Fortunate Misfortune

~Chapter 6 - An After Breakfast Stroll~

Hitting the grass below, I tucked into an awkward sideways roll to reduce the force of my landing, and to prevent myself from crushing the contents of my backpack. My arm hit the ground at a strange angle jarring it in its socket and sending a sharp pain lancing down to my finger tips. Groaning, I slowly pushed myself into a sitting position. Rubbing my arm I didn't feel anything out of place, I'm no doctor but I was pretty sure that nothing was broken. My little stunt probably almost ended up with my arm becoming dislocated, maybe worse. I sat there for a few minutes until the pain began to subside, then I climbed to my feet and stepped onto a garden path.

Not a pony was in sight, for this I was glad since I wanted to be alone with my thoughts. I strolled down the path, rotating my arm in its socket and too engrossed in my thoughts to take in the sights of beautifully trimmed hedges and beds of vibrantly coloured flowers.

'A car… I was hit by a car. My parents always said I shouldn't listen to my music while I'm walking…' I let out a sigh. 'I wonder what's up back home. Am I dead, or am I lying in a hospital, hooked up to a bunch of life support equipment in a coma? Whatever happened my family's probably not taking it too well. Wait, if I'm in a coma does that mean this is all a dream?' I shook my head. 'No way, it's all too real, I'm definitely in Equestria… well, maybe not all of me, maybe this is just a physical embodiment of my mind. I think that makes sense, I mean traveling to another universe doesn't make much sense to begin with.' I stopped walking. 'If I am in a coma, then what will happen if I wake up back home?'

I gave another sigh and said to myself, "Oh well, guess I should make the best of this then." I chuckled, "Being here will probably help me out a lot anyway."

Shrugging away the rest of those depressing thoughts, I looked around to see where my legs took me. There were stone statues of ponies wearing plate armor and striking heroic poses. 'Hmm, this place seems familiar,' I silently wondered and seeing what stood in front of me sparked my memory.

A statue of a creature with a serpentine body and a dragon tail extending nearly straight backwards. Left leg of a horse, right leg of some kind of lizard, again probably a dragon. Arms, one ending in an eagle's claw and the other in a lions paw, were stretched outwards as if trying to ward off some attack. Both its left wing, that of a pegasus, and its right, the wing of a bat, were open to their full wingspan. A horn and antler protruded from the head of a goat. The expression on the statues face was a mix of shock and anger, and maybe a bit of pain.

I looked thoughtfully at Discord, his statue stood about three feet taller than me. 'Man, I'd choose getting hit by a car over being turned into a statue any day.'

"I am so going to learn more about you," I said with a determined nod of my head.

I stood there a little longer before deciding to head back. "I hope Princess Celestia tried explaining things to them," I brought my hand to my chin in contemplation, "Or maybe she erased that from their memories."

I shook my head at that last statement, "No, even though I haven't talked to her much I can still tell she's not the troll that other Bronies make her out to be. I doubt she'd ever mess with people's minds."

Just then I heard the sound of flapping wings. Looking up I saw a dark charcoal grey pegasus in golden plated armor approaching me, because of the helmet he wore I couldn't see his mane but I assumed it was the same white as his tail. There was something about his skinny body being covered by a suit of armor that looked a little off.

The pegasus landed on the path and a bit to my left. Regarding me with wary eyes he asked, "Are you Matthew?" he sounded a little nervous.

"Yeah, why? Are you taking me back to the Princess?"

"No… I mean yes- I mean if you want me to I can," the guard rapidly stammered.

I tilted my head in confusion, and I couldn't help but chuckle a little.

"Earlier this morning Princess Celestia gave us some instructions regarding you," the guard fidgeted a little. "She told us your name and what you looked like, and said that you are free to wander the castle. She also said that we are supposed to watch you and report back to her about what you do."

"I see," I said quietly, almost to myself. Shrugging I thought, 'I guess I should have expected something like that.' Smiling, I asked the guard, "What's your name?"

The guard gave me a bewildered look. "Um… I'm Zephyr Swift."

"You're new to this whole guard thing aren't you Zephyr?"

"H-how can you tell?" he asked, again with that same bewildered expression.

I laughed, "Well for one, you're not a statue like the other guards I've seen. And two, you're not trying to act all tough and serious."

"Oh, is it really that obvious?" Zephyr said with a little chuckle of his own.

"Don't worry about it," I replied. "I'd rather be able to talk to anyone watching me than have to withstand the stares of golden armored statues."

We both had a good laugh at that.

After we regained our lost composure Zephyr asked, "So, did you want to go see the Princess?"

I was about to nod when a different idea came to my mind. "Actually I think I'd rather go somewhere else for now. Do you guys have stuff for staying fit around here somewhere?"

Zephyr nodded, "Yeah, back at the barracks there's a fitness room with weights and a track around the facility for when we're supposed to do our laps. We also have an obstacle course for a more applied workout, but the senior guards mostly race through it to beat each other's times."

I clapped my hands together and said, "Sounds like fun, can we go there?"

Zephyr looked at me quizzically, "Fun? Are you serious?"

"Of course I'm serious, it's been a while since the last time I had a good workout."

"Alright then," he replied. "The others are pretty tough though, so don't say I didn't warn you."

"I won't," I replied light heartedly.

Zephyr just shrugged and turned around. "Fine. The Princess sent some guards out looking for you so I should stop in anyway and tell them that I found you. I think the barracks are this way… no wait, this way."

Exiting the garden through a vine covered lattice archway, Zephyr took me along a path that extended around the castle's wall. The path continued until we came to the back of the castle.

Behind us was a set of large heavy doors leading into the castle- most likely for the use of the guards –and before us stood five small rectangular buildings all made out of the same white stone as the castle, behind them was a larger building again made of the same white stone, though this one was dome shaped. All of them had plain exteriors; the only eye catcher here was the golden plate armor of the various guards milling about among the structures.

"Here we are," my guide announced. "The smaller buildings are where we sleep and wash up, and the larger dome shaped one is where we do all our training." Lowering his voice slightly he said, "I've only been here for a week so it's all still pretty new to me."

"Well this is my first time here," I replied enthusiastically, "So let's go!"

"Why are you so eager to go there anyway?" Zephyr asked, continuing towards the barracks.

"Doing something physical helps clear my mind, and I've had a lot to think about recently," was my reply.

I was glad that Zephyr didn't press me for any more details; he just nodded and kept walking.

As we approached the barracks, a brown female earth pony broke away from the group of guards she was talking to and trotted over.

"So you found the creature, good job." The guard said sternly to Zephyr. "You can return to your post now."

"But he asked me to show him our training facility," Zephyr replied somewhat nervously to who was obviously his superior.

The guard scowled, "To your post!"

Zephyr hung his head, "Yes Ma'am."

As he turned and slowly started to walk away I put my hand on his shoulder, he looked up at me.

"Hey, I'll see you later."

Zephyr regained a small smile, "Yeah, see you later." And with that he departed.

I turned to the brown pony and asked, "So, can I see this training facility of yours?"

The pony regarded me for a few seconds before she finally said, "Very well, just don't cause any trouble."

As we passed the group that my new escort had detached herself from, she grabbed the attention of one of the other guards.

"Go inform the Princess that the creature has been found and is currently at the barracks," the brown mare ordered, receiving a quick salute in return before the guard turned and galloped towards the castle.

On our way to the training building I received curious looks from nearly every guard we passed, not that I really cared though, something else was occupying my mind at the time.

"I get the feeling that there's not much conflict here in Equestria, so why bother with all this?" I asked, indicating our surroundings.

The guard turned her head in my direction. "You're right; there isn't really a military purpose for the Royal Guard anymore. The last time we functioned as a fighting unit was just over a thousand years ago, but that was before our Princesses took up the throne and brought harmony to the land. Mostly we stay organized and in shape to uphold tradition."

I nodded my head, "Makes sense."

Getting closer to our destination I spotted another small building similar to the other five, the only difference was that this one was made of dark, almost black, midnight blue stone instead of the clean white stone that formed the walls of the other structures. It was situated in the back and slightly behind the rest of the buildings, which explained why I didn't see it before.

"What's that building used for, is it an armory?" I pointed to the dark structure.

"No, the armory is hidden somewhere in the castle. That's the sleeping quarters of Princess Luna's personal guard," my guide informed, barely giving the building a glance.

I couldn't see any of Luna's guards, 'Well they are the personal guard of the Princess of the Night, so maybe they sleep through the day… that is, if they even look like they did in the episode Lunar Eclipsed. Those might have been costumes and for all I know I could have seen some of them already.'

Looking ahead I noticed that I fell a bit behind my guide and she showed no sign of slowing, so I jogged to catch up.

Shoving open the wooden doors of the domed building, my guide stepped impatiently inside with me right behind her. She called a yellow pegasus with a short cropped brown mane and tail wearing a whistle and stopwatch around his neck over and told him that I wanted to check out the training facility.

Turning to leave, my guide said one last time in a very serious tone, "Remember, don't go causing any trouble."

Now alone, except for the yellow pegasus floating beside me who I assumed was some sort of instructor or supervisor, I turned my attention to examining the facility.

The shape of the room was like that of a hockey arena, except a fair bit larger. The dirt floor was kicked up in multiple places, especially along the well defined running track around the perimeter that Zephyr had mentioned. Off to one side I saw some benches and various weight racks set up. Ponies were all about the facility, running the track, lifting weights; some were even having mock fights to practice defensive grabs and throws. But in my opinion, the piece de resistance was the obstacle course set up in the center of the room.

The course began with some small hurdles, leading to one of those setups with the wooden frame where you crawl under wires or ropes, rope in this instance, and yes, the mud was there also. Next up was a log balance over a small dug out pool of water, and then came the fun looking part. A vertical wooden wall with two hanging ropes for climbing brought you up to an elevated platform; from there a rope swing took you across to another platform. Connecting that platform with a third was a very unstable looking bridge with the boards spaced a fair distance apart.

As I examined the bridge, one of the guards running the course fell between two of the boards with a splash into a second pool below.

I'm guessing that from the last platform you just jump ten feet into yet another pool, since a muddy trail led from the water's edge to a pit. There was a steep incline to get out of the pit and to the finish.

"Excuse me, do you mind if I try out the obstacle course?" I asked the pegasus with the whistle and stopwatch.

"Hm?" He grunted as he gave me a once over. "You look a little too lanky to handle it to me. But who am I to judge? I don't even know anything about you. Sure, go for it."

"Thanks," I said as I headed towards the start.

As I dropped my bag and jacket and took my position, the pegasus hovered nearby with his stopwatch ready. A few curious guards came over to watch me- the unusual creature -run the course. They started betting amongst each other, some saying I'd be able to finish, but most were betting against me even making it to the bridge.

I guess I didn't look strong enough to impress them, then again, the clothes I wore always worked well to hide my physique. Not even my friends were aware of the shape I was in until we took a trip to the beach.

I smirked and thought to myself, 'They're in for a surprise, I've been climbing things since before I started school.'

Lowering myself into a ready stance, the pegasus said, "And… Go!"

Back in the dining hall, Princess Celestia stared at the balcony with a slightly downcast expression, Rainbow was lying on the floor where she landed after I knocked her off balance in my escape, and she was also looking towards the balcony but with a look of confusion. Twilight, Pinkie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Applejack all shared in Rainbow's confusion.

The Princess called out to the hall for a guard and two stallions in golden armor immediately stepped into the room.

"Matthew has just left, please gather some others and go look for him. I don't want him captured, just keep track of what he does," Celestia ordered, receiving a salute from both guards before they departed. She sighed, "He didn't strike me as the type to run away from this."

"Whatever do you mean Princess?" Rarity asked.

"Yeah, and what'd he mean by 'fan'?" Rainbow added, tearing her gaze away from the window.

The others turned their attention to the Princess and waited for an explanation.

She sighed again, "I wish he didn't take off, he would have been able to explain this better than I."

"Please try," Twilight urged her mentor. "Anything you can tell us would help."

Unfolding her wings and flapping them once before folding them back at her sides, Celestia said, "Matthew told me that in his world, Equestria exists as something called a television show, something that humans watch for entertainment. From that show he knows a little bit about all of us."

"S-so there are others l-l-like him? And t-they… w-watch us?" Fluttershy stuttered, clearly frightened as her head darted back and forth before she dove underneath the table.

"He said that the show was only about a few important things you all did together," Celestia continued to explain.

"But how can ya tell that he's not lying?" Applejack asked.

"He has an, interesting… object, in his saddlebag. With it he showed me a part of this show where you all succeeded in freeing my sister from Nightmare Moon using the Elements of Harmony," Celestia replied.

"Wait a second, so if he was telling the truth…" Rainbow gasped, "I have fans in another world!"

Pinkie gasped, “Aha! It all makes sense now!" she exclaimed, gaining very confused looks from everypony gathered. She didn't elaborate though and instead began humming and hopping happily around.

"But if we only exist as some fictional form of entertainment for them, what does that make us?" Twilight asked, unnerved by the whole prospect of being nothing more than a fictional character in another world.

"When he first told me I too voiced my own concern regarding the subject," Celestia replied with a warm tone and a comforting smile. "Even though we may not be real in his world, Matthew believed even before coming here that we existed. He stated that in his opinion every universe is connected somehow and the connection of ours to his just happens to be this show he mentioned."

Twilight thought for a moment, "So based on that logic, would it be safe to say that we could find something about his world here in the form of an old book or ponytale?"

Trying to lighten the mood, Celestia Chuckled, "That's what Matthew seems to think as well."

Twilight and her friends did feel better, but now they had even more questions that only Matt could answer. Still, Twilight had one more question for the Princess.

"But why did you two try to hide this from us? When I first found him in the forest he was acting like he didn't know anything about Equestria," Twilight paused as she remembered Matt's slip up when he mentioned pegasi. "But you say he told you."

"Actually he tried to hide it from me as well. As to why he chose to do so, you'll need to ask him yourself, the only reason he told me was because I called him on a small slip he made," Celestia replied. "And he kept quiet about it today because I told him to; I didn't want to risk causing any unnecessary problems."

"I guess that makes sense," Twilight said. "But like you, I don't see why he ran away after we found out."

Rainbow Dash put her hoof to her chin, "After he said he was a fan of mine…" she received some glares "…of us, he mentioned getting hit by something. Then he kinda froze there for a second."

"Do you think he remembered what sent him here?" Twilight asked the Princess.

Celestia furrowed her brow, "I can't say. Maybe Matthew can shed some light on this when we find him."

A moment went by with nopony saying anything; they all seemed to be absorbed in their own thoughts. Finally Applejack spoke.

"If you ask me, Matt seems like a strange fella," she commented. "First he acts all fancy with that bowin' of his, then he just denies bein' a gentlecolt." Rarity pouted at the reminder. "He played some fancy classical song on the piano then goes ahead an' plays something completely different, and ah've never seen no piano playin' pony able to trip RD like that."

"Hay!" Rainbow exclaimed. "I was distracted, that's all!"

"Sure you were sugarcube," she replied with a wink.

"But I still don't know if he likes to do anything fun," Rainbow added with a slight groan.

A guard chose that moment to walk in, his sudden appearance grabbing everyponies attention.

"You Majesty, Matthew has been located. He is currently at the training facility back at the barracks," the guard stated.

"Thank you for your help," Celestia said. "You may return to your duties now."

With a salute the guard turned and exited the dining hall.

Rainbow put on a semi shocked expression and Pinkie bounced over and said, "Does that sound like your kind of fun Dashie?"

Rainbow didn't say anything.

"Well what are we waiting for girls?" Twilight said, eager to have the rest of her questions answered.

"Twilight dear," Rarity said. "Do you even know the way to the barracks?" She shuddered. "I can't possibly understand what could drive somepony to want to go to such a dirty place."

Twilight stopped partway to the door and looked sheepishly over her shoulder. She may have grown up in Canterlot and the castle may have been like a second home to her, but she had never actually been to the barracks before. "Umm… Princess?"

Celestia giggled softly, "Don't worry Twilight, I'll lead the way."

The betting guards grew silent as the pegasus started the stopwatch and I took off at full sprint towards the hurdles. I kicked up the dirt beneath my feet as I accelerated. I cleared the first two hurdles like a track runner, but I've never jumped hurdles before so I began to lose my momentum. Switching to a more comfortable way of jumping, I took the last three by jumping with both feet simultaneously and tucking in my knees.

Landing in a crouch I launched myself forward and in two long strides I was diving low under the wooden frame. The mud sloshed around me, splattering my face and getting all over my clothes. Crawling under the rope was a simple feat, since the course was made for ponies I had quite a bit of room above my prone body to maneuver.

Sliding out of the mud I pushed myself to my feet, and never slowing I took off towards the balance log. My muddy shoes didn't help much, but I managed to make it all the way across without losing my footing.

Running straight at the vertical climbing wall I took a few steps up the surface and grabbed the rope. I noticed that there were a few small footholds jutting out at random intervals, I didn't use them though. Reaching hand over hand I pulled myself upwards as I continued walking up the wall, my arms pumping rapidly and already beginning to burn from the exertion.

I'd say the wall was about ten feet high, same as the drop into the water that was yet to come. Pulling myself onto the platform I took two running steps and bounded across the gap to the next platform as I grabbed the swinging rope. Half way across I felt the rope catch my weight, and my momentum carried me the rest of the way.

Panting from the effort it took to get to this point, I pushed myself to run at the bridge ahead of me. 'Spaced out boards and two rope railings? That's easier than most of the bridges at Treego!' Slowing down just enough to keep one foot on the wood at all times I loosely wrapped my hands around the ropes as I took controlled steps across the bridge. I didn't slow down when I got to the other side, I just ran right off the edge of the platform and splashed into the water below.

Quickly swimming to the edge I pulled myself out of the water, most of the mud on my clothing had come off in the pool. Even though my muscles were starting to ache I pushed myself into a full sprint. My legs gave out underneath me just as I made it to the pit, I tumbled down the steep bank, and rolling at the bottom I regained my feet. It may seem like a contradiction, but my tiredness was invigorating. I sprinted to the steep slope that led to the finish and started running up the bank. Rapidly losing my momentum I began to slide backwards, I kicked my toes into the soft ground for support. Kicking and pulling I made my way back out of the pit and collapsed on the other side of the finish line.

I rolled onto my back, breathing hard, blood pounding in my head. It's been a long time since I've done anything so physically demanding, and man did it feel good.

"So… how'd I do?" I asked between gasps for air.

No response. I turned my head to view where the pegasus timing me was, and saw him looking in shock at the stopwatch. The guards who came to watch, along with a few others, were gathered around him as well, and they all wore the same shocked expression as the yellow pegasus.

"Hello?" I called again, and again all I received was silence.

'Fine,' I thought, not really caring anyway. I just laid there catching my breath, the feeling slowly returning to my limbs. Another minute or two passed with me content with relaxing on the ground, my eyes were closed and I had my hands tucked behind my head. Suddenly I heard a familiar voice come from somewhere close by… very close by.

"I guess you do know how to have fun," said the tomboyish voice.

Opening my eyes, I saw Rainbow Dash hovering above me.