When dragged out of a world that showed you nothing but wrong, is it possible to be taken to one that shows difference? This, is the story of our hero.
When faced with a world that seems to enjoy pointing out your imperfections, what do you do to cope? What if this isn't the only world that would do that? When faced with animosity, one must remember that everyone is entitled to an opinion, and you are entitled to ignore it. This is what our main protagonist will learn, when he is suddenly flung into an unknown world, full of creatures and beings he never thought possible. What happens, and how he reacts, however, is up to him. After all, to each their own. (Takes place after "Keep Calm and Flutter On".)
As I walked back towards my house, stray street lamps lighting the otherwise pitch black darkness along my path, I couldn't help but delve into my thoughts, much like I usually did whenever I was mobile, be it a simple walk or a full blown sprint.
Being an old habit I had developed, I would often allow myself to begin thinking through several recent occurrences in the world, from common car crashes to full blown wars, and, believe it or not, curse human kind for its stupidity and negligence. After all, if we were to review what we had done to this planet after we began to process thought, we would be given a small green list, listing all the advantageous things we had done, accompanied by a near endless list of the negative aspects of humankind and history.
On this occasion of thought however, I reverted to my past, subconsciously choosing to review the chain of events that had given me my current moral compass, as it were. I sighed to myself, my breath slightly foggy from the apparent cold of the winter, knowing that this would turn out to be a long walk. My mind then acted on its own accord, starting my mental journey from my earlier years.
I was started off from my childhood, around middle school. The first sound I heard was laughter. Awful, awful laughter. I could see my past self running, tears streaming down my young eyes as I made my way out of school grounds.
"Where you goin' eye-paint? School just ended! We haven't even had that much fun yet!"
"He's probably going to look for his missing contact. Oh wait... That's just his face!"
When I look back at it now, the insults were incredibly immature, near amateur at best, and horribly though through. However, back then, I didn't have that mind set. I simply cried from the constant harassment.
"It's n-not fair!" I would say to myself as I ran home. "It's n-not my f-fault I was born like this!"
My mind skipped ahead a few scenes, showing me peeking through a crack in my room's door, my eyes still slightly red from my crying, as I listened in on my upset parents. Mostly, all I would hear was muffled and garbled voices. Though, out of their seemingly meaningless conversation, I soon managed to make something out clearly.
"To each their own..."
My mind seemed to have tired from this time in my life, as it rapidly zoomed me past years as if they were seconds. It would stop me at points that it found of minor interest, before leading to another memory that it decided to settle.
This time, I was in high school, watching from the car as several upperclassmen took their dates to prom as we drove by the school towards home. I was much taller and slightly more built than my middle school self. Even my voice seemed to hold its own authority to it.
"Mom?" I asked quietly.
"Hmmm?"
"How come I can't get a date? And please don't joke around and say its because I don't ask."
There was a stagnant pause in the air, only being interrupted by the usual sound of our running car and surrounding traffic.
"Well honey, I think its because most girls don't get to know you."
"... Probably because they're busy making fun of me."
"Personally, I think that if they want to waste their time with a short-lived muscle-bound jock, rather than a well-righted gentleman like you, simply due to a small mutation, then to each their own." Oddly enough, when she said this, I felt a thousand times better.
My mind relayed to me once more, asking me to focus as I was taken forward to my next memory.
This one was fairly recent. I could tell due to the amount of detail I remember from this day. Waking up, making my usual breakfast, going to work, and even coming back home and sneezing from the dust in the car. Every last detail was remembered to the finest point. Unfortunately, this was a blessing, as much as it was a curse.
It was an hour or so after I had come back from work. I was watching the news, refilling myself with new concepts to idly think about, when I got a phone call.
"*Click* Hello... Yes, that's me... What!?!"
I was flashed forward again, leading to an image of myself running into the hospital, frantically asking for a room, sprinting down the halls, and nearly smashing the door in as I arrived to the pertained room.
There, in the middle of the room, the mattresses laid next to each other, were my mother and father.
I nearly dropped to my knees as I saw the blanket of one of the two completely covering one of their faces, alongside the lack of life support around them.
I had lost my father before I had even gotten there.
I was utterly stunned, but was soon brought out of it when I heard a weak cough come from my mother.
I swiftly yet carefully made my way next to her, gently grabbing her hand as she looked towards me, and smiled. It was a very weak smile, but a smile nonetheless.
"M-mom... I'm so sorry this happened. If I had known, I would've come with you two! Maybe I could've done something!"
"It's not... Your fault..." She stated, gasping in between as she continued to hold her smile. "Drunkard... Shouldn't have been driving... But... You know how it goes..."
I chuckled slightly, a tinge of happiness passing me as she continued with her more comedic tone of voice, even as weak as she was.
"Y-... You know I'm not one to hold a grudge mom, but I'd do damn near anything to go back, and stop that guy from even touching his car keys."
This time she chuckled, her eyes seeming to lose their usual shine little by little, as the beeping of her heart monitor grew more and more separated.
"I... Don't blame you son... But... He was the kind of guy... Who couldn't go... Without a drink... After all..." She stopped there, either not having enough strength to finish, or hoping I would finish for her. I didn't hesitate in the least.
"T-to each their own." And just like that, she let out one more smile, before her heart monitor finally let out one continuous beep, signaling the end of our conversation. This time, for good.
There were no tears that day. Sadness, yes. Despair, of course. But no tears. I had already released any tears I had left over my life, so rather than weep, I simply mourned.
As I was returned to the world of the conscious, I sighed to myself, barely noticing the familiar sight of my home in the distance. That was three years ago, December 30th, today.
As I walked to the door of my home, I pulled out my house keys from my heavily sweaters pocket, my gloves nearly causing me to lose what little grip I had as I turned the keys for the door and entered.
The first thing to greet me, was a mirror that I had implanted near the door about two years ago. I put it there for reasons even I wasn't completely sure of, but for some reason, it fit.
I looked myself over and chuckled at how ridiculous I looked in my heavy snow clothing. It didn't help that I overall hated wearing any thing more than a shirt on my upper body. So, not truly caring that I might regret doing so when I found out how cold the house was, I began to remove the ridiculously overprotective snow armor.
My short black hair seemed to shake itself back upright as I removed my snowcap, preferring to stay in its natural position rather that that of a bowl. Next, the overcoats and paintings, leaving myself in a plain white, long sleeved t-shirt and some black sweatpants. Finally, I reached for the goggles that I had been wearing to avoid snow blindness. As I removed them, I exposed polarized and titanium-lined glasses that I had grown to wearing over the years, concealing next to nothing of my amber eye, seeming to coalesce perfectly with my brown one.
There they were. The pair of opposite eyes that had brought upon years of teasing and trauma throughout my life. However, when I looked at them, I felt no discontent or anger whatsoever. I simply smiled, happy to see my old friends, as I repeated what had become the very same mantra that I followed throughout my entire life.
As I sat down cheerily, watching the news report announce event after event in silence, I once again delved into my thoughts, though not as deeply as before.
I shook myself out of my trance, however, when the main announcements of the news began.The voice of the arrogant anchorman sounded out clearly, and almost instantly, I could see right through this person and his attempted garb of white.
I wasn't sure why, but while other people couldn't judge a book by its cover, I can manage to get a relatively accurate summary. In the case of the anchorman, he was, indeed, incredibly arrogant. His smug voice showed that he had recently beaten someone out for something, possibly a pay rise, while his seated posture and eyes showed relaxation and content, believing that he was on top of the world.
I chuckled to myself as I noticed him slightly stumble on his arm as he leaned on the table, nobody seeming to notice. I already knew where this was going. He was attempting to show even more of his ability than he already had, though it wasn't anything that impressive to begin with, and believed that, in leaning on his desk, he would show a more calm and suitable behavior, making him a more noticeable person in his workplace. To be fair, he did manage to do just that... Only- "Woah! *Crash* *Clatter*"
My train of thought was cut off as I burst out laughing at the mans "unfortunate" incident. As I had suspected, he was leaning too close to the edge of the table, and when the chair he was sitting on slightly slid, his elbow lost contact with the table, sending him to a, and pardon my rudeness, utterly hilarious pratfall.
I don't typically laugh at others, if anything I feel terrible for doing so, but on circumstances such as these, I believe karma had its reasonings, so I would simply laugh in agreement.
After about 2 minutes of laughing at the now red faced anchorman, the anchorwoman trying and failing at not doing the same, I managed to calm myself down, believing that I had seen enough for the day to keep me occupied tomorrow.
I took out the remote from its usual hiding space, between the seat cushions, and turned off the tv, plunging the room into darkness as I made my way to my room.
Once I was in, I quickly reached for and turned on a nearby reading lamp, deciding now was a good a time as any to catch up on some of my writings.
I rummaged through a couple of drawers that I kept near the bed, soon finding pencils in one, three of them, and a mostly blank book with the words, "Reasons To Go" written on the front.
Writing was a small hobby of mine. I never truly published a book, or even showed it to another, but I enjoyed having written. It gave me a small sense of control and joy, knowing that I could easily give a character an incredible life of happiness and joy, or a descending pit of a life, coupled with pain an anguish, with a simple flick of the wrist.
As I sat down at my usual work desk, I couldn't help but feel happy to delve back into my mind yet again. Only this time, I was showing it in real life. The story itself, oddly enough, started off as an experiment of sorts.
I had written stories of nearly all genres, ranging from horror to child. However, the one genre I seemed to always avoid was romance. It was with this book, however, that I had broken the habit. To make matters even better, it was one of few stories that seemed to have my undivided attention when it came to writing. I would at times, wander, looking around for any inspiration that could come to mind so that I could add to the story, always feeling excited towards the prosper of continuing to expose the unraveling tale of this main character.
In spite of my creativity though, I had left several spaces in sentences throughout the book. The spaces, being their names. I simply couldn't come to the realization of what to name these two lovers, even though I had little to no trouble naming present and future side-characters in the book. I made a slight grunt of resolve as I decided to rid myself of the frustration and decide on the names that I would use.
Over an hour passed, and I was still stuck on the name of the main male character. Every name that came had quickly been shot down, seeming unfit to what I planned the characters personality to be like. I groaned again, deciding it would be easier to name the female character first.
It was only a few seconds of thinking that I had gotten to do though, when I heard what had sounded like static, come from my living room. I turned towards the room on my chair, feeling an eyebrow of mine raise slightly in curiosity.
I was sure that I had turned off that television. Giving out a hum of confusion, I closed the in-progress book and brought it with me, a finger holding up the page I was on so I would not be lost later on in the writing.
As I made my way to the living room, the book under my left arms grip, I noticed that my television had indeed been off. I raised an eyebrow once again, still hearing the sound of static come from the room.
Deciding to check on the television once more, perhaps to see if I had missed anything, I pulled the remote out from the couch cushion and turned the electronic box on once more for the night.
When it flickered to life, light now filling the room to a stunted glow, I grew even more confused, noticing that the television had been working completely normally, with the same news channel on, showing some of the less important events of the present day.
At this point, I truly had no idea what was occurring. If not the TV, then what was the source of that sound? I took a short glance around the room, sub-consciously attempting to find answers to an unknown question of mine.
It was then, however, that I noticed something peculiar in the corner of the eyes. My body did a full 45 degree turn along with my head as I looked towards the familiar mirror that had stationed itself by my front door.
Pushing my sense of unease aside, I carefully made my way to the mirror, utterly bewildered by the fact that, rather than my or any other reflection, the mirror was covered in static. It was then that, as if to only add to my lack of certainty, I had begun to hear voices seem to reverberate from the mirror.
"...n't know Twi. Are you sure this is a good idea?"
"Of course, Spike! After all, what would be the more perfect time to try my new spell than now, when everypony is safe and indoors from the snow." It was at this that my mind gave a slight pause and reboot of itself. Had she, whoever she was, just said "everypony"?
"Riiiggghht. Well, what spell is it your testing again?"
"Spike, weren't you paying attention? I'm just going to cast a spell to get some new books for the library. After all, I've been running out of reading material, and ponies like to read new things."
Once again, the mention of the word "ponies". Had this person been an animal caretaker, perhaps? Even so, it still wouldn't explain her statements about a library and the books within it. Not to mention, the earlier mention of "spells", as it were.
"Ok Spike, ready?" She seemed to gleam with excitement.
"Ready as I'll ever be." While he seemed more or less reluctant to do so.
It was another second or two before I noticed that no more voices could be heard, but the static seemed to grow in its intensity more and more. Growing slightly more nervous, I took a few pre-cautious steps back, soon meeting the door with my back as my grip on my recent writing grew out of nervousness.
It was around this time, that I froze. It was not simply like a momentary freeze, where people seem to trip up over their own thoughts and words before they managed to regain control, but rather, it felt like I couldn't move at all.
Unable to do anything more, I watched and listened as the static grew to an almost unbearable volume. The static in the window seemed to shift, becoming more concentrated along the middle.
The most prevalent emotion I could feel, was fear. Yet, I could do nothing. When the static began to push its way out of the mirror, I did nothing. When it somehow managed to shift into a large hand-like appendage, I did nothing. Only when it grabbed me, and began to drag me towards the mirror, had I been able to do anything. I screamed. -------------------------------------
As I continued to fall to who knows where, I could feel a constant pushing and pulling sensation surround me, threatening to pull me apart piece by piece.
It was like this for about three minutes, at least I believed it to be so, before I managed to finally see a light in the darkness. Believing this to be my end, I struggled to brace myself, expecting to hit concrete at a near sound breaking speed.
As I saw the light peer through my closed eyes, I was surprised when, rather than continue to fall down my recent path, I fell forward, colliding with what I hoped to be a floor.
I couldn't believe it, I had just survived... Whatever had just happened. Groaning in pain and annoyance as I realized that I had fallen on my face, I carefully lifted myself up from the floor and opened my eyes, allowing them to adjust to the seemingly blinding light.
In a matter of moments, my eyes had managed to readjust to the light, allowing me to observe my surroundings. Rubbing my head slightly in pain, the first thing I had noticed was books. /Several/ books. An eligible library of them in truth, seeming to be perfectly organized and stacked upon every section. As I looked higher, I noticed the timber roofing that had covered the ceiling above me, rather European in style at that.
I raised an eyebrow at this, but before I could question this, I glanced forward and found a much more pressing matter that needing questioning.
No more then 12 feet in front of me, were to creatures that I had never before seen. On the left, what seemed to be a purple-furred horse, the its mane being purple as well, with streaks of pink interrupting it. It seemed rather... Strange for a horse though, almost cartoonish. The strangest thing about it though, was the horn that protruded from its forehead.
To the right of this being, was an even stranger creature. It seemed to be half-hiding itself behind one of its hind hooves, but I could make out several details from it anyhow. It seemed reptilian in origin, sharing the purple, if at a lighter shade, coloring of the horse beside it. Aside from the protruding green scales on its back, and oddly unproportional body, what had confused me the most of this creature, was its odd attachment to the horse.
The two beings held, to my surprise, shocked expressions on their faces, coupled with hints of fear seeming to glint through their eyes.
It was a moment before my mind registered the situation, and finally arrived at the more logical conclusion towards the situation...
"AAAAAAHHHHHH!"
Surprisingly enough, I was not the only voice that was yelling, as the two beings yelled along with me, causing me to panic even more. After all, how else would one react when faced with two strange, and by the looks of it, possibly sentient beings.
"W-what the heck is that thing!" The reptile yelled, its voice sounding similar to that of a young boy. They were definitely sentient.
"I- I don't know! Get behind me Spike!" The purple horse yelled in returned.
The reptile obeyed almost instantly, rushing even further behind the equine being, as I noticed the horn that was implanted on its head begin to glow with a purple aura. I was unable to even think on how to react to the situation, as several books flew from their shelves at dangerous speeds, each one coated with a similar purple aura.
Luckily, instinct doesn't require thought. I quickly dove back down to the floor, narrowly avoiding the barrage of hardcovers as they flew past me, crashing into what seemed to be a support column. Surprisingly, rather than shatter from the pressure exerted on it, it began to tremble horribly, much like rubber, as the books fell harmlessly back to the floor.
The trembling column shook the rest of the building alongside it, causing the two beings to stumble, as they tried to reacquire their balance on the vibrating floor.
"Wo-o-o-oah!" The equine yelled, stuttering in her voice from the sudden trembles that surrounded her. The glow around her horn had also disappeared, possibly due to her inability to remain still.
I stayed firmly on the floor, attempting to ride through the vibrations until they would pass. This proved to be useless to me however, as I heard an odd creaking noise come from ahead, each creak followed by a slight thump.
I looked forward, fighting to focus my eyes through the trembling earth, and noticed one of the bookshelves shake back and forth violently. It tilted at extreme angles, before finally, it made one last tilt forward, threatening to fall. Luckily, it wasn't tilted towards my direction, but rather towards the unaware equine.
It was then, that something clicked, making me react before I could even think. I had been doing that a lot lately...
"Look out!" I yelled, as I used both my arms and legs to propel myself forward and push the horned equine out of the path of the bookcase, despite the trembling ground.
The next thing I felt, was a sharp and almost unbelievable pain jolt through my back, as the weight of several books and a large weighty craft of wood smashed me down to the ground, leaving me silently screaming in pain.
The vibrating of the floor stopped abruptly, likely counteracted by the reversed directional waves of the bookshelf, as the reptile gained a firm foothold on the floor, and the equine picked herself up from where I had pushed her.
In that short moment of silence, a thought finally crossed my mind. If I hadn't pushed her, the bookcase would have likely shattered her skull, as much as I dislike saying it, and ended any other possible threat she posed. The question is, however, why did I push her?
That was the only thought to cross my mind, as I soon felt myself slowly fade away into darkness, muffled voices being heard from in front of me as I passed through the threshold of unconsciousness. ----------------------------------------------------------
I seemed like the blurred voices from before had followed me through unconsciousness, considering they were the first things I heard as I felt the pressure in my head slowly lift itself, leaving me with the slight throbbing of a headache, accompanied by the agonizing pulsations of the same feeling towards my back.
"Twilight, its waking up!" I heard a familiar voice yell. Several gasps resounded through the room in response, as I slowly opened my eyes and attempted to look for the source.
Unfortunately, all I could see were blurs. I squinted my eyes slightly, hoping it would assist me, but all it did was make things worse. I sighed in frustration, deciding I would be better off just waiting.
"H-hello?" I heard yet another familiar voice say.
"A-are you ok?" She asked hesitantly.
I blinked, still seeing only blurs, and sighed. "To be honest, I could be better." Once again, I heard several gasps.
"I knew it! You can talk!" At this, I raised an eyebrow inquisitively.
"Of course I can talk. Why wouldn't I?" There was a short pause, before the voice rang through again.
"Well... We've just never seen anything like you in Equestria." Another pause passed, this one being for my purpose rather than any others as my mind seemed to reboot itself.
"Equestria? What do you mean Equestria?" I asked as I started to rub my eyes, hoping doing so would help me see better. It was as I was doing so that I noticed the reason for my blurred vision. "Pardon, but have you seen my glasses? I can't see a thing without them."
"Glasses?... Oh! You mean these?" She asked as a pair of familiar eyewear came into view. I reached out with my arm and grabbed it, preferring not to strain any of my pain. I quickly put them on, hoping to restore my sight as soon as possible, and was, for what was possibly the fifth time that day, shocked by what I saw.
Ahead of me, there were six equine-like creatures, including the purple one that I had originally seen. Two of them had horns in their forehead, two with, what looked to be wings, and two regular ones. At least, in comparison to the others.
"Woah!" I yelled as I fell over in shock. The ground came to me with a loud thud, leaving me face down as I tried to think over what I just saw.
"Oh no!" I heard the purple one say, before hearing the clopping of her heading towards me. I glanced upwards from the floor, being met by two violet eyes that were only inches in front of me.
I quickly sat myself up, before immediately backing myself up against the couch to distance myself from the creature as much as possible.
"Are you ok?" She asked, taking a cautious and slow tone in an effort to calm me down. Needless to say, it didn't work as she would have liked, as my short breaths continued.
"T-this must be a dream." I muttered to myself, apparently loudly enough for the horned one in front of me to hear.
"What do you mean?" She asked, one of her ears twitching upwards as she gave me an estranged look.
"What do you think!?! I'm sitting here having a conversation with a TALKING HORSE!" She flinched at this, her ears lowering backwards until they were flat against her head and a noticeable step backwards was taken. The others seemed to do the same, though two of them, a featureless one and a winged one, took a step forwards with glares on their faces instead.
I took in a deep breath and let out a sigh. "Sorry, I'm just really confused right now." In truth, wether or not I am currently intimidated by this scene, I shouldn't have been so cross when she simply showed concern.
"P-p-ponies." She stuttered, not yet reverting from her position of fear. She was likely nervous about having to correct me, which only made me feel worse.
"Pardon?"
"W-we're called p-ponies, not horses." I blinked. Talking ponies... Well, at least I had a name to call these things. Even so, ponies didn't normally have horns or wings. The only time I had seen these accountings were in fairy tales. Then again, the fact that they were able of sentient speech was a throw-off as well.
"Ponies, right, thank you." She nodded, picking herself up, if only slightly, from her previous stance. "Speaking ponies... Unicorns and pegasi at that. If someone else had told me that this would happen to me earlier today, I likely would have called them crazy." The purple "pony" in front of me twitched her ears slightly, losing any semblance of fear for one of curiosity.
"Why? Aren't there ponies where you come from?" She asked.
"Well, yes, but none of them talk. Or fly. Or have horns." I chuckled. This situation seemed far too impossible to be real.
"Strange. Why wouldn't ponies... Wait... You're from a different world!" She yelled in excitement, getting looks of confusion from me and the other ponies behind her. "Oh, this is so exciting! A new species from a different world! Imagine all the things I can learn from-"
"Hang on..." I interrupted, as realization suddenly kicked in. A new species from a different world. Different world... Different world!?!
"I'm in a different world!?!" I exclaimed in surprise as I suddenly rose to my feet, quickly regretting it as I doubled over with a yelp from the immense pain from my back.
"O-oh my!" I heard someone say, the voice sounding nearly silent. Before I knew it, a cream-colored Pegasus pony with a large pink mane was flying by my side, lifting my arms and the like as she looked me over. It was quite embarrassing to say the least. "Are you ok? That sounded painful." She asked softly and, in all honesty, adorably.
"I-I'm fine. My back just hurts for some reason." I said, trying my best to keep from hurting my back.
"Well, I would imagine so." A white furred pony with a purple mane replied. "After all, you took a dreadful blow from that falling bookcase." She continued, gesturing towards a currently spilled pile of books that lay next to an overturned bookcase.
"Oh... I suppose that did happen." I looked back towards the others, a pang of regret going through me. "Sorry about that."
"Sorry!?!" A familiar sounding voice said from behind me. I turned, finding myself facing the same reptile-like creature from before. "Dude, if it wasn't for you, Twilight would have gotten hurt, or worse!" He insisted, pointing a thumb towards the now smiling purple pony.
"He's right. I owe you a huge thanks mister... Um... What's your name?" The white pony let out a loud, yet overdramatic, gasp at this, looking towards the purple pony, that I would now know as Twilight, in shock.
"Oh my word! Darling, are you saying that you never bothered to learn the name of your savior!?" I felt my face warm up in embarrassment at the word savior. I looked to my left, noticing the cream colored Pegasus was still next to me, seeming to have forgotten I was there to begin with as she sat on her haunches with a bemused look on her face. Perhaps she was used to this pony's over dramatic flair.
"W-well, I panicked when he first got here. Plus, he's been unconscious up until now. So... No, I didn't catch his name." Twilight explained, putting on a sheepish smile as she rubbed the back of her head with a fore-hoof. Though the gesture was normal, the fact that her anatomy allowed it wasn't, which gave me another question to answer at a later date.
"Ooh, ooh! I've got an idea! Pick me! Pick me!" This voice came from the pink pony with no wings or horn, as she raised a forehoof high into the air and shaked it vigorously in an attempt to gain the attention of the others.
"All right, all right, hold yer' horses sugarcube." The seemingly southern pony was, like the pink one, featureless. She had an orange coat with a braided blond mane. She was wearing a cowboy hat as well, leading me to believe that she was some sort of farmer. At least, from my perspective. As a secondary thought to add to that, I also chuckled silently at the fact that a talking pony had just told another to "hold their horses".
"Yeah Pinkie. Just tell us." This one was cyan colored. A Pegasus. Though, the most interesting thing about her was her rainbow colored mane, which bewildered me to no end.
"Oh goodie!" She said as she began bouncing on her legs. Literally. "Well I was thinking that, since we don't know his name and we don't know his, that we could all introduce ourselves, but not just introduce ourselves, but do it by telling him our name, species, and something about ourselves. That way he won't be out of the loop and we'll all have fun doing it. Ooooh, kinda like it was a game! I love games! Do they have games where you're from? Oh what am I saying, of course they do. After all, all day with no play gives Pinkie nothing to say. I don't normally say a lot though, everypony else though tells me that I do, but I have no idea where they get that idea. Anyway, whad'dya think?" She explained...With one lungful of air...Continually bouncing the entire time... To be perfectly clear, I had little to know idea how the anatomy of these ponies was, but even I doubted that they had enough lung capacity to explain what the pink one had said what may as well have been one sentence... Honestly, it was beginning to give me a migraine just thinking about it.
"That... Actually sounds like a good idea Pinkie." Twilight replied. Surprisingly, she didn't show any reaction to the pink one's behavior. Pinkie was it?
"Well, I suppose I'll go first. My name is Twilight Sparke. I'm a unicorn, and personal student of Princess Celestia. One of the rulers of this land of Equestria." Note to self: Twilight is apparently not the pony I would ever want to mess with. Not that I ever would. Next came the white pony.
"I am Rarity. Unicorn, and fashion designer extraordinaire. Speaking of which, please do remind me to ask about your clothing later on dear, it seems so... Curious." Another mental note made, I looked on as the cream colored pegasus that was next to me seemed to realize what the others were doing, and followed suit.
"I-I-I'm F-fluttershy. I'm a Pegasus, and I take care of all the little animals around Ponyville. I h-hope that's not a problem." Once again, adorable. And once again, another thing to ask about. Up next was the cyan colored pony.
"I'm Rainbow Dash, but my friends just call me "Dash" or "Rainbow". I'm a Pegasus, and the fastest flyer in all of Equestria." She was a rather showboat wasn't she? Then again, she still didn't seem to go overboard with it, so I didn't mind. Before I could think on, I felt something clutch my hand before vigorously beginning to shake me.
"Howdy there pardner. Name's Applejack. I'm an Earth pony, if'n ya believe in that technical hooey, an' I work with my family at our farm, Sweet Apple Acres. Best apples you'll find on this side of Equestria." She greeted, finally letting go of my hand after she had finished. Though, yet another question came to mind that I doubt would ever be answer. How had she grabbed me with hooves? My thoughts were, yet again, interrupted, as two large blue eyes seemingly morphed into existence in front of me, the pink pony soon following suit.
"I'm Pinkie Pie! I'm an Earth pony, like Applejack, and I work at Sugarcube Corner, Ponyville's neighborhood sweet store. Plus, I'm Ponyville's number one party planner. Neat huh?" She said before bouncing back to the other, thankfully pausing in between sentences, unlike before. She works at at dessert store? As if she doesn't already seem hyper enough.
"And this is Spike." Twilight added in, as she hugged the small purple reptile to her side, much like a sister would a brother. "He's a baby dragon, and my number one assistant." Spike somehow managed to blush through his scales at this, embarrassed by the praise he had gotten. Baby... Dragon? There was a long pause, as I realized that I was the only one who had not introduced himself yet. My eyes widened as I exclaimed, "Oh, right!", before clearing my throat.
"Um... Hello. My name is Richard. I'm a human, and an avid reader/writer. It's nice to meet everybody, I suppose."
It was rather stressful really, watching all six ponies in front of me seem to slowly process my name and species. No words were said, leaving Spike and I to quietly watch the others in confusion. Apparently, he was wondering the same thing I was. It wasn't any more than a few seconds later when Twilight suddenly broke the silence.
"Human? Definitely a new species... Would you mind if I asked you some questions, Richard was it?" She asked suddenly, being the first to beat her friends out of their stupor. As sudden as the question was however, I felt that I couldn't simply say no to her. After all, if I met a sentient being back home that had claimed to be from a different world, I would likely do the same. Plus, I certainly couldn't decline when it gave me the perfect opportunity to ask her some questions myself. In fact...
"Um... Sure, I guess. But would you mind if I asked about some things as well. After all, I still don't have the faintest idea of what's happening." Twilight nodded, before her horn drew the same glow it bore before. Quickly afterwards, a notepad and quill seemingly popped out of nowhere in a flash, floating towards each other in the air as the familiar purple aura surrounded them.
"Alright then. Name: Richard. Species: Human. Ok, we're all set!" she stated happily, smiling towards me as I nodded with an unsure confirmation. "First question. About how tall are you?" Aside from my initial shock, I shrugged off the idea of floating implements as I took hint to the fact that she was basically making a report about me. I could only hope that it wasn't a bad sign.
"About 5'6." I mentally hazarded a guess as I said this, Twilight's furious scribbling in the background. The ponies from this world seemed to be, relatively speaking, around four to five feet tall, considering the fact that they were about a head or so shorter than me, only reaching my chest height. When I heard that Twilight had stopped writing, I glanced to her, noticing she was watching me with a slight smile.
"My turn, I suppose... How are you doing that?" I stated simply as i gestured to her floating purple implements, no longer able to take the mental stress of attempting to figure it out myself. Her face shifted to one of confusion.
"Doing what?" She asked. Seemingly oblivious to what I meant. Had such a thing simply come natural to her?
"That." I continued, this time pointing towards the notepad and quill. "Is that some form of telekinesis or..." I trailed off, hoping she would fill in the blanks that continued to bewilder me. Realization hit her quickly, and her eyes widened as she glanced towards the subject of the matter.
"Oh, you mean magic?"
"Magic?" I asked skeptically, looking towards the floating objects with unease. Was she being serious, or was she simply attempting to joke around?
"Yes, magic. You know, spells, books, etcetera. Don't they have magic where you come from?" She asked.
"No. Well, in a way. Humans have a sort of, idea of magic, but most of it involves trapdoors and illusory tricks. No full blown magic however." Thankfully as well. If the human race, as powerful and violent as it already was, had access to something as powerful and various as magic, at least from what I've read, there would be no hell that could compare to that type of chaos. Nonetheless, I was still skeptical about the idea of her being able to use magic. After all, there was no such thing... Right?
"Really? So, nothing like this?" She asked me as her horn slightly grew brighter, swiftly enveloping the couch that was behind me. In a flash, it turned into a chicken, then a flower, then back to a couch in rapid succession. Startled, I stumbled back, yelping slightly as I did so.
"No! None of that where I come from!" I exclaimed in surprise. Any doubt I had originally had was now well beyond incinerated in the confines of my mind, instead turning into a slight twinge of fear towards the unicorn. In a matter of seconds, she had just shown me the impossible, keeping her implements floating the whole time without even breaking a sweat.
"My word. A world without magic? That sounds simply dreadful. How do you possibly get by?" Rarity chimed in. The others seemed to have re-arrived from their thoughts as well, as they all looked towards her.
"Um... Rare? Pegasus get by just fine without magic. Same with Pinkie, Applejack, and other ground ponies." Rainbow Dash interrupted bluntly. At this, Rarity's fur seemed to stand on end from the realization of her slight slip of the tongue.
"Oh. Yes, of course." She said with a sheepish smile as she attempted to pull up an already fallen plane. Rainbow Dash and Applejack didn't seem too convinced however, as they proceeded to roll their eyes at her.
"Anyways, back onto the topic at hand. It's your turn to ask a question." Twilight stated, gesturing to me with her fore-hoof. Still slightly in shock from her display of ability, I shook myself free from my state, nodding in gratitude as she reminded me, before thinking over what I should ask next. I had a viable plethora of questions, but my focuses shifted to my current location, rather than a more general question.
"Where am I, exactly? I don't need a geography report of facts, but at the very least, a name for this location." I asked, watching as Twilight opened her mouth to speak... Only to be covered by a pink hoof.
"I got this one Twilight!" Yelled Pinkie Pie. I mentally groaned at this. Please, please, PLEASE don't go overboard again. At the time, I was still in a state of migraine from this pink ponies' previous bout of insanity, so I'd say that such thoughts were understandable at that point.
"You're in Ponyville silly! One of the smaller, yet peppier, towns in all of Equestria." I blinked, and so did Twilight, likely wondering the same thing as me. Did... She just give a simple and informative explanation.
Though I admit that I had no right to think that, considering I hadn't known her long and it was quite possible that this had occurred other times, that one glance into her eyes I had gotten earlier when she had introduced herself was all that I needed to see to show me that, this kind of activity, was not normal for her. And I'd say Twilight knew this as well, judging by her expression.
"O... K? Moving on from that, its my turn again. What does your species diet consist of?" I flinched at this question. Once again, I wasn't too sure about the anatomy of these ponies, but if they were anything like the ones back home, then they wouldn't like this answer.
"Humans are omnivores." Surprisingly, neither she, nor any of the others reacted negatively to this, as if it were normal behavior. She simply nodded, before continuing to scribble on her notepad.
"Wait, you're all okay with that?" I asked, confusion and shock clear in my voice. They all chuckled, before Spike decided to speak up and shed some light on the issue.
"Dude, we've had to deal with sea serpents, griffons, and even the occasional Pegasus fish craving. Just cuz' you eat meat, doesn't mean there's a problem. So long as you don't eat pony that is... You don't right?" I shook my head slowly. Griffons... And ponies that eat fish... This would be the fifth time within a matter of hours that I had needed an internal reboot.
"Hello? Richard?" Twilight's voice came through. I shook my head and brought myself back into focus. These were questions for later, it was necessary to focus on the questions for now.
"Sorry, slipped away there for a second." I replied, as if it were a normal occurrence. "I suppose that my next question would be, who is Princess Celestia? You mentioned her earlier, and I've been rather curious since." Twilight sprang up at this, an extremely cheerful grin on her face. Perhaps she was closer to her mentor than I had originally believed.
"The Princess is one of our monarchs. Co-ruler of Equestria with her sister, Princess Luna, by her side. Not to mention, she's the best teacher I could ask for." She finished her explanation with a cheery expression. Though I will likely never make her acquaintance, Princess Celestia seems to have earned a lot of respect from Twilight. Though, that did leave me unsure as to why there would only be a pair of princesses as rulers, rather than a king or queen.
"Now then, we've established that you're an omnivore, you're taller than most ponies I, or any of my friends have ever met, and you don't have magic. Aside from that, and the more obvious things about you, I'd say there's only one more question I need to ask you." She reviewed. I nodded my head with understanding in return.
"Why are your eyes two different colors?" And just like that, any progress I had made towards exiting my usual social bubble shattered.In all the chaos that had occurred, I had completely forgotten about my eyes.
"I... Was just born like this." I answered slowly and carefully. I felt like I was treading on thin ice at this point. It was one thing to be made fun of by human beings, but in a world where humans don't exist, I truly had no idea how others would react. For all that I knew at the time, two different eye colors could mark you as some kind of omen. The others glanced towards each other, seeming to notice my hesitation.
"You alright Sugarcube?" I heard from Applejack. I glanced towards the others, noticing their looks of concern.
"Fine. Just... A bit of a sensitive topic is all."
"You're eye color?" Rarity inquired. I couldn't blame her, or the others, for seeming so oblivious. After all, they hadn't seen what I'd lived through.
"It's complicated. Lets just say that other humans don't like anything different and leave it at that, please?" They all seemed to still hold curiosity towards the subject, but they stayed silent about it nonetheless.
"Well, for the record, I think they look nice." Twilight stated kindly. I felt a small amount of heat rise to my cheeks as she said this. She was among the few that had ever said something positive about my eyes. So, I smiled.
"If you don't mind, I have one more question." She looked to me and nodded, silently urging me to proceed as she closed her notebook. "How did I get here?" The notebook and quill slightly faltered in the air, as Twilight and Spike both seemed to flinch at the question. The others and I looked at them curiously.
"W-well, you see..." Spike began, before rubbing the back of his head and looking at the floor.
"I... Kind of brought you here... By accident..." Twilight finished, a tinge of red on her cheeks from embarrassment and her ears lowering back towards her head. To her surprise though, I chuckled.
"Heh. I guessed as much. Back home, I heard you talking about a new spell through my mirror. I thought I was just hearing things, but turns out I wasn't." I explained. She seemed to be shocked, to say the least, with her mouth agape in the shape of an "O". She picked up her jaw, literally, and looked towards her assistant.
"Spike, take a note." Within seconds, Spike rushed to another room and returned with a paper and quill at hand. "Bookworm's Hook spell has a slight residual effect, causing-"
"Woah, woah, hang on. You're saying that you brought him here Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked, interrupting her mid-note.
"Well, technically yes. But I wasn't trying to!" She quickly responded. "If anything, I don't know why the spell brought him here. It was just supposed to find some new books for the library." I had a momentary epiphany at that point.
"I think I may know what went wrong." I said, earning the full attention of Twilight and the others. "Twilight, you see that pile of books there?" I continued, gesturing towards the hardcovers that she had attempted to pelt me with when I arrived. She nodded. "Look through them. See if you can find anything that you don't recognize."
Keeping a grasp on her face of confusion, she proceeded to levitate the books towards her, silently reading the titles of each one before moving it to the side. She continued this process until, around her fifth book, she stopped.
"Huh? 'Reasons to Go'? I...don't remember this book." She flipped the book towards me so that the title cover could be seen. "Is this the book you were talking about?" I nodded, watching as she floated the book my direction. I carefully grabbed it out of the air, unsure of how I should've grabbed something away from magic, before unconsciously checking over the book.
"I think this is the reason I'm here. I was working on this before I was taken here. The spell must have been trying to get the book, but ended up pulling me along with it."
"Wait, you're writing a book?" Spike asked.
"Check it Twi, another egg head like you." Rainbow Dash added in, lightly elbowing Twilight's shoulder. She blushed in response, likely feeling embarrassed. I chuckled again.
"Wait." Twilight suddenly added. "If you were brought here because the spell was looking for a book, then the spell worked?" She questioned, looking to me for confirmation.
"Um... I think s-"
"It worked, it worked, it worked!" She interrupted, glee filling her mind as she began to bounce like Pinkie Pie had.
"Is she always like this?" I ask, looking towards the others for an answer towards her sudden change in mood.
"Only when she gets a spell down. Any other time and shes too busy studying to do anything else." Rainbow Dash answered. I rolled my eyes at her, I smile plastered on my as I did so.
"Nonetheless. It's been fun Twilight, definitely a rather... Unique experience. Though, if you don't mind, I'd like to head back home please." Twilight stopped bouncing almost instantly, freezing up where she stood. This, in turn, made me nervous.
"Twilight, dear?"
"Ya'll right there, Sugarcube?" I could hear her friends asking her, attempting to unfreeze their statue of a friend. I looked towards Spike, hoping he had an answer for this, only to see he had a similar expression as well.
"Twilight?" I asked. There was another pause, before Twilight finally sighed and broke her silence.
"The thought... Hadn't even occurred to me..." She said sadly. I raised an eyebrow at this, similar to her friends.
"Sending me home? You were distracted, I would hardly call that a reason for being so sad." She remained silent again, not even taking a glance towards my direction. It was at this point that Spike decided to speak up.
"Oh man... I don't know how to tell you this but... I don't think you can go back." I stopped my mind dead in any tracks that it had been attempting to pass. It wasn't a mental reboot, like before, but the beginnings of a breakdown.
"... Excuse me?" I asked, a tone of blankness in my voice. I glanced towards the others, noticing their shocked expressions as well.
"It... The spell was only meant to find and bring new books. It was never made to send them back... It's a one way spell..."
...
I had kept relatively calm to this point. When I saw the ponies, all I did was scream. When I saw the dragon, all I did was gawk. Even when what would normally be facts in my world were turned to fiction, I simply reboot and moved on. This however, was something different.
"One way... I can't go back? I CAN'T GO BACK!?!" I yelled in anger and fear. Mostly though, it was fear.
"Please, do calm down dear. There's no need to-"
"Calm down? CALM DOWN?! HOW in the name of HELL am I supposed to be CALM about this?!? Earlier today, I was just walking home, thinking about what would be on the news today and whatever else could possibly pass my mind. NOW I'm in a different world, with talking beings that were basically farm animals back in my world, and I find out that I may be stuck here for lord knows how long and you ask for me to CALM DOWN!" She and the others had all backed away, none of them, not even the two from earlier, had dared to mess with me while I was like this.
I looked towards Twilight, only seeing her back as she was turned away from my direction, and I felt another twinge of anger go through me.
"Everything has a loophole. EVERYTHING! There must be some way for you to send me back, there HAS to be!" I yelled, almost pleading, with both her and my mind, to tell me that there was a way.
"..." She didn't answer. I knew all too well what that had meant for me, as I felt something I hadn't felt in years.
"Everyone in this room, get out. The best thing any of you could do is give me some space to settle this." I told them in a sharp and cold tone.They stayed where they were, slight confusion on their fear ridden faces. I corrected myself quickly, failing to hide any of the anger I was attempting to suppress. "EVERYPONY OUT OF THIS ROOM NOW!" They were gone in an instant, dragging Twilight with them and closing the door to another room with a panicked slam.
I looked towards the door they had left through, then back to the floor, before finally letting out what I had pent up when I was told I couldn't return. I clutched my book, the only true possession that I had from my home, closer to my chest, and then, I began to cry. It was bittersweet of me to see the tears that had alluded me for all these years, choosing to finally show themselves when they were needed most.
Despite the pain I felt in my back, I sat and laid myself against the couch I had earlier awoken in, unable to stand while I wallowed any longer. I lost track of how long I stayed in that room, alone, crying, but eventually, the stress and fatigue of the eventful day had caught up with me as I soon slept with my fallen tears. ----------------------------------------------
"... I suppose the mind can only take so much." I first thought to myself as I slowly stirred from my involuntary sleep. I took several glances around me, desperately hoping that everything was just a crazy dream. Of course, I was greatly disappointed when I saw otherwise.
I removed myself from the couch, noticing that the pain in my back had become much more bearable and that my glasses were streaked with dried tears. I quickly cleaned them as best as I could, walking towards a nearby window as I did so. I put them back on, ignoring the remaining stains on the glass, as I looked out the window towards the night sky.
The constellations were different, not that I imagined that they wouldn't, but the color and appearance was the same. Many worlds, but they share the same sky, one sky. It was something small, a simple choice of words I had once heard, but somehow, it helped to soothe me as I regrettably came to terms with my situation. I was stuck there and there was nothing I could do.
I glanced around myself once again, eyeing the library of books around me. I wasn't going to be able to get anymore sleep, not after the day I had gone through. Sighing to myself, I grabbed a history and anatomy book at random, before sitting myself down on the couch once more and beginning to read. As I did so, I glanced towards the blank covered book with the scarcity written title on the front, the very reason I was here. It was at that moment, that I recalled the same thing that I had always told myself to pull through a situation.
"I'm blaming an inanimate object for being randomly chosen by a magical unicorn that was experimenting with its baby dragon assistant. As I replayed this thought over and over in my mind I let out a shallow chuckle. "To each their own... I suppose."
As the first hints of sunlight began to shine through the slightly blinded windows, slightly flustering me as it began to shine in my eyes, I glanced towards the windows and let out a deep sigh. "Morning already?"
After the previous day's events I had decided that, rather than try to sleep in vain, I would read on as much of this world as possible. It was for that reason that my entire left and right sides on the couch were filled with books of various sizes.
If I had thought this world to be surprising before, it was nothing when compared to what I now knew. As it would turn out, the world I was in, properly labeled as "Equis", was filled with creatures that I believed to be mythical, and then some. Manticores, Griffons, Basilisks, all of these creatures existed in this world. As for the ones that I had never even heard of, draconequus, changelings, cockatrice, even something called a "timber wolf". As I read, I made a mental note to avoid these beings whenever possible.
I had also learned quite a lot about the main species of this world. Ranging from Cutie Marks, a mark that a pony receives once they figure out their "special talent", to the very workings of magic itself, a migraine in of itself but I digress.
I let out a yawn, lifting my arms over my head in a stretch. As I did so, the sound of footsteps could be heard behind me. I stayed silent, keeping my focus on the book in front of me rather than replying. That is, until a purple scaled hand began to swing left and right in front of my head.
I looked towards the source, seeing Spike standing on top of the pile of books that I had laid next to me. I faced his direction, awaiting for him to say whatever he had wanted to.
"Hey..." He said blankly.
"Hey..." I responded. "That was certainly a good conversation." He stayed silent once again, the slight tweeting of birds from outside being the only sound heard, before finally letting out a sigh.
"You okay?" He asked me with concern. Odd how he was concerned about the very same person who had scared both him and his friends off.
"Yeah... I'm fine. Like I said before, I just needed some time." He seemed skeptical, crossing his arms and tilting his head as if to add emphasis.
"You sure? This must be rough for you man." I chuckled at the statement.
"You have no idea." I replied with a saddened smile. It disappeared quickly though, as I took another glance out the window towards the sky. "I mean, its strange really. This entire situation seems so impossible, but here I am, living it." I sighed. "... I don't know why I'm so sad about it. There wasn't really much for me back home anyway."
"What do you mean?" Spike questioned. There was another moment of silence as my thoughts went into action, seeming to have an internal conflict with itself. My thoughts ended with a sigh, as I looked back towards Spike with a slight push of confidence boosting me.
"Spike. If I tell you, do you promise not to tell anyone, er, pony?" I asked, every bit of seriousness I could muster tracing my voice, despite my slight slip up.
"Um... You sure its a good idea to tell me something like that? After all, we only met yesterday, and we didn't really leave off on a good note." I let out a smirk as I heard him say this.
"Perhaps... But I can tell pretty easily that you're the type of person I could trust with a secret. Oddly enough, you're the only one I can seem to trust." Spike seemed to gleam with confusion at this point, my trust apparently misplaced by his belief.
"Rrrriiiiigggghhhht. Well, lets say you really do think I'm the only one you can tell this to. What about the others? Why wouldn't they be trustworthy?"
"Rarity, though she seems to be a very charitable person, also seems like the gossiping type, which worries me. Rainbow Dash would likely let it slip out if she ever became frustrated, despite how much she may not want to. Applejack seems like an honest pony, the kind that would hate or be unable to lie at any point, though I admire her stubbornness. Twilight and Fluttershy would both likely become really concerned about me, which I don't want at this point. Also, Pinkie Pie... I just can't seem to figure her out." I quickly responded, leaving Spike standing with his arms dangling and his mouth open.
"... Woah. How'd you do that? You basically figured out their personalities even though you only knew them for a day!" He exclaimed in amazement, gesturing with his arms as he did so.
"It's a gift I suppose. Ever since I was little, I could figure out a lot about a person by their voice and their appearance. It's not much, more like a general outline, but it comes in handy." Spike lifted a finger to his chin at this, a curious face plastered over his original.
"Then... Why me?" He asked simply.
"Because you're a lot like someone I used to know back home. Reliable, persistent, hardworking, yet a bit on the immature side, often going overboard at times even though you're often quite relaxed. It because of this that I think, and know that I can trust you." I told him confidently. "So, what do you think? If you're willing to promise, I'm willing to tell you." I raised my arm towards him, offering my hand to him as a deal. Rather than shake it however, he straightened his stance, confidence embedded into his expression as he began to make a gesture that I had never before seen.
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." I failed to stifle a laugh as I saw this, but I knew that he was being serious about keeping a promise.
"All right. Heh. You may want to sit down, we may be here a while."
"No problem." He said as he sat on the pile. "Twilight wont wake up for a while longer. " I nodded in confirmation as I made myself comfortable as well, placing my back against the adjacent book pile from Spike.
"I guess I'll start by answering the question you asked earlier." Just like that, I retold the tale that I hadn't told to anyone in a long time. -------------------------------------
The two of us stayed like this for some time. As I told Spike of the tale that followed my eyes, he listened intently, chiming in whenever he had a question. Every word that left my mouth was analyzed by him carefully, as he made sure that he wouldn't miss a single detail. I would struggle at times, but he simply awaited me patiently as I gathered myself once more and broke through the barrier that was attempting to stop me. For a "baby dragon", he acted much more mature than most grown men from my world.
"... And that's that. That was the last time I saw my parents, or at least my mother. Afterwards, I got a pretty decent job as an engineer, just trying to pass through the days as they went on." As I ended my story, Spike seemed to stay silent in thought, likely wondering what he should say next.
"That's... Wow... And I thought you had it rough before... I don't know what to say..."
"I wouldn't either if someone had told me what I told you."
"But... All of that trouble because of your eyes? That's not fair at all! They had no right to judge you by how you look!"
"And my right to judge people is different how?" I asked with a smile.
"Because you never used it to hurt others!" He replied, standing himself up on his book pile. I chuckled again, shaking my head slowly.
"To each their own." I replied simply, a shrug in my shoulders as I did so. Spike stayed silent at this, having known enough about my story to understand what I meant. He sighed in frustration, sitting himself back down.
"So... What now?" Before Spike could reply, a series of distant clips filled the air.
"Looks like Twi's awake." Spike said, beginning to slowly crawl down from the pile of books like one would descend a ladder. When he reached the floor, he turned towards me once again.
"I'm gonna get breakfast started, you okay with pancakes?" I nodded, watching as Spike gave a thumbs up and headed towards what I assumed to be the kitchen.
A moment after he disappeared from sight, I heard someone, or somepony in this case, entered the room with a yawn. I turned to face her, only to end up looking a pillar of books that had apparently been behind me."Perhaps I read more than I thought I did."
There was a short silence once again. "Spike?" Twilight called out, seeking her assistant. Spike promptly responded from the kitchen.
"Yeah Twilight?"
"Why are all of these books just laying around in piles on the floor?"
"Oh, I think Richard was doing some reading last night." Spike replied.
"Oh..." I could hear a familiar sound through the wall of books that separated us, before seeing the wall begin to float away, one book after the other.
"Spike?" She called out again. "Do you think he'll ever forgive me for... You know." I swear I could faintly hear Spike stifle a laugh as he heard her say this, realizing that she had yet to see me.
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Spike called out, an obviously strained tone in his voice.
"Huh?" Just as she said this, the last of the books forming the wall floated away, leaving me to finally see the purple unicorn. "What do you me- AAAAHHH!" She yelled in surprise as she looked my direction. A few of the books that she had been levitating fell down, making a loud crash as they hit the floor. I could hear Spike laughing loudly in the background, earning a roll of my eyes as I looked towards the kitchen door.
I looked back towards Twilight, seeing that she was sitting on her haunches as looking at anything but me. "How much of that did you hear?" She asked with worry in her voice.
"Enough." I replied simply.
"Oh..." She looked downwards towards the floor. I could almost sense the sadness that she felt.
"I'm sorry." We both said simultaneously. Twilight jumped up in surprise before looking at me with a wide-eyed dumbfounded expression.
"E-excuse me?"
"I said I'm sorry. Yesterday I was really stressed and I didn't mean to to yell at you or the others, so-"
"It doesn't matter that you didn't mean to, you had every right! If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't be stuck here! How can you apologize when I'm the only one who's done something wrong!" She frantically yelled out, a tinge of anger towards herself slightly detectable in her voice.
"Because you didn't mean to do it." I replied simply. There was a moment of silence as I let her take in the information before continuing. "You were trying a spell to get some new material for the library," I said gesturing around us, then pointing towards myself. "I just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time."
"...So you're not mad?"
"Not at all."
"You promise?" I mentally huffed as I noticed she had put on a face of caution. I began to think up a possible way to convince her, before I remembered a recent promise that Spike had made to me, and decided to use it myself.
"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye-OW!" Aside from forgetting to close my eye at the end, I followed the gestures that Spike had done earlier to the tee. Twilight put on a questioning face after seeing this though.
"Where'd you learn how to Pinkie Promise?"
"I picked it up." I replied. Technically I wasn't lying. Twilight didn't seem to convinced however.
"What do you mean by tha-"
"Breakfast is ready!" Spike called out from the kitchen. "Perfect timing."
Twilight gave one last glance at me before sighing and proceeding into the kitchen. I followed a few seconds after her.
----------------------------------------------
As we finished the pancakes that Spike had served us, I couldn't help but marvel at how delicious they tasted. Not even the top restaurants in my state back home could make food this good, making me wonder as to the processes Spike went through to create them. Though, it was odd seeing twilight float her food to her mouth. It made me curious as to how earth ponies or pegasi ate.
"So, Richard, would you mind telling me why I came down to a fortress of books this morning?" Twilight asked, a hint of amusement in her voice. I chuckled in return, seeing the comedy of the situation when she had walked in.
"I was reading up on as much information of Equestria as I could. I figure that, while I'm here, I may as well make sure I'm not thrown into too much of a loop." Twilight nodded, before looking towards Spike and beginning to converse with him. I began to slowly drift into my thoughts as they conversed, soon finding myself in the familiar embrace of my own psyche.
Before I could dwell in my thoughts however, I noticed Spike's cheeks puff up before he let out a loud burp, followed by a green flame that materialized a scroll. Luckily, I had read about dragon species that had messenger abilities, so this didn't surprise me too much. Confuse, yes, surprise, no.
"What's it say?" Spike asked. Twilight floated the scroll in front of her, her eyes following along as she began to read aloud.
"Dear Twilight,
I am writing to inform you that I will be coming for a visit within the week. As of recent, an abnormal magic was detected in Equestria, and my sister and I are hoping for your assistance in finding it. Luna and I are seeking out the source even now.
Kindest regards, Princess Celestia.
P.s. Discord has recently disappeared from Canterlot, please keep an eye out for anything strange."
If I hadn't believed her about being the student of royalty, I had now. As she read about Discord, I couldn't help but wonder who he was, or why he was so important to the princess. His name did ring a bell though. Twilight sighed as she finished reading this, rolling up the scroll and placing it on the desk. She gave me a smug grin before looking to Spike.
"I think the source of abnormal magic may be easier to find than they think. Discord though... I'm not to sure. Spike, ready a reply for Celestia and tell her about Richard." Spike nodded diligently, rushing from one room to the other as he obtained any writing supplies he believed necessary. Soon though, he stopped, along with the sound of rummaging.
"Uh Twi? We're all out of ink and paper." Twilight let out a groan as she heard this, comically slumping her head onto the table.
"Well this won't work. I guess we're gonna have to go to the market and get some." Twilight said as she floated over a nearby bag, her cutie mark stitched into the side. "You want to come with us Richard?"
As tempting as it was to see the other ponies that lived and interacted in Ponyville, I declined, telling her that I still had more reading to do if I wanted to have a better understanding of Equestria. She nodded her head in understanding before calling for Spike and making her way outside.
Taking one last look at the door she had left out of, I turned myself around and sat down on the recently cleared couch. I picked up a book labelled, "History of Equestria" with a recent date marking and began my new search for knowledge. ----------------------------------------------
"I think I found a similarity between the mares in this world and the women in mine. They both take forever to shop." It had been an hour since Twilight and Spike had left and I was nearly done with the encyclopedia of a book. For the most part, I had skimmed through it, going over the broader parts of it and focusing on the more important or recent happenings. I was currently reading about the very individual that Twilight, and the letter she had received, had mentioned. Discord.
Being the god of chaos in this world, he reminded me a lot about the chaos gods from my world, such as Eris, or, though not labelled as one, Loki. If anything, I would say that his mind was a combination of the two that was squeezed into the body of a draconequus.
As I read about his more recent happenings, from escaping his stone prison to being put back in it by these, "Elements of Harmony", I couldn't help but to feel sorry for him. After all, though reason he was thought to be so horrid was because of his overuse of his abilities, it would have made less sense if he, the God of Chaos, didn't do something so unexpected and extreme.
"That's what I thought." I froze, unsure if how to react to this unfamiliar voice that was stationed behind me. Slowly looking behind me, I saw the unique and unmistakeable body of disorder that had called himself Discord. He was floating upside-down, looking down at me with his eyes of yellow and red as he seemed to smirk at my reaction.
"Ah, you seem surprised. How rude of me, my name is Discord, and you, are something of great importance aren't you?"
I shook my head fervently as I tried to keep my mind on track. I truly didn't want to go through another mental reboot. "Focus!" I told myself.
After the initial shock had passed, I stood and turned to face the powerful draconequus. He rolled his eyes slightly. "Let me guess." He preempted. "Oh no! It's Discord, the chaos god who nearly threw Equestria into an all-out debauchery of chaos and disharmony! Wont somepony please help me! or something like that." He mocked, somehow pulling out a marionette of a pony from thin air as he did so.
I rolled my eyes at this, deciding to save myself the headache and ignore the lack of logic he had displayed. After all, he was the God of Chaos. "Nice to meet you too, I suppose." I replied, to his pleasant surprise. "I was just reading about you."
He floated up the book I was reading and began to observe the page I was on. The words all peeled from the pages and shifted themselves to spell "Discord" in big bold letters. "So I see." As he placed the words back and floated the book to its original position, he looked towards me with a friendly, yet mischievous, smile, one fang sticking out of his mouth.
"If you wouldn't mind my asking, what are you doing here?" He chuckled at the question before conjuring up a hammock hanging from two palm trees, much to my mind's logical side's chagrin, and beginning to drink from a coconut that seemed to be filled with chocolate milk.
"Oh, you know. I was just strolling around the neighborhood, adding a bit of mayhem as I strolled along, when all of a sudden, a new source of magic came from out of nowhere. Naturally, I wanted to see what it was, and to my surprise, it was a human!" The coconut drink disappeared from his hand, replaced by an odd newspaper titled, "The Chaos Chronicles". He then proceeded to hand it to me, holding open on a certain page. "It's funny really. My horoscope said something like this would happen." He pointed towards the horoscope section of the paper, under Pisces. True to his word, it stated "You will meet a Human" clearly in black and white.
"...He's a Pisces?" I mentally scolded how I organized my priorities before looking back at Discord. "How do you know about humans?"
Discord stretched in his hammock before crossing his lion and griffon arms behind his head as a pillow. "I've kept track of you, human," He stated calmly, not at all answering my question, "and I would like to make a proposition." He smirked slightly, snapping his fingers and making the hammock disappear, he landed on his two rear legs and stood over me, bending his back so he didn't appear as intimidating. "Before we get to that though, I didn't catch your name."
Another mental scolding afterwards, I quickly responded. "My name is Richard. Like I said before, it's nice to meet you." I stuck out my hand, watching as he happily shook it with his lion's arm. When he pulled away though, the arm disconnected, much like that of a doll, but continued to shake up and down. The amount of mental force necessary to keep from getting a migraine was tremendous. He didn't seem to care too much, however, as he grabbed the shaking arm with the other and nonchalantly reconnected it with a pop and squeak.
"Richard. Very well, then. Now, down to business." He said as he leaned against an invisible wall. "You see, its been a long time since someone like you has been here. A few centuries to be exact." I rose an eye at this out of curiosity.
"There have been other humans here?" He let out a hearty laugh, pounding against the invisible wall and somehow making the actual sound, before soon recovering from his laughing fit.
"Oh, of course not. I mean-" he stopped suddenly, one of his ears twitching as he stroked his goat's beard in thought. "Hmmm... You don't know do you?" He asked.
"Know what?" He let out a sigh.
"Exactly my point. It would seem I came a little too early... Oh well! We have some time before your friend and her assistant come by, so I suppose we can just talk until then." He was definitely odd, even for a chaos god. "He goes from asking a proposition, to asking me if I knew something, then just wanting to flat out talk to me?" I took a moment to gather myself. "Actually, at this point, I'm surprised I wasn't expecting this."
"I have no problems with that. Anything in particular you want to talk about?" The couch I was sitting on was replaced by bunk beds, as he proceeded to place himself on the top one. "Just go with it, Richard, just go with it."
"Actually, yes. First, let me ask you, how had your time in Equestria been so far?"
"Well, I can't really make any judgements yet. I've been here for less than a day, and I've just been sitting here reading."
"Fair enough. Annnnnnnnnnd, the ponies that you've met?"
"They seem nice enough."
"And me?" He continued, looking over his bunk towards me. I took a glance at his upside-down figure once more, noting the attempted face of pretend innocence as I let out a chuckle.
"Unpredictable, Illogical, Mischevious, yet entertaining and playful." His eyes slightly widened as his smile grew in intensity.
"Oh do go on. I suppose that Capricorns really are predictive aren't they."
"Well I-" I froze. "How'd you know I was a-"
"Any who, you wouldn't happen to have the time would you?" I shook my head "no" as he rolled his eyes and gestured to my right wrist. Curious, I looked downwards towards my wrist, shocked to see that there was indeed a watch on it. I rolled back my sleeve to get a better look at it. It was blue and white, hints of red here and there, with two platinum clock hands pointing the Roman numerals of 12 and 6.
"Er, 12:30?" The couch returned to it original place, albeit slightly tilted, as Discord floated downwards.
"I suppose I should get going then. I'll come back to visit when I can, but right now I have to tease Celestia about you. Oh, how fun!" He finished before lowering himself behind the couch as if he were walking down stairs. "Oh, and you can keep the watch!"
I looked over the couch towards where he had escaped my sight, noticing that there was nothing there, nor any proof of him being there. I looked towards my watch in confusion before shaking off an upcoming migraine and deciding to continue my reading. ----------------------------------------------
A few minutes afterwards, the front doors opened again, revealing a floating array of bags followed by a happy looking Twilight, and a struggling Spike as he attempted to hold as many bags as possible. It didn't really take a genius to figure out that they had gotten more than just ink and paper. "We're back!" Twilight called as I made my way towards them and took some bags from both Twilight's magic hold and Spike's struggling grip. They both gave looks of gratitude, one more than the other, as I brought the bags into the living room along with the others.
"So I take it you bought more than just ink or paper?" I asked sarcastically. The two rolled their eyes with smiles as they began to organize what was contained in the menagerie of bags.
"Well, it started of like that, but then I thought that-"
"Twilight thought it'd be a good idea to get all the household supplies we would need for the next three months. She likes to think ahead like that." Spike interrupted, leaving Twilight with a face of shock.
"Only the essentials! Besides, it was a winter sale!" Twilight returned. "Some spices, preservatives, paper towels, soap and shampoo, extra s-" Twilight suddenly stopped in her listing, her nose slightly twitching. "Ugh!" She said as she attempted to cover her muzzle and nose with her fore-hooves. "Speaking of soap and shampoo, have you showered yet?" I gave her a deadpan look. Aside from the two hours that she had just taken to return, when could I have possibly had the chance to shower? "Did I just disprove my point?"
I shook my head, noticing she hadn't caught on to what my expression implied. "Well, then take this and go take a shower. There should be towels in the bathroom." She floated over a bar of soap and an odd scented shampoo that looked eerily familiar to one from my home. However, I just gave her another deadpan look, one that Spike seemed to catch on with. "Um, Twi? I don't think he knows where the bathroom is." Twilight grew a shade of pink below that of purple as she realized her mistake. "Oh, right." ----------------------------------------------
After nearly an entire day of craziness and stress, a hot shower, though slightly cramped due to my size difference, proved to be exactly what I had needed to relax. As the warm water washed away my troubles and the hissing steam cleared my mind, I went through an old ritual of mine to go over how my day had gone.
"Lets review, shall we Richard? First, you woke up in this new world, proving that you weren't simply having a bad dream or hallucinating. Next, you spent most of the morning and afternoon reading books and learning the basics about where you are, during which, Discord visited, introduced himself, and had a small conversation with you before leaving. Finally, you ended the day with a shower. Not a bad day when you look at it from a certain perspective."
I turned off the shower and used one of the nearby towels to wrap around my waist. It wasn't until then that I had noticed an issue that I hadn't seen before. I only had the one pair of clothing I had come in.
Ignoring the issue for the time being, I exited the bathroom with the same long-sleeved white shirt and black sweatpants I had entered with. Twilight noticed this immediately as I made my way past her.
"Aren't those the same clothes you were wearing?" I turned towards her and gave a sheepish smile.
"I didn't exactly bring anything else with me. Heh." She gave me the same deadpan look that I had given her.
"Then why don't you take them off? You'll start to smell again if you don't."
"Pardon?!" I exclaimed, a slight tinge of red likely showing through my cheeks. Twilight didn't seem too bothered though, rather she seemed curious towards my reaction. It was a few seconds later that I remembered an important difference between human and stallion anatomy that I had read about. "Um, Twilight, human males don't have... Sheaths..." She grew a blush even greater than mine at this point.
"O-oh." She replied simply. "W-well if you need clothes, then I'm sure Rarity would be happy to help! W-we can go see her t-tomorrow." I nodded in agreement before making my way downstairs, already attempting to erase that embarrassing memory from my mind.
"I reaaaaaallllly hope I never have to explain that again."
As I continued to work on my latest idea for a story, I could almost feel the shadows that continued to pass over me as people walked by. I didn't give a glance at their direction though. I knew what that would cause at this point.
As time passed, the shadows lessened in quantity, until finally, only one remained. It wasn't passing by me, rather, it was lingering.
My curiosity got the better of me, and I looked upwards from my writing towards the creator of the shadow. There, standing in front of me, was a boy about half my height. A student from a lower grade, likely a middle schooler. I expected him to turn away from me once I looked, or flinch when he saw my eyes. Oddly enough, he didn't. Instead, he just tilted his head in curiosity.
"What are you doin'?" He asked me. I stayed silent for a moment or two before deciding to answer.
"Just... Writing." I answered plainly. He smiled at this, an eyebrow raising up comically as he did so and his eyes rolling sarcastically.
"I know that. I meant, why are you just sitting there alone?" Honestly, I couldn't tell if he was joking or not. I began to get nervous unsure if this was another cruel prank or not. He didn't seem to notice though, or at least, he chose to ignore it.
"I just... You know... Don't have anyone to sit with." At my response, he removed his book-bag and placed it down next to me, sitting down alongside it.
"Well now you do." He said with a smile as he made himself comfortable. I gave him a questioning look as my mind replayed what he had just said, scanning his tone for anything that may have malicious meaning. When I couldn't find anything, I looked back at my book blankly. "He's... Actually serious..." He looked towards me once more, smiling like he always seemed to. "My name's Jeremy, what's yours?"
"...Heh." I placed a bookmark on the page I was writing on and closed my book before putting my hand out for a handshake. "Richard. It's nice to meet you." He was quick to respond, his slightly undersized hand quickly shaking my larger one.
"So... This was your first true friend." -------------------------------------
"Richard! Time to wake up!"
I sprung up from the couch, knocking my forehead against something hard as I did so and immediately wincing back against the couch as I put my hands to my head. Temporarily ignoring the pain, I looked towards my left and saw Twilight, rubbing her muzzle in pain, rather than her forehead , but groaning all the same.
"Sorry about that." I apologized, sitting myself upright with a hand still on my slightly throbbing forehead.
"No, its fine. If anything, it was my fault for waking you up like that." She replied as she removed her hoof from her muzzle and let out an apologetic smile. "Anyways, breakfast is ready. You better hurry too. If you're going to be here, I figure I'll show you the rest of Ponyville while we get you some new clothes. Besides, Spike might beat you to the food if you aren't quick enough~" She finished with a tune as she turned and made her way to the kitchen.
I followed after her, a thought of curiosity going through my head as I did so. "Was I hearing things, or did I hear a voice at the end of my dream?" -------------------------------------
"Lets see... Bags?"
"Check."
"Bits?"
"Check."
"Umbrella hats?"
"Check."
"Why would they need umbrella hats?" I thought to myself as the two went over their list of "necessary supplies."
"Double checked list?"
"Check and check." Spike finished, crossing out the last item on the list twice.
"Okay, we're ready to go." Twilight stated, making her way towards the front door as Spike put away the list in a nearby shelf.
"Twilight? Why are you going through this entire list thing? I never saw you do this when you left yesterday. " I asked her, curious as to her reasoning.
"True, but this time, you're going with us. So I want to make sure everything goes perfectly on your first day going through Ponyville." She explained.
"And... The umbrella hats?" I continued to question.
"In case Pinkie's tail starts to twitch." She replied simply, causing a slight mental recoil from me.
"...What?" She rolled her eyes before opening the door and making her way outside. "You'll see." She called out as she exited the house, Spike following shortly behind her. I lagged behind however, taking a moment to think.
"Is this... really a good idea? I mean, how will the other residents of Ponyville react to me? It's not like a new species of sentient mind comes by every afternoon. What if things end up like back home... Oh to hell with it. To each their own." With that last thought, I pushed the doors open and made my way outside.
The first thing I saw was the bright light of the sun, the warmth that it brought, and my eyes squinting as they adjusted. When I regained my sight however, I was rather amazed by what I saw. In front of me was, as the name had implied, a small and colorful village. Ponies of all shapes, sizes, and colors walking around in their daily lives. The overall atmosphere was so... Happy.
"What do you think Richard?" I heard Spike say as I shook myself into focus and looked towards him and Twilight. The two held bemused looks on their faces.
"I have to admit," I told the two as I took another look around, "I definitely think it looks nicer than most places from my world. Everything seems so nice, so homely, so..." I trailed off, finding myself at a lack of words.
"Yeah, Ponyville has that kind of effect on most new ponies. C'mon, lets head to the market. Rarity's shop should be nearby there." I nodded once more as I let the two lead the way, Spike comically riding on Twilight's back as I followed.
As they went on, a thought popped into my head. More of an observation really. "Twilight, didn't you say something about a winter sale?" Twilight nodded her head in confirmation. "Well, if its winter, then shouldn't it be cold and snowy?" Twilight didn't even bat an eye as she simply answered, "We recently finished winter wrap-up."
"...The funny thing is, I actually know what that is, but still don't believe it." -------------------------------------
As we made our way into the market, I couldn't help but watch as all the separate stands sold their individual products to their customers for pieces of gold. Bits, I had learned they were called. It was similar to a market of medieval times, with several stands, each one selling only one type of product and trying to outsell the other.
Ponies busily crowded throughout the area, bartering for their wanted products as they went from stand to stand. Perhaps this was why Twilight had taken so long the last time.
As for how the ponies reacted to me, several would stop and stare, likely wondering as to what I was, but none would speak out or do anything more than that. If anything, they were actually being surprisingly friendly.
"Oh, look! There's Applejack! We should go say hi!" Spike exclaimed, pointing towards a lone stand with a painted picture of apples on top, the familiar orange pony leaning against the stand, much like a human would actually.
"That's a good idea, Spike. What do you think, Richard?" She asked as she turned her head to me, nearly knocking Spike over in the process. I restricted a chuckle and answered.
"I have no problem with it." The two smiled before Twilight changed direction and made her way towards the stand. She noticed us fairly quickly as she removed herself from her leaning position and looked towards the three of us.
"Hey Applejack!" Twilight called out as we neared, her voice barely audible over the sound of clopping hooves and bargaining ponies.
"Howdy Twilight, Spike, Richard." She greeted back kindly. "What can I do for ya'?"
"Oh, just a couple of apples for the road. Spike and I are taking Richard to get some clothes from Rarity, and we decided to give him a tour of Ponyville while we were at it." Applejack nodded at the two before looking towards me, a look of concern on her face.
"Ya doin' any better sugarcube?" She asked me. I nodded my head with a smile. It wasn't often that someone I barely knew would show concern. Then again, it wasn't often that I would head to the market and converse with ponies either.
"I'm fine, Applejack. Had a bit of trouble getting my mind around this when we first met, but I've come to terms with it. Besides, I still don't have any complaints." Applejack smiled at this, happy to hear that I was doing well.
"That's good ta hear pardner. Y'all take care now."
"We will, Applejack. See you later." Twilight told her as she exchanged the a few bits for a couple of apples and went on her way. I quickly gave my own farewell to Applejack and quickly tried to catch up with Twilight.
I didn't get far though. Applejack called out my name one more time before I could get out of earshot.
"Richard!" I heard her yell. I turned to her just in time to see an apple flying my way. It bounced out of my hands several times until I finally grabbed it with both and held a firm grip on it.
"On the house! Consider it a welcomin' gift!" I nodded to her in thanks as I turned and rushed to catch up with Twilight before she got too far. -------------------------------------
The moment we made it through the market area, I immediately felt a large sense of relief fill me. Not just because of the fact that I no longer had to worry about being trampled by ponies anymore, but because I apparently turned out to be no bother for them whatsoever. Perhaps these ponies were used to seeing strange things like me, and had just gotten used to them. No matter the reason, I was glad.
"Hi Twilight! Hi Spike! Hi Richard!" As soon as I heard that voice I felt the analytical side of my mind cringe in fear. The three of us turned towards the voice and saw Pinkie standing there waving at us. She was standing in front of an odd building in the shape of a giant gingerbread house. Somehow, this didn't surprise me. What caught my attention though, was the building next to it that had a scaffolding connected to it, along with several ponies, likely due to construction. I took one final bite of the apple Applejack had given me as I noticed this, before placing it in a nearby garbage bin and preparing myself for a possible migraine.
"Hey Pinkie!" Twilight returned. Pinkie bounced her way over to the three of us, likely to put us through another long winded spiel of another random topic, before she suddenly stopped, her eyes dilating in surprise.
"Uh oh, twitchy tail!" She suddenly exclaimed, her tail indeed twitching as she had said. Almost instantly, any pony that had been walking by ran for cover, and Twilight floated out the two umbrella hats she had brought along before putting it on herself and Spike. I, however, just remained there dumbfounded.
"Um... Pardon?" Twilight and Spike began gesturing for me to get below something, but I simply looked at them in confusion.
"Richard, c'mon! Whenever Pinkie's tail starts to twitch, it means something's going to fall!" Spike called out. I glanced towards Pinkie Pie once more before looking back at the two.
"...That doesn't make any sense... How would she know that? It would be coincidental at best. "
"Honestly, I don't even know. Sometimes I just get these weird twitches or feelings that can just predict whenever something good or bad is gonna happen. I call it my Pinkie Sense!" As she finished explaining this, I could already feel another mental reset incoming.
"She can see the future... Because of some bodily twitches...Owwwwww. " I thought to myself as a powerful migraine pulsed through my mind. "Wait, if this is actually as true as she makes it out to be, then shouldn't something be fall-" As if by chance, the sound of a large crash filled the area. I quickly spotted the source of the noise, unlike any of the other ponies that were too busy taking cover, and felt my heart leap up to my throat.
The scaffolding from earlier seemed to have been hit by something heavy, causing it to tremble violently, much like the library had when its support beam was hit. I glanced towards the ponies that were working on it at the time. All of them were hanging on to a nearby rope or beam to keep their balance. All of them, but one. A mare by the looks of it, she began to shake and involuntarily move backwards towards the edge of the scaffolding, likely unaware of her imminent danger as she attempted to regain her footing. Several thoughts ran through my head at the moment.
Twilight was too panicked to help at the moment, along with the other nearby ponies, and Pinkie Pie seemed completely oblivious of the issue. "Perhaps if I-" My thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a panicked yell. "Damn it!"
I took off with a sprint towards the falling mare, hoping that I would have enough time to reach her and stop her demise. As she edged towards the ground, I transferred as much force to my legs as possible and dove for her, my arms outstretched in hopeful assistance. It was only when I felt a sudden increase in weight, alongside a large furry object in my arms, that I realized that it had worked. Before I could begin a mental fanfare at this victory, my front torso and face met with the ground, introducing my clothing and I to a new diet of dirt. If I hadn't needed new clothes before, I definitely did now.
"I...I'm alive?" I heard the mare in my still-outstretched arms ask. I attempted to respond, but only managed to let out a menagerie of muffles and groans. She looked down to me with curiosity as I spit out the grass and dirt I had in my mouth.
"Sorry. I said I'm happy to help." I told her. "We may want to stand up though." She seemed surprised by this statement as she realized that she was still on my arms, restricting my movement, and removed herself. As I stood up, dusting off as much as I could from my now brown shirt so I could clean my glasses with the cloth, I was able to get a good look at the mare. She was a light shade of brown, with a light gray mane and tail. She wore a small pair of glasses, along with a strange yet official looking ensemble around her neck. Her cutie mark was that of scroll wrapped in a blue ribbon.
"Oh my Celestia! Mayor Mare, are you okay?" I turned around and noticed Twilight and Pinkie Pie sprinting towards the two of us, Spike bouncing slightly on Twilight's back as he was forced to tag along. Were it not for the fact that I could still taste dirt, I would have chuckled at this comical scene.
"Oh, I'm just fine. Could you excuse me for a second?" Mayor Mare replied in a soft tone before turning to face the ponies that were still on the scaffold. "Now then. Would any any of you mind telling me WHO THREW A ROCK AT THE SUPPORT BEAM!" The stallions and mares alike ducked their heads from sight, a couple of them comically crashing into each other as they did so. Mayor Mare let out a sigh, her fore-hoof on her face in frustration, before turning back towards us. "Can't be helped, I suppose. Now then, if you would be so kind, I would like to get the name of my savior, Mr...?"
I didn't have a chance to answer as Pinkie Pie jumped in and decided to do the introductions herself. "That's Richard! He's a human, which is a really weird name to call something, I mean, come on, where did the word even come from, come to think of it, where did the word 'word' come from, maybe an ancient pony civilization; or maybe two ponies just got together and decided that- mmmmfff." I carefully covered her mouth, so as not to seem offensive while still managing to get my point across. She smiled as I removed my hand, making the gesture of zipping her mouth closed and throwing away the zipper handle.
"Like Pinkie just said...sort of. My name is Richard, and it's nice to meet you Mayor Mare." The brown coated official nodded, a smile on her face as she nodded in return.
"Well, don't think I'll forget this. If you weren't there, I could have really been hurt, or worse! If anything, I owe you one." I smiled sheepishly at I put my arms up at my side.
"You don't owe me anything Mayor Mare. I was just doing what I thought was right." I informed her.
"Oh, please. I owe you a debt, and I'm not one to leave debts unpaid." She persisted, gesturing towards me in emphasis. I could tell I wasn't going to get anywhere with her, so I decided to just go along with it for the time being.
"Well... While it is a nice gesture, nothing really comes to mind at the moment. To be perfectly honest, I'm still trying to get used to Ponyville." Technically speaking, I was telling the truth. Not technically speaking, I neglected to tell her I was still getting used this world in general.
She gestured her hoof dismissively. "Oh, of course! Take your time and think it through! If you ever decide on something, just come to town hall and find me." She said with a smile as she turned to leave, likely having other things to do. "Until then, have a nice day! And thank you once again~" She then walked off towards the building that she had fallen from, giving me a twinge of concern towards the workers she was likely going to chew out. I waved goodbye once more before I turned towards Twilight, Spike, and Pinkie's direction, noticing broad smiles on their faces.
"What?" Before any of the three could answer, another voice, tomboyish in tone, chimed in.
"That was awesome!" I heard as a familiar rainbow-colored cyan mare came flying down into view. "The way you came out of nowhere and grabbed the mayor right before she hit the ground, plus that awesome jump you did! Though, it would've been about 20% cooler if you stuck the landing." She said as she gestured towards my stained clothing and face.
"She's right you know! That was the most spectacular non-impactular save ever!" Pinkie Pie chimed in. I ignored the fake word she had created for the sake of continuance.
"Exactly! I would have saved her myself, but I was too busy reorganizing the clouds." An obvious hole in her story appeared as I glanced upwards and gave her a skeptical look with crossed arms. I knew that pegasi controlled the weather, but, unfortunately for her, I knew it wasn't easy to make or move clouds, and currently, there wasn't a cloud in the sky. She seemed to notice my skepticism as she put on a sheepish smile before eventually giving in with a sigh. "Fine! I was hiding from Pinkie's twitchy tail thing like everyone else." I nodded at her correction and uncrossed my arms. "By the way, nice sunglasses." She said before she flew off, leaving behind a small puff of dust as she did so. "Sunglasses?"
"What sunglasses? I don't have any sunglasses." I looked towards the two ponies, and dragon, in front of me. Twilight seemed to stammer for a bit before finally finding her voice.
"Oh! I just... Put an enchantment on your glasses so they would work like sunglasses whenever they got too much light on them. You probably haven't noticed because the glass is only tinted in one way." I put on a questioning look as I carefully removed my glasses and turned them over. The glasses were indeed tinted black, somehow blocking out light from one side while still giving me a clear and non-tinted view. It was as if they were polarized, only better.
"Huh. Thanks, you didn't have to do that." I told her as I put my glasses back on, shining them with an un-dirtied part of my shirt as I did so.
"Oh, it's no problem! C'mon! We better get going to Rarity's before her shop closes!" Twilight said hurriedly as she turned about face and went on her way with Spike, barely letting out a goodbye to Pinkie as she did so. I glanced towards Pinkie and she, in response, shrugged while humming what sounded like "I don't know" before heading into the giant gingerbread house we stood outside of. I was curious as to why Twilight seemed so hurried, but decided not to pry and to instead follow her and push it off as unimportant. -------------------------------------
After another 15 minutes, we finally caught sight of what I believed to be the Carousel Boutique, Rarity's shop. The only reason I believed it to be our intended location, however, was due to its familiar shaping to that of a carousel. Twilight knocked on the door to the store and was quickly answered by an unmistakable voice.
"Come in!" I heard Rarity say through the door. Twilight opened the door and made her way inside, Spike seeming slightly excited as she did so, and I followed shortly behind. The indoor appearance of the shop seemed just as decorative as the outer, with intricately placed furniture and decorative elements to give it a more unique and stylized design. "Welcome to the Carousel Boutique! Where the garments are chic, unique, and magnifique!" I overheard from the next room over, alongside the sound of a sewing machine. It was a clever slogan, admittedly much more well made than most I had seen in my world.
"Hi Rarity, its me, Twilight!" Twilight called happily. The sewing stopped for a moment or two before Rarity finally resumed, returning the greeting to Twilight as she did so.
"Oh darling, its nice to see you again!" She hasn't really seen us, but considering that I knew what she had meant, I let it go. "Is there anything you need dear?" I heard her ask as she continued to sew fervently.
"Oh, I don't need anything, or Spike, but Richard does. He needs some new clothes and I thought that you may be able to make him some." For a second or two, I thought I heard what sounded like an excited squee come through the door, but I put it off as either my mind playing tricks on me or as the sewing machine being put on a faster setting.
"Yes, of course! I'm always looking forward to a challenge, and designing clothes for a new species would be simply divine!" She responded excitedly, slightly shifting my thoughts of the earlier sound's origin to her. "Just give me another moment to finish this order and I'll be right with you, darlings." -------------------------------------
Two hours into the wait and by then I was far beyond the line of boredom. I had read through several magazines, and had made enough small talk with Twilight and Spike to reach a level equivalent to that of a meeting in congress. So now, I just sat there, bored beyond belief... At least, until an unexpected guest began to paw at my pant leg.
I looked downwards and was immediately met by a white and, at a lack of better words, fluffy cat with a purple bow and a purple, diamond studded collar. A Persian cat that seemed to be treated like royalty. The cat noticed me looking at her almost as soon as I looked in her direction, and it seemed to let out a cheery smile before proceeding to attempt to climb my leg to its best ability.
My inner animal lover came out at this point as I carefully picked up the feline, knowing Persian cats did not like ruining their fur from some readings I had done, and placed it on my lap. Another smile appeared on its face as it began to make itself comfortable, laying itself down on me with a stretch while lazily batting at my nearby hand. I decided to indulge its tired fun and began to slowly move my hand back and forth in front of it, giving it a more active target to go after, as I stroked its fur gently towards one direction before lifting my hand, bringing it back to its initial location, and repeating. The cat purred happily as I did so, continuing to lazily bat at my moving hand, and I couldn't help but smile.
"I see you've met Opalescence, and it seems she's taken a liking to you." I was slightly surprised by the voice as I looked upwards and noticed Rarity standing in front of me, watching alongside Twilight with faces of a "d'awww" descent. Spike, however, was sitting on a nearby stool while gazing dreamily at Rarity. "Thats a note for later."
"Oh, sorry about that. I couldn't help myself." I said as I felt a slight blush come about from embarrassment. Rarity just rolled her eyes and waved it off.
"It's no issue at all darling. Why, if anything I'm happy to see that you're as much of an animal lover as I or the others." The embarrassment I felt faded away, replaced by a smile that I gave towards Rarity. She looked towards me for a second or so before her eyes widened and she let out a loud over-dramatic gasp. "My word! What happened to your clothing! It looks positively filthy!" She exclaimed as she looked over my shirt in a panicked tone, slightly squishing Opalescence as she did so. I found myself at a lack of words towards this situation, which was luckily mended by Twilight as she jumped in.
"He got a lot of dirt on his shirt when he saved Mayor Mare." Spike answered, a slight daze in his voice as he continued to gaze at Rarity. Perhaps he was more infatuated in her than I had first though.
"Oh my! Really?" Rarity gasped as she looked towards Twilight for confirmation.
"Yep! She fell off of a scaffolding and Richard managed to catch her before she hit the ground." She stated quite proudly. It was odd to hear anyone think so highly of one of my actions. Rarity looked back towards me and smiled.
"Well then! Since I just finished my order, I would be happy to not only help you with yours, but to do it free of charge! After all, a hero deserves a reward." My heart nearly stopped as she said this. She had just called me a hero, and offered to make me free clothing. If a tailor in my world had her the offer, they likely would have had an ulcer. "If you would just follow me so I could get your measurements, then I'll have you out of those filthy clothes in no time." I nodded as I set the cat, Opalescence, down on the floor, watching as she daintily made her way out the room, before taking Rarity's lead, Twilight giving me a wave of good luck as I did so. -------------------------------------
Aside from standing still like a statue and a small mishap where I had to explain to her the reason I couldn't strip myself completely naked, the session went along without issue. It was rather odd though, standing before a female pony as she used a floating measuring tape to take several measurements of my person, writing it down as she did so, and alternatively looking throughout the several packs of fabrics that she had throughout the room.
When she asked me for the kind of clothing I would like, I told her I was in need of some casual clothing, quite frankly, near anything that allowed me to go outside without being indecent, but she still strongly suggested that I have at least one set of formal wear. I didn't argue, understanding that she knew what was best, and instead watched as she finished with her measurement and began to make the clothing as she had thought fit.
A menagerie of fabrics and threads flew through the air with a colorful flair, each piece finding its adjacent, happily bringing itself together and cutting itself apart to form the shape asked of them by their creator. It was phenomenal to see such a display, almost like seeing art in motion. Finally, after one or two hours, I heard the word that I had patiently awaited to hear. "Done!" -------------------------------------
I walked out of the room in a much more positive mood, finally having clean new clothes to wear, rather than my now dirt riddled white t-shirt and black pants. I was wearing one of the many pairs of clothing that Rarity had made for me. A dark blue button up shirt with a white undershirt beneath it, and pants that seemed similar to jeans from my world, only much more comfortable. I had on the same pair of shoes as before, knowing Rarity couldn't do anything to fix this situation but not really minding in the slightest. Honestly, I was simply pleased to finally be wearing clean new clothing.
This did not go unnoticed by Twilight or Spike, who were awaiting me just outside the door, as they looked towards me and immediately put on smiles. "Woah. Dude, you look great!" Spike told me as he jumped down from his seat and looked me over. Twilight was the same from her seat, taking in every detail of my new garments.
"Rarity did a really good job, considering she never designed for a human before." He continued. I nodded in agreement.
"Why thank you darling!" Rarity said graciously as she entered the room behind me, several other pairs of pants and shirts that she had created floating by her side. "I have to admit, it was a little troublesome getting the build just right, but it was all worth it to make such masterpieces for our new friend here." She gestured towards me as she said so, bringing about an embarrassed blush from me.
"What about you Twilight? What do you think?" I asked, realizing that she had been to only one who hadn't vocalized her opinion.
"Um... Just... Wow. It looks really nice on you. If anything, any stallion I knew who dressed half as good as this would be beyond attracti- I mean... You look really nice." Letting the slip of her tongue go, I playfully ruffled her hair with a "thank you" and carefully obtained the rest of the clothing made for me from Rarity's magical grip.
"...Darling, can I talk to you for a moment?" Rarity suddenly said, a serious tone overlaying her voice. Twilight put on a questioning look before slowly nodding and following Rarity into the room I had just exited.
"...That was odd. What could they be talking about?" -------------------------------------
By far, this world has quickly proven itself to be much greater than my original. The ponies were kind, the atmosphere was clean and friendly, and even the skies held a certain... Beauty, wether it was day or night. In this case however, I was observing the beauty of the night. As it turned out, we had been in Rarity's shop for a much longer time than I had thought, and the night sky had quickly made its way through horizon, the moon following it to take its own place as the shining centerpiece.
Twilight, Spike and I were on our way to the library once again, each of us splitting the clothing that I had obtained amongst each other. The walk was rather uneventful. I spent most of it in my own mind, thinking things over and reviewing the day.
It was not until we made it to the front door of the library though, that Twilight finally realized something. "Wait..." Spike and I looked towards her with raised eyebrows. "Richard is new to Ponyville right?" The two of us gave a deadpan look at this, nodding in confirmation. "Doesn't that mean that Pinkie Pie is planning a way to celebrate that..." She looked towards us with a nervous expression. Spike seemed rather excited at the prospect of a party, but I simply shared Twilight's anxiety. A party inside of a library was not a grand idea. Let alone the fact that I would be the center of attention among several ponies, which I was normally not used to.
Twilight looked back at the door with a face of caution, as she carefully reached for the door and began to slowly open it. She entered the dark room and the two of us entered behind her, Spike doing so in a hurried matter while I did so slowly. As I noticed Twilight reach for the lights, I tightened my grip on the clothing I held and readied myself for a loud yell. To my surprise though, it never arrived. When Twilight turned on the light, it revealed an empty library, no signs of parties or decorations to be seen.
"...Should I be relieved, or should I be offended?" Before Twilight could answer, a white sheet of paper fell down towards the middle of the room. Curious, I placed the clothing I was carrying on a nearby table and picked up the note, noticing the text written on it.
"I.O.U. One party?" I read aloud, confusion apparent in my voice as I looked towards Twilight. "Is that normal?"
"Pinkie normal or normal normal?" She replied. I raised a hand and opened my mouth to speak, before closing it again and moving my hand to my chin. "Thats a good question."
After the previous day's turn of events, I found myself wanting to go outside again, if only experience the kindness that would otherwise be unheard of in my world, and the jolly atmosphere that seemed to constantly circulate throughout its atmosphere. At the same time however, I also had reason not to. Now that I had read all the books on basic knowledge I would need while in Equestria, I felt an overwhelming urge to see what the literacy of this world had to offer, perhaps make a habit out of it, much like I had done in my own world.
...Perhaps I could compromise. -------------------------------------
After breakfast with Twilight and Spike, I did not hesitate to make my way into the library and look through the immense selection of books it provided. The first book I had started off with was titled "A Tale of Tails." A fictional book about a group of ponies seeking out assistance from an "almighty dragon" in order to prevent an oncoming battle between their homes. About an hour in, it was no question that the book was expertly written. The plot was well built, the characters seemed unique and lively, and the overall planning of the book was downright brilliant. Unfortunately, the book ended as soon as it began. At least, in my perspective. Having a high reading rate was both a blessing and a curse.
I carefully placed the book back where I had found it and travelled through the fictional section of the library, looking for another interesting read. I glanced down the row and saw Spike placing several books into their respective shelves, likely having been asked to do so by Twilight. He noticed me and gave a small wave in my direction before returning to his work. He was efficient, I'd give him that. -------------------------------------
Several books afterwards, I glanced towards the watch that Discord had so kindly given me. It was mid-day, meaning that it was time for me to go outside and enjoy myself in the wonder that was Ponyville. "Twilight, I'm heading out!" I called out, feeling it would be rude to leave without giving her reason.
"Oh, ok. How come?" I heard her call back.
"I just want to take a walk. Maybe see what there is to do around Ponyville. Can't spend all my time in one place reading after all." I reply in a slight joking tone.
"Sure you can! I mean, look at Twilight!" Spike chimed in, bringing about a stifled chuckle from me. Twilight didn't respond to this, so much as she just sighed.
"... All right. I'll see you later Richard." We exchanged our farewells between each other and I quickly made my way outside, more than happy to experience more of what this happy-go-lucky village had to offer. To my surprise though, the village seemed much more busy than usual. I checked my watch again. It was still mid-day, no mistake. Perhaps it was a time similar to rush hour back home? Pushing the thought aside, I shrugged my shoulders and made my way through the many paths of Ponyville.
To begin, I headed southwards of the library. Since I had already been to the northern part of Ponyville, I felt a nice change in perspective would be a good idea. Ponies would greet me as I walked by, though not by name. They acted as if they had known me for years even though I had only recently arrived. This world leaves me with more reasons to enjoy it time and time again, this was no exception.
Continuing down the main southern path, several buildings stood apart from the rest. Some of them had a unique flair, while others offered a bemusing atmosphere. No matter where I went though, the same overall mood shifted through the air. The only word that I could use to describe this world was 'bliss'.
"Oh, Richard!" I was brought out of my moment of peace as a familiar mare called out to me. I turned towards her, noticing Mayor Mare run towards me full sprint...gallop? She stopped just moments from me, a trail of dust and dirt popping up behind her as she skidded to a halt.
"Hello Mayor Mare," I greeted,"is something wrong?" She didn't answer back immediately, taking some time to catch her breath from the sudden sprint.
"Yes... Need help... City hall... Rounder quit... Work backing up... Whew, I need... To get out more." She stammered out in between pants.
"Mayor Mare, take a moment to calm your breathing. No offense, but I'm not sure what you're telling me." She nodded in response as she used the next moment or two to recover from her run. As soon as she seemed to reach a normal breathing rate, she straightened herself once more and repeated what she had attempted to tell me before.
"Sorry about that. Like I said, one of the Ponyville rounders quit and work at the office is beginning to get backed up. I was hoping that you could, possibly, help? If you're free that is, you don't need to if-"
"I'm okay with it." I interrupted, crossing my arms as I did so. Mayor Mare seemed surprised, perhaps she hadn't been expecting me to answer so quickly.
"Really? You'll do it? Just like that?" She questioned with a lifting eyebrow. I nodded. I had nothing to do, and I was more than willing to help someone in this world. Um, somepony. Though, there was one issue.
"I'll take the job on one condition." Her ears rose to attention along with the rest of her body, her full focus seeming to go towards me. She had really needed someone to fill this position. "All I want, is that you tell me what exactly a 'rounder' is."
Her jaw dropped as she began stammering in return to my "condition". It was comical, but I restrained myself from making even the slightest of chuckles. After all, I didn't want to seem rude.
"I- You..." She sighed in frustration as she put a hoof to her face. "...a rounder is a pony that helps other ponies in the city. You see, some ponies aren't able to do something on their own, whether its because they aren't sure how to do it or don't have enough time to do it. These ponies send requests to city hall, and these requests are given to one of the city's rounders. The rounders then head over to where they were requested and assist in any way they possibly could. Alongside that, rounders assist in the organization and up-keeping of the towns paperwork, taxes, etc." It sounded similar to volunteer work back in my home. The difference being that it was a profession rather than a good-hearted pastime, and it involved paperwork, which I already had lots of experience in from my old job as a secretary. "So... What do you think?"
I uncrossed my arms and smiled at the mare, already having known my decision before she had asked. "I'd be more than happy to be one of Ponyville's rounders, Mayor Mare." She was ecstatic, to say the least, and seemed ready to jump around at any moment. It was reminiscent of Pinkie Pie whenever she was in a happy mood, which was all the time.
"That's great!" She exclaimed happily. She paused for a moment as she seemed to realize how inappropriately she was acting in her position and quickly straightened herself out, attempting to seem as professional as possible. "Shall we head to city hall then?" I rolled my eyes at her change in attitude, but the smile on my face was enough to tell her I meant no offense.
"I leave for a walk and get offered a job. This place is brilliant! Nothing can seem to go wrong here!" As I thought this, a small part of my mind surged with doubt. Almost as if it were saying "You shouldn't have said that." -------------------------------------
It was no surprise that city hall would be the largest building in Ponyville, but the fact that I had so easily missed it still bothered me. As Mayor Mare lead me into the large and official building, I continued to see ponies glance at me from time to time, confusion evident in their faces. There was still no signs of fear or anger though, so I assumed there still wasn't anything I had to worry about.
The moment we entered city hall, I quickly noticed just how bad their situation currently was. Ponies were rushing past one another, floating or holding onto several papers with their respective mouths, magic, or hooves. They all looked horribly stressed and hysterical, as if there was a live explosive in the building that would go off if they didn't finish. Let alone the fact that several papers were riddled across the floors and desks of the room. "Everypony!" Mayor Mare called out, attempting to get their attention. They didn't seem to notice as they continued their hysterical rushing back and forth. "Hello!?!" They still showed no signs of responding through their overly stressed states.
An idea dawned on me at this point. Perhaps it was a cliche idea, but it was an idea nonetheless. I didn't hesitate as I put two fingers into my mouth and let out the loudest whistle I could. All the panicking ponies immediately stopped in their place, seeming to completely forget about what they were supposed to be doing as they put their utmost attention towards me. I took a step back and gestured towards Mayor Mare. "You were saying?" I calmly asked her. She nodded in thanks as she looked towards the now still ponies that shared the room, several others glancing in from the other halls and rooms.
She cleared out her throat before looking back towards the ponies and speaking. "Everypony, this is Richard. He has kindly volunteered to take the position as rounder and I hope that you all treat him respectfully." Everypony glanced towards me before letting out a loud sigh of relief. They all began to head back to what I believed to be their workplaces, only this time, they did it without chaotic disorganization. "There we go. Now, if you'll follow me to your office, we can get you started right away." -------------------------------------
The job was easy enough, as it seemed. Take a few papers, date them, organize them into the "in" or "out" boxes, some tax documents, nothing major. It made me curious as to why the last rounder had quit. According to what Mayor Mare had told me, it was due to the stress. Granted, I had more experience with paperwork than the pony, but it didn't seem that bad. Then again, I hadn't really gotten a request for assistance as of yet, so I didn't really know about the full stress that the job caused.
"Richard?" One of the office ponies called out. She and several of the others had gotten used to me fairly quickly once I had arrived. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I had taken the place of rounder, that or it was because of the kind disposition of most of the ponies in this world. Whatever the reason, I wasn't going to complain about it anytime soon.
"Yes?" I answered back, momentarily putting the paperwork down on my slightly undersized desk. Honestly, it felt as though the desk was crushing my lap.
"We have a request from a Ms. 'Fluttershy'." This immediately caught my interest as I heard one of the first ponies I had met's name be called out. "Says that she needs someone to watch over her animals while she goes to get feed. Are you accepting the request, or passing it?" As it turned out, rounders were allowed to choose wether to do their volunteer work or not. Sometimes it was because the pony in position wasn't able to help, didn't have time, or simply didn't want to try. I, however, doubt that I'd ever turn one down.
"Sure, I'll go. Do you know where she is?" I replied as I made my way out of the bear trap I had as a desk. The office pony handed me the request letter, a map and directions written on the back. I was surprised to see that she lived so far outside of Ponyville, yet at the same time, it made sense considering her shy nature. "I'll head out right away. Be back soon." I told the office pony as I made my way out the door and into Ponyville. -------------------------------------
The walk was simple enough. Follow the dirt road north, make a right by the library, head straight into the outskirts of Ponyville, over the small bridge, and follow along the edge of the Everfree forest to the right. Simple. I was careful among the last part of my trek though, knowing fully well that the Everfree forest was not a place I would want to go through.
Sure enough, I soon spotted a lone cottage with several animals skittering around it. Fluttershy was likely indoors, tending to whatever creatures she could. I quickened my pace ever so slightly, not wanting to keep her waiting. After all, if she needed to get more food for the animals, I would think that she would be rather pressed for time.
As I closed in on the door, I soon fell over as an odd ball of brown fluff rolled in front of my feet. I managed to stop my fall with my hands and keep myself from dirtying my clothes again, especially since I had just gotten them, but I still hit the ground rather roughly against my knees and palms.
I stood myself up as I dusted off my knees and hands, glancing towards the brown furred creature that tripped me. To my surprise, it was a bear cub. It was holding onto its rear paw with its two front ones, licking and nibbling on it in childlike curiosity. Any annoyance I had towards it was quickly swept away as I watched the adorable sight. I leaned down and pet the cub on the head slightly before making to turn around. "Thats just adorable. I wonder where its mom is th-"
Perhaps I shouldn't have thought that, as I immediately turned and was met with the brown fur of a large animals belly. I gulped dryly as I looked upwards and met the gaze of what I assumed to be the mother bear that I had thought of. It let out a short snort through it nose, fogging up my glasses as it did so. Slightly trembling, I carefully removed my glasses/sunglasses and began to clear the fog with the shirt, still keeping my gaze on the bear. "Um, hello?" I said meekly, barely audible above my beating heart. The bear's eyes seemed to widen ever so slightly, and it put both of it large arms outwards, moving to bring them together upon me. I shut my eyes and awaited what would likely to be a painful experience... Only to feel two large furry arms begin to crush me against the bear.
I opened my eyes and quickly took notice that, rather than being mauled or crushed to death, I was in a literal bear hug. I looked downwards and noticed that the cub was hugging onto my leg just as well. "...heh. Some things never change I guess." The odd moment of silence that followed as the two continued to hold me was broken as I heard the cottage doors squeak open, followed by a soft gasp. I looked towards the door, seeing Fluttershy standing there with a surprised look on her face. "Hi Fluttershy."
"Oh dear! Richard, are you okay? They aren't hurting you are they?" Fluttershy exclaimed in her usual quiet form as she floated over to the two bears and I. She had a clear view of the two bears holding onto me at this point, and seemed to melt at the sight. "Awwww, Miss Brownie and Milkshake like you." She observed. I smiled in return as the two began to slowly release me.
"Yeah. They're like two big teddy bears really." As the two released me, I put on my glasses once again, watching in silence as the mother picked up her cub by the scruff of his neck and carried him off. For a second, I thought I saw the cub wave goodbye to me.
"Miss Brownie doesn't tend to like many ponies too often, and Milkshake is usually too shy. You must be really good with animals." She told me as she watched the two go on their way. "So what brings you here, I mean, not that I mind."
I chuckled as she slightly returned to her shy ways. It was odd really. From what Twilight had told me, Fluttershy was usually very shy with people, sometimes even her friends. Yet, both times that I had met her now, she never showed any great signs of this. "I'm here to watch over the animals for you." I told her with a smile. She seemed perplexed by this.
"But... I didn't ask you to..." She trailed off as she took a glance at me once more before gasping once again. "You're... You're Ponyville's rounder?" I nodded in confirmation.
"Yes I am. I got the job earlier today. Mayor Mare needed some help and I volunteered." Fluttershy smiled once again as she turned and lead me towards her home.
"That was very kind of you. Oh, and thank you for coming when you could. I'm beginning to run out of animal feed and I don't want any of the animals to go hungry. The poor things."
"It's no problem Fluttershy." I reassured her. "I'm more than happy to help. You go ahead and get the feed from the market, I'll watch over your animals while you're gone." Fluttershy floated over to me and gave me a quick yet gentle hug before opening the door for me to enter.
"Thank you. I'll be back soon, and I promise that once I get back we can have some tea and talk before you head back to work." I turned towards her and nodded.
"That would be nice, Fluttershy." -------------------------------------
An hour after Fluttershy had left, I was in the living room of the house, watching as birds, squirrels, beavers, and other animals of all sorts passed by me on the couch. Some were playing with each other, others were resting in silence, and some were even, and I kid you not, conversing with each other. "Animals in this world seem to think differently than those in mine. Nonetheless, I still love them." At times, a random creature, be it bird, mammal, amphibian, or reptile, would look towards me as I sat on the couch and take a place near me.
At this point, I had two snakes, one venomous and one a constrictor, to my right, coiled up by my lap, a squirrel sitting on my left shoulder and patiently awaiting Fluttershy's return, a hummingbird constantly flying by my head from flower to flower, though I didn't mind, a frog staring blankly ahead next to my left leg, occasionally croaking or catching a nearby fly as a meal, and curiously enough, a small white rabbit standing on my head, impatiently tapping its foot with its arms crossed, which, once again, didn't bother me.
I was currently indulging myself by petting a small red panda that sat on my lap, its two arms out limply in front of it as I gently scratched its belly. My eyes were closed as I enjoyed this moment of bliss, interrupted solely by the occasional squeak and skitter of another animal. Within another few minutes of waiting, the sound of the door opening caught my attention, causing me to turn my head, carefully so as not to disturb the other creatures near/on me. Sure enough, Fluttershy soon made her way inside, holding two large bags of feed to her sides while also attempting to drag inside an even larger bag with her mouth. Seeing her struggling, I carefully picked up and placed away the animals that were resting on me, aside from the white rabbit who gently pushed away my hands every time I moved to grab him, and made my way towards her.
"Need some help Fluttershy?" I asked her with a smile as I grabbed hold of the large bag. She released it from her jaws and smiled in return as I picked the bag up off the floor. It was heavy, much heavier than I thought it would be, but I grinned and bared it. "Times like this I wash I was more athletic." Fluttershy gestured towards another room before floating off with the bags of feed in hand, I mean hoof. I followed, carefully putting the bag of feed in a large cabinet with the bags that she had placed before closing it, releasing a sigh as I finished.
"Oh, thank you. That last bag was really big and heavy, and I wasn't sure if I could manage to bring it here. Sorry for the extra work." I waved her off with a grin.
"It's no problem Fluttershy, after all, I volunteered."
"Oh, but still... How about I get you that tea I promised? We can talk a bit before you head back to City Hall, that is, if you don't mind." I nodded in response, feeling a light thump on my head as I did so. "Oops, I had completely forgotten about him." I raised my arms above my head and made to grab the rabbit. He didn't resist this time as I carefully placed both of my hands below him, allowing him to stand in my hands, and lowered him to my chest level.
"By the way Fluttershy, this rabbit was waiting for you for quite a bit after you left." Fluttershy looked at the rabbit in my hand and softly grinned.
"Hi Angel," she said softly, "Mamas back, so you don't have to wait any longer." The rabbit let out an odd, almost inaudible series of squeaks in return, followed by the tamping of his foot. He was quickly taken into a hug from Fluttershy, a face of adoration on her. "Aw, you're such a good little bunny." By far, this was the cutest thing that I had seen since I had arrived in Equestria. -------------------------------------
Fluttershy had kept to her promise, and there we sat in her living room, enjoying the calm, cool taste of the tea. We would make conversation from time to time, but most of it was short lived as we preferred the peaceful respite of silence over talk. That is, until she asked me a rather interesting question.
"So, I was just wondering, if you don't mind me asking of course, I mean..." She took a moment or so to collect herself before starting once again. "When did you get so good with animals?"
I chuckled at this. She seemed so nervous over such a simple question, but I wouldn't judge her for it. It's who she was. "To be perfectly honest Fluttershy, I'm not sure how I got so good with animals. You see, the first time I ever really interacted with an animal was when I was eight." I took a sip of my tea once again as I attempted to remember the rest of the tale. "I was at the zoo at the time. My parents had thought it was a good way of cheering me up about... Some things. Nonetheless, it definitely helped me. There were all kinds of animals there. Lions, hippos, parrots, you name it." I reminisced happily as I found myself returning to the very day it had all occurred. "Though, it was among one of the exhibits that I had first found out about how animals interact with me. I was looking over the crocodile exhibit then. It was one of those containment areas that was raised above the water, a guard railing keeping people from falling in. At least, it was supposed to. I fell in, and I nearly drowned right then and there before I managed to make my way above the water." Fluttershy gasped, a look of concern on her face.
"Oh my! How'd you fall?" I shrugged.
"I just...Fell. I guess that I was leaning in too close and lost my balance." Fluttershy raised an eyebrow at this, but motioned for me to continue. "Right. Anyways, I had a bit of trouble staying afloat in the water, since it was made to be so murky and deep for the crocodiles. The problem was, I couldn't really head to land either at this point, since some of the crocodiles were sunbathing on the shore. One of them must have spotted me though, since it moved into the water and started to swim at me, full speed. I could hear my parents above me, crying out for someone to help as other people just stood and watched in their shock. I couldn't stay in the water, but I couldn't head to land. I was stuck, and I thought for sure that I was doomed." I looked upwards, remembering the sadness and despair that I felt at the time.
"The crocodile dove under the water, out of my sight. I looked around for it, but I just couldn't see it. I could basically feel myself lifting off to heaven as I left my dead body, even if nothing had happened yet." I chuckled, much to Fluttershy's surprise, as I looked to her with a smile. "It took me a few seconds to realize that I was actually being lifted up. Not by a person who had managed to grab me, but by the very crocodile that had disappeared beliw the water. It had gotten below me and lifted me so that I was sitting on top of it, before swimming me to shore. As for the crocodiles that were sunbathing, they didn't bother me whatsoever. I stayed there for about twelve minutes, a couple of crocodiles laying next to me as I waited for someone to come pick me up." Fluttershy put on a smile herself at this point, at last seeing the happiness that came from the tale. "Ever since then, I've noticed that animals of all kinds, deadly or otherwise, seem to react kindly with me, always caring for me as if I were their child or friend. Like family."
Fluttershy seemed to be close to tears at this point, but she continued to smile nonetheless. "...Wow." -------------------------------------
"Bye Fluttershy, enjoy the rest of your afternoon. Oh, and thanks for the tea." I waved goodbye as I made my to the original path I had taken to Fluttershy's home, having decided it was about time for me to head back to City Hall. Fluttershy waved in return, a smile of satisfaction on her face as she then went inside and closed the door behind her. I took a few more steps, making sure I was out of earshot, before I let out a sigh of relief. "I really don't like lying to people... But perhaps its best that she didn't know that someone from school had pushed me off." -------------------------------------
As I filled out the last of the papers, I let out a sigh, my hand slightly throbbing from writing so much, so fast. I had barely managed to finish the work I had left over after heading to Fluttershy's house, let alone the last second tax billers. I was starting to see where the previous Ponyville rounder had gotten their stress.
"Richard, you can go no-" Mayor Mare paused. She looked over my desk with an odd expression before looking towards me. "Did... Did you finish the work?" I warily nodded in confirmation. "Those were all the taxes of the season! You would normally have a month to fill those out!" My jaw dropped. I had just done a month worth of work in one day without even knowing it.
"Wha- how? Just how?" -------------------------------------
I walked up to the front door of the library with a shuffle, letting out a yawn as I did so. I reached for the door, desperatly hoping to get some rest for the night. Suddenly, the door flung open in my direction, knocking me to the ground with a resounding thud.
"Richard!?" I looked towards the door, groaning in pain as I saw twilight standing there with a look of surprise on her face. Unfortunately, that quickly shifted to a glare of annoyance as I felt a warm sensation surround me, lifting me up into the air and carrying me into the the library. I was unceremoniously dropped onto the couch as Twilight continued to glare at me and began to lecture. "Where WERE you! You said you'd be going out for a walk, but you were gone for hours!"
"Oh. Oh! I am so sorry Twilight, I had completely lost track of time. See, I was caught up in work, I spent an hour or two helping Fluttershy, then I had to-"
"Woah, woah, whoah, wait! Did you say work?" She questioned, raising an eyebrow as she did so.
"Well... Yes. I'm the new Ponyville rounder." A moment of silence came. Neither of us said anything nor moved until finally, Twilight broke the silence.
"What!?! You went out for a walk and came back with a job!?!" I could tell that this was going to be a long night.
