Desmond flung himself off the couch. He looked around. Floor. Check. Walls. Check. Body. Check. Armour and blades. Check. He pushed open the door. Outside world. Check. Reality? Unknown.
He heard hooves behind him and spun around, his hidden blades extended. He was on two legs and ready to strike. He saw Twilight. He stood there. Just stood there. He waited. Twilight soon noticed him standing near the door.
"Hi Desmond! How was your sleep?"
"Is this real?"
"What? Of course it's real!"
"No, no, no! That's just what a dream would say!"
"Desmond! This is real life, okay! If it was a dream, what would happen to you right now?"
"I would be crushed, or fall out of the world."
"Jeez Desmond, your dreams are crazy."
"So, if this is real life. Prove it to me."
"How? That's kind of hard to do."
Desmond then lept forward, his blade retracting just before he hit her in the chest. He then removed his hoof from it and sat down. Twilight had put a barrier between them right at the last moment.
"Ok, so this is real."
"What the heck was that?! Why did you just try to kill me?!"
"It's a looong story."
"Well, i've got all day."
So Desmond proceeded to explain everything that had happened to him in his dreams. Twilight listened to every word he said.
"...and then I jumped at you and you blocked me. And that's everything that has happened up till now."
"So you're saying that you had dreams inside dreams?"
"Yes."
Twilight's horn glowed and she removed a book from the shelf.
"The guide to dreams?"
"Yes. This will tell you everything you need to know about your dreams."
She flipped to a page and began to read.
"Dreams in dreams. If you are experiencing dreams in dreams, you are either a crazy lunatic, extremely drunk, or have had a life of torment and have run away from everything to escape your past life."
"Well... that was... informative."
"So Desmond, which one do you think it was?"
"The...second one..."
"Okay. I'll tell Pinkie pie to stop putting so much alcohol in the punch."
Desmond walked outside. Mostly because he had to. Twilight was leaving, and he didn't want to intrude.
He decided he would go to Sugarcube corner. At least he could get a meal there. He began to trot down the road. He was examining the buildings. They were perfectly designed. Well, perfectly designed for what he had in mind, anyhow.
He spotted Sugarcube corner and walked inside. He stood at the counter, looking at the menu board.
___________________________
l~SUGARCUBE CORNER~l
l Muffins~2 bits l
l Cream buns~3 bits l
l Cake slices~5 bits l
l Tabs available l
l_________________________l
Desmond wondered how these ponies kept shape when they ate what they ate. He noticed a bell on the counter and hit it.
DING!
A pink pony bounced up to the counter.
"Hiya Desmond! What do you want to eat?"
"Uhh... can I get a muffin?"
"Sure! I know you don't have any money, but that's ok! I'll pay for it!"
"Thanks, Pinkie pie..."
"No problem!"
Desmond took his muffin and ate it, walking down the street. Finishing his muffin, he proceeded to walk to the library. Grabbing a branch, he began climbing it. He eventually made it to the top, and looked around him, learning his surroundings. He then looked for a hay bale or something like that. But there wasn't one. So he climbed down. He landed on the ground, and turned around. A few ponies were staring at him, their mouths half open. He looked at them and said "So... nice ahh...nice weather we're having...I guess..."
One pony, a small foal, walked up.
"Mister, how did you climb that tree?"
"It was fairly easy actually."
"Can you do it again?"
"Hmm...mabye not. It takes alot of energy, and i'm still recovering from the party last night."
The foal turned away and said "Okay."
Desmond looked at him.
"Just once kid. Just once."
The foal turned around, beaming. Desmond then grabbed the branch, and pulled himself up. Eventually, he made it to the top of the tree. Then he climbed back down. Well, it was more or less like falling, but oh well, details. When he reached the ground the ponies were cheering.
Desmond thought it unecessary, but hey, if they wanted to stomp, then he wasn't going to stop them
"Thanks everyone, I guess?"
He turned to leave, running face-first with a pony in a hood.
"Careful there! Watch where you're going next time, huh?"
"Desmond, listen, we don't have much time."
"What do you mean?"
"It's Lucy. She's gone crazy. She's trying to... no time! Shit! Sorry, we'll talk later!"
The pony then faded in front of him, vanishing into thin air.
"That sounded alot like... Rebecca. Odd. How would she get here?"
Desmond left that thought to nibble his brain while he thought to other things. He sat down on a bench and thought. Rebecca could get in the Animus, but he was still in it. Right? Mabye he had been sucked into an alternate universe located by the Animus. And he had been the lucky winner of a one way trip to ponyland. If Rebecca +was+ here, he could possibly find a way back with her. Then he could be human again and stop the end of the world.'But,' he thought, 'atleast it's not +that+ bad here. It +is+ filled with nice pe- uhh, +ponies+ that won't try to kill me every chance they get.'
He looked around and noticed Rainbow dash lazing on one of the clouds. He called out to her, but she didn't hear. So he climbed the tree and called out again. Her ear flicked, but that was it. He slowly walked out across a branch, stopping at the strongest middle point. He called out once more and she rolled over, openeing an eye to see who it was. She slowly pushed hersf up when she noticed it was Desmond calling to her.
"Hey Desmond. Whadaya need?"
"I was just wondering what there is to do around here that isn't sitting around."
"Really? You woke me up for this? Huh... fine! You can go to Sugarcube corner and hangout there, go into town and look for something to do, go to the farm and help out there, or you can go to the Ever-free forest and train yourself or whatever. Or sleep, which speaking of, i'm going back to."
She yawned and collapsed on the cloud. A few moments later she was snoring lightly. Desmond fell back down the tree. Train in the Ever-free forest, huh? Against what? Trees? He decided to check it out, anyway. He had to ask somepony directions and they pointed at the dark forest across from town. He thanked them, then started walking. He passed Sugarcube corner and kept going. Eventually, he made it to the edge of the forest. He thought it strange how everything was different practically the moment you entered the forest. It was dark and dense. The weather controlled itself. The animals survived without help. Like Earth. Well, like +his+ Earth. He passed many vine covered trees, each one different in some way. He had lost the path due to all the foilage on the ground. But it was strange. The foilage had been recently moved. He could tell by theway the leaves sat on the ground. He followed this path all the way to a building. It was old. Yet... together. Not like old, forgotten budings +should+ be like. And there was something on the front. A symbol. A familiar symbol. The assassins. They existed here. In the Ever-free forest. Living by themselves, hiding from everyone else. That meant there were Templars too. Who know's what these ponies knew. Only one way to find out. He noticed there was no door. Only a space shaped like a hoof. He pressed it, feeling it slide into the wall. He heard gears shifting. And something pulling back...
SNAP!
He jumped to the side as arrows flew from the opening, one nipping his leg. He felt it dig in slightly, and he pulled it out. He looked in the opening. Big enough for a pony to fit through. He slid in and entered a large room. There were two identical stone staircases running up the sides to a larger area with doors, like a mansion. There was a chandelier. It was lit. Very unsuspicious. He called out.
"Hello? Anyone here?"
He heard scuffling, and the sounds of hooves on stone. He looked up and was crushed by another pony. Its hidden blade at his throat, it said "Who are you and why are you here?"
"My name is Desmond miles. I'm an assassin. I swear. Check my mark thing..."
The pony slipped his armour over his flank and saw his Cutie mark. He then climbed off Desmond and retracted his blade.
"Desmond. I guess you wouldn't know me. I know a little about you though. Heh. My name..." he backed up, stood on his hind legs, and yelled "MY NAME IS CLAY KACZMAREK! But you probably know me as Subject 16."
"16?! You're alive?!"
"Yeah. I've been living here since the animus tripped and sent me here. My body must still be there. In the real world, that is. Or mabye this is real too. And we were the lucky ones to be sent here!"
"16-"
"Please, call me Clay"
"Ok, Clay, I think you're completely mad. But hey, at least you're alive!"
The two began to discuss each others lives. Desmond explained everything that had happened up until now and Clay explained his life from the moment he woke in Equestria.
"I woke up on the ground. It was cold. Mabye raining. Anyways, I got up and this stallion was walking with his cart across from me, so I ran up to him, tripping a few times, and asked him where I was. He replied with:
-'You're in Equestria, son. Run by our lovely Princess Celestia. Right now, this path will take you to a small town of about fifty other ponies. We call it Ponyville. Its mostly a trading route, but it has a library and a store, and a rock farm. I'm headed there right now if you want to walk with me.'-
So I did. I walked here. I asked about work, and a place to live. The replies I got were like 'Rock farm or trading caravan' and 'The Resting Pony inn'. Then I asked about this forest, but only a few people responded. They said this place was haunted. Everything moved to its own accord. So I came here. Through the forest. I found this place. There were some assassins here at the time. They all died, though. I'm still the same though. Its weird. I don't really age or anything. I just don't."
"Clay, your body, in-in real life. It died. The brain was corrupted. But you thrived.-Inside- the machine."
"Oh, Desmond. I know that. I saw it. I was at my funeral."
"Wait, WHAT!?"
"Anything that happens in real life can possibly happen here. I think its like because i'm here, I can see things from real life."
"Ok. Well, I saw a person from my team appear. I think the same thing is happening to me."
"Huh. Are you sure? I mean, if you are, do you think you're dead?"
"I sure hope not. Anyway, tell me more about this place."
Clay then explained the basics of the building they were in. The different rooms, the different levels, the armoury and all the rest.
Desmond was listening intently when he heard a scuffle at the door. He looked at it, his eagle vision flaring, and he spotted a pony as it dived through the door. Desmond jumped up, his hidden blades out to strike. The pony was wearing the same hood as the pony that sounded like Rebecca.
"Rebecca?"
"Hey Desmond."
Desmond's hidden blades dropped.
"Desmond, we need to talk. Lucy's gone crazy. She keeps yelling something about 'the Templars are gonna get us' and stuff like that. You need to find a way back ASAP!"
"Rabecca, I-I'm trying but its hard in a world of ponies. I don't even know who to ask for help."
"Actually," Clay jumped in, "there is -someone- you could talk to. Princess Celestia I believe her name is. She's the 'Government' here."
"Good to know Clay."
"Wait, CLAY?! You've been here this whole time?!"
"Yep."
"Oh my god! I am SO glad you're not dead!"
She started to flicker.
"Oh! My time is up! Desmond, get to Celestia! Hurry!"
She then disappeared.
"So Clay, care to introduce me to Celestia?"
"It's a long trip by train."
"Lets get started then."
"Its actually pretty late, Desmond. Let's get some rest first, then we can go. There are some stony beds around here. Or we couldgo back to town and rest with in one of your friends houses?"
"Why don't I introduce you to Twilight?"
"Sounds great" Clay said, smiling.