Keep on Dreaming

Chapters

One Fateful Night
A Whole New World
First Meetings
The Apple Thief
He Scrubs Up Nicely
A Painful Realization
The Meaning of Friendship

One Fateful Night

There I was, lying in my nice, warm, comfy bed with my hands behind my head. I gazed over to the small digital alarm clock sitting on the bedside table; it read 3:00.

Why am I still awake at 3 AM?!

I lay there for a while longer in despair before the annoying urge to pee crept up on me.

“Why do I always have to pee when I’m comfortable?” I groaned.

Snaking out of bed and slipping on my robe I quietly opened my door and snuck down the hallway. I shuffled up to the bathroom door and proceeded to silently enter and close the door. Mom always said I was good at sneaking around. As I started to empty my bladder a small sparkle outside of the frosted glass window caught my eye and I peered through the glass to see nothing but blackness and the moon.

Living in the city made seeing the stars almost impossible, what with all the light pollution. It was a bit sad, but after living in and around cities your whole life I guess you can’t really miss something you’ve never had. I finished peeing and washed my hands, still feeling very much awake.

Deciding to go about my almost nightly ritual of going outside to stare at the moon, I crept back down the hallway to the laundry and then out the back door. When I came to the edge of the grass I turned my gaze up at the moon; full tonight, and the air quite chilly.

I tied my robe up at my side and proceeded to walk onto the grass for a better view. Even with all the clouds and light pollution the moon always looked amazing. I could stand under the sky for hours, staring at the lonely white giant of the sky. It was splendorous, and high in the sky it sat in all its wonderful glory: large, soft white and perfectly round, not too bright and not too dim. I could almost feel the rays of moonlight sink into my skin and calm all my muscles. After a while it started getting too cold to be standing outside only wearing only a thin black robe, so I turned around and, reluctantly, headed back inside. I was just about to lock up the laundry door when an idea hit me.

“Why don’t I go for a walk? I know of a place not too far from here where I could get a great view of the moon!” I exclaimed to myself a bit louder than I intended to.

I hurried back to my room and flicked on the light, it was bright at first but my eyes quickly adjusted to the low watt bulb. I flipped open the top of my suitcase; living with a single mom came with its downfalls, such as not having a wardrobe to store clothes in.

I quickly picked out a pair of black cargo pants and a grey T-shirt and slipped them on. Next came the shoes and socks which I quickly put on and tied up. I was just about to head out of my bedroom door when I heard my mom’s door open; I froze and I felt my heart skip a beat. If she knew I was going for a walk at this hour in this neighbourhood she would probably ban me from ever leaving the house again.

My mom and I were on good terms at the moment and I didn’t want to mess that up with another fit of rage. After a few short minutes of suspenseful silence I heard her door close and figured it was safe to go.

At the front door I grabbed my black hoodie and quietly locked the door behind me, I put my single house key into my wallet and placed my wallet back in my pocket. I pulled over my hood and started walking up the street until I came across a familiar alleyway, and started down the gravel path.

It was pitch-black but I could see a light about 100 meters down the path, that’s when I heard the laughter and ranting of drunken teenagers. I quickly moved off the path and into the grass on the side of the gravel walkway.

I hid behind and tree and could hear the teens approaching from the way I was heading, at the front of the pack was a rather tall older looking man with a shaved head, followed by two teens that looked very intoxicated. As they grew nearer my heart rate was climbing rapidly.

I melded into the shadows the best I could, the black pants and hoodie helped.

The trio of drunken goons were walking on the path I was standing on not 20 seconds before. Their leader stopped, pulled out a can of spray paint and proceeded to tag the nearby fence. When he was done he returned to the path, threw the can of paint into the long grass and looked down, he saw my shoe prints in the soft gravel. He turned to the other two dimwits standing behind him.

“Oi fellas, we're not alone.” He smirked and started looking in my direction.

My heart was now pounding and the adrenaline was coursing through me. I burst out of the low hanging branches on the opposite side of the tree and started to sprint.

“Hey! Hey there he goes!” yelled one of the drunken teens.

“Get him! He’s seen us tagging!” exclaimed the ring leader.

Oh shit! I continued barrelling down the path.
The bright light I saw earlier was closer now, about 60 meters away. It looked almost like a single moonbeam coming down from the sky to meet the ground. I didn't care much for it at the time for obvious reasons. I sprinted as fast as I could, hearing the ring leader’s heavy footfalls not 10 feet behind me causing me to run faster than I thought possible.

The moonbeam was close now, only 20 meters away. It seemed to glow brighter the closer I got to it, I dared to glance over my shoulder to see that the ring leader had given up chase and his lackeys were even further behind than he was, being too drunk to run. I slowed my sprint to a slow jog as I tried to catch my breath as a stitch of pain shot through left side, I wasn't super fit and sprinting your fastest when you got out of bed only 10 minutes ago had taken its toll.

I was now 5 meters away from the moonbeam when I stopped. I had to do a double take to make sure I wasn't hearing things, the beam of light seemed to be humming, only lightly but as I took another step forward it grew louder. Another step and yet it still grew louder, I was less than a meter from entering the moonbeam and humming grew to a screeching sound. I covered my ears from the pain but it didn't seem to help, the screeching was so loud I thought my eardrums would rupture just from the sheer force of the sound.

Bleary-eyed and disoriented, I fell to my knees and entered the moonbeam. The screeching somehow grew louder as I fell to the ground. I briefly saw a bright light and a silhouette of a four-legged figure, then my eyes rolled back into my head and all was dark.

Author's Note

***The new and improved version of chapter one!***
A massive thank you to my new proof reader/editor, The11thWonder - http://www.fimfiction.net/user/The11thWonder
He has made a large impact on the story already and I know all of his changes are for the best.

This is my first piece to a story I hope will be as much fun to read as it is for me to write :)

I am a novice writer at best, this is the first time I have ever dared to write something and post it anywhere. So please leave a comment below letting me know what I could work on and I will try to improve on what I am missing as time goes on. Thank you.

I would also like to point out I am Australian but I will try to use an American vocabulary. Hope I don't mess that up to bad :S

A Whole New World

A few hours had passed but I couldn’t be sure how many before I came to my senses. When first I peeled open my eyes, my vision was blurry and I could barely make out the shapes of whatever it was I had been looking at.

I blinked a few times and my vision started to clear, I raised a hand to rub my eyes only to find that doing so caused a shock of pain to shoot through my shoulder muscles. I groaned as I fought through the pain to continue rubbing my eyes, making my vision clearer.

I rolled onto my side and could now see my surroundings. Trees, small bushes and shadows of the early morning sun littered the landscape before me. But there was something strange about these trees and bushes: they seemed too... green. It was an idyllic kind of green, a perfect shade one only finds in fantasy worlds and story books.

Where the hell am I?

I slowly sat up and cringed at the pain flowing through the muscles in my back, I felt something warm on my top lip and brought my hand to my face. As I brought my hand away for inspection I noticed my fingertips were covered in blood, I could feel the blood running down my chin now.

I groaned in pain as I leant over to place my weight on my left elbow so the blood would fall to the ground and not onto my hoodie. While my nose was bleeding out I took the time to have another look around, I noticed that the sky was clear, not a single cloud in sight.

My nose eventually stopped bleeding so I spat on my sleeve and used the wet fabric to wipe away the blood from my chin and top lip.

Good thing this isn’t my greyish white hoodie, or that would have made a terrible mess.

I decided to try and get up; as I crawled to my feet and stood up straight I was hit with a rather nasty case of vertigo and fell flat on my ass. I yelped out in pain when my tailbone connected with the hard ground beneath me.

Fuck that hurt!

I managed to kneel and rubbed my coccyx, it felt a little better but I could still feel the light pressure of the muscles convulsing in an attempt to make the pain go away. Finally stumbling to my feet I stretched out my arms but had forgotten that the muscles were still tender from…

“Wait. What the fuck happened?!” I exclaimed to myself perhaps a bit too loud. “I remember the moonbeam and the noise but how... Where am I?” I spun around on the spot looking for any sign of anything familiar.

My heart rate increased as I realised that my surroundings were alien to me, without thinking I started to run. I had no clue what I was looking for but I knew I had to find something that I recognised.
I continued to run even though the muscles in my back and thighs were screaming at me to stop, the pain caused tears to form in my eyes but I still pressed on. I burst through a thin tree line to find a dirt road but I was running too quickly to stop, the road was at least a 3 foot drop down a rocky embankment.

Vertigo kicked in again as I took another step but found there was nothing there. I plummeted face first into the hard dirt road and coughed as the air was forced from my lungs. I slid a good foot from where I had first hit the ground. I cried out in pain as my body came to a halt.

I lay there for a solid minute, gasping to get the air back into my lungs. Every muscle in my body hurt and I broke down into tears. I had no clue where I was and I was in quite severe pain, if that isn’t reason to cry then I don’t know what is.

“Why is this happening to me?” I managed to whisper out through the flood of tears.

“Oh my goodness! Are you okay?” came a quiet voice about 6 feet to my left.

I turned my head and blinked away the tears to see a yellow horse with a pink mane, teal eyes and wings staring at me. I didn’t know what to say or even think, my eyes widened and my jaw hit the dirt.

She can’t be real!

I pulled my arms out from underneath myself and forced my body into a sitting position. Blinking a few times just to make sure I wasn’t seeing things I said “This isn’t possible! How are you in my world?!” It came out a little rougher than I intended to and the yellow Pegasus shrunk back behind her mane.

“Oh no-no-no, I’m sorry I didn’t mean to raise my voice.” She took a step backward and sunk low to the ground as though she were trying to disappear from sight.

“Please! I don’t pose any threat to you.” I almost begged the Pegasus.

She seemed a little more at ease and raised her gaze from the ground to me. “Are you hurt?” She practically whispered, I had to strain just to hear her.

Oddly enough, the pain had all but ceased when I first saw the Pegasus but her question reminded me that I was, in fact, injured and I winced as it all came rushing back.

“Yes,” I cringed. The pain almost proving to be unbearable at this point. “I need to get to a doc…” Before I could finish my sentence the shock and pain proved to be enough to render me unconscious again. I collapsed onto my side and I closed my eyes.

I groaned as I felt something wet on my forehead, I reached for the soggy object on my face but I was stopped by what I could only explain as a hoof. The sudden realisation of what had happened dawned on me and my eyes snapped open.

Though slightly distorted at first my vision quickly adjusted to the dimly lit home. I angled my head slightly to the right and saw a smiling face looking down at me. It was the same Pegasus from before.

“How are you feeling?” She said gently with a smile.

I shifted uncomfortably under her gaze and the light blanket “Uh… I’m fine now, my back is still a bit sore but I’ll manage.”

“Oh! Let me help you with that!” before I could voice an objection she had pulled the blanket away with her teeth and hopped up on the bed beside me. It was at this point I realised I wasn’t wearing my hoodie or my t-shirt.

She placed her fore hooves on my shoulders and started to rub. “Oh yes, you’re very tense!” she said in a caring tone and looked into my eyes. We both blushed and turned away. Feeling rather uncomfortable with a pony I wasn’t sure existed massaging my shoulders, I shuffled to the edge of the bed, quickly stood up and removed the wet rag from my head.

She looked shocked and a little worried, sinking behind her mane yet again. “Oh… was I too forward?” she gently asked while staring down. I spotted my shirt on the small dresser to my left, grabbing it and trying to cover my now exposed top half.

“N-no,” I said uneasily “It’s just I don’t know what’s going on here. Am I dreaming?”

“No,” she gently whispered while still trying to hide behind her mane. “You’re in my house.” She confirmed.

“And how did I get here? And why am I half naked?” I questioned.

“Oh…um, I brought you here, you fell unconscious out on the road and it’s my duty to care for sick or injured animals. I uh… hoped you wouldn’t mind.”

“And what about the clothes?” I almost sounded angry.

She shrieked and stumbled off the bed at the other side. She answered nervously, “I didn’t think you needed them, we ponies only really wear clothes on special occasions…” She trailed off into a whisper that was barely audible.

“Well I’m not a pony and I’m not an animal either, I’m a human.” I said calmly, trying to reassure her I wasn’t going to harm her.

She looked up at me with those big teal eyes and asked, “A human?”

“Yes a human, we’re the dominant species on Earth.” I said almost to over eagerly.

She looked puzzled at first but her facial expression quickly changed from confused to worry.

“I think we should go see Twilight,” she said timidly.

“Twilight Sparkle?” I questioned. I was almost certain she meant Twilight Sparkle but waking up in a world filled with brightly coloured trees, bushes and a Pegasus kind of made me think that anything was possible at this point.

“Oh yes that’s her! Um… how did you know her name?” She asked with a rather confused look on her face.

“It’s a very long story; maybe we should just go see Twilight first?” I answered, hoping she would not press the issue further. It would be hard to tell her that I knew about all of the ponies in Ponyville and that they were from a child’s cartoon show.

She simply nodded gently, I put on my t-shirt and we head out the door on our way to Ponyville.

I hope everything goes well…

Author's Note

Hey guys! This is the 2nd chapter of my first story Keep on Dreaming.

***My awesome new editor has done it again! turned this piece of writing into a grammatical and well punctuated masterpiece. My thanks go out to you bro! - http://www.fimfiction.net/user/The11thWonder ***

Let me know what you think of the Story so far by leaving a comment down below. Thanks again!

First Meetings

It was around noon when Fluttershy and I departed from her small cottage, it was quite the distance from town maybe two and a half miles for you and me but since Fluttershy could fly, the journey never really seemed to bother her. As we trekked along the dirt road I could see that there was something on Fluttershy’s mind, but she kept her mouth closed.

“Fluttershy is there something you want to ask me?” I asked in general curiosity.

“Oh… well um yes,” She quickly searched for the words in her head, “I was just wondering why you were crying when I found you on the road?”

I paused and had to think things over before I continued to walk and answered, “I woke up in the middle of a forest, not knowing where I was or how I came to be there.” I paused again, “It was kinda scary…” I trailed off and blushed, feeling quite unmanly for breaking down into tears not so long ago.

She let out a small giggle seeing me blush but then focused on the topic at hand.

“I can see how that would be quite scary.” She shivered, “But you’re feeling better now, right?”

I noticed her walking closer by my side now and I felt quite a comfort in that.

“Yes, I’m feeling much better. Thank you, Fluttershy.” I smiled in reply.

We continued down the path talking as we walked and that’s when I took notice of how big Fluttershy actually was, with me standing at 6’1” the top of her head came up to my lowest rib in height. I was shocked to realize that she was actually quite large and that the other ponies must stand around the same height that she is.

She noticed me staring at her form and blushed deeply, she then unfolded her left wing and waved it past my face. I snapped back to reality and realized she had seen me staring so I too blushed and started to apologize.

“Oh… I, I uh… I didn't mean to stare, Sorry. I was just seeing how tall you were.” I stammered nervously with a break in my voice and shifting eyes.

She couldn’t help but let out a little chuckle at the blabbering idiot in front of her and I too joined in laughing.

Sooner than expected we could see the tops over Ponyville’s buildings above the trees, as we continued to walk along in peace.

We were soon on the outskirts of Ponyville and we could hear the chatting and laughing ponies that walked around the market square. We luckily didn't have to pass through the market because Twilight’s library was located on the other side of town.

Finally arriving at the library door, I gently knocked three times. We could hear the sound of movement inside and after a few seconds the door lit up with a purple glow and swung open. I’m guessing Twilight didn’t see me at first because she only greeted Fluttershy.

“Oh hey Fluttershy, come on in!” The purple Unicorn greeted her friend warmly.

The door swung open the rest of the way to reveal me standing next to the yellow Pegasus. Twilight’s face suddenly changed from a warm smile to complete shock and panic, she started walking backward without taking her eyes off me. I proceeded into the house to try and explain who I was to the stunned mare.

Twilight snapped out of her daze and her expression changed to anger, he horn started glowing with magic.

“What the buck are you!” She exclaimed as more of a statement then question.

“My name is Brandon and I’m here with Flutt-“ I was cut short when I was lifted from the ground by the unicorn’s magic and thrown back against a wall.

I groaned in both pain and discomfort while she held me off the ground and against the wall with her powers. Fluttershy now realizing what was happening quickly ran in and tried to plead with Twilight to release me.

“Twilight plea-“ She was cut off by Twilight.

“I’LL ASK YOU AGAIN! WHAT. ARE. YOU?!” She was almost screaming.

“Oh… please just liste-“

“WHERE DID YOU COME FROM?” Her magic grew tighter around my body and I could feel it crushing me slowly “ANSWER ME!”

I yelled out in pain, that was the final straw for Fluttershy.

“TWILIGHT! PUT HIM DOWN! NOOOW!!” Fluttershy yelled at her friend.

In her shock Twilight’s magic let me slip and I crashed onto the floor with a loud very unmanly yelp. As I started to regain my composure I looked up to see Twilight arguing with Fluttershy, I stood up and cracked my back before I started to walk toward the two bickering ponies.

“He’s a human, he’s not from this world and he needs our help!” Fluttershy insisted.

“He’s not from this world alright! Looks like a hairless monkey that walks on two legs!” Twilight exclaimed in a disgusted manner.

Fluttershy was taken aback by that last comment, her eyes filled with tears and she hid behind her mane. Realizing what she had said hurt her friend, Twilight quickly changed tone.

“Oh Fluttershy I’m sorry… It’s just, when a species I don’t know is standing in my doorway and enters my home uninvited I tend to become a little protective and hostile.” Twilight explained.

Yeah… probably wasn’t such a wise move to advance on the most powerful Unicorn in town who has never seen you before.

Fluttershy blinked her tears away and sniffled, “So you’ll try and help him?”

“I don’t know, depends if he’s going to try and come into my home uninvited again.” She turned to me and gave me daggers.

“Okay I know it was wrong of me to enter your home without permission and yes I know that I should have let Fluttershy do the talking but I wanted to show you I meant you no harm.” I said as I tried to appeal to Twilight.

She simply gave me a small nod and turned to Fluttershy, “I will do my best to try and help him.”

At hearing this Fluttershy suddenly became quite ecstatic and hugged her friend “Oh thank you, thank you, thank you!”

I was just glad we were all on neutral terms now, no more being flung into walls by powerful Unicorns for me.

We all wandered over to the table, it was a bit short so I asked Twilight for a cushion to sit on instead of a chair, she supplied one and we all sat down.

“Okay so firstly,” began Twilight, “Who are you?”

“My name is Brandon; I’m a human from the planet Earth.” I found it quite strange to be saying this but questions needed answering so I kept my mouth shut about it.

Twilight simple nodded a few times and proceeded with the next question, “How did you get here?”

“I wish I knew, all I remember is running from some local hoons. Oh and the moonbeam!”

“Moonbeam?” asked Twilight, cocking an eyebrow.

“Yeah, there was this weird column of white light coming down from the sky and it was emitting this high pitched sound.”

“Interesting.” Twilight commented whilst using her magic to bring over some parchment, an ink pot and a quill. She began to scribble down notes of our conversation.

We talked for a while and even shared some laughs before there was a loud knock at the door and an angry sounding voice on the other side. We all looked at each other a shrugged, Twilight got up and trot over to the door. Just as she was about to open it the door flung open and two large white Pegasi barged in. They were dressed in golden armour and quickly surrounded me.

“Don’t move beast!” Warned one of the guards.

They spread their wings and on the margin of their wings they had thin metal blades. Clearly they were used for aerobatic dog fights, to cut down the enemy as they flew past but in this case they could be used just as effectively as a sword. I froze in both panic and fear.

Twilight was now standing behind the guards. “What is the meaning on this intrusion?” She barked at the armed Pegasi.

“I can answer that my pupil.” A soft and elegant voice called out from behind us all.

Twilight gasped and turned to face the large white Alicorn Princess. It didn’t take long for it to register in my head.

Princess Celestia!

“P-Princess Celestia, what’re you doing here?” Twilight managed to ask.

“I came from Canterlot as soon as I could. Did he hurt you?”

“What? No!” Twilight argued, “If anypony got hurt here today it was him!” she pointed to me.

Fluttershy was shrinking into the backdrop and cowering behind her mane, I noticed that even Twilight was looking uneasy. I realized I may be in deeper shit that I first thought.

“How did you know he was here Princess?” questioned Twilight.

The Princess was quite shocked when she heard the question, “Why you had Spike write me a letter of the utter most urgency did you not? Saying you were being attacked by a,” the Princess cleared her throat, “A mutant hairless monkey.”

“What? No! that’s just sill-“ It dawned on Twilight. “Spiiiiike, get in here.” After a few short moments a short little purple and green dragon appeared at the top of the stairs.

“Did you write a letter to the Princess saying we were in danger from a mutant hairless monkey?” Twilight gave Spike an irritated look.

Spike shuffled nervously on the spot. “Spiiiiike?!” Twilight was growing impatient.

“Yeah okay it was me! I heard some commotion downstairs and when I looked you were getting ready to blast that thing with your magic. So I did what I thought was right and wrote to the Princess…” Spike trailed off.

Twilight let out a small giggle, “Oh Spike, we were only confused at that time. I know that Brandon would never harm me.”

The Princess raised an eyebrow and spoke, “You would vouch for this Human?”

“Yes Princess, Brandon is no more threat to me than you are and all he’s doing is trying to figure out how he ended up in our world.” Twilight replied.

The Princess gave a moment to think things over, “Very well, I have heard and seen enough here today. The Human Brandon may stay in Equestria until we find a way to send him home to his world, but until that day I hereby place him in your care Twilight Sparkle.”

Twilight’s face grew to a smile and even Fluttershy seemed to be gleaming with happiness behind her pink mane. The Royal Guards retracted their wings and started for the door. The Princess nodded to Twilight and Fluttershy and if I didn’t know any better I would have said she smiled at me. She turned and left, the library door closing gently behind her.

Everything was silent for a few seconds before Twilight sighed. “What’s wrong Twilight?” asked Spike.

“With all my research to be done and my reports of friendship to be written I will barely have any time to watch over Brandon.” She sulked.

Fluttershy ever so gently and quietly piped in, “Well what if I look after him then? Even with all the animals the cottage can get quite lonely, it would be nice to have some company.”

Twilight thought for a moment and then agreed, “Yes Fluttershy that’s a brilliant idea!”

“Well hang on! Don’t I get a say in this?!” I questioned in a louder than usual tone.

“Okay Brandon what do you want to happen?” said Futtershy quietly.

I was taken aback, I’m so used to not having a say in things that when I actually do I don’t know what to say!

“Uh well… um,” I struggled, “Uh… I’ll stay with Fluttershy.” I cleared my throat and confirmed.

“Great! Then it’s settled, Fluttershy is now your Equestrian Guardian!” Twilight cheered.

I looked over to Fluttershy and we smiled at one another.

Maybe things won’t be so bad in Equestria after all…

Author's Note

Chapter 3 is here! Finished it at 2:20am and uploaded straight away for you lucky readers!

***Yet again! My editor has worked his magic, fixing this chapter that was once riddled with mistakes and errors and truly making it shine! Thank you - http://www.fimfiction.net/user/The11thWonder ***

For my first piece of writing I think this is coming along splendidly!

The Apple Thief

It was getting quite late by the time Fluttershy and I decided to leave Twilight’s home, Celestia was lowering the sun and I could just see Luna’s moon on the horizon. We were quietly chatting and laughing about today’s events as we walked.

“Did you see the look on Twilight’s face when the Princess walked in?!” I laughed.

Fluttershy chuckled as she responded, “Oh yes!”

After a few more jokes and funny stories my sides were hurting and my vision was blurred by tears of laughter, I stumbled as I walked along the uneven dirt road and finally lost my footing. Falling onto my side but rolling onto my back I laughed even harder, Fluttershy was laughing aloud even though it was very quiet.

I was clutching at my ribs as they ached from laughing so hard, I started to calm down and took some deep breaths.

I was breathing at a normal rate now even though I still had the urge to laugh; I muffled it by clearing my throat. I sat up and Fluttershy walked over to me, when I was sitting she was taller than me and I had to crane my neck to up at her and she was looking down on me.

Her eyes are amazing…

This time it was I that realized I was staring and I quickly turned my gaze to the sunset.

“Beautiful isn’t it?” I asked.

She turned her head to look in the direction I was facing; her eyes were met with such a beautiful sight. The season cast an orange haze above the horizon, lighting up the sky as if lit by fire, yet the haze was so crisp and clear. The sun, like a large grandeur orange fireball in the distance was partially cloaked by the hanging clouds, which were all splashed with random hot pinks, reds and even hints of purples and blues. The sun was so large that she felt she could almost touch it.

A smile washed over her face and she felt completely at peace, Brandon was much the same, lost in the beauty of the setting sun. As the sun continued to sink behind the horizon we just sat there, not a word was spoken for nothing needed to be said.

Once the sun had completely set behind the horizon we stood up, dusted ourselves off and head home. As we arrived at the cottage all was quiet, the animals that lived here with Fluttershy were all snuggled up in their beds or nests. We snuck in, said our goodnights and went to bed.

I woke up the next morning to the sound of birds chirping and woodland creatures squeaking amongst themselves whilst munching on what looked to be lettuce leaves. I yawned and stretched, the couch I was sleeping on wasn’t quite as long as I had hoped so I had to sleep with my legs hanging over the side.

I then heard some pots and pans clanking together in the kitchen, I imagined Fluttershy would be up at this hour and lazily spun so my legs were now on solid ground. I groaned as I stood up and took the time to stretch once more.

Proceeding into the kitchen I was greeted by a harmonious chorus that Fluttershy and the birds on their perches sung, I couldn’t help but smile. Words could not explain my feelings for actually being here in Equestria, after all the time I spent praying day and night that somehow I would be teleported to their world.

I wasn’t one to really show my true feelings unless I really had to, I didn’t like showing to much emotion. To me, feelings were a sign of weakness.

“Good morning Fluttershy,” I said perhaps a little too loud because her birds quickly took off from their perches and madly scrambled for the window. The sudden deep voice and flight of the birds made Fluttershy squeal and freeze up. She turned to look at me and instantly relaxed.

“Oh… Brandon, you gave me quite the shock.” She blushed and turned her head so her mane would cover her face.

“Aw gee I’m sorry Fluttershy I didn’t mean to.” As much as I hated showing my feelings I couldn’t help it when I was around her, she brought out the nicer side of me.

“It’s alright,” she whispered. “I made you some pancakes, um… if you like them?”

“Pancakes? I love pancakes!” I cheered, a smile growing on both of our faces.

I sat down at the table; again it was too small for me so I grabbed a cushion from the couch and sat down on it. Fluttershy quickly plated up a delicious looking stack of thick pancakes, my mouth was watering. Since I arrived in Equestria I haven’t had anything to eat so at this point I was starving.

I searched the table for some cutlery but found none.

“Fluttershy do you have a fork by any chance?” I asked, testing my luck.

“A fork?” She responded.

“Yeah, it’s like a metal object you hold and it has four pointed tips at one end. You use it to pick up food.” I explained although my luck was fading fast.

“Oh… I’m sorry, I don’t have any forks.” She looked on the verge of tears.

“That’s okay!” I blurted out, “I can just eat with my hands.” I smiled as I picked up one of the pancakes. Taking a bite. She looked up and smiled at me.

I chewed the pancake and almost instantly got the taste of grass in my mouth and I wanted to spit it out. Looking over at Fluttershy still smiling at me, I forced myself to swallow.

“Fluttershy…” I started in a low voice, “is there grass in these pancakes?”

“Of course!” She said almost triumphantly, “Pancakes are so boring without grass to add flavour.”

I looked down to the pancake in my hand and from where I had bitten I could see long blades of grass weaving through the thick cooked batter.

I looked up at Fluttershy and said “I’m sorry Fluttershy, Humans don’t eat grass…” I was going to continue with an explanation but I caught glimpse of a tear running down her cheek.

Feeling guilty right away I quickly stood up, walked to the other side of the table and knelt in front of the quietly crying pony. “Fluttershy it’s not your fault, you didn’t know about the diet of a Human.” I spoke gently as I wiped a tear from her cheek with my thumb. “And it’s not that the pancakes are bad, in fact if I did eat grass I’m sure they would be delicious!” I playfully joked, trying to get her to feel at least a little better.

She gazed up to meet me in eye level, those big teal eyes just making my heart melt. “I’m sorry.” She whispered quietly. Even at this distance I still had to listen intently to hear her words.

“It’s okay Fluttershy.” I said comfortingly and wiped another tear from her cheek. Without warning she lent in and kisses me lightly on the cheek. My heart skipped a beat and I felt the warmth of the kiss flow through my body. She pulled away just as quickly as she had gone in and blushed hard.

“I’m sorry about that too.” She smiled and her eyes darted to meet mine and a small smile formed on her lips before she looked back down and continued to stare at the floor.

“I… uh… it um… its fine.” I stammered while my face turned dark shade of crimson. We both sat there speechless and blushing until finally I stood up.

“I need some time to think Fluttershy, Do you think Applejack would let me help out on the farm for the day?” I asked.

She looked confused, “How do you know about Applejack and Sweet Apple Acres?”

Realizing I had made the same mistake I made when Fluttershy first brought up Twilight I had to quickly come up with an answer. “Lucky guess?” I said nervously.

She narrowed her eyes at me.

Smooooth Brandon, real smooth

“I’ll explain later but right now I really have to go.” I turned and walked out of the kitchen, reaching the front door I opened it and without looking back I stepped through and whispered, “Sorry.”

The walk to Sweet Apple Acres was taking far longer than I remember from the show, luckily for me there was the occasional road sign with directions to Ponyville, Sweet Apple Acres and The Everfree Forest. I guess S.A.A. really did get a lot of business, if the signs gave directions to the farm then that must mean it is of some significance.

I don’t really know why I was walking to S.A.A. It was the first place that popped into my head when I was under pressure from Fluttershy, but maybe it could offer some peace and that was a chance I was willing to take.

The long journey finally ended when I arrived at the front gates of S.A.A. The sign read:

WELCOME TO SWEET APPLE ACRES, THE BEST APPLES IN ALL OF EQUESTRIA.

Apples were sounding rather nice right about now; since I didn’t eat the grass pancakes Fluttershy had prepared for me I was still hungry. Walking past the main gate I walked along the dirt road, passing by row after row after row of apple trees, each with their own red-shining, delicious looking apples. My stomach growled and I stopped.

Maybe if I just took one? No one is around and I’m starving, I’m sure they would understand… but it is stealing.

Siding with my stomach over my brain I walked over to a tall apple tree and reached up to grab one of the red fruit. I plucked it from its stem and brought it down to my level for inspection, it really did look good. One of the best apples I have ever seen! Not a bruise or discoloration anywhere.

I was just about to take a bite when something kicked me in the back of my knee and my leg gave out, falling onto my knees the apple rolled out of my hand. Turning my head I was staring face to face with a rather angry looking orange pony.

“What do we have here? A no good apple thief!” She barked.

“What? No! I’m no thief” I tried to reason with her.

I was quite literally scared, the blood had drained from my face and I was shaking lightly. The look on her face turned from anger to a smirk, she tried to cover it but failed as she burst out laughing.

Gaining the courage to speak I asked in a rather grumpy tone, “Hey! What’s the big idea?!”

She tried to calm her laughter but failed yet again as she looked at me once more, after about a minute the orange pony had calmed enough to speak.

“Ah’m just messin’ with ya.” She managed to say while still giggling with every word. “Twilight has told me all about ya.”

I nearly fainted when I found out it was all a joke on Applejacks end. “Very funny.” I groaned.

“Ah thought it was yeah. Anyway, the name’s Applejack and this here land ya sittin’ on is Sweet Apple Acres!” She proudly announced.

Deciding it was better to act as though I didn’t know who she was I stood up and shook myself off. “Hi, I’m Brandon.”

“As Ah said before, I know all about ya.” She winked.

My stomach growled demanding attention. “Listen miss, I don’t have any money on me but could I please have an apple? I haven’t eaten since I arrived in Equestria.”

She looked at me with pity, walked over to the apple tree I was standing under and bucked one hind hoof against the trunk. A single apple fell and landed right in my hand.

“Ya can have as many apples as ya need sugarcube, just pay me back when ya can.” She said gently with a smile.

I quickly turned my attention from the pony to the apple, without hesitation I bit into it. The sweetest taste filled my mouth and I thought I was in heaven, the apples here in Equestria taste 100x better than the ones on Earth. Swallowing quickly I took another bite; I was in a flavour filled bliss.

Applejack chuckled as she could see how much I was enjoying the fruit. “Best apples in all of Equestria.”

I could only agree with her through a grunt because I was too busy devouring the delicious treat I was presented with.

“Come on up to the farm house and meet the others.” Without waiting for a response she turned and started walking along the dirt road. I took a step before hesitating. Turning to the apple tree I reached up and plucked another one and jogged the short distance to meet up with Applejack.

I had just finished my second apple when we arrived at the farm house.

“Here we are, come on inside.” She warmly spoke.

As we entered the house the smell of hot apple pie hit my nostrils, I breathed in deeply to take as much of that delicious smell as I could.

“Granny Smith, we got a visitor!” Applejack called out to the old mare in the kitchen.

Granny Smith looked up from her baking and smiled at me, “Been a while since we’ve had a visitor that wasn’t here for business.” She spoke in an aged voice. “Would you like some fresh apple pie dearie?” she asked.

Even though I had munched down two apples just before we walked in I still had some room to fill, and who can say no to apple pie!

“Yes please ma’am.”

“Oh my, such a gentlecolt. You should hang on to this one AJ.” Granny hinted at Applejack.

Applejack blushed and removed her hat to try and cover her red cheeks. I just simple laughed and took a seat at the big wooden table. Granny smith wobbled over holding a plate with a hot slice of apple pie sitting on it. She placed it down and pulled her neck back, her false teeth had come loose and were still hanging onto the side of the plate.

“Whoopth, thesth darn teeth keep falling out.” She quickly snatched up her teeth place them back in her mouth. The apple pie was far too hot to eat right now so Applejack and Granny Smith both sat down at the table as well. We were talking amongst ourselves when the door swung open and in walked a very tall, very broad red earth pony.

“Big Macintosh! Come have a seat with us and a slice of apple pie?” Granny asked.

“Nnope.” Replied Big Mac simply.

Macintosh walked past us and up the stairs. The only sounds to be heard were hoof steps on a wooden floor and then a door closing.

“He’s a stallion of few words.” Applejack explained.

“That’s quite alright with me.” I said while picking up the slice of pie in front of me. My mouth was watering and I took my first bite of the pastry dessert. A flavour explosion detonated in my mouth and I closed my eyes enjoying the pie maybe a bit too much, but it was food and I was still hungry.

After wolfing down another slice of apple pie I realized we had been chatting away for most of the day and it would be getting dark soon. I said goodbye to Granny Smith and thanked her for the pie, Applejack insisted on walking me to the front gate of the property. Once we were there she stopped me and started to speak.

“Thank ya mightily for stoppin’ by, it’s always nice to make new friends.”

I smiled at the orange mare and said, “The pleasure was all mine, these apples,” I gestured around to the orchid. “Are delicious!”

We said our goodbyes and I turned to walk down the path back to Fluttershy’s cottage when I heard Applejack call out from behind me “Ya’re a good fellow Mr. Brandon, I look forward to seeing some more of ya.” I simple smiled and continued on home.

Author's Note

Chapter 4 has arrived! it took me quite awhile to write it all out but I got it done just for you readers.

A big thank you to all of the people who have Favorited and Liked the story, it really does let me know you guys want more and I will try my best to supply it to you.

*** My editor has done an amazing job yet again, massive thanks to - http://www.fimfiction.net/user/The11thWonder for dedicating his time to helping out a novice writer! ***

And as always, remember to leave a comment letting me know what you think. Thanks!

He Scrubs Up Nicely

I could hear the sounds of seagulls cawing and waves lightly rolling onto a beach, I opened my eyes slowly at first for the bright light of the sun was glaring down on me. My vision quickly adjusted to the bright daylight.

I scanned the beach and saw nothing but golden sand and the beautiful calm ocean made up of delicate greens and blues. This was nature’s beauty at its finest. I took a step and could feel the warm sand pass gently between my toes, walking slowly along this beautiful beach I did not care why I was here or how I came to be at this stunning place. Truly this was the epitome of serenity.

I slowly walked into the cool ocean water, as the waves crashed onto the sand around me the foam passed lightly over my feet. I breathed deeply and could smell a hint of salt in the air. I continued to slowly wade into the ocean’s water. I stopped when the water was at my knees.

Standing there, knee deep in cool seawater on the most beautiful beach I could imagine I closed my eyes and stood motionless, I was taking in all of the positive energy around me and could feel warmth spreading throughout my body. I felt I was standing on this beach for eternity, and at the same time, only a few minutes. The surreal peace of the beach calmed my very core, and I felt content with all aspects of life. In a word, it was Nirvana, if ever there was one.

I noted that I could no longer hear the gulls, opening my eyes and looking back to the beach I saw nothing but golden sand met by a tree line of tropical jungle. I could feel the water level lowering, looking down I confirmed it was indeed sinking. The water was being sucked out to sea, I was now standing ankle deep in the little water that remained. Trying piece together what was happening I did not notice when the last of the water around my ankles had all but disappeared out to sea.

I watched in fascination as the water continued to be sucked further and further out. The beach in front of me was once covered by meters of ocean water but now it was nothing but wet sand for at least 300 meters.

My heart started to race as I remembered a movie I once saw called Deep Impact where a large meteorite crashes into the ocean and causes a…

I swallowed hard.

All of my senses were telling me to run but I couldn’t move, I was paralysed with fear. Wide eyed I witnessed one of the most terrifying things I could ever imagine. A wall of water about a mile away was forming, it seemed small at first but as it quickly drew closer the size of it grew. At least 200 feet high the wall of water was growing ever larger and closer. My body was screaming at me to try and move but I could not.

The wall of water was close now; I closed my eyes and accepted my fate. How could I ever hope to outrun a 250 foot wave? It was barely minutes before the water was bearing down on me. When the wave did hit me a jolt of shock was sent through my body. I gasped and sat up in a cold sweat, my heart was racing and felt like it was about to explode. Blinking rapidly I caught glimpse of a little white bunny holding an empty glass and laughing hysterically. I realized that I had just been dreaming but I was in fact wet.

Glaring at the bunny I tried to grab him; he was too quick for a slow Human and bounced out of the way with ease. Angry at the little shit for pouring water on me while I slept I yelled out “You little shit! When I catch you I’m gonna rip you in two!”

“You will do no such thing!” Came a reply just as angry as mine was.

I turned to see Fluttershy standing in an aggressive pose that was quite unfitting for a mare of her build and personality.

“Your pet just poured water over me while I was sleeping!” I exclaimed angrily.

“Well maybe he wouldn’t have done it if you weren’t such a meanie!” She argued.

Taken aback by what I just heard I felt the anger building up even more.

“What the fuck?! I haven’t done anything!” I yelled out in frustration.

“Just because you’re angry doesn’t mean you have to use foul language Brandon!”

“I’m only Human Fluttershy! We tend to swear when we get angry!”

I was practically shaking with anger at this time and I needed to get out of here before I did something I would regret.

“I’m sorry that you feel this way but you need to calm down.” Fluttershy said flatly.

“Fuck this! All you fucking ponies are crazy!” I marched over to the front door and before I could stop myself I sent my fist straight through the thin wood. Fluttershy, frightened by the violent outburst cowered down close to the floor. I didn’t bother saying anything else and stormed out the door and down the road.

“Fucking ponies.” I murmured to myself, “Siding with a fucking rabbit over me.” I marched down the road still angry from the events that just occurred.

After several minutes of walking I had managed to calm down enough to think things over.

Okay so it was wrong of me to have an outburst on Fluttershy, she didn’t even do anything to me…

I trailed off because my nose caught a whiff of something foul. Looking around I couldn’t see anything or anyone that could have been the source of this disgusting smell. I quickly came to realize that the horrible source of the smell was me! I hadn’t had a shower since I arrived in Equestria or a change of clothes.

I thought about it and decided to go see the mare that could more than likely help me out with getting some new attire.

First I’ll go see Rarity, maybe have a shower and get some new clothes and then I’ll go see Fluttershy and apologize.

Walking into Ponyville without Fluttershy by my side was quite daunting. Usually if Fluttershy was with me the other ponies might have given me a glance or two but nothing more. But since I was on my own this time the residents didn’t take to kindly to me being here.

“Hey ape man!” I heard a voice call out from behind me.

Turning around I saw two ponies looking at me with hate in their eyes, clearly they had some things to say.

“What are you doing in Ponyville freak?” snickered the Earth pony with a beige coat, pigment blue mane with a rose pink streak.

“Yeah! What are you doing in Ponyville!” Demanded the other pony.

I recognised the two ponies standing in front of me as Lyra Heartstrings the Unicorn and Sweety Drops, or Bon Bon, as the fans of the show called her. They were some of my favorite background characters from the show but they seemed much less friendly when you meet them for real.

“I’m just here to see Rarity.” I called back. I turned my back to the ponies and started to walk, trying to avoid any conflict which might get me in trouble.

“Not so fast!” Lyra called out. I could hear hoof steps behind me but I still didn’t turn around. I was caught off guard when I felt a tug on the back of my shirt and I fell back to land on my ass. I was dragged behind one of the market stalls out of view of the public.

“We’re not done with you yet freak.” Sweety Drops said as she glared down at me.

“Look I don’t want any trouble, I just want to go see Rarity and then I’ll be out of Ponyville.” I tried.

“Ha! You think we believe you? You’re probably here to murder an innocent pony!”

I quickly came to the conclusion these ponies were crazy and I was in trouble.

“That’s why we’re gonna have to teach you a lesson not to come back to Ponyville.” Lyra said with an evil grin.

Before I could react I felt Sweety Drops grab me beneath my arms and position me so I couldn't move, pinning my arms above my head. Lyra walked in front of me, turned around and prepared to buck me with her hind hoof. The air was forced from my lungs when the first blow landed, hitting me squarely in the ribs I cried out. Sweety Drops quickly covered my mouth with her fore hoof and said “Buck him again Lyra!”

The second buck came and was delivered to the exact same place as the first. A solid thump was heard, I was guessing I had a cracked a rib or two because when I took in a breath a sharp pain stabbed at my side.

Tears forming in my eyes as I awaited the next kick. Through the blur of my crying I saw a white and purple shape appear behind Lyra. A blue glow forming on top of the shape, an audible buzz could be heard and then ZAP! Lyra was thrown out of my view; I blinked the tears away and felt my arms being released. I looked up to see none other than Rarity standing in front of me in a protective stance.

“You’d best be along unless you want another taste of my magic!” She seethed.

“Let’s get out of here, we’ll deal with the freak another time.” Said Sweety Drops. Rarity’s horn began to glow with magic again and she snorted air from her nostrils showing that she wasn't messing around. Rapid hoof steps were heard behind me and Rarity turned her gaze down to me with sorrow in her eyes.

“I am so sorry,” She started, “I never knew there were ponies who disliked Humans so much.”

Seeing Rarity standing in front of me and hearing her voice for real was a new experience for me, she truly was a beautiful sight even though she was a pony. I snapped back to reality and spoke, “It’s alright and Humans aren't the most welcoming of species either.” I tried to mask the throbbing pain in my ribs, didn't want to seem weak in front of Rarity after all.

She still frowned, “But that is no excuse to be violent toward another, even though they share some differences.” Her horn began to glow once again and she pulled me to my feet with her magic.

“Thanks.” I said weakly.

“It’s quite alright darling, are you sure you’re okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” I took a deep breath and masked the pain from my ribs behind a smile. “Actually I was coming to see you before I was ambushed by those ponies.”

“Oh? And what may I help you with?” She said with a warm smile.

“I need some new clothes.”

For the first time she looked at me up and down, seeing my pants with dried dirt around the ankles and my grey t-shirt stained with… actually I can’t tell you what it is. Her face grew to a horrific expression.

“Darling! We simply must get you out of those old rags! Come with me at once.” She blurted out.
I was quite happy to oblige and we quickly set off for Rarity’s Boutique.

Once we were inside Rarity’s house she quickly went about gathering her things needed to measure a client and several different coloured fabrics.

“Rarity, I don’t suppose you have a bath or shower do you?” I questioned.

“Well no, I always go to the spa when I need to be cleaned up.” Her eyes grew and a wide smile formed on her lips. “That’s it darling! We’ll go to the spa!”

I was quick to object, “No, no, no! I don’t do spas.”

“Of course you do darling, it will be so wonderful to have some company and when we get back I will take the measurements for your new attire.” She quickly responded.

I thought for a moment and came to the conclusion that this was the only way I could get clean without jumping in a lake so I agreed. “Fine, we’ll go to the spa. But can we not put mud on my face?”

“It’s good for your complexion darling.” Rarity answered.

“Alright, let’s go.” I said with little enthusiasm.

Rarity marched past me looking quite proud of herself and I followed trying not to think about the pampering that was to come.

Maybe this will prove to be a pleasant experience?

Rarity and I walked into the Spa’s reception room, upon entering Rarity was greeted by two rather clean looking ponies. They introduced themselves as Aloe and Lotus, and we were quickly taken through the double doors into a room with a big tub of warm soapy water. After not having a shower for several days and smelling the way I did, that bath looked mighty inviting.

Rarity made her was over to the bath and proceeded to slowly walk down the steps into the warm water. A satisfied sigh left her lips and she turned to me.

“Aren’t you coming in darling?”

“Oh um… yes I will it’s just…” I moved uneasily.

“Yes?” She inquired.

“Well, Humans usually bath naked.” I stated.

“So?” She raised an eyebrow, “I’m naked.”

“Yes but it’s different for ponies, you mares are always naked unless you decide to get dressed up. Humans don’t usually get naked around others unless they’re really close.” I explained.

She giggled, “Are we not close darling?” She battered her eyelashes at me and I blushed.

“We are, but not like that.” I struggled to say with a frog in my throat.

She slowly moved through the water to the edge where I was standing, not saying a word but staring into my eyes. I was lost in those big beautiful sapphire eyes. Staring so intently on her eyes I didn’t notice her forehooves slip out of the water and snake around my lower legs. She gave me a devious smile and looked to where her whooves were. I looked down just in time to see what she was up to, she yanked me by the legs and pulled me into the large bath.

I surfaced and started to laugh, Rarity meanwhile was laughing with vigour. We both had a good long and much needed laugh, in the warm water I could feel all of my troubles just melting away. After we had spent what was probably far too long in the warm soapy bath we decided to get out.

I walked out onto the tiles that were now slippery from the water dripping off my clothes. I frowned and asked, “Hey Rarity do you think I could get a towel?”

She levitated a white towel from the nearby rack and draped it over my shoulders. “Thanks.” I said with a smile.

“The next stage in our treatment is my personal favourite,” She smiled, “The massage!”

I smiled and thought a massage would be quite nice about now but I was still in wet clothes and at this rate they would never dry. I had an idea.

“I’ll be right back.” I grabbed a fresh dry towel from the rack and disappeared into the restroom.

I stripped off all of my clothes and wrapped the towel around my waist, making sure it was secure and wouldn’t fall off at an inopportune time. I gathered my wet clothing and left the restroom to meet Rarity.

Rarity was waiting patiently for me and when she saw me her eyes widened.

“Is something wrong?” I asked with concern.

“Oh uh no, I’ve just never seen something quite like a human’s muscle structure.” She blushed.

I realized that she was looking at my body and blushed also.

Deciding to break the awkward silence I placed my wet clothes on a nearby table, turned to Rarity and flexed. Now I don’t mean to brag but I’m not a small guy, I’ve never been to a gym once but working with my dad lifting furniture into a truck and then unloading it did build muscle.

She blushed brightly and turned her head away to cover it. I laughed and walked over to her.

“It’s okay Rarity,” I laughed, “I know what it’s like to see something so irresistible.” I teased.

She giggled and shoved me with her fore hoof, “Oh don’t be so modest.” She added sarcastically.

We both laughed and moved onto the next room.

When I entered the room the smell of burning incense filled my nose, quite a pleasant smell really. We wandered over to the two massage tables and I helped Rarity onto hers.

“Such a gentlecolt.” She commented. I just smiled and turned to face my table.

It’s a bit short I thought to myself, “How am I meant to fit onto that?” I asked.

Just as I finished speaking Aloe and Lotus walked into the room, Aloe walked over to Rarity and started to massage her back and shoulders gently. Lotus walked to the end of my massage table and flicked a little switch. From the underside of the bed came another 2 feet of massage table and it moved up into place to create one long platform. Lotus smiled at me and I hopped up onto the table.

Moving into position and placing my face in the hole designed to allow the clients to talk whilst being massaged, I sighed and slumped onto the table. Lotus began working her hooves over my shoulders. For a pony masseuse she definitely knew were all my pressure points were, she continued to rub and massage and I could feel myself melting away into the table. It was only when Rarity spoke that I snapped back to reality.

“So darling, with your new clothing,” She started, “Would you like a suit or something more… common?” She asked.

“Well to be honest I would prefer something I could wear day to day but it would be nice to have something to wear on a special occasion.” I answered.

She thought for a moment before continuing, “Then I shall make you two new outfits.”

I felt guilty about letting her go through all the effort for me but then I remembered an episode from the show where she would not take no for an answer. Ultimately it ended up forcing her into a work filled downer so I chose my next words carefully.

“Well, why don’t I help you out then? It’s the least I could do for the trip to the Spa.” I pointed out.

“Hm… well I suppose it would be nice to have some help, it’s a deal!” She sounded excited.

About 20 minutes went passed before the massage was over. I stood up feeling rather sleepy, Rarity was feeling much the same way I did judging from the look on her face.

“I think it’s time we head back to the boutique and get you measured up for your new suit.” Rarity suggested.

I simply nodded and we started for the door. Being in my sleepy state I did not realize I was still only wearing a towel until Rarity had pointed it out.

“Oh crap, where are my clothes?” I looked over to the table I had left them on but they were gone.

Lotus walked into the room and on her back were my clothes, now clean, dry and neatly folded. I thanked her for her kindness and disappeared into the bathroom to get changed.

I had just begun to pull off the towel when I heard some hoof steps on the tiles behind me, I turned around and saw Rarity standing there smiling at me.

“Uh Rarity, I’m kinda getting dressed here.” I laughed.

“I can see that darling.” She answered while still smiling and then sat down.

“So privacy doesn’t mean much to you huh?” I joked.

“Why should you getting changed be a private event? You have nothing to hide.” She battered her eyelashes at me and blushed lightly.

“Yeah well I would like some privacy now thank you very much.” I laughed.

“Suit yourself.” She stood up, turned around and gave a flick of her tail that I don’t think was an accident.

I turned a bright shade of red and turned away. She left and I pulled on my clothes in peace.

Once back out in the reception room we thanked the spa twins, Rarity paid our fees, with a discount of course because she was a regular customer and we head back to the boutique.

After what seemed to be the longest walk of my life, being so tired, we finally arrived at the boutique. Rarity unlocked the door; she insisted that I be the first one to enter so not wanting to argue I stepped inside. It was a nice place, a bit messy but compared to my bedroom back home on earth this place looked like a gem.

Rarity followed me through the door and locked it behind herself.

“Why did you lock us in?” I asked, confused.

“Well we don’t want to be disturbed do we darling?” She flicked her well groomed mane to the side and looked at me with those large eyes.

“I… I guess not?” I was unsure of the way Rarity was acting.

“Good, let’s get started shall we?” She beamed.

“Now’s as good a time as any!” I commented with a smile.

“Good, please stand over here if you will.” She pointed to a spot in front of her work table.

I imagine she made me stand here so she was close to all of her tailoring tools. She quickly went about retrieving her measuring tapes. She used her magic to hover a quill and parchment nearby so she could scribble down the measurements. She finally groaned in annoyance.

“Darling, could you please take off this awful shirt? I can’t get a proper measurement whilst you wear it.”

“Oh, um… okay Rarity.” I took off my shirt, feeling quite exposed to the now interested looking mare.

She seemed to mask a smile but the look in her eyes gave it away that she was indeed ‘checking me out’. She wrapped the measuring tape around my mid-section and scribbled down the results. She then again groaned in frustration.

“You’re too tall, could you be a darling and kneel for me?” She said innocently enough.

I obliged and knelt in front of the mare, our faces were rather close now and I could feel her warm breath of my chest. She reached around me in a hug style and brought the measuring tape with her.

“Could you flex for me darling? I need to make sure there will be enough room for you to flex in the suit.”

I uncomfortably flexed my pecks and abs making them much more noticeable. Rarity’s breath was caught in her throat for a second before she cleared her throat and went back to acting professional. A few more reading were taken of my torso before she moved onto my arms, again she had my flex my muscles.

“Rarity, Is the flexing really necessary?” I asked feeling exposed and annoyed.

“Why yes darling, otherwise your big strong muscles might split the fabric.” She answered trying to sound all business.

I sighed, “Unless you’re making a skin tight suit I don’t think it will make a difference.”

Caught out in what I had just said she quickly searched her mind for excuses, her eyes darting left and right.

“Rarity if you want to know about the Human body why didn’t you just ask?” I said gently.

Rarity sighed and gave in, “It’s not the Human body I am interested in, it’s yours.” She said while staring at the floor and blushing.

It all finally made sense to me, Rarity has a crush on me.

“I’m flattered Rarity, I truly am. But I don’t think it could work out with you being a pony and me being a Human…”

Her eyes started to fill with tears and a single tear rolled down her cheek.

“I’m sorry Rarity.” I hugged her close and she returned the hug, I could feel her nuzzling close to my neck.

We pulled apart and smiled, “Such a silly thing to cry about.” She hovered a hanky over and lightly wiped the tears from her eyes.

“It’s not silly; I once had a crush on the same girl for 3 years even though we rarely spoke. Now that’s silly.” I chuckled and she let out a genuine giggle.

“Thank you. She said and planted a light kiss on my cheek. I blushed.

Hearing a sniffle we both turned and saw Fluttershy teary eyed.

“Fluttershy, whatever is the matter?” Rarity asked her friend.

“I find my best friend and the stallion I like half naked and kissing!” She broke down into tears and turned to fly out of the large window.

“Fluttershy wait! It’s not like that!” I called after. I pulled on my shirt, apologized to Rarity and dived out the window after her.

Sprinting through town I was calling out her name but never received an answer, I asked a pony on the street if they had seen her and they pointed the way for me. Continuing to run and call out her name I soon found myself leaving ponyville.

“Fluttershy please just listen to me, nothing happened!” I yelled out hoping she would hear me.

I ran for a long time, my surroundings went from a grassy field to a light forest and now I find myself in a dark and rather eerie forest. I slowed my run to a jog and eventually stopped completely. I realized I had left the path some time ago and was now running solely through the forest.

I looked around and could see nothing but dark forest all around me.

“Shit! I’m lost and Fluttershy could be out here!” I was angry at myself more than anything, “How could I have been so stupid as to have left Fluttershy’s cottage this morning without making peace first?!” I made a note to make it up to Fluttershy later, for now I would settle for finding her and getting out of this creepy place.

It seems my talking had attracted some attention; I heard growls all around me and could see glowing green eyes in the darkness the trees cast over this place.

“Oh shit, please don’t be something big with sharp teeth.” I said to no one in particular.

The first creature to burst though the tree line was running at me in a full sprint, I quickly recognized it as a timberwolf and could smell its foul breath from here. I dove out of the way as it pounced, rolling and standing in one swift motion. It’s amazing what adrenaline can cause someone to do. I didn't waste any more time and started to sprint with the timberwolves in hot pursuit.

The chase was on…

Author's Note

The long ass chapter 5 is finally here! I hope you guys enjoy this one.

*** Thanks again to my editor! The11thWonder ***

Chapter 6 will be coming soon so stay tuned! :D

A Painful Realization

With my heart racing and my legs moving as quickly as they could I sprint through the forest, I could hear the snarls behind me and their foul breath clung to my nostrils. I don’t know what it was but something inside my head told me to turn.

Turn Brandon! Go left now!

With my mind taking over my body I darted to the left, barely avoiding a pouncing Timberwolf. The wolf yelped as it slipped, colliding with a nearby tree and exploding into hundreds of twigs and splinters. I couldn’t help but laugh as I continued to sprint with the other three wolves in close pursuit.

Sprinting full speed through the forest, my heart nearly stopped when I came sliding to a halt, barely stopping a foot from the edge of a deep canyon. Howls came from behind me, looking over to the other side of the ravine I measured the distance to be roughly 12 feet. With no other choice and my hunters closing in fast I took a few steps back and prepared myself for the jump across the 12 foot gap.

Hearing their wooden claws tearing through the roots and leaves that scattered the ground of the forest behind me I started my run for the gorge. I was 3 feet from the ravine when I heard one of the timberwolves snap at my backside, reaching the edge of the canyon everything seemed to slow down, almost like time stopped.

Building up pressure in my legs and bending my knees, I jumped.

Two of the wolves were directly behind me but they were to intent on the kill, not noticing the gorge until it was too late. They yelped and whined as they fell into the raging waters below, a sickening crunch was heard and then nothing.

Kicking my legs to try and gain more momentum I soared through the air, everything still seemed to be moving slower than it actually was. I made the mistake of looking down, seeing a 30 foot drop into rocky rapids, my heart stopped. Wide eyed I glanced toward my destination, I was nearly there, surely I would make it!

That was not the case however, falling just short of the other side I reached for the edge. My body slamming into the rocky face of the gorge I scrambled to grab anything I could. My hands finding a thick root protruding from the ground I grasped as tightly as I could. The root was holding my weight, my legs hanging helplessly as they searched for a foothold.

I found a solid spot on the rocky cliff face and managed to get my footing, heaving with all my might, I pulled myself up and swung a leg up and onto the edge. I scrambled up, rolling a few feet and sighing my relief. A snarl brought my attention back to the Timberwolf on the other side of the gorge. Standing up I began to taunt the wolf.

“Ha! What’s the matter scared to make a little jump?!” I mocked the angry beast, “You’re nothing but an overgrown acorn!” The wolf howled in rage, almost like it had understood what I said.

The wolf was pacing on the other side of the canyon, never taking its eyes off me. I laughed aloud at the beast once more, turned and disappeared into the forest yet again.

Weaving my way through the thick trees, jumping over fallen branches and other debris I eventually ran out of steam and slowed my run to a jog. Looking all around me I could neither hear nor see any more signs of danger. Slouching down, resting my hands on my knees I took some deep breaths.

SNAP!

I spun around to the source of the noise; a Timberwolf was advancing slowly toward me, its eyes practically screaming death. I was too tired to run and too scared to move. I was going to have to fight it.

The large beast and I were walking in a circle, waiting for the other to make the first move. The wolf had enough of waiting a lunged toward me. I could not dodge it this time and the wolf slammed into me, taking both of us to the ground. We landed hard, my face hitting a rock that was half buried in the ground. Stinging pain shot through my lip and eyebrow, the force was enough to open a small gash just above my right eye and my lip was bleeding.

I recovered first and kicked the wolf in the side, sending it a few feet away from me. I was standing in a flash and the wolf was also standing, snarling at me. Bringing my fists up to my face, I spat blood and said, “Is that all you’ve got?”

The wolf howled and charged again, I too charged and we clashed in the middle. The wolf proved to be too strong for me and easily threw me to the ground with a thump. Dazed from what just happened, the wolf seized its moment and sunk those sharp wooden canines into my left shoulder.

“AAAARGH!” I screamed in pain.

Beating the wolfs head with my right fist I realized it was not doing much good. The wolf shook me like a ragdoll and its teeth sunk deeper into my muscle and flesh. Crying out in agony again I reached up to the wolfs head and grasped its ear, pulling with all my might there was a loud cracking sound as the wooden ear came free from the wolfs head.

Releasing its bite on my shoulder and retreating with a whine I clambered to my feet and tried to look intimidating, which was more difficult than you might expect with four puncture wounds pissing out blood from your shoulder and tears in your eyes. But it was enough to make the wolf turn tail and run.

Seeing to my wounds, I was lucky to find that the wolf had missed all of the major arteries and veins. With my mom being a nurse you tend to pick up a few things every now and then.

I could barely move my left arm though, even without any damage to major blood vessels it still bled profusely, as did the gash just above my eye. I’m sure I would have looked like a total badass all covered in blood, if it weren’t for the pain I was clearly showing.

I knew I had to cut off the blood supply to my shoulder or I could quite possibly bleed to death out here. Finding a sharp edged rock on the ground I managed to tear and cut my way through the fabric of my pants, I had just turned my cargo pants into cargo shorts, cutting them so when my knees bent the shorts rose just above them. Taking the strips of fabric, I tied them together and proceeded to tie the homemade bandage around my shoulder, it fit quite well and applied enough pressure to almost stop the bleeding completely.

Standing and wincing in pain as I did so, I looked around.

Still lost…

That was until I heard the rapidly flapping of wings overheard, turning my gaze skyward I saw a quick flash of blue followed by a rainbow trail through the thick canopy.

It’s Rainbow Dash!

“Rainbow Dash!” I yelled as loud as I could.

The sound of wing beats slowed and I called out again,

“Rainbow Daaash!”

The canopy burst open above me and as quick as lightning there was a cyan mare with a rainbow mane and tail standing in front of me.

She had her eyes closed and spread her wings, looking quite stunning she said, “Someone called?” In a self-confident tone.

“Rainbow, I need your help.” I pleaded to the mare.

She opened her eyes and jumped back at the sight before her, “Whoa! You’re a mess, what happened?!”

“Timberwolves, they attacked me but I managed to fend them off.” I said, feeling a little dizzy from the blood loss.

“Timberwolves huh? You know I once fought off one hundred Timberwolves…” She looked quite proud of herself.

“Rainbow, now is not the time to be talking yourself up. Please I need your help!”

“Okay, okay fine!” She looked rather upset that I cut her off from herself promotion, “Let’s get you back to Ponyville, you need a doctor!” Without warning she darted around behind me, grabbed me under the arms and took to the skies with incredible speed. The G-forces, blood loss and my fear of heights all had a toll on my body; falling limp I slipped from consciousness.

Beep… Beep… Beep

My eyes twitched under closed lids as I slowly came to my senses. Opening my eyes slightly I realized I was not flying high above the forest anymore but rather in a white room, lying in a large bed with a drip in my arm.

“The Hospital?” I groaned, still not able to open my eyes fully.

“Yep, I brought you here.” A familiar voice sounded off to my left.

Turning my head with some difficulty, I looked at the cyan Pegasus and smiled weakly, trying to sit up.

“Easy there big guy, you don’t wanna do anymore damage then you’ve already managed.” She placed her hooves gently on my shoulder to stop me from rising.

Slouching back and sighing I asked, “So what’s the damage?”

“Four half inch puncture wounds on the left shoulder, a cut above the eye and a busted lip.” Came a voice from the doorway.

Rainbow Dash and I turned to see Nurse Redheart walking into the room.

“And you’re lucky you didn’t break any bones!”

“Sorry Nurse Redheart, next time I come across a Timberwolf I’ll just ask it to leave me alone.” I chuckled.

The nurse smiled, “Good news is we’ve stitched up that shoulder and taped the gash on your eyebrow. You’re free to go after your final checkup.”

“Oh that’s great news!” I brightened up, “I was never one for sitting around in a Hospital.”

Rainbow cut in, “Me neither but when I dropped you off, the nurse asked me to stay here with you because it would help to see a friendly face when you woke up.”

“Thank you Rainbow,” I smiled at the cyan Pegasus, “And thank you Nurse Redheart.”

“No need to thank me, you’re just lucky Rainbow found you when she did.”

We all exchanged smiles and even had a little chuckle but I was itching to get out of this damn bed.

Standing up, I felt a little woozy but quickly recovered my balance. Rainbow and I said our goodbyes to the nurse and we head out the front door of the Hospital.

“So Rainbow…” I started, “I just wanted to thank you again, if it weren’t for you I might have died out there…” I didn’t look at her but just rubbed my neck nervously.

She giggled, “It’s all good big guy, a friend of Fluttershy is a friend of mine.”

“Fluttershy!” I panicked.

“Rainbow, have you seen Fluttershy today?” I asked quickly.

“No, why?” Concern in her eyes, “Is she alright?”

“I don’t know, Fluttershy and I had a bit of a fight at her place this morning-“

“This morning?” Rainbow interrupted, “Big guy you were in the Hospital overnight.”

“Overnight! Oh shit I hope she’s okay!” I was really panicking now.

“C’mon, we need to go see Twilight.” Rainbow gestured for me to hop onto her back.

“Oh no, I think I’ll stay on the ground from now on.” I started to walk in the direction of Twilight’s Library.

Without warning I felt a head between my legs, lifting me up and sending me flying onto her back.

“Rainbow stop!” I cried.

“Better hold on big guy.” Rainbow took off with great speed.

My body slipped down her back and came to rest in the middle of her back. My feet hung behind her wings and I grasped her body tightly with my thighs, hanging on for dear life. Once we were at a high altitude she evened out and flew calmly straight.

“You should have seen the look on your face!” She laughed to herself, “But could you maybe release your hold on my mane a bit, you’re pulling it.”

Looking down to my hands I had indeed grabbed handfuls of her rainbow mane and I apologized. We didn’t fly straight for long, looking down Rainbow could see Twilight’s home.

“There’s our destination!” She pointed down with a fore hoof.

“Oh good, now we need to get down there.” I said sarcastically.

“Not a problem.” Rainbow turned her head and smirked at me.

My eyes growing wide, I again gripped her hair tightly and clenched my thighs. Rainbow stopped flapping her wings and we started to fall, my hair was blowing around wildly in the wind as we continued to descend several feet per second. I felt Rainbow leaning forward and I lent too, keeping close to her body.

We were almost in a full nose dive now, Rainbow tucked in her wings and we fell even faster. The ground growing ever closer made my gut tighten and I felt like I was going to be sick.

200 feet… 150 feet… 100 feet…

I gulped, thinking this was the end. There is no way that Rainbow Dash could pull up at the last second with me riding on her back. We were now 50 feet from the ground when Rainbow suddenly opened her wings and leaned back a bit. Our descent was slowed significantly until we were graciously gliding down the last 20 feet. Touchdown.

Rainbow took a few steps before coming to a halt not 10 feet from Twilight’s front door. I quickly climbed off the cyan pony and felt a sudden calm flow through me when my feet connected with the solid ground.

“C’mon big guy, we don’t have time to worship the ground.” Rainbow mocked me. Walking up the front door she knocked loudly 3 times.

A few seconds later the door was glowing with purple magic and it swung open.

“Oh hello Rainbow Dash, hello Brandon. What can I do for you?” Twilight greeted us warmly.

“I think it’s best if we come inside Twilight.” I said with a serious look on my face.

Twilight picked up on the expression and hers changed to meet it, “Oh my, come inside, please.”

The three of us all hurried inside and stopped in the main room.

“So what’s this all about?” Asked Twilight, turning to me.

I sighed, realizing I would have to spill the beans about all of the events that unfolded yesterday.

“Fluttershy and I had a fight yesterday morning; I stormed off and met Rarity in town. Rarity and I spent the day together and then returned her place so she could measure me up for a new suit.” I explained.

“Aaaand?” Twilight looked at me, demanding further explanation.

“And while I was there, Rarity confessed she had feelings for me but I told her there was no way it could work because I was Human and she is a Pony-“

“That’s just silly, cross racial relationships happen all over Equestria!” Twilight interrupted.

I just looked at her with an expression that held no amusement for what she had just said.

“Oh, sorry, please continue.” Twilight spoke with blushing cheeks.

“Anyway… after I had told Rarity it wouldn’t work,” Twilight opened her mouth to say something but closed it just as fast. “Rarity became upset, so I tried to comfort her. I hugged her and she kissed me on the cheek but Fluttershy saw this. Fluttershy then flew off crying and I chased after her. I ended up in the Everfree forest and had a run in with some Timberwolves.” Gesturing to my bandaged shoulder and taped up eyebrow.

“I was wondering what was going on with the bandages…” said Twilight.

I wore a concerned expression, “I hope Fluttershy is okay.”

“I’m sure she’s fine. Look, Rainbow Dash and I will go searching for Fluttershy, in the mean time I need you to stay at Rainbow’s house.”

“What? Why my place and not here!” Rainbow argued.

“I have to agree with Rainbow Dash, why can’t I stay here?” I inquired.

“Because Spike isn’t too fond of you,” She gave an apologetic look, “Ever since the first time he saw you he hasn’t trusted you.”

Sighing with defeat I hung my head low because I knew I would be flying again soon. That’s when it hit me.

“Wait! I’m not a Pegasus, I can’t walk on clouds.” I said triumphantly.

“That’s okay, I have a cloud walking spell that will allow you to touch clouds as though they were solid objects.” Twilight smiled at me.

Shit, I forgot about the damn cloud walking spell!

“Fine. But I don’t like this idea!” I eyed both Rainbow and Twilight.

“You’ll be fine, the spell lasts for around two hours.” Twilight reassured.

I couldn’t help but pick up on that around, “Around two hours?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh, you heard that, huh?” She looked guilty, “Yes, around two hours. The spell differentiates in time depending on your weight.” She confirmed.

“Greeeeat! I could fall to my death without knowing about it until it’s too late!” I scowled.

“I’m sure we will find Fluttershy before the spell runs out, you have nothing to worry about.”

Twilight turned to Rainbow, “I will need you to fly Brandon to your house and then come back and meet me here.” Rainbow simply saluted at the order.

Turning back to me, Twilight asked if I was ready for the spell. I swallowed hard and nodded my agreement.

Twilight’s horn began to glow a beautiful, luminescent purple. She closed her eyes and concentrated all of her body on casting the spell. Twilight was sweating now, beads of clear perspiration running down her fore head. With one final surge of light, I felt my body flowing with warmth, it was not an unpleasant feeling but it was a strange one. The light died down to a dim glow and then nothing, Twilight looking rather worn out by the spell smiled weakly at me.

“Okay, you’re good to go.” She said whilst catching her breath.

“Are you okay Twilight?” Asked Rainbow Dash.

“Oh, yes, I just get a little worn out after casting such a spell on a species I’ve never casted on before. Give me a few minutes and I’ll be good to go.”

“Well Rainbow, why don’t you and I make a move while Twilight rests?” I asked.

“Yeah, good idea. You keen to get back into the air big guy?” She chuckled and head for the door.

I frowned to myself and followed the cyan Pegasus, glancing behind me and the worn out Unicorn smiling at me. I gulped and pulled the door closed behind me.

Walking on clouds is a strange feeling and one I don’t plan on getting used to. Rainbow Dash had dropped me off and flew back to Twilight’s home after giving me a hard time about being so scared to take those first few steps onto the cloud house.

Walking very lightly, I made my way through to what I am guessing, is the living area. There seemed to be a sofa made of cloud against one of the walls. Deciding that if I was going to fall through this cloud house I might as well do it in comfort, I sat down on the sofa.

Relaxing just a little bit when I first sat down, I realized I was not going to fall through it and lent back against the soft white cloud. Letting my hands fall to my sides I felt the fluffiness of the cloud sofa. As a Human I would have never gotten the chance to feel a cloud like this. Sinking further back into the softness that embraced me I felt as comfy as I had ever been.

The sofa supported me in all the right places and cushioned all the others; I melted into the couch in perfect comfort. I could feel my eyelids becoming heavy and my breathing slowed to a peaceful rate. This is what I predicted a cloud to feel like in my dreams but never knew I was so spot on.

doof, doof, doof.

I snapped my eyes open at the sound and realized I had indeed fallen asleep. Wiping the drool from my chin, I stood up and stretched.

doof, doof, doof.

I had almost forgotten about the door when I stood up and wondered who it could be as I made my way down the white cloud hallway. Reaching the door I looked for a handle, there seemed to be a little ball of cloud on the lower right side of the door. I reached for it and it turned in my hand.

I pulled the door open and looked through. I heart skipped a beat as I saw a familiar yellow Pegasus standing on the cloud in front of me. She too wore the shocked expression and no words were spoken.

Without giving her time to act I grabbed her, knelt and embraced her in a warm hug. Feeling her struggle for a second and then return the hug. My heart was racing and my eyes filled with tears.

“Fluttershy I’m so glad you’re okay.” I blurted out in the hug.

“I’m sorry; I should have listened to you and Rarity before flying off.” She whispered. I could feel her tears on my right shoulder.

Pulling away from her and looking her straight in the eye I softy spoke, “No Fluttershy, you have nothing to apologize for. It was all a big misunderstanding. I’m the one who should be apologizing for losing my temper and breaking the door.”

Tears rolled down both of our cheeks and I couldn’t help but smile at her, “I’m just so glad you’re okay”

Pulling her back into the hug, she wrapped her fore hooves around my shoulders. I winced in pain as she applied just a little bit of pressure to the wounds on my left shoulder, but nothing could dampen my spirits right now.

I don’t know how long it was that we held each other in our embrace but I’m sure it wasn’t long enough. We pulled apart and I gently wiped a tear from her cheek with my thumb, she did the same with her fore hoof, she had the lightest touch. With this overwhelming feeling of happiness, I didn’t realize when I started to sink into the cloud beneath me.
Sinking faster both Fluttershy and I looked shocked.

“Twilight’s spell!” I gasped, slipping through the cloud and falling.

“No, no, no, no,” I repeated to myself quickly as I continued my uncontrollable descent, plummeting to the earth at speeds I wasn’t meant to be moving at I had only one thing on my mind, Fluttershy.

Flash backs from earlier times played through my head over and over, rolling on the floor laughing with her; baking delicious treats for both her and I, resting on the couch together; but one memory kept overpowering the rest. The memory of when I first saw Fluttershy, the moment I first laid eyes on her was burnt into my brain.

“Fluttershy, I lov-“ I was cut off when I felt a pair of hooves hook around my body. Snapping my head upward I saw Fluttershy with a look of determination on her face.

Spreading her wings wide, we started to slow. Struggling with all her might to keep her wide spread against the wind rushing up the meet us, we slowed some more. The ground was close now but we were still moving too fast for a safe landing. I know what I have to do.

Squirming in her grasp I grabbed her fore hooves in my hands and looked up at her once more, she looked down at me with worry in her eyes. “I’m sorry.” I whispered as I pulled her fore hooves apart with all of my strength, falling freely once again.

I heard a scream from above me, looking down the trees were only 20 feet away.

I love you Fluttershy...

Author's Note

Seems like the end doesn't it? Well... it's not! One final chapter to go!

***As always I would like to thank my editor for working so hard on all of these chapters, tops to you mate! - The11thWonder ***

I had to choose between the two endings I had in mind since the beginning, whether I wanted a happy or tragic ending. I hope I have chosen the right one to really make this story at least a little memorable. See you in chapter 7!

(UPDATE!) I'm really sorry to those of you who are waiting for Chapter 7. It is taking longer than planned for my editor to get back to me with the final chapter in hand (or hoof?) I'm sure he will come through for us! Hang in there everypony!

The Meaning of Friendship

Beep… Beep… Beep

That sound was all too familiar. I knew exactly where I was but I couldn’t believe it.

I fell, how am I alive?

I should be nothing more than a gory mess in the middle of nowhere, how is this possible?

Beep. Beep. Beep

“His heart rate is increasing! I must go fetch the doctor!” A familiar voice filled my ears.

I lay still, trying to hear what was going on around me. I heard hoof steps and then a door close. A sweet soft voice spoke gently in the now quiet room.

“Brandon…” I recognised the voice as my dear Fluttershy’s, “I don’t know if you can hear me…”

All was quiet for what seemed like a millennia before I felt two fore hooves on the bed next to me. her gently voice broke the silence again.

“But if you can, I want you to know… I need you… please,” I could tell in her voice that she was crying, “Please, fight through this… for me.”

This was all I needed to hear, trying with all the effort left in my broken body I shifted my hand to hold her hoof. She gasped lightly at the touch, straining to open my eyes I managed to peek through half closed lids to where my Fluttershy was sitting.

She was wide eyed but those big teal eyes were filled with tears, tears of happiness or tears of sadness I could not be sure.

Mustering the strength to speak, I muttered her name, “Fluttershy…”

She broke down in front of me, her tears rolling down those soft cheeks. My heart melt as I watched the pony I so dearly care for cry in front of me, wanting nothing more than to give her a comforting hug but my body was too weak.

“Fluttershy… I lov-“

“Shhh,” She interrupted, placing her fore hoof gently on my lips, “Save your strength.”

Although tears rolled down her cheeks she managed a small smile.

The door swings open and in trots the Doctor followed by Nurse Redheart. The Doctor is smiling at me.

“This is very good, he’s awake!” He cheered, “Mr. Brandon, you will begin to recover even faster now that you’re conscious.”

Fluttershy smiled at the Doctor and then at me.

“So he’s going to be okay?” Asked Fluttershy, she feared the worst.

“I’m afraid it’s too early to say yet but his broken bones have healed in remarkable time thanks to his Unicorn friend.”

I raised my eyebrows and looked at the Doctor questioningly.

He began to explain, “Your friend Miss. Sparkle has been coming in every day since you arrived here and using some new spells she learnt to help speed the healing process along. Good thing too otherwise you may have not made it.”

I was smiling on the inside, the fact that my friends would not give up on me even when the odds were against us gave me comfort. I turned my head to face Fluttershy. The Doctor cut in, “Fluttershy here has not left your side since you were admitted to this Hospital three days ago.”

“Three days?” I looked into Fluttershy’s eyes and saw nothing but love and compassion, she truly was special to me and I knew I meant the same to her.

“If it were three days or forever, I would never leave you.” She whispered gently as we stared into each other’s eyes.

I hadn’t noticed when the Doctor signalled silently for himself and Nurse Redheart to leave the room. It was the gentle click of the door securing shut that reminded me where I was.

“So Twilight saved me?” I asked Fluttershy.

“Oh yes, when you fell,” She shuddered, “You fell through the tallest trees branches, slowing your fall enough to not be fatal.” She looked down and her lower lip quivered.

Reaching up and bringing her chin up so her eyes met mine I said, “Hey, there’s no reason to be upset. We’re both here and very much alive.” I smiled at her.

Looking away from my stare she gently whispered, “I wasn’t strong enough to carry the both of us, it’s my fault you fell…” The tears formed in her eyes again.

“Oh Fluttershy, you may not have been strong enough to carry us both in the air; but it was your strength that kept me alive in here.” I whispered.

She again looked up to meet my gaze and a smile crept across her lips, “Thank you.” She lent in a kissed me on the cheek. She pulled back and let out a small yawn.
“Have you slept much?” I asked.

“Not as much as you.” She responded and we both chuckled.

I slid over on the hospital bed and pat the empty space next to me, “There’s room up here.” I smiled.

She smiled back and climbed gently onto the bed, lying on her side she shuffled back until my chest was pressed against her. I gently ran my fingers through her mane and she sighed softly, reaching around and pulling her closer into my embrace; we drift off into a peaceful slumber.

Knock, Knock, Knock

“Huh?” I grunt as I lift my head from the pillow.

Oh, the door…

Looking next to me, I see my sweet yellow Pegasus still sleeping comfortably. I can’t help but smile at her but quickly divert my attention to the door.

“Come in.” I try to whisper loud enough for the visitor to hear but quietly enough not to wake the sleeping Pony.

The door creeks open slowly and a familiar face pops her head through the door, “Am I interrupting?” Twilight asks.

I bring a finger to my lips to signal silence and Twilight quickly nods her head. She opens the door just enough to sneak through and closes it gently behind her.

I gently speak, “What can I do for you Twilight?”

“I’m just here to give you one last dose of the healing spell I learnt, the Doctor says after one more session you should be able to get out of here.” She whispers.

“Oh, that’s fantastic news! Just let me wake Fluttershy.” I say a little louder. Turning to the sleeping Pegasus, running my fingers through her mane and whispering gently in her ear she stretches out her legs and shivers, “Good morning Brandon.” She says sleepily.

She rolls over on the bed and catches a glimpse of Twilight, getting up and off the bed in a split second the Pegasus blushes. “Hello Twilight.”

Twilight hid a small chuckle behind her foreleg. Regaining her composure she said, “Hello Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy only blushed harder and hid it behind her mane.

Noticing that Fluttershy was quite embarrassed that her friend had caught her and me in bed together I cut in, “So Twilight, is there something we can do for you?”

Twilight turned her attention back to me, “Didn’t the Doctor tell you I would be stopping by?” She asked, “To help your recovery with magic.” She answered her own question.

Suddenly realizing that the Doctor had indeed told me about my last session of healing magic today I felt quite stupid for not remembering.

“Ah, yeah he did tell me… it just slipped my mind.” I rubbed the back of my neck trying to hide my embarrassment.

“You were distracted by other means, it’s quite alright.” She mocked me and winked at Fluttershy.

Both Fluttershy and I refused to make eye contact with one another or the purple Unicorn standing before us.

“Can we just get this over with? The Doc said I could leave after my last session.” I plead with Twilight.

“Of course!” She laughed, “I’m ready when you are.”

“Alright, let’s do it.”

Twilight simply nod her head and closed her eyes, her horn began to glow in a familiar fashion as to when Rainbow Dash and I were at her home having the cloud walking spell cast on me. I closed my eyes and soon enough felt my body surrounded with unnatural warmth. The feeling was being absorbed into my body, spreading throughout my limbs and passing through my chest. The feeling died down and eventually disappeared, I opened my eyes.

“How do you feel?” Fluttershy gently asked whilst looking concerned.

“I feel… good. Actually I feel great!” I exclaimed.

“I’m glad to report that nothing has gone wrong, you should be able to get out of that bed.” Said Twilight.

Without wasting any time, I swung my legs around to the side of the bed and stood up, my knees buckled and I would have fallen if Fluttershy had not caught me and helped me to stand up straight.

“Take it easy Brandon, you may no longer be injured but you did just spend 3 days lying in a Hospital bed.” Twilight warned me.

“I guess I kinda forgot about that part.” I joked.

“Well I think it would be best if you were to take it easy for a few hours.”

“Yeah, you’re right Twilight. I need to rest.” I said as I sat back down on the edge of the bed.

“I’m sorry to have to leave in such a hurry but there are some things I must attend to back in town,” Twilight turned to leave but hesitated, “Oh I nearly forgot! This is for you.” She levitated a large brown box over to the bed. It was an ordinary looking box except for the large red ribbon tied around it.

“Who’s it from?” I questioned.

“Why don’t you open it and find out?” Twilight suggested with a smile.

Shrugging, I slid the box closer to myself. I un-wrapped the ribbon and pulled open the lid of the box. Inside was a pair of black jeans, a white formal shirt, a black jacket that looked somewhat pricey and a pair of black dress shoes in my size. I pulled out the jacket that was folded neatly inside and a small folded piece of paper fell into my lap.

“What’s this?” I asked no one in particular and opened the small note.

Dear Brandon,

A lady always keeps her promise. Your casual attire will be waiting for you at the boutique when you are ready to retrieve it, for now enjoy the suit and I hope you are feeling better soon.

- Love, Rarity.

A smile spread across my lips and I chuckled to myself. Even though I was hospitalized and my chances of survival were slim, Rarity still made the suit for me.

Twilight was smiling at me now, “I’m sure you’ll look amazing in your new suit.”

“I sure hope so.” I laughed.

“Again I’m sorry but I really do have to go now, so much to do.” She excused herself and left the room.

“That is a lovey suit Brandon.” Fluttershy commented quietly.

“Thanks Fluttershy, shall we see if it fits?” I asked with a smile.

“Oh yes.” She smiled back.

Here I am, standing in front of a mirror wearing the nicest suit I have ever seen. Although the colours are quite formal the suit itself looked like it was suitable for everyday wear. I rolled the sleeves halfway up my forearm and didn’t bother to button up the front.

I look goooood…

“You look handsome.” Fluttershy interrupted my thoughts.

“Thanks Fluttershy.” I beamed at the yellow Pegasus.

“Do you think we could get out of this place though? I’m not a fan of Hospitals.”

“Oh, yes of course.” She replied.

Leaving the Hospital room we walked through the white corridors until we reached reception.

“Hi there, Brandon is checking out.” I said to the nurse working the front desk.

“Of course Mr Brandon, just sign here and you’re free to go,” Said the nurse.

Leaning down to sign the papers I scribbled my name in all the required places and placed the pen back down on the desk. “Thanks.”

“Thank you Mr Brandon, from all the staff at the Hospital we wish you good luck in your future and we hope to not see you in here again to soon.” She winked at me.

Simply nodding my head, Fluttershy and I head out the front doors of the Hospital.

Walking out of those big doors to be greeted by the sun light and birds singing was a good feeling. Taking a deep breath through my nose, I sighed with contentment.

“I think we should head into town and thank Rarity for the new clothes.” I said to Fluttershy.

She agreed and we started off down the road, heading for Ponyville.

It was a long walk, especially since my muscles were only now getting back into the swing of things; but it wasn’t too much trouble. It seemed the more I walked the more my muscles remembered their job and started moving with ease.

When we were but a few blocks away from the centre of town, we heard a scream. A pony I recognised as Carrot Top ran around the corner about 15 feet ahead of Fluttershy and I.

“Quickly Brandon help!” She turned and disappeared behind the corner.

Without hesitation my muscles kicked into over drive, someone needed help and I was going to do my best to help them! Running around the corner I caught a glimpse of Carrot Top’s tail disappear behind another corner not 20 feet away. Running as fast as my legs would allow me in their weakened state I rounded that corner to yet again see Carrot Top zip around another corner.

She needs to slow down or I’ll never catch her!

I neared the corner; turning left I realized I was on the main road of Ponyville. I came to a sliding halt and my jaw fell open at the sight before me.

“SURPRISE!” Yelled a chorus of ponies.

Party cannons were firing off, sending streamers and confetti all over the street as all of the ponies cheered. It looked like the whole damn town was here!

“What the?” I mouthed.

“Surprise!” Yelling in my ear, I turned to see no other pony than the infamous Pinkie Pie bouncing before me.

“Pinkie! You set this up?” I had to yell over the sound of the cheering ponies.

“Of course! You’re new here and everyone that I haven’t met before gets a party thrown for them!” She laughed and continued to bounce. “Are you surprised? Huh? Are ya? Huh? Huh?”

I laughed at the pink mare in front of me, “Very.”

She cheered and jumped in the air, confetti shooting out of her mane. She landed for a split second and then lunged at me, latching onto me in a hug.

“You know this isn’t only your welcome party but it’s also your ‘you’re-out-of-hospital-and-alive-from-a-near-death-experience’ party!” She blurted out.

Laughing at the pony hugging my side and tussling her pink mane and she smiled widely at me.

“Attention everyone,” came a voice over the speakers that had been set up around the street.

The ponies cheering and laughing died down and they all turned to where the speaker was standing, a large stage that had been built for just this occasion. Looking up at the stage I noticed it was Twilight Sparkle standing in front of the microphone.

“We all know why we’re here,” She began, “To welcome our dear friend Brandon to Ponyville and Equestria.”

“Ponyville rules!” came a male voice from the large crowd and everyone laughed and cheered.

“Yes, Ponyville does ‘rule’,” She chuckled.

“Our friend Brandon came here from a place unknown to us, he was alone and I’m sure quite afraid. But when my dear friend Fluttershy found him out on the road, he showed no signs of aggression or threat to her. She brought Brandon to me, granted I was unsure of him when we first met I quickly came to realize that he meant us ponies no harm. He has shown that he cares about his friends and that he would do anything to protect them, even if it might cost him his life.”

The crowd was silent; you could hear a pin drop. I was looking up at Twilight, lost in her words. It was almost as if she were speaking directly to me.

“He is and always will be a dear friend of not only myself but to ponies all over Equestria. We are here today to thank him for his kindness to those around him, his loyalty to his friends and most importantly, his friendship. We thank you Brandon.”

All eyes were on me, silence loomed around me. I took a step forward and then another, another and before I knew it I was walking onto the stage to meet Twilight. Our eyes locked I walked over to the purple Unicorn, knelt before her and pulled her into my embrace. The crowd roared and cheered as Twilight hugged me back. “Thank you Twilight.” I whispered into her ear.

“Thank you Brandon.” She whispered back.

We pulled from the hug and I stood up, the crowd still cheering and applauding. I took a bow and the cheering grew louder, some of the ponies in the crowd were whistling and the party cannons were firing off once again. I moved off the stage and down the steps to where my four friends and my special Pegasus were waiting.

“Ya’re a good fella Mr Brandon.” Said Applejack.

“Yeah, you sacrificed yourself to save Fluttershy. You’re a hero!” piped in Rainbow Dash.

“And that suit looks simply ravishing on you darling.” commented Rarity.

“You’re like a super hero without the costume!” added Pinkie Pie.

Fluttershy just smiled at me, I knew we were going to talk later.

Twilight caught up behind me and I turned my head to meet her, “You will always be our friend Brandon.” She smiled at me.

“Thank you, all of you this means so much to me.” Tears of happiness formed in my eyes.

“Group hug!” Pinkie Pie yelled.

Her arms extended to cartoon like lengths and she grabbed us all and pulled us into the hug. We all laughed and smiled even though we were squashed together like sardines in a can. Pinkie Pie released us and a screeching sound played over the speakers.

Everyone turned their heads to the stage to see a white Unicorn wearing purple tinted sunglasses with a multi-coloured electric blue mane.

“Hello Ponyville! Are you ready to party?” She yelled down the microphone.

The crowd once again cheered and roared.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” She smirked.

Pressing a button on a large black box in front of her, it transformed into a DJ station and multiple over-sized speakers. “Let’s get our wub on!” She cried out.

Flicking a few more switches, bass heavy party music was soon blasting out of the speakers and the ponies in the street cheered and started to dance.

“Ooo this is my jam! C’mon girls let’s dance!” Pinkie Pie squealed.

All of my friends went galloping off into the crowd except one. Fluttershy remained by my side.

“You don’t want to dance?” I asked her.

“Oh, um… I never was a good dancer.” She replied.

“Well maybe in that case you and I could head back to your place for a while? “ I hinted and winked at her.

She blushed and then said, “Oh, I think we have some time before anyone notices we’re gone.”

We hurried into a back street, out of sight. Running and giggling together we head back to our home.

Yep, I think everything is gonna be just fine…

Author's Note

It's here! it's finally here! Chapter 7 has arrived and is now available for you to read and share with your friends! ;)

This is the final chapter of Keep On Dreaming, this fic, although my first; was perhaps the most fun I have had whilst writing. Signing onto FIMFiction everyday to see that someone had commented or favourited my story was enough to keep me going with a very large smile on my face. So thank you readers! it means so much to me that you have spared your time to read my story!

***Although it did take a little longer than planned my editor The11thWonder has done an amazing job on this piece, without him this story would not be half as good as it is today. Thank you The11thWonder. ***