I am having some trouble adapting to this weird world. It's nothing like my old one. I' kind of glad though, since back there it was full of horrible monsters. I'm no so sure this world is much different. Might as well get used to it.
Alright, I'm sorry to say this, but I am currently rewriting basically all of the chapters I have so far. The ones changed/edited will have that in the title, just for difference. If by the time your reading this there's already a "Substantial" amount of chapters redone, I wouldn't bother reading the others, as I plan to make the story a bit different.
Making it through the portal was just the beginning. Now I have to face a whole other culture, with different society's and rules. I don't know how I am going to do it.
Ever since we made it here from my world, its been like hell for me. I can't say exactly how, but it seems our worlds aren't so different after all. Dealing with a whole different country was hard enough, but now I have to be known for things I did back on earth? I may have been a hunter there, but its gonna take a whole lot of convincing to get back into it, for both me and Flutters.
She's never gonna let me do anything without her watching over me like a hawk. I wonder how that's going to be.
Different world, same problems. Hooray for being different.
Hello Internet, this is Dr.Equinox. This is going to be a little 'revamp' ,I guess you could say, of the original chapters. I'm doing this because I feel I have strayed WAY too far from my original goal. I had this whole thing planned out, it was gonna be amazing! Then, as I went through chapter after chapter, I didn't get any of that feeling. So, I'm redoing it. Hopefully this time I can get it right.
Copyright claims go to Hasbro and whoever else might have ownership of My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic. I own Jorge T. Milus, as well as any other Original Characters I come up with. There you go. Now, let's get started.
You know, now that I look back on it, I am completely bamboozled that we survived.
We were on a world that was literally out to get us. We lived on a mountain on the border of Alaska somewhere, I think, In a nice little cabin. Well, not little, that thing was huge, but whatever. There was a whole Damm sheet of snow anywhere you looked, which made it hard to hunt and gather supplies, which were already limited thanks to the harsh environment, but you know what? We survived. My friends and I survived atop a snow covered mountain in a cabin, where, everyday, two people would go out and hunt.
We did that same routine for about two years, until something extraordinary happened.
Someone knocked on our door.
Now, when you live in a world where there are hardly any people left, especially when you live on a fucking mountain, something so mundane as knocking stops being normal. So, we approached the door, each of us with our own weapons, and swung open the door. That wasn't too hard since it was particularly windy today. It was expected.
What wasn't expected was a naked woman fainting on our floor.
We later came to learn that her name was "Fluttershy". A little strange, I admit but hey, she was a nice lady and honestly, we were just happy to know that we weren't the last people on Earth. She did keep mentioning a place called "Equestria" and how she needed to get back to there. So, I promised I'd help her, not thinking for a second about the consequences of my actions.
Skip to about three months later and I find myself standing between my dear friend and a monster, staring down the massive abomination. It wasn't natural. Even nature wasn't that cruel. We were down in an abandoned town, just me and her, as along the way everyone else had died. Behind me was a glowing circle as bright as the sun, rippling with energy beyond comprehension. That was our goal.
We were so close. So close to getting away from this dammed planet, but this thing had stopped us. We maneuvered around it, somehow, and as she ran behind me, I was frozen. I gazed into the eyes of the beast and I saw everything. The pain that was its existence, the unyielding hunger, the furious visor it saw life through.
This thing did not want to be alive, but it was.
"Jorge, run!"
I could faintly hear a call for my name, the sound snapping me out of my trance. I did a 180 and booked it, the backpack I had looted years ago feeling like it weighed thousands of pounds as I ran. By the time I had even approached the... thing, the girl I had fought long and hard for was already through. All I needed to do now was...
Jump.
And I did. I jumped straight into that Damm thing with such force I surprised myself. I had to close my eyes as It was insanely bright. Passing through the thing felt strange, like when you get a shiver up your spine in the middle of the day and don't know why it happened.
It was warmer here. There were sounds, like yelling, joining the ringing in my ears. I could hardly make out the different voices. There was one I knew, but it was lost in the sea of noise. Then, I felt the bright light fade away from my eyelids. I think that's when the 'portal' or whatever it was closed.
And then I finally hit the floor and promptly passed out.
I awoke before my eyes opened. Honestly, I don't know how long I stayed there, listening to the various beeps around me. It may was well have been hours before I attempted to open my eyes. After mentally exchanging a few words with the brightest sun alive, my vision cleared enough for me to make out my surroundings.
All around me was white.
White walls, white ceiling, white floor. Even the damn bed was white. So much white. I get the fact that I'm probably in hospital, but geez. As I continued to look around, noticing the machines connected to me, I began to get feeling back in my body. Boy, did that feel great or what?
"Where the hell am I?" I attempted to say, only to immediately cough. My voice was scratchy and my throat was very dry.
As my hands went to massage my throat I sat up and stretched my arms out, feelings dozens of satisfying pops. After checking to see if anything was inside me, and finding out there was none, I did something stupid and disconnected the various wires and the like attached to me. I could care less about the alarms sounding as I did so. I just needed to get out of there. I needed to know what happened.
As I tore away the prying machinery from my body I noticed some movement just on the edge of my peripherals. I froze, only slightly turning my head to see what exactly this mystery movement was. As my eyes moved in practically slow motion I could make out details.
It was very yellow, that much was obvious.
Wait... yellow? Yellow? Yellow!
I tried to voice my excitement, but all that came out was some real nasty coughs. Regardless, it caught her attention.
"Huh..." She lifted her head up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes... with hooves. Hooves?
"Hooves..." My voice was barely a whisper, but she heard it and turned towards the source. Her eyes widened upon seeing my figure.
"Jorge! Your awake!" She leapt into my arms immediately, though I hardly registered it.
Why are you so different? I mean, I knew you talked about it all the time but... I don't think I ever wanted it to be real.
She noticed my stillness and lack of response. When she raised her head to gaze into mine, she did not find the warmth and affection I suspect she wanted. I looked at her with confusion and awe. I honestly didn't know how to react. I mean, what was I looking at? I was used to her being human. A little short, but still human.
But here she was, an even shorter yellow horse-thing with pink hair. She had pink hair before, but I just assumed she dyed it or something. No hands, just hooves, oh and also, fucking wings! Did I mention that? I don't think I did. Yeah, she has two wings jutting out of her back, and she doesn't seem the least bit concerned.
"Jorge? Are you ok?" Her voice snapped me out of my trance.
"I'm, uh, I'm fine. Things are just a bit different right now. Its hard to focus." She brought her head down, still hugging me tightly.
"Is this going to be fine? Everything being as different as it is?"
Was it? Everything being so different... its strange. Kind of humbling in a way. Now its not just humans anymore is it? I mean, the living proof is right in front of me. Is this going to be ok?
"You know... I'm not the kind of guy to skirt around things. I'm very straight forward. So, I have to tell you, I don't know. I don't know if everything is going to be fine. That'd be extremely optimistic of me to say and I lean towards being a pessimist."
"Oh..."
"But you know what?" I lifted her head to face mine, staring into those beautiful blue eyes of hers. "Why not give it a try? I mean, I'm not dead, so I must be here for a reason. Besides following you that is."
"Ok. "
"Ok."
Then we just sat there, enjoying the others company for whoever knows how long. It was nice. To be able to pretend for a moment that everything was the same. That I was back on Earth. That she was human again. Alas, it was not meant to last.
"Hey, where are we? I know we're in a hospital but like, in what town?"
"Oh, we're in Canterlot right now. It's the center of Equestria. That's the country by the way."
"Yeah, I thought that sounded familiar. Say, how long was I out for?" She became forlorn at my question.
"Three days. I didn't know if you were ever going to wake up. I was so worried, I just couldn't bear to leave your side, even for a minute!" I quelled her fears by initiating another hug.
"Well I'm fine now. Say, is there anything I should know?" She tilted her head at my question.
"Like what?"
"Like, is there some big political thing going on right now, or if I might do something really offensive? Stuff like that."
"Oh, well, the princesses wanted to speak to you as soon as possible. Actually, I should inform a doctor that your awake."
"You know, you probably should do that, but there's also the option of staying here and letting someone fine us?"
"Jorge, I'm going to get a doctor. Please, stay here while I do that."
*Sigh*
"Ok, fine. I'll stay here." She surprised me by giving me a peck on the cheek, causing me to blush.
"Thank you." Then, she left.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever." I grumbled, though with a smile on my face.
Minutes passed by as I took in my surroundings. Overall, pretty bland hospital. White everything, standard machinery, though surprisingly no heart monitor. Weird. I would have definitely had a heart monitor on an unconscious alien. Maybe they took it off? Holy shit, have I gotten so bored as to talk about heart monitors and the possibilities of them? Jeez.
By the time I heard the doors reopen thirty minutes must have passed by. Or perhaps ten. Time gets really slow when you have nothing to do. Regardless, they opened and I heard voices. Only one I recognized. There was at least ten.
Oh boy, get ready Jorge. Here comes the cavalry.
I straightened by back, crossed my arms and legs (which were still sore), and gathered a cautious and stern face. I never was good with crowds and one of the easiest ways to get someone to back off is to show them just how uncomfortable you are. As one large mass of bodies entered my field of view, I started to analyze them.
Five were 'normal' sized. I assumed they were friends of Fluttershy's because she certainly felt comfortable around them. They practically had a rainbow theme going- oh wait, one of them had an actual rainbow for hair. Never mind then. Said rainbow character had wings like Flutters. Two others, purple and white, had horns of all things, and the last two, pink and orange, had nothing, thankfully. Then I noticed the two elephants in the room.
Wow. Actual horses. No way around it, theses guys were seriously horses. If not, then they share a very remarkable resemblance to them. One was pure white, had a horn and wings, along with rainbow hair. Ok. The other was almost-black-but-not-there-yet blue. She also had a horn and wings.
Now that I look at it, they all have tattoos on their rears as well. Oh please don't tell me this is a cult type of thing. I will seriously be miffed.
The first to speak was my dearest.
"Jorge, these are my friends: Rainbow dash (wonder which one that is), Pinkie Pie (pink one), Twilight (purple), Rarity (white), and Applejack (orange). And these are Princess Celestia (pure white) and Princess Luna (the blue one)."
"Yo." I gave them a small wave while still looking for... something. It's been a while since I've seen so many friendly faces. I think my mind might be playing tricks on me.
"Well, now that everyone has been introduced, I'd like to start discussions." Said one of the princesses. Celestia I believe.
"About what exactly?"
"Your intentions, for one." This time it was Princess Luna.
"Luna!"
"Say what you will sister, this being, a human, is completely unknown to us. Personally, I cannot rely on a single account of his actions to properly judge him for who he is. Not to mention his apparent immunity to magic."
"Luna, I understand your caution but there is a proper way to handle things like this."
"Does that include talking to said 'thing'?" They both turned towards me to find an unamused frown upon my face.
"Look, I understand why you may not trust me. After all, as you so eloquently said earlier, the only reassurance that I'm not some horrible beast waiting to eat you all or something is the words of a single individual. However, let me assure you personally that I am not here for any nefarious dealing or stuff like that. You don't have to like that I exist, hell you don't even have to trust me, but the least you could do is give me the benefit of the doubt."
...
...
*sigh*
"Okay, since it's obvious we're all uncomfortable here, why not start over? Hi, I'm Jorge. It's nice to meet you." I leaned forward and extended my hand, waiting for Luna to shake it.
Hesitantly the Princess raised her foreleg to grasp my outstretched hand, initiating a shake. Her previously stone-like features melted away to form an embarrassed smile.
"Hello Jorge. I am Princess Luna, Co-ruler of Equestria. It is a pleasure."
"See, not so bad. So, if I may, I have a question. Where are my clothes? It's kinda just bare essentials down here."
"Oh, the doctors had to take them off to make sure your body hadn't suffered any injuries on the way." Said purple. I think that one was Twilight. Yeah, that sounds right.
"Oh. Well, can someone go get them? I'm feelin' a breeze here and its not comfortable." Cue the blush.
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.
Another chapter, continuing my revision of the story. Here you go.
It was cold.
That much was easy to remember. Then the came the ground, the sky, the trees, the ... the people. It took a second but it was all there. Every fucking detail.
It was our last day on planet Earth. Our special guest had somehow communicated with her people, through a dream or a vision, I don't know. Whatever it was, it proved to be more than enough of a clue to tell her where to go. By this time, having spent months in isolation with her and the crew, I had already hit it off with Fluttershy. She saw past my stiff demeanor and into my heart and I saw through her meek nature to find the courage she never believed she had. She helped fix me.
'That's why you're so important to me darlin'. You fixed me.
Not every member of our party agreed to just trot down the mountain and into the town. No, the danger was clear and the odds of survival were low. Even I understood that, being the love-struck idiot I was. However, she insisted that we go as that was the only time it could happen. We would never be able to send her back if we didn't leave then. Unfortunately, that didn't matter to some.
We fought over it. We argued, yelled, and even punched each other over it. After the action was over, a line was drawn. A decision was made. Who would stay and who would go. My side was obvious. In a moments passing, so were others. It came down to one who would stay, the rest following me down the mountain. He couldn't believe his eyes when he saw us leave. I suppose he realized that the less of us down there the higher chance we would be killed, because some time after, he joined us. So at last we were together.
It didn't last long.
'I could have done something...'
It came out of nowhere.
'Reacted faster...'
It was massive. Easily bigger than a bear, but deformed and grotesque.
'I should have recovered faster, should have snapped out of it...'
A...
"Monster."
It charged at us and then-
"GAH!"
I gasped, sitting straight up. I held my hands on my head, my ears ringing. I closed my eyes tight, but it wouldn't go away. I shook my head like a madman but it did nothing. Fed up, I threw the blankets covering me into the air, slamming my feet down and standing up unsteadily. I made my way to a wall, grasping it like it was my only hope of surviving. Maybe it was.
I followed along the wall to the nearest door, the ringing still haunting my ears. I didn't bother to even turn the doorknob, instead slamming my whole body against it, stumbling through the entrance. I put my hands onto the first this I could find, which was a sink. Forcing my eyes open I turned on the faucet, splashing my face with water. When my eyes cleared I looked towards my hands...
Blood.
I could feel my breathing increasing, my muscles spazzing. The world around me was erased, replaced by nothingness. The only thing I could see was the blood on my hands.
'Fine, if you want to get yourselves killed, be my guest!'
no...
'For christs sake, it's only water!'
No...
'He was only a kid!'
NO
My eyes opened. No blood. I looked up.
Only tears.
My morning fucking sucked.
"Ah, Jorge! I'm glad you could join us."
Any other time, I would have been glad to hear her say that. I would have been glad to arrive at a big ass table for breakfast, being served on hand and foot. Hell, any other time I would have plopped by ass down and asked 'what's cookin' shuga' tits?'. However, this was not one of those times. So instead, I sat my self down and responded with a simple;
"Eh."
I probably didn't look to happy. This was, of course, tied into my little nightmare I had, which turned out to wake me up at practically four in the fucking morning! Anyway, after my tantrum I stayed up until about now, feeling generally unrested and irritable. I feel bad for the folks who would eventually come to the room and find all the broken shit. Remember the wall I was clinging on to? Yeah, that shit's gonna get replaced. Along with some of the flooring and the counter for the sink.
Damm. I'm gonna have to apologize to them for that. Eh, I'll do it later.
As I sat down I noticed Luna was here as well, on the other side of the table with her sister. The thing is, they were literally all the way on the other side of the, I dunno', like fifteen foot table? As I processed how to deal with this, Celestia tried to strike up conversation.
"So, Jorge, did you have a-"
I help up my finger, issuing my supreme reign over conversation. I also made her stop talking.
As she was about to begin again, I stoop up. Then, grabbing it with one hand, I hefted the chair I sat upon up and walked all the way to their side, until I was right next to them. Then, as ceremoniously as I could, I dropped the chair and sat down.
"Mornin'."
*CRUNCH*
"Did you just eating a whole fucking pineapple?"
"Yes."
"Ok."
A moment of silence began. In front of me sat... nothing. To my left was a large basket of fruit. So, doing my very best not to get out of the chair, I reached and dragged it over, grabbing the first fuit I saw, which was a banana. I unpeeled it and ate silently, staring off into the distance. I didn't hear someone calling my name until a few seconds later.
"Huh?" I mumbled, turning to view the concerned faces of the Princess's. Well, one of them. The other looked just how I felt, which was like shit.
"I was asking if you were all right?" Asked Celestia, holding a piece of a pancake in her magical aura.
"No." I replied bluntly.
"Whatever is the matter?"
"Nothin' ya need to be concerned about."
"Nightmare?" Asked Luna, glancing briefly at me before levitating over more pineapples.
Why the fuck does she keep eating pineapples? Can horses even eat pineapples?
"Mmn." I grunted.
"Hmm." She hummed back. Celestia looked back between us and sighed.
"Not one for the mornings?"
"No."
We continued to eat in awkward silence, until a loud bang had startled us. Slowly turning my gaze towards the door, where I could hear slowly increasing voices. Turning back, I raised a brow in question, but before I could ask anything the doors on the other side of the room burst open, the voices from before now annoyingly close and loud. Grimacing, I took one look at the newcomers before rolling my eyes and reaching for another apple.
Oh good. Stuck up jackasses. Great way to start the day.
"I'm off to take care of my duties sister." Spoke Luna, glancing briefly at me before leaving the room.
"Very well. The best of luck to you sister."
"To you as well."
Then we were alone, the group of ponies that slammed open the door earlier still standing by it and arguing over something. Honestly, they hadn't even moved from their spot. It seemed to be one noble looking pony in particular that was arguing with everyone else. Grimacing at the volume of their conversation, I squinted at them, trying to figure out how to handle the situation.
Maturity is a boon... but I'm gettin' a headache.
"Hey Celestia?" I asked, not turning around to face her.
"Yes, Jorge?" She responded, a forced smile probably on her face.
"What's that guy in the middle's name?"
"That would Prince Blueblood, my nephew."
"Nephew?"
"Not blood related."
"Hmm. K." I responded, standing up and stretching my arms.
"Jorge, please-" Celestia pleaded, though she didn't sound very into it.
"I'm not gonna hurt him." I told her as I stride towards the group, having been unnoticed until I was close enough.
"... and what happened in the guest room? Did we house a dragon or something? Why do you have such ridiculous looks upon your faces?" Spoke 'Blueblood', an air of arrogance and superiority emanating off of him.
"You housed a human." I said, standing behind him with my arms crossed. The others around him, resembling maids and butlers of sorts, had noticed me earlier and widened their eyes at my appearance.
"A what?" Asked Blueblood incredulously, words dying in his throat upon noticing me behind him.
I narrowed my eyes, sizing up this pony before me. A practically sparkling white coat and blond mane, wearing a suit for some reason, and having a both a disgusted and terrified look upon his face led to one conclusion about this guy; he was either gonna be a pain in my ass, or too much of a pansy too bother me. I sincerely hoped it was the former.
Hell, I could use the outlet.
"W-Well" He sputtered, recovering from his brief absence of thought. "If that was you, then I hope you have quite the explanation! Broken floor tiles, cracks in the wall, not to mention the sink! How do you plan to answer for these- these damages?!"
Taking a deep breath, I responded.
"Imma tell you two things." I said, looking him dead in the eye." One; I got a headache that feels like a million a' you fucks are runnin' around and beating the fuck outta my brain with your whining voices. Two; Y'all are either gonna leave or shut the fuck up, 'cause I am not in the mood right now." I finished, rubbing my forehead with a grimace.
"Wha- How dare you?!" He said, stomping his hooves.
"Ah-ah, no." I said, grabbing his mouth with one hand and wagging a finger with the other. "No talkin'. Cause you loud. Real loud."
"Mmmnnhhmmmhm!" Blueblood mumbled, his hooves flailing around in exasperation.
"Ok. You're not gettin' the message." I said, releasing his mouth. He shook his head before returning his glare at me.
"Do you have any idea who I am? What I can do? Because I can make your life-"
"A living hell? I've already done it. Besides, you can't do jack shit. Especially since your aunt is right over there." I gestured towards the still seated Celestia, who was now reading a newspaper. She noticed her name being called and lazily raised her eyes, a piece of cake levitating in her grasp. It seemed she accepted the situation.
"Good Morning Blueblood." She called out, flashing him a small smile.
"Aunty! Thank goodness you're here! Could you please-" He said, but was interrupted by a raised hoof and a sigh from Celestia.
"My dear nephew, as much as I would love to hear about the status of the guest rooms, I have too many plans today for this morning to be wasted. If you could, please, give Jorge and I the rest of this breakfast alone." She said, giving a him a look indicating that it wasn't an offer.
"Well- I-...Very well aunty. If you would excuse me." He said, patting down his little suit and raising his head into the air, leaving along with his entourage , giving me one last glare before going through the double doors. Once he was gone I heard yet another sigh.
"Jorge-"
"Yeah, yeah, I know. He's not that bad once you get to know him, right?" I asked sarcastically, returning to my seat next to Celestia.
"Unfortunately, he's that bad all the time. That much can't be changed." She said, continuing to read the newspaper. "I meant to speak on your methods on dealing with him."
"You want me to be less intense?"
"Less physical, please. Ponies don't take well to being handled aggressively in such a way, especially Blueblood."
"Ahkay. Say, any chance you got someplace I can walk around? Someplace quiet?"
"Hmm. Perhaps you can traverse the gardens. Just... don't touch the statues." She warned, eyes narrowing.
"O-kay?" I responded, my eyebrow raised.
"Okay! Have one of the guards by the door escort you there. " She said, smiling.
"Alrighty then."
"Oh, and be sure to return within the hour! We have much to discuss."
"Yeah, whatever."
I left the room, telling the nearest guard of my desire. He nodded and gestured for me to follow him, which I did. As we traveled through the castle, a comfortable silence between us. I got to see the architecture of the ponies, which seemed familiar to either Greek or Roman times. Nice and smooth, with emphasis on gold and white, sometimes with more vibrant colors. Overall, not terrible to look at, but I bet it could get very boring fast.
As I let my eyes roam over the hall they landed on the guard escorting me. He had a white coat, with a mostly covered golden mane and tail. The golden armor he was wearing seemed very thin and utterly useless, but hey, this is magic pony land. His demeanor was impressively stoic, or perhaps maybe he wasn't a morning person either? Who knows?
Oh Jiminy Christmas, I just noticed he's wearing little golden horseshoes.
"Say, fella..." I spoke, catching the guards attention. "What's your name?"
"My name is Lightning Targe, sir." He replied, his head turned at an angle towards me.
"Lightning Targe? Wow. That's one hell of a name you got there buddy."
"Thank you, sir."
...
"So!" I started, causing him to jump the tiniest amount. "Since, you know, you work here and everything, I feel its fair to assume you know the layout pretty well?"
"Yes sir. Like the back of my hoof."
"Oh yeah? You've been working here long then?"
"I'm nearing on two years now, sir."
"Wow, Impressive ... shit, I didn't mean to sound sarcastic about that." I corrected myself, giving him a case of the chuckles.
"It's quite alright sir."
After my horrendous attempt at small talk turned into something decent we walked in silence. A comfortable silence, thankfully. Normally, I wouldn't give a rats ass about social activity or related, but this was one of the few new people I had met and I was trying my best to be nice and conversative again. Conversative. Hmm.
I don't think that's a word.
Once we reached the garden, which was rather impressive in itself, I stopped at the entrance, my escort following my action. I breathed in the cool air and noticed the scent of various flowers tickling my nose, some recognizable. My eyes scanned the foreyard and noticed many familiar plants, many of which I hadn't seen in months, years even. I clenched my fist gently, closing my eyes as memories shot past my thoughts.
"Hey, Targe." I asked, not opening my eyes.
"Yes sir?" I heard him respond.
"Could I be alone for a bit?"
"Unfortunately sir, I do have to keep watch over you. I can watch you at a distance however."
Opening my eyes and sighing, I said "Fine. I'll be going to that bench over there. Do me a favor and don't disturb me."
"Absolutely, sir."
I slowly walked over to a wooden bench near the center of the garden, my movements feeling sluggish. Sitting down, I could hear the creaking of the wood as my weight pressed against it. Once I was seated I stared at the ground, my eyes unfocused. More and more memories kept popping up, leading me to close my eyes and put my head in my hands.
"Fuck." I spoke softly, venting to myself. "What am I gonna do guys? I miss you. Fuck, I really miss you. It feels like every second I'm here there's something weird going on, or there's just this feeling I get... I can't help it. I want you back. I need you back."
As I spoke I found it harder and harder to restrain myself from crying. Now that I had time alone, everything flooded in. All the pain, all the loss, all just because of one girl. For a very brief moment, a flicker of anger sparked in me, but I quickly dismissed it. None of this was her fault. None of it was anyone's fault. This was a truth I knew all along, and still know now, but there was something else...
I know it's true... It's no one's fault shit happened the way it did, but if that's the case...
"Then why does it feel like all this shit happened because of me?"
I couldn't tell you how long I sat there, or how many tears escaped my clenched eyes. All I can recall is feeling a light tapping on my shoulder, causing my head to snap up at my attacker... only to find out it was Lightning Targe. He seemed concerned about something, and I could see his lips moving but there was no sound. Wiping my wet eyes I blinked away any residual water and shook my head.
"Huh?" I croaked out, my voice scratchy.
"I asked if you were all right, sir?" Asked Lightning, leading my me to notice that only now, with my sitting down and hunching over, were we at equal height.
"I'm fine." I said, sniffing as I stood to my full height, taking a deep breath and releasing a shuddering sigh.
"If you'd like to spend some more time, I'm sure I could-"
"I'm fine, Targe. End of story." I said coldly, giving him a glare.
"... very well sir. We should head back to Princess Celestia soon, as our hour is almost up." He replied, allowing only a brief absence of though interrupt his duties.
"Let's do that."
We walked back along our way, a noticeable silence between us. I never was good when dealing with my emotions, often going into corners and brooding when I was younger. I had, at some point in my life, decided to transfer that anger into exercise and had actually gotten in good shape. The only problem was that the emotions were always there. There was always some easy way to piss me off, some thing that could light the match and start a whole forest fire of pure anger. My maturing helped me learn to control it, but I knew from the days I discovered my pit of hatred that I would never escape it.
As my thoughts drifted away from the past and into the present, I discovered that we were nearly there, the large double doors of the dining room becoming more recognizable. As we neared the room I began to recount my actions towards my escort. I debated within myself whether or not I should apologize, which when concerning my stubborn nature, was a difficult battle. Ultimately, however, I remembered that burning bridges early helps no one.
"Hey, Targe..." I started rubbing my neck awkwardly.
"Yes, sir?" He responded, slowing his trot while turning his head to look at me.
"I, uh... I need to apologize for back there. I didn't meant to act like that. It was unnecessary and I'm sorry."
"Though there's no need to apologize sir, I appreciate it and accept it." He said, facing forward again.
"Thanks. Do me favor and don't tell anyone about that scene you caught me in, alright?" I asked.
"I swear on my life, sir." He said, raising a foreleg to his chest.
"I'm being serious." I warned, narrowing my eyes.
"So am I." He replied, in full confidence.
A small smile came to my face, disappearing as we met the guards at the entrance of the dining hall. We stood there for a moment, turning to face each other. I offered my hand to the stallion, whom graciously accepted it.
"It was nice meeting you, Lightning Targe." I said, shaking arm with leg.
"As it was meeting you, Jorge." He replied, giving me a smile.
"Huh.. I don't recall telling you my name." I said, raising a brow.
"Oh, I overheard your conversation with the Princess."
"Oh. Alrighty then. See you later."
"Until then."
After our conversation was finished I headed inside, where Celestia was patiently waiting with a folded newspaper. She broke out a smile upon seeing me and stood out of her chair, her full height much more impressive than any other pony.
"Ah, Jorge, your back! Excellent. If you're ready, we should be heading to my room to discuss our many, many topics." She said, her smile brokering a similar one across my face, though it was subdued.
"Sure, let's get going."
"Then we shall be on our way!"
We headed off into the hallway, her leading the way. She seemed very happy today, a kick to her every step. It was kind of weird, to be honest.
"Well aren't you a perky piper today?"
"Me? Why, I don't know what the cause is, but this morning feels particularly special! It's as if nothing can go wrong!" She declared, a cheery smile on her face. She seemed to be spreading her happiness to others, as I noticed guards and maids alike gaining similar perky attitudes as she walked by.
"Well now you're just asking for a disaster."
"Jorge! Don't be so grim, my friend! The day had only just begun!" She said, lightly smacking me with her wing.
"Alright, now you're starting to freak me out. I'm gonna need you to stop."
"Stop being happy? What a silly notion Jorge!"
"Celestia." I said sternly, grabbing her shoulder.
As my hand grasped her shoulder she stumbled. Thanks to quick reflex's, I managed to catch her In a hug, holding her front in my eyes. She looked dazed and confused, her eyes blinking rapidly as she tried to focus her thoughts.
"J... J-Jorge? W-What..."
"Are you alright Celestia?" I asked, noticing a few guards rapidly making their way towards us.
"Y-Yes, I'm fine. Could you help me stand please?"
"Princess, are you alright?!" One of the many guards that now surrounded us asked.
"Yes, yes, I'm fine, thank you. I suppose I may have gotten a little carried away there." She said, attempting a smile.
"Are you sure Celestia?" I asked her directly, noticing a few guards making faces at me.
"I'm certain. I think I may need a bit more rest than I thought." She replied, standing fully on her own and smiling down at her subjects.
"We can escort you to your room your highness." One of the guards offered, earning many agreeing mumbles.
"No, that wont be necessary. I'm sure I can handle it on my own."
"Very well Princess." One guard said, leading to them dispersing.
"Wow. You've got them nibbling at your feet don't ya?" I asked with eyebrows raised in disbelief.
"Jorge!" She quickly replied, fixing me with a glare. "I understand your stances our system may be negative, but I will not stand for talk of my ponies like that in my presence! Do I make myself clear?"
We stared at each other, both eyes narrowed and glaring. I stood with my arms cross as she stood to her full height, with neither of us giving the other a chance to look away. We stayed like that for a good moment, a scowl beginning to form on my face.
"Oh, I think were plenty clear right now." I said, my scowl coming in full force.
Instead of responding, she took in a deep breath and released it, closing her eyes as she did so. When she opened them again she match my angered face with a neutral one.
"Jorge." She started, speaking clearly and precisely. "I understand that we are having a disagreement, and I wish to correct it. I would like the both of us to apologize to the other so we can continue on our day."
"Humph. " I grunted in response.
"I will go first then. Jorge, I would like to apologize for my anger towards you. It was not the appropriate response to your remarks and I am sorry It happened. However, the point of my anger Is not negotiable. While I realize that you will not stand for being treated as anything other than an equal, you must understand that I rule over these citizens everyday, and I watch their lives intently. They are like my children, and I will not stand by as one criticizes or demeans them. No matter the individual." She finished her little speech with a steely stare into my eyes. Not a glare, but a stare. Just to let me know she's serious.
"I'm glad you realize where I stand." I responded, watching her gaze at me with a nearly unreadable face.
"Jorge, please. All I ask is a simple apology." She pleaded, giving a small break in her stony façade.
"All right, fine. Whatever. I'm sorry, okay?" I asked, sarcastically, nearly snorting at the end of it.
She approached me slowly, her stone-faced fixture turning to concern.
"Jorge, is everything alright?"
"... you amaze me Celestia. With how fast you just changed. It was almost instantaneous."
"You're not answering my question Jorge."
"Of course I'm not fucking alright!" I shouted at her, causing her to jump.
"Alright then. Let's take this inside shall we?" She said, gesturing to the entrance of her room, the large door having a massive sun on it.
I didn't even notice we arrived
Agreeing begrudgingly, I followed her into the room. The room itself was huge, with dozens of different type of furnishing littering the room. Celestia trotted all the way to a large circular bed, where upon she climbed up and laid down, gesturing for me to do the same with a chair nearby. Rollin my eyes I went and sat in the chair, noticing it was actually quite comfortable.
"So, Jorge..." Celestia started, magically summoning dozens of papers and a couple of pens and pencils.
Hello again. Isn't it nice to see someone again, even though you know its gonna be a while before you see them again? I hope so. Anyways, since there is so many excuses I could pull but not support, I'm just gonna continue with the story. Not doing the color speech as well, it proved to be somewhat confusing for me.
"What a quaint little town. Glad I got to come here two weeks earlier than expected."
That brought a look of annoyance upon Celestia's face. It makes sense, I did basically demand my release. Nicely I assure you, but the message was clear. I was going home, one way or another. Speaking of the Princess, she was now gazing at me with a look of concern.
"Are you certain this was a wise decision? I can understand your devotion to the mare, which I can respect, but you are not in the most stable conditions at the moment."
"Oh no, I'm fine, trust me." Okay, not gonna lie, that one stung.
Oh great, there's that face again. Can't say I blame her though, what with the little 'attacks' I've been having since I left the hospital. I merely waved off her concern, putting a smile back on that seemed to stretch too far to be natural.
"See? I can handle anything this world throws at me! Ha! Suck it world!"
As though responding to my taunting I received another shot to my chest, forcing me to a knee. Ok, I got the message, loud and clear. Za Warudo did not want me to strain myself. Alright, I could listen to some pretty sound reasoning...
"... world, you can go fuck yourself. HA!" I yelled that last part, standing up on the chariot I was riding on.
Looking to my left with a shit-eating grin, I saw a very confused and concerned Alicorn, internally debating whether or not this was a good idea.
"I'm not so sure this was a good idea."
Or you know, externally debating. I think that's what that means. Looking to the ground beneath us I saw we were approaching the small town, or village I guess. Now everything started coming back to me. Every detail, from when we entered the portal to now. That wiped away any happy-go-lucky attitude I had, forcing me into reality. I could already see some faces down below, as well as some flying. They all had varying emotions, ranging from curiosity to bafflement, but the majority had made itself very clear.
I was an outsider. An alien. I didn't deserve much from, if anything at all, and that's how I knew I would be seen. Like some sort of ... monster I would have to say. I had seen monsters. Experienced exactly what made a monster tick. I swore to myself I would never become one and I was determined to keep that promise.
As we finally landed I noticed the that we were in the back part of the Village. Smart, the less confrontation the better. Once we both stepped away from the carriage I took a look around. There wasn't much back here commercial wise, mostly just farmland. There was however, one path that lead to the only person crazy to live near a forest full of beast. That regained my smile. Before we could go though, I was held back by a wing. I gazed at its owner, confused.
"Jorge, I while I wish to be as hospitable as possible I want you to know something. It is because of Fluttershy that I trust you, as well goes for many others. I hold nothing personal against you but for the sake of my ponies I need you to know that you have yet to win me over. If you ever want my trust, it will be earned, and not easily either. Furthermore, while I have allowed you to come here, do NOT think this will be easy. While I have gained wisdom in my years, the ponies here are still very biased and will either openly ignore you or even provoke you. Know that they only mean well for there community, as when there is a threat to one, it is a threat to them all. It may be a long while before they open up to you enough for you to walk about freely. Concerning funds, I have decided that I will look into your offer more thoroughly and will get back to you in a few days time. That being said, I come to my final point."
It was then that her already stern face had gone solid as a rock, her steely gaze giving a new look to the mare. One that I could only respect with the highest amount of dignity.
"If I am to come across knowledge of you being involved in the harming of a pony innocent or guilty, whether it be direct involvement or partial, there will be severe consequences that I personally will see to. Do I make myself clear, Jorge T. Milus, human of Earth?"
Giving a sigh of recognition I withstood her burning eyes.
"Yes Maam. I thank you for allowing me this opportunity as well as trusting me enough to let me stay here. It means a lot to me that I stay with her. We've been through much and while I know it will take a considerable amount of time, I do have some hope for me settling in nicely."
Giving me a small smile she gestured forward. We continued our trek until we made it to the small hut. I noticed even some of the animals here gazing frightfully at me. It made me disappointed but animals was never my strong suit. Well, it was once, just not in the same way. I walked forward and knocked on the door three times, rapping my knuckles repeatedly on the door. There was some faint incoherent noises leading up to the door being opened to reveal someone I've been dying to see. Probably literally.
"Jorge!" Yells the ball of fur that latches onto me in a vice grip, which got an amused chuckle out of us.
Hearing another voice besides my own she lifts her head off of my chest and blushes with embarrassment, lightly flying down in front of us.
"Princess! I'm sorry, I didn't realize that you were coming otherwise I would have cleaned up!"
"It's quite alright Fluttershy. This was as much of a surprise to me as it was to you, I can assure."
This makes Flutters look to me incredulously.
"I thought you were supposed to still be in Canterlot for a month. Did something happen?"
"Yeah. I got impatient so I decided I might as well come over anyways. Besides, its not like there's anything wrong with me. Oh golly here it comes!" I brace myself for the inevitable but after moments of silence it proved fruitless, besides making the two in my presence tilt their head with confusion. Got to say, it was actually pretty adorable.
"Yeeeaaaahhh, sorry about that. I was expecting a karma thing to happen. Guess not."
"Is there something wrong?"
"Well, yeah. You see, not too long ago I've begun to suffer 'attacks' I guess you could call it from my body mutating or something of the like."
This news horrified the little mare. Instantly she flew up and began to test and prod different parts of my body searching for something out of place.
"Does it hurt? Where? How badly? Why did you leave the hospital if your hurt?!"
I grabbed the mare to stop her frantic search and gave her a soft smile.
"I'll answer every one of those, if we could come inside."
"Oh! Of course, please come in!"
Right as I was about to pass the entrance a sudden feeling of pain shot through me, making me grip the doorframe tightly as I closed my eyes. Recently the attacks had been getting more painful, with each one lingering just a bit longer. This was honestly one of the reasons I insisted on coming here. I knew just how much more worse it would be if I didn't have her by my side. When I finally opened my eyes I found a look concern on Celestia and a wide eyed startled look from Flutters, her hoof covering her mouth. I gave a dry chuckle as I lifted my hand that had been gripping my chest up to my eyes.
"Look, hehe, no blood."
"Is this what's been happening to you?" the whisper was barely audible enough to hear.
"Yeah, that's about right. Let me tell you though, it comes in handy when I become too much of a problem. Helps keep my head straight, ya know?"
She slowly flew up to where we were equal level before she gripped my head and gave me a sad smile. Then without warning she launched forward, hugging me tightly, mumbling in my neck.
"Then why did you come here?"
I smiled as I replied.
"Because hun, you make me feel all better."
I could feel her give a tiny giggle at that.
"You big dummy."
"Only if I'm your big dummy."
After we stood there for who knows long we separated, still lightly holding each others shoulders before looking at each other. She shyly looked down and back up again as she asked:
"So you don't mind this then? My real body?"
"Why would I ever care about your body when your personality takes all my attention?"
She hid her face with a blush. I gently lifted her head to lock eyes with mine as I leaned forward and planted my lips on hers. After a moment we separated, but in that moment everything spilled out. All the pressure, all the stress just melted away In that fine few seconds. Afterwards we both gave each other love eyes before remembering there was a third party here. When I glanced back to her she had a pleased smile adorning her face. Guess she approved.
We moved into the house, its size being astonishingly different than what the outside was. It was like it was bigger on the inside! That sounds familiar... Ah whatever. She escorted us to the living room where we all sat down in our respective places. Me and Celestia on a large couch and Fluttershy on a recliner of some kind. Once we were all settled Celestia cleared her throat, garnering our attention.
"As you both are no doubt aware, Jorge deciding to live here with you Fluttershy is a very big step not only in your relationship but also for Ponyville."
I cracked a smile at the name. These ponies and their cities, I tell ya.
"Now I hate to bare bad news but with the arrival of a new species in Equestria and with the history of my Ponies I must urge the both of you to be very selective about where you go in the town. As I've already discussed with both of you, not everypony is as kind or sensitive as most. So please, for the sake of both of you I ask you to endure some time alone. I'm certain it is something the two of you will enjoy."
"I don't think that's going to be too hard. How about you Flutters? Am I enough to drive you insane?" She giggled at my comment, giving me a mischievous smile.
"I think I'll be just fine, thank you."
"Alright now you two. I am still in the room you know."
"I don't think that'll stop me."
"Jorge!"
"Hahahaha!"
Celestia's POV
As I sat there looking on at the scene in front of me I couldn't help but smile. Perhaps this human would be fine after all. Even if he wasn't I was certain to leave an impression on the young man. The best I could hope for right now was that he treat her and everypony else right.
My attention had shifted elsewhere when I started to notice the time. It had already reached midday! Standing up on all fours I grabbed there attention.
"I'm afraid I've been a bit distracted from my duties. Please do forgive me for leaving so unceremoniously but I must go."
"Aw. Alright, well, tomorrow then? I say that because I assume we aren't finished here." Ah, perceptive has become a usual trait with him.
"Indeed. We still have much to discuss but that is for another time. I bid you farewell." I give a small bow as they return it in sequence.
'I hope I didn't make them wait too long...'
Jorge's POV
As Celestia left I turned to Fluttershy before walking up to her and hugging her tightly. She gave a small 'eep' which was adorable as I lifted her bridle style and walked to the stairs.
"Upstairs is where the bedroom is right?" Her face flushed at the mention of the room.
"J-Jorge I-I don't think-"
"Relax honey. I was talking about sleeping." started up the stairs before she could reply.
"O-oh. Good. I'm still not sure about doing... that."
"Hey, it's all fine by me. You choose when your ready, not me. Ah, here it is." I finally reach the bedroom finding that it has a smaller door than what I was used to. Not even bothering to put her down I secure her in one of my arms before reaching out and opening the door. Once we are both inside I lay down, not bothering to remove anything besides my boots.
As we lay there I could feel sleep nipping at my head, demanding attention. Before I yield to the almighty sandman I give my beloved one last small kiss before whispering:
Back again. Not much to say, besides that if you thought Celestia was bad in the last one, this ought to clear some things up.
'Oh boy... not this again.'
This was one of the many things going through my head as I stared into the eyes of a beast I was partial to block from my memory. It was something that constantly tormented us back on Earth, weaving in-between the tall trees that covered the mountain top. Scattered around me were the remains of my weapons, the rifle I had come accustomed to having been broken while being used to ward off the beasts gaping maw. Next to that was one of my extendable, a .9mm that had managed to stand up to the freezing temperatures, intact for the most part but too far away to be of any use. Lastly was my .357 Magnum, a personal favorite that I rarely used because of the scare ammunition I had found. That and it was a gift from a friend. Standing hunched over, blocking any chance for escape, was the beast, hovering close to my weapons, staring at me with cold grey eyes as my hand twitched.
This was obviously a dream.
Normally I couldn't distinguish a dream from reality, being that the nice ones were so uncommon that I would rather enjoy it than analyze it. This one though, no matter how realistic it was, would always be noticed. This is a dream I've had constantly, for months. I've seen to it that I notice all the abnormalities: the subtle end the trees signified, as the dream would end when I approached them, the hazy sky that when looked at would begin to distort itself into unidentifiable shapes, and lastly and certainly not least as the monster. You see, it being here was not real. For when I had found out the deeds this being was guilty of I had one objective in mind.
To track it down and gut it like the animal it is.
I saw to that the head of the beast was rotting away, the lifeless eyes now having new meaning. Ever since then I had begun to have this dream. It used to fill me with a sense of dread whenever I was aware of its presence, but not it only fills me with hatred and grief, for both the monster and myself. For it was I who let this heathen go, unscathed for its crime. A crime I had no intention of initiating, but was still held responsible for.
It had killed two of my closest friends and maimed one near to death, where they died of their injuries shortly after. Even to this day I couldn't say their names without feeling immense grief and anguish. I had started an argument that had gotten very heated. It was about what to do with Fluttershy, a strange and innocent young woman who showed up on our doorstep freezing cold and without clothes. We eventually let her in and the rest is history, until a fateful night.
Thanks to some force of nature, Fluttershy had been told to meet at an old abandoned storage house, though abandoned didn't mean much by then. At a time like that, it would be surprising to find someone alive, much less a small group of all males, for the most part anyway. When we had been told about this message, we were all very skeptical. Yes, by then she had been there for months and proved her worth many times over, but something like this was suicide, especially with weather that was constantly nearing hurricane speeds. Not to mention the monsters that lined the way down the mountain. It was a ridiculous idea, but not one we would dismiss.
After living with her for some time it became clear that something about the woman was strange, off if you will. She had something there that no one else in the world had, but to figure it out would be a pointless task, as she always had an answer that didn't make sense. Take 'being a Pegasus pony' for example. Now that I can finally believe her without looking like I had lost my mind, it makes more sense since that's what she actually was, just not on earth. On earth she was a normal human, with an admittedly surprising amount of strength for such a frail figure.
The day before the plan to trek down to the town was when it happened. One of our members was certain that it wasn't right, that there was something wrong. I of course took this the wrong way and began attempting to defend our newcomer, any bias from me not surprising as we had hit it off fairly early and began to learn to love each other. This eventually led to the rest of the team leaving to do something I couldn't remember at the moment. All I know is that as soon as they were outside the house, they set off running away from the behemoth that laid awake in ambush.
When I had reached them, it was too late. Two were obviously dead, their grotesque and mangled bodies having me hope to all deities that they were dead. To live in such a way, to survive an experience like that... one of them was torn straight in half while the others head had seemed to be missing. Then I noticed one was still alive, missing a foot and having large fresh scars all along their body. I was mortified at what had become of my closest allies. I would have nearly emptied my stomach right there if I hadn't connected eyes with the monster.
It leapt away from the survivor, who continued to wail in pain, and stalked towards me slowly before suddenly charging into me, sending me meters away. I had the rifle gripped in my arms, an old Springfield that had been left at the cabin by those who lived there before, and would later have to use it to fend off against the beasts jaws before getting a shot out next to its ear, forcing it to flinch, giving me just enough time to kick its neck in before getting up and sprinting away. When I had pulled out my .9mm I managed to get a few rounds off before it was smacked out of my hands by a frighteningly long tail.
This all leads up to now, me standing parallel to the horror that had taken my friends away. In that one moment, everything changed. Any fear for my life ceased as I realized that being scared was what had gotten us here. What had caused them to die. I would no longer obey fear, for now I banished it from my mind. All I could feel now was hatred. Hatred towards the thing in front of me, standing there arrogant in its strength. It would prove to be of no use in just a few moments.
I couldn't remember all the details as my anger made it fuzzy but the important parts I could see clearly. I had gotten off two rounds out of my magnum before using to block an attempt at a swipe. Next I saw my self going around the beast, unsheathing a family heirloom that would find its peak of glory that day. I slashed at its legs, forcing it into a lower position before I grappled the beast neck from behind, quickly jabbing the knife in its throat, feeling the resistance fade away as the blade hit its point and went even further, the tip breaching the end of its neck. I did not stop there.
I continued to stab it repeatedly in different areas, its shoulders, its back, even once managing its chest before it fell forward in a heap, barely breathing as it lay there, defeated. I still sat upon its back, staring at the animals vulnerable head. I gripped my knife harder than before, ripping it out of the beasts side before raising it above me with both hands, my gaze never leaving the target. With one last battle cry I impaled its head, feeling it thick skull attempt to match my own ferocity and failing. It immediately went limp and as I sat there, I yanked the knife out before plunging it back into the fatal wound.
Again.
And again.
Again and again until I couldn't find the strength to keep going. It was there I sat as I openly sobbed for the loss I had received that day. Even then, I forced myself up and began walking back to the house, limping the entire way there from scratches I hadn't noticed before. Even when I made it to the cabin I didn't stop until I found her. She was sat by a boarded up window with just enough space between the boards to see outside. I made it to her and collapsed, pouring out whatever emotion I could find still left in me while she held me, probably crying too. I normally woke up before I got here but I guess I could deal with more now.
After a while I seemed to run out of everything and just stood there, enjoying the moment. That is ,until I noticed something. It was small and I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't felt like something was off. There was something here, watching me. As I curiously looked around I eventually found a small patch of purple smoke filtering through the walls. It was very subtle, in fact I didn't even acknowledge it until I saw a pair of two small eyes.
I don't know what came over me but at that moment I felt the rush of battle once more. I gently pried Fluttershy off me, her giving me a confused glance, before I turned to stare at the well. The eyes were much more noticeable now and I would have seen the eye color if the rage I was experiencing wasn't so blinding. I gripped my fists tightly, a face of pure unadulterated rage permanently stained on my face before I sprinted to the wall. As I raised my fist and gave a battle cry, the eyes widened everything began to dissipate. Right as I felt my hand connect to the watching being everything went dark and I lost conscientious.
I woke up with a start, swinging my fist as a first instinct. When it connected with mere air, I gave the room I was in a look. It was not the cabin as I had believed, but rather in the house of my beloved. After taking a moment to compose myself I sat up at the edge of the small bed, something I hadn't noticed before. I gave a sigh before standing, noticing that my clothes had stayed the same overnight, something I was completely fine with. With grunt I began stretching as I walked to the door leading into downstairs. Didn't want to keep her waiting.
When Luna had begun to attempt to delve into the humans dreams she did not expect so much resistance. While it did not appear so at first, Jorge may have been trained in the arts of mental defense, or he might have been gifted with it. Either option only made it more apparent that this was no easy task.
So she waited.
She waited days until she felt the humans pull on the dreamscape. It surprisingly rough, demanding attention before all others, ignorant to the level of seriousness that Luna took in her nightly task. As she went through each and every beings troubled dreams that were within her reach the ferocity of the humans dream became more and more apparent. Once she finally made to his door she made preparations. She had been planning ever since her fist attempt failed, up to the point where she was certain victory would be assured. It was when she managed to get past the haughty doors that she realized that it might not have been the best of ideas.
While it she was certain she had missed the majority of the dream, she deemed what she saw to be enough. It was Jorge, beaten and bloodied, walking through snow covered ground towards a small cottage or cabin. As she followed him she saw the interior of the home through cracks in the walls, not wanting to expose herself just yet, though it would turn out to be well outside her control as he had began to stare at the wall she was hiding in.
Narrowing her eyes she made sure to cast another spell the next time, if only to hide her further. When he had walked parallel to the wall she had consented to revealing herself, and she might have been able to if he hadn't charged towards her in righteous anger, aiming a fist directly towards her face. She began to dissipate the dream, but not fast enough as she felt the fist impact her before sending her out of the dream.
She laid there on the floor of the dreamscape, dazed and confused as to what happened when she heard the sound of the door turning to sand. When she successfully righted herself she found the only evidence of his placement was the sand following an invisible breeze that took it away to unknown places.
She thought long and hard about the encounter, confirming her suspicions. His mind was a strange and unusual place filed with unfortunate memories. She had suspected that to be true but seeing the evidence in front of her very eyes was different. She now understood that he disliked visitors in his personal dream space and would actively confront them. While this was somewhat disappointing, she smiled, glad to have learned a valuable lesson about the human.
She couldn't wait to tell her sister all about it, though she felt as if, in some way, she might have already known.
With a content smile resting on her face she began to shift and morph her surroundings into a personal exit just for her, gladly trotting through.
Hey guys, I'm back again. Sorry for the wait, I had some family issues going on (still do actually) and that caused me some delay. Besides that, I think this chapter should actually clear some things up, like I said the last one would, except ill actually do it this time. Anyways, here's the chapter.
-EDIT: I have some questions for you guys down in the authors note at the bottom and I would really appreciate if yall answered them for me.
The week after my strange dream was pleasant. I got to meet some animals, including, but not limited to: a bear, some birds, a ferret, a mice family, squirrels, and a tiny little bunny rabbit full of anger and hatred. It simple until that last one. I mean, he's just so angry and rude, like, all the time. It kinda miffs me to be honest, but not as much as being stuck here was.
Now, don't get me wrong, I have literally given up my life so I could spend the rest of it with my dearest, but when you cant go anywhere and you've already learned half of the animals names, people like me tend to move around. So I thought about it and wondered... if there was a forest directly next to us, why not explore.
I would later learn there are many reasons why you should not do that.
So, that brings me back to where I was now, traversing the mysterious forest, by my self. Of course I had talked to Flutters about it before I left, because I'm not stupid, and she warned me about the dangers hidden within, but did not ban me from entering. So I scooped up some guns (some being one) and began my quest. If your wondering how I got a gun without my gun bag, as that was still in their custody (or I just didn't know where it was), I had sneaked a pistol into my pockets, fully deceiving them by describing it as a trademark 'bulge' that came with the pants when anyone asked. I felt both proud and ashamed at my feat.
As I trekked through the bush I began to hear sounds. Some were clicks, some were snarls, I think I even heard some whispers at one point. This did not dissuade me however as I continued onward. My pace did slow a bit as lights started to shine in the darker areas. They followed my every move, cold and unnerving. As I switched from one light to the other I realized that they were eyes!
'Oh. I should have figured that out earlier.'
Once my revelation kicked in my hand was constantly hovering over my Makarov pistol, another relic of my old world. It wasn't the best out there and honestly, I would have preferred any other in my collection, but it was the smallest I had. There was also the smaller ammo supply, meaning I had a single magazine consisting of 8 bullets. Overall a last resort.
Now I know what many might be thinking about this. Why would I ever do something so stupid as to smuggle weaponry over to a town full of people who probably don't trust me while under the watchful eye of their government?! Well, honestly, I had no answer. It was an impulse thing and if they found out I would be in some serious trouble. I could get deported, imprisoned, or, hell, even get the death sentence, though that might be a little far. So what drove me to it? Was it a need for reassurance, a way out if things went downhill? How would I use it? Would I kill or only injure? All these and more ran through my head as I walked. There was one that kept repeating until it made itself my primary thought.
'Why did she let me leave with it?'
That made me, along with the atmosphere around me, suddenly stop. Why did she let me take it? I knew that she could see through the lie easily, she was very wise after all. So why let an alien bring a weapon to a town full of innocents where you had no idea what was going to happen? The only reason I could think of was it being a test. To see if I could really be trusted. Not with my equipment either, but with being safe around her subjects and friends. To see If I would turn out to be an ally or an adversary. Hmm. I've got to give her some credit. Either she's very trusting of her peoples capabilities, or very trusting in me.
If she really did trust me that much, then I think she's more optimistic that she should be. I had blatantly broken her trust and lied right to her face, and she knew. She knew I had taken the gun, breaching any trust made between us, and let it slide, just to see if I myself, could be trusted with the responsibility to handle it. Damm. She's got my respect.
That's why she was so assertive that day. She wanted to send that message, to say that she knew exactly what I was doing and warning me against using it wrongly. It made so much more sense now. It also made me feel like a dick. Any self pity I felt would have to wait for a moment though, as when I turned around to head back I found a lone figure in my way. No wait, scratch that, there's three. Nearly didn't see them there in the darkness.
They were like wolves but wooden. Best description I could make, honest. There eyes glowed a sickly familiar green, cold and angry as they stared at their prey. Their bodies were made entirely out of sticks with some green hues around some parts. The center one was slightly larger than the others, a leader I'd say. It was a step or so in front of the group and making its presence known by giving a deep growl. When it did so I whipped out my Makarov, firing a bullet right between the eyes.
The moment the bullet impacted it disassembled itself into a pile of unorganized sticks. The other two looked at their leader with surprise and fear, noting the impact wound, which now was a bundle of sticks, oozing a green substance. Taking initiative the one on the left fled in an instant while the other charged at me. I managed to get a shot in, hitting its shoulder only to stagger it slightly, before it lunged at me.
I rolled out of the out of the way, avoiding the majority of the damage as its hind claws scratched my left arm. Fortunately not my shooting arm. As I turned to face it I found that it was still looking away. Quickly grabbing a hold of the Makarov with both hands I aimed, only for a sudden pain to enter my body. It was as though a bolt of lightning struck me right in my spine, making my grip even tighter as my vision turned blurry and unfocused. I attempted to take aim as the wolf began to charge at me and fired, hearing a thud, yelp, and crash as it landed a few feet in front of me. Convincing myself it was dead I dropped the pistol to my side and laid down on my back.
The pain had not stopped and was now targeting my main muscle areas. It hurt to breath, much less move. All throughout the week I had been experiencing less attacks and it seemed to be looking up for me. Then this happens. It was a painful reminder that I was made for this world. That I was the alien here. It sucked to admit but I was the reason it hurt so bad. This was all on me.
Things like that kept straying in and out through my subconscious, constantly reminding me of my place. I know dammit! I know I'm not welcome here! It sucks but what are you gonna do about it?! Nothing! Cause you cant! No matter how much either of us want it to happen you just... you cant just put everything back the way it was. That not how this works. It will never work out like that. No matter how much you may want it, the world wont go back... and if your not going forward, you'll be left behind. With all the other mistakes.
It was at this point that I realized I had been saying that out loud. And crying. My eyes stung and my throat burned, just to add to the list of body pains. It was just too much. I couldn't handle having to go through this. I was still mourning over the deaths of my friends, falling for a strange girl, and now I have to live in an entirely new world. I couldn't do it. It was too much.
But there was something about those last thoughts that stood out to me.
I had fallen for a strange and shy girl. She fell into my world with no prior knowledge of its existence. She was cold, clothe less, and above all else, alone. She was scared, terrified. Then she met us, the gang and I. She lived with us, showing us so many things. How to appreciate what one has, how to listen and care for those around you, human or not. Even how to love. She did all this in an alien world sick with disease and full of deadly beast. And here I was, sitting on the floor complaining about things being too tough for me.
What in the hell was I doing?
If someone as meek and frightful as Fluttershy could adapt to an alien world then so could I! She didn't sit down and cry about it, she stood and faced it head on! Well, usually behind us but that's besides the point! If I ever want to show my face around her again and confidently profess my love to that woman I would have to man up! Deal with it! Your a man Jorge and you've got someone to meet!
With my inspiration now complete I slowly began to stand, denying my body's opposition any solace. Once my body stood full erect I marched over to my pistol, grabbed it, and walked home. At least until I heard a howl. Then I began to run to my goal, pretty fast if I must say. The burning in my legs hadn't faded completely but it wasn't as strong. The same went for the throbbing in my arms, which had died down. Even my chest felt free, breathing not labored any more than usual.
It was a brand new day and a brand new me. I would take this world head on, not letting anything get in my way. I didn't need to be all down and grumpy when I could be happy and excited! This was a new world after all, so that meant exploring all I could. If I wanted my friends memory to be honored it wouldn't be by mourning over them and refusing there deaths. Only by accepting there deaths and cherishing the memories we had together could I honor them. That was it! This was no longer a prison but a field of freedom! I had taken way too long to realize that.
I smiled as I ran, feeling the wind flow into me. Like I said earlier, the world had not time for people stuck in the past and I certainly would not be left behind. Not while I still had a promise to keep. That promise, was to never, ever, give up. No matter what, even if defeat is certain, continue on anyways. Why be remembered as the one who surrendered when you could be known as one of the last men standing?
As I neared the exit to the forest I could feel my muscles tensing, waiting to release steam. The strange thing is though, is that when I stopped running at the entrance I felt... hungry, sort of. It felt like releasing tension but also building it back up. The more I felt it the fuller I became. I don't know how long I had been standing there but once the feeling started to dull away I felt fulfilled. Like I had just eaten a whole days worth of meals in an hour. It was strange and I didn't know how to feel about it so I just walked back home.
Home.
Yeah. There's the word. Something I can actually mean in this world. Unfortunately I seemed to have spent way too much time in the forest and it was nearing night time. Funny, it felt like I only spent an hour or so in their but hey, whatcha gonna do am I right?
Once I was near the home I saw the outside animals all gathering in their homes, settling down for the day. Following their lead I knocked on the door twice before opening it, announcing my presence. Inside was Flutters taking care of all the little furies that lived in her home, flying left and right getting food to each creature. Since she apparently didn't hear the knock or the door opening I just leaned on the wall and watched it all go down. It was truly fascinating to see the connection she shared between each and every one of the animals as she wished them a good night. It brought a smile to my face as she finished up the task at hand and turned to find me at the doorway.
"O-oh! Jorge, I didn't see you there! Where have you been?" I walked in and closed the door behind me, eyes finding it hard to focus on one place.
"Hey hon. Yeah, I lost track of time when I was in the forest, sorry about that. I think the trees are dece-"
"*gasp* Jorge your arm! What happened?!" She flew over and began to inspect me for any more damages.
"Oh yeah, so I got into a scuffle with some wooden wolf things and one got lucky."
"You fought Timberwolves? How far in did you go?" She flew away and into a cabinet full of medical supplies.
"Not that far I don't think and hey, I think I'll be fine without the medical grade equipment your rocking here."
"You could have gotten an infection or worse, and- wait did you fight them with your hands?!"
"Well, sort of. I actually wanted to talk to you about something so after your done with that could we just chill for a moment?"
"Oh, okay. I'll be right back." She flew back to the cabinet and searched for ... something.
"Ah, there it is!" She flew back to me with some rubbing alcohol or whatever its called and another bottle I couldn't identify.
"Now hold still, your shoulder is the worst so I need to get that first."
As she started to check over my shoulder I did a mental evaluation of my clothes. My shirt I was wearing had a hole in it on the left shoulder along with several scratches down the sleeve. I don't even remember how that happened. Before I could go into more detail she had reined my attention back to her.
"So what did you mean 'sort of' earlier?"
"Eh, its not something I'm necessarily proud of and I kind of regret it now."
"Jorge, what happened?"
"Okay, I'm gonna show you something I need you to promise to keep a level head. Ok?"
"I'm not going to judge you for your actions Jorge. Please, tell me what happened."
'You might change your mind when I show you...'
I reached into my pocket for my Makarov and laid it on a table stand nearby. Her reaction was better than what I was expecting, honestly.
"W-w- Jorge! What are you doing with that?! Didn't you agree to leave your guns with the Princesses for the time being?!"
"Yeah, yeah I did." After seeing my shameful face she calmed down and sat down next to me, the bandages conveniently done by that time.
"Then why would you take one anyways? I thought you trusted them Jorge. I thought you trusted me..."
"A-and I do, I really do! It's just, I had an impulse decision, and that led up to today and I got really emotional in the forest and... I'm sorry." I reached out pulled her close where she hid her face from me as she looked down.
"Hey, don't be sad. Please. I know, I know I messed up big time but I'm learning honey. This is all really weird to me and I'm trying my best to adapt but until today I didn't realize how easy it could have been if I just went along with it instead of pushing everything away."
Seeing her ears perk up I knew I had her attention.
"You know, I was planning on talking to the princesses as soon as possible about a few things. She knows about the pistol by the way."
"She does?"
"Yeah. I think she's testing me to see if I can handle it. The power that came with a gun ya know? To be honest, I don't know if I passed or not, considering I've used two bullets already, though I should be fine considering I haven't used it against a pony. What do you think?" This got her to look up at me, her large eyes staring into mine. Her body change had actually affected me, contrary to what I showed. I think I just needed a moment to deal with it all and bam, I'm fine.
"I think you need to be careful. This is still new to everyone, including you and me, so we should take it slow."
"As long as I'm with you, it doesn't matter to me how fast or slow we go because I'll be right there by your side."
"Oh stop you." I got a cute giggle out of her making me laugh as well.
"Never." I hugged her close and slowly stood up, surprising her.
"O-oh! Are we going upstairs?"
"Yup. I'm tired as all hell and could die for some cuddling right now."
After that we went upstairs did exactly that: Cuddle. It nice and comfortable, especially after I took my boots off. I had even got a little daring and took off my shirt, which only made it more comfy. This was what I looked forward to at the end of the day. Not just the cuddling, or the house, or the food, but her. She was worth it all. Even after all the shit I endured...
Hello again, sorry for the wait. Right now there is a bunch of family issues going on; people moving out, people moving in, etc. A whole debacle of shit that has really gotten my attention. Sorry about that. Besides the trouble of real life, I have just thought of something that could be an interesting factor in this story, so that is what this chapter is about. Hope you like it! (It also might make me change the rating on this story as well.)
*WARNING THIS CHAPTER HAS SOME GRAPHIC SCENES, JUST LETTING YOU KNOW.*
"Go forth my Spawn! Tear their city asunder and end this forever!"
There I stood, clad from head to toe in a sickly green armor, at the last resort of the resistance. The Crystal Empire. Over the course of the years it changed from a tourist attraction to a safe haven for all who sought to defy my reign. It was all a foolish endeavor, only preventing the inevitable. They would bow down to me, one way or another.
As my crystal constructs ran forth to meet the crystal ponies barricade I found myself gaining an amused smirk at the irony of the situation. The very reason I had an army of constructs was here before me, taking a final stand. It was almost saddening to know they would be obliterated, but it was inevitable. Their end would come swiftly.
*BWONG*
Ooooooooor they would choose to die slowly. A massive pink dome appeared around the entirety of the city, shielding them from my attacking forces. Hmm, so he's still kicking eh? Good. Gives me a chance to show off. I walked forward, hands behind my back and a smirk adorning my face.
'Do you honestly think this will stop me?'
I could feel the defiance at his end of the mental communication. Ever since I had found that I could invade peoples minds quelling the rebellion became much much easier. In fact, it was exactly how I planned to get the information I needed out of him. Not yet though, it has to be face to face. Adds to the overwhelming power I posses.
Once I reached the shield I slowly took of my gloves and placed my hand against the pink mass. Despite the freezing temperatures that surrounded us it was warm and it radiated that warmth very well, even as it began to get covered in snow. When my hands connected I felt the familiar tug at the back of my mind. The pull that got me this far. It was a strange sensation, filling me up when used, making me feel full even as I continued to use it. It always added to a seemingly endless space, a storage of sorts.
For magic.
Stealing magic from the world wasn't the same as an individual, though traces of ambient energies were always there. This vault was no different. I could tell it was his, I had stolen some before. It felt customary to test though, so I gave a quick pull, snatching some for myself and sensing the portion be replaced almost instantly. After ingesting it I could confirm my suspicions. It was definitely him. He was going all out too, not stopping for a moment. True, I could just attack his mind and force him to drop the shield but where's the fun in that?
I attacked a series of locations simultaneously with just enough force to get noticed over and over again. No attack hit the same place twice, always moving from spot to spot. I felt his anger through the connection and smiled. He was so easy to mess with. After messing with him for a few minutes, the guards inside the defense growing very tense, I gave the command to converge on one location, any inclination of a smile wiped away by concentration. I made the attacks into a giant thriving mass that covered nearly half the dome before causing cracks to spread in a web like fashion. He was straining himself but it would prove worthless. As I neared total destruction of the barrier I shot a message against the connection, making sure it gave him one hell of a headache before he could understand it. As the shield began to disperse, my army sprinting forward, I stood walked calmly behind them, stone faced. From the extreme emotions I felt in my head I knew he read the message.
'Do you think this is pain? No, this in not pain. Once I have you all in my grasp, once you are on your knees before me, then I will show you pain.'
It has been three grueling hours. For them at least. As I walk up the final steps, backed by my personal sentinels, I hear the anxious breathing of an ambush party. Hmm, how quaint. Even after the majority of their force has been defeated they refuse to surrender. One thing I admire about them honestly. They're tenacious and strong willed, usually not wanting to give up very easily. Well, I speak of their armies mostly. I personally have only experienced a handful of brave citizens. I could tell I was dealing with a mixture of the two when I reach the main floor.
A war cry was heard as the group of anthropomorphic ponies jumped down in an attempt to kill me. I simply stood there, gazing straight ahead. When the first one neared you could hear him get impaled on a Sentinel constructs arm, the beings able to shift their body to their whim. The second one was grasped by her neck and slammed into the ground, her end coming to her underneath the foot of a Sentinel. Another was speared through the head, so on and so forth. They dwindled down until they were nothing but a pile of corpses consisting of around ten. So this was their attempt to finish me off? Assassination by a bunch a group of hastily made trainees? Pathetic.
We continued onward until we hit another roadblock. This time it was the two doors that led into the throne room. There was a considerable amount of magic reinforcing them.
'I grow tired of this.'
Conjuring up a blast I aimed at the center of the door and fired. It made a large dent, but began to fix itself immediately. Alright. Fine.
"I gave you plenty of chances at surrender you know. Any malicious actions now just reflect your decision." I say as I place my hands upon the door, immediately stealing any and all energies present. There was a meager amount of resistance that I overwhelmed easily. The door way caved in on itself as I tapped into the object itself, twisting it into unnatural angles until it finally fell. I stepped forward into the room only to have a blast of blue (cyan maybe?) magic directed at me, easily being blocked by my hands.
"Ah, I'm surprised to see you still awake Cadenza. I thought having a child would take the fight out of you!" I taunt as I trek forward, pushing against the beam of magic.
"Well don't you worry dearie, I've got your nap right here!" I yell as my own beam is unleashed through my hands, forcing hers back until I could see a clear view of her struggling face, the husband not far behind in a daze. I kept forward until I was right in front of her, still fighting against me. I simply grab her horn and begin to rob her of her magic, causing her to scream out in agony. The process was far from painless.
"...n-no...stop..." And there was the man of the hour. As I stood there nicking his wife's very life essence he laid next to us, utterly drained from my antics during our three hour battle. His body was spent but still he persisted, attempting to stand and failing as he stares at me with the upmost hatred in his eyes. There was something else there though, an acceptance of sorts. It was small but it was growing. It was defeat.
Smiling I released the torment I set up the princess and left her to fall to the floor, beaten. I then walked over to the last male royal and picked him up by his neck, a Sentinel coming up behind him and grabbing a hold of his arms. As I released him he suddenly snapped his head towards me and fired a bolt straight at my face, taking me by surprise. It hit me right in the eye and I could feel the burn as it melted away a vital organ. Luckily with the amount of regeneration magic I've gained it would grow back but it would still be some time before it was perfect.
As I steadied myself I looked up to see my Sentinel had morphed his arms into a chokehold of sorts while also detaining his arms. That little ... he was smiling. It was a weak and broken one but it was there. He enjoyed the fact that he got a hit in. He even gave a dry chuckle, making me start to laugh as well. It quickly turned into unstable giggle fits and I motioned for the Sentinel to lower his prisoners head. I grasped his shoulders, staring into his eyes as I laughed. Then, quick as lightning, my hand lunged for his horn
...and crushed it.
He gave out a scream of pain I didn't think anyone capable of as I continued to laugh.
'This little insect thought he could scar me and just get away with it? Well, I think he's learned that you don't mess with me...'
".. right little fella? I'm right aren't I? You wouldn't do that again would you? Oh? Still screaming? Hmm. That's about right."
He continued screaming until he couldn't do anything but whimper. He even cried a bit. Understandable I suppose, but it was his fault either way. I dismissed the remaining sentinels except for one, to hold up the princess as well. I walked up to Armor and gave him a tiny little shock, enough to wake him up. He did so, albeit with more screaming. After giving him a few slaps to make sure, I grabbed his face and forced to look at me.
"You know what I want. It's that easy. As soon as you tell me where she is I will let you and your wife go as far away as you like. Now why don't you be a good little soldier and tell me." All I got for my efforts were a glare. I sighed.
"You know I can get it from you anyways. I've done it before and I will do it again. Now come on, tell me. Please." Still nothing.
"I'm trying to be nice here." He attempted to spit blood at me but I caught it in a field and forced it back down his throat, making him cough.
"This is your final chance. If you don't tell me where it is I'll pry around in that little mind so much that death will feel like a curtsy." Still nothing, though the glare got more defiant.
"Hmmph. Let it be know that it was YOU who caused this Captain..." I announce as I motion the princess forward.
"wh-what are you..." I can hear his confusion as I take off my helmet.
"...that this is entirely your fault...."
"...no... please no... not her!" His sputtering falls on deaf ears however.
"and that you could have saved her from such a fate." I hover my hands over her temples and close my eyes, focusing.
"Please, I tell you everything, just don't do it! Not her!"
"You know what I do to people and yet you refused to cooperate. Now you must face the consequences.."
His desperate cries continued as white ethereal tendrils sprouted from my hand and shot towards her head. Once they connected a flurry of memories flew into my head. A whole other life flashed before my eyes. I could see her first words, learning to walk, going to school, meeting friends, continuing on into adulthood where she reconnected with an old flame, married him, and had learned of their immanent child. She was not yet born. As I sifted through the memories I came to a conclusion.
It wasn't there.
Quite a shame really. I kind of liked her. Unfortunate casualties of war I suppose. As I severed the connection I awoke to sobbing. Looking down at my handy work I grimaced. Her body had completely crystalized, clean and pristine. Except for some abnormalities near the stomach, such as small extra limbs.
'So that's what pregnancy does to the crystallization process.'
As I stood up and faced my other prisoner I saw him just ... give up. He didn't fight against the restraints or yell out or anything. He just sat there, crying in defeat. I approached him and immediately went for his memories. Not much seemed out of place... Aha, there it is. The last meeting of siblings. They told me exactly where I need to go. Excellent. I exited his mind to find him crystalized as well.
"Alright boys, were done here. Leave them together and lets go."
Once I exited the chambers I set off towards the balcony, looking off in the distance. It was somewhat strange to feel the way I do. It's that feeling you get after doing a year long project and finalizing it before the deadline. Your excited and unsure at the same time. I was so close to finishing this! Ending this foolish rebellion once and for all. But before I go and end this there's a pressing matter I need to attend to.
I headed down to the ground floor of the castle, looking for the artifact. There it was. Sitting in its perch, floating as per usual. Completely unaware of the power it would give me. I grabbed it and fiercely dug into those reserves, grabbing hold of all that I could before it started to resist me. No such thing happened though and it gave me what remained of its power freely. I guess that's what happens when your power source dies out. Hmm.
'Whatever, its affects are all that matter.'
I sat down there and closed my eyes, spreading my consciousness outward. I scoured the globe for that one tiny spot. It took me all until what would have been night to find her. She was fast asleep, which gave me an opening. I gladly accepted such an open invitation and flew straight into her dream.
Whatever she was dreaming about was suddenly replaced with darkness. She stood there, scared. Alone. The very. last. Alicorn. It was finally time. She looked all around, not noticing my shadowy form slowly rise behind her. When she did however, she came face to face with me. Neither of us moved a muscle. There was complete and utter silence. She stood in shock as I gave her an inhuman smile.
'I found you.'
I shot up in my bed, sweating fracking cannonballs as I panted.
'What happened... why did I... oh no...'
I could barely even think as I held my face in my hands. What I had just witnessed... It should have never happened. That wasn't me. It couldn't be. There was no way.
"I-I- oh shit man. What the hell..."
I got up and walked out of the house, falling into a kneel on the trail leading up to the house.
"I cant... I don't know. I... oh my god. Why did that ha-... I cant. I just cant."
I stood in that things shoes. I knew what it was doing, I was doing what it was doing! I couldn't control it. It just happened. I tried to stop it but... I was like an outside in my own body. Who... no.
Hello again. Not much to say this time except that there's a time jump here. I'll explain more in depth in the story.
*BWONG*
'What in the world?'
After I told Flutters about my display in the woods she insisted on getting a letter delivered to the Princesses as soon as possible. So she set out to do so, not only because the towns folk had yet to trust me, but also because I couldn't read their language anyways (Which kinda sucked honestly. No easy rides I guess). In response to my letter I received a summons, effective in a few days.. So, for the past, say, forty five minutes, I've been in discussion about weaponry with the two lords. Which was not limited to human weapons either, going as far to talk about flails and war hammers and the like. We've come to an agreement, albeit a not complete one, which was to say I keep my Makarov without any other weapons, which was basically everything. I was glad to hear that the proposition I gave them about being a watchdog for the Everfree became more probable. It was the subject at hand when the first sound happened.
"-and if you are to receive special- is something the matter Jorge?"
"Huh? Oh, it's nothing. Please, continue." There was some minor disbelief there.
"Very well. As I was saying, if you are to receive special t-"
*BWONG*
"What is that?" I muttered to myself.
"What seems to be troubling you?"
"Oh, it's just there's this noise I heard. Kind of strange to hear."
"Noise?"
"Yeah. Y'all didn't hear that? It was like a-"
*BWONG*
"Yeah, that! You're tellin' me you didn't hear that?" They gave each other a look before fixing me with a concerned gaze.
"I'm afraid there was no noise to be heard. At least not by our ears. Perhaps there is something that cast out a frequency for humans to hear?"
"I don't know, this didn't happen the last time I was here. You uh... you don't think someone is purposely trying to mess with me do ya?"
"I can assure you that -"
*BWONGBWONGBWONGBWONGBWONGBWONGBWONG*
"OH sweet jeezums! That is loud!" I slammed my hands to my ears, but it proved a futile effort. The sound permeated through me even with my hands blocking my ears. My eyes were squinted with some effort to remain open and through them I could see two very concerned faces. They were talking but I could barely make out the words. All I could do was close my eyes and hope for the best.
Funnily enough, that's when it stops.
After taking a moment to compose myself I open my eyes. There's still the same two faces there, but around them were many weary faces of guardsmen, er , guard ponies. That's a pretty reasonable reaction to have when it comes to an alien freaking out next to your royals. Noticing how much of a scene I just made, I fixed them with a fierce glare, managing to make it even worse somehow. Damm, thought that would work.
"Since there seems to be something bothering you, why don't we conclude the session?"
"Yeah, that sounds alright. Same time tomorrow?"
"Certainly."
"Awesome. "
They offered a ride home, which I could not refuse, and on the way there I couldn't help but wonder what was making that strange noise. There was still the option of someone messing with me, but to find out how to make a sound that only I could hear seemed like going pretty far for a prank. It didn't make much sense honestly, because either that's a really dedicated schemer or its something else. I was banking on the prankster though, considering I know some here love practical jokes. Huh, what if I was just going nuts?
'Gah, I hope not. Cant leave Flutters with a vegetable.'
As we neared the edge of the town I began to think about... something. I don't know what, but it was there. I could feel it. It was like flashes of images and sounds, nothing concrete, just randomness. That's been my experiences here lately. I've been here for maybe a month now and all that's been going on around me are things that just glance me by. It's started to really annoy me. Especially this new sound issue.
We landed at the edge of town, though it was on the wrong side. I contemplated on asking the guy who brought me over here to go further but decided against it. If I was ever to be accepted I would have to start somewhere. That somewhere was walking through town. So I got off, thanking him for the ride, and began my stride through town. I got a surprisingly civil reaction.
Stares.
Not glares or anything like that, just staring. Some were curious, some cautious, and some were just blank stares, like they've never seen something so strange in all their life. I've been told a brief history of this place and if I may, I am by far the friendliest thing they've gotten yet. Well, that all depends on how I react doesn't it? Bah, anyways, they continued to stare as I walked through the little village or town or whatever one would call this. Some even continued on with their actions, like watering plants, carrying things, and the like. Most usually messed up or crashed into something, which did give me a tiny chuckle. These guys and their antics, I tell ya.
A few I recognized from description, but the most were just strangers. I swear though, there was one guy that just rung a bell for some odd reason. I was certain I never met him before, but his features just screamed 'remember me'. Even how he looked at me was strange, like he had seen something out of place. Did he know of me or something? Cause I sure as hell am getting a vibe from him. He was an 'Earth' Pony if I recall correctly, had brown hair and a tann-ish coat. Right on his uh, flank(?) he had a picture of an hourglass. Hmm. Weird. Guess he really likes clocks? I don't know nor do I care anymore because I am officially out of here right about... now.
"Honey, I'm home!"
When I opened the door, I was greeted by an array of confused faces. I knew two, but, there was six, so it seems I get to meet people. Cool. You had one who was orange, wearing a Stetson of all things. Another who was the shiniest white i had ever seen, even compared to Sun-butt up in her porcelain tower. Then you had the other two, one who was flip-flapping their wings in the air (and is possibly a punk?) and the other one, which was pink and IN MY FUCKING FACE.
"(garbled mess)" Because that is all I heard as I held her away from my FUCKING FACE.
"Lady, personal space! There's a reason people love it!" She just giggled. Giggled.
"Hey, let her go!" Says the tomboy, who ALSO got in my face.
"Hey, get the fuck OUTA MY FACE!" That surprised her enough to actually back away.
"Thank you! Now! Let's just all chillax. Okay? Okay." Alright. Everyones fine now.
"Now, I am going to put you down. Please, stay away from my face. Okay?"
"Okie dokie!" She says with a... hell if I know what that is, as I put her down. A grin? Yeah, that.
"Okay. So... we cool now? No more needs to fuck my face?" After get some nods, with blushes, I sighed.
"Alright. So, disregarding that little kerfuffle, I'm gonna introduce myself. I, am Jorge. What, are your names?"
"I'm Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in Equestria and kicker of evil monster butts!" Well, she is certainly a punk.
"Rarity." Oh, not gonna lie, thought she was gonna go on a tangent or something. Fucking hell she is white. Burns my eyes man.
"I'm Pinkie Pie!" Well, if she has anything to do with sugar then that makes total sense. Kinda.
"And you already know me, but in case you forgot, I'm Twilight Sparkle." Ah, I did forget. Good on her.
"Well, its nice to meet you all, I guess. So uuuuhhhh, what we doin?"
"I wanted you to meet my friends, so I brought them here." Says Fluts. Mm. Nope. Sticking to Flutters. Fluts sounds nasty.
"I appreciate that. What I meant though, was are we doing something here or are we just gonna sit here?"
"Oh, I was thinking we could show you around town."
"What about the other... ponies?"
"As long as you stick with us, they should'nt cause you any trouble."
"So do you mean to say that I get to subconsioucly scare people and get away with it?"
"Wait, that's not -"
"Alright! Let's go!" And with, I made my way to, and out, the door, snickering as I heard the flabbergasted tones behind me.
"No wait, you can't just go around scaring ponies!"
"Twilight, he was joking. He does that a lot actually."
"Oh."
"Don't worry, I'll make sure he's on his best behavior." Aw.
'Bout an hour or two later, idk about time
So, we went around, having a grand ol' time. I got to see what people did for a living, which was really centered around food for some reason. Guess they're really good at agriculture. Speaking of, Applejack is actually part of a family that grows apples. Who woulda' known? Hint, it's me. Shes got a big brother. He's almost to my collar, and probably weighs like two tons, but thats two tons of fucking steel right there. Glad he's a nice guy. She also has a really old grandmother, which I can appreciate. I just love old people and their stories. You never know if they're true about it. Oh yeah, and she's got a sister too, but she's somehwere. At school I think.
Then we went to the carousel that Rarity calls home. She's a fashion person. There's not much more to say honestly. She's pretty nice, didn't talk much, although I've heard once she gets going it's hard to stop. She didnt even ask me about my measurements or anything. Honestly, kinda dissapointing. I say honestly a lot. Oh, and she has a sister as well. Off to school... as well.
After that, Ms.Skittles (Which was something i did call her and it was hilarious) showed me where she lived. Which was a fucking castle, in the sky. Then she did some tricks and shit,showing me her skills. Not bad, but I've seen two ton vehicles that are more entertaining. That rainbow by the way? Natural. Somehow. She dosent have a sister, but she did talk a lot about a "Scootaloo", a kid whom she considers her sibling. When I asked about Rainbow adopting her, jokingly by the way, she got all serious and said she needed to sort things out first. Backed away from that topic pretty fast.
Then, after that, I was shown the library. Which Sprkles lived in. Apparantly. Oh yea, its a tree by the way. The fucking irony in the town does not alude me. She's a science gal, who has the most goddam adorable dragon I've ever seen. Dude was like two feet tall. He got all embarressed and everything, it was adorkable. Thats a word they use here as well.
Finally, we made it to Pinkies place of residency and also workplace, Shugarcube corner. A nice little sweet shop that caught my interest immediatly. I had been pretty nonchalant for the most part, trying to hide my surprise and being to see all this civilization again, but that blew it. As soon as I was in there, I started browsing. The smells man, the smells! OH GOLLY. I had never welcomed sweets more than that moment. I kinda got embarresed when I noticed I was being stared at, but I really didnt care. Then Fluttershy, being the AMAZING girl she was, gave me an offer.
"Would you like me to get you something?"
"Yes! Uh, please?" She gave me a smile and went up to the counter, ordering something, and came back with a...
"Is that a cake? Is that a tiny ass little cake?"
"Mhmm. Just for you." I gasped.
"F-for me? Just me?"
"Yes. Let's sit down first."
"O-ok."
We went to a booth and sat down, me on the edge. I then was given a fork. The cake, on a plate, was slid in front of me. I took a piece and ate it. Then, my head hit the table. I heard gasps. Concern? Not needed. I was not harmed. No, i was in heaven. I could give a rats ass about being an Athesit now, because i have just tasted a holy delicacy. I have been enlightened.
"Jorge? Are you...ok?"
"I am more than ok. I am enlightened. I now know what is beyond the golden gates, and it does not compare to what I have just taken a bite of." I heard sighs of relief and a few giggles.
"So you like it?"
"To put it into horrendously simple terms... yeah, not too bad." I just kept eating after that. It was good. Nothing to say.
After all that, it got late and everybody went home. I had asked if i could take a shower, which she said yes to. She also declined my offer to join, swatting me with a towel and telling me to 'Hurry and get washed so you can sleep'. It was refreshing. Unfortunately, like all times when I'm in a shower, dark thoughts entered my mind.
I hadnt told anyone of the dream I had. I was going to today, but I did'nt really want to. Mostly because I didnt know what it was about. Normally i have dreams about life on earth, but that time... I don't know. It scared me though. To think i would do that... I didnt even know the people in it either. Also, that 'last alicorn' shit was about Twilight, but shes got no wings i can see. Perhaps it takes place in the future? Bah, thoughts for another time. For now...
Sleep.
Alright guys, sorry it took me LITERALLY ALMOST TWO YEARS, but i did it. I finally posted another chapter. Hope this adresses some stuff. Uh yeah. Can't think of anything else to type, so yeah. Bye.
Hey. Sorry for the wait. No real excuses, I'm just really lazy. I honestly am kinda lost right now and my minds being weird, so if this chapter seems odd, poorly written, just plain useless, etc. that's why. Sorry, my minds a prick and my body is junk.
Well, here we are again. Standing outside, in the middle of the night, wondering what the actual fuck was going on. I had another dream, literally that night. This time it was about another version of me leading a revolution. Against what, I do not know. Just that whatever it was, I was very determined to stop it. There was some ponies in that one as well, though I was working with them this time.
Thinking about that version made me shiver. He did things I just wouldn't do. Like, ever. He lacked any empathy at all and was honestly just really sadistic. I mean, I have those traits as well, it's just that he seemed to not care at all. Just evil. Maybe I'm just exaggerating or something, but he... I don't know. What I do know, is that is never happening to me. I can guarantee that. I hope.
"Why's everything gotta be so fuckin' complicated?"
"Probably because you don't get enough sleep."
I jumped at the voice, turning to find a sleepy Fluttershy staring at me by the front door.
"How long have you awake?"
"I should be asking you."
'Hm. She's got me there.' I thought as she approached me with a look of concern.
"What's wrong Jorge?"
"It's... It's nothing. Don't worry about it."
"Well I am worrying about it, because I'm worried about you." She says as she trots up to me and nuzzles my arm. In response, I wrap said appendage around her.
"Yeah, well, so am I. Things here are just so... weird. It's like, I can recognize things here, but when I look for a second too long, I start noticing the difference. It just... I don't know. I know we left Earth, but when I look around, I start to doubt it. It makes me nervous you know?"
She nods silently, sitting down. I join her on the floor.
"I mean, we left for a reason. Back on Earth, there's things constantly trying to kill us, whether it be the poisonous plants, monstrous wildlife, or even the dam weather. There was always something. Here though, everything seemed fine and dandy. No monster, no killer plants, no horrible storms. Then I started to learn about some of the wildlife here, about magic, all that shit, and then that line that separated the worlds got a whole lot thinner. I want to be here, really, but sometimes I cant tell the difference. Sometimes I wonder if I should have came at all..."
It took me a moment to realize what I said. My eyes widened and I snapped my head to the mare sitting next to me, who was looking up at the moon. I tried to speak, but I couldn't. Nothing would come out. I just sat there, watching her stare at the moon with a bank expression. I couldn't even say I was sorry.
"Earth changed me Jorge." When she spoke it snapped me out of my trance.
"I don't know if It was how I wanted to change, or if I even like how I changed, but it changed me all the same. If you had told me that a few months ago, I probably would have gotten very sad. I may have even cried. I'm different now. You showed me that how I used to be wouldn't cut it in your world, so I changed. I became what I needed to be." She stood up and began walking home, leaving me there, staring. As she neared the door, she stopped. She looked back at me and spoke.
"I love you Jorge. I know you know that. I also want you to know that I feel horrible for asking you to come with me. It was selfish of me and because of the situation, I thought it would be okay. It's not though, and I see that now. I can see how much you miss Earth. I... I don't want you to hate it here. I want you to love it like I do. Like a home."
I gave a sigh as I stood up. I didn't want her to feel bad. It was my decision to come with her, and no matter how much this world may remind me of Earth, I have to face the facts: It's not. It's different and I need to realize that. Otherwise, I might as well have stayed on Earth. With that issue resolved, I gave her a smile and walked to the door, where I knelt down and kissed her. I wasn't going to say it, but It did feel weird kissing a pair of lips that were not human. It was something I could get used to though.
After a moment of peaceful kissing, we separated. She had a blush on her cheeks and I've no doubt I had one too. We stood there at the door for a moment, just smiling at one another. Then, we went inside, up the stairs, in the bed, and fell asleep, holding the other in their arms.
I woke up later that day to something bouncing on my back. Not a pleasant feeling. So I sat up, with the hopping menace falling off of me and onto the bed. I have to confess, this was a rather large bed for a single Pony. Ignoring the strange bed dimensions, I found the annoying creature to be a rabbit. Or bunny. I don't really care.
"Was there a reason for that?" I ask the bunny, wondering if it could actually be able to talk to me. To my surprise, It kinda did.
When it saw me in all my morning glory, it quickly went to my bed-mate and started to furiously poke her while glancing up at me every second or so. She got annoyed and pushed him away with her wing. He fell off the bed, making me laugh, which woke her up. She gazed lazily around the room and after assessing that it was too early to be up, plopped her head down and continued to sleep. I was about to join her, but instead took a look outside. It was morning.
"Honey, I know its comfortable, but we gotta get up." I got a mumble in response. So I started poking her.
"Stop it." She whispered, pushing me slightly.
"Not until your up and annoyed with me." She gave a scoff.
"I'm already annoyed."
"Oh really? Well then how about I make you feel better." I said, moving my hands to her back.
"By doing wha-ooooh. That feels nice." She responded to my massage. I kept going at it for a few minutes, even getting her very sensitive wings joints, before I stopped. She let out a sigh and pushed her self up, her mane covering her face. With a puff of air it flew away, revealing her beautiful smiling face.
"Good morning."
"Good morning."
After we both got ready for the day, going downstairs, we talked about the plans we had today while she went about her tasks.
"So, what do we have on the calendar today my dearest?"
"Well, first things first, we have to get you new clothes, so that means were going to Rarity's first. After that though, I don't think we need anything. Is there somewhere you want to go?"
"I was gonna say to library, see if I can't start on that funky text I can't read, but I don't know. Say, I'm dying over here, you got anything to eat?"
"Check in the kitchen, you should find something in the cabinets." I did, and found some cereal.
"Hey, is this cereal okay?"
"Oh yeah, its just like the Wheat cereal on Earth."
"Ah. Okay."
After she finished up her duties, which took up a considerable amount of time, we spent the rest of the morning just eating and talking. It felt weird to be doing that while surrounded by animals wanting to get to know me, which included a fucking bear, but It wasn't something I couldn't get used to. In fact, knowing that all of these animals probably wouldn't attack me felt refreshing.
Once we were done eating, we set off to find the carousel, which wasn't that hard. I could see it from Flutters house, honestly. On the way there, a few things popped up in my mind.
"Hey Fluttershy, is there any major history I should know about?"
"Well, before I came to Earth, my friends and I used the Elements of Harmony to seal away the God of Chaos, Discord."
I stopped walking.
"Oh. Ok then. Uh, I have more questions now."
"Go ahead."
"What's this 'Discord' thing your talking about?"
"Well, he's the embodiment of chaos. He's very powerful, but doesn't take things very seriously. In fact, all he did when he broke out of his prison was turn Equestria into Lala land. I think that's what that means anyway."
"Well, its nice to know a maniac with god-like powers is sealed away. How did you do that exactly?"
"We used the elements of harmony. They're artifacts that harness a specific trait about its wielder and use that in combination with the others to form a blast of pure harmonic energy that purges any evil in its way."
"You certainly did your homework."
"I had to. I'm the wielder of the element of Kindness. Ponies tend to forget that while I may be shy, I am not dumb."
"I know that. Say, any specifically saying that kinda stuff?"
"I'm not allowing you to beat ponies up for me Jorge."
"Wha- I wasn't!"
"Sure you weren't. Look, we're here."
Sure enough, we stood in front of a giant building. Well, giant as in two stories. Still taller than me. We walked inside, showing the interior to be beautifully decorated, with a mix of white and purple being the main theme.
"Wow. This place looks pretty swank."
"Thank you, I do try." Turning my head, I found the source of the voice.
Walking towards us was a certain white pony I met yesterday. Or the day before, I can't remember. Regardless, she was levitating multiple pieces of cloth and sewing supplies. Kinda wish I could do that. Man, wouldn't that be weird though? I mean, what would I use? My hands or my mind? Oh, wait, back to conversation. They're looking at me now.
"What?"
"You seem distracted. Is everything alright?" Asked Rarity as she looked at me in concern.
"Oh yeah, just been having some weird dreams. Enough about that though. I have heard that you are exceptionally skilled in making clothing."
"Oh really? Well, while I appreciate the compliment, I must confess that you will be a new field to me. I rarely make clothing for anything beside ponies, but I can assure you I will do my best."
"From what I've heard, I think you'll do just fine."
"Why thank you darling. Now, if you would stand over there so I can get your measurements." She pointed a hoof towards a raised part of the ground, surrounded by mirrors.
"Alrighty." I moved over to the pedestal (or whatever that's called) and raised my arms parallel to the ground.
"Ah, that will help, thank you. Now please, stand as still as possible when I do this." I did as she said, but when the floating measurement tape touched my skin, it suddenly dropped to the floor.
"Ah!"
"Rarity!"
"Woah. Hey, you alright?" I asked she regained her composure. She stood wide eyed as she held a hoof to her head. Fluttershy was at her side in an instant.
"Yes, I'm fine. Just seems I might have spooked myself is all. I apologize Jorge, this certainly wasn't how I wanted this to happen."
"Hey, it's alright. We can do this later if you not feeling up to it."
"Please don't stress yourself Rarity."
"No, no, I am fine. I don't know what happened but I'm fine. Now, please, lets get this done."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, I'll be fine."
"Alright. Here you go by the way." I say as I hand her the tape. She uses her magic to reach out to it and covers it in a light blue aura until it reaches by fingers, where it suddenly stops.
"That's strange. Jorge, could you let go of the tape please?" I do as asked and watch as her aura covers the rest of the measure, looking at it in confusion.
"Well, that's weird. It was like I blocked your magic or something." I was acting calm, but inside that honestly really weirded me out. Not even the 'me stopping magic' thing either, just that floating tape. It looked very strange.
"Indeed, and It only makes my task even harder. Hmm. Oh well, that just means I will have to guesstimate, though I do find that to be very unreliable. I'm afraid I may have some difficulty making any sort of garment for you to wear. Dreadfully sorry about that."
"Ah, don't worry about it. Aint nothing but a thing." I said as I flashed her a smile. A tint of blush appeared on her face.
"I suppose. Lets try this again shall we?"
After about an hour of trying to get proper measurements, along with several questions about how clothes were back home, we finally got to a point where she had enough to actually make me something. We talked for a bit after that, revealing that the reason I wasn't bombarded the other day with millions of questions was because of Fluttershy's personal request to let me have time to get to know me personally. That and she didn't want me to get pissed off, which she right to do. I gave her a little smooch when she told me that, making Rarity blush. I also think I saw some Jealousy there, but I could be wrong.
We left after she told us it would be a while before she could make me something, which I questioned. When I asked her about the price, she claimed it was a gift. I was a little surprised and was a little insistent on paying her back, to which she declined, explaining her being generous. Something about being one of the elements or something. I decided to not look a gift horse in the mouth (is that racist?) and accepted her gift, whenever it would be done.
As the duo had left the boutique they left the seamstress with many questions she hadn't asked out of respect for privacy. Her thoughts ranged from simple curiosity to more lewd thoughts. One she had that would haunt her mind every time she would see them together would be this:
'How in the world did Fluttershy, of all mares, manage to get such a stallion before I?'
We took a nice stroll around town, not really going anywhere specific. We saw plenty of Ponies going about there business, though some still stared. If one were to look closer, they would see that even the ones acting normal did so with baited breathes.
'So, even when they pretend they don't notice me they can't help but feel scared. That's gonna get really annoying.'
Grabbing a hold of Fluttershy's shoulder, I stopped. If we didn't address this little issues between the towns folk and I, there would be a lot of tension later on, which could cause trouble. All of their eyes were on me, not even a single one was looking away. Certainly made me feel welcome.
"Alright people, look, I know how things are between us. I haven't been here long, and to add to that, I'm something you've probably never seen before. I know I'm weird. Let me tell you something. To me, YOU, are the weird ones. Where I'm from, we don't have talking ponies. We don't have magic. It's just humans. That's what I am by the way, in case any of you didn't pick up on that." I stopped for a moment, just for effect. Their faces as a whole didn't change, but they did relax. Some did at least.
"Are you guys afraid? Is that what this is? Well, let me be the first to tell ya, you should be proud of that! You all are scared, I know that, and your banding together against that fear. Good job, honestly. Let me reassure you though, there is nothing you have to fear about me. I'm a peaceful guy, and honestly, the only reason I might get mad is if this kind of, uh, stuff keeps happening. I want to be a part of your community, ya know? I just need you guys to accept me."
For a good minute there was nothing but murmurs in the crowd. Then a gasp as unicorn stepped forward out of them. She was really blue. Like, blue body, blue hair, yellow eyes though. Also she was a unicorn. I said that already. Whatever.
"You said you were a human?" She asked, her stature nervous but confident.
"Yup. All the way from E-arth. Earth. I meant Earth."
"You-you have hands right?" The way she emphasized on my hands kinda creeped me out.
"Uh, yeah? Why?"
"Can I see them?!" She was practically jumping at how excited she was. Seems this wasn't a first either, as the residents were both interested and annoyed in how she was acting.
"O-k?" No sooner than when I responded did she practically lung for me. As she neared me though, I could see something in her eyes. She was excited, yes, but also afraid. I don't know what she knows about humans, obviously more than anyone else here, and while she may know more, she didn't know me. I think that is what scared her. She didn't know about me personally, how I would react, if I was luring her in or not, If I was going to eat her, etc. When she finally did get next to me, she was much more timid.
"I-I've only ever read about humans before. I never realized how scary one can be." I think she was talking to herself, trying to psyche herself up.
"Oh? You say you've read about humans before?"
"Yes, but only in myths and legends. Even then, it doesn't say much."
"Hmm. That's kinda weird. You guys are mythological on my world too. Though I think it's fair to say that we can dispense with those now. You wanted to see my hands right?"
"Yes! Uh, please?"
"Alright, hold on." I sat down, in the middle of the street, to make myself more comfortable.
"Ok. Here's my hands." I presented her my hands, which she gently took with her hooves, feeling them. They must have some kind of natural magic or something, because she was gripping my hands with nothing I could seen. I could feel it though, and I was kind of like hands, but not really. Its hard to describe.
Eventually some of the ponies behind her got more courageous and came closer, while most went about their daily lives. When I looked towards my companion, she was watching the whole thing with a smile, one that I returned. When the unicorn, whom introduced herself as Lyra, stopped with my hands (I say stopped as in I had to take my hands away. I think she was gonna do something to me that only lovers should. Crazy, but nice lady.) I noticed something in my lap. I picked up the object, which was a pink envelope, and opened it.
"I'm assuming this is an invitation of some kind?" I said as I passed it to Fluttershy.
"Yes, Pinkie Pie loves throwing parties. I'm not surprised that she has one set up already, to be honest. She usually invites everypony in Ponyville to them."
"Oh. That's, uh, sweet of her. I'll be sure to attend. Actually, speaking of attending." I stand up, the ponies surrounding me backing away. "We have to get going. It was a nice talk though, and If yall have more questions feel free to ask me later. Just not all once, ok?"
Once we got moving again, this time heading towards the giant tree in the center of town, I leaned down to Flutters and whispered to her.
"Sorry about leaving so suddenly, I just got kind of uncomfortable being surrounded like that." She looked back up at me and gave me a kiss on the cheek.
"Don't worry about it. I thought you might get uncomfortable and I'm proud you stayed that long. I don't think the ponies around here will be so scared now."
"Yeah, well, give them time, I'm sure one of them can come up with something. Say, I've noticed some people buying, like, Halloween decorations. Is something like that going to happen soon?"
"I think so. We'll have to ask somepony, I've lost track of the dates."
"Well its a good thing we're headed to a library then. Maybe what's-her-face will have some answers."
"Twilight, Jorge."
"Oh yeah. I keep forgetting her name for some reason. I think it might have to do with my forgetting of the books."
"I'm sure you'll remember eventually."
We stopped in front of the tree, with me looking at the door. It reached my neck. Did I grow? I feel like I did, because I know Flutters house door was just big enough for me. Maybe this is just a smaller door? That makes sense. Sticking to that. Goddam small doors. I knocked on said tiny door, kinda loudly if I must say. A moments wait revealed a familiar tiny lizard opening the door.
"Aye, tiny lizard man! What's up?" Taken back by my response, he looked at me for an awkward of time before responding.
"Uh, hi, uuuuuhhhh, Jay-"
"Jorge."
"-Jorge! Hi Fluttershy! Let me guess, you want Twilight right?"
"Yeah. Got some questions for her, if she aint busy."
"Oh, no, come right in! She's just organizing her books. At least, I think that's what she's doing." He ushered us inside, showing the very clean interior of the tree.
True to his word, Twilight sat inside, using her magic to float multiple books to and fro, seemingly looking for a particular page. She gave a frustrated sigh as she returned a group of books back to their respective positions on their respective bookshelves. She pulled another group of books out from various bookshelves and, without even turning around, asked aloud.
"Spike, who was at the door?"
"Well, if you'd turn around you'd see us Twilit. I know that's not your name by the way."
Giving a little gasp, she set the books down on a table in a stack. She turned to find me and my eyes roaming her library, while I thought 'How the hell am I going to learn to read this crap?'.
"Hello Twilight."
"Hi Fluttershy. What brings you two to my library?"
I tore my eyes away from the weird ass squiggles these guys have as a language, one which I am determined to learn, I took a look at our host. Purple Unicorn. Yup. No wings. I wonder if that's gonna happen one day, or if it was just a weird dream. I have a feeling its the former.
"Well, to be honest Twilight, I have a whole ton of questions, as I'm sure you do as well. I'm here to see if we can answer each other." She got a very large smile at that, summoning a little notepad and pencil. Huh. I thought they used quills here.
"Certainly. Where to start though?"
"I think we can start with something that happened today. Ya see, we went to Rarity's..."
Hello again. I'ts me, that one guy you know. I'm back with another chapter, possibly with some answers, and just maybe adding on more questions. Who knows? Hint, it's me. Anyway, here you go.
So, turns out Fluttershy did the right thing when she asked the others to withhold their questions, because holy shit, this girl does not stop. I think I've been here for an hour now, just answering and asking questions. Mostly just re-asking the same questions she asked me because that's much easier. I mean, it wasn't that bad, it just took a while. Thankfully it strayed away from more personal matters. Until this last question that is.
"I'm sorry, could you repeat that? I'm afraid I might have heard you say something else."
"Oh, well, I was asking what your family is like... I'm sorry, that's probably too personal, you don't have to answer it. I just wanted to learn more about you and what your species is like, and your social structure-"
"Hey, its okay. It's not something I normally talk about, but it's unavoidable. So, what do you want to know?" She shuffled briefly before answering.
"How does a human family work? Parental figures, siblings?"
"Oh yeah. You have a mother and a father, a female and male respectively. You can have a brother, sister, half-sister, step- brother, and so on. From what I hear, I think we have pretty similar family types. Different societies though." She stopped her writings then.
"Oh? How so?"
"Well, I apologize if this is assuming anything, but do yall perhaps use the 'Herd' mentality? Nothing against you if you do." That got a blush out of her.
"Well, some ponies still do that, but over the years relationships have gotten a lot more individual. It's uncommon to see one now, but not impossible."
"Ah, not too different from human standards then. I actually meant to ask Fluttershy that, but I forgot. So, anything else?"
"I hope you don't mind me asking, but how was... your family?"
"My family? Ooh wow, I haven't really thought about them in a while. Hmm. Well, you have my parents first. My mom, and man, she was the nicest person you would ever meet. Always there to help you, listen to you, whatever you needed. She was... well, she was a saint to me. That's basically a stereotype of a really nice religious man or woman. When she passed away, It destroyed me. I was only fifteen at the time, so... yeah. I don't know, I can't think of anything else to say. A lot of it is repressed." It was only when I stopped talking did I see the looks on their faces, as well as feeling something wet sliding down my cheek. I was crying. That tends to happen more often than not when I talk about her.
"My, uh, my dad was nice. He had a little bout with my mom earlier in their marriage so they separated pretty early. I got to visit him on weekends, and sometimes he would take us to places and stuff. Oh yeah, I had two sisters as well. I'll get to them later. So, we didn't get too much time together until my Ma' passed. Then he had to move in, and honestly, it could have been a whole lot better, but give or take a few years and we were fine. My sister left the house in search of a life of her own and I stayed. Eventually I grew too old for the house and I left. One of the most difficult decisions in my life, I'll tell ya that. But, my dad stayed and that was that."
"Not too much to say on my sisters, as one always lived far away and the other was always right next to me. We fought a whole ton, but it never got too bad. Anything bad happen and we were there for each other. When she left it kind of cut off our communication, as I didn't go out very much. When everything went to shit, we tried getting in contact with each other, but ultimately failed. To be honest, I don't really know what happened. I just knew I had to get out of there, so I went to Alaska. I made it there, settled in a nice town next to a mountain and waited it out. Met a few friends along the way, I met ol' Flutters over here and yall know the rest."
When I finally stooped lecturing my history I felt something wrap around me. I didn't have to look to see who it was. When I did look however, I noticed the very sad faces of my current companions as my story settled. They looked, like, really sad. I was still crying too, but the type of cry where you just kinda sit there and be sad. I finally responded to the hug given to me by also hugging her back.
"I'm not gonna lie, most that was rushed and I honestly can't remember a whole lot of the last few years. I don't like remembering those memories. Sorry for making you my therapist by the way, I just needed to get that out." I say, indicating the last part to Twilight.
"N-no, its fine. I'm glad you feel better."
"So am I. So, lets get past this awkward moment here. Any more questions?"
"I do have more questions, but I think we should save that for a later date."
"Ok. If its all the same to you, I think were going to bounce."
"Oh, ok. See you later!"
"Yeah. See ya."
We left the library and continued to walk around. We didn't really talk all that much, though honestly, I'm kinda glad we didn't. My thoughts, despite my attempt to dissolve them, continued to haunt me. No matter what I thought about, it always ended up being about them. In an attempt to distract myself, I spoke up.
"Well, that blew away a good hour or so huh?" When she didn't respond I looked down to see her head was down with a thoughtful look.
"Hey, watcha thinkin' about?" I asked, snapping her out of her trance.
"Well, since you were talking about your family, I realized I never told you about mine."
"Oh, is that all? I'm sure they're a fair bunch of people."
"Yes, they're very nice, but they can be a bit too... protective of me." She said, making me raise a brow.
"Oh, ok. Is it my kind of protectiveness or worse?" I asked, genuinely curious. She stayed silent for a moment before responding.
"Oh no, nothing like that! Er, I don't mean to say your too protective of me, I actually really appreciate how much you care about me, it's just, they might be a little... hesitant about you."
"You know, the way you said that makes me think that its a lot more than just hesitant."
"I think its because In school I would always get teased about my shyness and my flying. I never did like heights. Thankfully I had Rainbow there with me, so it wasn't that bad. My parents however, never forgot those times so they always made sure I was safe, even if I was fine on my own. When I moved to Ponyville, I think it got across that I was going to be fine on my own. Oh no!" She stopped in the middle of the road, stock still. Stopping there seems to be getting pretty common.
"What's up?"
"I haven't talked to my parents since I got back! They're going to be so worried! Oh what am I going to tell them?!"
"Just tell them the truth." She looked at me like I had gone crazy.
"Oh but what am I going to say? How can I explain you and what we went through? They might not believe me, or might think your a monster, or-." I put a finger to her lips to quell that tidal wave of words, stopping her erratic movements.
"If what you just said is true, I don't think you'll have much to worry about. Once we get talking I'm sure your parents will realize I'm not some god-forsaken demon lord out to steal your soul."
"That's... oddly specific. I think I see what you mean though. As long as everypony stays calm, there should be nothing to worry about. Oh..." She spoke with a wince at the end.
"Oh?"
"I just remembered my younger brother, Zephyr Breeze. He... might not be so willing." She finished, looking forward with a concerned expression.
"Well, he shouldn't be too much of a problem. I mean, he is your brother, how bad can he be?"
"Well, you see, there's a difference between us."
"Of course there is. What, is he a murderer or something?"
"No! Nothing like that! He's just a little difficult at times."
"You know, I could talk to him. I'm sure he'd be a whole lot less difficult when were through."
"Jorge, you are not hurting my brother! He may be annoying sometimes, but he does not deserve that!" By the end she was practically steaming. I held my hands up in surrender.
"Woah, I wasn't gonna do 'nuthin to the guy. You know me Flutters, I would never do that to a family member, especially yours." Her ears flattened to her head as she looked down.
"I-I'm sorry. It's just, he's my brother and I want you two to get along the most. If you did something like that, I don't think he'd ever forgive you. I certainly wouldn't." She regained her bearings during her speech and gazed at me with an unreadable expression. I kneelt down and hugged her close to my chest, feeling her relax in my arms.
"I wouldn't blame you. You've got nothing to worry about though, even if he turns out to be a dick. I still wouldn't do anything to him. I reserve stuff like that for people who really piss me off. Now!" I stand up with her still in my arms, electing an 'eep!' out of her. "Why don't we go somewhere besides the middle of the road? I'm sure the ponies around us would appreciate that."
And so, we did. I held her for the most part, eventually setting her down after passing by more than a few ponies raising a brow at our actions, but ultimately we didn't really do anything. We just kinda walked. I got to memorize the landscape, noting how surprisingly close some houses are to the forest, and I think Fluttershy was just having a fun time. We were just smiling, walking right next to each other, happy to be in the others presence.
We passed by Lyra once, had a lovely conversation, but for the most part uneventful. That isn't to say, however, that I didn't notice some particular stares I would get. Funnily enough, most were from guys. Maybe one or two were leaning towards aggressive, but they still stared intently. Maybe they thought I was gonna try to steal their girls or something, I don't know. Yet again though, I found that stallion with a brown coat and hourglass 'cutie mark' (I swear man) had a curious gaze. I should talk to him one day.
Before we knew it, the day was nearly over. We went to the party planned for me and had a blast, but it didn't last too long. We returned home, and were settling in for the night, the animals surrounding us already fast asleep, when I heard a noise. It was very faint, but it was there. I slowly crept my way towards the front door, where I heard footsteps. Or hoof steps, since that's the correct term. Again, very light. Without warning I swung open the door, my fists clenched and my body in a defensive position. What I saw confused me.
It was like a pony, but much different. It was considerably darker in fur coloration than usual, had leathery bat-like wings, and yellow slitted eyes. Said eyes were widened in surprise, but were quickly put back into fierce indifference. It was currently carrying a large box, made out of fucking metal of all things. The creature dropped the box and fished out a note, putting it on the box as well, before flying off. I stared as it left, brows knitted together in confusion.
I ceased my staring once it was out of sight and took a look at the box. Then, squatting down, I picked up the note, noticing two emblems meshed together as a seal. Breaking the seal, I unfurled it to reveal a letter. Addressed to me, written by both Princesses. It read:
Dear Jorge T. Milus, of Earth
Inside this secured package you will find what was promised to you days ago. We apologize for the wait and the attempt we have made to limit your access to your own belongings. It was not within our rights to do so and do hope you can forgive us for that. However, let it be known that since you have been officially welcomed and have become a citizen of Equestria, such rights can be taken away if necessary.
As per our agreement, nothing of your belongings has been touched, analyzed, or interfered with in any way, shape, or form. It is all inside the packaging, specially designed by ourselves to be virtually impenetrable, to ensure its contents safety. We cannot allow such dangerous technology to fall into the hands or hooves of nefarious individuals.
Rules of using such dangerous technology has not been changed and is only permitted in the most dire of circumstances. It is for not only our ponies safety, but yours as well, seeing as the reaction to such things can be unpredictable. Use of them inside the forest however is still under heavy consideration, but only because of the many dangerous beasts that lurk there.
Please let it be known that this caution we have regarded both you and your belongings with is purely for the safety of our people. We personally have faith in you Jorge, but only one pony has known you long enough to have it mean something. We do trust you to remember that, and urge you to try your best to make friends while your here.
Both Luna and I have trust in your abilities, and more talks about things like this are bound to happen. Believe it or not, we do care for you. It is just, with such a complicated situation, we all must show that you have earned it.
Have a pleasant night.
-Princess Celestia -Princess Luna
After re-reading the letter a couple time, a few questions were still left in my head. This whole scenario was fucking ridiculous, but hey, whatever right? If I can have a good nights rest, I'll just think about it tomorrow. If not, then oh well.
I picked up the metal container and, after quickly checking its contents, carried it upstairs, sat it next to the bed, slipped into bed, and fell asleep.
Today certainly was confusing. Another day in paradise.