• Published 12th Apr 2015
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A New Beginning - Falinov



In the distant future an 0-2 Marine is sealed away attempting to survive the fallout of a M.A.D strike between two super powers to find a world unlike his own.

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Chapter 3: Attempt at "Friendship" (Revised)

<><><><><>Chapter 3: Attempt at "Friendship"<><><><><>

Revised 12/15/2023

<><><><><><><><><><>

As I stand as stiff as a statue, the teal pony hovers in front of me, her eyes studying me closely, she carries the expression like she's about to rock my world, I exhale slowly, as I put my hand on my bandaged arm mentally preparing myself for the worst to happen; a hoof to the jaw... Oddly enough she doesn’t do anything other than mimic me wrapping her hooves over one another as she orbits around me; the only sound I can hear is her wings beating the air, it's utterly quiet.

She squints her eyes and gets right up in my face. "Who are you?!" she asks in the snarkiest tone I’ve heard quite possibly in my entire life. Admittedly this catches me off guard as I put my hand on her breast giving her a gentle shove away from me.

“First off- you’re way too close to my face to be giving me that much attitude, knee-high.” I point at her giving her a cold scowl. “Secondly, I don’t know what rainbow you flew through but you passed the flight test with flying colors.” Instantly her face turns red and she’s right back in my face firing questions off faster than I can breathe.

"Oh, ha-ha; says weirdo who walks on two legs-what even are you? Where did you come from!?" she says as she hovers closer to my face. As I process what’s happening this time I step back from her.

“Dude what is with you being in my grill. Back off- seriously you’re as bad as that pink monstrosity in town, do you not know what the definition of boundaries is? I’m a human, I don’t expect you to know what I am.”

"That pink ‘Monstrosity’,” she moves her hooves like she’s making quotation symbols quite hilariously. “Is my friend. I heard you threatened to harm her- You really are a piece of work,” she says in a downcast tone.

‘Is she trying to shame us?’

Sure sounds like it.

“Maybe if you people didn’t jump me every chance you get I wouldn’t be so defensive. Did everyone fail to notice I was injured, confused, and lost?” My expression sours further as I point at her pupils shrink as she stares at my finger, completely gobsmacked. “No- of course not. Not to mention how utterly terrified I felt; No- instead you know what happened? I got approached by some hyperactive pink knee-high pony who looks like she OD’d on sugar.”

Her ears fold down with each point I continue to make as she backs off steadily dropping altitude and eventually comes to rest on her hooves, her wings stow away as she awkwardly looks at the ground.

“Doesn’t sound like threatening does it when you’re under those circumstances huh?” I raise an eyebrow.

“No- all I heard was you threatened my friend- She left that part out when she told us the story; the only thing she told us was you were menacing- she was right about that.”

“I promise I’m only that way when I need to get through to people.” I relax and sit down under a tree.

“You didn’t answer all my questions.” She returns her gaze to me examining me as I exhale. I lay my bandaged arm on my lap as I stare at the few lone clouds overhead. “I don’t have an answer for them, stranger.”

“Rainbow Dash.” She calmly says as she sits on her haunches.

“I beg your pardon?” I do a double-take in astonishment.

“My name is Rainbow Dash.” She gives me a more serious rather aggravated stare like I offended her entire religion.

“Sheesh, I thought my last name was unusual- that right there blows mine clean out of the water.”

“Oh, whatever! What's your name then?” She flaps her wings, straightening her feathers as she cranes her neck.

“Austin Lancaster- It’s a pleasure..” I shift in my spot getting more comfortable as things settle down. I notice the birds chirping along with other critters scampering around us.

“The feeling is…Mutual.” She shuffles closer to me getting under the shade of the tree beside me. "You're not from around here are you?" She looks at me intently.

I raise an eyebrow. "I thought that was obvious.”

"A human huh- Never heard of them before." She ignores my remark and proceeds to use her wing to scratch her nose all the while keeping a fly at bay.

"That doesn’t surprise me, I don’t know what you are either, I can barely comprehend half of what i’ve encountered in the last 24 hours," I recall the entirety of yesterday's events

"What's that supposed to mean?" she says, still keeping a snarky tone.

"Nothing, Nevermind..." I heave a defeated sigh- at that moment my stomach decides to betray me with a very audible growl reminding me exactly why I ventured here in the first place.

“Y-you aren't going to eat me are you?” This question catches me off guard as I roll to my right using my good arm to push myself to my feet. I groan slightly as I do so, Rainbow staring at me quietly.

“I doubt you’d taste good- so no.” I give her a look as I stroll over to the basin. I look into the clear water searching for potentially any fish I can catch and consume.

As I kneel, my stomach growls once more; only this time the sound is significantly louder.

“Yeah, yeah I know you’re empty.”

"Are you talking to your stomach?" She gives me a confused and concerned look.

“Yeah? I do it because A, it’s humorous to me; and B it helps take my focus off the lack of food and allows me to cope with it.” I perch myself over the edge peering into it looking for fish hiding in the corners of the running stream, a perfect place for fish like trout (if there’s even a trout population still.) to hide in the daylight. Rainbow sits beside me leaning far forward, looking into the water with me, I can see her reflection perfectly.

“What are you doing?” She observes quietly.

“Searching for fish to potentially catch.” After a few minutes, she sighs obnoxiously loud, pulling my attention from the task at hand.

"Ya’ know, I have a friend who can probably help you out… Just sayin’” She says impatiently, I contemplate taking her up on her offer as I continue to stare at the water, admittedly I’m a bit more distracted due to the hunger. My stomach growls once more, this time Rainbow leans in and nods her head.

“I know Austin’s stomach, if he wasn’t such a Buckhead you could get some food.” She says with such arrogance. With another sigh, I give up and look her in the eye.

“Fine. Who’s your friend.”

“She's just up the path from here, I take it you can still walk?" She gestures to a weathered path that leads up a slight hill and buried in dense trees just outside of the Everfree forest is a small cottage in the distance, its window slightly visible, the overall design of the house reminds me of a hobbit house.

‘How the hell did you miss that.’

Magic!

She gets up stretching her legs one at a time as she makes her way up the path, opting to walk it rather than fly- presumably for my benefit. Seeing no fish in the basin, and no other options other than hunting for berries and grub worms and insects I reluctantly follow her up the winding path. As we climb the trail, the cottage comes more into view eventually we make it to the door. I stand beside Dash as she knocks on the rather adorably decorated door.

“This is the place.” She knocks on the door gently. “You should probably know, her man is Fluttershy- with your lovely reputation she might freak out when she sees you.” She warns as she knocks on the door again impatiently.

With a nod, I observe my surroundings, taking it all in as I hear the sound of the door opening with an audible creak. As the door opens, a yellow pony with extraordinarily pink hair delicately appears. Her left eye is covered by her hair and she doesn’t seem to notice me immediately.

"Oh- hello, Good morning Dashie." She says in the softest voice I’ve ever heard- period this pony is so soft-spoken I feel a lot calmer around her than any other pony I’ve encountered to date and that list is steadily getting larger. She pushes the door open all the way.

“Who were you speaking to Dash?” She looks around and lays eyes directly on me. It was at this moment I knew; she instantly slams the door so hard the glass in the window shatters as the tree shakes from the impact and multiple leaves fall down. Comically, Rainbow is close to the door, her hair is frazzled as she blinks in utter shock.

"IT’S THE MONSTER FROM TOWN!!!" She yells from inside, her voice is muffled but I can tell by the tone she’s absolutely petrified... I am utterly speechless at the remarkable speed at which this went south. Surely a record?

"Well, by all accounts that went well." Rainbow shakes her head, smoothing her hair out again as she knocks on the door again this time more assertively...

"Fluttershy! Come on, he’s not that bad a guy- He needs help and you’re the only pony I know who can help him." A moment later the door slowly creeks open to reveal a quivering yellow pony. At this moment I feel the exact opposite of when I first encountered Dash, in fact, I feel utterly horrendous. She's visibly quivering in fear as she looks me over, her very soul seems like it's about to leave her body.

"I know you and probably the rest of the entire village think I'm a horrific monster; and I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused in my short tenure... I sincerely did not intend to give you such an impression, however under the circumstances; I was- Still am Injured; and your pink friend gave me a heart attack." I manage to give a slight smile as I offer my hand to shake.

She looks at it curiously and reaches out and shakes it slowly.

"Hey! Now that we are all best friends here, Fluttershy, I know it’s probably a tall order, but can you maybe help give him something to eat? Maybe help tend to his wounds?" Rainbow hovers next to her as she dawns a cute begging expression.

“I-I can try.” she says meekly her head and ears folded down her mane masking half her head from view.

"Thanks, Fluttershy!" Before I even blink Dash slams the door and a brief moment later an audible gust of wind and dust blows past me- straiiiight into my eyes.

IT BUUURNSSSSSS

‘God damn it…’

As I blink rapidly trying to clear my eyes of the debris in them, my eyes water I turn my head to see Fluttershy beside me. Interestingly in the weirdest turn arounds in my life she actually hovers beside me examining my injured arm, her gentle touch is incredibly ginger; the tables have now flipped. I’ve now become the one who’s moderately freaked out. To top it all off, sitting in the middle of the living room is a bunch of animals all bunched together basking in the sun- right smack in the middle of the pile looks to be a thick boi brown bear.

‘Oh that's a HUGE nope.’

Perhaps Fluttershy noticed, but she gently tugs on my side to get my attention.

“Is something wrong?” she looks me in the eye as she unwraps my arm of the bandages I put on.

“You have a giant bear in here.” I practically whisper.

“Huh?” She looks in the direction I am and blinks for a moment processing exactly what I meant like this is supposed to be normal. “You mean Harry?”

“Harry?” I crane my neck looking at her. I can feel my eye twitch ever so slightly.

“Yes, That’s Harry; a rescue bear. He’s a sweetheart, why does he unnerve you so?” She looks at me from behind her mane swatting it aside before giving her wings a flap and hovering over to him and literally pats this enormous bear. All of a sudden its eyes snap awake and snatch her out of the air so fast it happens in a blur.

“Fluttershy?!” I take one step forward and see that ‘Harry’ is snuggling this tiny yellow pony in his arms not hurting her at all. For a moment there I was expecting to see bloodshed.

‘If she knew he was dangerous do you really think she’d have kept that thing in here?’

How should I know, some people are just that special…

I stand there, my feet firmly glued to the floor, a mild thousand yard stare as I think about this whole situation.

Imagine for me if you will, I have recently woken up into a world somehow staying preserved for supposedly a thousand years or more, within two days, I have found my planet occupied by ponies who are not only able to supposedly control astral objects, Wolves made of branches made to explode like claymores; and now this- bears snuggling creatures who might as well be plushies.

I feel a soft hoof on my side, I blink a couple times, my vision comes back into focus, I see a mix of fur in front of me. I look slowly, knowing DAMN well what is in front of me right at this moment. I finally lay eyes on Harry. He's looking directly at me and me back at him; I don’t know what compels me but I nod my head.

This bastard returns the gesture before walking on two legs straight out the door like a human.

‘To be fair, that kind of thing isn’t that unusual- apart from the fact he twisted the door handle open.’

I feel another light pat on my leg. I look down at Fluttershy. “Uh- yes? Sorry my bad- lot on my mind ya know.” I scratch the back of my neck sheepishly.

“It’s alright I understand. I have seen many creatures from just about all corners of Equestria, I don’t know what you honestly are.” She sits directly in front of me, her hoof under her chin she’s examining me closely.

"What species are you?- Umm, that is, if you don't mind me asking."

"I think if i did tell you, you wouldn’t know what it is anyways." I shrug, and think it over briefly. “You’re helping me so I guess It’s fair you know what you’re helping; I am a Human, I was born here long ago, I’ve been asleep all this time.”

"Oooo, You’re right, I haven’t heard of your kind before! Do your kind sleep like dragons?" She gives me a very warm smile which by the way In my time here I haven’t felt my heart melt to such an adorable smile.

‘I’m sorry what.’

"May I ask some more questions?”

“I don’t see why not; I have all day.” I kneel down on one knee and using my good arm I lean into it crossing my legs and sitting firmly on the floor.

“Harry obviously gave you a fright, why would that be?" She looks at me curiously before trotting off into the next room. I hear a bunch of things clattering and things comically fly from one side of the doorway to the other.

"Back then, bears were notorious for mauling my kind if you got too close to them or their cubs…" The noise stops quite suddenly. She comes around the corner with a medkit on her back between her wings and a bag of something in her mouth, she sits down in front of me putting the bag down gently.

"Well, that makes sense… Where are you from?" She sits, listening intently.

"Well I've been sleeping near here. My house used to stand nearby long ago; Unfortunately I keep misplacing its location in the forest." I scratch my head with my good arm and my stomach at that moment decides to protest audibly.

"Oh, right, you’re hungry!" She hovers a foot off the ground and heads back around the corner into what I guess is the kitchen. I hear some rustling before it stops and she pokes her head around the corner adorably. "Um, excuse me, but, well… What exactly do humans eat?" She looks at me, puzzled expression.

"Eh, well eat just about anything as long as it tastes good and is edible. No worms or anything."

"Not to pry but your teeth, you have sharp fangs, I don't exactly carry meat." She looks at me slightly concerned.

"Humans are Omnivorous." She nods and after a few more minutes of rustling she comes out with some plates on her wings.

Bowls of salad, carrots, croutons even, as a side, On her other wing is a larger bowl of noodles with a side of what I presume is pasta sauce.

"Sorry, all I have are leftovers, but I figure since you're starving…" she trails off and leans to the side allowing me to gingerly take the food off her.

On the crest of her back are a couple bright vibrant apples. She rolls those off with her wing before sitting beside me.

"I am… truly thankful for your kindness Fluttershy. This all looks quite delicious." My stomach growls again this time much louder. With a smile I start to eat and for the first time in what feels like centuries I savor each morsel happily eating everything Fluttershy brought me.

After a short while I finish my meal ending on the two vibrantly red apples, I examine them closely, they are so ripe that they reflect my face in them almost perfectly.

“Something wrong?” I see Fluttershy crane her neck over at me perplexed as to what the plausible reason is for me to be ogling these apples so closely.

“No, nothing is wrong, just… Never seen such a shiny apple. I am also astounded that the humble apple has managed to survive all these generations.” I blink before taking a bite out of one and for everyone at home, That is in fact the tastiest, most crisp crunch I’ve ever had. The amount of flavor packed into these two apples makes my mouth water in delight as I consume each with gusto, much to Fluttershy's delight.

“Ya know Fluttershy. How do you think a humble apple is able to survive end times and a fairly technological race of people don’t.”

“Perhaps there’s a reason for that.”

‘That's exactly what I didn’t want to hear.’

“Weirdly enough, these taste way better than the apples I recall having in my time.”

“My friend Aj has some of the oldest and longest standing traditions in Apple orchards. Her family has been passing down that knowledge for generations. I’ll let her know you like them.” Fluttershy smiles warmly before scooping up the empty dishes and walking back into the kitchen quietly.

I continue crunching on my apples, with a heave I lift myself up off the ground and walk over to the window, In the distance I see ponies flying in formation physically moving the clouds around making overcast in some areas and clear skies in others.

‘We really aren’t home anymore.’

I continue to stare quietly, allowing my thoughts to wander, eventually I interlock my hands behind my back.

<><><><><>Rainbow<><><><><>

After seeing that Fluttershy and Austin are getting along nicely, I close the door before flying off with haste to the one pony I know who can make sense of it all; Twilight. Of all ponies I've come to know surely, she has an answer for sure, she just has to.. As I fly above the clouds, I dive down at Twilight's Library below, landing a short distance away skidding to a stop.

"Not bad" I smirk to myself, before walking up to the door and pounding on it with my hoof.

"Twilight! Open up!!!" While I wait, I start getting impatient, as I find myself beginning to get antsy, I groan in protest before zipping around the place looking in the windows quickly. All the while banging on every single door.

Eventually I come to a stop at the front door once again, this time getting more frantic.

"TWILIGHT COME ON!" I shout at the top of my lungs. The door knob turns and opens to reveal Twilight with a bewildered expression on her face.

"Hi, Rainbow, yes, I'm here; I'm busy today, Princess Celestia has given me an extremely important assignment and so far I am drawing blanks." She steps aside, allowing me entry before closing the door and returning to one of the uppermost shelves.

"So Dash, what is so important you are willing to knock on every door I have, in remarkable time by the way, that was a record." She glances over to me giving me an impressed expression. "I thought you were at Fluttershy’s pond today, relaxing didn't you say?"

"Well, In truth I was doing that, but something more important happened- er, showed up rather." I rub the crest of my neck with my hoof before planting my rear firmly on the floor wrapping my tail around my hooves.

"What on this planet could have possibly gotten your attention to where you feel you need me?" She looks up from her book with a raised brow. "Surely one of Fluttershy's animals is something you can handle."

"Twilight it wasn't one of her animals. This is something... different? You know at first I honestly came off as a total flankhole, but this guy he's not from here. Not that I'm aware of."

"Ok…? And what did this different thing look like. Be as descriptive as possible."

"Well the guy walks on two legs, he appears to be survival trained, he's injured, he walks on only two legs, and he certainly isnt shy about defending himself." Twilight looks at me with a look of sheer confusion and bewilderment.

"What…?" She looks at me before putting her book down on a table. "Ok… hold on, this thing can walk on two legs? It can also speak?"

"Fluently. I'm not sure if it helps but Fluttershy initially screamed at him saying he was the "Monster from town" if that helps any."

"WHAT!?" Her eyes immediately go wide as dinner plates. "You're telling me the monster that raided the hospital, threatened Pinkie and by order of the princess to find is right now with Fluttershy!? And you LEFT it with her?!" Her look changes to one of horror.

"Well when you put it that way it sounds pretty bad; Yeah, but he's not a monster, he said he was defending himself. I handled that part, Twilight!" I try to reassure her while not trying to bring down Twilight's wrath upon Austin. "He sat down and explained the whole thing to me, if he was really a monster don't you think he'd have hurt me?"

"Not necessarily Dash, regardless we need to get over there pronto. If this wasnt a huge issue then I doubt Celestia would assign me to assist her in finding this thing; look maybe you're right maybe you're not but I don't want to risk it." She runs past me towards Fluttershy’s house, leaving me to catch up with her.

Ah, horseapples… I hate it when she does this. I immediately open my wings and zip out the door after her making sure to close it.

<><><><><Back at Fluttershy’s Cottage.><><><><><>

"So lemme get this straight… You're a Pegasus? You realize in my day a being like you would be considered a mythological creature at best…" I give her a skeptical look.

"Well, I do have wings and can fly and I am most certainly a pony; fascinating to learn none of us existed." She gives me a satisfied smile while she continues to gently swap out my bandages with care. Her every move is gentle and very soft.

"So, what is this place, like where exactly on the map are we?" I take a sip of tea she had brought me to ease my pain while she works. I take a sip with my good arm enjoying its warm flavors and sweet fragrant aroma.

"Right now, you are sitting on the outskirts of Ponyville, just in the shadow of the capital city Canterlot." she says softly as she tightens a bandage making me hitch my breath a bit.

"Sorry! Too much?" Her ears fold down.

"You're fine, the wound itself is worse than you pulling the bandage taught. Ponyville huh… really creative with the names huh?"

"I suppose so, this town is one of the oldest on this side of the map."

"How strange, my house used to be not far from here in that forest, seems overrun now by those nasty timber wolf things."

"The Everfree forest is a place where nature has no master and the forest moves and consumes as it wills, last year alone the forest receded and then in mid summer pushed closer all in the span of months."

"Sounds like a cursed forest to me."

"Some say it is, others say it's of the old world." I can't help but let out a chuckle at the thought.

"I doubt that, there wasn't a forest here long ago, the trees showed up long after my time."

"Well that solves that mystery doesn't it? Anywho! You're all patched up. Try not to move that around too much or you'll reopen your wounds." She smiles before cleaning up the old bandages and takes them to the kitchen.

I sit there in the middle of the room staring at all the small details, a picture of Fluttershy and a group of other ponies one of which is Dash, other is of her and what I presume is her mother. It amazes me how much has changed and how this society has branched out. As the thoughts wander through my mind my train of thought is rudely interrupted by a sudden and loud banging noise, I look over my shoulder to see the door hinges are molten.

Something tells me you should move-

Fluttershy quickly runs out of the kitchen and looks at her door in fear she stands there frozen, without hesitation I scoop her up and slide her over as suddenly the door gets kicked in right where she was standing.

As the smoke clears I can see what appears to be a very pissed off purple pony, and to the shock of no one at this point she has a horn glowing pink.

'Oh what a surprise, there's a unicorn now, Pegasai and a unicorn. What a time to be alive.'

I keep Fluttershy shielded in my arms safely, she's shaking like a leaf absolutely petrified.

"Don't move!" The purple unicorn yells a command at me before asking me the first real important question... "Where's Fluttershy!?"

I slowly turn around with Fluttershy still in my arms wrapped tightly but safe, she calms down a bit before getting a grasp on the situation.

"I'm turning to face you fully. Your friend is here safe… I don't want no trouble."

"You got plenty of it buster." The purple unicorn keeps her horn charged and pointed squarely at me. I gently set Fluttershy down who has at this point regained some of her composure.

"Fluttershy is fine; you're lucky I can move quickly, you almost slammed that door on her…" I give her a hefty stare.

"Look I understand I created a wave in your quiet town; what I did was out of necessity and precaution. I harmed no one and did not intend to… let's be rational folk here and talk this out…"

"My name is Austin Lancaster. 1st Lieutenant of the two hundred twenty first division air brigade." I offer my good hand as a gesture of good will, she gives me a hostile stare before answering me.

"Twilight Sparkle. Student of her highness Princess Celestia and element bearer." Her suspicions seem to only intensify, if the look on her face is any indication shes very obvious like reading an open book.

"It is truly a pleasure." Fluttershy snaps out of her stupor and looks between us.

"Twilight, that was unnecessary, he's done nothing to warrant such hostility."

"Even so, I didn't want to take that chance Fluttershy…" she checks on her friend as I take a seat on the nearby couch.

Still feeling on edge I clear my throat and look Twilight in the eye. "I'll cut straight to the chase; I presume you're here to apprehend me and take me to the Princess you spoke of. I also assume I'm in some sort of trouble for my actions. Is that correct?" Twilight is taken a bit aback by how upfront I am because her attitude comes down a few pegs.

"That is not my decision to make, the Princesses put out a decree to find you even if it meant searching the entire Everfree forest." She gives me a very serious and suspicious look.

"I understand and will cooperate fully."

“In that case would you mind if I asked you a few questions?" She pulls out a notepad and a comically large quill followed by a bottle of ink.

“I guess…?”

‘I get the feeling this is going to be a mistake.’

<><><><><10 Agonizing Minutes Later.><><><><><>

"So, let me get this straight, you're essentially a guard? You have military training." She scribbles on her note pad.

"Not a guard. We had a division of honor guards but I was a Marines. Being called anything less is considered insulting. I don't make the rules that's just how it was." I rub my temples as this train if questions is steadily starting to irritate me to the point I now have a literal headache.

She scribble more into her notepad, tapping the quil ending her transcription.

"So the only real question I have right now; human kind hasn't been seen for well over two thousand years… My question is how you are here when the last known record of your kind was described vaguely in a tome as old as pony kind?"

"I couldn't tell you." I give her a blank emotionless stare.

"I don't know the reason why all of humanity seemingly disappeared either; there were billions of humans that roamed every corner of the globe. As to what cataclysmic event took place between my time and then is an unknown to me."

"Well, that doesn't make sense. An entire population doesn't just vanish, we don't have any detailed documentation of your people's existence."

‘Gee, I wonder why that may be...’

"There used to be many history books documenting most of recorded human history. As to what happened to those, I couldn't tell you."

"I understand that but you understand the odds of you physically being here… It shouldn't be possible." I raise my hand and cut her off.

"Believe me no one understands that better than me. Do you know how difficult it is to comprehend the vast changes that I've had to cope with the last couple days… I woke up and expected to find my own kind and a rebuilt civilization and I found ponies. No offense."

"None taken…" her ears fold back she seems to have a look of remorse on her face.

"With all due respect, I no longer wish to answer any further questions, this whole conversation has been enlightening but it is starting to hurt my head." I sigh as I lean back on the couch.

"I need to figure out where to go from here…" I sigh as I look at them solemnly. With that notion I stand up and offer my hand to Fluttershy to shake, she smiles and takes it gingerly.

“B-but you can’t just leave! The Princess-” I gently shake Fluttershy’s hoof softly.

“Is not a governing body I recognize at this point in time. I hardly recognize my very being here. I appreciate the hospitality but I need some time to process and think for a while, I am sure you can understand.”

“Where are you going to go?” Twilight gets up and looks at me this time a with a hint of concern not in her facial expressions but her voice twinges with a slight hint of worry.

“Where Luna found me last time.” I mutter under my breath, Twilight looks at me in silent disbelief but ultimately doesn't make any attempt to stop me. After that little bit of probing into their society I cannot help but feel a waning sense of reality Twilights words echoing vividly in my mind, I look over my shoulder at the cottage and walk down just out of sight of it as I look onwards to the seemingly endless void of the Everfree forest.

‘we don't have any detailed documentation of your people's existence’

It’s almost like these people don’t know a whole people existed before them, a truly haunting thought for me to process; There is truly nothing left for me to live for anymore, no house to go home to, no possessions to show for all the hard work I put in... A lot of good all that did me- and worst of all...

'Everyone we knew is gone... forever.'

Ash...

By extension that means... I am the only living link to humanity over two millenia ago... it's all solely my responsibility now; the record of humanity through my memories- and as a bonus, I have left a sour taste after my initial impression. They think I'm the stuff of their nightmares, nothing more than a freak and monster and I cannot fault them for that...

I continue to walk towards the Everfree forest coming to a stop on the very edge of a pitch black abyss, there's no noise coming from the forest its just a eerie silence. While standing there a single thought comes to mind.

“I was chosen to represent my entire species- a jar head who nearly killed himself from stress fighting for my home. This has to be a twisted joke.” I mutter to myself, to no one in particular, without another word I step into the forest I shove my hands in my pockets, walking in the general direction of the last remaining structure from my era- a crusty decrepit glorified bomb shelter held together with nothing more than hope and a prayer...

After half an hour of walking in a straight line I come across the outcrop and in the middle of it is the steel door still ajar from when I first exited. Whats left of the daylight starts to fade behind the distant mountains casting an enormous shadow over the land. I stand there quietly, observing the forest around me and listening to the rustle the wind through the branches of trees all around me.

At that moment I see a squadron of ponies zip overhead and fade into the distance at great speed heading towards the distant mountains in a perfect V formation. The formation flight brings back some pleasant memories; I look down the stairs into the dark remains of my shelter, I carefully walk down the flight of steps leaving the outside door open allowing what little light is left of the day to illuminate the bottom most step. Standing at the entrance to the shelter I look around what little light made it down here illuminates dozens of cracks in the concrete in the floor that travel to the ceiling, some of which has started to buckle and allow large root systems to hang from the ceiling from the nearby foliage.

With a heavy sigh I look at the once foldable bed, now has a massive hole in it and completely unusable. I reach around the remains of the bed and look into the closet theres a bunch of decayed coats, when I grab a few some disintegrate, others still have some flex, I toss them to a corner of the room making an improvised bed of sorts. At this point the moon is now starting to rise, I walk up the flight of stairs for the last time tonight and grabbing a large rock I wedge it in the door jam and close the main hatch, this drowns the entire place in a truly inky black darkness, feeling my way around whincing as I go, I plop myself down on the jackets placing my sheathed knife firmly on my lap.

Despite the atrocious smell, I lace my hands together and using one of the decrepit jackets I cover my lower body and attempt to sleep.

<><><><><><><><><><>

"Mr. Lancaster," a dark, demonic voice echoes in the blackness, making my heart race.

“Mr. Lancaster- I realize this may not be the most convenient moment for a heart-to-heart, but I had to wait until some unwelcome interruptions were quelled," the voice orbits around me.

"Once upon a time, some two thousand years ago, ponies tried desperately to keep humanity aloft during its lowest point. However, due to their pure chaos, humanity successfully wiped itself out— rather hilariously. Perhaps there's a chance at redemption for your species... heh." The voice taunts me in a continuous circle, echoing in the dark void.

I try to speak, but inexplicably, I'm unable to. Breathing feels nearly impossible, as if someone is choking me without touching me.

"Oh! I bet you have many questions, Mr. Lancaster. I bet you're just dying to know the truth—why I chose you for my purpose. Believe me, it wasn't for the benefit of humanity or equines. No, Mr. Lancaster, you shall serve a far greater purpose than any other being I've recruited before."


"I bet you're wondering how I accomplished this. Well, I'm so glad you cannot find the words to ask. Let me just say that I acted in the face of the abjections of nature itself and leave you wondering!" The mysterious voice rambles on, and with each passing second, I feel life being squeezed from my body. For once, my subconscious has gone completely silent.

"You are my crowning jewel, my moonlight sonata, my pièce de résistance!" Suddenly, the voice stops, and I'm greeted with a pair of blood-red pupils in the abyss directly in front of me—they're enormous.

"You," the eyes get closer. "You shall serve your purpose to me quite well indeed... As the harbinger of a cataclysm that will compel this world to bow to my will...." The blood-red eyes circled tauntingly close; whatever entity is lingering with me is emanating an intense heat in this cold, black void.

"I am not one to waste talent, especially one of your caliber. Consider this insurance." The eyes close and vanish from sight, replaced by a brilliant white symbol illuminating my chest. Slowly, the symbol floats closer, making contact with my clothes and burning a clean hole through them. My eyes shrink to pinpricks as a searing pain ripples through my body, branding me like cattle. In this battle, I'm beginning to lose ground—I attempt to scream in pain, but nothing escapes my mouth.

"That brand is directly tied to your heart. Speak one word of what has transpired here or what you have seen, and it goes without saying it'll explode your poor little heart like a grape. Until next time, Mr. Lancaster. I expect this will be a mutually... beneficial relation~..." Dropped to my knees, I gasp for air, checking my chest for the brand.

"Beneficial for me at least~." The silence is broken only by the ominous, evil cackling, growing fainter with each passing moment as the void cracks around me shattering to a blinding white scene and then... silence.

<><><><><><><><><><>

I snap awake, violently swinging my knife in the darkness, breathing heavily as I notice a cold sweat covering my body, every bit of fabric drenched. Pressing a button on my watch, it glows in a bright blue hue, illuminating the time—it's just a little after 0115 in the night. I use the momentary light to check my chest for the mark. Removing my shirt, the mark glows bright red and disappears into my skin leaving no further trace, confirming it wasn't just a bad dream.

With no sane options, I scream at the top of my lungs in horror. "I CAN'T DO THIS! I JUST WANT TO GO HOME. MAKE THIS NIGHTMARE STOP, PLEASE." I fall to my side in the fetal position, sobbing uncontrollably.

At this point, my entire body violently shakes in panic. With what little strength and will I have left, I drag myself across the floor. My legs completely numb, I crawl to the propped-open hatch. With adrenaline-boosted strength, I throw the door open like it owes me money. Every fiber of my being just wants to get as far away from that hole as possible. With a squeal of protest from the hatch, it flops over to reveal a perfect bright white moon and every kind of constellation imaginable. The forest is calm; there's no wind, no trace of sound, nor a cloud in sight.

'I have simply traded one nightmare for another far worse…' Pulling myself together as best I can, my body still shaking, I rise to my feet in an unstable fashion, looking back into the black pit. I stop to think for a moment about everything that led me to this point, every one of my friends who died centuries ago—for what? For me to survive in this accursed hole, imprisoned in my own body by some deranged sadistic demon.

I take one last look down the stairs. With some effort, I lift the hatch enough to kick it shut. It squeals in protest, slamming down with such noise that several crows fly in distress from the trees around me. Exhausted, I flop directly on top of the hatch, resolving to stare at the moon above. Tears flow down my cheeks, a flood of emotion and pain coping with everything that has happened thus far, eventually weeping myself to sleep— hoping I don't wake up at sunrise, for once my subconcious is starkly silent.

<><><><><>Some time later.<><><><><>

A new day— a gift, they say. Forget yesterday's failures; that's why it's called the present. Or so they say. Whoever said that was full of it. I'm gently woken by the sound of my watch alarm beeping on my wrist, sunlight just beginning to crest the mountain. My position, where I fell asleep, has left me exposed in the middle of a forest, and my neck is utterly sore. Come to think of it, my whole body is in agony. At least this time, I slept without being disturbed by another literal demon.

Slowly standing up, I find myself still very numb all over. Surveying the area using the surrounding mountains as a landmark, I make my way out of the forest, looking back for hopefully the last time, leaving the past to rest. Trudging through the forest slow and steady, I eventually make it back out the other side without complication, this time a bit further from Fluttershy's cottage than the first time. I sigh and brace myself for more walking, the numbness replaced by pain—the pain of walking up an incline and being mind-fucked by a demon.

After about an agonizing hour of walking, and because my heading was slightly off, I make it to the base of Fluttershy's cottage—completely and physically exhausted and bent out of shape. Fluttershy is in a small fenced-off pen just outside her cottage, feeding a flock of chickens and humming to herself. Knowing her personality, I approach her within her field of vision.

“Good morning... Fluttershy.” I say with a calm yet pained voice.

"Austin! You came back, you had Dash and me worried... Are you okay?" She looks at me with a worried expression.

"Yeah, just dealing with some inner demons." I feel my heart skip a beat—literally.

"You look exhausted; do you need a place to rest?"

"As tempting as that offer is, I could really use a shower and some food if either of those is possible, then a place to rest—in that order preferably."

"I would offer you my shower, but it's broken. I have a plumber coming by to fix it later today. I’ve been getting showers at my friend Rarity's cottage in town, but I'm sure Twilight would be more than happy to help you."

“Whichever is more convenient.”

"I'll have Dashie get Twilight once she’s done with her cloud arrangement tasks this morning for today's weather schedule."

"Cloud arrangement?" I crane my head over curiously as I blink, trying to think about what exactly that could mean.

"Ponyville's weather and a few other areas are dependent on Pegasi like Rainbow to coordinate the weather for an optimum harvest season each year." She smiles happily.

"That sounds pretty effective."

"Well, like any process, there are certain risks that come with it. There are still accidents. There was one recently where a weather pony was gravely injured. I believe that pony will never fly again..." She looks sad as her ears fold back.

‘Oh… Is that who that was… Tempestas…’

"Tell you what, if you can feed my chickens for me, I’ll go find Dash. I’m sure you’d really like that bath right about now."

"I'd be more than happy to assist you." I genuinely smile for the first time in a long time. I collect the bucket of feed from her.

“Thank you, Austin. I will return as fast as I can!” She smiles, and with the flap of her wings, she slowly flies off into the distance. After a short while, I finish up feeding all of her chickens and tending to them accordingly when something catches my eye—a little bunny running with a chunk of carrot in its paws, with rollers in its tail. I look around and find another chunk of carrot which I try to use to entice him over. Finally, his taste for the carrot brings him over, and I pick him up, carefully undoing the roller, making his tail comically fluffy. Much to my surprise, it nods to me as if to thank me.

"Not a problem, little dude; Fluttershy had to leave for a bit." I get on my knee and make a ramp of my hand to set him down with his carrot, leaving the roller on a nearby table. He hops away, disappearing around the corner. I leave the pink hair curler on a nearby table. At this point, the sun crests the peak of the mountain, making it look like the crown jewel of this nation. Perhaps that’s the point. I stand there and watch it continue to rise; suddenly, a bright yellow beam shoots into the sky from the mountain to what appears to be the sun.

Without much thought on the matter, I kick back in a nearby rocking chair next to the front door. No longer than five minutes later, I hear the sound of the door being opened to reveal Rainbow, closely followed by Fluttershy.

"Good lord, I thought you were fast, Dash. At the rate you went, the grass grew an inch.” Fluttershy immediately understands what I am doing and giggles behind her as I slyly smirk at her, crossing my arms in a mock judgemental manner.

"Hey! That is hardly fair! I had to finish my job since we are short-hoofed right now, buckhead.” She walks up to me and takes her hoof, casually punching my side playfully. “Anyways, Fluttershy told me you’re looking for Twilight. After you left yesterday, she boarded the first train to Canterlot for an audience with the Princess."

“She 'should' be back by now, but with how the trains have been running lately, if she wasn't teleported home by Celestia, she might be held up. We can go and check. If she's not there, I can help you with your... odor..." She takes one sniff of the air and immediately is taken aback. "Yeesh, dude. You look AND smell every bit of a 2,000-year-old road. Celestia help you; you're going to run us out of soap."

"Are you feeling a bit better now…?" Dash looks me in the eye her voice and posture give me an honest sense of sincerity.

"Something like that." I return a weak pained smile.

"I understand… with all you have endured. I'm not surprised you're struggling. I don't think there's a single one of us who blames you." Her ears fold back slightly. I hardly expected her to be the voice of reason. For a moment, I'm speechless.

"T-thanks… the sympathy is welcome." I manage a meager smile.

"Dashie may act tough, but she's a total softie." Fluttershy gives a cute smile and leans on her. Immediately, Dash's feathers ruffle as her muzzle turns bright red.

"Am not!" She raises her voice, hopelessly trying to defend herself, to no success. "Anyways… Twilight is in her library. I'm positive she'd be happy to help you."

"What are my odds she's going to bombard me with questions?" I roll my eyes.

"The odds of that happening i'd wager are 100%. She tends to go 'egghead' when she discovers something she doesn’t know about. Like if there's even the smallest detail she doesn’t know, she will spend days to weeks researching it." Dash uses her hooves to make air quotes and shrugs as she rolls her shoulders and eyes, her wings going limp to her sides.

"Do you think we should do this now or wait until later…? I’m kind of a wanted man. I would rather not have the whole town up in arms with pitchforks... I've survived this long; I don't wanna be skewered.”

“Well, now that you mention it, that's probably the safer bet. Your choice, we could sneak you in now. You’re probably right in taking the safer route though. Fluttershy can house you for the time being, at least get some rest in the meantime. I have no idea where you’ve slept the last few days, but judging how you look, I can tell it was not the best rest of your life.”

"Far from the worst; furthest from my best.” I slouch my shoulders and sit down on the couch, taking both a metaphorical and mental load off. “It wasn’t the best nor my worst.”

“Alrighty then, I’ll see you here tonight!” Without warning, Rainbow blasts off, leaving a dust cloud that resembles her. I didn’t notice Fluttershy cover her face instinctively. I wasn’t so lucky as I choke on the dust and wipe the literal dirt out of my eyes. My eyes water up as I try to clear the crap from my eyes by rapidly blinking.

“A little warning next time would be nice!” I continue trying to remove the debris from my eyes when Fluttershy walks next to me and giggles.

“You'll get used to it.”

<><><><><Later That Night><><><><><>

The moon has risen, and I gaze overhead at the bright half-moon above. In the distance, I can see the thatch roofs of Ponyville with some windows emanating light. I stand there with my hands in my pockets when suddenly, a shadow passes overhead, darkening my immediate surroundings.

A cold chill runs down my spine due to the ensuing silence. Even the crickets seem to be completely silent, and at this point, I'm not even sure if they exist. Without a sign of the Pegasus, I start my hike towards town, wondering if she's waiting for me. Eventually, I step onto the bridge at the edge of Ponyville.

Making my way almost halfway across, I stop and lean over the side to look down into the stream below. As I do, I see the beautiful reflection of the moon shining brightly. Suddenly, a black silhouette flies across the reflection. I immediately look up to see it—a black silhouette whisking across the face of the moon. From the looks of it, it appears to be a Pegasus.

"Why would she be flying at that altitude… Unless, Surely not…" I kick the thought from my mind, paying no mind to it.

I continue to stare until I hear a set of hoofsteps touch down on the wooden deck and calmly trot over to me. “What are you muttering about?” Dash approaches me, her head craned to the side, her brow raised. For a moment, I blink and realize Dash is here. I immediately return my focus to the moon. The silhouette has been replaced by a fluffy cloud moving across the sky.

We are truly losing it... huh

Oh, there you are... I was beginning to wonder if that demon had run my subconscious voice in my head... I was just beginning to enjoy the solidarity.

'Not on your life pal.'

Fuck.

For a few more seconds, I continue to stare at the moon, hoping to see it again. With no luck, my body shivers instinctively my immediate thoughts go back to the enormous lasers putting holes through trees the other night.

"Hello? Equestria to Austin, are you home in there?” Rainbow hovers her head less than a few inches away from mine, her brilliant magenta eye glimmers in the moon.

“Huh? OH! N-nothing at all.” I violently move backward away from her, shaking off the daze I was in.

“Good… Also, for being one of the most conspicuous beings I’ve ever seen, you sure know how to stay out of sight...” she crosses her forehooves in slight annoyance before gradually descending to her hooves beside me.

"Normally I'd take that as a compliment and testament to my training; I think tonight it was just sheer dumb luck that I managed to stay mostly out of sight." I give her a rather neutral look.

"You sure you’re okay? You look like you just saw a ghost. You need water or something?" Dash looks me over with a look of concern readily apparent on her face.

"Are you sure it's not the moon?" I do my best to conceal my facial expressions and side step the question.

"Eh, maybe?" She shrugs it off and walks past. With a slight twitch of her tail, she looks at me. "Well, are you going to just stand there? C'mon, we gotta get to the egghead’s house—Celestia forbid we’re late or she will flip." She rolls her eyes and starts for our mutual destination.

As I follow Rainbow through the moonlit village, I notice that every house is darkened, save for a single place. Go figure; she stops in front of an enormous tree in the middle of town. However, there are windows in the trunk and light emanating from within. I try to cast aside my judgment for later as I stand beside Rainbow, as I stare at this, the adults version of a tree house. It’s bewilderingly tall; there’s gotta be at least three floors in this thing- minimum.

'The tree house we begged dad for when we were a kid in the back yard.'

What we we wanted vs what we got is a little skewered in this trees favor.

"Is there any particular reason you brought me to a literal treehouse?"

"Yeah, this is where the egghead lives. She honestly recently moved here herself; it used to be the town library, but Twilight has since renovated it." We approach the front door, and I stand behind her as she knocks on the door with her hoof. A few seconds later, the purple unicorn from yesterday opens the door and steps outside.

"There you two are! I was beginning to wonder if you'd show up." She smiles at me and Rainbow, making eye contact with me happily her tail wagging excitedly.

"Well, I had to find him first; he wasn't where he should have been." She gives me an “I told you so” look.

"I hardly moved at all, Dash. You were late." I raise an eyebrow at her as I lock my arms together.



"Yeah, yeah, whatever; your story.” She dismisses me with a nonchalant hoof. “You two have a good night; I unfortunately cannot stick around - I would prefer to get some sleep before practice tomorrow." She walks away from me and takes flight. I watch her silhouette disappear into the distance until Twilight interjects.

"Ah, yes, where are my manners? Come on in!" Twilight steps aside, and I walk past her quietly, entering a massive house inside the tree.

"This is quite the place you got here. We never had anything like this back then; I don’t even think anyone ever tried..."

"Well, it was just recently renovated courtesy of my Teacher Princess Celestia. It’s really nothing more than a fancy library I can live in." She closes the door without touching the doorknob; I notice there's a purple mist around the doorknob that carefully latches it shut. She goes ahead and closes all the blinds as well, all in one move.

‘Ok, that’s pretty sweet, she’s got force powers.’

"It’s not so much what this place is, rather the fact it must have taken considerable effort to literally carve this space out."

"I wouldn’t know, I’m afraid. I was assigned to study here by order of Celestia-"

"So you’re a student? You mentioned a Princess?” I look at her curiously.

"Ah, yes, Princess Celestia. She is the ruler of this section of the continent and a major controlling faction of all sub-kingdoms. I’ve been her student for over a decade now." She gives a gleeful smile as she walks up the stairs and gestures for me to follow her. I do so obediently.

“How long has this Princess Celestia been ruling for?”

“Sheesh, that’s a good question. I suppose you'd have to ask her that because I personally don’t know, but a good guess would be at least a couple of thousand years - something to that tune.” I pause for a moment.

“You mean to tell me she’s been alive long enough to-” Twilight quickly cuts me off.

"And that is why they’re so interested in you. Yes, she was likely around during the last of your species. She’s probably as excited as I am to meet you and learn from you.”

“I clearly have a lot to catch up on if this place is where I am gonna be stuck for the rest of my life.”

"Oh, don’t be such a negative Nancy. It’s not all bad. That’s why we’re working to help you right now, more specifically, that’s my exact purpose here in Ponyville. To help everyone pony or otherwise." She smiles contently, reassuring me and easing my suspicions. We stop at the end of a rounded hallway. “Here’s the shower room. Unfortunately, I couldn't recruit a friend of mine to make you a temporary set of clothes for you to get out of. I am instead going to run a few spells to try and somewhat restore what you have.”

“Warm shower, clean clothes; I feel better just hearing those two things in a sentence at this point, Twilight. I am grateful for your hospitality.”

“That’s what I’m here for.” She turns tail and walks back down the stairs. I open the door and enter a huge bathroom. The floors are tiled, and the shower is glassed off. In the corner is what I assume is a weird toilet of some kind. To my immediate right is a sink, and above the counter is a large mirror, with brushes and other self-care products bearing some sort of scribble on them.

I lean on the counter and, for the first time, look at myself in the mirror hanging on the wall. To be perfectly honest, nothing has really changed about my physical appearance, though I suppose I have cryogenic science to thank for that.

In fact, despite the messy hair or the scar above my eye from a childhood accident and the bandages on my right arm, I look no different than I once did. I take my clothes off and set them on the counter, and I carefully unravel the bandages on my arm revealing the stitches and swollen red skin. I look at my chest where the brand was and touch the skin there, finding no pain. The brand doesn't reappear.

'For once I don't know what to think about what happened...'

That makes... still one of us.

Hesitantly, I touch the swollen part of my skin. Unsurprisingly, the wounds are hot to the touch, probably my body working hard to fight off infection at the pass. I sigh before walking over to the shower and turning the faucet on. The warm water starts sprinkling down, and I wait a few minutes for it to warm up before stepping in. In a moment's notice, I am completely enveloped in a bliss of warmth. For the first time that I can remember in my memories, it reminds me of home... my home, before any of this happened.

"I slowly collapse to my knees, allowing the water to rain on me as I sit alone in the warm water. I inhale and slowly exhale, letting the steam fill my lungs as I relax for the first time in a long time."

<><><><><><><><><><>

I turn the water off and leave the shower; my body is completely red from roasting myself in the heat. As soon as I come out of the shower, I feel a rush of cooler air, chilling me and making me feel fresh. I wrap a towel around my waist and promptly open the door. I notice my clothes aren't on the countertop anymore. I open the door, and at the base are my clothes, neatly folded and completely spotless - brand new, even.

Not once have I ever seen a nicer set of fatigues since basic, that one momentary time when my uniform was at its most crisp. Being polite, I fold the towel neatly and set it on the rack before exiting the bathroom, leaving my hair a disheveled mess.

I quietly creep down the stairs. I spot Twilight almost perfectly in the center; she's levitating a large feathered quill and audibly scribbling away on a piece of brown paper – parchment? She's writing on something.

I lean over her shoulder, observing her motions. At first, she doesn't seem to notice me for the longest time until she shifts her position and briefly glances over her shoulder, much to her shock. She yelps and slides backward from me for a moment.

"By Celestia! Why in Equestria would you do that?! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" she angrily scolds me as she returns to her original position.

"Honestly, I'm compelled to follow the words of the bro code... That means frightening women at their weakest moment. When they're distracted." I stretch everything with the exception of my right arm. "To whom are you writing?" I look over her shoulder once more as she floats the quill around.

"Princess Luna and Celestia requested a report on you," she casually states without a second thought.

You say Luna?" I shudder from her mere mention. "Celestia's sister, correct?"

"Yeah? Unless you know another Luna who is also Princess of the night."

"I wouldn't." I think on it for a while, opting to just let it go. Not sure why two royals would show interest in a human just for nostalgia. I quietly observe her writing on her paper. I notice that she's writing in the same hieroglyphics I saw on most of the soaps in the bathroom.

"So is the script you're using the standard form of writing? Because I can't make heads or tails of it."

"What do you mean? My penmanship is perfectly legible!" She gives me a look, as if I've insulted her to the highest degree.

"May I?" She nods and floats over a quill, paper, and ink beside her, scrutinizing my every move. I take a quill from her floating field, dipping the tip into the ink. For a moment, I ponder what to write.

'liiight bulllb'

I gently drag the quill across in perfect cursive, spelling the word "pony" on the paper, and slide it over to her. "See the problem yet?" I look at her with the blankest expression possible.

"Fascinating! I thought you were making fun of my penmanship... I certainly see the issue; you speak our language fluently, and yet our written language is eons apart. Amazing." She gives me an elegant smile as she seems to concoct an idea of her own.

“Why are you grinning like that?” I say as I lean back in suspicion.

"Because, my dear Austin, I just had a brilliant idea. We're going to conduct an experiment to see how fast you can learn to read and write in our language!" She beams with enthusiasm, seemingly excited by the prospect. She grins getting closer to me with each word of excitement. I put my hand on her head and gently let her know she's freaking me out. "Right. Sorry."

"I appreciate your enthusiasm, Twilight, but I must admit, I'm still grappling with the sheer magnitude of this situation. While I'm willing to assist, it's important to understand that wrapping my head around all of this is no small feat of mental gymnastics."

"Lucky for you, the situation you're in is a fantastic opportunity for exchanging information. You could translate long-lost texts and assist with archaeological finds that have never been deciphered. The whole world would be ecstatic to help you in any way they can in exchange for that information!"

"I'll think about it, Twilight. Just give me some time to process everything. It sounds like a great idea, but I need a moment to absorb it all."

"At least you're open to the idea instead of flat-out saying no! I'm so excited!" Twilight does a little joyful prance.

"In the meantime, how about I give you some simple nursery rhymes to read. You already understand how to speak it so theoretically should be easy to learn."

"Theoretically…" She trots past me, forgetting about her letter in the process, and levitates a book off the top shelf before floating it towards me.

"I also did some searching in my own collection. As it happens, Star Swirl the Bearded made some entries on humankind too. Once you learn to read the symbols, you can delve into his observations. Perhaps it will bring you some closure." Twilight runs past me again and quickly jots down three lines of symbols, which I assume represent their alphabet.

"Oh! One more thing, you'll need a basic alphabet. I assume your alphabet also has around twenty-six characters?" She quickly scribbles down a bunch of symbols. "Here's the basic set of ours, starting with A."

I write the English version below hers and hand it back to her.

"Fantastic! Here are these two books as well when you're ready. I estimate you should be able to learn this within a few weeks if you keep at it. Since you probably don't have much else going on, I'm sure you'll have it down in no time."

"Spike, come down here, I need you to send a letter!" I hear groaning from upstairs, and a few seconds later, a reptilian-looking creature walks down the stairs, yawning.

"Alright, alright, I'm coming. I was only taking a small dragon nap…” He stops, looks me up and down, and his eyes widen. "Who—what is this thing?" This small lizard-looking thing walks past, his eyes with perfect slits.

'Is that what I think it is? …No damn way.'

Twilight walks past me once more and quickly wraps up her letter. She takes it and rolls it up neatly, tying a small bow on it followed by purple wax and a wax press seal. "Spike, this is Austin. He recently appeared. Explaining his exact origin isn't easy."

“Oh—cool? I guess? It's a pleasure to meet ya’.” He walks over to Twilight and holds his hand out for something.

I raise an eyebrow in confusion at the unusually calm nature of Spike. “You’re not freaked out by me?” I give him a perplexed expression.

He shrugs with half-lidded eyes before letting out a long-winded yawn, clearly still a bit tired from being woken up. “Meh, I’ve seen stranger things than you honestly.”

He returns his attention to Twilight and takes the letter from her. He sets it alight by breathing fire onto it, causing it to turn into a visible mist. Silently, I watch it float away into the darkness of the night.

"What the hell just happened?" I ask quietly under my breath.

"Well, in short, the parchment used is infused with the recipient's magic. When he sets it on fire, the parchment returns home, so to speak." Twilight coyly smiles.

"I've experienced quite a bit tonight... If you could guide me to where I can call it a night, show me to the nearest place to rest. I'm not picky, I'll take the nearest comfy floor you have..."

"Nonsense, no need for a floor. I have a couch upstairs for you. It's built for ponies, so I imagine you should fit on it just fine."

She guides me up the stairs to a large red couch with appealing blankets. Her horn glows as she yanks a lever, and the couch unfolds into a fairly large bed.

"I hope this isn't too uncomfortable for you." She gives a hopeful smile.

"I haven't slept on a proper bed in a long time…" I look at it tiredly.

"That's wonderful. Please be my guest and get some rest… got a lot of work ahead of you."

"Thanks, Twilight." She leaves, leaving me standing there with the book and writings in hand. Setting them down, I slowly and hesitantly lower myself onto the plush bed. As I lay down, resting my head on the backrest, I close my eyes, surrendering to the embrace of the first peaceful rest.

Author's Note:

Bit slow. But hey!