//------------------------------// // Chapter 4 So... I'm trapped here? (Revised) // Story: Dreaming of the Moon // by BeardedRedMane //------------------------------// Slowly Anon floated to consciousness, lulled awake by a sound that he had only heard twice in his life; the rhythmic beep of a life support and the steady drip of an IV fluid bag. Which happened to be pretty unnerving for Anon; on account that the last thing he remembered was settling down in his bed to sleep. Opening his eyes Anon winced at the brightness of the ceiling lights; another sign that he wasn't in his room. Anon never slept with the lights on. As Anons eyes began to adjust his fears were confirmed, instead of waking up in his comfortable bed he now found himself in a foreign room with life monitoring equipment. Unfamiliar ceiling…check. Smell of alcohol and cleanliness…check. Life support equipment most likely attached to me…check. ……… ……………… Seriously? A hospital? Again!? Fuck. The last time I woke up in one of these I was strapped down to a cold table and informed that a good years' worth of memories had been obliterated from my mind. Anon tried to bring up his right arm to rub his temples but the appendage refused to obey, moreover he couldn't even feel the arm he tried to move. Alright Anon, don't panic… You're gonna slowly inch those eyeballs down to your right arm and its still going to be there; and hey, if it isn't you'll just have to learn to bate with the left one. Mustering every ounce of strength and courage Anon turned his head and took a peek at his right arm. Oh thank God. The reason it wasn't moving wasn't because I was horrifically maimed in some accident that I can't remember; it's just being laid on by a blue pony with rainbow hair. Anon turned his head back to the front and sighed in relief. ….. ……. Pony Blue Fur Rainbow Hair "Right this is just a dream." Anon told himself despite knowing without a shadow of a doubt that he was wide awake and not dreaming. After mastering lucid dreaming there was no way he could ever confuse the waking world and the dream world like some rank amateur. Regardless he darted his eyes nervously around the room until he found the object he was searching for. "See? That clock isn't accurately telling the ti--" Anon waited a full two minutes while simultaneously counting off the corresponding time between the clock and his thoughts. Well… It's not like that's the only way to test whether or not I'm asleep, there are far more accurate ways to tell that. Bringing his left hand up to his face Anon reached out two fingers and pinched the contact that he had always neglected to take out before sleeping. The action instantly blurred his vision and a second later he let it settle back into his eye as his arm dropped back to the bed. Anon just sat there letting the realization sink in for a few moments before he turned his head back to the blue pony. The pony was sleeping soundly on his right arm and Anon could feel the rhythmic flow of her exhales against his skin. Reaching his left arm out Anon brought it against the pony's mane. "Warm…" Anon murmured as he slid his hand down her mane and onto her back, brushing what felt like feathers. Are those wings? Is this a Pegasus? "Mmmmmaaaaahhhhh." the pony stirred a bit as it nuzzled Anons arm before slowly opening its' eyes. Rising its' head up the Pegasus trailed its' eyes up to meet Anons, a slight line of drool escaped from its' mouth. "Ah." "Ah." In a flash the pony jumps back and--Holy shit it really is a pegasus, it's fucking hovering a few feet off the ground!! Anon was about to speak up and question the physics involved in that act and debate a few points of how its' wingspan was entirely too small to support its' body but in an instant it disappeared leaving behind a visible trail of rainbow light that looked like it could have been grabbed if Anon wanted to. As Anon pondered the absurdity his eyes slowly trailed to a counter next to his bed that held a bottle of pills and a glass of water. "Welp, that explains it. So this is what it's like to trip balls. Must have been some really good shit to make me hallucinate. Moreover I can't even remember how I got here… Better not have lost another years' worth of memories." Anon grumbled as his stomach growled. "Holy shit, that hurts like a bitch, how long have I been out to induce a hunger that painful?" Anon looked around for a minute before locating the universal 'Call the Nurse' button although before he was able to press it the Rainbow pegasus dashed back into the room. "Oh, what's up hallucination? Where'd you run off too?" "What? Anon what're you talking about?" It responds in a boyish sounding voice. Wat. A flash of magenta light interrupts Anons' already fragmented thoughts and he turns his head slowly to see--Really? Check this out! A purple mother-fucking-unicorn appears. Chaaaaarrrrlliiiieeee! Moments later the door to his room bursts open bringing forth a whole slew of ponies that differ in color and type. Anon was able to count three different types of ponies as they all filled in; unicorn, pegasi and regular ponies. “Oh wow! I’m so happy that you’re awake! We’re totally going to throw a get well party for you and there will be games and food and cake! Oh it’ll be so much fun and everypony will be there! Oh!? We also have to throw you a welcome to Ponyville party! Oooooh I just can’t wait!” a very pink… and somewhat familiar pony jumps up onto Anons' bed with a mile long grin. “Now, now Pinkie. Give the fellar some space. He’s hardly done woken up and yer talkin’ bout parties.” That pony has a southern accent... Anon noted as he scrunched up his face in confusion. "Indeed, if anything the first thing that needs to be done is to get him out of those dreadful clothes and into something with a little more flair." Odd... Why do I have the strangest urge to punch that one in the gut? Looking back at the small table holding his medicine Anon smiled warmly before pressing the 'Call Nurse' button he still had in his hand. "Uh nurse...? Can you come help me please? I think the medicine you gave me is making me hallucinate. There... There are six really girly, colorful talking ponies, pegasi and unicorns in my room." Anon paused for a moment in thought then added, "Oh and I'm really hungry too." Anon released the button and a moment passed before panic ensued. Oh shit.. what have I done?! That nurse is going to think I'm a faggot! A grown man my age hallucinating about ponies? Done. My social life is done. Sagging his shoulders Anon droped his head in defeat. A moment passed before he felt a hoof land on his shoulder. "Anon… Don't you remember?" Twilight nervously starts, "We fought against the Nightmare and with your help, won." "Nightmare, what are you--" a spike of pain shoots through Anon's abdomen as his head throbs and images flash between his clenched eyes. Entering a lucid dream from a waking state Friday night, meeting Twilight. Freeing Dash and others-- getting decked by Rarity and finally the climax. A moment of silence passes as Anon heavily pants, "Twilight… Sparkle?" But… but what happened after that? The last thing I remember was buying time for the ponies… then what?" Gazing down at the bandages that wrapped around his abdomen Anon smirks, "Guess that pain wasn't because I was hungry…" Anon joked before looking up to Twilight and her friends gaining a serious tone, "This… all of this is real?" "Of course it is big guy! With your help we kicked that nightmares butt!" Dash exclaimed as she flew up into the air and shadow boxed. "No… I mean this." Anon motioned to the entire room. "This place, these bandages, and you talking ponies." "Talking ponies?" Twilight narrowed her gaze at Anon, "Well of course, why wouldn't we talk?" "Because in my world ponies don't talk. Moreover they aren't even intelligent." before any of them could protest Anon quickly added, "Either way talking ponies are the least of my concerns. Twilight… When we first met you said that your world.. Equestria? That it was in danger. That threat has been eliminated and I was really glad to help-- but why didn't I wake up in my world instead of this one?" The room grew silent as Anons' words hung in the air, Twilight shuffled her hooves before breaking contact with Anons' gaze and uttering three words that he had feared, "I don't know… When I first realized what was going on I cast a protection ward around myself and then gathered my friends at my library… However they had already succumbed to its effects… I scoured the entire library for any information only to find one book with a single passage that mentioned the Nightmare. There was a spell but…" Twilight paused and bit her lower lip, "But that spell was only to summon you to the dream plane that we were trapped in.. Instead it seems as if you've been pulled out of your dream world and manifested into our world. There were tons of questions that Anon wanted to ask and wasn't even sure of the order that he needed to ask them but finally as a low rumbling echoed throughout the silence Anon glanced down before he settled on the first question he was going to ask, "Got anything to eat around here?" • • • Not a single fucking piece of meat… Should have figured as much. At least it's not a plate of oats and hay. Much to the surprise of Anon they had brought with them a variety of food so he wouldn't have to partake in the delights of hospital food. Glad to see some things are universal, Anon mused. Applejack had brought with her a bushel of the best apples he had ever had in his life. Pinkie had summoned a mountain of cakes-- summoned was the only thing that Anon could relate it to, seeing as she had just reached into her mane and pulled out a huge tray. Lastly Twilight had Spike-- Really? a miniature fucking purple dragon? He'd be cool if everything about him didn't scream Barney--prepare a few whole wheat bread veggie sandwiches. As they enjoyed their indoor picnic Twilight brought Anon up to speed on both his injuries and the events that led up to it while a nurse came in to re-bandage his wounds.. Apparently when she had tried to teleport him the nightmare reached out and tried to intercept their jump but due to quick thinking on Twilights part she was able to avoid Anons capture. Twilight and party however were forcefully relocated near where the nightmare was trying to trap them. They were able to free Fluttershy but were locked into a losing battle with shadow versions of the Discord and Nightmare Moon. Then suddenly Anon and Rarity dropped from the sky and with the added help they were able to defeat the nightmare versions of Discord and Nightmare Moon. "So all of that I do remember, including the point where I was fighting that mare to buy you all time; but how did I get wounded? Last thing I remember was bringing my blade down to deliver the finishing blow to that thing…" "We aren't sure, by all means you looked as if you were not only holding your own but even seemed to have the upper hand, right up until we used the Elements to instill harmony upon the dream world." Twilight began to tear up a little but continued, "When we all woke up from the dream somehow you were pulled back with us… but you were hurt, and there was so much blood." the ponies collectively shivered and Pinkies mane partially deflated. The silence held for a few seconds before the nurse had finally finished getting the bandages off, absentmindedly looking down Anon had to do a double take before bursting into a fit of giggles at what he saw. The wound had been stitched closed with pink thread and was in the shape of a small heart. Apparently Rarity was a seamstress and with his life in danger had patched him up like an old pair of pants. The nurse had to threaten to sedate Anon before he stopped laughing, saying he would reopen his wounds. "Right…" Anon began in a serious tone, as the nurse left the room, "There's just one thing that I don't get Twilight, why me? I'm not some kind of ancient being with magical powers or some super hero either. Hell, I'm not even a soldier, I'm just a regular guy who just turned twenty one." Taken back for a moment Twilight instead responds with a question of her own, "What? But you seemed so sure of yourself inside of the dream! Moreover you took down Discord within seconds and easily stalled Nightmare Moon for around ten minutes. Not to mention you didn't seem to show surprise at… well pretty much anything." "Heh, sorry but that was just me being me," Anon responded while chuckling, "I'm a lucid dreamer, that's why I wasn't surprised at anything and had confidence to take down anything. I just thought I was in another one of my lucid dreams." "Sorry but could you back up a second? What's this lucid dreaming you're talking about?" Dash questioned. "Heh.. like… You serious? Well if I had to sum it up in a sentence it's the ability to control your dreams. You see when a normal person falls asleep they sleep for a few hours before entering the R.E.M. stage of sleep; or in other words the portion of sleep when you dream. People like me practice daily to become aware of the signs that your dreaming and with that realization you're able to take hold of your dream and do whatever you want with it. Anything from flight without wings, or dreaming up an amazing adventure that casts you as the main hero. It's really fun when you get the hang of it." "Whoa, so you can just control dreams? Can all of you humans do that?" "Well, yeah with enough practice, but it's not just humans. With proper training any sentient being that dreams will be able to control their dreams once they realize they are in one. With enough practice I'm sure you could too Dash." Twilight brought a hoof to her chin in thought, "No, that's not possible; in fact the only mare who is able to control the dream world would be Princess---" "Aw yeah! That would be totally cool," Dash yelled as she hoof pumped the air, "So you're saying that you can teach me how and then I could explore the deep jungle with Daring do?!" "Daring who? Well as I said, anything is possible inside of a dream," Anon laughed as Dash danced around in glee, Anon turned his attention back to Twilight, "But besides being able to lucid dream I'm not really anything special. Hell, I've only been at it for a little over a year, there are millions of people who are decades my senior at this stuff." Anon picked up another cupcake and popped it into his mouth, "My guess is that I was one of those, 'right place, right time' cases. So when can you send me back? Not that this place isn't cool, it's just a tad bit girly and well.. completely devoid of humans." Twilight averted her eyes as her ears splayed back against her skull, "I'm sorry Anon, but my spell was only to bring you into the same dream world that everypony was trapped in." she breathed out a sigh before making eye contact with Anon, "I have no idea how you ended up in our world… let alone how to send you back." Anon frowned for a minute before he swallowed his cupcake, "Seriously? I'm stuck here? What do you mean you can't--- I mean it would have been one thing if I woke up in a badass medieval world surrounded by a harem of hot girls but… I'm…" bringing his palm up to his face Anon sighed, "You're telling me that I'm trapped in this world. A world full of brightly colored talking ponies… and that there are no female humans on this planet?" Twilight didn't respond but she didn't have to, the answer was written all over her face. A few dozen thoughts rampaged throughout Anons mind in that moment that included never being able to see his family, friends or pets ever again. All of those thoughts hit him at once but one realization stuck harder than the rest. Unless somewhere down the line he acquired a furry fetish the chances of Anon ever getting laid dropped from an already abysmally low number to absolute zero. "Well then… Indeed."