The DreamTime Warrior

'What the hell... where the hell am I?' The thought raged in my mind, having been running on autopilot up to that point. 'Better yet, what was that that I did. What am I, what was that thing... why wasn't I afraid.' I had no idea, I almost didn't want to know what happened there. Looking back to the now sleeping form of the bat winged mare, he could barely wrap his mind around at what he was seeing.

"What even are you people?" I asked. It was such a simple question but even thinking it caused a feeling of panic to enter my speech. The couple from before that had helped me and this young girl stood off to the side, nervous of the human in their midst but too kind to do anything to get rid of me.

"We are ponies. How do you not know what we are?" The female unicorn replied, her husband declining to speak for the moment.

"You could say I am not from around here." I looked back to the teen and reached out, fingers softly rest upon her head and slide a stray lock of hair or mane in this instance from her face.

"So I take it that mare is not your daughter." The male... Tallow speaks up now nodding his head towards the still slightly bloody teen on the floor.

"No. I have no idea who she is. I just heard her screams and..." I trail off, looking away as I retract my hand. The couple cringe.

"So you found her. Did you see what happened to her?" The mare of the couple who I had yet to learn the name of asked, cocking her head to the side.

"I saw what was about to happen to her, but... but I stopped it. It was this gargantuan creature made of seemingly blackness... there were bones and claws and I..." I trail off, reaching into my pants and pulling out the weird enchanted pistol that I had used to slay it, the runes on it inert for the time being. The couple gasp.

Tallow lightly pushes his wife with his face. "Go take the young mare and get her cleaned up, I think this creature and I need to a moment to talk." The wife, who I annoying have yet to know the name of gently lifts up the girl in her magic glow and carries her out of the room to seemingly have her cleaned up. Tallow watching them go turns back to me and trots closer, eye's serious and alert.

"Seeming as how no one can go outside at the moment till the sun comes up, and we just got to spend the night here together, I have a few things to ask you." He moves up close and jabs me in the chest with a hoof, the force knocking me back and I have to prop myself up with my hands to avoid falling.

"What gives!" I exclaim, leaning back forward and batting the hoof aside.

"What gives is that you seemingly have managed to not only survive an encounter with the monster that has been killing ponies in this city for weeks but managed to kill it. So if anything I should be asking you the same. What gives with you, creature that I have never heard of?" If looks could kill, I'd be deader than the dinosaurs.

"First of all, I think introductions are in order. I am getting rather bored of just being the only one left out of the loop. Names, Dean. I am a human male. Who are you guys, and what's going on?" I'd completely ignore the fact that they somehow knew my language... or was it I knowing theirs? Anyways.

"The name is Tallow, Tallow Reed. I am an earth pony. The mare that you saw carry off that injured one, her name is Brook, she is a unicorn. As to the situation, it-it's complicated. It started about a year ago, all things were normal, but as soon as the sun would go down things from ponies nightmares would appear from the woodworks and attack ponies. It's happening all across Equestria from what I hear, the first few nights were a mess, ponies and other creatures would disappear and turn up the next morning dead, mangled, their bodies torn apart..." He'd pause. "If you were lucky."

"Fuck." If any word in the English language could describe this situation better go ahead and tell me... seeing as there is no ones else here to correct me, that will do. "So what has been done about it? Can't your military do something about it?"

He only sighs. "There is nothing that we can do. Before anyone has ever been able to intervene and stop it, the pony is dead, or missing. And if by Twilight they do happen to get there to help, they are killed too. Nopony has ever killed one before." He'd look at me pointedly, eyes wide. "Till now."

I am speechless, nothing I could think of could even put word to how I was feeling right now. "I am so-." I am interrupted from my reply by the sound of approaching steps, the tell tale clopping of hooves on wood. Brook who I knew the name of rounded the corner and entered the room, after seemingly washing up the wounded mare and likely putting her to bed.

Brook was a slender mare, she was a blue colour much like water as her name sake told me, with a seafoam green mane, a short horn spiralling forward from her forehead by about a foot. She stood at about my chest height, with her horn hitting my lower neck. Her husband was a light creamy yellow with a mane of a woody brown and it was at this moment I noticed that the adult had images stamped on their thighs of all things. Tallow being a candle and Brook of an open book with a droplet of water above the pages. I decide to shelve that for later.

Brook steps up to her husband and rubs her cheek against his. “How have you been entertaining our new guest, honey?” Taking a seat by his side, she’s put out a hoof towards me in greeting. I take it in my hand and give it a light shake. Tallow takes a moment to think.

“I’ve been telling him of what has been going on with the world of late. I still am unsure why but he’s not aware of anything that’s befell our country.”

I raise a hand behind my head and scratch at my scalp. “That is a both simple and very complicated answer. To put it simply I appear to have been displaced here from another world. I don’t know how, all I recall is being given no choice by some unexplainable being and told to come here to help you people. So to put it simply I guess. I guess I am an alien.”

This shocks the couple into silence. Which is soon broken by Brook. “Listen. Let’s finish this conversation in the morning, I for one am very tired and talks of aliens is giving me a headache. You-”

“Dean,” I tell her, seeing that she may want to know my name.

“Right... Dean. Dean, you may sleep on the sofa tonight. We’ll pick this up where we left off in the morning. Hopefully that poor mare you dragged in here is feeling well enough to join us then. I’ll get you some blankets.” She notices my bloody top as though it slipped her mind till that very moment. “And give me that top. I will give it a wash as well.”

Not wanting to look the gift horse in the mouth, I pull my top off, and hand it to her, her signature magic glow surrounding it as she walks off, her husband seeing all the drama is over for now yawns, tips his head at me and makes for the stairs.

Now feeling slightly more exposed now, I move to the sofa and lay down on it. It’s not long enough to lay on stretched out but I’d make do. Brook sleepily drops a blanket on top of me then wanders off to bed with her husband.

It was going to be a strange day tomorrow so best get to sleep I guess.

The sun hit Midnight’s eyes like the blazing asshole of Tartarus, the young mare squeezing her eyes shut and covering her head with her blanket... blanket? Instantly awake, the young thestral mare is instantly awake as memories of the night before come streaming back, her head whipping around in fear finding herself in an unfamiliar environment.

A small bedroom with a chest of drawers under a window just big enough to climb out of if she needed to, and the bed she currently lay in. Ultimately calming down seeing she was in no immediate danger she’d climb from the sheets but as she does she hisses in pain, taking note of the slightly bloody bandages wrapping her wings.

“Ow. So last night was definitely no nightmare. How’d I get here though.” With only one way to find out she exits the spacious little bedroom, entering a small hallway which led out to a staircase and ended at a pair of doors, the sound of running water already audible with somepony taking a bath.

Deciding that the stairs was the best bet, she’d make her way to them and down, attempts of being quiet ruined by the slight creaking of the board on the floor. She’d cringe slightly at the noise.

Before her lay a fair sized living room, and laying on the sofa was something she’d never seen before, It looked like a tall hairless monkey or just as hairless but short minotaur. It had a flat face and was very much asleep at this time.

Not bothering to get closer as she thought better of messing with it and just attempting to get home. She took one step towards the door and was met with a loud creak of the floorboards and the groaning from the creature from the sofa, it waking from the small noise.

A light creak knocks me from my slumber, confusion entering my system as the feeling of a small sofa or couch is felt under me instead of my bed. Eyes shooting open as the memories of the last hours filled my head. An arm coming up and resting over my eyes and groaning loudly as I sit up.

“What was tha-? Ahh. You’re awake, good.”

Standing mere steps from the door was the young mare from last night, looking much better than she did last night too I was happy to note. Rising to my feet I can see she is quite nervous of me, I would be too in her position.

“Where am I?” She’d ask, a visage of thinly veiled panic in her voice, her eyes shifting to the door as though readying herself to bolt at the slightest provocation.

“You are safe. Do you not remember what happened last night?” Shivering slightly, my bare chest doing nothing to stay warm, a slightly frigid breeze slipping in from under the door.

“I... I remember being cornered in an alley, a wall of blackness and bones-.” She cocks her head. “You saved me, didn’t you. How?”

I turn my chin up in thought, a finger upon my chin. “I am actually not really sure myself. I appeared here last night and heard you scream... something wanted me to help you.” Looking back to the sofa and fishing around under the sheets, I retrieve the now seemingly lifeless pistol, its runes dull and dead.

“This... I don’t know what it is, but it allowed me to help you.” Placing the pistol into my waistband. “Count yourself lucky.”

“What’s your name, by the way? Might as well know the name of the girl I risked my life to save.”

“Midnight.” Finding herself more comfortable, she’d sit down.

“The name is Dean. I don’t know where I am, and what is truly going on here, but I gotta say, you are remarkably calm for someone who nearly died not 12 hours ago.”

She’d only chuckle. “Coming from the one who’s seemingly lost. To be honest, I am just focusing on the here and now to avoid the panic I feel bubbling up inside.”

“That’s a good idea for now.” Laying a hand on her withers. “Think now, panic later.”