> New Friendships (My First Fanfic)
>  by Blazer
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I massaged my throbbing hand after dropping the pencil, the accursed World War II essay finally written. 

“Can’t believe he made us write it by hand.” I whined. My expression turned from one of sorrow to joy when my thoughts shifted.

“Well, at least I can get to play some ball with Gordon and the others.” I said to myself. Smiling, I strolled over to the closet, pulling on a Pathanaikos shirt and a pair of basketball shorts. 

Grabbing my prized Nike Max Airs, I snatched the keys to my 99’ Civic, and threw my extra shirt and shoes in the trunk. My sister, who had been working on her times tables, followed me out the door. “Where’re you going?” She asked, watching me throw a basketball in there as well.

I knelt next to her, looking up at her confused face. “Heading out to play some basketball. Wanna come?” 

She shook her head. “Your friends are too weird. They kinda scare me.” 

I winced a little, saddened that she felt that way about my best friends. “They’re not so bad, once you get to know them. They really like you.” I said comfortingly. 

She looked down, shaking her head. “I’ll stay home. I can’t even throw the ball in the hoop anyways.” 

Seeing her depressed always made me die a little inside. After all, she would be home alone for at least a few hours with my dad, who did nothing more than watch weird movies on Netflix that she wasn’t old enough to watch yet.

Remembering her favorite show, I decided to make a compromise. “Well, if I record the new episode of Season 2, I can watch it with you later. Will that cheer you up?” 

Her face suddenly blossomed with a huge smile. “Really??” She asked.

I nodded. “It’s a promise.” 

She gave me a big hug, squeezing extra tight. “Thanks, Keith!!” 

I gave her a little squeeze back. “As long as you’re awake when I get back, kay?” 

~~~

I slammed the trunk closed, carrying my extra clothes and a basketball to the gym.

Gordon was playing a game of 1-on-1 against my twin brother when I walked in. He nodded to me as I sat down. “Think I can get by him with one crossover?” 

I shook my head, untying my Nike Max Airs. “He’s gotten a lot better. It’d take at least four attempts.” 

Alex laughed a little. “No favoritism, now.” 

I stood tall, stretching my triceps by pulling my arm across my front.

“Not favoritism, I just have confidence in him”

Gordon attacked, driving directly towards the basket. However, Bryan was between him and the basket the whole way, barring his path. Gordon began spewing profanities, attempting again and again to get past the new-and-improved Bryan. It wasn’t long before he bounced the ball off of his foot, giving Bryan the chance he needed. A quick fast-break to the opposing basket, and it was all over. 

“7-6, that’s game.” Bryan panted, grabbing his water bottle from the bleachers. 

Gordon wiped his face with a towel. He slumped down next to Bryan while talking to me. “What did you do to him??” He asked.

I shrugged. “Nothing. He just signed up for soccer this year, and learned proper footwork. He leads with his feet instead of his arms now.” 

Gordon shook his head in disbelief. “I knew he wasn’t studying for his tests like he was supposed to.” He said.

Ian set the new scoreboard on the table. He plugged it in, setting the clock for twenty minutes. “We’re playing best of three, so whoever wins two games wins the tourney.” He explained.

“Twenty minute halves?” Shaun protested. I nodded. “It’s going to be a long night.” 

~~~

Pulling into the driveway, I shut off the headlights. 

I wearily trudged up the steps to the door, fumbling with the keys. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw my sister in her pajamas, the videotape in her hands.

“You promised.” She reminded me.

I sighed mentally, as I reeked of more than just sweat. My sister didn’t seem to mind, or maybe was just too excited to notice. But I did promise her I’d watch it as soon as I got home.

I pulled the videotape from her hands, smiling. “Let’s watch it in my room.”

She almost jumped for joy. “Yay!” She cried.

After a quick application of some deodorant, I popped the VHS into the TV. The theme song rolled over the various ponies featured in the show. 

My Little Pony.

~~~

The episode was actually a one-hour long special. It featured a new villain, Discord, who had split up the “fellowship” that was once the main protagonist’s group of friends. Obviously, they came back in the end and recaptured the meaning of true friendship. 

The video ended, and switched to the quiet buzzing of static. My sister had fallen asleep, her small body warm against my side. 

Not wanting to wake her up, I got up from my bed, slowly draping the covers over her.

Without further ado, I began tiptoeing out of the room, as my ankles had a reputation of making random loud cracks when I walked, as I didn’t want to be compromised.

I was about to touch the power button for the TV when something stopped me. A pixilated appendage put itself between my finger and the button. 

I was about to yell out in surprise when another appendage latched onto my shoulder, and pulled me forward into the screen. 

Losing all balance whatsoever, I tumbled forward into the screen, reaching out frantically for anything to grab on to. It was in vain, however, as I tumbled helplessly for what seemed like hours, until a huge pressure built up in my head, snuffing out my consciousness. 

~~~

A harsh light berated my eyelids for remaining closed, piercing the thin flesh and harassing my eyeball. I opened my eyes, the intense glare making me squint. Slowly sitting up, I took in my surroundings.

I was located in what seemed to be a clearing in a sparse forest. Soft grass extended out into the limited foliage, while birds and squirrels darted around, singing and scavenging for any seeds or acorns that had fallen from the trees nearby.

Some large mountains loomed far in the distance, their snowcaps looking like clouds in the clear skies. A small town was visible on a large plain ahead. I couldn’t really see anyone walking around there, but I decided to check it out. 

I stood up on all fours, grabbing my…

Wait a second…

I slowly looked down, praying that the worst had not just happened. 

Two hooves were in place of my hands. Horrified, I looked back at my haunch, a silvery white tail and what appeared to be a basketball emblazoned on my side. A tuft of the same white hair sat atop my head, and my favorite Element cap sat on the ground in front of me. 

“N-no way…” I said slowly. 

“CAN SOMEPONY TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED?!?!” I cried. 

I covered my mouth, completely shocked at what I said. “Now I talk like them too?!” 

I spotted a small pond of water nearby. I rushed over to its edge, gazing at the reflection on the silvery surface. 

A young-faced pony with a creamy orange coat stared back at me. I backed away from the pool, shaking my head. The possibilities of how this had happened were flying out the window, one by one, as I went through them. One final explanation came to my fevered brain.

Maybe this is a dream!! Maybe this is just one crazy…

Suddenly, a ringing noise invaded my ears, disorienting me. “W-what’s going on?!” I stumbled head-over-hooves, my front hooves covering my ears. I continued to stumble, falling flat on my…

~~~

…face. I stood up quickly, patting myself down. I looked back to see my sister sleeping soundly on the bed. Confused, I looked at her, then at the TV, which had a huge crack running down the middle. 

The videotape had ejected almost all of the snake-like film onto the floor, giving my carpet an Indiana Jones-esque touch. 

I looked at my hands, sweat dripping down my brow. 

“It… seemed so real.” 

I looked at the film strewn on the ground, then at the TV again. 

...Not a dream.

> 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Discord cried out, his body slowly becoming encased in stone.

Twilight and her friends looked on triumphantly as Discord’s statue fell to the ground, making a loud BOOM and unsettling a cloud of dirt.

Rainbow Dash stuck her tongue at Discord’s now-permanent look of surprise. “Hah! Take that!” She spat.

Twilight trotted up to the stone dragon, smiling broadly. “We did it, girls!! Nothing to it!” 

There was a hubbub of cheers, congratulations and thanking as they chatted amongst themselves. Pinkie Pie was especially excited.

“That was so cool!! You were like, ‘We’ll stop you,’ and we were, like, TOTALLY backing you up and all of a sudden the rainbow laser zapped that crazy dragon and turned him into stone and restored all of Equestria to normal, and now its time to PAR-TAY!!” 

“I’m afraid that will have to wait for a bit, Pinkie.” A deep voice advised.

A beautiful white Alicorn appeared next to the group. 

“Princess Celestia!!” They cried out in unison. 

The Alicorn smiled. “Thank you all for taking down Discord! I knew I couldn’t really do anything, since I no longer had control over the elements. Helping you, Twilight, was the least I could do.” 

Twilight bowed. “Thank you; without your help, I don’t think we’d be here celebrating!”

Pinkie Pie looked disappointed. “Why no party, Princess?” 

Princess Celestia turned to them, a serious look on her face. “While you were sealing Discord away, I noticed that the clouds dimmed in the Western Foothills, and were accompanied by a foreign flash of light. I’m positive that nothing caught on fire there, as it could’ve been a thunderbolt, but something about it seemed… otherwordly.” She finished. 

Applejack got the gist of it. “So we just gotta head on over and see what’s up?” She asked, somewhat knowing what the answer was going to be.

Celestia nodded. “Correct. Plus, it gives us time to prepare for the party.” 

Fluttershy sidled up next to Twilight. “Well, I guess it wouldn’t hurt.” She suggested. 

Rainbow Dash was still pumped up from their last conflict. “I think we can take up a simple job like this. It’s probably nothing compared to Discord!”

Twilight nodded, then turned to the Princess. “Sure! We can go take a peek. It shouldn’t be too long, anyways.” 

The Princess sighed, bowing a little to Twilight. “Thank you! Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to round up the citizens for the celebration.” Her horn glowed a brilliant white, and she disappeared, leaving the six ponies to begin their journey to the foothills.

~~~

Rainbow Dash sat down, severely disappointed in what they had found. “Nothing’s here. Not even a sign of lightning striking anything.” She complained.

Twilight looked back at the disappointed Pegasus. “There has to be something here! If there’s no sign of lightning striking, it could’ve been something else!” 

Applejack shivered a little. “Maybe that’s what the Princess meant by ‘otherworldly’…” 

Rarity trotted back, setting down a strange hat next to the group. “I don’t know what you four have been doing, but I found this near the pond over that way.” She nodded towards a small clearing nearby. 

They inspected the hat, their eyes taking in the strange tree-like designs printed on the front and brim of the hat. On the back, a single embroidered word read “Element.”

Rarity shook her head. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen a hat like that before. It’s so atrocious!” 

Applejack scowled. “Hope that’s not what you mean for all hats, now.” She warned.

Pinkie Pie returned with Fluttershy, humming a new song that she had thought up. “Hey, guys! Fluttershy found something you might wanna hear!” She said excitedly.

Fluttershy flew forward, landing and walking up to Twilight. “I talked to some of the animals around here, and they said that they saw somepony here earlier. He had an orange coat and silver mane, according to them. And he was wearing that same hat.” 

Twilight started to turn away, thinking to herself. “Maybe he’s from another area of Equestria…?” 

“That’s not all.” Fluttershy said. “They also said he was freaking out, as if he didn’t really know who—or what—he was.” 

Applejack looked completely confused. “Didn’t know what he was?” 

Fluttershy looked down sadly. “Sorry, I don’t know how else to explain it.” 

Twilight smiled. “Don’t worry. We can deal with this later. For now, let’s just report back to Princess Celestia, and show her the hat that Rarity found.” 

Pinkie Pie jumped for joy. “Party time!!” She squealed.

Rainbow Dash lingered on the spot, looking at the small clearing. “I don’t get it.” She began. “What pony would be confused about what he is?” 

Twilight urged her on towards Ponyville. “We can talk later. I’m itching to find the answer to that myself, but let’s make sure we head to the party first, and take our much-needed break.” 

Rainbow Dash grinned. “Way ahead of ya.” 

~~~

“Keith? Keith!!” 

“W-what?” I stammered, snapping out of my thought process.

“Pay attention! This is very important!” My English teacher bellowed. He quickly returned to his comparison between Twilight and Gothic writing.

I sat up straight, trying to pay attention to Dr. Bell. However, I fell into my deep pondering after listening to a ten-minute tangent about whiskey and its importance to the Americans during attempted prohibition.

Was that really just a dream? I thought.

It seemed so real, so tangible, I felt like I wasn’t dreaming. I felt wide awake.

And what about that creature that pulled me into the screen? Was that all just a dream, too? I swear I was wide awake when I was going to press the power button.

These thoughts continued to be pondered into lunch, through Anatomy, and even through the drive home.

I plopped down on my bed, throwing my unfinished calculus homework on my chair. Staring at the ceiling, I continued to go over the possibilities of why it happened. Maybe there was a reason why it was happening. I mean, it did seem kind of ridiculous, but maybe there was some kind of greater force out there controlling my fate, or trying to, anyways.

I remembered the Greek play of Oedipus, the boy fated to kill his father and marry his mother. Despite the countless attempts to prevent that fate from coming to fruition, nothing could really stop it. They ended up playing right into the hands of the Gods, fulfilling their fate without even knowing it.

However, I didn’t think that such a thing was possible, as I was already an atheist. Nothing could control fate, and that was that.

Dismissing the subjected entirely, I went on to start working on my Calculus homework, evaluating logs and graphing exponential functions.

As usual, Calculus proved to be extremely boring, and I started nodding off. My quiet hip-hop music didn’t help with keeping me awake. My eyelids grew heavier and heavier, until I had fallen asleep.

~~~

The gentle humming of a curious wasp woke me up. I shooed it away, rubbing my eyes until I felt awake.

I was surrounded by the same forest I had awoken in last night, except now it was nighttime. Crickets sang their moonlit sonatas, accompanied by the flickering of a firefly every now and then. 

I looked down at my body, once again met with the foreign sight of my creamy orange coat and silvery tail. The basketball mark on my flank was still there. I admired it briefly, smiling a little. 

The admiration vanished when I saw lights winking out in the distance. The village was closing down, its inhabitants obviously off to dream as I was right now.

However, that feeling of wakefulness was still there. I realized what I had to do to make sure I really was sleeping. 

Aiming for a tree a few meters away, I galloped at it, lowering my head.

A loud thud and painful collision told me that I really was awake. 

Shaking my head, I became very surprised. “So I’m not sleeping, but I don’t seem to be awake in my other body, either…” I pondered. 

My thoughts were broken by the clip-clopping of approaching ponies. “Uh-oh… That doesn’t sound good.” I gulped, not knowing why I was so frightened of being found. 

Panicking, I dove into a small copse of bushes, the last tip of my rear hoof disappearing between the leaves as four ponies burst onto the scene.

Twilight burst into the clearing with Spike, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash tailing her. Spike was thrown off of Twilight’s back as she stopped suddenly. He fell flat on his face, grace completely absent in his landing. 

Whoa… those are the main characters!! So I really am in Equestria. I thought to myself. I squinted, trying to see them better through the dim moonlight.

Twilight looked around, searching the moonlit clearing for any signs of life. “I swear, I saw that light that Princess Celestia described yesterday!” Twilight sighed, frustrated and disappointed.

Rainbow Dash was equally so. “Aw, man! I really thought we’d see our mystery pony tonight!” She complained, kicking up a small dirtclod. 

Mystery pony?? It’d better not be me. I prayed silently. 

Spike rubbed his snout gingerly. “Mystery pony??” He asked. 

Applejack nodded at the pond nearby. “Rarity found a weird hat around yonder pond over there, and Fluttershy said them critters had seen somepony with an orange coat and silver mane getting flustered over something.” She explained.

I cursed under my breath. Shoot… So I left my hat over there, huh? I shook my head, berating myself for being so careless. I didn’t really have much to blame myself for, though, as I HAD turned into a pony, and that doesn’t happen everyday, right?

Spike looked up to Applejack curiously. “What was he freaking out about??”

Applejack thought hard, trying to come up with a way to describe what Fluttershy had said. “Something about ‘not knowing what he was,’ or something like that.” 

No doubt about it, that’s me! I thought. I’d better get out of here somehow, before I end up getting involved with this place too. I backed out of the bushes, away from the clearing. Using the shadows to my advantage, I slowly began maneuvering away from them.

A loud crack popped from underfoot. A dry branch had been unlucky enough to be found by my front hoof. I winced, hoping that none of them had heard that. 

“Hey, anyone hear that??” 

I froze in my tracks. The offending hoof was lifted off of the branch. 

The three ponies froze as well, scanning the bushes for any signs of the possible source of the noise.

Suddenly, Spike spit a small fount of fire, a small note appearing within the small blaze. He opened and read it noisily. “Twilight! The Princess is calling us back to the castle for an emergency announcement!”

Applejack pawed the ground. “Well, I ain’t leaving until I find that pony!”

Twilight was almost torn, but she knew where her loyalties lay. “Sorry, girls. I think I was mistaken. We should head back; we don’t want to keep the Princess waiting.” And with that, she turned on her hoof and started to leave the clearing.

Rainbow Dash took a last look around the forest, somehow hoping that she would miraculously find the pony responsible for all the commotion.

For a second, her eyes rested on my location. I was completely frozen with fear, although I still did not know why. 

Sighing with disappointment, she followed Spike and Applejack, her head hanging slightly lower than usual.

I waited for several seconds after they left my line of sight, and then allowed myself to breathe normally. “Holy crap, that was way too close…” I panted. I looked back at the town, noticing a large light that was starting to brighten on a nearby mountain. Situated on its slope was a magnificent castle; the white ramparts lit by torchlight. The lights within the castle appeared to be lit as well. However, the torches weren’t the only thing ablaze. The other was my curiosity.

I sat there for several seconds, wondering what I should do. I couldn’t return to my normal body, as even attempts of waking up had failed. I also didn’t really want to follow the ponies either, as I still didn’t really want to risk being captured. 

After a few more seconds of careful thinking, I had my mind made up. “Eh, I’ve got nothing to lose if I get caught; what could be the worst thing they do to me?” I trotted after the galloping ponies, making sure I kept my distance.

> 3
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I approached the castle, panting slightly.

Following the group had been a challenge, as they had passed through numerous checkpoints, which I was forced to either sneak around, or even pass through. Luckily, the guards didn’t appear to have any suspicion towards me. They probably didn’t receive the “mystery pony” memo yet.

As the group left for the main gate, I veered left, heading up towards the mountain upon which the castle sat. It was a steep climb, and it took a couple of hours to ascend, but I was able to get about 50 or 60 feet above the ramparts.

While I walked the entire way, I had imagined myself jumping onto the rooftop via the mountain above it. I had seen it when my younger brother played that Assassin’s Creed game. Now that I had what the jump really would be right in front of me, I was beginning to have second thoughts.

Instead of the five or six-foot jump I had imagined, it was at least a dozen feet. I peered down the slanted slope, which actually provided a rather suitable surface for building up speed, but it still didn’t seem like enough room to jump that distance.

I backed off from the edge a little.
“Okay, Keith, you’re biting off a little more than you can chew here…” I said, trying to convince myself that this wasn’t necessary.
“Remember that curiosity killed the cat… No need to get too involved in what’s going on here. I’ll just walk—”
I slipped on a small patch of shale, sending me galloping down the slope, screaming all the while. 
“AWAAAAY!!”
I ran with a heavy hooffall, nearly tripping up as I approached the edge, crying the entire way. 
“Ohmygodohmygodohmygodohmygod!!! Mo—”
My front hooves planted firmly into the rock. Instinctively, I pushed off of all four legs, sending me flying out into space. 
“mmyyy—!” 
My front hooves frantically searched for reprieve as I left the comfort of solid ground. I started falling, my upward momentum lost.
“Heeelp!! Heee—”
I was cut off when my face collided with stone. Blinking the stars from my eyes, I slowly sat up. I had just made it over the rampart, and the walkway I was sitting on led to a tower with a large wooden door. Dusting  myself off, I stood up. 
“Whew. Doesn’t get any closer than that.” I glanced around the ramparts cautiously. 

“Man, the guards must be deaf or something. Lucky for me, I guess.” I shrugged, and headed for the tower door.

I entered, following the steps down to the upper floors of the castle. Closing the oaken door gently behind me, I continued down the bright halls. Surprisingly, I found no guards. There wasn’t even a patrol to be found.

“The must all be at the Princess’s emergency announcement.” I said to myself.

Turning the corner, I ran into an ornately carved doorframe, which led into a small balcony with a half-wall for a rail. The balcony was positioned under the shadow of the roof’s rafters. Various banners hung suspended on ropes, displaying colorful coats-of-arms and symbols of various counties or territories.

I peeked over the edge, squinting to see the gathering below.
~~~
Twilight looked around expectantly, searching for any other possible arrivals. For some reason, it just happened to be her and the girls; not even the guards were around.

Pinkie Pie bounced over to them. “Hey, girls! What’s going on? Somepony just banged on my door and told me to get to the castle ASAP!” She explained, somehow not fazed over the sleep she was losing, if any at all. 

“The Princess said something about an emergency meeting, so she gathered everyone to the castle.” Fluttershy explained, yawning sleepily afterwards. “I hope nopony’s hurt.”

Rainbow Dash grinned confidently. “I bet it’s nothing. Probably just some goods got stolen from somepony, and the Princess wants us to go nab the thief.”

Twilight shook her head. “It’s gotta be something more urgent than that, Rainbow Dash.” Twilight nodded towards the Pegasus guards. “She wouldn’t even spare a Royal Guard for something like that, but she’s assembled more than half of her guards here.”

Rarity blinked sleepily, her eyelids half-closed. “Well, it’d better be quick. I’m losing my precious beauty sleep by the second!”

The Princess’s voice silenced them all. “You’ll find out soon enough, girls.” She landed daintily on her front hooves, a tired smile on her face. The girls bowed slightly. Twilight walked forward, a more energetic smile decorating her face. “I didn’t think I’d be seeing you again so soon, Princess.” 

Rainbow Dash huffed impatiently. “What’s the emergency, anyways. We were searching for the—”

Twilight shushed her, not wanting to reveal their mystery pony just yet. “We saw that light you described to us yesterday, so we went to investigate it. Lucky that we had Spike with us that we received your message to return to the castle for the announcement.” She explained.

The Princess raised an eyebrow. “I’m impressed with your vigilant attitude, Twilight. You’ve become more observant than I have.” 

It was Applejack’s turn to become impatient. “Enough with the intros, remember why we’re here.” She reminded the two. 

“I’m sorry, Applejack. I’ll get back on track.” The Princess apologized. Her face grew serious, the tired smile disappearing from her face. “We’ve had some strange indications that there could be more trouble from that Dragon you moved down from the mountain. This time, I don’t think that a harsh talk from Fluttershy could even make him lift a finger for us.” She turned to the Royal Guards. “Lieutenant, bring them forward.” 

Two injured guards were led forwards. Their bodies were covered in either bandages or severe burns, neither of them looking very happy. They also limped badly, their walk hindered by numerous splints. Fluttershy recoiled in horror. 

“Oh my!! That’s horrible!” She exclaimed.

“And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.” The Princess continued. “The town of Apple-Palooza and the native Buffalo tribe are now threatened by the dragon’s new residence. The Chief of the local tribe and Sheriff Silverstar have yet to make an attempt to do something about the dragon, but Braeburn took the initiative and informed me of his situation.”

Applejack grinned. “Good ol’ Cuz.”

Twilight stepped forward. “So we’re serving as the support?” 

The Princess nodded. “My Royal Guards were no match for the dragon, but I’m sure that the keepers of the Elements of Harmony should have little difficulty in tackling this situation.”

Rainbow Dash nodded enthusiastically. “You bet!”
Applejack smiled a little. “I haven’t been there in ages! Can’t wait to say hi to Bloomberg again!”

Rarity scowled. “I still haven’t forgiven you for stealing the sleeper car for the entire trip!” 

~~~

As the conversation slowly escalated into an argument, I suddenly felt very tired. So tired, that I began losing my balance, my head swimming in a sudden flood of vertigo. Their voices became muffled, my vision growing blurry almost simultaneously. 

The balcony started spinning, slow at first, but faster as time went on. Already disoriented, it wasn’t long before I lost my balance, tumbling over the rail, head-over-hooves. The last thing I remember was someone screaming, “Look out,” a thud, then everything fading to black.

~~~

I awoke with a start, the sun streaming through my blinds. I shielded my eyes, squinting in the bright rays. Morning already? What the hell..? I slowly sat up, rubbing my eyes profusely. I looked down, distracted by thought. 

As I looked down, I noticed my ripped Calculus homework. I sighed, holding up the pieces. “Aw, crap… Millsback’s not gonna be happy about this…” 

Bryan suddenly burst into the room. “Keith!! What the hell!! We’re going to be late if you don’t get your sorry ass into some clothes!!” I searched frantically for my cell phone. “W-what?? What time is it?” I asked.

“It’s 8AM, and our classes start at 8:20. What more must I say?!?” He huffed.

I started getting up, but as I got to my feet, I immediately sat back down. The vertigo was still messing with me as well as my equilibrium. A dangerous hindrance that wasn’t worth trying to ignore.

“I don’t think I’m going to school today… I can’t really stand easily.” I said weakly. 

Bryan squinted suspiciously. “Hey, you okay? I noticed you fell asleep pretty quickly last night.” 

“Well, let’s just say I don’t feel 100% today.” I commented, falling flat on my pillow. 

Bryan shrugged. “Suit yourself. At least call ahead and tell them you made me late.”

“Mmmph.” Was all that I could muster.

The vertigo continued throughout the morning and well into the afternoon. I had already emailed all of my teachers about my absence, and was waiting for responses to trickle in.

My mom had already called in, asking about why I had to stay home. However, I was too distracted by my vertigo to return her call, later joined by a minor migraine. In addition, I was still confounded over what had occurred in my “dreams.” 

It was apparent that I had probably died, theoretically, as nobody would survive a fall from that height, despite there being some possibility of an exception, since it really wasn’t real. 

The tangibility still perturbed me, which set me back at square one. “Why am I even worrying about all this?” I asked myself. 

I also began to think about how I get to Equestria. Was it simply through sleep? Or did it only happen when some higher being chose me to go there? Was “destiny” or “fate” a real factor in this??

I thought it’d be a good idea to find out. After a quick glass of milk, I lay down, allowing myself to be overcome by the weariness of the early morning. It only took a couple of minutes before I had fallen asleep.

~~~

“Look out!!” Rarity screamed.

An orange blur whistled down from above, crashing into the clean marble floor, which shattered on impact. A huge amount of dust was sent up by the resulting crash, obscuring the result of the grisly fall.

Several guards landed around the seemingly-unfortunate eavesdropper, squinting hard to see through the huge cloud. Rainbow Dash was the first of the girls to approach the site. “W-what was that?!?” she coughed. 

Princess Celestia looked very worried. “It looked like a pony, unless my eyes deceived me..” 

Fluttershy’s imagination began to drift, and she fainted from the imagery. As Rarity followed suit, Applejack shook her head. “That couldn’t have been a pony! Who would be crazy enough to jump that!?”

Twilight noticed the dust had begun to settle. “Looks like we’ll find out.” She said grimly. 

Everypony’s jaws were set with apprehension, except those that were unconscious. A creamy-orange body was soon visible, with a wild silver mane that sprouted from the head and rump. A male pony lay on top of the shattered marble. His chest rose up and down with regular breathing. He looked rather comfortable despite the jagged marble pieces that he lay on.

Spike’s jaw dropped. Rainbow Dash was suddenly very excited. “T-that’s him!! That’s our mystery pony!!” She cried.

Princess Celestia raised an eyebrow. “Mystery pony??” 

Twilight grinned sheepishly. “We’ll have to explain it to you another time.”

Applejack peered into the hole. “Whoa… so THAT’s what he looks like.” 

Fluttershy peeked in. “Aww, he looks so cute when he’s sleeping.” 

Everyone peered over at her, confused looks on their faces.

Fluttershy noticed the glares, and shuffled her hooves.

“Uh, right. Sorry…” 

> 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

As soon as I closed my eyes, I fell asleep. 

I also woke up in the next second, which slightly annoyed me. <i>When am I ever going to sleep??</i> I thought. 

However, I was hesitant to open my eyes when I started hearing voices.

“Hey, he moved! He must be awake!”
“Oh, calm down, sugarcube, I’m sure he’s just dreaming.”
“I really wish I could catch up on my beauty sleep, but he just HAD to take the sleeper car!” 
“Girls, keep it down. We don’t want to wake him.”
“I wouldn’t worry about that; he did sleep through all of the times we moved him. You even bumped his head on the table, remember??” 
“Haha, Fluttershy, you’re such a klutz!”

No way… It couldn’t be.

I kept my eyes extremely narrow, peering out through the small slits. Unfortunately, they noticed.

“Hey, he’s waking up!” 
“Oh, boy, I wanna be here for this!”

Knowing there was no point in faking anymore, I sat up, rubbing the sleepiness from my eyes. They all fell silent, watching me closely. I looked around at the familiar faces, starting with Twilight and Spike, and ending with Rainbow Dash. Grinning sheepishly, I decided to break the ice.

“Uh, so, hey guys? What’s up?” I said as casually as possible.

“What’s up? That’s all you gotta say??” Rainbow Dash asked, a hint of hostility in her voice. 

I backed off. “Whoa, chill. I have no beef with any of you…” 

Twilight stepped in front of me. “That’s right. We’re not here to scare him into running again. She glared at Rainbow Dash, who huffed, flipping her bangs off of her face. 

She turned back to face me, smiling. “Sorry about the rough intro, I’m Twilight Sparkle.” 

I nodded. “Yeah, I know your names.” I pointed at them from left to right. “Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity, Spike and Rainbow Dash.” 

Rainbow Dash raised an eyebrow. “How the heck do you know our names??” 

I hesitated, the true reason on the tip of my tongue. I didn’t want to explain how I knew their names, as they probably would deem me crazy if I told them about their TV show. I remained silent, shrugging helplessly. 

Applejack shook it off. “Whatever; maybe he heard us at the emergency meeting. He did fall down later.”

I was suddenly intrigued. “Wait, I really did fall??” 

Twilight stepped in front of Applejack. “Yes, you did. But before we go off into more tangents, tell us about yourself, since you already know about us.” 

I stepped off of the bed, facing the viewing gallery. Clearing my throat, I stood tall, using my thespian skills to draw out a loud and clear voice. 

“My name is Keith. I’m 17 years old, and I’m a senior in high school. Nice to meet you all.” 

Pinkie Pie appeared out of nowhere. “You’re a senior?? But you’re only 17!!” 

Rainbow Dash turned away. “I think you’re not telling us something.” She stated flatly. 

I shrugged. “What else would you like to know? I’ll answer anything.”

Rainbow Dash turned dramatically. “Are you a spy? A double-agent? An advocate for evil? An antagonist?? A villain?!” She asked, almost interrogating me.

I was flabbergasted by the questions, stammering a little before answering. “W-what?? No! I’m just an average guy—er, colt!”

The train slowed noticeably, and the conductor popped his head into the car. “We’ll be arriving at Appaloosa in a few minutes! Don’t forget to—” He cut himself off when he saw me, his eyes widening slightly. “U-uh, gotta run!” He said quickly, slamming the door behind him.

I looked at the door, a confused look on my face. “What’s up with him?” 

Twilight sighed. “You’re just a little strange to most ponies; everyone knows that you’re not from this area, and even doubt you’re from Equestria at all.”

“They’re right about that…” I mumbled under my breath. 

Rainbow Dash was in my face in the next instant. “What was that??” She asked, a scowl on her face.

I bumped into the bed out of surprise. “N-nothing! Just saying they’re way off!” I said.

The train slowed to a gentle stop. The conductor’s voice came over the intercom. “We’ve arrived in Appaloosa!! Don’t forget your bags, and have a nice day, everypony!!” The mic clicked off.

Twilight nodded toward the door. “Cmon, let’s get you up to speed.” Before she left, however, she pulled something out of  a daypack she was carrying. It was my Element hat. She tossed it to me carefully. “You left this at the castle. It’s a nice hat; you should take better care of it.” 

And with that, she trotted out the open door, hopping out onto the platform. Everypony followed suit, except for Rainbow Dash. She eyed me carefully, then began to leave. She couldn’t resist a parting shot, however.

“I’m watching you.” She said quietly, then left. 

I sighed loudly. “I’m already in over my head… And I wasn’t going to get involved.” I followed the ponies out into the blistering heat.

I squinted in the bright sunlight, my eyes roving across the town. Appaloosa was just the way I remembered in the cartoon: Just like an old western movie, but a lot more cheery.

However, most of the townsfolk looked like they were packing up and leaving. Many actually began boarding the train that we had just gotten off of.

I caught up to the girls who were talking with Braeburn and Sheriff Silverstar.

“Why is everypony moving off, Cuz?” Applejack asked.

Braeburn sighed. “Things really haven’t been that peaceful while we waited for you. That dragon’s been burning up our orchards and scorching up the Chief’s ancestral pastoral grounds. Food’s been hard to come by, and we’ve been depending on the residents’ private orchards. The Buffalo are having an even tougher time, as they don’t have any orchards to keep their people fed. We’re really stretching our stores thin, and—”

“But there’s gotta be something we can do!” Twilight interjected.

I coughed politely. “Well, the best thing to do would be—”

Applejack butted in. “Hey, hold on, sugarcube. This is official family business.”

I looked down, embarrassed. “Oh, uh… sorry. I just thought—”

“Don’t worry, we could take all of the suggestions we can get right about now.” Braeburn said comfortingly, ignoring Applejack’s irritated look.

I looked at Twilight hopefully, who returned the look expectantly. “Well, let’s hear what you have to say, Keith.”

I thanked her silently, turning to Braeburn and the Sheriff. “Well, have you guys started rationing food yet?” 

Silverstar nodded. “We’ve given everypony a bucket of apples every week, but at this rate, we’re not going to last much longer. We’ve even forced most of the original townsfolk out, since they’d rather move back towards Canterlot, near the comfort of the Princess’s castle.”

I thought for a second. “Have you tried importing goods from anywhere else? I know it’ll be expensive, but it’s only temporary.”

Sheriff Silverstar shook his head. “Unfortunately, we don’t really have anything to trade, or anyone to really trade with. The only other folks around here that are willin’ to trade are the Buffalo, and we’re both in the same situation.”

“Well, anything you guys have excess of? Any excessive amounts of clothing or commodities?” I asked.

The Sheriff thought for a second, a grin brightening his face. “I think I might have an idea.” 

~~~

Twilight tightened the daypack around her back, carefully closing the leather straps. “Well, I think we’re ready to head out. We’ve got to get this dragon away from here before we can really do anything for the town.”

Rarity sighed. “Another long walk to give me sore hooves. I’m looking forward to a nice hot bath after this…”

Applejack rolled her eyes. “Oh, come on. We haven’t even started walkin’ yet! Quit yer yappin!” 

Twilight noticed Rainbow Dash was still watching Keith closely. She hovered a little ways off of the ground, trying to listen in on the conversation between the three bronies. Twilight trotted up to her, clearing her throat. 

“That dragon isn’t going to move himself. We’ll need your guts, Rainbow Dash.”

Rainbow Dash looked back distractedly. “What? Oh, yeah. Be right there.” 

Twilight looked between Rainbow Dash and Keith, the fact that she still doubted his trustworthiness very obvious. She approached Rainbow Dash, pulling her tail so she slowly came to a resting position on the ground.

“You need to quit worrying about him. If the Sheriff and Braeburn don’t have any trouble talking to him, I’m sure he’s nice enough to be a good guy.” Twilight said, attempting to comfort the stressed Pegasus.

“Don’t blame me when he turns around and ditches us in the future.” Rainbow Dash stated.

Twilight became confused. “What? Why would—”

Rainbow Dash whirled on the unicorn. “Why do you think he avoided us initially? Why do you think he was so careful not to reveal his presence, and yet he’s suddenly buddy-buddy with us? He’s hiding something. I know it!” 

Twilight was shocked. “Rainbow Dash, you can’t judge him that way! Just because he’s a foreigner, you can’t doubt his motives. Plus, you barely know him, so you’re just going to have to get along. I know it doesn’t seem fair, but bear with me for now.” 

Rainbow Dash looked indignant. “I won’t trust him, but I’ll lay low for now. If he shows ANY sign of turning on us, I’ll—” 

Twilight stopped her with a hoof. “Yes, I’ll always listen to you from then on. But IF that happens.” 

Rainbow Dash shushed her. “Quick! Here he comes!”

~~~

I trotted back to the girls confidently. “Well, I think that situation’s solved. The Buffalo are going to trade their Turquoise jewelry for some more supplies, while the town’s going to export excess clothing. Although the most they’re going to get is flour, it’ll be enough for the time being.” 

Twilight was impressed. “Nice job; so the town should be fine, yes?” 

I nodded. “Braeburn said he and the Sheriff would take care of the rest, and he’d contact the Chief as well, so they’re good for now.” 

Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash, smiling triumphantly. “Well, what did I tell you??” 

Rainbow Dash said nothing, except for a quiet “Hmph.” 

I raised an eyebrow. “What’s wrong? She still doesn’t trust me?” 

Twilight shook her head. “I-it’s nothing. Anyways, we’d better get going. Keith, why don’t you stay here and help Braeburn and—”

“He should come with us.” Rainbow Dash blurted out. 

My eyebrow climbed higher. “You sure? I thought I was too much of a stranger to go with you guys?” 

~~~

Twilight pulled Rainbow Dash close, whispering furiously. “Are you crazy?? He’s probably not going to be ready for the danger involved in—”

Rainbow Dash shushed her quickly. “We can keep an eye on him; that way we can make sure he’s not doing anything suspicious behind our backs.” She whispered back.

Twilight looked down worriedly. “I guess that’s fine, but—”

Rainbow Dash smiled back at Keith innocently. “She says its okay. Cmon!” 

Twilight watched the group trot off towards the source of the smoke. She shook her head. “For our sake, Rainbow Dash, I hope you’re wrong.”

> 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I coughed nervously, my throat a little dry from the lack of water. However, I was still too nervous to ask for water, even though I was never given a canteen. 

We had been walking for a few hours, the source of the smoke drawing near. We had already eaten a lunch in relative silence. I was pretty much ignored (much to my relief), although I’d been under the wary vigil of Rainbow Dash. 

I coughed again when I breathed in a little too much dust from the wind. Fluttershy noticed and flew down to my level. She offered me her canteen. “Here, this should help.” 

Rainbow Dash was between us in an instant. “Hey! Careful! He might slip something into the water and poison you!” She warned.

Twilight stood next to Fluttershy. “Look, Rainbow Dash, he’s not our prisoner. He’s just tagging along for now.” 

Not wanting any trouble or risk escalating it, I clamped my mouth shut, gently shaking my head at the canteen, much to Fluttershy’s dismay. 

Rainbow Dash was slightly flustered. “Look, we still don’t know why he appeared in the first place, and what his goals are here in Equestria. I just think we should keep a right to be suspicious until then.” She explained.

Applejack looked confused. “Now, really, Rainbow Dash? This is startin’ to sound a lil’ ridiculous. You just start comin’ up with the craziest conspira-what-cha-ma-call-its whenever something seems fishy to ya.”

Pinkie Pie hopped over. “Oh, you’re such a worrywart, silly! You’re talking about Keith like he’s from outer space!” 

Twilight smiled hopefully. “So can we just all get along? I mean, he’s done nothing wrong.” 

Rainbow Dash looked at her friends, then at me. Slowly, her shoulders relaxed, and a sigh escaped her lips. 

“Fine. But I’m still watching you, Keith.” She said firmly.

I nodded vigorously, still keeping my mouth shut.

Fluttershy offered me the canteen again, and I took a long and grateful sip.

The long march to the smoke’s source continued. It wasn’t long before we hit a narrow canyon. The sides were extremely steep, smoothed by running water, leading all the way down to the bottom, which appeared to be miles away. A rickety rope-bridge spanned the chasm. 

Twilight examined the ropes. They looked intact, but could probably only hold the weight of one or two ponies at once. “So,” she said, turning to the group. “Who wants to go first?” 

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash flew to the other side, urging everyone to cross. 

After much discussion and deliberation, the group was divided in half. Pinkie Pie and Rarity went first, Twilight would cross second, while Applejack and I would go last. 

Rarity stepped onto the rickety bridge, the board creaking under her weight. She made an audible gulp. 

“Cmon, Twilight! Nothing to it!” Rainbow Dash cheered from the other side.

It took another five minutes just to get Pinkie and Rarity going at the same time. Except Rarity was making three times the noise than Pinkie. It was a most pitiful sight.

“Oh dear!! This is definitely the worst thing ever!! I swear, I’ll never do anything wrong again; I’ll spend more time with Sweetie Bell, I won’t make my cat wear ridiculous clothing, just PUH-LEEZE let me live!!” She blubbered to nobody in particular.

Pinkie Pie bounced around her. “Oh, come on! It’s not that bad, see??” 

As if reacting to her statement, the bridge gave a little. The two ponies tumbled to the boards, clutching to the ropes on the sides for dear life. 

Rarity opened one eye, which happened to be staring straight through two of the boards. She took in the sight of a tiny sliver of silver miles below, a frighteningly long fall that awaited her if she didn’t get off of the bridge fast enough.

“Cmon, girls! Let’s finish this bridge before it finishes us!” She urged.

They hustled off of the bridge as fast as they dared, ignoring the constant creaking protests of the boards below their hooves.

Twilight was quick to follow, leaving me and Applejack on the other side of the chasm.

I looked Applejack. “Well, looks like it’s just you—”

She was already crossing without me. I sighed loudly and joined her. 

However, we had both failed to notice that the post holding the rope was already loosened by the previous crossing, and had begun to give even more.

It didn’t take us long to notice, however, when the bridge swayed violently from the sudden movements of the post. 

Recognizing the danger, Applejack reached out to me. “Keith, cm’ere for a second! Lemme see your knapsack!” 

I complied letting her grip onto my knapsack with her mouth. She instructed me to grab hers, all the while struggling to keep her footing on the rapidly deteriorating bridge. 

She started to swing me around, her strength astounding me. However, once I realized what she was doing, I knew I had to do something. What did I have to lose, anyways; it was just some stupid dream.

Waiting until I was above the bridge again, I hooked my hoof underneath the board, clenching my jaw tightly. I reversed the momentum, lifting her and transferring the momentum to her. She released my knapsack in surprise, and I made a single revolution before tossing her to the opposite side.

Her hat flew off, landing on the bridge in front of me. She landed a few feet away from the edge, crashing into the rest of the group. 

Celebrating for a brief moment, I began sprinting towards the end of the bridge, picking up Applejack’s hat as I ran.

Watching the rope tear fiber by fiber, I knew time was limited. Anticipating the break, I jumped for the edge. The ropes tore almost simultaneously, causing the bridge to drop out from underneath me. I flew true, landing right at the edge and gripping the earth with all of my might. 

I scratched for a hoof-hold, finding none. I began to slowly slide backwards, my lack of fingers making it impossible for me to grip the smooth rock.

Luckily, my slow slide backwards was stopped by the combined efforts of Applejack and Fluttershy, who pulled me back up the face. 

Panting heavily, I dropped the hat in front of Applejack. “Hey, you dropped this.” I panted, collapsing from exhaustion on the spot. 

Applejack laughed, throwing the hat back onto her head. “Much obliged, Keith.” 

Twilight scowled down at me. “What were you thinking, Keith? Applejack was trying to save you, but you decided to play ‘hero’?” 

I looked up, my head still spinning from the lack of air. “I… *pant* I dunno. Thought it’d make… *gasp* Make me look cool.”

Twilight looked at me funny. I looked back, forcing a grin. “Gotta look cool in front of the ladies.”

Twilight shook her head. “Ugh. Colts.” 

I stood up shakily, brushing off the offers to help me (or lack thereof). 

Twilight looked towards the setting sun. “We’d better keep moving. We won’t last long in the freezing cold of the desert at night.”

It wasn’t long before the sun reached the distant mountain tops, disappearing slowly like a mound of melting butter. Applejack shaded her eyes when she squinted at what was little left of the sun. “Well, we have about an hour before the sun sets; I say we set up camp before we hit the hay.” She advised. 

Twilight nodded. “That’s fine. I’m sure we’re all tired anyways. Besides…” She nodded towards the foreboding maze of red sandstone formations ahead. “We’ve got a long walk ahead of us, and possibly a long negotiation process.”

Putting down our knapsacks, everybody split up in groups of two to go search for some kindle and fuel for tonight’s fire. Spike and I were left to watch the luggage.

Once everyone had left, Spike began asking me questions about where I was from.

“What part of Equestria you from?” He asked, resting his chin on his claw.

“Er… Sacramento.”

“Sacramare-to? So you’re an east-coaster, then?”

“Well…” I bit my lip. “Yeah, I guess.”

There was a long pause when the small dragon struggled to think of something else to ask. I proceeded with a question of my own. “So, Spike, what do you usually do for fun with everybody?” 

Spike thought hard, bringing his claws to his chin. “Well, every year we go to the Galloping Gala, although I never go along. Those things are so boring; I never see what everypony thinks is so great about those. It’s one big bore.” 

I cleared my throat. “So do you guys have smaller dances? Ones with more… uh, how should I say it… Dynamic dancing?”

Spike nodded. “Yeah, but nothing really big. It’s mostly small dances within groups of friends, or for a special reason, like birthdays and congratulation parties.”

I thought for a second. “Well, is there an open ballroom in Ponyville? You guys could hold big fundraiser dances in addition to the little parties. And I could DJ for you guys.” I asked hopefully.

Spike went back to thinking again. “Well, there IS one possible ballroom, but I don’t think it’s always open. It’s in the town hall, and it’s usually used for meetings or important conferences between town officials.” 

Before we could plan out anything else, however, Rarity and Twilight returned with a heap of thin brush and branches, setting them near the small fire-ring. “Phew, took us long enough.” Twilight said, taking a seat next to Spike. 

Rarity dropped her bundle neatly next to Twilight’s. “I hope this is enough to keep us warm; I don’t think I’d be able to sleep through a night of freezing my beautiful tail off.” 

Twilight smiled back at Rarity. “Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Pinkie Pie are still out there gathering even more fuel for tonight; I’m sure we’ll have more than enough for the entire evening.” 

Rarity settled next to Spike, who began writing another update to Princess Celestia.

“So, how are you feeling?” Twilight asked, turning to me. “I’m sure you’re still a little shaken up after that close call.”

“I was about to ask you the same thing.” I replied. “You looked a little shaken yourself.”

“Well, I guess… I felt afraid.” Twilight confessed. “I was afraid that I’d lose a good friend. Before you saved her, I knew that I was so close to losing her to the bridge. It was a horrible feeling, where for a second; I almost began to imagine life without her.”

After she finished, we fell silent for a few minutes. Somewhat hesitant to break the ice, I coughed quietly, and said, “Well, she’s alive now, that’s all that matters.”

As if she had dropped a huge burden, Twilight sighed loudly. “That’s true. Thanks, Keith.” 

I nodded stiffly; still surprised she was warming up to me so quickly.

Silence settled around the campfire again.

It wasn’t long before Rarity finally summoned the guts to break the ice between her and I.

“Where did you get that ridiculous hat?” She asked.

I looked up at the wide brim. “This? I was on a trip to uh…” I paused, once again struggling to rephrase the story to pertain to Equestria. “Uh… a trip to the mountains. There was a little shop selling winter clothes, and I saw the hat sitting alone on the rack.” I thought hard for a second, now struggling to even remember when I had bought it. “It was a clearance sale, and the hat was the only one left. I don’t know why, but something told me to buy the thing. I just felt that it fit my personality the best. It was almost like—”

I stopped myself as the remainder of the group returned, dropping their bundles not-so-neatly on top of Twilight and Rarity’s piles.

Applejack looked at the deep-red sunset. “Just in time; looks like the sun’s gone and hit the hay.”

Twilight glanced at the canyon ahead. “We’d also better hit the hay. We’ve got a long hike ahead of us. Let’s just get the fire started so we can get to bed.”

It was a simple matter of just getting the kindle lit, and we eventually had a gentle blaze cracking away. The warmth was comforting, especially through the soft blankets that were distributed throughout the group. It wasn’t long before we were all asleep.

Except for me.

I literally woke up in the next second. And the situation I awoke to was regretfully not as pleasant as the cozy campfire.

> 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The beeping of a life-support apparatus was the first thing I could hear. Opening my eyes, I noticed the difference in location.

Instead of my preferable, sweet-smelling bed, I was laying on a menthol-reeking hospital bed. My mom was grasping my hand, sound asleep. Bryan sat in the corner, also asleep, but looking a little less comfortable than my mom. 

A large vase of yellow daffodils and white tulips gave the room an unnaturally festive look, in addition to all of the other cards and flower arrangements that sat scattered about the room. 

I tried to sit up straighter, but it pulled on my IV, which didn’t really feel pleasant at all. I groaned from the discomfort, waking up my mom. She was always a light sleeper. 

“K-Keith?” She said slowly, blinking groggily. 

I gave her a sheepish smile. “Hey. Why am I in the hospital again??” I asked.

She sat up, her face turning serious. “You really don’t remember anything??” 

I scoffed. “Why would I remember anything? I was sleeping from yesterday until today.”

Our conversation had woken Bryan up, who became a little excited when he noticed that I was awake too. “Oh! Hey! Sis found you laying in bed after school, but she said that you wouldn’t wake up.” 

My mom’s face went from serious to worried. “You wouldn’t even respond if we shook you. It was almost like you were in a coma.” Her shoulders started shaking a little, her speech becoming halted and stammering. “I-I was s-so worried for you!” She sniffled. “W-we took you to the hospital, and th-they didn’t know w-what was wrong… When the doctor told us that they d-didn’t know how long you’d b-be like this, Kelsey got so worried about you…”

“She wouldn’t stop crying, since she thought that we’d lost you.” Bryan finished. “She thought that you’d gone to sleep forever, like Mindy.” 

Mindy was our favorite German Shepherd. She was Kelsey’s favorite, and had always loved her from when she was a baby. The family was never really the same the day she was euthanized; especially Kelsey, who didn’t even talk for days. Our mom became so convinced that she would end up as a screw-up later in life because of the trauma, and sent Kelsey to a therapist for a month. It was a scary month for us all; we thought that Kelsey would end up in a mental hospital. 

Imagining Kelsey going through that whole ordeal again really hit me hard. I never realized that these little forays into Equestria could be so catastrophic on our family bonds. 

My mom slowly calmed down, her hiccups and halting speech dissipating. She blew her nose in a Kleenex taken from her purse. “I almost sent Kelsey back to Mr. Shragg, since I thought that you wouldn’t be waking up anytime soon.” 

Bryan stood up, scratching his head. “The docs said that there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with you; The only thing that seemed abnormal was your inability to wake up, and your vitals being similar to people under hypnosis.”

I cocked my head. “Huh??” 

Bryan screwed up his face, struggling to explain. “After they ran a bunch of tests, scans and MRIs, they said that you were in some kind of trance, and nothing but the hypnotist responsible could wake you, but you served as your own hypnotist.” 

I thought hard, bringing my hand to my chin. “So, I brought myself down with this pseudo-coma thing?” 

Bryan shrugged. “I guess that’s the closest we’ll ever come to understanding it as.”

I chuckled. “And yet, I’m still so confused!!”

My mom grabbed my wrist, squeezing it gently. “Keith… this isn’t something just to brush off. Remember the state that Kelsey’s in?” 

I nodded slowly, my smile fading. “Don’t worry, I know it’s serious. But what am I supposed to do? Never fall asleep?” I shrugged, forcing a grin. “I don’t have Freddie Krueger to motivate me to keep myself awake.” 

My mom’s frown deepened. I stopped smiling. “Sorry mom.”

She relaxed, sitting back in her chair and sighing. “I don’t know, Keith. I’m sorry. I guess that’s a question for the doctors, although we all know they have no clue what’s wrong with you.”

I shifted uncomfortably. I really didn’t want her to get worked up over something so vague. “Uh… I’m kinda hungry.” I said.

“Oh, I’ll see what they have in the cafeteria. I’m getting a little hungry myself.” My mom replied, immediately leaving the room. 

Bryan snorted. “I guess I’ll just starve then.”

I breathed out deeply, letting my head plop onto the pillow. “Ugh, I wish she’d stop being so worried. It’s almost like she thinks everything is her fault.”

Bryan looked out the window, staring blankly at the neighboring buildings. “She’s been like this since Kelsey got all depressed about Mindy. And you can’t really blame her for feeling that way either.”

“But she doesn’t have to feel bad about me falling into a self-induced coma for a day. It’s my problem, and I can handle it without her worry. It just stresses me out anyways.” I said.

Bryan pulled out his iPod Touch while unraveling his Sony earbuds. “Look, it’s the only way she can get rid of stress. I know it affects everyone else around her, but look at you. Everyone at school was dying to know what happened to you, Kelsey was deathly afraid of losing you; you even had me going for awhile. And I grew up with you. I’d usually know better than to doubt you.” He said, not even looking up.

I stared forward, receding into thought. “You’re stressing out everyone else too, and if Mom wants to make it her problem, let her. It makes her feel like a good parent. Think of it as doing her a favor.” Bryan called from outside the door, then continued down the hall, searching for a vending machine, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

~~~

I sipped some orange juice out of a juice box from the cafeteria, offering the rest of my cookies to my sister. “Here. You can have the rest.” 

My sister looked up at me, a concerned look on her face. “I think you should eat them. You’re still sick.” She said. 

I laughed a little. “Don’t worry; I just need the juice. You can have em. Go on.” She squinted at me suspiciously, then didn’t even hesitate to ensue wolfing down the cookies.

My mom had left during the morning to visit her parents, but had left my sister, who had the day off from school for Labor’s Day, in my care. She had even went ahead to beg the hospital to allow my sister to stay overnight. After listening to five minutes of her explaining reasons, the doctors complied. It wasn’t bad, since my sister could watch me all she wanted and wouldn’t have to worry. 

She had brought her little suitcase along, filled with various objects to pass the time. She even brought the old recorded episodes of MLP for us to watch, which is what we spent most of our day doing. 

We were in the middle of another one of the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ misadventures when I realized that there could be a way to keep my sister from being so worried whenever I fell asleep. 

And it was for good reason too. If I didn’t get her to stop, I’d never sleep again. She literally had kept me awake the entire time by crying whenever I said I was going to rest my eyes for a bit. Not the whining-crying. More like don’t-leave-me-alone-in-this-world crying. It killed me every time too; I never felt annoyed with her for crying.

But maybe if she knew what was happening when I fell asleep, she wouldn’t be as worried.

After the episode ended, my sister got up to switch to the next tape. I stopped her by gently putting my hand on her shoulder. “Uh, Kelsey? Can you keep a secret?” 

Kelsey turned, a curious look on her face. “Why? Did you start doing drugs?” 

I mentally tripped, taking the verbal double-take. “Well, not exa—WHAT?! Where did you hear that?!” I asked, hoping to pound the person responsible for teaching Kelsey about drugs. 

She shrugged. “A guy came to our school and talked about how bad drugs are.” 

I shook my head. “I think you’re a little too young to learn about drugs for now; and no, I’m not on drugs.” 

She pouted a little. “Not my fault; Katrina’s mom had him talk.”

“I see.” I said sympathetically. Katrina’s mom over-protective mom would do that, although it did seem a little redundant. She was probably getting a little too paranoid for her own good.

Quickly changing the subject, I returned to my question. “Anyways, can you keep a secret? I need to tell you something about when I fell asleep yesterday.”

She was immediately interested, nodding profusely. “Yeah. What happened?” 

I adjusted the bed so I was sitting up, and began recounting the events since I first traveled to Equestria.

~~~

“So you’re going to Equestria every time you sleep?” She asked, still not really believing me.

I nodded. “I know it sounds crazy, but—”
“But mom says cartoons aren’t real.” She stated flatly.
“Yes, I know, but I did all kinds of crazy things to try and wake myself up. I hit a tree to see if I would wake up, and I didn’t.”
“Are you sure you’re not on drugs?” 

I sighed. “Yes. I’m sure. Look, I don’t need you to believe me, but I just want you to stop thinking that it’s all just—” 

Before I could finish my sentence, the VCR suddenly sparked, film pouring out of the video slot. Smoke started trickling out of the cracks in the VCR, giving off a very nasty burning scent.

“What the—”

I was cut off again as the pixilated appendage reappeared in front of us. 

My sister’s mouth dropped open. “K-K-Keith? Is that what you saw before??” She asked. 

I nodded slowly, not realizing that she wasn’t looking at me. “Yeah. That’s it.” I said quietly, hardly believing it myself. 

Suddenly, it reached out, wrapping itself around my sister, which she did not like one bit. She screamed loudly, kicking and struggling within its grasp. “Keith!! Help me!!” She cried, reaching out for me. 

Instinctively, I grabbed her hand, leaping out of bed. I felt a tugging on the other end, and the appendage slowly began retreating into the screen. The sense of urgency rose as Kelsey’s feet disappeared into the static that occupied the screen. 

“Keith!! Please!!” she begged, gripping even tighter. 

I planted my feet on the wall, desperately fighting for custody of my sister. “Let her go, you sonuva—”

The appendage lurched upwards, bringing me with it. I banged my head on the ceiling, smashing the fluorescent lights above me. My grip loosened, but I still had a firm hold on my sister’s arm. 

However, the upward lift had deprived me of my foothold, sending me and my sister flying through the screen. We fell through the static, seemingly falling endlessly. I swam towards my sister, calling her name.

“Kelsey!! Kelsey!!!” 

She didn’t answer. She probably banged her head as well, but didn’t take it so well. I swam towards her, reaching out to her arm. I caught her wrist, pulling her close. I shielded her head with my hands, keeping her tightly gripped. 

The static disappeared, leaving us falling in complete darkness. As darkness fell, I also noticed my vision was failing too. I struggled to stay awake, my senses becoming less and less alert. My hands and feet went numb, along with my arms. No longer in control of my body, I was forced to release her. 

The last thing I saw was her unconscious figure disappearing into the dark. 

Kelsey…

> 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

My eyes snapped open. I sat up, looking at the sun peeking over the distant mountain range. It was the early morning, although everypony in the group had already gotten up. Some were idly chatting, while others were charged with the task of preparing breakfast. Apple cider bubbled in a small kettle on the fire, while Applejack and Twilight were roasting a couple of apples over the flames.

Tears formed in the corners of my eyes. Kelsey… I couldn’t save you…! I brought my hooves to my face, sniffling a little.

It didn’t take long for the girls to notice. “Keith? You okay??” Twilight asked. 

Embarrassed, I wiped my eyes, quickly dismissing her. “I-I’m fine. Got some dust in my eyes when I sat up.” 

Applejack became concerned, setting the apples on a plate. “Ya sure, sugarcube? Ya sounded like you were cryin’ for a bit there.” 

I looked down at the blanket, my mind recalling the fall into darkness. 

“Yeah. I’m sure.” I said absentmindedly. 

Everypony took a second to look at me, a little confused or completely baffled. However, it wasn’t long before they returned to their activities. Except Twilight and Applejack. 

“Come on, Keith. Out with it.” Twilight started.
“You’re not gonna to feel any better if ya bottle it up, sugarcube.” Applejack echoed.

I shook my head. “I’ll be fine. I just had a nightmare.” 

Twilight groaned. “Look, we can’t have you all worked up over something we have no idea about, and it’s not fair to us if you don’t tell us what’s wrong.”

Applejack nodded. “We’re not letting ya off this time. Speak up.” She said sternly.

Sighing, I lowered my head. I really didn’t want to give away too much about myself, but I really had no choice. “Fine.” I said flatly. “I just had a nightmare. I lost my sister in a fog, and I never saw her again. That was it.” 

Twilight cocked her head. “Your sister?” 

Pinkie butted in. “You have a sister?! Cool! I’ve got two sisters, and—”

I silenced her with an outburst. “Yes! I have a sister! Now would you all please leave me alone?!” 

They all recoiled in surprise. It wasn’t long before they dispersed silently, everypony avoiding me from then on.
~~~
We soon packed up and left the camp, dispersing the ashes and burying the makeshift fire pit. We entered the canyon in silence, with the occasional whisper between ponies. It wasn’t long before I realized that they were all afraid of me, other than Rainbow Dash, who glared at me instead. After the seventh time somepony glanced back at me nervously, I decided that it was time for an apology. 

“Okay. You can all stop with the whispers and glances.” Everypony turned to face me, giving me their attention. 
“I’m sorry I yelled at you all like that. You’ve done nothing wrong, and I was just mentally stressed. I’ve reciprocated your kindness towards me with the exact opposite, yelling at you for no reason, and I just want to apologize for that outburst.” I said carefully. I hung my head, somewhat ashamed.

Pinkie was the first to accept. “It’s okay! It happens!” She exclaimed. 

Rarity visibly relaxed. “I’m glad you’ve calmed down.” 

Rainbow Dash followed everypony’s lead. “That took a lot of humility. Glad to have you back.” She said, smiling a little.

I smiled sheepishly. “Thanks, you guys.” I said. Applejack and Twilight sidled up to me. “Of course we accept your apology, Keith. We were also a little nosy for our own good, so don’t be too worried about it.” Twilight said.

Applejack patted me heartily on the back, nearly knocking me over. “Good to have ya feeling okay again, sugarcube! And like what Twilight said, don’t give it too much thought. I kinda feel bad for askin’ ya such a personal question, but I also felt like I wanted to pay you back for savin’ me back on the bridge.” 

I was about to reply when Spike came running out of the canyon ahead, nearly collapsing breathlessly at Twilight’s hooves. “T-Twilight… we’ve got trouble. Somepony… dragon… trouble!” He wheezed.

Twilight looked back at everypony, eyes narrowed. “Looks like it’s time for some aggressive negotiations. We’d better hurry!” 

We galloped around the next corner, ignoring the distant rumbling and occasional falling debris from the clifftops. 

A scream rang out through the canyon. My ears perked up. No way… is that…!

We rounded another corner, coming upon a large red dragon. It was apparently fighting a number of the Buffalo tribe, who were losing badly. Several lay embedded in the canyon walls, while others lay prone, knocked senseless. 

A valiant dozen remained standing, facing the dragon. The Chief was with them, face twisted in a vicious snarl. “By the divine spirits, you will return the mare!” He yelled, leading a seemingly futile charge against the beast. 

Mare?? What mare? My eyes searched rapidly for the aforementioned pony. I saw her in the monster’s clutches, weeping and sobbing loudly. “KEITH!! HELP ME!” She cried. 

Twilight nodded towards the rest of the girls, starting to formulate a game plan. “Okay, girls, we’re going to need to distract that dragon to get that filly out of there. Fluttershy, fly overhead and provide an overwatch. Make sure that everypony is moving in a synchronized formation. Rarity and Pinkie, see if you can start moving off the injured Buffalo. Rainbow Dash, provide the distraction. Keith, you stay—”

I charged, head down. “KELSEY!! I’M COMING!!” I roared. I approached the dragon, my brain frantically thinking about how I'd fare any better than the buffalo it had knocked aside. Before I could realize that I was in the same boat, I felt a horrible pain in my side, and in the next moment, I was sent whistling into the canyon wall. 

“Keith!!” Twilight cried. 

I slid down the wall, landing on my head. I slowly stood up, shaking my head furiously. “Ugh… I-I’m fine.” I stuttered weakly, firmly placing my Element cap back on my head.

Twilight forced me to sit down. “Just hang in there, Keith. We’ll take care of this.” Twilight said confidently.

I watched her march forward, yelling directions to her friends. 

“Rainbow Dash! Gather some cirrus clouds and bunch em’ up! We’ll need a big storm, so make sure you gather one heck of a thunderstorm!” Twilight barked.

Rainbow Dash saluted smartly, speeding off in search of the cirrus clouds. Twilight turned back to Pinkie Pie. “Pinkie, you’ll be helping me move off the injured and unconscious buffalo. It’s important we get them away from the dragon!” She yelled over the rampaging dragon. Pinkie nodded enthusiastically. “Okey-dokey-lokey!” She exclaimed, galloping over to start helping up those too weak to walk.

Applejack and Fluttershy looked back at Twilight expectantly. She turned to them swiftly, immediately delivering their orders. “AJ, Fluttershy: Get working on a distraction. Give him the stare; try and rope him down, do anything to get his attention off of that filly!” 

Finally, Twilight turned to me, a stern look on her face. “And YOU sit this one out; you’ve already scared me enough for today.” She said. I nodded, gulping loudly.

Everypony scattered, hurrying to complete their tasks, with the exception of Pinkie, who had already moved two buffalo on her own. 

Twilight assisted the Chief in hobbling to a safe distance while Applejack and Fluttershy drew the Dragon’s attention away from them. “T-Twilight; thank goodness you’re here… I knew I had to try to get the girl back, but I’ve never been up against anything like this.” He admitted sheepishly. 

Twilight smiled. “Don’t worry about it, Chief. We’ve got it from here.”

Applejack pulled a long rope out of her saddlebag, quickly tying a slipknot at the end. Whirling the rope around her head, she whipped the lasso towards the dragon, catching it on the arm holding the filly. She yanked it down, attempting to force the dragon to loosen its grip. It almost worked too, except the dragon’s grip must’ve been one of steel, since it didn’t let go. 

The dragon pulled Applejack by the rope, swinging her into a canyon column and forcing her to let go of the rope. She cried out when she collided with the sandstone. “Ungh!! Fluttershy! Help me out, willya?!”

The Pegasus was already at eye level with the dragon, face screwed up in a nasty scowl. “Hey, meanie!” She roared. The dragon turned to face her, its lips drawn back in a vicious snarl. Fluttershy hesitated for a second. “S-sorry… I was trying to be more aggressive.” She apologized. The dragon breathed in, threatening to breathe fire. Fluttershy barely had enough time to dodge before it released the flames, which charred the columns that were unlucky enough to be in its range.

Applejack started pulling another rope out of her bag. “Twilight! We’ve got its attention, but it ain’t droppin’ that filly anytime soon!” She advised.

Twilight grinned, looking up at an approaching omnibus cloud. “Keep it up! We’ve got our main distraction right here!”

Rainbow Dash appeared on the scene, shouldering the cloud into place above the dragon. “Okay, Twilight! It’s ready!” She said. 

Twilight looked to Applejack and Fluttershy. “Keep that dragon occupied! If it sees the cloud, we might not have a chance!” 

Nodding to each other, AJ and Fluttershy doubled their efforts, Applejack making twice as many attempts to tie it down, while Fluttershy strafed occasionally, delivering swift kicks to the jaw.

Twilight looked up to Rainbow Dash. “Okay, fly up and hit that cloud with everything you’ve got! We need a thunderbolt to hit this guy!”

Rainbow Dash grinned deviously. “You got it, boss!” She flew straight up, hovering a good hundred feet above the cloud. “Alright, here goes nothing!” She started, folding her wings and falling into a steep dive.

The wind rushed past her ears, blowing her polychromatic mane behind her head. Her eyes squinted from the wind, but could still clearly see the black cloud still in the middle of her sights. <i>Get ready for a dose of pain!!</i> She thought, her smile growing bigger.

Twilight turned back to AJ and Fluttershy. “Okay! Back off! Get out of there!!” She ordered. They obediently retreated, leaving the Dragon utterly confused and dazed. “AJ! Grab the kid!” Twilight barked. Applejack tried it a second time, wrapping the lasso around the dragon’s right arm, which held the filly. She fiercely yanked it down, causing the dragon to release the filly. 

Managing to barely catch the filly, Applejack hightailed it out of the hot zone. Twilight looked up, wincing a little in anticipation. “Here it comes…”

Rainbow Dash collided with the cloud, causing an enormous thunderbolt to appear, hitting the dragon square in the chest. There was a brilliant flash of light, blinding everypony that happened to be looking at the blast. 

There was a loud roar of pain, then silence. Keith blinked rapidly, allowing his eyes to readjust to the dim canyon. “D-did they do it?” 

Rainbow Dash hovered above the now-dispersed cirrus cloud, somewhat out of breath. “Hah! Take that!! Ponies: 1, Dragon—”

She was cut off as a bright red claw emerged from the smoke, pinning her to the canyon wall. She struggled feebly against the giant’s clutches. “Ugh!! Lemme go!!” She protested.

The dragon’s head emerged from the smoke, as well as the rest of its body. A bright-red patch of melted scales on its chest showed where the lightning had hit. It glared at Rainbow Dash, as if relishing his victory over her.

It drew back its head, taking a deep breath. Realizing what it was going to do, I charged towards Rainbow Dash, my Element cap glowing brightly. “RAINBOW!!!” I bellowed, my entire body now enveloped in the same light. 

The dragon released the fire from its throat, enveloping us both. 

> 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

I sped towards Rainbow Dash, willing her to survive the flames. Aw, shoot! I just need a barrier for now… I thought. Instantly, a translucent red sphere enveloped me and the cliff wall around Rainbow Dash, dispersing the flames across its exterior. 

A strange feeling suddenly overcame me, and I felt as if I had forgotten something important. W-wha…? I thought, looking down, suddenly realizing that I was in the air. The Element hat had disappeared, revealing an ornate helmet with a short horn protruding from the top. It extended to a small metal plate that ran down the back of my neck and ended at my shoulders. From two holes at the base of the plate burst a brilliant pair of glowing wings, seemingly fabricated by pure energy. I gazed at the wings admiringly.

The dragon snapped me out of my thoughts, pulling Rainbow Dash away from the wall, its arm exiting the protective bubble. I reacted by kicking the nearest column. The top half of the stone pillar disconnected with its base almost instantly, flying straight into the dragon’s jaw. As the protective bubble dissipated, the same feeling of forgetfulness overcame me once more, but I was able to ignore it this time. 

Dazed, the dragon dropped Rainbow Dash. Swooping low, I snatched her up, dropping her next to my sister and Applejack. Not wasting any time (as I had no idea how long this would last), I zipped back upwards, facing the dazed dragon.

I imagined the canyon walls splitting and cracking, ultimately breaking into more large chunks. The visualization came true; the canyon around the dragon broke into pieces, surrounding the creature. They swirled around the dragon, eventually gravitating and pressing towards the creature’s center. They pinned its arms and legs with pure pressure, paralyzing it. 

A third wave of forgetfulness hit me, although I could now easily ignore it since I forgot what I had forgotten. Shaking off the effect, I examined the creature closely. Something didn’t seem right with its behavior. It was a lot more vicious and homicidal than in previous episodes. 

I lifted a large rock up with my newfound psychic powers. “Maybe it just needs a nap…” I said thoughtfully, swiftly dropping the huge rock on the creature’s head. This time, the dragon stayed down, knocked out cold.

The forgetfulness hit me again, although I still couldn’t figure out what I was forgetting. However, I noticed a red haze leaving the dragon, as if evaporating out of the dragon’s very scales. It dissipated when a fair breeze blew through the canyon, dispersing it into thin air.

I frowned. “So it wasn’t the dragon, huh?” I said to myself. Suddenly, the wings and helmet disappeared, leaving me twenty feet off of the ground with just an Element hat. I looked down, my frown deepening. “Oh, sack.” I cursed as gravity took effect.

I landed on my flank, which surprisingly hurt more than I thought. Rubbing the sore area, I stood on all fours, approaching the two unconscious figures of Rainbow Dash and my sister.

All of the ponies and buffalo backed off in awe and fear. I looked at all of them, confused. “What’s the matter? It’s Keith, remember?” 

Applejack rushed over to pick up Rainbow, who was still out cold. “Hang in there, Dash! We’re here!”

Twilight galloped over. “Thanks for that, Keith, but what the hay <i>was</i> all of that?!

“I-I don’t know! I didn’t know about this, either!” 

Possibly wakening from the yelling, my sister slowly opened an eye. Her large pupil rested on Twilight. “Wh-wha…? She stammered quietly. 

My attention suddenly shifted to her. “Kelsey! You’re awake!” I rushed over to her.

Kelsey squinted at me, recognizing the voice, but not the face.

“Keith? Is that you?” She asked hesitantly.

I sighed deeply, relieved that she was both physically and mentally intact. “Phew… Sorry, I thought you wouldn’t recognize me. Yeah, it’s Keith. You okay, sis?” I asked, helping her to her hooves.

She trotted in place, testing her legs as if walking for the first time. “F-Fine, I guess…” She started, struggling to walk on all fours. She suddenly stopped, looking down at a small pebble on the ground. Her bangs fell across her eyes, hiding her emotions.

Confused, I tried to look under her bangs. “Sis..? You okay?” I asked.

Her shoulders started shaking, as did her voice. “I…I…” She started. 

Expecting her to throw a fit of hysteria, I tried to calm her down. “Uh… Kelsey, it’s all right. The dragon’s knocked out cold, we’re safe, and it’s going to be—”

She leaned forward a little, planting her forehead against mine. I felt a few drops of something wet running down her face, and it tasted salty. 

“I’m so glad to see you!” She sobbed. Embarrassed, I tried to pull away, but she held me fast with her chin. She shook violently from the hiccups, making her speech halting and hard to understand. “I was so s-scared! The dragon—hic—came out of nowhere, and—hic—I just kept wondering where you were… I remember the fall, and you let me go, a-and I—hic—got scared that you—”

I shushed her, starting to sing an old family lullaby. Good thing the girls didn’t know what the Mickey Mouse Club was. “Everthing’s gonna be alright, we’re all with fa-mi-ly. K-E-L, C-E-Y, la-la-la-la-laaa…” I kept singing until Kelsey stopped shaking, and her hiccups slowly went away. 

She blushed profusely. “I thought you said I was too old for that.” She said, pouting a little. 

I grinned. “Hey, it helped, didn’t it?” 

Kelsey nodded, smiling back. “Yeah, it did.”

Our brother-sister moment was broken from Fluttershy’s comment. “Aww, you two are so cute together.” She said.

My sister’s eyes suddenly grew as wide as dinner plates. “F-Flu—” 

I pulled her aside, shushing her again. “Okay, Kelsey, remember what I told you about them not knowing me?” I hissed. She nodded, unable to speak with my hoof on her mouth. “Okay, they don’t know that they have their own TV show, and I wanna keep it a secret for now. So try and keep yourself from fangirling all over them.”

“But—” My sister started. I stared her down, making sure she knew I wouldn’t have it. 

I was distracted by Rainbow Dash regaining consciousness. She sat up slowly, shaking the dizziness from her head. “Wha… what happened??” She asked nobody in particular. 

I trotted over, sitting down next to her. “Good to see you, too. You okay?” I remarked. 

She put a hoof to her head, rubbing a bump forming underneath her mane. “Ugh, a little bruised up, no thanks to you.” She started. She stood, whipping her colorful mane off of her face. She beamed me a smile. “But not extra crispy, very much thanks to you.” She said.

I was slightly stunned, as this was the first time she had smiled at me since I had arrived. And it wasn’t one of those cheesy, photo smiles. It almost looked like she was giggling, but not as deep of a smile; one that radiated pure warmth and appreciation. 

And it felt nice.

I blushed a little, getting an uncomfortable mushy feeling in my stomach. “Hey, I had to fulfill my role as the hero.” I said, shrugging.

Rainbow Dash laughed a little, another pleasant surprise. “Hey! That’s my line!” She replied. 

Spike approached us, a frown on his face. “Sorry to interrupt, but we’ve gotta get going. Princess Celestia asks that we meet her in person. And that we bring Keith in for questioning.” 

I gulped. “Questioning??” I asked Spike. He nodded, his jaw set. 

I looked back to Rainbow Dash expectantly. She just gave me a gentle nudge. “We’ll back you up; you seem like a nice pony.” She said. With that, she trotted off, following her friends back towards Apple-Palooza, who were closely followed by the remaining Buffalo tribe members.

I looked back to my sister, who trotted up next to me. I nudged her forward. “Cmon, we’ve got a long conversation ahead of us.” 

She looked up to me. “Aw, more explaining?” She asked. I nodded.

> 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

After a long trek back to Appaloosa, we boarded the last train heading back to Canterlot. 

The town looked a lot more alive than it used to, its inhabitants trying hard to keep up the demand for the western-style clothing. “Must be the new fad going around…” Rarity said to nobody in particular. 

We pulled away, the train speeding off into the darkening desert. Once again, we had claimed the sleeper car for ourselves, rather than sleeping upright in the passenger cars. 

Everypony had already gotten comfortable, spreading the blankets and pillows from the previous trip around on the floor. Rarity had staked the bed, providing her pillow and blanket to Kelsey. 

Of course, being my sister, she HAD to sleep next to me. She plopped her pillow and blanket next to mine before plopping down herself. Applejack couldn’t resist a comment. “You two are like peas an’ carrots; Ah haven’t seen you two apart since yall got together!”

Kelsey smiled back. “Yeah. Except Keith’s something more like a potato. He’s ugly.” She said, giving me a sidelong glance. I ignored her comment, struggling to stay awake. I wanted to get through the interrogation before I fell asleep. 

Rainbow Dash regarded Kelsey. “So, I imagine living with this guy is a pain, huh?” 

Kelsey shook her head. “Nuh-uh. He’ll always be the first to talk to me.” She said. 

Rainbow Dash looked up at the back of my head; I was too tired to notice her stare. “So you two live alone or something?”

Kelsey shook her head again. “Nuh-uh. He has an older brother and a mommy and daddy. Except Bryan is usually away working in the city. And daddy does nothing but lock himself up in his room, and mommy is always busy. Keith is just the only one who’s able to talk.” 

“Wow; sounds like you've got a nice brother.” Fluttershy said thoughtfully. 

Getting a little flustered due to the fact that I was right next to them, and they were STILL talking about me, I decided to try and change the subject. “So, did the Princess say anything else in that announcement?” I asked. 

Spike opened the letter again. “Hmm, nope. All she says is that she wants to ‘question’ you.” I shivered a little. “I see…” I looked down, suddenly very nervous. 

Rainbow Dash noticed my expression and gave me a hearty punch on the shoulder. “We’ll back you up, Keith. You saved me and AJ’s lives already!” She said helpfully.

Applejack nodded. “Yup! The Princess’ll like that! Don’t sweat it too much, sugarcube.” 

I smiled back, feigning comfort. “Thanks, guys. I shouldn’t be sweating about the small stuff.” 

Rarity let forth a cavernous yawn. “Well, I’ve lost a lot of beauty sleep over the past few days, and I think it’s time I start catching up.”

Twilight nodded, fluffing up her pillow. “True. The train’s got another whole day of traveling nonstop until we reach Canterlot. Let’s rest up while we can.” 

A whole day? I thought. Should be enough time for me to check back in the real world for a bit. 

I started to leave, throwing my pillow and blanket over my back. “I think I’ll sleep in the passenger cars. There isn’t anyone else on this train anyways.” 

Kelsey stuck out her lower lip. “You don’t have to go…” She said sadly. 

Fluttershy squealed a little, unable to contain herself. “Aww! Just look at that face!” She exclaimed. 

Rainbow Dash stood up. “Yeah. Don’t leave your sister here.” She said, a hint of sternness in her voice.

I shook my head. “It’s not that. I just thought you girls would want your own space.” 

They all cocked their heads. “Maybe if we didn’t know you, but since we’re friends…” 

“No.” I said, cutting them off. Even I was surprised at how sharply I said it. “I-it’s fine. I’ll sleep in the other car.” When they gave me another confused look, I looked to Kelsey for help.

She noticed my expectant look, then rolled her eyes. Fine. I’ll help you. was the message in her eyes. 

“Oh, yeah. He snores really loudly; I’m used to it, but I don’t know if you’re all going to be able to sleep.” She said. I blushed a little. Man… she didn’t have to be so harsh. 

I went along with the act. “Yeah. Sounds like a hurricane.” 

Rarity was somewhat repulsed by the image. “Oh, well in that case, I think we should take him up on his offer of extra space.” 

With this first approval, I left, almost slamming the door behind me as I did.

I collapsed into two seats, sprawling across them. Propping my pillow on the wall of the car, I stretched my back, settling after a few seconds. I closed my eyes, allowing the sleepiness to take over. 

--

My eyes snapped open, my pupils not responding well to the lights. I quickly shielded them, rubbing them furiously. 

“Ugh. I’m never going to get used to this.” I mumbled. 

An attractive scent reached my nostrils. I hungrily searched the room for the source. My eyes rested on a small tray of toast and eggs. A small juice box sat next to the tray. I looked down at my sleeping sister. “Well, I guess she can have the bed for a bit.”

Gently pushing her off of me, I walked over to the tray and ate my fill. As I finished the last of the eggs, my mom walked in, looking happier now that she knew she had helped me in some way. “Glad to see you’re feeling better, Brandon.” She noticed Kelsey sleeping on the bed. 

“Oh. You let her stay up late again?” She asked, a hint of aggression in her voice. 

Forgetting that she was still asleep, I shrugged. “I couldn’t say no to her. You know me.” 

She sighed. “Well, it’s nice to know that you haven’t changed.” Suddenly, she gasped. “Keith! What did you do to the TV?!” 

I looked up at the damaged VCR and split screen. My mind scrabbled on a slippery slope of hesitation. “Uhh.. Well… you see…” I blubbered helplessly. 

Her eyes narrowed. “Keith. What did you do?” She said, her voice dropping dangerously low. 

“Look, I can explain.” I started, attempting to stall her. “I just… uh… banged my head on the… um… VCR and the TV... uh… it… fell down! Yeah, that’s it!” I said, struggling to think through it.

She quickly went from suspicious to worried. She stood up, feeling my head for a bump. “Oh, no! You okay, Keith??” Good old Mom.

“It’s fine! It didn’t even leave a bump.” I said quickly, trying to calm her down. Phew… dodged a bullet there. I thought. I looked down again, deep in thought. But I’m going to have to explain to her eventually; she’s not going to keep on ignoring this…

Satisfied that no bump existed, my mom sat down. “Oh, phew. Didn’t want to have to operate on you.” She said, laughing a little. 

I grinned. “Sure, mom. Anything to get a favor from me.” 

This was the wrong thing to say, and she was slightly hurt from this. “Aw, Keith! I was worried you hit your head harder than you thought!” She looked back up at the TV. “You must’ve hit it pretty hard if you got the TV to fall over…” She said thoughtfully. 

I gulped audibly. “Yeah….” I trailed off, forgetting what else I was going to say.

My mom leaned back in her chair, sighing exasperatedly. “Well, at least you’re fine now. The doctors said your pseudo-comas don’t appear to be harmful to your health. They said that your vitals appear to be the same as when someone falls asleep. They said as long as you don’t fall asleep in a critical time, you should be fine.” 

I smiled a little. “See, mom? Told you that—”

“So that’s why I’m giving Bryan temporary ownership of your car.” 

My hopes sank. “You’re kidding me, right?” I asked her.

She shook her head. “No buts, objections or rejections. You’re already talking to a wall, there.” 

“B-but I worked hard to buy that Civic! You can’t just—”
“Bryan needs the car to get to school. You know that Dad leaves for work too early for Bryan to catch a ride, and I don’t have time in the morning to give Bryan a ride either.”

I nodded somberly. I usually drove Bryan and myself to school every morning and parked far enough off-campus to avoid the school’s parking security. Bryan did take turns driving with me, but I severely doubted his ability to parallel park. 

Hanging my head, I managed to mumble, “Fine.” 

My mom frowned. “Sorry, Brandon. But it’s not like Bryan can just be excused from school because you’ve got to stay home.” 

“It’s not like I wanna stay home either.” I grumbled.

We heard some noise coming from the bed. Kelsey had woken up, stretching like a cat. My mom checked her watch. “Well, now that Kelsey’s awake, we can head home. The doctors cleared you to go home.” 

I stood up, eager to leave. “Okay. Let’s go.” 

~~~

We arrived at our house, parking next to my dad’s Prius. 

“Wow… seems like I haven’t seen this place in forever.” I breathed.

Kelsey winked. “Technically, that’s true.” She said. 

I shushed her, shaking my head. Luckily, my mom didn’t hear the comment, since she had already gotten out of the car. 

We went inside, enjoying the rush of hot air that came out upon opening the door. I shivered a little. “Man, winter’s already here, huh?” 

Mom sighed again. It was a weird habit of hers, sighing whenever she was about to say something. “It’s very strange. The weatherman was saying that the cold front came quicker than expected, except it sort of materialized instead of blowing down from somewhere.” 

I scratched my head. “Materialized, huh? But doesn’t it usually get this cold around December and not October?” 

Kelsey nodded. “Yeah; we never had to wear jackets when we went trick-or-treating. Now that it’s so cold, I think I’m going to be an Eskimo for Halloween.” 

Mom and I chuckled at the remark. Mom turned to face me, sporting a big grin. “Remember when you dressed up as a Tank for Halloween? Bryan said he sure had a blast pushing you around.” 

I started for my room, laughing a bit. “Yeah… That was after I had that knee surgery business. But he only liked to push me so he could jackknife me in the middle of nowhere and leave me when you weren’t there.” 

My brother had a mean habit of popping a wheelie, then pushing the handles all the way down so they touched the ground, leaving me with my feet in the air. It was funny the first few times, but when he started doing it when I had classes to get to, I wasn’t laughing anymore. 

My mom started out the door again. “Okay, well, I’ve got some work to catch up on at the office. I’ll be home around 6PM.” 

“Kay!” Kelsey and I called out in unison. The door slammed shut, and the scrabbling of Mom’s keys ensued. 

I strolled to my room again, fondly picking up my Element cap. “Well, well, well, how did you get here?” I asked it, not caring that it wouldn’t respond.

Kelsey popped her head in. “You sure you’re not on drugs?” She asked, giggling a little. 

I ruffled her hair none-too-gently. “Didn’t we teach you to knock?” I asked her back. 

She ran out of the room, protecting her precious pigtails. “Noooo!! You know I hate it when you do that!” 

Still grinning, I sat down at my desk, booting up the CPU and opening iTunes. I clicked the “play” button on my “Radio” playlist; A simple compilation of punk rock, alternative rock, classic rock and even a little melodic metal. It’s also my favorite compilation up to date.

Lost Weekend by the Quemists came on. I resisted the urge to play a few riffs on the old air guitar when my sister walked back in, holding up a drawing. “Hey, Keith! Look! I drew everybody!” 

I spun in my chair, examining her drawing. It was a crude sketch in crayon of everybody she had met in Equestria, in addition to herself and I. We were in a line, beaming smiles at an imaginary camera. The sun shone brightly in the top right corner, while a few clouds scuttled across the baby blue sky. Kelsey and I were in the center, sporting the cheesy smiles as well.

“Well, that’s not bad. Not bad at all.” I said, holding it up to the light. She smiled at me expectantly. “Thanks!” She said. 

We stood there for a few more seconds, smiling at each other. Confused with what she wanted, I continued with the praise. “It’s way better than my old drawings; you’ve improved a lot.” 

“Thanks!” She said again, still smiling expectantly. We sat for another few seconds, the song switching to a song by The Killers. 

“Uh… You need help with homework or something?” I asked. She shook her head, still wearing the same smile. “Nope. I’m okay.” 

It wasn’t long before I knew what she wanted. “You wanna go back to Equestria, don’t you?” I said flatly. 

Immediately, she denied it. “Oh, no, I don’t really care. Unless you want to.” She said innocently. 

“You know you’re not good at being sneaky about it, right?” I said flatly.

“Oh, shut up and just sleep, will you?” She replied, putting her hands on her hips.

I shook my head. “No can do. I think we should wait until tonight. It’s Friday, after all. We’ll be free all weekend to do what we want.”

Kelsey feigned sleepiness. “But I’m already falling asleep.” 

I turned back to my computer, the truth obvious. “Sorry, Kelsey. Just look forward to tonight. You could make more of those drawings.” 

She frowned. “But why can’t we go now?” 

“Mom’s coming home in a few hours, and Bryan and Dad are coming home for the Halloween weekend. And mom doesn’t know that you do this ‘dream’ thing, too.” I explained. 

When Kelsey’s face didn’t change, I sighed. “How about we finish one of your coloring books together?” I asked, almost whispering it like I didn’t want her to hear it.

Her face immediately brightened. “Okay!” 

I smiled, watching her leave the room. I turned back to the computer. “Well, I’d better get my college applications done.” 

I opened a previously started application in another browser window, clicking on “Personal Information.” I started filling in my home address and birthday, making sure I scrolled to the correct month and day. 

I arrived to where it asked for my social security number. I put my hand on the number pad when I hit a void of forgetfulness. “Huh… I swear I memorized this for the last four applications I’ve already done…” I said slowly. I grabbed my personal binder of important information and retyped my social security number from the card and clicked, “Next”. 

The problem with memory loss persisted, forcing me to refer to the personal binder for past performances in plays, participation in sports, as well as community service.

As soon as I clicked the “Submit Application” button, the realization hit me. 

“So this must’ve been what happened at the canyon…” I said. “I knew something was happening, but I was just too short-sighted to see what was up.”  

I looked back at my Element hat sitting on my bed. “Is that the side effect for using that power??” I thought. It forces me to forget…?

Kelsey burst into my room once again, interrupting my thoughts. “Hey, Keith! You said you were gonna help me color some books?” She asked.

“Oh, yeah, sure. I’ll be right there.” I answered absentmindedly. 

She left me alone, where I spent another five minutes staring at the Element cap, pondering about what the heck I was dealing with.