The true Dream.

by Blenderpony

3 What now?

~ You are not supposed to be here ~

This sentence, it hurt. It felt unfair.

Twilight and Fluttershy stayed behind in the Throne Room while Shining and his Guards pressed him along back to the cell he occupied earlier. Peter didn't have the fight in him to question Shining or his guards why..

Not that he would have been able to either.

Back in the cell he slumped over to the bed and tried to sit down in the most comfortable position the small bed allowed. It wasn't comfortable at all. But it was the best he would get right now. The size difference clearly didn't do him any favors as well.

Now that he had time and space to think about what celestia said. ~He is not 'supposed' to be here~

Which to him just meant, in combination with the encounter of bad humans a while back, His species as a whole either wasn't welcome or Celestia herself went through quite a lot of trouble keeping humans away for reasons other than the encounter some 300 years ago.

Thinking about Celestia herself for a moment though, he quickly came to the realization that his appearance must have been quite a shock too,. She wasn't some generic mind, she was a Princess who has a 1000 year rule on her Résumé.
A ruler. And from what he was told from Fluttershy, a generous and kind one at that.

Him arriving must have stirred up a lot of old memories. In a way. He could empathise her decision to hold him in for the moment.
She was able to speak to him in his language. Apparently something that wasn't general knowledge at all.

That must mean that humans once did exist here. How many is hard to tell. But the Killings a few hundred years back couldn't have been the only encounter.
But it must have been the final one to get her to banish his species outright from this place. She didn't want her ponies to get hurt.

The Problem now. He has no intentions whatsoever to do that. He promised he wouldn't.

If she would just allow him to get to know him better. Maybe she would see that he in fact he wouldn't want to hurt any of her subjects.

It must have been a few minutes he sat there pondering similar questions and train of thoughts. Because before he knew it. A pony knocked on his bars. It was a off white female pony. Dressed in a maid outfit. She was balancing a tray with food on her back. She didn't really seem to mind who was on the other side of the bars. Since her expression remained quite calm and professional when he slowly rose to his feet and approached her.

He did develop a little bit of a hunger, while sitting there. The Maid said something. Which, not to his surprise, was complete gibberish to him. she did point towards the stool while talking though. Which he too as a hint and moved over there. Squatting down on it rather than sitting down. It was really low.

What did catch him by surprise though is, the maid just pressed a handlebar on the other side of his cell door. And the door, simply opened. Did they really forget to lock him in? That did seem like a really big security flaw. Someone could just reach through the bars and open the cell regardless.

The maid approached the table with a bit more caution now that there wasn't a protective layer between him and her. Moving sideways to to put the dish on the table. and taking the old apple dish away. She too said a few words. Which were probably words like: here you go. Or something of the sort. The way she handled the dishes with her hooves, it looked remarkably simple for her. But Peter couldn't see doing that himself though. He would choose hands over hooves any day.

Turning around she moved out. Peter didn't see any reason to make a run for it since, well he didn't know where to go in the first place. the only hallways and corridors he knew were from here to the broom closet. Which didn't seem to be a sufficient hideout IF he should decide to run.

With that train of thought ended he turned his attention towards his dish. Which consisted of cut apples, ofc, slices of oranges and bread with some sort of jam on it. this looked more like breakfast rather than lunch. what time right now is it anyways? Is the length of day equivalent to a day on Earth? Well he couldn't say for sure what so ever.

If he came here at night rested a lot in the broom room. Fluttershy probably came around after breakfast. He didn't see any reason for her to be there any earlier. Yeah now it must be around lunch. Regardless of that.

He dove into his dish and ate the whole contents within a few minutes. It wasn't a lot to begin with. A good sized meal for a pony. Probably. but a human. He was a lot bigger than them. Height wise at least. The jam on his bread, he couldn't put a name to it even if he tried.

He neatly put aside his finished dish, and returned to a corner on the bed. He was getting somewhat bored.

Just as he had this though though a little commotion started in the corridor outside his cell. From the voices he could make out it was Shining and Fluttershy.

They approached his cell together and opened it in the same fashion as the maid and walked in together. They at least closed it after they entered.

Shining immediately too a protective position halfway in front of Fluttershy. His expression was rather rattled and angry.

Fluttershy spoke up "Hey, Peter." She looked quite detached, and her voice had the underlying tone of just having experienced something life jarring.

Peter shrank down a little on his stool. resting his arms on the table. "Hey" He paused for quite a bit. "I am sorry".

Fluttershy moved next to Shining in a sitting position. "We came to tell you what we are going to do now." She didn't make eye contact. "Celestia checked over the seal which holds the gateway between our two worlds. It is still intact. Nopony actually has a clue how you ended up here. It was decided that, for now, you will be housed -safe and away from anypony. The only location suitable for that is in a zoo outside of canterlot."

"A what???" peter couldn't believe what he just heard. "A zoo???"

Fluttershy flinched a bit herself. "They have the only housing big enough for you. And I objected very hard against throwing you in a cage in tartarus." she almost cried out. "Your kind killed peter!! Not only that but they ate us! There were many before you. And many before them. And so many did bad things. Unspeakable things!!" She cried "Doing irreversible things!"

Peter couldn't, he. What could he do. "But I promised I won't hurt you or anything. I promised" He couldn't understand why, even after many hundred years, they judged him based on his species.

Fluttershy turned around and jogged to the cell door. Crying "I can't. " *sniff* "they are preparing the transport" With that she opened the cell door and fled down the corridor.

Peter couldn't hold his anger anymore. 'Forget It !!' were his words as he slammed his fists on the table. Which gave under the sudden load and broke in two.

Realizing what happened he jumped up and shoved the damaged table away against the wall, facing away from Shining who was still with him in the cell. Shining took a few steps back and was howling something down the corridor.

As quickly as his anger flared up, it went away. His shoulder dropped, his fists un-clenched, his head down and eyes closed.

Peter heard the cell door open again but didn't pay it any attention. Even when his hands were suddenly yanked backwards and tied up by a rope. Followed by a collar around his neck which was certainly attached by a leash. Which in turn gave his tears enough reason to appear. Was he really just an animal to them? Something to be afraid of like a lion.

They physically yanked at his restraints to get him to move along with him. He followed. He didn't want to know how much further they could humiliate him if he tried to fight against their will.

He never lifted his gaze from the floor as they, sometimes just for the fun of it it seemed, pushed and kicked him along.

What he noticed though. The Air got considerably cooler around them as they approached a open balcony. Lifting his head to see where they were going he got his first glimpse outside.

To say he was speechless would be an understatement. The Sky, the hills in the distance, the crystal clear Air. The smell... Was this what a untouched nature looked like?

As they passed the doors to the outside. He just had to slow down to look around. He was lead outside to one of the castles big balconies. Apparently for winged guards and other creatures. Creatures? Well. His best description would be a griffin. A full size Lion like creature at the back mixed with an eagle at front. Those were huge too.

Looking behind himself he suddenly felt SO small. The castle was HUGE! The stories not countable just by looking at it. Whipping his head around again he let out a audible gasp. This City below the Castle. Canterlot. It seemed to hang off the edge of a mountain. And it was a CITY by any means. big and small buildings. Mostly made out of stone. colorful too.

But there was just a edge. There wasn't farmland or anything after a ring surrounding the city. It just stopped.

Getting closer to the edge of the balcony, he got a glimpse down below. It want not too far. But definitely enough to get an urge to step away from the edge of the balcony.

Beautiful dirt roads and tree lines dotted the landscape. With very small villages accompanying patches of orchards and fields. Everything somewhat surrounded by mountains or the horizon.

Away from Canterlot flowed a river through all of it. Giving life to everything in its path.

It was weird to compare it like that. But if he ever had a picture of heaven in his mind. THIS trumped all of it. So much untouched nature and beauty.

Peter was yanked back to reality quite suddenly as he noticed what they were walking towards. He didn't pay the shoving and kicking of the guards and attention during his sight seeing. But as he saw a chariot, with a cage on it. The building style very much alike the cell he was just in. He knew. That he would probably never get to see all of what he saw up close.

The Cage seemed to have been fit to the chariot in quite a rush. It didn't look like it was designed to hold one. It was manned? by four gruff and very similar looking Pegasi. Who definitely did a lot more workout than what would be necessary.

He know they wanted him in there so he stopped with the hold back and let them lead him into it. He was just glad they didn't throw him in there. The cage only allowed for him to sit in it. With a wooden floor and ceiling, Metal bars all around.

Shining, who apparently was holding his leash the entire time, secured the end of it with a lock to the bars of the cage. And closed it. The door giving a very audible click. Peter just moved into a corner, holding his legs to himself, hoping the road wouldn't be too bumpy.

With the guards outside exchanging a few words and sentences they checked all of the chariot and cage to see if all was good. He just observed them.

With a slow pace they started to move. There was a walkway connected behind the chariot which apparently was a sort of ramp which lead to the lower levels of the castle. At first they did start to move towards it. But he got confused as the stopped just short of it and. Turned around?

There was nothing but a ledge and no other way down. Except for falling or .. . . f l y i n g.. His chariot was connected to four pegasi.. He instantly whipped his head around and indeed. Wings up, they all started to move in unison. Walking, jogging, running. Wings flapping.

Oh dear god above, he was about to get howled to his final destination by air. And oh dear did he regret not having had a chance to go to the toilet.

To say he was in utter fear would have been an understatement. Because the only thing audible from the point onwards when the chariot broke the edge of the balcony, and went into a small dive to gain speed, was a rather loud screaming shriek. Which lasted way longer than anyone would have guessed and shouldn't be that high pitched by a male.

Peter loved roller coasters. The thrill always seemed relaxing to him. This? He would give it an intensity rating of 'too high'. After a short amount of time of total weightlessness, and him holding onto the bars of the cage as tightly as humanly possible. They leveled out.

His behind hit the floor not too hard. But definitely enough to be noticable for a day. He never closed his eyes. And after the first seconds of shock. He desperately tried to orientate himself.

The chariot seemed to float rather than glide through the air like a plane. It wasn't really bumpy. More like sitting in a chair suspended by springs. The motions were fluid. The wind wasn't too bad, even at the speed they were going.

Looking towards his flyers, they all flew almost in unison. They must have done this a lot of times. because it looked really coordinated and professional. They apparently were the only ones too. He didn't see any other pegasi following them.

The general direction they took seemed to have been directed by the river. Trying to remember his mental map he wanted to find out the general direction they were going.

But he quickly realized be looking around a few times that the leash had somewhat coiled up around his neck. Unrolling it by turning back a few times he found it to be a simple cloth like single band. The diameter of the collar adjustable.

Wait. that gave him an idea. Loosening the collar a bit. He realized he could slip his head right out of it. Which he did. That would free him up a bit. He at least wanted to know where they were going.

Looking behind the chariot he saw Canterlot again. Again a truly beautiful and remarkable city. And indeed it was hangin just on the side of a mountain. There was a solid path leading towards it. But it seemed to have been heavily manipulated and crafted. It didn't entirely look like a naturally generated structure.

What drew his attention away though. was the cell door. It seemed to have been made out of the exactly same design back inside the castle. Even tho opening mechanism.

A simple lever outside the cage.

The sudden realization came to him like a speeding car and almost hitting him. They weren't too high up in the Air. And they probably wouldn't notice that he was gone when he jumped out and down into the river.

Looking down it certainly did look like it was deep enough for it.

Could he do it. Wanted he to do it? . . . Matter of fact yes.

If Celestia didn't want to give him a chance to show he was not like those a lot of time back. The reasoning was kind of faulty yes. But in his current mind. Sometimes you have to break the rules and bonds to be able to do the right thing.

He moved to the cell door. Slid his hand between the bars and activated the lever. And much to his surprise and wonder. It actually opened. He looked behind to see if the Pegasi noticed. But he found them completely oblivious to what was going on. So he opened to door fully and held it in place.

The chariot didn't give a lot of room outside the cage. enough to stand on it. But mid flight. Well he had too much respect of it and decided to lay down and lean over the edge to look underneath the chariot.

To his luck there was a really big pond coming up. And they were flying directly over it. YES! This actually was his chance. He is going to do this. And he is going to show them, yes I am better than you think I am.

Filled with confidence. He got his feet under him. And waited for the river to widen up. Which it did.

"Okay, Peter.. You can do this." He was shaking really hard. But after the first try, he did find the courage to jump out.

"Shiiiii" ~~ was his unfinished swear as he broke the surface of the pond.

Author's Note:

Thanks for reading my Story.
Feedback is very welcome. And if you find a mistake or something you don't like.
Please share that too.

Thank you!

Comments

[Sentinel Shield]

Wow I am really enjoying this so far, just a few spelling/grammar mistakes but aside from that I love this

[Blenderpony]

9983074
Thank you very much.

[paladinwolf]

Deploying lifeguard to save the wayward human...
thumbs.gfycat.com/DimThornyBaiji-small.gif

[GrimDarkSurvivor]

When both the angel and the demon on both sides of your shoulder agree to one thing. "DO IT, YOU'VE GOT NOTHING LOSE!"