//------------------------------// // How did this become a normal day for me? // Story: The new arrival in Equestria // by Blazer787 //------------------------------// The snow fell quietly as Applejack helped me out of the little den of ruined apple trees. On the way back to the farm she explained that something had been tearing through her trees, something huge and growling. "More mystery…Great, that's just what I need." I sleepily complained. I was hungry, cold, had no shirt, and have amnesia…Yeah, not looking like a good day so far. Luckily Applejack had some pie leftover from somewhere. "We should probably go see Twilight 'bout this." I said through a mouth full of pie. "Twilight? Why do ya'll need to go see her?" Replied Applejack. "Because whenever something weird happens and I go see her. It usually turns out pretty good in the end, and pretty funny. Besides she's the smartest pony I know and-"I couldn't believe I just said that. Looking up Applejack had an insulted look on her face. "Nononononono! I-I didn't mean it like that, it's just that…Well Twilight knows more about the whole Equestria thing and…uhh…Yeah I'm just gonna…go…now." I hurried upstairs wishing that somehow it'd make the situation less awkward. With guilt swelling up inside me, I wish I had a time machine so I could just change what I'd said. "I guess I'll be the one to break the silence then." A voice called out. "Oh dammit not you again." I stumbled over and sat on my bed holding my IPod loosely in hand. "What'd you want this time?" "Oh well, it's always best to break the silence in a moment like that." "Wait, but how did you know about…What!" "Oh I have my ways. You'll find out soon enough." "And how do you know what I'm going to say? Last time I checked IPods aren't like cell phones." "That's the thing, I can't tell you that…atleast not yet. Just trust me, you will find out and you can stop asking..." "That still doesn't explain how you can make the sound come through my IPod." "Gah why do you have to ask so many questions?" the voice sounded frustrated, like coming back from a long day of school. "Listen I'm telling you all I can without making a huge mistake that we'll both regret. So no more questions." "Anything else then?" "I already told you no! The only thing I can tell you now is to remember moon river and that the doctor is going to knock in 3…2…1…" A loud knocking came from downstairs. "Now goodnight!" The voice said nothing else after that; it was just a broken IPod again. I shoved it into my pocket and decided I should probably stop asking so many questions. It's getting me nowhere and just pissing whoever that person is off. And you don't want to piss off someone that knows everything your saying and exactly when to say it…Maybe this is all just some unicorn messing with me. Peeking around the corner I was relieved that Applejack wasn't there anymore. So I snuck downstairs and the door swung open. "Michael, we've got to go now!" The doctor shouted as he pulled me outside with Ditzy hovering beside him. "Wait what's going on?" The doctor spat out my shirt, "Twilight has a message from Celestia." Ditzy started to push me down the road now, gliding just off the ground. "So she got a letter, so what?" "She mentions you in the letter Michael!" "But she doesn't even know me!" "Exactly!" That actually made sense for once…Ponies have logic now? "Hold on I have a job at Pinkie's and I can't just-" "I've taken care of it." "WOAH!" My foot got caught around the doctor's leg and crashed to the snowy ground. "This isn't as soft as it is in the cartoons." I spluttered, coughing up snow. As I climbed back up a purple blinding light flashed and Twilight appeared right in front of me. "Woah! Aren't you afraid you going to teleport inside someone?" She remained silent with a serious look on her face. "Guess not…" "Come on, we need to catch the next train to Canterlot." "PfftHAHA! Canterlot?" I chuckled, "Everything here is a pun isn't it?" We sprinted over to the train station in Ponyville where Twilight Ditzy and the Doctor checked the time for the next train. While I was just standing around in neutral mode outside, that's when it happened. A voice called out from around the corner. "Why hello there." It sounded oddly cheery. I turned around and was met with what has got to be the weirdest thing yet, even in this bizarre world. Standing only a few feet away was…another human…But he looked at me like it was an average day back on earth, like he wasn't aware of anything around him. He was also noticeably taller than me. He was wearing a long orange, opened overcoat that was covering a swashbuckler shirt. Brown trousers and black boots, he seemed an awful lot like some sort of pirate. He even had a sort of cutlass sword resting at his side…Strange he didn't sound like one; he sounded a lot like someone in modern times. One glance at his face and the most obvious, if not his half creepy smile was a big scar across his left eye. But to top it all off, he looked a lot like me…almost like he was me, but I know there's only one me…Is there? "Let me get straight to the point because time is short. Can you tell me what is happening right now?" I was unable to answer for a few seconds. The shock of seeing another human at all in this world is amazing and terrifying at once. But how was he so calm during all of this? "But how…how are you…who the hell are you! And why are you so dam calm!" "I don't have time for this so let me be more direct." He said still clinging to his cheerful tone. In a flash he unsheathed his sword and menacingly touched the tip to my chest. But this sword wasn't like any other sword, it was as black as midnight from top to bottom, the only detail was a small red dot on the hand guard, around the size of an iris. "Tell me what Twilight and the others are doing or I'll cut you down where you stand." Okay, that was the only time he sounded old fashioned. It wasn't exactly a terrifying feeling having your life threatened. It was more of an awkward one, like me and applejack earlier. Knowing that if you say one wrong word that a sword goes through your chest, it was a rush of adrenaline, I was tempted to just stall or call his bluff. The adrenaline was like an addiction in that moment, the split moment in-between fear. It gets you thinking when you're about to die, or could be killed. Will it be quick, is he bluffing, and what do I say, who is this guy, and why is he a pirate. The questions will vary for situations I'd imagine. "Wait how do you know about-" "Do you really want to waste tis last warning I'm giving you?" How could nobody see this guy? I get enough stares from the locals even now but why can everybody else be so blind! "We-were trying to find a t-train to Canterlot and I-I'm just waiting outside." "That's better." He said simply, pulling the sword away and skilfully sheathing it. He turned ready to walk but I called out. "But wait!" Turning back around looking pleased with himself he waited. "How does everyone else not see you? One human is weird enough but a pirate now...Also why are you a pirate?" "You will learn in dear time Michael" that strange man said while patting me on the head. "All in due time" he flung himself around the corner. "Wait no come back!" I ran around the corner to the back of the station and he had dissapeared. "Aww…there goes the only human I'll ever talk to." I said with a tone of sadness flooding my voice. "Michael are you alright out there?" The doctor called, poking his head around the corner. "Did I hear you say human?" "Nope, just uh talking to…" I quickly glanced back to where that strange pirate had come from "myself…." "Uh huh…" He popped his head back around the corner. "Well, they're going to be a while" I thought. "Might as well get a drink." I wandered across the snow littered road into a random shop that isn't relevant in any way…Also I can't remember its name…Sitting down on a bench with a nice cup of hot chocolate I wondered aloud: "why do these benches have backs on them anyway? Not like the ponies use 'em." "Yeah, I've wondered about that too." Looking over I could see a pony sitting just like me, slouched back. The pony was teal with a grey mane that had a hint of green in it, and a white stripe down it. We talked for a while mostly about how weird this world is when you look at it in third person. I never knew a pony could be so…human. Eventually Bon Bon showed up though. "Heartstrings, I told you not to hang around the human" she accused. "Lyra." I simply said. "What?" "Her names, Lyra, that's what you said right?" She nodded in agreement. "Urgh, whatever we need to go, and stop talking with the human." "Don't be racist." We both said in unison. Then Twilight and the others trotted up. "Come on Michael its time tooo~" "What? You never seen a pony sit like a human before?" "Aaanyway, the train gets here in a couple of days we we'll have to go warn the others." "Alright then seeya Lyra never thought a pony could be so human. Okay, Twilight you go get Rarity and Fluttershy; I'll go get Rainbow and Pinkie, Doctor and Ditzy you go get AJ. Also Twilight since I'm human I'm going to need some magic to get up." "Again?" "Well don't blame me for being human. If you came into my world you couldn't do much because we actually have physics." "Fine then one last time this is getting annoying." I could understand she was getting irritated; I was sort of using her as a personal spell book. And once again the whole big light show with the magic, you manage to get used to it after a while though. In an instant I re appeared on what looked like a balcony made of cloud. Getting my bearing I loomed over the edge to see Rainbows pooling and pouring over the edge. "Oh man this is going to be awkward." I would have jumped off but the thought didn't come to mind. All I could think of was: who lives here? God this is going to be awkward, is this illegal? But do ponies have law? The twisted feeling swelled up in my gut even more as I creepy down the plush white steps. I felt that any moment some random pony was going to turn the corner and spot me. But out of nowhere I started to hear a guitar play, I was probably going to be charged with breaking and entering anyway, so I decided to take a look. Peeking around the door I saw Rainbow Dash lying on her bed playing a red electric Guitar. "Wait, you play Guitar?" I asked steeping into the room. The walls were plastered with Wonderbolt posters and schematics for new tricks. Along with a trash can full of crumpled up paper. No extra points for guessing what those were. I could spot a lab coat hanging in the closet with some dozens of red stains on it, no idea what that was about. "Huh? How'd you get in here?" "I ended up on the balcony because of some spell or something, blame Twilight for that" I chuckled. "Anyway, just came to tell ya that Twilight planned a trip to Canterlot in a couple of days. Heh heh, Canterlot…Is everything a pun here?" "Alright, cool." Rainbow didn't seem to care either way; she lowered her eyes back down to the Guitar. "Right well, I'd better go then…" I swung open the front door and stared down being met with thousands of feet of pure drop, remembering only then that I was in a cloud house. "In hindsight this probably wasn't a good idea…Uhh Rainbow, I might need some help on this one!" Rainbow tried to explain to me that clouds don't work all the same way. She told me that Pegasi controlled them using some subtle magic manipulated thought. That way they could fly through them or use them in buildings. It was all very confusing and just one of those things you need to do first hand to understand I guess. After half an hour of explaining I still didn't get a single word, she gave up with a huff and threw me a little ball of cloud. "Try it on that, then we'll talk." She walked back to her room with an annoyed look written all over her. Another half hour she came back and I was just throwing a cloud ball against a wall. "Urg, do you have any idea what you could do with these? You're just wasting the clouds." "Excuse me for not being physic, and yes I do know what I can do with these." Catching the ball I ferociously rubbed it on my hair and threw it back. A cloud crack of thunder came from the newly blackened cloud as it struck the wall. "Turns out I can make thunder and clouds aren't affected by lightning." "Oh yeah real big discovery hot shot. I'll just go get Twilight already." Ten minutes later Rainbow swung the door open "your ride's here." She said in an annoyed tone. I was still playing with the rubber like ball of cloud when she came back. It's strange how hypnotic it can be. Outside Twilight was waiting in the balloon with the doctor and ditzy floating beside. Twilight had an almost signature like 'you serious?' face on. "Yeeeaaaah." I said nervously "probably not the best place to go to first…heh heh…" The moment was like when you'd been called into the principal's office, just really really awkward. All of a sudden I could feel something climbing up my throat. I buckled over as a heavy cough came out. Looking at my hand and straightening back up, I could see my hand covered in blood. "Get outta here already." Rainbow growled at me as she turned back inside. "Yeah yeah I'm goin'." In the few short steps there were to the balloon a wave of exhaustion flowed over me, I became light headed and blacked out just a step away from the balloon. In the split second before I opened my eyes I expected to have Twilight looming over me nagging me to get up. Instead I awoke to a pony with a surgical mask and rubber hoof glove…things staring into my mouth. The pony was light blue and had a dark blue and white mane. I could feel I was lying in a bed. "Woah, that's a sharp one." She said. I shoved her hand- err…hooves away and half spat into my hand. "What the hell?" This stranger pony now had a look on her face like she'd just seen a screamer video. "You're awake! But…That's…Nurse Red heart!" The pony galloped out of the room. Quickly looking around I could see rows of other beds beside me, and she said nurse…Am I in hospital? Before I had time to think of anything else a group of ponies trotted in the blue pony, a white pony with a red mane, and the doctor, as they rushed over they were all asking each other how I could be awake. "Woah woah, hey, HEY!" I yelled as the room dropped into a silence. "So…Why am I in hospital?" "Umm…"the doctor hesitated. "I'm not really sure how to tell you this Michael but…" He tried to make it sound less awkward by throwing a slight chuckle in. "Michael." The white pony interrupted. I assumed this was nurse Red Heart. "You fell hundreds of feet and came out without even a scratch!" The look on my face was completely blank, like a poker face. My first reaction was this is all just a big joke that Rainbow getting back at me for that tree sap thing. I tried to speak but I didn't really know what to say, who the hell would anyway? "Michael, can you remember anything back in Rainbow's house?" The doctor asked. Trying to remember, it all just came back as a blur, like a blank spot in your mind. The kind that you know you should remember but you just can't. "It's all really a blur. The last thing I can make our clearly is Twilight coming to pick me up and then…Nothing…" "I think it would be best if Twilight and Rainbow explain to you what happened. I'll go get them." With that they all started walking out. "W-wait!" I called out. "You, what were you doing anyway?" I pointed at the blue pony that was inspecting my mouth earlier. "Heh heh…yeah that…Well you still hadn't woken up yet and I am the dentist in ponyville so…I just took the opportunity" "Wait still? How long have I been out cold?" "About…A week now…I think." The nurse gave a quick nod at her. "Yeah a week now." "Holy crap a week! Oh I've got to see this! Let's go get Twi-"As I tried to get up from the bed I shot back in pain as my stomach bent. "Please don't get up!" The nurse ran back to try lay me down. "You're still feeling the aftershock from the drop. You can't get up anytime soon." I sighed in frustration at how helpless I seemed. "Fine just go get Twilight and Rainbow, I need to hear this." "Actually…Rainbow is already here. She's been visiting you almost every day now. You want to see her?" "Yeah alright." I hoped this could shed some light on this mystery. They all walked out, for real this time. And as I glanced over to the open window I couldn't see any snow outside, it looked anything but winter. "Wait" I thought "their winter only lasts for a week…You're freaking kidding me…"