Homunculus

by Ephemurai

Rating: teen
Tags: Adventure, Human, Dark, Sad, Romance
Length: 15995

2 humans thrust into Equestria by an unknow power. Now another Power wants them gone.

Kota awakes to find that he and his sister have been thrust into a world of magic and friendship. While all seems so dandy, they soon discover that an unknown power will do anything to get rid of them. Neither Celestia nor Luna have a clue of what they are up against but this ancient evil will prove to be a difficult enemy.

*I will find/make a suitable cover image later.
**Thanks to my brother for prereading

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2013-01-12 22:50:02 UTC

The Strangest Thing

PLEASE NOTE: This is indeed my first story and with it being so, i would greatly appreciate heavy criticism so that i may improve my work. This story had a rocky start, because all my great ideas happened to be for the middle and end content, so i promise the story will be getting progressively better. Many thanks to all who decide to read.

Chapter 1: The Strangest Thing ~

Running while carrying a 70 pound body was not easy. Especially when you add in a creepy forest, close to being night, and being chased. At least I think I was being chased. Stealing glances behind me, I would catch glimpses of a dark figure. Never moving, just standing there looking at me, but no matter how far or fast I ran, I could not escape this ominous character.

This forest I was in, it seemed alive the way the branches tried to reach out and grab me, halt my progression any way they could. The wind picked up, bringing with it a voice with unintelligible  words. When I dream, I can never tell if it’s a dream or if it is truly reality. At this point I was sorely hoping for the former, no matter how lucid it felt.

“Hold on Road, we're gonna be just fine!” The body was in fact, my little sister. I found her collapsed and was unable to awake her. Come to think of it, how the hell had we gotten here? Where was here?

Lost in thought while still running, my shin cracked against a log and I yelped in pain, dropping my sister and hitting the ground hard. “Road!” I started crawling towards her, pulling myself, as my leg felt broken now. Just a few more feet...

A soft light illuminated the surrounding area. Scared of what it could be, I kept my head down, arms thrown over my head in protection. I stole a glance at the source of the illumination after some time. What I saw both startled and confused me. A blue equine figure was standing before me, looking down with its own look of confusion. It had a mane of glittering night that floated freely in the chilly dusk. It wore a crown as well as other regalia that would suggest royalty. Wings adorned its back and were unfurled, held stiff. The most frightening thing of all though was a long pointy horn that grew from its forehead. It could impale me if it wanted to. The creature looked beautiful in a mysterious and dangerous way.

My vision started to give out as everything in my peripherals blurred. The creature started towards me, and I tried to scream, yell, do anything but my lungs failed to grasp the needed air and a choked squeak came out instead. The equine creature then stopped, with a look of concern across her face. Her horn then started to shimmer and a certain horror gripped my heart and messed with my mind. The world suddenly went dark and I felt myself slip from consciousness.

Luna walked at a rather quick pace towards her elder sister's bed chambers. Guards and servants alike tried to fulfill their duties by greeting her or asking how they may be of assistance, but she brushed them off, continuing even quicker to her destination. Impatient, she teleported the rest of the way to avoid the stairs, and when the slight buzz of the magic faded, she found herself before a pair of thick doors that Luna knew to be her sister's room. She would more than likely be resting now, but she was about to receive a rude awakening. She contemplated opening the doors slowly to get the jump on her sister, but decided against it. She noisily threw the doors open with her magic, not even wincing when the doors crashed against the walls. Her sister was definitely awake at this point and concern held her face.

“Dear Luna, whatever is...” she never got to finish as Luna stalked up to her and growled.

“Celestia!” she barked “What in all of Equestria hast thou done?!” The royal voice tainted her accusation making it rather loud and Celestia could only sit on her bed dumbfounded. Luna knew she didn't exactly have the kindest face at the moment but she didn't care either as an untold fury gripped her mind. However, Celestia was either really good at playing dumb, or she really knew nothing. But she was almost sure of the former.

“Luna, my sister, calm down. I haven't the slightest clue to what has gotten you so angry.” The statement sounded sincere enough but Luna wouldn't have it.

“Y-You brought a human to Equestria!” That lone sentence left Luna feeling breathless and she quietly huffed, waiting for her sister's response. She half expected Celestia to laugh or fend off the accusation, but instead her sister only stared at her, mouth agape and eyes wide.

Celestia remained silent. She knew not what to say in response to such an accusation. She most certainly knew nothing about any human coming to Equestria, under no circumstances would she permit the passage of a human into her world. Not ever again. “Luna, I can honestly say it is not my doing. Where did you see it?”

Slightly jarred by the knowledge that it wasn't her sister who was the perpetrator, she was silent for a few minutes before answering. “In the forest… the Everfree.” She stammered. “I was flying overhead, when I saw it walking through the forest.”

“Well, what happened to it? Where is it now?”

Just then a knock on the wall, as the doors were still open, echoed through the room and they both directed their attention to the noise. A servant stood in the opening, holding a clipboard in her magical grasp. When it was apparent that they awaited the servant's news, the unicorn cleared her throat and announced, “Princess Luna, one of the humans has awoken, due to its lack of cooperation, we had to restrain it to the bed. The doctor says it is safe for you to visit it at this time. That is all.” The unicorn left, leaving the princesses alone again. One of which had its mouth dropped again.

“You brought it here? To the castle?” She said slowly, an edge of anger tainting her voice. “And what did she mean by “one of...”?

“The one running was also carrying another, smaller, human. When I gave chase, it ran from me. It tripped and injured itself, then fell unconscious, so I brought it to the infirmary.” Luna rubbed a hoof against her foreleg nervously. She had apparently lost control of the power in this conversation.

“Then let us go and speak with it.” The elder sister's threatening countenance never left as she walked past Luna to the door.

“Sister,” Luna stopped her, “what do you think caused a human to enter our world?”

“I am not sure my dear Luna, but I intend to find out.” With that, they both left the room to find the infirmary.

I struggled against the bindings that held me to a white bed. When I woke up, I was in a hospital with a heart monitor beeping steadily to show that my heart was indeed healthy. When I tried to explain that I needed to find my sister, they somehow interpreted my actions as a threat and tied me to my bed. Finding that it was useless to resist I laid on the bed, trying to calm myself. Now finding time to think about my position, I analyzed what had just transpired. The main thing that confused me was the fact that the doctors and nurses who had tended to me were in fact not human. They were ponies. Colorful equines that were intelligent at least on the same level as me.

My mind then drifted to what had happened before I fainted. The pony I saw in that forest was larger than the ones I saw after waking up. It also had a horn AND wings, while the others had either a horn or wings, or nothing at all. I found myself staring out a large window and noticed it was night, a cool breeze chilling my exposed arms.

The faint sound of clopping hooves slowly got louder and I tensed up, not knowing what to expect. If there is anything I hate, it is being unable to move, the restrictive feeling of the ropes making me nervous. The clopping sound was now close enough to be right outside the door, then it stopped. The door was pushed open, and I held my breath. Just as I feared, the blue pony from before entered the room. She stared at me intently, holding my gaze with what seemed like caution but also curiosity. Her large, soft, cyan eyes were actually quite captivating. However, she was not the only one to enter. An even larger pony walked behind her. This one having a creamy white coat and her mane and tail being a spectrum of soft colors. Also wearing a crown, I guessed that these two were some sort of royalty. Something else caught my attention as well, both of their manes flowed as if held in some phantom wind. Both sets of eyes were fixed on me and I stared for quite some time, hoping they would just fade away. That they were just a figment of my imagination. The smaller blue one opened her mouth as if to speak, but before she could say anything, I blurted out.

“Where's my sister?!” Both ponies seemed startled by my outburst, so I continued. “Where am I and how the hell did I get here?”

This time it was the white one who acted. “I assume the other human is you sister, so she is quite alright, just resting in another room. As for where you are, you are in Equestria. I also happen to know that you are from Earth, not of this dimension. And lastly, the how. I have no answer for that and I actually had hoped to ask you that.” She spoke with a mild tone, but one that held authority. She was definitely the ruler here.

I shuffled under the sheets, trying to get more comfortable before going on. As much as the thought that talking to ponies would make me appear crazy, I asked my next question. “May I see me sister?”

The Large, white pony answered with her own question. “How are you feeling?”

Impatient, I unnecessarily yelled my answer. “I'm fine! Just take me to my little sister!”

“Very well,” she replied still calm. “Luna, please release his restraints.” When the ropes fell from my wrists and ankles, she turned towards the door. “Follow me.”

Stupid as I was and with my judgment clouded with fear, I tried the only thing that came to mind. Slipping my pocket knife from my back pocket, I lunged at the pony. The blue one gasped, but the white remained unfazed and I found myself suspended in the air, held by some unseen force. After a few seconds I dropped to the floor and the equine just continued walking. “I would really advise against such actions.”

I picked myself off the floor and put away my knife, cursing under my breath.

“I understand you must be quite frightened by these circumstances, but I assure you that we will not harm you or your sister.” The blue one tried to console me. Again, that sympathetic look from before.

Grumbling without answering, I started walking. The room that Road was in wasn't too far and a simple turn at a corner brought us to the door that led to her. When the door quietly swung inward, I rushed in, finding Road lying on a bed much like my own. Thin tubes ran from her arms and a heart monitor quietly beeped in the background. For some reason, my thoughts drifted to my leg. Hadn't I broken it?

When I voiced my question, the blue one explained simply, “our medical personnel are quite capable.”

Just nodding, I turned back to my sister and sat at the foot of her bed. A mental battle was ensuing in my thoughts. “Do I try to escape with Road? Should I just trust these ponies? They seem kind enough, since they took me and Road in and helped us. Then again, I need to get us back home!”

“Well, It seems we are stuck here for the time being so...”

At that, both ponies gave a look of uneasiness and looked away. After a moment of silence and me staring at them, the white one relented.

“Actually... Inter-dimensional travel isn't something that can easily be done. It has happened, long ago, but not anymore. Neither me nor my sister have the capability to perform such a spell.” The large, regal pony looked sick to her stomach.

“So, what you're saying is... we're stuck here... forever...”

She did not answer, but her suddenly finding the floor interesting was confirmation enough.

I stared dumbly, hoping they were just pulling my leg.

The blue one spoke up. “It's not impossible, just not readily available to use right now.”

I knew she meant for that to reassure me some, but it did nothing. “Huh. I'm kinda hoping I'm dreaming up all of this right now.” After thinking some more, I came to the conclusion that friendliness was the best route for this situation. “Well then, let's start with names shall we?” I forced as much friendliness into my tone as possible and tried to smile. Though I bet it was obvious that I was trying too hard. “My name is Kota, and this here is Road.” I gestured towards my sleeping sister.

The blue one answered. “My name is Luna, and this is my elder sister Celestia.”

“Luna and Celestia, huh? Like moon and sun? Is that why you have those tattoos on your butts?” I pointed at Luna's back end.

“They are not tattoos,” explained Celestia, “They are our Cutie Marks.” I stifled a snort of laughter, but Celestia caught it and explained further. “Each and every pony receives one when they find their special talent. I raise the sun and my sister, Luna, raises the moon.”

My giggling stopped after that last sentence. “What are you guys, Gods?”

Luna giggled at that, “Not quite, but being alicorns, we have much more power than others.”

“Alicorn? I'll guess that that is a pegasus and unicorn crossed.”

“Close. There are three general pony races. Earth ponies are strong and have massive endurance, Great for farming and other manual labor, though, try to suggest that they are only good to that nature and you’ll find yourself lying on your back with a few broken ribs. Unicorns are able to use magic and are generally the wisest of the three. Pegasi are able to fly as well as interact with clouds, making them in charge of the weather. A combination of all three make an Alicorn. My sister and I, as well as our niece, Cadance, are the only Alicorns currently residing in Equestria.”

Luna seemed to be warming up to me. She looked to enjoy explaining things and was now constantly wearing a smile. However, Celestia only glared at me the whole time. I couldn't tell if it was due to being lost in thought or if she actually despised me. It's not like I had asked to come here!

Even though I was lost in my own train of thought, Luna just rambled on about other features of Equestria, the government, or even the best places to eat. I couldn’t help but smile at her eagerness to learn me of her culture.

“You seemed to know exactly what I was, have humans come to this world before?” At my question, Luna stopped in the middle of her rant and Celestia's scowl grew deeper. Her response wasn't one I was expecting.

“Long ago, and I had wished to never see one again.” Celestia stomped out of the room leaving a startled Luna and a confused me. I thought it was pretty out of character for a princess of her standing to act like a little girl.

“I apologize Kota, our history concerning humans is a bit of a touchy subject for my sister and I.”

“Mind if I ask about it?” I asked casually.

“Perhaps another time.” She ran out of the room calling for her sister to wait.

“Well then...” I mumbled.

I awoke to a sore back and a foot in my face. I don’t remember doing so, but apparently I had fallen asleep at the foot of my sister’s hospital bed in a not-so-comfortable position. Sitting up, I looked at Road and found her to still be sleeping. A small part of my mind kindled a flame of fear for her safety, but I tried to push it out of my thoughts.

I brushed back her short chestnut hair and planted a quick kiss on her forehead, then stood up and did some stretches. Pain ripped through my body as I realized how sore I must have been from the previous day’s events. Growling at my uncooperative body, I walked to the door and swung it open. I was still kind of hoping that I had dreamt the ponies and that we were really in a human hospital back on Earth, but my hopes were dashed when a nurse, equine in nature, slammed into me.

“Oh, so sorry sir!” She picked herself off the floor and ran off, turning a corner.

“What’s the rush?” I mumbled. Curiosity taking my thoughts, I reached back and softly closed Road’s room door then headed off in the direction that the nurse ran. When I turned the corner, there was no one in sight. I huffed my disappointment, but continued my path. After what seemed to be several hours of wandering, I came across a large hall with stained glass windows leaking colored light into the building. Between those and the stone architecture, it reminded me of a cathedral back on Earth. Looking down the hall, I found that this was actually a throne room, with a large throne down at the opposite end and a large regal pony sitting on it. Celestia. My gut twisted, knowing I didn’t exactly leave a good impression on her the night before.

“Kota, I trust you slept well.” Trying to slip out of the room without her noticing me was a failed plan already, so I turned back to the queen and forced a smile. Despite last night, her tone was a friendly one.

“Well, not exactly, I kinda fell asleep at the end of my sister’s bed and woke with a sore back.” I scratched the back of my head in an embarrassed manner.

“Oh. Well, has your sister awoken yet?”

“No.” I quickly lost my smile. I was really getting concerned for her well-being. I know I shouldn’t be worrying so much, especially since all she need is rest after such an ordeal, but brotherly protective instincts ran strong in my blood.

“I’m sure she will awake soon. In the meantime, feel free to explore the castle.”

“Castle? So you really are like the queen here?”

“Not exactly, my sister and I rule over this land as its princesses.

“And the Queen?”

All I received for that question was a stony expression. Taking the hint, I turned to leave the hall, but something stopped me. I turned to face Celestia again. “Actually, if it’s alright, can I ask about the history of humans in Equestria?” I can’t help my curious nature…

She regained a smile, but curtly said, “No.” The quickness of the rejection mixed with her smile threw me off and left me confused.

“Alright… then…”

“Have fun.”

I walked out without another word. She creeps me out, I decided.

Figuring I would check on my sister again before setting out on some exploration journey through the castle, I made my way back to her room, with the help of some ponies of course. When I finally found the room, I heard yelling coming from it. I opened the door, only to get a face full of pillow.

“Get away from me you creeps!” My small sister appeared to be yelling at a nurse that was trying her honest best to calm her, to no avail. I cleared my throat to grab her attention, and when she looked in my direction, she jumped off the bad and into my arms. “Kota!”

I hugged her tightly, overjoyed that she was alright. After a moment, she released me and dropped to the floor.

“Kota, where are we?” Despite what I would have thought, she had a worried look. I would have thought that a girl her age would be giddy with excitement at seeing a colorful, talking pony. But I guess our not so easy lifestyle back on earth forfeited her right to be a normal little girl.

“We somehow ended up in a place called Equestria. As you can see, “I gestured to the nurse who gave a sheepish smile. “The natives here are ponies. Though I have decided for the moment that they are friendly and we can trust them.” I could understand why she would be so cautious though. Getting sucked in some other reality isn’t something that occurs in a normal person’s life.

“Um…Okay…”

“Anyhow, I was going to explore the castle for a bit, wanna come?”

She nodded her affirmation and I waved to the nurse who looked lost in what to do at this point, and we both walked out the door into the hall. An hour later, we had explored the kitchen, (and stingy cooks who apparently don’t like you trying to sneak a taste) dining room, several bedrooms and bathrooms, and eventually found our way to the front gate. Our whole walk, I explained to Road how we got here, (to the castle, I still had no idea how we had gotten to Equestria) about the princesses, and that we regrettably would be stuck here for quite some time. She groaned at the last part. I patted her on the head trying to reassure her that it wouldn’t be all that bad as well as that the princesses would help us find a way home.

Stepping into the courtyard, we both gasped. Green grass and flower beds littered the ground giving the area a crisp and serene feeling. A fountain adorned the middle of the courtyard fashioned as what looked like Celestia. All in all, the sight was quite breathtaking. But what was the best of all, in my opinion, was the view. From this vantage point you could look out over the surrounding lands and I could even spot a little town in the distance. For the first time, I realized that this castle was situated high up on a mountainside.

“This place is beautiful.” Road muttered, she looked absolutely stunned.

“It is indeed.” I agreed.

The only thing that ruined the scenery was the plethora of guards that lined the walls of the castle and the gate that led out of the courtyard. One such guard had walked to us and cleared his throat to get our attention. We both turned to him and Road jumped slightly at the sight of a large white stallion adorned with armor. I laughed at her expense.

The guard saluted to me and explained, “I was ordered to be your escort through Canterlot. If you follow, I will lead you into town.” The guard’s face was a mask of zero emotion, typical for a guard I suppose.

“Canterlot huh? That’s actually quite a fitting name for a place with a castle. Even if it is a knockoff of Camelot.” I only mumbled the last sentence.

The guard gave no response, but instead just turned around and started off towards the exit. I nudged Road and smiled down at her. “Well, this could be fun.” We walked for about twenty minutes before a slew of buildings come into view. Following that, the most colorful sight imaginable appeared. Hundreds of ponies walked the streets, nearly all of them having their own unique color scheme. I glanced down at Road to see her eyes wide and grin breaking her uneasy frown from before.

The town itself was really big, and if I had to guess, I would say that this was the capitol of Equestria. Entering the town, we were greeted by curious stares from the pony folk, which was understandable. I would likely do the same if a colorful equine walked into my neighborhood back on Earth. They gave us a wide birth, but I gave them back all smiles, trying to convince them that we were friendly. The guard acted as a tour guide, taking us to different buildings and telling of their functions, as well as some shops and restaurants. Despite his expressionless face and monotone voice, I drank in the information. When we passed a particularly fancy looking restaurant, Road tugged on the hem of my shirt to get my attention and said, “Look Kota, is that a cello?”

Hearing that one word caught my attention and I followed Road’s finger which pointed to the most beautiful sight I had seen all day. A hard case in the shape of a cello leaned against the restaurant wall. Not thinking, I walked up to it and setting it carefully on the ground, undid the latches, opening the case. The instrument inside was a real beauty, but also looked to be really expensive. Again, not thinking, I picked the cello up out of its case and held it upright. It was slightly too small for me, but a quick readjustment of the endpin at the bottom fixed that. I ran my hand along the smooth, glossy wood and up the tight strings. I picked the bow up out of the case and gave it a testing draw across the strings. The sound that rang out was nothing short of an angel singing. I half expected Road to stop me and tell me it was a bad idea to just start playing a random person’s (pony’s) cello. But instead she look at me eagerly. I softly dragged the bow across the strings again and let a note float on the air, serenading me into an almost dreamlike trance. Whoever this cello belonged to had to be a professional. Taking a deep breath and quickly running through my mental library of memorized music, I started to play.

A noodle hung from Vinyl Scratch’s mouth as her ears perked up.

“Yo, Tavi, that your cello?”

Octavia’s ears perked up as well at the suggestion and she grumbled. “I can’t leave it alone for even a few minutes.”

Standing up from their table, Octavia and Vinyl walked out of the restaurant. What surprised Octavia wasn’t that somepony was playing around with her cello without her permission, no, that had happened before. What surprised her was the strange creature playing the instrument. It stood on two legs, had a short mane of golden hair, but on tail, and short stubble on its chin. Its eyes remained closed as it played away. Now, normally when somepony stole her cello it was to roughly play around with it without any skill. But his creature was playing with amazing skill that Octavia feared rivaled her own. She marveled at how quickly and gracefully the creature’s thin digits moved over the strings and how the bow drew out perfect sound without any scratches. Her original plan was to go beat some sense into somepony, but now she could only look on in amazement.

My eyes remained shut as I poured my soul into my music. This was the one thing in life that I found sanctity. I mentally chuckled to myself. Now if I could only get a violin into Road’s hands.

I finished my solo with a long, drawn out note that seemed to shake my bones and gave me chills. Every freakin’ time.

I slowly opened my eyes and was shocked to find hundreds of pairs of eyes staring back at me. I blinked a few times, and a loud applause ripped through the silence. Ponies surrounding me stomped their hooves on the ground and cheered. I look back at Road and she smiled with no restraint.

“Was I really that good?”

She nodded vigorously, “you always are!”

Even the stoic guard couldn’t keep himself from cracking a smile. I gave a few short bows to my audience and they roared louder. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a mare step forward out of the crowd. She had a light brownish gray coat with a dark gray mane and tail. She wore a pink bowtie around her neck, and her cutie mark (sorry, I still giggle at the name) was a purple treble clef. Her light purple yes stared at me with wonder.

“Ehehe. I’m guessing this is yours.”

The mare accepted the cello and bow and promptly returned them to their case. When finished, she walked up to me again and held out a hoof. I looked at it dumbly for a few moments before I realized what the gesture meant.

“Octavia.” She said with a slight smile.

Realizing that she was introducing herself I grabbed her hoof and shook it softly. “Kota, and this...” I pulled Road in front of me. “Is my sister, Road.”

“A pleasure to meet you Kota.” She spoke with a certain high class air to her and her posture also suggested as such. “You played beautifully.”

“If you think I was any good, then you should hear my sister with a violin.” Road blushed at the compliment and tried to hide her face behind her hands, which drew a laugh from Octavia and her friend who stood beside her.

“I would love to have you and your sister join me and my friend for lunch.” Octavia said with a hopeful look in her eye.

“Well, we just got here so we don't exactly have any money on us.” I confessed.

“Worry not, it will be on me for your amazing performance.”

“Oh... thank you.” I felt a bit awkward having someone I just met buy me lunch, but Road seemed right at home with the idea as she waltzed into the restaurant exclaiming that she was famished. “I apologize for my sister's behavior, she can be a bit forward.”

“It's quite alright, I find her quite refreshing actually. I'm normally around the upper-class ponies, so there isn't much room for humor or relaxation.” She led us back to her table and finally introduced us to her friend.

Vinyl Scratch was a white, unicorn mare with a blue mane and tail, streaked with lighter blue. Her eyes were a brilliant red color and she wore a pair of purple tinted glasses that were pushed up onto her forehead. Her cutie mark depicted a black double eighth note.

“So Vinyl,” I started, eager to learn more about our hosts. “I take it you're a musician as well?”

“You bet! Rock, techno, dubstep, pop, anything along those lines. On stage they call me DJ-Pon-3. But if ya don't mind me askin', what exactly are you two?” She looked back and forth between me and my sister.

“Oh Vinyl, don't be rude.” That's what Octavia said, but it was quite obvious how curious she was herself.

“No, it's alright. We are actually humans. Last night we found ourselves in a forest, Road was unconscious at the time. Turns out that the princess here, uh, Luna, rescued us.” I picked at my food while talking, taking bites of my spinach ravioli now and then. On the other hand, Road greedily consumed whatever came withing her reach.

“My, your sister is quite hungry. Do you not feed her?” Questioned Octavia.

“Hehe. Back home, we ate when we earned money. Which we didn't get much of since work was hard to come by. When desperate, we would play on the streets, and hope for generous donations.”

“So you were homeless?” asked Vinyl.

“Na, not homeless, just job and parentless. We hung out in our parent's house and hoped nobody came to take Road to an orphanage. I'm 23, so it would be expected of me to live on my own, but Road being only 13 would get taken from me unless I could support her.”

“With your skill, I'm surprised you weren't better off.”

“Thanks. Guess luck just wasn't on our side.”

We finished our meals and Octavia paid the bill, leaving a tip for the waitress as well. Come to think of it, besides the guard (Octavia had offered to treat him as well, but he promptly refused with a shake of his head) and few others, the population seemed to be mostly female. When I voiced my thoughts about it, Octavia explained that the male/female ratio in Equestria was about ¼.

“Well wouldn't that leave a lot of mares without a partner?”

“Indeed, which is why some remain alone while others turn to other mares for companionship.”

“You mean lesbianism is pretty common in Equestria?” I felt my cheeks heat up and Vinyl giggled at me getting flustered. “And what about you and Vinyl? You guys seem pretty close.”

Octavia only offered a sly smile in return to the question and started to walk out of the restaurant. As we started down the street, the guard slipped into stride behind us without a sound other than his clinking armor. I had no idea where we were going until Octavia stopped suddenly in front of a shop that had the word “Resonance” in bold, fancy letters above the door. Stepping inside, I found it to be a music store. Instruments ranging from woodwinds to electric guitars to turntables adorned the walls, while miscellaneous accessories and equipment lie on shelves in the middle of the store. A stallion walked up to us from the back. He had a short red mane and a light gray coat. His cutie mark was that of a guitar with a not above it. He wore a flannel shirt rolled up at the sleeves and he regarded us with golden eyes.

“Ah, Octavia, Vinyl, welcome back. And I see you brought some new customers, um... uh...” he started to stammer once he actually studied my sister and I.

“Don't ask, Res, just don't ask.” sighed Vinyl, her eyes drifting towards the guitars and she promptly trotted over to them.”

“Well anyway,” he continued, coming out of his awe-inspired stupor, “feel free to look around. If you need any help, feel free to ask. Or just ask one of those two.” He pointed with a forehoof at the two mares ogling different instruments. “They might as well live here with how often they come.” He then turned and walked back to his desk in the back to return to whatever he was doing before we walked in.

I swept my eyes over the merchandise before settling my gaze over where Octavia was, by the cellos.

“Behave yourself Road...” Too late, she was already on her way to the violins. “She's impossible.” I sighed. I walked up to Octavia and peeked over her head. She appeared to be completely transfixed on a rather expensive looking model.

“I've been waiting for this day.” She said almost dreamily. I couldn't tell if she was talking to herself or if she noticed me behind her. “Just look at how beautiful it is!” Was she drooling?

She rushed over to Resonance at the back, pulling out a small leather bag out of who knows where and tossed it on the desk, a few golding coins spilling out.

“Finally save enough, eh Octavia?” He chuckled and swept up the bag and coins that fell out.

Octavia trotted over to me with a huge grin plastered on her face. “Isn't it beautiful?”

Indeed it is. You been saving long for it?”

“About a year. I don't make much money despite my high standing so I've made it a goal of mine to own such a fantastic instrument.” She spoke like some teenage school girl fantasizing about a boy. It made me smile to see someone in love with music as much as me or Road.

“Oh, I know!” She clopped her forehooves together excitedly. “I will give you my old cello free of charge, if you do a duet with me.!” The offer came out of nowhere and I stood stunned for a while. However, I wasn't about to say no. Even if her old cello wasn't as good as her new one, it was still pretty high quality and played beautifully.

“Deal.” I said with a smile. “However, we might have a problem. We kinda come from different worlds, so we don't know of each other's music.”

“True. Tell you what, I will give you some sheet music and you can practice first.” Her smile never faltered.

“Problem still remains. I never learned how to read a score. I taught myself how to play by ear, and I have a pretty good memory, so that's why I can play without a score.”

This time, Octavia brought a hoof to her chin and thought about it, she wasn't about to give up apparently. “If I played a song for you, would you then be able to learn it?” She asked hopefully.

“I can give it a shot.”

“Lovely! But no here. Why don't you come to my house with me?”

“That sounds alright, I have nothing planned.” I was actually overjoyed to have identified with someone (somepony as they say it) so quickly after coming to this world. Things weren't looking so grim as they had on arrival.

“Come along Vinyl, it's time to go.” Octavia called over to her friend (marefriend?)

“Right, coming!” Vinyl answered, coming over to us.

I looked around to find Road and spotted her with a violin sitting on her shoulder. Smiling? I happen to know that she is extremely picky when it comes to violins. If it's not perfect, she won't use it. Her violin back on earth had been her mother's. It seemed that was the only way Mom could get through to her, was through music. Our mother had played a beautiful violin and her will had stated it would go Road.

“Kota! Kota! I found a good one!” She ran it over to me and held it in front of her. It looked to be of high quality wood with a bright cherry finish.

“Well, I'll tell you what.” I squatted down so I was face to face with her. “I'll try to find a job, and I'll buy it for you as soon as I can.”

Her eyes went impossibly huge and she threw her arms around me after quickly, but carefully, setting down the violin. “Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

We exited the shop and headed off towards Octavia's house. The trip there was uneventful and the guard once again remained silent the whole way, no objecting to their destination. I offered to him that he could return to the castle, but he wouldn't have it, simply stating that his orders where to be my escort until I returned to the castle. When we arrived, I was surprised to find that Octavia's house was kind of small. She seemed to be a professional player, so I wondered why she wouldn't be more wealthy. Were musicians not that highly regarded?

“Welcome to my humble abode.” She welcomed us in while she stood to the side so we could enter first. She ushered us into a quaint little living room and I sat myself on a low couch that sunk considerably due to soft leather cushions. I set my new cello to the side as Octavia got hers out of it's case, which she had carried the whole way on her back. What had Luna called them? Earth ponies? Anyway, they were definitely tough creatures. Road sat herself on an equally low chair and started humming a familiar tune to herself.

“Man, oh man, you guys are in for a treat!” Exclaimed Vinyl. “Kota, you might be almost as good as Tavi here.” I chuckled at the unicorn boasting about her friend. A small blushed crept onto Octavia's cheeks at the complement, but waved it away.

“Nonsense. Kota plays at my level if not better.” It was my turn to get flustered. “Anyway, let's get started shall we?”

She rosined the new bow for it's first time and quickly tuned her instrument. Admittedly I was equally curious about HOW she would play it as how good she was. She stood on her hind legs, wrapping one hoof around the neck and the other gripped the bow. A pony on Earth would never be capable of such a feat even if it was intelligent. Ponies here in Equestria must have softer, more dexterous hooves.

Taking a deep breath, the gray mare closed her eyes and began to play. Vinyl was correct to boast of Octavia's skill. It still kind of confused me on how she was able to play the strings with a hoof, but it did now matter. Screw me, she was a musical genius! I think it is a common thing for musicians to lose touch with reality while playing. Her whole body swayed with the music and she almost looked to be asleep. I stole a glance at Road and she was looking back at me, her eyebrows bouncing up and down. I understood her innuendo and waved it off, but a grin found it's way on my face nonetheless. When Octavia finished, her eyes opened slowly like waking from a dream, aroused slowly by sunlight shining through a window, and she quietly awaited our response. Road and Vinyl applauded their praise, but I stood up, clapping loudly.

“Amazing. Just amazing.” Was all I could say.

“So? Do you think that was enough to play with me?”

“Hmm... give me a sec.” I got out the other cello and prepared it. I played a few notes experimentally and thought for a moment. “Alright, start playing and I'll join in.” I didn't exactly have a plan down pat, but music had always somehow just come to me.

Octavia nodded that she understood and started up again, the same song. About ten seconds in, I joined in with a slight variation that I though would go well with her version. The song lasted about four minutes, but when Octavia finished, I ended the song with a little extra. When I looked at my small audience they all stared at me, even Octavia.

“Too much on the ending?” I asked honestly.

“You kiddin me? You were able to do that from hearing Tavi play only once? Vinyl blurted. “You two play so great together. You should seriously consider working together.”

“Really think so?” I asked blushing.

Road answered this time, but only with a  vigorous nod of her head.

Well I guess it could generate some money so I could get Road that violin. Then she could play with us as well.

Octavia then threw her arms (hooves) around my neck without warning and drew me into a tight embrace. Everyone was surprised by the action and I even let out a gasp of surprise, but it was strangely comforting, even with her being a pony, so I placed a hand on her back and returned the gesture. I marveled at how soft her fur was.

“Thank you.” She whispered. “I don't know if I've ever met somepony with your kind of talent. It was a pleasure to play with you.”

“The pleasure's all mine.” I replied.

She landed back on all fours and proceeded to put her instrument back in it's case.

“Man, this is awesome! We can like start a band or something!” Vinyl's idea, as tempting as it was, wasn't something I could in good conscience agree to.

“Hehe, thanks for the offer, but I'll have to decline. I just don't know if I could commit to something that big. Don't get me wrong, I would be awesome to be in a band with you guys, but I gotta find a way to get me and Road back home.” It actually stung to say that out loud. These ponies were already starting to grow on me.

“Oh, well, I guess that's understandable.” Muttered Octavia, who looked put down by my answer.

“But in the meantime, I certainly wouldn't say no to playing with you guys every now and then.”

Octavia perked up after that. “That would be great!”

We sat in the living room for another hour or so, talking about whatever came to mind or swapping music with each other from our respective homelands. Octavia prepared sandwiches for us as a small dinner and I gratefully accepted mine before noticing that it was a sandwich comprised of bread lettuce and a flower. I ate it without complaint and it wasn't too bad, just a little bland.

When the sun's glow descended behind distant mountains and the moon began it's ascent to sky, we said our goodbyes and headed out the door, the guard falling into stride as we walked.

“You've been awfully quiet, what's up?” I know my sister like the back of my hand, so it's child's play to tell when something is on her mind.

“Do you think we should stay here?” the question came out of nowhere and caught me off guard. I nearly tripped over myself.

“What?”

“I don't know, maybe we could stay and just start over. This world seems really nice and we already have two great friends. And they play instruments like us. It's not like we have anything to return to back on Earth, just more hardships.”

“Oh... uh, I see. Well, I guess I won't lie. I've thought about it too, I just... I don't really know. Maybe I'm just making excuses but it just doesn't feel like we belong here.” I hated myself for admitting that, but it was the truth, or at least as close to a truth I could find. But the strangest thing kept happening. Every time a pony smiled, my heart would flutter. Every time Octavia looked at me with her beautiful violet eyes, my heart would melt. And when she hugged me... well let's just say my heart exploded. Hmm... strange. I mentally smacked myself for getting so sappy.

“Kota?”

“I'll think about it.” We walked in silence the rest of the way to the castle. But I wasn't without a smile.

“I don't like this.” Said Luna, pacing back in forth in front of her elder sister who sat on her throne regarding her almost with amusement.

“Really? You seemed quite friendly with him last night.” Celestia answered teasingly.

“I was trying to get him to open up. Besides, I will never fall for the tricks of a human again.” Her pacing quickened “There has to be some way to send them back.”

“There's always a way. It's whether the price is worth paying that we have to consider. You remember our old friend “Alabaster” don't you?”

Luna grimaced and visibly shuddered at the name. “I will sooner return to the moon before asking his assistance.”

“Then you have another suggestion?”

Luna remained silent.

“Luna, my sister, I want the human gone as well, but I won't endanger his life.”

The blue alicorn gasped, “You really think I would try to murder them?”

“You were thinking about it.” Accused Celestia, a smirk appearing.

“The though appeared and I quickly brushed it aside.” Luna sat down in front of the throne massaging her temples with her hooves, trying to remedy an oncoming headache. “We could lock them up until we find a way to place him back on Earth.”

“No. I would like to try something, an experiment if you will, to see if humans have changed at all from their greedy and selfish nature. I think I will send them to Ponyville. I will have Twilight Sparkle keep an eye on them and report back to me. In the meantime, we will keep searching for a more permanent fix.”

“Ponyville?” I asked, finding the name to be rather cheesy, even for this world.

“Yes, I am sending you and your sister there to live while you are in Equestria.” Celestia explained. “My faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, also lives there. She will help you settle in. I have already informed her of your arrival tomorrow. Though I left out that you are humans, so it will be up to you to make a good first impression. I am sure her natural curiosity will precede her caution, so you have nothing to fear.”

“But we have already made friends here in Canterlot. Why can't we stay here?” Road blurted.

“Already made friends have you? You may still visit regularly, but I will still be sending you. I have my reasons.

Road huffed her frustration, but relented knowing it was futile to fight with a princess.

“When do we leave?” I too was heartbroken to be leaving behind my two knew friends so soon.

Tomorrow at noon, you will board the train to Ponyville. I will supply you with money for tickets as well as a little extra for food and provisions.” A small leather bag then floated over to me and I cautiously snatched it out of the air, wondering if the billowy aura would affect me. It didn't.

“Well, then I guess this is goodbye.”

“For now.” She answered back. “Luna will be at the station tomorrow to see you off. I wish you both safe travel.”

“Celestia, I just wanted to thank you for all you and your sister have done. Thank you for helping me and my sister instead of leaving us to fend for ourselves or throwing us in some dungeon. I realize that your history with humans may not be a pleasant one, but please don't judge us on past grudges. People change.” I turned and left the room then, but before I reached the door I heard a faint mumble come from the regal pony.

“I hope so.”

Disturbance

Chapter 2: Disturbance ~

Train rides are boring as hell, I decided. Road had fallen asleep in her seat shortly after we left the station, giving me no one to talk to, and the ever-present stares of curious ponies too afraid to ask was getting on my nerves.

“Yes!” I shouted once my patience wore thin. “I am a human!” Every eye that had been trained on me now frantically found something else to bother.

As a consolation prize though, the scenery from looking out the train window was really breathtaking. I saw that same little town from yesterday and I wondered if it was Ponyville, my destination.

After several hours of a sore back and dozing off, only to snap awake before I could find rest, my suspicions were confirmed. The conductor yelled that this was indeed Ponyville, so I gently shook Road awake.

“Huh? We there yet?” She said groggily, wiping sleep from her eyes and letting loose a large yawn as she sat up.

“Ya, we’re here.” I grabbed my cello, my only belonging (Octavia and Vinyl were going to kill me since I never said goodbye), and ushered Road out of the train. It was such a nice, sunny day. Thin wisps of condensed water floating in the clear blue ocean of the sky and Pegasi fluttered about, some even laying on the clouds as if they were beds. Sadly, I couldn’t help but think this was the perfect time for a power nap. I looked down at my sister and couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of her slowly dozing off while standing, she just looked so cute sometimes.

It was then that I saw a purple unicorn looking around. She had an indigo man with a purple and pink stripe that ran down the middle. It fell over her forehead and stopped just above her eyes. Her cutie mark was a pinkish-red six pointed star. Her deep violet eyes scanned the train station as if looking for prey. How she skipped over the two obvious aliens was a mystery to me. No knowing what else to do, and guessing this was the student Celestia had mentioned, I walked over to her, leaving Road to sleep in a pile on the ground.

“Excuse me, would you happen to be Twilight Sparkle?”

She started slightly when I tapped her on the shoulder. “Why yes I am…” She stopped as she turned to face me.

“Oh, good. Celestia told you I was coming?”

“Um… yes.”

Taking a deep breath, I prepared my long winded explanation of what I was so she could stop staring.

“Yes, I’m not a pony, I am a human. I found myself and my sister, here in Equestria a few days ago. Princess Luna saved us, and we were sent here to live until Celestia can find a way to send us back home.” I had pointed behind me to Road who was now curled up in a snoring ball on the ground when I mentioned my sister.

“I am so sorry, please forgive my staring. It’s just, humans have always been a creature of myth. The only times you hear about them are in fictions and campfire stories.” She looked ashamed of her behavior and had a slight blush that shone through her thin fur.

“It seems the princesses really do keep their history a secret from everyone.”

“I will be happy to answer any questions you have about humans, but first, do you have a bed where I can put my sister?” As cute as she looked curled up like that, I couldn’t help but worry she would be stepped on.

“Oh, yes. Please, follow me.” She turned and started into the town, looking back to make sure I was following. I ran back to Road and scooped her up, with the cello slung across my back, and hurried to catch up to my escort. The walk wasn’t terribly long, lasting about ten to fifteen minutes, but I was a little surprised to find that she was walking up to a large tree. I had my doubts about the unicorn’s sanity at first, but I soon realized the large tree had been fashioned into an occupy-able structure. Complete with a door, windows, and even a second story balcony, it looked like a house you would find an elf in. Stepping inside the abnormal structure, I found it wasn’t a house, but a library (or the house of a collector maybe). Books lined the walls (and floor) and some were piled high on a large wooden desk near the back. A set of stairs led to the second story.

“Sorry for the mess, the princess told me of your arrival late last night, so I didn’t have time to clean up.” She looked so apologetic and jumpy, as if all this was a test and the tiniest slip up would fail her.

“Really, it’s alright.” I said, my arms growing weary.

“Follow me up stairs and you can put your sister to bed.” She led me upstairs, and found that the second story was more suitable to be a house. It was a bit smaller than the first floor, but roomy nonetheless. A bedroom sat in the center, raised up with a small set of stairs leading to the beds. A bathroom to one side and a small kitchen on the other. Once I dumped Road on the bed and pulled the blanket up to her chin, I turned around to face my host.

“Probably should have done introductions before, but my name is Kota, my sister is Road.” I held out my hand she placed her hoof in it, accepting the gesture.

“As the Princess may have told you, I am Twilight Sparkle, student and the librarian to Ponyville.”

“It’s nice to meet you, Twilight.” I said with a grin that pushed the boundaries of being a bit cheesy. “If you don’t mind me asking, do you by chance have a shower I can borrow? I haven’t exactly gotten the chance to clean myself since coming to Equestria.” Truth be told, I stunk.

“Yes. The bathroom is right over there. Towels and soap are in the top cupboard on the right.”

“Thanks.” I walked into the bathroom and closed the door, but when I tried to lock it, there was no such mechanism. “Trusting.” I mumbled. The small bathroom wasn’t room but was enough to be comfortable. The porcelain bathtub was big enough, but the shower head was low so I would have to squat or sit down to wash myself. A small window near the ceiling filtered a shaft of light into the room, a bird could be heard chirping outside. It was a peaceful situation. Stripping my shirt, I looked into a mirror that sat against the wall, and stared at my reflection. What I saw wasn’t too surprising, but horrific nonetheless, hair mussed up so it stood on end, my chin stubble had grown lengthy, and I carried large bags under my eyes. My physique was the only thing I could be proud of at this point. I won’t boast, but I have some good muscle on me. Stripping the rest of my clothes, (Shoes, socks, jeans, and boxers) I walked over to the tub and fumbled with the water controls until I got a satisfying burst of nearly scalding water.

I took a long, drawn out shower that was much needed. (Though I was conscious of a probable water/heating bill that Twilight would have to pay)  I used the soap I found, which smelled pleasantly of lavender, to lather my body and scrub my hair. As I finished a knock that rattled the door.

“Kota, you in there?” It was Road.

“Ya,” I shouted back over the hum of the running water. “I’ll be out in a minute.”

Stepping out of the tub, I wrapped a towel around my waist and used another to dry my hair. Once dry, I pulled my clothes back on and looked in the mirror again. My hair now fell obediently around my neck and the bags weren’t as prominent. Much better.

When I opened the door, I found Road standing crouched over with her hands over her crotch, doing a little dance. I stepped aside to allow her entrance, and she rushed passed me. “Take a shower as well.” I said as she closed the door. I gave a small chuckle.

Taking the steps one at a time, I slowly descended the stairs, thinking about what exactly I should do for the remainder of the day. Should I take today to do some exploring like I did in Canterlot? That seemed to be the quickest way to make friends and learn about the town. Or should I go straight to job searching? Lazing around with a good book sounded nice as well, what with the myriad of books.

Before I realized it, I had hit the bottom of the stairs and almost tripped when my foot tried to reach for another stair. I heard a giggle and looked over to find Twilight staring at me, the purple mare almost hidden behind a mountain of books. Gathering whatever dignity I had left, I walked over to her.

“Did you have a nice shower?” She asked smiling, trying to get over her giggles.

“Very refreshing, thank you.”

“Sooo… Can I ask you a few questions?” She asked hopefully.

I heaved a sigh and sat in a nearby chair. I had forgotten about her curiosity. “I guess.”

She beamed at my consent and pulled a list from under a few rather large books. She was prepared. I gulped and took deep breath, preparing for the onslaught.

“Okay, first question…”

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

The interview went on for a good hour and a half. (I stole glances at a wall clock now and then. Surprisingly, they seemed to have the same time system as on earth with the same numbers.) She asked questions concerning Earth life, politics, biology, Meteorology, (which admittedly I knew nothing about save for the big and little dipper, so she had to skim over the section) Reproduction, (oh how awkward that was) and a few about my personal life. I didn’t even get to attend college with my lifestyle so I wasn’t that learned on the subjects but I could explain the basics. Road had finished upstairs and came down about half-way through. She chipped in little bits of info that she deemed educational for the unicorn. Somehow, I wasn’t surprised that she had taken lengthy notes about all I said.

“I thank you Kota and Road for your contribution to science.” Road smiled at the praise and gave a nod.

“Contribution to science?”

“No problem, glad I could help sate your thirst for knowledge.”

“I do have one more question though…”

“Shoot.”

“Do you know how you got here? Was it intentional?”

“Hehe, sadly we know nothing about either how or why we are here.” I answered half apologetically.

“Oh well, worth a shot.”

“Now, Can I ask you a question?”

“Of course.”

“Do you know of anyone or anyplace that is hiring? I feel that if we are going to live in this world, no matter how long, I will need a source of income.”

Twilight thought for a minute, tapping a hoof on her chin. “Well, let’s see. Sweet Apple Acres is always in need of help if you’re up for manual labor. If you have any baking skills, you could apply at Sugar Cube Corner. There are also numerous professional jobs if you are qualified.”

“Hmm. Road, you could take that baking job. As for me, I guess I could start with that labor job until I find something else.”

“Then I will put in a good word to Applejack for you.”

“Thanks Twilight. And thanks a bunch for letting us stay here until we’re a bit more independent.”

“It’s no problem at all, stay as long as you like.”

With Job searching taken care of, we ended up using the rest of the day to explore the town. By recommendation from Twilight, we went to Sugar Cube Corner for a treat. I had no idea what this world’s money was worth in relevancy to U.S. Dollars, so I didn’t know if this little bag of coins (I think I heard them called bits) that Celestia gave me was a lot or just a few dollars.

True to its name, Sugar Cube Corner was a building made of sugar. It was shaped like a giant gingerbread house with various candies and other sweet things spread about it. For a moment I wondered if it was edible.

A bell rang as I opened the door and Road and I walked into the bakery. A sweet, elderly voice called that she would be right with us. I walked up to the counter and looked around, Road took a seat at a booth in the back. It seemed they had all baked goods ranging from bread loafs to cakes. It all looked so enticing. A cyan earth mare walked up to the counter, ready to take our orders. She had a pink mane (fashioned to look like icing on a cupcake) and tail. Her cutie mark consisted of three cupcakes. She looked at both of us with light crimson eyes and a motherly smile. She didn’t even seem fazed that we were not of the same species.

“New Ponyville residents I presume?”

“Uh, yeah, we arrived earlier today. I’m Kota, and that is my sister Road.”

“How nice, you may call me Mrs. Cake, and how may I help you two?”

“Well, we were told by Twilight Sparkle that this was the best place to come for a treat.”

“So you know Ms. Sparkle do you? Give her my regards will you? And how about this: you can each have a cupcake free of charge as my welcome gift to you.”

“I’m definitely starting to like this place.”

“That would be awesome! Are you sure it’s no trouble?”

“Not at all.”

“Then thank you!”

She went into a kitchen and came back with two cupcakes balanced on her back. She placed them on the counter and I took them over to the booth where Road sat. She dove right into her cupcake greedily. They were a pretty good size so it took us 10 minutes to wolf down the most amazing confectionary masterpiece ever conceived.

The door’s bell chimed again, signaling another customer. Of all the ponies, this would be the one to scream “little girl’s T.V. show.” A bright pink pony with a slightly darker pink curly mane and tail walked straight up to the counter humming a cheery tune. Her eyes were closed in her apparent jubilation so I could not see them but she had a cutie mark of 3 balloons, two blue and one yellow.

“Welcome back Pinkie.” Mrs. Cake greeted her. “How was your trip to the market?”

“It went super dee duper great! I left the flour sacks in the back.”

“Thank you dear.”

As I watched the conversation in front of me, I chuckled at the new mare’s name, how pink can you get? Even her personality was all laughing and happiness. My chuckle did not go un-noticed and the speed at which the pink mare turned around looked like it would give her whiplash.

“Oh my gosh!” She exclaimed as she bounced (not walked) up to us. “Holy cow! Are you new to Ponyville? When did you get here? Do you have any friends yet?” She took in a large gasp before spouting out her next sentence which was a flurry of mashed words. “Igottagetapartytogethergottagobye!” She then rushed out of the bakery before either of us could respond to any of her questions.

I looked down at Road and she shrugged her shoulders.

“It looks like you’ll be getting a ‘Welcome to Ponyville’ party tonight. That was Pinkie Pie. Don’t let her hyperactivity put you off. She’s the sweetest thing in Ponyville.” Mrs. Cake explained as she walked up to us with a large plate of cookies with steam carrying a heavenly scent rising from them, and two glasses of milk on a tray. She set them on the table and we all partook of the sweets.

“Lots of sugar intake?”

“I guess that could be part of it. But she had quite a monotone childhood, so I guess she’s just trying to make up for it.”

“Well, if you don’t mind me asking, are you hiring at all? My sister, Road, here would like to work for you.”

“Well, I think that would be just grand! Of course, we can always use the extra help. Do you have any baking experience dear?” She asked kindly.

Road nodded in confirmation and I elaborated further for my shy sister. “She has tons of experience. I doubt I’d be alive without her cooking back where we’re from.”

“Super! How about this, I’ll have Pinkie show you the ropes tomorrow since she’s off for the day.”

Road nodded again, more vigorously this time, and with a huge smile on her face. Her love of baking was second only to violins and her music.

“Alright, thanks again Mrs. Cake for the treats and job for Road. We still got lots of this town to explore, so we better get going.” I stood up and Road follow suite.

“Well, have fun you two, and don’t forget to stop by every now and then Kota. I’ll see you tomorrow Road, at, let’s see, does 11 a.m. sound okay?”

“Yes.”

“Then we’ll see you then.”

Stepping out of the sweet shop with our good moods bolstered, we picked a random direction to go in. Road closed her eyes and spun around in a circle. She stopped with her finger outstretched and opened her eyes after a few cycles. “This way!” And so we headed “that” way.

“This” way ended up taking us to what looked like a park. The looks we got on the streets were mild and only a little unsettling, but when we entered the park, full attention was on us.

Raising my ands above my head as if I were getting ready to preach a sermon, and joking shouted, “We come in peace!”

“Way to be subtle.” Road nudged me with her elbow.

I nudged her back. “We were trying to be subtle? Besides, they were already staring.”

The eyes never left us so I continued. “Just to get it out there, yes, my sister and I here are humans. You may now continue your day as planned, don’t mind us.” It took a while longer, but after a moment of stares criticizing us, ponies found something else to occupy their time. We walked down a short hill and ended up in front of a small lake. Fish jumped now and then and birds flew overhead chirping and singing. This place was calming. I let the warm sunlight wash over my face as we sat down on the bank of the lake.

“Beautiful world this is.” I offered.

“Yes. Are you sure we can’t stay?” Road answered back.

“You know, it’s funny. The longer I stay, the less I want to leave.”

“Good.”

“You really like it here?”

“Let’s see. Friendly ponies, amazing cupcakes, and breathtaking scenery no matter where you look. Of course I like it here! Definitely beasts living in that old house in a polluted and rundown neighborhood where someone gets mugged every other hour. Honestly, I don’t understand why you would ever want to go back there.”

“It think that’s the longest you’ve ever talked in one breath.”

Road answered with a deadpanned look.

“Alright, alright, I agree with you. I guess the only reason I would go back is because of the memories. I know you didn’t get along with mom and dad all too well, but when they died, I missed them dearly.” I heaved a sigh and lay back on the grass. “But maybe it’s best to leave such memories behind. Mom wouldn’t want us to dwell on the past.” I chuckled and closed my eyes. “Maybe we can just start over after all.”

Road put a hand to my forehead and asked, “You okay? You’re getting all sentimental on me.”

“Oi! I’m just agreeing with what you said back in Canterlot.”

“In a sappy way.”

“Well it seems you’ll get your wish. If the ponies will have us, then we’ll stay.”

“Thanks Kota.” She lay her head on my chest. “You’re a good big brother.”

“The best.”

“So a human huh? What’re you doing here?” My eyes flew open at the new voice and all I saw were a pair of rose colored eyes inches from my face. Startled, I sat up quickly, smacking my head on the mare’s.

“Gahh!” I rubbed my head vigorously to numb the pain and so did the mare. She was a cyan Pegasus, just a bit darker than Mrs. Cake, with a rainbow colored mane and tail in a windswept fashion. I couldn’t see her cutie mark well from my point of view, but it kinda looked like a rainbow lightning bolt coming from a white cloud.

After cursing lightly under her breath, she spoke up. “Hehe. Sorry about that. Probably wasn’t the smartest idea.” She spoke with a gruff voice like a tomboy.

“Ya think?” I growled.

“Anyway, I came over here to satisfy my curiosity.” She stood up and struck a pose. “I’m Rainbow Dash. The fastest flier in Equestria!” She was cocky.

“Well, Rainbow Dash, my name is Kota and my sister here is Road. To answer your question from earlier, I have no idea why or how we got here.” My head still smarted and I kept one eye squinted shut.

“Interesting… I’ve got my eye on you.” And just like that she flew off.

“Well that was certainly weird.” I said after a while. “Since our tender sibling moment is over, I guess it’s time to go to a new place.”

“Your turn.”

“Alright.” I spun around like Road did and stopped, pointing at the lake.

“Unless you feel like swimming, try again.” Road chuckled.

I spun again, this time pointing in a relatively dry direction. After another twenty minutes of walking we came to a school. Though it looked deserted, so we moved on, choosing a new direction. The next place took us a while to get to but we enjoyed the scenic walk through town nonetheless. Eventually, we came to the outskirts of the town. About to turn back, Road stopped me and pointed.

“Look, someone lives out there, we should go check it out.”

“Alright.” I consented.

As we got closer, it looked to be a small cottage that sat next a river, which led into Ponyville one way and into a dark forest the other. Road was already bounding up the stone steps to the cottage’s front door, so I stepped up next to her as she knocked loudly. No response. She knocked again for good measure. Still no answer. As we turned to leave though, my ears picked up on a sound close to a whisper.

“Did you hear that?”

Road gave me a questioning look and I pressed my ear to the door. Again I heard the sound, a little clearer with my ear on the door. It sounded… It sounded like someone saying “help.” I tried the door knob and found it unlocked. Gently pushing the door inwards a strong smell invaded my nostrils. It smelled metallic, and I almost instantly recognized the scent, enough gang fights on our slum streets, gave me enough experience with it. Blood.

I turned back to Road who had a horrified expression and told her to wait. Taking cautious steps, I entered a living room. Everything looked normal, so I went into another room. It was a kitchen, and still there was nothing there. Frustrated I call out.

“Hello! Is anyone here?”

A moment of silence, then another cry for help sounding more of a squeak than a word. As I passed by a set of stairs there was another squeak and I pinpointed the sound as coming from up the stairs, but I also spotted a door that lay in fragments half in the house and half out in what must have been a backyard. Smeared red tracks led out the door. The smell got stronger as I slowly ascended the stairs, and I was compelled to plug my nose or hold my breath.

Another door sat off its hinges at the top of the stairs and the smell continued to grow in intensity. I mentally prepared myself. This all screamed of cheesy horror movie, but I couldn’t ignore the groaning voice that continued to plea for help. Poking my head inside the door, I nearly lost my food. The room was a mess with both strewn objects and blood that smeared on the walls and floor. A red trail led my gaze to a disfigured mare that lie slumped in a corner. A yellow Pegasus that had scratches and gashes covering her small frame. A pink mane hung over her face. A cutie mark of three butterflies was barely visible under a smear of blood.

“Road! Road, go get help!” I yelled as loud as I could to ensure my sister got the message. I heard an “okay” in reply and I took it she ran off. Taking my shirt and tearing it into strips, I cautiously walked over to the groaning pegasus. Kneeling down, I brushed the mane away from her face. Her half-lidded eyes and unmoving body led me to believe I was too late, a flutter of her eyelids said otherwise. Taking one of the strips, I tied it around her upper arm tightly to act as a tourniquet so the blood flow would stop. The mare’s eyes shot open and she cried out in pain.

“It hurts! It hurts!” She screamed. She had the most beautiful cyan eyes, but they were ruined by the fear and pain that filled them. Tears streamed endlessly, soaking her fur and matting it down.

“I’m sorry, I’m not too good at this but I know the basics. Please just endure a little longer. Here,” I held out a wad of cloth, “Bite down on this.” She opened her mouth and allowed me to place it in between her teeth. I began first aid to the best of my knowledge. My fingers fumbled with the knots because my hands wouldn’t stop shaking from the shock of the situation. The mare continued to scream in agony around the cloth in her mouth. I failed to notice before that her arm was broken, which was why she was screaming out so much when I was tying a tourniquet around it. I felt so stupid and useless. I was probably hurting her more than helping.

I walked along the hard paved sidewalk on my way to the school Road attended. Even with the death of our parents, I had to keep Road in school or else people would start finding out we had no parents and they would take road away from me.

Kids crowded the playground as parents picked them up one by one until only a handful of children remained, playing on the monkey bars or swinging on the swings. As I neared the school, I saw an out-of-place crowd gathered around something unseen by me. Wondering what it could be, I hurried over, the sound of crying growing louder as I drew closer. I pushed through the crowd to find Road sitting on the ground in the center of the gathering. Her hands holding her right leg tightly. It turned out that she had slipped on one of the monkey bars that were too high for her and had broken her leg. I told the kids to not worry about it and the crowd dispersed.

I gave Road a piggyback ride the whole way home, walking slowly as not to direct attention our way.

“You’ve got to be more careful Road, we can’t take you to the hospital because they’ll find out about mom and dad.” I scolded her, but my voice remained calm.

She sniffed into my shoulder, her crying subsiding to quiet sobs. “I’m sorry, I’ll try to be more careful.”

She was only ten at the time. I took her home and made a splint out of a two by four and a roll of duct tape. But things got worse as the leg got infected. The whole leg was bloated with a green color, and according to Road, the pain continued to intensify.

I didn’t know what to do, I panicked. Picking her up on my back, I ran to the nearest hospital, two miles away, as we didn’t have any other mode of transportation. The doctors cared for her after I explained the situation, and lied about our parents being out of state on business. They informed me that the leg would be okay, but that it had been handled wrong is all. But when the time came that we were asked about how to contact our parents so a bill could be sent, we ran. Road’s leg wasn’t fully recuperated but the swelling and bruising was gone. We were lucky that the doctors or authorities didn’t find us.

After that, I learned some first aid so I wouldn’t make such a stupid mistake in the future.

With Road not able to go to school (I took some lengthy explaining why her teacher couldn’t contact our parents) and immobilized, she decided to pick up her mother’s violin. She learned it all on her own, somehow playing by ear the whole time, she was a natural just as our mother had been. The nights were filled with her playing, rough at first, but after nearly two years, that improvised playing turned into the most beautiful sound I had ever heard. Somewhere along the way, I picked up the cello, learning in the same fashion she had. The cello I had found in a dumpster was cheap and cracked, but still worked. That was to be our lifestyle for another few years. Relying on each other and our music.

“What do I do next?” I mumbled. My mind was racing through memories of first aid classes I received at the community rec center so I could better keep Road safe. Nothing came to mind, I had cut off the bleeding, wiped as much of the blood off as I could, and tied bandages around the more ghastly wounds. I tried to make her more comfortable, placing an arm behind her head and quietly assuring her I would not let her die.

“Do you know what happened?”

She struggled with her voice and it came as a croak when she answered. Her throat more than likely scratched and dry after all her screaming. “Bear.” She got out. There was more to it, but that was the only word I picked up on.

“What about a bear?” I asked urgently.

She tried to clear her throat and a glob of blood ran from her lip to her chin. “I don’t know what happened.” She sputtered after a moment. She was fading in and out of consciousness. Her body slumped further, but her slowly rising and falling chest assured me that she was still alive. Her eyes had all but rolled into the back of her head.

Carefully, I slid my hand under her back legs, and with my other arm cradling her head, I slowly lifted up and she grunted in pain. “Sorry.” I said before standing fully. Hugging her against my chest, but not so much as to put more pressure on her already battered body, I walked out of the room, taking the stairs slowly. I felt so nauseous from the stench of blood, but I managed to hold back the bile that threatened to come up. Back into the cool night are, I shivered, remembering I no longer had a shirt. How long was I in there? The sun had set and the moon was making its slow ascent into the starry sky. I didn’t get too far from the cottage, before I heard my name being called from down the path.

“Kota! What happened?” Road’s voice reached me and I struggled to speed up. When the two reached me, I saw that Road had gotten Twilight.

“Oh my gosh, Fluttershy! Kota, what happened to her?” Twilight squeaked when she saw what I was carrying. The bandaged pegasus groaned softly, but otherwise remained unconscious.

“Found her like this. Something about a bear attack, I think.” I stammered, my mind was muddled by the ordeal.

“I’ll take her to the hospital, you go wash up then meet me there.”

I slowly nodded, and let Twilight take Fluttershy in her magical grasp. But instead of walking in the direction of the library, I fell flat on my face.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

I stood in the center of Ponyville. Mist came up in coils around my legs and a gentle breeze bit into my skin. It was in the deepest hours of the night, and the moon shone down on me, illuminating only my immediate surroundings. The stars twinkled as they seemed to dance around me overhead.

“How’d I get here?” I asked myself. “Road? Twilight?” Turning in all directions I found nobody, or no pony to be exact. Dead silence rang in my ears and I was getting freaked out by the notion that I had no idea how I had gotten here. I heard a shuffling of hooves behind me, and when tried to twist around, my feet were rooted and my upper half refused to obey. My heart started to race as I broke out in a cold sweat. The hoof steps were coming closer to me. A soft whisper mumbling incoherent phrases turned my blood to ice. The hoof steps stopped when they sounded directly behind me and I felt something nuzzle my bare back. I was paralyzed with raw fear as I couldn’t will myself to identify my guest. The gentle touch left my back and the steps started up again, this time starting to circle me.

“Run!” I screamed at myself, but my legs wouldn’t cooperate. I wanted to cry, to just end it all, to end myself, the fear and anticipation driving me to insanity. I caught movement out of the corner of my eye and almost had a heart attack. Whatever it was moved slowly, but abnormally. I had the form of a pony, but none of its features. Black as a void, with no mane or tail. Its face though, oh god it’s face. Its eyes were merely circles drilled into its face, while its mouth was a long jagged line that broke its face. It was smiling, the corners of its mouth reaching nearly to its eyes. It sat itself on its haunches in front of me and just stared. Hours seemed to pass as the staring contest stretched on. Even with the smile, this thing did not show any emotion, its countenance a void of all feeling. Until it cocked its head and hung its jaws open. Unintelligible speech spewed forth and I stood dumbfounded, still unable to move or look away. Then a voice, chilling as ice and dripping with malice, rang in my head.

“Don’t belong! Get out!” it started as a whisper but gradually got louder, its voice now a wailing scream. Finally able, I threw my hands over my head in a feeble attempt to block out the sound but it did nothing. Suddenly, all at once the voice stopped and silence returned. I slowly lowered my arms and the creature was mere inches from my face. Someone screamed. I think it was me.

~~~ ~~~ ~~~

I was thrust back into reality kicking and screaming. My mind still gripped by the horrible fear, I couldn’t will myself to stop. When I finally did calm down, I realized that I was lying in a soft bed. The blankets were strewn across the floor and the sheets soaked in my own sweat.  My breathing came in large gasps and I had trouble getting enough oxygen. I tried to calm myself further by sitting up and rocking back and forth, but the horrid face kept itself planted at the front of my thoughts. And try as I might, I could not dispel the shaking that racked my body. I looked around the room and it turned out that I was back at the library. A note sat on the nightstand, and when I picked it up with trembling fingers, I found it was hastily written, but more or less said that I should take a shower and then head to the hospital. It was signed by Road.

My heart rate was close to normal now and my breathing came easier, so I dared to stand. My legs felt unbearably weak under me and I nearly fell when I tried to walk. With a hand on the wall, I made my way to the bathroom. I turned on the hot water and slipped out of my bloody pants. I wanted to get rid of them, but they were all I had. After a quick scrub and washing as much of the blood out of my jeans, I dried myself and wrung some of the water out of my jeans before putting them back on. Hopefully the cool night are would dry them. Or freeze me to death.

It took me a while to find the hospital, but after a few directions from wary ponies on the street, I spotted a large, lit building standing out in the night like a torch.

The stark white walls and sterile smell brought back nostalgic memories of when my parents were dying. Road and I practically lived at the hospital. Spotting a nurse, I caught her attention and asked where I could find Twilight. She led me down several halls before stopping in front of a door and opening it for me. I mumbled a thank you and stepped inside. Road sat against the wall in a chair, but Twilight sat in a chair pulled up to a large hospital bed.

Road saw me first and spoke. “Feeling better?”

“Not really, but how is… Fluttershy was it?” I felt stupid saying that, it made me sound so insincere.

“She’s stable for now, but she’s lost too much blood and has numerous fractures in her arms, legs, and wings. They had to give her a transfusion.” Twilight looked close to tears, and the matted fur on her face and chest told me she had been crying earlier. She continued, “Two of her ribs were crushed and they say it’s a miracle that her lungs and heart weren’t damaged. Honestly Kota, Fluttershy owes her life to you.”

“I may have found her, but I wasn’t much help to her afterwards. I tried to bandage her up, but I think I only caused her more pain…”

Another voice cut me off. “On the contrary. You managed to slow the bleeding long enough for her to get professional help. If you hadn’t bandaged her, she would most likely be dead.” We all turned to find that a stallion pony in a white coat had walked into the room. Presumably the doctor. “At this point, we are certain she will make a full recovery. The fractures in her wings will take 3-4 weeks, but the breaks in her legs and arms could take several months. She will also live with numerous scars all over her body, but I would think that’s a small price to pay for one’s life.” The doctor did a few tests and checked Fluttershy’s vitals before walking out of the room again.

Silence took over and we all sat in awkward silence and our own thoughts. Twilight was the first to break the silence. “It just doesn’t make any sense.” I was a whisper, but loud enough for all in the world to hear. “Could it possibly have been a bear?”

“Well I don’t know about Equestria, but on earth, people die from bear attacks quite often.”

“No, no, you don’t understand. Fluttershy lives with animals, her special talent is communication with animals. Even bears and wolves are quick to befriend her.”

“So you’re suggesting there’s a third party.” The idea didn’t seem too farfetched, especially after my crazy dream.

“I am. More than likely, something scared the bear enough to revert it to a more primal and feral nature, but hypnotism or possession isn’t out of the question.” Twilight’s face was screwed up in deep thought.

I raised an eyebrow. “Twilight, I think you’re overthinking this, are those things even possible?”

“Possible, although a rare talent, but like I said, it’s not out of the question.”

“Would it be a good idea to mention my dream? I wonder if I can dance around it while still getting answers.”

“Hey Twilight?”

“Hmm?”

“You said that humans were creatures of legend right?”

“Right.”

“Well… in those stories, is there ever any mention of another creature that could possibly want to destroy or get rid of the humans?”

“Why? Do you know something?”

“No… just a thought.” My palms were getting sweaty.

“No, there’s no such thing mentioned.” She regarded me with suspicion, but it slipped away when she returned to her own thoughts. However, Road never took her eyes off of me.

“Damn it! She can read me like a book!”

But this is neither the time nor place to scare her with just a dream I had. “It’s pretty late, and Road needs her sleep, so I’m going to take her back to the library.” Road huffed her disagreement but I shot her a stern look saying she had no choice.

“That’s fine.” She said somberly, never averting her gaze from Fluttershy. “I think I will end up staying the night here.”

“Is there anything you want me to get for you from the library?”

“No, that’s okay. If I need anything I always have my magic.” She pointed to her horn with a hoof with a tired, forced smile.

Nodding, I led Road out of the hospital. The cool wind reminded me of my lack of a shirt and I hugged my arms around my chest. When we were about half way, Road spoke up.

“You gonna tell me what that was about back there?”

“No.” I answered simply.

She suddenly jumped up on my back and, hooking her index fingers inside the corners of my mouth, pulled my mouth wide. “Tell me!”

“Oww!” it wasn’t pleasant. She kept it up until we arrived at the library’s front door. “Okay fine!” I yelled. She got off my back with a satisfied grin of victory. “The truth is…” instead of finishing, I bolted in a random direction. Road was one step ahead of me though and she stuck her foot out, tripping me. The skin screamed as it made contact with the dirt road. Road then proceeded to sit on my back and tug on my hair.

“Tell me!” She whined

My tired brain relented, if only to stop the pain. My cold, wet jeans were giving me a rash as well. I told her about my dream in all its lucidity, about what I think it means, and what I think we should do. I also admitted that it may be the cause of what happened to Fluttershy, no matter how ridiculous it sounded.

“But that doesn’t explain why it would attack Fluttershy. If it wants us gone, then what would it gain by attacking Fluttershy, who, at the time, didn’t know us at all. That just doesn’t make sense.” She had a point.

“Maybe it’s evil enough to hurt anything in its path.” I offered.

“Through a bear?”

I looked at her dumbly.

“I think these events are all just a coincidence. Twilight was right when she said that bears and other animals will go feral in the presence of enough danger or fear. And your dream was a dream. It could have been triggered by your thoughts of not belonging here. Just calm down and worry about Fluttershy.”

Her words were like a slap to the face. At times she sounded like twenty years older than she was and it astounded me how smart she could be at her age of 13. Then again, she did read a lot. All I could do in response was stare.

I put a hand on her shoulder. “You’re right, little sis. I’m sorry, it’s just, coming to this world then few days layer being charged with saving someone’s life then moments after, fainting and having a super creepy, messed up dream is a little much. I just need a good night’s rest is all.” Thinking back, I have been put through a lot lately. What did I do to warrant the hate of the universe?

Road smiled warmly. “I’m tired too.”

Standing up, we both walked to the door again. I opened it and got face full of… confetti?

“Surprise!!!”

“This is going to be a long night.” I groaned, as I looked at the sea of ponies filling the library.