> Waking up in a new world > by finesthour > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > Waking up in a new world > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I was one of the kids who was into many fandoms, and the kid who just joined the crowds. I never really liked My Little Pony that much, I just wanted to be in a group that cared about each other. I tried to watch the show, and it did not stick out to me, and I did not remember the characters., but with everything else in my life.... it started to attack me. I was sitting on my bed listening to my iPod, when I realised that I left my laptop running on the floor. I carefully picked it up off of the ground, avoiding falling off the bed, like I usually do. I laid against the back wall that was on my bed and I touched the pad that acted as the mouse. “Of course” I said to myself, seeing that Mlpforums.com was opened. I laughed at myself, knowing that this fandom of mine would eventually die, and I would move on to the next bandwagon. I signed out of my page after I read my notifications, and went to my email. I saw there was only one new email. Deciding to look at it and hurry to bed, I opened up the inbox and looked to see what it was. Much to my dismay, it was a chain email. It said, “My little pony is the best thing that has happened to the world. Spread your love by sending this to 10 ponies, or something you will not expect will happen when you wake up!” I laughed at the email, and I quickly deleted it, knowing full well that nothing would happen to me. I slowly closed my laptop, and the light in my room was soon engulfed in darkness. I picked up my phone as a light, and put my laptop back on the floor. I turned off my phone and put it into the charger, and laid sprawled out on my bed. The last thought that went through my mind was, “Stupid bronies, sending me this stupid crap...” And I drifted off to sleep. Eight hours later, my alarm went off on my phone. I reached over to turn it off, and noticed something on the screen. It had low batteries! “I must not of charged it...” I thought to myself, as I put it back on my bed. Laughing at my ignorance, I went over to my dresser and began to put on my clothes. As I was doing so, I noticed something strange outside my door. There was no one talking! In the mornings, my house is usually the loudest you have ever heard, and them being this quiet was unnatural. I shook the thought away and finished putting my shoes on. I sat back down on my bed and grabbed the remote. I pressed the button to turn on the TV, but the TV did not respond. I began to get very annoyed, so I started shaking the remote, rapidly pressing the power button. The TV still did not respond. I turned the remote around to check the batteries, and they were still in them. I put the remote back on the headstand, thinking the batteries were just dead. I walked to the TV and pressed the power button myself. The TV did not respond. I began to get very angry, as I usually watch My little pony in the mornings. I shook my head in frustration, and grabbed my school bag. “Might as well head to school..” I thought as I grabbed my bag. I put it over my shoulder, and opened the door to my room. What I saw, I would never be able to describe again. Outside of my room was not the rest of my house but a hill. My bag fell to the ground as I slumped over, looking out at the great distance of the plains I was on. “Where is my house!?” I shouted outloud, shocked at what was going on. I quickly closed my door, and took a deep breath. “I am just dreaming...” I repeated in my mind, slowly losing my sanity. I opened the door again, and much to my dismay, the planes were still there. I slammed my door, and laid back on my bed. “I have got to be dreaming... this must be a dream...” I said out loud rapidly, rolling around on my bed. Suddenly, a thought came to my mind. I remembered the email from the previous night. “My little pony is the best thing that has happened to the world. Spread your love by sending this to 10 ponies, or something you will not expect will happen when you wake up!” I began to laugh on my bed, realizing how stupid I was thinking. A chain email would never actually punish you for not sending something, would it? Suddenly, a knock on his door caused me to scream. A small voice sounded outside his door. “Is anypony there...?” > Waking up in a new world chapter 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Your imagination is the single most important asset you possess. Your imagination is your power to create mental pictures of things that don't exist yet and that you want to bring into being. Your imagination is what you use to shape your future. And so in your own way, you are a prophet. You generate countless predictions every day. Your imagination is the source,tirelessly churning out mental pictures of what you'll be doing in the future.” Rob Brezsny I sat on the wall of my room, hearing the knocks continue. The voice outside was soft, as such were the knocks. The voice called out again, “Please, is anypony here?” I sighed as I began to move off of my bed planting my feet on the ground. I took a very deep breath, and walked over to the door, afraid of what I was going to see. When I opened it, I nearly lost my breath. In front of me stood a small yellow pony with pink hair. I fell against the door frame, seeing a pony standing at my door. I started to stutter out a few words, and the small pony looked down. She began to say, “Sorry about intruding you... but I did not know where this house came from...” She said this with an unbelievable amount of shyness, and my heart began to melt. I felt my cheeks turn red, but I shook my head. I pulled myself together and stood back up, staring at the pony. “This is just a dream..” I said out loud, continuing the stare at the pony. I half expected the pony to disappear, but there she still stood, now looking even more nervous. “Why are you staring at me...” She said, her cheeks now turning red. I gazed at the pony, and felt my head become light. “This pony... is real...?” I thought, and felt myself lose consciousness. Fluttershy watched the strange mammal fall to the ground. She became very frightened for the mammal, as it hit it’s head on his desk. She ran inside of it’s house, picking him up with her hooves. She tried to lift him up to lay him on his bed, not realizing how heavy it really was. She quickly flapped her wings, and the mammal’s body began to rise. She struggled to carry the body onto the bed, and plopped him down onto it. She stared at the mammal, wondering what it was. “I have a good feeling it is a male...” she thought as she touched his hair. She was afraid he was going to wake up, but the feeling soon faded away. She continued to play with his hair, but remembered what she put him on the bed in the first place for. “I need to take care of this poor thing.” She said out loud, becoming scared, and thought she woke him up. the mammal stayed quiet and did not move a muscle. She smiled at this, and ran outside of the house to gather her supplies. > Waking up in a new world chapter 3 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fluttershy ran back into the mammals room and closed the door. She had brought all of her animal treating supplies with her, but was afraid it was not enough for such a big animal. She grabbed the bucket of water she had with her and put it on his bed. She grabbed a sponge with her hooves and flew towards him. She blushed as she realized what she now had to do. “I have to take his... clothing off.” She said out loud, once again afraid she woke him up. When he did not move, Fluttershy began to take off his shirt, fiddling with it as she did so. She had trouble getting it over his head, but eventually got it off. She was surprised when she saw what his body looked like under it’s clothes. “He looks so much different than any animal I have ever seen...” She once again said out loud, and put her hoof over her self to stop from talking. “Fluttershy, you are such a loudmouth!” She thought. She dipped the sponge that was in her hooves and began to wash the mammal. She was completely red from embarrassment, and she did not fully understand why. She had taken care of many animals before this, so shy is she feeling this way? Whenever she finished cleaning his chest, she looked down toward his lower body, and she turned a compete shade of pink. She now had to take his lower clothes off. She slowly reached down to his pants, and put her hooves on the outer rims. Suddenly, while she began to take his pants off, he grabbed her hooves. “What the hell are you doing to me?” I yelled at the yellow pony. The small yellow pony squeaked in terror as she fell off of me and onto the floor. I quickly felt bad for her, as I called out, “Are you okay?” When she did not answer, I jumped off the bed, careful not to step on her. I knelt down beside her, and looked at her in the eyes. She looked back at me in complete terror, her face completely pink. “What were you doing with my pants?” I said, putting emphasis on the word pants. She started to slowly mutter out words that could not be understood, until I shushed her. “Look, I am sorry I scared you. I am just a little freaked out right now. You can stand up, I am not mad.” I said, trying to sound as pleasant as possible. I smiled down at her, and she seemed to calm down. I held out my hand to her, and she put her hoof out. I pulled her to her legs, and she looked down at the ground. I seemed to tower over her, being 5’’11. She must of been at least 4’5’’. She was just so tiny. But for some reason, she was kind of cute... I quickly shook my head, surprised at how I was thinking. I was thinking a pony was cute. A pony! I quickly realized that I had been thinking to myself rather too long, and the small pony was still staring at the ground, most likely extremely embarrassed. I quietly laughed and asked, “So... what is your name?” She began to stammer again, and a small. “Fluttershy” could be heard. I began to walk backwards, complete shock hitting my mind. I have heard that name before. I have heard it everyday on the Internet. This was the pony from the show I pretended to like... > Waking up in a new world chapter 4 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- My stare at the small yellow pony in front of me continued. “I know who this pony is... it is Fluttershy!” I thought to myself, as I continued to stare at her. Fluttershy looked to have become extremely uncomfortable, keeping her eyes down on the floor, avoiding my gaze. After a few moments, I realized how truly creepy she must of felt for me to stare at her like this. I decided to test my theory out on her. “What is your name?” I asked, with sympathy making it sweet. She slowly lifted her head up to my eyes, and quietly said, “My... my name is Fluttershy...” She quickly looked back at the floor, her face now a shade of red. The shock that hit me this time was not as great, as I expected this already. So this is the pony from the show, huh? I reached my hand out to touch her head, as you would to please an animal on earth. She began to shrink under my touch, scared of what I was about to do. Slowly, I began to pet her head, and softly said “Thank you for taking care of me Fluttershy.” I felt her body loosen up, and I took my hand away. She looked up at me and smiled, her fear now seemed to disappear. We both smiled at each other, and I sat on my bed. I motioned for her to join me, and she accepted the invitation. She slowly flapped her wings and landed on the bed, her small weight not causing the bed to react. I looked over at her and said, “Now, can you please tell me why you were taking my clothes off?” I tried to say this in the least awkward way I could think possible. It felt weird coming out of my mouth, as I was saying this to a pony! In reaction to this, Fluttershy once again became embarrassed. This time however, she did not slump onto the bed, and answered with a tiny voice. “Well... I love to take care of animals. And when I saw you fell down...” Her voice trailed away as she looked down at my bed. I smiled at the small pony, touched by her generoisty. So this pony did not care about her own safety, and cared for someone she did not even know? I reached my hand out to pet her again, as I did not know how to please an animal, or one that could even talk. I began to pet her head, and slowly she began to calm down. I picked up head back up so she was looking at me again. Once I did this however, she began to turn pink. I let go of her head, and she was still looking up at me. I stared into her eyes for a moment, caught in their beautiful gaze. We stayed like this for a few minutes, and I shook my head, breaking it. I said to her, “Thank you for taking care of me Fluttershy! I really appreciate it.” I smiled down at her, and she turned her head away. I could tell by the side of her face that she was very embarrassed, and it made me smile. “She is rather cute when she is like this... Wait, what am I thinking!?” I said to myself, causing me to shake my head. When I did this, she turned to face me, worrying about what I was doing. I smiled back with a stupid grin, now embarrassed of myself. To break the silence, I said “My name is Gary, by the way.” Fluttershy returned with a smile that caused my entire body to melt. “Welcome to Ponyville... Gary.” > Waking up in a new world chapter 5 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fluttershy and I continued to talk on the bed for some time after. I never noticed it before when I was watching the show, but she is very interesting. As I talked to her, I found myself looking into her eyes constantly and becoming trapped in them. She never caught me looking, or at least she did not show she knew. When we neared an hour’s length of talking, she brought up the question. “So how did you get this room out here anyway?” She asked this as quietly as possible, as if not to sound stupid. I gently laughed and responded with, “I honestly have no clue. I just woke up here this morning.” I said this louder than I had meant to, and she took it as if I was being sarcastic. She started to tilt her head down to the bed, embarrassed of her question. I tried to pet her again, but I missed her head and started to pet her mane. She started to shiver under my touch, and it made my face turn red. I continued to stroke her flowing mane. It felt like I was touching the softest fabrics in the world, and it smelt like flowers. I trailed down her mane and continued to pet her, her body heat now extremely high. I realized how uncomfortable she must have been, and I tore my hand away from her, feeling ashamed. When I did this, she looked up at me with eyes that melted the fabric of my soul. She softly said, “Why did you stop...” I felt my face turn completely red, and I turned away from her. I felt her move on the bed, and I began to feel very bad. I had caused her to feel sad... and it was hurting me. Why was I feeling this way over a pony? I turned back around after my face had returned to its normal color, and I saw Fluttershy was looking at my phone with great curiosity. She looked as if she had never seen something like it before. I crawled over to where she was on my bed and looked at the phone as well. “What is this... thing Gary?” She asked quietly, her curiosity taking over her. I gently laughed at the question, and took the phone from her hooves. I pressed the power button on it, and the phone’s screen sprang to life, causing Fluttershy’s face to light up. She squealed when she saw this, and put her hooves over her eyes and slumped on my bed. I laughed at this, and started to pet her back. “It is called a phone. You have never seen one before?” I asked this with more curiosity than anything, wondering if Equestria had technology like this. Fluttershy reacted with happiness from me petting her back, and she picked her face up from the bed and looked back at the phone. “I have never seen anything as wonderful as this... what does it do?” She said this again with curiosity that was cuter than a newborn puppy. I smiled back at her, and I pressed the menu button, and the screen changed. Fluttershy’s eyes were wide open, as she was completely interested in this strange new object. As I continued to press buttons, the screen continued to change. “Well, people use this to talk to each other, play games...” I stopped my sentence when I noticed Fluttershy looked very confused when I said the word people. She tilted her head to the side. I smiled greatly at this, as she looked even cuter than usual. “What are... people?” She asked with a note of curiosity lingering. In a moment, an idea popped into my head. “A human is a large animal, like me. I am guessing you don’t have many of us here?” I said the last part of my sentence slowly, hoping that I would receive the answer I wanted. Fluttershy shook her head slowly, and my heart began to shrink. She said quietly, “You are the first... human I have seen out here...” Her sentence began to trail off, and I looked at the ground in complete sadness. So I really was out here alone. As my sadness grew inside of me, I noticed Fluttershy began to shift on the bed again. Suddenly, I felt her jump off the bed, and she was flying in front of my face. She looked very excited, and it caused me to smile. She quickly said, “Oh I know Gary! I have a friend who might be able to help us out here!” My smile grew across my face, and I felt an urge I could not understand. While Fluttershy was flying in front of me, I gave her the biggest hug I ever gave anyone. I felt her slump against me while I did this, and she laid her head on my shoulder. We stayed like this for a few moments, and let go of her. She smiled up at me as she began to flap her wings, and I jumped off of my bed. “Come on, let’s go Fluttershy!” > Waking up in a new world chapter 6 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- When Fluttershy opened the door of my room to the outside, I had to squint my eyes. The sun was blaring down onto the land, causing it to be extremely hot. She put her front left hoof out, as to beckon me outside. I took slow steps, but I eventually walked outside. It took my eyes some time to adjust to the world outside. It was like someone took a can of bright paint and covered the dreary world he lived on. Everything out here was brighter and seemed more colorful than the Earth he was used to. I stood still for a moment, taking in the land. I jumped up when I saw Fluttershy fly over my head, and she turned around. She was smiling down at me, hovering in the air. “Are you coming, or are you going to stand there?” She said with a joking voice. I smiled back at her and started to follow her as she flew. I noticed how fast her wings flew, yet how graceful she was. I continued to stare at her until I had to blink my eyes. I was happy that she did not notice how much of a creep I was really being. I was staring at a pony... this place must be really screwing me up. I laughed at myself, and continued to walk. Soon, the terrain under us changed from hills to just a vast Greenland. I was happy that the hills were gone, as I could easily keep up with Fluttershy. I noticed that she seemed to be turning her head towards me every few minutes, but I did not pay much attention to it. The thought on my mind was that she knew someone who would be able to help me out of here. I repeated that thought through my mind, my smile growing each time it was said. Fluttershy turned her head towards me again, and saw that my grin was now spread across my face. She must have thought she was the cause of it, as she smiled even wider than I was. She quickly turned her head back around, and I laughed at myself again. I really am becoming weird, aren’t I? ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- After what seemed like an endless jogging session, I began to see a town rise over the distance. I felt my heart jump as I looked at the massive town. Maybe I was not the only human out here after all! Fluttershy continued to fly in front of me, going slow enough for me to keep up. We kept our pace until we reached the city. She dropped to the ground in front of me and turned around. I looked down at her and smiled, and she smiled back. We kept like this for a moment, my eyes not leaving hers. I quickly shook my head and said, “So... where is this friend of yours?” For a second, I could have sworn she looked sad that I broke our gaze, but I did not think much of it. She looked back up at me again and said, “We are almost there. Just a little further from here.” She was now walking beside me, while my eyes were scanning the town. They had everything that human’s had in their towns, but so much more colorful! There were ponies walking around everywhere, and they all seemed to know each other. However when they saw me beside Fluttershy, their happy faces soon turned to complete fear and confusion. One of the ponies that ran away when they saw me yelling, “It is Zecora all over again!” I looked back down at Fluttershy, who was frowning back at me. I asked her, ‘’who is Zecora?” Fluttershy’s frown soon faded away, and she softly laughed. “It is a long story.” She said with a small hint of joy. We continued to walk like this for a little while more, while I continued to look at the stores. They had stores for just about everything I could imagine. On one side there is a sofa and quill store, and on the other, a muffin store! “You ponies have weird taste in stores...” I said out loud on accident. I quickly turned red as I felt Fluttershy turn her eyes to me. I could not feel any stupider if I would have fallen flat on my face. I would even enjoy that now if it got her to stop staring at me. Once I felt her gaze move off of me, I sighed in relief. My eyes started to scan the town again, and out on the distance I saw the biggest tree in history. I stared in complete awe of it, curious on how I had not seen it earlier. Fluttershy and I walked up to the massive tree, and at the front of it, there was a door. I grew very confused as I watched Fluttershy walk up to it and knock. “Who would live in a tree?” I said out loud. From behind the door, a purple unicorn answered me while opening the door. “I would.” She said. Fluttershy smiled at Twilight and quietly said, “Twilight, this is my new... friend, Gary.” Twilight’s face soon turned to the biggest smile I have seen in ages. “A human! I have read about them, but never thought I would ever see one. Come in you two!” The pony seemed to of been jumping around in joy, and I felt a little embarrassed. Fluttershy turned her head to look back at me, and she smiled. I returned the smile, and walked in with her. Twilight gleefully let both of us inside, and closed the door. “Now, let’s see. How did you find yourself in Equestria Gary?” > Waking up in a new world chapter 7 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Twilight’s question lingered in my mind as I moved to a nearby table on the ground. I saw that the seat was made from hay, and it made a smile spread across my face. They used whatever they could, unlike humans. When I sat down, I saw Fluttershy was quietly talking to Twilight by the door, and Twilight’s smile turned into a frown. As they talked, I noticed Fluttershy slowly turn a light shade of pink. I could see Twilight was listening intently, as her eyes stared deeply into Fluttershy’s. After a moment, Fluttershy looked at the ground, and Twilight’s face turned into a grin. I could tell she was fighting back laughter, and it started to make me confused. What did Fluttershy tell Twilight that made her laugh? This question did not stay long however, as Twilight and Fluttershy began to walk towards me. Fluttershy avoided my gaze for reasons I did not understand, and Twilight stood at the head of the table, smiling at me. Before I could say anything, she interrupted with, “My question still stands. How did you get to Equestria?” Her eyes showed she was incredibly eager to hear the answer, as if I was a book.. I put my elbow onto the table and placed my head on my palm. I was trying to think of an answer to give her, but her eyes staring into mine were... distracting me. They would’nt let off. After a few minutes of this, Twilight looked away, as if disappointed that I did not answer her. Without turning around, she said, “I can see you are just as confused as we are. Hang on for a moment; I think I may have an answer for both of us.” I looked over at Fluttershy for an answer, but she was still looking at the ground, lost in her thoughts. I quietly sighed, quiet enough for no one to hear, and laid my head on the table. It was a very uncomfortable position, but at least it let me rest. This did not last long, as I heard a voice in front of me say, “What the heck is this Twilight?” I slowly looked up, slightly angry for the interruption of my rest, and was surprised at what I saw. There was a baby dragon in front of me! Our eyes locked as he looked up at me, and mine at his. My curiosity began to get the best of me, as I said, “Holy crap, a baby dragon!” As quick as I said this, I regretted it. The small dragon in front of me started to get very irritated, and looked as if he was puffing smoke. The dragon crossed his arm in front of him and said in a cocky voice, “Who are you calling a baby dragon? I’m Spike, and I don’t think you should be here.” I tried to hold back my laughter at what he said, but to no avail. My laughter began to slip past my lips, and the dragon in front of me looked as if he was glowing with anger. He started to raise one of his small arms, but Twilight swiped his claw away quickly. I did not see when she got there, but now I felt ashamed at laughing at the small thing. I started to rub my arm in shame as the small dragon in front of me started to talk to Twilight. I looked down at Fluttershy, hoping to see some signs of her reacting to this, but her head was still down. I was now becoming very irritated at everyone in the room, and I sat back down. I called out to Twilight and said, “You were saying about an answer you had for both of us?” She must have known I was becoming irritated, as she turned a shade of red. “Um, excuse me Gary, I am sorry about that. This is Spike, my loyal helper. I believe you two have met by now...” She looked down at the small dragon in annoyance. “Say sorry Spike.” She said. Spike looked up at Twilight, and looked as if he was about to argue with her. “But Twilight, he called me-” She began to glare down at him, and he sighed. He let his arms sway down beside him, and he said, “Fine. I’m sorry, I guess...” Twilight now smiled at Spike and said, “Good. Now go find the book called “Theories of other’s existence”, If you would please.” Spike nodded his head, and started to walk away. Before he did so, he looked at me with pure anger in his eyes. It made me rather uncomfortable, but I shook the feeling away. I looked back at Twilight and said, “So what is this book that you were talking about?” She smiled at me and sat down at the head of the table. She looked at me and Fluttershy, who now had her head up, much to my happiness. “Well, in my research I have done, there is such a thing called the multiverse theory. What it means is that is there is a hypothetical set of multiple possible universes that together comprise everything that exists and can exist The entirety of space, time, matter, and energy as well as the physical laws and constants that describe them.” The faces of Fluttershy’s and mine were of plain confusion. Twilight saw that we were both becoming very confused, so she slightly chuckled. “Well, in simple terms, it is possible for other universes to exist outside our own. I am thinking that Gary’s universe somehow interacted with ours, and Gary was transported here.” I began to feel very light headed. The universes were shared, and I was the only one to be transported... The fact of this made me want to lie down, which I did gladly. I could feel my head begin to throb, and I closed my eyes. Twilight must have realized what she did hurt me, as she ran over to me. Fluttershy followed this action as well, and she began to pat my back. A smile began to creep on my face, as this is exactly what I did to comfort her. I picked my head off of the table and looked at both of them. “Thanks you two. It‘s just that... why I the one was chosen to be transported here. Why not someone else?” They both looked down at this, showing they did not know the answer. As I began to feel sad again, Twilight picked her head up quickly. “Who is to say you weren’t the only one to be teleported? We don’t know for sure you are not the only one!” She said this quickly, and it made my smile grow across my face. As a part of my instinct, I hugged her. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Fluttershy’s shock at this, and how pink her face turned. She looked back at the ground and sat down. I could feel Twilight’s muscles loosen as I continued to hug her, and I let go. I felt ashamed for a moment, as I made Fluttershy sad. “Sorry about that... I could not help myself...” I said this slowly, trying to find my words as I said them. She shyly looked up at me and smiled. “It is alright! I have not had someone hug me like that before!” She said this happily, and it made my blood rush to my face. I felt very embarrassed at this moment, and started to rub my arm again. As I did this, I heard tiny feet run against the hard ground, and a voice said, “Twilight, I found the book!” I turned around to see Spike, who was smiling at Twilight’s direction, completely avoiding my gaze. Twilight shook her head and laughed, not explaining why she did this. She walked over to Spike and thanked him. I stared at both of them, wondering why Twilight was not taking the book. Suddenly, a burst of light appeared around her horn. I grew very worried for a moment, not knowing what was happening to her. Suddenly, out of Spike’s hands, the book began to have the same color glow. I began to grow very confused as the book started to rise and glide over to the table. As I was about to question this, I heard Twilight laugh. ‘’It is called magic Gary. It is something you are going to have to get used to!” She laughed at herself, and I joined in. She opened the book on the table and began to flip through the pages. She suddenly stopped and said “Ahah! Found it!” She moved the book closer to me and said, “Look at the picture!” I looked down at the book, and could not believe my eyes. There in the book, was a picture of a human. > Waking up in a new world chapter 8 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I continued to stare at the picture in front of me. On the page was a picture of a primitive human, most likely from the stone ages. There was text surrounding the picture, almost too small for me to read. When I reached out for the book, Twilight squealed. She put her hoof over the book, and I put my hands back at my sides. She said in a slow voice, “This book is very VERY old. I am afraid if you touch it, you might break it...” Her voice trailed away as she looked down, obviously embarrassed. I smiled at her and said, “It is alright! I won’t touch it. Just explain to me, why are you showing me this book?” Her face lifted up, and she was suddenly happy. She sat down beside me, right between me and Fluttershy. I could still see Fluttershy at the corner of my eye, and she was glaring at Twilight. I don’t know why, but it bothered me. In the short time I had known Fluttershy, she had never seemed like she could get angry. What was her reason now? Before I could think about my thought, I saw Twilight’s hoof reach out in front of my face, and towards the book. She had her hoof just close enough to show me where to read, but not to where she was touching the book. “Humans, in myth, are known taxonomically as Homo sapiens, Latin for wise man or knowing man are the only living species in the Homo genus. Anatomically modern humans originated in Africa about 200,000 years ago, reaching full behavioral modernity around 50,000 years ago.Humans have a highly developed brain and are capable of abstract reasoning, language, introspection, and problem solving. This mental capability, combined with an erect body carriage that frees the hands for manipulating objects, has allowed humans to make far greater use of tools than any other living species on Earth. Other higher-level thought processes of humans, such as self-awareness, rationality, and sapience, are considered to be defining features of what constitutes a person. Their folk lore is around war and depression, and stories are around death.” My head began to rattle as she read this to me. I could not wrap my head around some of the things this book said. Humans were just a theory, but I exist. I could feel blood rush to my head as I thought, and Twilight began to rub my back. I looked over at her, and she smiled back at me. “Do you want to continue reading?” She said to me softly. I nodded my head without thinking, and she continued. “Humans are uniquely adept at utilizing systems of communication for self-expression, the exchange of ideas, and organization. Humans create complex social structures composed of many cooperating and competing groups, from families to nations. Social interactions between humans have established an extremely wide variety of values, social norms, and rituals, which together form the basis of human society. With individuals widespread in every continent except Antarctica, humans are a cosmopolitan species. As of November 2011, the human population was estimated by the United Nations Population Division to be about 7 billion, and by the United States Census Bureau to be about 6.97 billion. Like in Myth, Humans are said to be non-existent, and are treated as such.” When Twilight stopped reading and closed the book, I was stuck in complete shock. I was thought of as a myth... I never existed. Without noticing, I said outloud, “So that’s it. I do not exist, do I? Is that what you are trying to tell me?” I said this harsher than I mean to, and I felt shame rush back into me. I could hear Fluttershy get up from her seat and run over to me. She was now on the other side of me, and she got close to my face. “I know you exist, you do not need to be so angry...” She said this soft enough to make me smile, and Twilight got close to my face as well. “I am not saying you do not exist. I thought you just wanted to know what us pony folk think about humans. I know you exist as well, that is all that matters.” With both mares beside me, I felt more comfortable than I had in my entire life. They were both know rubbing my back, trying to calm me down. I spread my arms out behind their back and embraced them both in a hug. I could feel them both press against me, and I did not think much of it. I said outloud, “Thank you... both of you. For everything you are doing for me.” Both mares replied with, “You are very welcome!” When we saw Spike come down the stairs. He glared at me with the most angry eyes I could ever see, and he came running at me. Fluttershy and Twilight both jumped up when they saw this, and Spike jumped up and landed on my chest. He got his face close to mine, and I could feel his anger glow off of his scales. He began to punch me continuously on the face saying, “Who the hell do you think you are!? You just waltse into my house and start rubbing up against my friends like they are some floozies! Who do you think you are!” He yelled this at me, and I did not react. I just looked up at him, completely struck with awe at what he did. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Twilight’s horn glow, and Spike did the same. Spike started to glide away from me, but he started to wiggle around the magic, as if he was trying to fight it. I saw Fluttershy run over to me, and she stood over my body. She looked as if she was going to cry, and it made me cry. As the tears rushed from my eyes, both my vision and my hearing began to fade. I could hear Twilight screaming at Spike, and Fluttershy still stood over me. As I began to fade out, I saw Twilight stand over me again. Before I fell asleep, she said, “I’m sorry...” > Waking up in a new world chapter 9 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- “My freaking head...” This was all I could say when I woke up. My head felt like it was being squished inside of a compactor, and it was throbbing continuously like a drum beat. I started to rub my head to try and ease the pain, but it just worsened at my touch. I laid my arms across the bed I was laying on. I did not care to wonder how I got onto this bed, I only cared that it was comfortable. As my eyes scanned the room, I realized how late it must be. The moonlight was shining in from a nearby window that was cracked open, and the crisp night air slowly flowed in. The cold air felt good against my warm skin, and I began to relax against the bed. The pain in my head did not subdue, but at least I was now comfortable. I felt like I was in complete peace for a few moments, until I heard a door open and close extremely fast. The throbbing in my head worsened, and before I could stop it, a pain filled groan escaped my lips. I kept my eyes closed, not caring who just came into the room. I could hear someone coming near me slowly, but I was more concerned with my once again aching head. I heard the footsteps stop, and felt the presence of someone standing over me. Reluctantly, I slowly opened my eyes to see Twilight looking down at me. I swiftly closed my eyes, not knowing the reason why. She did not seem to notice this, as she continued to stand there. My thoughts began to collect themselves, and a question blared in my head. What was she doing here? I soon got my answer, as I felt a hoof touch my hair. I felt goosebumps wash over my body, but I stayed as still as possible. This continued for a few moments, with her slowly petting my head with her hoof. When it stopped, I felt sad for some reason. I wanted her to keep doing this, but I did not know why? I almost opened my eyes to tell her to keep doing it, but I felt a cold rag touch my forehead. The coolness of the rag made me shake, but not enough for her to notice it. She began to wipe my head with the rag, and I felt extremely happy for some unknown reason. Why was she doing this for me? After a while, she stopped doing this as well. The rag stopped moving, but it was still left on my head. I was grateful for this, as the pain in my head seemed to disappear. I felt like I was about to pass out on the bed, and now realized how tired I really was. After a few seconds, I even forgot Twilight was still in the room. As I became completely relaxed I could feel the sweet embrace of sleep begin to wash over me. Then, suddenly, my relaxation was broken. I felt someone get on the bed with me. Panic washed over my body, not realizing who had gotten on the bed with me. I felt the body snug up against me, and the body was extremely warm. I stayed like this for a few minutes, feeling my drowsiness come back to me. I did not dare turn around to see who was in the bed with me, as I was afraid of the answer. In a few moments, my state of complete relaxation had returned, and the sweet escape of sleep found me again. > Waking up in a new world chapter 10 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The sun shone on my face when morning came around, causing my slumber to be broken. My eyes slowly opened to face the rays of the sun, and I was forced to rub my eyes. My mind was a blur from what had happened the previous day. All I remember was coming to Twilight’s house, and getting attacked by Spike... I shook my head, grateful the pain was now gone. I started to stretch on the bed, when I felt my left arm touch something furry. I grew very worried, remembering that someone was with me on the bed. Afraid to turn around, I laid on my back, trying at all cost to see who was beside me. Taking in a deep sigh, I decided to man up and face whoever decided to sleep with me. When I turned over to my side, I saw Twilight sound asleep. I felt my entire body grow cold as I stared at the small pony, realizing that she snuck into the bed with me. I continued to stare at her, confused of the emotions that were happening inside of me. On one hand, I just met her, and it would hurt Fluttershy. On the other hand, she is really nice, and she did get Spike off of... “Stop it!” Escaped my lips, and I immediately felt foolish. I was afraid that my shouting would have waked her up, but she still looked to be sound asleep. I watched her body move along with her steady breathing, and it made me smile for an unknown reason. I started to move on the bed beside her, and without thinking, nuzzled up against her. This just felt so right, being so close to her. I could not explain why, but I felt so... happy. We staid like this for a few moments, our breathing now both slow and relaxed. I was about to fall back asleep, when I heard the door to the room open. I immediately sprang up and saw Spike standing at the door, his hatred for me was now as open as a book. He walked over to Twilight, not taking his eyes off of me for a second. He got near her and shook her awake. Twilight slowly opened her eyes, and saw Spike standing beside her. She yawned in a very cute way, and it made a small amount of blood rush to my face. I stared as the both of them interacted, and I felt rather jealous that Spike was able to be around her all he pleased. I shook my head as these thoughts came to my mind, and as quickly as they came, the thought left. Spike stared at Twilight who was now wide awake and said, “Twilight, what were you doing in the bed with this creep?” He put emphasis on creep, and I could feel my anger pulse through my veins. Out of respect for Twilight and myself, I stayed quiet. Twilight turned a light shade of pink and replied, “I... I don’t know. I just wanted to be around him some more...” She said this slowly, but it was enough to make my face turn as red as a strawberry. I could see Spike start to shake out of pure anger, and he turned away from her. ‘’Anything you want me to do for you Twilight? I will gladly leave now.” He said this as a child throwing a temper tantrum would say it, and it caused me to chuckle. Luckily he did not hear me, as he continued to stare at the wall. Twilight looked down and said, “Well... I could use some more quills, if you would not mind to go get some for me.” Spike nodded without turning around, and stomped away towards the door. He slammed it with all of his force, and it caused the room to slightly shake. I looked back at Twilight, and she smiled in return. She then looked away and quietly said, “Sorry about last night. Spike... is very protective of me. He sees me as his mother, and he only wants to protect me...” I smiled back at her and nodded. I said calmly, “I understand. I do not have any hard feelings toward him. But there is something that is still on my mind...” My sentence then trailed away as I looked at the ground in embarrassment. She perked up on the bed and jumped off. She walked over to me and Lifted my head with her magic. The feeling was indescribable... It felt warm if anything. She smiled up at me and said, “I wanted to sleep near you. That is all you need to know.” She happily said this and walked away towards the door and opened it. She turned her head back around to face me. She now had a frown on her face, which confused me. “You should go see Fluttershy, by the way. She has been downstairs waiting for you all night.” She said this quickly enough for her to leave the room without me saying anything. I sat on the bed and put my hands on my lap. Fluttershy has been waiting for me to wake up... and I was sleeping with Twilight? What is she going to think of me...? I shook that idea away and started thinking, “Fluttershy just sees me as a friend. Besides, what she does not know won’t hurt her, right?” I smiled at myself and walked over to the door. I took deep breath, and slowly opened the door. I slowly walked down the staircase, and into Twilight’s living room. I saw Fluttershy sleeping on the ground near the table where Spike attacked me, and it made my entire body turn numb. How could I have slept with Twilight last night? What is she going to think of me...? Why did I do this? I walked over to Fluttershy’s sleeping body and had a mix of emotions race through my body. I sat down on the ground near her, and started petting her mane, like I did to calm her down when we first met. I do not know why, but the thought of me sleeping with Twilight last night brought tears to my eyes when I was doing this. Why am I feeling this way towards animals? What the hell is wrong with me? > Waking up in a new world chapter 11 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- I continuously pet her mane for what seemed like hours. After a while, Fluttershy opened her eyes and looked up at me. At first, she looked extremely sad. Within a second, her smile spread across her face. She jumped up from where she was and gave me the biggest hug anyone had ever given me. I hugged her back, but the shame of what I had done last night stayed on my mind. She squeezed me extremely tight, showing me that she must of been worried. She broke the hug and looked up at me, and then to the floor. She quietly whispered, “I was very worried about you... I did not know how badly Spike had hurt you... Twilight would not let me see you...” Her voice was now trembling, and I could feel my heart breaking. I reached my arms out and hugged her again, feeling tears rush to my eyes. I was determined to not let her see me cry, so I said in the happiest voice I could muster, “I am very happy you were so worried about me... but I’m okay now, that’s all that matters.” She returned the hug, gladly squeezing me as hard as she could. My tears were now rushing down my face and onto her hair. I knew she could feel my tears hit her, but I did not want to let her go. I wanted to stay like this forever. I wanted us to be the only beings on Earth, and for this moment to last for the rest of out lives. She tore away from the hug, and saw the tears that were streaming down my face. My body felt like it was frozen, I could not bear to move. She frowned at me, and my heart started to race. What if she figured out about last night? What will she do... What will she think of me? My tension was soon put to rest as she lifted her hoof to my face and wiped away my tears. She smiled back at me, and embraced me into another hug. I wanted to tell her how I felt, and just as I was about to Twilight burst into the room with a book obviously excited. She stared at Fluttershy and I, and Fluttershy broke our hug. She was now completely pink, and looked towards the ground. I started to rub the back of my head, not knowing how to react. Fluttershy started to say, “Twilight....” When Twilight interrupted Fluttershy with a loud, somewhat disappointed whimper and said, “What are you two doing in here?” She looked extremely tense, and stared over at me. I felt my body turn stiff as I grew embarrassed at what she had seen, and Fluttershy stared at the floor. Twilight looked as if she was about to cry and turned around, dropping the book that seemed to cause her so much joy. Without looking at either of us, she ran to her staircase and into her room. I could hear her door slam, and it caused me to feel even more ashamed of myself. I looked over at Fluttershy, and she returned with a confused stare. I slowly sighed and stood up. I looked down at her and said, “I... should to go to talk to her.” Fluttershy seemed to cringe at the thought of me being alone in the same room as Twilight, and I could feel her watching me as I walked away. I walked up Twilight’s staircase slowly, each step causing my heart to skip a beat. I could feel my blood pulsing through my veins as I neared the door, and I took a deep breath. I stood in front of the door and tried to calm myself. I reached my arm to the door and slowly knocked. When there was no response, I put my ear to the door. I could hear Twilight crying, and my body refused to work for a moment. I almost fell onto the door, but caught myself halfway. I took in another deep breath, and knocked on the door again. I slowly said, “Twilight... please talk to me.” For a moment, there was complete silence. I began to think that she was going to ignore me, but I felt the door open. Twilight stood there and looked up at me. Her eyes were red from crying, and it made me feel like a monster. I stared at her in silence, and she stared back. After a few moment’s of this, she quietly said, “What was last night to you...” I felt my face drop as she said this, but I continued to stare at her. Her look of sadness continued to grow, as she stepped away from the door. She kept her stare on me and said, “Please... just leave me alone for a while. I need to think...” The door in front of me slowly closed, leaving me standing there. I tried to collect my thoughts, but they moved in too quickly. I turned away from the door and started to walk down the staircase. As I walked back downstairs I saw the book that Twilight was holding... well magicing. It was entitled ‘Humans and Their Emotions, the Dummies Guide’ I slowly knelt on the floor and picked up the book. Was she meaning to give this to me? Taking this as a yes, I put the book under my arm and stood up. I slowly walked over to where I left Fluttershy, who looked exactly as she did when I left her, but somehow...sadder. She stared at me as I walked towards her, and I sat down beside her. Fluttershy sounded as if she was trying to say something, but stopped her sentence. As we sat in complete silence, my thoughts began to catch up with me. I began to think about how much of a monster I was, playing with both of these girl’s feelings. I began to feel very dirty, and I felt a hatred for myself grow. Why the hell was I put here, and why am I acting this way? I am such a terrible person... > Waking up in a new world chapter 12 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- As we continued to sit in silence, Fluttershy saw the book that I was keeping under my arm. She asked me, “What are you holding?” I could tell she was trying to break the silence, and her attempt forced a smile to spread across my face. I brought the book out from under my arm and showed it to her. “It is the book Twilight was holding. She didn't take it back when she... you know.” I said this slowly, my head slowly turning towards the ground, my shame growing inside of me. Fluttershy picked my head up with her hoof again and gave me the warmest smile I had ever seen. It made my head feel very light, and a smile creep across my face. I put the book between us and laid it on the table. Why did she have this book with her? I looked over at Fluttershy, and she nodded her head, showing me I should open the book. I took in a deep breath, and I opened the book to the first page. The index was as it showed- Humans and Their Emotions, the Dummies Guide Index- Page 2 Humans- Page 5 The fascinating myth behind them- Page 20 Humans and their hearts- Page 50 Love- Page 70 Ending words- Page 100 When I finished reading the index, I felt my body turn warm. Was she planning on... finding out how I could love someone? I looked over at Fluttershy for an answer, and to my surprise she was violently shaking. For a second, I just stared at her, confused on what to do. I came to the conclusion to do what I kept doing for her when I saw her in a bad mood, I began to pet her mane. Her violent shaking stopped after a moment, and she looked over at me in a pained expression. I stared back at her, not knowing what to say. A few minutes past of us staring at each other, and an idea popped in my head. I could just lie! “Twilight... must of got the wrong idea from our hug yesterday. I don’t know where she got the idea that I might like her back..” I said this as calmly as I could, hoping she would accept the lie. Within a second, her face turned the happiest I had seen it, and she gave me a hug. I returned the hug with a small pain in my heart, knowing full well that she took the lie. I was hoping that it would make me happy that she did not suspect anything, but it just made me feel... dirty. The tighter she squeezed, the more pressure I felt on my heart. She broke away from our hug and smiled up at me. I returned the smile, and I stood up. I looked towards Twilight’s room, much to Fluttershy’s displeasure. I looked down at her again and said, “We should go. Twilight did say she wanted to be alone.” Fluttershy nodded her head, and I put out my hand to lift her up. She stuck out her hoof, and I pulled her to her back legs. We started to walk away towards Twilight’s door, but the moment we were at it, the door was opened. Spike stood at the door with quills in his hand, and saw me and Fluttershy standing at the frame of the door. He must of seen I was not with Twilight anymore, so his look of hatred was not as furious. He just walked straight past us and up the staircase towards Twilight’s room. I looked down at Fluttershy, hoping she would catch my signal that I wanted us to leave. She nodded up at me, much to my relief. We walked outside of Twilight’s house, and I closed the door slowly. > Waking up in a new world chapter 13 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fluttershy and I decided that is was best to head home for the day. As we were walking, I could feel Fluttershy’s gaze being directed towards mine. I was feeling rather uncomfortable knowing that I lied to her, but at least she was happy. We were walking through the main district of town again, and the reactions were exactly the same. The ponies would act normal until they saw me, and reacted with complete terror. My reaction towards this was different than last time, as I just ignored it, walking casually along Fluttershy. Once we were out of the city, the grassland ahead of us seemed like it would go on forever. I had no idea where we were going, but I had a small hope that Fluttershy did. She was not flying like she was last time, she was just walking beside me, constantly glancing toward me. I started to do the same, looking at her every few minutes. I really had no clue where we were going, and I had the feeling Fluttershy did not as well. After what seemed like an hour of walking, I began to smell the sweet scent of apples. I had never smelled apples as sweet as this before. I looked down at Fluttershy, hoping to get an answer of where we were. She did not respond to me, not even giving me a glance. I took in a deep breath, and continued walking. Out in the distance, I began to notice a sea of tree’s that seemed to rise out of thin air. I looked down at Fluttershy, who was looking at the ground. “Fluttershy... do you know where we are going?” Fluttershy kept her gaze on the ground, but shook her head. I just stared at her for a moment, and I started to laugh. Fluttershy looked as if she was feeling even more embarrassed, and I started to feel bad for some reason. I wanted to tell her that it was okay, and I was just joking. I went ahead of her and knelt in her way, wanting her to stop. Her eyes were still on the ground, so she ran into me, causing me to fall onto my back, with her on top of me. I looked up at Fluttershy in complete shock. She returned my look with the same reaction. We both stared at each other like this for what seemed like hours. I was thankful when I heard a voice behind say, “Whoa there, what are you doing Fluttershy?” Fluttershy jumped off of me, making a rush of relief run through my body. I turned around to see a small orange pony with brown cowboy hat. I quickly realized where I knew this pony from, this ponies name was... Applejack. Applejack stared at me with the most confused eyes I have ever seen, and I smiled at my chance to mess with her. I said, “Hey Applejack. How is your cereal working out for you?” With all of my might, I was able to keep back the laughter that wanted to escape from my body. Applejack now had a look of complete confusion, not knowing how to respond to this. I saw her look over to Fluttershy, and she looked as if she was going to laugh as well. Applejack closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She said, “What in tarnation’ is going on here?” Fluttershy walked over to Applejack, trying to hold back her laughter. “Applejack, this is Gary. My new friend.” I smiled at Applejack, waving as I did so. Applejack’s look of confusion did not subdue, but she walked over to me. She said in a confused tone, “How did ya’ know my name?” I shrugged my shoulders and said, “Lucky guess?” I responded, laughter wanting to escape my body. Applejack stared at me for a few moments more, and she started to laugh. She looked at both of us, and turned her head to an unknown location. Without turning around, she said, “Well, if you two are done with yer’ love session, do you want to come have supper with my family?” I looked over at Fluttershy, who nodded her head at me. I just thought. “What the hell. We don’t know where we are going anyway.” Applejack turned around to see our answer, and we both nodded our heads. She smiled at both of us, and started to walk. “Follow me and we will get there in no time.” She said this happily, as if she wanted us to go with her. I looked over at Fluttershy, who was smiling at me. I stood up and started walking towards Applejack. > Waking up in a new world chapter 14 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Before today, I never thought I would ever see an ocean made out of trees. Applejack’s apple orchard was not like anything I had ever seen. In the episode “Applebuck season” the animators tried to show how large their land was, but I had not realized truly how big it was until today. I felt if I had wandered away from our group, I would be lost in the trees for a lifetime and a half. So I kept my pace near Fluttershy to avoid that dreadful fate. Applejack’s mannerisms were nothing like Fluttershy’s; she never turned her gaze away from the direction we were going. She kept her mind on the task at hand, it seemed. I could rather respect that about the orange pony, much as people did online. Thinking of home caused a small smile to spread across my lips, not fully understanding the reason why. The feeling of home sickness was fading for an odd reason, and I could put my mind on it. Was I really becoming accustomed to life with ponies? As these thoughts ran through my mind, I saw a large red barn rise over the hills, seemingly out of nowhere. The second I saw this building, I could feel how tired my legs were becoming from walking for this amount of time. I spend my pace up a little faster to where I was near Applejack and said, “Please tell me this is your home? My feet are killing me” Applejack turned her head towards me and started to laugh. She said with laughter in her voice, “Yeah, it’s where ah live, an’ don’t worry, you will be eatin’ with mah family soon enough.” Applejacks voice sounded like the stereotype for country people, but it had a distinct personality trait in it. It sounded sweeter than a normal person’s voice. Like it had a mind of its own, it sounded almost... like it could never lie. Her voice slipped into my ears, and the smile that had grown on my lips soon spread even farther. I could feel my stomach produce a growl from the sound of the word “eating”, and I felt like running to her home to eat sooner. Applejack must have seen my excitement, and she soon said, “You can hold yer’ horses for a few more minutes. We are almost there.” I felt embarrassed when Applejack said this, and my cheeks turned a light shade of red. I slowed down to start walking beside Fluttershy, as it felt more comfortable. She lifted her head and smiling at me, and I returned the gesture. For reasons unknown to me, Applejack stopped walking and got between us. She looked up at me again, blocking my view of Fluttershy. “So do yah like Apples Gary?” She said this quickly, as if she said the words without thinking. At the back of my mind, I began to think that she did this so I would not be talking to Fluttershy anymore. I laughed at the thought, shaking it away. I realized that I was thinking to myself while Applejack was staring at me, and I began to feel uncomfortable. I rubbed the back of my head, not knowing what to do with my hands. I quickly said, “Uh... I guess I do like apples!” The second I said this, I regretted saying it fast. I sounded like such an idiot! Applejack was now laughing at me, bumping into me. She said while laughing, ‘’Oh come on now, yah don’t have to be so shy. What kind of apples does you like the best?” I could tell Applejack was just making small talk to make the walk seem shorter, and my respect for her was growing, even though she was still making me embarrassed. I had no idea what Fluttershy was thinking, and it kind of bothered me. I tried to look over Applejack while I said, “I guess the red kind. I was never into the sour apples.” I saw Fluttershy for a split second, but Applejack then bumped into me again, and my view was broken. She was still laughing, and it started to make me feel uncomfortable. Why was she laughing so much? As soon as these thoughts came, they disappeared when I saw that we had reached her house. I turned around to see where we had come from, and I began to grow confused. Did I really pay attention to my thoughts so much I did not even notice us walking? Not caring about these thoughts much longer, thoughts of food crept into my mind. Without even noticing, my stomach made a growl with enough force that it sounded like a bear had been the source. Applejack and Fluttershy both stared at my stomach in awe. I felt like I had turned completely red from the stare of these two ponies. They must be surprised that someone as small as me could produce a sound this massive. I nervously said out loud, “I... haven’t eaten since I got here. I said I was hungry... right?” I added nervous laughter after I said this, trying to get my point across. Fluttershy and Applejack looked at each other for a second, and they both busted into laughter. I joined them in this laughter, although I did not really understand why. After what seemed like an hour of grueling hunger and hearing them laugh (Which was only about 30 seconds, but I was hungry), Applejack walked past us to the door of her home, and opened it with her hoof. I did not understand how she opened it with her hoof, nor did I really care. Applejack stood at the end of the door and said, “Come on in everypony... and Gary. Time to eat!” *** While Fluttershy and I were visiting Applejack’s home, we met some pretty interesting people. Apparently, as Applejack told us, the rest of their family was out selling their most recent harvest outside of what I now knew was Equestria. Applejack told us that the reason she stayed was because her brother Big Macintosh had hurt himself before the Applebucking season (whatever that was, but I was going with the harvest season, seemed easier), and she had to look out for her Grandmother and little sister. I had not met any of her siblings, but I had an urge to know everything about Applejack, for some strange reason. I did not dwell on these thoughts, as I was busy touring Applejacks house with Fluttershy. Applejack led us to a room that seemed smaller than the others, and was rather messy, although I would not say anything about it. Applejack turned around to face us and said, “And this here be the room of my little sis’ Applebloom.” Fluttershy seemed to look worried for a moment, much to my hearts dismay. I decided not to ask out loud to make her feel more comfortable, if that made much sense. She turned her head to Applejack and said, “Where is little Applebloom?” Applejack suddenly looked worried as well, and I began to grow irritated. Did they know something that I didn't? For what seemed like ages of awkward silence, we stood there. I could not take uncertainty much longer, and I said, “Why are you two looking like that? Is there something wrong with...Applebloom?” Fluttershy looked back at the ground, and she looked as if she regretted saying a single word. The worry that had manifested inside of me had grown, and I started to grow panicked. I had no idea why I was acting this way, but something told me that the answer was not good. I turned my head to Applejack for an answer, and she looked towards the ground. She slowly said, “Applebloom has been missin’ for the past few days. Her friends Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo have not seen er’ either. I am startin’ to worry for the little filly...” Without even knowing why I was feeling pain for a pony I did not even know, I felt tears come to my eyes. I felt them come, and I tried to wipe them away. I was not saying anything out loud, but on the inside I was screaming at myself. “What the hell is wrong with you Gary? Why are you crying over ponies you don’t even know! Why are you crying for Applejack! What is this fucking place doing to you!” Applejack and Fluttershy must have seen me crying, and they both came up to me. I heard Fluttershy say something softly towards me, but my ears were buzzing, and the words were lost. I slumped on the wall in a mix of emotions. These emotions were a mixture of hatred for me, love for Fluttershy, love for Applejack, love for the lost pony, and did I mention confusion? I had no idea why I was feeling this way. I was obviously panicking the two other ponies, as I felt their hooves touch me, as if they were trying to comfort me. I sat there wallowing in the pit of my own sadness, while these two kinder than natural ponies were trying to comfort me. I tried to take in a deep breath to calm down, but it came out in shaky rasps. Fluttershy started to pet my head, like I had done to her many times. I started to slowly calm down, enjoying the tender touch that Fluttershy put into calming me down. Applejack must of saw that is what it took to calm me down, and she started to pet me as well. She was very rough at first, tugging at my air, and causing spasms of pain to shoot through my body. After a few minutes, she soon learned what she was doing, and began to pet me softer than Fluttershy did! I realized that life on the farm made you know how to handle objects carefully, and she must be treated me like one of her ripe apples. After a while, both ponies were petting my head down, and the pain inside of me seemed to disappear by their careful touch. I looked up at both of them and tried to make out the words thank you, but Applejack shushed me. She smiled down at me and said, “Now how about ah give you the food I promised yah.” I jumped up at these words, a smile painted on my face. I quickly opened the door and said, “What are we waiting for!? Let’s go!” *** Applejack’s family actually owned a table! I don’t know why this made me happy; maybe it was because some of the furniture from my past life was back to me. Homesickness I supposed. These thoughts quickly left me as I could smell food coming out from the kitchen. I sat down at the right side of the table, with my back to a window. On the other side of me sat Fluttershy, and we exchanged smiles for a second. She always seemed to make me smile when I saw her. She also made me feel warm inside... Ugh! Stop thinking about her like that weirdo! She is a pony, you are a human! It isn’t right! I slapped myself on the forehead to quickly get rid of these thoughts, and regretted it almost automatically. I did all of this in front of Fluttershy, and she just stared at me, with a hint of worry in her eye. I nervously laughed and shrugged my shoulders at her, and it seemed to make her feel better, as she turned her head away from me. The smell that was coming out of the kitchen was unlike anything I had ever smelt before. Although I missed meat, I could imagine that ponies would not eat that in this world. They were herbivores back on Earth, but what would they be here? I thought it would be rather weird to ask that to Fluttershy now, so ignored the thought. I went back to smelling the sweet smell that was lingering outside of the kitchen, as if it was calling to me like a Siren’s sweet song. The smell seemed as if it was going into my nose and making home, and it made me smile. I had no idea what food was making the smell, but I did not rather care. I just wanted the food. Inside of the kitchen, I heard Applejack yell, “Food will be ready soon everypony... and Gary!” It seemed like a joke she would be making towards me a lot, and it was rather annoying. I guess I would have to get used to it, although I will always be the odd ball out in this world. While I was thinking this, I heard a door open and close somewhere in the house. I looked up from the table and saw a massive red stallion walk into the room. For a moment, I stared in awe at him. This was the first male that he had seen in this world, and it felt rather cool! I was guessing that this was Big Macintosh, and I decided to use Earth jokes on this pony to confuse him, like I did to Applejack. While he was walking up to the table, I said, “So Big Mac, how did you get out of Mc Donald’s?” Not understanding the joke, Big Mac just stared back at me with a blank stare. Our eyes met for a moment, and he continued to stare at me. I thought that he was going to say something, but he just kept quiet. He walked over to the other side of the table and sat down on the chair. He was directly across me, and continued to stare me. For some reason, his staring did not make me uncomfortable. It just made me feel... like he was wiser than he looked. Like a man of many actions but few words. Man, I never used that saying back on Earth. This place really is making me grow soft... As I thought this, the door to the kitchen opened and Applejack walked in with a tray full of food on it. There was a mixture of salads and many types of apple dishes on top of it. As I thought before, there was no sign of meat. But at the moment, I did not mind. I just wanted to eat food quickly. Applejack laid the tray on the middle of the table and walked into the hallway of her home. I stared at the table of food that was laid in front of us, and I was struggling not to grab the plate in front of me. Big Mac continued to stare at me, and I stared back. I don’t know why, but I had a great amount of respect for this stallion. I heard a small sound beside me, and discovered Fluttershy was still beside me. I had completely forgotten she was in the room! She was just looking at the table, avoiding both of our gazes. I smiled at how shy she was; she always warmed my heat when I saw her. Her shyness must be what I like about her so much... “Gary, do we really have to go through this again..?” I whispered this to myself, and looked back at the hallway were Applejack left. I heard hoovesteps returning, and saw a fragile green mare slowly walk out of the hallway, followed by Applejack. This must be Applejacks grandmother! Without thinking, I said out loud, “Hello Mrs. Applejack! My name is Gary!” “Whaat? You’re going to have to speak up... my hearing is not what it used to be...” This old mare seemed to have trouble speaking these words, let alone walk to her chair. I felt bad for her, and it made me happy that Applejack took the time to care for her grandmother this way. “Come on Granny Smith, come sit at the head of the table!” Applejack said this softly to who I now know was named Granny Smith, and she slowly walked over to the head of the table and took her seat. Applejack walked over to the seat that was to the left of me, and sat down. She smiled up at me, and I smiled back without thinking. She reached out for the food, and grabbed a piece of salad. Everyone else around the table grabbed their food as well, and I followed this action. But for some reason, no one started to bite into their food. I watched everyone around the table, and they began to look solemn. I grew confused, and realized what they must be thinking about. We sat in complete silence, and I decided to make the first move. I put out my piece of salad and said, “I want to give a toast to Applebloom, who has gone missing. May she be found soon.” I looked over at Applejack, who seemed to have something in her eye. She started to rub her eyes, and I saw a droplet of water flow from them. I realized that she was crying. I felt my heart sink into my chest, thinking I had greatly upset her. She took her hooves from her eyes, and her tears were now flowing. What confused me was that she smiled at me with the kindest smile that I had given her seen, even kinder than Fluttershy’s! She got close to my face, as if she was going to kiss me. She managed to stutter out, “T... thank yah Gary... I know she will be found...” She started to cry again, and without thinking, I hugged her. I did not care who else was in the room, I knew she needed comfort. The mood in the room was very awkward, and I could feel it. While I was hugging Applejack, I could feel her push me away. I thought that she did not want the hug, but now she was lightly laughing. “Come on Gary. No need to be sad anymore! Let’s eat!” Every pony around the table nodded, and they all started to eat. Everyone but me. I looked over at Fluttershy out of instinct, and she seemed to look very uncomfortable. I really wanted to know what was going on in that mind of hers, as her shyness kept her from saying what she felt. I felt as if I was betraying her, yet I felt like I wasn’t at the same time. I was only helping a friend... right? > Waking up in a new world chapter 15 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Darkness. It surrounds my entire being. Not only on the outside, but inside as well. It may be night in Ponyville, but the moon shines within my heart as well. I could feel the growing pang of pain within me. I missed my home. I missed my mothers face, I missed my dog. Hell, I even missed my abusive father. I missed almost everything about my home. Equestria was great and all... and sure, I had a lot of fun here so far. But I really don’t belong here, and everyone knows it. I can pretend I do, but I don’t. I want to be back with my own kind... These thoughts echoed within my mind, forcing the idea of sleep to leave in all instances. Who could sleep with all of these negative emotions? I rolled to my right side to see Fluttershy on the opposite bed. She was sound asleep, her little chest puffing outwards every so often. A small smile crept across my lips, and I felt my heart warm. She was just as adorable asleep as she was awake. Warmth spread to my cheeks as my gaze on her intensified. I looked closer at her mouth, and noticed that she was actually mouthing something. I had an inward battle at this point, do I eavesdrop as she vulnerable or decide to just keep my gaze. Either way I knew I was being creepy, so what did I really have to lose? I slowly peeled the small blanket off of my lap and stood up, the wooden floor freezing my feet. Being as quiet as possible, I tiptoed toward Fluttershy’s bed. I could now hear her peaceful breaths from this point, knowing that I could be in a great amount of trouble if I was caught. I went into a crouching position and placed my hands on the edge of her bed. I pulled myself closer until my head was beside hers. Carefully, I lowered my ear to her mouth, curious to see what she was mumbling. At first, she was just mumbling gibberish, much to my dissapointment. But within a few moments, I began to comprehend what she was saying. “G-gary...” She whispered. Panic shot through me, as if I was electrocuted and the volts were spreading throughout my system. I almost jumped backwards to get away, but I noticed that her eyes were still closed. Relief washed through my body at this point, the thought of her waking now evaporating. Then, the thought of what she said crossed my mind. Why was she whispering my name? Curiosity had overtaken my brain once more, and once more I leaned close to her mouth to hear more of what she had been saying. As if time repeated itself, she mumbled incomprehensible sayings, but I began to understand. I heard the words, “Please don’t go... don’t leave.” The eyebrow at the right side of my face rose at this point as a realization went through my mind. She was dreaming about me... in that way? A part of my brain wanted to wake her up myself to ask her these questions, but the logical section stopped any ideas of such. That course of action was idiotic, and I knew it. If she caught me listening to her as she slept, who knows what could happen? Not wanting to chance my luck any further, I raised myself to a standing position. I turned around and began to tiptoe away, careful that my actions would not be heard at this point. I had already crept on her while she slept, I don’t need anyone else hearing me. With each step however, the floorboards creaked, showing signs of age. With each creak, panic shot through my chest. If Fluttershy were to wake up now, I would be in a massive amount of trouble. Lord knows how she would react to it. My bed was close now, just a few more steps and I would be home free. Just a few more, two more steps, one more... “Uh, Gary, are yah awake?” My veins now instantly turned to ice. I was afraid to move a muscle. I doubt I could anyway. I had completely forgotten the chance of waking Applejack as well. I stood completely still, ready for the punishment of creeping on a friend. But nothing came. I scanned the room in the darkness, but couldn’t see anyone. Was Applejack even in the room? Even though the room was dark, I couldn’t see a single sign that there were more ponies in the room. I felt myself calm down, each muscle now relaxing. I scanned the room once, no Applejack in sight. I chuckled within myself and the thought that I was crazy set in. I was just hearing things, that’s all! I put my hand on the bed, stretched my leg toward the bed. Soon, my body was completely on top of the small bed, my task of sneaking completed. I had not been caught! I sighed and laid back on the pillow at the head of the bed and smiled to myself. I felt accomplished that I hadn’t been caught! Suddenly, I heard once more, “Gary... please wake up, I need yah.” My body shot up to a sitting position. I know I was not hearing things. That was Applejacks voice! My eyes scanned around the bedroom, but no Applejack. Was my mind playing tricks on me? Then to answer my question, I felt light hit my eye as the door to our room was opened, Applejack’s hoof on the handle. She looked worried and tired, with made my heart slightly sink in my chest. What had made her so sad? I called out to her with the smallest voice I could, “I’m awake Applejack, what’s wrong?” She responded with a hoof swaying backwards, which must of been a signal for me to come outside. Once more I sighed as I stood up, the floorboards creaking under me. I found it amusing that moments ago I was afraid to walk around the room, and now I was being called to do so now. I felt that everything was amusing now a days, don’t I? Once I was across the dark room, I turned my head back to see Fluttershy sleeping. I smiled softly as I walked away, saying a silent prayer for her to have a nice dream. I stepped outside of the room slowly, closing the door with the same speed. *** Fluttershy’s eyes opened the second that the door opened. She stared at the door that had just held Gary there moments before. She had a small smile on her face and whispered out loud, “I saw you, you silly filly...” > Finale > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- and then they fucked the end.