Author's Note

And now, I present to you... (insert drum roll here) the re imagined chapter 1! The real world side of things haven't changed very much at all, the only things I changed were grammar and the wording of a few sentences I didn't care much for. The pony side of things, however... very few things about the pony side of things are the same. He still has the same injuries, and... that's about where the similarities end. Besides that, it has been completely rewritten.

As always, I do my own editing, so if I missed anything, please don't hesitate to point it out.

If you enjoyed this story so far, consider checking out my WoW Crossover story, located here. If you are a fan of warcraft, or tranformation stories, consider checking it out and leaving a comment or like!

Is this a dream? (New version)

I sighed as I made my way to my car. It had been another long night of hours laying in bed, trying and failing to fall asleep, only to finally get to sleep a couple hours before I had to be up for work. That's not too terribly unusual for me, between depression and anxiety, I'm no stranger to long nights of my overactive mind wreaking havoc on my psyche, but lately it had been getting worse. Add the stress of finals to the mix and you’ve got a recipe for a good time.

As I unlocked my car and sat down, I couldn't help but lean back and take a moment to think.

‘Well, I was late to work today… Again. And I could barely stay awake in my algebra class today. Pretty sure I missed half the lecture just trying to find ways to keep my eyes open.’

Buckling my seatbelt, I put my foot on the clutch and put my car in neutral before pushing the button on the center console to start it.

‘At least I'm interning with my brother-in-law’s philanthropic group, so I don't need to be too worried about being fired. Although if I don't pick it up and make sure I pass my classes there may be a problem…’

Frowning slightly, I switched my radio to Bluetooth before shifting into first gear and pulling away.

‘I mean I don't think he’d fire me… The whole deal was I go back to school, and as long as I'm passing my classes he makes sure I have a place to stay and I don't go hungry.’

Driving farther up the driveway, I find a place to turn around to head out the front driveway. The “office” I work in is more of a renovated barn on my brother-in-law’s parent’s property, although from looking at it you could never tell. Although a bit short for me, standing at 6’2”, it's nicer on the inside the some houses I've been in. Hell, it's nicer than some places I've lived in. The office itself sits back behind the main barn of the property, and has easy access to both the front main drive, and the rear driveway that goes past the tractor barn.

As I turn around, I notice some of the girls from the barn out taking a lesson, so I stop to watch for a minute.

‘It's been awhile since I've been on a horse. I kinda miss it… Maybe I should ask if I could get on one of the horses sometime? Nah, that would probably be weird… Pretty sure most of the people that ride here are still in high school. What would they think of some random 25 year old guy asking if he can go riding with them?’ Chuckling at the thought, I finish turning my car around and head out the front driveway.

After checking both ways, I pull out of the driveway and start heading towards my apartment.

‘Well, just because I don't think he would be too pissed if I'm late, doesn't mean I should push my luck. He's really helping me out, and it would be terrible of me to take advantage of him like that.’

As I continue down the road, I feel my eyes getting heavy as sleep tries to overtake me.

‘Ugh, again? My brain is perfectly ok with me going to sleep while behind the wheel of a moving car, but as soon as my ass hits the bed it's like nope, not tired! What the actual fuck, brain? Good thing I live close to where I work, I can just take a nap or some shit when I get home.’

Pulling into my apartment, I parked my car and headed up, ready for a nap.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

‘4 o'clock in the morning… It is 4 o'clock in the fucking morning… And I'm still awake?’

Groaning in exacerbation, I rolled over and grabbed my phone. ‘Maybe some fan fiction will help? Usually reading makes me tired.’

Scrolling through my “read later” list, I try to decide on a fic that will help put me to sleep. ‘I don't want it to be something too interesting, because then I'll be up all night reading, again… Although some of these I don't even know what possessed me to add them to the list. I mean the premise for some of these just sounds terrible! Oh well, this one looks boring enough to help me pass out.’

My reading material picked, I switched the browser to reader mode and started reading.

‘Ok, this actually isn't too bad so far. The story started well, isn't too excessive, there aren't random things happening for no reason. The grammar doesn't make it look like it was written by a 3rd grader even! I mean, I know my grammar isn't amazing, but damn! Some of the stuff I've read is almost painful to read. The worst part is as bad as the grammar can be on some fan fictions, the story itself can be so captivating! And now I'm on a tangent, where was I again? Ah yes, I was just getting to the part where the OC helps the mane six get the elements and… Oh look, there's seven elements now… It's one of those… Well, I'll give it a chance, it's written pretty well so far, so hopefully it's not another one of those “my OC is a Mary Sue and knows the exact way to solve every problem ever” story. Those are so overdone.’

Looking at the time, I realize it's now going on 5 and I'm still awake. ‘Ugh, damnit! It's been almost an hour and I haven't even finished one chapter. Brain, stop, let me sleep, or let me concentrate on my reading. No more tangents!’

Deciding to try sleep again, I lock my phone and roll over. Finally getting comfortable, I close my eyes… Just to hear the alarm on my phone start going off. Picking up my phone, I see the time is 8:50 in the morning.

“What the hell, it was just five” I grumble to myself, hitting snooze and rolling back over. I close my eyes again and lay there for a second before it hits me.

“Shit!” I bolt up and grab my phone, seeing it's now 8:52. “I've gotta be at work in 8 minutes and I haven't even showered yet, damn it!”

Hitting play on my phone, I put some music on, and ten minutes later I emerge from the bathroom showered, teeth brushed, and ready to go to work.

“Shoes, shoes, where the fuck did I put my shoes…”

Finding my shoes tucked under the couch, I throw them on and grab my keys, phone, and wallet. Checking the time as I ran to my car, I notice it's already 9:10.

“Well, late again dumb ass, good job!”

Hopping in my car, I pulled out and hauled ass towards work, not even bothering to put my radio on.

‘Today's going to suck…’ “I'm so glad it's Friday.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

2pm rolls around, and after struggling to stay awake through English Comp, I'm finally done class for the week. After collecting my books and putting them in my bag, I start making my way towards the stairs.

‘I'm glad none of my classes are on the ground floor. I think all the walking I do on campus and the stairs are the only reason I don't weigh as much as I probably should…’

As I near the steps, another wave of exhaustion rolls over me, and I once again feel my eyes getting heavy.

‘Woah, while driving is bad enough, but now I can't even walk without wanting to pass out? Maybe I should… Maybe I… See… Doctor…’

As I take the first few steps, my vision slowly tunnels in as everything starts going black, and I see is the stairs rising to meet me,the world around me going into slow motion. As my head's about to hit the steps, I hear and feel a deafening boom sweep through me as I am blinded by a bright polychromatic light. The light clears, and moments before darkness fully envelopes my vision, I see green rapidly rising to meet me.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Pain. As I awaken, all I can feel is pain. I lay on the ground for a while, eyes closed tight, trying to make sense of anything through the pain.

I slowly open my eyes, taking time to let them adjust to the light. Once my eyes are fully open, the first thing I notice is I'm outside. I try to raise my head, but the pain stops me, so I set it back down while I try to talk stock of the situation.

‘Ok, I was in school, leaving class, then what? I remember getting up, heading down the hallway and getting to the stairwell… Stairs! I remember falling down the stairs! So then how did I get outside?’

Hearing noise nearby, I struggle to finally raise my head and take a look around. The first thing I notice is that I'm lying in a grassy field, what looks like woods to my left. As I start panning vision to the right, I see a colorful blob moving in the distance.

‘Alright, someone must be nearby! Now to try and get their attention’

Struggling to keep my head up, I take as deep a breath as I can manage and yell.

“Haaaaa!!”

‘Well, that was supposed to be help, but as long as they can hear it.’

After a brief coughing fit, I yell again.

“Hhaaaaa!!”

I let out a relieved breath and lay my head back down as I see the colored blob start moving closer.

‘Well that was annoying, but at least they heard me, I hope.'

After what felt like hours to my pain addled brain, I finally hear a voice.

“Hello, is somepony there?” A rather young, posh sounding voice called out.

‘Somepony… What?’

“Hello,” the voice called out again, now beginning to move in my direction. “Anypony?”

I opened my mouth to answer, but just before I called out the colored blob slowly came into focus, revealing a small, white unicorn with a purple mane and tail, levitating a half of a large rock behind her.

‘No way… No freakin way…’ Stunned by what I was seeing, my voice died in my throat. ‘I can’t be seeing this… This can not be real…’

The small unicorn slowly made her way towards me, and just when she was about to turn around and continue on her way, she finally took notice of me.

“Ah, there you are. Excuse me, but would you happen to the one calling for…” Her words slowly trailed off, before her sentence ended with a large gasp.

‘There is no freakin way that this is happening.’

The pony, whom at this point was looking more and more familiar, dropped the rock she was carrying with a solid thud and galloped to me as fast as her legs could carry her.

‘I have to be dreaming or something.’

“Oh dear, are you alright?” she began fretting over me. “Oh, what are you asking for, Rarity, look at him! Of course he isn’t alright.”

‘I died or something. I'm in a coma. This isn't real. This can't be real! I refuse to believe it.’

I was brought back to awareness when the pony crouched down in front of me and locked eyes with me. “Can you hear me, darling?”

To stunned to answer, I simply nodded my head. As I nodded, fresh waves of pain shot through my body, causing me to screw my eyes shut and clench my teeth.

When the pain lessened and I once again opened my eyes, the unicorn had stood back up and was giving me a pitying look.

“Oh dear, and I’m guessing you can’t stand, can you?”

‘No shit, Sherlock.’

“No, of course he can’t. Why would you even ask that, look at him!” She chided herself. Biting her bottom lip, her face scrunched up in concentration for a moment before her horn was enveloped in a light blue glow. “But maybe I can lift him…”

Feeling a warm, tingling sensation envelope my body, I opened my mouth to protest, but all that left my mouth was a pained groan. The tingling sensation intensified, before it was replaced with the feeling of something pushing in on me from all sides. As soon as pressure was put on my body, everything exploded into waves of white hot agony and I opened my mouth to scream, but nothing but a strangled gasp left my throat.

The pressure subsided, and my pain addled mind began to slowly drift in and out of consciousness. After what felt like days, my senses slowly began to clear up again, and I noticed the unicorn was no longer standing in front of me. My eyes wandered as far as they could without my head moving, and I saw that while the rock half she had been carrying was still here, she was nowhere in sight.

‘If that was who I think it was, she may have just solidified her position as worst pony, because god did that hurt! Looking on the bright side, I can now replace broken ribs as the most painful injury I’ve ever experienced.'

I allow my eyes to wander the horizon, attempting to catch sight of anything moving in the distance.

‘I sure as hell hope she went to go get help…’

My eyes began to feel heavy, and I slowly began to drift off. Just before my eyes fully closed, another surge of pain went through my body, jolting me to full wakefulness.

‘And I sure as hell hope she hurries…’

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The sun had reached its zenith and had begun making its way towards the horizon when the sound of rapid hoofsteps making their way towards me alerted me to the presence of multiple ponies.

“And you’re sure he’s here?” I heard a deep, smooth voice ask.

“Yes, yes,” a familiar voice answered back. “I left my gems with him, and my horn is telling me they’re down in those bushes.”

‘She did go to get help! I take it back, you aren’t worst pony, you’re best pony! Trixie be damned!’

The thunder of hoofsteps drew closer, before the small white unicorn enter my field of view, followed closely by a large, brown stallion in a white doctor’s coat. Following behind him where two earth pony mares with a stretcher slung between them. One was light blue with a red mane and medical cross cutie mark, while the other was white with a pink mane and a cutie mark of a heart with a bandage on it.

‘And they brought the cavalry, yay!’

“Ok, there’s my stone…” Her eyes drifted from the stone towards me, and she seemed to almost overlook me before her eyes locked onto mine. Pointing a hoof in my direction, she looked over her shoulder and called out. “And there he is, doctor!”

The doctor looked towards me, and, although he was looking almost directly at me, didn’t seem to see me. “Where, all I see is a bush, I don’t see… Oh dear.” Finally noticing me, the doctor’s eyes widened in surprise, before his eyes dilated to the size of pinpricks. “Nurses! Over here, quickly! Bring the stretcher!”

The doctor galloped towards me, and slid to a stop just short of me. Crouching down, the horn on his forehead I had failed to notice before lit up, and a small ball of light floated out of it. Looking me directly in the eyes, the doctor shined the light directly onto my face, blinding me and causing my head to pulse with pain.

Letting the light fade away, the doctor pulled a small notepad out of his pocket and began talking while writing.

“Patient appears to be a young pegasus colt, light green coat with a two tone green mane.” The doctor looked up from his notepad and craned his neck to look behind me. “Cutie mark is of a blue feather quill in a black inkwell, no birthmarks or scars to use as identifying marks.”

‘Young pegasus colt… wuht?’

The two earth ponies brought the stretcher over and set it down in front of me. The doctor’s horn lit again, and I felt a warm tingling once again envelope me.

‘Oh no…. Please don’t try to move me…’

The tingling intensified, but rather than the feeling of pressure I was expecting, it instead morphed into what I could only describe as a feeling of ‘my entire body just fell asleep’.

“Patient exhibits signs of a mild concussion, however a full body scan has ruled out any neck injuries, so it should be safe to move him.”

‘And here comes the pain.’

The doctor’s horn lit up and a pale white glow encompassed my body. I screwed my eyes shut and gritted my teeth in anticipation of the pain, however rather than mind numbing agony, I momentarily felt weightless as the ground moved away from my body, and then moments later I felt the rough fabric of the stretcher meet my stomach.

‘Huh, no pain…’

The two earth ponies moved to either end of the stretcher and crouched down, hooking the bars protruding from each end into some type of specially designed saddle they were both wearing

“List of injuries to include two broken forelegs, what appears to be a dislocated left shoulder and wing, as well as multiple contusions and lacerations covering his neck, chest, and stomach. A more in depth scan will need to be performed at the hospital to check for further injuries.” The doctor then flipped his notebook closed and stuffed it in his coat pocket before moving around the stretcher and approaching the pony I now was sure was filly Rarity.

“I appreciate you coming to get us, young filly, but you should get home now. It isn’t safe to be out this far from town by yourself, especially with all those gems. Diamond Dog country isn’t far, and they tend to wander pretty close to town.”

“But what about the colt?” Rarity asked, looking around the doctor at me. “Is he going to be alright?”

“We’ll do the best we can, but you getting us so fast was a big help. Why don’t you take your rock and head home, in a day or two you should be able to visit him if you’re still worried about him.”

“Well, ok, if you say he’ll be ok…” Rarity’s face scrunched up in concentration once more, and with a grunt, the rock full of gems shakily rose into the air. Casting me one last glance, she turned and trotted off, the rock slowly following behind her.

“Such strong levitation, at her age?” The doctor chuckled before shaking his head. “Either she has a gem talent, or she’s going to be one hay of a mage when she grows up. That’s the only way a filly her size could lift a rock that big…”

Clearing her throat, the nurse hitched to the front of the stretcher spoke up. “Um, doctor… the colt?”

Snapping back to attention, the doctor turned around and trotted over. “Ah, yes, let’s get him to the hospital, shall we?”

‘Jeez, speak so casually about it, why don’t ya? Prick’

“Let’s get going, but careful you don’t jostle him on the way. Don’t want to aggravate any of his injuries.”

‘Sure, now pretend you care. You know what, you’re new worst pony. I know I said filly Rarity was, but she redeemed herself. You? I don’t like you. You’re worst pony now.’ I fixed the best glare I could manage on the back of the doctor’s head as the nurses cantered along beside him.

‘And then you tell Rarity that it's “dangerous to be out here alone”, yet you make her walk home by herself. And you don’t even introduce yourself? I don’t even care what your name is, I just want to know who to put down as worst pony. You probably don’t even have one, or it’s probably something like “backround pony number five-thousand and sixty-eight”. You aren’t important enough for a name.'

My thoughts finally caught up to me and I could only blink in surprise at what I was thinking.

‘Wow, I am being a complete dick. What is up with that?’

As the nurses cantered along, the surprisingly gentle ride started lulling me to sleep, and I felt my eyes begin to grow heavy.

‘This is a surprisingly smooth ride… I wonder how they do it.'

My eyes slowly drifted closed, and with one final thought I faded from consciousness.

‘Eh, it’s probably magic…’