-bone!" I kept my eyes shut forcefully while looking away. I thanked god that this video was silent, or else I would have had to cover my ears as well.

"As funny that this is, you should know that we both have something in common here."

The screen before me closed in on itself and disappeared from the world before Discord turned both of us around. Leading me away from the point that we stood, Discord kept an arm behind my back to keep me moving. It sounded like Discord was trying to be sympathetic, but his body language more than told me how he enjoyed speaking on this topic. Kind of like he was trying to stay down-to-earth, but was doing a crap job of it. "You see, the princess has a strict policy that anything different needs to be put-down, dangerous or not." Something about the sound of that didn't feel right. The video, and now this explanation? Something about it didn't make complete sense. "That's where we are the same. Both of us are on 'Equestrias Most Wanted' for the same crime." The doubt that lingered within me had become much too strong to keep hidden. Slowly pushing myself away from Discord, I took a couple steps back. Discord watched me, frustration already reforming within him. My mind in its' own rut, I could only think to say one thing to doubt everything Discord just showed to me.

"I'm sorry, but after knowing that my friends follow her, I can't exactly think that Celestia can possibly be like that."

Doubting his opinion on the matter wasn't exactly what Discord wanted to see come as a result from all of this. He probably wanted me to take his word as a fact without any questioning. What I did though, it let Discord show me just how unamused he had become. He wasn't angry this time, but he did seem to be growing tired of what I had to say.

Turning to me slowly, Discord rubbed his palms together. To him, I was a stale joke that got worse every time it was told. "Friends?" His tone of voice was discomforting. Rubbing his chin as if in deep thought, Discord looked away for a moment. "You call those malice-ridden munchkins, 'friends'?" Leaning down to me face-to-face, Discord frowned. His eyes leered into mine to try and burn his oppinion into my brain. "You know what; Let's talk about those 'friends' of yours?" The draconequus made sure to add emphasis with his fingers when needed. This action alone ticked me off to the point of clasping discords mouth shut with a hand. I took it away cautiously, but never cowardly.

"I don't want to hear it. I owe one of them my life so keep your' trap shut."

If Discord was going to talk bad about my friends, I wanted nothing to do with him. Apparently though, Discord wanted everything to do with me as he seemed to be doing everything he could to keep my attention. Grabbing my sleeves tightly, Discord held me in place. "Pay attention when I speak to you!" Extreme malice was shared between the both of us. "Don't you realize that those mares were only using you for their own benefit? Even the ones that didn't, do you not remember how they tried to end your existence?!" We exchanged an angered glare before Discord shook me. "They put you in here. They led you to your own demise!" Discord had nearly talked himself out of breath. The tightening grip on me squeezed my body to the point of a mild pain appearing within my arms.

My silence kept my mouth sealed shut while I squirmed within Discords grasp. Bruises were to be an inevitability at this point, but the draconequus released me before any blood could be drawn. I slid away from Discord once more, sensing hostility beginning to rise. A low growl emanated from my throat. "Why should I trust the person that keeps hurting me, over and over again?" Admit it, I made a good point. "Give me one good reason why I should believe anything your' spewing from that rancid mouth of yours!" The demand caused Discord to breathe into his palm before giving the puff of air a couple good sniffs. By the recoil he gave, I could see that my accusation wasn't wrong. This did little to stop him though. In fact, he seemed to favor my challenge. Still showing some seriousness, Discord beckoned me to continue while he began to somehow recline on air.

"Very well. Ask me a question, and I will answer it. Any question at all."

Really? He was just going to answer whatever question I asked? Not really what I had in mind, but it was better than nothing. What would I ask though? What could I ask? It had to be something clever; something that Discord had to answer so that I knew that he could be trusted. It had to be something that I knew the answer to, but what could I possibly know to help me here? "Ah... Um..." My mind fuzzed like snow on a television set as these sounds left my vocal chords on accident. "What..." I faded out as Discord inspected a now floating clock that had somehow made it into the cell.

"Tick-tock, boy. We don't have all day..." Discord paused. "Well, YOU don't have all day. I have all eternity. You on the other hand, only have a few more hours."

What could I possibly say as a follow-up to that?

"Tell me about the upcoming war."

Discords' eye-lids flew up like shutters at the mere mentioning of the subject. Having to catch himself before flopping onto the floor, Discord struggled to keep decent balance while staring at me a little uneasy from what I had said. It seemed that I had finally found something that could bring recoil upon even this brute. Discord actually had a plastered nervous smile on his face. "That wasn't really a question, boy. Maybe ask something else?" He was trying to find a way from answering me? Why? I had to press further. Suspicions high, I did just that.

"Okay, then; what is this upcoming war all about?"

Discord broke into a sweat the moment the question made itself known. It was like I shattered a wall of defense with him. What the heck was this guy hiding? That plastered smile soon swiveled into a frown as an eye twitched upon the creatures face. "Nosey little brat..." I could hear him mutter under his breath. There was no possible way that I was going to listen to Discord now. He had too much to hide from me. Raising his voice to a scolding shout now, Discord stepped up brashly. "Oh, come on! You don't honestly believe that load of malarkey, do you?" Taking a sarcastic act, Discord swooned in a cheap imitation of a worried person. The horribly feminine voice he used would be funny if it weren't so mocking at the same time. "Oh dear, what ever is there to do? There's a war coming, and it desperately depends upon you." Discord became stone cold in his tone the moment he looked back at me when speaking that last word. The way Discord brandished this way of speaking hit me delicately while poking fun at me in the most delinquent way possible. "Come on! This war stuff is all a hoax! A sham! A con! Why do you think that you conveniently got escorted to a pony that just so happened to know the princess?" Discords growing annoyance aside, he actually made a good point. Why was it that I was taken to Twilight Sparkle, a student of Princess Celestia? Sure, Twilight was smart, but was she truly the only pony that could help me in a matter such as this?

My moderate thinking brought Discord to calm down, even if it was just a little. What was said vexed me to no end. What possible logic was it that I was just conveniently escorted to Twilights' home? If she was a student of Celestia, would she not simply live here in Canterlot with her teacher? "Celestia has been known to withhold information from her loyal subjects. What could possibly keep her from spreading a few lies about a dangerous a creature that just appeared out of no-where?" Maybe it was the logic talking, but this actually sounded quite reasonable.

"I guess you have a point, there. Twilight did seem rather anxious after I left."

Discords' loins paw slithered around the back of my neck and rested upon my shoulder just as confident as its' owner. He was able to put on quite the believable act whenever he wanted to. I almost thought that Discord felt sincerely sorry for me. The lions paw patted the shoulder it was placed upon. "Yes, punishment is swift to anyone that goes against the wishes of the princess. Wholesome threats that can be carried out on a whim." The sneer Discord carried as he stood beside me went unnoticed. A raised fist clinched itself almost like Discord had some sense of righteousness within him. "A tyrant that took my throne." I would have to be deaf to miss that. Discord just claimed that he was dethroned by Celestia? Honestly, I can see the reason, but maybe there was a bit more information that I could pull from this?

Seeing the continuous deep thinking process from me, Discord placed himself in front of me. A near accomplished look came to him when joining both mismatched hands together behind his back. "You do realize that, like me, Celestia has been watching you." She has, has she? An itch of suspicion crawled into my cranium. I wasn't afraid to ask what I did next, but more intrigued by the possibilities of answers that I may receive as a result. It was like a student awaiting their teacher to give an answer to a deeply sought after question. Curious, but cautious.

"Does this mean that you are a god, as well?"

The amused laughter was the only answer I needed.

"Hahaha, guilty as charged!"

This alone sparked so many more questions. Was 'God' a lightly used term for a figure of great power, or was it an all-mighty being? Could it be that I was really gazing upon an omnipotent life-form? What other secrets did Discord conceal from me?

Needless to say, Discord had now obtained at least some of my attention. Even if I still had begun to immensely dislike the god, he could feel better for gaining any at all. I'll admit, everything that Discord has told me came off as a little strange, but not all of it was completely illogical. Was Celestia really this evil monarch that over-threw its previous owner? None of the ponies I saw back in Ponyville seemed to be feeling pressure on their necks from a tyrannical rule. For some reason, it wouldn't feel right to completely believe this. For now, I would just have to allow Discord the benefit of the doubt.

"Alright, say that everything you just said was true; what do we do now?"

With the snap of Discords fingers, a large circular rift tore open in the middle of my cell in between me and him. Like the screen previously, the extra-dimensional device floated in the air, motionlessly. The appearance of the device gave off the feeling like this was a tear into the very fabric of space and time, but how could something like this be possible? Then again, Discord was a god. It may have been wise to tread lightly around him for now.

The inside of this rift swirled and churned in onto itself as a deep shade of purple and black mixed itself together along the outer edges of the strange device. From inside of the window, I could see through it plain as day. A single moving picture of a bountiful grass-land was all I could see as the wind brushed by through the landscape. In the background was a great mountain. Upon it, a moderately large area on its side was what I could only presume to be Canterlot. The massive size of the city surprised me. From how the picture seemed, the mountain was off in the distance, but I could still see the city clearly. I almost brought myself to trying to touch the vortex before the sound of Discords amused humming brought me back to rational thinking. "What I propose, is a bargain." A bargain? Stepping to the side of this rift, Discord stared down upon me with a smirk. He leaned upon the purple rim of the circular rift as if it were a wall. I crossed my arms when looking back at the god.

"I'm listening."

Yuck, it felt like I was some sort of criminal just to agreeing to listen to Discord any longer. It felt like I was the right-hand-man to a con-man. The feeling would just have to be stomached for the while. If Celestia really was some sort of tyrant, this may have been my only chance at survival. "I can get you out of here, but first I want you to make a deal with me." The anticipation was unsettling as Discord show-boated his portal. "In order to obtain your' freedom, I just want one little thing." Beginning to draw closer to me the draconequus lightly pinched his index fingers with his thumbs to attempt to display a delicate situation. With every passing word, Discord came ever closer.

"Just. One. Little. Itty. Bitty. Thing."

Bending down to look me in the eyes, the two of us had come to be face to face. It was only for a second though, as when that moment passed Discord backed away to his portal; his back to the rift the entire time. It was here that Discord showed himself in a darker point of view. "Destroy Ponyville." I could feel my eyes widening at just the mentioning of performing such a task. "Burn it to the ground. That is all I ask." How could he ask me to do something like this so easily? Did he have no heart?

Was freedom worth something like that? To burn down an entire village just for one mans' desires? Ruining the lives of many just to save your' own? No... No, there was something very wrong here. "I..." Discord watched me, eagerly awaiting my answer. "I don't think that I can do that." The pitiful sound to my answer caused Discords' smile to vanish almost instantly. "I just don't think I can do that to the ponies that live there... To my friends... To Fluttershy." It wasn't until I mentioned 'Fluttershy' that Discord became deeply angered. His face contorting in and out of rage to try and keep calm. Finally managing, it was easy to tell that there was a struggle for Discord to not begin some sort of rampage as he anxiously tapped his fingers together.

"What was that name? Fluttershy?"

A cruel laugh emanated from Discord as he began to try and verbally beat me down. "You think that mare is your' friend?" He laughed once more to try and discourage me. "That ugly mare?" I could feel something twinge in my gut at Discords statement. "That dastardly, manipulative mare?" A bit of anger had already begun to rise in my own stomach as Discord continued while drawing closer once more. "That stupid, worthless-" Discord had no time to say anything else before I had reared back a fist only for it to make contact with Discords face the moment it was thrown forward. I had become far too angered to think logically any more. I wasn't sure why, but listening to Discord ridicule Fluttershy set me over the edge.

The blow had been strong enough to cause Discord to take a couple steps back, but other than this all it made Discord do was stop talking. This of which was good because I had a few things to say, myself. "Don't you ever say those things about her. She saved my life, so I'll rot in the ground before I let you badmouth that angel." A claw resting upon the cheek I had hit, Discord had his head only turned due to the force from the blow. His expression was... Surprised. Almost as if something happened that he wasn't expecting.

He stood up straight, taking his hand away only to inspect it in awe. There was no blood, not even a bruise had been left on his face. "You hit me? It hurt?" A cocked brow let its' eyes gaze upon me as Discord loomed over me, clueless. "You hit me, and it hurt?" With a snap of his fingers, the vortex had disappeared into a puff of dust. Cluelessness burning into anger and rage, a deep rumble emanated from Discords throat. In an instant, Discord had a hand around my throat before he slammed me into the bars to my cell.

My feet dangled and kicked themselves around in a desperate struggle to free myself. It was all in vain however as I stared into the burning eyes of my assailant. Discords tightening grip brought my hands to grab onto the hand to attempt at loosening it before my air-way could collapse under the pressure. "You little snot! How dare you raise your hand to me!" Once again, I could feel Discords claw tighten around my throat. "Do you think that you can just do anything you want? I ask you one simple task, and this is how you repay my generous offer? No, more than generous offer!?" My breath was running low as I could begin to feel my head spin from the lack of oxygen. The fear of passing out soon had circled my mind before being dropped flat on the floor.

The rush of air entering my lungs left me gasping and wheezing while I was on my knees, forced to keep down from the lack of air. This chimera was going to kill me if Celestia didn't do so first. Was I simply doomed to die here? Maybe so.

"Maybe we got off on the wrong foot, here."

Funny thing about that; in order for Discord to get off on the right foot, he would have to have one to begin with. Grabbing me by the back of my shirt collar, Discord stood me up-right like I was some sort of figurine. His hand slithered around my neck, and up to my face to squeeze my cheek to direct my gaze to his. "I don't have to tell you that I could end your existence without breaking a sweat, do I?" The involuntary shake of the head I made was brought on my Discords own hand turning my head from right to left. "No? Very good. Then maybe we can get back to our little bargain?" Releasing me, Discord had seemed to believe he had exhibited enough power to put me in place. My angered scoff proved otherwise, but Discord now only saw me as a playful challenge.

"Oh, don't be that way. Isn't there anything you want? Fame, fortune, power, love?"

Only the last of these suggestions brought me to slightly withdraw from this worthless bargaining technique. I couldn't care less about the other three, but that last one brought on a slight reaction. While I kept silent, Discord now had more than plenty to say. "Ah, not so popular with the ladies, eh?" The glare I gave Discord made him sarcastically rebound. "Oh, look-out. We have a real tough-guy over here." Never in all my years of life, have I met someone as unpleasant as Discord. I mean, he was smack talking, physically assaulting people, and simply unpleasant. Now here he was brushing me off like I was nothing. "Drop the attitude, junior. Last time I checked, you were the one just pinned up against the wall." Rubbing his chin now, Discord looked at me now like I was some sort of toy. Scanning me up and down, Discord hummed to himself. "Not like you're grotesque, so what's the problem with finding a girl?" Already knowing the answer, Discord continued to pick my brain and delve deeper into my own thoughts. His humiliating tone brought me to look away. "Afraid that your lady-friend would wind up running off with someone else?" As much as I hated to admit it, Discord hit the nail on the head. "Then maybe instead of love-" The echoing snapping noise Discord made brought me to look back up at him if only for being cautious of what may happen. What I saw though was another portal. No danger; just a portal. A portal that I could clearly see very familiar sights within. Familiar landmarks showing up on the circular screen that this rift portrayed. Monuments, statues, people. I don't know how, but this rift was letting me see another world. My world.

"Maybe you just want a ride home?"

Discord could see that I was showing signs of vulnerability at these images, and took full advantage of it. The moment I drew close to the rift it was gone in a flash, leaving me somewhat sullen. "You know my price." I had been the closest to home as I had been over the past day, even if it was just looking at moving pictures. Something like this couldn't be allowed to cloud my thoughts. I had to be strong. So swallowing every last bit of my desires, I shook my head to refuse this offer.

"Then you know my answer."

Taking a deep sigh when hearing my refusal to his offer, Discord covered half of his face with his lions paw. Disappointed, the god was soon pinching the area of the bridge of his nose that it could attempt to relieve stress. "Listen kid, if your' still being sore about that stupid mare, just get off your soap box and-" Before he could even finish, I swung another punch at Discord for his slander. This time however brought a different outcome than the first.

Dodging my punch completely, Discord treated the swing like a game of limbo as he leaned back slyly. The dastardly grin he showed was enough to instill a sense of terror as I could almost feel time slow down. Everything quickly sped up the moment I could catch glimpse of Discord swinging his tail directly at my body. Unfortunately for me, I didn't have nearly as impressive reflexes as Discord owned.

The impact of the blow came slamming against my side. The hit had been so great that the moment it came into contact with me, I was lifted off my feet and sent soaring through one of the stone walls of my cell and directly into its' neighboring chamber. What crumbled rubble that I wasn't laying upon landed on top of me in a thick blanket of stone and concrete.

My body hurt. I've never been this hurt in my entire life. I've been shot, burned, shocked, and hit by a car. Never in my life have I experienced a pain such as this though. This was a whole new level of excruciating for me. No doubt that I would have a few broken bones after this if I lived through it. My body felt broken, so what was there to do now?

The sound of stepping could be heard over the remains of the now crumbling wall I was thrown through. With this came a strong grip on the front of my shirt collar that yanked me from the debris and in the air. A blank stare stuck itself to my face as the head it was attached to lolled back in a state of near unconsciousness. The shaking Discord provided made it more than difficult for me to reach this envied state however. Over the sounds of my chokes and gargles, Discord made a persistent attempt to keep me awake.

"You still persist on defying me, boy!?"

Barely having the energy to do so, I found myself struggling to try and keep myself from passing out. It almost took whatever power I had left just so that I could lift my head up enough to look at Discord. The seething anger he held for me was unmatched by any that I had seen before in a living person. It felt like I was staring death in the face. "E-everything-..." I could feel myself coughing on blood when trying to speak. The warm liquid had already done more than line the bottom of my gums. Lifting both arms to clinch themselves tightly around the lions paw that kept me hanging in the air, I spat what amount of blood that had begun to well inside of my mouth onto Discords face. It wasn't much; just enough to leave a small splatter on his cheek. My vision had already begun to blur, but the dislike the two of us had for each other had at least been made known.

"Everything you told me was a lie, wasn't it?"

To my question, Discord gave no answer. His lips curled to show a set of gnarling teeth. Discord knew that I couldn't trust him anymore, and he didn't like that one bit. In a fit of rage, Discord threw me into the metal bars of the now occupied cell with a heavy clank. The cracking that I heard in the back of my head was no doubt my skull.

I hit the ground on my stomach with a lifeless thud. Pain spread throughout every last part of my body. I could only guess that the warm liquid sliding down the back of my head was blood. The pain didn't end there though. A surge of agony shot up and down my body once Discord began to step on my back. "I could have given you anything you wanted! Anything! Yet, you choose to be squashed under my foot like a bug!" Discords pressure increasing, it was getting difficult to not yell even with the blood that flooded my mouth. My eyes were widened completely during this act of cruelty. There was nothing that I could do to stop Discord. All that I could do was lay still until Discord took his foot off of me.

My breathing had more than quickened in pace. How I had come to endure this violence was a mystery to me. Was I really going to die here? Maybe, but I didn't want to die because of this guy. Discord didn't deserve the pleasure of seeing me die. I couldn't give him that. If Celestia was really going to kill me like Discord said, I wanted it to be because of her; Not because of Discord. "...I thought I told you..." It hurt to speak, but that wasn't anything shocking. If I spoke without trouble after everything I just endured, then I would be concerned. Discord appeared to be fed up with my stubbornness as he lifted a displeased brow to me.

Darn it, it even hurt to breathe now. Coughing once more, I found enough energy to turn my head to look at Discord with nearly blank eyes. I knew that either I was going to die soon, or worse. I hoped for neither. "...Whatever these tests are going to be..." Wheezing had come to be the only way that I could pull air into my lungs now. My vision had become far too blurry for me to see anything. Everything was just a messy mixture of colors and textures.

"...I... Have no intention... of failing..."

If I could have seen anything at this point, the only thing that I would have seen would be Discord being pushed past his breaking point. It was hard to know what was happening, but by the sharp pain there was in my stomach it seemed that Discord decided to kick me while I was down. His blasting voice then filled the room.

"FINE! THEN ROT HERE AS YOU WAIT FOR DEATH!"

With that, Discord snapped his fingers one last time before leaving in the same flash of light as he entered on. With him, the heat and light left as well. I could feel my body starting to tighten up from the freezing cold temperatures once more. There was nothing left to be distorted in my eye-sight. Only an endless darkness.

At least I was alone now. It was only me, my blood, and the rubble. If I died here though, I would have no regrets. These past few days were the most exciting of my entire life. I've met some good people during this little misadventure. Well, they were ponies, but you get my point. I have no regrets what-so-ever to dying here, so all there was to do now was to accept my fate.

Sorry mom, I guess I won't be coming home.

Sorry, Sis.

Sorry everyone.

This is where I die.

Ch.9: Recovery

Sunshine

A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction

By Mr.Sandman

DISCLAIMER: This is a non-profit fanbased work of prose. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is the property of Hasbro, and the reinvention of Lauren Faust. No copyright infringement is intended.

Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.

Wha... What's going on?

"Blood levels are stabilizing, Doctor Stable."

What's happening? I can't see anything. What were these voices? Who are these people?

"Doctor, the patient is waking up!"

Doctor? Patient? Am I in the hospital? How in Great Greens did I get here?

"Splendid, Nurse Redheart! You and I will go notify the guests in the waiting room."

Finally coming to when the sound of a closing door hit my ears, I opened my eyes groggily to the flickering florescent light fixture attached to the ceiling. I couldn't help but lie still for a moment for my eyes to adjust and admire the weak flashes that were given off by the lighting. The moderately uncomfortable mattress beneath my back, and somewhat itchy comforter that covered me up to the mid-section of my chest let me at least know that I had woken up in a bed of sorts. By how those voices were speaking earlier, I had already half-assumed that I was in a hospital. That being said, I think that I could easy deduce that I was now lying in a hospital bed. The constant beeping of the heart-rate monitor beside my bed only confirmed my assumption.

Deciding to have a better understanding on my current state, I examined myself. The first thing to notice would be that my clothes were replaced by a lime-green hospital robe. Next would be the fresh bandages that were now wrapped around almost every part of my body. Along my left arm, I could clearly see a small patch of flesh where an IV was implanted into its mid-section. By how there was a blood bag hung upon a IV rack, I could only guess that there was blood being injected into my body at this very moment. Beside the IV rack had been the same monitor that gave off musical pinging noises like a metallic metronome. Following the wires that came from the monitor, I could see that a couple of strange devises had been placed on my chest while underneath my robe. Somewhat like stethoscopes, these strange devices must have been for monitoring my heart rate a bit more closely. In the way that they were taped down, it told me that I probably shouldn't be playing with them lest I call in a nurse for making my heart rate appear to have stopped all together.

That would only land me in the hot-seat.

Taking in the state that my body was in, I couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable. Seeing myself so banged up wasn't really something that I preferred to bare witness to. Placing a bandaged hand over my chest, it rubbed the surface gently as I questionably watched to make sure there weren't any tender spots underneath. I could already feel a minor head-rush brought on by my head lifting itself from its pillow, but that did not matter at the time. I'll tell you what mattered though. "What in Great Greens happened to me? Was I hit my an sixteen-wheeler?" Taking the only arm I had without a needle sticking into it, I rested it behind my head.

Well, I would have if not for the immense stinging sensation I felt after it made contact.

The pain alone being enough to send me bolting into an up-right position, it wasn't long before I could feel a second pain beginning to rack my body. The surge striking through my upper torso, I was forced to double over and hold my chest in an attempt to alleviate myself of the sensation. All the while, I could hear my monitor having a sudden spike in rhythm before slowing back to normal. Closing my eyes tightly, I clinched my teeth to try and drown-out the pain.

"Guh! Not going to toss the whole 'hit by a truck' hypothesis out the window just yet."

Too bad that my pain had nothing to do with being hit by a vehicle of any kind.

My memory came back to me just as slowly as the pain did when leaving my body.

Once I could finally sit up straight to mentally picture what had happened to myself, I couldn't help but stare off into space to make a worrisome realization. "Wait...No, It wasn't a truck..." I muttered to myself while vividly picturing Discord throwing me around like a rag-doll. Smashing me through walls, and slamming me into metal bars; the last thing I remember after that was being left for the darkness. "It was Discord, but..." There was nothing that I could make of this. It did not make any sense. "-he hurt me pretty badly. Didn't I die?" I could have sworn that I did, but here I was; still alive and breathing.

Thoughts swarming around within my mind, I stared intently at my body with the utmost intrigue. Holding my arms out in front of me, I turned their palms to me to try and understand what could have happened. "What if..." I trailed off uncertain of my own assumptions. There was only one thing that I could think of to properly explain what was going on. What if... "What if it really was just a dream?" Could that have been it? Could it have been true that everything that I experienced over the past few days has been merely a dream? I was unsure myself, but there was nothing else to logically argue against any other point. Any person in the situation I was in back there would be dead, yet I was not.

"What if I really was just in a coma the whole time? The moment I died in my sub-concious, it must have jump-started my brain or something to kick me back to reality."

Was Equestria really just some fictional world that never existed at all? A world with such vibrant colors and people was false? I guess it would have to be just my imagination when you really think about it. Still, this did not mean that the trip was any less enjoyed. Granted, the morning started off terribly but in the end, I got to meet some of the most interesting people that anyone could have. I was going to miss them all, even if they were never real in the first place.

None-the-less, feeling the need to get a better look around the room, I took advantage of my now-sitting posture to do just that.

The room had been what you would expect from a hospital. The walls were painted a light cream, while the smooth floor tiles were a coconut cream-like color. It was a decent matching color palette that seemed to enjoy being within the same spectrum of each other. A decently sized mahogany door had been the only way to enter and exit the room. It definitely was nice to see a human-sized door again. There was a second bed lying only a few feet to my right. The only thing separating the two beds had been a small table with a flower pot set upon it as the furniture lightly pressed itself against the wall. A single sunflower had been placed within the pot.

It was beautiful.

To the left side of the room, I could see a large picture window that had been half-covered by a set of twin curtains. The middle area that had been left uncovered allowed for a soft light to enter the room. What light did enter made sure to provide what the fluorescent bulbs above me could not in warmth.

Putting subjects like this aside, my mind couldn't help but return to what happened while I was comatose.

Fluttershy and her friends had been all that I could think of. Those smiling faces, and welcoming nature. How we all came to be familiar with each other in such a small amount of time, and our final goodbye. A relieved smile turned the corners of my mouth upward, but my eyes had begun to look somewhat heartroken. "So, it really was a dream, huh?" I let out a single raspy laugh. "Strange... I'm not sure if I should feel happy or sad." Placing both hands upon their respective knees, I pondered to myself over the strange world that I had seen. Talking ponies, magic, and flying; it was a real nut house when you threw Discord into the equation.

"I'm back in my world, so shouldn't I be feeling happy?" That was actually a good question. I was out of harms way, so why was my stomach still in knots? "There is foreseeable wars coming, so why am I not relieved to be home? I wonder why..."

Looking out the window to try and get a good look at the surrounding buildings, I was unfortunately not in the proper position to be doing so. All that I could see had been the sky and the tops of some buildings. Nothing to really spend your time looking at. So taking in a breath, I did my best to lie back down without any further pain. Feeling my head hit the pillow, it was only then that I noticed the bandages that wrapped around the front and back of my forehead. Strange, all of this bandaging made me remember Fluttershy. She was the one to treat me with the most kindness that I had ever been subjected to. With a heavy heart, I rubbed a hand against the strip of medical gause before looking up at the ceiling. "I'm going to miss those ponies." Giving a soft chuckle, I tried to smile before I closed my eyes to get some rest.

"Aw... We missed you too Jacob."

My eyes shot open.

That sounded like...

Sitting up in a flash, I soon came to be familiar with the same pain in my chest that had been encountered before. bending over seemed to be the only thing that could be thought of to try and alleviate myself of even the slightest bit of this agony. At the moment, this pain was not my number one priority. That voice had come to be the superior of the two as I tried to push myself back up in a proper sitting position. The voice was definitely one that I had heard before, and it only took me seconds to know who it belonged to.

I don't know why, but I was praying that my ears weren't trying to trick me. For some reason I was relieved to hear the voice, but doubting myself because of where I now was. Slowly looking up, I was unsure just what could be the outcome of doing so.

"Pinkie?"

Standing before me now had been six teary-eyed ponies that stared at me with a relief that was indescribable to someone like me. As strange that it may sound, I can't say that I wasn't a little happy to see them. My gaze lightened while I watched them stand there. I could see Pinkie sniffling a little as she struggled to keep herself together. By how they looked, I could only guess that they had caught wind of what that letter from Celestia had to say.

None of this made sense. I was back home, right? Equestria was all just a dream, and none of it was real. Right?

The clueless expression that was left on my face almost seemed permanent while I sat in my bed. The initial shock that I felt was something that I wasn't sure how to explain. It wasn't bad, but more like a neutral kind of surprise. "You mean that all of this is real, after all?" My question to nothingness went unanswered as the next thing to happen would probably be terrible for my current health.

One after another five of the six ponies in the room had tackled me down on the bed either in a sobbing mess, or somewhat angered. This... Pony-pile that had begun to stack up on-top of my torso was excluding Twilight whom had been watching from the side-lines with a caring smile. She gave a soft laugh when watching her friends pile on-top of me in an emotional mess.

For me, the entire ordeal was a mesh of pain as these ponies latched themselves onto my body. Tightening her grip around my right arm, Dash glared burning daggers at me. Every couple of seconds I could feel her bashing a hoof against my shoulder. "Baker Boy, you moron!" She scolded. "Who do you think you are? If we knew what was going on, we could have vouched for you!" Riled up as ever, Dash had no intention of letting me off easy. "You think that we would just sit by and let you die? You bucking moron!" Through all of her anger I could hear Dash becoming rather weepy. Holding back any attempt to let a tear be shed, Rainbow did all she could to up-hold her macho appearance.

"How could you be so brash, Mr. Froster? Did I not advise you to tread more carefully? How could you make a mare like me worry? That's not polite in the slightest!"

Her front legs wrapped around my waist, Rarity held onto me tightly as her mascara smeared against the top layer of bandages in a wet mixture of make-up and tears. I could hear her voice cracking up in an almost pathetic whimper as she constantly squeezed my hips. "We never even got to bake anything together! You never got a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party, or even a song from the Welcome Wagon!" Holding onto me for dear life, Pinkie squeezed my right leg enough to where it felt like she were about to cut off blood circulation entirely.

"Ya gosh dang igit! Ah can't believe that ya would be so bull-headed to stick this out alone! To do somethin' as stupid as leavin' a note to tell us ya left burns me up to the core!"

Scolding me all the while she held onto my left leg, Applejack wrapped all four legs around it as if she were about to start wrestling. Her angered state was brought on mostly due to her worry, but it felt more like I was being scolded by my grandfather. Catching this half-way through softened sobs, Pinkie turned her head to Applejack a little bit lost in her own scolding. "-But you did that before too, didn't you?" Even through an eye-full of tears, Pinkie still knew how to be random. Her ears perking up for a moment, Applejack narrowed her gaze to Pinkie.

"Pinkie, this ain't the time or place."

The last of the five that had decided to join this pony-pile had been none other than Fluttershy. Tackling me directly in the chest caused my body to bounce somewhat upon the bed with an uncomfortable 'whump'-ing noise. I could feel her front and back legs digging under the comforter and behind my back to deliver a tight squeeze. While it didn't hurt too badly, what made up for it was the condition the pegasus on my chest was in.

As she pressed her face down into my chest, a muffled whimpering emitted from her. I could already feel my bandages coming to be even more soaked by the second. "You scared us all so much." Her sobbing had brought me to ignore the other ponies that had piled on top of me. Even the constant aches that I felt could not distract me. "We thought you..." When Fluttershy looked me in the eyes, there was a sudden sinking feeling within my chest. Her beautiful blue eyes had begun to turn pink from weeping. "We didn't know what to think!" The volume in Fluttershys' voice made my heart skip a beat.

Not long after Fluttershy pressed her face back into my chest did I lay my head back down on its pillow. Taking my only spare arm, I ran a hand through Fluttershys pink mane with the utmost care. My tongue had been tied beyond my comprehension, so I did my best to say the only thing that I possibly could right now.

"I'm sorry."

The thought of this being a dream popped into my skull once more, but I dismissed it. There was no way that something like this could be a dream. Even if it was, I no longer cared.

"Come on now, girls; if you all don't let go, Jacob may never recover."

A magical Lavender aura covering the five ponies, I watched as each one of them levitate off of my body. Granted, Fluttershy stuck to me almost like super-glue, but Twilight did manage to pull her off with a little effort. It took a couple of tries, but eventually Twilight was able to rip Fluttershy off me like a bandage that used crazy-glue. The pain was just about similar.

While things had come to calm down, Applejack had taken the liberty of helping me up in bed. A hoof being pressed against my back wasn't exactly comfortable, but it was much more efficient than what would have needed to be done alternatively. It was still painful enough to cause a flinch, but nowhere near intense as before. "Careful there, partner; Doc says you ain't in the best shape." The truth in her words were all too real. Too bad this truth came in the form of pain.

My face scrunched slightly when letting out a moan. The moment I could, I let not a moment pass by before I could grab my knees for complete support. I was sure to keep my legs crossed to lock my body into place. While this did cause me to shed some of my covers, it was a measly price to pay for stability.

Sitting up again was nice, but the assistance I received was even more appreciated. Letting out an exasperated breath, I hung my head to try and relax. "Thank you, Applejack." By her willing assistance to those in need, I could see a few more shreds of light beginning to show just how Applejack had come to be so trusted by the ponies living back in Ponyville. Any efforts to see further into this were cut off short unfortunately by how Applejack carelessly slapped my back to the flattery.

"No worries, Jake. Ah'm sure ya would have done the same for me."

My spine thrusting itself forward, the unintentionally harmful slap caused me to bend backward with my face nearly blanking out at the ceiling from the short streaks of pain that made impact with my body. Letting out a winded shout, my voice cracked as if any scream or yell had overloaded and reduced to a pitiful squeak. Jumping at my sudden response, Applejack pulled her hoof back quickly. "Gosh dang, Jake! Ah know that the doctor said that you were hurt, but you're darn near fragile!" Adjusting her hat, Applejack watched me bending back to my casual sitting position ever-so-carefully. "Ah'm sorry 'bout that. Didn't know that things were this bad." My rapid beating in my chest had only quickened the heart-monitor beside Applejack, but not for any longer than a second or two. Even if it was through bated breath and a hand gripping my chest, I wanted to try and accept the apology.

"No... No... It's fine. I'm fine. I'm just a little banged up, is all..."

Already making an effort to derail my argument, it did not take long for a certain yellow pegasus to begin trying to lay me back down in bed. It seemed that she was against Applejacks intentions of keeping me up in bed. A hoof pressed gently on my chest while another supported my back, I could feel my body slowly lowering to the surface of my mattress with unsuspecting eyes. "No, it's not fine. You're in terrible condition. You're lucky to still be with us, I'll have you know." Fluttershy had already been standing on the opposite side of the bed as Applejack as she did her best to force me back town to rest. Not much resisting on my part, I went down rather easily.

"Fluttershy is right, Jacob. Even with the advanced magical techniques used in medical doctoring, it was nothing short of a miracle that you're still alive. That alone is not something that you can brush off like a scrape or bruise." Twilights informative criticisms did not stop there. "Even now as you lie there, you still have three broken ribs and a cracked skull. I'm really just glad that the doctors were able to stop the internal bleeding in your lungs and heart before you bled out. All you need to do is stop moving for a little while and let the medical magic do its' work."

Now, I will admit that was peculiar. I had heard about magic before, but never something like medical magic. Twilight seemed to know what she was talking about, but this was her world after-all. Not exactly like I could point out any flaws with her argument in this topsy-turvy world. This did not mean that I wasn't able to show interest in the matter however.

Allowing Fluttershy to cover my chest with blankets, I turned my head to allow Twilight to come into view. My curiosity had been perked at the mentioning of what kind of possibilities that this new magic could offer. "I'm sorry, but... Medical Magic?" At first, Twilight seemed puzzled with my remark; seeming to try and make of what she could of the statement. However with a little time, everything seemed to come to her. A scholar-like smile came to her which comforted me much more than Discords.

"Oh yes, I nearly forgot. Everyone made sure to tell me that you don't have magic where you come from, so I would guess that healing to the power of magic would be something new for you."

Healing to the power of magic? Why did she make it sound like a algebra equation?

Lifting a hoof up as to give a proper explanation, Twilight spoke clearly so that I could understand.

"You see, unicorn doctors are equipped with a special variety of spells that are primarily used for healing and treating their patients; this type of magic can be commonly seen being used in medical practice. These spells help doctors and nurses obtain an understanding about what could be ailing a patient and the healing process. Even the hospital has been enchanted by this kind of magic so that the healing process of patients are quickened whether the case is dire or simple."

Wow, to think that something like this actually existed. Medical buildings actually having the ability to heal you just by standing inside of it? It was a phenomenon like one that could only be read in a story book. "So, the doctors in this world are like White Mages?" Humming to myself, I confirmed this in my head with a slight nod. Twilight acknowledged the assumption by passing off the remark as if I was a child speaking to an adult.

"If you want to be that practical about it, then yes."

Passing the subject of medicine and magic along Twilight made her approach up toward my bed-side. Clearly not as loose and calm as she had been a couple seconds ago, Twilight cleared her throat to tr and set a new tone. "I'm sure that the matters of magic and medicine can be very interesting, but there is something that we need to tell you." At this, I couldn't help but be a little suspicious. A brow arched already, I watched the mare questionably as she could seem to pick up on my uneasy feelings toward her words. "H-Hey, what's with that look?" For a pony that appeared so smart, Twilight couldn't seem to understand my on-going unfortunate technicalities when it came to hearing any kind of new information

"You do realize that every last bit of news I've heard over the past few days has either been devastating, life-threatening, or all-around horrid, right?"

Once you really thought about it, this really was true. Whether it was finding out that I was going to fight in a war or waking up in a brand new world, the only thing that I could ever hear about me being here was horrible. Twilight knew this, and folded her ears back when realizing this herself. "Oh..." Flipping themselves back up once more, the unicorns' ears tried to sync up with their owner to try and brighten my take on the subject. Her friendly smile was a welcoming one.

"Well, what if I told you that we've been talking to the Princess about bringing you back to Ponyville with us?"

Even with Fluttershys pressure on my chest, I couldn't help but rocket up into a sitting position. My eyes wide like dinner plates, I wasn't sure what I was hearing. My sudden movement causing a stir in Fluttershy, the little pony was hesitant on touching me by how I bent over in pain again. Even with the stinging that had begun to surge through my system, I managed to pick my head up enough to get a good look at Twilight. "Wha-What?" Her worry at an all-time high at this point, it took only seconds before Fluttershy was sitting up on the bed to help me sit up straight again. She placed a hoof on my back and one on my chest to steady my balance.

"Please, don't move so suddenly. You could hurt yourself even further."

Moving was already getting to be a task that was harder to get done. My breathing had become erratic from the pain, and the distinct taste of copper was lingering on the back of my tongue. Through a few coughs, I was finally able to say something. "-But Celestia..." It felt like my lungs were starting to spasm to get every last one of my coughs out while Fluttershy patted my back to try and help pass them. They burned in my chest like a pair of fireballs. "-Celestia said that I had tests." Aside from Twilights soft humming, all I received from my statement had been a note thrown onto the foot of my bed. It was a neatly rolled piece of parchment. A scroll might have been the most accurate term. Strange, I saw Twilight reaching for something, but where did she pull the letter from? Did ponies have pockets? If so...

How in sweet sarsaparilla did that work?

"I believe that this can help fill you in on everything you need to know."

Taking my mind off of the obvious zero division that was going on within my brain, I decided to leave that question unsolved until a later date. For now, there was the scroll on my bed that beckoned for my attention. With some strain I bent forward to pick up the letter, and clutched the paper with an outstretched arm before pulling it towards me.

Inquisitive as I may have been to reveal what this letter had to say, the golden seal with a familiar looking sun caught my attention. It being the same as the seal I saw back in the Golden Oaks Library, it was much easier to know who had taken the time to write this. It and a red ribbon had been what kept the piece of paper from unrolling and showing its contents to the world. Brushing a thumb across the sun symbol silently, I paused before continuing. "So Celestia sent me a letter?" I worded this quietly before removing the seal and opening the note. I prayed that this notification came with good tidings, and not anything less.

To Mr. J. Froster,

First things first, I feel the desperate desire to apologize to you for what happened during your captivity in Canterlot. I will admit, Discords' presence in the dungeon was something that I had expected to happen; however, the violence that soon followed was not something that I could have ever planned for. His arrival, though he was unknowing to me expecting him in the dungeon, was never meant to escalate beyond the point where I could confirm your true nature.

While I am grateful to how you refused any offer that may have come your way, any excuse cannot make up for the critical condition that you were put under for the past couple of days. I will handle any expenses so do not feel financially troubled.

Upon the matters of your' existence in Equestria; I am uncertain to how something like this could have happened, and I have yet to discover a way to send you home. At the time however, you will be prohibited from doing so. As the sole human of Equestria you have taken on the title of 'Vagnguard' whether you like it or not. I do not know why you were brought here, but I must guess that it was with good reason.

It would be a lie if it was said that I wasn't expecting that.

Secondly; as you know, I have been watching you even before you awoke in our world. My guards have made sure to keep a close eye on you for all this time, but were advised to keep a safe distance. At first, we were unsure what the small black device with you had been, and confiscated it before you could recover it. At the time, we were unaware that you had thrown the device toward a manticore nest and were very surprised at your confrontation with one of the great beasts.

So they were the reason my phone went missing? I wonder what happened to it.

I have watched everything that you have done in Equestria. The Manticore, escaping the Everfree Forest, and meeting the ponies that you have up to this point. I have known about it all, but the most that I had seen from you is that you are able increase your speed and agility under dire circumstances. Pardon me for saying, but even I had a good laugh when you forgot Manticores could fly.

Wow... So... polite....

nevertheless, you are far too weak for what tests that I have planned for you. Discords confrontation has shown that you have the will to strive for more, but it also had shown that you lack all physical requirements needed to succeed in these tests. I have seen who you are, but now you must build on what you must become. It will not be easy, but I have entrusted the six ponies you have met to ready you for any oncoming peril that could come your way.

Have faith in them.

They will teach you everything you will need to know so that you can be strong. I am entrusting you to follow their every order. If you do this I can assure you that if you learn from them success will follow at a later date. You and I will not be meeting each other for quite some time, but I will be expecting updates on your abilities both physical and mental whenever it is available for you. Until then get some well needed rest. It may be the last that you have for a long while.

Looking up from the letter, I was not sure what exactly to make of the words written in front of me. Was Celestia still dead-set to get me to be in this war of hers? "Geeze, that sunny pain in my keister is still at involving me in this war?" Resting a hand upon my face in disbelief, a familiar sinking in my stomach set in. After giving my head a soft shake, I could only guess that Celestia was not going to let me out of whatever kind of situation I landed myself in. All I could do now was embrace my new status as a Vanguard.

Something told me that I was going to regret this.

A heavy breath shooting from my nostrils, my hand finally took itself away from my face. Rolling up the paper with some disdain, my upper eyelids fell slightly when I let out a few inaudible mumbles. "So, you girls are going to teach me, huh?" With a flick of my wrist, I tossed the letter to the floor before letting out a loud groan. "Geeze, that stupid horse is hell-bent on making me do whatever she wants." Chuckling nervously at how I described Celestia, Twilight used her magic to pick my note up from the floor. Having the paper place itself carefully at my side, Twilight cleared her throat.

"Well, Celestia informed us about this a couple of days ago upon your arrival to the hospital, so I only thought that you already knew."

A couple days ago, huh? How long had I been asleep? Funny, that had to be the first question I asked that actually could be explained. It didn't make me feel any better, but it was a question that was able to be answered truthfully. "A couple days, huh?" Clapping both hands against my face slowly, I roughly moved them around in large circular motions. My mono-toned voice had been enough to pull a quiet apology from Fluttershy. She was so quick to do so.

"This is all well and good, but I'm afraid that I don't understand what any of you could possibly teach me."

Delivering a jab at me in the form of a stare, I could almost feel a bruise forming just by how two ponies eyed me with such malcontent. Flying up to me in an instant, Rainbow soon had my back up against the beds headboard. Meanwhile, a distinct silence had seemed to cancel out any sound as Applejack slowly tapped a fore hoof on the railing on the bed. By how her burning eyes looked upon me, I could see clear as day that what I said angered her.

As for Dash, anger could not begin to describe what I was looking at. Almost enraged, I could see the scowl showing on her face. A fore hoof raised at my chest as if ready to make an accusation. "Just what does that mean?" Feeling the cyan pegasus finally pressing her hoof into my chest, I began to sweat under pressure. Unable to guard myself, I stared at the hoof through widened eyes before letting my vision follow up Dashes foreleg and up to her face. "Thinking that you know more than us, Baker-Boy? Saying that you're better?" I could almost feel my tongue curling up to the back of my throat just to keep my from speaking. The constant prodding at my chest however brought forth a few good coughs that unfortunately loosened my tongue.

"It... It's not like that... I just-"

It had come to be somewhat difficult to talk with that itchy sensation in the back of my throat before I had gone into a coughing fit from the added feeling of Dash pressing her hoof into my lungs. In between gasping coughs, I forced myself to turn away to spare these ponies that courtesy. Doing so had effectively dislodged Dashes hoof while my own hand grabbed grabbed my chest. I could hear my monitor going crazy as there was a light patting on my back.

"Rainbow Dash, He doesn't mean anything like that. Jacob is just confused."

Her words bringing Dash to set herself back down on the floor, Fluttershy continued to aid me through my exasperated gasps for air. Slowing her pats until they were reduced to a soft rubbing along my spine, the yellow pegasus made sure to keep me calm. Excitement was the last thing I needed right now. "Try to be empathetic for him. Intimidation is not doing any favors." Applejacks tapping on the railing of my bed came to a slow halt as her gaze lightened with Dashes. "His question was sincere, and purely out of curiosity. It was not to spite us in any way. We have not known Jacob long, but we know that he wouldn't speak to hurt someone." Seeming to have straightened out all misunderstandings, Fluttershy sat by my side while still doing her best to keep my coughing fits to a minimum.

"Everything is going to be fine. Just take deep, easy breaths. In through the nose and out the mouth."

Seeing this all as nothing to linger upon any longer, Applejack and Dash did show some minor embarrassment for their behavior but chose to try and put it behind them. A hoof behind her head, Rainbow scratched her multicolored mane in her own awkward way. It was clear that she still at least somewhat lingered on how she had physically confronted me only moments ago. "So, uh..." Automatically looking to Twilight for answers, Rainbow spoke. "How are we going to teach Baker-Boy anything?" If I could, I would have face-palmed myself into next year.

Taking pride in how she spoke, it surprised me to see yet another piece of rolled up paper appear from Twilight. Encased in lavender magic, I watched the paper only as I started slowly sitting up while letting out my last few coughs. At first, I wondered if Ponies had pockets, but that would just be ridiculous. How could something like that even work? "Well actually, I have taken the liberty of creating a schedule for who will teach Jacob and when." Upon Twilight unrolling the piece of parchment, I could already see the lengthy roll hitting the floor while the top remained to be held weightlessly by magic. I almost felt my jaw beginning to mimic the list and drop as far as it could. Shaking my head to stop such an action, I instead sat there speechless with my mouth somewhat agape. "I've planned your daily regimen for the next five months, so it shouldn't be too difficult to keep up with." Just how this little lavender unicorn had things under such control was worth recognizing. She must have been good under pressure, or a complete mess when it came to the matter. It was usually one or the other.

"Each of us will be your designated teacher for one day throughout the week, and a day off will be assigned to you after every six days of teaching."

Twilights ability to plan so far ahead was more than impressive. It was kind of like she was a teacher of some sort. I suppose that Twilight may just have her share of training settled already if she had gotten this far in her planning. Continuing, Twilight softly placed a fore hoof on her chest. "Out of the six of us, I will be in charge of educating you about how to identify and create strategies, while still being able to work through difficult situations." Something about that told me I wasn't going to enjoy any of it, but I'll just have to roll with the punches.

Whipping her hair back to catch my attention, Rarity stood in place rather elegantly. Seeing how a make-up compact was floating in the air with the aid of magic and how Raritys' face no longer leaked eye-liner like a faucet, it seemed that Rarity found the time to tidy herself up while I wasn't looking. Her eyes displaying their womanly sheen to them, you could see their azure color much more clearly. Her fashionista-like self was more evident than ever as I could see her lifting her chin. The action wasn't snobbish, but more like she had the confidence of three other ponies crammed into her. "Just as Twilight Sparkle has said, I will also be teaching you. Although I will be teaching you on how to keep your wits sharp." Lowering her chin before giving me a look of displeasure, Rarity motioned a foreleg toward me as her informative explanation slowly turned into a light scolding. "Not to mention how to properly take care of your clothes; I mean, rea-" Rarity would have gone on to continue pointing out flaws in how I take care of my own clothes if not for Pinkie Pie chiming into to successfully silence her if not only for surprising Rarity.

"I'm going to be a teacher too! I'm going to teach you how to keep cool under situations that could make you angry."

Pondering to herself for a split second, Pinkie sat on her haunches before patting her hooves on both sides of her head in a rather funny manner.

"I still don't understand why I would be in charge of that. I mean seriously, I got nothing! I can't even think of what I can do for teaching that!"

The ringing in my ears from Pinkies rather high-pitched rant gave me a few ideas.

An uncomfortable chuckle left me as I struggled to force a smile from how Pinkie thought and thought over what she could possibly do to teach me whatever she was supposed to. The pink pony could not be observed for long as Rainbow made the effort to flap her wings to zip upward in the air and float in front of me. Caught off-guard, I would have stumbled back if not for the head-board supporting me. Sliding beside me, Dash landed on the opposite side of the matress as Fluttershy. Proudly patting my shoulder, Dash seemed to already be petting her own ego by how the pegasus looked at me. "Not to mention that you'll be having yours truly as your' personal trainer." Slapping my thigh with her other hoof, Dash listened to the fleshy sound underneath my covers before giving a sly remark.

"I'll turn these tubes of jelly into speed machines!"

I did not like the sound of that. From what I had already picked up about Rainbow Dash was that she was a stereotypical jock. Athletic in every sense of the word. She may be smaller than me, but there wasn't a doubt in my mind that she could beat me to a bloody pulp in the time it would take me to say 'Please, stop hitting me'. Now seeing her turn all attention back to me with a dastardly grin, I couldn't help but let out a pathetic squeak of certain defeat.

"The princess was more than happy to tell us about your little race with a manticore. Not bad, but if you don't move as fast as I want I may dump you back in Everfree."

The way Dash said that was enough to make me go into a silent panic. My heart monitor racing like crazy, I could already picture myself caught underneath the paw of another one of those man-eating monsters. It was a frightening thing to think about. Pulling my blanket up to my chest in a trembling hand, I tried to put such a thought out of mind. The thought of being pulled deeper into that forest.

-And deeper....

I could almost feel my blood beginning to leave my face to leave a sickly shade of pale. The very thought of going back to that place gave me chills. Not even the constant comforting pats and rubbing I got on my back from Fluttershy could bring my mind away from the idea of going back. Almost in a panic all her own, Fluttershy stared at Dash from over my shoulders during her fretting.

"Rainbow Dash, don't say such things!"

The silent exclamation being somewhat laughed off by Dash, it took a rough shove in the kidney to get Dash to shut her mouth. The thudding noise that came from the impact made things sound like Dash had been hit with a blunt object rather than just pushed. "Now, don't you go gettin' Jake 'n' Fluttershy wound-up." Standing beside by heart monitor, Applejack gave Rainbow Dash probably the most serious stink-eye I had ever bore witness to. Pulling her hoof away from Dashes side, Applejack set it on the floor with a soft 'clop'.

"Jokes like that ain't funny, Dash. Fluttershy told ya how bad Jake got hurt in there, and Ah happen to remember a certain pegasi that had quite the difficult time herself the first time she went in them woods."

Rubbing her side as a certain soreness began to set in, Rainbow grumbled and muttered to herself. I could tell already what ever kind of stinging that had been left for Rainbow to live through, it was not comfortable in the slightest. Raising a brow when hearing what she said was a 'joke', Dash rolled her eyes nonchalantly; A smart smirk forming with her lips. "Joke? Oh yeah, it was a joke!" Her sarcasm made Applejacks ears fold back, frustrated by the cyan pegasi's actions. Directing her gaze to me, Dash still kept a hoof over her kidney for good measure.

"-but maybe I will throw you in there if I feel like-."

A hoof slammed into Dashes' shoulder causing the pegasus to curb her body according to the impact of the blow. To watch the pegasus that I could only suspect to be an over-powered jock to be subdued by the southern speaking pony left me wondering just how strong these little creatures were. Their power was frightening. Having cut off the cyan pegasus completely from her words, Applejack was left to continue where Dash left off. In the meantime, Dash was left to try and recover from this second blow. "You keep tellin' jokes like them, and Ah'll be the one deliverin' the 'punch-line'." Applejacks' threat went a little more than heard as Rainbow seemed to have completely given up any desire to intimidate me any longer. Instead, she leered at the orange earth pony with a tongue sticking out. Applejack was less than amused. "Oh so you want me to bop ya there too, huh?" Dash pulled her tongue back behind her lips in a flash.

Giving a stern nod to approve of Rainbows current silence, Applejack eased up in her gaze to look at me. A friendly smile coming to her once more, the warm and welcoming she showed me was so different from what she had just shown Dash. "Sorry 'bout that, partner; Dash doesn't know much about how to stop flappin' her gums on a delicate subject." The blank nod I gave her was all that I could think to do for a response. In turn, Applejack let out a soft breath to ease any tension left within her. "At any rate, Ah don't think that it takes an apple to the head to make ya know that Ah'll be teachin' ya to build some upper-body strength." Letting her words run through her head, Applejack realized it was a little too late to catch herself on her wording. Memories of my first 'encounter' with Applejack was all that came to our minds when taking her words into account. By that, I mean that I remember being pelted with produce to the point of its' own liquidation.

"Er, uh... No offense, Jake."

Feeling the lightest of pressure on my arm from Fluttershy leaning in on it, I could hear her soft cooing voice trying to obtain my attention. Of course, she did her best not to look directly at me; she was rather shy, after all. Fiddling with her delicate hooves, I could hear some nervousness in her voice. "I hope you don't mind me being a teacher as well." I'm not sure why, but she looked a little down on herself; like she was feeling ashamed, or something. "I understand if you don't, I'm certainly not the best one of us that could be a teacher. Neither am I the most qualified." Man, just seeing Fluttershy like this was enough to yank at a few heart-strings. A part of me wanted to pull this sweet little pony in a hug to try and comfort her, but I needed to stay professional. No need in making her feel any more uncomfortable than she was already. Instead, I wrapped an arm around her shoulders to pull Fluttershy close. I'll admit that this was a similar tactic to a hug, but it wasn't as bold. It was a more delicate way to do what I wanted.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. People like you can do whatever you set your mind to, so I bet you will do amazingly."

Having pulled her against my side gently with my hand on her shoulder, my compliment seemed to have left the yellow pegasus flustered. Her eyes staring out into space with a red hue starting to tint her cheeks. Fluttershys' wings ruffled themselves underneath my arm. "I-If you think so, I will do what I can..." I could see her expression was somewhat undecided as she could not decide whether to smile or not. "... I will be teaching you to be careful, and the benefits of being gentle with others." Out of all the others, this one seemed a little strange. There was the need for me to be gentle in a war? How odd.

Already looking through what I could only expect to be a schedule book of sorts, the dark blue book floated in the air with the help of Twilight Sparkles' magic. The lavender power flipped the pages of the book one-by-one before the book floated itself up to me. "I hope that you do not mind, but I purchased a booklet for you as a quick reminder of who will be teaching you and when." Not one to decline a thoughtful gift, I took the small book from the air. Keeping the page that it had been on, I could see a written schedule on the pages in the most well-polished of English handwriting. That alone was impressive.

"Wow, you wrote it in my language and everything..."

Both Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash leaning over my shoulder to have a better look at the writing, the two stared at the page a little lost. Trying to decode the unknown language, Dash was soon left to rubbing her head. "Geeze Baker-boy, that stuff is giving me a head-ache just looking at it!" Fluttershy wasn't done examining the written symbols on the paper, but it seemed that she was having a difficult time reading as well.

"Every morning, you will be escorted by one of us to your place of practice." Twilight spoke. "Pinkie Pie will be teaching you first, then the order goes Rainbow Dash, Rarity, myself, Applejack, and Fluttershy. The next day of the week is when you will be allowed one day to yourself."

Dang, this was a full-time deal, wasn't it?

Who knows, maybe this won't be so bad? If something like this was really going to happen, could I really have asked for any better teachers than the six people that I knew the most in this world? I was stuck being this Vanguard thing, but I suppose that it wasn't that bad. Who even knows when this war was coming up? It could be tomorrow, or ten years; I suppose that it didn't matter when it all came down to it. I was stuck here no matter what.

"Ngh...Uhg...Nnnngh..."

The constant dancing in place from Pinkie had been enough to draw my eye to her.

She was acting... Strange. Well, stranger than usual. She was all twitchy, and looked like she had been holding in a lot of pent up energy. Biting her lip as her dance came to be more intense with quickened leg stomping, it appeared that the pink pony was doing what my mother always called 'the potty dance'. This was not the case however, as it came to be rather apparent that the only thing being observed at the time was Pinkies impatience. Slamming all four hooves down on the floor, Pinkie took in a gasp of air.

"Twilight! Can I do it now?"

I watched the pink pony crawl on her knees to Twilight with her front hooves clapped together in a praying motion. Did ponies even have knees? They're legs worked and looked different than mine, but that's what I was looking at. "Please, please, please, please, pleeeeease?" Somewhat annoyed by the action alone, Twilight refrained from looking at pinkie as her head sunk down somewhat as the unicorn gave a will breaking sigh. Whatever Pinkie was talking about, it most certainly was not the first time that it was asked. Twilight looked too worn down by the question for it to be the second time asked. It was like a parent being subjected to their children in the all too familiar torture of the 'Are we there yet' question on a long and bothersome road trip. Still, it seemed that Twilight had enough of this as she rested a hoof over one of her eyes to express her growing frustration. "Twilight, you promised that once Jacob was awake that I could do it! You pinkie promised!" Dragging the hoof down slowly from her face, Twilight forced a smile by the time she was able to look at her pink friend.

"Oh, did I?" Her smile twitched for a second before turning and walking back to accompany Rarity as the white unicorn sat prestigious-ly by the door. Twilights' farce smile already began to give way to a frown. "Then go ahead. Don't let me stop you."

Okay, I could let the question pass by as much as it possibly could have, but now I needed an answer. Just what was the it that Pinkie was talking about? The mystery alone was enough to bait me on to try and ask the question myself, but I was simply too slow for this hyperactive pink bolt of lightening.

The moment that she was given the green flag to do whatever she had planned for me, Pinkie squealed through a grin composed of the majority of her pearly white teeth. Clapping her front hooves together only long enough for me to hear the distinct clopping from them, the earth pony jumped up from her knees before speeding out of the room like a bullet fast enough that I could even feel a breeze of wind being pulled with her out the door.

The sudden quiet felt almost out of place by the events that had just unfurled before me. The squeaks and giggles that came from Pinkie had vanished as I was left holding Fluttershy a little closer than I had been before. Letting my arm slide off of Fluttershy, I couldn't help but lean forward to try and get a closer look at the door as it now had been blown open completely. Although I could see the white tile floors outside of my room, I did not stay on the sights for long. Instead, I leaned back against the head of my bed once more before trying to scratch my head; this time with my left arm. "Where did she-" Unfortunately, I was met with the uncomfortable feeling of having my IV jiggling around in my arm before I could even finish. Wincing at the stinging, I couldn't help but grab my arm as if it would aid in relieving myself of this pain. Seeing how it did nothing at all, I resorted to probably a horribly stupid move on my part. "Stupid freaking needle..." Taking hold of the IV, I tore it from my arm if not purely out of anger for the device causing me pain at such a time of my life.

The action caused some alert to the girls, but nothing they seemed willing to panic about. Instead, in response to my sudden impulse, I received what I could only call a 'shoosh pap' from Fluttershy. It seemed to be my turn to be the surprised one now as I sat there. It was weird, that action. Being quietly shushed and patted on the cheek wasn't exactly what I had imagined to happen at some point today, but it happened and was even making me forget why I was so worked up in the first place.

"Be calm, Jacob. Now is not the time to over-exert yourself."

Unable to disobey Fluttershys' orders in any way, my body became relaxed.

Untying my head bandage, Fluttershy took my arm before wrapping the strip around it tightly. I actually wasn't sure anymore just what I was looking at, but it gave me butterflies in my stomach. Not nervous butterflies, but something else. Something nice. Next giving the bandage a light kiss, Fluttershy looked up at me with her eyes filled with kindness. "There, does that feel better." Feeling a warmness filling my face, I mindlessly nodded before feeling a light nudge from the other pegasus that sat beside me while she gave a few good natured laughs my way.

Giving a couple more pats on my face, Fluttershy leaned herself onto my arm once more.

"Here comes the party train! Whoo-Whoo~!"

The blasting voice that bounced off the walls of the hall just outside my room was one that I could easily identify to be Pinkies. By the large amounts of thuds, crashing, and yells I could tell that whatever Pinkie was doing that anyone in the hall had to dive out of the way just so that they couldn't be run over by the insane pony before she sped into my hospital room and successfully causing Rainbow Dash to roll off of the bed in shock and landing on her head. Picking herself up off the ground, Dash muttering a few inappropriate words under her breath while rubbing the crown of her skull.

Having skidded into my room due to her sudden stop, Pinkies' hooves screeched against the floor like tires on asphalt. Behind her was a strange, small cart of sorts that connected to Pinkies back with a harness. It wasn't exactly small, but more or less narrow enough to squeeze through the door without trouble. On Pinkies' head was a dark blue train conductors cap. Having been clutching the back of my bed for dear life upon Pinkies dynamic entry, I could feel Fluttershy squeezing my arm with the same intention as I had. Twilight and Rarity had stumbled backward and out of the way of Pinkie while Applejack steadily helped Dash to her hooves as if the entrance didn't effect her at all. Sure, the apple pony shot Pinkie a somewhat wide-eyed look of confusion, but other than that she was not rattled in the slightest.

"Whoo-Whoo! We have arrived at Party-Central! All luggage will be distributed in the unloading area!"

Peeling myself off the head board, I tried to catch my breath from that sudden surprise. Another one of those shoosh-paps would have been greatly appreciated right about now.

This cart was not something you would normally see out in the open. It was more or less like something you would see at a carnival. The light blues, pinks, and yellows painted upon the wood complimented each other as you would have expected. A cylindrical dome concealed the insides of the cart and only left my mind to ponder what could have been hidden from prying eyes. Why was it here though? All of Pinkies' efforts were to pull a cart into my room? Unable to hold my questions any longer, I did not hesitate before relentlessly asking each and every last one of them to the grinning earth pony.

"Pinkie, what in Great Greens is that thing? What are you doing? What's going on?"

After shaking off the hat on her head, the giddy laughter Pinkie made only distracted me from whatever chance there was to keep on subject. Instead, I was left speechless at the antics brought on by the crazy little horse. "Well, after you left, I was reminded of something terrible." Before speaking the word 'terrible' Pinkie pulled her hooves down on her face. It was strange to see that Pinkies' skin almost stretched with her pulling, but literally snapped back into place like rubber. "Then I remembered that you never had a welcome to Ponyville party! It was just so sad, but then I had the idea of bringing the party to the hospital!" Oh, there was no possible way in my mind that this could possibly end well. "Just leave it to Pinkie to make my new friend feel welcome back at Ponyville!" Unbuckling herself from the harness of the cart, Pinkie lifted a hind leg to deliver a quick tap to a bright red button located on a side of the device.

'HONK'

I deadpanned at the noise.

Following after Pinkie pressed its' button, the carts' cylindrical dome peeled back with such a force that it caused the cart to jump off the ground before letting a platform of multiple gizmos and gadgets spike up from the inside of the colorful contraption. First was a platform of many varying colors of pinks and yellows that jumped out of the center of the cart to reveal what sat on top of it. A miniature oven rested in the frame on the platform as what sat on both sides of it had been a set of racks that held an assortment of baked goods. Lining the frame above the oven had been a line of light bulbs that flashed in a pattern like this was all some circus attraction.

Multiple pipes of different sizes and lengths bounded from the sides within the cart. Some looked like peppermint sticks while others seemed made of gold while sitting on a cake-like pedestal. An assortment of vuvuzelas shot out of the cart just as a couple mini-train whistles did just the same while colorful triangular flags shot out of the cart before waving themselves like crazy.

Over the chaos of this cart, I could distinctly pick up the sound of the music box that had been built directly inside the crazy carnival cart. There was a light in Pinkies eyes at about this time, and by the music playing I could already guess why.

Bouncing wildly around the room, Pinkie began to sing.

~Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!~
~A fine welcome to you!~

Her bounding coming to be less wild, Pinkie bounced herself in a line in-front of her cart; never once letting her eye-contact break from mine.

~Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!~
~I say, how do you do?~

Somehow losing track of the little pony, it wasn't long until I could feel a vuvuzela blasting in my ear at full force. The sound alone shocked my ear-drum, but how it left me stunned prevented me from any sudden movements. Instead, I shook off the feeling only to see Pinkie toss the horn aside and pick up a marching bass drum and banging it wildly as she paraded across the room.

~Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!~
~I say, hip-hip-hooray!~

Tossing the drum to join the vuvuzela, Pinkie jumped in the air to land at the very end of my bed on her knees to finish up the remainder of her song. With the finale, Pinkie held her fore-hooves in the air while she stood on her knees.

~Welcome! Welcome! Welcome!~
~to Ponyville to-day!~

I was quite literally left speechless by what had just transpired before me. Pinkie stood before me, on her knees with a smile on her face while she breathed through her teeth in an act to catcher her breath. I actually had to rub my eyes a good couple of times just to confirm what all I had just seen. "Ooo! Hold on a sec, this part is my favorite!" Barely even able to lift a finger at this pony before Pinkie could turn on her rump to get a good look at her cart, I could sense the excitement in her voice.

The cart sputtered for a split moment before a 'ding' sounded from inside the oven. With it, streamers and confetti shot from the door and littered my bed with each spectrum of the rainbow.

Not exactly what I was expecting to be inside an oven, but this was Pinkie so...

Then there was another sound coming from the cart. A coughing and wheezing that originated from it as a slight feeling of uneasiness gripped me. In a mere instant, a sweet smelling substance shot out from cart pipes only for it to splatter against the ceiling and coating the entire room.

No spot in the room had been left untouched by whatever shot from the cart. The sweet smell of it was familiar, but it was rather difficult to see with my glasses covered in this gunk. After removing them, it had revealed that the only part of my body that wasn't hit by the explosion of this material had been my eyes as the two circles had been the only thing visible of thing on my body underneath whatever I was covered in.

The slurping sound coming from the blob in front of me soon revealed itself to be Pinkie Pie as her tongue swerved in an impossible circular motion around her head enough to free it. I never knew that a tongue could stretch that far. By the smacking and delightful hums she gave off, I was half tempted to try the substance myself. So dragging a finger across one of my glasses lens, I placed a small sum of the gunk in my mouth. The sweet smell finally becoming clear with the taste, I removed the finger from my mouth a little dumbfounded by my discovery.

"Is... Is this cake?"

The giddy laughter from Pinkie soon calmed itself to show her cheezy smile. By the looks of things, this didn't quite go as planned.

"Yeah; as it turns out, all of that was supposed to go in reverse." Bobbing her head from one side to the other, Pinkie tried to explain her intentions. "Confetti out of the pipe-organ, and cake out of the oven. I just keep getting those two mixed up in the wrong parts."

Of course she did. You know, half of me thought that Pinkie did that on purpose, but that was just the mystery of Pinkie Pie. How could someone like Pinkie get something like this to go the way it did? Pinkie only knows.

Bursting through a pile of cake beside me, Fluttershy gasped for air before coughing up some of the mixture that managed to sneak its' way in her mouth. Managing to shake most of the cake off, she wiped her face to rid it of the substance. From what I could observe, Fluttershy wasn't the only one that had been covered in cake. Looking around the room, I could see that every last one of the ponies in this room appeared to be statues of baked goods. Every last one of them were covered in the gooey, sugary mess. The most comical of them had to of been Rarity. The look on her face was priceless, but the way she froze up was perfection. I couldn't help but burst out in laughter.

"Pbffft, Bah-ha-ha! You all look ridiculous!"

I lolled my head back while holding my gut. My hysterical laughter had been the only thing that could be heard in, and possibly outside of the room. At first not understanding my laughter, the girls looked from one to another before unable to hold back their own laughter at the sight of their friends covered in the cake muck.

"Hey, what's going on here!?"

A feminine shout boomed in the room, effectively cutting off everyones laughter. By the looks of it, our laughter had gathered some unneeded attention as a white mare with a pink mane and coat stood in the doorway. Furious by what she was looking at, the pony nurse refrained from stepping inside. Behind her was a light amber stallion with a brownish tangelo mane in a doctors coat and glasses. Holding back his own laughter, the doctor pony chuckled to himself before the nurse shot a glare at him; at which he quickly fell silent before innocently whistling to himself. Shooting her gaze back in the room at us again, a low growl could be heard coming from the mare.

"Everypony, out! Now!"

So we were kicked out of the room. That's not even a metaphor; we were quite literally kicked from the room by that mare nurse. You would think that a nurse would treat her patients with a little more care, but let it not be said that she couldn't open a can of whoop-ass on someone. I can still feel the hoof-prints on my keister.

A shower later in the neighboring hospital room, I was left drying my hair on a bench located just outside my room door. While I had to discard my cake covered bandages, this did not mean that I was without clothing. Rarity was kind enough to deliver an extra set of clothes for me, so that was nice. I believe her exact words were, 'I would say that I cannot believe you would leave your clothes in such rags, but a lady knows better than to fib'. Blue seemed to be a trendy color for me from what it seemed as I had once again received a blue shirt and denim jeans. The exact same design of inter-looping circles came painted on the shirt, so it seemed that Rarity had come to have a bit more confidence when it came to painting on clothing.

Discovering that my hospital room was at the end of the hallway had its' benefits. I had a large window to look out of to peer out to the city. Even though the sun had already set at the time, the shine of the moons light majestically showed me the city in silence. To be looking at Canterlot and know that there might not be a way to go back home was quite the predicament, but it no longer bothered me. It seemed that I had a job to do now in this world, and now even I convinced myself that I needed to stay.

If I was some sort of being that could settle something catastrophic like the apocalypse of this world, then shouldn't I be obligated to try my best at helping Celestia protect her kingdom? Every one of the ponies in this world would be depending upon me to become stronger to protect them, and I won't lie to you; the thought of that is scary. To have all of this responsibility thrusted upon anyone would be frightening.

"Well, it looks like somepony is enjoying their time out of bed."

Turning my head away from the window, I could see the same unicorn doctor from earlier making his way toward me. Taking a couple glances at the clipboard magically floating in the air, he planted himself on the bench beside me with a relaxed sigh. After adjusting his glasses, his clipboard tapped against the bench surface as it now lay flat and motionless against it. "Whew, what a day." He seemed relaxed for someone that was a doctor. "A Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, Ganglionectomy, and dealing with you and your' friends all in one day can take it out of any good doctor." By the friendly nudge he gave me, I could tell he was trying to joke around with me. Letting a laugh breath itself from my nostrils, I nodded my head in somewhat approval.

"I'll tell you something, kid; you are looking a lot better than you did a couple days back. Nearly broke every bone in your' blasted body, and had internal bleeding like you wouldn't believe. I don't know what kind of ruckus you got yourself into, but it was important enough to have Princess Celestia herself bring you here in a hurry."

So, Celestia did care. Well, at least she did enough to take me to a hospital. That meant something. That she didn't want me to die yet, I guess.

I suppose that I was lucky to be alive. The healing magic of this hospital really worked wonders for me. Keeping a straight face, I stared at the doctor with an arched brow. "Was I really in such serious condition?" Yes, I realize how stupid this question was. "I mean, I feel fine right now." Doctor Stable sarcastically smirked at me. It almost felt like the look he gave was some form of insult by how he seemed to question the judgement I made on my body.

"That's the miracle of medical-magic. It speeds up the healing process without any sort of side-effect." Tapping his chin to give his statement slight thought, Mr. Stable smirked. "Granted, we had to slow it all down for your surgery or your' body would have closed up with all that blood and puss still locked in it. Not to mention how we spent half a day fixing broken bones. I never thought that I would get to work on carpals, but you proved this veteran of the art wrong." Knocking the back of his head, the Doc looked at me from his peripherals. "Had to put a metal plate in back here too. I actually added that myself, free of charge." However generous that this had been, I couldn't help but graze my hand behind my head to feel a stinging that caused my body to flinch.

"So that's why it hurts so much..."

A slight nod came from the doctor before continuing.

"Yeah, as I said; you look a lot better now than you did when you first got here, so count your blessings. It was like you were in the worst train wreck Equestria had ever seen from how much blood you lost. We were lucky that you had any left for us to sample for a compatible blood type."

The two of us fell silent for a brief moment while listening to the soft buzzing that came from the over-head florescent lights. The two of us stared at the wall in front of us while trying to think of what we could possibly say next. "Soooo,-" The doctor began; slowly turning his head in a circle before stopping it to look at me the second time around. "It took some convincing, but I managed to convince Redheart to let you keep your' clothes. They look alright, but no-one ever really likes to wear those robes." So that was the name of that nurse? Redheart? To tell you the truth, the name only made me think of the medical red cross from my world. Casting aside any possibly comparisons for later, I wanted to try and thank Doctor Stable for his efforts.

"Thank you. I mean no offence, but they were a little too small for me; if you catch my drift. I had to squat down just to keep myself decent when she booted me out of the room."

Nearly busting a gut, Doctor Stable bent over in laughter and almost fell to the floor from sheer enjoyment of my words. He rocked back and forth while tears leaked from both eyes. The Doc actually had to stop himself before he went as far to actually rupturing any organs. I could see he was still feeling a bit ticklish in the chest from how the occasional snicker or snort would leave him. Unable to contain himself, Stable nudged me with his elbow once again. "I know. Remind me not to drop the soap around you, big-guy." Listening to the doctor bursting into frantic ha's and guffaws once more, I couldn't help but feel my face redden at these words. Having to wipe his eyes from the hard laughter, the doctor looked at me. "Oh, come now; someone would have needed to put you in that robe. Would you have preferred it be me, or Redheart?" The choices that I had been given caused me to jump to Doctor Stables somewhat disturbing smirk.

"Yeah, I thought so."

Looking away from the doctor in a frantic attempt to find a new subject, I coughed into my hand to try and end my blushing.

"S-so I heard that I was asleep for a couple days."

Choosing to let the past subject stay exactly where it was now, Stable took his clipboard in a hoof before examining it. Having to adjust his glasses, the doctor eventually found what answer he was looking for upon the sheet of paper. "Yep, that's what it says in black and white. Tomorrow will be your third day." Almost looking back at me, Doctor Stable had to double take back to his clipboard. "Wow, I forgot just how much tranquilizer we kept you on." Raising a hoof when looking back to me, Stable looked almost excited to explain his actions. "I swear, we put you under enough sedatives these past two days to knock an elephant unconscious." That was... Horrifying to know. Leaning away from the doctor, I tried to keep a good at least a foot in distance between his face and mine when he actually began leaning toward me. Pressing a hand on his forehead, I pushed Doctor Stable back into a upright sitting position so that I could do the same.

"That's great, Doc. Let's try to keep things professional though."

Doing just that, Stable looked back down at his clipboard. A long humming sounded from his throat. "Looks like you're going to be stuck here for a few more days. I hope that you do not mind that." Not really a problem. Celestias' note said that I would need to rest up before getting back to Ponyville. "You will also have to take prescription pain killers before your release." Again, not really a problem. Hearing what sounded like shaking marbles in a jar, I looked to the doctor once more to see him holding a large yellow prescription bottle in his hoof. It was like you would expect. A can-like bottle with a twist-off top. A white sticker label slapped on the side to tell what it was. "Not sure why, but the Princess insisted that we printed the label in Aquastrian text. I'm not sure why since you clearly speak fluent Equestrian." Tossing the bottle to me, I caught the jar of a pill bottle in my hands to get a good look at the label. Whatever the Aquastrian language was, it appeared that it was nearly exact to the English language. The font was a bit sketchy, but I could make out what was written. The name of the medicine was difficult to pronounce, but I could already tell that these were a sort of painkiller that had been non-existent in my world. Instead of bothering to read that, I skipped down to the instructions.

Do not take on an empty stomach. Take only as prescribed.
Side effects may include (but are not limited to) Hallucinations, and Night Terrors.
DO NOT TAKE BEFORE SLEEP.

By how the last sentence was printed in red ink and in all capitalized letters, it would be in my best interest to keep that in mind.

Twisting off the top of the pill bottle, I dumped one of the pills onto my hand and stared at the spherical pharmaceutical creation. Aside from looking like a comically over sized jawbreaker that you could barely fit in your mouth, the pill was a bright purple that had its own sort of gleam to it. The bumps along its' surface only made me wonder just who would manufacture a pill like this. As I held one up to the light, I closed an eye to examine it like a jeweler would to a diamond. "What's up with these pills, Doc? Did your daughter embroider them?" Stable gave me a look while I continued to examine the pills with a comical smile. "Seriously, how am I supposed to swallow these things? I bet I can't even fit one in my mouth without choking." Thinking that the doctor just grabbed the wrong bottle at first, I dismissed any thought that these pills could have possibly been mine. It was impossible. As I said, how on earth would I be able to swallow these?

"Actually, those are suppositories."

Freezing up, I had hardly even noticed how I dropped the large pill on the floor as my face cracked into a deadpan expression.

Ever so slowly, I screwed the lid back onto its' bottle in an emotionless silence before sitting quietly and still.

Almost as if it came out of nowhere, I grabbed onto the collar of Doctor Stables coat with a sneer before yanking him close with the doctor pony giving a quick yelp as I did so. My forehead pressing against his, I could already see how he had come to be fearful of my actions. Not happy to hear this bit of news, I gripped the doctors coat tightly as he sweated bullets. The enraged look in my eyes sent a chill riding up and down his spine like a roller coaster as I shoved the medical bottle into his gut.

"...No..."

Letting out a long exhausted yawn, I leaned back on the bench while my head tilted forward to watch the colorless white sheen on the hospital floor. It was a while after getting the doctor to grab me some pain killers that I could use normally. The two of us didn't really talk much after that. I was just left by myself while listening to the sound of cleaners washing the cake off the walls of my room behind closed doors. There wasn't much to hear; just the occasional cleaning tools scraping cake bits off the floor. Doctor Stable told me that if it came down to it, I would just have to stay in another room until mine was clean enough to be considered to be safe for anyone to sleep there. It was just cake; why did the doctors here make it sound like it was some sort of deadly disease? Yawning once more, I could feel my eyelids drowsily beginning to droop on themselves.

"Excuse me... Jacob?"

After my gaping maw had come to finish its' current yawn, I rubbed an eye before turning to see Fluttershy standing just a few feet from the bench I sat on. On the ground beside her had been a small straw basket with a red and white checkered piece of fabric covering whatever contents could have been inside. Tilting my head with a somewhat tired expression, I had to admit that I wasn't expecting to see Fluttershy up at the hospital this late. "Huh, Fluttershy? What are you doing here at this time of night?" Not even the slightest bit sleepy, Fluttershy scuffed a hoof on the tile floor. Her eyes on the backet basket when pointing her nose at the ground, Fluttershy took a tiny step closer to the bench.

"Um... Well, it's just that... I really wanted to come check on you." Her eyes occasionally glanced up at me, only to look back down at her basket. "The girls and I are staying in a hotel just a few buildings away, and since it really wasn't that far of a walk... Not that distance was ever a matter... I just thought that you would like some company."

My eyes following hers, I eventually found myself staring at the straw basket at Fluttershys' hooves. Seeing this, I could see the nervous pegasus jump with a soft gasp. "O-oh yes, how could I forget?" Picking up the basket by its' handle, Fluttershy lifted it up to me while taking another small step towards me. Seeing how Fluttershy wanted me to take it, I slowly took the basket in my hands with the utmost care. "Pinkie made you some cookies, but she forgot to bring them earlier today." Pulling back the fabric of the straw basket, I was met with quite the peculiar sight. A variety of cookies that looked an awful lot like people. Funny, they sort of reminded me of gingerbread men. It actually managed to pull a smile from my sleepless self.

"Well, I'll be dipped in frosting."

Taking one of the cookies and pulling it out, I showed one of the cookie people to Fluttershy happily. Playing with it like it was walking made her giggle. "Look, it's just like a little me." That wasn't an exaggeration either. The cookie person had everything that I did. Blue clothes, black hair, glasses, and even my shirt design. It was an exact cookie replica of me! How quaint.

"Pinkie always works hard on her baked goods. She wanted to make sure you enjoyed them."

Well, it looks like even I might have a few tricks to learn from Pinkie when it came to baking.

The thought popping in my head after taking my first bite, I tried not to speak with my mouth full. They were soft baked cookies. A little sweeter than I liked, but that didn't keep me from enjoying the first bit of real food I had gotten in literally days. I can only expect that I've been fed through a tube while staying here, so this was a nice change of pace. Thinking to myself for the moment, I gazed up at the ceiling before swallowing my cookie. "She did, did she?" I looked back down at Fluttershy partially confused. "I'm curious then; where is she to confirm this? Where is everyone else for that matter?" Innocently rolling her eyes at me, I could tell she was trying to already avoid the question.

"A-ah... I-I t-think that they went to..." She was trying her best to think up an excuse. "-see a play?"

What a terrible liar. She was almost worse that I was.

Leaning forward to put both elbows on my knees, I cupped my hands before resting my chin upon them with a smile.

"They had other plans, didn't they?"

A quiet 'Eep' came from Fluttershy after realizing that she had been found out. Recoiling back on her haunches, the pegasus lifted a forehoof to her chest while trying to keep the other planted firmly on the floor. It seemed my accurate assumption had taken her back quite a bit. "I'm so sorry! P-please don't be mad with them. It's not that they did not want to see you; they just wanted to have everything planned for you when you got back to Ponyville." So I take it that they never left the hotel? My guess was that the other five mares were sitting in a hotel room while Twilight made a list about everything that will be needed to be done. Boy, won't they have a fun night? I couldn't exactly dwell on the thought right now while Fluttershy was about to have a miniature freak-out; So easing my hands in a calming motion, I tried to keep everything relaxed.

"Hey, hey; it's fine. I understand completely."

By how the mares' eyes were beginning to well up with tears, I could see Fluttershy was on the verge of crying. The poor girl must have been a real sensitive one. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm alone most of the time so your company was well appreciated." Seeing how Fluttershy was sniffling, it seemed that I managed to calm her down at least somewhat. To try and keep her relaxed, I patted the area on the bench next to me as an invitation for Fluttershy to sit.

She took to it like moths to a flame.

Settling down beside me, Fluttershy leaned against my shoulder softly. She did her best to not look at me when speaking her next words.

"I'm used to being alone too..."

I wasn't exactly sure what I could say about that. Never having met someone who had usually been alone, this was a new experience for me. "Do you think..." Looking down at the floor from her seat, Fluttershy struggled to find the words she needed to say. "If you aren't able to go back to your home, I mean. Maybe you could make Ponyville your' home?" Bringing herself to look up from the floor at me, I could see the regret she had to her question almost instantly. Hanging her head back down, Fluttershy kept her eyes to the tiled floor. "Sorry, that was not a good question. I guess that I can be stupid enough to ask strange things like that..." Stupid? That wasn't stupid at all! How in Great Greens was something like that stupid? If anything it was the most sincere question I had heard for quite a while!

Wrapping an arm around Fluttershy, I pulled her close to my side. I could feel a spark in my belly being drowned out by a sea of sadness. "Please, don't ever call yourself that. You're not stupid." It felt like something was squeezing my heart to hear Fluttershy call herself stupid.

"You're so smart. Smarter than someone like me will ever be. Not only that, but you are kind, strong willed, and incredibly helpful. You saved my life, and now you even put aside time to come check on me. You're a good person, Fluttershy. You're not stupid in any way."

Releasing her from my hold on her, I let Flutteshy sit close to me in a sort of shocked stupor. I could see that it took some time, but Fluttershy made a speedy recovery from my actions. "To live in Poyville doesn't sound that bad though. All the ponies I met there seemed alright." I really did enjoy watching all of the ponies in Ponyville. They all seemed like nice people when they weren't carrying suspicions about me. Only trying to focus on positives though, I tried to deter my mind from this with a joke. "Except for that Nurse Redheart. She's kind of a buzz-kill." My words managed to bring a smile to Fluttershy, and that was enough for me. It felt nice to see her happy.

After a couple strokes on my beardless chin, I had begun to picture my life in Ponyville in my mind.

"Living there sounds nice. I think that I would enjoy it. I bet that I could even find an open apartment and a job, if I tried hard enough."

Yeah, I bet that could work out. I would have to live close to the girls so that they could teach me, so living in Ponyville was really the best option I had. "Um... Actually..." Even if she was speaking quietly, I could still hear Fluttershy clearly. I wasn't sure if it was just because of how quiet the hospital was, but it came through clear as a bell. "I was wondering if you would like to stay with me for a while; if it wouldn't be a bother, I mean." A little out of the blue, I was a little skeptical at first of this offer. Was Fluttershy really asking me to live with her? We barely even knew each other, and now she wanted me to stay in her home?

The time I spent to think about this may have been a little more than disheartening for Fluttershy by how it looked. Her hope filled eyes loosing their joy as her ears flopped down. Having looked away already, I was not having to look at such a sight. Instead, I watched the hallway wall somewhat concerned for any possibly answer. "Are you sure you want to do that?" Breaking Fluttershys despair, she kept silent to allow myself to speak. "We barely know each other, and I don't want to burden you." Having understood that my pause was not out of refusal but uncertainty, Fluttershy took one of my hands in her hooves.

"Jacob, you are the only pony I've met to do what you have in the time that I've known you. You allowed my voice to be heard when the world tried to shut me out. You carried me on your back when I was in need of assistance. I have not known you for very long, but I can see already that you have a beautiful heart. You are a kind, considerate, and caring individual that does not want to wish anything bad on anyone else."

In a thoughtful, quiet pause because of the words that were spoken to me, I could feel my body shiver not from cold but from the warmth that filled me at the moment. Holding my hand tighter than before between her hooves, Fluttershy gazed at the bandages that wrapped my fingers. "Don't feel like you would be a burden. I genuinely wish for you to come stay with me." My body kept still when Fluttershy looked up at me with her blue-green eyes that shimmered like an ocean. "You could keep me company, and I can do the same for you." Finally blinking when the pegasus released my hand, I kept my arm floating in place unsure what to do with it.

I flipped my hand over to stare into my empty palm, before slowly closing it gently. I then pressed the hand against my chest happily. With this action came a soft smile.

"That sounds wonderful, Fluttershy. I would love to."

Author's Note

Okay, so I sort of re-did the ending to this chapter, but I'll be gosh darned if it didn't make me feel all warm and cuddly inside!

Ch.10: Our Time in the Hospital. (Part One)

Sunshine

A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction

By Mr.Sandman

DISCLAIMER: This is a non-profit fanbased work of prose. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is the property of Hasbro, and the reinvention of Lauren Faust. No copyright infringement is intended.

"A-Are you sure that this is okay? I don't wish to cause any trouble."

Flipping on the light of the hospital room neighboring mine, a flickering fixture slowly lit up a dark room similar to my own. The same furniture, and positions. The only thing different was really the fact that this room had a door leading to a personal bathroom next to the beds. Those stingy doctors didn't even originally give me a room with a shower at first? That's a load of bull, right there.

The window had a few nice sights to see. It wasn't the same view that I remembered from the other room, but it would do. The clouds outside made it appear that it was about to rain, but I could just ever so slightly catch a piece of the moon poking its' side from one of the night-time sky tufts to give them a silver glow.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy. We already talked to Doctor Stable about you staying the night with me, remember? Redheart getting all huffy about it, and everything?" I could still see how red in the face that nurse got when the Doc sided with me. Hell hath no fry like a woman scorned, I suppose. "At any rate it's getting late, and I won't have you wandering about the streets at this hour."

Maybe it was my paranoia that convinced me to have Fluttershy stay with me this night. Remembering my old home, the mental images of being mugged and beaten down to a state of near unconsciousness floated to the top of my mind. The city I lived in wasn't the safest in the world, but it was still my home, you know? Maybe I was just too lazy to do so, but there was never the urge to move out of my apartment. It was kind of like a chunk of the world that I owned. Something that I could say that I was proud to have. The crime rate was horrible either way you looked at it, and just trying to imagine Fluttershy being put in a similar situation to what I had been in...

That wasn't important. That was not going to happen. She was staying here in the hospital with me until morning. Then she can do whatever she wanted.

I pulled back the sheets to one of the rooms' beds before looking to Fluttershy. All the time that I had prepped her bed, she watched me with a somewhat sad tilt of the head. Apparently, I had accidentally let a couple worried expressions slip onto my face that the little pegasus noticed rather quickly. "Jacob, are you alright?" Knowing that I had been caught showing genuine worried emotion on a private thought, I stared at Fluttershy blankly for a spit second before standing up straight the moment I finished pulling back her covers. In an attempt to pretend ignorance, I dusted my shirt off to try and distract Fluttershy from the matter.

"It's nothing to be concerned about. Your' bed is ready, and you need to sleep."

Seeming to take the hint that I wanted nothing to do with talking about my feelings, Fluttershy moved toward her temporary bed in a watchful manner towards me. Nothing was said during the interval between Fluttershy hopping into bed and tucking herself in, but as I made my way to turn off the light I could hear her speak. "Um, Jacob-" I didn't stop my walk to the light switch; instead, a slight hum left me to confirm to her that I was indeed listening. "-What is it like where you are from? You've told me about some of the people, but what about the others?" Reaching the light switch, I was hesitant to cutting off the flow of electricity that this little nub of plastic provided.

That question wasn't easy to answer.

Turning to Fluttershy, I looked to her to see that little butter yellow head of hers laying itself on a pillow. A couple hooves poked from the top of the covers before folding on the fabric just below her chin. That pink mane seemed so relaxed that it almost appeared to be asleep. "Well, Fluttershy... that's a bit complicated." The feeling of the switch underneath my right index finger came to exist only when I placed my hand onto the little plastic stub on the wall.

"I guess that you can say that it's kind of like this world, but also kind of not."

My answer only seemed to confuse her.

"There are good people, but there are also bad. My world was a tough place to live in, but that much will never change no matter where you go or what world you live in. Even in a peaceful-looking world like this one, my life has only become even more difficult than before."

I could see Fluttershy coming to see my statement being mostly derogatory, but I was yet to finish.

"Even so, there are good things about our worlds as well. Very similar things that I only just now realized. Sure, the world will beat you down mercilessly, that much is for certain. That doesn't mean that there are not people that will help you back up to your' feet sometimes. Those people are rare where I'm from, but I hope one day that it becomes more common. People that stick by your side and help you out in life no matter what's thrown your way. The people that we feel that we can call 'friends' or 'family'. The only things that make life really worth living, I suppose."

As stirring words that these might have been, I brought attention back at the light switch ready to shut off the lights. Applying pressure to the top of the switch, my hand twitched at a shout from Fluttershy.

"W-wait!"

I froze in place when looking back to see Fluttershy sitting up in bed, and gripping her blankets tightly. In silence, I watched her. We stared at one another for a short while before Fluttershy found the nerve to continue. "Jacob... We're... Friends... Right?" Hearing this, I could feel a warm joy coming over me.

"Yes, Fluttershy. Very good friends."

My words brought comfort to the yellow pegasus before laying back down to nestle herself in bed. Turning on her side before closing her eyes, I could hear Fluttershy beginning to yawn. "I'm glad to hear that." It seemed that sleep deprivation was finally getting to her. "Goodnight, Jacob." Cracking a smile, I finally brought down my finger to flick off the lights.

"Goodnight, Fluttershy. See you in the morning."

I dreamt of my family that night.

I was at my grandparents house in their small town. It was a simple home for two people in their early to mid-sixties. Sandy beige bricks stacked themselves into burly walls that I remembered perfectly. Walking beside their empty cement driveway large enough to hold a two by two group of four cars, I made my way up the red bricked sidewalk my grandfather built before even i was born. Even in his old age, that grandfather of mine never knew when to quit. The green grass opposite to the drive way stretched into a well decorated lawn that showed me both his green thumb and his wives taste in lawn ornaments.

Even though there was no breeze, that did not stop a small rusty windmill that stood firmly on the front grounds from spinning itself. Only for show, I remembered helping my grandparents putting that there in the first place by having made a stone barricade around the four aged legs so that it could not be overpowered by the wind and topple over. Beside it was the pecan tree that I spent a small majority of summer under with my grandfather when we were done with a hard days work in his vegetable garden out back. Funny looking back on it, but I can remember how we would take the ripe pecans that fell from the tree and ate them before anything else had the chance. Those squirrels still held a grudge towards us.

Turning off toward the front door of the humble abode, a faint yet familiar sound lightly caressed my ears. It was a sound that caused me to flinch in my own walk cycle just so that I could really confirm what was being listened to at that exact moment in time. It was...

It was my family.

Just as happy as ever, I could hear everyone. My mother, sister, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and my little cousin. All laughing; all happy. A stirring feeling within me actually brought tears to my eyes when able to know with absolute certainty what was being picked up on within the walls of this house.

I wanted to be in there with them. To laugh at their jokes, and listen to everyones' stories of times that had come to pass. Hopefully, you would understand why I would hurry to the front door.

Wasting no time at all, I picked up speed to a light running to so that I could close the distance gap between me and the front door.

Swinging the front door open in a rush, I expected to see my family waiting for me. Instead, I was greeted by a blinding light that caused me to stumble back.

-and then I woke up.

I woke up knowing that everything that I just dreamt was a lie. That my family was farther away from me than I could possibly imagine.

Sitting up in bed, what I witnessed left me without the desire to return to my previously slumbering state. The blurred vision I had only revealed that my tears had not been contained within my dream. I had to wipe them away before anything else could be done.

A cool blue light came in through the window and hit the wall opposite from it while managing to light up the room the best that it could. I could only guess that it was around six in the morning by how the sun had yet to make it's appearance over the horizon. Taking in my fill of the cool blue hue, I brought my gaze upon the bed that Fluttershy had been sleeping in. Still resting peacefully, I dared not wake her. Instead, I left my bed the quietest that I could.

Removing the covers from my body, my actions had come to reveal that I had worn yet another hospital robe to bed. They were not the most comfortable things to wear, but still the closest things that I had to pajamas. There was no point in letting my clean clothes become dirtied by sleeping, because let us be truthful; that's a thing. Clothes get dirty while you sleep in them.

Having laid my clothes out neatly on the floor just beside my bed, I took my time while changing to ponder over my dream. To hear my family, and not even see them did hurt a little. I missed them all so much, and I dreaded the possibility that I may never reunite with them.

When dressed fully, I walked to the window to peer out into the city below, feeling the need to distract my thoughts.

By the height my room was from ground level, I knew already that the lowest floor that I could have possibly been on was the third. However, this did not matter to me in the least. My focus was more on what was going on in the streets outside the hospital. A near absence of anything but a few early risers had been out at this time of the morning. The whistle of a train blared off in the distance as I could see a plume of smoke that gave away the locomotives location. A group of construction workers had yet to begin their work as they spoke to one another while sipping their morning joe. There was also a kempt mare in a business suit that passed by the group only for them to whistle and one of them to call her over. That one got quite the good magical zap from that unicorn mares' horn. Meh, he could walk it off.

"Good morning, Jacob."

The softest yawn that could ever be heard came from behind me just as I felt the need to turn around. Waiting for me to do so was Fluttershy, still snug in her bed. Turned on her side to watch my actions, I looked back at her. A weak smile showed itself to the pegasus when I folded both arms behind my back in embarrassment. "My apologies; I did not mean to wake you." Already sitting up in her bed, Fluttershy stretched to alleviate any soreness that was received from her somewhat uncomfortable mattress. Her wings stuck out straight back as a light popping emanated from their bones.

After rubbing her eyes to help her vision clear, Fluttershy hopped down from her bed. I could see how her pink hair had come to be a little messier than it had been before she lied herself down to rest. "Do not worry. I usually need to be awake by this time, so it has more or less scheduled itself on my biological clock." Well, didn't she just sound like a smarty when speaking like that?

Taking a little bit of staring from me, I think that Fluttershy could tell that I had been staring at her mane. Coming to be aware of her current hairdo herself, I couldn't avoid letting out a small laugh when seeing the shocked look on that pegasi's face. Placing a hoof on top of her head to confirm her current hair style, she could feel the stray hairs that had either stuck up in the air or tangled into each other. "O-oh my..." Now, I will admit that my hair was normally messy. I thought it made my hair look nice, but it seemed that Fluttershy did not think the same about hers by how she covered face up with both wings and a foreleg. "Oh dear, I wouldn't suppose that it would be too much to ask if I could use your' shower, would it?" I cracked a smirk before pointing a finger to the bathroom door. You would think that ponies considered that a sort of indecency by how Fluttershy covered herself up. On the way over, Fluttershy did not even feel relaxed enough to uncover her hair until she had to close the bathroom door behind her. Then again, maybe she was just a little embarrassed to be around someone while appearing as such.

Well, now would be a good time to relax a little before things got crazy today. Something in my gut told me that it would get that way pretty soon. In the meantime, the only thing I needed to do was take a load-off and be lost in my thoughts. Always one to have my head up in the clouds, it felt nice to imagine to think about things that weren't so dire to my current situation. To do so was wonderful, but to ease my senses completely I found myself lying back in bed.

Hands behind my head, I could feel where the metal plate was inserted directly in the back of my cranium. My hair covered it up pretty well, but if one were to touch the spot, they would feel where my skull ended and the plate began. Taking note of the feeling, I blankly stared at the ceiling as I crossed one leg over the other. "Huh, what do you know; the stinging's gone." Propping myself up by an elbow, I took the remaining hand and patted the plate cautiously. "Seems durable enough. By how everyone and everything has been hitting me there, I hope it holds." You had to admit, it was true. Somehow, my head has suffered the most damage since my arrival here. It was a miracle that I didn't have brain damage.

"Um, Jacob?"

Looking from the ceiling to the bathroom, I blinked once or twice when seeing Fluttershy poking her head out of the door. Her hair was still in a mess, but I feel that's why she had yet to emerge from the nearly closed door. That innocent smile showed me good enough reason to give her my undivided attention. "I'm sorry to jump in the shower so suddenly. I'm sure that you must be hungry, so why don't the two of us go to the cafeteria after I'm done in here?" The sudden growling of my stomach sided with Fluttershy as she widened her smile upon noticing. "I see that you think it's a good idea." My sudden embarrassed silence said it all while Fluttershy pulled her head back into the bathroom before closing the door.

"I'll try not to take long."

Pushing myself to sit up in bed, I cluelessly stared at the door before my stomach gurgled with hunger. In response, I glared down at the patch of flesh that hid it from me before giving it a rough pat.

"Quiet you."

The cafeteria was nice enough. It was just like what you would expect it to be.

White walls. White chairs. White tables. White everything.

I guess it was about keeping everything sterile, or something. Not like I was complaining. The chairs were more comfortable than they looked, so that was a plus.

Early morning workers eyed Fluttershy and myself as we sat at a small table on the other side of the room. Almost as if they were studying my form, doctors, nurses, and patients alike stopped themselves to get a good look at the strange creature that was taken in by the Canterlot Hospital. Choosing not to acknowledge their occasional glances was easy, but ignoring them was much more difficult. Every so often, a group of workers would pass by before whispering to each other about what I could have been. Bets were placed on miscellaneous subjects, and a small few numbers just sneered at me with disgust. It appeared that I was just a little too different looking for some to bare.

The food, although gave me a good idea of what ponies ate, made me a little hesitant to explore their culinary diversities any further. On the table in front of me had been two slices of bread on a styrofoam plate. This wasn't the problem though. If it had just been two pieces of bread on my plate things would be different, but it was what had been in between the slices that made me somewhat uncomfortable.

Hands in my lap while I awkwardly stared at the dish, I felt unsure of what I was gazing at on the table. Smack dab in the middle of the bread had been something that I would have never expected to see as a sandwich ingredient. By the yellow flower blossoms that poked from all sides of my sandwich, I wasn't sure if I should eat this garden variety creation. Believe it or not, but there were dandelions on my sandwich! Not a thing else either. A weed sandwich; that was what I had been staring at ever since Fluttershy was kind enough to share her knowledge on Equestrian cuisine with me; if I can even call it that.

While I had stared into the flower filled sandwich, Fluttershy showed no hesitation when beginning to eat her own. Seeming to enjoy the creation, it felt almost weird watching someone consume such a thing. Were dandelions even safe to eat?

"Jacob, is anything wrong? You haven't touched your food at all."

Jumping at the question, I could feel my stomach already emptying itself out. It growled at me almost as if it was begging me to eat anything.

Right about now, I was hating myself for finishing off those cookies last night.

Putting up my hands in defense, I nearly banged them against the underside of our table from the quickened action. That fake smile could only mask my uncertainty for so long. "N-nope! Everything's great!" The beaded sweat on my brow, and nervous shaking said otherwise. "I'm just... Wondering where to start!" From this, I only received a cocked head in return. Seeming to have begun catching onto my actions, Fluttershy put down the remainder of her sandwich before lifting a hoof to me in a soft informal point.

"-But... You're only eating a sandwich."

Fluttershy having made me jump once more, I was left holding my arms up even more defensively without any rhyme or reason. It was like someone waiting for a criticism that would never come. Having no such retort to Fluttershys' derailing facts, I simply gave up with trying to make any such excuses. "Are you not comfortable with eating this?" My back stiffened in its' chair after being found out, but slacked when knowing I would have to explain myself. It felt ungrateful to be saying what I did. Ungrateful and gross.

"I-I'm very sorry, Fluttershy. I've just never eaten a flower before. I'm kind of uncertain if it is even safe for humans to eat at all."

Watching me poke at the top of my sandwich, Fluttershy giggled at my suspicion. Letting her hooves rest on the table, I could hear them softly clack against the surface. "Well, in moderation it is very healthy for you. Only in high doses can it become toxic." Oh, so it was kind of like eating tuna? You just can't eat too much of it. "Even if it seems a little odd, I would like to ask you to give it a try, if you wouldn't mind. It's always best to open your mind to new experiences." Much as I hated to say it, you just can't argue with that kind of logic. So swallowing my pride, I looked back down to my sandwich. Eyeing it before picking up the strange food combination, I shook my head before taking a bite.

It had a much greener taste than what I would have expected. Not bad, but nothing like I had ever had before. The flowers actually had a taste that was rather bitter causing me to stick my tongue out after swallowing. A yellow stain covered the skin atop of my taste buds while I let out a soft 'bleh'-like noise. "...Bitter..." Comical as my actions were, they seemed to be enough to make Fluttershy feel contempt.

"I do suppose that this type of food will desire an acquired taste."

Now she tells me.

Pulling my tongue back in my mouth, I looked back down at my sandwich like the oddity it was. I know that I'm going to hate myself for saying this, but- "You know, that actually wasn't all that bad..." Sure, it was the most bitter thing that I ever tasted, but it certainly wasn't the worst. Then again, I haven't eaten anything but cookies since I got to Equestria so maybe my tastes are adjusting to the first few things that I could eat here.

Pleased by the result of my experimentation with foods, Fluttershy watched me continue with my meal. Having already picked hers back up, she joined me. "I'm glad that you like it. It might not seem like much, but it means a lot to me and the girls that you would try new things. I'm certain it must be difficult considering your omnivorous diet." Stopping myself from taking another bite, I lowered the sandwich from my mouth but not out of hand. Instead, I rested half of it on its plate while the other was gripped a little tighter than before.

"So you know, huh?" Finally setting my sandwich down completely, I ran a hand through my hair. "I suppose that it was impossible to hide forever."

I could see there being some displeasure in Fluttershy when I chose to stay on this point in the conversation. Choosing to avoid looking at me for the time being, the pegasus tried not to express how uncomfortable she felt about my diet. "Yes, I know that you eat-" She stopped for a second to regain some composure. "-meat." I almost felt like I was on trial by how Fluttershy treated this matter, but I suppose that I could understand. For all I knew, everything that I could have possibly ate back home like cows, pigs, or chicken could have been just like Fluttershy. All sentient, and people in some way. "I've dabbled in Dentition, and it was difficult for me not to see the assortment of teeth you had when I brought you home with me." The urge to hide my mouth was present, but I refrained. "Ponies previously sold fake meat at one point, but I'm afraid that business went bankrupt about five years ago." No matter. I wouldn't think that ponies would have been the most comfortable with eating that stuff anyways. Crossing my arms before leaning back in my chair, I raised a brow to Fluttershy.

"So eating meat makes you feel uncomfortable?"

By her constant fidgeting, I already knew the answer. Hearing it was just much more concrete. "I'm afraid so, but I understand if you do not wish to change the way you eat." Finally managing to look at me, Fluttershy could only see me lost in thought. Eyes closed and a hand lightly gripping my chin, I hummed when tilting my head to the side.

"Consider it done."

I can't tell you how hard it was to say that.

Staring at me a little surprised by my words, Fluttershy wasn't quite sure what to say at that very instant. Instead, she darted her eyes from left to right while trying to find at least one; only looking back to me when successful. "P-pardon?" Opening my eyes to Fluttershy with a smile, our near polar opposite expressions only began to tell me how differently she thought my reaction would have been to this.

"You want me to stop eating meat, right? If it makes you feel uncomfortable then I won't do it anymore."

Left yet again in silence, Fluttershy watched as I eased myself back into a normal sitting position before picking back up my sandwich. Laughing through a bared grin, I gave the pegasus a little wink. Left a little dumbstruck for the first couple seconds, it was not long before I was given a cheerful smile from Fluttershy. Sitting in silence was something nice, but unfortunately enough for me I wasn't even given the time of day to finish my sandwich.

'BLAM!'

'KRSH!'

'PA-PA-PANG!!!'

The crashing noises that came from just outside the cafeteria made my hands spasm on themselves as the sandwich lodged between their fingers flew away from my grasp. Not wanting to see my newly-enjoyed food ruined, I made an effort to trying to recover the morsel. "No, wait! That's my sandwich!" My pleas to no-one went unheard. Standing from my seat, I made a mad grab at the food only for my reach to not be long enough to rescue my prize. Instead, I watched as it fell to the floor with a 'slap'.

As if that wasn't enough to put a damper on my spirits, it seemed that I had become completely unaware of what effects that these noises could have had on Fluttershy. Causing her quite the scare, my heart nearly stopped when seeing how the crashes caused the mare to fall from her seat. Directing all my focus from the sandwich to Fluttershy, I scrambled to try and move around the table to catch her. My first step in doing so was rather unlucky, however.

I'm still unsure if it was just unfortunate coincidence or otherwise, but the single step that I took toward Fluttershy was directly on my sandwich. The sickening squashing noise made from under my foot was followed by my shoe jetting back in one long slip forcing me to both knock over the table and fall directly over Fluttershy.

The two of us both expected the worst to happen. Fluttershy would hit the floor, and I would flatten the poor mare under my weight when it came to be my turn to land. It was going to be terrible...

Well, it would have been.

Almost like it was a miracle itself, in the blink of an eye I could feel my free leg shoving a knee into my chest while the other kept itself planted on whatever remained of my sandwich and refused to give way to slipping again. An arm slipped its' way behind Fluttershys' back to keep the mare from hitting the cold floor beneath her while my other arm pushed itself outward toward the cafeterias' double doors. Slamming down onto the floor, my spare foot smacked down onto the tiles beneath us to leave we two up with decent stability.

Only her rear hooves and tail touching the floor, Fluttershy looked up at me moderately surprised by how things had taken such a turn of events. Her front hooves pulled up to her chest, she kept still. I will admit that neither had I been expecting such actions coming from myself. We weren't sure what exactly happened, nor did we have anything to say about it. We only stayed perfectly still while staying in our poses until a certain rainbow maned pegasus flew into the hospitals' own quaint lunchroom followed two others. All three were ones that I could recognize clearly.

The first of which, being the rainbow pegasus pony, pulled up in the flight she burst through the doors with to perform a single flip before slamming her hooves down on the floor as a declaration of sorts.

"-And first place! Oh yeah, who's awesome?"

Rainbow Dash...

"Consarn it, Rainbow! Ah told ya that we weren't racing in the first place!"

Applejack...

"Whoo-whoo! Party train, coming through!"

-And Pinkie Pie.

All three of them just barged right on in to the cafeteria like they owned the place. Of course, I did not have the time to question such an entrance as theirs as the group just began bickering.

Straightening her posture, Rainbow shot a smart look to Applejack. Her arrogance was more than showing. "Sure, you say that when you lost." Cocky as ever, Dash snidely looked away from her friend only to hear the rather blunt sound of Applejack slamming a hoof onto the hard tile floor.

"Ah say that 'cause you and Pinkie almost trampled four patients in the hall! It's a miracle that we ain't bein' arrested yet!"

With a roll of her eyes, Dashes' look of overconfidence turned annoyed.

"They got out of the way, didn't they?"

Even I felt that was besides the point.

About to scold Rainbow Dash even more, Applejack raised a hoof and took a deep breath like what she was about to say would be just as disciplinary as it would be tedious. Freezing mid-breath, Applejack couldn't help but catch a glimpse of what stood just a head of them. Her eyes only glazing while they slid in mine and Fluttershys' direction, Applejack lifted her jaw a little lost to herself when fully bringing herself to look upon us. Following the orange earth pony's actions had been Dash in her own curiosity about what could have prevented such a chewing session, and Pinkie with a smile that only described true obliviousness followed suit.

Fluttershy and I were locked in our stances while the three onlooking ponies stared at us; Two of them were completely unsure about what they were looking at while the third seemed to be in her own little world. I'll just let you picture in your' mind which ones were which by now. I'll just say that Applejack was the one to speak up about what the three had just walked in on.

"Uh... Are we... Er, interruptin' somethin'?"

Hair standing on end, Fluttershy and I jolted somewhat in our current poses to Applejacks' suspicion. Now, I'm not sure why, but for a moment there, it literally felt like my hair shot up like the back hair on a cat. That was impossible though, right? That stuff only happened in cartoons, right?

I don't know if it was the infinite embarrassment that I felt at the time but for whatever reason that there was, my rather 'sandwiched' foot finally finished slipping to cause me to flip onto my back with Fluttershy following suit. Of course, while I landed on my back Fluttershy landed atop of my stomach. There was no distress, but at the time I did still feel a burning redness in my cheeks. Instead, the yellow pegasus soon listened as a breath exited my lungs while keeping her head on my chest. Little did I know how tightly she clung to my body. "No, you really are not interrupting anything." Hard as it would be to believe, it was worth a shot see if these ponies understood the truth. "I'm just big and clumsy. Nothing really else that needs mentioning." If I had even noticed Fluttershy holding onto me in the first place, I may have taken the time to feel that my lungs did not feel as constricted that they were previously.

"Th-That's not true!"

Oh boy, I could already feel the hate stares coming from Applejack.

How Fluttershy stood over me, it almost felt like I was about to be pinned down. I'm not sure anymore; did I deserve that? To be hogtied like some livestock?

Okay, that might have been a little racist if I said that out loud.

Looking over to the others in silence, I could see Rainbow Dash giving me a squinted eye of fazed uncertainty. In response, I could only shrug with the same nature. All in all, I was just as confused as they were.

"I could have busted my head open. We were so scared when all that noise was made. I fell out of my seat, and Jacob kept me safe."

Lightening in her gaze toward me for a second, Applejack gave me a tilt of her stetson that I could only guess was a sort of apology for the dirty looks that had given before giving Dash the exact same stare as I received. A snort of hot air shot from her nostrils while the Earth Pony successfully obtained the attention of her friend once more. "Ya see Dash? Ya just can't be zoomin' through a hospital like that. What if Jake wasn't here to help Fluttershy right then? Fluttershy could have been knocked plum out like a light with a bump the size of a bit on the top of her head." While Applejack took the liberty of finishing up whatever needed to be said to Dash, Fluttershy had been able to step off of me and help me sit up. It was a kind gesture; not to mention, a well appreciated one.

"Are you alright? Any light-headed-ness?"

Letting myself lean back on an arm, I was able to stretch out my back to work through any kinks that might have been caused by the fall. The light popping of bone confirmed my suspicions while I let out a soft humming to establish my content with the relaxed feeling that soon followed these actions. "Mmm? Me? Oh yeah, I'm fine. Not like this is the worst thing that has happened to me over the past few days." Letting out a good natured laugh to comfort the mare, I looked to Applejack and Rainbow Dash somewhat unsettled by the argument that had already come to be a reality. By now, Rainbow wasn't too keen on sitting through another chew-out session from Applejack as the two just started busting each others chops. Looking to Fluttershy a little worried, I pointed at the two.

"Do they, uh... Normally fight this much?"

Not bothered by what was going on in the least, Fluttershy hummed to herself before looking back to me.

"Don't worry about them. They fight like siblings. They will raise their voices all they want, but I know how these arguments usually end. They will get so angry that they forget why they were so angry at each other in the first place. They will remember after they calm down, but after that they will have already apologized and made amends."

Sounded like how it used to be with my sister. If one of us royally screwed up, the other would point out the flaw like it was some sort of act against God before we would be butting heads like a couple stubborn old goats. Eventually we would feel bad for what we said, apologize, and hug to get everything over with. After that we would have a good laugh and watch some television before we had to do anything else.

I wonder how my big sis was is doing. It's been a year since we moved out of our two bedroom rent house, and now I'm stuck in some magical pony world. I really hope she's keeping up with bills. She was always bad with money.

"Surprise!"

Pouncing between us, Pinkie made good on startling the be-geebus out of me. Feeling my heart skip a beat, I was quick to let a hand latch onto my chest as if the organ would have burst from its' cavity if not done immediately. Fluttershy, not quite taken back as I was simply stepped to the side to make room for the pink mare that now wrapped her forearms behind our shoulders and pulling us closer to her.

"Good morning~!"

That bubbly laughter was just as I remembered it.

Chiming her welcome happily, Pinkie Pie squeezed Fluttershy and me even tighter in her hold until pressing our faces into her cheeks. It didn't quite help that she had her fore legs wrapped themselves around our throats as I could feel my breath running low. We were just lucky that Pinkie released us before our faces turned a different color.

Gasping for air, I pounded a fist against my chest before clearing my throat with a cough. Geeze, these ponies were stronger than they looked. "Good morning, Pinkie." I replied in an attempt to appear cheerful. Forcing on a nonchalant smile, there was an effort made to conceal any questionable stares toward the pink pony. "It's definitely a pleasant surprise to see you up so early." What were these three doing here at this time of day; In such a manner, no less? Doing my best to cast aside all of these interruptions to mine and Fluttershy's casual morning, I coughed weakly into the thumb of a balled up fist. It seemed more than able to catch Pinkies' attention.

"Um, Pinkie?" I tried to make this sound as least rude as possible. "Might I ask why you're here? In the cafeteria? So early in the morning?"

My only reply was a large dish landing in my lap with a light clatter.

It was a silver eastern service plate. A well polished, mirrored dome plate cover revealed my own distorted reflection as if one were to look into the back of a stainless steel spoon. I had come into contact with a good number of these in my career as a well-seasoned chef. The only thing different about this dish was that on the handle of the silver dome was a pink ribbon tied neatly into a bow. I will admit that I was a little lost by how Pinkie just plopped it into my lap.

Dancing with glee, I could see Pinkie hoping on one foot to the other eagerly.

"I brought you a super special present!"

A... Present? How odd.

Freezing up from sheer excitement I could hear the baker pony laughing to herself as I looked on at the platter. A hand lifted itself up, hesitant to revealing what had been hidden just out of plain sight from me. What could have been under that dome? Finally finding myself gripping the domes' bow, my head tilted as if to try and get a sneak peak before my hand could reveal what mysteries I had yet to know to the world.

I lifted up the dome to reveal...

Cupcakes.

An entire platter of cupcakes.

"I know that I wanted to make cupcakes with you, but we can do that when you get out of the hospital. In the meantime, I wanted to give you something to look forward to."

Holding the platters dome over the baked delights, I couldn't help but stare at them. They were all so wondrous. Expertly crafted, it was almost incomprehensible just how perfect that these were made. The unique uses of color in every last one of these confections was a masterpiece. Even the cupcakes themselves were expertly colored with multiple shades limited only by my own comprehension! It was like art! No, it was art! Not a single one of them were alike, but still perfection down to the last detail! Any one of these could put anything that I could make to shame. I almost felt unworthy to look upon them. In my constant starring toward the goods, I had yet to notice Pinkie looking at me a little confused by my expression. Her gaze appearing a little nervous, Pinkies ears drooped while trying to force a smile.

"D-do you like them?"

I could only stare back at Pinkie, completely awestruck.

"Pinkie... They're beautiful."

Anxiety turning to nothing, Pinkie looked at me with a neutral expression before quickly snapping to a flattered appearance. She waved a hoof at me to pass along the compliment. "Oh Jake-y, that's nice to say, but it was really nothing special. I'm just happy that you like them." Like them? No. I loved them. For Pinkie to pass these creations as 'nothing special' only made me wonder what this little pony was truly capable of.

"Pinkie, you don't understand. These-" I paused to look back at the cupcakes, finally placing the platter dome on the floor to free the hand.

"These are remarkably well crafted. The colors compliment each other phenomenally; such a diversity that it would leave even the finest deserts only green with envy, The interlocking patterns of those said colors in the pastry themselves leave me to ponder just what flavors are hidden from me. Even the icing is swirled to perfection as there is not even a single drop littering the shining platter below!"

Having become a tad bit over-eccentric by this, a breath was needed to recover. Doing so, I looked on at Pinkie. She was watching me with an overly-flattered expression that only said to me, 'Oh stop it, you'. Not quite done, I stared at her through widened eyes.

"Pinkie, what are you? A deity?"

Joyfully letting out a snort of a laugh, Pinkie covered a hoof over her mouth. "Me? Of course not, silly-billy. I'm just a pony that has one hay of a sweet-tooth!" Rolling her eyes playfully while her head mimicked the roll to an exact, Pinkie looked back to see Rainbow and Applejack still arguing away. "Speaking of which..." Being just what Pinkie wanted to see, she looked back to her cupcakes and then up at me with a wink. "How about we have a cupcake eating contest?" The idea in general sounded fun, but it did cause a negative stir in me for some reason. Rubbing the back of my head, my smile disappeared when hearing Pinkies' offer. How I could explain this? It was rather embarrassing.

"Yeah, I'm gonna have to turn down that offer." I flinched at the thought of appearing ungrateful. Looking back at Pinkie, I could see her already wondering why I had begun acting so oddly. "You see, I have this problem with sugar, and-"

A hoof placing itself upon my mouth, Pinkie shushed me quietly while her hoof refused to remove itself from my lips.

"Shh, shh, shh, shh, shh... Say no more-" Just as instructed, I fell quiet. "-Don't worry. I wasn't able to put my usual measurement of sugar in these, so it should be fine."

Pulling her hoof away slowly, in one swift circular turn of her body Pinkie was able to use her tail alone to sit mine and Fluttershy's fallen table back in an upright position. Completing the turn, Pinkie stood on her hind legs and baited me to place the cupcake platter on the table top with a couple light taps on the furniture pieces' surface.

I wasn't quite sure what to make of these actions, nor did Fluttershy as we gave one another quite the stare of confusion just to try and see if the other could comprehend what we just bore witness to. "Come on! I've been waiting all morning for this!" That constant baiting was eventually what made me give in. Giving up rather easily on my part, I brushed off Pinkies weirdness with a smirk. Standing up with the center of the platter held level with my neck, the regal pose I took was one of a waiters'.

Pinkie said there was no reason to be worried, right?

Sliding the plate off my hand and on the table, I let out a snicker at how I was so calmly going along with this. A cupcake eating contest, of all things? Sounded sort of immature, but who was I to turn down a chance like this? A chance to let loose, and compete with a baker that was clearly beyond my own skill? One would have to surpass idiocy to pass this up.

Having picked up my chair and pulled an unused spare at a close by table, it never slipped my mind to be courteous to Fluttershy and allow her a seat to ease herself from this mornings current excitement. With her watching me, I pulled her chair out with a silent smile for a casual invitation to sit next to me. Pinkie, already sitting in Fluttershy's previous chair, took the time to almost arrogantly watch the pegasus climb into her most current. Giving the slightest nod to nothing, the baker watched us until looking out into a space of nothingness. What was she looking at? "Yeah, I'd ship that." Mumbling this to herself, Pinkie allowed us the time to get set up.

Shortly after pushing in Fluttershy's chair, I took the time to get adjusted in my own. Granted, I was a bit more relaxed with my actions; plopping down in the seat wasn't exactly a gentle motion, but that's just how I sat. My second course of action was to lean a forearm on the table. I was locked onto Pinkies' gaze with my mind growing ever more curious of what this contest would revolve around.

"So, what are the rules? First to finish wins, or first to fall out loses?"

I'll admit, there was a little experience within me when it came to this subject. Not like I was a gambler, but I have watched a lot of game shows, and poker tournaments. Not to mention blackjack, chess tournaments, card games; If it's an actual game, I've probably seen it played quite a few times. My skills might be a bit rusty, but there were certain times where I could be a fast learner.

Considering my offer, Pinkie hummed to herself before coming to a decision. Stamping both hooves on the table top as a challenge, Pinkie seemed to have become somewhat daring.

"How about 'Whoever eats the last one first'?"

A quick rubbing of my chin brought me to lightly chuckle at the proposition.

"Well, aren't you saucy?" Slamming my hands down on the table as well, Pinkie and I shared a blazing spark to us at that moment. "Very well. First to eat the very last cupcake wins."

Ever so softly, I could feel Fluttershy placing a hoof onto one of my hands. A smooth adjustment of my glasses brought me to look upon the pegasus beside me. Worried, Fluttershy seemed to bare a grim warning for me with this competition. "Jacob, no-pony has ever been able to compete with Pinkie Pie when it comes to baked goods. Do you really think that this is a good idea?" To think of a reason to talk me out of this, she let her eyes look downward for the slightest bit of time before letting me view her worrisome expression. "You just said that you have a problem with sugar, didn't you?" A hand placed itself at the top of Fluttershy's head before I started tussling that pink mane of hers. There was no reason for her to worry, so I only wanted her to relax.

"Don't worry, Fluttershy. Pinkie even said it herself that she wasn't able to put the correct amount in these. There should be no harm in having a little fun."

Looking back to Pinkie with a raised brow, I extended my reach out and grabbed a cupcake as she had done the same. Both our gazes becoming steely, the two of us were temporarily no longer friends. Right now, we were rivals. We were enemies. Temporarily though, of course. "You ready for this?" A short nod was all Pinkie needed from me to start a countdown.

"Alright-ie then."

Pinkie paused as seriousness filled our very beings at the moment.

"Three..."

We both could feel our arms either flinching or locking up.

"...Two..."

Our first cupcakes inched ever-closer to our mouths as if to try and obtain an upper-hand.

"...One!"

Bringing the cupcakes up to our open maws, we bit down into the tops of the pastries at a gluttons' speed.

Wasting no time to inhale one cupcake after another, Pinkie sped through eating one of the miniature cakes after another. Her focus completely on chewing and swallowing, Pinkie had not even noticed how the number of cupcakes she had at first suspected to eat had grown by nearly a doubled amount.

When it all came down to it, I think we all knew who was going to win this in the end.

Victory came in the form of tossing the last remaining pastry on the platter up in the air so that it could land in Pinkies' mouth with a satisfactory smacking of her lips. Icing almost plastering her mouth, the earth pony licked whatever was left of the treats down her gullet. Finishing the last of her smacking, Pinkie let out a laugh. "Ha! Nopony bests Pinkamena Diane Pie at a cupcake contest!" Throwing out fore hoof to point at me as a form of taunting, she stood up in her chair to be able to get that pointing hoof a little bit closer to my face. "In your face, Jake! In your..." Getting a good look at me though, Pinkie lowered her hoof, uncertain to what was going on before her.

"...Face?"

Sitting as if frozen with a cupcake in hand, I stared forward with circular eyes. The look appearing to gaze through Pinkie and at the far wall behind her, my mental awareness had most certainly come into question by now. One would be able to see the solitary bite taken from the food as it now sat in the grip of my fingers. Fluttershy sat beside me, hooves clasped over her mouth while watching me. Such alarm was indescribable. Almost like it was suspected that someone near you had just dropped dead.

Leaning on the table by this point, Pinkie waved slowly to grab my attention. No such luck, as my continuous stare into nothing seemed endless. "Hello? Jake? Anyone home?" Managing to lean far enough to push on my chest, the pink pony gave me a light shove. Still no response. Having to sit herself back down in her chair, Pinkie studied my stare as if there was something to it that could have been understood. "What happened to him? How many cupcakes did he even eat?" Glancing over to Fluttershy, Pinkie tried to comprehend just what it was that landed me in such a state of absentminded-ness. Lowering the pair of hooves from her mouth, Fluttershy stared at the cupcake in my hand.

"H-he never even finished his first. I hope he didn't have too much sugar..."

Brushing off the assumption entirely, Pinkie scoffed at the idea while reclining in her chair.

"Nah, I didn't even use my usual ten bags of sugar minimum. The hotel only had sugar packets, so I could only get around seven."

It took a moment for Pinkie to notice the slack-jawed stare she got from Fluttershy, but took the shock completely out of context when finally seeing it.

"I know, right? I mean, what kind of hotel doesn't have sugar bags open to the public?"

Disregarding Pinkie entirely at this point, Fluttershy had turned to me to try and snap me from the current trance that had taken over my body. A hoof placing itself on my shoulder, Fluttershy used the other to carefully lower my cupcake holding hand down to the table. "Jacob, can you hear me?" Not receiving a reply, Fluttershy gave my shoulders a light shake. "Please, say something. You're scaring me." Finally, there was a reply. Maybe not a verbal reply, but more like physical movement.

My right eye twitched somewhat as I began taking in a deep breath from my mouth. At this, Pinkie crossed her fore legs almost in an 'I told you so' manner. "See? What did I tell you? He's perfectly fine." Almost like it was cruel timing to Pinkies' words, what would happen next was my head slamming itself onto the table top. The cupcake had gotten a tight squeeze the moment my forehead made impact, so now there was nothing left of the baked delight except what now stuck itself onto my palm while my face planted itself firmly onto the table.

The following shriek from Fluttershy more than attracted the attention of Rainbow and Applejack during mid-arguement. Jolting from the scream, it had not taken long for either of them to at least somewhat make out what had happened. Fluttershy was panicking, I was face down on the table and supposedly unconscious, and Pinkie sat somewhat nervously now that attention had been brought to the matter. Not to mention the silver platter and splattered cupcake remains.

"Pinkie, what the hay happened?"

The pink earth pony swallowed hard upon her friends approach before turning around in her chair to see an upset Applejack. Giving the back of her head a good scratch, Pinkies' guilt was more than clearly stated. "Well... You see..." Pinkie forcibly looked away from Applejack. Clapping her hooves together, she let out a chuckle that only let on more how the mare knew she was in the hot seat. "Now, you're going to laugh at this." She was stalling, but it did not matter. Fluttershy was more than able to reveal what had happened. Nearly driven to sobbing, the pegasus sniffled while desperately trying to keep herself together.

"Pinkie and Jacob were having a cupcake eating contest."

Just at the mention of this, Pinkie broke out into a sweat. She could feel the annoyed silent stare coming from Applejack, but kept that nervous grin on her face in a false endeavor to convince everyone that nothing was wrong.

"He said that he had a problem with sugar, but he wanted to try it anyway."

A hoof placed itself on Applejacks face as she slowly drug it downward with a grieving sigh. After a quick adjustment of her stetson, the Earth pony looked over to my slumped over body before going back to Pinkie. "Ya remember when Ah clearly told ya that 'a cupcake eatin' contest wasn't a good idea'?." Pinkie pulled her hooves up to her chest and shrugged as if there were a chance that it could justify her actions. In turn, Applejack shook her head.

It seemed that it was time for the adults to take control of things.

First things first, a common goal needed to be set. "Alright, everything will be fine. We just need to stay calm, and get a doctor." Going from mature to miffed in half a second, Applejack flicked her ears back. "-And no funny business, ya got that?" Sounding to be more like a demand rather than an option, none of the ponies objected to what was said. Even with the lack of objections toward Applejack, this did not stop a growing laughter to start up. A laughter coming from me.

Starting out as a soft chuckle and slowly building up to a normal laugh, my shoulders bounced with each passing chortle. Picking itself up off the table, my head dangled down by its' neck while my meaningless laughter continued. My head lolled backward upon my sitting posture returning to an upright position. By about this time, my laughter had become booming before fading into one final 'ha' as both my hands slid off the table and to my sides.

"What a rush!"

My cupcake splattered hand rising only to smash itself and whatever remained of my cupcake onto my forehead, the mares around me cringed at the smack. Staring directly upward at the ceiling, I bared my teeth in a wide enough grin to show just the smallest amount of pink from my gums. "So much energy!" Bursting out into laughter once more, I slowly drug the hand from my face to leave a trail of icing with an imprint of four fingers pulling themselves out of the goop now covering my forehead entirely. "I love this!" Stunned by my behavior, the four ponies around me watched as I laughed madly to me and myself alone. In the meantime, Applejack did not advert her gaze from me even when needing to blink. Instead, she turned her head only to address the cyan pegasus beside her.

"Dash, Ah'm a gonna need you to get a doctor pretty darn quick. Ah think most of that sugar went to Jakes' head."

"NO!"

My fists slammed themselves onto the table top, making the entire thing shake at the force put upon it. Causing some of the ponies to jump, they could only watch as my hands lazily slid from the surface with a droll laugh leaving my lips. My hands never reached my sides; not this time. Instead, they picked themselves up while their arms lifted their fleshy appendages upward with their palms presenting themselves to everyone through curved fingers. "I like this feeling." My fingers fidgeted with themselves as my head slowly began to pick itself up and over my shoulders. "I-" My grin came into view. "-really-" Then my nose. "-Like it." With the rest of my face came my trembling, dilated eyes. Shaking in their own sockets, the two orbs jiggled themselves in place as if whatever energy I had could not be physically contained. My gaze staring directly into Applejacks', the Earth Pony stood strong towards me. Once again, she gave the same order to Rainbow.

"Get a move-on, Dash. Get the doctor."

Having to back away slowly, it was clear just how Dash felt about what she was looking at. That toothy grin, and the dilated eyes. They frightened her. "Yeah... Sure..." Waiting to turn around until a few more backwards steps, Dash made sure to turn her head back to me every now and then before picking up the pace.

-And just like that, I was left alone.

With these ponies.

With these ponies that wanted to keep me from feeling so great.

To keep me from having so much fun.

I didn't like that.

"Jacob, please calm down."

My eyes pausing their constant shaking for only a second when feeling a hoof on my shoulder, I was somewhat hesitant to see where it was coming from. I knew who the hoof belonged to. The butter yellow pegasus beside me. Oh, what a sweetheart, that one. Always so nice to me.

I'll admit, I was a little unsure why she asked me to calm myself. Not like I was doing anything bad, right? I was just laughing, and talking. Everybody liked that, right? Even so, I did not quite feel like slowing the flow I felt right then and there.

Kindly looking at Fluttershy through closed eyes, I took her hoof in my clean hand. Such a dainty little hoof. So pure. So unable to do wrong. Letting the hand caress the hoof it held, I put the tip of a cupcake covered finger under the pegasi's chin to make her stare into my closed eyes.

"Sorry, Dollface. I just don't feel like it."

Opening my eyes only the tiniest bit when pulling myself away from her, a small speck of icing coated where my finger once kept itself. Swiftly pulling myself from the seat underneath mine, I straightened myself up the best that I could; ignoring the cupcake smeared across my face, entirely. The gunk on my hand had to go though. Didn't want the stuff on my hand all day, did I?

"I wonder why it feels like I'm forgetting something..."

Dragging my tongue up my wrist and to the furthest extent of my middle finger, it was hard to determine if my humming came from general curiosity or at how I was now enjoying myself. Bringing my tongue back within my mouth once overlapping the apex of my finger, it finally hit me. Overcome with the realization, my grin faded to a smirk. "Oh yes, that's right!" Ever so slowly, I turned my head at Pinkie. I could see her just sitting there; watching me, dazed and confused. Poor thing.

"You win, of course." There was a short moment in time where I gave my forehead a light bump from one of my wrists. "How could I have possibly forgotten? In any competition there needs to be a victor,-" Flicking a hand at Pinkie, it's index finger addressed her directly. "-and you fit the bill perfectly."

The moment having past, I already had to count my seconds ever since Rainbow Dash went to retrieve a doctor. If someone could stop what was going on right now, then I wouldn't have time to burn off all this energy, would I? Oh, how much time would be wasted just sitting down until a doctor got back. It was so boring!

Boring! BORING! BORING!

I will not have any of that!

Not that these ponies were going to give me the chance of getting away.

The moment that I even looked at the exit, Applejack stomped herself in my way. The nerve of that pony! Did she just want such a valuable use of my time to be put to waste? "Oh, no you don't, pardner. Ya ain't goin' nowhere 'till a doctor gets here." What a troublesome matter.

"Sit down, Jacob. This is not you talking, it's the sugar. This is wrong!"

Well, that was a rather peculiar thing to say; from Fluttershy, no less. I actually had to turn to her just so I could fully discuss my opinion fully, no matter how much it lacked any sense.

"Wrong? How could this be so wrong if it feels so right?" Taking a brief moment to pause, I tried to catch a glimpse at a clock that hung on the wall. Grabbing my chin to ponder, my head came to have a natural tilt to it. "-And by that logic, I should really have already left."

See? Now that made sense. There was some logic!

Still, that did not stop that apple pony from blocking my path. "Jake, what in sweet Celestia does that mean? Yer actin' like ya lost yer marbles!" Lost my marbles? What a presumptuous thing to say. Well, I wasn't going to stick around any longer to listen to this. "Now, yer gonna sit down, and wait until Dash brings back a doctor." Wait, what? She couldn't be serious. Oh well, I guess I just had to explain this to Applejack the hard way. Some people just needed to be explained things in detail.

Placing one hand behind my back, I pointed toward the door.

"-But why would I sit down if I'm already at the door?"

Left at a loss, Applejack stared at me unsure what to make of my sanity. Though I gave a muddled stare at the mare, she did so right back at me. The whole time however, I was stuck pointing toward the exit. Questioning the entirety of my words, it was much like Applejack had to make sure whatever I was pointing at was in fact the door. Looking where I had been pointing however, Applejack could not believe her eyes.

While her gaze was upon the cafeteria door, it was whom that was now standing in front of it that left Applejack unsure of her own sanity.

"Hey there, wha'cha doin'?"

Leaning against the wall, a jovial wave was made from me to Applejack... From the door.

Forced to double take, Applejack swung her head back to where I once stood to view a patch of air. Fluttershy and Pinkie seemed just as lost as she had been as they stared into the empty space with disbelief. It was almost like magic how I could make it from one place to the other like I did, and without any explanation...

It gave me chills of excitement!

After pocketing my hands, I stood up from the wall and stared at Applejack through profile. A mischievous smile crept up from my current smirk. Not really threatening, but like how you would see a prankster watching someone about to sit on a whoopie-cushion. That smile was then broken when my only clean hand placed itself on the side of my head.

It felt like... The room was spinning.

Eyelidss lazily drooping themselves down down to a near stoner-face, I had not even noticed how my back had leaned itself against the wall without my own command. "Whoa..." My voice had a drowsy slowness to it. "-Something doesn't... Feel right..." Finally realizing how I had my back to the wall, I slid myself down to the floor. "Whoa... My head... Feels..." It was weird. Like having smoke jammed inside your head. It was hard to think.

~'Jaaaaaaaaacoooooooooob'~

An ominous, low, echoing voice called out to me.

Immediately alerted by the unfamiliar voice calling out to me, I jumped up to my feet with some struggle. Unsure the direction the call came from, I was only left to look straight ahead in hopes that the speaker would reveal themselves.

"Yes, that is me; I am the Jacob that you are speaking to."

~'Jaaaaaaaaacoooooooooob'~

The voice called out again, only making me become on edge.

Clinching my fists, I glared angrily out into the space ahead of me that only contained tables and chairs in the cafeteria.

"Who... The Hell... Said that?"

~'Jaaaaaaaaacoooooooooob'~

I... I think I knew where it was coming from now.

Head unmoving, my eyes shifted themselves downward to a chair. A little chair pushed in ever-so neatly into place with its designated table.

A little... White... Chair....

Slowly approaching, my head tilted with every step I took. Every. Last. Slow. Step. I could hear each sound echoing in my mind. Like I was about to lose myself in the sound.

By the time that I reached the chair, my head had completely turned itself a little bit beyond a ninety degree rotation.

My eyes beginning to widen with rage, the two ocular orbs continued with their past trembling. "You." The word left my mouth, dripping with hatred.

Without a moments notice, I picked the chair up by its arm rests and lifted it in front of my face. I stared into the piece of furniture, bringing it closer. "It was YOU wasn't it, chair?!" I gripped the chair even tighter. "What are you hiding?" My arms delivered a severe shake to the device. "What are you planning!?" I raised my voice. "TELL ME!" The chair and I then exchanged stares during my interrogation.

~'I'm going to cut off your knees.'~

I freaking knew it!

"I freaking knew it."

All during my rants of insanity, the three remaining ponies around me watched my actions. Not even Pinkie could find words to describe what was being observed as she had fully turned around in her chair to listen to these cries from a madman. "Um... Did we break Jacob?" Not feeling comfortable enough to answer, Fluttershy kept to herself while trying to hide behind her mane. Applejack bit her lip at the sight, forcing herself to watch my decent into madness. There was the sound of splitting wood as I smashed the hospital chair against the floor with every last bit of my strength, effectively breaking the chair. She gave a slow nod before answering.

"Ah think so, Pinkie; Ah think so."

Following the noise, it was simply unfortunate timing for Dash to return with Doctor Stable following close behind. Coming after hearing the noise, the two were met with the sight of me standing in a slumped over posture. What remained of the chair was gripped tight in my hands. The shocked look of Fluttershy, Applejack, and Pinkie were also a sure sign about how things were falling to pieces at the moment.

Slapping a hoof to her forehead Rainbow Dash approached me, glancing to the broken chair bits that scattered amongst themselves on the floor. "Whoa, what the Faust happened in here?" From Dashes approach, she had only been able to get a good look at my back. Both my legs had come to be spaced apart while bending down on themselves. My head fallen down past my shoulders, had not been visible at the current time. When Dash lifted her gaze to look at my back, she took her time when grabbing my attention. "Baker-Boy?" Jumping up, Dash slowly took to the air. Wings flapping slowly to keep the current altitude of my shoulders, Dash adjusted herself to be able to look upon my front. That vacant expression in my eyes brought upon a slight knocking on the top of my head from Dash. "Hey, anyone home?" The first knock being effective enough to make me drop the chair remains from my hands, My arms swung themselves up before grabbing a hold of Dashes' forelegs as a deep growl pushed itself up my throat.

Coming to let out an open mouth growl, the sound grew into a bellowing shout with both me and Rainbow shared in.

At her fear, and the insanity that become greater within me as every second passed.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

Barreling my body down to the floor in a sharp spin, the two of us landed on our stomachs with a heavy thud. Seeming to be paralyzed from the initial screaming, Dash kept herself on the floor almost expecting the ordeal to be over when it was anything but.

"Dash! Dash! DASH!"

Wrapping an arm around Rainbows' neck, I pulled the pegasus close to me. Pressing the cyan pony to my chest, I now lied on my side. Ironicly, I seemed to be the only one afraid now. Dash was more focused on getting out of the iron hold I had on her at the moment. "Baker-boy! What the buck-?" Pulling the pony even closer, I ignored her constant choking.

"Don't you worry Dash, I'mma save you!"

"Baker-Boy, I can't breathe..."

"Don't worry, I will not let them take your knees..."

"Get off! I can't feel my lungs!"

"There are no such things as lungs!"

"Are you off your rocker?"

Finally releasing Dash from my stronghold, The pegasus gasped for breath. She did not even have time to gather herself before I clasped both sides of her face to take her attention back to me once more. "Dash!" My insanity demanded her attention. "Something..." Letting both of my hands trail down to my leg, I pulled one of my legs up to my head with a flexibility that not even I knew that I had. Holding the pants leg with one hand, the other pointed at the shoe just at its end. "-is afoot!" Dash watched me completely lost in my ramblings.

"Baker-Boy..."

Dash stopped speaking when seeing the burning glare coming from my eyes.

"No..."

Standing to my feet in the blink of an eye, I jumped over dash before tackling a cluster of three more chairs and a table.

"You can't have her knees!"

The impact alone was calamitous, but the rage than ensued was almost endless. Almost.

Sh-whip!

On my knees, I froze when a burning came from the back of my neck. Doing already more than trying to break the pieces of furniture like I did the other, a chair was already lifted above my head by the time this sensation arrived. The chair fell after a numbing sensation took over my hands.

I don't know why... but I was starting to get sort of sleepy. Really sleepy. Really... Really... Sle..ee...epy....

Whump!

My body fell to the floor; a dart sticking out from the back of my neck.

Floating in mid-air with magical aid, Doctor Stable raised blew on the barrel of his tranquilizer gun to extinguish any smoke that may have been lingering. The good doctor looked on at my body with the slightest shake of his head. "Sugar Rampage, just as I thought..." Magic set the trusty tranquilizer on a close by table before finally dissipating into nothingness. Dash had already been steadily recovering from my earlier actions as she stared at my unconscious form in the center of the pieces of furniture that I was so dead-set on destroying, but refused to draw closer lest I awaken.

Having to give the action a bit of thought, Applejack walked to Doctor Stable. She watched me as she moved if not for the same suspicion everyone else had. Was I really down for the count, or would there be a return of insanity? "Doc, mind explainin' just what happened here?" The good doctor looked forward for a second before going back down to me.

"What you just witnessed was what I like to call a 'Sugar Rampage' in its' earliest of active stages. Though I've never seen it before, it was suspected that Mr. Froster had something of the sorts when reading through his blood analysis. A very rare condition, sugar rampages are when somepony technically overdoses on products containing things like glucose. Though once suspected that sugar does not have a link to hyper activity, this mild indisposition has barely ever been documented but has been said to make the victim become nearly mentally unstable with boundless energy." Stable let out a relieved sigh while dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief. "I am just glad that it never got to the next stage of development."

Applejack did not know what that meant, but seemed to share the feeling.

That oh-so-familiar pounding in my head was back.

Why did my head hurt so badly, and why couldn't I remember anything?

Was this what a hang-over felt like? A horrible headache and loss of memory? There was also a sense of light-headed-ness; was that a hangover? If I were to derive this from every movie that has drunk people in it, I can accurately say that it would not be too far off from the truth, if not hitting the nail on the head directly.

Why was it that every time I woke up in this stupid pony world, it was always in pain? Couldn't I just have one time where I wasn't in some sort of physical or emotional distress?

"Oh, he's waking up!"

Fluttershys' familiar voice touched lightly upon my ears as my eyes finally pried themselves open. What had started off as multiple colorful blurs in my line of sight had turned into four individual ponies once my vision cleared. Just as before, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie stood near my bed-side. Well... Fluttershy did. Applejack stood near the foot, while Rainbow and Pinkie were near the window.

Thinking that it could have assisted in alleviating my throbbing head-ache any, a hand rested itself on my forehead while I tried figuring out where I was now.

It seemed that I somehow landed myself back in my hospital bed. Set to recline a ways, the mattress acted like a chair of sorts while still letting me lie back. Not like it was the most luxurious thing in the world, but it suffices to say that it was somewhere I could sleep. "Where... Am I?" Over the throbbing in my head, I managed to at least retain a consciousness similar to an under rested person. "Why am I back in bed?" I could remember waking up, going to the cafeteria, Dash flying into the room, but that was about it. "-and why does it feel like my neck was lit on fire?" Sliding the hospital covers down to my waist, my lightheadedness intensified as it felt almost like I was about to enter an unconscious state of being once more as microscopic specs floated around in my vision.

The girls watched me teeter from left to right before Fluttershy took the time to lie me back down on the mattresses' incline. While doing this did help me somewhat relax, it answered none of my questions. "Please, do not move so quickly. Just lie down and be calm." Be calm? I will admit, that struck me as weird. Why would Fluttershy ask me that, of all things? I was rather calm as it was, wasn't I? Even so, this did not make me fight against the singular hoof pressing down upon my chest to lie my body to down.

"Why would staying calm be a problem? What's going on?"

There was no immediate answer to my question as Fluttershy had to apply just a little more pressure to fight against what little power I used in resisting her hoof. It was a futile effort, but an effort all the same. Head touching pillow once more, I stayed as I was while awaiting some sort of solution to quell my questions.

"Ya don't remember anythin', do ya?"

Only giving a question in return, Applejack gave me a look most comparable to someone that judged anothers' sanity. This question only made it even more impossible to really try and know what had happened. "Remember what? I was in the cafeteria with Fluttershy, then you three showed up, then Pinkie gave me..." I slowed in my sentence. Staring up at the ceiling, I clasped both hands over my face to cover it in disbelief. "Oh no... The cupcakes..." Those cupcakes. Now I remember. It wasn't much, but I did. Pinkie and I were having that eating contest, I took a bite, and everything went black.

I tried to imagine that I was some place else. It was too embarrassing to look at the girls after what I could have done. How crazy that I could have acted. What they could have seen. "I did something weird, didn't I?" The words just barely being able to escape the current shielding on my face, I absolutely refused to lower it.

"Well, you went crazy so you got shot with a tranquilizer."

Pinkie only made me keep the hand-mask on my face even tighter when saying this. I should have known. It always ends up like this. I eat too much sugar, and this happens? "What in Great Greens is wrong with me? I should have known this would happen..." What could I possibly say now? Sorry, must have forgot to mention how I need to wear a straitjacket every time I have too much cake? What the girls must have thought of my indeliberate actions. I wanted to cry, but the thought of looking pathetic in front of my friends held back the tears.

Finally pulling both hands from my face, they slacked down at my sides. Shaking my head, the disappointment I had for myself only grew. Fluttershy warned me not to eat those cupcakes, and I ignored her like an idiot. Now here I am, back in a hospital bed. "Man, I'm so stupid..." Watching the ceiling, I longed for a chance to pretend that this never happened. Fat chance, right? A man could dream though.

Sitting up in bed once more, I turned my head at the window in the room. By the light entering the room, one could easily tell that it was sometime around noon. One, perhaps? I was not ever the most precise with that stuff, but at least that much was obvious. Returning my stare back out to the front, my head slowly hung downward. Humiliated, I could not bring myself to look at anyone right now.

Taking in a long inhale, I knew that I would have to remain in contact with the four staying in my room. Not like I had much of a choice in the matter. They seemed to stick to me like superglue.

I just had to swallow my embarrassment and go on with life. Bottle up what I could and just keep going.

"I swear... My life is a wreck." I muttered the words under my breath.

Considering where I once was and where I am now, I really was not wrong.

The hungover sensation finally vanishing, I took the chance to try and get out of bed. At first I did not expect anyone to stop me, but the moment I could even feel the cold tile floor through my socks I was placed back in bed by Fluttershy. Illy amused as I had been, I did not fight back when the same hoof that previously settled me back down in bed repeated its' actions. "Please, we understand that you must be upset about what happened, but the doctor said that the tranquilizer will not completely wear off at least for another hour." The words boiled within me, but I kept any miffed feelings within my gut. Being left with the only choice to lay back in bed was not something I would have wished for, but there was not much I could do about it except return to my suddenly common pastime of staring at the ceiling.

No-one really knew what to do after this point. All that we really did was live in this near-speechlessness. "Ya know, Ah can understand how ya can feel a bit red in the face from all this, but it ain't like this is the most embarrassing thing Ah've ever seen." Hearing this, Applejacks' sentiments were not exactly shared with me. It was highly doubtful that anyone would have been able to witness something even worse than what I had done only earlier. Still, the statement baited me to ask for proof.

"Oh yeah, like what?"

My upturned brow toward Applejack challenged the Earth Pony in silence as she only gave me a look of confidence.

"Try havin' yer brother gallopin' through the streets; towing a house, mind ya. All the while, declarin' his love for his 'Shloopy-doo'."

Uh... That... That one left me stumped. Are we sure that she was not simply exaggerating?

You know that moment in time that you are quite literally so blind-sided that you become a temporary air-head? Well, that was me right now. Nothing to say in return, I could only rub my head to try and understand what kind of nonsense was just stated as fact. "Shloopy-doo?" The very word dripped with pet-naming stupidity, and that alone was what caused the quiver once saying the abomination of a word, myself. "You've..." My own voice slowed as my brain cranked its' gears and pistons in a desperate struggle to regain its proper functioning. "-Got to be... Kidding me." To say the least, Applejack took my challenge and stood triumphant while I lay in thoughtful recoil. Having my burned out brain barely functioning, I was lucky to even be able to say the one word that consumed what little mental capacity I had left.

"How?"

That deadpan expression of mine brought amusement to Applejack.

"Ya see? That's the same look Ah had when seein' Macintosh that day. Ah was jus' mindin' my own business when all of the sudden, Mac starts bouncin' through the streets with a rope around his neck burtin' out absurdities. Ah almost didn't notice the rope, but the house he was pulling sure cleared that up pretty fast. Berry Punch is still angry for Mac wakin' her up durin' a hangover. Heck, it was so outta the blue that Ah was standin' in the same spot for at least half an hour,"

I was too brain-dead to really let anything inch through my eardrums. Surely, it would take the time to reboot after a couple of seconds. It always did. I just never was quite the brightest person in the world, you know? Missing a few educational screws, and such. Made me wonder if I had a learning disorder sometimes.

The headache I had from being able to think straight was worth the lingering pain. Some pain relievers would have been handy, but we all know how my luck usually goes around here by now. I was about to ask what could have driven someone to do such a thing, but at the risk of another mental shut-down I rejected the desire. "I... I don't even want to know how that happened." To think that someone would be so love-struck that they would parade themselves through town in such a manner! I would hope that he got a good smack upside the head to knock some sense into it. Probably by that pony that Applejack mentioned. The one that owned the house her brother yanked along the way. I could only imagine the pluming bills...

Wait...

DID SHE JUST SAY HER BROTHER HAULED A HOUSE ACROSS THEIR VILLAGE!?!

Backtracking through the conversation, I mentally kicked myself for not reacting sooner. A cold sweat dampened my flesh. Surely, I simply misheard what was said.

To try and receive clarification, I cautiously raised a finger to grab the country ponies attention. All the while, it was a struggle for me not to over-react to hearing of such monstrous power. "Um, uh, Applejack?" She awaited my question patiently. "Maybe I did not hear you correctly. Did you just say that your' brother; a pony, pulled a house through your hometown?" Her nod brought a sense of dread upon me.

"Eeeyup, Big Macintosh is the strongest pony in Ponyville. Heck, since that was years ago, Ah could bet that he could even pull more now."

How powerful were these freakish pony monsters? First they use magic, then they can shoot lightening, and now they can literally rival a comic-book superhero in strength? What kind of world was I unlucky enough to be thrown into? "With his help, Ah bet that you'll be doin' the same in no time flat. Ya are the Vanguard, so yer gonna have to surpass even Big Macintosh." I was going to have to what? The impossibilities of such an action was alerting. Taken back, I had no clear way of objecting to such a claim. All I did was lie in bed, stunned. The thought of the training that awaited me outside these hospital walls terrified me.

There was nothing to be done about that though. That stupid horse of a goddess already established that she was not going to let me go anywhere until I was no longer needed. How troubling. What was my life turning into? At least I had some new friends to try and balance this madness out. I can genuinely say that there have never been any humans I've met that were as open minded as these girls were.

As a gesture of goodwill I suppose, Fluttershy did her best to try and alleviate my troubles. Standing with her front hooves on the bed, the pegasus tried to work her way into my vision. Eventually, she had to adjust my head just to hake me look at her. "Do not worry Jacob. Everything will be fine. We will make sure that this does not happen again. We are already making some changes to your diet, so this should not be a problem. There are many sugar substitutes that you can have instead." Oh yes, I nearly forgot how I was on the path of becoming a vegetarian. I was going to miss eating bacon, but it was the least I could do for Fluttershy. She did save my life after all, so this was a small price to pay for my continued existence. "In the meantime, I suggest that you rest for a little while longer." I showed some disdain for the recommendation, but nothing was said in argument. Fluttershy has known what was best for me, so maybe it was best that I just listened from now on?

"You know,-" Dash picked up the subject somewhat hesitantly. "-I've been in situation like these a lot, and I think that I might know a way to pass the time a little quicker than just lying in bed like a lump."

Picking my head up, Fluttershy stood ready to push me back down onto the mattress. She would not have to worry this time however, as it was only curiosity that drove me to movement this time.

"What did you have in mind?"

Author's Note

Wow, I cannot believe that I don't remember how vague Gen was with the chapter. This was definitely due for a rewrite. I actually have to stretch it out into different chapters! Geeze, Gen!

Ch.10 (Continued): Our Time in The Hospital (Part Two)

Sunshine

A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction

By Mr.Sandman

DISCLAIMER: This is a non-profit fanbased work of prose. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is the property of Hasbro, and the reinvention of Lauren Faust. No copyright infringement is intended.

Sitting on a mighty throne of stone, the mighty Ahuizotl stroked his white cat as he gloated over his latest acquisition and victory. Within the vast jungle ruins, his slumbering feline beasts lounged at his side as the roofless throne room comforted these pets to an undisturbed sleep with the warm rays of the sun. "Eheheheheh; With Daring Do out of the way the world will suffer mightily at my hands! I AM VICTORIOUS! MWAHAHAHAH!" The great and mighty Ahuizotls' cackle held just what would be in store for all pony kind now that the powerful ancient artifact known as the Sapphire Statue was in his hands. What he was not suspecting though was the worlds last chance at survival as a blur swung by on a rope before swiping up the statue right under Ahuizotls' nose.

"I'll take that!" declared Daring Do, treasure in hoof as she swung by. Looking down at her long time adversary, Daring held her prize with pride while leaving Ahuizotl to gawk at what actions had taken place during his triumph.

"What? No!" cried her former captor, bereft of his victory and prize at the very same time. In that instant, he knew all that could be done was watch as Daring Do swung to a far off cliff and declare his evident defeat.

Pocketing the statue, Daring called down to her foe. "Better luck next time Ahuizotl," she called from atop the cliff, resettling her hat before galloping out of sight as she could hear Ahuizotl shout:

"CURSE YOU, DARING DO!"

I will admit, Rainbow knew how to project when it came to reading. I may have noticed how loud she was being if I had not been so enticed in the reading material, myself.

'Daring Do, and the Quest for the Sapphire Statue', is what it was called. Apparently only one part of a highly acclaimed series written by a widely renown author. I forget who exactly was the writer, but whoever she was had to at least received a couple fan letters from Rainbow by how the pegasus proclaimed everything that went on in this book with such portrayal.

The book was rather well-written, and managed to keep my attention. It was what a good book needed to be. Decent punctuation and grammar, a decent plot-line with no definite rushing without reason, a likable protagonist, clearly revised more than a few times, and made sure to avoid walls of text. To say the least, the book was great enough of a action adventure novel to keep the attention of a jock like Rainbow; mind you, this very same pegasus was the one that called Twilight an 'Egghead' at one point no doubt to describe her overly apparent love for the written language.

Heh, enough of speaking about such a critically acclaimed best seller though.

Lying in bed had been Fluttersly, Rainbow, and Myself. Somehow, the three of us had managed to squeeze ourselves onto the same mattress. It took having to reduce the recline in my bed, but it was worth it.

Applejack and Pinkie left a while back to return to their hotel to see everyone else. No doubt that Applejack would be revealing what all had happened today. I was not looking forward to hearing about that later on.

Anyways, back to the actually important stuff right now.

Rainbow, sitting in the middle of the trio with her back to the headboard, kept her eyes glued on the pages held in her lap. The way she projected involved her entire upper body. Sometimes even taking the time to thrust a hoof up in the heat of the moment like she just had to exemplify the antagonists' defeat. My, she was quite the actress, was she not?

Fluttershy had taken the time to sleep from all the hustle from this morning. The poor dear looked completely worn out. You mustn't blame her. She works so hard, and without any further pay-off. I was not sure whether to admire such ambitious warmheartedness, or pity her for the lack of kindness she received in return. Fluttershy did not seem to mind either way, as she laid back in a soft slumber. One would wonder how such a timid pony could sleep with Rainbow boasting her lungs out as she had been.

I on the other-hand, was wide awake as I laid with my hands over my chest. My heartbeat picked up the pace, as my mind threw picture after picture through itself to give a clear depiction of everything happening in this story. I did not dare interrupt Rainbows' narration for the fear that she would not continue reading. I had to know what happened next. First Daring Do was coursing through the thicket of the jungle with a pack of ferocious feline enemies ready to pounce and devour her, and avoided the situation with such vigor. Next was the retrieval, loss, and current re-retrieval of the Sapphire Stone! I could actually feel my pulse throbbing in my throat at the part that Daring Do was about to be buried alive with rats, spiders, and snakes surrounding her. -And the escape from all of that lava? Spine tingling was the lowest definition of description. Who even knew that a hat had enough force to pull a lever? Heh, what am I saying? Logically speaking, that was impossible. It was only a book, but I felt so immersed in the story. I genuinely felt concerned when misfortune befell her.

"And so, with Ahuizotl defeated, and the Sapphire Statue secured the world was safe and sound once again – thanks to Daring Do!"

The sound of a closed book left me curious of more stories of this adventurous pegasus named Daring Do. Unfortunately, the small stack of books on my nightstand that had grown to be three thick became four. The fourth was also the last of the books Rainbow had brought with her to read. "Wasn't that an awesome way to end an issue?" Dash asked. Lying back to fully recline on the bed with the novel clutched to her chest, Dash appeared to be ecstatic over the climatic ending. Her feeling toward the prologue however was a little less than the previous. "Well, there was a part when Daring Do went back to her normal life, but that wasn't worth the extra read." Hm, I would have to remember that so I could read it later. Might be worth it, right?

"Yes, you were not fibbing when saying that it was a good series."

While my enthusiasm was not matching Rainbows, I did get the feeling that we were both on the same level of thinking. This was a very captivating series of novels. Dash just seemed to think more of it than I did. "Are you kidding? It was awesome! More than awesome! It was..." Dash paused as if trying to find a proper descriptive term. "-Me-worthy!" What an ego.

Having sat up in bed, I leaned over when pulling both knees to my chest. This story-time like setting made me almost think of a child listening to riveting tales of legend and fables. "So, I wouldn't suppose that you could spare the time to read the prologue, could you?" Glancing at the bed-side table to see the four book high stack, I looked through the individual titles. Meanwhile, Dash stood up in bed before hopping off.

"Sorry Baker-Boy, but that's all the time that I have for today. You do realize that the sun already set, right?"

Looking up from the hardcover novels and to a hanging clock on the wall, I looked on at the nearly still hands of the clock as it was then revealed how the past few hours had been almost an illusion. Had time really flown by that quickly? You would think that I would have noticed something like that, but to my own surprise I looked out my window and on toward a darkened sky with only a small amount of orange lingering on the horizon to signal the end of a setting sun. How time flies by when having fun.

A nervous itch slithered its' way to my face causing me to lightly scratch the cheek it stopped upon. "I suppose that it has." I quietly laughed to myself as Rainbow slid a saddle pack on her back. It was the same that she brought the books in with earlier. A similar cyan color with a rainbow lightening bolt button to seal the top flaps.

Sliding one book after another into her pack, Dash made sure not to bend any of the pages. These were clearly favorite books of hers; if not the only ones that she owned. "You know, if you want I can let you borrow these sometime." An upturned brow made, Dash smirked at me. "If you rip even one page though, I'll clobber you." Violent as it sounded, it was a good deal when coming to what could possibly be someones' prized possessions. It did sound a little risky, so it might be wise to see if Twilight owned a copy for herself. She did live in a library.

"I wouldn't dream of it."

Once after securing her pack Dash was sure to be on her way.

"You behave yourself, Baker-Boy."

She lifted a friendly hoof to me which I gently fist-bumped.

"I will try. Trouble seems to have taken a liking to me lately."

I could tell by the look on Rainbows' face that she agreed before turning around to go out the door. Before exiting, she looked back from the doorway only for me to wave goodbye to the mare before she vanished from my sight behind the other side of these hospital walls.

Seeing that there was not much else to do, I thought that it would probably be best to go ahead and prepare for bed. No point in sitting still all night. So for the second time today, I successfully exited my bed. Somehow my movement had been enough to stir Fluttershy from her sleep as she had picked herself up from her pillow by a hoof. "Jacob, what are you doing? Where did Rainbow Dash go?" Reaching my arms upward with my back to the pegasus, I stretched my body out. After hours of lying down, I bet you could imagine how stiff my body had been.

"Mmph? Oh, she just left to go back to ya'lls hotel room."

Finally loosening myself up, I let one arm fall to my side when turning around to Fluttershy. My other hand was partially lifted with my palm towards her in a soft point. "Which reminds me, shouldn't you be heading back? I mean, it is almost completely pitch dark outside." That's when a booming interruption of thunder sounded. Rattling the sky, a flash of light crashed downward in the far distance of my window causing Fluttershy to bolt to an awake state of fearful whimpering.

Surprised to see Fluttershy acting in such a way, I had not even taken the time in noticing the soft tapping of raindrops hitting the outside of the building. Instead, I sat back down on the bed and pulled the sweet little pegasus close in a concerned embrace. "Hey, hey now; what's wrong? What is this all about?" As yet another loud crack thundered across Canterlot, I could feel her body tense up before squeezing me in return of my hug. The pegasus buried her face into my chest, and her body locked up from every sound made from the world outside my room. Letting one hand slip up to Fluttershy's head, I gently brushed a hand through her mane to try and calm her soft cries. "It's alright. It's okay. What's wrong?" She had yet to fully respond, but upon the third flash of light and following blast of noise it became much more clear after feeling Fluttershy gripping me even tighter.

"Fluttershy." I tried to get her attention, but to no avail. "Fluttershy, are you afraid of thunder?"

I both saw her nod and felt it on my chest, and it broke my heart to do so.

As the previous light tapping on my window become much more harsh, I brought myself to gaze out the window to see how quickly the storm had brewed in such a short amount of time. I could not send Fluttershy out into this weather; Especially not in her current condition. Instead, I pulled Fluttershy off of my chest just enough to get a good look at her. Immediately, she tried to go back to latching on my torso, but I managed to grab her attention. "Look, how about you stay another night? It's not a good idea to go out in a storm anyways, you know?" She looked up at me, tears already welling up in those teal eyes.

"W-would you mind if I slept with you tonight?"

I couldn't help but smile at the question.

"Of course you can."

After a quick journey to the light switch, I returned to bed in the dark. Occasionally, a bolt of lightening would flash across the room and allow me to view any surroundings on my way back. Fluttershy had curled up under the covers, quivering at the once again re-occurring sound of thunder. This was bound to be a mighty storm with the current activity among the clouds.

"Alright, how about we get some shut-eye?" I pulled back enough covers so that I could squeeze myself in bed to join my friend.

Barely having the time to lie down, I was instead yanked downward onto the bed; Luckily, I was at least able to cover myself with the blanket.

Admittedly, it is a bit of a bummer that I will not have time to change out of my day clothes, but I have already been sleeping in them for a long while. It actually might not make the difference even if I did change into a robe at this point. Anyways, back to the Pegasus that had me held down on the bed with her.

Squeezing my torso, Fluttershy had her front legs wrapped around my chest. We faced each other as we laid on our sides. I had no idea that Fluttershy was this afraid, but it became very apparent in a matter of seconds. It was concerning, if not more. It might actually take more than a hug just to quell this kind of fear. "Everything will be alright, just come a little closer." Wrapping my arms around her, I brought Fluttershy close enough to where her head rested itself upon my ear. "It's just thunder. It can't hurt you." Though it was said, I felt that Fluttershy knew this by now. Maybe she was only afraid of the noise? Maybe the lightening? It was hard to tell, but guessing did not fix this whimpering.

"Oh come now, if you keep this up you won't be able to hear the lullaby my mother sung to me as a boy."

There we go. Although she did not move, I could already feel Fluttershy's body loosen up. "A... Lullaby?" I knew that would get her. She seemed like the musical type.

"Of course. My mother loved singing. She had a real knack for it, if you'd believe me." It was difficult not to be caught up in reminiscing. "-And she had one lullaby that could calm even a hurricane, I bet."

Another bolt of lightening and a boom of thunder, and the pegasus in my embrace flinched.

"Would you like to hear it?"

I Could feel her nodding on my cheek, and smirked in turn. "Very well, I will do my best. Keep in mind though, I am not the best singer in the world." It had been a while since I sung this, so I hoped that I remembered the words completely.

~Back in my hometown,
back very long ago.
A simple song was sung to me,
so jaunty, sweet, and low.
Just a lovely little tune,
one that nothing could hide.
I did not even care,
that there was no-one by my side.~

~La-La-Loo-La-La-Loo.
La-La-Loo-La-La.
La-La-Loo-La-La-Loo.
That's my lullaby.~

~La-La-Loo-La-La-Loo.
La-La-Loo-La-La.
La-La-Loo-La-La-Loo.
Hush, don't you cry.~

~La-La-Loo-La-La-Loo.
La-La-Loo-La-La.
Give it time, and the clouds will pass.
The sun will shine upon you one day.~

~A few towns o'ver,
many years since then.
A familiar song was sung to me,
so jaunty, sweet, and low.
It reminded me of a song
I heard many years ago.
Joining in the song, I sung for my loved ones-
a song I'd come to know.~

~La-La-Loo-La-La-Loo.
La-La-Loo-La-La.
La-La-Loo-La-La-Loo.
That's my lullaby.~

~La-La-Loo-La-La-Loo.
La-La-Loo-La-La.
La-La-Loo-La-La-Loo.
Hush now, don't you cry.~

~La-La-Loo-La-La-Loo.
La-La-Loo-La-La.
Give it time, and the clouds will pass.
The sun shines upon me this day.~

Finding it difficult to keep my eyes open, it was not long before I drifted off at my own causes. Little did I know that Fluttershy had already fallen asleep just moments before I had.

Without a doubt, today was going by much better than it had yesterday. Sure, I was unable to eat sugar on the hospital premises any longer, but that did not keep me from enjoying the tea Rarity had prepared. I enjoyed it even more so while wearing the clean clothes she had taken the time to make for me the prior night. They looked the same as my old ones, right down to the insignia on the over-sized blue t-shirt. I enjoyed that symbol though. It told me that Rarity was experimenting with her painting skills.

Since there had not been any available means of brewing the tea in my room, of course, we had to either go to the cafeteria or the lounge to use the only available brewing devices we could use in the building. Coffee makers. Eventually, we just chose the lounge over the cafeteria for... Reasons.

The lounge was better than the cafeteria anyways. I got to get a better look outside and everything. I could watch Ponies walking by on the sidewalk when they passed the entrance. Occasionally the automatic doors would slide open for an unanswered courtesy. With the building so close to the street, it struck me as odd when trying to figure out if ponies had a place to park? Wait, did ponies have automobiles? Guessing that these ponies usually get pulled around in a carriage like Celestia did when retrieving me, I would not guess it went further than that. Since flight was also possible with such transportation, airplanes would most likely be rendered inferior on some level.

Admittedly, the chairs were a lot more comfortable than a lot of things in this place. Rivaling a good chunk of this buildings' tan or white colors, the lobby had a toffee brown carpet with walls painted a creamy coffee-like color. The help desk just a little bit beyond where one would walk in had a lime-green pony receptionist that sat at the counter with her hooves on a keyboard to a desktop computer. She was not a unicorn, so it escaped me how she could even type with those big, clunky hooves of hers. Oh my, that sounded awfully rude. Good thing I did not say that out loud. Moving on, just beyond that had been the lounge the four of us sat in.

Oh yes, I nearly forgot to mention who all was with me.

Along with Rarity and myself, both Fluttershy and Twilight accompanied me during this time.

We sat in a small cluster of chairs that positioned themselves around a square coffee table in a two-by-two sort of format. It was strange to see ponies sit down. They didn't sit like humans would, but more like a cat or a dog. Not that I am complaining, but I just never thought I would see a person sitting like this.

Sitting with my cup of tea, I looked down at the styrofoam container with a smirk. It did not matter to me if there were no porcelain tea cups to use; these would do just fine. Rarity however seemed to not much care for them. Huffing out a breath from her nostrils, she leered down at the cup with dissatisfaction as smoke floated upward within its' walls from where it quietly stood on the table. If she did not hurry, it would get cold. This was not cold-brew, mind you. It was green tea. Granted, it was all the hospital could spare, but still much appreciated. "Do they really expect me to drink from something like this?" Her condescending tone made me think the cup would soon sprout diamonds just to boost its' self esteem. "Did they not even have any proper glassware for us to borrow?" I tried not to pay much mind to such belittlement of styrofoam appliances. I was not the richest fellow back home, so styrofoam plates and cups were a cornerstone of my survival second only to bread, water and other cheap food. Mostly potatoes.

Don't judge me, I'm Irish. -And just because I'm a chef does not exactly mean I eat well. There were a lot of fast food restaurants before I tried planting my indoor vegetable garden.

Having already crossed my legs, I tried not to pay mind to such ramblings. Now was time for tea. It was my tea time, and no-one would take that from me. Fluttershy seemed to understand that; well, that or she just tried to avoid talking to Rarity. Maybe a little bit of both? Still, I could respect a lady that knew how to slow down and relax every now and then. Twilight was the one of us that tried to convince Rarity that the points in her one-sided argument were indeed pointless. Her cup floated magically in the air space just to her left while trying to reason with her friend. "I don't really believe that it is that bad. Who knows, you might enjoy it." Rarity was too stubborn to budge on her own opinion. In her eyes, the cup was too poor for her.

With a smirk, Twilight rolled her eyes away from Rarity and over to me and Fluttershy. I will admit, the pegasus has been rather clingy as of late. She even took the seat directly beside me just to get a little closer while everyone else had their own side of the table to themselves. Not that I have a problem with that. Fluttershy's company is something I welcome with open arms and an open mind. After taking another sip of tea, I glazed my eyes over to look at Twilight when noticing her glance. I could see that she was just as used to Rarities upper-class behavior as Fluttershy was. "So, Rainbow informed us that Fluttershy had stayed the night. How exactly did that work out?" Unbeknownst to me, Fluttershy jumped in her seat somewhat; almost spilling her drink on the floor. I however, sat still in my chair with both eyes closed.

"Well..." Not moving my head, I opened an eye just enough to see Fluttershy sitting nervously. The drink rattled in her shaking hooves. She must have been embarrassed about something. Probably the fear of thunder. Taking a sip of tea again, I lowered the cup before closing my eye just as before. "Other than I enjoyed it, I have no definite comment." Opening both eyes now, I turned my head to Twilight after confirming that Fluttershy calmed down at least a little.

"It was quite the storm. I am surprised to see that the weather is so sunny today."

I knew what I said must have sounded odd, but I meant every word. For such a storm to take place and then everything just clear up after the night was over did not normally happen where I was from. Sure, things like that have happened before, but this was a whole other world. There were things that I had yet to understand; much like how ponies can make clouds shoot lightening. "Well, Rainbow Dash did manage to change her working area to Canterlot last night." I am uncertain to how that exactly included the storm. What did Dash even do? No doubt something sports like. Maybe she worked as a coach? "Being a captain of the weather team is challenging. Controlling the weather is not an easy task." A bit of tea slipped down the wrong tube when hearing this, causing me to cough uncontrollably.

"Jacob, are you alright?" Fluttershy patted my back, wanting to assist me in the only way she guessed how to.

Choking on liquid was indeed something to cause my lungs to spasm, but after giving Fluttershy a thumbs up I pounded a fist against my chest in hopes to clear anything that may cause another cough. It was necessary for me to place my tea down at this moment so that I could keep my fullest attention on the current conversation. "Are you alright, Jacob? I didn't say anything to offend, did I?" I wagged a finger to Twilight with a spare hand before feeling to be able to speak once more.

"Nah..." One last cough from my itching throat burned its' way up to interrupt my speaking. "Just surprised me. Didn't know that ponies could do that."

Feeling some tea covering my lips, I wiped it away with an arm. Relieved to see that my reaction was simply out of shock, Twilight smiled.

"Oh yes, Pegasi are very skilled with a subconscious magic pertaining to the sky. They are more than able to easily change the weather, walk on clouds, and much more."

Amazing.

"As much as I hate to abruptly end the conversation, Darling; somepony such as myself cannot simply be shut inside a hospital all day." Hopping down from her seat, Rarity completely disregarded her tea with a upturn of her chin. I could see she was eager to leave. "Please, do not think ill of me for it. I merely cannot bare to be around such things as..." She stared at her cup once more and leaned away from it with disgust. "...This." Hey, it was better than those paper cone cups you use for water coolers. Directing herself away from it in the blink of an eye, Rarity brought her attention to Twilight. "I also believe we need to hurry or we will miss that new bookstores' grand opening."

Seeming to come to the exact conclusion herself, Twilight tapped a hoof below her horn almost as if jogging her memory with the light knock on her forehead. I knew that look. Twilight had just remembered something that was worth looking forward to. "Oh Duh,-" Looking back at me, Twilight seemed apologetic for their apparent sudden departure. "-Sorry to cut the visit short, but Canterlot is opening a new book store just downtown." She did love books, and who was I to refuse such a connection to reading? Sometimes, I wished that I liked to do so that much. School would have been a breeze.

Understanding the reason, I smiled at Twilight before giving her a light shoo-ing with my hands.

"Do not think it bothers me. You have your' own lives to live, and I'm not going to keep anyone from that."

The two of us exchanged a mutual glance of friendliness before Twilight hopped down from her chair. Doing so, the lavender unicorn stopped before completely leaving the table. "Wow, I really am forgetful today." She said with a laugh before looking to me. "I had some books delivered to your' room. Spike picked out some good ones for you to read." Spike? The little dragon boy? My, its' been days since I've seen him. It felt like months.

Adjusting my glasses with a thumb as a sort of gentlemans' obeisance, I was grateful for the thoughtful action. Sleeping would get rather boring if that was all I did today. "Well, thank you very much, Twilight. I'll be sure to give them a look when I get back upstairs." Twilight returned my gesture with a nod before moving on to Fluttershy.

"Would you like to come along, Fluttershy? I'm sure that you feel a bit stir crazy from being cooped up here all day."

Half of me was expecting Fluttershy to accept the offer and leave me be in the hospital, but the other feared the thought. I'm not sure why, but my gut was wrenching in on itself from the suspense I felt. If she did, it could not be helped. Fluttershy was a independent mare. She did not need to be sticking around me all the time, and was bound to be growing bored of someone such as myself. This being said, I was not sure what to think when seeing the pegasus shaking her head to refuse the offer.

"No, I think that I will stay."

Twilight did not question her friends decision, instead nodded with approval. "Okay then, just make sure that Jacob stays in bed. He checks out of the hospital tomorrow, so let's make sure he does in one piece." Letting her eyes trail over to me, I already knew Applejack told her about yesterday by the look she gave me. "So let's make today 'Sugar-Free', okay?" Yep, I knew it, and she knew that I knew it. Twilight did not seem to care much of it, but laughed a little at my shock before walking away while Rarity followed at her side to do what she and her friend had planned for the day.

Maybe it was just me, but things got really quiet when those two left. Not in a bad way, but not in a good way either. I was just glad to have Fluttershy here, but also felt somewhat guilty for it. She had been looking after me so closely these past few days, but had not even left the hospital since the first night she stayed. Fluttershy was sure to have some sort of social life, so what was I doing taking that away from her?

"Hey, Fluttershy-"

Neutral as it was, I wished that I could at least speak a little bit more cheerfully. It was a difficult task to do, but with a little time I should be able to. Taking my tea back off the table, I looked down at the green liquid. "Are you sure that you want to stay here in a drab hospital with someone like me?" Finally faking a happy expression, I laughed. "I mean, you've kind of been spending the past day or so with a hideous monster." Saying this, I trailed my vision down the sides of my cup to the fingers that grasped it. Those things that had to of been so different from anything Fluttershy had ever seen before. So much different from hooves. So ugly. So disgusting looking. Like wriggling grubs sprouting from my flesh. I could feel sorrow building within when drinking the last of my tea. Doing so, I could feel the cup touch the tip of my nose. It wasn't like the muzzle Fluttershy had. These ponies' muzzles weren't large in the slightest, but just imagining how strange my nose must have seemed bothered me. These small beady eyes of mine. Small patches of hair while the remainder appeared to be bald spaces of skin. I've seen the ways some of these ponies look at me. I was a freak show to them. "I would not blame you if you wish to leave." Inside my mind, it could not be helped that I would feel embarrassed and ashamed of my own body. Even so, I still forced my smile. If I frowned then that would worry Fluttershy, and I did not want that. Not after all that she has done for me. She deserved to be happy all the time. Not to be sad and concerned.

It was inconceivable what happened next. Something that I would have never expected in all my years of living.

She leaned on me.

From the chair beside me, she rested her head on my shoulder. "You should not say such things." I could hear the plain tone in her voice when speaking. Did I... Did I make her sad? "Just because you look a little different does not make you a monster." It was a never ending battle just for me to keep on smiling as I was right now. It had to me maintained though.

"Fluttershy, I think that I'm more than just a little different."

She paused at my words.

"Maybe, but... I'm just as different as you, aren't I?"

"I would suppose so." What was she getting at with this?

"Am I a hideous monster?"

The words brought me to gasp as I turned to Fluttershy. Holding one of her hooves, my brain scrambled for proper words in its' panic.

"What? N-no. You are kind, and wonderful, a-an-and angelic."

Finding myself to be lightly stroking her hoof, it had not yet registered what exactly my mouth had spoken out until it was too late. At that point, I had all but become unfrozen from holding my friends hoof until I found the will to place it back down in its' respectful place. Going back to staring at my cup, I pondered what had come over me just now. "My apologies. I don't normally become this excited while talking." How could I act so stupid? I must have scared her with my idiotic words. Now she was bound to leave!

Fluttershy did not leave though. She only watched me from her seat.

"Then maybe you are not a monster either."

I gripped my cup. It felt so good to hear this. For someone to say that I wasn't some sort of freak of nature; it felt really nice, but for some reason... It got even harder to smile.

"Well,-"

Slapping my knees in a haste, I stood up straight. With a cheerful grin, I looked down to Fluttershy as she watched me. "What do you say that we get up and walk around?" Tossing the cup from my hand, I looked down the nearest hall. "This place could use an exploration, and I'm not ready to sleep yet." Putting both hands on my sides, I could see a couple ponies walking out of a hall not too far from it. My grin faded when seeing them snickering after they noted my existence in the foyer. I tried ignoring the word they whispered when passing me by.

'Freak'.

The word burned me.

My chest ached when hearing it. It was time to pretend though. Pretend like it didn't hurt. Put on a happy face and move on, right? It just... Would take a little while, okay? Just give me a second.

"Jacob, you're crying. Are you alright?"

Standing in place from where I heard my new label be spoken, Fluttershy had already hopped from her chair and stood by my side. Funny that she would notice something like that before me. Pressing a hand against my face, I could already feel the wetness upon it. "S... So I am..." Hushed, I tried to speak calmly when pulling my hand away to look at the water marks reflecting the ceiling lamps' light. So wiping my eyes with an arm, I let out a laugh. "W-well, I don't know what that's all about." Fluttershy was about to say something, but I already began walking toward the hall. "Anyways, let's get a move-on. We're burning daylight." Laughing once more, I stopped at the halls' entrance to look back at Fluttershy.

She had not yet moved from where she last stood. A saddened expression on her face.

"Hey, what's wrong, Fluttershy? Aren't you coming?"

She looked at the floor as if contemplating something before returning her gaze to me with a smile.

"Of course." She spoke softly before lightly trotting after.

As light from the setting sun shone itself into my hospital room, the tranquility worked together with the quiet to build a serine environment. Although it was such a warm, orange glow, it was impossible to do anything but kick back and enjoy the time we had. There was no need to use the florescent lighting. The sun provided more than enough.

Rather than keeping bed-ridden all day, I instead had made myself comfortable in a chair settled beside the door. One leg crossing the other as I sat, a finger flipped through the pages of one of the books Twilight had brought for me to lessen boredom while Fluttershy looked out the window to the city below. The sights seemed to bring some enjoyment to her stay with me. I would certainly hope it did, at least. I dreaded the thought of leaving Fluttershy without anything to occupy her own time.

It's confusing. Lately, I've only been thinking of ways to make that yellow pony happy. Why was I so concerned about that? Sure, I sort of acted like that around her friends, but with her-

It felt different.

Like she was someone that actually wanted to understand, and hang out with me. Back home, no-one would give me the time of day. They would smile, nod, and be on their way. Fluttershy though; she stood, watched, and listened. She wasn't just pretending though, right? No. No, I'm certain that she wasn't. Fluttershy wanted me to move in with her a few nights back, so maybe this was how she adjusted to new people? Spend a few days with them, and see how compatible we were for each other? I guess we were going to be kind of like roommates... Except I was living in her house.

I hope that I made some sort of positive impression. I can be a total idiot sometimes, and I didn't want to push Fluttershy away.

"Jacob, come look over here." The pegasus beckoned. "Canterlot looks so beautiful during the sunset."

Looking up from the novel, I closed the book and picked myself up so that I could see just what about the view could have appealed so greatly to Fluttershy. Without a word, I stepped up to the window to view glimmering buildings colored in a glamorous sun-burnt orange. The way the sunset had caused the spires atop of some buildings in the distance to reflect the warm color across the city and its' sky... It was strange to say, but this was more like staring into a painting rather than out a window.

"It's beautiful."

Taken back by Canterlot during its' sunset, I leaned an arm forward on the glass separating me from it. Times like these made me wish that I had skills with a paintbrush rather than a whisk.

"I always love watching the sunset. No-one ever really pays attention since the day is ending, but it makes you feel warm inside." Somewhat backing off from her statement, Fluttershy tried to recover if she had said something wrong. "I hope that makes sense."

It did. That sensation sort of came over me as well. A warm feeling in my chest that I could not help but try and grab. In turn, all I could hold on to was the blue fabric of my shirt. "Don't worry. It makes complete sense." It was... What was the word? Heartwarming.

Taking more than my fill of the sights before me, I probably would have kept staring out into the city if not for Fluttershy snapping me to my senses. "Um, excuse me..." Blinking once in a daze, I redirected my attention to Fluttershy. I must have been a little too entranced at Canterlots' stunning appearance. In turn, I quietly laughed as a faint pink flushed my cheeks. Letting herself laugh along, Fluttershy looked up at me with a soft smile on her face. Her smile did not last however as she fell into curiosity. "Jacob, can I ask you something?" Seeing how she slowly turned a even the slightest bit serious, I pocketing my book-less hand and awaited the next question.

"Are you afraid of what will happen after you leave here? Being the Vanguard, I mean."

That... That was a good question. Was I ready for the world outside of the hospital after everything that I have witnessed? This world is so much more different from mine, and the last time that I was outside it nearly killed multiple times. It was a frightening thing to think about. To roam with beings that could probably annihilate my existence without any effort given. Could I really survive in a world like that? Better yet; could I manage to fight for them, or just die trying? These thoughts brought forth possibly the most accurate claim I could have on the matter.

"To be honest, I'm terrified." Adjusting my glasses, I could not help but fidget with them.

"I am to live in a world that was never meant to house someone like myself. Although I feel privileged to exist in such a place, I know that my only purpose now is to fight in a war that will most likely be the end of my own life." A sigh spaced out my words. "I will be honest Fluttershy; compared to your people, I am a weakling. Back home however, I could manage myself against most threats. A mugger here and there. Maybe even some random lunatic that starts shooting a pistol in a crowd. All easily taken care of if thrown in the way of my normal daily routine. This world however has nearly cut my life short time and time again in a single day where all I could do was run like a coward."

Saying this rattled all of my hope to be able to survive whatever battles would be thrown my way. Pressing my forehead on the glass in front of me, I tried to close my eyes and imagine my life back home. How I used to wake up, go to school, work, and go home to continue the recycling events the very next day. Compared to this, I begged for my old boring life to return to me. I missed my family. I missed my job. I missed it all.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy stood beside me. She watched my woeful actions and grew a little more sullen with every movement I made. The touch of her hoof on my side told me that she was trying to comfort me. "That's why you have us, right? Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and me. We're here to make sure that everything will be fine." Yes, that was right. I had them to help me. My new friends.

Seeing how the conversation had been plummeting quickly, Fluttershy watched me pull myself off the window and closed their curtains behind me. "Maybe it's about time that we go to bed? We have a pretty big day ahead of us, and it might be best to go to bed early." Watching me grab the symbol on my shirt, Fluttershy knew I was trying to find some form of support. My lost expression only further explained my thoughts and uncertainty for the future.

"Fluttershy, could you spend the night again?"

"Of course."

The Canterlot Train Station was near exactly what I had been expecting. The inside was very clean, with well polished tile floors. I did not even know tile could really mirror ones' reflection, but I could not help but stare downward as if what had been peered into was an upside down universe. The inside was well furnished with couches, chairs, and decorative ferns. Not to mention that large clock in the center of the foyer. It only reminded me of how difficult it was to arise from my slumber earlier.

The ticket patron was... Less than charming towards Fluttershy and myself while we paid our fairs to ride the first train on its' way to Ponyville before the break of dawn. An older mare, she was a bit snooty but backed away from the sight of me. It was for this reason that I allowed Fluttershy to do the talking here. No need for me to go and scare everyone, lest I wish an angry mob to be upon me.

The outside, I should mention, was just as clean as the inside. If it weren't for the loading area being made from wooden planks, I would have thought it to be able to reflect my image as well. It could have been useful knowing we would be waiting for the others to show up. Originally, Fluttershy and I were to meet the girls outside the train, but it seems that for whatever reason that there was... They were substantially late. Being left with this single option of waiting, I blankly stared at the steel train only meters away from me.

Odd as it was, this train was like none other than I had seen before. The front engine appearing to be a royal blue, the remainder of cars were a wooden brown but did not appear to be made of wood. The roofs of these boxcars were a cotton candy pink which made me wonder if I was really staring at a train or an over-sized toy. One would not push the thought out of way too far if they knew what kind of trains were from my world. It seemed fully operational though and even though it was toy-like in appearance, it was the exact size of one of my worlds' trains. Being as child-like that it looked; it seemed reliable enough, so that was enough for me.

As I had thrown my spare clothes over a shoulder, I carried Twilights' books with an underarm while my train ticket had been grasped in the thumb of the same arm. Fluttershy stood beside me with her ticket held in a hoof. I would have questioned how she could perform this task without fingers, but any relevance to such a thing was rendered just the opposite. At any rate, just as it had been my first day in Ponyville, quite a few troubling topics floated to mind.

I hate to carry foreboding thoughts over from one day to the next, but this could not be helped. To wonder if you could even survive in a social environment was not a normal thing to consider. Knowing that the pony people were far more powerful than I was, it was like I could end up being a bug underneath one of their hooves; awaiting its' inevitable end.

"Oh, there you two are."

The call out to us had been from Twilight as she and her friends entered the boarding area with a plus one being a stallion bellhop of sorts that had been carrying all the girls luggage in a overstuffed wagon. An abnormally large gem poked from the top of his collared-shirts' pocket, and the word 'bribe' came to mind, and I knew exactly who it was that made it. Being a hefty amount as it was, I pitied the stallion as he struggled to pull what I already knew was a majority of Rarities' possessions. "Sorry for making you wait. Has the train begun boarding yet?" The sound of steam hissing from the trains underside swiftly interrupted Twilight. Looking up at the smokestack of the train, I paused during my observation of the gray plume rising to the sky.

"Passengers have been boarding, but there is another fifteen minutes at the least before our departure." I looked back down at Twilight, letting out a small yawn in the action.

This early in the morning, I was not the most keen on quickened movement. The girls however seemed more than able. "Well, we're here so there ain't no point in just standin' 'round no more." Applejack chimed in as she marched herself and her friends toward the train and its' ever vigilant ticket puncher while I followed behind with yet another yawn. The bellhop, in-turn heaved a low grunt as he slowly struggled to pull the heavy cart of suitcases and personal belongings to be loaded onto the train.

Not like I had much of choice in the matter, but Twilight took the fullest priority of the matter when deciding where the seven of us would be seated. The moment she stepped into the cart, her eyes scanned around to look at every double-sided seat for the perfect spot. Now, I had never been on a train before, but the places to sit looked a little too fancy for my tastes. Aside from being more like cushioned benches, the first thing I took notice of was how low the seats were to the floor. Without a doubt, I would feel like a toddler sitting in one. Second of all was the somewhat transparent plexiglas border that separated one side of the double benches from the other. It's design was also somewhat uncomfortable to look at as it seemed to appear to try and portray a small gust of wind with one side having an abundance of back support while the other barely had any for a tailbone. I could already find myself hating this ride to town.

Eventually having us seated in the rear of our train car, Twilight paired each of us in groups of two. Rarity and Fluttershy had their own seat. Pinkie and Rainbow had their own, with Twilight and Applejack sitting together as well. This of course left me to being the odd-man-out of the situation on my own bench. Not that it bothered me. The four seats we had faced each other in a two by two fashion, so there was no real separation between anyone.

Being up this early to ride a train had some upsides to it at least. Aside from having the entire boxcar to ourselves, there was also the refreshments cart which I fully took advantage of the free choices of caffeinated drinks. All of the coffee helped me deal with having to wait for the train to start, but eventually it was all I could do once we got moving besides read the books Twilight let me borrow. While the girls talked with one another I felt sort of like an outsider by how I was unable to contribute in any way, so I just kept quiet and waited for the waitress to come by every half hour to refill my complimentary coffee mug.

Coffee and books could only get one man so far though.

Boredom eventually settling in after a few hours, I tuned out any conversation that the girls could have been having at the time to lie back and relax on my designated bench. Both legs hung over the edge as I reclined back on the wall. There was a slight metallic noise when the back of my head touched the glass window behind it. It really was a kind favor of Stable to put that in for me. Heaven knows I needed it.

Looking out the window across from me, I had already noticed the drastic change in scenery since our departure. What once was a regal morning mountainside turned into a humble field of sunshine, green grass, and cat-tails that waggled themselves around in the wind. The evergreen trees further beyond the field stood like an ironclad force; unmovable, and unable to be overpowered in the slightest of ways. It was truly a praiseworthy thing to behold. "Admiring the Everfree Forest, I see." Now I wanted to burn those trees.

Staring at me from the seat across from mine, Twilight smiled upon me. Letting myself look out at Everfree, I scornfully watched the trees beyond the peaceful field. "So that's Everfree, huh?" Taking whatever remained of my coffee and chugging it, I sneered the moment the mug lowered. "It would be a dirty, dirty lie if I said that I would like to visit that place again." Showing some disdain for the area, an arched brow was all I showed aside from a rather unamused look pointed out the window which brought upon me a questionable stare from a few of the ponies near me. Easing the expression with a sigh, I lifted my arms before giving my hands a nonchalant roll of their wrists. "Then again, it would also be a dirty, dirty lie if I said appearing in that god forsaken place was not a life-changing experience." Pinkie lifted a hoof at me from her seat with Rainbow. The way she held out her hoof in an underhanded movement, it looked to be that she was trying to relate to my sour feelings toward the forest.

"Oh, come-on Jakey. It couldn't have been that bad. I've been in there plenty of times, and made it out fine."

"I nearly got eaten." My tone going flat, I raised two fingers to the mare. "Twice."

Rubbing a hoof under her chin, Applejack eyed me carefully for my statement before bringing the same hoof back down to its' place. "Ya know, Ah haven't really heard much about yer little marathon through Everfree." Being the initial spark to a powder keg, interest had appeared in the subject. One would be able to tell that even Fluttershy wouldn't shy away from desiring to know what could have happened within those trees.

Hoping to hear a little more about my currently on-going venture of survival herself, Rarity began seeking an explanation. "It would be enthralling to listen to somepony else's visit into such a rigorous environment for once." Lady-like as she had been, I could see right through every polite smile she sent my way. She did the exact thing my sister did when wanting something. Try to act polite as possible so that she could get her way. If I refused, I was suddenly the bad guy. I could also never believe Rarity would even set foot in a place like Everfree. She seemed more like the type to pay someone to go in there for her.

Where could I even start when it came to telling them all about this? Should I start at the beginning, or work my ways backwards? Never really one to really be a professional at storytelling, it was a gambit for me to really decide on a place to start at. Pulling a knee to my chest, I set an elbow upon it so that I could rest my chin within its' palm to ponder.

"Well, I suppose it all started when I first woke up. I am unaware how it happened, but when I did it was underneath this big grand oak. I tried to use my cell phone, but-"

"Wait a second there, Baker Boy-" Rainbow cut me off with a flat hoof held out to me. "Let me get this straight..." Her hoof movement soon went to a point. "-You had a cell phone?"

Unaware to just why Rainbow had decided to call me out on such a matter, I could not help but feel like Rainbow was criticizing me somehow. "Well yeah, but why does that matter? Nearly everyone back where I'm from has a cell phone." My reasoning was all but reasonable as everything that I knew about my old life was rendered completely invalid in this one. Twilight had to fill me in on the major details.

"Jacob, mobile phones are a very rare thing to see even in places such as Canterlot. For pony-kind, cellular technology is something that has been introduced to the public only in the past few years so it is not something that will be necessarily open to those of us that are not extremely wealthy. One would have to come from vast wealth to even afford such a device. Sure, gaming systems are a great extent cheaper, but only because they have been around much longer. Thankfully the only thing that most ponies need are radio devices or newsprint, and maybe even the occasional turn dial telephone."

So ponies weren't really familiar with a lot of technology? Well, I guess that they were, but it must have been something introduced more within the previous generation.

This new life was going to take some serious adjusting to get the hang of.

"Hey, do you think that we can see it?"

Eagerly leaning off her seat, Rainbow earnestly awaited some sort of physical evidence to prove my claims. In turn, all I could do was awkwardly stare at the floor. "Well, that's just the thing." I could already see Dashes' expression turn somewhat sour from my peripherals. "Celestia sort of confiscated it. I don't even think that she knew what it was. She just called something like a 'small black device'." This did not surprise many; in fact, some of the girls got a good chuckle from it. Being completely out of the loop, it once again took an explanation from Twilight Sparkle to give me any clue to what was so funny.

"Well, while Celestia is aware of technology, it does not exactly mean that she is the most skilled in the department. She actually had to send me quite a few letters just for directions on setting up certain appliances."

Great, so the most inexperienced being in possibly the entire world has my only connection to home. God forbid, I ponder over just what she could have done to it. Probably broke the thing the first time she touched it. The realization of this followed up with a rough face palm perfectly describing how I felt about all of this. "Great... Just great." Sliding the hand down, I let out a loud groan before falling into a momentary silence. "Whatever... Let's move on..." Just go on with the story. Don't focus on the phone for now.

"I suppose the next thing to happen after losing my phone was my search for it. If I knew just how dark it would get, it would have been nice to have a flashlight. I could hardly walk around in that pitch darkness, and with it only being around noon it was not a comfortable nature walk. Then I ran into it."

I still got goosebumps at the thought of the monster that chased me though Everfree.

"I had to run, swim, and barrel through thickets just to get some ground on the thing. It was behind me every step of the way. I can still remember the loud thudding footprints and blasting roar perfectly. Then there were those flowers. The snap dragons, right?" I had to get a nod from Fluttershy just so I knew I wasn't messing up with the name. "The manticore fell in, and I kicked up some dust. After that, I was out cold just outside the forest, and the rest is history."

Leaning my head back against the window, I let my eyes stare out the window across from me. For how wild and crazy my story may have been if I went into detail, I did not want that. I just wanted to be calm and think. "How did I even wind up in that forest though? It makes no sense why it would happen. How am I supposed to get back home, anyways?" I mean, think about it for a second. One moment, I'm dozing off at home and when I wake up I'm in crazy-pony-land. What part of that could possibly be explained in any manner?

Sliding a hand up over my eyes, I hoped that it would somehow assist in trying to find the ever elusive answer to such a question. While I did so, I was unable to see how dismal everyone had become. Sharing an expression with one another, the girls kept to themselves as my words hovered out in the open. Fluttershy took a breath to speak, but was effectively silenced by Rarity when placing a hoof upon the pegasi's chest to hold her back. The two exchanged silent glances while the fashionista shook her head to dismiss whatever Fluttershy could have wanted to say. In turn, Fluttershy watched the floor to avoid seeing me.

'Wham!'

If you couldn't tell, that little sound effect was right about where Pinkie thought it would be a good idea to body-slam me right in the gut; successfully knocking the wind from my sails. Spasming as Pinkie pulled my face close enough to hers to the point of where our cheeks touched, it did not seem to piece together for her that my gasps and wheezing was because of my everlasting struggle to breathe. "Oh, I almost forgot! When we get back to Ponyville, I want to take you somewhere super special!" After slamming a fist into my chest numerous times, I was finally able to suck in a breath of air; granted that every current exhale I made was a little heavier than I would have preferred.

Being back in Ponyville was a refreshing experience. I got to see some very memorable places I came by during my first visit here, and familiarized myself with quite a few new ones. Stopping in the train station was one experience all of its own however. I got to take in a breath of fresh air, and be glad that the train ride had ended. Getting to visit with some locals at the train station was also nice. While I could see that they weren't too comfortable with something that stood about two times their height, some positive re-enforcement from the girls helped warm some up toward me. Some of the locals however, I wished would have kept a distance. Of course, I speak of my first run-in with the town anthropologist. I will spare you the vast details on the encounter, but I will inform you of it through the only things I can remember saying during that time.

'GET HER OFF ME! WHAT IS SHE DOING!? NO, DON'T PUT YOUR HOOVES THERE! LET GO OF MY HANDS! SOMEONE CALL THE POLICE! FLUTTERSHY, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, GET HELP!'

That was my first encounter with the fiend known as Lyra Heartstrings. Truly, a scaring ordeal that would haunt me for nights to come.

With that ordeal over about half an hour ago, I had now been sitting at a table within the establishment known to most residents as the Sugarcube Corner. One could say that it looked like any other bakery, but they would be telling quite the nasty fib. In all actuality, it was anything but your average bakery. If anything, the building alone looked like someone took a giant gingerbread house and meshed it together with one of the normal homes around the town. What looked to be frosting lined the sides of the gingerbread-looking roof, but that was preposterous to suspect. It had to of been some sort of decorative piece. What also appeared to be a giant cupcake perched itself on top of the second story of the building, making-up a room above the roof like a light house sprouting from the center of a barn, and above that was yet another cupcake floor stacked directly above it! It perplexed me that a building like this could exist. It appeared that the proprietors took their baking very seriously.

The inside was very cozy. Wooden floors and walls. Don't let them deter you though, because the inside of this bakery was just as confectionery-looking as the outside. With how Pinkie told me how she actually lived here, I had to admit I was somewhat envious. The wooden support beams were carved and painted to appear to be peppermint sticks, the colorful palette inside the bakery was of a cheerful variety, and the aroma of fresh baked goods lingered in the air. Yep, this was a bakery alright. An impressive one, at that.

Pinkie had run off so I could be introduced to her employers and landlords, Mr. and Mrs.Cake. I suppose it was only polite. From what Pinkie told me, these ponies were a 'second set of parents' in her own exact wording. It would be like meeting the parents of a new friend of mine, so I suppose now would be a good time to make a decent first impression. In the meantime, what remained of my group of five ponies and one human made ourselves comfortable. Doing exactly that, the six of us had to use a party table just so we could sit in the same area. However... There was one thing at the time that really kept me from enjoying myself.

"So you aren't from Equestria?"

"No."

"Are you a monster?"

"No."

"How much do you weigh?"

"That is none of your business."

"You wear glasses. Did you stare at the sun as a kid?"

"..."

This pretty much described the conversation that I shared with this milkshake slurping, propeller hat wearing colt. While the girls and I had been settled down at our own table with our own conversation started, this kid just came up out of nowhere and blurted out 'what are you?' Ever since then, I've been putting up with the young pony. While the girls seemed to get a jolly good kick out of my minor annoyance, I have to tell you the honest truth that he was starting to grind my patience into dust. Even so, I stuck it out while I waited for him to leave and Pinkie to return. It wouldn't have been as bad if the boy would look up from his handheld gaming system, but no; he seemed too interested in it to just look me in the eye while asking these things. It was almost just as bad as that loud slurping noise he made when drinking his milkshake.

"Young man, is your mother around?"

Narrowing my glance at the boy, it was only seconds before a mare trotted up to the young colt. Her ears flicked back, the last step she took at the boy was a rough stomp which successfully caused the kid to look up from his game and to the mare. "Button Mash,-" Called the mare. "You aren't bothering this kind..." She eyed me curiously as if trying to find a polite word to describe me with. "-Gentleman, are you?" The boy innocently grinned before the woman stepped over to me. "I'm very sorry if my son has been bothering you." So this was the colts' mother? She was polite, at least. In turn of the apology, I kindly smiled at the mare.

"Oh, it's alright." Looking down at the game system, I could not help but feel that it was partially to blame. "You might want to take that away from him after you get home though. He's showing signs of an unhealthy addiction."

Seeing his mother nod at my words, the little colt known as Button Mash shot his eyes open wide before the mare bit down on his ear to drag him away. Effectively dropping his milkshake, the lad put up quite a fuss.

"-BUT MOM-"

"No 'but's, mister."

Hopefully his mother could teach him some manners.

"Kids these days..." I couldn't help but utter when watching the mare pull her son away.

Adjusting my glasses when looking back at everyone, I seriously arched a brow at their more than amused faces; Rainbows' especially. "Kids these days?" She quoted impertinently. "You sound like some sort of old geezer." Okay, I may have sounded a little elderly, but a geezer? Really?

Having a quill safely kept in its' inkwell, Twilight shuffled through the notes she had been taking over our past conversations. She had been taking the most initiative in the topics while the others listened on to what Twilight and I had to tell each other. Having taken a liking to the subject, Twilight kept mostly asking about life back where I was from, what the human diet consisted of, daily routines, and a few other non-mentionable things. "It's nothing bad, Jacob. You just act a lot more mature than you appear to be." That was a compliment, right? Never-the-less, As Twilight searched through her notes, she seemed more than ready to pick up from where she left off. "So tell me again. This Democratic country that you are from; what was it called again?" Magic surrounded the ink quill as it floated out of the well and onto the paper; awaiting Twilight to scribe more information upon the parchment beneath it.

"You mean, America?" She scribbled down the word without a second thought.

"-And your cultures."

Scrunching my face at the follow-up, I looked at Twilight a little lost on the matter. Not that I did not know anything about human culture, but it was a bit dodgy. The best way to imagine it would be like a minefield; if you take one wrong step, then 'boom'. You would make headline news and be subjected to more hate mail than you could possibly imagine. Taking the highroad, I tried to summarize it. "Uh, culture can be a hard to describe subject since it differs in separate areas of the world. Mostly they link up with religion pretty closely so it is sort of hard to explain something outside my own religious culture. It would be rather one-sided, if anything, and I do not wish to bring rise to any religious stirs." Applejack jumped in to speak her own mind on the current topic.

"So, humans connect things like Faustianity, or the Titans of Harmony with culture?" Faust-ianity? "Do ya'll humans do that science thing like Twilight that ya'll think that ponies just evolved from sludge, too?"

It seemed that science has reached into religions even here. How curious.

Laying down her quill, Twilight glanced over to Applejack minor-ly upset before looking back to me with an assuring smile. "It's not that I believe in the Theory of Evolution, but more that I prefer to keep an open mind on the subject. I am more of a Faustian-" Letting her eyes narrow only slightly when letting them go back to Applejack, Twilight spoke a little louder. "-especially since the Titans of Harmony no-longer exist." Ears flicking up, Applejack scoffed.

"Just 'cuz they didn't at one point, don't mean they don't now. Our foul mouthed friend made that perfectly clear, didn't she?"

Foul mouthed friend?

Lifting a hand to question the statement, I was stopped by Twilight when she spoke even sharper than the stare I received. "Don't ask." Jumping at the demand, I forced my hand back down as quickly as possible.

Thankfully, before we could progress any further into discomfort, things took a turn for the better. Sort of.

Pinkie wandered down from a stair case not too far from our table with two ponies following close behind while the girls and I were easily immersed in our little worlds. One of which was a lanky light amber stallion with an under bite. Although his orange hair seemed a little messy, it was was in no way unkempt. His orange-sorbet and white bakers cap matched his candy striped bow-tie in color, but not in design. Along with this, a white powdered apron hung on his chest. The second was a shorter, round cerulean mare with a light crimson mane and tail that looked almost like it was styled by an ice-cream dispenser. The apron on this mare was a yellow one with pink-ish frills along it's left and right sides.

"Here he is!"

Showing the two ponies in my direction, Pinkie spared no time in jumping on the back of my chair almost as if just to alarm me.

Jumping off of me just as quick, Pinkie laughed when I bolted up from my seat and almost fell over completely while managing to only have to take a knee to recover. Clutching my chest, I stared at the pony a little lost while she stood there giggling at my frightened form. "Pinkie, what the actual what!?" Finally falling back on my rear, I leaned back on my arms as my head fell back in shock. "...Think my heart stopped for a second there..." Picking my head back up, it was then that I noticed the two newest ponies in the room.

Skipping into my vision, Pinkie bounced back joyfully. "Jacob, meet Mr. and Mrs. Cake!" Not yet quite breaking eye contact with each other, the three of us did hear Pinkie but didn't react right away.

Lifting a hand awkwardly, I slowly waved. "Hello."

Mr. Cake was the only one to return the wave in the couples stupor.

A steaming stream of tea poured itself from its' porcelain teapot and into the cup I held underneath its' spout. Drawing the teapot back when desired, Mrs. Cake set the china piece on the party table this currently growing group sat at while her husband stared at the hand I held the cup with. While the two did not seem bothered previously by pouring tea for my friends, it appeared they saved my cup for last mostly because of a noticeable disconcertment toward me. I could tell they were somewhat unsettled with my appearance, but it was to be expected. I was something that a majority of people had never seen before, so any first thoughts about what people saw me to be had bound to be mixed. You had to hand it to them that they at least went the extra mile to make small talk. "Do you need anything else? Some cake, perhaps?" Generous as Mrs. Cakes offer was, I waved a hand at the two to politely decline. Holding the teacup under my nose, I let the aroma circle around my nostrils and allowed my mind to wander in search of what kind of tea this could have been.

It smelled of apple spice.

"No, you've treated me with more than enough generosity as it is. I would feel to be imposing if I asked for such a thing."

Taking a sip of the drink, I took time to enjoy my hot beverage. Heavenly as it was, I truly wished to savor it enough to where I restrained myself to only taking in a small amount at a time. "I don't want this to sound rude, but when Pinkie was talking about introducing us to a new friend of hers..." Mrs. Cake paused, trying to keep herself cool enough to speak without her voice cracking under pressure. "-we weren't quite expecting to meet somepony so..." The wife looked to her husband lost in her incapability to finish her own sentence. He had to finish for her.

"-Uh, Different." Catching himself, Mr. Cake added on to his word. "Not like that's a bad thing. I can assure you that we have seen stranger."

Lowering the cup from my lips, a cheerful tone was spoken so that I could try and ease the minds of these two. For them to be so welcoming toward someone as different as me, I was more than grateful towards their generosity. "Don't worry, you aren't the first people to think that." Snickering through a wide grin, my shoulders bounced with every laugh. "As long as we are all being honest, if I were either of you and got a good look at me, I would be running for the hills!" Continuing my chuckling, it was nice to see that the husband and wife smiled at my words.

Letting myself look around the bakery's dining area once more from my seat, I let my head fall back to give me a perfect upside-down view of everything behind me. It might have been hard to tell by how I was moving around, but I was not just acting like some sort of moron. I just wanted to admire the Sugarcube Corner just a little more. "You know, you two have a beautiful business here. It's so warm and friendly." Getting more than my fill of the promising sights, I sat upright. "If you two bake anything like Pinkie, I bet you two could have a lot to teach someone like me." Standing up in her seat, Pinkie slammed her hooves on the table in a excited outburst.

"Are you kidding? Mr. and Mrs. Cake taught me almost everything I know! They're like..." Looking at a front hoof, Pinkie stared at it for a split second before looking to me. "-Okay, I don't have fingers to count and show you with, but they're like... A buh-zillion times better than me!"

Adjusting the collar of my shirt, I could feel my skill set becoming even more inferior by the second. If Pinkie was able to craft confectioneries like she had, and claim that her landlords could bake as such a level... It made me wonder what these two were truly capable of. "Great Greens..." Having to scratch my head to relieve a nervous itch, I could not help but feel even more worthless compared to the pony race. Lowering my voice to a worried whisper, I tried not to seem tense about this news. "...I guess that I'm really out of the pan and into the fryer now, aren't I?" It appeared so.

Things seeming to have not quite clicked together for the Cakes, the Missus cocked her head at us. What had been being said, though appreciated also seemed to confuse the couple. "Pinkie, while we are flattered, it would be nice to know why we are being flattered, ya know?" Nodding along, Mr. Cake agreed.

Bounding from her seat, it took Pinkie a hop, skip, cartwheel, and jump to be standing behind my chair with her front hooves playfully wrapped around my neck like she was giving a loose backwards hug. Though I did not break my smile, I did have to hold onto one of her hooves in case she decided to give my throat a good tug. "Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that Jacob is a baker too!" Taking one of the forelegs from my neck, Pinkie held it up in the air before flexing it's muscles like a bodybuilder would in a self-righteous pose. "We are Bakers United!" I'll tell you, I was actually coming to enjoy hearing Pinkie say that we were united as bakers. Aside from the warm glow I could feel it gave me, it sort of felt right.

Pinkies' news flash was an unexpected one to the Cakes. The two had to get a good look at me just to really confirm what they heard to be true. Examining me both up and down, the Mister of the two rubbed his chin. His light judging lasted no longer than a few seconds, but he still seemed unable to truly believe what he was told. "I'm sorry, but you're a baker?" Rubbing the chin of his under-bite, Mr. Cake eyed me carefully again. Humming, only a moment later, he clopped a hoof on the table top. "Quick, what's the proper baking procedure for an altitude of three-thousand five-hundred and thirty-seven feet?" Meeting the challenge, I leaned a hand on the table all the while keeping one hand on the appendage wrapping itself around my neck.

"Increase the average oven temperature to three-hundred and fifty degrees Fahrenheit and add two teaspoons of all liquids for each cup used. Subtract each cup of sugar by one tablespoon, each teaspoon of baking powder by an eighth of a teaspoon, and decrease baking time by five minutes."

Even though I did not see it, Twilight took the chance to scribble this into her notes as well; confused on the current matter, as was her friends.

Pulling his hoof back off the table, the husband Cake perked his ears a little surprised at my answer. Having to take the time to give a couple nods to himself, he smirked. "Really now? I was just asking a random question." The response successfully scrambling my thoughts, I was not for certain what kind of trickery took place. I knew what happened, but my brain was still trying to find out why. So he was just asking a question? Here I thought he was challenging me. My expression sliding into a lost dumbfoundment, the baker turned up the corners of his mouth before letting a few teeth lightly show from his under-bite. "It was impressive that you know that though. You must be pretty handy with a eggbeater, aren't you?" Taking the compliment as something like a high honor of sorts, I tried to play things off cool but just made the happiness I felt from it even more obvious.

"Well, I would hope so. My boss taught me everything he knew."

Then shaking my chair back and forth from behind me, Pinkies' efforts at both interrupting the conversation and gaining my attention were fruitful. To put it in the simplest way possible, she shook the joy right out of me. "Oh my gosh! I almost forgot!" Finding that Pinkie had the ability to use her forelegs like a pair of arms even more than previously thought, the pink earth pony was somehow strong enough to spin my chair around to where I stared at the mare as she only then continued to shake me by the shoulders. "We still haven't made cupcakes yet!" Had we? It was rather difficult to remember when being shaken like a rattle. I could almost feel my pupils pinging around my eyes like maddened pinballs when Pinkie found enough mercy to stop.

"Did we not? I can't remember much right now, but I'll trust you..."

"Well, you're always welcome to use the kitchen." Pinkies eyes twinkled at Mr. Cakes offer. Her gasp of rising joy frightened me a little. "Maybe you can even drop by here and help us with some orders once in a while?"

A promising offer. I was going to have to find a job at some point, right? If I was going to live with Fluttershy, I wanted to be useful to her. Help pay the bills, grocery shopping; anything that I can help with. Plus, a little extra coin in the pocket never hurt anyone. Regaining some of my wit, I replied with a nod of my head to accept the offer. Turning the seat of my chair around, I graciously accepted the couples' offer. "Sounds like a good deal so don't be surprised to see me come in every once in a while." Thinking about it, my still somewhat muddled thoughts could not prevent me from wondering what kind of culinary discoveries could await me in this new land. In fact, the thought was the only thing that completely snapped me back to my senses. Could it be so much different from my own knowledge? What if there were ingredients I had not even heard of yet? How much potential was there here?

It would not take much more to convince me to get to the kitchen and see what awaited me, but the way Pinkie pulled me out of my chair by an arm did get things started. Continuously yanking on my arm like an impatient child, Pinkie did not slow down when impatiently jerking me back to the bakery's kitchen. "C'mon, Jake! Hurry up!" Not much of a fight was put up on my end, as her efforts managed to amuse me to a gratuitous extent.

I laughed as Pinkie continued to forcefully guide me past the stairs she had only just recently climbed down and over to a counter at the northwestern side of the bakery. "Okay, okay. Just settle down." Looking back at the ponies still sitting at the table, I waved to them to be at least somewhat polite about my leaving. "Okay, I guess that I'll see you all in a little while, alright?" I could see Fluttershy waving to me before Pinkie pulled me through a set of wooden double doors just behind the counter and into the Sugarcube Corners' kitchen.

Stumbling in through the double doors after Pinkie gave my arm one last good tug to end her constant pulling, I luckily caught myself on a kitchen counter that had been built into the wall just right of the doorway. Not quite realizing what I had latched myself onto at first, I picked myself up before looking down at its' well polished surface. It was a pearly white counter top that had been built into the wall behind me. The formation of it all was in a large L-shape as the shorter horizontal line ran along the back wall and away from the door, while the longer vertical portion I had managed to support myself with stretched inward toward the center of the room. It was a rather fitting design as the two areas had different uses. The longer portion was just a flat counter accessible from both its' front and back. It sounded strange, but by how the room almost appeared to be halved into two separate parts thanks to this counter-top it almost reminded me of all those math questions asking you about finding the radius to a circle. Except this room was probably more like a rectangle. The smaller part, unlike the last area was built into the wall to connect with its' other half. It ran only a couple meters along the wall, and had a stove built into its' center. Other than this, these counters held spice racks and a cutlery set upon them. Sights such as these were common in many different cooking establishments due to it being much easier to have plenty of space, but at the same time not have your stove or oven taken up by clutter.

Already coming to be familiar with the colorful layout of the building, the assortment of hues in the kitchen did not surprise me. Wood stylized vinyl had been placed upon the lower section of the wall as the upper remainder was covered in a pale pink wallpaper. To be honest, it was always difficult for me to know what was vinyl and what was really wood. The only reason I had been able to this time was because of the wood floors directly under my feet. From what I could see, the ceiling curved downward at an angle moving from one side to the other. On the right side of the room was a yet another kitchen counter that almost ran along nearly the entirety what had to of been a six meter wall. Unlike the one I had caught myself on, this seemed to be used for more practical purposes like washing dishes and storage. It was quite spacious between different appliances as the only thing other than drawers built into the long line of wooden cabinets was a sink placed directly in its center, and a dishwasher at the far left edge.

A window in the wall just over the manual water pump of the sink allowed those rinsing off glassware or even their hooves to look past the floral decorated curtains and outside the Sugarcube Corner to see the occasional pony walking past the glass pane. On both the left and right sides of this window had been two hanging cabinets on the wall that matched their counter-top with dead accuracy. Big, burly, and constructed of a wood painted in a faded green. No doubt the size of these things told how there were a hefty amount of cups, bowls, and plates hidden within them.

Standing at the far right of the wall, a metal fire oven stood above the floor on four stubby legs. It was an antique, and an admirable device to still have in the kitchen. Most chefs and bakers would solely depend on electric or gas stoves for cooking, but alas doing such a thing hindered any respectable culinary connoisseur greatly. Noting the pans dangling from the kitchen rack built onto the stove, I scoffed at how this oven had to be the only thing that matched my height when taking the backboard into account.

The wall across from me, while these details did not mainly pertain to cooking outside of gathering ingredients, was a refrigerator and a pantry. These were standard utilities, but needed possibly more any any other thing in the kitchen. Where would a good chef be without these? Nowhere, that's where. Other than this was a rose colored door that I could already guess was a rear exit of sorts. Guessing by its' width, it was probably just some way that it could be easier to bring in shipments rather than through the front to inconvenience customers.

I grimaced when noting how I was too tall to be able to normally walk through.

I swear, it's like almost everything it toy-sized.

Moving on...

The left wall was much more interesting than a majority of the remaining kitchen combined. Only having to turn my head in the walls direction, a large, bolted, metal door stood a few good steps to my left. Its' single frost-covered window told me that this was the location of the bakeries' freezer. Taking only a step toward the door, the chilling sensation carried upon the air felt almost soothing. The suggestion to go and explore the freezer had risen itself from the back of my mind, but before I could take another step something else was able to distract my ever-roaming attention.

I almost could not believe my own eyes when looking just a little further down from the freezer door. There was a cube-like indention into the kitchen wall lined with shelves. These were not what compelled me to gaze into the cubical though. What did was the large mechanical tub that sat within it.

It was a large taffy puller.

Moving toward the miraculous device, I needed to get a better look at what now stood in my presence. I had heard about things such as these, but never had the chance to see one up close. To view such a wondrous device was nostalgic for someone such as myself. Comprised of a top and bottom half, the puller looked much like a tin can that had its' middle removed. Since this was a model on a much grander scale, the stretching device seemed a little more complex that first suspected.

While the outside of the bottom half was smooth and simple looking, the inside had shown itself to have a cooking mechanism built into the bottom. Curious as it was, I could already guess that this vat could be used as a multitask item as a mixer, boiler, and a stretcher. The three rods jolting downward from the upper half were attached to a rotary device that spun the trio in a circular clockwise motion around the tub as two of them would stick themselves in a thick clot of taffy while the remaining pole would be pressed into the glob to give it proper pulling. Each pole would then cycle their roles until the taffy appeared more like a ribbon or even a rope of sorts.

Almost distracted by looking on at the mixer, I was nearly too enraptured by the machine to get a good look at the shelves surrounding this little mixing area. Once I did however, I was able to properly see that the Cakes had been putting this tool to good use.

Candy. Row after row of candy lined these shelves. Not just taffy, either. Lollipops, hard candy, licorice, chocolate, toffee; you name it and it was bound to be on these shelves. It's shameful to say, but I actually caught myself drooling. I was envious, in fact.

"Pretty cool place, huh?" Pinkie called to me from behind the white counter.

My mind was a complete fuzz from the sheer euphoria I got from on-looking at the potential this bakery had. Never in my life had I the liberty of viewing a bakery such as this one. It was clean, well kept, and had the faint aroma of oatmeal cookies. There were not any signs of needed repair, no signs of infestation; in fact, this place was top-notch! I felt honored, no, privileged to have been in the presence of those that took baking so seriously.

Faintly nodding with a cheery outlook, I pocketed both hands before taking a couple steps back out from the cubicle. "It is." Laxly agreeing, I turned back to look over to see Pinkie throwing a large sack of flour up on top of the prep-counter with a hefty heave.

Pinkie, wiping a couple droplets of sweat from her brow, sighed in relief. I didn't blame her for doing so by how abnormally large the flour bag was, and could only imagine the strain it would have taken for me to perform the task. It almost seemed a little excessive by how much of the white powder was inside. "Whew,-" she whimsically exhaled. "This place is always so much fun. I can make people feel happy by doing what I love to do." I could imagine.

Watching Pinkie walk to the fridge, most likely to obtain anything else we may need, I took the time to admire the joy Pinkie got from such a simple task. Was she happy because she was baking, or that the two of us were finally going to get to make something together? Maybe it was both? Who knows, maybe this was just Pinkie Pie being Pinkie Pie? Either way, it did not change how I enjoyed being where I was right then.

As she dug through the refrigerator, the constant clinking of different items in the fridge being brushed aside in Pinkies search for anything she could have possibly wanted continued for a good while. Hanging the entire front half of her body in standing cooler, it looked more as if Pinkie was excavating the fridge entirely. "Hey Jakey, I just noticed something." Hearing Pinkie from within the fridge, I stepped over to the prep-counter. "We don't really know that much about each other." I suppose that she was right, in a sense. "I mean, I know some things about you. Like how you are nice, but that's about it other than how much you get hurt on a daily basis." The fact struck me as no big surprise as such a thing had become evident the moment I got stuck in Equestria. Deciding to humor the topic, I kindly motioned an unseen hand to try and figure out what I could do to help Pinkie pertaining to it.

"Alright then, what kind of things would you like to know?"

Finally pulling herself from the bowels of the fridge Pinkie shut the door behind her empty handed... Hoofed? Empty-hoofed? Was that right? What was the proper pronunciation of that anyways? handed or hoofed? I still can't tell. Meh, it's too much of a tumor-inducing mental-crash to think too much about. Let's just say that Pinkie wasn't holding anything in her arms... Legs? Darn it, I did it again! Anyways, casting aside that Pinkie had not been holding anything in her hooves, it became quickly apparent that the pink pony had other means of carrying what she pulled from her fridge.

"You know, normal things like what's your favorite thing about baking?" Having a one-track mind, it was clear that Pinkie wasn't quite sure how to carry the conversation. It was an A for effort attempt since she kept that ditsy smile.

Trotting back to the prep-counter with a spring in her step and the previously described smile on her face, Pinkie stood on the other end of the white counter as me while I could not help but look at the pink pony absolutely clueless at what was taking place before me. Not because of how she returned without carrying anything in her hooves, because she did in fact return with everything in her hair!

All scattered about in Pinkies mane were the ingredients she had left to the fridge to obtain. Apparently, Pinkie did not seem to wish to take more than one trip to gather them. Whole eggs scattered themselves about her mane as an unwrapped stick of butter had become tangled in Pinkie's wild, curvy locks. An entire gallon of milk sat unmovable and half hidden within the poofy hair as well while a small bag of sugar, a box of baking powder, as well as a box of baking soda rested within a red bowl nestled in the center of the cotton-candy hair.

Left aghast and mouth agape, I stared at the crazed mare already fearing that her actions would bring a mess to the kitchen I had just come to adore. The shock struck me so hard that I could not help but raise my voice. "P-Pinkie, what in Great Greens are you doing!?" No verbal response was given from Pinkie as she tilted her head to the side in attempt to understand what must have been an over-exaggeration to her. The crazed ponies actions only brought me to silently scream while waiting for everything to fall out of her mane in one loud splat.

"Jakey, why are you acting so freaky? I was just getting stuff from the fridge."

Managing to reclaim some of my wit, panic still gripped my thoughts enough to lead my eyes to take the occasional glance back up at Pinkies' hair after every few of words. "-but why your' hair? Why not your hooves, or...or-" I was soon cut short by the pink earth pony lifting a front hoof to put it on display with a showy wiggle. Her eye lids drooped to a dry satire to explain the obvious hindrance I had not taken the time to notice.

"No thumbs, Jake. No thumbs."

Oh... Oh yes. I must have forgotten.

Going back to her usual perky self, Pinkie tried to put my concerns to rest with a wink. "Don't worry, Jake. It's not like I don't wash my hair." That was the least of my worries, but it comforted me to see Pinkie taking everything out of her hair and placing it on the counter-top. "See? It's just easier to carry everything like this sometimes." I suppose that was true, but I still did not approve of these methods.

In the meantime it was probably best for me to take the time to calm myself. Turning my back to Pinkie before leaning back to let my waist rest on the prep-counter, the nervous thumping in my chest only now began to slow. A hand running through my hair was all I could really think of doing at first to try and put this all out of mind. "You sure do get really jumpy sometimes, don't you Jakey?" Turning my head around to see Pinkie fishing the remainder of the eggs from her hair, she looked right back at me with a playful smirk.

"I don't know..." As I ran a hand through my hair once more, it slid to the back of my head before scratching the metal plate that now resided there. "... I guess so."

"You should calm down, and do what Rainbow Dash always says." I knew she was fishing for me to ask her 'what does Rainbow Dash say', but it was probably better to just bite the hook for now.

"What does Rainbow Dash say?"

"Just take a chill-pill!"

That did sound like something she would say.

"Ooo, hey Jakey! Do you like pink cupcakes?"

"I like cupcakes in general, Pinkie."

"Good answer!"

Lifting the last of the ingredients from her mane and onto the prep-counter, Pinkie looked down at all that was placed before her before going back to me. "So Jakey,-" The pony began. "I've been wondering... How old are you?" A strange question, but someone had to ask it.

"I'm nineteen."

With this new information, Pinkie froze in place. Currently, she was busy scooping flour out of its' bag and into a bowl. Once hearing what I had to say however, the pink mare stopped everything she was doing to give me a look of disbelief. Not quite sure what to think of this at first, Pinkie circled around the counter to scan my body up and down. A constant, puzzled hum came from her every second she approached. All the while, I stood where I was; trying to find out what exactly Pinkie was trying to accomplish. "That's weird. I thought you would be older than that." I was going to ask Pinkie how old she thought I was, but there was no right answer to that question. "I wasn't expecting you to be older than Fluttershy, but I never thought you would be younger than me..." Did the irrelevant fact that I was younger than Pinkie bother her this much?

Not as much as I once thought as her bewilderment transformed into glee.

"This is so awesome! It's like I have another little brother now!"

A little brother? Another? How could Pinkie consider me as family after such little time had been spent between the two of us. I was going to object, but once again, Pinkie cut me off. "No arguments, it is decided. You are now my little brother." Well, I have to admit; Pinkie was very direct with what she wanted, and did not even allow 'no' to become a refusable answer.

"Okay, fine then. I guess that I'm your little brother then."

Hearing this, Pinkie bounced in place to express her state of rejoice.

"Ooo, Can I call you Jakey Pie?"

"No."

"I'm going to call you Jakey Pie."

"No, Pinkie."

"Sorry, it has already been decided."

Forget direct, this girl was stubborn as a mule!

The frustration I got from this pink menace was not so easily shakable as the feeling lingered in my gut for quite some time. Now, I was fine with Pinkie wanting me to be her little brother, it was a sweet gesture, but going and giving me a nickname like 'Jakey Pie?' I could easily deal with Baker-Boy, but this? Not like it mattered. Pinkie made it seem like every decision she made was set in stone. It was best just to give the girl what she wants so we can hurry up and get to baking. So begrudgingly, I crossed my arms before swallowing my pride and gave into Pinkies' demands.

"Fine, call me whatever you want. Just know that you get one nickname for every sibling you have."

My limitation did not even phase the cheerful pony before she gave me a cheerful wink. "Whatever you say, Jakey Pie." Uhg, I already regretted agreeing to this.

A low grunt sounded as I leaned back against the kitchen counter again. My arms were still tightly crossed, but were able to loosen up after a couple of seconds. "So..." Letting my irked emotions vanish, I chose to direct my focus on the trivial matters at hand. "How old are you girls anyways?" By how they all acted, I wouldn't expect them to be that much older than I was.

"Well,-" Pinkie began. "Fluttershy and Rarity had their twenty-first birthday half a year ago, Applejack had hers' a couple months back, Twilight turned twenty-one just last month, and Rainbow Dash will be having her twenty-first birthday in a few weeks." She spoke as if she had written this down in a little book somewhere. "-Oh, and I'll be turning twenty-one next year."

So I really was younger than the girls, eh? I'll admit, I wasn't expecting that. Maybe I could have been younger than a couple, but being younger than Pinkie?

"What do you mean 'another hour'!?! I demand my order to be prepared post haste!!!"

In one fatal swoop, this blasting yell rung through the Sugarcube Corner. I knew this kind of yell. It was the exact kind of yell that could kill any good mood. My gaze slowly becoming all the more steely with every passing second, Pinkie and I stared at the double doors leading toward the bakeries dining area from which this uproar originated from. "Wow, someone is really angry out there." I kept quiet and stared toward the door while Pinkie lifted a hoof over her mouth in some concern. I wanted to hear what was going on.

"Now, just hold on." That was Mr. Cake. "Let's try not to make a scene."

He sounded nervous.

"You don't have my order ready, and now you're ordering me around!?!" This was the unfamiliar voice. Male. Possibly in his mid twenties. A rough, low, and very angry tone. "If you would have just had my stuff ready when I wanted then we wouldn't be in this mess, now would we!?!"

This wasn't good. By the way it sounded, Mr. Cake was facing this customer with admirable bravery. A noble sacrifice, but for a customer like this I feared that things may turn a little extreme. My expectations turned even worse when seeing the Missus backing into the kitchen. A hoof upon her cheek, she stood in the door way to is shock at everything taking place before her. "Oh dear... I hope Carrot will be alright." Approaching the cerulean mare, I took a knee beside her while trying to get a view of what was happening outside the kitchen as well.

"Mrs. Cake, what's going on out there? Who's making this ruckus?" I spoke in a hushed tone.

Eventually trotting beside us, Pinkie came to our side. Mrs. Cake had become distrait while looking out to see her husband having to speak with such a pony. Being able to spot the pony myself through the crevice Mrs. Cake held the door ajar for, I grimaced toward the stallion. A dark blue coat, and black hair. That attitude he had though. "He's a customer who placed an order earlier this morning for an order of blueberry muffins. We've asked him to be patient, but he continues to demand that we put every other order aside just to make his." So he was that kind of customer, huh? These guys made my blood boil.

"Do you recognize him?" I did not take my eyes off the customer while asking. "Do you know if he lives around town?"

Mrs. Cake did not seem to know whether or not he did, but Pinkie was more than definite with her own answer. "He doesn't live anywhere around here. I know everypony in Ponyville, but I've never met that pony before." Cautiously on-looking as well, Pinkie tried her best to keep quiet. "I don't think I've ever seen somepony that angry before." Pinkie may not, but I certainly have.

By the look in her eyes, Mrs. Cake was afraid for her husband. "We've agreed to start his order, but he won't stop shouting. Carrot decided to stay out there to try and calm him down so he wouldn't wake the kids." An alert instantly flew up in my mind. Looking to Mrs. Cake, I carried a sense of urgency in my voice.

"Wait, you have kids?"

Clasping both hooves on her head, Pinkie gasped. It seemed that I wasn't the only one noticing that little red flag going up. "Oh no, he might wake up Pumpkin and Pound Cake!"

Things were going from bad to worse as I knelt down behind these doors. Mr. Cake was doing good by holding his ground, but this stallion-guy wasn't exactly going anywhere from being calmly and politely asked to wait for his order.

I was going to have to handle this myself before these events escalated any further.

Closing the open door on Mrs. Cake and Pinkie, I looked at the two with a finger over my mouth to shush any words they had to say. Effectively silencing them, I lowered the finger.

"Listen, I've handled a lot of customers like this. If you will let me, I can take care of this guy."

The missus was hesitant toward my offer, but much more concerned about what was happening just outside her kitchen. Mrs. Cake bit her lip as she glanced from me to the door to contemplate her choices. It was not long before she doubtfully agreed. "Okay then, but what are you going to do?" Standing up, I dusted off my pants and straightened my posture. After a quick adjustment of my glasses, I pressed a hand against one of the double doors to view Mr. Cake still putting up with that same insufferable yelling stallion.

"Just go upstairs with your husband to check on the kids. Let them know that I will be out momentarily."

I stood out of the way for Mrs. Cake to exit and do as I asked. I watched her trot over to Mr. Cake only to be yelled at as well by that hateful customer. Closing the door once again, I took a step to the white counter top and eyed the cutlery set sitting just right of the stove. "Jacob, what are you going to do?" Pinkie had been watching me eye the knives as I removed the vegetable cleaver from within the wooden block from which it resided.

"Things could get violent out there, and I don't want it to reach that point."

This was not a lie. Problem customers like this one could turn violent very easily. If I was lucky, I wouldn't have to use this knife. The last thing I wanted was for anyone here to get hurt. "I'm just going to try and get this guy to settle down, so it's probably best that you start on whatever this guy wants." Pressing a hand upon the door, I held the cleaver behind my back to keep it well hidden. "Blueberry muffins, right?" Pinkie gave me a worried nod.

"One last thing." I gave her a brave smile. "Everything is going to be fine, alright Pinkie?"

After exchanging a smile, I exited the kitchen.

Ducking under the doorway, I pushed past the double-doors to enter the dining area of the Sugarcube Corner. Everything appeared to be the same as before except for the excessive shouting going on from the customer pony. Able to glance over at the table I once sat at, I could see the girls preparing to confront this pony for better or worse. As I did so, Twilight noticed my presence in the vicinity. She knew how I was about to confront this customer as I knew they were. Shaking my head, I signaled for Twilight and her friends to stay seated and allow me to handle the pony.

It took a moderately long stare, but Twilight eventually nodded to agree to my recommendation. Soon after, I could see the purple unicorn whispering amongst the girls, no doubt to tell them how I wanted to put this event to an end. It was probably for the best too as Rainbow and Applejack looked like they would have clobbered the customer before I could even get to him. In fact, almost everyone seemed to be ready to lay the smack down on that stallion except for Fluttershy. She just held her head down, and waited for everything to pass. When Twilight said whatever she had however, each of the girls looked toward my direction to see me adjust my specks with a thumb.

It was not long before I saw Mister and Missus Cake trotting by to their stairs in a hurry. No doubt to escape their rude guest and check on their children. "-And what the bloody Tartarus are you?" Speak of the devil. In a hateful stomp, the customer in question spared me no different treatment other than the same he had given the Cake family. "Why did those two idiots send me to a lumbering freakshow for help?" I was not going to miss this guy once he left.

Hiding all the hatred I had for this little welt behind a false smile, I held the vegetable cleaver behind my back while using my spare hand to guide the angry customer toward the display case just a couple feet away from us. "Why, I'm the person that will be taking care you you today." I did well to sound cheerful and polite to this unworthy slug. "If you would just follow me, I will be happy to take care of any problems you have." As luck would have it, the odds were in my favor for now as we were successfully able to travel those three steps without hassle.

I knelt down so that I could use the display properly. Peering down through the glass casing, I stared down at the cookies, cupcakes, and muffins that resided there as my spare hand gripped one of the wooden sides of the display cases' large frame. Looking up at the customer, I raised a curious eyebrow and held up my insincere smile. "So, what seems to be the problem here?" I gripped the cleaver behind my back a little tighter after the problem customer slammed a hoof on the wooden frame beside my hand. Quickly withdrawing my hand, I pressed the blade flat against my back to keep me from revealing it too soon.

"The problem?! I'll tell you what the problem is! The problem is that you and every other worker here is a lazy good-for-nothing slaker!"

My smile fading with every word spoken to me, my patience with this pony was wearing ever thinner. At this rate, nothing would be accomplished as I will have become the newest target for this customers vocal wrath. I can assure you though, I had no intention of letting that happen. Instead, I leaned an elbow on the display case, and toward the snarling stallion facing me. In one last act of civility, I tried to keep myself speaking slowly and calmly. "I'm sorry Sir, but if you continue to act as you are, I will be forced to refuse you service. That being said, please lower your voice and speak respectfully." To reason with the stallion, I tried my best to keep the situation under control. "You see, there are some kids sleeping upstairs. The last they need is to be woken up to hear all this shouting." Ignoring the growing anger in the customers expression, I tried pointing him in the direction of an empty table to wait for his order to be ready.

"Now, if you can sit quietly over at that table, you're order will be ready in-"

"I don't care about some lousy brats!"

That's it. That was the final straw. No more Mister Nice-guy.

Standing up from the display case, I leered down at the stallion as he looked upon me with hatred and scorn. A deathly silence now hung in the air around the two of us. I watched him, as he awaited any rebuttal I could supply. I clinched my teeth behind a frown, and almost showed some teeth at the man. All efforts to do so were effectively restrained. Instead, I chose to keep a neutral expression when speaking again to this pony.

"You know... Where I'm from, chefs have an old saying." Lifting my spare hand to the man, I smirked while letting him examine it with angry yet somewhat confused eyes. "Tell me if you've heard this one, but it goes along the lines of: 'Don't bite the hand that feeds you'."

Before the stallion could interrupt me, I sharply cut him off from doing so. "-but-" I pulled back my hand and placed it at my side. "-did you know that some chefs have secretly added a new piece to it?" Caught off-guard by my current actions, the stallion kept silent if not only until he could think of something else that could be angrily yelled out. When I pulled the large cleaver out from behind my back though, I could see his eyes locking onto the blade with a tinge of both suspicion and fear. Holding the knife in front of me for a couple of seconds, I inspected the blade. All the while, the stallion just beyond it swallowed hard when seeing how I let my eyes skim from the edge of the rectangular hatchet and over to him.

My movement was swift and quick when swinging the utensil down onto the wood beside the customers' hoof, effectively making him recoil the appendage so quickly that the man fell on his back. Holding onto his hoof for dear life, the stallion looked up at me only to see me yank the blade from the display counter with two good pulls. Staring down at the pony, I glared downward at him from where I stood.

"Don't bite the hand that feeds you-" I tightened my grip on the cleaver. "-because there might be a knife in it."

Unfortunately for this customer, he had to learn the hard way about how I was not some kind of person that could be easily pushed around. As the customer clutched his hoof, he laid on the floor as if expecting me to jump the counter and start cutting him apart like some sort of mad butcher. Wagging the knife in his direction though, I made a rough demand. "Get up." He did nothing but stare at my knife. "I said, get up." This time he listened. The stallion slowly got up, and once again watched the knife with widened eyes. "I want you to apologize for your behavior, you got that?" My next demand did not need repeating as the pony cowered where he stood.

"I-I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

Clinching my teeth, I leaned over the display at the stallion.

"Not to me, you idiot. To the owners of this place-" Shaking a fist at the customer, I snarled. "-and I pray to what ever pony god you have around here you do, or I'm going to dot both your I's and cross your' T's so quickly that you'll forget how to write cursive!"

Following this up with an angry point in the direction of the table I did so to earlier, I made one last demand.

"Sit. Now."

To say the least, he sprinted to his seat.

Knife still in hand, I turned from the display case and walked back to the kitchens' double doors. I could already hear that Pinkie had gotten quite a ways into her preparation of the blue berry muffins this man ordered. Even so, I pushed one of the door open before looking inside to see Pinkie already sliding a full muffin tin into the stove to cook. "Hey Pinkie-" The pink pony hopped up to see me sliding the vegetable cleaner back into its' respectful place after stepping inside the room once again. She was alarmed to see me as I was, but it also appeared that she was just as relieved to see that I was alright. "-put the timer on those muffins, and get your bosses down here. There's someone that wants to say he's sorry." Not even waiting for Pinkie to reply I turned away and walked out the kitchen muttering to myself.

Barging out those double-doors one last time, I stomped by the customer again before giving him a good old fashioned 'I'm watching you' sign and made my way back to the party table I was once seated at. Pulling out my seat, I abruptly dropped down into it to somewhat express my current frustrations. I sat somewhat like a rag-doll until I found reason to fix my posture with a heavy grunt. "I hate ungrateful customers..." The words left me as I lifted my head enough to see all of the jaw-dropped expressions that the girls gave me.

"What?" Was all I could ask when giving them all a clueless shrug.

Author's Note

Geeze this one took so long. It stretched on for how many months? A month before finals, then there was finals month so I couldn't work on it then, and then a few weeks. How long ago was it since my last update? Geeze, well I hope this makes up for it.

I'll admit though, it was enjoyable to re-write Jacob's lullaby. I got Gens' permission to do so, so yay!

There was also about two more smaller parts to this chapter, but I figured that my rewriting had taken long enough. They will fit in better with the next chapter anyways.

Again, sorry this chapter took like two months to make. I hope you will enjoy the reading material!

Ch.11: Training Days (Pt.1)

Sunshine

A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fan-fiction

By Mr.Sandman

DISCLAIMER: This is a non-profit fan-based work of prose. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is the property of Hasbro, and the reinvention of Lauren Faust. No copyright infringement is intended.

"We're almost home."

Home.

A great word to hear, but at the same time one that left me with a feeling of deep longing.

As appreciative I was that Fluttershy allowed me to stay with her, I knew deep down that what lied ahead of us wasn't my true home. All I had left of such a place were remnants of memories for now.

A quick dismissal was all it took to shove any of these thoughts off into a dark quiet recess of my mind at this point. Such re-occuring thoughts were beginning to become tiresome. They were a hindrance emotionally, and physically. I needed to remember what the goal was here. I had to get stronger, fight the war that awaited me, stop the apocalypse, and return to my world... If that was even possible.

"Jacob, you seem to be very pre-occupied with yourself. Is there something wrong?"

Fluttershy and I had been making our way to her home while I found the time to weigh in mind about how I would return to mine. Taking that same dusty road as we had just days ago felt almost like I was living the entire experience in reverse. Gracious as Fluttershy was to allow me to stay with her, I could not help think that I did not belong here in other ways than what had already been presently established. All of this felt like some form of excursion gone horribly wrong.

Watching the ground just a bit ways off from where my feet would step, my eyes kept themselves locked upon my shadow as it overcast itself upon the stretch of dirt road. "No. I'm just thinking, is all." I leaned my head back somewhat to view the light blue-ness of the sky above me. It made me smile at least a little to see how bright the color was. It reminded me of my skies. There weren't any flying ponies soaring through them. No signs of craziness. Nothing. They were like my skies, and that's what mattered for now.

"Thinking about..." Having joined me in my cloud watching, Fluttershy paused for a second to look at me. "-Home?"

Giving a nod, I tried not to lower my gaze too far so that the world above could still be seen. The desire to look at the only familiar similarities between mine and Fluttershy's worlds drove me to resist any current urge to look downward at all. Easing my expression while doing so, my smile could not help but falter. "It's weird, you know?" Fluttershy's ears perked. "Back where I'm from most people would probably sell their soul for an adventure like this." My stare lightened itself in to a plain expression. "It was a dream that everyone had to try and escape the mundane hum-drum of everyday boredom. Now though-" Pausing, I silently scorned myself for ever having such a dream. "-I'd give anything just to go back and see my family again." If only I had known what would happen to me the day before this began. I wanted to tell everyone that I loved them one last time.

Turning off the main road and onto the path to Fluttershys' Front door, the mare slowly laid her ears back at my words. She had become a little dismal from my statement. The pegasus had to debate with her conscious before speaking up while we crossed a short bridge over the small river just outside her cottage. "I'm sorry, but..." Watching my upward gaze while we crossed together, Fluttershy cringed at her next words. "...I-I'm sure that you will see them again..." Her voice faded to a near nothingness as she looked away from me and off the bridge to the channel below. Growing ever-more sullen, the mare did not seem to be able to look at me. "...Someday." Watching her walking reflection cast upon the running stream, Fluttershy turned her gaze downward to the path in front of her.

"Yeah, I bet you're right."

Finally lowering my eyes from the majestic blue above, I looked on at the cottage the moment we made it to the other side of the bridge. A fleeting glint of hope sparked in my eyes when taking Fluttershy's words to heart. "When it all comes down to it, this is all going to make one heck of a good story to tell my folks." Walking up the small incline toward the front door, I could not help but spare a cheap laugh at my assumption.

"What am I saying? A story where a human lands in a world of magical, talking ponies? What kind of lunatic would spout such nonsense? They'd throw me in the loony-bin before I could even realize I had a straitjacket on."

Upon reaching the door, I turned and leaned my back on the wall to its' left. Fluttershy took somewhat of a slower time to catch up as it appeared that she had become too glum to put forth any extra effort. Maybe I had upset her about how I was talking about my family? "Hey Fluttershy, you alright?" Picking myself up off the wall just as soon as I had begun my casual lean, I knelt down to the mare. She looked almost drained of any energy by how she drug her hooves. Was she feeling alright? Maybe she was running a fever?

Our gazes met for a second before Fluttershy tried to turn away. I did not allow this however as I put a hand under her chin to keep her head steadily in place. "Please hold still for a second." She did not put up even the littlest of resistance to my actions as I pressed my forehead against hers. I furrowed my brow when feeling Fluttershys' temperature growing, but was unaware that this had only been from the sudden blush spreading all across her face. "Yeah, you feel a little warm. That's not good." Mumbling when pulling myself away from Fluttershy, I verbally kicked myself for not noticing this 'fever' sooner. "Crap, I can't believe I didn't notice that you did not feel well. I must have been to busy looking up at the stupid clouds..." Roughly knocking my forehead a couple times with a wrist, a low grunt symbolized how I despised myself for my own oblivious ignorance but forcefully put it out of mind. Now wasn't the time to beat myself up. I could do that after Fluttershy was feeling better. `

"Do you feel light-headed? Weak? Nauseated?"

Taking a second look at her, I could already see the red spots spreading across her face. Her cheeks flustered with a warm heat. The mare stood like her joints were stiff, but that wasn't anything a little warm water couldn't fix. Maybe I could run her a bath to alleviate any stress on her muscles?

Little did I know that Fluttershy wasn't feeling the slightest bit sick. Worried thoughts only clouded my mind to the point to where it had been impossible for me to notice what was really going on.

Everything that I had observed in Fluttershy's current behavior had been purely brought on by the prior physical contact with her. While I did notice the blushes on her face, the baffled expression it held went a little more than unnoticed. Her still joints kept her back stiff as her legs wobbled like gelatin. A small twitch of her wings had also escaped my attention while I tried to mentally concoct a possible remedy for what could have been ailing the poor pegasus. "N-no. I feel fine, thank you." Coyly pulling her head back somewhat as I brought mine forward to take one last good look at the mare, Fluttershy did her best to assure me that she was feeling perfectly fine with an innocent smile. Placing a suspicious hand upon my chin, my worried expression did not lighten. Even so, it was probably best just to trust the mare for the time being.

As I stood to my feet, the hand gripping my chin loosened itself before lowering back to its' hip. "Well... Alright then. Maybe you're just a little exhausted? I believe that could cause a light rise in body temperature." Someone would have to hit me with a brick to let me know what was really going on. Even then, there would have to be a strongly worded letter strapped to it to explain anything. "We should get you inside so you can have a drink of water." I dreaded the possibility of this sweet little pegasus passing out on me again.

When pushing the door open, I had no idea just what kind of can of worms had been unleashed behind the walls of Fluttershy's cottage.

"Don't let him get away!"

"I'm tryin', but it ain't like this is somethin' easy to do!"

"Hey, do you think we could get our Cutiemarks in pogo-stick jumping?"

What was once a neat and tidy cabin had become a place of wreckage and chaos. Pictures had gotten themselves knocked off the walls, furniture was turned over, and books came to be strewn off their bookshelf and scattered across the room. It seemed like a tornado had swept through in our absence. All the while, three young ponies sped around the home in their hot pursuit of a very familiar small, white rabbit.

"Forget pogo-sticks! C'mon, girls! We're gonna get our Cutie Marks as the Cutie Mark Caretakers!"

The one leading the other two of this nefarious destruction crew appeared to be the head-honcho out of the three. She was a light olive colored earth pony filly with a large pink bow in her amaranth mane. More than determined to catch that ever-elusive fuzzball, the filly pounced the moment she was close enough only to end up falling flat on her stomach after the bunny took a sharp right to avoid the dive.

"Don't worry, I got him!"

The second of the three little ponies had been a light gray unicorn with a mulberry and rose colored mane. In her attempt to catch the rabbit, the filly unicorn picked up her speed to try and lead it into a corner. Prevailing in her attempts to at least at cause the little rabbit to become cornered, her capture was not as successful. The moment this filly got too close in her chase, that ball of fur ran underneath her in a hasty escape; causing the little pony to run face first into the wall, and knocking a lamp over in the process.

The third... oh, where do I even start on this one? Mine and Fluttershy's ears were filled with the constant screeching of wheels on wood as this child sped around the house on a blue scooter. No doubt she had already scratched the floors. "I got him! I got him!" Cried the gamboge filly. More than able to keep up with her target, the little pony sped beside the rabbit while matching every movement it could have made. If the rabbit turned, so would she. If it darted away, the filly was always quick to follow. Catching the rabbit however proved to be an entirely different endeavor. Snagging the scooters' front wheel on the living room rug, the little filly flew off her scooter and landed flat on her back as the four-wheeled device bounced and tumbled to its' owners' side.

Shocked at what all had just unfolded before us, Fluttershy and I were left standing at the door unable to really know what could be said about any of this.

"Ah think Ah bit mah tongue..." Spoke the first filly with a lisp.

"I can't feel my nose..." Nasally muttered the second as she sat up with a hoof rubbing her snout.

"Oh yeah? Well I can't feel my anything." Complained the third, blowing her fuchia mane from her face as she laid motionless on the floor with an aimless stare pointed up at the ceiling.

The three groaned and whined at each other about their aching bodies in a tired mess. As the three strange children did so, Angel bounced his way past the gamboge filly as she gave one last futile attempt to grab the small animal with a sore arm. "Hey, get back here, you..." The little ponies hoof hit the floor in exhaustion as she watched on the bunny hop its' way to the front door, and directly to Fluttershy; making our presences known.

Fluttershy and I stood in the doorway, speechless of what just happened. The yellow pegasus beside me had a hoof cupped over her mouth as she looked around her home in discovery of the mess. She kept an eye on a fallen bird house while I pressed a hand against my face in effort to keep any imprudent words from slipping out. The children eyed us, shocked at our current presence as if they wondered why Fluttershy would ever be returning to her home. In the meantime, I forced my irked expression away with a hard sigh.

"I'll get the broom."

The sounds of hammer on wood were a little loud for my liking, but the method was very efficient when it came to piecing this birdhouse back together. There were not really any major breakages in the foundation, and Fluttershy was relieved to know that there were not any eggs within it. "Well, I think that just about takes care of that." Setting the hammer down by a couple stray nails on the small table where I now sat, I looked at the wooden house settling itself upon the piece of furniture. There were a couple scratches here and there, but nothing that couldn't be smoothed out with a little sandpaper.

"Maybe I could give this thing a new coat of paint?" I mumbled to myself when rubbing a pondering finger on my chin.

A certain sensation of being watched and spied on muddled my dialogue. Distinctly humming at the feeling which had begun to leave me somewhat puzzled at it entirely, I turned around in my seat to face the living room couch as three little fillies upon the piece of furniture eyed my progress on the birdhouse with intrigue. "Is something wrong?" As I raised a brow to them, the three immediately darted their gaze every which way now that they had been successfully spotted. The earth pony looked right, the pegasus looked left, and the unicorn decided to look straight up at the ceiling. A little awkward, but it wasn't like I couldn't tell that they were watching me just a moment ago.

I observed the three as they continued to portray their false sense obliviousness before passing it off as children being something that I always knew that they were; curious. Nothing that they could be blamed for, and now that everything was spic-and-span things could finally slow down a little. Having seen the past condition of the cottage, I was expecting it to take a little longer than an hour or two to clean such wreckage. As a given, I was a little stern with the children. They had to help Fluttershy and myself clean, and after a few minutes of moaning and complaining they figured out that they weren't going anywhere just yet.

Turning back in my seat to focus on the birdhouse, I grasped a hand upon its' side and rubbed a thumb along a rough area on one of its' front corners. All the while, behind me those three little scamps went right back to staring.

"So... Yer that hoo-man thing that every-pony is talkin' about, right?" The olive filly spoke finally breaking hers' and her friends act of playing pretend.

I froze to let my face scrunch when letting that word sink in.

'Hoo-man'? What a silly sounding word.

"Yes-" Decided on holding the birdhouse in an arm, I slowly turned half-way around to face the children once more. I rested an arm on the back of my chair while letting out a childish chuckle "-Aye eem da hoo-man."

My amusement toward such mispronunciation was not shared in between me and the children. It actually seemed to confuse them even more than they already were. "Ahem..." I cleared my throat, a little ashamed that I would find something so immature so entertaining. "I mean; 'yes, I am the human.'" Well, this was awkward. Not to mention embarrassing.

The quiet clattering of a porcelain tea set came into existence as Fluttershy entered the living room from the kitchen. An emerald green tray sat itself upon her head as five cups, and a large teapot stood sedimentary atop it. In the meantime, a rather relaxed bunny rabbit lounged in the middle of the tray, twitching his' whiskers every so often. "Okay every-pony, the tea is ready." Oh, thank goodness for Fluttershy. If things got any more awkward, I feared that I would actually have to think of a follow-up for my terrible joke. "It's a little hot, so it may be best to allow the tea to cool before drinking any." The timid pegasus pony balanced the tea on her head all the way to my table with little to no struggle at all before carefully sliding the tray on the flat surface. What a talented mare, she was. "I am afraid that there was not enough time to prepare anything to go with the tea, so I hope that is alright with every-pony." Placing the birdhouse back on the table, I could not help but give Fluttershy a comforting pat the back.

The aroma of the tea was heavenly. It was not a fruity scent. Nor was it spiced. The flavor advertised itself more along the lines of a silky smooth taste. The sweetness of honey carried itself upon its' steaming breeze. "Fluttershy, you've already proven to be more than hospitable. Do not worry about such minor trivialities, and sit with us." Coming to be difficult to resist, I spared no time when pouring myself a cup of the sweet smelling tea. Of course, I dared not scald my tongue when drinking it, so I was unfortunately left admiring its' scent in the meantime. For people such as myself, patience in a situation such as this was both a virtue and a curse. There was already a feeling of a growing anxiety in my stomach.

Appearing to be almost delighted to take me up on my offer, Fluttershy pulled a floor pillow up beside my chair and sat down. The mare was gratified to finally be able to rest, and after the storm of trouble that these three kids caused, I think anyone would be relieved to finally sit down. Circling my teacup under my chin, I inhaled the incense of the liquid while watching the three fillies that sat on Fluttershy's couch.

"So-" I spoke patiently.

My legs crossed themselves one over the other. As much as I may have desired to do so, it had come to be difficult just to speak with a straight face. "-I certainly was not expecting to return to find a three child demolition crew." Turning my chair somewhat to face the children better, I leaned forward toward them with my spare elbow on a knee. My suspecting gaze fell upon the three. "What were you three aiming to accomplish here anyways?" Suspicion aside, I was just curious about why anyone would so relentlessly destroy Fluttershy's abode.

"We were trying to get our Cutie marks!" Exclaimed the young unicorn.

Cutie-whats? What in Great Greens was a Cutie mark? Whatever it was, it kind of sounded rather unpleasant to receive one. Personally, I couldn't help but feel a little uncomfortable thinking about it. "A... Cutie mark?" It was truly difficult for me to try and comprehend what exactly was being spoken about. "I'm not quite for certain what that is..." Was it something like a mole or wart? It sounded sort of itchy, so maybe it was a rash? Whatever it must have been, my ignorance on the matter deemed itself absurd enough to shock the three fillies to great lengths.

Tilting her head ever so slightly, the young gamboge filly questioned my intelligence with her judgmental scorn. "What, do you live under a rock, or something?" Admittedly, that stung a little. A rough nudge to the shoulder from the young unicorn had brought the child pegasus rubbing the inflicted area as a soreness no doubt begun to settle in. "Hey, ow!" She growled. "What did I say?" A silent leer was all she received from both of her friends in response, and the filly was more than capable of returning the glance.

"Hey, now-" I cautiously objected to what I could only suspect to be the beginning of a bit of rough housing. "Let's not get out of hand... Um..." Pausing, I could not help but tap a wrist against my forehead in sudden realization. "My goodness; I don't even know any of your' names, do I?" Did they even introduce themselves yet? Great Greens, what if they already did? I suppose that would just show how well I could really listen. Luckily, Fluttershy noticed my mental struggle and decided to speak up on my behalf.

"If it could aid your memory any, a couple of them are little sisters to Applejack and Rarity, and the pegasus is close to Rainbow Dash in a very sisterly way." Were they now? "Someone must have told you about the Cutiemark Crusaders while we were in the hospital."

Cutiemark Crusaders... I'll admit that sounded familiar. Applejack may have told me something about such a group, but it was a little hazy what exactly I had been told. It was something about a whole bunch of chemicals and the towns' water-supply. That's about all I could remember at that point in time.

Oh well, I'm sure it was nothing.

More than able to pick up on the current matter themselves, the trio didn't skip a beat when stealing the topical spotlight away from Fluttershy. "Aw shucks, no wonder he doesn't know what a Cutiemark is!" The olive colored filly announced. "If this fella doesn't even know who the Cutiemark Crusaders are, then this don't surprise me one bit!" Were they really that popular?

"Yeah, I guess that sort of makes sense..." The gamboge filly added.

"Ooo, maybe we can be the ones to explain what a Cutiemark is!" The light gray unicorn clopped her hooves together in excitement before gasping from sheer anticipation. "We could get a lecture Cutiemark!"

What... Exactly was this conversation turning into? I know it was still a conversation, but it had become a little de-railed along the way. "Okay, let's reel it back in a little, girls." I tried to pull the three back in to stay on subject. "I don't even know who you three are, let alone what a Cutie-wha'chamacallit is." It was best to be in control of these types of situations, you know? It was a relief that I was even able to do that though by how much of a rambunctious trio these ponies were. "How about we start off with the basics? Like names, perhaps?" I don't know why, but while I stayed calm and collected on the outside, my gut told me that these children were more trouble than I could have at first believed.

"Is that all?" The olive pony asked. Her enthusiasm about the discussion on what a Cutiemark was showed itself to be clearly evident. " Alright then. My name is Apple Bloom."

"I'm Sweetie Belle." The unicorn introduced herself politely. "It is nice to meet you, Mister Human."

"-And you can call me Scootaloo." The pegasus confidently bragged.

What odd names. Pony names were so much more different from human ones, but it wasn't like I was expecting one of them to be named 'Rebecca'. I suppose that these names were simply more literal than they were meaningful. "Ah, it is a pleasure to meet you all. My name is Jacob Froster, but please call me 'Jacob.'" I would have imagined that Fluttershy had already stated my name so many times that it would be somewhat difficult not to memorize by now, but it did cross my mind that none of them might have picked up on it right away. In social first impressions such as these it was better to play it rather safe than sorry, and by their expression I could see that the assumption was well placed.

"Jacob? What kind of name is Jacob?" Apple Bloom murmured to her friends.

"I don't know... Maybe his parents hated him?" Scootaloo monotone-aly guessed.

"I sort of like it." Well, at least my name wasn't strange to Sweetie Belle. "Its kind of cute. It sounds like what you would name a puppy or kitten."

Never mind.

You know, I've barely known these kids for more than a couple hours, and they were already starting to become rather exhausting. The powerful desire to change the subject was un-yielded as I had already begun to return to our past subject with some frustration. "You know, maybe that's enough about names. How about we go back to talking about those Cutiemark things?" However my best efforts, the trio had become too involved with each other on the matter on how unusual my name was that they practically forgot of mine and Fluttershy's very existences. Turning my head to look at the yellow pegasus, I showed a tired expression to the mare. "They aren't even listening anymore, are they?" She shook her head to reply.

"Most likely not." Fluttershy sympathetically smiled at me for my efforts to control the trio. "They never did tend to stick to one activity for very long, but if you would like I could help explain what a Cutiemark is."

Glancing over at the children in my peripherals, I could pick up on the three debating how weird my name was on a scale from one to ten. "You might as well. Your opinion on the matter might be a bit more accurate anyways." I feel that Fluttershy knew this as well.

"Well-" Fluttershy began a little unsure of which way her description would take in the conversation. "-When I was a little filly, my grandmother told me about an ancient magic that created strange symbols on a ponies' coat when they reached a certain point in their life. She described receiving one to be completely life-changing in every way due to Cutiemarks being something that individualizes some-pony indefinitely." Fluttershy seemed rather knowledgeable on the subject. "Once you receive a Cutiemark, you learn about how to begin understanding yourself enough to aid in the growing-up process. In most cases, a Cutiemark will pertain to a special talent or ability that those receiving it will have always possessed."

So it was sort of like how humans find out what they're good at with a little more guidance? It was an amazing thing to really think about, but... Man, did these ponies have it easy in that department. Even so, I still could not help but not quite understand what a Cutiemark was. I knew what it stood for, but what was it? "So, a Cutiemark is something you receive for finding out what you're good at?" Craving more information, I could not help but try and dig for more. "So, is it like a mole, or something?" The statement alone seemed almost ridiculous enough to bring Fluttershy to laughter, but she placed a hoof on her muzzle to silence it into a giggle.

"I'm afraid not. That was a good guess though."

Shifting in her floor-pillow, Fluttershy looked back at her flanks as I allowed my eyes to do the same until I spotted something that had gone unbeknownst to me for the longest time. "I suppose that the easiest way to show you what a Cutiemark would be is to show you mine." Twisting my facial expression into confusion, I sipped my tea when trying to put together what exactly I was looking at.

What almost appeared to be some sort of fur design, I now took in the sight of what appeared to be three pink butterflies resting on Fluttershy's flank. A quick sip from my teacup had long turned into a quiet elongated slurp in the effort of making heads or tails of any of this. Did Fluttershy dye her coat? It almost looked like someone spray painted a sort of butterfly decal on her rump.

Eventually my teacup emptied to where I was left holding only a cup to my lips until I found enough sense to lower it. Even then, it was difficult to know what I was looking at. "Is that a tattoo?" The very idea sounded painful, but there was not much else that I could think of when it came to really obtaining one of these 'Cutiemarks'. Thankfully, this didn't seem to be the case.

"Oh dear, no." Fluttershy dreaded the thought of having a tattoo as much as I did. "I am unsure how it works, but magic plays a key role in the matter. Forgive me, but I was never truly an expert in magic."

Neither was I.

"Okay then!" The exclamation from Sweetie Bell caused both Fluttershy and myself to jump from our equally received shock. "So we have decided that the name 'Jacob' rates at around eight or nine on the Weird-O-Meter."

Oh joy... What an honor.

"Let's say an eight point five, just to play it safe." Scootaloo proposed for good measure.

The other two fillies agreed completely as they nodded along with the final decision. However, seeming to veer away from the conversation and into a whole other one altogether, Scootaloo spoke once again to bring a new motion to floor of whatever meeting that could have been going on at that instant. "Okay, so what should we do now?" All at once, the Crusaders pondered to themselves until a conclusion was made.

"We can always go back to crusading fer Cutiemarks..." Apple Blooms' suggestion was something of which appeared to make Fluttershy a little uncomfortable to hear.

"How?" Scootaloo questioned, forcing the trio to return to their thoughtful state due to a lack of possible ideas.

Bringing my attention to Fluttershy as she fidgeted her hooves together on her pillow, I could see the nervous look that had been settled upon the Crusaders. She bit her lip to stay silenced, but also seemed to wish to speak of what was on her mind; an expression that she had come to bare more often than not over the last few hours. "Hey Fluttershy-" Setting my teacup back on its' tray, my remaining hand laid itself on Fluttershy's back making her let out a small 'eep!' in the process. Flinching a little myself, I did my best to keep a soft touching hand on her back. "Whoa, sorry there Flutters..." Feeling her body tense up just from my touch at least let me confirm that there was something in-fact wrong. Now was just the nitty-gritty about what it was. "Something bothering you?" Sliding out of my chair and onto the floor, I crossed my legs when deciding to sit next to the pegasus.

"I-it's nothing. I can assure you-" I stopped her with a somewhat hardboiled stare.

"C'mon Fluttershy. I've only known you for about a week-" Stubbornly, I pressed forward. "-and I don't really want to assume that you have the tendency to lie to me this early on in our friendship."

Fluttershy's ears flicked back at my words as a quite apology escaped her. "It's just that the Cutiemark Crusaders have been prone to..." I could see the Fluttershy was trying to word things nicely. "-'go to great lengths' to try and accomplish their goals." So that was it, was it? Fluttershy was just worried about what kind of trouble these three could stir up?

In an effort to try and put these suspicions to rest, I wrapped an arm around Fluttershy before pulling her close to my side.

"Is that all? I can assure you Fluttershy, that it is completely normal for children to be experimental at such a young age." Going off into my mind to daydream of past times, I inquisitively stared off into space. "I can remember that at one point I tried to be a mechanic by taking apart my mothers car engine piece by piece, thinking that I could put it back together afterwards. Oh, she was so mad at me for that. It took her four weeks to find someone who was able to put it back into working condition."

My reminiscence did not seem to calm the mare in the slightest while she cautiously wriggled around in her seat. Whatever Fluttershy was thinking about, it must have really bothered her. "No, it isn't that." A notable hum left me as I awaited a reasonable explanation for such worry. "I can understand that children will always be a little excited about finding out what they can be good at. I mean, I was enthralled when finding out what my Cutiemark was... but these girls..." Fluttershy ducked her head down. "...Innocent as they always are... Most of their attempts end in either some form of horrid chaos or natural disaster..." Fluttershy widened her eyes almost as if re-living some form of past trauma while I could only watch from the seat on the floor beside her.

"-And sometimes... I cannot help but pray for my own safety every time I see the three of them together in a group..."

My goodness... Were these three truly such a force of destruction when grouped together? We were still talking about the three children that rated my name on something called a Weird-O-Meter, correct? By the way Fluttershy was reacting, it was like these fillies were more likely to bring about the coming of the apocalypse than I was.

Uncertain as to what could have been done to really comfort Fluttershy, I could feel her head leaning on me. Frankly, it worried me that Fluttershy was so afraid of these small children. "Fluttershy, it will be fine. I'm sure of it." I softly spoke to her. A weak smile from me went unseen by Fluttershy as it fell into a concerned frown. "Please, don't worry about any of this." I quietly pleaded with the pegasus in a forlorn attempt to comfort her. A desperate yellow hoof slowly placed on one of my knees almost like it was a cry for stability of sorts. Gently grasping the hoof in one of my hands, I couldn't help hut look back at the three children once more to try and figure out what about these three could have been so terrifying. "Everything will be fine... I mean, what's the worst that some children can do?" I tried passing this off with a laugh, but that was before I began listening to the Crusaders conversation again.

"Oh, I liked what Jacob said a little while ago!" Scootaloo boldly stated. "Didn't he say something like we were some sort of 'Demolition Crew'?"

The other two seemed to brighten up with joy at the discovery of a possibility.

"Oh yeah!" Exclaimed Apple bloom. "We've always been good at breakin' stuff! Ah bet we get our Cutie Marks in demolition before the end of the day!"

"-But..." Sweetie Belle cut in. "-Where can we find stuff to break?"

The three sat on the sofa in deep thought as their eyes scanned the room around them. Smiles slowly came to their faces as I came to somewhat understand what Fluttershy was so afraid of.

"Hey Fluttershy, do ya think that-"

I did not even allow Apple Bloom to finish before I shot the three a piercing gaze and pointed them to the door.

"You three. Go home. Now."

After the skies had fallen dark, so did most of Equestria as a great hush spread across the land in the form of a whispering breeze. Disobedient by nature toward such a night, crickets performed their orchestrated chirps in a clumsy symphony while I could hear the occasional splash of fish from the river just outside Fluttershy's cottage.

Nightfall had finally come, and I was about ready to allow myself to drift off to sleep; hoping for a sweet dream to hold onto. As one could easily expect, I was much too large for a pony bed. Even if I tried sleeping in one, it would simply result in me having my knees hanging from the foot of it. For this reason, I was left with the only option of sleeping on the floor in the living room. It wasn't like I needed a bed. Even if I had to sleep in the living room, there was still plenty of space for me to move around on the floor. Given the comforters Fluttershy had provided for me, I actually pitied that Fluttershy had to sleep upstairs in her bed instead of on such soft and fluffy blankets like these. So all-in-all, my accommodations were quite agreeable.

Resting my head on its' pillow, I stared up at the ceiling with a blanket covering me up to my chest while the soft comforter between me and the hardwood floor felt incredibly familiar. Being like this reminded me of the first time I ever met Fluttershy. Unless I was mistaken, I was lying down as I was now when I met her. All the pain, and confusion from that day was still discomforting to consider. It was the first time my body had gone through an amount of stress of that intensity, and unfortunately it was not the last; nor did I imagine that there would not be such pain in my future. Even if I did, I would simply be kidding myself.

While I laid there, my mind could not help but dig up a subject that I had yet to realistically mull-over until now.

What was my life going to be like now?

It really felt strange to know that the main reason for my existence was to fight in a war. One that could bring about the end of days, no-less. Undoubtedly, I would have blood on my hands by the end of this escapade, and knowing that much made things all the more difficult to bare.

-And what of my new friends? Fluttershy, and the others; Would they be doomed to fight in this war, as well? If so, is there to be any chance that I will be able to protect them?

Such heavy thoughts weighted down my body, and left me questioning my own abilities. Did I have the potential to drive off something so disastrously foreboding? What awaited me felt somewhat comparable to an ant trying to drive-off a hurricane. I was not some sort of hero. I was just a normal guy. So what is it that makes me so different? Why was it that I was brought here rather than the strongest human from my world? There had to of been at least a million better choices than me on the matter.

It was probably just some sort of random choice of the cosmos.

Shaking my head, I tried to banish the doubt from my mind. This wasn't any way to think. If I was sent here to fight in a war, then that meant that I would have to become something even greater than what I could have ever imagined myself to be. While it is true that I was currently in no manner, shape, or form a hero, but this did not mean that I could not try and become one. I had to be rid of all of these doubts here and now though if I was ever going to surpass who I currently was. I had to leave these thoughts behind not only for me, but for those that will be relying on me when the time comes to fight.

I had to get stronger, and I know that my friends will help me do just that.

I have faith in them.

In the end, there was no longer anything that could be done about any of this. The gears of destiny had already begun turning, and I was bound to be caught up in them by now. All that could really be done on my part was to hone whatever abilities I may pick up along the way, and pray that I don't mess things up too badly.

I had been walking down this dirt pathway for quite some time now. It struck me as strange; I had to of been walking for at least an hour, but there was still no sign of this roads' end. Nor was there any sign to the end of the walls of trees that blockaded me from exiting either side of this path. At the time, I had been letting my hand run across the abnormally smooth bark of the tree wall. Each trunk was a different size, but they all appeared to be conjoined as I could not tell where one ended and the next began aside from the obvious outward curve that each of them had.

The powerful roots of these trees buried themselves into the pathway making the only traversal way through this place on foot. Because of this, the path that I now walked upon consisted partly of the roots themselves. The remainder of it had been a thick, black mud that I left a deep footprint in every-time I stepped in a patch. It was for this reason that I tried to keep my feet on the roots at all times as I tried to avoid slipping on the substance and winding up banging my head on a root and leaving myself unconscious in who knows' where this is; and lord knows that I don't need another metal plate in my head.

The tree tufts above me blocked out any light that could have permeated through the thick exterior of their leaves. It was unbeknownst to me if it was day or night outside of these trees, and it did not seem that I would be finding out any time soon. Now, although I did not have any light from the moon or sun, this did not necessarily mean that I had to go without it. I actually had plenty of light, dim as it may have been.

Ever since I could remember, there have been these strange mushrooms growing on the trees and path to illuminate my way. Even if they only radiated a light blue color, it was better than no light at all. Occasionally, a soft whistling bluster would blow down my path, but it was never enough to part the branches that shielded me from the world beyond my path. It would only cause a handful of leaves to join their fallen brethren in the foliage bellow to feed my light sources in their own decomposition.

The intricate layout of this place did not feel natural. By how the path seemed to steer me in certain directions, it felt more like I was being guided rather than walking down an unknown road. Every so often the path would curve in a way that just felt wrong all together. It is hard to explain, but it's like a feeling where you know that you've been walking around in circles. Simply unnatural. It felt as if I should have come into contact with previous parts of this pathway long ago.

Eventually I thought about turning around, and I was more than able to do so after putting my paranoia aside. I backtracked for a few minutes, but it was not how I remembered it. The mushrooms had lost their glow after at most twenty feet, and I was left with staring into darkness. I'm not sure why, but seeing this did not feel right. The stirring uneasiness convinced me to turn back around and forget any desire to traverse the trail backwards.

Perplexing as it was, I could not think of a reason as to why I was doing this. I mean, why was I even walking down this weird dark path? Not only that, but why was I even here? Was there a purpose to me going down this path? How did I even get here? Man, my memory must be turning to rust if I can't even remember something like going out for a simple walk.

Great comfort had come to settle within me as more time passed if not only for the reason that an exit to this path had finally come in sight.

On my latest turn on the pathway, I finally could spot the end of this tunnel of trees opening up to a night-time landscape. From what it appeared, the dirt path ended at the exact place that the trees did as lush, knee-high grass swayed in an un-felt breeze.

Overly-eager to escape these trees, I hurried out the opening and into the moonlight that shined upon dew-covered grass-blades. It was such a relief to be out of there that it did not even bother me that I stumbled out of the trees and landed stomach-down in the grass.

It felt so nice being out of that dark place. I preferred lying out in the grass so much more, and I had the fullest intention of making the best of this situation. Turning on my back, I stared up at the night sky to admire what the tree-tunnel made such an effort hiding from me. Enticing as it was to stare up at the starry-night sky after being stuck in the dark for so long, my eyes forcefully squinted themselves to adjust to even a mild intensity of light such as this.

Slowly sitting up from the grass, I rubbed my eyes to help in the process of getting them used to the new amount of light. A groggy grumble left me as I stood up, and turned away from the tree tunnel to face what lied ahead of me now.

Nothing.

Nothing was there except for this field of grass that seemed to expand past the horizon and beyond reality.

Spacious as it was, the vacancy of the location left me feeling a trifle bit unnerved. No... That was just the paranoia talking. Everything was fine. That freaky tree path just spooked me into being a little afraid. No need to be though. I was just standing out in the open with the moon shining down on me in a grassy meadow that grew out beyond a vanishing point. It was not like there was any danger for me to fret. As far as I could tell, there wasn't anything to be worried about concerning a matter such as that.

While this field did look unoccupied, it was also very serine in an overly calming sense. I watched the grass from where I stood as the wind would push each blade in patterned waves as if it had been rehearsed for over a thousand years into perfection. The dew that had been carried on the backs of each individual blade glinted like silver during each wave when the moonlight would strike at just the right moment.

It was astonishingly beautiful.

Taking a second look upward, I was able to get a perfect view of the moon. Unlike the tree path, this opening gave me a clear image of the night sky in all of its' glory. A dark blue sky with splotches of both black and violet. Twinkling lights were littered around like specks of paint on a canvas while others danced across as if from brushstroke before disappearing from sight.

All appeared inferior to the radiance of what was the full moon as a pure white emanated off of the celestial body to lighten up the darker shades of night. Its' manner was powerful, but at the same time somewhat endearing. It was almost like the moon beckoned the remainder of the night sky to join it in a sense of togetherness and beauty. With how regal the white orbs' nature was, it had become difficult to look away.

"Oh my..." The first two words I had spoken after hours on end were hushed. "The moon looks beautiful tonight."

"It does, does it not?"

Only a few steps behind me, I already located the origin of whomever it was that had spoken up. The voice sounded to be that of a female, but other than knowing that the voice had an adult tone, there was not much else to pin-point about it at the time.

Maybe it was just me becoming a little too mellow for my own good, but this presence this did not alarm me. Instead, it felt more like the person had always been there and that I knew this to begin with.

Not quite wanting to look away from the moon just yet, I kept my eyes locked on the pure aura that seemed to disperse from it.

"Not to interrupt any stargazing, but are you not the one known as 'the Vanguard'?"

Clutching both hands behind my back, a grimace formed when hearing the question. From the resuming silence, I guessed that the voice awaited my answer. Knowing this, my frown grew a little stronger. "I suppose,-." Finally, I had lowered my gaze back to earth to a somewhat frustrated stare forward. "-Not like there was much say in the matter, but I do suppose that will be my title for quite some time now." Retaking its' advantage in the conversation, it was the overcoming quiet that drove me to look upon my silent conversationalist. "Is there something you need from me?" Turning around completely to the figure, I kept my eyes locked on hers.

About a meter from where I stood was a being of great regal stature. Clearly, it was a pony, but not similar to a majority that I had come to be vastly familiar with so far. In fact, there had been only one other being that really matched the given description of what I could only grasp to be an alicorn. By which, I mean that the pony looked kind of like Celestia in a couple short similarities.

Even though her dark blue coat helped her blend into the night-time shadows I could recognize that the mare, while still shorter than Celesta, was just about my own height. To be exact, the top of her head had reached the bottom of my chin. The pegasus wings resting on her back stayed stationary as she did in her un-moving posture. The unicorn horn protruding from her forehead was substantially taller than any normal ponies as well, most likely to exemplify a certain capacity for known or arcane magics.

For a moment, I began to wonder if horns really worked in the way that its' length was solely based on a certain capacity of knowledge. It was a strange notion, but a notion none-the-less.

A mane that seemed to be composed of both haze and night-sky adorned the top of this equines' head while shimmering white twinkles gloriously floated in it as an imaginary breeze waved the hair like a proud banner. The little tiara and bulky necklace that this pony donned were also somewhat similar to what Celestia wore, herself; the only differences being that these were a pitch-black instead of golden, and they were not encrusted with jewels. In fact, the only one of these accessories that had been even the least bit decorated had been the necklace which simply had a white, crescent-moon shaped symbol in the front. Her gaze, almost menacing, watched my lack of movement with interest toward my returning question.

If there were any other people around at the moment, it would be plain as day that the two of us had some common suspicions about one another. What was the purpose of the others presence, and was this person to be really trusted? These were only common thoughts one would be suspicious of us owning at the time. These were at least the ones passing through my mind, but I could only assume what had been thought by the alicorn.

"What we wish is nothing of vast importance." The dark blue pony lightened her gaze as she let her eyes trace across my form to make a quick physical examination. "We only wish to view the Vanguard for ourselves."

Arching a brow with the slight tilt of my head, I cracked a smirk. "I wouldn't suppose this could mean that you're here to send me home early, would it?"

The alicorn appeared to find my behavior somewhat amusing. "No, but we do suppose that there is some form of logical reasoning behind such an assumption."

I snapped my fingers half-sarcastically in disappointment, and gave my shoulders a shrug. "Well if a quick observation is all you desire, I'm right here in front of you; in the the middle of who-knows-where..." Seriously, where the heck even was I? "-speaking of which, where in Great Greens is 'here' exactly?" Proceeding to give my surroundings another look, I could not help but feel turned around in this weird field of endless grass. It felt like my brain was having some difficulty while trying to recover non-extent memories as to reveal our location.

"Do not fret on locations, Vanguard. This is a dream, and nothing more."

A rather left-field answer, but not one that was dismissed. Instead, I attempted to wrap my head around such a claim. "A dream?" I questioned. My skepticism was a clearly stated. Staring at the alicorn, I was not for certain if this was a joke or if this pony was simply off her rocker. I hoped for the first assumption. It was crazy! I mean, it was crazy, right? Even so, it was difficult for me to toss aside a claim such as this after what I've been through these last few days. I suppose that when you are thrown from one dimension to the next like a hot-potato, you quickly learn to believe ridiculous things a little easier than you might have previously. Still, how could I know if this pony knew what she was talking about? For all I know, she could just be some crazed lunatic.

"We can assure you that we do indeed know what we are talking about."

I jolted back from the alicorn and her remark as I let out a surprised sound most likely unbecoming of my masculinity. This conversation was beginning to take a turn for the paranormal-ly weird, and boy did that not sit right in my stomach.

-Did she just read my mind?

"Yes, we did read your mind. We are capable of many things."

Moving back just a little more, I was beginning to regain my uneasy composure. Talking to this pony alone caused me to break out in goosebumps. I didn't even know how to handle a situation like this properly. I did not even know what to do in general!

Just think of static. Just think of television static. Don't let the pretty pony know that she frightens you. Just think of static. Static.

"My, you are an unusual one; are you not?" Looking at me a little uncertain of my nervous reactions, she could not help but laugh. "-and you say that we are 'pretty'?"

Oh Geegus, she did it again!

Just believe what she says, you idiot! You're looking at a psychic pony! The alicorn may just have the ability to wipe your mind clean and turn your brain into a sponge! Just believe what she has to say, you dummy! "O-okay, I believe you. I believe that this is a dream, and that you are a super-creepy psychic horse." Cautiously, I cupped both hands over my ears thinking that it could possibly block the alicorn from invading my thoughts once more. "So, uh... Could you keep that kind of stuff to a minimum?" She was more than happy to oblige.

"There is no need to be afraid. If it makes you feel any better, we have already examined your dreamscape more than enough to believe that you could make a rather interesting Vanguard for the Equestrian Guard."

That did not make me feel any less violated. By the way she put it, it felt more like she was a spy looking through my minds' personal files or something. Wait, that exactly what she was, and what she was doing! Going from covering my ears to wrapping both arms around my head in a confused panic was a lengthy step that brought me ever closer to freaking out as I wondered just what on earth was going on. "Bwah! Knock it off! No more mind-reading! It's super freaky!" My overly exaggerated reaction pulled a smile from the alicorn as she watched on.

"You are quite amusing, Sir Froster. Your comedic efforts so far make it quite difficult for me to disregard the urge to laugh."

It was embarrassing to have someone laugh like that at you. Well, maybe she wasn't laughing at me, but it made no difference. Lowering my arms just enough so I stare down at my fidgeting hands, I bit my tongue while trying to find some mental comfort. It was then however that I had come to notice something about the way the alicorn worded what she had said. "Wait, hold on a second-" Pausing to take notice of something peculiar, I caught the ponies attention. "-you know who I am?" I slowly pointed a finger to my chest while speaking.

"There are those that were familiar with you far before you arrived here."

"Well, that's not cryptic at all." Sarcasm dripped from my tone as I could not help but tire of the alicorn teasing me with such information. Fear toward this pony was beginning to turn into annoyance as emotions conflicted with each other and meshed into themselves to form new emotions completely "Can you please explain that without all the riddles and hullabaloo?"

All the alicorn did was give me a playful wink.

"We would prefer it that you were not spoon-fed like a new-born so you can find that out for yourself one day."

-And here I thought she would make things easy for me...

"We do intend to reveal our name to you at least." You know, I would like to think that the alicorn would tell me her name, but then again she does seem to like to watch me squirm. Again, I guess things all came down to me having to ultimately decide if this was fact or fiction. "It is Luna, but I will leave any other personal information of mine for you to find out." Luna, huh? Well, that didn't sound suspiciously similar to a certain other alicorn I knew. By her expression, it seemed that Luna felt quite confident with her choice of words.

"You're related to Celestia, aren't you?"

There was a long silent pause as I stared Luna down, unamused at her attempt to be mysterious. Seeing how her proud expression faltered, I slapped a palm up against my forehead. "Oh geeze, you are, aren't you?" Breaking her composure, Luna stared on at me as if I had just unearthed the worlds most elusive answer.

"Was it really that obvious from just the name?"

I jerked the hand on my face off quickly and angrily in a sort of silent criticism toward the alicorn. "You two are quite literally the only alicorns I know. You do the math 'Oh Keeper of Vast and Mysterious Intelligence.'"

Lurching her head back slightly at my sudden frustration, Luna looked upon me somewhat concerned. "Pardon, but if you know that I am royalty, then do you not feel humbled in our presence?" Oh boy, was she talking to the wrong person for something like that. In fact, I was the LAST person any kind of horse-goddess of this world should ever come to if they were looking to get their ego stroked.

"Oh well, shame on me for not showing you respect for dangling all this information in front of me only to be just a big tease and tell me to find out on my own!" Lunas' expression turned surprised at my outburst. Her ears flicked back in her own growing confusion. "Also, I don't know if Celestia has told you, but my experiences with you 'Higher beings' have not been exactly enough for you to even gain a sliver of my respect– What with me being immediately drafted, thrown in a dungeon, and beaten to near death!"

Having spoken so intensely, I soon found myself catching my breath from that short rant. At first squatting down with a soft groan of my own anger, I landed back on my rear in the tall grass. My right hand pinched the bridge of my nose as I stared at the ground in what was an attempt to calm myself back down.

"Great Greens, I'm out of breath..."

Luna, being still somewhat taken back by what I had to say watched me with pity. Taking a step toward me, she ducked her head down a little to try and get a better look at my face. "Sir Froster, are you quite alright?"It took a moment, but I nodded. We both knew that I was greatly burdened by what had happened to me during my present stay in Equestria. It didn't take a genius to know that, but it seemed that how exactly I felt about it was news to Luna. "We are vastly remorseful for your poor experiences in Equestria lately. Our sister had informed us of some misfortune that had befallen you, but we never knew that it impacted you so deeply." No, I suppose she wouldn't. I always kept my emotions hidden under so many different layers of farce feelings that it had begun to be hard for even me to really know how I felt.

"Yeah, it's been a little bit more than awful." Leaning back to look at Luna, I propped myself up on an arm while letting the other rest in my lap. "I guess that you can say that your world just doesn't want me to exist."

A thoughtful look about her, Luna kept to herself in silence once more. Placing a hoof to her chin, the princess stared off to the far right corners of her own vision. "We suppose that could be a possibility-" She trailed off before letting her hoof down and walking over to me. "-but is it not possible that the world is desperately working so that you survive?" Sitting down beside me in the tall grass, Luna watched as I could not help but feel somewhat enlightened by what she said. "You, yourself have stated that you have gone through quite a few ordeals over these past days; most of which have ended in your own suffering, have they not? Does it not appear to be plausible that instead of wishing to see your end, that it instead wishes for your growth and survival?" Lost in the revelation of these words, it was hard not to give thought to what Luna had said.

All of this time, I believed that someone wanted me dead more than anything, but was that the truth or the simple fact that I was being strictly negative with myself for the entire time. In fact, the only time that I can remember not being that way was when I was with Fluttershy or her friends. Clasping a hand over my mouth in deep thought, I stared outward at the field of grass. "I suppose that it could be possible." Once you take the time to think about it, I've survived quite the few impressive threats. Hunted by a mythological monster. Head-shot by produce hard enough to draw blood. Thrown into a dark and freezing dungeon. Finally, being treated as a gods' personal punching bag. "Yet I suppose that saying such is a mere hypothetical statement." taking the hand off my face, I soon found myself looking back up at the night sky. "I find it highly unlikely that reality would take the time to make sure I didn't die right away."

Thinking things over for herself, it did not take the alicorn long to counter my opinion. "It has gone through the trouble of getting you here, so why would it not?" Strangely enough, Luna seemed rather contempt with her answer. "We are speaking hypothetically as well, if that was not apparent." Acting like this was some sort of game, Luna let out an involuntary giddy giggle to exemplify her feelings toward speaking as such. It was unknown to me as to why a goddess would find such entertainment from something along the lines of simple wording, but I was not about to ruin her fun. Instead, I decided to lay back on the grass and enjoy what was going on for now.

Taking the time to adjust the glasses on my nose, I kept my vision locked on the darkened sky. "You know Luna, you're not half bad." Resting my eyes, I laid my hands behind my head to relax. "You're a lot more likable than that stuff-suit relative of yours." Eyes opening only halfway to exhibit a form of displeasure, they directed themselves at Luna. "How are the two of you even related?" I questioned roughly. "I mean, I get that she's nice, but I can't really say that I like her." Luna looked almost like she had to repeat my words in her head to make sure she knew what I was saying correctly. Her ears perking, She looked down to me.

"You do not like our sister?" The concept alone struck her as impossible, but Luna held back any shock she may have received from hearing such a thing. "Why is that? Every-pony loves Celestia."

Sitting myself up once more, a low grumble came from my throat. It was clear that I held a rather mixed opinion on the matter. "Don't get me wrong, it's not like I don't think she's a good person-" Little by little, I could not help but feel like I was discovering how I felt about Celestia for myself. "It's just that she commandeered me like I was some sort of weapon." Turning to Luna, I did not give her time to respond before I picked back up where I left off. "-but I'm not some sort of weapon. I already told Celestia that I'm just an ordinary guy, but she just went ahead and enlisted me in whatever it is you ponies have here for fighting your' wars." It made me feel bitter just talking about this stuff.

"Sir Froster, I can assure you that our sister does not think of you as an object, but instead wishes to know you better. Celestia feels terrible for having to recruit you as she had, and has been trying to find a way to make up for it."

I rubbed around the back of my head to feel for the metal plate built into it.

"I suppose that not letting me die in her dungeon was a good start."

Watching me massage the healed area, Luna found comfort in my words as she let stood to her hooves. "We do hope it is, but we do hope the two of you can become much more friendly in the near future." You know, maybe that wouldn't be so bad. It would actually be pretty cool to have a friend that was also a god. Friends with MAJOR benefits, right there. "However, we are afraid that your time here is drawing to a close." I hummed curiously when hearing this as I looked up to Luna as she did back down to me.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"It is time for you to wake-up."

"It is time for you to wake-up, Jacob. You shouldn't be late for your first day of training. It's unprofessional."

Jolting to an upright sitting position, it almost felt like I was catapulted from my deep sleep and into the waking world.

So Luna was right, huh? I really was in a dream.

It felt so real, but I suppose that once could chalk that up under the category of lucid dreaming. Even so, feeling like I got booted from my own dream was not something one could be accustomed to.

Hunching over while I sat on my comforter, I ran a hand through my hair thinking it could help in pushing me past my half-awakened state. A dreary grumble echoed in my throat as I squinted my eyes in effort to adjust to the living room lights being turned on before I had even been knocked from my slumber. "Jacob, are you quite alright?" Looking to my left, I spotted Fluttershy no more than a foot or two away from me. Somewhat alarmed by my sudden awakening, she almost appeared to mentally blame herself for my momentary panic when waking up. "Sorry if I startled you." She apologized. "I just thought that it would be nice for you to wake up early enough for us to arrive at Sugarcube Corner at our own pace." I could feel myself drifting back to sleep, but caught myself before I could begin involuntarily drooling. So with a shake of my head, I patted my face roughly to try and keep myself going. It was still clearly evident that some effort had to be made on my part to keep myself from falling back on my comforter again, but I managed.

Looking out one of the living room windows, I could see that it was pitch dark outside. It seemed that I was up even before the sun was. "It's fine." I held my blank stare at the window for a few good seconds before scrounging up enough brain power to keep talking. "What time is it?" The groggy question was spoken while I rubbed my eyes to clear them of any residue that may have built up over the course of my sleep.

"Around four in the morning."

Four in the-

Good gracious! Why in heaven, earth, and hell was I awake this early? Sure, I get it that it may have been wise to wake up a little early, but four in the morning? I couldn't say anything intelligent because of my still-drowsy self being too brain-dead to think of anything, but my surprised expression more than got my point across. "Four in the morning?" I croaked. I could feel my exhaustion pressing down on my body to try and force me back down to bed, and the urge to give in to such desires grew stronger with every passing moment. "Can't I just go back to bed?" To my own disappointment, it appeared that my time sleeping had already come to a close as Fluttershy shook her head at me.

"I am afraid not." Seeing my vacant expression beginning to return, Fluttershy gave me a playful nudge. "Vanguards don't get to sleep in."

Gentler than a butterfly flapping its' wings, the power of the nudge did not matter as any force given was enough for me to begin falling back slowly light a mighty oak toppling to the ground after an unfortunate encounter with a rather overly-muscular lumberjack. If it had not been for the comforter, surly the impact would have been louder, but with the plushy cushioning, any thuds were softened down to a light 'poof'. "Oh my goodness, are you okay?" I had been in too much of a daze to notice Fluttershy looking down at my fallen body. Sliding my hands up to my face, I pressed down on its' flesh to shield my eyes as I let loose a drowsy whine.

"I hate being a Vaguard..."

Author's Note

Okay, before I go on a rant about how terrible Gen was at writing when he actually typed this, I just want to thank all of the readers that are standing here and waiting for me to update this story. Just like you were for Gen, all of the readers on this story keep me inspired to keep writing. I mean, whoa... This took like four months to revise, and I'm only half done! So I'll just publish what I currently have and publish the remainder in a second part of the chapter.

Please have patience. I am sorry that this is taking so long. I'm just a little pre-occupied being a student and all. I don't have a lot of time during the school year, so I don't get a lot of time outside of vacations to actually write anything.

On that note however, I am now out for the summer, so I will be doing my best to get more chapters to you guys as quickly as possible. Just know that I don't make a living off writing stories, and that this is strictly for both mine and your enjoyment. So please have patience and just know that I am so grateful to even have the number of likes that this story has as it is.

Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

-Mr.Sandman

-Now, on to the subject with Gen...

Gen. I now know why to warned me about this chapter in person. Thank you.

I hope you understand why I had to delete the current posts on this chapter as well.

Ch.11(Continued): Training Days (Pt.2: Patience)

Sunshine

A My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fan-fiction

By Mr.Sandman

There's not much I can say or remember about walking to the Sugarcube Corner. Whether or not that this was because of being woken up as early as I had been, I can't be for certain. Why in the world it was necessary to drag me into town so early was beyond certainty. The sun had yet to rise, so whatever it could have been that Pinkie had planned for me was anyone's guess. Today was my first day of training, so why was it that Pinkie wanted to bring me to the bakery so early? It wasn't like someone as hyper-active as Pinkie Pie could actually function properly at this time of day. I guess that she does live in a bakery, and with that much sugar it may not be as far fetched than first expected for her to be up and about. How Pinkie could have come about waking up was not what interested me though. It was my own uncertainty and constant guessing that kept what little attention my barely-functioning mind could bring forth.

If I remembered correctly, Pinkie was placed in charge of handling my temper. With the little stunt I pulled yesterday, there may be a lot for her to work with on the matter. You would think that someone a little less energetic would have been assigned such a duty, but I wasn't the one doing the teaching. I was merely the one being taught.

What could there possibly have been to learn at this time of the day? I suppose that she could try and find a way to anger me, but that didn't sound like an appropriate method that Pinkie Pie would take.

The Sugarcube Corner was most likely not even close to having their inhabitants up and about. Also by judging Pinkies' personality, I wouldn't put the possibility of her accidentally sleeping in too far out of mind. I could not even assume that the Cakes would be awake at this time. Their bakery was a respectable establishment; not some sort of twenty-four hour burger-joint. Still, I did have to try and consider what Pinkie could have in store for calling me in so early in the day. I could only assume that the mare wanted to get what she had planned for me under her belt and get back to her normal life.

Anyways, the walk was decent. It was a quiet trek, but never enough to be criticized for any lack of sound. Crisp morning air, and dim moonlight calmed an already slumbering world. If it wasn't for my fatigued state, I may have been able to enjoy the morning just a little more. It was a shame, really.

Ponyville was no different.

Along with the rest of the world, the cozy town slept as soundly as its residents. We passed by home after home, some having a window or two lit to show that we weren't the only ones awake. Fluttershy and I eventually even came across mail-pony. An odd lady with a blond mane and a gray coat. Her eyes were a little odd as they seemed to look every-which-way, but the dear seemed sweeter than sugar.

Not even by the time that Fluttershy and I had made it to the Sugarcube Corner had the sun begun to rise. As the two of us approached the front door of the bakery, I could see lights taking up every window in the abode except for one. The one darkened window must have been the room of Mister and Missus Cakes' children. Youngsters shouldn't be awake this early in the morning anyways. Other than these lit windows though, the outside of the building looked to be just as dark as the remainder of Ponyville in what moonlight was provided for it.

To be frank, I was beginning to wonder if the morning was going to have a sunrise at all by this point, but I did not have the energy to ask Fluttershy what the time was. It was not like she wore a watch, so doing such a thing would most likely prove itself to be pointless. Instead, I continued to yawn as we closed in on the front door. An extra long yawn had to be cut short however as the the sounds of the door opening caused us to fall into a slow halt.

"Did you make sure to pack the kids an extra set of pajamas, Carrot?" A feminine voice spoke up from behind the opening door.

"Of course, Dear-." A masculine voice answered. "I think we've got everything we'll need. Coloring books, crayons, snacks, pajamas, extra crayons..." the voice drifted off into a mumble before speaking up again. "Yep, I think we have everything."

Once the door had opened completely, it was revealed that Mister and Missus Cake stood in the doorway. Mister Cake, carrying a rather large pack on his back was studying a list he held in one of his hooves as his wife, who carried a smaller pack, had been guiding two half-awake little fillies that looked no-older than four. One of a light yellow coat, and the other a golden brown, both of them looked to have the same expression that I did when first waking up. They teetered on their short legs drowsily, and the yellow one eventually began leaning on the other as each of them began to fall back asleep. Their mother did her best to help the two stay awake as she gave them a soft nudge. "Come along now, you two." She spoke in a motherly coo. "I know that both of you are tired, but you two can go back to sleep after we catch a taxi." Watching the children yawn had eventually led myself to doing the same.

"Good-morning..." My greeting felt so slow and lazy that if it was in any way physical, it would have fallen smack down on the ground.

It did not take a genius to see that I looked as if I were about to hit the floor, myself.

"Oh well, hello there." Missus Cake warmly welcomed us. "Pinkie told us that you two would be here early, but we were not expecting you to be around this early."

"Well, I just thought it would be best for Jacob to get here early." Fluttershy kindly replied. "It is best for him to start off on the right hoof, I believe."

From what it seemed, the Cakes could not have agreed more with Fluttershy. After taking the time to noticing Mister and Missus Cake's backpacks herself, Fluttershy could not help but feel a little confused. "Um, I'm sorry for asking... But are you going somewhere?" Catching what little attention I could spare as well, I did my best to listen to the couples' answer.

Making a slight smile through his under-bite, Mister Cake rubbed a patch of stubbles under his chin. "Well, after being told that you two would be coming over this morning, we figured that now would be a good time to let Pinkie take charge of the Sugarcube Corner so that we could have a well deserved day off." Managing to pocket the list with little trouble to reach into his pack, Mister Cake managed to retrieve a small folded map that he proceeded to open it with a hoof and inspect closely. "We think that today would be a great opportunity to go out of town to take the kids to the Annual Trottingham Fair for a bit of fun." As the seconds ticked by, Mister Cake grew to look a little more lost with directions on the paper. "I just wish I could make sense of this map." It wasn't long before he folded it back up with a defeated, yet cheerful smile. "Well, we will be taking the train there, so we wont need to use it until we get there." Feeling to have been bested by the folded up piece of paper, he placed it back in his pack.

"JACOB!"

That was all about everything I heard when Pinkie barreled out the front door of the Sugarcube Corner, jumped over the Cakes, and successfully tackled my torso hard enough to knock all of the yawns from my chest before knocking me flat on my back. Having been unintentionally pinned to the ground by the mare, Pinkie stood upon my body with a jolly exuberance. "I've been so excited about you getting here so that I can finally start your 'Welcome to Ponyville' Scrapbook!" As the pink pony took a seat on my torso, she almost seemed pre-occupied with something just behind her back. It almost looked like she was grabbing something. Also, what was all of this nonsense about a scrapbook?

-And why was she holding a camera in so close to my face?

'FLASH'

"GAH, MY EYES!"

"That one's a keeper."

Well, that was... Something.

Being tackled and nearly blinded was not the turn that I expected this morning to take. There wasn't really much that could be done about that now though. All that I could do was move on with my life and try and not let something like that happen again.

To be completely honest, it was kind of embarrassing that everything happened in such a way in front of the Cakes. Still, they seemed to think nothing of how Pinkie was acting before saying their farewells for the day, reminding Pinkie to be responsible when managing the shop, and calling a taxi to take them to the train station.

Opening up the front door to the bakery, I rubbed my eyes to try and rid myself of the lingering sparkles that hung in my field of vision."-Sorry about that, again, by the way." Though still sounding cheerful, I knew Pinkie meant her apology. "I just thought now would be the best time to start your own Ponyville Scrapbook."

It was a little difficult finding my way into the Sugarcube Corner after being flashed by such a light. You would think that even professional photographers would be envious of the power of Pinkies tiny portable camera. Still, my eyes felt like they were burning with the radiance of a thousand suns. "Pinkie, it's fine." Having forgotten to duck under the entrance, I soon felt the blunt knock of the door frame connecting with my forehead in a fairly uncomfortable manner. "Ow... Geeze-" My head bounced back away from the entrance just the slightest bit as Pinkie and Fluttershy trotted in a hurried manner so that they would not be stepped on as I fumbled back a couple of small steps.

As I rubbed my forehead, a slight soreness began to settle in. I winced one eye as the other struggled to become comfortable with the lights inside the bakery. A hiss left my mouth as I could feel the stinging sensation beginning to become a more solid pain before fading away entirely. "I'm never going to get used to these tiny doors..." My one currently good eye squinted itself nearly shut as I held a hand over the other during my efforts of walking through the front door. Looking in, I could see Fluttershy and Pinkie giving me a look of concern. "No worries." I assured with a gentle smirk. "I've taken more than a beating once or twice in my life-time." My hand hesitantly slid up from my eye to rub the inflicted area delicately before ducking under the door. A spiteful sensation for myself hid in the back of my mind for not being used to walking through such small doors yet.

Upon entry into the bakeries dining area, I found that Fluttershy, Pinkie, and myself were now standing alone in the room. Only after closing the door did I really notice how desolate the Sugarcube Corner seemed with just the three of us occupying it at the time. It almost appeared absent of life.

The emptiness was a familiar sensation though. It reminded me much of when I would open a restaurant for the business day. Quiet, well-lit, cozy; I suppose that it was somewhat reminiscent for me when seeing these aspects in the Sugarcube Corner. "Wow,-" A raspy 'heh' couldn't help but slip out. "-I didn't think it would feel so empty with just the three of us." Holding both hands behind my back, I felt pleasure toward the bakeries current state. It would be a lie if I said that there wasn't something missing from the equation though. What this something was however escaped my current comprehension.

Taking one last long yawn before kicking my sleepy sensation all together, I leaned back on the door to relax just a little more than I already was. In the meantime, Fluttershy didn't seem quite as able to drop a somewhat similar feeling of some form of absence in the room. "Um... Pinkie-" Giving the dining area a good visual scan with the turn of her head from left to right, Fluttershy then looked to her friend moderately confused. "Where is everypony else?" When snapping to attention, my eyes stared out ahead to a space of nothing-ness between me and the wall on my opposite side. It was like Fluttershy single-handed-ly revived my assumption of there being something missing, and perking my interest in the matter all together.

Coming to the attention of such a thing herself, Pinkie blinked her eyes as if the action was rebooting her mind. Coming to terms with her thought process, Pinkie seemed to resume her normally cheerful demeanor. "Oh yeah, it turns out that you two are the only ones able to make it out today." What a questionable turn of events. Turning my head to give Fluttershy a silent yet bewildered look, she returned the expression and gave a shrug to show that she knew just as much as I did about these happenings.

Turning back to Pinkie, Fluttershy had to take a moment to really be able to reply. "Um... I'm sorry, but..." She began to fade out, but picked up her tone just enough for it to be heard. "What?"

Wandering off from us, Pinkie had thrown in a happy sway of her body as she moved off toward the kitchen doors before spinning back around to look at Fluttershy and myself. Seeing how we had gotten so hung-up on a matter such as attendance didn't quite spoil Pinkie Pies' morning as she gave us a quick 'ha'. "Don't worry about that-" She swiped a fore-hoof in the air to dismiss our confusion. "Everypony was just really-super-busy today except for you two." Yet, I can't help but feel curious about their absences.

Picking myself up off the wall, I continued to listen on as Fluttershy and Pinkie exchanged information.

"Um, I don't mean to be rude, but isn't this a little short notice?" Fluttershy politely made sure to point that out. "What could have happened to cause everypony else to be unable to attend?"

Sitting on her haunches, Pinkie was more than able to happily explain.

"Well,-" She began. "-Rarity had to finish an entire order of outfits today. Applejack will be busy harvesting the current crop of ripe apples. Rainbow Dash-" Pinkie snorted before giggling to herself. "-She just likes to sleep-in, and Twilight..." Falling silent, Pinkie lifted a hoof to make a sort of barrier to where I couldn't see her mouth movement. "-she's..." She spoke not above a breath before motioning a slight jerk of the head in my direction. "Taking care of the stuff, remember?" The wording came out in such a hushed whisper that only Fluttershy could really understand what was said. The action alone baited me to try and know what this was about for myself.

"Uh, excuse me?" I interrupted the two. "What's up with Twilight?"

Coming to some sort of sudden realization herself, Flutterhshy gave a soft jolt before straightening her posture. Snapping her attention back to me as quick as a whip, the pegasus seemed more troubled now than she did a couple seconds ago. "O-oh, it was nothing." She wasn't very convincing. "She just feels a little under the weather." I grew silent when lifting a brow to Fluttershy and her explanation. I wasn't sure as to why she was getting this worked up all of the sudden, and her panic only made me that much more suspicious about what was going on. -But I did not have the energy this morning to interrogate someone, so I just decided to trust Fluttershy on this one.

"Well,-" Looking up from Fluttershy, I held my chin with an index finger and a thumb. "I certainly hope that she is okay."

An unnoticed wave of relief hit Fluttershy and Pinkie as my mind trailed elsewhere.

Coming to terms with Fluttershy's reasoning, I couldn't help but feel a little bad for Twilight. She must have been really sick if someone punctual enough to schedule my training months in advance couldn't show up to day one.

Turning back to the door, I placed a hand upon it.

"Maybe we should go see if she's doing alright. I'm sure training can wait a day."

"NO!"

Who could have been more shocked? Was it Fluttershy and Pinkie; having blasted that single word at the top of their lungs as if someone was about to meet their gruesome end? Maybe it was me; having lurched my lifted arm back from the door at the volume of the shout alone? Either way, I had to take a step back before twisting my hips to look at the two.

Beyond panic, the two of them almost appearing to have frozen where they stood. Pinkie had tripped over her own front hooves and was now looking up at me from her chin on the floor, while Fluttershy simply had one of her forelegs lifted out almost to try and stop me entirely. Each of which looked more than against the thought of me going to check on Twilight. Their actions were quite disconcerting. For now, they didn't seem to even want me to have the thought of going to see Twilight.

"O...kay..." Slowly stepping away from the door, some negative mixed feelings stirred in my gut.

Onlooking the two ponies, anxiety frozen on their faces, I tried to make heads or tails of their outbursts. If there was anything to know right now, it was that visiting Twilight was not going to ever be on the current curriculum. "So..." Shattering the icy chill of this pause between words, the two appeared to calm themselves after they had successfully made me turn away from the entrance completely. "-is there something you two need to tell me?" I eyed them suspiciously before Pinkie hopped up from the floor only to run behind me and give a persistent shoving to my back.

"What? Oomph." Pinkie grunted with every push. "Don't be ridiculous, Nnngh... Ha." Giving way to her shoves, there was nothing much that I could do aside from allowing Pinkie to roughly guide me away from the door and to wherever she needed me to go. "Hnng! Twilight just has a stomach bug. Hmmph! It's REALLY contagious though! Gmmmph! Spike can- Hnng- easily take care of Twilight."

It may have just been me, but this entire display was lifting quite a few little red flags. Something definitely wasn't right, but I could not get a word in edge-wise to possibly counter all of this brash behavior. The only thing I could do was let Pinkie push me around and look back at the door for only a second before being given one last powerful push shoulder into the kitchen with Fluttershy following close behind Pinkie.

Catching my footing from that last shove, I can't say that there was not any bitterness for how roughly I was just treated, but my confusion was a little more powerful than it at the moment. Spinning around at the two, a twinge of anger was able to crack itself loose from the foundation of frustration that had built up. "Pinkie, what was that all about!?" Catching my temper before it could escalate, my anger was able to remain level to what it was at the time. "Did you really need to get so physical?" The pink pony hummed to herself, unsure what could be said to reconcile her actions.

"Um... I guess that I got a little too excited to make today's orders?"

Pinkie's flat tone was not something that bought my trust. Instead, I turned my attention to Fluttershy to see if she had any faith in Pinkies words. "What do you think of this?" If there was anyone I could trust about what was going on right here, it was her. She was hesitant at my gaze, but slowly but surely she gave me a nod.

"I believe Pinkie has been a little o-overly eager to start baking with you..."

Once again, things fell quiet as I looked upon them. They stared back up at me, and did not appear to dare take their eyes away. Eventually though, I caved in and decided to trust Fluttershy once more.

A rough breath out my nostrils showed my aggravation before I spoke. "Alright then."

Some distrust was clearly present in my tone. It was a sound of doubt that Pinkie and Fluttershy easily recognized. "I suppose we should hurry up and get started then. Just try not to get that excited during the process." Frustration remaining in my tone, I turned to walk away from the two to try and regain my composure.

As I did so, the couple of ponies behind me did not seem comfortable with what transpired, themselves. Clinching her teeth, Pinkie cautiously watched as I walked away with her ears flicked backward. Regret riddled her form. "Actually..." I stopped in my footsteps at the word before looking back at Pinkie with an arched brow.

"Actually-" I repeated flatly.

Rubbing one of her forelegs with the other, Pinkie nervously darted her eyes around the kitchen. When finally looking back at me, she gave a nervous laugh. "Well, actually." Her ears twitched as she forced a anxious smile. "You're going to laugh when you hear this, but I..." Her smile faded in and out as her eyes began to dart every which way again. "...Sorta..." Her voice began to fall silent. "...Kinda..." She let out another laugh. "...Need you to..." She ducked her head down at her last words while giving me what I could only call 'an apologetic grin'.

"...Work the register?"

Pinkie could see that I was not amused by this, and it only became even more clear when I spoke.

"The register." She cringed at my voice. "You pushed me in the kitchen..." I rested a hand on my forehead in to try and hide just how annoyed I was becoming. "... So that I could go work the register in the room I was just in?"

Pinkie responded with another apologetic grin before motioning a hoof to Fluttershy. "Well, Fluttershy will be working the register with you."

"So you dragged both of us in here for no good reason?" Yet again, Pinkie cringed at my constant questioning.

Dropping the hand from my face, I let it fall to my side before I just gave up on understanding this situation entirely. "You know what? Fine." It was too early for this bull. Storming in between Fluttershy and Pinkie, I swung the kitchen doors open in a huff before leaving the room.

"If you want me to work the register, then that's fine with me." My words leaked sarcasm. "Make the lumbering monster work the front desk! That's a great business idea! Not like anyone' s going to be off-put by that."

Both Fluttershy and Pinkie were a little taken back over my sudden burst of anger. From how things went from calm and relaxing to uptight and stressful in such a short amount of time, it is not a surprise about how I had gotten so angry. This did not mean that causing me frustration and anger was the original intention of these actions. I had simply been unable to know the truth to something very important at the time.

"This doesn't feel right." Pinkie muttered as she raised a hoof up under her stomach. "Doing this makes me feel sick."

Fluttershy did not seem to agree with what had happened either. "I know... but Twilight said that it was important. No matter how much Jacob might want to go back home, we can't let him find out." The pegasus looked back at the kitchen door, already feeling an inner turmoil and guilt. "I do not believe that I will ever be able to forgive myself for this though." Pinkie seemed to feel the same way.

"Do you think that he will ever find out?"

"Twilight said that he will one way or another. Even the princesses say that he is much more insightful than he appears." A burden had lifted itself even higher above the heads of these ponies as Fluttershy spoke. "I just hope that when the time comes..." Fluttershy looked onward at the kitchen doors, saddened by this inevitability.

"...It won't be us to tell him..."

Ever since the early morning, I had been sitting around the dining area of the Sugarcube Corner. From what it appeared, Pinkie did not want me even getting close to the kitchen as she kept me busy with many other medial tasks like sweeping, mopping, straightening up furniture, or changing the candles and light bulbs from their own fixtures. As boring as it was, it was kind of like starting out on the bottom again in the world of a chef in training.

From what it appeared, Pinkies training was nothing more than managing customers that came into the Sugarcube Corner for the day. It was simple enough. Retrieve baked goods when the customer shows up, customer pays for goods, give the customer their goods, and watch them leave. Rather simple compared to the complexities of the morning.

It was nice being back in the culinary swing of things. Sure, I was serving colorful magical pony creatures, but that did not mean that I could not enjoy servicing the civilians of this town in the ways that I currently was.

Most of the day, Pinkie had been out making routine deliveries. Take a few cakes across town for some hungry villagers before moving onto the next house, and eventually coming back to the Sugarcube Corner to retrieve more delivery items. All the while, Fluttershy had been doomed to the boring task of sitting out the day next to me. It was not long after the clock struck noon that she decided to take a little snooze, and here we are four hours later with her still sleeping quite well. I suppose even vigilance needs to rest every now and then.

I however was too bored to sleep.

All I could do was sit at the register and fumble around with the device. I would clack all of the buttons, and click a few as well. Eventually, I simply continued to eject the cash drawer only to push it back in over and over again. The ring did not seem to bother Fluttershy, so I found this to be the only thing I could do while waiting for customers.

Not like we got any. All day, the Sugarcube Corner had been almost barren when it came to people coming in for something to eat.

While sitting at the cash register, I was slumped over the counter with my head in one hand as the other clicked and clacked at the register keys to try and bide my time in this quiet bakery. For once, I thought that working at a place such as this was pointless. The air had become less sweet and a little more stale during my stay at the Sugarcube Corner from the lack of activity alone. One could even listen to the breeze outside the building.

'Ring-a-ding!'

The chiming of the entrances' shop-keeper's bell signaled itself as a very familiar laughter soon followed.

"~I'm back!~" A melodic greeting sounded.

Pushing the registers cash-shelf back in one last time, I sat myself up to stare on at the front as Pinkie entered the bakery. Cheery as usual, that big goofy grin of hers displayed itself proudly.

Slowly stifling my open maw to turn a yawn into a puff of air, I tried not to display my boredom when noticing Pinkie looking over our way.

Having immediately locked her eyes on me the moment she entered, Pinkie skipped and bounced her way to see me and the slumbering Fluttershy. "Hey, Jakey!" Somewhat silently, I managed a tired yet droll wave to her before muttering a polite greeting. "How were things? Did any-pony come by while I was gone?" I shook my head.

"Nope." I plainly stated. "No-one has been here for hours."

Tapping a hoof on her chin, Pinkie looked a little troubled on the matter. "Well, that's super weird. We still have three orders for customers to pick up."

Dropping my chin right back into the palm of my hand, a glum snort of air escaped my nostrils. I could not help but get the feeling that no-one wanted to come in to the bakery today because they were too afraid of the giant hulking monster that sat at the register. "I don't know why anypony would want to miss out on Wild-berry Muffin Day." Hunching over again, I firmly planted both elbows on the front counter to watch Pinkie as she mulled over what she thought could have been causing such a lack of activity in the shop. "Maybe some ponies wanted to save their appetites for the lemon-square special tomorrow?" Already having my own assumption on the matter, I gave a mildly aggravated grunt.

"Pinkie, I think that there aren't that many customers today because I'm here."

Wiping out Pinkies smile in one fatal swoop, I could see that she did not wish to agree with my words. Still, nothing was done right away to deny the assumption. It did hurt to think this, but how was one to react to something like myself waltzing through their town, let alone trying to manage a job position? Not that I felt that this was the appropriate action to be taken, but I did not blame anyone for wishing to stay away. "I hate to admit it, but I think that I'm scaring off business." Deciding to laugh this off, it was easy for me to manage a relatively positive outlook on the matter. I knew how awkward it may have looked on my part, but it was better than deciding to act depressed just because a bunch of people didn't like how I looked. "I suppose that I'll just have to hang around the kitchen next week, huh?" A winded chuckle sounded from me as I managed to find reason not to care for the lack of customers. Pinkie looked like she was trying to do the same as me, forcing a weak smile while I could still see that what I said did bother her on some level.

"Come on Jake, don't be ridiculous." Pinkie looked that she wished to dismiss my remarks as a joke. "It's just a slow day."

Hard to believe as it was, I wanted to trust Pinkie and chalk my assumptions up to my own social paranoia. "Yeah..." Even so, it was admittedly difficult to silence ones own thoughts. "I bet your right."

Resuming her normal smile, Pinkie seemed glad to hear my agreement. "See? Everything is okay." Standing up on her hind legs to place her front hooves up on the counter, the pink pony used one of her hooves to press my nose like a button. "You just wait. I bet we get at least one more customer today." As much that I appreciated Pinkies encouragement, I could not completely feel confident with these words alone.

Managing the task of moving Pinkies hoof off my face, I could not help but feel somewhat befuddled when really taking the ponies words into possible consideration. "How can you be so certain of something like that? Two or three people alone have come in to the bakery today, and I don't think a bit more time could truly make such a difference."

To my best of my previous efforts, I soon found Pinkies hoof right back to pressing my nose. "You let ol' Pinkie worry about those confusing things. You just need to manage the register." Sure as she was, I could not match Pinkies enthusiasm while hearing her guaranteed prediction.

Coming to pull herself off the counter, Pinkie soon had a curious hoof lifted. "Still, I do have one more delivery to make, and I don't think that I will be able to make it alone if I want to get there on time." Admittedly, I was overly eager to leave the cash register. Like lightening, I shot up from my seat and slammed my hands on the counter top, effectively jolting Fluttershy from her nap. Before I could even squeeze a word out though, Pinkie spoke over my own attempt. "Sorry Jake, but you're going to be staying here." Feeling effectively vanquished, I plopped right back down in my seat as Fluttershy was busy trying to collect her bearings enough to figure out what in the world could have happened. Pinkie then turned her head to Fluttershy. "I was actually hoping that Fluttershy could come with me." A little sore about the decision, I stubbornly crossed my arms in a silent huff. All the while, Fluttershy looked from me to Pinkie in her own stupor to try and decode what she missed.

"I...Um... Wh-... I don't kn-... Um..."

These baffled mutterings did not prepare Fluttershy for when Pinkie guided her out of her chair and slowly away from the register. "Come on, Fluttershy." The pegasus was still unsure what was going on, but complied unknowingly as to what she was needed for.

"Um... Okay, but where are we going?"

"We're going to make a delivery!"

"Oh... Will Jacob be coming along?"

"Nope!"

Fluttershy found it rather peculiar that Pinkie walked her through the kitchen and out the bakeries back door, but kept to herself under the assumption that Pinkie knew what she was doing. Maybe Pinkie would have a cart full of baked goods outside the door waiting to be pulled around town? It was a possibility, but at the same time it was only one that lasted long enough to be shot down by the vacant space that waited for them outside the front of the Sugarcube Corner.

Silently being escorted around the side of the building, the pegasus could easily see that Pinkie was going to great, yet unnecessary lengths to conceal herself for some reason. Not that they were in any way an effective means to doing so, but Fluttershy had come to expect this behavior from Pinkie Pie years ago. The best way to describe this erratic behavior would be much like how a child would act if they were to pretend to be a 'secret agent' of sorts. Granted, there was no 'secret' to her location, and if anything she was only bringing more attention to herself. From what information Fluttershy had gathered from this, it seemed that Pinkie was blissfully unaware of her flawed tactics. None-the-less, Whether Pinkie chose to hide in a bush, army-crawl on the ground, or tumble her way back to the front of the Bakery, Fluttershy watched her friend questionably as she slowly followed her from behind in a casual paced walk.

After finally coming to a stop at the front of the Sugarcube Corner, Pinkie squatted underneath the window looking in on the bakeries dining area as if she was trying to prevent any chance of me seeing her while I sat at the register. "Pinkie-" Fluttershy looked upon her friend as the pink pony finally decided to get a quick look inside. Through watchful eyes and an unusually serious gaze, Pinkie Pie got a good look at the bored human sitting at the register. Every so often, he would eject the cash shelf before pushing it back in, but other than that there was nothing to see. "Pinkie, I don't see anything to deliver out here." Kneeling back down under the window, Pinkie Pie looked at Fluttershy somewhat over-confidently while still upholding her usual, comical behavior as she gave the pegasus a pity-pat on the head.

"Silly Fluttershy, there isn't a delivery." For a second, it sounded like Pinkie spoke to Fluttershy as if she were a small child.

"There... Isn't?" Confused by this, Fluttershy mumbled softly to try and gain some sort of understanding. "-But then, why did you need h-"

"Shhh!" Pinkie shushed Fluttershy by pushing a hoof up against her lips. "You need to be quiet or we'll be found out!"

Being somewhat annoyed by the fact that Pinkies own shushing was louder than her previous tone of voice, Fluttershy gave the mare a quick deadpan stare after brushing Pinkies hoof off her mouth. "I was being quiet." Having noticed that Pinkie wasn't even paying her any more attention, Fluttershy looked on to see Pinkie bolt back to the window in her childish attempts to spy on the human within her home. Fluttershy could not help but wonder as to what madness she had been pulled into this time. "I do not want to be rude, but what is there to be found out? I thought we were making a delivery." Being given that same smug proud-ness once more from her pink friend, Fluttershy could feel her desire to follow along with what Pinkie had planned less and less after every second.

She still would though.

She always did.

-And she knew that.

Moving away from the window, Pinkie wrapped a foreleg around Fluttershy's back in a pal-like gesture. "Fluttershy, we're not delivering. We're waiting for a delivery." Still not quite understanding what Pinkie was trying to accomplish through all this, the yellow pegasus tried her darned-est to figure this out until Pinkie blasted her voice out in the open.

"Oh, there he is now!" So much for 'be quiet', huh?

The shrill cry made Fluttershy flinch in the most unbearable of ways. After the ringing in her ears decided to subside, Fluttershy could feel her patience with Pinkie beginning to wear.

Supportive as Fluttershy was, even she was beginning to question the purpose of all this.

"Hello Pinkie Pie."

A gruff voice voice spoke out from a gangly-looking stallion pressing his back against the wall of a near-by house. Standing back on his hind-legs with his front crossed over his chest to give a sort of intimidating demeanor, the light gamboge ponies' face kept itself half-hidden under a gray gibus as its chinstrap dangled on the ash-gray and white ringed falsa blanket that wore itself comfortably loose around the neck of this mysterious stranger. "I got your..." speaking in a low grumbling tone, the pony whipped out a small card from within his crossed forelegs. "...Letter." The 'letter' in question seemed to be a largely decorated piece of pink construction paper garnished with what appeared to be a mixture of glitter, confetti, candy, and many differently drawn pony smiley faces.

"I was in the middle of one heck of a hoedown when receiving information that you requested my presence." Moving off the wall to stand on all four hooves, the stallion kept his face hidden underneath his gibus when taking his first few steps toward the girls. "What is it that you need of me?"

"Isn't that Cheese Sandwich?" Fluttershy's spoken aloud thought caused the stallion came to a slow but sudden halt.

A weak wind pushed a puff of dust in between the three ponies. Pinkie, not seeming to be paying any more attention than you might expect her to, bounced in place with an almost derpy smile on her face. All the while, Fluttershy stood still and watched the stranger.

Biting his lip, the unknown stallion rather uncharacteristic-ly lifted the tipped front of his gibus to reveal a rather disappointed look. "Aww man..." The stallions voice almost instantly went from a deep brooding to a light pouting. "How did you know it was me? I've been practicing my new scary low voice for months! What gave me away?" Realizing that the stallion, now revealed to be named 'Cheese Sandwich', was attempting an anonymous alias, Fluttershy cupped a hoof over her mouth.

"Oh my, I am so sorry! I was unaware that you planned something ahead of time." She began to apologize, but quietly mumbled a follow-up comment. "-but it would be hard not to recognize you with that hat and blanket you always wear."

Cheese Sandwich took a second to let that sink in before tapping his forehead with a laugh. "Oh yeah, that sounds about right." A good sport through and through, the earth pony stallion removed his shady garb before tossing it off to the side for later.

Having worn a yellow collared t-shirt underneath his other outfit, Cheese Sandwich seemed a bit more at home with his current wardrobe. His newly revealed dark brown hair bounced and curled almost identically with Pinkie pies. "It always feels nice to have my R'n'R clothes on." Looking back to a rubber chicken that sat itself upright on his back, the stallion grinned. "-Isn't that right Bone-less Two?" Fluttershy would just ignore the illogical point that Cheese Sandwich ALWAYS wore his resting and relaxing clothes.

Before anything could continue any further, Cheese was then tackled to the ground by a certain pink pony unable to restrain her excitement any longer. From the power of such a tackle, the rubber chicken was the last to hit the ground with a wheezing squeak.

"Cheesie, I missed you so much!"

By the shared embrace the two held on the ground, it seemed that the feeling was mutual.

"Aww-ha-ha, I missed you too, Pinkie."

Both picking themselves up off the ground, it did not take long for the two to strike up yet another confusing topic as was the usual for every time they were 'reunited' for the smallest of times while Cheese managed to pick 'Bone-less Two' off the ground as well. Fluttershy could never keep up with them in a conversation. She preferred to simply nod along and smile just in case Pinkie or Cheese decided to drag her in on something. Right now did not seem to be the time to carry such a conversation however.

"Ahem." Fluttershy did her best to call attention toward herself without being too rude. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but was there a reason as to why Cheese Sandwich is here?"

Quieting down for a moment, Cheese took a second to bring out his letter once more.

Taking another look at the 'calling card' that he had received from Pinkie, Cheese Sandwich glossed over it again. "The card did look pretty important." The earth pony stallion held the card up at Pinkie, growing a little more curious as to why he had been called upon at such a point in time. "Confetti and glitter together always mean trouble."

Fluttershy failed to see what was so 'urgent' about what looked like a hoof-made card a foal would give their parent for their birthday.

"-and important it was." Pinkie insisted before leaning in toward Cheese Sandwich. "Because I needed Cheese's pranking expertise for what I have planned."

While Cheese Sandwiches face lit up at the mentioning of pranks, Fluttershy was quietly skeptical of what pranks could accomplish.

"Pranks?"

if not for a crack in Cheese Sandwiches voice, the word could have easily rolled off the stallions' tongue.

Hastily dashing toward Pinkie, Cheese came so close to Pinkie that she had to pull her head back a little. Not like she cared. If anything, Pinkie only shared the enthusiasm that Cheese felt at the time.

"I LOVE pranks!"

"That's exactly the kind of talk I wanna hear!" Fluttershy cringed at Pinkies sharp volume, as the pink pony gave Cheese a tight hug before pulling him over to the bakery window she had been staring through only a little while ago.

As Pinkie guided Cheese to the window, Fluttershy watched the two as they almost mimicked each others actions. As Pinkie had done just a minute or two ago, now she was joined with Cheese Sandwich in the act of spying on the being that sat within the bakery.

"Okay, our target is the guy sitting at the register."

Speaking in a whisper, Cheese Sandwich couldn't help but hold back a laugh. "Whoa, check out that noggin! What is he?"

"That's a human, but we call him Jacob."

"A hoo-man?" Cheese Sandwich couldn't help but try and find some sort to definition of the word by sounding it out in his mind. "So he's part owl?"

Pinkie laughed at the assumption. "Ha-ha, no silly. He's just Jacob."

Taking another good look at me, Cheese scrunched his face still wondering what he had been currently been staring at. "Well, whatever he is, I've never seen anything like him."

"Well, duh-" Pinkie bluntly interrupted. "-Twilight says that he's not even from this dimension."

Needless to say, Cheese was beginning to look just a little bit more impressed by the second.

"Wow, so he's like some sort of alien? That's so cool!"

"I know right?" The two of them almost sounded like children when speaking. "He's also the guy you're gonna prank today."

It was easy to see that Cheese Sandwich was pumped to hear this. Jumping back from the window to stomp and prance in place, the stallion seemed all too excited to go through with the prank. "This is so cool! I get to prank an alien!" Fluttershy had yet to really know as to why I had not come outside to investigate this noise, but she did remember herself having to tune out the outside world while sitting bored at the register. "Ooo! Ooo! Ooo!" Darting his eyes back to Pinkie, Cheese struck a pose of excitement, impatience, and glee. "What's the prank? I need to know!" No-longer able to stand the anticipation of waiting, Cheese squirmed in place to try and set himself at ease with no avail.

With a short amount of time spent watching Cheese twist his body, Pinkie was finally willing to let Cheese in on what she needed him to do. "Okay, okay, you silly pony." She called the stallion over with a hoof. "Come over here for a sec so I can tell you." Not wasting a single second to get to Pinkie, Cheese darted his way to Pinkie and stopped directly in front of her. It was at this time that Pinkie leaned in toward Cheese to whisper in his ear. As she did so, a few laughs could be clearly heard to be mixed in with Pinkies words. All the while, Cheese was so enticed by this plan that he almost looked amazed.

It took only a couple of moments for Pinkie to finish whispering to Cheese, but when she did, the stallion looked a little taken back by what could have only been one of the most impractical prank he had ever heard of. "Whoa, really?" He muttered. "You want me to do that? Are you sure?" He watched Pinkie smile and nod. Seeing such a thing did cause a bit of uneasiness in Cheese. He actually seemed to question his own pranking potential at this point while tapping a hoof on his chin a couple of times. "This isn't going to be easy..." Gazing back into his peripherals, Cheese hummed to himself. "This could even be the toughest prank I've ever pulled without needing any props or preparation... I may even have to improvise a little if I get found out." For a second, even Pinkie looked to see such things in her planning. That is, until Cheese Sandwich stomped his thoughtful hoof back on the ground. "Ha, I like a challenge! I'll do it!" Just like that, Pinkie beamed at Cheeses confidence.

"Really, you will?" Pinkie was enthralled by such desire to push forward into such a difficult objective, and Cheese did not seem willing to change his mind now.

"Of course, but I'm going to need to prepare for any possible recoil from the pranking target." The two almost seemed to treat this like some sort of suicide mission from how Cheese appeared to have valiantly taken on such a duty for him alone to carry as a burden. "-so make sure that I can exit if anything goes wrong." Wary of the possible danger, Pinkie nodded once more.

Turning toward the Sugarcube Corners entrance, Cheese took in a quick breath to unlock any stiff joints in his legs before leaving to enter the bakery.

Placing a hoof upon the hard wood of the front door, Cheese tried to keep any of his limbs from locking up on him.

"Well, here I go..."

Uttering those choice words to himself, he finally opened the front door to listen to the shop-keepers bell chime on his entrance.

'Ching-a-ling'

"Hello." A voice called following the welcoming ching-ing.

Having become so bored as I was about to doze off, the sounding from the door chime had cut through the silence to the point of nearly making me jump from my chair. Now, I say 'nearly' because the moment I was able to hear the noise, my legs stiffened themselves out at an angle so that my only landing on the floor would result in a face-plant. Why exactly things had to result in such a way, I did not know, but now was not the time to be worrying about my face. For the first time in who-knows-when, a customer came in to the Sugarcube Corner! I had a customer!

Picking myself off the hardwood floor, I threw an arm up over the top of the front counter to pull myself up. I could only imagine just what reaction the customer would have after viewing such a clumsy display on my own part. It was feared that the customer would leave before I could even see who it was that had entered.

Pulling myself up to look over the counter however, I could see that whoever it was that had entered chose to stay. The pony was even having a good chuckle over my fall. "Well, hey there." The stallion greeted. Standing to my feet, I couldn't help but look at him somewhat peculiarly. Not because of his poofy brown mane, or the fact that he was pretty much the first pony I've seen that actually wore clothes, but more or less because of the rubber chicken that perched itself on the center of his back.

It even appeared that the stallion found amusement in my scrunched expression as he came to know what I had been staring at.

"Heh, taking a gander at Boneless Two, are ya?" With a cheesy grin, the stallion lifted a brow to me. " You sure are staring at him a lot. Would you like me to leave you two alone for a little 'one-on-one time'?" My shocked jolt only brought the pony even more delight as the stallion began to burst into laughter. "Don't worry. It was only a joke."

"I-... I see..." I couldn't help but still feel embarrassed for taking that question even the slightest bit seriously.

Taking the moment to look up at the top of my head, the stallion gave a quick whistle. "Wow, you sure are a tall one, aren't ya?"

A... Tall one?

Not really sure how to react to how this pony was talking, I scratched a hand behind my head to try and make myself feel a little less awkward. "Um... I suppose so." Why was this guy even here? Did he just wander in to get a look at the freak show?

"So getting down to business, I want to make an order." It was difficult to know how to feel when trying to keep up with how this stallion talked. It was like he swerved from one topic to the next without any warning in a way that left my mind nearly blank with every change. "You look lost. Is any of this making sense?" He was most likely commenting about how absent minded I looked. "This is the Sugarcube Corner, right?" Speaking with a raised hoof pointed to the floor to question what establishment he had stepped into, the stallion gave me a joking look.

"Uh, yes." The words slipped out as I contemplated how to end this one-sided conversation. "How can I help you today?"

Waving off my question, the stallion shined a smile my way. "Oh, this isn't for me-" It... It wasn't? Who else could it have been for? "-It's for him." I wasn't sure what to make of how the pony motioned his head back to direct attention to the life-less rubber chicken sitting on his back.

Leaning to the side to get a good look at the chunk of rubber for only a moment, I straightened my posture to look back at the odd stallion. "It's for..." I pointed a finger at the toy chicken questionably. "...the chicken?" Was I being a bad person for questioning this guys sanity right about now?

I'm sure it didn't, but at the same time It didn't matter. This pony was a customer, and needed to be treated with proper respect. The only thing that could be done now was to deal with what was happening because it most likely was not going to end any time soon.

Feeling a lump in my throat, I coughed into my hand become continuing. "O-of course." I tried to make an honest smile, but it only came out awkward. Looking back at the toy, I could not help but feel somewhat ridiculous for talking to a rubber chicken."How may I help you today?"

"Pbbth..." A laugh squeezed through tightened lips shot out of the stallions mouth as he could not hold back this particular tickle in his funny bone any longer. All the while, I couldn't help but feel that I was being made a fool of. "I'm just kidding." I could feel my cheeks flushing with shame. "Rubber Chickens don't talk. You know that, right?" Staring down at the register, I wasn't sure whether or not to feel ashamed or angry because of how humiliated I felt at the moment.

I'm sure he didn't mean to make me feel that way though. He was probably just trying to be funny, but I just wasn't understanding the joke in the right way.

"Uh... Yeah-" I let out a weak 'ha' and looked back at the pony. "So... What was it that you needed?"

Not wanting to be rude about how I wanted to get this guy out of the bakery as soon as possible, I kept quiet when the stallion stood up on his hind legs and decided to lean on the glass display on the front desk overlooking some cupcakes that had been baked a couple hours ago. "Hm...." Letting his eyes roll from one cupcake to the next, the pony didn't quite seem contempt with what he was seeing. "I think today is a cake-day for me." Looking up to me, I could see that he was waiting for some sort of response on my behalf.

"Um, yes... We have many freshly baked cakes stored in the cooler to stay fresh longer." I tried to give some assurance toward his own customer satisfaction. "Is there a specific kind that you would like today?"

The pony watched me in a way that I found somewhat odd. Not that it was in any way a hostile stare, but more like he was thinking about something. Eventually, he did bring forth an answer for me. "You know, I've have had a huge craving for some chocolate cake lately." Flashing me yet another smile, the stallion motioned a hoof for me to move along and provide what he asked of me. "If I could get some of that, it would make my day." I could hear sarcasm in his tone, but after putting that aside I decided to do as I was asked and get the chocolate cake.

"Of course." I assured when beginning my trek to the cooler to retrieve the cake. "It will only take a few moments, so please stay right there."

Just get the cake, so he can leave; that's what I continued to tell myself when entering the freezer. It was a line I couldn't help but say with a hint of embarrassment, but all I cared about was managing this customer with optimal proficiency so I grabbed the cake and brought it back out to the pony.

Upon my return, I saw the stallion was still in the lean that I had last seen him in. "Here you go, one chocolate cake." I spoke when placing a light pink box on the counter concealing the baked goods inside.

In return toward my efforts, the stallion only looked at me like I had made some form of error. "Chocolate cake?" He began before looking down at the box and then to me again with an annoyed gaze. "I asked for strawberry."

Having to adjust my glasses to this mix-up, there was nothing in the world I could have said to set this straight. "-But..." I scratched my head feeling a little confused before beginning to mumble to myself. "I could have sworn that you..." After my voice faded away completely, I let myself think for a moment before taking in a deep breath to try and releive myself of my own shame before picking up the pink box once more. "I am very sorry about that, sir. I will be sure to get it right this time." Backing away from the stallion, I was slow to turn away if not only because of the growing nervous feeling I got from that glare he gave me now.

"Well, I would most certainly hope not." As my mind began to try and process my fault, it was impossible for me to pick up on the sound of chuckling as I finally entered the kitchen.

I cursed myself when carrying the pink box of chocolate cake back to the bakeries freezer. I ran a hand through my hair to try and understand how I could have misheard, but I still didn't get how such an error could have been made. It didn't matter now though. I just had to take a deep breath, grab the strawberry cake, and put this all behind me.

-And I did just that.

"I just want to say that I am so sorry for the mis-understanding." I spoke out to the stallion as I emerged from the kitchen once more. "I don't know how I could have made that mistake." I was somewhat releived to see how the pony had calmed down enough to accept my apology.

"Oh, it's no big deal. Everyone makes mistakes."

You know, maybe I misjudged this pony. Sure, he was a little strange, but wasn't I as well? For anyone to be such a good sport about things such as these, he had to be a decent guy. So placing this newest pink box on the counter, I let out a kind sigh. "Okay, so let's get this strawberry cake ready to go, shall we?" Stepping over to the register, I smiled at how I was able to view such a person in a different light from seeing how he was so easy to forgive. What a stand-up fellow.

"Ahem."

The rough coughing led me to look upon my customer once more a bit confused at how he was now giving me that same annoyed look as before.

Pulling myself away from the register, I wondered as to why this customer was looking at me this way again.

"Is... Something wrong, sir?"

The stallion tapped his hoof on the counter top, growing even more aggravated at my question.

Quietly, he took the box, opened it, and revealed to me the contents within. "Do you think this is funny?" Being left completely speechless, I stood still and looked into the box myself. It looked like a perfectly good strawberry cake. "Does this look like red velvet to you?" I felt a shock hit my spine as my joints tightened themselves at the question.

I got the wrong cake, again? That's impossible! He specifically asked for 'strawberry cake'.

"Sir, I can assure you that-" I was soon cut off by the pony.

"I don't want to hear these excuses. If you aren't going to bring me my marble cake, I can easily go elsewhere."

Marble cake? Now he wanted marble cake? Was there any sense to this guy.

"Wait, wha-?" I cut myself off this time as things slowly pieced themselves together in my brain. A shocking revelation that left me to look down at this stallion as a fire lit in my belly.

He really was playing me for a fool.

From the moment he ordered, this pony had the fullest intention of doing everything that he was doing now.

He was mocking me.

"Hey, anyone home?" The customer shouted to get my fullest attention. "Are you going to get my cake, or what?"

Fists clinched, I could feel a sneer beginning to form as I glowered over the pony in anger.

"Of course..." I hissed while forcing a courteous smile. "-how about you come back to the kitchen with me so that you can retrieve your cake without any more errors?" Trying to keep that smirk, turned away without letting the customer answer. "Come along now." Not looking back for a moment, I only knew the customer was following me when hearing the clip-clopping of hooves on the wood-floor behind me and into the kitchen for one last time.

It felt good to be able to beat this smug prankster. All the way to the cooler, I could imagine just how gratifying it was going to be to finally get this pony to shut up and leave me alone. He couldn't say anything to this. All he could do was grab his cake, and leave.

"Okay, so here we are." Pulling open the door to the bakeries cooler, I could feel the cold temperature from within fleeing out into the warmer climates as I directed my customer to everything within. All kinds of baked goods were kept in here so there wasn't any chance that there could be anything else this pony could try to use against me with his dumb idea of a joke. "Cakes, pies, cupcakes, muffins! You name it, we've got it in this cooler!" The stallion only looked past the door and into the cooler with a face that I could only suppose meant that he was at the end of his rope for whatever prank he could have been trying to pull. I could not help but smile when seeing that he was in some sort of mental debate. Most likely about how he would either take a cake or just leave right then and there.

It was then that he took a deep breath and looked me dead in the eyes.

"How about a nice big slice of your mother?" He spoke in tone even colder than the cooler. "You got that in there?"

Pinkie had been looking in from the same window as before when seeing Cheese Sandwich leave to 'get his cake' as she could feel butterflies gliding around in her stomach. She had never intended for Cheese to actually leave her sight, and after seeing me get so angry so soon... It did not set well with her. "Oh, where is Cheesey?" Pinkie whined as she looked in on the bakery with worry while Fluttershy sat beside her friend, trying to pass the time until this was all over.

"I'm sure that he will be fine, Pinkie. Just give him time." Fluttershy spoke to try and comfort her friend. "Whatever you asked of him appeared to be a difficult task. He may just be finishing things up now."

Fluttershy's words of reason looked to have broke through Pinkie's own worry as the pink pony finally turned away from the window to sit with her friend. Doing so, Pinkie couldn't help but not be able to ignore the constant uneasy feeling in her stomach. "Heh, yeah." She agreed. "I bet you're right." Choosing to look at the positive side of things, Pinkie finally was able to put herself at ease.

"I bet Cheesy is handling things perfectly..."

WHAM!!!!!

Slamming the door of the Sugarcbe Corner wide open, Cheese Sandwich had caused both Fluttershy's and Pinkie Pie's hearts to skip a beat as he stood in the entrance for only a moment to catch his breath.

It did not take much to see that Cheese was scared out of his mind as he stood in the doorway, clutching his chest. "Cheese, what's wrong?" Pinkie looked on at her friend and saw the terror in his eyes before the sound of heavy footsteps sped toward the entrance and the fearful stallion that stood there. Looking back to Pinkie, Cheese broke into a cold sweat.

"MISTAKES WERE MADE! RUN!"

Deciding to leap from the entrance, Cheese Sandwich hit the ground running as he broke into a dead sprint and left both Fluttershy and Pinkie at the bakery, both confused and worried. They did not even have the time to try and figure out what had frightened Cheese so badly before the two saw me bursting from the front door and slamming both my feet on the ground in a full rage.

"HOW DARE YOU TALK ABOUT MY MOTHER THAT WAY!" These words blasted at the top of my lungs as I began a hot pursuit after Cheese Sandwich. "YOU BETTER PRAY THAT I DON'T GET MY HANDS ON YOU!"

Already alarmed from seeing how Cheese had fled the scene, when viewing how I had barreled out of the bakery and after Cheese sent Pinkie and Fluttershy running after the two of us in an attempted to gain our attention.

"CHEESE, ABORT MISSION! ABORT MISSION!" Pinkie cried.

"Jacob! Calm down, we can talk this out!" Fluttershy called out.

Author's Note

So I decided that since completing the entirety of the remaining part of chapter eleven would take way too much time if I decided to rewrite it and publish it all in one part, I believed that it would be much better if I published this section of the chapter and picked up in the next.

Before you begin boo-ing, please know that I understand that you may be thinking 'Uhg, another part to this chapter? Is he even trying?'

The answer to that is 'yes'.

I just want you all to get the best quality of story writing that I can possibly pump out over time.

I am sorry if the chapter is not as lengthy as you may have wanted, but these rewrites do take a lot of time, and I have many other things to take care of along with my writing like work and school.

Anyways, I do plan on continuing the re-write of chapter eleven. This one will simply be over Jacobs first day while working with Pinkie. Now The other days may not be as long as this part, but that is only because I saw a lot of potential in this section of chapter eleven.

I will continue to work on this chapter very soon, but in the meantime I hope you enjoy this more elaborated section of Jacobs first day of training with Pinkie.