Chivalry Reborn

Chapter 7:

Getting the Facts

I stood in my bathroom, in front of the sink, breathing deeply. My arms rested at the edges of the marble counter, water still dripping out of the faucet. For some reason, all the electricity and plumbing still worked just fine, despite the fact that I saw all the pipes and wires hanging, unchecked, when I saw the underside of my house. I was staring at the drain, thinking about what I spent the last hour doing.

I had just finished a long talk with six people- excuse me, ponies, introducing myself and explaining my situation to them all.  They had told the three fillies to go home. I told them my name, my basic lifestyle, my homeworld, and the events that somehow lead me into falling into their town. Well, no. I couldn’t say that. I had to bite my tongue on certain subjects on facts of my world, and certain events that went on today, such as the pendant, Uncle Jimmy’s letter, and the alleyway. Those factors were too personal to speak on. If anything, I should ask someone who knew about the symbol on the box and pendant.They left about an hour after the fillies, due to the fact that it was getting dark.

A drop of water fell from my face and plummeted down the dark hole in my sink. I reviewed the facts of each of the ponies gave me in my head.

I’m apparently stuck in a land called “Equestria,” a world filled with mythical creatures, but mainly populated by horses (or rather ponies. They don’t seem to really like being called horses.) There are three kinds of ponies, everybody is apparently happy here, and this land is all ruled by two princesses (which had both a horn AND wings.), Celestia and Luna, who control the Sun and Moon, respectively (That HAS to be a lie. No way that can work.) The city I landed in is called “Ponyville,” is one of the more popular towns of Equestria, despite how simple the folk are. They also mentioned that where I landed was “Everfree forest.” It’s considered a terrifying place because “The animals live on their own, and the clouds and trees move and live on their own.” I didn’t say anything, but this is basically nature on Earth.

This popped so many questions in my head that I almost busted out screaming, but I remained silent. To hell with it. No more rationalizing with human logic while I'm here. I'll have to use this information to make sense of things. I started to make data files of each of the mares in my mind.

Applejack: A family member of the Apple family, who are a family farmers of a nearby acre called Sweet Apple Acres. Normally goes about her day her day “applebucking,” (Apparently, it’s when you kick a tree to make apples fall out of them.) baking apple products and then selling them. Called the “most dependable of ponies.” She offered to let me work for her to get bits (apparently their form of money.) to buy things in this world. Apparently, human American money, doesn’t count here. I’ve written down the directions she gave me to get to Sweet Apple Acres. The piece of paper is in my breast pocket right now. I pat it, to check if it was still there. I’ll look into working there tomorrow, I guess. Next pony.

Rarity: A fashion designer pony, who works at a local boutique, making outfits for her clients, and dreaming of being high class fame. She was apparently eyeing me up and down to critique my clothing. She said, and I quote: that “your clothing choice is absolutely marvelous, but is ruined by that simple jacket and those horribly worn out shoes.” She then continued to pound my head with pointers in fashion. I barely listened, but heard that if I ever wanted to get more fashionable clothing, I should stop by her boutique. “My door will always be open to you, darling.” I can still hear her voice in my head. I really need to ask her to not call me ‘darling’ again. I felt strangely uncomfortable with her doing it.

Pinkie Pie: Oh god, where do I start? She literally bounced right out of her seat stayed afloat in the air yelling “yaaay, new friend!” , before getting in my face- IN my FACE, to excitedly tell me that it was “It was going to be super-extra-fun having something as weird and funny-looking as me.” And that she was going to “throw me that super special, and funnest, party I have ever seen.” So much that “I will be all ‘gaaaasssp,’ and then she’ll be all ‘surprise!” and then I’ll be all ‘Pinkie Pie’s the best party pony ever! Best friends for life.’” ……I’m kind of scared to go visit her bakery, Sugarcube Corner. Nevertheless, I noted her location for when I need a snack or something.

Fluttershy (how fitting): A pony who lives in a cottage in the woods, who tends to animal, keeping them safe and keeping the flow and nature going. Apparently she’s a quite the sissy, because as soon as I opened my refrigerator to get some juice, she zipped under my couch, shivering and whimpering for the next 3 minutes.  She told me that I could come to her if she wanted to talk about something sensitive…..”If I didn’t mind.”

Rainbow Dash didn’t say much about herself. She kept her eyes dancing away from my general figure, face in a big huff. She only said that she was here to know just why I ended up so high in the air, and for what stupid reason I yanked her from the sky. I could take the hint that she didn’t want to talk to me right now, but damn, do you have to be so rude with it?

Applejack and Rarity had to explain to me that she’s the fastest flier in Ponyville and is often found lazing around. They also said that I can hang out with her if I wanted to relax and have fun. Rainbow snorted at this. I can tell already we’re going to be the best of friends.

Tap, tap, tap.

My review was cut short by a soft knocking on my bathroom door. A voice called out to me, sounding concerned.

“Winston, are you okay in there?” It was Twilight Sparkle, the last of the six mares I’d just spoken to. She had stayed behind because she wanted to talk in private.

.

While the others hastily left, forgetting they all had their own affairs to tend to before getting caught up in my arrival; Rainbow insisted not staying here with “this jerk,” but Twilight persuaded her to be on her way as well.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” I called back standing back upright. “I’ll be out in a second.”

I wipe the water off my face, slinging the bag off my back. I had completely forgotten about it until a few minutes ago, when Twilight mentioned it as the others left. I had excused myself to the bathroom, because 1. I needed to pee, and 2. I needed to absorb these facts and get my head straightened.

This lavender unicorn, apparently the town librarian named Twilight Sparkle, stopped me from explaining what happened in the alleyway. She also looked to the side when I mentioned I lived in Wilberforce University. She knew more than anyone else did.

I agreed to let her stay a bit longer than the others, not only to find out about her history, but how she knows so much. She has to have some sort of lead as to why I’m stuck here. What the symbol on this bag I’m holding means.

I glance at my wristwatch, seeing just how long I’ve been in here, contemplating. The time read 9: 48. I’ve had been in here for 6 minutes. I take one glance at the mirror to see how I looked. I’ve been here this long and never looked at my reflection; I was so focused on thinking. A lightly tan-skinned, tall young man stood there. Okay, that’s the basics, what about the details? Short ruffled black hair? Check, it was a little messier than normal, but hey. Slightly wide nose? Check. Glasses? Hell yes, they’re there! Not a single scratch on them from those dives, either! Suck it, nature! Yep, my body’s the same as it was when I got here.  There’s a small tear at the top of the left shoulder of my shirt; I can sow the material back later. I've always kept a small sowing kit, case I torn some of my clothes doing exercises or just from bad luck. Why pay the extra cash to stitch a shirt shoulder back together, when I can just do it myself?

Still, something didn’t feel the same. I just couldn’t put my finger on it….

Forget it, it can wait. I shouldn’t make Twilight wait any longer. I step towards the door, slowly turned the knob, as I walked out back out into my living room.  I pause a moment to look at my reflection one more time.

What was off about this reflection from my everyday face..?

I pull my eyes away from my mirrored other, and closed the door behind me.

As I stepped into the living room, I glanced over the room. It was the same way I left it.  In the center round dining table, there were 6 extra seats pull out from underneath it.  There were 7 seven glasses of apple juice on the table, about 4 of the six were empty. I recall Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, and Twilight not even taking a sip from their cups. I didn’t either.  My family clock, that had an image of an owl’s face in the background, was mounted high on my back wall, filling the room with a quiet tick every second.

In the seat closest to the door I came from, sat Twilight Sparkle. She was sitting in the chair much like most four legged animals are expected to:  Sitting upright, sitting on her haunches. She was sitting there, examining one of my father’s old airplane models, one of the older models of an airline plane. She must have picked it up while looking around, waiting for me.

She had her horn glowing, a purple shine covering her horn. Same colored speckles of light shimmered and shined around my memento from my father, making it slowly twist and turn in midair. I recall Rarity explaining to me that she and Twilight could both use magical spells to do a number of things like cutting, sewing, or handling items.  It sounded preposterous to me when I heard it, but when I saw how Rarity drank from her glass, shining her horn and making the glass float to her lips, before tipping it ever so slightly and sipping, like a noblewoman would, it left no room to deny it: This world was really one of magic.

Twilight seemed genuinely interested in how it was built. It’s probably because it’s something she’s never seen before in this world. I looked at her features once more. Purple eyes, purple hair with a pink, seemingly natural streak on the side. It matched the girl’s description perfectly. Hell, even her voice sounded like the girl’s, now that I think about it. There was also her magic. It’s emitting the same color sparkles as the ones that showed up on my house. Was she the one slowing down my house’s fall? I had to get some answers out of her.

I stepped to her line of sight, taking my seat next to her. “I take it there is no such thing as an airplane in Equestria?” I asked her slowly, trying to not to scare her.

She looked up a little surprised to see me. She must have not heard me come in at all.

“Ah, no,” she said, slowly returning her focus to the miniature aircraft once more. “Just what is this thing called?”

“It’s called an airplane,” I explained, watching her eyes shift from detail to detail of the model. “They’re one of the methods we humans use to get about quickly. In this case, by flying into the air.”

“You people get in these tiny devices, and fly around in them?” She squeaked, pretty confused on how that can be. “Do you use a shrink spell to get inside?”

“What? Oh, no, no,” I answered quickly, waving my hand to dismiss the silly idea. “As I said before, human don’t have such a thing as magic. So we rely on our intelligence to make machines to help us in life. That model there is only about 1/16th of the size of the actual thing. You can fit over 20 people in those.”

“Wow, really?  That’s amazing!” She marveled at the thought, eyes shining with imagination. “A people that can’t use magic, but can fly the skies…”  She seemed absolutely enthralled by it; I almost didn't want to pull her attention away from it.

“Yeah, I guess it is,” I closed my eyes, thinking about how I said the exact same thing to my dad, when I was small. It was one of the more memorable times I can remember with my father. I would always listen as he recalled old stories of his misadventures with his teammates, laughing with a loud, joyous roar.

I opened my eyes back. I was getting off the point.  I let Twilight stay to ask her about the alleyway and what she knows about me and my world. I look back at fTwilight, the purple-coated unicorn was now looking at the shelf, having put the model back on my shelf and was now just glancing over the other little antiques I had.

“Hey, Twilight?”

“Hmmn? Yes?” She answered, turning her head towards me, listening to what I was going to ask.

I breathed in slowly, and then ask the question I’m sure both of us were planning to have answered.

“Were you in my world earlier today?”

“…”

She had gone silent, expression faded from pleasantly curious, to serious. She turned her body to completely face me, before answering me honestly.

“Yes, I was.”

“You were being assaulted in an alleyway by two thugs.” I pressed her.

She frowned slightly at the memory. “Yes, they were planning to do something awful to me.” She then smiled at me gratefully. “But then you came and saved me, when you didn’t need to. You were so brave to come and fight them for my well-being.”

I looked to the side, a little embarrassed at her words. It wasn’t everyday I got so many compliments from a girl my age calling me brave. Pony or human, it made me a little uncomfortable.

“Yeah, well,” I mutter a little, looking back at her. “I couldn’t just let someone suffer, when I can stop it.”

“Still, thank you Winston.” She leans towards me, rubbing her head against my shoulder lightly. “You really did save me.”

I can feel my face heat up. I was never used to anyone other than my parents and relatives touching me. It’s made twice as worse when it’s a female. I thanked my Uncle Jimmy for teaching me how to act. In his lessons, he taught me how to contain my facial my expressions when I wanted them to. This included controlling how much I blush. I cough lightly, keeping calm. My face stopped heating up, and stays down. I refuse to blush so easily,damn it!

“Yeah, well you’re welcome, I guess.” I respond to Twilight’s expression of gratitude, looking to the side. She giggles to herself, moving back to an upright position, saying “sorry,” while still giggling. Her cheeks had a slight tilt of red on them, probably realizing what she was doing.

Ugh. I hate awkward situations with girls. I never do well with them.

“Ya-huh,” I sigh before moving onto my next question. “Anyway, were you the one slowing down my house a little while ago?”

“What do you mean?” Twilight tilts her head, confused by my question.

“I mean, were you using your magic to slow my house’s fall when it was falling from the sky earlier. I saw purple sparkles along the sides of my house, and considering your magic, you seem to fit the bill.”

“I have no idea, what you’re talking about,” Twilight confessed, raising an eyebrow. “I came running to where you and Applejack were, after being informed that there was something big falling towards Ponyville by Rainbow and Rarity.” She looks too confused to be lying.

You've gotta be kidding! That means I have no leads as to who could have brought me here. I place my hand against my chin, trying to think of a new theory.

“In that case,” I muttered, pondering.  “Who could have stopped it from crashing, then?”

“Perhaps I can answer that for you, stranger.” A new voice filled the air around use. It was soft, kind, almost motherly. Suddenly a flash came from behind Twilight and I. I slowly turn around.

There, stood a new pony, with a slightly pink coat of white. Her mane and tail fluttered in the wind, the colors of cyan, turquoise, light green and purples wavering along the open space of the room, seemingly making the place brighten. Deep magenta eyes were looking directly at me. I turn around, shifting out of my chair, staring at the new face.

She had a crown on her head, and a long, lance-like horn in front of it, as though it was making sure it wouldn’t fall off. I glance down at her sides. A wing, laid there shut, resting for when they were needed. I’m pretty sure I know who this is, but I don’t wanna count my chickens before they hatch.

Right as I finish that cliché thought, Twilight ran by my side, mouth agape, confirming me once again.

“Princess Celestia!”

The winged Unicorn smiled at the librarian, as Twilight bowed before her. The sight made her laugh to herself. “Oh please, Twilight, there’s no need for formalities with me every time.”

Yep, it’s a princess, alright. A princess is in my house. Great. I wished I had a chance to tidy up first.