I know these sheets are really comfy, but it's so damn hard to sleep in a new body.
Having a pair of wings is really not making a good night's sleep easy. I really miss my human body.
"Ahh, screw it." I sat up and stared at the wall for a good minute. I decided to climb out of my bed. I looked at the window, and saw it was still night time. I groaned and rubbed my head a little. I looked at the balcony door, and had an idea. "Ehh, I guess a little fresh air could do me some good."
I walked to the balcony door, and pushed it open. I was greeted with a small breeze, which actually felt pretty good. I looked in the direction the breeze was blowing, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath, and let it out. I looked toward the ledge, and walked up to it. I lifted up my upper body, placing my forelegs on the cold stone, crossing them and laying my head on them, looking down on the still lit city. As I was staring at the city lights, I couldn't help but think...
My home...
My family...
All of my friends...
...Megan.
I can't even imagine how everyone back at home must be feeling right now since I'm not there. I'm not sure if there's a time difference between my world and this one, but I've been here for two weeks. What if that means years must have gone by, and everyone I know died a long time ago? I feel like I'm in Interstellar, but instead of falling in a black hole, I found myself in a world full of talking ponies, and on top of that, I turned into a freaking dragon!
"Dammit." I cursed under my breath.
Why the hell did all of this happen to me? This doesn't make any damn sense! I could be at home right now, under the company of some of my best friends in the whole world. But no! Some random, magical shooting star apparently 'chose' me for something, and took me away from everything important to me, and not even the princesses, who are supposed to be the wisest beings in this damn world, knows why!
"DAMMIT!" I yelled out, while also uncontrollably pounding the stone ledge with my fist. Now that I feel my hands burning, I felt myself calming down. I felt tears running down my face. "Why me... why did this happen to me?"
"Alex?"
I was startled by her voice. I turned around and saw Luna, standing there with a worried expression on her face. I was still upset with everything that's happened to me, so I simply turned around and faced the city again. "What do you want?" I asked quietly.
"What is the matter? You seem... sad."
"Really?" I said in a deadpan, sarcastic manner. "What gave it away?"
I heard her sigh. "Listen, I know you're upset-"
"Upset!?" I quickly turned to face her, and saw she jumped back at my sudden outburst. "Upset doesn't even begin to describe what I'm feeling right now!" I felt the tears coming back. "I was just having a normal day like everyone else, but the next thing I knew, my life changed for the worst when a damn shooting star crashed onto me, and two weeks later, I'm stuck here! In an alien world, while also in a different body! Everyone I care about is probably worried sick about me! Hell, they probably think I'm dead! So saying I'm upset is really putting it mildly! In fact, I'm pissed off!"
I was panting heavily, still holding an angry expression to the Princess of Night, who was staring at me with a remorseful look. I felt my legs shaking, and eventually found myself laying on the stone ground, tears streaming down my face. "Why did this happen to me... It's not fair... I just wanna go home." I covered my face with an arm, trying to hide my sorrow from the princess, whatever good that did.
A few moments of an uncomfortable silence passed through, but I didn't care. I eventually hear clip clopping coming in my direction, but I didn't bother looking up. What happened next caused me to quickly open my eyes and lift my head back up. Luna wrapped her foreleg around me and pulled me in for a hug. I froze for what felt like forever, still shocked at her gesture. A few seconds passed, and I finally got the strength to return the embrace. We held each other for a good minute, and I eventually felt myself calming down after my outburst.
We broke away from the embrace, and I wiped away the tears from my face. I looked at Luna, and saw a friendly smile on her face. "Feel better?"
I chuckled a little at that. "Hehe... yeah, a little bit." I frowned once more. "I just... I don't know how long it'll be until I've soaked all of this in, ya know?"
"I understand... Try to get some sleep. There's still plenty of time before Tia raises the sun."
At the nick of time, I let out a yawn. "Yeah, I suppose you're right." I began walking back to the door, but I stopped midway, and took a glance back at the princess. "Thanks for that, Luna. And sorry I yelled at ya like that."
She still didn't wipe that smile off her face. "No need to apologize. You've been holding all that in for too long, and needed to let it out." Her smile deflated, which caught me off guard. "I don't know if this will make you feel better, but... you're not the only one who felt like he has lost everything."
I raised an eyebrow, trying to decipher what she meant by that. Nevertheless, I nodded and made my way to my bed. "Night, Luna."
"Goodnight, Alex." As I walked through the door, I heard wings flapping behind, telling me Luna has left for the night.
I was sill thinking about what she said before she left. During our talk with her and Celestia, she mentioned she had something that she would rather keep to herself. I wonder if that had something to do with what she told me.
I reached my bed, and climbed up on it. I managed to find myself a comfortable position under the sheets, despite my wings being in the way. I closed my eyes, and felt myself beginning to doze off.
Thump Thump Thump
I jolted awake, startled by the loud knocking. I groaned in annoyance, and rubbed my head a little. "Can't a guy sleep in for a change?" I may have been in a coma for two weeks, but that doesn't count! I still need my beauty sleep, especially after everything I've been through so far. I slowly climbed out of bed, and let out a loud yawn. Out of my control, my yawn turned into a brief roar, like one a lion would make when it yawns. "Whoa... Didn't know I could do that." I shrugged and made my way to the door.
Thump Thump Thump
"Yeah, yeah, keep your horseshoes on, would ya?! I'm coming."
I reached the door and pushed it open, still keeping an annoyed expression. I was greeted by a familiar face, and that smirk that annoys the crap out of me now.
"Sup, Flame?"
"Flash? What time is it?"
He thumped me in the shoulder with a hoof. "Time for you to wake up, ya lazy bum. The princesses made breakfast and they asked me to get ya. Besides, I doubt you know where you're going in this castle, so you're gonna need a pro to help ya around." He lifts his head up proudly after that last remark.
I formed a smirk. He left himself wide open after that. "Alright then, so where is he?"
"Huh?" He raised an eyebrow at me.
"This pro you mentioned. He coming?"
"What? But I... I just said..."
I held back a pretty hard snicker. This guy is a lot easier to mess with than I thought. "Easy there, dude. I'm just messing with ya. I can't believe that went over your head."
A small blush was on Flash's cheeks. He chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head. "And I thought I was the one with all the jokes." A sly smirk grew on his face. "I guess you're not as boring as I thought you were."
A smirk made it's way on my face. My cocky side's starting to show, isn't it? "Don't like the taste of your own medicine, eh? You kinda set yourself up for that one. I couldn't miss the opportunity." We both shared a brief chuckle. I felt my stomach began to gurgle. "Hehe, I guess I'm a lot hungrier than I thought."
"I hear that. Let's get going then. This is a breakfast you really don't wanna miss." He turned away and started walking to the dining hall as I followed behind him. "So." I looked at him as we were still walking. "I'm gonna guess your meeting with the princesses went smooth. You are still alive, after all."
I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, yeah. You were right. Sure I was still pretty nervous meeting them, but overall, I had nothing to worry about."
"HA! Told ya!" He bumped my shoulder. "You really looked like you were about to wet the floor."
I punched him back. "Hey, it didn't sound like you were better off your first time either. You told me yourself."
"I said I was nervous. I never said I was scared to the point I needed toilet paper." Toilet paper. Thanks for triggering my PTSD.
"Pfft, yeah ok, tough guy. I'll take your word for it."
I know Flash has been kind of a pain in the neck since I've met him, but I've met much worse. He really is good company, and probably one of the only reasons why I'm still managing to keep my sanity in check while I'm here in pony world. However, I've basically been lying to him about me, trying to keep the stuff about me not being from this world. I frowned at the thought.
"You ok there, Flame?" His voice snapped me from my thoughts, and I looked at him. "What's eatin' ya?"
Well, now's a good time as any. I sighed. "Flash... we're friends, right?"
"Heck yeah, dude!" He nudged me with a wing. "I know I can come off as a bit of a smart mouth, but I take my job seriously, so it's nice to be able to hang out with somepony to share my sense of humor... or somedragon in your case, hehe."
I chuckled, feeling a bit better about what I'm about to do. "Well, this should be easy then. Flash, I gotta come clean with ya."
He raised an eyebrow. "What's up?"
I let out a sigh once more, ready to finally let this all out. "When I first met you, I haven't been... entirely honest with you."
I heard he stopped walking, and I turned to face him, noticing the confused expression on his face. "What are you saying, Flame?" He asked in what I could probably tell was a disappointed tone.
"Remember when I told you that I wasn't exactly from Equestria?" He nodded. "Well, that part's true, but... It's a lot more complicated than that."
He furrowed his eyebrows a bit, causing me to wince a bit. "Flame, if you've been keeping something from me, I wanna hear everything."
I sighed. Yeah, this is gonna be harder than I thought. "Ok... this might take a while."
I explained to him that I used to be a human, a species of intelligent primates. I was from a planet called Earth, and lived in Texas. I told him that, according to the princesses, I was 'chosen' by Althea's Comet, a random event that occurs only once every thousand years or more. I told him that the princesses already knew that I was never a dragon to begin with, and that when I arrived, they said that they 'felt' something familiar about me when the comet hit me, but they couldn't put their hoof on it. "And... well, that's pretty much it." I obviously didn't mention anything about COVID, in case it starts a panic or something even though I don't have it.
Flash was rubbing his head with both hooves, obviously trying to process everything that I told him. "So let me see if I got this whole thing down. So, you were never a dragon in the first place, but something called a human."
"Yeah."
"You're from a planet called Earth, and a land called Tex-Ass."
"Not how you pronounce it, but yeah."
"You were struck by a magic comet that apparently occurs randomly every few thousand years."
"Yep."
"When you arrived the princesses already knew that you weren't from here."
"Correctamundo."
"And apparently they felt something from you."
"Yes, yes, and yes."
He blinked twice, and kept staring at me with wide eyes. I honestly don't know if I'll ever get used to how humongous these ponies' eyes are.
"Dude..." I prepared for the inevitable. I wouldn't be surprised if he wouldn't wanna see me ag- "THAT'S SO COOL!!!"
It was my turn to blink twice and stare at him with wide eyes. Did I just hear that right? "Pardon me, what?"
"Yeah!" He walked around me in a circle. "In the name of Celestia! I don't think I ever imagined meeting anypony from another world."
"Soooo... you're not mad?"
"Are you kidding me?!" He hovered a hoof across my neck. "I mean... sure, I kinda wish you were honest with me from the start, but after everything you've told me, I could care less about that! If you want my honest opinion, this makes you much cooler in my book."
Ok, this is starting to scare me a little. "You sure you're ok with this, Flash? You're taking this way too well."
"Well lucky for you, a lot of weird stuff has been happening in Equestria. So you're not exactly a big surprise, but definitely one for sure."
As much as this is kinda starting to creep me out, I couldn't help but smile at his silly display, feeling better that he doesn't hate me for not being honest with him. "Thanks, Flash. I was afraid you'd hate my guts since I kept this all to myself. That's a weight lifted off my shoulders."
"No problem, Flame. What are friends for?" He lifted up his hoof toward me. I got the message, and gave him a fist bump.
At that moment, I felt my stomach beginning to gurgle again. "Hehe, we've been talking a little too long. Let's get that breakfast you've been boasting about."
"Right behind ya!" Before we could move on, he caught my attention. "Hold up, I just realized something. When you said that the doc advised you to lay off the flying for you to recover, do you really mean..."
"Yeah..." I said in a somber tone, looking back at my useless wings. "I really can't fly."
"Dang." He put a hoof to his chin, then a smile formed on his face. "Hey! Maybe I can show you some tips after we're done with everything. It shouldn't be too hard for ya, I bet you'll get the hang of it."
I chuckled at that. "Easy for you to say. You've been flying your entire life. I didn't realize I had wings until yesterday."
"Yeah well you never know." He nudged me with a wing. "I'm sure you're a fast learner."
I nudged him back. "Obviously you're not a good judge of character." We both shared another brief chuckle. "Come on, we shouldn't keep the princesses waiting. Besides, I'm starving."
"Right this way, sir," He said in an obnoxiously sarcastic manner. I still laughed at it.
"We're here!"
Flash and I walked through the dining hall doors, and saw both the Princesses on each side of the table. Celestia looked at us and a smile grew on her face. "Aahh, there you two are. We were wondering if you'd ever show up or not."
I chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of my head. "Yeah, sorry about that. I had to... clear some things up with Flash."
"I see." Luna spoke up. "I assume you told him everything about who you really are?"
"He sure did, Your Majesty." Flash stepped beside me. "And forgive me for being forward, but that's bucking awesome!"
Both the princesses rolled their eyes and chuckled. "Well I'm glad you're taking this whole thing well, Flash." Celestia spoke. "Thank you for bringing our guest. You're excused."
Flash did a salute with a wing, then faced me. "I'll catch ya later, Flame."
"Later, dude." We shared one more fist/hoof bump before he flew away from us. I walked toward the table and climbed on the chair in the middle. I noticed my plate was empty, leaving me disappointed and my stomach angrier.
I heard Celestia giggle. "Don't worry, Alex. Yours is still hot." Her horn glowed, and she hovered an object toward my plate. What I saw made me salivate on the table.
It was a stack of 4, fluffy looking pancakes. The top tier was decorated into a smiling face. Raspberries made the smile, blueberries made the eyes, strawberries made ears, and there was a swirl of whipped cream that made hair.
"This looks amazing! Did you make this yourself?"
"I did!" She smiled brightly. "I always enjoy making my own pancakes. It's an old family recipe."
"And it has never once disappointed, sister." Luna commented sweetly. "Now let's dig in."
She didn't have to tell me. I took a large bite out of the fluffy, culinary piece of art. These are the best pancakes I ever had! Who would've thought that food made by ponies would be the best ever? Without thinking, I decided to dive my head into my food like last time.
I heard Celestia giggle. "I take it you enjoy them."
I lifted my head from the pancakes and looked at Celestia. 'Thrr Urrmurrzn!" I realized I had a mouth full of this fluffy goodness, and the princesses laughed at my silly antics. I struggled to swallow the whole thing down, but I eventually succeeded. "Hehe, I mean they're amazing! These are probably the best pancakes I've ever had in a long time!"
Celestia smiled warmly. "It means a lot to hear somepony say that... well, somedragon in your case."
We continued to eat our food in a comfortable silence. I ate mine in a calmer manner. I still can't believe they're casually letting me behave this way. Back at home, if I behaved like this in front of Queen Elizabeth, I'd have a restraining order from all of England. It's almost like this is normal behavior from them.
"By the way." Celestia's voice caught my attention. "Luna told me about your... breakdown last night."
I stopped eating, and let out a sigh. "Yeah..." I spoke in a somber tone. "I couldn't sleep well at first, so I figured a little fresh air would do me good. I guess when I really thought about it, it made me realize just how much of a crappy situation I got into. I just didn't think I would get so upset. I't's just that all of this happened so fast and very unexpectedly. I don't think I've ever gotten that upset before."
"Your outburst was completely understandable Alex." I faced Luna. "You were taken away from everything you hold dear to your heart. You have every right to be upset."
I nodded at that. I then just realized that there was one more question that I wanted to ask them yesterday. "I know this is probably a long shot, and I'm not entirely sure you can pull it off. But... is there any way you can help me get back to my world?"
Both the princesses looked at each other, both of their faces bearing a regretful expression, which pretty much answers my question.
"We do have..." I immediately looked at Celestia, hope building up inside me. "Something below the castle. It's an ancient mirror that let's anypony pass through, and takes them to a dimension different from ours." I smiled brightly, and was about to ask if it would work. "However..." She lifted her hoof, causing my smile to deflate. "It only works when it is part of our multiverse. You are from a completely different universe from ours. So..."
"So... I'm stuck here."
She nodded. "I'm so sorry, Alex."
I knew it was a tall order, but it is what it is. I'll never see my family and friends again. I felt a tear run down my face.
"We knew you would ask us that sooner than later, and your reaction would be as it is now." I faced Luna. "Which is why my sister and I came up with a solution."
I wiped the tear from my face, anxious to know what they had planned for me. "A solution? What does she mean by that?" I turned to Celestia to get a more specific answer.
"We decided it is best we put you under the care of one of our subjects. More specifically, my former student, Twilight Sparkle. She lives in Ponyville, along with the rest of the Elements of Harmony. I've already informed them of your arrival. They are a wonderful bunch. I'm sure you'll get along with them just fine."
So. Many. Questions! I think I felt my eyes roll around in every direction.
I heard Luna giggle. "We assume you have more questions, but when you get to Ponyville, Princess Sparkle will have an answer to all of them."
I widened my eyes after hearing that last part. "Wait, you two aren't the only princesses!?"
"Yes," Celestia spoke. "There is also our niece, Cadence, who rules a different empire here in Equestria, along with her husband, Shining Armor. I'm sure you'll meet them soon enough."
"Right... so, when do I leave for... Ponyville?" I'm not sure I'll take that name seriously any time soon.
Luna spoke. "We decided that you will leave first thing tomorrow morning. We figured you would enjoy Canterlot at least one more day."
I suppose another day here wouldn't hurt. I actually do wanna check out more of the city. "Yeah, I guess I could stay here another day."
"Excellent." Celestia stood up from her chair, lifting the remains of her breakfast with her magic, and dumping it in a nearby bucket. "Now, I believe we've came up with a reasonable plan for you. I think I'll take my leave. Duty calls."
Luna also stood up, throwing away the remains of her breakfast as well. "Agreed. Being the Princess of the Night means I may sleep during the day. So if you may excuse me, I bid you all good day."
Both the Princesses walked away to their respective posts, leaving me alone at the dining table. Celestia stopped before she could get any further, and turned around to look at me. "I promise you, Alex. Everything will work out for you in the end." She lowered her head, and I noticed a regretful expression on her face. "I just wish we could help you more."
I lowered my head and sighed. "I'm not gonna lie to you, Princess. I really do wish you and Luna had the power to take me back home. But... I guess it was too much to ask." I raised my head back up to look at her, giving her a small smile. "Don't worry. I won't hold anything against you. It's just gonna be a while until I fully accept the fact that I'm stuck here."
Celestia gave me a warm smile. "I'm very relieved to hear you say that. It would be terrible if this situation jeopardized our friendship. And like I said, Twilight Sparkle is a former student of mine, and is very smart and very kind. I think you will get along with her and her friends just fine."
"Hmm... well, I guess I'll find out once I get there."
She nodded. "Now if you'll excuse me, I must get to my duties. Good day, Alex." She turned around and walked away, leaving me to myself in the dining hall. There were still several guards.
I've been staring at my messy plate for who knows how long. But nothing will ever be as messy as the situation I'm in now. I was just told that I'm stuck in this world for probably the rest of my life, and there's no way to get me back. I closed my eyes tightly, feeling the tears coming down again.
"Tch." I clenched my teeth hard and formed a fist, trying to resist the urge to break the closest object near me. I took in a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, then let it out. I wiped away the tears from my face. I grabbed my plate of leftovers and dumped the remains in the bucket near me.
I realized I still didn't know my way around the castle, and Flash could be anywhere. I walked to the nearest guard. He was a gray coated unicorn, who was probably a couple inches taller than me. "Yo." He slightly turned his head to look at me. "Can ya help me out? I'm tryna get outta here. I... really need some fresh air right now."
"Of course, sir." He tilted his spear down, pointing at the double doors I walked through earlier. "Just keep going down that hallway, then make a right. The stairs will be right there, then you're out of here."
"Thanks." And with that noted, it's time I got some fresh air.
After a few missed turns in this damn castle, I finally managed to make it to the main lobby, and walked up to the large double doors. One of the guards opened it for me so I could get out. I was met with a nice breeze and the brightness of the sun, only this time it didn't blind me like I did last time.
As great as this view is, I still can't get everything that I've been told out of my mind. The thought of never seeing my friends and family again is one of the worst things that's ever happened to me in my life. I don't know how I'm keeping my sanity in check, because I really wish this was all just a nightmare.
"I figured you'd be out of there by now." I looked to my right and saw Flash hovering above me. He wasn't wearing his armor this time. His blue mane was a little swept back, as if the wind blew it back as he was flying. I saw the tattoo on his flank, and it looked like a yellow lightning bolt with a shield in the background.
"Hehe, yeah. I don't think I'll ever be able to find my way in that place. It's like a labyrinth in there."
Flash landed in front of me. "Yeah, you're not wrong about that. It took me a while, but I pretty much know every inch of it now." He suddenly gave me a quizzical look, causing me to raise an eyebrow. "Dude, are you alright? Your eyes are pretty red."
Crap. I didn't think anyone would notice. Then again I almost forgot my eyes are gigantic now, so I guess there's no hiding it. I looked away, feeling my uneasiness return. "It's... nothing."
"Yeah, that's definitely not nothing." He didn't buy my lie. "Come on, Flame. You're my friend now. You can tell me anything. What's got ya down?"
I looked at him through the corner of my eye, and I could tell he was definitely curious . I'm honestly surprised he cares so much about my problems. These ponies can be too damn nice sometimes. Even though it's not entirely his business, I'd be lying if I didn't appreciate his concern. I sighed, and fully faced him.
"Okay... well, I was talking to the princesses and having breakfast. It was delicious by the way." I let out a short and quiet chuckle. "So I figured it would be a good time to ask them if there was any way for them to send me back to my world... long story short, it was pointless."
Flash's eyes widened. "Wait... so, you're saying..."
I lowered my head to the ground. "Yeah... I'm stuck here."
It was silent for a moment. I doubt he would really have anything to say to make the situation better anyway.
"Alex?" I looked back up to him, and his face had a sorrowful expression. "Are... Are you gonna... be alright?"
I sighed and turned away from him. "I don't know, Flash... No... No, no I'm not." As if it came out of nowhere, I felt myself starting to get angry. "I was just taken away from my home. From everybody I know and love. And now I'm stuck here! All because of so-called 'chance'! Why me?!" I turned to Flash with furrowed eyebrows, causing him to step back. "Why did it have to be me?! All of this!" I waved my arm around, emphasizing everything around us: The city, the castle, this whole damn world. "This shouldn't be real! You shouldn't be real! All of this... IT'S BULLSHIT!"
I was panting heavily after my rant. Flash kept looking at me with the same gloom expression. I felt my legs shaking again. I fell on my rear and sat there with my head hanging low, tears running down again. I'm pretty sure any other pony around us heard that, but I didn't care.
There was an uncomfortable silence between me and Flash. I inhaled one more large breath, composing myself after my outburst. I slowly looked up at Flash, who looked away from me, rubbing the back of his head. "I'm... I'm sorry Flash... I didn't mean to yell at you... I'm just... I just wanna go home."
Flash looked back at me, and surprisingly, walked up to me, and put a hoof on my shoulder. He gave me a small smile. "Don't worry about it, Flame. I don't know what you're going through, but you have every right in the world to be angry about all of this. If I were in your position, I don't think I would be able keep my head on straight. And don't think you're gonna be alone in this. You have me and the princesses. We got your back."
This guy never ceases to surprise me. One moment he's a wise cracking pain in the ass, and the next thing I know he's as wise as Celestia. I still can't get these lingering thoughts out of my mind, but I'm feeling a sense of easiness through Flash's words. I gathered the strength to lift my self up from the ground. I gave Flash a smile. "Thanks, Flash. I've been an emotional wreck, haven't I?"
He chuckled. "I'd be lying if I said you weren't, but with everything that's happened to you so far, I don't blame ya. Hey, I got an idea. Why don't we go grab a bite. There's this curry place that's been getting a lot of buzz around town. I'll buy."
I was still kinda full from the pancakes, but I suppose I could fit something else in there. "Sure, why not. I'm surprised you ponies have curry in this world." We began to start walking.
"Yeah, I'm sure there's a lot of things about us that'll surprise ya." Suddenly his face brightened up more than usual. "Oh! When we're done, we gotta get those wings working. You don't know what your missing out on."
I looked back at my immobile wings, which are still folded up to my sides. "Yeah, I've really been wanting to test these babies out."
"Trust me, it'll be awesome."
We started to make our way to town. I don't what this world has in store for me, but it's definitely gonna be an interesting journey, I can say that much.