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.