Chapter 4

They say that dreams can sometimes feel so real, you don’t even realize that you’re dreaming. I’ve certainly had dreams like that before, but none as real as this. Talking anthro ponies, dying and ending up in a new world, and somehow gaining the ability of Ki? It was like I was having one of those fever dreams and I was somewhat enjoying the experience of feeling somewhat like a superhero of a fantasy land. My senses were soon returning to me as I began to wake up, and I noticed that I felt as though I wasn’t lying under the tree I sat down by. It felt like I was laying on something soft as my eyes slowly opened to reveal that I was indeed no longer outside. I blinked as my vision returned to me, where I found myself in some kind of room and the walls were made out of wood. I lifted my hand to my face and opened and closed my palm. I then started to wiggle my toes and took a few deep breaths as I layed there.

Everything seems to be functioning properly. Although this doesn’t exactly look like my room.

I lifted my head to see I was laying down on a bed in a room that had a sort of woodland theme to it. The walls were very much made of wood and sorta curved upwards. It kinda felt like I was inside the trunk of a tree or something. I looked to my left to see a nightstand with a lamp on top and a chair next to it. Draped on the chair was my white cloak and my shoes sat below it. To my right was a four drawer dresser and a door next to it that was opened ajar. I could see what looked like the rim of a toilet, so I assumed that was the bathroom. Above the dresser was a window that showed the outside. It was still daytime, and the blue sky looked peaceful. I looked back at the far side of my new quarters to see another door that was closed. I could hear voices from the other side, one female and one male, but I couldn’t quite hear what they were saying. I lifted myself up on my elbows and swung my legs over the edge of the bed, sitting there for a moment. I was still wearing my clothes, which was a little uncomfortable since I slept in them, and looked down at my hands again. I started to play back everything that had happened in the last 24 hours. I somewhat wanted to convince myself that everything was a dream, that maybe I’m still dreaming somehow, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized the harsh reality.

“It’s not a dream…”

I covered my face in my hands and took a deep breath. It was all real, everything that happened, and I was wide awake in another freaking world filled with these anthro pony creatures and whatever else that resided around here. A wave of sadness washed over me as I began to think about my family, how I never got the chance to say goodbye, and I somehow died, but was brought back from the brink. I then remembered the letter I read, reaching into my jacket pocket and pulled it out to read again. No matter how many times I read it, it still didn’t make sense. Who this F person was and why, of all people, she chose me threw me for a loop twice over. I shook my head as I tucked the letter away in my jacket again and stood up. It was no use just wallowing in bed and expecting something to just magically happen and I’d get the answers I need. For now, I should just start getting used to my new surroundings and make the best with what I’ve got. I put my shoes back on and reached for my cloak again, but paused. I didn’t exactly need to wear it at the moment, so I decided to just leave it where it was for the time being. I then approached the door and reached for the handle, only to hesitate slightly. What exactly was I gonna see once I left the room? Would I meet those girls again from last night? Would they still treat me as kindly as they did before? My anxiety told me to just stay indoors until they would come to me, but I figured that wouldn’t really be a good impression on my part. Steeling my resolve, I grasped the handle and opened the door.

On the other side was something I half expected to be true, but didn’t realize I was right. The main room literally looked like I was standing inside the trunk of a huge tree. I looked around to see tree roots along the walls and windows that showed the outside. I seemed to be on the second floor of the building and looked down to see rows upon rows of books, shelved neatly and well kept. In the center of the room were some furniture pieces, a couch, a few chairs, and a coffee table. Off to the side was a larger table with chairs and what looked like a stove and a fridge, which meant that was some kind of kitchen area or something. Sitting on each piece of furniture were the girls I had met the other night, and they all seemed to be conversing with each other about their own thing. The rainbow-haired girl, Rainbow Dash I think her name was, was hovering around the group until her eyes caught sight of me and smiled widely.

“Well, look who’s finally awake!” she proclaimed as she pointed to me.

All the other mares turned to me, making me gulp as I slowly made my way down the stairs. I could feel their eyes on me as I walked down, pulled the collar of my shirt anxiously.

“Uh, hey there,” I said with a small wave.

“It’s about time, partner,” Applejack said, leaning on the armrest of her chair. “We almost thought you’d never wake up.”

“Yeah! Rainbow said she was thiiiiiis close to barging in your room and giving you a Wonderbolt style wakeup call!” Pinkie Pie said, holding her hand up with her finger and thumb and inch apart.

“Oh, how long was I out?” I wondered.

“A day, darling,” Rarity said, shocking me.

“A whole day?!” I yelped. “Didn’t we just come out of that creepy forest like an hour ago?”

“I’m afraid not, William,” Twilight shook her head. “After Princess Celestia and Princess Luna left to return to Canterlot, we found you by a tree completely unconscious.”

“We believed you were still hurt from your confrontation against Nightmare Moon, but Princess Celestia assured us that she healed you as best she could,” Rarity added.

“We, or should I say I, wanted to wake you right then and there, but egghead here insisted we let you sleep.” Rainbow rolled her eyes, pointing her thumb at Twilight. “If I had known you were gonna sleep for a whole freaking day, I’d have just done what I said I was gonna do!”

“Rainbow! I told you that it wouldn’t be nice to just wake him up out of the blue!” Twilight lectured. “He went up against Nightmare Moon for Celestia’s sake! Not to mention he took quite the beating for our sakes!”

“I wouldn’t say I took a beating,” I sighed. “I mean, I was up against an all-powerful being. I’m just one guy with karate skills. It was more like she was just toying with me.”

“Oh…I think you did your best, William,” Fluttershy whispered. “At least, that’s what I think.”

“I agree, darling. It was very brave of you to keep that villainess at bay for as long as you did,” Rarity said with a nod.

“Yeah! Especially how you took care of those timberwolves by blasting them away with that cool magic of yours!” Pinkie chirped.

“Still doesn’t mean my pride was spared.”

“Not to mention how you’re able to fly without wings! How do you even do that?” Rainbow wondered.

“I would also like to know,” Twilight said, pulling out a piece of paper and what looked like a quill pen.

“Uuuuhhhh…” I mumbled, feeling their eyes gaze at me a bit too intently.

“Girls, Ah think the poor feller is overwhelmed at the moment,” Applejack spoke up, making them look back to her.

“Oh, sorry about that, William,” Twilight said sheepishly.

“It’s cool. I mean, I get it,” I shrugged. “None of you have ever seen someone, or something, like me before, so it’s natural to ask questions. My only concern is what I’m going to do from here on out.”

“Princess Celestia informed me to tell you that she needs time to help Princess Luna settle back in after being away for so long. Once they’ve made preparations, they would send a letter for us to travel to Canterlot so we could help situate your reason for being here.”

“I see. By the way, how did I even get in that room I woke up in?”

“Spike helped carry you,” Rarity smiled.

“Spike? Who’s-?”

“I’m back, everypony!”

The front door opened to reveal something I had to do a double take on. This guy, whatever he was, was no pony. His skin was purple and looked like scales, there were green spikes sticking out on top of his head that trailed down on his back and under his grey shirt. He wore torn dark blue jeans and strange open-toed footwear that showed his claw-like toenails. His tail swung lazily as he walked in and he had a more pointed snout than the mares. His eyes were green and his pupils were slitted. I stood there, still trying to comprehend what he was.

“I got some stuff for the library like you wanted, Twilight,” he said, holding up the bag he carried. His sights soon set on me and smiled a toothy grin as he approached me. “Hey there, stranger. Glad to see you awake after I managed to carry you up the stairs. Name’s Spike, Spike the Dragon, Twilight’s number one assistant.”

Spike stood before me and held out his hand, waiting for me to shake it. He was about half a head shorter than me and looked like was around maybe 17 or 18 years old. I glanced at his hand, then slowly reached up to take it and shook it, trying not to make things awkward.

“I’m sorry, but did you say you were a dragon?” I asked as the handshake ended.

“Yep,” Spike nodded.

“Like an actual dragon? The creatures said to be myth? That dragon?” I asked again.

“Well, of course I am,” Spike chuckled. “Geeze, dude, you live under a rock or something?”

“Well, I-”

“I’m just messing with you, man,” he said playfully. “Twilight and the others told me all that happened in the Everfree. Are you really a human?”

“Last I checked,” I nodded.

“Like an actual human? The creatures said to be myth? That human?” Spike said with a shit-eating grin, using my own words against me.

“Okay, okay, I see what you did there,” I chuckled. “It’s nice to meet you, Spike. My name’s William Saber, but you can call me Will.”

“Sounds easy enough to remember.”

“Well, we’re glad you’re up and about, Will, but Ah gotta get back to the farm now,” Applejack said as she and the girls stood up, excluding Twilight.

“Indeed. I too must return to my boutique. I hope you can stop by so we may access your lack of clothing situation, darling,” Rarity said.

“I’ve got some flying records to beat,” Rainbow boasted. “You still owe me that spar once I get my own black belt.”

“Bye Willy!” Pinkie chirped as she hopped away.

“Um…goodbye William,” Fluttershy whispered.

As soon as they all left, I stepped over to the vacant chair and slumped on it with a deep exhale.

“Well, they sure are an interesting collection of girls that I’ve met,” I sighed.

“You got that right. Especially…Rarity,” Spike said with a sigh and a dopey grin. It wasn’t hard to connect the dots that this guy had a thing for the posh unicorn, and I smirked while keeping my thoughts to myself.

“So what will you do now, William?” Twilight wondered.

“I don’t really know,” I shrugged. “Are you sure it’s alright for me to stay here? I mean, I’d hate to mooch off you without giving anything in return.”

“Don’t be silly! You are in no way, shape, or form mooching off of anypony. You can stay here for as long as you like. I have no problem with it at all.”

“She’s right, man. Besides, you think you’d have any luck finding a place to stay without a bit in your pocket?”

Bit?

“I…guess not,” I admitted. “I would at least like to know more about the place I’ll be living in.”

“Then allow me to give you a tour,” Twilight offered as she stood up and grabbed my hand, pulling me out of the chair and toward the door. “Come on. I’m a little new to Ponyville too, so we can explore together.”

“Erm…okay?” I said, taken by surprise as she pulled me out the front door.

“Have fun!” Spike called out.

As Twilight and I walked through town, I felt like all eyes were on me, but not in a good way. I looked around the cozy looking town as its citizens were going about their day with smiles and friendly waves. However, when their eyes fell on me, they either stared with curiosity or uncertainty. I know I said that I understood why I’d get the sideways glance from these ponies, but this all seemed like I was one of the world’s wonders. I nervously kept my eyes to the ground and tucked my hands in my pockets, which Twilight seemed to notice and tilted her head.

“What’s wrong, William?” she asked.

“Nothing, just walking along,” I said.

“You seem a bit nervous.”

I stopped walking, sighed, and rubbed the back of my head. “It’s just…I feel like these ponies are staring at me more than I care for them to. I just feel so displaced.”

Twilight smiled pityingly and placed a hand on my shoulder. “You shouldn’t feel too nervous, William. It’s natural to feel nervous when living in a new place.”

“Yeah? How do you figure?”

“Well, to start, Spike and I have been here nearly as long as you have.”

“Seriously?”

“Very. And the first thing I wanted to do before coming here was returning to Canterlot after making a single friend. Little did I know that I had decided to stay after making six new ones.”

“Hold up, six?” I asked, counting the others with my fingers. “But there’s only five other mares I’ve met.”

Twilight giggled in her hand. “You silly human. I’m also talking about you.”

I blinked in surprise as the gentle breeze blew against us. Twilight’s hair fluttered in the wind as she smiled at me, which made me smile and scratch my cheek.

“We’re friends? Already?” I asked, and she nodded in response. “But we only met last-er, I mean, yesterday.”

“What does that matter? You stuck with us throughout the night and helped us when we needed it. Not only that, but you saved me from certain doom and I am very grateful for that.”

“I see. Well, then I’m glad to hear that, Twilight. Thanks for being my friend,” I smiled.

“You’re most welcome. And don’t worry. Given time, these ponies will warm up to you before you-”

“I KNEW IT!!”

Before I could react to whoever it was that shrieked at the top of their lungs, I was tackled by an unknown force and sent skidding across the ground. I saw stars for a moment until I regained my senses, finding myself face to face with another mare. She was a unicorn with minty green fur and her mane and tail were pale, lightish grey cyan with white highlights. Her eyes were a sort of brilliant gamboge. She wore a light green top and skin tight jeans that hugged her figure pretty well and a single gold earring in her ear. Her tail swished side to side as she sat on my chest with arguably the widest smile I’ve seen.

“Um…can I help you?”

“It talks!” the mare chirped as she leaned down, pressing her muzzle against my nose. I could smell her breath, which smelled like she ate a pack of mint altoids. “I knew it! I just knew it! Humans do exist! I’m Lyra Heartstrings, and you’re my ticket for the many days of boasting I’ll be dishing out to all the ponies of this town who doubted me and my beliefs!”

“Wait, can’t we just-?”

“Oh wow!” Lyra said as she grabbed my jaw and forced it open. “Look at your teeth! You’ve got flat ones and sharp canine-like ones, too! What’s the deal with that?!”

“Aaaaa gaaagaaaahaa!” I tried to say without the use of my jaw.

“And your face! Your muzzle is so tiny!” She released my jaw to pinch my nose, then my ears. “Not to mention your ears! They’re also kinda small and on the sides of your head instead of on top!”

“Would you please calm down and-?”

“And what’s this?” She placed her hands on my chest and began rubbing and kneading them. “Oh wow, I can tell through your shirt that you’re kinda buff, aren’t ya?” She smirked as she looked over her shoulder and at my lower area. “I wonder what it looks like?”

“OKAY, TIMEOUT!” I yelped, shoving her off me and scrambled to my feet. “Jeez, lady, learn to take a hint that you’re way past personal space!”

“Hey!” I heard Twilight shout as she stomped over to us. “How could you just tackle William like that?! Who even are you?!”

“Oh, nice to meet you. You’re that new mare that moved in with that dragon kid. I’m Lyra Heartstrings,” Lyra said as she sat on the ground.

“William, are you okay?” Twilight asked as I stood back up and dusted my clothes off.

“Yeah, I’ll live,” I said as I gave the mare named Lyra a deadpanned leer. “Way to make a first impression. You’re lucky I’ve taken worse beatings.”

“What’s that mean?” Lyra asked, tilting her head.

“Just something that comes with being a martial artist, but that’s not the point. Why did you tackle me like that out of the blue?”

Lyra could tell that I was a little annoyed with her and she frowned as she stood up as well. “I’m sorry about that. It’s just I heard Rainbow Dash bragging that she was friends with a creature called a human. I have these theories of other creatures that are said to be mere folklore and humans are one of the biggest conspiracies out there. I just had to see if what she said was true, so here I am. But I guess my meeting was a little forceful, wasn’t it?”

“That’s one way of putting it,” I commented. “Look, I’m all for meeting new people…er, ponies I should say, but there are other ways of getting to know me.” I raised my hand toward the mare for a simple shake. “It’s nice to meet you, Lyra. My name’s William Saber, and yes, I am a human being.”

Lyra’s face lit up as she went for another aggressive approach, but took a moment to calm down as she took my hand and shook it herself. “It’s also nice to meet you, William!”

As we broke the handshake, a vibrating noise followed by a chirp was heard from Lyra’s pocket as she pulled out what looked like a flip phone. It surprised me a little to see modern technology in this world as Lyra flipped the phone open.

“Hello?…Hey, Bon Bon…No, I went to see the human!…Yes, he’s real! I’m standing right in front of him!…Just ‘cause we’re roommates doesn’t mean you gotta be so mean!…Yes, you are!…Oh yeah?! Well just you wait until Pinkie’s party tonight! I’ll make you eat those words, along with everypony else who doubted me!”

Lyra snapped the phone shut and shoved it in her pocket as she walked away in a huff. Now, I’m no therapist, but something tells me she had a little unwanted tension between her and her friend.

“What was that all about?” Twilight wondered.

“Not sure, but I think it’s best we leave her be. I’m more curious about the party she mentioned. There’s a party going on later today?”

“Oh, you’ll just have to wait and see.” Twilight smiled as she walked ahead of me.

“Fair enough. I didn’t know you had cell phones in this world,” I said as I walked alongside her.

“Of course. It’s actually a new invention that was created about 10 years ago. Do humans have cell phones?”

“Better.” I smirked as I pulled out my smartphone, making her eyes widen. “This is a little something called a smartphone.”

“Oh my goodness! That’s a cellular phone?! The screen is so big!” Twilight chirped as she held it in her hands. “And it feels much more dense! How does it work?! Is it powered by magic?!”

“Easy there, miss bookworm, I’ll show you everything there is to know about it. Starting with the camera.”

I took my phone back and tapped it a few times while Twilight watched intently. I tapped the camera app and surprised her by wrapping my arm around her shoulders, then held the camera up.

“Smile!”

Click!

“Wh-Wha-? What just happened?” Twilight wondered as I tapped the picture I took.

“Check it out, my first selfie in a new world with my first friend!” I said.

“Oh my Celestia! That’s us! You just took a photo?! With your phone?!”

“Yep, and there’s plenty more I can do with it than just take photos.”

“Oh, please show me more! This is incredibly interesting!” Twilight cheered as she made a paper and quill pen materialize out of nowhere.

“Sure. Now, let’s see which of these filters looks best.”

Our walk through Ponyville was an enjoyable one to say the least. Twilight and I spent most of the time fiddling with my smartphone more than getting to know the rest of the town. My photo library was filled with pictures of either her standing next to a building, the both of us taking more selfies with silly faces or filters, and I even let her take pictures of me sometimes. I even showed her how I can play music on my phone, to which she found to be quite enjoyable. There was one song on my phone she particularly enjoyed and asked to listen to it again. I don’t know how she did it after just listening to it once, but she managed to sing the whole thing pitch perfectly. It still boggles my mind how she was able to do that, but she just said it was just something that happens naturally.

Twilight soon had to return to the library so she could write a letter to Princess Celestia, so we went our separate ways as I was making my way to a lake she told me about that was nearby. I soon arrived at the lake, which was a calming sight to see as the later afternoon sun shined down on me. I took in a deep breath, then took off my jacket and set it aside. There was something I needed to do, and I needed total seclusion for it. I looked down at my hands and the white fingerless gloves that covered them. Not sure if I remember ever owning gloves like these, but I guess they came with the cloak when I arrived here. I closed my eyes and started to focus. My mind played back the night with Nightmare Moon and those wooden wolf monsters. Those energy blasts I fired from my hands, it felt like they came from within my very soul or something. I soon opened my eyes and thrust my hand forward to fire another blast, but nothing came out. I arched a brow and tried to focus again. It couldn’t have been a fluke. I just did all that a whole day ago.

“Hah!”

I thrust my hand out again, but was met with the same results.

“Oh come on! How could I have done it so perfectly before, yet now I’m not able to do it at all?!” I complained.

I plopped on the ground and crossed my legs and arms. There had to be something I was missing here. If what I did that night was Ki, then it should be working on my command without delay. I focused more and more, trying to build up whatever energy was within me, just so I could get some kind of result. I had focused so much that I didn’t realize I made myself float in midair about a few feet off the ground. I opened my eyes to see myself floating, which made me smirk a little.

“It’s something, but not what I was driving at,” I said. “Okay, Will, just relax. Remember all that Ivan taught you. Patience is a virtue.”

I took a few deep breaths and closed my eyes. Forcing it wasn’t gonna help, so I had to be smart about it. Nothing says a clear mind like a good old fashioned meditation session, and something told me that I was going to be doing a lot of it from now on.

“My new training…begins now.”

Later

I hovered in midair, my breathing calm and collected. My meditation allowed me to search deeper within me for that feeling from that night. Needless to say, I made some satisfyingly good progress. It also has something to do with being a seasoned martial artist that I was able to achieve a sort of zen phase. My power, or should I say Ki, felt like it was covering me in a layer of power. I slowly opened my eyes to see that there was a faint, yet still noticeable white aura surrounding me. I was still hovering in midair with my legs crossed and I eased my hand. I watched as the aura flickered along my hand and arm. It was a comforting feeling, like my very soul was brought out and I could see it. I soon relaxed myself as I descended to the ground and stood back up. I cracked my neck and stretched my arms out, feeling the satisfying pops here and there and exhaled.

“Haaaaa…I feel good.”

I looked at my hand again and wondered if I would be able to do it again. However, instead of just trying to force it, I decided to go for a more practical approach. I raised my hand in front of me and began to focus. I could feel my Ki building up within me, but I was careful not to force it and let it fizzle out. From the center of my palm, a small light appeared and began to slowly expand in size. I kept staring at the light as it grew bit by bit. After a few minutes, an orb of pure Ki the size of a baseball shined a calming white glow as it sat in my hand. It was a little unexplainable, seeing how I was holding a ball of my own energy. I almost felt like I was in one of those old Dragon Ball shows I used to watch.

“William!”

My thoughts were interrupted when I looked up to see Twilight running up to me. My lost focus made the ball dissipate and the faint aura around me fade away.

“There you are, William! Where have you been?!”

“Oh, hey Twilight, I was here. Something you needed?” I asked.

“Do you have any idea what time it is?!”

“Late afternoon?”

“No! It’s already night time!”

I blinked and finally realized that the sun was in fact no longer in the sky. I looked up to see twinkling stars litter the darkened sky and a bright full moon that shined down on us. For some reason, the moon seemed to have more of a pretty glow to it than the one back on earth.

“Oh damn, how did I not notice?”

“Pardon my language, but what in the hay were you doing out here all this time?” Twilight asked, crossing her arms under her chest.

“It’s…a long story. I was working on something.”

“Well, you can tell me all about it later. Let’s get home for now.”

Twilight grabbed my hand and pulled me along, away from the lake. I chuckled to myself how she lectured me like that. It was amusing seeing how her muzzle scrunched up a little.

Heh, she sure is a cute one. I thought, but then slapped myself in my head for thinking that. Dude, what? No, she’s not cute! She’s a pony girl, not human! Quit thinking nonsense!

“Are you feeling okay? You got quiet all of a sudden,” Twilight said, peeking over her shoulder.

“Oh yeah! Totally fine! I’m just living the dream here!” I said out of the blue.

“Okay…if you say so,” Twilight said with a shrug.

Smooth, Saber, real smooth.

Twilight soon led me back to the library and up to the front door. It was still a little unbelievable that we were living in a freaking tree, but I chose not to dwell on it. The lights in the tree were off for some reason as Twilight opened the door for me. The whole room was dark and I couldn’t really see anything. As soon as I stepped in, the lights flickered on, and I was met with dozens of ponies all at once.

“SURPRISE!!!”

“WHAT THE?!?”

Author's Note

Next chapter, party time!

Side Note: In case you all were wondering, Spike is a little older and taller than he normally is in this story.

Hope you enjoyed!

~WurkyWilk has left the building…