You and five others began your prep for the “big test”, as everyone on your team called it. Put on your hazmat suit, went through decontamination procedures, etc. You proceed down a long tunnel and end up in a gigantic room with a very intimidating machine housed inside. You stared in awe as you took the IDGC (Inter Dimensional Gateway Creator) and it’s entirety into your field of vision. It’s crazy to believe that in only six short months, you and only a few others achieved this big feat of possible inter dimensional travel. Just imagine what the U.S. military was gonna do if we discover that the other side has oil, heh heh. You are snapped out of your thoughts by Dr. Harper’s voice over the loudspeaker.

“Alpha, begin phase one.” Dr. Harper commands. You and your squad mates begin the initiation phase. You begin by running a machine evaluation and carefully looking over all the parts to make sure that nothing is out of place or flawed. You and one other had the midsection, while others examined the rear and the front ends. You checked the reactor slots and made sure nothing was obstructing them, examined the energy cultivation unit and looked for anything out of place or any loose parts, basically checking if everything matched the written requirements on your clipboard. Thankfully, everything looked good to you. You and Ryan, the other member examining the midsection, gave Dr. Harper a thumbs up and waiting for the other examinations to finish. Once the rest of the exams were checked out, we were given our next command. “Alpha Squad, man your stations.” Says Dr. Harper. You and the rest of the squad attend to your assigned stations on the sides of the IDGC. You were responsible for keeping the temperature low and the energy concentration levels high, so the colossal machine doesn’t overheat and collapse on itself. That would end up in a fat 56 billion down the drain, thank the lord that the majority of taxpayers don’t know what happens here. You proceed over to the small computer station built into the side of the machine and look over the programming while the other members do their tasks. Once the nuclear reactors are put in the slots, the machine is oiled up and all systems are good to go, it was time to begin the second phase.

“Alpha, begin phase two.” Said Dr. Harper. You punch a few commands into the computer, and give a nod to your teammates. Two others then begin to pull levers and flip switches, powering on the energy beam unit. The remaining three observe progress at the front with clipboards in hands.

“Harper,” you say over the radio with a dramatic pause. You turn around to the giant window behind you, give Dr. Harper a classy smirk, and finish your sentence. “We’re ready.”

She chuckled and shook her head. “Okay, you are clear to begin phase three.”

“Starting energy beam in three, two, one,” you say to the rest of the team. With the push of a button, you begin to see light particles form at the end of the colossal machine. After a few moments of gathering energy, a giant, bright blue beam shot from the end of the IDGC and began to strike the hole that was excavated into one of the walls. From your computer, you could keep track of all the units that were overheating and needed immediate cooling. This was done by your teammates, which sprayed said units down with a controlled amount of water, just enough to cool the unit down to a safe temperature. It sounded simple and easy enough, but it was actually more like constant manual labor. You had to constantly scan and callout any flaws in the IDGC, while two members used heavy hoses to spray down a specific area as the final three recorded everything. This includes what overheated, how fast it happened, etc. Not to mention the gateway you aimed to create required a massive amount of energy to bring to life. It required so much energy that even with the amount that the beam is creating now (which puts out a year’s worth of sunlight roughly every thirty seconds), it is still expected hours before we see any results. How nifty.

-Six Hours In-

You are extremely fatigued. The hazmat suit is hotter than hell, you’ve done nothing but tend to this damn machine for hours on end, and so far you’ve seen no progress. It’s safe to say that you’re at your wit’s end right now.

“Harper,” you say with a clear hint of exhaustion. “How much longer are we gonna wait? It’s been at least six hours!”

“Yeah,” said Matt, one of the men manning the hoses. “My arms are killing me and it’s like a fucking furnace in these suits!” Everyone then agrees with a commotion that they were all severely exhausted.

“Sigh, I suppose you’re right.” Says Harper with disappointment. “That’s enough for one day, begin th-“ she paused suddenly. “Alpha, look!” She exclaims, pointing a finger towards the wall with the hole excavated into it. You and your team turn around only to face the first sign of success.

“Holy shit.” You said in awe. Several light particles of many different colors began to form in the excavation site, swirling around in a circular motion.

“Don’t just sit there and stare!” Shouted Dr. Harper frantically. “Keep working! We can’t lose this!”

Without hesitation, you and your team followed orders. Over a short span of time, the particles grew in number and speed. You were excited. Not only that your hard work would shortly come to an end, but to also see what the end result was. However, your happy thoughts were quickly interrupted by a loud rumble coming from the light particles.

“What’s happe-“ BOOM. Mindy, one of the members at the end of the machine recording and observing was instantly cut off and thrown back by a massive energy burst from the portal. Her and the two others that were up there with her were knocked out-cold from the sudden burst. That wasn’t the only consequence, unfortunately. The massive force from the blast also happened to crack the six nuclear reactor cores powering the IDGC, as well as throw out a few gears from inside of it. This was bad. Really bad.

“Shit!” Exclaimed Ryan. “Harper, get us the fuck out of here now!”

You, Ryan, and Matt ran over to the entrance to the tunnel in which you entered the room and began prying at the metal doors in an urgent attempt to escape.

“I’m trying!” Shouted Harper. “The controls are down! You’ll have to wait until I can get them back up!”

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” You think to yourself. With all the radiation leaking from the reactor cores, you’ll surely be dead within minutes. But as it turns out, that wasn’t your only problem. You totally forgot about the machine needing to be tended to in order to prevent it from collapsing, and it was already glowing red from the heat. You quickly sprint over to the machine and spray down the interior with water. Ryan comes over to help you, but is interrupted by Harper over the loudspeaker.

“The door systems aren’t working!” She says with panic. “You’ll have to find a way to pry them open!”

“Fuck!” You scream. “Ryan! Help Matt with the door, I’ll keep the machine cool!”

Ryan nods and runs over to Matt and aids him. You were scared to death, were you really gonna go out like this? Hell, you were only 23. Too young for anyone to die in your eyes, especially in some freak accident like this. To make matters worse, you soon begin to realize that your efforts aren’t enough. The hoses are only an aid to the main cooling unit inside of the IDGC and you suspect that the cooling unit was damaged or completely broken from the blast due to the fact that the machine wasn’t cooling down.

“Anon!” Screams Ryan. You look over and see Matt sprinting down the tunnel and Ryan struggling to keep the door open for you. You look at the machine and see that the machine is only seconds from collapsing according to the thermometer on its side. You couldn’t make it to the door even if you tried.

“Go!” You scream at Ryan.

“Anon, I can’t lea-“

“FUCKING GO!” You scream, this time with some force. Ryan just nods and runs off, doors resealing behind him. Just as they closed, the machine collapsed in on itself. The reactor cores didn’t cope well with the energy beam and began to fill the room in a thick mist. You look down and see that your fingertips are slowly dissolving into your surroundings. “Crazy,” you think to yourself. “I can’t physically feel anything.” You chuckle and begin to shed tears.

“You won’t be forgotten, Anon.” Says Harper over the radio. “You did a very noble thing.”

“Heh heh, thanks.” You reply with a sniffle. “It was a pleasure working for y’all.” Those were your final words before everything slowly went black.

*buzzzzz* *buzz*

Your eyes slowly open to the sound of a bug flying around your ear. You groggily swat at it and sit up. Taking a look around, you notice you’re surrounded by forest.

“What the fuck?” You say out loud. You don’t remember coming here. Say, how did you get here? It only took you a few more seconds to realize that you had a hazmat suit on, and then it all came flooding back to you. The machine, the energy blast... your death. Was this heaven? You didn’t think it was hell, but it didn’t exactly feel like heaven either. Like, why were you still in the hazmat suit? “Wait,” you say in your head. “What if I?” You stopped speaking to yourself with the big question still in your head: did the portal work? Last time you saw it, it still appeared to be forming. Maybe it was complete? You stood up to take a closer look at your surroundings.

You walked up to a tree and ran your fingers across it. Looked and felt like wood to you. Hell, you could even hear birds chirping. Huh, maybe this is heaven. You doubt the portal would bring you elsewhere on Earth, unless you and your team messed up somewhere down the line, which was very unlikely. You had studied everything for months and the chances for success were unbelievably high. The reason for mission failure wasn’t even anyone’s fault!

“Whatever.” You say to yourself. You take your respirator and your goggles off. You take a deep breath. Damn, it felt great to breath some fresh air. You pull your hood off as well, letting your hair feel the light breeze in the air. You gave off a little smile of satisfaction. “How do I get out of here?” You ask yourself. You take your knife off of your utility belt and look at the compass on the handle. “North is as good as any direction, I guess.” You say, seeing that every direction has nothing but trees in sight. You then begin to follow your compass in hope of finding something besides forest. After all, this had to be heaven, right? There was bound to be something else around.

-later-

You look down at your watch and see that the timer you set has been running for five hours, seventeen minutes and nine seconds. You were exhausted from the nonstop hiking and hunger began to make its presence known.

“What if hell is just an endless forest?” You think to yourself. You let out a chuckle and sit down against a tree. At least you can’t die... you think. The sky was starting to get dark, the air was getting cooler and your legs were tired. “A little power nap wouldn’t hurt.” You say to yourself. You clear the timer on your watch and set a timer for two hours. You put on your hood and respirator for a little extra warmth and let yourself drift off.

***

You are awoken to the sound of your watch beeping. You look around and see that it is dark out, the only natural light source being the stars in the night sky. You turn your watch off, stand up and take a good stretch. Letting out a sigh, you take your flashlight off of your utility belt and turn it on. You shine the light around and take in your surroundings. You gotta admit, this place was pretty spooky at night, and the fact that you were alone wasn’t helping either. Thankfully it wasn’t dead silent, the crickets definitely eased your thoughts a bit. Your thoughts are then interrupted by something odd.

“Hang on a sec,” you say to yourself. You turn off your flashlight and look at the sky. You weren’t crazy, one side is definitely brighter than the other. “Is that light pollution?” You ask. There was no moon in the sky, so that couldn’t have been the reason. You turn your flashlight back on and start heading in the direction of the light. You didn’t care how long you had to walk, this was all the hope you currently had of getting somewhere.

It wasn’t long before you could see the trees clearing out and a brighter sky in the distance. You begin to sprint out of the forest with a smile on your face. When you reach the end of the forest, you find yourself on a farm. You could barely believe it, just earlier today you thought you’d never find an end to the forest. Not only did you make it out, but you found some sort of civilization as well. Whether this was heaven or not, you didn’t care. You were just happy to be out of that damn forest. Looking out in the distance, you could see a farmhouse. None of the lights were on.

“Whoever lives there must be sleeping,” you thought. “I don’t wanna wake them up right now. I’ll talk to them in the morning.” You notice a sign that reads “Sweet Apple Acres”. Looking to your left, you notice an apple orchard. Your stomach was aching with hunger, so badly that you didn’t care anymore. You had to eat, and quite frankly those apples sound pretty damn good at the moment. You run over to the apple orchard, rip an apple off the tree and begin to devour it. You felt like a slob with all the noise you were making and all the apple juice covering your face, but it didn’t matter to you. You were just happy to have something to eat and ease your awful stomach pain.

Midway through destroying what seemed like your twentieth apple, you are suddenly struck in the back of your head. You drop to your knees, and your face hits the ground. Your vision slowly fades as you faintly hear a southern accent shout, “Applejack, Granny Smith! Get out here!”

***

“And it was just standing there, eatin’ all our apples!” Said a male southern voice. “Ah ain’t ever seen anything like it, and seeing it’s massive size, ah just panicked and kicked it in its head!”

You were awoken to the sounds of someone talking. Shit, the farmer must’ve caught you stealing the apples and handed your ass to you, if only he had let you explain yourself. You found yourself on a concrete floor under a small area of light, the area around the light was pitch black. You tried to move, but you were hogtied. Okay, you were definitely not okay with this.

“Hey, what the fuck?!” You shout, writhing on the floor.

“Oh mah gosh, it’s awake!” You hear a southern female voice say.

“AJ, wait!” You hear another female voice say, only this one didn’t have an accent. “It can speak our language!”

“Why the fuck are you labeling me as ‘it’?!” You ask with clear panic in your voice. “And why the hell am I tied up?!” You hear footsteps coming towards you, and see three small, colorful horses emerge from the darkness.

The purple one gave you a warm smile and began to speak. “Hello, my name is Twilight Sparkle. What’s your name?”

You know for a fucking fact that the horse did not just talk to you. You just stared at it with a dumb expression on your face for a few moments, and let out a soft laugh.

“Excuse me Mister,” you said as you stared at the red male horse. “I think you hit me in the head a little too hard, because at the moment you three look like a bunch of colorful horses.”

The three horses let out an offended gasp. The orange one with the cowboy hat steps over and stares you directly in your eyes.

“Okay listen mister, ah don’t know who ya think you are, but that was totally uncalled for!” She snapped. “Ah won’t tolerate disrespect from anyone or anything! Call us ponies and nothin’ else, or you and me are gonna have some real problems!”

What the fuck did she just say? No. No, no, no. This can’t be real. Talking horses? No fucking way. You begin to panic and violently thrash around on the floor. The three horses just stare at you in shock. You let out a violent scream and move your arms in opposite directions. Using all your might, you managed to snap the ropes around your wrists after a short struggle. The two southern ponies rush over to you, so you quickly untie the rope around your ankles and get up. You throw a punch at the male horse and it throws him off to the side. As the female horse turns around to kick you, you dodge the kick and counter by grabbing her and putting her in a chokehold.

“Twilight,” She croaks, struggling for air. “Put it to sleep with yer magic!”

Huh? Magic? You look over to the purple horse and notice that she has a horn on her head. What kind of fantasy land was this?

“Wait!” Says the purple horse with a desperate look in her eyes. “We mean you no harm! Please drop her!” She looked like she was starting to tear up as well.

“Why should I believe you?” You ask, still holding the orange horse in your grasp.

“Because if we did,” She says as her horn begins to glow. “This situation wouldn’t have happened!” Your arms begin to glow and against your will, you drop the orange horse and she quickly rushes over to the red horse that you punched. You are suddenly levitated into the air and are unable to move. “Listen, just hear us out!” Says the purple horse. “We just wanna know what you are and why you’re here! Please don’t be afraid, we truly mean well!”

What other choice did you have? This thing really had a grasp on you. She was levitating you and made you move against your will for fuck’s sake! You take a second to gather yourself and calm down.

“Okay, you win.” You say.

“Now if I set you down, will you just talk with us?” Asked the purple horse.

“You have my word.” You reply. You are slowly lowered to the ground and set on your feet. You look to your side and see the orange horse help the red one to his feet and bring him back over to the purple one.

“Applejack, Big Mac! Are you two alright?” The purple horse asked.

“Yeah, I’m all good.” Said the red horse. “Just a bit sore.”

“Yeah, I’ll be fine too.” Said the orange horse.

“Here,” Said the purple horse. “I’ll fix you two up!” With the flash of her horn, she seemed to undue all of the harm that you did to the southern duo. “There, all better!”

“Excuse me,” you say. “Just who exactly are you three and where the hell am I?”

“Oh, yes.” Says the purple horse. “I would’ve made proper introductions earlier, but there was that... mishap.” She said with a nervous chuckle. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, this is Applejack, and last but not least, this is Big McIntosh, or Big Mac for short. As for your whereabouts, you are in the land of Equestria of course!” Said Twilight with a big smile.

“Equestria?” You ask with a raised eyebrow.

“Oh lord,” Said Applejack. “Ah have a feelin’ this creature ain’t from round these parts, Twi.”

“Oh,” Said Twilight. “Well I’ll try to make this quick and simple, okay?”

You sigh in slight annoyance. You didn’t really have any other options at the moment, and you needed answers. “Carry on.” You say with a hand gesture. “And by the way, stop calling me ‘it’. My name’s Anonymous, but you can just call me Anon.”

“So after you watched yourself die, you woke up here?” Asked Twilight.

“Yeah, I’m still asking myself if all of this is real.” You say with a nervous chuckle.

“Well I can assure you that everything here is as real as it gets!” Said Twilight with a smile. “You may read a book on Equestrian history if you need any more reassurance!”

You take a look around Twilight’s gigantic library. She said she wanted you here so she can do “research” on the human race and have a better environment for learning.

“Well,” She Said while scratching her head. “I’ve looked through several books on alien species, historical events, and even equestrian folklore, and I can’t find anything related to this situation.”

“Like I said, I’m not from here.” You say, slightly annoyed. “I had a life before I got here you know.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m just checking to see if anything like this has ever happened before is all.” Said Twilight.

You just let out a long sigh, crossed your arms and leaned back into your chair. You suddenly hear the library door open, and a little dragon walks in, rubbing his eyes like it just woke up from a nap. A dragon, seriously? As if this place couldn’t be more of a fantasy land than it already was.

“Hey Twi, are we out of-“ The little dragon stopped speaking as soon as it laid eyes on you. He let out a terrified squeal and hid behind the doorframe in which he came. After a few seconds, he peeked around the doorframe. “Should I be afraid?” He asked.

Twilight let out a small giggle. “My apologies, Spike.” She Said. “You were sleeping when we came back, so I decided not to bother you. Spike, this is Anon. Anon, Spike.”

“Hola,” You say with a small wave. “I don’t bite. I sure hope you don’t either, heh heh.”

“Only if I have to.” He responded, now feeling confident enough to enter the room. “I’ve never seen anything like you before, what exactly are you?”

“I’m a human, and I’m pretty sure I came from a completely different dimension.” You say. You then went into detail on how you ended up here.

“Wow, that’s wicked!” Said Spike with enthusiasm. “You cheated death and made it out of the Everfree?”

“Oh yeah,” Said Twilight. “I forgot to ask you, how did you make it out of the Everfree Forest without any trouble?”

“Trouble?” You ask. “What do you mean by that?”

“Oh you know,” Spike began. “Timberwolves, Ursa Minor and Ursa Major-“

“Hang on,” you say, cutting him off. “Ursa Minor and Major as in the constellation?” You ask.

“No,” Said Spike with a confused look. “The big spacey bears that live in the Everfree.”

“Huh.” You say. “Well I never got any shit from anything while I was in there. Hell, I wasn’t even there for that long.”

“Well you’re lucky that you can say that you made it out on your own.” Said Twilight. “Many go in and never come out.”

Rad. Not like you cared or anything. All you wanted at the moment was a decent meal and a nap. “Hey, I hate to ask but do y’all have anything to eat around here?” You ask. “I never really got anything to eat since I got here besides a few apples.”

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Said Twilight. “I didn’t mean to be a bad host. Here, I’ll fetch you something to eat right away! Do you have any allergies?”

You shook your head. She nodded and trotted off, leaving you and Spike in the library.

“Hey Spike, What other intelligent creatures live in Equestria?” You ask.

“Well,” He Said, putting his hand on his chin. “You’ve got the ponies and their variations like Pegasi, unicorns and Alicorns, there are griffons, bigger dragons, Minotaurs-“

“Okay okay, no need to continue.” you say. “I get the gist, anything that was a part of mythology in my world is probably a dominant race here.”

“Your world sounds weird.” Said Spike.

“Yeah well to us, talking ponies and dragons is pretty weird.” You say with a chuckle. “The type of stuff you see here is where LSD gets you.”

“What’s LSD?” Asked Spike in confusion.

“Eh heh heh,” you let out a small, nervous laugh. “You don’t need to know what that is, kiddo.” You hear the library door open and see Twilight enter, holding a big bowl of salad with her magic.

“Since you’re a lot bigger than we are, I assumed your portion sizes were bigger too.” She Said. “I hope you like it!”

You would’ve much rather had a burger and fries, but beggars can’t be choosers. Besides, you were starving. “Would you happen to have a fork?” You asked.

“What for?” Twilight asked, tilting her head.

“Uh... never mind.” You say. Whatever, they can’t judge you for eating with your hands if they don’t even use silverware, right? You dug in, enjoying the flavors of the lettuce mixed with the fruits and vegetables. Some ranch would be nice, but you didn’t wanna ask for anything else. You definitely didn’t wanna appear as the needy type. After a few minutes of eating and talking about yourselves, you finished your salad and let out a big yawn.

“Tired?” Asked Twilight.

“Very.” You replied with a sleepy tone.

“There’s a guest bedroom upstairs if you’d like to sleep.” She Said, pointing her hoof to the staircase. “First door on the left, and I won’t be a bother, I promise.”

“Thanks, good to know.” You said with a smile. Finally, you can actually relax for the first time since you’ve been here. You head up the stairs and enter the bedroom. “Ah shit.” You say to yourself. The bed was really small, you’d look like an absolute giant sleeping in that thing. Not that you weren’t a giant to these ponies anyway. Oh well, it’s better than nothing. You close the door behind you and take off your boots, gloves, and hazmat suit for the first time since you’ve been here. You definitely knew you needed a shower since you could smell your own body odor through your clothes. “Jesus, that’s foul.” You think to yourself. Your drowsiness overpowered your nose, however. You forgot about it and climbed into the small bed. You let your arms and legs hang over the sides so that your torso could decently fit onto the mattress. The comfort quickly took over you, and you felt yourself slowly start to fall asleep...

***

“Holy mother of Celestia, he’s huge!”

“And smelly too.”

“Where did you say he came from again, Twi?”

Your begin to slowly wake to the sound of several voices around you. Your eyes open and you see 5 ponies standing around your bed. You quickly shoot up and back against the wall next to your bed. Your quick and sudden movement scares the small ponies and they back away from you as well.

“What the-“ you look over and see Twilight standing outside of the bedroom door with a nervous look on her face. “Twilight, what’s going on here?” You ask with a raised voice.

“I told them not to come in!” She Said. “They wouldn’t listen and just kinda rushed in...”. You could tell she was nervous, she wouldn’t even make eye contact. You then shoot a glance over to the group of ponies, which were trembling in fear.

“And as for y’all,” you point your finger at them. “How would you feel if a bunch of strangers were huddled around you while you were sleeping?” The ponies remained silent. “Well?” You ask, making your frustration clear with your tone of your voice.

“Um... sorry dude,” Said the blue pony. “Twilight just told us a little bit about you so we thought we’d come and meet you...”

You sigh and rub your eyes in annoyance. “Name’s Anon, and I’m a human.” You say. “Anything else you wanna know?”

Twilight steps in to try and lighten the mood. “I’m sorry Anon,” She says. “It’s my fault. But these are my friends, they’re real great, I promise! Anon, meet Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie!” She Said with a big smile. She turned back to see that all of the ponies were still huddled together against the wall. “Oh come on girls, he’s really not that mean, I promise.”

The ponies slowly came forward and personally introduced themselves, now calm enough to speak.

“Well I do certainly apologize for startling you, darling.” Said Rarity. Darling? What the fuck is that? “My name is Rarity, and if you need any help with fashion, I’ll be happy to give you advice!” Fashion? What the hell did she take you for, a fucking diva?

“Hey there,” Said Applejack with a nervous expression. “Ah know we got off on the wrong hoof, but ah understand why you reacted like that at the farmhouse. And ah just wanna say that ah forgive ya.” She gave you a small smile.

“Yeah, thanks for understanding.” You say. “I’m not really one to harm others like that, it’s not everyday that I’m tied up in front of talking ponies, heh heh.”

“Hitheremynamespinkiepieandilovetomeetnewpeopleialsolovecupcakesbutweshouldtotallybefriends!” Said Pinkie Pie with the speed of light. Luckily, you caught the last part.

“Uh, I’m down I guess.” You say.

“GREAT!” She shouts in excitement.

“Sup, name’s Rainbow Dash.” Said the blue Pegasus. “Fastest and coolest flyer in all of Equestria!” She brags with a smug smile.

You typically don’t like stuck up types, so you decided to shut her down. “Cool.” You flatly say. Just as you expected, this caught her off guard and completely killed her ego. You could tell by the shocked face she made as soon as you replied.

The final pony slowly walked up to you, keeping eye contact with the floor. “Um... hi.” She quietly said. “My name’s Flu—y...”

“Didn’t quite catch that, but I’m assuming you’re Fluttershy.” You say.

“Um... yes.” She Said. She looked up from the floor and gave you a timid smile. “I’m sorry for scaring you...”

Aw shit, this girl is so shy that you’d feel guilty for being a dick. So you give her a nice smile and try to shake it off. “Hey it’s no problem, I’m really a nice guy once you get to know me!” You say. The fact that you just said that makes you feel sick. You aren’t necessarily a jerk, but you definitely weren’t your typical “Mr. Nice Guy”.

She gave you a small smile and nodded.

“Great!” Said Twilight suddenly. “Now that we have introductions out of the way, why don’t we all head into Ponyville and show you around?” She asked you.

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to pass.” You say, holding your hands up.

Twilight’s ears dropped upon hearing this. “Aw, but why?” She asked with a sad look. “Everypony will surely be generally accepting towards you, I’m sure of it!”

“Well you see, aliens aren’t exactly taken so well right off the bat in most cases.” You say. “So I’d rather lay low for now, thanks.” You get up out of the bed and stretch for a second. The 6 ponies stare at you in awe as they look at your height and frame compared to theirs. “What?” You ask with a confused look.

“Nothing...” They simultaneously reply. Fucking weirdos.

“Hey, speaking of laying low,” you say. “This library is in the middle of town and I’m afraid that I’ll be seen through a window or something, so is there anywhere else I can stay?”

The ponies were silent for a few moments, but you then heard a faint response. “I... um... live outside of Ponyville if you want to um... stay with me...” Said Fluttershy.

“Really? Thank you, I appreciate that.” You say, giving her a grateful smile. She then began to blush a bit. Seriously? It wasn’t that big of a deal. “It’s pretty dark out,” you say while looking out the window. “We should probably get going now. Thank you for the hospitality, Twi.” You say.

“Hey, it’s no big deal.” She Said. “Glad I could help!”

You say goodbye to the rest of the ponies and you and Fluttershy head out of the library. The streets looked empty, so that was a good sign. You then began to walk down the street with Fluttershy by your side.

“So... um...” Said Fluttershy. “What was life like at your home? If you don’t mind me asking, that is.”

You internally sigh. You really didn’t wanna explain your life again. “Well,” you began. “I was a scientist. I worked for a big company, lived independently, made a good living. Not much to say, really.”

“All alone?” She asked.

“Yep.”

“Not even a pet?”

“Nope.”

“Well nobody should live like that.” She Said with a look that slightly melted your heart.

“Well, I’m just one for independence is all. Kept a small friend circle and didn’t take care of anyone. It’s just how I liked to live.” You said.

“Oh, I see...” She Said. “I hope you don’t mind me... um... wanting to be your friend...”

Jesus, this pony was crushing your soul with how timid she was. “No, not at all.” You say as friendly as possible. She then gave you a smile warmer than the sun itself, adding more weight to your soul.

A little while later, you arrived at her cottage. Since she was doing you a favor by letting you stay here, you tried to be as generous as possible. You step in front of her and open the door for her. This makes her blush up a storm.

“Oh... um...” She Says. “Thank you...”

“Hey, it’s no problem, heh heh.” You say with a nervous chuckle. “It’s the least I can do for letting me stay here.” She then steps inside, and you follow behind her. “Holy shit.” You say to yourself upon entering the cottage. The place had so many fucking animals that it could be classified as a zoo.

“I hope you don’t mind my friends,” Fluttershy said. “They won’t bite.” The animals huddled around you and began to sniff you out or just observe you in general. Welp, this is your life now.

“Yeah, it’s fine I guess.” You say, not wanting to be rude. You let the animals do their thing and they eventually left you alone. “Hey, I’m pretty tired. Where am I sleeping if you don’t mind me asking?”

“Well... um...” Fluttershy said while looking at the floor. “I don’t have a guest bed because nobody ever stays here, but you could... sleep with me... if you want...” Fluttershy was redder than a tomato at this point.

Fuck. You didn’t wanna sleep on the hard floor, so this was the most comfortable option you had at this point. Sleeping with a horse. Cool beans.

“Yeah, I don’t see the problem with that, I guess...” you say, rubbing the back of your head. You follow Fluttershy to her bedroom and get settled. Thankfully, she had a larger bed than the one at the library, large enough for the both of you to fit on. Fluttershy climbed on and lied down, so you removed your hazmat clothing leaving your t shirt and khakis on. You climbed into bed, putting you head on the opposite end of the bed from Fluttershy. The two of you got comfortable and she then turned off the lamp that was illuminating the room.

“Goodnight Anon,” She said softly.

“Goodnight.” You said with slight hesitation. Good lord, this was awkward. Honestly, you could kill to go home right now, with real people, good food, your own home... you thought to yourself for a little while, before you started to fall asleep. Right before you succumbed to your eyelids, one final question hit you: will you ever be able to return to Earth?

Your eyes slowly start to open from the light coming in from the bedroom window. As your vision starts clearing up, you see a yellow object in front of you. After a few seconds, you see that Fluttershy is sitting right next to you, her face in front of yours.

“Gahhh!” You shout and fall off the bed. “What the hell?! You can’t do that to me!” You say, rubbing your head.

“Oh... I’m... um, sorry Mr. Anon...” She says while rubbing her arm. “I didn’t mean to watch you sleep...”

“You were watching me sleep?!” You ask. “Cuz that isn’t weird at all!”

She was blushing very hard at this point. She wouldn’t even look at you. You then remember how soft this pony is, and you instantly feel bad for shouting.

“Hey, I’m sorry.” You say while standing up. “I shouldn’t have shouted, you just scared me was all.”

“It’s fine...” She says softly. “I’m sorry for scaring you as well... I just never have overnight guests, so this is new...”

Aw shit, here comes the guilt. You sit down and pet her mane in an attempt to make her feel better. She jumped to your touch and let out a little “eep!”. You chuckled at her reaction.

“Hey, it’s cool.” You said with a smile. “I didn’t mean to come off like that, it won’t happen again.”

She gives you a soft smile and leans into your hand. “It’s okay, I forgive you.”

Jeez, you can’t believe you were already petting these talking ponies. What was wrong with you? Have you gone soft, Anon? Your thoughts were interrupted by a smell, a rather foul one. Gosh, was that you? You take a second to smell your shirt. It was you, that’s embarrassing.

“Hey, would you happen to have a shower?” You ask. “I haven’t had one since I got here, and I smell like garbage.”

“Oh, um... yes.” Says Fluttershy. “It’s the first door to the right.”

You get off the bed and exit the room. Upon entering the bathroom, you begin to strip your clothes. You open the shower curtain and turn on the water, feeling it to your desired temperature. You hop in and let the warm water rain down on you. You let out a satisfied sigh and begin to clean the dirt and oils off of your skin. When you finished cleaning yourself, you took a while to soak in the water. It was the first time you felt like you had real privacy since you got to Equestria, and it felt great. You turned off the water and stepped out of the shower. You looked for a towel, and saw that there was only one on the rack. Damn, you really didn’t wanna use Fluttershy’s, but you didn’t really have an option at this point. As you reached for the towel, you heard a soft knock on the door.

“Anon?” Asked Fluttershy. “May I come in?”

“Uh...” you say. You hopped back into the shower and covered your body with the shower curtain. “Yeah, you’re good.”

Fluttershy opened the door, holding a folded towel in her mouth. “I’m sorry to bother you, but I forgot to give you a towel.” She Said, placing it on the toilet.

“Oh, thanks.” You say. “You’re lucky to have caught me, I almost had to use yours.” You say with a chuckle.

“I mean... I wouldn’t have minded.” She Said with a small smile. You didn’t know what to say, so the two of you stared at each other in an awkward silence for a few moments.

“Yeah... so I’m gonna dry off now.” You say.

“Okay, that’s fine.” She Said, still standing in her place.

“So you should probably get out now.” You said, raising your eyebrow.

“Oh!” She Said as she began to blush again. “Right... I’ll um... leave you alone.” She then exited the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

“Weird.” You think to yourself. Do ponies not have a concept of privacy here? You get out of the shower and begin to dry yourself off. When you finished, you wrap the towel around your waist and look for your clothes. Hm, they weren’t there. You exit the bathroom and look for Fluttershy. Seeing she wasn’t in the bathroom, you walk downstairs. Upon entering the first floor, the animals immediately notice you and take a moment to sniff you down. You sigh and let them do their business. After a few seconds, they returned to whatever they were doing. “Fluttershy?” You call out.

“Yes?” You hear from a room behind you. You follow her voice and enter the room. She was washing you clothes using a washboard and a bucket.

“Oh, there you are.” You say. “Hey, I appreciate it and all, but you don’t have to wash my clothes. I can do it myself.”

“Oh, it’s okay.” She says, giving you her usual warm smile. “You’re my guest, I insist.”

“Huh, well thank you.” You say with a smile. “It isn’t every day that someone is generous to an alien like me.”

“You’re kind, I can tell.” Said Fluttershy. “I don’t mind, and I also want you to feel comfortable while you’re here.”

Pull up a chair across from Fluttershy and begin to wash your khakis. “Not that it’s any of my business,” you say. “But why do you have so many animals around here?”

“They’re my friends.” She Said. “And I just generally like to take care of animals.”

You thought of the “crazy cat lady” stereotype from your world. Damn, this girl really looked like she needed company more often. Especially from your waking incident this morning, yeesh. Your thoughts were interrupted by your stomach begging you for food. Fluttershy must’ve heard it, because she then asked if you wanted anything to eat.

“Yeah, that’d be nice.” You say. “If you don’t mind making breakfast, I’ll finish up the clothes.”

“Yes, that’s fine.” She Said as she got up from her chair. “Would you like anything in specific?”

“Anything works.” You say, scrubbing your khakis. “Thank you, it’s much appreciated.”

She gave you a smile and nodded before turning around and making her way to the kitchen. Roughly 15 minutes later, Fluttershy came back with a plate of cooked vegetables. Not gonna lie, it smelled amazing.

“Hey, thanks a ton!” You say enthusiastically. “It looks great!” You couldn’t wait to eat.

Fluttershy smiled at your compliment. “Thank you, it’s really no problem.” She watched the way that you ate your food, using your hands to pick up the vegetables and put them in your mouth. “You don’t eat using only your mouth?” She asked, giving a small head tilt.

“Well normally we use cutlery,” you say. “Which are small utensils used for eating. But quite frankly, ponies don’t do that, so this is the most civil way of eating I have.”

“Oh, well I’m sorry if it’s an inconvenience...” She Said.

“Don’t worry about it, it’s not your fault.” You say, still digging into your breakfast. Fluttershy walked to her seat and sat down across from you, resuming her work on your laundry. You finish your plate and swish your hand in the water of the laundry bucket a bit, then wipe your hand on your towel.

“Wouldn’t that make your clothes dirty?” Asked Fluttershy.

“Eh, it’s no big deal.” You say, picking up your socks. “It won’t make a big difference anyway.”

“Oh... I see.” She Said. After a little while, the two of you finished scrubbing your clothes and walked outside to hang them on her clothesline. Damn, stuff was really old fashioned here. You and Fluttershy then returned inside and sat in the living room on her couch. After a long moment of silence, she spoke up.

“Do you want to return to your home?” She asked.

“Well of course.” You said. “I don’t really belong here anyway.”

“Oh...” Fluttershy Said, dropping her ears. “I’m sorry you feel that way...”

“It’s not because of you guys or anything, it’s because I’m from an entirely different world, you know?” You say, trying to make her feel better. “You’re a great host, and I’m glad I’m staying with you.”

Fluttershy’s ears perked up and she gave you a smile. “Thank you, Mr. Anon... It means a lot.”

You suddenly hear a knock on the door and Fluttershy gets off of the couch to answer. She opened the door only to reveal Twilight Sparkle standing outside with a smile.

“Hi Fluttershy, how are you?” Asked Twilight.

“I’m fine Twilight, thank you.” Fluttershy Said.

“Is Anon here?” Twilight asked, peeking over Fluttershy’s shoulder. She then noticed you sitting on the couch. “Oh, there you are!” She Said, letting herself inside. When she walked in front of you to meet you, she instantly stopped in her tracks upon seeing your frame. You watched her with a raised eyebrow as she gawked at your built torso.

“See anything you like, my little pony?” You ask with a chuckle.

Her eyes widened and she began to blush. “Oh, um... sorry.” She Said. “Anyway, I came here to tell you that I’ve set up a meeting with the princess next week, as for she is on a business trip right now.”

“The princess, huh?” You ask. “Am I that big of a deal?”

“Well, you’re from an entirely different world and I’m sure you’re worth meeting.” Twilight Said. “I hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” you say. “It could lead to some perks.”

“Great!” Said Twilight with a smile. “See you in a week then?”

“Sounds like a plan.” You said with a smirk.

“Good, it’s settled then! See you two later!” She Said as she made her way out the door. Fluttershy said her goodbyes and closed the door behind Twilight.

“Well that was brief, wasn’t it?” You say to Fluttershy.

“Yes, she tends to do that.” She said softly.

“It’s quite windy out, you think my clothes are done?” You ask. You didn’t really like being exposed like this, especially after Twilight looked at you like that.

“Let me look.” Said Fluttershy, as she went out to the yard. Soon after, she came back inside with your clothes draped over her back.

“Thank you very much.” You say. Fluttershy gives you a small nod as you took your clothes back to the bedroom to change. While putting your pants on, you felt something in your pocket. You then pulled out a black rosary that your grandmother gave you as a child. “Huh.” You said. “I could’ve sworn I left this in my locker back home.” You shrugged it off and were just happy to have something from back home. You put it on with a small smile and put on the rest of your clothes. You looked at your hazmat suit on the floor and realized that you didn’t really need it anymore. You opened Fluttershy’s closet and neatly folded it on the floor. You kept your utility belt close at hand though, a flashlight, knife, and several other tools could always be handy. You then walked back downstairs to see Fluttershy making lunch.

“I hope you don’t mind,” She Said. “I haven’t eaten yet today so I figured I should make another meal.”

“That’s cool, thank you.” You said. The rest of your day was uneventful, just sitting on the couch with Fluttershy watching TV. Hours later, nightfall came so you decided to hit the shack. Fluttershy said she would stay up a bit longer, so you went up to the bathroom and felt happy to have the bed to yourself. You climbed in and covered up, letting out a content sigh. Before falling asleep, your head was filled with thoughts of meeting the princess. “I hope I don’t get exiled or something.” You thought. Soon your eyes began to grow heavy and you succumbed to the weight, falling asleep.

***

Upon waking, you were greeted by something warm around you. Looking down, you saw that Fluttershy had cuddled up to you, wrapping her legs around you and nuzzling her face into your chest.

“Woahhhh,” you suddenly say, pushing her off of you and getting out of bed. She then woke up, an immediate blush creeping on her face. “What’s up with that?” You ask with your arms out.

“Um... sorry...” She Said. “I got cold... and you were so warm...” She was nervously fidgeting with herself, clearly embarrassed. “I’m sorry if I’m making your stay unpleasant...”

“I mean, I understand.” You said, scratching the back of your head. “It’s just I’m not used to being cuddled like that, let alone by a pony. Don’t feel sorry, it’s just me, not you.”

Fluttershy gave you a small smile after hearing that you weren’t upset. “So you aren’t... upset?” She asked.

“Not at all, and don’t worry about your hosting skills.” You said. “You’re doing great.” There was a small silence between the two of you, eventually being broken by Fluttershy.

“Do you want me to... um... make breakfast?” She asked.

“That’d be great.” You said, following her downstairs. You had a feeling this was gonna be a loooooooong week.

You gotta say, wearing khakis all the time was really getting to you. You were never the type of guy for formality, you enjoyed the more casual and comfortable lifestyle. Didn’t really suit your job back at home, though. It was late at night, three in the morning to be specific. You looked at your watch and sighed at the fact that you had to go out this late to not be noticed by the residents of Ponyville. Maybe it would just be easier to go into the center of town in the afternoon say what’s up. Nah, fuck that. Fluttershy didn’t want you leaving the cottage late at night, so you waited for her to pass out before you left. You were currently walking through town looking for Rarity’s boutique, maybe she could be generous enough to make you some new clothes. You notice a town map by a street lamp and look it over. You see a little dress icon and assume that it was what you were looking for. You take a mental image of the map and do your best to navigate your way to the boutique.

A few minutes of walking later, and you arrive at the Carousel Boutique. To your surprise, the lights were on. Well, at least you didn’t have to knock on the front door until you woke her up. You looked inside the window, and saw Rarity at a table working on a dress. You gave the glass a small knock, which made Rarity jump. Upon seeing you, she walked over to the door and opened it.

“Anonymous?” She asked in her ladylike accent. “What brings you here at this hour?”

“Well,” you said, scratching the back of your head. “I do apologize for coming out so late, miss Rarity. I didn’t wanna be seen by any ponies so I waited till a later hour.”

She smiled at the fact that you called her “miss”. “Well I suppose I don’t mind, you seem to be well mannered right off the bat, darling.” She Said. “What May I do for you?”

“I was hoping that you might be able to help me with my clothing.” You say, looking down. “I do apologize again for coming out so late with a big request. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Oh, not at all.” She Said, beckoning you to come in. “It is rather late for me to do anything right now, but I am closed tomorrow so I will definitely fulfill your request.”

You smiled at the thought of having new clothes. “Thank you so much, miss Rarity. It’s greatly appreciated.”

“Not to worry, Anonymous.” She Said. “I can’t reject you when you’re being on your best behavior around a lady can I?”

“Heh heh. I guess not.” You say. You thank the lord that Fluttershy talked about her friends, especially that Rarity likes to be treated like a lady. It was definitely working in your favor.

“Would you like to stay here for the night? I have a couch in my bedroom.” She Said, pointing a hoof towards the upper floor.

“Oh, that’d be great!” You said. “I can’t thank you enough.”

“My pleasure, Anonymous.” She Said with a smile.

“You don’t have to be so formal with me, ma’am.” You said. “You can just call me Anon.”

She let out a small giggle. “If only the stallions here were as kind as you.”

“Well, treat a woman like a lady right?” You say with a shrug.

She gives you a small blush and waves you off. “You’re too kind, Anon. Here, let me guide you upstairs.”

“Lead the way.” You say, following her. She led you up to her bedroom and grabbed a blanket and pillow from her closet with her magic. You sat down on the couch and took the covers and pillow from her. “Much appreciated.” You say.

“No problem!” She Said. “I’m going to finish my dress downstairs, but I’ll be up once I’m done. Make yourself comfortable.” She then turned around and went back downstairs. You got up, turned off the lamp that was illuminating the room, and got back on the couch. You rested your head on the pillow and thought to yourself a little bit.

“I really don’t enjoy formality, even while speaking. But I’d say it’s worth it in this case.” You say to yourself. “Huh, maybe I shoulda stayed here. I actually get my own spot to sleep, even though it’s in the same room.” You eventually closed your eyes and fell asleep.

***

You woke up to a small nudging on your arm. “Anon?” Asked Rarity. “I apologize for waking you, but I came to ask for your measurements.”

“Huh? Oh yeah.” You say, getting up from the couch.

“Follow me, please.” She Said, going downstairs. You entered the main floor, and saw that all the curtains were closed. “I understand you like your privacy, so I thought I’d make the place a little less visible.” She Said, giving you a smile.

“You’re the best, thank you ma’am.” You say. “Anyway, where do we start?”

“Well I do certainly apologize, but I’ve never done measurements on somepony like you.” She said, levitating some measuring tape with her magic.

“From my experience with getting fitted for suits, limb length and the width of my waist and torso should be all you need.” You say, getting into a T-pose. Heh heh, T-pose. The Halo theme song started playing in your head upon thinking about it.

“Alrighty then, let’s get to it!” She Said enthusiastically as she began measuring your body. “So what exactly do you plan on wearing, Anon?” She asked while recording your measurements.

“Well I’m not a very classy individual.” You said. “I was hoping to get something a little more casual, if you didn’t mind.”

She looked a little disappointed at your request. “Well I was certainly expecting you to be a very classy type, considering how you treat a lady.” She Said. “But no matter, what is your definition of casual?”

“Yeah, sorry if I’m not what you expected me to be.” You say, scratching the back of your head. “But the shirt can be identical to the one I’m wearing now, and for the pants I’d like shorts, mesh preferably. And as for footwear, a regular black pair of cotton socks would work.”

She nods and takes note of your request. “Okay, and how long are these shorts you speak of?”

“Down to my knees would be great.” You said. “And I understand if they aren’t super good, I know this must be new to you.”

“Don’t underestimate my skills, darling.” She Said with a smirk. “I’m the best at what I do.”

“Alrighty, we can put that to the test, darling.” You said, mocking her voice. She let out a small giggle and looked at you with a challenging look.

“Is that a challenge I hear?” She asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Perhaps.” You say with a shrug. “Let’s see what you can do.” Rarity then got to work, picking out the materials and moving to her sewing machine. You saw the determination in her eyes as she carefully stitched your clothing together, looking at yours every now and then to get an idea of how it should look. Roughly an hour later, your clothing was done. Rarity hands you your new attire and you gotta say, you were impressed. The clothing looked exactly like something you would get from home, and she even put a small diamond on each piece, signifying that it was her work. “Hey, that’s pretty good.” You said, doing your best to impersonate iDubbbz. “Would you happen to have a changing room around here?” You ask Rarity.

“Yes, right around the corner, darling.” She says, pointing in the direction of the rooms.

“Thanks, be right back.” You say. You enter the room and swap your current clothes with the new ones. Perfect fit. You walk out of the changing room and give Rarity a smile. “Gotta give credit where it’s due, these are perfect.” You say. “Thanks a ton!”

“It’s no trouble, it was my pleasure.” Said Rarity.

“How much do I owe you?” You asked, taking out a small bag of bits that Fluttershy gave you.

“This one will be free of charge, Anon.” She says, waving off your question. “Consider it a welcoming gift.”

“Are you sure?” You ask. “I’d hate to have you go through all that work without some kind of payment.”

She giggles and nods. “You are truly a gentlecolt, Anon. But I insist.”

“Oh, well thank you miss!” You say, putting the bag of bits away. “You are truly appreciated.”

Not a second later, you hear the front door open. You quickly turn around thinking you’ve just been exposed, but calmed down to see that it was only Fluttershy.

“Oh, there you are.” She Said. “I was worried about you.”

“Sorry for leaving, Fluttershy.” You said. “I just really needed new clothes and I didn’t wanna be seen in the daylight.”

“It’s okay.” She Said. “A note would be nice next time... if you don’t mind, that is...”

“Of course, it won’t happen again.” You said.

“Hello, Fluttershy!” Said Rarity, trotting over and giving Fluttershy a hug. “How are you today?”

“I’m doing fine, thank you.” She Said.

“I hope Anon has been treating you as well as he has with me,” Said Rarity, glancing back at you. “He’s quote the gentlecolt if I do say so myself.”

“Yes, he’s very nice.” Said Fluttershy with her usual tender smile. “It’s been nice to have a guest around lately.”

“Yeah, she’s a great host.” You add. “I have no complaints.” Fluttershy have a small blush and looked at the floor shyly.

“Would you two like to stay a while?” Asked Rarity. “I’m making spaghetti for lunch!” You smiled at the thought of something besides a salad or veggies being eaten.

“That’d be amazing, I’m all for it.” You say. “What about you, Fluttershy?” You ask.

“Yes, that’s fine.” She says.

“Great, it’s settled then!” Said Rarity. “I’ll get to cooking right away!” She then left to make her way to the kitchen. You liked this Rarity pony. Sure, she was kinda preppy and too ladylike for you to hang out with her regularly, but she was certainly very generous, and you appreciated it.

“Hmm,” you thought to yourself as you sat down in the dining room next to Fluttershy. “Maybe I should get to know the other four ponies, I definitely think I could use a closer friend.”

The week went by quicker than expected. You didn’t end up meeting the rest of the ponies at their places like you planned, but it was no big deal. You were currently sitting in Fluttershy’s living room on the couch watching some TV.

“Jeez.” You thought to yourself. “Equestrian TV is probably the lamest shit I could possibly imagine.” You and Fluttershy were sharing a bowl of popcorn and watching a murder mystery show. Fluttershy didn’t seem to be too big on it, but she agreed to watch it since you felt it would be the most entertaining thing on the air. Your thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. “I’ll get it.” You said, getting up from the couch. Normally you’d be nervous about knocks on the door since you didn’t want to be seen, but Fluttershy said her friends are the only ones that ever stop by. You opened the door to see Twilight standing in front of you.

“Hello, Anon!” She Said with a smile.

“What’s good?” You ask.

“Well as you already know, you have a meeting with the princess today.” She Said, opening a planner. Shit, was that already here?

“Oh, yeahhhhh.” You say with a nervous tone. “Do we have to leave now? It’s like four in the afternoon.”

“Well of course we do!” She Said. “We are on a tight schedule you know.”

“Well I don’t exactly know how Ponyville will react upon seeing me.” You said.

“Don’t worry, everypony here is nice!” She Said with a reassuring smile. “It was bound to happen at some point anyway.”

“I guess.” You say with a sigh. You throw on your boots and say you’re good to go.

“Oh, Fluttershy?” Said Twilight. “The princess said she wants all of the elements there, so you should come along too.”

“Oh, okay.” Said Fluttershy, hopping off the couch and coming to the door.

You then made your way to Ponyville’s train station with Twilight and Fluttershy. Upon entering town, you were given plenty of looks of shock and fear from the residents. Welp, that’s no surprise to you. No matter, it’s not like you could do anything about it, so you just ignored it and followed Twilight.

“See?” Said Twilight as you walked through Ponyville. “This isn’t so bad.”

“This sucks.” You flatly say, keeping your eyes forward. “In case you hadn’t noticed, everyone is staring at me.”

“Everypony.” Twilight says in a matter of factly tone.

“I’m sure they’ll like you.” Said Fluttershy. “I know I do.”

“Yeahhhhh, okay.” You said. You arrived at the train station and sat down on a bench with Fluttershy and Twilight. You continued to ignore the looks and tried to spark up a conversation to pass the time. “So what exactly does Princess Celestia want with me now?”

“Well you’re from an entirely different world,” Said Twilight. “And you’re intelligent, it’s no surprise to me that she would want to meet you.”

“Back where I’m from, we would instantly reject an alien and imprison it.” You said. “So I guess I can thank you for your kindness.”

The train arrived shortly after. You and your pony friends went to board, but were stopped by one of the conductors.

“Um, miss Twilight?” He asked, looking at you.

“It’s okay, he’s with me.” Twilight Said with a smile. She then gave him three first class tickets to board the train, then beckoned you and Fluttershy to board. You entered the train, and instantly noticed that it was very classy. Chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, the nice booths, and it appeared to be catered. Maybe this train ride would be easy.

***

Okay on second thought, this train ride is not as great as you thought it’d be. All the ponies on the train huddled in the seats as far from the booth that you, Twilight, and Fluttershy sat in. Could the train car even hold all the weight at one end? Whatever.

“I’m not all that bad you know.” You call over to the ponies. “It’s not like I’m gonna eat you or anything.”

They took no chances and just remained at their spots. Can’t say you blame them. You eventually pulled into Canterlot’s train station. When you stepped out of the train, you were immediately impressed by the architecture of the city. Very royal and ritzy if you do say so yourself. And sure enough, you were still getting glances from the residents. Coolio.

You and Fluttershy follow Twilight through town and up a big hill towards the princess’ castle. You slowed down a bit, but Fluttershy and Twilight went up like it was nothing.

“You coming?” Asked Twilight.

“Shut up.” You say, slightly out of breath. “This hill would make any human tired, and you’ve got four legs compared to my two.”

“I suppose that makes sense.” Said Twilight. “I’m sorry for being inconsiderate.”

“Do you need a break Anon?” Asked Fluttershy with a hint of concern in her voice.

“Nah, lets just keep going.” You say, picking up your pace. By the time you made it to the top, you sat down for a breather. Holy shit, you thought you were in good enough shape as it was, looks like you gotta look for a pony gym.

“You good?” Asked Twilight with a giggle.

“Yeah,” you say, standing up. “Let’s get this over with.”

The three of you walk over to the main door and we’re stopped by two guards. “Twilight Sparkle?” He asked.

“Oh for the love of Celestia, you know who I am!” Said Twilight in annoyance.

“My apologies ma’am. Is this Anon?” He asks, looking up at you.

“Indeed he is. We have a meeting with the princess today.” Said Twilight.

“Alright, you may enter.” Says the guard, opening the door.

You follow Twilight through the castle, and you couldn’t help but stare at the magnificence of everything. Hell, you might have to ask the princess if you can stay here. You eventually got to the door of the throne room, and the guards look at you like they’re trying to intimidate you. You just give them a bored stare in return.

“Twilight Sparkle, we were ordered to check your guest by the princess.” One of the guards says.

Twilight turns to you and gives you a nod.

You roll your eyes and sigh. “Go ahead.” You say, getting in a stance that they can check you in. You made the smart decision on leaving your utility belt at home, since you’d probably get hell for it here.

“Alright, you’re good to go. The princess is expecting you.” Said the guard. “You may enter when ready.”

“Now remember, Anon.” Said Twilight. “Best behavior.”

“Yeah yeah, let’s just meet her already.” You say. Twilight then tells the guards to open the doors, and you are immediately greeted by the sight of a slightly bigger pony than average. Damn, check out that mane though.

“Princess Celestia.” Said Twilight and Fluttershy in unison, giving a bow. You sigh and give a half assed bow to go along.

“At ease.” Said Celestia in a motherly voice. All of you then leave your bow positions and walk forward. You stop in front of the princess as Twilight and Fluttershy join the rest of the elements next to the throne. “I apologize for Princess Luna’s absence, she is currently busy at this time.”

“So there’s a vice princess, huh?” You ask with crosses arms. The elements looked shocked at how you just spoke to the princess, apart from Twilight. She happened to be giving you a death glare. Celestia giggled. “Yes, I suppose so, Mr. Anonymous.” She said. The elements seemed to calm down after Celestia’s light reaction.

“Please, call me Anon, your royal highness.” You said with a smirk.

Celestia smiled. “Very well, Anon. So, what brings you to Equestria?” She asked.

“I don’t know, honestly.” You shrugged. “All I know is that I died and woke up here. This isn’t the afterlife, is it?” You asked.

“No, I’m afraid not.” Celestia Said. “We ponies are living and thriving, as you can see.”

“Oh yeah, thriving indeed.” You say, looking around the throne room. “I definitely compliment your architecture.”

“Why thank you.” Celestia Said. “Now down to the more important manner, tell me more about you and your species.”

“Well,” you began, giving your chin a small scratch. “My species are called humans, we evolved from apes over millions of years, we are the dominant species of our home world which is called Earth. We have many similarities to your species, some differences being grammar and physical features,” you went on. You continued speaking, giving her more info about your personal life on Earth, telling the princess about your job and how you found the supposed gateway to her world.

“Mmhm, I see.” Celestia Said. “Do you plan on going back to your world?”

“As of right now, yeah.” You said. “No offense.”

“None taken.” Celestia Said with a smile. “We can work on finding a way of getting you back home. For now, I’m afraid you’ll have to stay here. Are you comfortable in Ponyville?”

“Yeah, I guess.” You said. “It’d be nice not to get stared at and to even have my own place, though.”

“I can arrange a living area and a town introduction if you’d like.” Said Celestia.

“Sounds good to me.” You said. “I’m really not anything to be afraid of, your highness.”

“Good to know.” She Said. “I’ll have those arranged for you as soon as possible.”

“Great,” You said. “Thank you very much, your generosity is appreciated a lot, Princess Celestia.” You then gave her a bow of gratitude. “You look like a dork.” Said your brain. “Shut the fuck up, I’m aware.” You said back to your thoughts.

“You may access anywhere on this floor, Anon.” Said Celestia. “I must speak with the elements for a moment, if you’ll excuse us.”

“Of course, thanks again.” You said, as you left the throne room to find something to do.

*Celestia’s PoV*

“Why did you let him talk to you so lax like that, Princess?” Asked Twilight.

“I was meaning to get to that with all of you,” you say. “Follow me to the statue garden.” You then walked out with the rest of the ponies to the statue garden, stopping at Discord’s statue.

“Why are we here?” Asked Rainbow Dash.

“Discord is coming back, I can feel it.” You say. “That’s why Luna and I were gone. We were making preparations for an inevitable battle that is soon to come.”

The elements got nervous upon hearing this. “But how?” Asked Twilight. “We sealed him away in this statue, I don’t see how he could be able to get out!”

“I asked myself the same question, Twilight.” You say. “This is very bad.”

“Don’t worry,” Said Applejack. “We’ll kick his flank like we did the last time!”

“I’m afraid it isn’t that simple.” You said. You magically made a book from the royal library appear in front of you, and flip to your desired page. “It says here that Discord will overpower the elements of Harmony in a final and gruesome battle for rule over Equestria. Not even the princesses themselves will be able to stop him.”

“Excuse me for asking,” Said Twilight. “But what book is that? I’ve never seen it before.”

“It is a book full of old equestrian prophesies, kept hidden away from the public for confidential reasons.” You say.

“How will we be able to stop Discord then?” Asks Rarity.

“That’s what I was about to get to.” You say, flipping the page. On this page was a picture of a figure looking similar to Anonymous fighting discord. “A strange creature from a mysterious land will liberate the land and defeat discord once and for all,” you read. “Using the power of highly potent magic, the individual will overpower Discord and bring peace to Equestria once again.”

“Hey, that looks like Anon!” Said Pinkie Pie.

“I believe that this creature is Anon.” You said.

“But how?” Asked Twilight. “I’ve scanned him, and he has no magic abilities! He even said himself that magic doesn’t exist in his world.”

You continued to read the page. “The savior will need an awakening before honing into its hidden potential, provided by a sage from the Everfree.”

“Zecora.” The elements say in unison.

“I was thinking the same thing.” You say. “Come on girls, let’s break this to Anonymous. Better now than never.”

“Won’t that be a lot for him to take in at the moment?” Asked Twilight. “I mean, he just got here.”

“I’m afraid we have very little time, my apprentice.” You say. “Now come along, let’s find him.”

*Anon’s PoV*

“Huh?” You ask, raising an eyebrow.

“I know it may sound ridiculous, but hear me out.” Said Celestia. She then began to show you the illustrations of a book and read some prophecy to you.

You have a small chuckle. “I’m sorry princess, but I’m nothing special. I’m just an average human being, are you sure this isn’t a mistake?” You ask.

“I’m afraid not.” She says with a serious look on her face.

You sighed. “I mean, I guess we can try to quote unquote awaken me, but I don’t think you’ll see any results.”

“We have to try, Anon.” Said Twilight. “This seems to be our only hope.”

“Alright alright.” You say, pinching the bridge of your nose. “Where is this Zecora you speak of?”

“We will head back to Ponyville tonight and meet up with her tomorrow.” Said Twilight. “Come on, let’s get going. Thank you Princess.” She Said to Celestia.

“Of course. I apologize for hitting you with this right away, Anon. I know it’s a lot to take in.”

“It’s whatever, Princess.” You say. “Thank you for being kind with me, though.” You said, giving her your final bow.

“Goodbye you all, let me know how it goes!” Said Celestia as you walked with the elements out of the throne room. “I’ll have the housing and town introduction set up as soon as I can, Anon!”

“Thank you!” You call out as the throne room doors close.

“You’re gonna be super cool, Anon!” Said Rainbow Dash as she flew up to you. “Ready to kick some flank?” She asked, punching the air with her hooves.

“I don’t think I’m this guy.” You say. “I had a whole life before I got here, I don’t think I can come out of nowhere and save Equestria from some magic dragon thing with power that I don’t even have.”

“Let’s just see what happens after we meet Zecora,” Said Applejack. “If it doesn’t work out, then ah guess we’ll have to wait till another creature comes outta nowhere that happens to look like ya.”

“I believe this may be him, girls.” Said Rarity. “Sure Anon, you may not have any abilities now, but you seemed to have come to Equestria at the right time.”

“We’ll see.” You say, putting your hands in your pockets. “Just don’t get your hopes too high.”

You found yourself in a black void, floating in the darkness.

“Where am I?” You ask out loud.

“You’re dreaming, Anonymous.” Said a female voice.

“Am I now?” You ask. “Care to show yourself?”

A black pony appeared from the darkness and walked towards you. Damn, you thought Celestia’s mane was cool, but get a load of this one.

“Why hello there,” you say. “Who are you?”

“We are Princess Luna, and we apologize for not being able to meet in person.” Luna Said.

“Ah, the vice princess huh?” You ask with a smirk. “Nice to finally meet you. This is a dream, though, I don’t really think this is legit.”

Luna frowned at the fact that you called her “vice princess”.

“We wouldn’t be so cocky if we were you, Anonymous.” She Said. “We can enter your dreams at will if we please.”

“Ohhhh, spooky.” You say, waving your hands through the air. “Not throwing shade or anything, but what’s up with this “We” thing? Are you like on some Ermac type shit?”

“I apologize, I am still getting used to modern speech.” She Said. “What is this Ermac you speak of?”

“It doesn’t matter.” You said. “What brings you to my dreams, princess?”

“I came to speak to you about the prophecy that you are involved in.” She Said.

“Oh, this again?” You say, rolling your eyes. “Alright, I’m all ears.”

“It May seem ridiculous, Anonymous, but I can assure you that you are the one we are looking for.” She Said, making images of the prophecy appear around you. “It’s no coincidence that you came to Equestria at such a time like this.”

“Like I said to the rest of the ponies, no promises.” You said. “I don’t exactly wanna get into a conflict that has nothing to do with me, either.”

“Trust me, Anonymous.” Luna Said. “You are the one.”

“Alrighty, Princess.” You said. “We’ll see.”

“Indeed we will.” She Said with a smile. “Now I believe you should wake up, I believe you are trying to be awoken by somepony.” She Said as she faded away.

“Anon, Anon wake up!” Said a voice from the distance.

“Huh?” You say, coming back to reality. The elements were standing around the couch you were sleeping on in Fluttershy’s living room.

“We are going to meet Zecora today to awaken you.” Said Twilight, making quote marks with her hoof.

“Oh, right.” You say with a frown. You didn’t like being awoken for anything, especially something you didn’t want to do.

“Come on, dude!” Said Rainbow, flying above your face. “You got nothing to lose!”

“Maybe my dignity.” You say, getting off the couch. “Where’s this Zecora that you speak of, anyway?” You ask.

“She lives in the Everfree.” Said Twilight. “So get ready for a hike!”

“Great.” you say, putting on your boots. “Let’s get this shit, then.”

You follow the ponies from Fluttershy’s cottage into the Everfree. Following a trail, this would be your best bet on avoiding the mOnStErS that inhabited the forest.

“Are you excited, Anon?” Asked Rarity. “You’re going to be a big role in this land, you know.”

“Not really.” You say with a shrug. “I don’t expect much to happen.”

“I think you’re special,” Said Fluttershy. “You’ve got great things in store, I can feel it.”

“Yeah!” Agreed Pinkie. “You’re a big strong beast that can surely beat up anything!” She Said, bouncing with each step.

“She might be right,” Said Applejack. “The way ya handled Big Mac and I at the farm shows that ya definitely got some kinda fighting experience.”

“That’s just self defense, AJ.” You said. “A lot of humans can fight like that outta nowhere if they really felt the need. Besides, it’s not hard to beat up a bunch of waist high ponies when your my size.”

“Don’t underestimate a pony, Anon.” Said Rainbow. “Especially ones that are as awesome as me!”

“Yeah, noted.” You say, giving her a small punch.

“Oh, so it’s like that?” Asked Rainbow with a competitive smirk. “Nobody can beat me at punchies, you know.”

“Try me.” You said, giving her a smirk in return.

“Shhhh!” Said Twilight. “I think I hear something.”

The seven of you stood in silence as you looked around the forest. Besides from chirping birds and other forest sounds, you heard nothing out of the ordinary.

“Twilight, I don’t think there’s anyth-“ you were cut off by a roar from the bushes.

“What the buck was that?!” Asked Rainbow with fear in her voice.

A creature with the face of a man, body of a lion, and tail of a scorpion then emerged from the bushes.

“What the fuck is that thing?!” You shouted.

“It’s a manticore!” Shouted Twilight. “Run!”

The ponies then scattered around, leaving you on the trail in front of the beast.

“Uh,” you said, raising your arms and slowly backing up. “Nice kitty?”

You were given a roar in return as the manticore began to charge you.

“Oh shiiiiiiit!” You say as you turn around and run for a tree. You quickly climb into the branches in sit as high as you could. The manticore then looks up at you for a few moments before starting to climb the tree. “Oh come on!” You say, looking for a way out. You then notice that you had your utility belt on, thank the lord himself. You pull out your knife and wait for the manticore to get close. When it’s face was close enough, you gave it your hardest stab to the eye that you could muster.

“Roarrrrrr!” Screamed the beast as it fell from the tree. It held a paw to its face for a moment, then looked back up to you in the tree. Not good. It raised its tail and you could see the poison dripping from the point. Should you start praying? The creature then began to climb the tree again, only this time having its tail ready.

“Welp, you had a decent run.” You nervously think you yourself. As the manticore got closer, you heard a voice from the distance.

“Begone, ferocious manticore and bother these individuals no more!”

The manticore then fell from the tree, covering its ears. After a few more moments, the beast ran off. Holy shit, who the hell could cast that thing off? You climb down from the tree and see a zebra standing on the trail.

“Hey, thanks!” You say, walking over to the zebra. “Who are you?”

“Traditional arts are my game, Zecora the zebra be my name.” She Said with a smile. A rhymey one this was.

“Zecora?” You hear the elements say in unison as they poke their head out of bushes and behind rocks.

“Hey assholes!” You say. “Thanks for leaving me to that thing!”

“We said run!” Retorted Rainbow.

“And that automatically makes it okay?” You ask, crossing your arms.

“Just be happy we’re okay, girls.” Said Twilight, coming out of her hiding place.

“Ugh, but my coat is ruined!” Said Rarity, looking at the dirt on her fur with disgust.

“You’ll be okay, Sugarcube.” Said Applejack, making Rarity give an angry “hmph!” In return.

“I am just glad you are all okay, manticores are not a beast for play.” Said Zecora. “What brings you to the Everfree, May I ask, are you here to perform a certain task?”

“Yes, we were looking for you, actually.” Said Twilight, holding the prophecy book. “We believe Anon here is a being spoken of in this prophecy here.” She Said, showing Zecora the story.

“Oh yes, I believed you looked special at first glance, I can tell you will make ponies glad!” Said Zecora, looking at you. “I do ask, however, what you are. You appear to be a being from afar.”

“I’m a human, something from a completely different dimension.” You said. “It’s a lot to explain, but I mean you no harm.”

“We were actually coming to you to see if you could do anything to awaken hidden potential.” Said Twilight.

“Yes, I may know a thing or two, a ritual only known by a certain few.” Said Zecora. “Please, friends, follow me to my home, I would hate for you to be out here all alone.”

You and the elements followed Zecora to her little shack in a clearing. Damn, who would wanna live out here when shit like manticores can maul you to death with ease? Upon entering Zecora’s house, you saw that it was very traditional, it looked like African culture was strong here. Seeing all the masks and instruments covering the walls. Hell, she even had a bag of kola nuts in the corner.

“One hell of a place you got here, Zecora.” You say, looking around.

“Thank you my friend, it was I who made it. I went for a look far from basic.” Zecora Said, smiling at her work.

“I hate to be pushy, but I think we should cut to what we came here for.” Said Twilight.

“Oh, right. I shall not put up a fight.” Said Zecora. She opened a book with a bunch of weird drawings on it, and proceeded to walk you through the ritual.

“Sounds simple enough,” you said. “Let’s get this started.

Zecora then drew a circle around you and a bunch of miscellaneous symbols. After she was done, she handed you a bowl of liquid that she brewed.

“This isn’t a sacrifice is it?” You ask.

“My friend, you have nothing to worry about. This ritual here is something I have figured out.” Said Zecora, beckoning you to drink from the bowl.

“Well, here goes nothing.” You say, drinking from the bowl.

Zecora then began to chant a bunch of gibberish, causing the circle around you to glow. Even though you were slightly scared, it was still pretty cool. When you finished the bowl, she shouted one last chant as the circle’s glow became more intense and shot some electricity around you. The electric bolts flowed through your arms and you felt kinda tingly. When Zecora finished, she gave you an expecting look.

“How do you feel? Flowing with ethereal?” She asked.

“Apart from feeling tingly, not really.” You said, stepping out of the circle.

“Let’s go outside and see if you can do anything different.” Said Twilight.

You followed her and the elements outside as Twilight gave you a few commands.

“I want you to blow up that tree.” Said Twilight.

“Huh?” You ask, raising an eyebrow.

“Blow up the tree!” Twilight Said like it was nothing. “Focus your mind and just make it explode!”

“I don’t think it would be that simple, but alright.” You said. You looked at the tree, focusing on every little detail about it. You cleared your mind, and imagined what you were told to do. After a few seconds, you hold out your hand and give a dedicated “Raaa!”, only to get no results.

“Did you really think that would work?” Asked your brain.

“Not really.” You thought. “Didn’t hurts to try.”

“Retard.”

“Fuck up.”

The elements and Zecora looked disappointed that nothing happened.

“Hate to say I told you so, but...” you said, looking at Twilight.

“It’s no surprise that you didn’t get it on your first try.” Said Twilight. “Come on, try again.”

You sighed and obeyed her orders. For what seemed like an hour, you tried to blow up the tree like an idiot. To no surprise, you didn’t get any results. The elements had defeated looks on their faces and hung their heads low.

“I’m sorry y’all, but I told you that I’m nothing special.” You said. “Come on, I think we should get back to town, it’s getting late and I’m hungry.”

“I suppose so.” Said Twilight. “Thank you Zecora, I apologize for any inconvenience.”

“It is quite alright my friend, I still believe that Anon will do something in the end.” Said Zecora, giving you a smile.

“Thanks, Zecora.” You said. “Sorry to disappoint.”

She shook it off as you all said your goodbyes and headed back to Ponyville. By the time you got back, it was dark out. You said your goodbyes to five of the elements as you and Fluttershy went into her cottage.

“Any plans for dinner?” You ask Fluttershy.

“I could make some daisy burgers if you’d like.” She Said, walking into the kitchen. Holy shit, that’s a thing?

“Yeah, that’d be great!” You said, following her. “I’ll help you cook, I’d hate to just sit around and watch you do everything. I gotta return the favor for your hosting somehow.”

Fluttershy gave you a smile as she got the daisy burgers from her freezer. “Thank you Anon, I’d love your help.”

“No problem.” You said as you got some spices from the pantry. Good ol’ salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Just like dad thought you.

The two of you then began to whip in the kitchen and make yourselves a meal. Heh, you could say it was fun, and the daisy burgers were fantastic. Definitely a nice change of diet from the salads. After dinner, the two of you headed to Fluttershy’s room and for ready for bed. Upon climbing in, Fluttershy began to speak to you.

“Anon?” She Said from the other end of the bed.

“What’s up?” You ask, staring at the ceiling.

“I want you to know that I believe in you, even after what happened today.” She Said. “Magic takes practice, I’m sure you’ll get the hang of it soon.”

“Fluttershy, I still don’t feel any different than I did before.” You said. “But I’ll keep trying, for you and the elements.”

Fluttershy gave a small giggle. “Thank you, Anon. It means a lot to us.”

“No problem.” You said. “I’d hate to be selfish after all that you guys have done for me. We can try more later, but I’m gonna hit the shack. Night, Fluttershy.”

“Goodnight.” She Said as you closed your eyes.

***

You sat in the kitchen table, looking at Fluttershy grab ingredients for a breakfast salad.

“Fluttershy?” You ask.

“Yes?” She Said, turning to you.

“Not that there’s anything wrong with your breakfast, but is there anything else we can get? Salads are getting a little old.” You said.

“Well...” Fluttershy Said, looking out the window. “Pinkie Pie runs Sugarcube Corner in town and they sell donuts.”

“Great, breakfast on me!” You said, lifting Fluttershy up and running out the front door. She let out a small “eep!” When you picked her up, but you didn’t care. You were just eager to eat the sweet breakfast pastry.

“Anon?” Said Fluttershy as you walked through her front yard. “Can you put me down?”

“Oh, sorry.” You said, getting a little red. “I got a little carried away when you said donuts.”

She giggled and smiled at you. “I understand.”

“Good to know, now come on!” You said, eagerly beckoning her to town. “I’m hungry!”

The two of you walked into town, making your way to Sugarcube Corner. Even with all the ponies staring at you, you paid no attention. It’s amazing what the power of a donut can do, huh?

You entered Sugarcube Corner and rang the bell at the front desk, only to get no answer.

“Hello?” You call out. A pink pony then pops up behind you.

“Hi Nonny!” Shouts Pinkie Pie.

“Gahh!” You shout, turning to the pink pony. You took a moment to recover from the scare that she gave you. “Where’d you come from?” You ask.

“I dunnoooo...” She Said with a shrug. “What can I do for you?”

“Uh, two donuts please?” You ask, pulling out your bag of bits.

“Sure, what kind?” Asked Pinkie.

“I’ll take a raspberry jelly donut.” You said. “What about you, Fluttershy?”

“I’ll just have a plain donut, please.” She Said.

“Coming right up!” Said Pinkie as she zoomed to the back of the shop.

“Is that normal?” You asked Fluttershy.

“Most definitely.” She Said with a giggle.

Pinkie then came out with a bag with a donut on it.

“Here ya go!” She Said with a big smile. “That’ll be three bits!”

You pay Pinkie Pie and beckon Fluttershy to sit down at a booth with you. The two of you sit down and began to dig in. While you were destroying your donut, Fluttershy was calmly eating hers.

“Thank you, Anon.” She Said. “This is really nice.”

“Hey, no prob!” You say in between bites. “My treat!”

After you two finish your donuts, you make your way to Twilights library to continue to work on magic. Throughout the day, Twilight had you go through numerous exercises to try and get a result from you. Sure enough, you still saw no results. Fluttershy ended up going back to her cottage while you and Twilight continued to work at her library.

“Ugh, I just don’t get it!” She Said, throwing some books on the floor.

“Hey, it’s alright.” You said, putting your hand on her back. “Not everything works out the way we want it to, Twilight.”

“Yeah, I guess so.” She Said, looking at the floor. “You should get some sleep though, it’s three in the morning.”

Damn, you really lost track of time. You were working on this all damn day. “Yeah, you’re right. But you need sleep too, I hate to see you stressing over this so much.”

Twilight smiled at your concern. “Yeah, I’ll try and sleep.” She Said.

“Promise?” You asked.

“Promise.” She Said with a giggle.

You said goodnight and made your way up to the guest bedroom. You were exhausted from all the mental work you did today, so you quickly fell asleep.

***

You wore a smile on your face as you flew through the air, passing through clouds and looking down to the ground below. Gosh, this was great. You always dreamed of flight, and now you had it. You hear wings flapping next to you, and looking to your side you saw that it was Princess Luna, flying besides you. Great, you were dreaming.

“Enjoying your dream, Anonymous?” She asked.

“Well I was, until I realized I was dreaming.” You said, turning on your back. “What brings you to my dream today, princess?”

“We just wanted to say that the ritual performed by Zecora went well.” She Said with a smile.

“Huh?” You said. “What makes you say that? Nothing happened you know.”

“We wouldn’t be too sure about that, Anonymous.” Said Luna, giving you a smirk. “Many changes can go unnoticed.”

“Right, whatever you say.” You said, giving a chuckle. “We’ll see.”

“No, you’ll see.” Luna Said. “Wake up.”

“What?” You asked.

“WAKE UP!”

Your eyes shot open and you found yourself in the guest bedroom. Luna, you fucking bitch. It isn’t everyday that you get to fly in your dreams. Whatever, maybe if you’re lucky you can go back to it if you fall asleep. You close your eyes and turn over on your stomach, but something was wrong. You couldn’t feel the pillow on your face. Hell, now that you think of it, you couldn’t even feel the bed. You open your eyes and see that you were levitating over the bed. What? Levitating? As soon as you realized it, you fell back into the bed. You quickly got up and gave yourself a pinch to make sure you weren’t dreaming still. Sure enough, you felt the pinch. Holy shit, you were floating!

“Twilight!” You call as you leave the bedroom and rush down the stairs. “You aren’t gonna believe this!”

“I knew you were the one!” Exclaimed Twilight when you told her the news. “Can you do it again?”

“I don’t know,” you said, rubbing the back of your head. “It all kinda happened by accident.”

“Well you gotta try!” Said Twilight. “This all has to be under control before Discord gets here!”

“Alright Alright, let me give it a shot.” You said, closing your eyes. You began to think of the dream, how you flew around effortlessly and without a care. After a few seconds of focusing, you felt your feet lift off the ground. You opened your eyes and began to smile with excitement.

“You’re really doing it!” Said Twilight, giving an applause. “Can you move around?”

You took a second to gain your composure, and began to focus again. Sure enough, with a little effort you managed you move yourself in all directions. When you were done getting the hang of it, you put yourself on the floor.

“Ta-da!” You say, making jazz hands.

“This is great!” Said Twilight. “We have to see the princess right away!”

The two of you then made your way to Ponyville Station, boarded a train, and made your way to Canterlot. On your way there, you and Twilight began to experiment with your abilities, seeing if you could do anything else besides levitate. To your disappointment, you had no luck.

“Sigh...” you say, looking down at the floor.

“Hey, it’s alright.” Said Twilight, putting her hoof on your back. “Baby steps, right?”

“Yeah, I guess.” You say. “It’s just that now that I know something has happened, I don’t wanna fall behind on what I should be able to do.”

“You’ll get the hang of it, I know you will.” She Said with a smile.

Shortly after that, you pulled into Canterlot Station. You and Twilight quickly rushed to the castle and were met by the guards at the front.

“State your business.” One Said.

“We need to meet with the princess, it’s urgent!” Said Twilight.

The guard nodded and let you in. Doing the same thing with the guards of the throne room, you walked in and were standing in front of Celestia and this time, Luna. Celestia looked confused at the urgency of the meeting, but based on Luna’s expression, she must’ve known why you were here.

“What brings you two here?” Asked Celestia.

Twilight turns to you with a smile. “Show them.” She Said.

You give Twilight a nod and slowly pick yourself up off the ground and glide over to Celestia and Luna, still keeping your composure. Celestia eyes were wide, and she looked awestruck. Luna on the other hand giggled and gave you an applause.

“When did this start?” Asked Celestia, not taking her gaze off of your levitating body.

“I just woke up levitating over my bed after a dream.” You said, keeping your arms crossed. “I happened to be flying in this dream, then Princess Luna showed up and told me to wake up. Next thing I know, I’m floating.” You say.

“We hate to say we told you so, but we told you so.” Said Luna with a smile.

“I’d normally be upset that you invaded my dream, but I guess I should thank you.” You said. “Just don’t think that this is a regular thing.”

“We’ll see, Anonymous.” Said Luna.

“What else are you capable of?” Asked Luna.

“I haven’t been able to do anything.” You said, looking at the floor.

“No matter, we can try and fix that.” Said Celestia. “Twilight, you may return home. Luna and I will help train Anon with his magic.”

Twilight looked a little disappointed that she wasn’t invited to attend. “Do I have to?” She asked, making a slight puppy face.

“Yes, it is crucial that Anon is as focused as possible, and we all know you can get a little excited at times.” Said Celestia.

Twilight sighed in defeat. “Okay, have fun I guess.” She Said as she exited the throne room with her head down.

“I feel kinda bad for her.” You say, returning to the ground.

“She’ll be okay.” Said Celestia. “Come along, Luna and I shall guide you to the magic training room.”

You followed Celestia and Luna into a big room full of pony dummies and other miscellaneous objects.

“What do you have this room for?” You asked.

“We use it to train our unicorn guards for combat.” Said Luna. “It can serve the same purpose for you.”

“Okay, so where do we start?” You ask, picking yourself up from the ground.

“I want to start off by saying that when using magic, you must put emotion into it.” Said Celestia. “Focus on anything you can, happiness, anger, pain, sadness. Whatever helps.”

“Alright,” you said, eyeballing your surroundings. “Give me a command and I’ll see what I can do.”

“How about you start off by pushing one of the dummies?” Said Celestia.

“Got it.” You said, choosing a dummy. You focused your emotions, picking out anything you found useful and used it to your advantage. You held your hand out, and attempted to grab the dummy and move it. To yours and the two princesses disappointment, you were unsuccessful. You let out a defeated sigh and looked at the princesses. “Sorry.” You said with an apologetic tone.

“It’s quite alright,” Said Celestia. “Practice makes perfect, go on and try again.”

You nod and turn your attention back to the dummy, and repeated the process, only to get the same result. For what seemed like hours, you sat in the training room attempting to do something or even anything with the dummy. Each time, you were unsuccessful. You were mentally tired from all the thinking and floated down to the ground to take a break.

“You should turn in for tonight, Anonymous.” Said Luna, walking over to you. “You’ve worked hard all day. Were just happy to see you’ve managed to get levitation under control.”

“Yeah, I guess that’s a plus.” You say, getting off the ground. “Will I be staying here tonight?”

“If you’d like to, there is a quest quarters that we can let you use.” Said Celestia.

“That’d be great, lead the way.” You said.

You followed Celestia and Luna to the quest quarters near the top of the castle. It was a very roomy place to sleep in, that’s for sure. The room was gigantic, with a walk in closet, a big bed and even buttons to request for room service.

“I trust that you won’t get carried away with the room service?” Asked Celestia, giving a small laugh.

“Don’t worry, I wasn’t gonna use it anyway.” You said, walking towards the bed. “I’m gonna turn in for the night, I’m pretty tired. Thanks for letting me stay here.”

The princess nod and say goodnight, leaving you in the room. The bed felt amazing, you were quickly succumbing to the comfort of the mattress. As expected, you fell asleep not minutes later.

***

“My, my... what an interesting creature you are.” Said a voice in the distance.

“Luna, I hope this isn’t a joke.” You said, looking around the dark void that surrounded you.

“I can assure you that this isn’t a joke, ape.” Said the voice.

“Whoa, buddy.” You said, slightly offended. “I know I’m new here and all, but that was totally uncalled for! I’m a human. Hu-man.”

“No matter. I’m not here to make friends, I’m here to warn you.” Said the voice.

“Slow down there.” You say, holding out your hands. “Who are you?”

A creature made of several other creatures then appears out of nowhere, right in front of your face. Startled, you fall onto your ass and look up at the chimera. Holy moly, was this thing tall.

“What the hell are you supposed to be?” You ask, staring at the creature.

“Name’s Discord, element of chaos.” Said Discord, making a business card appear in his hand, handing it to you.

“I’ll pass.” You said, getting up. “Aren’t you supposed to be like a bad guy or something?”

“Ohhhh, is that what they call me?” He asks, floating around you. “I’m really not all that bad you know, a little chaos never hurt anypony.”

“I mean, I’ve been told otherwise by the princesses and the elements of Harmony.” You said, scratching the back of the head. “And I hate to burst your bubble, but the only chaotic thing about you appears to be your body.”

Saying that seemed to piss Discord off. “Listen here, monkey boy!” He said, Floating towards you. You began to float backwards as well, just in case things escalated. “They don’t call me the element of chaos for nothing, and I will not tolerate any disrespect from an irrelevant ape from another dimension!” He shouted as he cast a fireball towards you. You braced for impact, shielding yourself with your arms. However, you felt nothing hit your body. You lowered your arms and saw that a green field of light was cast in front of you, blocking the fireball from hitting you. Just as quick as it appeared, it was gone. You looked at your hands in disbelief as to what you just did.

“Damn it!” Said Discord with Fire in his eyes. “I’m just here teaching an animal tricks. Hear me loud and clear, human... just because you’re some part of a prophecy doesn’t mean you’re special. I’m still the strongest being in Equestria, a god if you will. When the time comes, you’ll all be bowing to me. Capeesh? Capeesh.”

“Uh...” was all that could come from your mouth at this point.

“Any questions before I go?” Asks Discord, looking at an imaginary watch.

“Yeah, uh... what did you expect the fireball to do if I’m dreaming?” You ask.

Discord just stared at you for a few moments before speaking up. “I’m going to kill you human. I don’t know when, but when I do, I’ll make sure to do it slowly. Good day to you, sir.” Discord Said as he snapped his fingers.

***

Just like that, you were awake. Was that real? Maybe the princesses could help you understand. You looked at the clock on the wall and saw that it was ten thirty in the morning. Princesses were normally awake at this time, right? You went down the stairs that led to the throne room. Thankfully, the princesses were there, eating pancakes. They have those here too? Whatever, stay focused. You walked over to Celestia and Luna and gave them a bow.

“Morning, Princesses.” You say. “How did the two of you sleep?”

“Fine, Anon. Thank you.” Said Celestia with a smile.

“We did as well.” Said Luna. “What brings you to the throne room so early? We know you aren’t a morning person.”

“I actually came to ask you two something.” You Said.

“Ask away.” Said Celestia.

“Can Discord enter dreams?” You ask. Your question seemed to take the princesses by surprise.

“W-What?” Ask Celestia, looking a bit nervous.

“I was wondering if Discord can enter dreams. I’m pretty sure I spoke with him last night.” You said casually.

“This is not good...” Said Celestia, looking at Luna.

“We should round up the elements, sister.” Said Luna. “Things may escalate soon.”

“What did he say to you?” Asked Celestia.

“Oh, nothing much.” You said. “It was more of an introduction than anything. He just threatened me and a bunch of other nonsense.”

The Princesses looked like they were shaking. Was this Discord dude really that bad?

“I mean, I also have some good news.” You say. “Could one of you pick something heavy up and drop it on me?”

Celestia and Luna then looked at you like you were stupid.

“What?” Asked Celestia.

“Just trust me, this is great.” You said.

“If you say so, Anonymous.” Said Celestia with a sigh. She picked up a stone statue that was next to her throne with her magic and held it above you. “Ready?” She asked.

“Yes ma’am.” You said a smile. On the outside, you may have appeared confident, but on the inside you were basically pissing yourself from nervousness. If this doesn’t work, it’s the end of you.

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Anon.” Said Celestia as she dropped the statue. You put your arms up in front of you, and sure enough, the shield you made in your dream appeared in front of you and shattered the statue on contact. The Princesses were looking at you with surprised expressions, which quickly turned into ones of joy.

“This is great, Anonymous!” Said Luna with excitement. “You are making progress! Why couldn’t you just show us the shield, though?”

“Well, you see...” you said, scratching the back of your head. “I couldn’t get myself to do it this morning after I woke up, and I managed to do it in my dream last night when Discord threw a fireball at me. So I figured if I felt a need to use it then it would work. Sorry about the statue, by the way.”

The two Alicorns sat silent for a few moments, before Celestia began to whisper to Luna. When she was done, Luna nodded and replied with “That May work.”

“What might work?” You ask.

“Nothing, Anon.” Said Celestia. “Now come along, we must get the elements of Harmony and figure out what to do, I’m afraid that me may be running low on time.”

You then followed Celestia and Luna to a conference room, where Celestia sent a scroll to Twilight telling her to round up the rest of the elements and come to Canterlot.

“Anon,” Said Celestia. “You must undergo intense training to ensure you learn how to use your abilities as soon as possible.”

“Seriously?” You ask. “I don’t even know what I’m capable of, and how do we even know whether this Discord guy is nearly back or not?”

“We don’t, that’s the thing.” Said Luna. “We are at a point where every precaution that can be taken must be done.”

“I mean, alright.” You say. “Not that I have a problem with it or anything, but I’ve only been here for like a little under two weeks. It’s just kinda hard to get a hang of this when I’ve got all this weight on my shoulders in a place that I barely know.”

The princesses looked at each other and had whispered to each other for a few moments. Again with the whispers? These bitches.

“Anon, we do apologize for the way you are being treated by us.” Said Celestia. “Can we do anything to compensate for the large amount of responsibility you have?”

“No, no. It’s cool.” You said. “I’m just pointing it out as a flaw on my part.”

“I understand.” Said Celestia. “If there is anything we can do to help, let us know.”

“Will do.” You said. “By the way, doesn’t the ride to Canterlot from Ponyville take a few hours by train? If the elements aren’t gonna be here for a while so I thought I’d just take a quick nap.”

“Unfortunately for you, we had a royal chariot come for them. Being pulled by Pegasi, they should be here in a matter of minutes.” Said Celestia.

“Welp,” you said. “Guess I’ll wait here...”

“You’ll be okay, my fellow human.” Said Luna with a giggle. “Being up before noon never hurt anypony.”

What she said made you think of what Discord said to you, something about chaos never hurting anyone. How bad was this guy? He seemed to have a really comedic approach at the start, but was super quick to anger. Will you be able to beat him? Can you even fight the thing? He whipped a fireball at you for fucks sake. If you don’t get any new talents soon, you and Equestria could be in deep trouble. No Equestria, no way of getting back home. That’s that, you gotta protect this place with everything you’ve got or else you’re stuck here. Your thoughts were interrupted by the conference room doors flying open, followed by the elements rushing inside.

“We came as soon as I got your scroll, Princess!” Said Twilight.

“Yeah, what’s goin’ on?” Asked Applejack.

“Anon has spoken with Discord via dream, and we are afraid that his return is almost here.” Said Celestia.

The elements gasped in shock, and began to barrage you with questions.

“What did he say?”

“Did he do anything?”

“When is he coming back?”

Etc, etc, etc.

You were getting slightly irritated, and Celestia must’ve noticed because she commanded the ponies to silence themselves as soon as your annoyance kicked in.

“One at a time, girls.” Said Celestia.

“I actually don’t know anything.” You said. “I’m just as confused as the rest of you, so there isn’t much of a point in asking questions.”

“What are we going to do?” Asked Twilight.

“We can’t do very much right now,” Said Celestia. “But I do recommend that you train yourselves and prepare for the worst. I will have guards posted at every city until further notice.”

“Understood. Will that be all, Princess?” Asked Twilight.

“Indeed, you may go.” Said Celestia. “Anon, you may return to Ponyville if you’d like, but I want Twilight to help you with your magic.”

“Gotcha.” You said, getting up to leave.

You and the elements walked out of the conference room and walked towards the front of the castle.

“So Anon,” Said Rainbow Dash, flying up to you. “Heard you can fly now.”

“Indeed I can.” You said. “What about it?”

“Well I was thinking, since we need to train... how about you race me to Ponyville?” Asked Rainbow with a smirk.

“I mean...” you began. “I’ve never really gone at high speeds before. Hell, I’ve only flown indoors at short heights.”

“Come on,” Rainbow Said, nudging your arm. “Don’t be such a wimp!”

You chuckled. You were always quite competitive, so you didn’t mind a little challenge.

“Alright,” you said with a smirk. “You talked me into it. Just give me a crutch since I’m still getting used to this.”

“Sigh, alright.” Said Rainbow. “Just don’t be surprised if you lose, I’m the fastest and most awesome flyer in Equestria!”

You nod and roll your eyes. You and the elements exit the castle and stand outside of the main door. You and Rainbow asked Applejack to say go for the two of you.

“Ah trust that y’all will have a clean race?” Asked Applejack.

You and Rainbow nodded.

“Sounds good ta me, see y’all at Ponyville. On yer marks...”

You got down in a track runner’s stance as Rainbow got ready as well.

“Get set...”

You picked your head up and aimed for the clouds. God, you hoped you could do something here.

“Go!”

You pushed off with your legs with all your might. You heard a boom behind you and before you knew it, you were in the clouds.

“Holy shit!” You thought to yourself as you soared through the air. You took a minute to go higher so you could see Ponyville. Sure enough, you found it at your height. You pushed yourself in the desired direction, hearing another boom behind you. Jesus, were you going fast. At the speed that your surroundings were passing you, you could’ve sworn you’ve broken the sound barrier. Shortly later, you were nearing Ponyville. You flew above the center of town and did a dive bomb towards the ground. Right before you hit the ground, you quickly pulled up and gently set yourself on the ground. You began to laugh at the fact that you just went at jet speeds through the sky, and you weren’t even out of breath. This was fucking amazing. You noticed that all of the residents of Ponyville were staring at you.

“What?” You ask. “I’m not hurting anything.”

The ponies then nervously went back to doing whatever they were previously doing. Celestia really needed to do that town introduction. Either that, or Twilight could just do it for you. Your thoughts were interrupted upon noticing that Rainbow wasn’t next to you.

“Where is she?” You ask yourself, looking up to the sky. A few moments later, you notice a rainbow trail in the sky, barreling towards you. You smiled knowing that you beat ThE FaStEsT aNd AwEsOmEsT FlYeR iN eQuEsTrIa. Rainbow touched ground next to you, panting heavily.

“How?!” She Said in between breaths.

“I’m just that awesome.” You said, giving her a triumphant smile.

“There’s no way, I want a rematch!” She Said, sitting on the ground in a pout.

“Hey, relax.” You said, sitting next to her. “It’s all fun and games, right?” You began to ruffle her mane.

Rainbow giggled and punched your arm playfully.

“Yeah, I guess.” She Said, standing up. “I’m still more awesome by the way.”

“I’m sure you are.” You said with a laugh. “Come on, let’s go to Sugarcube Corner.”

“Okay, sounds good.” Rainbow said, trotting away. She then looked back at you with a smirk. “Race ya there.”

You and Rainbow Dash sat on a cloud together, laughing and chatting about things you’ve done in life. What really made things take off in your friendship with her was sports. You played football and track in high school, and weight lifted regularly after you graduated. Rainbow talked to you about her stories of sports and how she wanted to be a part of the Wonderbolts. Just as you were finishing your third donut from Sugarcube Corner, you heard a voice from down below.

“Anon! Rainbow!” Said Twilight. You were still getting used to how cartoonish this world was, like you were seriously able to talk to somepony while they were on the ground and you were on a cloud.

“What’s up?” You call back.

“May I have a word with you, please?” Called back Twilight. You stand up and hop off the cloud, slowly letting yourself fall to the ground. Rainbow followed you down as well.

“What’s up?” You ask.

“Look, I know you’re getting used to your new abilities and all,” Said Twilight. “But you’ve really gotta get a feel for your power.”

You raised an eyebrow in confusion. “What do you mean?” You asked.

“You put a giant dent in the ground in front of the castle when you took off!” Said Twilight, sounding a bit angry. “When you took off, you made a sonic burst that literally broke the concrete!”

Well, that explains the booms you heard while flying. You gave a nervous chuckle and scratched the back of your head.

“Yeah, heh heh. Sorry about that...” you said, looking at the ground. “I’ll help repair the damages if that’s what Celestia wants.”

“Actually, she didn’t say you had to but I say yo-“ Twilight Said before being cut off.

“Twilight, take a chill pill why don’t ya?” Said Rainbow, stepping in between you and Twilight. “He just got to Equestria not that long ago, and you guys are already throwing a big responsibility at him! Just lay off and go do something else!”

Twilight looked at Rainbow like she had just killed somepony. You guess that she never got talked to like that by her friends, ever. She looked like she was about to shed a tear, but quickly turned around and ran off. Rainbow sighed and turned to you.

“Sorry about that dude.” She Said. “She shouldn’t have talked to you like that, I don’t know what the buck her deal was.”

“Rainbow,” you said, kneeling down to her. “Thanks for sticking up for me, but I don’t think you should’ve yelled at her like that. She’s still your friend ya know.”

Rainbow took a moment to think about her actions, then gave you a nod.

“Now that I think about it, that wasn’t very rad at all.” She Said, looking at the ground.

“Come on, let’s go find her and apologize.” You said, slowly taking off from the ground and beckoning Rainbow to follow. Once she began to fly with you, the two of you took off to look for Twilight.

You and Rainbow had been flying around for about an hour now. You had checked her library and several other locations that Twilight might’ve been at, only to no result. Nopony knew where she was at, not even the other elements. Welp, that sucks.

“Aw man,” Said Rainbow, crossing her arms while flying. “I feel bad.”

“Me too, dude.” You said, scanning the ground below you. “I hope she’s alright.”

“Me too, it would totally suck if she got into trouble because of me.” Said Rainbow.

“Let’s just hope for the best, come on.” You said, making a hard left towards the Everfree. A few moments of flying later, you and Rainbow flew into the Everfree and touched down in a clearing. “Split up?” You asked Rainbow.

“Uh,” She Said, not sounding too sure of herself.

“You’ll be okay,” you said, walking into the forest. “You can fly, and if something’s up just holler, I’ll follow the sound.”

“Okay, but if I die it’s your fault!” Rainbow shouts from behind you.

“Yeah yeah,” you say, stopping to look back at Rainbow. “Just get going, the faster we find Twilight, the faster we leave.”

Rainbow gave you a nod and a walked off into the forest. You did the same, leaving the feeling of security of the clearing and entering the danger zone of the Everfree. You cupped your hands around your mouth and began to shout Twilight’s name, hoping to get a response. Normally you wouldn’t shout in the middle of the Everfree in fear of being attacked by something like the Manticore, but the ability of flight and your shield should put you out of harms way from most things in here. You call out Twilight’s name a few more times, only to get no response. You sigh and sit down on a rock, taking a moment to think. Your thoughts weren’t anything specific, just whatever your mind came to. It’s been a while since you’ve had some real peace around you like you did now. Seeing all the trees as far as the eye can see, hearing the birds chirp and other various forest sounds, it was quite soothing. As your mind wandered, you thought about how you had only been in Equestria for a couple of weeks, and how much has happened. Was this an accident or was it meant to happen? Surely some prophecy can’t rip you away from your home to take care of someone else’s problem, right? Your thoughts were interrupted by a scream in the distance. This one didn’t sound like Rainbow’s voice, however.

“Twilight.” You said to yourself as you took off, flying quickly but silently in the direction of the sound. As you were flying, you soon realized that there was no audible commotion that you could hear. In fact, it seemed a little too quiet aside from the swish of the leaves as you flew passed them. “Twilight!” You called out into the forest, only to get no response. You called out a few more times, only to get the same results. You let out a sigh and set yourself on the ground. You sat down in the dirt to think for a moment, about more efficient ways to look for Twilight. Your thoughts were interrupted by a rustling in the bushes behind you. You stood up and turned around, braving yourself for another manticore. To your surprise, Twilight came out of the bushes. Her fur was dirty and her mane was going everywhere.

“Twilight!” You said, flying over to her. “Are you okay? What happened?” You kneeled in front of her to aid her. As you touched the ground, she basically collapsed into your arms from exhaustion.

“Manti...” Twilight said before passing out in your arms. Just as her eyes closed, you heard a roar. As soon as your eyes darted up, you saw it: the manticore. Jesus, another one? How about something new for a change? You picked Twilight up and turned around, preparing to fly the hell out of there. When you lifted off, you felt a sharp pain in your back, causing you to fall back to the ground, dropping Twilight as well. When you hit the ground, you felt an equally bad pain in your back again. Something was just pulled out of your back. You flipped onto your back and noticed that the manticore was holding it’s tail up, poison dripping from the tip.

The pain was unbearable. You began to feel irritated. Very, very, irritated. This thing just stabbed you in the back, and you were just gonna take it? No. No you weren’t. You grit your teeth, and began to let out a low growl of fury. You slowly lifted yourself off the ground, continuing to rise until you were well above the ground. You balled your hands into fists, still growling with rage. The manticore sat there, staring at you. It must’ve felt cocky, because it sat down and began to lick its paws. That did it. No more games.

“RrrrrrAAAAAAAA!” You scream, igniting a green aura around you. You paid no attention to that, however. This manticore’s head was all you wanted. “I’ll fucking kill you!” You scream, charging the manticore from your spot in the air. It’s eyes went wide, and it immediately tried to make an escape. You were too fast for the beast in your rage, and caught up to it like it was nothing. You flew above it and grabbed it by the scruff of its neck. You lifted it up into the air, going as high as your pleased. The manticore was thrashing around wildly, trying to escape your grip. It’s attempts were ineffective. Out of the corner of your eye, you noticed that it’s tail was cocked back, ready to strike. With one quick movement, you whipped the manticore into the ground from the immense height in the sky that you were sitting at. When you saw it hit the ground, you knew it had been killed. But that wasn’t enough for you, this beast had to pay.

“RRRRRRAHHHHHHH!” You scream, shooting green blasts of energy down onto the manticore from your hands. It felt good. It’s felt amazing. For what seemed like ages of overkill, you began to feel lightheaded. Your movements slowed and your vision blurred. Your hands fell to your sides, and your vision became blurry. Just as the green aura faded around you along with your vision, you began to fall from the sky onto the ground below...

***

You woke up in a hospital bed, a rather small one. There was an IV hooked into the crease of your arm, pumping an unknown fluid into you. You tried to sit up, but was immediately stopped by an immense pain in your torso. You let out a cry in your pain, which was instantly noticed by a nurse outside of your room.

“He’s awake!” You heard from the other side of the door. Moments later, a nurse and five of the elements came into the room.

“Anon, are you okay?”

“What happened back there, dude?”

“That was very brave of you!”

You were being barraged by questions and such from the elements, and you didn’t like it one bit. You weren’t exactly in a good mood from all the pain you were in, and you don’t even know how you got here. You interrupted the five with a “Hey!”. The sudden outburst got them to be quiet.

“How did I get here, and what happened to me?” You ask. The elements look at each other nervously. “Well?” You ask, getting impatient.

“Do you not remember?” Asked Rainbow.

“Last thing I remember was looking for Twilight in the Everfr-“ you suddenly stopped at the memory of Twilight, everything came flooding back to you. Holy Shit. “I remember now.” You said flatly. “Where’s Twilight?” You said, sitting up and wincing in pain.

“She’ll be fine, She is currently in good hooves.” Said the nurse. “As of right now, you must rest Anonymous.”

“Okay, and who are you?” You ask, raising an eyebrow.

“I am nurse Redheart, and I’ll be your caretaker during your stay here in the Canterlot Hospital.” Said Redheart.

“Canterlot?” You ask. “How did I get all the way here?”

“I saw you collapse after the fight with the manticore, so I went to help you and saw Twilight laying on the ground not far from you.” Said Rainbow. “I called the Royal Guard to come and scoop you two up, as a matter of royal emergency.”

“It was quite a noble thing you did, Anonymous.” Said Rarity, walking over to the side of your bed. “It isn’t everyday that somepony would risk their life to save another. We need more gentlecolts like you.”

“Thanks, I guess?” You said.

“She’s right, ya know.” Said Applejack. “You ain’t even been here that long, yet you protected Twilight like she was one of yer closest friends. We appreciate ya, parter.” She Said with the tip of her hat.

“Should we tell them we killed that thing only Because we were mad?” Asked your mind.

“Nah. Leave it be.”

“Fine.”

“Girls, it’s fine. No need to thank me.” You said. “Why did I collapse anyway?”

“We are still trying to figure that out, Anonymous.” Said Redheart. “However, visiting hours are over. You girls will have to exit the room now.”

Even with the element’s disappointment, they agreed to leave after a small dispute. They said their goodbyes and left the room, Redheart closing the door behind them.

“You sound like quite the stallion, Anonymous.” Said Redheart, walking up next to you. “Taking on a manticore? That’s quite impressive.”

“Yeah, don’t mention it.” You said. “And you can call me a man or a guy, I’m not a stallion.”

Redheart giggled. “I noticed. You are very similar to an ape, are you somehow related?”

“Yeah, my species evolved from them.” You said, looking at your IV and the bandages around your torso. “How did you know where to insert the IV?”

“Oh, well the veins in your limbs stick out, so it was kind of a no brainer.” Said Redheart. “I will admit, it was fun operating on something new for once.”

“Operating?” You asked.

“Well not exactly, just some stitching on your back. Nothing major.”

“Ah, alright.” You said. You began to feel tired again out of the blue. “Hey, do you mind if I rest for a while? I’m in a lot of pain and I think I should sleep it off.”

“Of course.” Said Redheart. “Just ring the button on the wall if you need me!” She Said as she exited the room.

You lied down and reflected back on your manticore fight. What was that? You were completely unbothered by what happened because you were so angry. Was that to key to controlling your powers? Emotion? It certainly wasn’t Twilight being injured that made you infuriated, but the Manticore stabbing your back. Why’d you lash out like that? How did you know how to shoot the green bursts of magic out of your hands? Whatever, you can ponder this later. As of right now, you were too tired to even care.

“He snores really bad.”

“Shush! It’s probably because he’s in pain!”

*snicker* “it’s pretty funny!”

You were awoken with the sounds of several familiar voices. Oh lord, it’s the five of six ponies in the flesh. You let out a drowsy groan, and sat up, wincing in pain in the process. The voices suddenly came to a halt. You opened your eyes and looked at the five ponies standing before you.

“You girls really like to watch me sleep don’t you?” You ask with a smirk. “What’s this? Twice now?”

“Well, Goodmorning Anon, heh heh.” Said Rainbow, nervously scratching the back of her head. “We just thought we’d stop by and check in on ya, you know?”

The rest of the ponies remained silent. You let out a weak chuckle.

“Righhhhhht.” You said. “Isn’t the nurse supposed to let you in with my permission?”

“Well, ya see...” Applejack started. “It was kinda important to us so we may or may not have forced our way in, if ya understand what I’m sayin’”

“Well not me!” Rarity added. “I kept my ladylike posture the entire time, thank you very much.”

“Oh don’t lie, Rarity!” Said Rainbow. “You got a little rough in the lobby just like the rest of us!”

“Did not!”

“Did too!”

“Does it matter?” You asked.

“Maybe it does!” Said Rarity. “I’d like to keep a good image even around aliens, you know.”

“Since when do we call him an alien?” Asked Rainbow.

“Ah mean, technically speakin’, he is one.” Said Applejack.

“But he’s super duper nice!” Added Pinkie.

“Yeah, I don’t mind that he’s not from here.” Said Fluttershy.

“I feel like this is a little more chaotic than it needs to be.” You said.

“Yeah he’s right,” Said Rainbow. “Everypony just take a chill pill.”

“Thank you, Dash.” You said. “Now, What brings you to my room?”

“Well is it wrong to simply check in on a friend?” Asked Rarity.

“Relax, I’m joking.” You said with a small laugh. “By the way, these clothes are pretty messed up, could we get me some new ones at some point?”

“Of course darling,” Rarity Said. “Anything for a friend.”

“Word, sounds good.” You said. You stood up from your bed, wincing in pain from your injuries.

“Should you be doin’ that, Anon?” Asked Applejack. “Ya look pretty bent outta shape.”

“Yeah, Maybe you should rest.” Said Fluttershy.

“Do I really look that bad?” You asked. Rarity pulled a pocket mirror out of her bag and levitated it to you. Holy shit, you got fucked up. You had a black eye, your nose was black and blue, and you had several cuts on your face. “Damn, you’re right. I got my ass whooped, heh heh.”

“Yeah, but not as bad as you whooped the manticore!” Said Rainbow.

“That was awful brutish of you back there, Anon.” Said Rarity. “I can’t say I expected something like that from a being like you.”

“Hey, what’s wrong with being a brute?” You ask. “Lets the manticores know not to fuck with me.” You say with a smug grin on your face.

“That’s wussup!” Said Rainbow, giving you a fist/hoof bump.

“Right...” said Rarity, looking slightly disappointed.

“Ah hope ya know what yer doin’ tho,” said Applejack. “It wouldn’t be too good if ya lashed out like that on somepony for lookin’ at ya funny er somethin’.”

“Don’t worry, Anon would never do something like that, he’s very gentle and sweet once you get to know him.” Said Fluttershy.

“Way to make me look like a softie.” You said.

“Oh... I’m sorry...” said Fluttershy, getting quiet.

“Chill, don’t sweat it.” You said. “On a side note, how’s Twilight?”

“Well, she’s kind of in a coma.” Said Rainbow.

“Oh shit, really?” You ask. “That sucks, do we know when she’s gonna get out of it?”

“No, but the doc has her in good hooves.” Applejack said. “All we can do is wait.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” You said. “Has Celestia heard about all of this?”

“Yeah, she actually wanted to meet you as soon as you got better.” Said Rainbow. “She wants to introduce you to the city, she felt like it was time to do so and everypony is talking about you!”

“For real?” You ask in confusion.

“Yeah, you’re like a celebrity!” Said Pinkie Pie, hopping up and down.

“For what?” You asked.

“Well, word spread quickly that you risked your life to save Twilight, who already has a high status around here.” Said Rarity. “Your heroic actions have not gone unnoticed, Anon.”

“This feels oddly cinematic, but I’ll take it.” You said with a shrug. “To be honest, I could probably just leave the hospital now and talk to the princess if I wanted to.”

“No no mister,” said Applejack. “Ya need to rest, take it easy for a while.”

“Or what?” You said, crossing your arms and giving off a cocky smirk.

“You’ll have to find out, parter.” Said Applejack. Whether that was a challenge or not, you accepted. You pulled the IV out of your arm, getting a response of disgust from the ponies in your room. “Now just what in the hay do ya think yer doin’?”

You have no response. You walked over to the window of your room and opened it up. “Hey, stop right there!” Applejack said, stepping forward. You sat on the windowsill, back facing the outside.

“Or what?” You said jokingly, just before you fell backwards out the window and took flight. Anon, you are one slick son of a bitch. Taking flight was painful, but you endured it. Your need to speak with Celestia was greater than the pain. Besides, you were far from a bitch. You could see the castle in the distance, so the flight shouldn’t take long anyway. As you neared your destination, you grew slightly excited for a town introduction. It’d be nice not to get weird looks from all the residents...

***

*two days earlier, Celestia’s PoV*

You were casually sitting in the throne room with your sister, Luna. You’ve had a slow week, nothing good has happened. You could fall asleep at this point, it was so slow. Well, scratch that, something is off. You felt it, sensed it. You picked your head up and looked at Luna. She seemed to notice as well.

“Did you feel that too?” You asked.

“We did. It matches Anonymous’ energy.” Luna said.

“It wasn’t very powerful, but most definitely recognizable.” You said. “What do you think it could be?”

“Good question.” Said Luna. “Shall we have Twilight bring him here?”

“That would be wise.” You said. “I’ll call her later. I am going to take a quick nap.”

“Do as you wish.” Said Luna. “See you when you awaken.”

“You as well.” You said, walking to your quarters.

As you neared the castle, you contemplated on bursting through the throne room window to create a dramatic entrance. Yeah, that’d be cool, but you’d probably get Celestia’s horn up your ass for that one. You flew up to the window and gave it a knock. It was hard to see through the stained glass, so you couldn’t really tell whether you were being acknowledged or not. After a few seconds of waiting, you figured your presence was unknown and you’d have to get into the castle through the guards. You let out an annoyed sigh and turned around, but you stopped upon hearing your name.

“Anonymous?” Said Celestia’s voice from behind you. You turned around and saw that she had opened a small warp hole through the window.

“Hey, Princess Celestia!” You said, snapping your fingers and pointing at her. “Just the Alicorn I wanted to see!”

“Same could go for you, my fellow human.” She Said with a smile. “Shouldn’t you be resting though? You look a bit out of shape.”

“Nah, I’ll be fine.” You said, waving it off. “May I come in?”

“You may.” Celestia Said, stepping aside and allowing you to fly though the window. Just as you flew through, the hole closed, leaving the window looking untouched. “What brings you here today, Anonymous?”

“Well, I heard I’m a pretty big name round town now.” You said. “Perhaps a formal introduction to Equestria would be appropriate?”

Celestia giggled. “I like your enthusiasm, and yes, I’d love to get that done soon. My citizens appreciate what you were willing to do for a fellow pony.”

“Hey, good to know.” You said with a smile. “I’m worried about Twilight, though.”

“Don’t be,” Said Celestia. “I checked on her, and her injuries are minor. She will make a full recovery very fast, the coma is an effect of the manticore poison.”

“Well, that’s reassuring news.” You said. “But how was she put into a coma but not me? I mean, I took a whole stab from the tail, Twilight only got pricked by it, and just barely too.”

“Well you see, Anonymous,” Celestia began, walking around you in a circle. “You’re a special being. Whether you may agree or not, you certainly are. You have a lot of dormant power in you, I can feel it. What happened in the Everfree? I felt your energy from here. It wasn’t the strongest force, but it was most definitely noticeable. You, my fellow human, are truly unique. The amount of strength you hold could explain why the poison had such little effect on you.”

“Wowsers.” You said. “You really think so?”

“I know so.” Said Celestia with a smile.

“Word! So, you wanna go back to the hospital and check on Twilight with me?” You asked.

Celestia though about it for a moment. “I don’t see why not.” She said. “Come, we can leave through the window.” She then opened a warp hole through the window again.

“Mares first,” you said, beckoning her to fly out first.

Celestia giggled. “Why thank you, such a gentleman, or whatever they call you on Earth.”

“You got it right.” You said with a laugh. Celestia took off out the window and you followed. You quickly caught up to her and flew by her side. “By the way, where was Luna?” You ask.

“Off on a business trip. Sorting out defenses and whatnot.” Celestia Said. “In case you forgot, we still have a war to prepare for.”

“Oh yeah, that...” you said. “Any idea when things will really pick up? I don’t feel as if I’m ready to fight.”

“Unfortunately, we still do not have any idea as to what Discord is planning or when he’s planning to do it.” Said Celestia with a nervous tone. “All we can do is wait and hope that we will be ready enough when the time comes, and you have no need to worry. I believe in you.”

You couldn’t help but smile at Celestia’s trust in you. You hadn’t even been in Equestria for very long, yet you already felt the need to protect it. You appreciated the hospitality you’ve gotten from you acquaintances, of not friends, and you felt it would be right to return the favor. Especially to Celestia. She believes in you, and that means a lot coming from a princess. You were going to be dedicated to protecting Equestria, no matter what it took. You had to. You wanted to. The rest of your flight together was in a comfortable silence, you were happy to be in Celestia’s presence. It was safe to say she was a friend rather than an authority figure.

Your hospital window was still open, so you decided to fly back in through there. Celestia opened another warp hole so she would be able to fit through. When the two of you entered, the five elements didn’t seem to notice the both of you. They were too busy fighting with Nurse Redheart and another doctor over how they let you “escape” and leave off to who knows where.

“Hey!” You shout. The group goes silent and they look at you and Celestia, and immediately bow upon recognizing her appearance. “Relax yo, it’s fine. I’m fine.”

“You May also return to ease.” Said Celestia. The elements and doctors rose from their bows.

“Princess Celestia!” Said the doctor. “What brings you here?”

“I just thought I’d fly back with my friend here, give him company on his way back.” Said Celestia. “I’m not interrupting anything am I?”

“Wh-N- no!” Said the doctor. “Just surprised to see you is all!” A bead of sweat ran down the side of his head.

Celestia laughed. “Relax, no need to be so stiff around me. Ease up a little.” She said. Her words made the doctor almost instantly stop shaking and lighten up a bit.

“Do you think we could see Twilight?” You ask. “I haven’t got a chance to see her and I just wanna see how she’s doing.”

“Sure thing, sir!” Said the doctor. “Follow me!” You, Celestia, Redheart, and the elements followed the doctor out of your room and down the hallway. “By the way, I think you should know that I think what you did for Ms. Sparkle was really something!” Said the doctor. “Being in a new world with different beings, I know that can be hard. You’re a kind creature, Anonymous.”

“Hey, it’s no biggie, doc.” You said. “It’d be really foul of me to leave Twilight to die, I couldn’t do that to her or her friends.”

“Just know that you’re appreciated.” He said. “You even made the front cover of the Canterlot Times!”

“Did I now?” You ask.

“Oh yeahhh,” said Rainbow. “I forgot to bring that up. Aside from being the talk of the town, you’re also on TV and the news paper! How cool is that?”

“Pretty rad, I guess.” You said. “Never really had any sort of fame before, it could be a nice change of pace.”

“Just don’t let yer head blow up.” Said Applejack.

“Heh heh, I won’t.” You said.

“Yeah, we wouldn’t want you leaving us in the dust, darling.” Said Rarity.

“I couldn’t imagine being forgotten by Anon...” Said Fluttershy.

“On the bright side, we can throw him EVEN BIGGER parties now!” Said Pinkie energetically.

“Relax girls,” you said with a laugh. “Let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves now.”

You then made it to Twilight’s room, and you and the group entered the room. You saw her laying on her bed, out cold and hooked up to an IV. She almost looked dead with all the cuts and unkempt coat and mane. Thankfully, the heart monitor assured you that she was alive and stable.

“We’ll give you some alone time, come on Redheart.” Said the doctor, leaving the room with Nurse Redheart. As they left, you, Celestia, and the elements huddled around the hospital bed in silence.

“I take it you don’t see this type of stuff often do ya?” You say.

“No, not at all.” Said Applejack. “It really does hurt my heart ta see Twi like this.”

“You can say that again...” Said Rainbow.

The rest of the ponies remained silent, save for Fluttershy’s small sobs. You felt like you owed Twilight an apology for not saving her in time. Sure, it may have not been your fault but you still felt guilty. You kneeled down by her bed and put a hand on her leg. You then let out a long sigh, trying to think of what to say.

“Twilight, I don’t know if you can hear me or not but I’m sorry. I wish I could’ve been there sooner to save you from this. I’m just glad you’re alive. I’ll make it up to you though, I promise...” you said. As much as you tried to hold tears back, one managed to escape, landing right on Twilight’s thigh.

“It’s alright, Darling.” Said Rarity, putting a hoof on your shoulder. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“Yeah, but still. I feel bad.” You said. “Let’s get going, give Twilight some time to rest.”

“I suppose he’s right.” Said Celestia. “Come, lets do something to ease our minds.” You and the elements began to follow Celestia out of the room, but were stopped when the room began to become illuminated by a light source behind you. Everyone turned around to see a small green light forming on Twilight’s thigh, right where your tear landed.

“Huh?” You said as you watched in awe. The light began to spread throughout Twilight’s body, healing any cut or bruise she had on her and returning her fur to a smooth, well kept state upon contact. When the light reached her head, it disappeared with one final flash, leaving Twilight laying in her hospital bed looking like nothing had happened to her. “What? How did I?” You said, staring at the new Twilight. To you and everyone else’s surprise, Twilight slowly opened her eyes and sat up.

“Huh?” She said, looking around the room. “Girls, why am I in a hospital? And why are you all huddled around me?”

The girls let out an excited squeal and jumped on Twilight, giving her a massive hug.

“Hey, hey!” Twilight said in laughter. “Easy now! I still have an IV hooked into me.”

Her friends hopped off of her and asked her how she was feeling and whatnot. While they talked, Celestia walked up to your side and looked at you with a smile.

“Well well, Anonymous.” She Said. “It looks like you’re getting better by the day.”

“Even if it was by accident, I’ll take it.” You said. “I’m seeing a pattern with my abilities, my emotions seem to trigger them.”

“We can practice more at the castle later. As for now, let’s speak with our friend.” Celestia Said as she motioned you with her wing to join in the conversation. You never thought you’d say this, but you like this pony land. You like it a lot, and you wouldn’t mind staying here for a while. You jumped out of your thoughts as you met eyes with Twilight.

“Hey Twilight, how are ya?” You asked with a small wave. To your surprise, she looked happy to see you. Really really happy...

A week has passed, and your introduction to pony land was in three days. You sir, don’t have anything to wear. You were never one for dressing to impress, but you felt like this time was different. You’re a CeLeBrItY after all, gotta look good for the fans. So today, you decided you’d fly over to Ponyville and see if Rarity can hook you up.

You were staying at the castle with Celestia and Luna, and you can definitely say it was much more convenient than Fluttershy’s cottage. You got your very own bed, room, shower, and room service. You felt like a fucking prince, and damn it felt good. Plus, you really enjoyed being with Celestia, she was very fun to hang out with and can become very playful once you get to know her. Luna on the other hand, wasn’t very talkative. Sure, she’d talk to you every now and then but seemed more to herself than anything. You definitely planned to work on that later. Over the week, you had been practicing with your abilities. You felt fine shortly after leaving the hospital, so pain wasn’t really a big issue. You can now use your shield at your will, shoot bursts of magic, and now you had even learned to levitate objects around you, just as the unicorns do. If you were being honest, you were quite excited. Celestia and Luna laughed at your reactions when you got the hang of everything, saying you reminded them of theirselves as fillies. You were told to watch yourself and not go berserk on anything with your bursts of magic. You chuckled and gave them your word, saying that you aren’t a violent being.

Your smiled to yourself as you thought about your week. You were truly making progress with yourself. You can’t exactly explain why, but you feel more dedicated now than you ever have been in your life. You felt great, but yet again confused with yourself. You’d think you would be more focused with trying to find a way back home, but this whole “prophecy” thing really changed your perspective. Not only that, but the hospitality you’ve gotten from the elements and the princesses was amazing. Last week when Twilight saw you for the first time after awakening, her gratitude towards you was unmistakable. She really did appreciate what you did for her, saying you’re a great friend and whatnot. That’s the kinda stuff you don’t get on Earth. After college, you moved away from home and was so caught up in work that you didn’t have time for all of that. Nobody at the workplace really cared for you like that, and they know you for years. You’ve been here for a sliver of that amount of time and you’re already being treated like one of their own. Feelsgoodman.

You let out a content sigh and continued flying towards Ponyville. Being up in the air really gives you a different perspective of the land, being able to see nearly the full geographic layout of your surroundings. It’s truly a breathtaking sight, you couldn’t get enough of it. Being here was truly a blessing, You didn’t plan to take any of the gifts you were given here for granted. You looked down, admiring all the passing trees and rivers as you passed by them. You were so lost in the natural beauty of Equestria that you almost didn’t notice that you were approaching Ponyville. As you began to drop altitude and prepare for a landing, the thought of the residents and how they normally would react to you. You were a celebrity now, right? Maybe their views on you would’ve changed by now. Eh, you didn’t really feel comfortable with being around them until you got a proper Equestrian introduction, so you decided to keep your presence on the low. Keeping your distance from the ground below, you navigated around Ponyville until you laid eyes on Carousel Boutique. Captain Price’s words echoed in your mind as you began your decent to the ground, “Let’s do this.” With one swift motion, you quickly did a pencil dive to the ground in front of the boutique. As soon as your feet touched the ground, you bolted into the door as fast as you could. Honestly, that could’ve been a bit quieter, Rarity had nearly jumped out of her coat when you entered the building.

“Anonymous!” She shouted in surprise from behind the counter. “Don’t scare me like that, Darling!”

“My apologies, I didn’t intend to be that loud.” You said with a chuckle.

“What is your reasoning for bursting in here like a madman anyway?” Rarity asked, approaching you. “A being with your power should have nothing to fear.”

“Well, I didn’t really feel like interacting with the public at the moment.” You said, rubbing the back of your head. “It’s usually always really uncomfortable and awkward.”

“Oh Anon,” Rarity said with a laugh. “Everypony loves you here! Words spread quickly in the pony community, you know.”

“Ehhhh, I don’t know...” you said. “I don’t know if I’m ready to go out there like that and say hi at the moment...”

“Don’t be shy!” Said Rarity. “They won’t bite.”

“Maybe later,” you said, about to change the subject. “Now, about the reason I came here-“

“Oh right, your suit!” Said Rarity, basically cutting you off in her excitement. “We can’t have you being introduced to Equestria looking like a ruffian now can we?”

You looked down at your current outfit, your shorts that rarity had made you and the white T-shirt that you came to Equestria with.

“I wouldn’t exactly say I look like a ruffian.” You said.

“That’s besides the point,” said Rarity. “I’m going to make you look like the most handsome sta- er, man in Equestria!”

“I dig the enthusiasm, let’s get it!” You said with a fist pump.

Rarity took you into a room in the back of the shop, designated for fitting and taking measurements. In the room stood a small platform and a mirror on the wall, which you were beckoned to stand on. You walked over to the middle of the room and stepped up onto the platform. You took a glance into the mirror and took a minute to admire yourself. You didn’t want to be narcissistic or anything, but you looked great. You weren’t sure of it yet, but you swear that your body mass was growing. You biceps looked larger, you chest seemed to naturally puff out further and wider than it had before, and the definition you gave when you flexed was insane. Sure, you looked fine before from all of your previous exercise on Earth, but you looked straight up intimidating now. Hell, even your core looked chiseled.

“Are you done drooling over yourself now?” Asked Rarity with a giggle. You instantly snapped out of your thoughts and began to blush.

“Heh heh, sorry.” You said. “I just feel as if I look better than I did when I got here. I just like the way I’m looking is all.”

“Oh, that’s perfectly fine, darling.” She Said, waving it off. “Sometimes I’d take a moment to admire myself in the mirror if I feel as if I look good. Don’t take this the wrong way, but you most definitely look great, the way your muscles are defined across your body, a mare would kill for a stallion as built as you are.”

You let out a small laugh. “Well thank you ma’am, I appreciate that.” You said. “Aren’t stallions naturally strong though? Like with all the work they put in daily?”

“Well, yes and no.” Said Rarity. “While most stallions are strong and healthy, very few have the strength to have their muscles as defined as yours. Big Mac, one of the strongest stallions in Ponyville, isn’t even that defined. Very few stallions have abs as well, and mares tend to go crazy over them.” She Said with a small shiver of excitement.

“Uh huh,” you said with a chuckle. “I take it you like them as well?”

“Aw, what gave it away?” She asked with a small blush.

“You literally shivered at the thought of abs.” You said. “As if that doesn’t give it away enough.”

Rarity was blushing hard, you must’ve got her good. She began to do circles on the floor with her hoof and her eyes failed to meet your gaze.

“Hey, relax.” You said, kneeling down and putting your hand on her back. “It’s cool, no need to be embarrassed. We all have our tastes.”

“Well, it’s not that...” she said, still looking at the floor. “I-I...”

“You what?” You asked with a raised eyebrow. “You can tell me, I won’t judge.”

“May I...” said Rarity. She hesitated a bit before quickly spitting out “seeyourabs?”

You were a bit taken back by this question. “Did she really just ask that?” You thought. You stood up and looked at her. While looking at her, you noticed she was as red as a tomato. Where did this come from?

“Anon, I’m so sorry, I know it’s not very ladyli-“ Rarity said before being cut of by your snickers.

You face was currently in your palm and you were letting out small snickers. It was hard not to laugh at her reaction. For someone so proper nearly all the time, it was definitely funny to see a side like this.

“What?” Asked Rarity, blush intensifying. “What’s so funny?! Do you find this entertaining you big brute?!”

You could barely contain your laughter as it was, but that really threw you over the edge. Your face came out of your palm as you erupted with laughter. You put your hands on your knees and hunched over, continuing to let out your wheezes and laughs. One side of you said that you were being a dick, but the other was laughing too hard to give input.

“rrrrAAAARGH!” Shouted Rarity as she pounced on you and began punching, or hooving you. Whatever you wanna call it. “You wanna make fun of me in my home for asking a genuine question?! I’ll show you!”

None of it really hurt, Rarity isn’t the strongest of ponies. You paid no attention to the hoof stomps on your chest as for you were still laughing very hard.

“AAAARGH!” Shouted Rarity as she began stomping both hooves on your chest rather than her alternating pattern from before. “STOP LAUGHING! IT ISN’T FUNNY!” Rarity continued her efforts before eventually tiring out and collapsing on your chest. Soon after, your laughter ceased.

“Heh heh, I’m sorry.” You said, wiping a tear from your eye. “I do suppose it was a little rude of me to start laughing. You have my sincerest of apologies, Ms. Rarity.”

Rarity let out a big sigh. “Oh I’m sorry too, Anon. I shouldn’t have asked or beaten you like that.”

“Hey hey, don’t be sorry. I understand.” You said. “Here, get up really quick.” Rarity did as you asked and the two of you stood before each other. “Think of this as a little apology gift.” You lifted up the lower half of your shirt and flexed your core, showing your ab muscles in all their glory to the pony before you.

Rarity looked awestruck. “Oh my...” she said as her eyes grew wide. It looked like her tongue would fall out of her mouth at any moment. “I never get to see them often... they’re just so... perfect...” she said as she walked closer towards you. Alright alright, maybe this was a bit much.

“That’s all you get for now.” You said, pulling your shirt back down. As you did so, Rarity was snapped out of her trance.

“Oh, alrighty then.” She said, looking slightly disappointed. “I do suppose that’s fair. Now, where were we?”

“My suit.” You said, getting into a T-pose for measurements.

“Oh, right!” Said Rarity. “Be right back!” She then left the room. You heard sounds of clatter and things being thrown before rarity came back into the measuring room, levitating a notebook, pencil, and measuring tape. She also put on a pair of reading glasses as well. “Alright darling, would you step onto the platform for me please?”

You obliged and stood up onto the wooden platform, resuming your pose once doing so. Rarity got right to work, opening the measuring tape and taking your numbers on her notepad. While scribbling down some numbers with her magic, she looked up at you with a shy expression.

“Yes?” You asked.

“I don’t mean to be a bother, but you did say ‘for now’ earlier.” She said, face getting red again. “Does that mean that there is perhaps... more in store for some other time?” She had a very sheepish smile on her face, as if she knew she was pushing her luck.

You sighed before giving a small chuckle. “We’ll see.” You said.

“Heh, not bad.” You said, standing in front of the mirror, playing with the cuffs on your blazer. “I look pretty clean if I do say so myself.”

“Why of course you do, Darling!” Said Rarity excitedly. “Anything made by me is guaranteed to be stunning, but no money back if it isn’t.”

“Doesn’t that contradict generosity?” You asked.

“Perhaps, but nobody’s perfect, Anon.” She said.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” You said, stepping off of the wooden platform. You take off your blazer and hang it on one of the hooks on the wall before turning to Rarity. “You think Equestria will like me? What if I’m too... primatey for them?”

“Oh stop you’re worrying, Darling.” Said Rarity, standing up on her hind legs and putting her forehooves on your chest. “My friends like you, the princesses like you, I like you. Why wouldn’t the rest of us?”

“Well you, the elements, and the princesses are used to weird stuff like this.” You said, floating backwards a bit to get some space in between you and Rarity. She didn’t seem to like that, but you didn’t care. “But whatever, I’ll ease up a bit.” You drifted passed Rarity and grabbed your clothes off of a chair in the corner of the room. Your feet touched the ground and you began to unbutton your dress shirt. As you slipped each button through it’s hole, you looked down at Rarity, who was staring at you contently. “I’m gonna have to ask you to leave so I can change.”

“What?” She asked, sounding dumbfounded at what you had just said. After a second of the two of you silently staring at each other, she finally got the message. “Oh! I’m sorry Darling, but may I ask why?”

“Uh, because I said so?” You said, raising an eyebrow. “It’s a human thing, let’s go with that.”

Rarity let out what sounded like a sigh of defeat and began to head for the exit of the room. “Okay, I suppose I shall be a good host and oblige to my guest’s request.” She walked to exit unnaturally slow, like she was trying to tell you that she wanted to stay. You definitely got the message, but that was definitely not gonna happen. You were already giving yourself shit for showing off your core. As Rarity took a few more steps, slowly but surely, she looked up at you with an innocent-ish look on her face. “But if you need help, I’ll be here for you, Darling.”

“Jesus.” You said to yourself. What is with this pony? You do one little thing for her and she loses it. You aren’t exactly to ‘horse-fucker’ status yet, Anon. Just chill out. “I know, Rarity.” You said flatly. You took your hands off of your buttons, waiting for Rarity to leave.

“Don’t let me stop you, Anon.” Said Rarity, still slowly scooting to the exit. “I’m on my way.”

“You said it yourself, lady.” You said, putting a focused expression on your face. You’d feel bad if you didn’t give her some sort of indication to what you were about to do, so the facial expression served as a small hint.

“Wait, whAAAA!” Rarity screamed as you suddenly through her out of the room telekinetically. You then slammed the door and locked it using the same ability. Necessary? No. Worth it? Definitely. You held back your laughter with a smile as you went back to switching your outfit.

“WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU?!” Shouted Rarity from the other side of the door. “THAT IS NO WAY TO TREAT A LADY, ESPECIALLY ONE THAT IS DOING YOU A FAVOR!”

“You did say ‘don’t let me stop you’, so I did just that.” You said with a snicker, barely containing your laughter.

“YOU KNOW DAMN WELL THAT WAS NOT WHAT I MEANT!” Shouted Rarity, now sounding louder and angrier than before. You heard her unlock the door with her magic and attempt to open it, so you quickly closed and locked it again with your own magic, holding it closed tightly. “OPEN THIS DOOR NOW!” Screamed Rarity, attempting to overpower your magical hold on the door with her own.

If you were going to be honest, it wasn’t difficult to best Rarity’s magic in the slightest. You weren’t sure how strong you were compared to the average unicorn, but you seemed to be quite powerful based on how little effort you were using to beat Rarity. And you would assume that Rarity might have a strong magic ability due to her experience with the elements of harmony and all that stuff, but who knows? You kept your hold on the door while you finished changing your clothes. When you were done, you released the door from your grip causing it to swing open and slam into the wall from Rarity’s efforts. She stood in the doorframe, panting from all the strength she had put in to try and best your magical abilities.

“I... hate... you...” She said in between breaths, giving you the evil eye.

“Eh, you’ll get over it.” You said with a smile. “Why the hell are you breathing so heavily though? You’re scaring me.”

“Why aren’t you?” Asked Rarity, having enough air to finish sentences now. “You and I used a lot of magical power against each other, you know.”

“Did we now?” You asked with a smirk. “Hate to break it to ya, but I used little to no effort against you.”

“What!?” Exclaimed Rarity with a shocked expression on her face. “Impossible! I’m one of the most powerful unicorns in Equestria and I nearly put all of my effort into that! There’s no way you-“

“Well I kinda did so,” you said, cutting Rarity off. “Looks like I’m one of the most powerful beings in Equestria then.” You said with a smug grin.

“Don’t flatter yourself, you ruffian.” Said Rarity. “You don’t know the true power of the alicorns or discord yet.”

“Looks like I’ll have to find out now won’t I?” You said, still keeping you grin.

“Anon, whatever you’re thinking about, I don’t recommend it.” Said Rarity, catching on to your idea.

“Heh, don’t worry.” You said. “I’m not going to actually challenge the princesses. I don’t believe I’m anywhere near ‘godly power’ yet.”

You kept note of the word “yet”. Although you had no plans of surpassing the princesses or any dark intents, you still wondered how strong you could really become. You decided you had been at the boutique long enough, so you told Rarity you were going to head back to Canterlot.

“Aw, off so soon darling?” She asked with a pouty face. “I know we had a complication or two but I still enjoyed your company,”

“It’s nothing personal,” you said, reaching into your pocket for your bits. “I just feel like taking off is all. I really do appreciate you, though.” You gave her a scratch behind her ears, which she seemed to enjoy very much. You walked out to the lobby, placed your bits on the front counter, and made your way to the front door. You turned back while walking forward, “Thanks again, I really doOOF!” You were suddenly knocked to the floor by the front door opening.

“Oh my! I’m so sorry!” Said a grey Pegasus. Her mane was blonde, her cutie mark seemed to represent bubbles, she was wearing a mail sack and hat, and her eyes were... crossed?

“Ah, it’s cool.” You said, levitating back onto your feet. “I’m just glad you didn’t run away from me.”

“Why would I? You’re that new hero aren’t you?” She asked, raising an eyebrow in confusion.

“Why yes, I suppose I am.” You said, putting out your hand. “Name’s Anon.”

“Derpy hooves!” She said, putting out her hoof. “But you can call me Derpy!” Her name suited her look like butter on toast.

You shook each other’s hands, er- limbs. What the hell do you call it? Do you care?

“Ah, Derpy!” Called putting Rarity from the back of the boutique. “So nice of you to stop by! What brings you here today?”

“Oh you know, just bringing the mail by, as usual!” Said Derpy with a smile. “I didn’t know you kept aliens in your boutique!”

“What? Oh no Darling, Anon had just stopped by to get a tuxedo before he is formally introduced to Equestria by the princess herself!” Said Rarity, walking up beside you.

“Ohhhhh,” said Derpy. “Do you want you mail?” She then asked, reaching into her bag and pulling out a few envelopes.

“Why yes please, thank you Derpy.” Said Rarity.

“I’m sorry Anon, but I don’t have any mail for you today.” Said Derpy, looking at you with that same smile she’s had from the moment she entered the door.

“It’s cool,” you said with a chuckle. “Thank you Derpy.”

“Alright, well I got more mail to deliver so I’ll catch you two later!” Said Derpy as she turned around to exit the boutique. “Ciao!” She said as she took flight, leaving your sight.

“I like her.” You said, putting your hand on your chin. “She gives good vibes, I’ll have to hang out with her sometime.”

“Oh, d-do you now?” Asked Rarity, sounding a bit choked.

“Yeah, of course!” You said. “She’s really laid back, I like that.”

“Note taken...” whispered Rarity, barely audible. Did you really just hear that?

“What was that?” You asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh, nothing darling!” Said Rarity with a nervous chuckle.

“Okayyy?” You said, moving towards the door. “I’m gonna head out, so I’ll catch you later I guess. Thanks for the suit!” You said as you bursted through the door and took flight. As you flew out of Ponyville, you were left to your thoughts again. Rarity was cool and all, but she was being really weird. Definitely not a vibe. If she tried to make a move on you, you honestly wouldn’t know how to react. Hell, you haven’t even been here that long. She doesn’t know jack shit about you! Whatever, it’s just whatever. You snapped out of your thoughts and took the rest of your flight to enjoy the scenery of the Equestrian countryside. Sure, you haven’t flown like this very many times but you swear that a sight like this could never get old. Lost in the beautiful sight, you once again didn’t realize that you were approaching your destination. Eager to get back to the castle and relax, you sped up and zoomed through the clouds at the speed of sound. As you entered Canterlot, you looked down over all of the numerous stores and homes across the city. There was a grocery store, a roller rink, a park, a tuxedo show was going on there too. Wait, were you forgetting something?

“Fuck!” You said as you facepalmed yourself as hard as you could. “How could I forget that? Sigh, whatever, I’ll go back and get it tomorrow I guess.” You approached the castle as it came into view, lowering your altitude to get in through the front gates.

“Hello sir Anonymous!” Said the guards simultaneously as they dropped the gate.

“I told y’all you could just call me Anon.” You Said as you entered the castle. You walked through the castle, saying hi to any castle personnel that greeted you, but trying to stay unnoticed for the most part. You found yourself quite exhausted, so you wanted to just be left alone, go to your room and sleep. After walking through corridors for several minutes, you finally found the staircase which led to the royal guest room in which you had been staying in. It was a different room than the first few times you had stayed in the castle, this one was much larger and felt more private than the last. The amount of rooms in this castle was insane, most of them weren’t even open to the public. It made you want to become royalty just so you could have an extra thrill in your life, not that you needed more than there already were. You climbed the spiral staircase which led to your bedroom, eventually reaching the door. You entered your room and immediately began making your way to your bed, magically stripping your clothes until you hit your boxers on the way. When you reached your bed, you did a sort of belly flop on the soft, king sized mattress, getting a feel for the soft silk blankets on your skin. You wrapped yourself up in the colossal warm covers and let out a content sigh, ready to hit the shack. You turned onto your side, closed your eyes, and let your mind go blank.

***

You were currently standing on a stage in the town square of Canterlot, being presented in front of the residents of the city like a hero. That’s what you were, right? Above the crowd, Pegasi cameramen, or camerastallions flew near the stage trying to get a good angle on the situation. Although you did feel awkward, something was off. You could feel it. You looked at Celestia, whom was talking at a podium to the crowd, making a speech. She then turned to look at you while continuing her speech, and you immediately recognized the anomaly here. Her eyes weren’t hers... they were yellow with red pupils. Looked kind of like-

“Discord,” you said in a low growl.

Discord stopped speaking to the crowd, and gave you a small smirk. “Celestia’s” voice then changed to Discord’s.

“Aw, what gave it away?” Asked Discord, making a pretend pouty face. “It was the eyes wasn’t it? I knew my hint would be too obvious. Oh, silly me.” He then shifted out of Celestia’s body and returned to his own. Time seemed to stop around the both of you, the crowd, the Pegasi, hell, even leaves were stuck in the air.

“Hint?” You asked. “Hint to what?”

“That you’re dreaming of course!” Said Discord, opening his arms as if he was presenting his own little world to you. “For a member of an intelligent species, you sure can be dense sometimes.”

You levitated of the ground, hovering at his eye level. You balled your fists in irritation, you did not like to be played with. “Discord, explain yourself.” You Said, giving him a death stare.

“Ohhhh, look at you!” He said, giving you a small applause. “Standing up to a god are we? I give you bravery points, so I suppose I should tell you my reason for my presence here today. You see, I’ve been locked up in Tartarus for quite a while now, not the most pleasant experience. And just like anyone else, I’d like to get revenge on the beings that put me there and regain my rightful rule over Equestria in chaos!” He said, losing his composure in the last part. Discord took a deep breath and took a second to collect himself. Once he had regained his cool attitude, he continued. “So you see, that is why I’ve come here today. When your introduction to Equestria comes in a few days, I’ll be there. But I’m not there to cheer you on, no no no. I’ll be there to make my first move in total domination of Equestria. Unlike most villains, though, I have a heart. So I thought I’d do you a favor and warn you.”

“You son of a bitch!” You screamed as you whipped a green ball of magic at Discord. He wasn’t ready for it, as for he screamed in panic and braced for impact. However, your attack phased right through him.

“Oh,” said Discord with a laugh as he put his hands down. “I nearly forgot that you were dreaming. Sorry about your bad luck, monkey boy. Just take this warning as... well, a warning. I’ll make my first move at that introduction of yours. When that time comes, it’ll be so subtle that even this warning will have been irrelevant.” He brought his arm up and put his fingers together. “Just saying.”

Discord then snapped, and you then heard a loud explosion in the distance. You looked out into the distance, and saw a black mushroom cloud forming in the distance.

“Discord!” You screamed, but you found that he had disappeared when you were not looking. You looked back to the mushroom cloud, only to see that the blast was rapidly approaching you. “Fuck. Well, it’s a dream ain’t it? Can’t hurt that bad.” You took a seat on the stage and watched the blast fly towards you. Looking at where the crowd once was, you noticed that they had disappeared too. It was just you and your impending doom. You put your head up and opened your arms, as you felt the wind intensify and the dark clouds begin to consume you. Just before everything faded to black, you gave a long sigh. “Discord, I’m gonna fucking kill you.”

Today was the day of your introduction to Equestria. The way you worded it sounded stupid to you, but you didn’t know how else to put it. You had gotten your tux from Rarity yesterday after leaving it at her boutique like a dumbass, and you made sure to make your visit brief. She seemed oddly fond of you, and you weren’t exactly on that level of comfort with her yet.

You were currently lying on your bed, comfy as could be under the warmth of your covers. You knew today would be long, especially with the thought of Discord in the back of your mind. You didn’t exactly know what he was going to do today in specific, but you were certain that it wasn’t pleasant. With that being said, you wanted to soak up all the relaxation time you could get. Well, at least something close to relaxation. You were slightly uneasy, tossing and turning every now and then. It was currently ten A.M. and your introduction doesn’t take place until five P.M., so you had quite a bit of time to waste. Well, scratch that. There was a knock on your door from one of Celestia’s guards, telling you that your presence in the throne room had been requested.

You let out an annoyed grunt and turned face down on the pillow.

“Does that mean you’ll go, sir Anonymous?” Asked the guard from behind the door.

“Five minutes!” You said, muffled by the pillow. You heard the hoof clops of the guard walking away, which was your signal to turn over and get your lazy ass out of bed. You turned over and kicked the covers off of you. You shivered at the sudden temperature change, and being in your boxers didn’t help. You always hated being cold, warm weather and environments was the move. You sat up, and let out a long sigh. You really didn’t want to be up right now, but you didn’t really have a choice. You weren’t exactly afraid of Celestia or Luna, but you didn’t want to know what they could do to you if you pissed them off. You got out of bed and walked to your closet, throwing on a hoodie and a pair of shorts. Slipping on some loafers to keep your feet warm, you left your quarters and headed for the throne room.

Still slightly irritated from having to get out of bed, you decided that storming into the throne room with an attitude would be appropriate. Nothing too heavy, but just enough to let Celestia and Luna know that their request was a major inconvenience. When you neared the throne room doors, the two guards outside of the room opened the doors for you. Well, shit. So much for storming in there.

“Thanks.” You said, walking past the guards and entering the throne room. Celestia and Luna were sitting on their thrones quietly, both with their eyes closed. When the guards closed the throne room doors behind you, you sat there silently and awkwardly for a few moments. Figuring that they weren’t going to break the silence, you spoke up.

“You know I hate to be an asshole, but why the hell are you calling me down here so early?” You ask, still annoyed. The princesses open their eyes and look at you with a calm expression.

“Tis quite late in the morning, Anonymous.” Said Luna. “Thou should have awoken sooner.”

“What do you mean? It’s only a little passed ten!” You said.

“Simmer down, Anon.” Said Celestia. “We called you here today to tell you that you should begin to get ready for your event later this evening.”

“Why now? It doesn’t start till five.”

“The main event, yes. But preparations start at eleven thirty.”

You let out a long sigh. “This is ass.” You said, turning around to return to your quarters.

“Do not let the door hit thine ass on the way out.” Said Luna with with a giggle. You gave her the bird on the way out of the throne room. You didn’t think she knew what that meant since she didn’t have hands, but that wasn’t going to stop you.

You trudged on to your quarters, slamming your door shut when you got there. You were never a morning person, but you felt unusually moody. You walked over to your bed and sat down, taking a deep breath to relax. Door slamming was awfully petty, and you didn’t wanna come off like that. Once you took a moment to relax, you stood up and began to change into your tuxedo. Throwing your hoodie and shorts off, you threw on a wife beater and some dress socks. After that, you put on the undershirt and dress pants. You grabbed your tie from the closet and looked at it like you were stupid. Even after all the lessons Rarity had given you, you still couldn’t figure out how to tie these things. Back home, you would always wear clip on ones.

“Fuck it,” you said, tossing your fabric nemesis onto the floor. You completed your look by throwing on your blazer and shoes, looking like a true man of power. Looking into the mirror on the wall, you began to admire the way you looked. You typically hated formality, but you rocked this tux. Doing a little spin and pointing at your reflection, you gave yourself a little “tsk tsk” and strutted your way out of your quarters.

You returned back to the throne room, hands stuffed in your blazer pockets with a smug look on your face.

“So, when should we start?” You asked.

“My, my. Look at you, Anonymous!” Said Celestia with a smile. “What a mood swing, you look great as well!”

“I agree with sister, thy suit fits thee nicely.” Said Luna with a nod.

“Hey hey, none of that.” You said, holding your hands out. “I just wanna start this prep stuff just so I can go back to chilling.”

“Well, I do suppose we could start now.” Said Celestia. “I’ll let the prep crew know.”

“Word. What am I going to be doing, anyway?” You asked.

“That is for us to know and for you to find out.” Said Celestia with a smile.

“Wow, uncool.” You said. “I hate surprises.”

“How unfortunate, you’ll have to tough it out.” Celestia said.

“I’ll remember that.” You said with a smirk. “Anyway, should we get going then?”

“Yes, You and Luna head to the runway. There is a carriage out there waiting for you both. I’ll meet the two of you at your destination.”

“Word.” You Said, turning to Luna. “Shall we?”

“We shall.” Luna Said with a nod. She got up from her throne and walked over to your side. From there, the two of you made your way out of the throne room and began your walk to your ride. As the two of you walked by each other’s sides, Luna began to make conversation. “So,” She began. “How do you like living in the castle?”

“You’ve got no complaints from me.” You said. “Especially since it’s free.”

Luna chuckled. “Well, I suppose it would be wrong to charge someone like you to live in the castle.”

“Maybe, maybe not.” You Said with a shrug. “If you don’t mind me asking, why do you do that?”

“Hm?”

“Switch in between old and modern speech. I don’t have a problem with it, I’m just curious.”

Luna sighed. “Anonymous, there is a lot you don’t know about me. It’s a long story, and I don’t exactly like telling it. Maybe some other time, I can tell you.”

“Hey, that’s cool. Sorry if I was crossing a boundary.”

“No need for apologies, it’s quite alright.”

You gave Luna a friendly nod and walked the last minute or two in silence. When the two of you reached the runway, you were greeted and escorted by the guard. You had never noticed this place from above before, when you asked Luna she said that it is under a cloaking spell because it’s a very vulnerable area. Huh, the more you know. Apparently even the strongest of fortresses have their weak points. You and Luna were walked down a red carpet leading to a chariot, doors open and ready to go. Looking around, you were struggling to figure out how a runway this big could be concealed from the outside. It was very long and wide, several lights lining the perimeter, ponies for marshalling incoming carriages, and guards keeping watch. When you got to your ride, you stopped and let Luna proceed first.

“After you, Princess.” You Said, gesturing her to enter.

“Why Thank you, Anonymous.” She Said with a smile. She entered, and you followed. You closed the door and took a look around. Once again, you were amazed. There was a small television, a mini wine shelf, snacks, a fucking chandelier, and a bunch of other rich pony shit. “Like what you see?” Asked Luna.

“I hate to say it, but this chariot is probably worth more than my house on Earth.” You Said, still looking around.

Luna giggled. “Well, we do have a lot of extra bits laying around after wars, so why not?”

“When was the last war anyway?” You ask, as you begin to feel the chariot move down the runway for liftoff.

“Oh, that was over a century ago with the dragons. We haven’t had a major war since then, only minor conflicts here and there.”

“Ah. I would assume this comes after all of the priorities have been spent on, right?”

“Oh, of course! Our citizens are our top priority, Anonymous. However, I wasn’t present for the most previous war, so sister took care of everything quite well.”

“Why not?”

“You’ll learn with time, my friend.”

“You ma’am, are a bitch.” You laughed, giving her a small noogie. It was a risky move since you weren’t as close with Luna as you were with Celestia, but it worked out nicely. In return, Luna nudged you with her hoof and laughed.

“That I am, monkey boy.” She said with a smile. She looked over her shoulder and levitated a glass of wine from the rack and two glasses. “Shall we?”

“We shall.”