//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: First Morning, And A Question About Existence... I need coffee... // Story: How I ended up living with six pony girls? // by DanishDash //------------------------------// It had been a long night, longer than I had wanted it to be. I was exhausted, but six magical cartoon ponies showing up in your barn will do that to you. The night had ended with the girls and I eating dinner, then after a quick clean up, I had found the ponies pretty much already asleep, before I even got a chance to find a place for them too. They had fallen asleep on the couch, on the recliner and one in the beanbag near the TV. Twilight was the only one still awake at that time, and she had given me a thank you and told me they would be fine in the living room for tonight. Too tired to argue, and with no place to put them up, I didn't argue the point. Now, half awake, my body not wanting to get up, I can't help but wonder, was it all a dream? I got the answer when suddenly the door to my room was slammed open, scaring the living shit out of me. "There you are!" A raspy voice proclaimed victoriously. The cyan Pegasus known as Rainbow Dash, flew over my bed, and hovered above me. "Oh, sorry, did I wake you?" The smirk on her face told me she had hoped that to be the case. "Not at all." I responded. Tired, and frankly a little annoyed to be disturbed. Staring at her with a blank facial expression, and a desire to pay her back, I replied. "If you broke my door I am throwing you out..." "Haha, your door is..." The hesitation crept onto her face, but I had to give her credit for trying not to let it show. "It's fine!" She then vanished from my field of view, then returned two seconds later, a grin on her face. "Yea, totally fine." "But, you didn't know that.." I said evenly, then sighed and got up, running a hand through my hair. "Next time, just knock." I could hear Rainbow chuckle before she landed on the floor. "Sorry, but we were pretty hungry, and the others didn't want to start anything before you were up." "And so you came up here to wake me up. How nice of you." "Right?" Rainbow smiled. Did she seriously not catch onto my sarcasm?? Oh well, no point in keep being moody, I was tired yes, and it was about 8, so I had slept longer than usual. "Did you guys sleep okay down there?" I asked as I got up and out of bed. Rainbow Dash nodded, following me with her magenta eyes. I was dressed in my boxers, and my t-shirt, not feeling embarrassed, I mean, yea they were girls, but they were ponies too, and they were practically walking around naked. So being like this didn't embarrass me at all. "Yea, it was okay. I liked the big pillow thing." I smirked, stretching a bit before walking to the shower. "It's called a beanbag. Do you mind going downstairs and tell the others I will be with you in 10 minutes? Just need to grab a quick shower." "What!" She hurried over after me. "Right now? But what about breakfast!?" "What are you, five?" I asked and raised an amused eyebrow. "There is some toast, butter and strawberry jam in the fridge. Help yourselves, just don't burn my house down." Closing the bathroom door, I could hear her say something, but I didn't really pay attention to it. Right now I didn't care, I could hear her leave my room while I stripped down and got into the shower. I had tested the light when I walked in, and to my relief it seemed the power outage was fixed and I didn't need to waste a fuse. Warm water has a way of relaxing you, as I felt it run down my body, I started to think about yesterday evening. Six colorful ponies from another dimension had somehow ended up in my world. They could not remember how, which led to the obvious question, were they even real? In physical and mental form, yes, but, did they come from another dimension, or had they simply been pulled out from the show itself? That idea was ridiculous, but then again, the idea what was possible and what was real had been shattered, and suddenly, everything could be possible. I had seen Twilight and Rarity use magic in my world, in a world that so far that I could understand it, had no magic at all. A second explanation could be that they had their own dimension, and had somehow traveled here. They couldn't remember, so it could have been a spell gone wrong, or been the work of one of the villains from the show. Clearly the spell mishap was the more desirable explanation. If a villain had sent them here, it could mean their home could be in danger, which would probably cause them to worry a lot more than before. Another question on my mind was, what to do with them? I had let them stay for tonight, and I had somehow gotten myself to promise I would help them out, for the long haul, I believe my words were. But I couldn't do much more than to give them a place to live for now, or at least, that's what I thought at first. As I soaped in my hair, I started to think about what to do. Should I call someone? But who would I call? Even if I could get someone to come and check this out, what would happen to them? Worst case scenario, they would be treated as animals, test subjects to find out how they worked, how they could talk, learn about magic and possible dimension traveling. Best case scenario, they would be treated as ambassadors from another world, like maybe have some alien contact protocol put on them. Learning as much as they could from them, set them up in a nice building, parades, press conferences, and maybe even, real help.. That was the thing, could I risk letting the world know about them, letting my government know about them. It was a huge gamble, I knew that, but they could get real help, get resources that I could not provide. But, there was the risk of them becoming test subjects, not sure I believed that would happen, but just thinking about it made me feel like a knot had been tied in my stomach. The thing was, it was not my decision to make. I had to talk to them about it, let them decide what to do, and be completely honest about the risks and potential gain. I also had to make it clear to them, that if they decided to seek out my government, and the worst were to happen, I would have no way of knowing, and no way to help them. It was a chilling thought... That, and it seemed I had used up all the warm water.... Fuck. * * * * Getting dressed in a simple black t-shirt and jeans, I made my way downstairs. I was a little nervous if they had made a mess of my kitchen, but to my relief the kitchen seemed nice and orderly. The six ponies sat around the small table, chatting and eating. When Pinkie saw me in the doorway, her smile grew and she waved. "Morning Danny!" The others looked up, and send me smiles as well. "Morning, Daniel." "Morning sugarcube." "About time." "G-good morning, I hope you slept okay.." "Good morning to you, dear." I stood there in the doorway, a bit stunned, not that they were here, but, a deep feeling inside me steered. Applejack seemed to notice, so did they others shortly after, but she was the one to speak up. "You alright there, partner?" "Huh? Oh yea, yea.. Uhm.. It's just been a while since someone.." I closed my eyes for a second, as if focusing my mind on happier times. Smiling a bit, I looked to them, seeing them all being quiet, listening to every word. "Since someone bid me good morning when I came down.." It was clear from their expressions that they were pleased to see me happy, but also curious to what I had said. I didn't really talk about, not that it was a secret, or it was to painful, but we had other concerns, and frankly, those were more important. Walking over to get my mug, and some of the freshly brewed coffee, I was struck by awe at how the ponies had managed to make breakfast and coffee. Then again, I did remember seeing them use things like toasters and make coffee, I think. I was just happy there was not a mess in sight, no broken glass or plates, no burn marks, seemed pretty normal actually. When I had filled my mug, I turned around, facing them, and leaned against the kitchen counter behind me. "We need to figure out what to do.." I said calmly before taking a sip of the coffee, which I found to be much better than the one I used to make. I noticed Rarity seeming very pleased with herself when she noticed my reaction to it. "Well, I have come up with a plan." Twilight said, using her magic to levitate a napkin, and wiped her muzzle. "I think I can create us a portal back home, but given I don't have princess Celestia here, or my..." She trailed off, looking like she was on the verge of tears, but taking a deep breath, she steeled herself and continued. "Beloved books... It will take time." "How much time?" Was the obvious question. She looked at me, an unsure look in her eyes. "I don't know.. Since I don't know how this happened in the first place, and we are in a complete other dimension, if that is even the case, I need to be careful with how I go about it.." It was clear the worry that they really didn't exist still plagued their minds. I had to figure something out, maybe I should research a bit about the show and... The show.. That's it! I looked to Twilight again. "I may have an idea how we can figure that out." They all seemed to tense up. "How?" "Well, I have a theory." I'm so smart. "But, to prove it, we need to watch at least two episodes of your show." "We're gonna watch ourselves! That's sounds mega super duper amazing!!!" Pinkie exclaimed, and nearly jumped out of her chair and bounced around the kitchen, if it was not for Twilight's stern look. This was serious, and to be honest, this could either prove to be a great idea that would lift their spirits, or be a very bad idea, to which their spirits would probably break. Either way, it would give us answers we did not yet have. Putting away the mug, I left the kitchen to fetch my laptop. I had to admit, I was kind of nervous for them using the computer, and for a moment I wondered to restrict their use of it. But I was not even sure if they could even use it, the keys were tiny compared to their hooves, and it would be quite a challenge for them to type anything. Though I had seen ponies on the show holding things with their hooves, playing instruments, do things that defied the laws of physics. These girls arriving in my world, making breakfast, using magic, I think they just kicked physics in the balls. I picked up my laptop from a small office space my grandpa once used, it was pretty neat, it was like a small study upstairs, with a great view over the grass fields and the forest at the edge of it. Still had the smell of old man, but it was not bad or anything, reminded me of him and my dad. At any rate, after picking up my PC, I ventured back downstairs. The girls had cleaned up the kitchen, and now eagerly waiting for me in the living room. They had a spot reserved for me on the couch, and as I sat down, placing the laptop on the coffee table in front of me, the ponies started to surround me. It was a strange feeling, most of them sat on either side of me, but Rainbow hovered to the side, and sat on the back of the couch itself, while Pinkie found a comfy spot on my shoulders, resting her head on top of mine. Funny enough, she weighed less than I would expect from a pony. They all seemed interested in my computer, which I kinda found amusing, but business first. I found Netflix, already logged in, it only took me a few seconds to find the show. I could feel them tensing, already burning with a lot of questions as they saw themselves on screen. Twilight read the title, then the description. "My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. Journey to the enchanted land of Equestria, where unicorn Twilight Sparkle and her pals have adventures and learn valuable lessons about friendship..." She was utterly speechless after that, blushing, just like the others. Well except Pinkie Pie who seemed excited. "I wonder what will happen." She said, earning her looks from the others. "Is that how you see us?" Twilight asked. I shrugged. "Well I guess, is it wrong? I have not seen much of the show, but yea, in the episodes I have seen, you seem to learn lessons about friendship, go on crazy adventures and so on. Is it wrong?" She shook her head. "No, it's just.." She fell silent, and I could tell the others, except for Pinkie, had the same thoughts as she did. "I get it." I replied. "Hearing your life summarized like that must be, strange, if not kind of embarrassing." They all flushed red, and I could kind of get it. Then Rarity's face flushed even redder, and her eyes widened with horror. "WAIT!" Everybody, including me, jumped in surprise. Pinkie fell off my shoulders and crashed behind the couch, and Rainbow Dash flew into the air and hit her head on the ceiling. Rarity didn't seem to care, her eyes were burning with what I could only describe was a mix of horror, embarrassment, and the purest form of potential anger. "If our lives is on this flat light screen, and you can see what we do, does that mean you can see when we.." She hesitated, her snow white fur turning redder by the second. "When we, uhm..." I didn't understand. "When you, what?" Her whole body almost turned red, and she even glared at me. The other girls seemed confused for a second too, then it seemed something within them clicked, and they all blushed with embarrassment. I was at a complete utter loss, what the hell was up with them? "Are you guys worried we can see you when you go to the bathroo-OW!!" I felt Rainbow's hoof punch me on the shoulder. "What was that for?!" I asked, glaring at her. "That's not it you dork!" Rainbow yelled. "Then what!? I'm sure it can't be worse than that." I replied, rubbing my shoulder. Then it clicked, and I could not help blushing a little myself. "Oh, oooooh, you're worried we can see when you go into hea-OWW!! STOP HITTING ME RAINBOW!" "Well don't say those things out loud, dumbass!" She yelled back, her face all red, as were the other's. Rubbing my shoulder again, I could see Rarity almost shaking, ready to explode and probably kill me just out of embarrassment. "Well, you can relax, we don't see those things. It would never get aired if they showed such scenes, and I am pretty sure no one wants to see that in the middle of your adventures." A flood of relief seemed to wash over the ponies, letting out breaths they had been holding. Rarity seemed to fall back on the couch, closing her eyes and whispering some thanks to their princess. A little dramatic, but I could see why they were worried, then it hit me. I started to smile, yes, this proved my theory! The ponies noticed, and eyed me carefully. "What are you smiling for?" Rainbow asked. "Are you perhaps thinking of us when we're in heat?" Pinkie asked, creeping up behind me. Fluttershy gasped, blushing, then looked away. "Are you perhaps, a pervert, Daniel...?" "What?! NO!" I answered, getting unsure looks back from them. "Listen, I told you, there is nothing of the sort in the show, but if you remember having gone into.." I stopped, glancing at Rainbow, who seemed ready to punch me just out of embarrassment alone. "You know what." I said instead. "Then it must mean you HAVE to be from your own dimension." They didn't seem to follow. "We don't see everything, we can't know what all of you are doing at the same time in the episodes, so if you have memories doing this in between moments, it must mean that your life is not restricted to the show." Now they seemed to get the picture. Twilight look thoughtful. "I think I understand, and that's why we are going to watch the show, to see if everything match up." I nodded. “Exactly, If you have memories beyond that, or even if everything is not as you remember, then you have your own dimension, your own homes, and your own lives." Of course I had no way of knowing if that was the case, I had no way of proving that for sure, but it was the best answer, and the most comforting one for now. It was also what I choose to believe, I choose to believe that these ponies had their own choices, and were not restricted to whatever a writer had decided for them. Twilight nodded in understanding, then smiled. "I see, pretty clever Daniel." I smirked back at her. "Thanks. Well let's get watching." The mood seemed to drastically improve after that, even if some blushes remained on our faces for a little longer. Choosing an episode was pretty simple, I figured it would be easiest to start from the middle of season one. I did not know how far they were in the show, if the show even extended to whatever they haven't experienced yet. Since I was not that familiar with the show, I felt it was a safe choice to simply start from the first season. It didn't take long before they could start confirming and correcting things. The ponies looked right, the town known as Ponyville, the event the episode revolved around. But there were some things they could point out that wasn't right, some were the colors, others the timing of the things, or even the order which the events occurred. Most of all was the scale of their world, it seemed the looks were mostly right, but Canterlot was not at all as close to Ponyville as the show made it seem like. Applejack's farm was another thing, it seemed smaller than it apparently was in her world. The more we watched and noted, the more it seemed to confirm that the ponies from the show, and the ponies I had sitting in my living room were two different sets of ponies, which relieved them greatly. The whole thing seemed to take longer than any of us realized, the more we watched the more questions we had, the more we discussed. When we had watched about three episodes, one more than I had counted on, we came to the conclusion that about 85% of the show was accurate. Mostly it seemed it was the timeline and the geography that was off, but otherwise it was pretty accurate. When I closed down my laptop, the ponies seemed much more relaxed and happy, it seemed they were not just cartoon characters, they had a home to return to. Of course that was sad enough as is, but they had a real goal to strive to, and I knew I had to do my best helping them. Which meant we needed to discuss the options. While most of them talked and hugged one another, happy to know they were very much real and there was hope for them, I stood back, letting them have their moment, and, giving myself a moment to think over our next move. If they choose to stay, I was sure I could look after their safety, I could guarantee they would be free, but they would need to hide from the rest of the town, meaning staying on the farm. If they choose to leave, reaching out to the government, they risked either being used, experimented on, or getting all the help a fully functional government could provide, and even an opportunity to be the first bridge between two worlds, which would pose dangers on it's own, but those were the choices. "Something wrong?" I heard Twilight ask me. Turning my head, I smiled gently at her, but she could see something was on my mind. Something that involved her and her friends. "Well, you guys need to figure out what you wanna do." "What we will do?" I nodded. "Yes, do you stay here and work on your portal, or do you seek help from my government?" Was it too big of a question right now? I don't know, and she didn't seem to know either as she tilted her head and asked me. "What do you think we should do?" Letting out a deep sigh, I scratched my head. "Truth be told, I have no clue. One thing is for sure, you cannot count on things working out here in my world as it does in yours." It was an honest answer, I had no clue what would happen. "If you stay here, I could look after you, you have a place to stay, someone to help you, a secure home for now. But you would need to hide, you would need to stay on the farm, and you would not be able to make too much.. Noise.." I was pretty sure she knew where my concerns laid on that note. We both glanced at Rainbow Dash, she was a flyer after all, and being restricted here might prove a problem in the long run. She sighed, looking up at me. "And the other option?" "The other one is more of a gamble than anything. Either it could pay off in spades, securing you everything you could need.. Or you could be locked up, experimented on, lots of questions about you, dimension travel and your world." I didn't want to give my species a bad rap, but politics were still politics. Even though most of what I suggested I only based on books and movies, I had no real way to be sure all that would happen, but the main point was clear, we had no clue what would happen. "So.." Twilight said thoughtfully. "We either stay with you, knowing exactly what is going to happen around us. Or we gamble our well being, and that of our home to humans we have not met or know.." I nodded. "Yup, that's how I see it at least. The third option would be you guys striking out on your own in a world you have no clue about. But I don't think it's the best, but it's there." There was a bit of silence between us, but the others, who had not yet noticed our serious discussion, still talked and laughed like nothing was left to talk about. Sensing a sort of worry from her, I ended with. "You can stay here for as long as you guys want, it's not like if you choose to stay here you a bound to me.. I just ask you talk to me before you make any major decision. Not that I will stop you, but what you do here will affect me too." Twilight look to me, smiling understandingly. She bowed her head in gratitude. "Thank you, Daniel. I promise we won't cause you any trouble." I was pretty sure she could not promise me that, well she could, but she would have no way of guaranteeing it. "I will talk to the others about it." Nodding, I stood to my full height, which made her just a head above my hips. "Sounds good, when you're done talking, you can find me outside on the porch." She nodded as a reply, and I left them to talk about their options, and me with my own thoughts about all this. Whatever they'll decide, I would support and help them as much as I could.