Home Is Where You Make It

Chapters

1 - The Hunt
2 - Demons
3 - Water
4 - High

1 - The Hunt

Author's Note

This is a (clop) sequel to “Home” written with some light RGRE elements and with emphasis on story. I went back and forth a LOT during planning of this story as to how to frame it. 1st person? 3rd person? Present tense? Past tense? In the end, I decided on 1st person past tense, however since I wanted to have scenes without the human protagonist, I relented on switching perspectives, marking each switch with a military-style status readout as seen below – a trick I “borrowed” from “Horse Girls Are Watching”. Enjoy! 😊

1 - The Hunt

``` Report: Lance Corporal [NAME REDACTED] of 14th Solar Battalion Location: Planet Equis. East Equestria. Local time: 2300 hours Status report: Company behind enemy lines. Tango in sight. Undetected. On my mark.

```

Focus. Wait for the opportunity. 4. Breathe. Calm and steady. 3. Stay down. Strong stance. 2. Aim. Shaft to the ear. Tip to the heart. 1. Hold breath. Fire.

A single arrow was let loose, and at once, a horde of bat silhouettes descended from the canopy as a rain of death. The elder stag had no time to react. An arrow in his chest, his herd-members panicked. I fired a second arrow into his chest, swiftly followed by a third. The animal was quickly left alone, his fate sealed. Fangs pierced flesh, and the hot, metallic stench of blood filled the air. One of the group, a dark-coated bat-mare, hissed with euphoric excitement as she bore her sharp fangs, ready to extract the blood she desired so much. As they pierced the dying creature’s neck, her eyes rolled back and her heartrate soared. Her breaths came in short, shallow pants as she tasted the sweet nectar. The stag’s kicking and struggling became weaker and weaker as the life was drained out of him, until, finally, he stilled.

Suddenly, the ecstasy of the moment was interrupted as her eyes met mine. Our eyes locked for a moment and even in the dark, I could swear she was blushing.

“Good shot, Newbee.” Came a gruff, male voice from behind, as another shadow shot past me, diving for the dead animal and snapping me out of my gaze. I pulled out a large, sharp hunting knife, ready to carve out a decent meal.

A little while later, I sat around a crackling campfire cooking my freshly cut venison steak on the end of a long metal fork. The hunting party had split into various social circles, only around 2-3 to a fire, around mine was Azure Moon – a mare I’d met a few weeks prior – and a friend she had introduced as Skye Nova.

“How many did we take down in the end?” I asked, trying to make idle conversation with the strange creatures.

“Uhhh, three, I think?” Azure answered equally idly. The hunting party was only made up of a dozen-or-so Bat-Ponies, so there was easily enough food for everyone with 3 deers downed.

“Good work with the bow, Rook. Didn’t think you’d be able to do it. Most stallions choose to let the mares do the hunting.” The darker-coloured bat-mare said. “I gotta say, you don’t look all that dangerous, to me.”

“Seems you underestimated him, Skye.” Azure Moon added coyly.

“Story of my life.” I simply stated, trying not to take offence to Skye’s emasculating comment. I took a moment to admire the two mares before me, their bat-like features flickering in the firelight.

Most Bat-Ponies had a dark coat of some kind; it’s what they were known for, (well that and eating meat, but let’s gloss over that) and Azure Moon was no exception. Hers was dark blue, almost navy, and I’d known from past observation that it made her almost impossible to spot in the night sky. Along the tips of her wings, however, were silver highlights that sometimes shone as if there were made of actual polished silver. Her mane was a dark, metallic grey, almost black, and a silver streak stretched from top, all the way to the bottom of her dead-straight hair. Her tail had the same colour scheme, albeit with a spiky, tail ring accessory that looked like it belonged on a rebelling teenager and not a military trained, predator of the night. Her blue face was accented with silver markings around her eyes and if one looked closely enough, a few dark freckles could be seen just under them. By far her most striking feature, were her eyes themselves. Like almost all Bat-Ponies she had vertical, snake-like pupils, but hers were ringed with deep, blood red irises. I’m not going to lie; I found those blood-ruby eyes captivating; as if they were drawing me in with their almost hypnotic flare every time I looked at them.

Skye Nova was the darker of the two; sporting an almost black coat but with a vibrant, dark red and orange mane and tail that looked like they were on fire. The contrast between black and fiery colour really did remind me of images of supernovae I’d seen on the internet; hence her name I suppose.

“Where did you say you were from?” Skye asked suddenly, snapping me from my thoughts.

“Earth. My planet was-is called Earth.”

“How’d you get here?” Azure looked at me, her ears perking up. My mind flashed back to images of twisted metal. Screaming people and wailing sirens filled my mind. And water. So much rushing water. My consciousness flickered back to reality and I shivered involuntarily.

“Not my favourite topic.” I examined my steak; almost done to perfection. “Not like it matters anyway.” I added quietly, but apparently not quietly enough to evade a Bat-Pony’s sharp hearing.

“What do you mean? Why doesn’t it matter?” Azure piped up. I did jump slightly, surprised she’d heard me but I just shrugged again.

“Cos I will probably never see it again. I can’t go back.”

“Why not?” The other mare asked. “Can’t you just go back the way you came?” I shook my head.

“Doesn’t work like that. Celestia said she had the perfect pers-er-pony to investigate whatever brought me here. Called them a 'genius'. Never met them face-to-face but I got letters every now and then. Last update was a couple of months ago. And well, it’s not looking good. Apparently, once a link opens between worlds, it’s almost impossible to reopen it to the same place and time again; something about universes moving at random through 4-dimensional space – I don’t understand most of it to be honest. But the long-and-short of it is, I’m never getting back home.” The two looked ashen, neither sure what to say. “Worse places to get stuck, though.” I added, wanting to break the awkward silence. The two mares perked up. “Decent weather. Steady work.” I gestured to my haunch of meat as I took a large bite out of it. “Good food. Just sayin’. Could be worse.”

“That’s a… positive attitude.” Skye added carefully.

“What about family though?” Azure blabbed, which earned a sharp jab in the side from her friend. “What? I wanna know!” She looked at me with curious eyes. “Parents? Mare-friend? A herd?”

“Dad and I fell out years ago. Let’s just say things were said and leave it there. I have a sister but she’s off doing her own thing; couldn’t really give a damn about us. My poor old mum tried her best with us, but…” I trailed off as I felt a stabbing pain in my chest. “Yeah. No one left to miss me, even if I could go back.” I immediately hated myself for that line; was that too melancholic? Too dramatic and whiny? They probably thought I was pathetic. “W-What about you, Azure? You got a family?” I quickly asked, wanting to get the attention off me as I took another huge bite of fresh meat.

“Full works.” She said, grumbling. “Brother, five sisters, Mother, Father, even cousin Forest Bloom.”

“Wow.” I said, astonished. “That’s quite the family.”

“Not that any of them are worth a damn.” Azure grumbled under her breath, going unnoticed to her friend.

“Bat-Ponies are very talented breeders!” Skye said with beaming pride. “We are the most fertile out of all the pony races! And we’re the best in the bedroom too!” She said, giving me a sly wink. Azure just huffed. “Whaaat?” Skye protested. “It’s not racist if it’s true! I mean do you really think some whelpling unicorn stallion could keep up with either of us? Much less a herd?!”

“Have you ever actually tried a unicorn stallion?” I asked, wanting to test a theory about Skye. Azure smirked coyly as she looked at Skye whose nose was scrunching up in disgust.

“What?! Ewwwww No! You think I’d raise my tail to one of those high-and-mighty Sunflowers? Buck no.” I chuckled.

“Then how do you know they wouldn’t be worth your time?” I asked through a mouthful of venison. Azure snorted as she tried to keep in her laughter.

“Haha! He’s got you there, Skye!” The darker mare just huffed and focused on her own meat.

“You know I’m right, Azure.”

“What about you, Skye?” I asked, still chewing. “What’s your story?” She just shrugged.

“Oh, you know. Just your average marely-mare looking for love.” She puffed out her chest which she must have thought was intimidating but actually just made her look cute with all that chest-fluff. “Or at least a decent herd with a nice handsome stallion to buck.” Her eyes glazed over as she considered an idea that had just popped into her head. “Or three.” Azure suddenly laughed raucously at her friend’s expense.

“Three stallions? Oh Luna! You’re not serious! Like you could pull that off!” Skye almost looked offended.

“Probably better than you could, Moony.” Azure’s wings flared and her predatory eyes narrowed at Skye at the mention of her loathed nickname. “B-besides! Why not?!” She quickly added, a hint of nervousness in her voice.

“Because it’s almost impossible to find a nice stallion all to yourself, Skye!” Azure explained as if it was pre-school level science. “I mean when was the last time you saw a herd with more than one stallion? I mean maybe if you’re royalty but otherwise, it’s just not going to happen.” There was that word again. ‘Herd’. I swallowed before nervously asking what I’m sure would be an extremely obvious question.

“W-when you say, ‘herd’… you mean…?” The mares looked confused.

“You know, when two or more mares share a stallion!” Skye explained with the same condescending attitude Azure had used on her.

“So… polygamous relationships are common here. Fancy that.” I said, trying not to sound too interested before quietly adding. “Lucky bastards.”

“Why? Didn’t they have the same thing in your world?” Skye asked. I shook my head. I really needed to learn to keep my mouth shut when Bat-Ponies were around.

“No. Polygamous relationships aren’t really a thing with humans. I mean it’s not unheard of, but it’s very rare and not exactly accepted in common society.” I explained. Her eyes drifted to my cut of the stag, and the blood now dripping down my mouth as I bit into the juicy flesh.

“Rare. Not unlike your steak, Human.” Skye said, eying either me or my meat hungrily (I couldn’t tell which). Instinctively, I brought the haunch closer to my chest, as if protecting my kill.

“Hey, touch my food, you die, little Bat-Horse!” Azure snorted and even Skye looked a little taken back.

“Ohhhh tough guy and likes his meat nice and bloody? Where did you get this one, Azure? He’s a firecracker!” I wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but let it slide anyway. “Better watch out, some lucky mare’s gonna snatch you up pretty soon. Surprised nopony has already!”

“Maybe the species difference has got something to do with it, you retarded edgelord horse!” I thought angrily, but this time I kept my mouth firmly shut as I didn’t want to rise to her obvious trolling.

“Hey, you’re not… I mean…” Skye trailed off, clearly unsure how to phrase it.

“What?” I asked.

“You know, you don’t ‘bat for the other team’, right?” My face deadpanned.

“I’m not gay.” I stated flatly. Skye looked relieved.

“Phew. That’s good.”

“Why’s it good?” I asked.

“It just is.”

The rest of the night was spent with idle chatter, although a lot more of it came from Skye than from Azure. She seemed genuinely interested in my origins of Earth and my bizarre Human customs, while Azure just stuck to grunting and the occasional bantering comment. Eventually sleep began to call to me however. I had prepared for this hunt by taking a couple of days off work to get my body clock the right way around but even so, the siren of sleep was offering her sweet embrace and I was growing more tempted to let her take me. I had read that night shift workers back on earth often struggled when it came to around 3 or 4 AM, especially if they were not used to it and now, I was starting to get what they meant. Throwing my bone onto the pile, I yawned hugely.

“I… I’m gonna get some sleep, okay?” I didn’t notice, but as I stretched out, both mares were watching my powerful limbs.

“But… It’s still early.” Azure spoke uncharacteristically softly.

“Maybe for you Bats!” I countered as I finished my stretching. “But I’m not used to this yet and besides, I go back to work in a couple of days so I gotta get my clock right for that.” Laying back on my sleeping bag, I began to make myself comfortable. Skye seemed to understand but Azure just grunted, and resumed gnawing on her bone.

“Hey, one thing?” I looked up at Skye for a moment, awaiting whatever she had to say. “So… you Humans can switch between day and night cycles at will? You can sleep whenever you want?” I chuckled.

“Switching between the two can be hard, but we get used to it pretty quickly, yeah.” I explained. “Why?”

“Just wondered.” I yawned again as I hit the pillow, sleep now consuming me.

“Good Night, Girls.”

“Good Day.” Both said in unison.

2 - Demons

``` Report: Lance Corporal [NAME REDACTED] of 14th Solar Battalion Location: Canterlot Castle, Guard Barracks. Local time: 0230 hours Status report: Stressed and can’t sleep. Memories of home plague me. What am I doing here? The demons are coming…

```

In my dark room, I sat on the windowsill, the loudest sounds in the room my own breathing and heartbeat, and my only companion my nearly-empty glass of whisky. My dorm was small; a combination bedroom and office, with an open kitchen layout, the change in room only marked by a shift from rough, worn-out carpet to smooth, stained tiles. A single bathroom accommodated the twin-bed dorm, which I shared with my best friend, Dayspear. My roommate was currently out of town, however – off on some deployment to the Crystal Empire. I wasn’t sure why, but I didn’t care. The last thing I wanted right now was company - the voices in my head were starting to stir.

Sighing heavily, I rubbed my tired eyes as I stared out of my window at the dark city skyline of Canterlot. The city had lights in the streets, most of them powered by magic (although a few older, gas-powered ones still remained in the outer city), however, as per Princess Luna’s orders, all street lamps were to be turned off at midnight, in order to preserve the beauty of the night sky she worked so hard on.

The stars shone brighter than I’d ever seen them on Earth, like a million candles in the sky, accented by spectacular galaxy dust that lit up the sky in a dazzling array of blues, purples, reds and silvers. Then, of course, there was the centrepiece; her beloved moon, shining brightly in its full form.

This world may have had literal magic, flying gryphons with razor-sharp talons, and god-damn fire-breathing dragons, but at least werewolves were one thing I didn’t have to worry about in this world... Right?

There was no question her work was breath-taking. Growing up in the heavily air-and-light-polluted city, I had never seen anything like it outside of pictures on the internet, and without question, the real thing left those images in the stardust. But despite its beauty, almost no one was around to see it. Most ponies were almost completely diurnal aside from the bare essentials like royal guards and hospital workers. It seemed ponies had no concept of a ‘city that never slept’.

So here I was; almost no one awake in the entire city aside from me and the Lunar Guard. I could see how it could be debilitating to work so hard, at your very purpose in life no less, and then get completely ignored for all your labours. I empathised with the crippling loneliness and desperation to be loved that led to Princess Luna’s downfall all those years ago.
A similar question of purpose and belonging plagued me now.

Sighing again I made my way to my desk. Pulling out a flip-lid lighter, (one of the few things in my possession when I came here that wasn’t now completely useless), I lit a candle and sat down, taking two pieces of parchment out of the drawer as I did so. The first was a filled-out application to the Lunar Guard. The Princess’s words flickered through my head.

“Since you seem to have no trouble staying awake at night, there is a place for you among my Lunar Guard, if you wanted it.”

The same questions flickered through my head like the candlelight on the aged parchment. What would this achieve? Did I want this? Would I be happier, or just be dealing with the same shit on a different day? Or ‘night’ I suppose. I did seem to fit in better with the ‘bats’ rather than the ’birds’, but I also had those I considered – dare I even say it – ‘friends’ in the Solar Guard. Or at least something close to it. These were questions I didn’t want to ponder now.

Setting the application aside, the real focus of my attention came into view; the last letter from the mysterious ‘genius researcher’ identified only as the initials ‘T.S’. Yet again I read through it as if I hadn’t already done so a million times before. In impeccable calligraphy, the letter read;

Dear ‘Human’,

When are you going to tell me your real name? For Celestia’s sake, you were willing to give me a blood sample but not your name? Even with my months of study, I struggle to understand you.

Firstly, I hope this letter finds you well.

I’m afraid I have bad news. Our latest experiment into trans-dimensional phase-shifting has failed. You recall, we made some progress into the Time Spell Adaption Project, but the time-travel effect remains unstable and thus, temporary. We have it up to around 24 hours now, but it still isn’t permanent.

In any case, this looks to be a dead end too, as the fundamentals of the spell itself break down when combined with altered matter, or matter transportation.

Did you read those books I sent you? If you did, you may recall a concept called the Hay-Zing Singularity Principle. The theory states that matter, living or inert, may be transported in space or time, but not both at once. I have tried to find a way around this but it seems Hay-Zing Burger was onto something when he coined his theory.

In short, we are running out of leads, and fast. I’m not defeated yet; I still have one or two (frankly, insane) theories to test, but it’s not looking good. Your chances of ever returning are growing increasingly thin.

If you want my advice, I would start to make yourself comfortable. I’m sure ponies will be very accommodating to your needs if you ask and if the species barrier gives you concern, I assure you it is unfounded. Most ponies in Equestria are quite used to dealing with all manner of creature. I believe this may be why Celestia insisted you be stationed in Canterlot, due to its diversity. You should settle in as best you can.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely

-T.S.

At once, images of home began to flash through my mind. The Earth. The people. All of our accomplishments. My old girlfriend. My dear mother. I would never see any of it, any of them, ever again! I felt a pulling in the back of my head.

This was how it started. When the demons came for me, came to feed on me, it would always start with an odd, unpleasant, almost itching in the back of my skull. In my mind‘s eye, I saw it. A cloaked figure. A moving embodiment of pure shadow and misery. It latched itself to me like a leach, burrowing its insect-like mouthparts deep into my brainstem. I felt the happiness drain from me. All semblance of hope and resilience faded from my soul, like I was being drained dry. Occasionally, I would give into the physical urge to turn around, but of course, there was never anyone there; just the emptiness of my dark room.

A growing, hot rage was burning in my stomach. Not pure anger. Not malice. Something hotter. Something more visceral. Feeling a lump in my throat, I slammed the letter down on the desk, before slumping down in defeat. My shaking hands covered my face as I choked. The lump in my throat grew painful as I tried to hold back my tears. A frustrated sob escaped me, muffled by my hands cradling my face like a newborn.

The only one of my kind on the planet, maybe in this universe. Aside from a curious museum piece, what exactly was I for? What. Was. The. Fucking. Point. Of. Me? It was pitiful, but these were the questions the voices in my head asked as they tortured me with images of home, and, even more painfully, how I got here…

Once again. Water. So much water. The force of it. Pulling me down.

I shivered as I mentally slapped myself back to reality. My eyes wandered over to the safe at the foot of my bed.

I wanted to fight it on my own. I wanted to tell myself to ‘man the fuck up’, but this was the third night in a row without sleep and the last thing I wanted was to fall asleep on shift. Aside from being a serious offence in itself, my current acting C.O, Obsidian Broadsword, was an unpleasant, racist old stallion, who would look for any excuse to single me out.

But inside that cabinet, lay the potential answer. My stubborn nature told me I didn’t need it; that I was weak and giving in to the pain if I took it, but still, it called to me. Should I do without it?

No. Better to show weakness now, then later in front of Broadsword and give him the ammunition he needed.
I got up and made my way swiftly to the safe. Top centre of the door, was the well-known logo for the security company, IronSentry; a pegasus guard with outstretched metallic wings and an upright spear in front. Embossed below, were the words, Secure Anti Fire Enchantment Vault HS2000. With a shaking hand, I pressed my palm against the cold metal and spoke the words.

“Caput Draconis.”

With a flourish of magic, the safe burst into life. The large wheel on the front spun rapidly several times, and the sound of many different locking mechanisms disengaging could be heard from inside. Finally, the door opened.

Inside were several items:

My old mobile phone, as useless as it was, I couldn’t bring myself to throw it out.
A pair of expensive in-ear earphones; equally useless.
The small amount of money I’d been carrying upon my arrival here.
A small, nondescript jewellery box.
A loose, gold signet ring I’d been given by my father on my 16th birthday.
Some cash in Equestrian Bits I’d been saving up.
A list of meat-containing recipes I wanted to keep secret.
And finally, what I was looking for; a glass jar containing a fluffy, purple, blueish substance with small silver sparkles across its cotton-like surface. When baked into food or smoked, it had an effect somewhat similar to cannabis.

Growing up, I’d never much cared for its earth-equivalent, in fact, I despised it when my mother smoked normal cigarettes around me, but when Dayspear had offered me a joint of his own after I confessed my trouble sleeping (although I hadn’t told him anything of the voices or dreams), my logic at the time had been;

“Well, if it’s legal here… Plus you are quite happy to take painkillers, caffeine, and booze when it suits you, so the whole ‘I don’t do drugs’ thing doesn’t hold much weight.”

Taking out a moderate amount of the flour, I quickly rolled myself a blunt. In one swift motion, I flipped open my lighter again and rolled the striker against my leg, lighting it before bringing it to the joint in my mouth. I inhaled deeply. At once, I felt a mild sensation of relief wash over me. My tired muscles finally began to relax and even the voices of the demons gnawing at the back of my skull didn’t seem quite so loud. I refilled my whisky and sat back down on the windowsill; tonight, I was determined to get some sleep.

Author's Note

Wow! I wasn't expecting the engagement the first chapter got; Thank You! :D
Here is the second chapter, and while the first was a look at his social life, this one takes a closer look at the man inside, and the pain he tries so hard not to show. This is all going to be expanded on so don’t worry if you thought it was a bit vague.
If you get the little science reference you win a cookie by the way, and bonus points for figuring out why I used the password I did on the SAFE, aside from it being a cute Harry Potter reference.
MASSIVE Thanks btw to Horse Girls Are Watching! After a lengthy discussion with him, this story has undergone large planning changes and many of the issues with it I really, really wasn’t happy with have since been resolved. Seriously, dude, you are a fuckin’ LEGEND! /)
Like, Fav, Comment, Share if you please. :)

3 - Water

``` Report: [NAME REDACTED], Civilian Location: Cruise Ship “Stardust Princess”, North Atlantic Ocean. Local time: 1715 hours Status report: So nervous. About to make the biggest decision of my life. I can’t believe my life is finally turning.

```

Looking out at the setting sun, my mind ran through the potential implications of what I was about to do. I looked down at the small black box in my hand. Just a few more minutes. It would be perfectly timed. I even had a speech prepared. Although my heart fluttered with nervous energy, the cool, fresh ocean air filled my lungs, calming me. It was almost as if the earth itself was telling me everything was going to be fine. This was a turning point in my life, one way or another.

Normally, there would have been no way a broke university student like myself would have been able to afford tickets on a luxury cruise liner, much less a second ticket for a plus-1, but the cruise company had been at the centre of some kind of scandal. I couldn’t remember what it was about, I just remember seeing the company name in news-feeds. To try and get some good press they had been giving tickets to the families of dying kids, cancer patients, disabled people and so on, as well running competitions to get people talking about the possibility of getting a free vacation. I had seen an ad for the company and one of these competitions during the commercial-break of one of my favourite animated TV shows. I normally didn’t bother with things like this as the chances of winning were astronomically small, but for whatever reason, I decided to enter on a whim so I fired up my POS laptop and went to the website. Entering did require sharing the website on social media but that didn’t matter to me as almost no one followed me there aside from my mother and girlfriend.

A month later, I had gotten what at first looked to be a typical junk email, but turned out to be fully legit, informing me that I’d actually WON! Two tickets on a VIP cruise starting in Miami, culminating in King’s Wharf port, and stopping at several islands around the Bahamas along the way.

It was the opportunity of a lifetime! All I had to pay for was travel costs to the east coast of the US and some spending-money for the vacation itself, but that wasn’t too bad as I had a little cash saved up.

A high-pitched beeping pulled me from my thoughts. Silencing the alarm on my watch, I took a deep breath in.

“Okay, Dude. It’s now or never. Let’s fucking do this.”

Turning on my heel, I made my way below decks, a spring in my step.

As I walked down the hall to our room, I felt my heart flutter a bit but my feet moved forward with conviction. My body knew what needed to be done even if my anxious and overthinking mind didn’t. I stopped outside the thick wooden door. Room 6-12. I raised my knuckle to the wood.

*CRASH!*

The entire ship shuddered with a loud boom that almost threw me clean to the floor. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I also heard a wave of screams coming from many of the people in the other rooms. But nothing from my own room. Picking myself up, panic ran through my mind as I wondered if she was ok. I frantically searched through my pockets, before pulling out my key-card and tapping it against the receiver. A low beep and a red light raised my heartrate further. I used the card again. Another beep and red light.

“COME ON COME ON!” Tapping again, the green light appeared and a high-pitched tone sounded. The lock disengaged. I flung the door open. To simultaneous my relief and terror, I was greeted by nothing but an empty room and some smashed glass from the fallen bedside lamp. If she wasn’t here, where was she?

*CRASH!*

This time I was sent flat on my face. Adrenaline surged through me as the instinct to fight or flee overtook my being. My love was smart. The captain hadn’t sounded the alarm yet, but we both knew it would take time to assess the damage. I wasn’t going to wait around for that. Neither would she. The lifeboats were on deck 4. I would meet her there.

Before I could even register that I’d made my decision, I found myself on deck 4.

The sound of yelling and the stewards trying to calm everyone down faded to a dull noise as my desire to mind my love overtook everything. But then another sound registered in my mind. A trickling; like someone had left a tap slightly open. I looked down. There was a small rivulet of water flowing across the floor. Another explosion.

This time I was thrown across the room. Stunned, the sound of massive metal girders bending and straining echoed through my mind over the screaming. Heart now racing, I stood, only to realise something was off. The world was askew. I was almost walking on what should have been the wall. The siren wailed and red emergency lighting bathed the ship. On instinct, I took out my phone. No service.

“Of course not, you fucking retard!” I scalded myself; we were in the middle of the fucking Atlantic Ocean after all!

I called out her name, my voice getting completely lost in the crowd. I called again. And again. I didn’t even notice the pain from the gash on my forehead or the blood running down my face. More metal groaning, like the ship itself was screaming in pain. Suddenly I was hit with a torrent of water, like getting hit square on with a riot cannon. The metal twisted around me. Collapsing inward. Most of the other people in the room were clinging to something or another at the top of the tilted room; I was not so lucky. I had been thrown to the bottom. More walls caved in, speeding up the water flow into the room. The freezing water burned my flesh. The metal around me buckled and bent. The ship was transforming into a death-trap around me. If I didn’t move fast, it would be my coffin. The frigid evening water was up to my chest. My vison locked onto another passenger across from me, desperately pulling at a thick, steel, bulkhead door. Given the angle of the ship and the location of the door, there was a good chance it was below the waterline.

“NOOO!” I cried out. But it was too late.

The door flung open as a flood of water burst into the room with torrential force. The screams were muffled as I suddenly realised the water was up to my head. With one final breath, my head was dipped below the water. I didn’t know where I had been thrown by the flood when the door opened. I was confused. Disorientated. And the shapeshifting structure of the ship didn’t help.

I was a strong swimmer, but I knew with my soaring heartrate, I had realistically 30 seconds, maybe a minute before I had to surface. I had to find air, FAST! My blurry vison locked onto another open door that connected to a stairwell heading down into the ship. Wherever I was, the other exits had either closed or where unreachable. The only way forward was down. I pushed off the wall behind me hard and launched myself toward the door. It was only even visible thanks to the waterproof emergency lighting. I swam down the narrow stairwell, the feeling of enclosure baring down on me as I did. I felt like a was in a flooded metal box. Sealed in. No way out. Saving energy and precious oxygen by pulling myself on the handrail, I eventually reached the bottom. To my relief, the door there was open too. The floating tables I had to swim past indicated this was once some kind of restaurant or bar. My chest was starting to ache however. I was running out of time. My frantic mind looked for an exit. Nothing immediately stuck out. There had to be other way out. THERE HAD TO BE! Part of the floor had caved in and there wasn’t any sign of a trapped air pocket. Then, the floating furniture and booze bottles allied to reveal a huge gash in the ship’s hull in the below deck. That was it! It would mean diving even deeper but I had no choice. I charged through the floor like a torpedo and headed right for the opening. My chest was beginning to scream. I needed oxygen. The hull was fractured and huge, razor sharp shards covered my escape. But like wiggling through the teeth of some colossal, city-destroying dragon, I slipped through.

I was outside! I was free from the damaged and disintegrated ship. Somewhere in the back of my mind, a dull pain in my side tried to distract me from the ultimate goal of breathing again. Luckily, I had no concept of physical pain. The adrenaline was too powerful. The screaming voice telling me to breathe, too loud. I looked up and saw the fire above me; the blurry, orange lights of late sunset. With horror and dread, I suddenly realised how deep I’d swam. One final surge of adrenaline shocked me to action. Probably the last burst of energy my oxygen-starved body had to give. I swam. I swam as fast as my failing limbs were able to propel me. I could feel the weakness in them. Muscles clamping up. Strength vanishing. The light above me seemed so far away. Yet still I swam. Closer. But so slow. Every second felt like an hour. A day. A year. The light drew closer, but dimmer. Darkness was closing in on me. Colour fading. Light fading. Consciousness fading. Everything, fading.

Cold stung my face and my lungs instinctively inhaled like a hurricane. I gasped, gagged and choked, the agony in my chest just barely enough to keep me awake. Then my brain caught up with my body. I was out! I had surfaced! Oh sweet, precious air! It filled my lungs like nectar! Even as the need to gasp began to gradually weaken, I consciously continued to inhale deeply. I could almost feel the disappointed scowl of Death circling below me like a shark. Colour and consciousness returned to me. Life itself was flooding back into me.

I looked upon the sinking ship, towering above me, having almost forgotten it existed. As feeling returned to my limbs and my eyes focused, I started to notice something was wrong. The ship wasn’t just stuck; it was creaking and shifting slightly, like it was straining against some ancient leviathan sea monster holding it in place from the depths below. The engines roared, and I could see one of the propellers spinning halfway out of the water, splashing furiously with little work actually being achieved. Suddenly, the beast let out a colossal roar of failing metal, and another gigantic gash appeared in the side. The ship was literally being snapped in two like a cheep plastic model in the hands of a destructive toddler. The water around me began to swirl and writhe. The sea around the ship started to spin. My body was being pulled in toward the doomed vessel as a whirlpool of biblical power and size formed around the ship.

I started kicking and stroking as hard as I could, swimming in the opposite direction. Relentlessly the water pulled at me, dragging me further and further back. I felt the pull change direction. No longer was the current just dragging me in, but now it was pulling me down. Panic surged through me and a massive dose of adrenaline once again kicked my limbs into overdrive.

For a single glorious moment, I started to beat the current. I was gaining inches a second but I was moving! But the pull was relentless. Without mercy. It only grew stronger with each passing second. Down and down I was dragged. I was just treading water now, my limb pumping furiously to keep my mouth just barely above the water.

My limbs began to burn. I knew I couldn’t keep this up for much longer. Soon my muscles would simply fail, and I would slip below the surface, back into Death’s dark, icy embrace. I inhaled as hard as I could, filling my lungs to almost bursting. With one final kick, I finally slipped below the water.

The ocean dragged me down with frightening speed and power. It was like something had hold of my leg and was dragging me down, like a demon from the vilest pits of hell had a tentacle around ankle and would never let go until my soul was released. I looked up and saw the light fading as the surface accelerated away from me. Down and down. Deeper and deeper. I felt the weight of the water crushing me. Every inch of my skin felt like it was being compressed and torn. Every single pore simultaneously drilled into. And my lungs. Oh, how they screamed. My racing heart was burning through oxygen like a forest fire burns dry wood. I was dead. I knew it. The thought occurred to me of simply exhaling and letting the lack of air do the rest. But no! I would go out fighting God-dammit! I would cling to life with every fibre of my being until the very end. I would make sure I got every last second of my time on this earth before the infinite void of nothingness claimed me forever.

I looked down into the abyss. Nothing but darkness. Deeper and deeper. The darkness was closing in on me now, and not just because of the depth. My lungs shrieked in agony. They begged to breathe. Weakness started to spread throughout my body. The muscles keeping my throat closed failed. I saw was a single bubble escape and race up to the surface. Just before my vision failed completely, a light penetrated the darkness. Like the soft light from the brightest blue moon, it banished the foul darkness around it. A light! Perhaps a rescue diver?

A blueish shape began to materialise in the gloom. The light emanated from a pointed object; a horn, attached to a quadrupedal figure. I watched as the familiar, almost mother-like smile of a mare graced my vision. She smiled at me warmly before lifting her head high, her horn glowing more brightly as she cast a spell. A bubble began to form around the tip of her horn. Rapidly, it grew. Larger and larger. Never popping or splitting, only growing. The skin folded around me and sweet, sweet air flooded into my starved lungs as I fell inside. I gasped, gagged, and panted. It was the second time I’d nearly drowned in less than two minutes. My throat, nose and chest all burned as I coughed up water, convulsing on the bubble’s floor. My tired eyes flickered open from my place flat on my back. As they focused, a familiar face looked back at me with loving, sapphire eyes. Right there, standing over me, was Princess Luna!

Gradually, my strength returned and I picked myself up. The floor rippled around my feet like water as I stood and my eyes struggled to adjust to the bright light of her horn.

“Over the centuries I have travelled far through the Dreamscape. I have seen horrors and pleasures few can imagine. But it is rare I find a dream so vivid. So… real.” Her melodic voice soothed my panicking mind and shaking body. It took me a few moments to catch up to what she had said.

“So… I’m… I’m dreaming?” I almost whispered. She nodded.

“A ‘nightmare’ as modern ponies call it.” That seemed to cause her noticeable discomfort. “Dreams have a tendency to not resemble reality. The Dreamscape is its own space that plays by its own rules. Impossibilities for the Real, are trivial for the Dreamscape. However, this scene closely mimics reality. Am I right there is a reason for this?” I nodded.

“It’s not just a nightmare.” I said, causing her face to twitch again subtly. “It’s a memory. It’s how I got here.” Luna looked upon me with an almost motherly sympathy.

“No wonder you do not wish to speak of it. There are few terrors more scarring than drowning.” She stepped forward and hugged me; something I was not ready for. I stiffened at first but soon relaxed as her soft, warm fur pressed into my skin, soothing me.

“Princess?” I asked. She pulled away and waited to hear what I had to say. “I… Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“I… I don’t want to look a gift horse in the mouth, so to speak, but this nightmare has been plaguing me for months. Why couldn’t you save me before?” I was afraid I’d offended her but instead of being mad, she looked disappointed, even, sad. “Princess? I’m sorry I didn’t mean to-”

“No!” She spoke firmly. There was a flicker of the fire that lay under her motherly persona. It sent a shiver down my spine. No wonder ponies a thousand years ago were so afraid of her when that fire was let loose. “It is I who should be sorry. The truth is, your dreams have been on my radar for quite some time but… well it seems your kind, or you at least, have a resistance to magic. In the Dreamscape there was…” She hesitated, searching for the best word to use. “An anomaly. The space where your dreams should be was... blurry, as if not quite there. I suspected it might be your dreamworld, but all my efforts to penetrate your mind were met with resistance, as if your brain had some kind of natural defence against such intrusion.” She explained. I suddenly felt guilty. “It is only now that I have been able to break past your defences, and manipulate your dreams. But even now, my influence is limited.” My throat felt tight.

“I… I don’t know what to say. I had heard stories about how you assisted ponies during nightmares but… well… when that never happened to me, I assumed that either you couldn’t enter my dreams, since I wasn’t from this world or…” I trailed off, not wanting to finish that sentence. The truth was the thought had occurred to me that maybe she had been able to help me but perhaps didn’t care. It was a fringe thought, almost always immediately dismissed by my more logical side, but it still popped up occasionally; depression was an ugly thing. “Thank you, Princess. Thank you.”

“You are quite welcome, Human.” She smiled warmly. “But I get the sense that you are still holding something back. Please, I assure you, anything you say to me will go no further.” I sighed heavily. As hard as I tried to not show my pain to others, it seemed I couldn’t compete with the hundreds, upon hundreds of years of experience she possessed; I bet she was unbeatable at poker!

“That obvious, huh?” I asked. I pointed below the see-through floor. The was a noticeable current some distance away, but it didn’t seem to go anywhere instead just stopping and disappearing suddenly like on ancient invisible whale was sucking up all the water it could. “I just remember getting dragged down toward that point. Next thing I remember is waking up chained to some hospital bed somewhere that wasn’t a hospital, and surrounded by alien equine faces.” Luna’s face turned to an ‘oh’ of realisation.

“A… A Rift Door… Of course.” She spoke softly. I looked confused.

“A Rift Door? What’s that?” I asked.

“I’m not sure what your people would call it, or even if you would have ever discovered such things. But it is a kind of ‘tear’ in the fabric of reality. A bridge between one place and another.” I searched my brain for something from my world resembling that description.

“You mean like… a Wormhole?” Luna immediately looked confused.

“I don’t see what this conversation has to do with burrowing invertebrates.”

“No-no, no.” I quickly corrected. “I think that’s what we would‘ve called it. A wormhole. But they were only theoretical; we never actually detected one.” I looked upward at the wreckage of the ship, still being dragged down by the same portal. No wonder it couldn’t move!

“Well I guess that explains why the ship got torn apart. The whole thing was just a cosmic accident.” I sighed again. “Thank you, Luna. It actually feels good to tell someon-somepony about this.” She stepped forward and placed her head over me again in a hug and this time I gladly embraced her back.

“And yet, you work so hard on not letting ponies get close to you.” My heart stopped; I was afraid she’d bring that up.

“I’m better off alone.” I simply said.

“Oh, is that so? And how is that working out for you?”

“Fine. I’m fine.” I stubbornly said. But then I felt her hoof on my chin. She gently tilted up my head to gaze into her sapphire eyes.

“Isolation will only brig you despair, no matter how much you think otherwise.” She spoke firmly. I wasn’t so sure; as far as I was concerned, it was relationships that had brought be despair, pain and anguish, not isolation. Over the years, everyone I loved had either left, died, or was now far away they might as well be dead. I would never see another member of my species again. The last of my kind. I hadn’t thought about it too hard, but my instinct was that it simply was not worth the pain. I knew she knew this, and I knew she did not approve.

“I don’t know, Luna.” I defended.

“My subject, I know only too well the pain of isolation. You must not be afraid to open yourself up to ponies.” My eyes looked away. “Please, promise me you will at least try.” I looked back at her, my fear and uncertainty clear in my eyes. I wanted to say no; but a voice reminded me of just how old Luna was. She was so, so much more experienced than me, and I wasn’t arrogant enough to pretend otherwise. Maybe, just maybe, what she was saying was worth listening to.

“I… I will try.” I spoke hesitantly. I didn’t want to promise anything, but I could at least try. She seemed satisfied with that.

“Thank you, Human.” I looked around the bubble at the surrounding water and wreckage.

“So, what now?” I asked. She looked despondent, as if she was carrying a great burden. She grimaced slightly, as if in pain.

“You must wake. And I’m sorry, I truly am, but there is only one way to do that.” I didn’t like her tone; it sent a shiver of fear down my spine.

“And what’s that?”

Suddenly, her the light from her horn flickered and the bubble caved in from the top down, flooding the inside with a tidal wave of freezing water.

“LUNA, NO! I-” Was all I could manage before I was thrown underwater once more. I quickly orientated myself to see the blurry equine silhouette of Luna fading into the water, the light of her horn fading with her. I tried to call out but all that come out was a torrent of muffled bubbles. Suddenly, with dread, I realised just how deep I was. With a wave of adrenaline, I shot for the surface as fast as I could. So far. And, getting further away? As fast as I pumped my limbs, the light above me seemed to be fading. I was being pulled down. Further. Deeper. Colder. Below me, the hungry portal sucked at the water like an ancient black hole, its hunger never able to be sated. It wanted me. Precious oxygen raced from my body as fast as the hole in the now sunken ship. My lungs started to burn. My limbs started to grow weak. My chest spasmed, desperate for air. Still I swam. Still I was dragged down. The very depth of hell itself were calling me down. Like some pitiful rodent being carried off by a bird of prey, I was just along for the ride. The harder I struggled, the faster my air dissipated. Darkness began to creep in. My world grew smaller. The walls closed in. Weaker and weaker. My flailing limbs grew feeble and uncoordinated.

My eyes grew heavy. As they closed, the last of my air bubbled from my mouth, and the darkness claimed me.

Author's Note

Finally done :D Sorry for the delay but a LOT has been happening in my life lately, everything from health problems, to family issues, to starting my Twitch channel and to planning my trip to BronyCon2019! Next one should be out a lot quicker, though. I think I got all the errors but let me know if you find any more.

So in this chapter, we get some context as to why Anon is struggling and how he came to Equestria. Bonus points if you noticed where wormhole opened up! Hope you enjoy. Rate, comment and share if you feel like it deserves it! :)
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4 - High

``` Report: Solar Guard, LT. Dayspear [Off Duty], Location: Local Bar “The Drunken Gryphon”, Crystal Empire Capital Local time: 21:30 hours Status report: Getting suitably drunk while listening to Bullet’s rambling about everything and nothing. He‘s lucky he’s entertaining to listen to. That’s why I like him. Thinking of doing some roving too; it’s my last night and that mouth of his makes him an excellent wingman.

```

“So, this medic is surrounded by students while the dude is gasping for air, going into shock. None of the students know what to do. They look like prisoners in the spotlight!” Silver Bullet yammered, telling an amusing story from one time he had been in a field infirmary and witnessed an older combat medic who in Silver’s words, “looked like he had seen some shit.” I took another swig of my cider as Bullet continued. “The guy on the slab starts flailing, because he can’t breathe.”

“So, you’d just use epi’ for that, right?” I asked. Bullet shook his head.

“They had already loaded him up in the field. The doc said it’d overdose him and stop his heart. So, he calmly looks toward his students as if he was in a museum and just asked them the name of some ancient equine ancestor species.” Bullet put on a calm, and well-spoken, but gruff and elderly voice. “’So, students, how do we save this stallion?’” Bullet shifted back to his normal voice for a single word before shifting to the elderly voice again. “Silence. ‘Better think quick, Students; the patient is dying.’ I swear I’ve never seen recruits so scared! The harshest PT Sarge had nothing on this guy! They all start stammering as they realize they have to save this stallion and they have no idea how! Suddenly one student dove in the drawer and pulled out one of those tube things they stick down your throat.” I looked at him, eyebrow raised.

“Incubation Tube?” I asked. He nodded.

“She goes to stick it in the guy’s muzzle but the medic’s horn lights up, and he stops her. ‘Nice try, Filly. But his throat his clamped shut! How are you going to get that down there? He’ll die before you do.’ He looks to the others who have turned as white as Celestia herself! None of them have a clue what to say and by now, the guy is starting to turn as blue as Luna! So, the medic pulls out a few things from the drawer himself. Then he wipes some orange shit or whatever on the soldier’s throat.” Bullet then looked down at the table as if he was the medic examining the wounded soldier while he returned to his imitation. “‘To allow him to breathe we must perform an emergency tracheostomy. To do this we must make a small incision in the patient‘s neck, approximately 2 inches below the laryngeal prominence, 4th tracheal space, right... about…’”

[SLAM!!!]

Suddenly, Bullet slammed his table knife down into the wood with a loud bang that made the empty glasses on our table shake violently. “‘…there!’ He straight-up stabbed the guy’s neck! No warning or anything! Just stabbed him! But I swear, I’ve never heard someone gasp so hard for breath! Best part was one of the students looked like she was about to faint.” Bullet exclaimed. I looked flabbergasted.

“So, what happened then?”

“One of the students put his hoof up and said,” Bullet put on a cracking, underaged and very nervous teenage colt. “‘S-sir? Isn’t it standard procedure to try incubation first?’ Everyone just looks at him and I think deep down he knew he’d fucked up. ‘In the ideal world of textbooks, sure. But those books are written by civi-doctors. They may complain they have a tough job, but everything is relative, Colt. They have clean wards to work in, and all the help, tech and medicine they need. When your squad-mate is dying in front of you, your best friend is lying in the dirt, bleeding out, and it’s up to you to save their life, it’s an entirely different story. You do not have time to think. You must act on instinct, without, question or hesitation, with direction and purpose, using whatever is on hand to save their life. If you don’t, they die, and their blood will be on your hands, understand, Students?’ Everyone nods rapidly. ‘You may use your textbooks to get you through your exams, but after that, they are as good as fire-kindling.‘ Then, he walks to the colt who asked the question, and towers over him like a fucking tree! ‘As for you, you insufferable little shit, if you want to be the know-it-all, at least be correct. I suggest you read the next paragraph, where it’ll state even civilian doctors will go straight to tracheostomy sometimes, depending on the state of the patient.‘”

I stopped sipping at my cider as I noticed Bullet had finally stopped for a breath.

“It always amazes me that you can come up with this shit.” I said with a grin. Bullet looked almost insulted.

“Whaaat? It’s the truth! I swear!” He protested. He then went on to describe yet more details of the tale. My fuzzy mind was starting to blur out his yammering, though. His uncanny ability to tell a good story, regardless of the situation, made him fun to be around but sometimes it was difficult to get a word in edgeways. My eyes gloss over the bar, mostly ponies, with a few griffins and the odd changeling drinking and engrossed in conversation, and I happen to glance over at one table and a light green filly who was eyeing me up like I’m her prey. Our eyes locked, not for the first time that night and she quickly turned away, knowing I’d caught her staring.

“So what do you think his deal is?” Bullet’s voice pulled me out of my thoughts and I looked back at him.

“What? Who?” Bullet just rolled his eyes.

“That roommate of yours, dummy! Who did you think I meant by ‘monkey-colt’?” I just shrug, realizing I’d tuned out some of his ramblings. “I’m just sayin‘, have you ever actually seen him go home with a mare? Or ask one out?” I just shrug again.

“He’s not gay, if that’s what you are asking.” I said. Bullet shook his head doubtfully.

“I dunno, dude. Think about it, he hardly ever goes out, he spends all his energy and effort on his work, and apart from us, practically his only friend is that bat-filly he’s been hanging around with lately – what’s her name again?”

“Uhhh… Azure… I think?” Bullet nodded.

“Whatever, ‘Spear. As weird as it is him hanging around Bats, I’m actually glad he found something that gets him out of the barracks besides work. And hey, better with her than us, am I right?” I shot him a look.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“I’m just sayin’ he’s a good dude, but when was the last time you saw him smile? It’s depressing. Besides, have you seen that guy drink? Holy Celestia, he can put it away! I don’t fancy buying rounds when he’s involved. He is not a cheap date! Assuming you’re right and he really is into mares, I don’t envy her if she insists on being all chivalrous and traditional and pays for everything.”

“He doesn’t strike me as the traditional type.” I countered. His eyes lit up for a moment as an idea hit him.

“Hey! That’s an idea, maybe that’s his problem! We should get him laid! He looks like he has a serious case of blue-balls.” I just shrugged.

“Yeah, speaking of, you planning on needing the room tonight?” I asked casually. He looked at me with a mischievous grin.

“Oh? You looking to catch a little local action tonight, before we go home? Well alright then! Who’s tonight’s lucky contestant?” My eyes glanced to the side briefly.

“Well, those fillies at the corner table have been eyeing us all night. What do you say we save them the embarrassment and go over there?” Bullet laughed in response.

“HAHA! I guess you aren’t traditional either, right?” I smirked at him.

“I guess not.”

``` Report: Lance Corporal [NAME REDACTED] of 14th Solar Battalion Location: Canterlot Palace Grounds Local time: 01:30 hours Status report: Can’t sleep again. That’s nearly a full week now since I slept through the night. Thank Goddess for Amethyst Powder.

```

The base of my spine cracked pleasantly as I lay back on the bench. It was a dry and clear night; pleasantly cool too. The crisp, cold night air soothed my protesting body and although they still remained, the voices of the demons in the back of my head grew quieter. The beautiful night sky, the still, cool air, the quietness of the peaceful grounds of Canterlot castle, they all soothed my malfunctioning mind and sleep-deprived body, dampening the pain, both physical and psychological. What really helped however, was what was in my hand. Between my fingers lay a lit roll of paper, with traces of purple and silver speckles around the outside. Amethyst Powder, or “Dream Dust”, as I had learned it was more commonly known as, had and effect similar to some strains of cannabis; producing a feeling of weightlessness, relaxation and mild euphoria, as well as producing particularly vivid dreams if ponies were to believed, hence its nickname.

I took another puff on my cigarette, letting my head fall back and my eyes close as my muscles unbound, a began to let my mind wander, just listening to the gentle sound of trickling water from the nearby fountain.

Suddenly, the peace was interrupted by an ear-piercing screech.

“SCREEEEE!” I shot awake. On instinct, my fist hurled itself forward toward the source of the sound while my other hand reached for my sword. In an instant, I was up in a combat stance, weapon drawn and ready. The first thing I saw, however, was a familiar bat-pony mare, clutching her breastplate and on the ground 10 feet behind the bench.

“Azure!” I yelled out. “I’m-sorry-I’m-sorry-are-you-ok?!!” I ran over to help her. She batted away my hand however as she picked herself.

“Nice reflexes, Monkey-Man. You have a good swing on you.” She chuckled, rubbing her breastplate.

“You ok?” I asked again. She nodded.

“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine. I deserved that. Instant karma for making you jump, ah?” There it was; that cheeky, mischievous grin. Like she could con the whole world into giving up their bits and then thank her for it. Gods, I found that confidence alluring.

“Maybe next time, don’t sneak up on peop-ponies when they are trying to relax and screech in their ear.” I half-joked as I sat back down on the bench and she perched on the back. Then I noticed how she was sitting. She seemed more uptight than normal. Her muscles seemed tense. I thought I knew why. “Are you sure you’re ok, Azure?” She nodded.

“Sure, fine. Why do you ask?” I looked at her skeptically; I wasn’t buying that load of horse apples. I tapped the space next to me, picking up the cigarette that had fallen out of my hands onto the bench when I jumped up, onto the armrest.

“Sit here a sec.”

“W-why?” She asked nervously.

“Just trust me.” I said. Reluctantly, she flittered down onto the bench proper, and sat, awaiting my next move. I pushed on her chest plate a little, causing her to wince slightly. I chuckled. “Here, let me have a look.” My hands moved to the back of her armor, finding the clasp holding her breastplate to her body. She tensed up.

“Wh-what are you-” She squeaked. “I told you, I’m fine.” I raised my eyebrow at her skeptically.

“Azure.” I said firmly. “Please?” She relaxed a little and her ears folded back in submission. She nodded silently. My nimble fingers undid the clasp easily with a single hand and a carefully removed the plate, revealing her soft, fluffy bat-pony chest. Her blood-red eyes watched me intensely as my fingers started to trail down her shoulders and across her chest; feeling for any abnormalities. Under my touch, I felt her suppress a shiver. Lower still, I started walking my fingers across her ribs. 1... 2… 3… Wait, why was I counting? How many ribs was a bat-pony supposed to have? In any case, none of them felt out of place or broken. I checked again on the other side and again, felt nothing out of the ordinary, although I was able to detect a slight sigh as she began to relax into my touch. Another pass over her chest however and I noticed something. It felt warm. Inflamed? Swollen maybe? It was difficult to tell under her thick, fluffy fur. I glanced up and saw she had closed her eyes, and I could feel her heart rate increasing with her breathing. I could almost see a blush hidden under her dark fur. She looked so cute. If I were to just…

I mentally slapped myself back to reality and cleared my throat.

“You… You’ll probably be fine. Just a little sore. Maybe some slight bruising.” I concluded. She chuckled.

“Yeah, well, if you want to make it up to me, how about you share that?” She pointed toward the armrest, and the spliff currently still smoking idly. I looked at her skeptically.

“You sure? This is pretty strong stuff. Has to be ‘cos of how much bigger I am than you ponies.” She scoffed.

“Oh, please. I can handle a little Dream Dust.” I shrugged and offered her the spliff.

“Ok, just go easy on it.” Her wing clamped around it with surprising dexterity; enough to make me blink to make sure I was indeed seeing what I was seeing. She took a sharp inhale from the cigarette. Almost immediately, a slight, dopy grin began to appear on her cute face. As she exhaled, her wings unfurled and she shivered.

“Oh, wow. You weren’t kidding. T-That i-is strong.” She opened her eyes to reveal her normally narrow bat-pony slits were now much wider than normal. She giggled. “Getting high with my buddy; tonight is turning out pretty good.” She handed (‘winged’? ‘hoofed’?) the spliff back to me and she giggled again. She was clearly high as fuck. “I didn’t know you ‘partied’, Monkey-Man.” I nodded.

“Not the best habit to have, I know. But it helps me sleep. It’s either this or fall asleep while on guard duty.” She shrugged.

“Hey, I’m not judging. Kinda nice to meet a pony who isn’t uptight for a change.” She commented.

“Tell you what, I wouldn’t have liked to have been your parents. I’m guessing you were a rebellious teenager, weren’t you?”

“Teenager. Foal. Toddler. According to mom, I kicked the shit out of her even in the womb!” This earned a laugh from both of us.

“And I take it that still hasn’t changed?” I asked as I took another puff.

“Haha, nope. I don’t think so.” She started to laugh, almost hysterically, showing off her sharp fangs.

“What’s so funny?” I asked. Either this mare was way higher than I thought, or she’d just snapped and was about to murder me brutally before devouring my flesh, and hiding whatever was left of my mangled body somewhere where no pony would ever find it.

“Oh, Goddess! I just remembered! Nova has her presentation tonight!” I looked at her, confused.

“So?” It took a minute for Azure to compose herself enough to talk.

“Haha. Oh Goddess. I’m sorry. It’s this stupid presentation thing she’s been working on. She’s looking to move up the ranks so for some extra credit, she worked it so she had to put together this essay thing, something about the viability of aftercare for vets after they leave the military or whatever, and have it judged by her CO. She’s been working on it for months! Graphs, diagrams, slides, tapes, the whole nine. But a couple nights ago, I snuck into her secret stash where she keeps all her “important” stuff, and…” Azure burst out laughing again. “Replaced… hahaha... All her slides... W-with the filthiest… most hardcore porn I could find!” I tried my best but I couldn’t help but begin to laugh with her. I wasn’t this immature, was I? It had to be the Dust.

“So, she’ll be talking about PTSD in wounded vets or something really serious, she’ll go to put a slide up and…”

“A hardcore picture of a pegasus getting her brains fucked out by a zebra stallion! Or a unicorn stallion bound and gagged getting dominated by a bat-pony mare!” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I couldn’t imagine girls on earth pranking each other like this, much less speaking about it in such direct, dirty terms. And I loved that!

We continued laughing but as quiet as the little voice in the back of my head was at the moment, muffled by drugs, it was still present. It pointed out something uncomfortable.

“So, you did this just to prank her? Won’t she be pissed at you for wrecking her chances at promotion?” Azure shook her head.

“Neh. I’d never do that to her for real. She‘s my filly, you know? My friend. We got each other’s backs. It’ll be embarrassing sure, but I know the examiner pretty well, and he owes me a favor or two. Won’t be hard to convince him to give her a retake.”

“Jesus, Azure.” I exclaimed. “If this is what you do to your friends, I don’t even want to know what you do to your enemies. Remind me never to get on your bad side.”

“My enemies? Oh, that’s easy! Same thing I do to my lovers; fuck them into submission!” She exclaimed. I let out another burst of laughter. It was definitely the Dust. Right?

“You’re a firecracker, Azure!” I offered her the spliff again and she took another hit.

“Hehe… this stuff is making me hungry.” She giggled. “I know this cool place downtown that does night-time service. Wanna join me?” I shrugged.

“Ok, Sure. Lead the way. Just don’t go too fast; remember I can’t fly, yeah?” She cackled mockingly in response.

“You want me to slow down? You keep up, Monkey!” She teased.

Author's Note

Sorry this one took so long. I won’t explain why because let’s be honest, it’s depressing to hear about my problems. Next one should be a lot quicker, though.

So in this chapter, we get some context as to what other ponies /actually/ think of him, regardless of what the voices in our protagonist’s head tell him. Anyone hearing Afroman while reading this?

As you can guess, Chapter 5 will obviously be a meal/“date” scene between our human and Azure. I wonder how that will go? -grins evilly-

Please let me know if you spot any mistakes. :)