Hello. Yet another edited chapter. Same deal, don't own nothin' except my characters and ideas.
I may have exaggerated that last part.
After Flutters trip to get my clothes succeeded, the ladies around me introduced themselves. They had a lot of questions, as any would really. Each question varied greatly. The purple one, "Twilight" I learned, noticeably had the more 'research' related questions, asking about my species, the environment of my home, my biology, which were things I expected from an astute student. The others had different questions though, some concerning my preference of fabric, some about what type of frosting I liked, and even some just about fruits and trees. They were very surprised when I revealed my homelands history to them.
"You know ladies, things where I'm from aint so nice as here. They used to be, but not anymore. Just hearing you guys wonder about my home, well, it helps me remember the good times." They looked at me with confusion, though there was a noticeable... something in the eyes of their rulers. It was a familiar look.
"Did something happen?" Asked Twilight. In response I heaved a sigh and rubbed my face. This was gonna be fun.
"It's okay Jorge. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." I didn't really respond, staring at the tiled floor.
"I'm sorry, it's obviously a sore subject. I shouldn't have brought it up."
"Nah, it's fine." I sniffled, continuing to stare at the floor. "It's just... these things I'm about to tell you, their not ancient history. Most of the shit that happened to me has happened within the last ten years, or somewhere around there, hell if I know. Needless to say, its not gonna be easy to talk about, but you'll never get past something if you hide from it. That being said, please keep the questions to a minimum." When I looked up they stared at me, silent.
"Ok. So, for starters, I lived on a little planet called Earth. It's a wonderland of biodiversity, especially in the water, which made up for seventy percent of the surface. On this rock were a people called Humans, or for a more scientifically appropriate term, Homo Sapiens, which means like 'wise men' or some bullshit. Basically, we've been around for a long ass time, like, around two hundred thousand years, though I think that's just for our little group that evolved. I'm pretty sure that the farthest we've dated a human fossil is something like two million years, which is obviously a long time to update yourself. So, that's what we did. We evolved all the way until what you see before you. Also, sorry, just realized that was actually ancient history. Anyways." I froze my face for a moment, feeling a tingling in my nose. After a few seconds it was gone. When I returned to the present, my small roommates looked at my with confusion, and some with sad looks.
"Sorry, almost sneezed there. Like I was saying, that stuff is old news. Nowadays-"
"Wait!" I jumped a little, the voice coming from right beside me. When I turned towards the sound, lo and behold, there was Purple, frantically writing down notes. After a moment of silence, which I spent staring at her with an unamused expression, she sheepishly gazed up at me.
"What was that last part? The fossil I mean."
"Oh, like, two million years ago. The earliest recording of human life. It was incredibly different though, as they were much less developed and advanced. Ya got that?" After furiously scribbling down the new notes she looked at me with a smile.
"Yup!"
"Ok, so, lets pick up where we left off. Nowadays there's not much to look at. Seems the world finally got tired of us. As far as my memory will serve me, I think I can safely say its been about ten years now since society went completely insane. There's not much I can recall clearly, even less I want to, but what I can wasn't fun. I'm skip past any personal relationships because that is a fuckton of emotional baggage I aint ready to deal with. All yall need to know Is that I learned to survive. It wasn't easy, it wasn't always morally right, and it didn't always work, but I did it. That eventually got me to a nice little cabin in the woods on a mountain with a group of friends. Now, that's where my dear Fluttershy popped into my life..."
Then they were dismissed, off to go tend to their daily duties and I was left alone with the rulers. Almost.
"Your not going to join them Fluttershy? I'm sure you must be eager to make up for lost time." Said Celestia, the white horse. It's kind of strange watching their mouths move. Like a cartoon or something.
"Oh, I'm fine Princess, thank you for asking. I just want to make sure Jorge is ok before I go anywhere." Replied Fluttershy. With a snort I reached over to her and grabbed her, electing an adorable squeak to come out, and held her to my chest.
"Aw, are you worried about me?" I asked with a toothy grin.
"Well obviously." She gave me a deadpan stare which threw me into a fit of the giggles. The manly kind of course. "Oh shush." She said, giving me a little pat on the shoulder. Clearing my throat I responded.
"Of course. Though, in all seriousness Flutters, I'll be fine. You go reconnect, have fun."
"Are you sure? Everything's okay? Nothing hurts?"
"Nah, I'm fine. Now go, don't let me hold you here." She sighed before hopping of the bed and onto the floor, trotting away with a smile. We all watched her go.
"She has grown a great deal because of you." Turning back I find the sisters staring at me with interest, with an undertone of caution.
Ah, now starts the real conversation.
"Yeah, she's really changed. Don't know how much I had to do with that, cause where I lived that's how you survive. Either adapt or die. She was smart."
"Speaking of your... world, there are still many questions left to be answered." This time it was Luna, if I remember correctly.
"Anything you need to know in particular?" I asked, putting on my shirt, while working on my pants and such under the blanket. Something I had gotten used to over the years. I wasn't a morning person.
"First and foremost, your intentions. I have full faith in Fluttershy's judgement, being the element of Kindness after all, but for both my sister and I's sake, I wish to clear up the mist personally."
"Oh. Well, first I planned on deceiving you and gaining your trust right? Then, whilst under your very noses, I would arrange the meeting of every delinquent and ne'er-do-well and convince them to revolt, thus usurping the crown. Finally, I would place myself as King of Australia. That's just a summary though." I said with surprising seriousness. Enough for them to look at me with squinted eyes, glaring in Luna's case.
"Oh come on, I'm joking."
"Distracting from the subject does not help build trust, especially when it is in such taste." Luna replied, holding the glare.
"Geez. You're flipping back and forth today aint' ya?" She bristled at my comment.
"Excuse me?" She asked, standing to four hooves, having been sitting before hand. In return, having secured my clothes, I threw off the covers and stood myself, albeit wobbly. As I gained my height, which proved to above them both, I stared directly into the irate iris that glared at me.
"Be angry or be happy. Just pick one, for fucks sake."
We stared at each other, unmoving statues, both determined to win the contest, until a white wing pulled Luna away.
"Now, doing anything of this sort will help no one. Let us take a moment to collect ourselves." Stated Celestia, her sister whipping her head around so fast I swear I heard a crack.
"But sister-"
"Luna, please. You are a Princess. This attitude of yours is very unbecoming. You're supposed to keep a level head during delicate times such as these. Your pride blinds you." Without a coherent response ready, Luna simply snorted and sat down. I followed her lead and sat down upon my hospital bed.
"The same goes for you Jorge." My ears twitched at the mention of my name.
"Me?" I looked towards her incredulously.
"Yes. I realize that this must be a very uncomfortable time for you, but your are a guest. I would appreciate it if you would garner us with a little more respect, so that we may do the same."
"I..." I ran my hand through my hair. "Okay. Sure."
"Excellent. Now, please apologize to each other and we can continue on without awkwardness." I looked towards Luna, seeing her with a inquisitive look upon her face, staring at the floor. Figuring I would have to start, I sighed again and scooted to the edge of the bed.
"I'm sorry. Like she said, I'm just a bit on edge right now. Things don't really make sense right now and I'm trying my best to be calm, but sarcasm helps me vent. So, to state it formally, I apologize for my actions and hope you can forgive me." She raised her head to meet my gaze with something between a pout and a frown on her face. Locking her eyes to mine, she spoke.
"I... I also would like to apologize. My demeanor was most unbecoming of a Princess, especially for one my age. I have acted foolishly in an attempt to protect my pride, which I thought was under attack. So, as to match your statement, I formally apologize for my actions and I do hope you can forgive me."
"I forgive you for your actions Princess." I said, offering her my hand which she laid her hoof in, shaking it.
"I too forgive you." She said with a smile.
Cool
"I must confess that I can share your sentiment on adapting. I often rely on the ways of old ways to handle things I do not know. It has not been the easiest trying to get used to everything, but I am trying regardless. I have confidence you will do the same."
"Thank you. It's gonna be really weird, but I think I can make this work."
"See, that wasn't so hard now was it? So, back to business. I understand that this situation we have found ourselves in is quite unusual. Let that not stop us from coming to an understanding regarding each other and respecting one another as equal beings."
This Celestia, she knew what to say. I suppose ruling an entire empire that loved and adored you helped refine ones silver tongue. Her sister seems to be lacking in that regard. She's more forceful with her approach, straight to the point. I like 'em.
"Ya know, even though we've only known each other for a few hours or so now, you guys don't seem half bad. I would like to make a request, if that's all right?" I asked, once again standing, though with much more sturdy foundations than before.
"Thank you, the sentiment is shared. Whatever do you require?" Asked Celestia, a small smile on her face. Her sister shared her expression.
"Well, leaving this place would be a start. I don't really know where to go beyond that, but any place outside here must be better."
"Not a fan of hospitals?" Asked Celestia, a teasing smirk on her face.
"Eh, I suppose you could say that."
"Very well, since you seem to be fine and have no clear trouble standing, we will go the castle. There you will stay for the remainder of our little situation, where you will have access to any essentials you may need, something of which I have been assured of by dear Fluttershy."
"That sounds all right to me."
We left the hospital, asking each other questions about anything that seemed relevant. The topics were mostly immediate concerns, like dietary needs for example. My need for eating meat wasn't met with horror, thankfully, as the two princess's have had many a meeting with carnivorous creatures, like griffons. I kind of wanted to meet a griffon after hearing a detailed description of them.
Heh, If i ever did meet one they would probably challenge me to a fight. Wonder how that would go down.
After confirming with the two that we would walk the way to castle, as it was close enough to not warrant a carriage, I began to speculate on what life here would be like. An important note to have was my apparent immunity to 'magic'. It was something of a life force here, present everywhere and in everything, so my immunity was a shocker. My body emitted a field that cancels out magic, though I was limited to the immediate area around my skin apparently. Any attempt to even touch me, though, helped that immunity spread to the thing touching me, canceling out any magic they might have. I had no idea how this worked and, based on what I've been told, the many others who had been told of this were stuck as well.
Another thing to note was the gravity here. Either the gravity on this planet was less than on Earth or I somehow got incredibly strong, enough to know that if I slammed my foot down on tiled flooring it would break. It doesn't really make sense, seeing as this place had many materials identical to Earth ones, but I decided not to look too far into it, as somehow the two ponies escorting me were able to control the sun and moon. Magic is their explanation for pretty much everything weird here. Except for me of course.
I'm special.
After enjoying the view of the city, which was on a mountain unbeknownst to me, our party arrived at the entrance of the castle, a large golden gate guarded by two ponies with golden armor and spears. Whatever training they had served them well, as all I could see of their reaction was a small widening of the eyes and glance in my direction. Good for 'em. I would hope that being in the military would help dealing with weird and unusual situations. Either that or they just thought I might be a hairless minotaur, something I had been hearing repeatedly during our walk to the castle from the snobby residents of the city. A city named Canterlot by the way. Populated with horses.
Boy golly gee, the naming system here Is super clever.
Navigating through the castle and into a , seemingly, random room, the two royal siblings sat upon suspiciously color specific... bean bags? Like, no joke, actual bean bag chairs. They even had a sun and moon respectively. Being waved to claim my own, a pink one of all things, I sat down and relaxed. This chair...
Oh, I need one of these.
"Oh, I need one of these."
Exactly brain. Thanks for keeping up.
The sisters giggled, which sounded adorable by the way, and levitated over a cup of tea. I hesitated for a moment, not really believing my eyes. I had seen other ponies using this magic of theirs, their horn creating a colored aura around itself and the object of desires, but I hadn't seen it up close. It looked... not real. Like, I was waiting for the gleam of an invisible string to shine or something. Instead, as I took the cup in my hands, the aura dissipated and flew off into the wind, disappearing almost instantly. No strings, nothin'. Just magic. I almost couldn't believe it. I wouldn't believe it if i hadn't seen it with my own eyes.
"So... magic's real then?" I asked, looking up with a troubled face to view the sisters, who were looking at my hands with rapt attention.
"Yes, though as you said on the way here about magic on your planet, I am not surprised at your suspicion. It must be a very strange revelation."
"Yeah, I guess you could say that. I mean, I've been hearing about it and have seen a whole bunch of people using it, but... I dun'know. Didn't really hit until just now. Honestly, that seems to be happening a lot today. I hear about things, but I don't really believe 'em."
"I can't imagine this has been a normal day for you, I doubt anypony would. Trust me, we will do our very best to make sure your stay here is as comfortable as possible."
"Thanks... say, I don't mean to be rude or anything, but I noticed somethin'. Its, uh, its about your vocabulary. Well, everyone's vocabulary. Ya see, I keep hearing everypony, but where I come from its everyone. What I don't get is, since you guys have obviously more than one type of sentient life on the planet, why keep the words centered towards ponies. Forgive me for saying, but I get a tiny little feeling a' racism here. Correct me if I'm wrong, please."
Celestia adopted a thoughtful look, tapping her hoof against her chin before speaking. "I suppose it comes from the fact that many of our ponies rarely travel outside of Equestria. They're used to just ponies and therefore have come accustomed to saying everypony. Is it bothering to be referenced to in such a way?"
Waving my freed hand I dismissed the idea. "Nah, it's fine. I don't really care how you address me, so long as it isn't something stupid or disrespectful. I was curious."
"Wonderful."
We sat there in silence, me having finally sipped my tea. I don't really drink much tea so I not sure what flavor I might use to describe it, but it was very refreshing. During our silence I was wracking my brain with anything I might have missed. Our talk on the way here gave me the same feeling I have now. Confusion. There was so much I didn't know, but it felt like I should have known. I knew it concerned something about my person as well, but for the life of me I couldn't remember.
So what is it I'm forgetting?
"Jorge, is everything all right? You seem stressed about something."
I heaved a sigh.
Now I remember.
"Well, truth be told, I am stressed. I'm stressed about a million tiny different things, but they don't concern me. I'm more concerned about now. So, in the spirit of now, lets ask a question of then, specifically about my arrival here." The two of them looked confused but gestured me to go on.
"So, to help save time, I need to clarify something. How I got here, my world, all that shit... I don't care about it. I couldn't give a dam about what's happening on Earth, and frankly, I'm glad to be off the fucking planet. Am I going to miss it? For the rest of my fucking life I can assure you. But do I ever want to go back? No. The Earth has made it pretty dam clear she doesn't want me there. We clear on that?"
They nodded silently.
"Cool. So, first question; Where the hell is my stuff?"
"I can answer that." Said Luna, placing her cup on a small table nearby. "Your belongings have been given to Ms. Fluttershy for the time being. She has assured us that she will be capable of taking care of your items, which I am inclined to believe as she can identify each item and its uses. However, something she informed us has brought some troubling questions forth. I would like to know the answer to some of these before we continue." She gazed at me with an unrelenting stare. Not a glare, but a stare.
To make sure I know she's serious.
"Well, since we both need info, why don't we take turns? Seems like that's what happenin' anyway. So, what do you need to know?" I asked.
"My pressing question involves some of your tools. Weapons, to be specific. Now, as I have yet to see a demonstration of said weapons, I cannot gauge their potential for damage, but from what I have been told by Ms. Fluttershy, they are capable of immense feats. Sending a metal object faster than sound? Penetrating surfaces?"
"Are you asking if they can do that or what?"
"What I'm asking is what you intend to do with these weapons now that you have survived the land from whence you came? For safety of our citizens, I think an answer to this crucial before we continue."
We were silent again, only this time the atmosphere was much more tense. I held my stare against Luna's unyielding gaze and thought of an answer.
"Well, I don't know what you expect me to say. If your asking whether or not I'll use them, then the answer your getting is 'maybe'. Against your citizens though, I'll leave that up to your people to answer. Listen, I don't claim to be a saint. I've done shit I seriously wish I could forget. When it comes to self defense, well, I'm going to defend myself. If that means beating the ever loving shit out of somebody, then so be it."
"You seem to be rather confident in your position on the matter. Are you making promises?"
"Oh my fucking- NO!" My outburst served to make Luna's stare a glare." Ok, you guys aren't gettin' it. I'm not threatening you. I'm not threatening your people. I'm just telling you, if someone attacks me, whether it be your guard, a maid, hell, even you, I'm defending myself. I'm not gonna' run around like Rambo and start shootin' people. That's fucking stupid. That would not only affect me, but Fluttershy as well, and I'll be dammed if anyone thinks I'm some cheap punk they can take out like nothin'!"
For the third time, silence reigned. However, this one was short.
"Would you defend them?" Spoke Celestia, her voice soft as a whisper, looking down into her cup with a furrowed brow.
"What?" I asked, her words not registering.
"If one of our ponies were to be attacked, would you defend them? If the time comes where our ponies must call upon your aid, would you answer?" She continued, Luna, sitting silently besides her.
"Yeah, 'course I would. They're innocent people. I would do that for anyone."
"Even those whom you may have once considered an enemy?"
That question left me stumped. An enemy? Like, a serial killer or something? Or did she mean it in a more emotional sense? Someone you greatly disagreed with perhaps. Could you forgive someone like that? Maybe not forgive, but protect?
Could I?
"I don't know. Maybe, maybe not. I guess it depends on the situation."
"That's good enough for me." Celestia said with a smile, standing up from her bean bag chair. "It's getting late Jorge. If you would come with me, I'll show you where you will be staying during your time here."
"Uh, okay."
I stood and followed her out the room, Luna choosing to stay inside. Through many different corridors we traveled until we reached another room, where she stopped me with a gentle, but shuddering, wing nudge. When I turned towards her she looked uncomfortable, but quickly as it came it passed, as she was now sporting a smile again.
"This is your room for as long as you need it to be. My room is just down the hall, to the left. If you need anything, anything at all, please let me know."
"Thanks. Uh, I realize I might not have been the best guest today and, uh, I guess I want to say I'm sorry. It's been a hell of a day for me and... I don't know. Sorry."
"It's quite alright Jorge. Like I said before, I can recognize that this is a hard time for you and adjusting will be difficult, but I believe in you. I know you'll do well. All I ask is that you try."
"Yeah. I'll do my best. Hey, you okay?"
She tilted her head in confusion, which was adorable. "Whatever do you mean?"
"When you touched me with your wing, ya kinda shuddered. Do I feel weird or somethin'?"
"Oh, no, not at all. Its to do with you unique trait of blocking magic. I had forgotten for a moment and touched you. Its uncomfortable at worst, but nothing to be afraid of."
"Ah, okay. Well, goodnight then."
"Goodnight, Jorge. Sleep well."
With that she walked away, clip clopping all through the hall. I opened the doors to my new 'place', the room being illuminated by candle light. Overall, it was pretty nice. Well furnished, with some fancy décor everywhere and then some. A bathroom and a closet as well. Good catch, all things considered. I made my way to the bed, only bother to take off my shoes before flopping myself on the fluffy portal to sleep land. I hadn't noticed how tired I was until just now.
Well, this is it. Either I'm dreaming and I'll wake up back in the cabin or all this is real. I don't know which one I want more.
My final thoughts escorted me to dream land, sleeping peacefully upon the bed. For however long that peace may last.
Nightmares are real after all, and none the better to torment with than fresh memories.