Penance

By: LeatherPleather on Apr 21st, 2012 | syntax: None | size: 38.25 KB | hits: 179 | expires: Never

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This is chapter two. Chapter 1 is Excommunicated.
>You awaken
>You sit bolt upright
>Your vision is hazy but you can make out masks one each side of the wall
>Your shoulder and leg is wrapped in soft bandage
>Your deluded plans of getting home lay behind you
>Equestria is your home now
>And you will dutifully take up your position as monster
>Although you must have an ally
>Here you were, your wounds bandaged
>The wolves were not allowed to finish their meal
>This was an increasingly elusive feeling
>Although it was good to have it back
>You try and look around again but your vision is still hazy
>You can make out some details however
>Various masks hang on rounded cream walls
>You turn and sit up putting your feet on the floor
>Your soles are met by slightly warm wooden decking
>The haze of this room was overpowering but comfortable
>The scene laid before you is illuminated by a fire in the middle of the room
>A large iron cauldron quietly bubbles in the centre of the room sputtering strange liquids onto nearby floors and occasionally into the fire
>This would cause small multi-coloured plumes of flame to silently jet
>You become more aware of your surroundings as moments pass
>The haze of your vision had dissipated slightly as you gained awareness
>Strange phials of all shapes and sizes adorn shelf on the other side of the room
>You stand
>The blanket that was laid over you falls to your feet
>It feels like you haven't stood for a while
>You can feel it in your legs
>You stretch your arms and back
>You take a deep breath and vapours from the air wash over you
>You feel tension release from your muscles
>You're feeling pretty refreshed now
>You sit back down and rest your face in your hands
>Everything had blown up
>But someone must have looked out for you
>You gently massage your temples recline on your makeshift bed
>You notice you were sleeping on some kind of wooden bench
>You further notice while looking down that your legs are bandaged in several places
>Didn't seem to hurt under those bandages though
>You decide to leave them be though
>You listen to the soothing simmer of the cauldron while you wait for whoever had taken care of you to make themselves known
>Hopefully it would know English too
>Every pone in and around Ponyville spoke it
>Yeh this thing should, you couldn't have been moved that far away as the language would have changed
>Although, with this place who knows
>A short while passes and a door in a next room can be heard opening
>You stand at this sound and wait with almost feverish anxiety
>You hear the sound of hooves on wood
>From the doorway appears small black and white stripy horse
>Seems much closer to a small zebra than a horse
>Although you couldn't remember the actual differences
>Her neck and legs are graced by gold rings
>She has a gold ear piercing too
>”You're finally awake I see. Please sit down, I'll make us tea.”
>You take a seat and watch as she boils some water in an iron kettle
>It swiftly boils on the open fire
>A thousand burning questions
>You open your mouth to begin a question
>”I'm sure you have much to ask, but first I request that you drink from this flask,”
>She pours out some boiling water into a flask and a familiar aroma fills the room
>It's most certainly tea
>She pushes the flask along the ground with her nose to your foot and steps back
>The vividness of her turquoise eyes catches you off guard for a moment as you reach down for the flask
>You bring the flask up to your mouth and take a sip
>It was no where near as hot as you predicted it would be
>The rich taste of Darjeeling floods your tongue
>After living on apples for the past week the taste of this almost made you jump for joy
“So,”
>You begin with your most pressing question
“How long was I out for?”
>”The moon has waxed and waned entirely, since I found you breathing defiantly”
>A month?!
>”If I hadn't been heading that way that night, you would not have survived that grizzly fight,”
>You sip your tea as she continues her rhyme
>”I threw down the flash powder I carry on me, in surviving these forests such things, they are key,”
>”The wolves ran in terror, aware of their error,”
>”I was shocked any thing could survive such damage, but it was apparently true that your body could manage,”
>”For 30 nights and 30 days where you sit you did lay,”
>”You had many visitors, my friends from the town, they didn't stay for long, but one stuck around,”
>”Young Applebloom was often by your side, she told me of your valiance, of how you'd saved her hide”
>”She left you a gift made me promise you'd get it,”
>She gestures towards the a table made from a tree stump
>You see the straw doll you'd made her during your time in the barn
>You smile and pick it up
>”She'll be glad to hear that you gladly accept it,”
>”For now you should lay, it's the end of the day,”
>“Tomorrow will be brighter, your burden much lighter,”
>You lay back, clutching the little straw figure in one hand
>The zebras faux African accent was soothing
>Combined with the tea and hazy atmosphere it was hard to resist falling back to sleep
>She'd answered a large proportion of your queries with her monologue
>And it all rhymed
>For now it seemed like rest was best
>Now you're doing it
>A hoof gently brushes over your eyelids and you close them
>You quickly fall back into a restful sleep
------------------------
>You're sitting in Zecora's house
>You stare into the distance at nothing in particular and sip a cup of the nicely brewed tea
>The talk you had yesterday with your host swirls in your mind with the one you'd had earlier
>She had removed the bandages cocooning your shoulder and legs shortly after you woke up this morning
>Large bite mark scars now permanently litter your shoulder and arm
>Bites and scratches had left their eternal marks on your legs too
>You had become fast friends with Zecora over the course of the day
>Her understanding coupled with the fact you were indebted to her your life made sure of this
>She had introduced herself and explained of her times of prejudice
>She seemed already informed of your plight by young Applebloom
>For her the towns ponies had hid in their houses each time she came for supplies
>They had gotten much bolder since then it seems
>At one point you had asked her how she was able to take care of you so well
>She'd seen bipedal hairless creatures back in the far away land she was from
>Your heart had skipped a beat at this
>She saw the hope well in your eyes and was quick to add how different these things were
>You stoically sip your beverage
>You're sharply brought into the present at the sound of hooves walking up the pathway into Zecoras
>Zecora had left for town in the morning before you'd woken up and spread the word of you having come out of your coma
>You stand as the door is pushed open
>Applebloom bursts into the room and rushes you
>You kneel and she jumps up into your arms
>You embrace
>She begins to well up as you hold her and you attempt to comfort her by stroking her cherry red mane
>After a short while she breaks the embrace and looks up at you with her large round eyes
>She tries to put her thoughts into words
>”A. . . Anon. . . I. . .”
>You interrupt
“It's alright, don't worry about it,”
>This shatters her visage and she begins to cry in your arms
>You pull her tight
>You can understand
>This must have been quite the roller coaster of a month for her
>More than a little girl should really have to deal with
>Another short while passes and Zecoras door is pushed open again
>You expect to see Zecora step through but your eyes are met by Applejacks
>You release Applebloom and stand up straight
>Applebloom turns in front of you and looks at her big sister
>Applejack breaks the silence
>”I heard what ya did for ma little sister and I just wanted to say ah'm sorry,”
>”There's no way I can repay ya for what ya for her did but I can say ah'm sorely sorry for running you out of town,”
>”I didn't listen to her when ah should have and acted rashly just by how ya look,”
>She steps forwards and offers you a hoof
>You discern a sincere look in her eye
>You interpret this as an offer of a handshake and potential friendship
>You pause for a moment and concider the fork ahead of you
>You can reject her apology and go it alone in a strange world
>Maybe meet up with the griffins Applebloom had mentioned
>Although having to go through all this mess again
>On the other hand you could accept the friendship of these xenophobic ponies and attempt to salvage something here
>You already have two friends
>This could work
>You crouch down so you are eye level with Applejack
>You reach out and gently clasp her outstretched hoof
“You can call me Anon,”
>And so the circle was completed
>Applejack owed you and you owed Zecora
>Should just cut out the middleman and have Applejack owe Zecora somehow
>Heh
”So what happens now? I'm not really from this place and I seem to be the only human here for a long old way.”
>”Well I owe ya one Anon and will for a long time. If ya need a place ta stay for a while I'd be more than happy ta make room,”
“I'll have to hold you to that.”
>And with that she tips her hat with her hoof, turns and leaves
>It felt odd talking to her even after making your precarious amends
>She had literally gathered her friends and run you out of town
>Although she thought you'd attacked town and certainly heard of the tree-house incident
>
>But these are clearly the equivalents of humans here
>Hell, they control the weather and the sun and moon
>You wonder for a moment what would happen if they just decided to stop or weren't able to for what ever reason
>And before these ponies existed how did the weather change?
>You'd also resigned yourself to never seeing another human face
>A well of conflicted emotions bubbles within you
>On the one hand you're the last of your species here
>You'd never settle down and have kids
>You'd never make jokes about the every day plight of your fellow man with your fellow man
>No one would ever know that feel
>On the other hand you can make a new life here, you can start completely afresh
>You have no ties here, you could be anything and anyone you wished
>Maybe you could even put some humans technologies to use
>You talk and laugh with Applebloom about the events of the last month
>After a time Zecora returned
>You had asked her what you could possibly do to pay her back
>She simply told you that she was repaying you for helping Applebloom
>You externally accept it but internally decide you would have to help her out in some major way in the future
>She lets you know you can stay another night
>After that you'll have to leave
>Zecora had brought some food back from the town
>She began creating a small feast for the three of you and you took this as a chance to step outside
>Applebloom and you sit on the steps leading up to Zecoras front door
>You lean back against to door and look up at the sun setting
>”Ah really hope you can forgive us all, we've not be that nice to ya I know but they always meant well
“Really don't worry about it, I'm sure if I get to know them I'll find them to be OK.”
>She didn't say any more
>You reach into your pocket and run your fingers over the straw doll
>It would serve as a reminder of what transpired over the last month
>A reminder you would hold onto
>And with the prospect of meeting the rest of the very ponies that chased you down like a beast on the horizon, you only sit back with one of the best friends you've ever had
>Filled with a mild mirth you watch as Celestia sets the radiant Equestrian sun
------------------------
>You're moving into Applejacks today
>Zecoras kindness had run out
>Before Applebloom had left late the day before you had asked her to let the rest of the Apple family know you were going to take up Applejacks offer
>It was presumptuous but you really needed a decent place to stay
>You lay staring at the ceiling on your makeshift mattress
>The weight of the prospect of moving in with the Apples sits heavily on your shoulders
>Moving would be no problem
>You have nothing but yourself to move
>It strikes you again you've still not told them about how you harvested the apples
>This could be an easy way to get some of whatever currency they use around here
>It's probably pebbles
>Well whatever it is you were certainly a more efficient Apple picker than these ponies
>And you had entire wealth of humanities knowledge at your disposal
>You can dazzle them with fireworks and become king of the tiny xenophobes
>Although if they have magic that's probably gonna seem pre-tty lame
>You sigh and get up
>You move towards the room where Zecora is to let her know you're off
>She's balancing upside down on a single thin bamboo pole
“I'm, erm,”
>You take in the scene and talk a little more tentatively, as not to disturb her bizarre ritual
“gonna shoot off.”
>Without moving so much as one of her closed eyelids she replies
>”I sincerely hope the next time that we meet, you aren't quickly sliding down deaths fair street.”
>You let out a breath and give a genuine smile
“Me too. I hope to see you round soon Zecora.”
>”I'm sure you will new friend, our friendships is not at an end,”
>You turn and begin to leave
>As you step out of the door you turn back towards Zecoras house and with a raised voice you say
“I'm gonna find a way to pay you back you know.”
>You hear a crescendo, the sound of a tumbling zebra into various pots and pans
>You chuckle to yourself
>And so you begin on the path back to Sweet Apple Acres
>As you step along the makeshift path you absorb the atmosphere
>The air here felt much cleaner and more breathable than back home
>The trees seemed greener and the sky brighter
>You hadn't had the chance to really take it in before but the whole world here was much more vivid, much more real
>As if a more refined, more pastel brush was used to paint the details of this land
>You could get used to this
>You could really get used to this
>The walk was enjoyable
>It was the first time you'd really stretched your newly scarred legs and it felt good to be out and about again without threat of being mobbed
>You could feel the tension in your muscles gently leave you as the trees around you whisper with the slowly passing winds
>The Everfree forest sure is different during the day
>As the rolling hills of Sweet Apple Acres came into view you were almost disappointed your short journey through the Everfree was over
>You can see in the distance the small farmhouse where the Apple family resides
>You look into the sky and see a smattering of pegasi whizzing from cloud to cloud
>Each cloud they touch seems to dissipate into the atmosphere
>They seem to be literally clearing the clouds from the sky
>You notice one of them is the blue pegasus from before
>You hope she's heard the word of your true nature and/or wouldn't notice you strolling through these orchards
>In no time at all you reach the Apple family farmhouse
>You walk up the steps and gingerly tap the outer netted door
>You hear shuffling from within the house and almost hold your breath with expectation
>The inner door is pulled open and your gaze is met by an excited Applebloom and a large red pony
>You still easily tower over him though
>Applebloom shoves open the outer door and hugs your leg
>”Anon! I'm so glad ya came!”
>You crouch and place your hand on the back of her head
“And I'm glad I could come Applebloom. How ya been squirt?”
>”Ah been alright. This is my big brother Big Mac!”
>You stand straight, careful not to hit your head on the beams of the over hanging porch
>You exchange stern looks with Big Mac
>You reach out your hand
>He hesitates
>His eyes don't leave yours even for a moment
>He reaches out a hoof to meet your hand
>“I'm Big Mac.”
“I'm Anon.”
>He nods and softens his gaze into a smile
>Applebloom jumps with excitement
>”Ah'm so glad you two are gonna be such good friends!”
>She starts tugging on your the leg of your jeans, trying to bring pull you inside
>”Come in Anon I set up a whole bit for you!”
>You stumble forward past Big Mac, off balanced a little by Applebloom's tugs
>You duck a little under the lowness of the door
>You instinctively crane your neck a little in reaction to the ceiling being barely a foot taller than yourself
>As you step into a hallway
>In each direction is archways
>You can see an elderly pony in the kitchen preparing some kind of baked good
>You notice on every wall a multitude of shelves
>Each shelf is covered in various trinkets, ornaments and family photos
>You'd have to nose around closer later
>For now Applebloom is eager to show you the fruits of her labour
>She bounds up the hall stairs and you do your best to keep up
>She disappears around a corner at the top of the stairs
>”Come ahn Anon!”
>You follow the sound of her voice and come to what seems to be a spare room
>A small double bed sits in the middle of the room covered by a quilt and 4 pillows
>It was also covered in a whole bunch of the straw from the barn
>”Tadaaaa!”
>She jumps up while shouting this, her face beaming
>You begin laughing
>”So, waddaya think?”
>You're pretty sure you've just contracted diabetes
>Through a grin you couldn't stifle if you tried you exclaim
“It's great. It really is.”
>She ramps her excitement up to eleven
>“I'm so glad you like it! It took me ages to get this stuff up here.”
>She motions towards some of the straw
>”Come downstairs anon you can meet Granny!”
>She merrily skips out of the room and down the stairs
>You begin to step out of the room and are immediately met by a door frame to the dome
>You let out a self stifled growl as a dull pain shoots through your skull
>You hear a feminine laugh erupt down the hallway
>Applejack had seen you headbutt the door and is feeling the full force of the funny side of it
>You furiously rub the impact point in a futile attempt to lessen the blow
>Her laughter dies down and she speaks
>”Well howdy Anon! I see you're getting acquainted with the layout of the place.”
“Cute pun Applejack.”
>The pain in your head quickly fades
>”So how ya finding the place so far?”
“It's cosy, it really has a family feel to it. Yeh, it's nice.”
>”Well I'm glad ya like it Anon.”
>You immediately see where Applebloom gets the way she talks from
>She must look up to her big sister
>You think back to your own family
>For a moment you are overcome with a feeling of yearning for them
>You, if only for a moment, wished you'd spent just a little more time with them
>Applejack pulls you back into the moment
>”Thinking about yer family, Anon?”
“Yeh. . .”
>Your reply is wistful
>”I don't pretend to know what it must be like to know you might never see em again but there was a time when I was apart from ma family.”
>”It's missing ma family which gave me ma cutie mark,”
>She turns side on to you so you can see the pattern the fur on her hind makes
>You're immediately comforted
>It was an indescribable feeling but you knew she was talking from the deepest region of her heart
>”Speaking of my cutie mark it means I'm built for bucking apples. And speaking of that ah reckon it was you who was collectin the apples during the night seein as how it stopped the day me and the girls, err,”
>She pauses and for a moment looks away from you before continuing
>“Well, y'know.”
>You let out a breath and grin
“Yeh that was me. I just felt like I needed to pay you guys back for letting me squat in your barn.”
>”I've never heard of anything that efficient other than a unicorn at gatherin apples.”
>”Can humans do magic, Anon?”
“Naa we can't, I suppose we're similar to the earth ponies here insofar as not being able to do magic or fly.”
>”Well I'm gonna work out how much ah owe you for ya work then cause that seriously helped us out. Big Mac has a habit of hurtin himself ya see.”
“You really don't owe me anything Applej-.”
>She interrupts
>”I'm not gonna be hearin any o' that kinda talk Anon. Ah'm gonna work out how much ah owe ya for, an that's that.”
>Her stubbornness was endearing
“Doesn't seem like I have much choice then,”
>You smile widely at Applejack and she smiles back
>You gesture towards the stairs as if to motion that she should go first and she accepts
>You follow her down the stairs and into the kitchen
>You see that Applebloom has been roped into helping Granny Smith prepare some sort of meal
>She's up on a box standing over the sink haphazardly slicing apples with a clearly blunt knife
>Granny Smith is slowly but surely manoeuvring about the kitchen overseeing the orchestra of cooking occurring gradually beneath her eagle like gaze
>Applejack nods her head towards the living room and you walk in
>She closely follows you and you sit on one of the small sofas
>You mutually bond over a long conversation about some of the finer points of Equestria from simple things like what the currency is called to things like the names of the other ponies who had, well, y'know.
>It's was a load off your shoulders that she was being so friendly
>Your conversation is ended by Granny Smith shouting for the rest of the Apple troop to assemble for their meal
>You elect to kneel at the Apple family table in order to spare the life of an innocent chair
>While eating the various Apple based products at the request of two sisters you regale them of your wolf encounter in the woods and how you saved Applebloom
>Even after you finished your food you all remained at the table and talked
>Big Mac didn't say much and you were sure granny smith had fallen asleep but the two Apple sisters made very good conversation
>As the day waned the Apples went up to bed and you retired too
>It had been a good day but you were looking forward to finally being able to rest in a nice soft bed
>As you approach the bed it becomes obvious it would be far too small
>You take back the covers and lay within it's soft embrace
>Warmth floods over you as the lady of the night sweetly serenades you into a peaceful sleep
>Your dreams are happy this night
------------------------
>You're gently pushed into the world of the awake by the sun rising over the windowsill of your new bedroom
>You roll over and return to sleep a few times
>You'd expected to be awoken by one of the Apples for whatever reason they had decided
>They seemed like the kind of people who
>Ponies you mean
>Like the kind of ponies who would wake you for breakfast or to help with the chores or something
>Ah well
>The softness of the bed had given you whiplash for your hubris
>It felt like fucking whiplash anyway
>You leave your bed and begin to meticulously remake the bed
>You stand back and admire your work
>Your day had begun with a small victory over the bed
>Fuck you bed
>You'd pushed a lot of the straw Applebloom had put on there off the bed in your sleep
>It'd be alright on the floor for now
>Right now you were hungering pretty hard
>Last nights meal had been measly
>These tiny ponies do not eat any where near the same amount as a human does
>Should have mentioned it
>You walk downstairs and find Granny smith asleep on her rocking chair in the living room
>You listen for a moment and the house sounds empty
>You look out of the window and catch a glimpse of Applejack harvesting apples in the distance
>Following the growls of your stomach you walk outside and with hungry eyes spy an apple
>You head towards the tree and lazily pluck the shiniest one you can
>You take a loud bite from it and continue towards where you saw Applejack
>As you approached where you saw her you could hear the sound of talking
>You could clearly hear Applejacks voice
>The other voices however where different
>One was an strained feminine voice
>The other was a more high pitched voice
>This voice sounded much happier than the others
>Maybe excited is a better word
>You eventually entered the clearing they are in and greeted by three ponies
>Applejack and two others
>A pink one with a dark pink mane and the flying blue one you saw clearing the skies
>The pink goes nuclear when she sees you
>She skips off into the distance
>Applejack introduces you to the remaining blue, rainbow maned pegasus
>"Anon this Rainbow dash. Rainbow Dash, Anon.
>She gestured between the two of you as she says your names
"So, Rainbow Dash. I saw you clearing the clouds yesterday, that was pretty impressive."
>Her face immediately softens
>You pushed the right button
>"Yeh that was pretty cool of me wasn't it."
>You let out a laugh at her arrogance
"So Applejack, is there anything I can help with?"
>"Well ya would be a good help round here but Twilight really wanted ta see ya today,"
"Did Twilight mention why?"
>Applejack had told you of Twilight the day before
>You could basically sum up your impression of her from Applejack as bookworm
>As accurate as this might be she apparently wanted to see you
>"Well, she muttered something about the princess or somethin. Rainbow Dash would you be willing to take Anon there?"
>"You want me to walk this huge lug around town,"
>Damn Rainbow Dash
>Damn
>Applejack was quick on the defence
>"We'll have less of that kinda talk, I told ya what he did for Applebloom didn't I?"
>She glimpses over to you briefly at the end of her retort
>Rainbow Dash begrudgingly replies
>"Fine, but if everyone freaks out I'm not gonna be held responsible."
>They hadn't even asked you if you wanted to go yet
>Maybe you didn't even want to go and see some namby pamby pony princess
>"So Anon, will you go with Rainbow here to see what Twilight wants?"
"Sure. Is it alright if I grab a couple of apples for the road."
>"Sure take what ya need."
"Oh and, Applejack,"
>You say this while reaching up to a tree
"Why didn't you wake me up if Twilight was looking for me?"
>"Well Anon I don'y know how long humans sleep for, ya never said. Ya see dragons here sleep for a hundred years,"
"Fair enough,"
>You say this through a laugh
>You imagine what they would have done if you'd gone to sleep for one hundred years in the guest bedroom
>You pick an apple in each hand and begin to follow Rainbow Dash
>She flies backwards in front of you, eyeing you as she flies
>"So what kind of creature are you?"
"I'm a human."
>She pauses for a moment
>"I see."
>She continues flying backwards eyeing you up
>"How fast can you go?"
"Humans aren't really the fast guys, we're more the far guys."
>"Cool."
>She didn't seem very enthusiastic
>The questioning continued in this fashion
>At one point she challenged you to a race
>You declined
>She can obviously fly faster than you can run and being seen chasing after her into town probably wasn't the best idea
>She seemed miffed at being declined a race
>As you reached the outer houses of the town a loud bustling comes into earshot be heard
>This looked like a tiny village to you the last time you were here
>Sounded like a lot of ponies can live in a small space
>You continue further in and the bustling stops
>You reach a market place area
>All the ponies had stopped
>They had all stopped and are just staring at you
>The entire market is silenced purely by your presence
>Rainbow Dash does not seem phased by this and continues flying on
>You stop still
>Rainbow Dash doesn't notice and just keeps heading for Twilights
>Rainbow Dash fades into the distance
>You look around where you stand
>Every time you meet the gaze of one of the ponies they look to the ground or away
>You've never felt like such an outsider
>At least this was better than mass hysteria
>You collected yourself and continued walking
>Rainbow Dash had flown over the crowd which was now parting before you
>Nothing but the sound of your feet and the hoofsteps of those moving away can be heard
>You continue where you think Rainbow Dash has gone and find her waiting outside of a large tree
>As you pass the market scene the sound of hundreds of whispers floods the air
>Let them judge
>It is of no concern to you
>You approach the door of this enormous hollowed out tree
>Twilight must dwell within
>Rainbow Dash gestures to the door
>"Welp, this is it. See ya round."
>Rainbow Dash takes this as her queue to leave
>You knock on the red door and expect to be met by a purple unicorn
>Instead the door is pulled open by a small lizard
"Hey is Twilight in,"
>You waste no time with idle chit-chat
>You are on an important mission
>The princess or something is something
>You have no idea
>In the little guys favour he didn't seem the least bit shocked by your appearance
>"Yeh..Twilight's in the back, follow me."
>You follow him into the abode
>Coating every wall is shelves of books
>Just endless shelves of books
>In a big dead tree
>It had to be magic or some shit that this place hadn't burn to the ground
>It had what you worked out to be a dragon living in it aswell
>These ponies sure do love to live on the edge
>You reach a back room
>Books are spread around and a pony is in the middle feverishly reading
>She notices you walk into her room
>"Ah Anon! You finally made it! I've been reading through a whole bunch of my books and there really is nothing on what you are!"
"That's a shame."
>You tried to sound sincere but it didn't come across
"Apparently the Princess wants to see me or something?"
>"Yes she does Anon."
>She hands a letter to the young dragon
>He blows green flame over it and it dissipates into the air
"That was pretty swanky,"
>Twilight pauses
>"My magic doesn't work on you at all. You have the same immunity to magic dragons do."
"What does that mean for me?"
>"It's nothing bad, it's just a little frustrating."
>You can imagine
>"We really need you to go and visit the princess as soon as possible."
"What does she want with me?"
>"Well, first and foremost she wants to take a look at you for herself."
>"She probably wants to be sure you're not going to be a problem to us here."
>"I had sent her a letter detailing of how you'd attacked the town a while back and another when you'd attacked the Appleblooms tree house."
>"Oh, and one more when we'd run you out of Sweet Apple Acres."
"Wow."
>Your brow is firmly furrowed at this point
"You must understand I wasn't attacking the town."
>"I understand that now but at the time it was pretty convincing that you were."
"What by how I walked into town? By how I ran away when you attacked?"
>You stop yourself
"Let's leave the past in the past, eh?"
>"Please understand I only sent these things to her because I feared for the safety of the ponies here."
>"If a new magically immune creature came into town and started hurting ponies the princess would have to come and do something."
>Your brow remains furrowed
>Your jimmies are in an unspeakable state of disrepair
>"Anyhow, the letter I just sent will have a carriage sent for you."
>"This will take you to Canterlot and you can meet with the princess in person."
>A silence hangs over the room until a knock on the door is heard
>"That'll be the carriage now."
>She leads you to the front door and shows you outside
>Waiting outside is a beautifully crafted chariot
>A pair of powerful looking pegasus are reined to the front
>A stern looking pegasus greets you and directs you to the silvery chariot
>You step on
>The stern looking pegasus steps on too and closes the short door
>You sit
>The pegasus on the front begin to flap their wings at the command of the stern looking pony
>This begins your journey to meet the Celestial Goddess of this world
------------------------
>You are on your way to Canterlot
>In style
>The wind blows gently against your face
>It ripples along your bedraggled clothes
>You fly in a golden chariot pulled by two powerful pegasi
>A stern looking earth pony sits directly to your side
>You're on your way to meet the being that raises the sun over this world
>At one point you'd peered over the side of the chariot
>You see the tiny tree tops below
>There are settlements scattered all across the forests
>You look back towards Ponyville
>It's actually pretty beautiful from this view
>The entire view was
>You can see the entirety of the Everfree
>The leaves of the trees stretch far into the distance, their expansion blocked only by a distant shimmering desert
>Canterlot quickly approaches
>It's magnificent
>The buildings are of the purest white without being blinding under the sun
>The rooftops are all of gold and purple
>A huge waterfall runs down the back of the giant cliff this city is planted into the side of
>This really is a palace city
>You land with a thump on a smooth white paved area
>This area is filled with other chariots coming and going
>The pony you're sat with jumps up almost the moment you land
>As you roll to a halt he hops out and opens the door on your side
>The door is so short it's a non factor in stopping you climbing out
>You exit your vehicle with a hop and give a nod to the pony who sat with you
>The pegasi who were pulling your cart look extremely tired but remain standing upright and proud
>The Earth pony you came with points you in the direction of a huge archway leading into the largest of the buildings
>You give a smile and a nod to him and head on
>You hadn't noticed but the entire area was silenced by your arrival
>Some ponies had gasped and ran, others just stood and stared
>This reaction was quickly becoming the norm
>Their stares were to be expected
>At least they're more docile than the Ponyvillians
>You are pointed in the right direction by pre-informed guards
>You begin passing through the stone labyrinth
>This entire palace looked like a huge feat of engineering for creatures without hands
>Although, come to think of it, a little disappointing for creatures who can use magic
>After being bounced around a few guards you come to huge hallway
>Each side is lined with guards
>Each guard is more identical than the next
>As you walk none of them moves a single millimetre
>You approach the end of the hall and a towering set of doors
>Every guard in the hall comes to attention
>The sound of hoof on marble echoes throughout the hall
>This startles you a little
>The purple doors in front of you comes alive
>It's golden patterns begin sliding and whirling on it's surface
>The doors burst open and a gust of wind rushes forward
>You shield your eyes
>A soothing wave follows the gust
>You lower your arm and there stands she
>A pearly white furred regal creature whose hair flows seemed to flow on the still wind stands before you
>She seemed to shine out of the shadow of the doorway she stands in
>She bears a small smile
>Her melodious voice fills the entire hall
>"Anonymous. I have been expecting you. Please, step into my throne room."
>You simply comply, following the vision before you
>As you step into her sanctum the doors close behind you
>The patterns of the door swirl back into place
>The room seems endlessly tall
>A large fire peacefully crackles in a fireplace on the furthest wall
>Covering every wall are huge stain glass windows depicting various scenes
>A large set of steps lead up to a throne
>A red carpet leads down the centre of the room
>"Do you know why you are here, Anonymous?"
"No, I don't. Twilight said something about you wanting to see me in person."
>She lets out an ariose laugh
>"Indeed she would have. I have never seen a creature like you in all my years of life. You are not a creature of Equestria, are you?"
"I don't know. I went to sleep in a forest and here I am. There was a thunderstorm and then I don't know. I'm not from anywhere around here though that's for sure."
>"How have my little ponies been treating you?"
"They've. . ."
>You pause for a moment
". . .warmed to me."
>She gives a warm smile
>"Anonymous, have you considered what you will do now? I would be more than willing to attempt to integrate you into Ponyville."
"I haven't really thought about it. I mean, while it's a great offer I'm not sure I fit in with them at all. They just stare and whisper."
>Your thoughts turn to the Apple family, of their hospitality, of Applebloom. You think of how Zecora had saved your life and insisted nothing in return.
>But then there's being run out of town.
>Twice.
>There's the hushed whispers of judging crowds
>There's Twilight who put the word out about you being a dangerous creature without even a moments thought about an attempt to communicate
>Celestia begins to speak before you have a chance to give a definite answer
>"You must understand they are very afraid of you. You are quite a large creature, and you appear to be magically immune."
>Her horn glows and you feel a very mild tingle, much duller than before
>The tears in your clothes begin to close and repair, the dirt seeming to fade
>She maintained her appearance, the other unicorns having to screw up their face in the past it became clear she was experienced in whatever magic she was doing
>"This is the same immunity the dragons of this land have and can be very frustrating to unicorns. I think however that I can help them to change their mind on you being a monster."
>"If you choose to stay with us here, I'll ensure they do not fear you. Further than that, however, is in your own hands. I will ask my student, Twilight to, if only passively, study you and ensure you are no threat, although you seem to have proved that so far. This will be a good lesson for her."
>A silence fills the room and you consider the fork in the road
>You consider the days leading up to your near death experience
>You consider your talks with Applebloom
>Damn do you ever consider
"I will accept your offer of integration, Princess. "
>As you finish your sentence a letter bursts forth from the fire
>Celestia levitates it towards her, all the while undoing the red ribbon that binds it
>It unravels in front of her she briefly scans the page
>She gently levitates it to a small table next to the fire
>She picks up one of two on the table and evaporates it in the air
>"Everything is in place for you. I have arranged for you to stay with Twilight until a better, more fitting resident is open to you. A job offer is open to you at a place called Sugarcube Corner, you can accept this or stay with the Apples as you have been. What you did for Applebloom has indebted them to you. It is up to you and you don't have to decide now. First we will go back to the village. Come."

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This is chapter two. Chapter 1 is Excommunicated.

>You awaken
>You sit bolt upright
>Your vision is hazy but you can make out masks one each side of the wall 
>Your shoulder and leg is wrapped in soft bandage
>Your deluded plans of getting home lay behind you
>Equestria is your home now
>And you will dutifully take up your position as monster
>Although you must have an ally
>Here you were, your wounds bandaged
>The wolves were not allowed to finish their meal
>This was an increasingly elusive feeling
>Although it was good to have it back
>You try and look around again but your vision is still hazy
>You can make out some details however
>Various masks hang on rounded cream walls
>You turn and sit up putting your feet on the floor
>Your soles are met by slightly warm wooden decking
>The haze of this room was overpowering but comfortable
>The scene laid before you is illuminated by a fire in the middle of the room
>A large iron cauldron quietly bubbles in the centre of the room sputtering strange liquids onto nearby floors and occasionally into the fire
>This would cause small multi-coloured plumes of flame to silently jet
>You become more aware of your surroundings as moments pass 
>The haze of your vision had dissipated slightly as you gained awareness
>Strange phials of all shapes and sizes adorn shelf on the other side of the room
>You stand

>The blanket that was laid over you falls to your feet
>It feels like you haven't stood for a while
>You can feel it in your legs
>You stretch your arms and back
>You take a deep breath and vapours from the air wash over you
>You feel tension release from your muscles
>You're feeling pretty refreshed now
>You sit back down and rest your face in your hands
>Everything had blown up
>But someone must have looked out for you
>You gently massage your temples recline on your makeshift bed
>You notice you were sleeping on some kind of wooden bench
>You further notice while looking down that your legs are bandaged in several places
>Didn't seem to hurt under those bandages though
>You decide to leave them be though
>You listen to the soothing simmer of the cauldron while you wait for whoever had taken care of you to make themselves known
>Hopefully it would know English too
>Every pone in and around Ponyville spoke it
>Yeh this thing should, you couldn't have been moved that far away as the language would have changed
>Although, with this place who knows

>A short while passes and a door in a next room can be heard opening
>You stand at this sound and wait with almost feverish anxiety
>You hear the sound of hooves on wood
>From the doorway appears small black and white stripy horse
>Seems much closer to a small zebra than a horse
>Although you couldn't remember the actual differences
>Her neck and legs are graced by gold rings
>She has a gold ear piercing too
>”You're finally awake I see. Please sit down, I'll make us tea.”
>You take a seat and watch as she boils some water in an iron kettle
>It swiftly boils on the open fire
>A thousand burning questions
>You open your mouth to begin a question
>”I'm sure you have much to ask, but first I request that you drink from this flask,”
>She pours out some boiling water into a flask and a familiar aroma fills the room
>It's most certainly tea
>She pushes the flask along the ground with her nose to your foot and steps back
>The vividness of her turquoise eyes catches you off guard for a moment as you reach down for the flask

>You bring the flask up to your mouth and take a sip
>It was no where near as hot as you predicted it would be
>The rich taste of Darjeeling floods your tongue
>After living on apples for the past week the taste of this almost made you jump for joy
“So,”
>You begin with your most pressing question
“How long was I out for?”
>”The moon has waxed and waned entirely, since I found you breathing defiantly”
>A month?!
>”If I hadn't been heading that way that night, you would not have survived  that grizzly fight,”
>You sip your tea as she continues her rhyme
>”I threw down the flash powder I carry on me, in surviving these forests such things, they are key,”
>”The wolves ran in terror, aware of their error,”
>”I was shocked any thing could survive such damage, but it was apparently true that your body could manage,”
>”For 30 nights and 30 days where you sit you did lay,”
>”You had many visitors, my friends from the town, they didn't stay for long, but one stuck around,”
>”Young Applebloom was often by your side, she told me of your valiance, of how you'd saved her hide”
>”She left you a gift made me promise you'd get it,”

>She gestures towards the a table made from a tree stump
>You see the straw doll you'd made her during your time in the barn
>You smile and pick it up
>”She'll be glad to hear that you gladly accept it,”
>”For now you should lay, it's the end of the day,”
>“Tomorrow will be brighter, your burden much lighter,”
>You lay back, clutching the little straw figure in one hand
>The zebras faux African accent was soothing
>Combined with the tea and hazy atmosphere it was hard to resist falling back to sleep
>She'd answered a large proportion of your queries with her monologue
>And it all rhymed
>For now it seemed like rest was best
>Now you're doing it
>A hoof gently brushes over your eyelids and you close them
>You quickly fall back into a restful sleep

------------------------

>You're sitting in Zecora's house
>You stare into the distance at nothing in particular and sip a cup of the nicely brewed tea
>The talk you had yesterday with your host swirls in your mind with the one you'd had earlier
>She had removed the bandages cocooning your shoulder and legs shortly after you woke up this morning
>Large bite mark scars now permanently litter your shoulder and arm
>Bites and scratches had left their eternal  marks on your legs too
>You had become fast friends with Zecora over the course of the day
>Her understanding coupled with the fact you were indebted to her your life made sure of this
>She had introduced herself and explained of her times of prejudice
>She seemed already informed of your plight by young Applebloom
>For her the towns ponies had hid in their houses each time she came for supplies
>They had gotten much bolder since then it seems
>At one point you had asked her how she was able to take care of you so well
>She'd seen bipedal hairless creatures back in the far away land she was from
>Your heart had skipped a beat at this
>She saw the hope well in your eyes and was quick to add how different these things were
>You stoically sip your beverage
>You're sharply brought into the present at the sound of hooves walking up the pathway into Zecoras

>Zecora had left for town in the morning before you'd woken up and spread the word of you having come out of your coma
>You stand as the door is pushed open
>Applebloom bursts into the room and rushes you
>You kneel and she jumps up into your arms
>You embrace
>She begins to well up as you hold her and you attempt to comfort her by stroking her cherry red mane
>After a short while she breaks the embrace and looks up at you with her large round eyes
>She tries to put her thoughts into words
>”A. . . Anon. . . I. . .”
>You interrupt
“It's alright, don't worry about it,”
>This shatters her visage and she begins to cry in your arms
>You pull her tight
>You can understand
>This must have been quite the roller coaster of a month for her
>More than a little girl should really have to deal with
>Another short while passes and Zecoras door is pushed open again
>You expect to see Zecora step through but your eyes are met by Applejacks
>You release Applebloom and stand up straight
>Applebloom turns in front of you and looks at her big sister
>Applejack breaks the silence
>”I heard what ya did for ma little sister and I just wanted to say ah'm sorry,”
>”There's no way I can repay ya for what ya for her did but I can say ah'm sorely sorry for running you out of town,”
>”I didn't listen to her when ah should have and acted rashly just by how ya look,”
>She steps forwards and offers you a hoof
>You discern a sincere look in her eye
>You interpret this as an offer of a handshake and potential friendship
>You pause for a moment and concider the fork ahead of you

>You can reject her apology and go it alone in a strange world
>Maybe meet up with the griffins Applebloom had mentioned
>Although having to go through all this mess again
>On the other hand you could accept the friendship of these xenophobic ponies and attempt to salvage something here
>You already have two friends
>This could work
>You crouch down so you are eye level with Applejack
>You reach out and gently clasp her outstretched hoof
“You can call me Anon,”
>And so the circle was completed
>Applejack owed you and you owed Zecora
>Should just cut out the middleman and have Applejack owe Zecora somehow
>Heh

”So what happens now? I'm not really from this place and I seem to be the only human here for a long old way.”
>”Well I owe ya one Anon and will for a long time. If ya need a place ta stay for a while I'd be more than happy ta make room,”
“I'll have to hold you to that.”
>And with that she tips her hat with her hoof, turns and leaves
>It felt odd talking to her even after making your precarious amends
>She had literally gathered her friends and run you out of town
>Although she thought you'd attacked town and certainly heard of the tree-house incident
>
>But these are clearly the equivalents of humans here
>Hell, they control the weather and the sun and moon
>You wonder for a moment what would happen if they just decided to stop or weren't able to for what ever reason
>And before these ponies existed how did the weather change? 
>You'd also resigned yourself to never seeing another human face
>A well of conflicted emotions bubbles within you
>On the one hand you're the last of your species here
>You'd never settle down and have kids
>You'd never make jokes about the every day plight of your fellow man with your fellow man
>No one would ever know that feel
>On the other hand you can make a new life here, you can start completely afresh
>You have no ties here, you could be anything and anyone you wished
>Maybe you could even put some humans technologies to use

>You talk and laugh with Applebloom about the events of the last month
>After a time Zecora returned
>You had asked her what you could possibly do to pay her back
>She simply told you that she was repaying you for helping Applebloom
>You externally accept it but internally decide you would have to help her out in some major way in the future
>She lets you know you can stay another night 
>After that you'll have to leave
>Zecora had brought some food back from the town
>She began creating a small feast for the three of you and you took this as a chance to step outside
>Applebloom and you sit on the steps leading up to Zecoras front door
>You lean back against to door and look up at the sun setting
>”Ah really hope you can forgive us all, we've not be that nice to ya I know but they always meant well
“Really don't worry about it, I'm sure if I get to know them I'll find them to be OK.”
>She didn't say any more
>You reach into your pocket and run your fingers over the straw doll
>It would serve as a reminder of what transpired over the last month 
>A reminder you would hold onto
>And with the prospect of meeting the rest of the very ponies that chased you down like a beast on the horizon, you only sit back with one of the best friends you've ever had 
>Filled with a mild mirth you watch as Celestia sets the radiant Equestrian sun

------------------------

>You're moving into Applejacks today
>Zecoras kindness had run out
>Before Applebloom had left late the day before you had asked her to let the rest of the Apple family know you were going to take up Applejacks offer
>It was presumptuous but you really needed a decent place to stay
>You lay staring at the ceiling on your makeshift mattress
>The weight of the prospect of moving in with the Apples sits heavily on your shoulders
>Moving would be no problem
>You have nothing but yourself to move
>It strikes you again you've still not told them about how you harvested the apples
>This could be an easy way to get some of whatever currency they use around here
>It's probably pebbles
>Well whatever it is you were certainly a more efficient Apple picker than these ponies
>And you had entire wealth of humanities knowledge at your disposal
>You can dazzle them with fireworks and become king of the tiny xenophobes
>Although if they have magic that's probably gonna seem pre-tty lame
>You sigh and get up
>You move towards the room where Zecora is to let her know you're off
>She's balancing upside down on a single thin bamboo pole
“I'm, erm,”
>You take in the scene and talk a little more tentatively, as not to disturb her bizarre ritual
“gonna shoot off.”

>Without moving so much as one of her closed eyelids she replies
>”I sincerely hope the next time that we meet, you aren't quickly sliding down deaths fair street.”
>You let out a breath and give a genuine smile
“Me too. I hope to see you round soon Zecora.”
>”I'm sure you will new friend, our friendships is not at an end,”
>You turn and begin to leave
>As you step out of the door you turn back towards Zecoras house and with a raised voice you say
“I'm gonna find a way to pay you back you know.”
>You hear a crescendo, the sound of a tumbling zebra into various pots and pans
>You chuckle to yourself
>And so you begin on the path back to Sweet Apple Acres
>As you step along the makeshift path you absorb the atmosphere
>The air here felt much cleaner and more breathable than back home
>The trees seemed greener and the sky brighter
>You hadn't had the chance to really take it in before but the whole world here was much more vivid, much more real
>As if a more refined, more pastel brush was used to paint the details of this land

>You could get used to this
>You could really get used to this
>The walk was enjoyable
>It was the first time you'd really stretched your newly scarred legs and it felt good to be out and about again without threat of being mobbed
>You could feel the tension in your muscles gently leave you as the trees around you whisper with the slowly passing winds
>The Everfree forest sure is different during the day
>As the rolling hills of Sweet Apple Acres came into view you were almost disappointed your short journey through the Everfree was over
>You can see in the distance the small farmhouse where the Apple family resides
>You look into the sky and see a smattering of pegasi whizzing from cloud to cloud
>Each cloud they touch seems to dissipate into the atmosphere
>They seem to be literally clearing the clouds from the sky
>You notice one of them is the blue pegasus from before
>You hope she's heard the word of your true nature and/or wouldn't notice you strolling through these orchards
>In no time at all you reach the Apple family farmhouse
>You walk up the steps and gingerly tap the outer netted door
>You hear shuffling from within the house and almost hold your breath with expectation
>The inner door is pulled open and your gaze is met by an excited Applebloom and a large red pony
>You still easily tower over him though
>Applebloom shoves open the outer door and hugs your leg
>”Anon! I'm so glad ya came!”
>You crouch and place your hand on the back of her head
“And I'm glad I could come Applebloom. How ya been squirt?”
>”Ah been alright. This is my big brother Big Mac!”

>You stand straight, careful not to hit your head on the beams of the over hanging porch
>You exchange stern looks with Big Mac
>You reach out your hand
>He hesitates
>His eyes don't leave yours even for a moment
>He reaches out a hoof to meet your hand
>“I'm Big Mac.”
“I'm Anon.”
>He nods and softens his gaze into a smile
>Applebloom jumps with excitement
>”Ah'm so glad you two are gonna be such good friends!”
>She starts tugging on your the leg of your jeans, trying to bring pull you inside
>”Come in Anon I set up a whole bit for you!”
>You stumble forward past Big Mac, off balanced a little by Applebloom's tugs
>You duck a little under the lowness of the door
>You instinctively crane your neck a little in reaction to the ceiling being barely a foot taller than yourself
>As you step into a hallway
>In each direction is archways
>You can see an elderly pony in the kitchen preparing some kind of baked good
>You notice on every wall a multitude of shelves
>Each shelf is covered in various trinkets, ornaments and family photos
>You'd have to nose around closer later
>For now Applebloom is eager to show you the fruits of her labour
>She bounds up the hall stairs and you do your best to keep up

>She disappears around a corner at the top of the stairs
>”Come ahn Anon!”
>You follow the sound of her voice and come to what seems to be a spare room
>A small double bed sits in the middle of the room covered by a quilt and 4 pillows
>It was also covered in a whole bunch of the straw from the barn
>”Tadaaaa!”
>She jumps up while shouting this, her face beaming
>You begin laughing
>”So, waddaya think?”
>You're pretty sure you've just contracted diabetes
>Through a grin you couldn't stifle if you tried you exclaim
“It's great. It really is.”
>She ramps her excitement up to eleven
>“I'm so glad you like it! It took me ages to get this stuff up here.”
>She motions towards some of the straw
>”Come downstairs anon you can meet Granny!”
>She merrily skips out of the room and down the stairs

>You begin to step out of the room and are immediately met by a door frame to the dome
>You let out a self stifled growl as a dull pain shoots through your skull
>You hear a feminine laugh erupt down the hallway
>Applejack had seen you headbutt the door and is feeling the full force of the funny side of it
>You furiously rub the impact point in a futile attempt to lessen the blow
>Her laughter dies down and she speaks
>”Well howdy Anon! I see you're getting acquainted with the layout of the place.”
“Cute pun Applejack.”
>The pain in your head quickly fades
>”So how ya finding the place so far?”
“It's cosy, it really has a family feel to it. Yeh, it's nice.”
>”Well I'm glad ya like it Anon.” 
>You immediately see where Applebloom gets the way she talks from
>She must look up to her big sister
>You think back to your own family
>For a moment you are overcome with a feeling of yearning for them
>You, if only for a moment, wished you'd spent just a little more time with them
>Applejack pulls you back into the moment
>”Thinking about yer family, Anon?”
“Yeh. . .”
>Your reply is wistful

>”I don't pretend to know what it must be like to know you might never see em again but there was a time when I was apart from ma family.”
>”It's missing ma family which gave me ma cutie mark,”
>She turns side on to you so you can see the pattern the fur on her hind makes
>You're immediately comforted
>It was an indescribable feeling but you knew she was talking from the deepest region of her heart
>”Speaking of my cutie mark it means I'm built for bucking apples. And speaking of that ah reckon it was you who was collectin the apples during the night seein as how it stopped the day me and the girls, err,”
>She pauses and for a moment looks away from you before continuing
>“Well, y'know.”
>You let out a breath and grin
“Yeh that was me. I just felt like I needed to pay you guys back for letting me squat in your barn.”
>”I've never heard of anything that efficient other than a unicorn at gatherin apples.”
>”Can humans do magic, Anon?”
“Naa we can't, I suppose we're similar to the earth ponies here insofar as not being able to do magic or fly.”
>”Well I'm gonna work out how much ah owe you for ya work then cause that seriously helped us out. Big Mac has a habit of hurtin himself ya see.”
“You really don't owe me anything Applej-.”
>She interrupts

>”I'm not gonna be hearin any o' that kinda talk Anon. Ah'm gonna work out how much ah owe ya for, an that's that.”
>Her stubbornness was endearing
“Doesn't seem like I have much choice then,”
>You smile widely at Applejack and she smiles back
>You gesture towards the stairs as if to motion that she should go first and she accepts
>You follow her down the stairs and into the kitchen
>You see that Applebloom has been roped into helping Granny Smith prepare some sort of meal
>She's up on a box standing over the sink haphazardly slicing apples with a clearly blunt knife
>Granny Smith is slowly but surely manoeuvring about the kitchen overseeing the orchestra of cooking occurring gradually beneath her eagle like gaze
>Applejack nods her head towards the living room and you walk in
>She closely follows you and you sit on one of the small sofas

>You mutually bond over a long conversation about some of the finer points of Equestria from simple things like what the currency is called to things like the names of the other ponies who had, well, y'know.
>It's was a load off your shoulders that she was being so friendly
>Your conversation is ended by Granny Smith shouting for the rest of the Apple troop to assemble for their meal
>You elect to kneel at the Apple family table in order to spare the life of an innocent chair
>While eating the various Apple based products at the request of two sisters you regale them of your wolf encounter in the woods and how you saved Applebloom
>Even after you finished your food you all remained at the table and talked
>Big Mac didn't say much and you were sure granny smith had fallen asleep but the two Apple sisters made very good conversation
>As the day waned the Apples went up to bed and you retired too
>It had been a good day but you were looking forward to finally being able to rest in a nice soft bed
>As you approach the bed it becomes obvious it would be far too small
>You take back the covers and lay within it's soft embrace
>Warmth floods over you as the lady of the night sweetly serenades you into a peaceful sleep
>Your dreams are happy this night

------------------------

>You're gently pushed into the world of the awake by the sun rising over the windowsill of your new bedroom
>You roll over and return to sleep a few times
>You'd expected to be awoken by one of the Apples for whatever reason they had decided
>They seemed like the kind of people who
>Ponies you mean
>Like the kind of ponies who would wake you for breakfast or to help with the chores or something
>Ah well
>The softness of the bed had given you whiplash for your hubris
>It felt like fucking whiplash anyway
>You leave your bed and begin to meticulously remake the bed
>You stand back and admire your work
>Your day had begun with a small victory over the bed
>Fuck you bed
>You'd pushed a lot of the straw Applebloom had put on there off the bed in your sleep
>It'd be alright on the floor for now
>Right now you were hungering pretty hard
>Last nights meal had been measly
>These tiny ponies do not eat any where near the same amount as a human does
>Should have mentioned it

>You walk downstairs and find Granny smith asleep on her rocking chair in the living room
>You listen for a moment and the house sounds empty
>You look out of the window and catch a glimpse of Applejack harvesting apples in the distance
>Following the growls of your stomach you walk outside and with hungry eyes spy an apple
>You head towards the tree and lazily pluck the shiniest one you can
>You take a loud bite from it and continue towards where you saw Applejack
>As you approached where you saw her you could hear the sound of talking
>You could clearly hear Applejacks voice
>The other voices however where different
>One was an strained feminine voice
>The other was a more high pitched voice
>This voice sounded much happier than the others
>Maybe excited is a better word
>You eventually entered the clearing they are in and greeted by three ponies
>Applejack and two others
>A pink one with a dark pink mane and the flying blue one you saw clearing the skies
>The pink goes nuclear when she sees you
>She skips off into the distance

>Applejack introduces you to the remaining blue, rainbow maned pegasus
>"Anon this Rainbow dash. Rainbow Dash, Anon.
>She gestured between the two of you as she says your names
"So, Rainbow Dash. I saw you clearing the clouds yesterday, that was pretty impressive."
>Her face immediately softens 
>You pushed the right button
>"Yeh that was pretty cool of me wasn't it."
>You let out a laugh at her arrogance
"So Applejack, is there anything I can help with?"
>"Well ya would be a good help round here but Twilight really wanted ta see ya today,"
"Did Twilight mention why?"
>Applejack had told you of Twilight the day before
>You could basically sum up your impression of her from Applejack as bookworm
>As accurate as this might be she apparently wanted to see you
>"Well, she muttered something about the princess or somethin. Rainbow Dash would you be willing to take Anon there?"
>"You want me to walk this huge lug around town,"
>Damn Rainbow Dash
>Damn

>Applejack was quick on the defence
>"We'll have less of that kinda talk, I told ya what he did for Applebloom didn't I?"
>She glimpses over to you briefly at the end of her retort
>Rainbow Dash begrudgingly replies
>"Fine, but if everyone freaks out I'm not gonna be held responsible."
>They hadn't even asked you if you wanted to go yet
>Maybe you didn't even want to go and see some namby pamby pony princess
>"So Anon, will you go with Rainbow here to see what Twilight wants?"
"Sure. Is it alright if I grab a couple of apples for the road."
>"Sure take what ya need."
"Oh and, Applejack,"
>You say this while reaching up to a tree
"Why didn't you wake me up if Twilight was looking for me?"
>"Well Anon I don'y know how long humans sleep for, ya never said. Ya see dragons here sleep for a hundred years,"
"Fair enough,"
>You say this through a laugh
>You imagine what they would have done if you'd gone to sleep for one hundred years in the guest bedroom
>You pick an apple in each hand and begin to follow Rainbow Dash
>She flies backwards in front of you, eyeing you as she flies
>"So what kind of creature are you?"
"I'm a human."
>She pauses for a moment
>"I see."

>She continues flying backwards eyeing you up
>"How fast can you go?"
"Humans aren't really the fast guys, we're more the far guys."
>"Cool."
>She didn't seem very enthusiastic
>The questioning continued in this fashion
>At one point she challenged you to a race
>You declined
>She can obviously fly faster than you can run and being seen chasing after her into town probably wasn't the best idea
>She seemed miffed at being declined a race
>As you reached the outer houses of the town a loud bustling comes into earshot be heard
>This looked like a tiny village to you the last time you were here
>Sounded like a lot of ponies can live in a small space
>You continue further in and the bustling stops
>You reach a market place area
>All the ponies had stopped
>They had all stopped and are just staring at you
>The entire market is silenced purely by your presence
>Rainbow Dash does not seem phased by this and continues flying on

>You stop still
>Rainbow Dash doesn't notice and just keeps heading for Twilights
>Rainbow Dash fades into the distance
>You look around where you stand
>Every time you meet the gaze of one of the ponies they look to the ground or away
>You've never felt like such an outsider
>At least this was better than mass hysteria
>You collected yourself and continued walking
>Rainbow Dash had flown over the crowd which was now parting before you
>Nothing but the sound of your feet and the hoofsteps of those moving away can be heard
>You continue where you think Rainbow Dash has gone and find her waiting outside of a large tree
>As you pass the market scene the sound of hundreds of whispers floods the air
>Let them judge
>It is of no concern to you
>You approach the door of this enormous hollowed out tree
>Twilight must dwell within
>Rainbow Dash gestures to the door
>"Welp, this is it. See ya round."
>Rainbow Dash takes this as her queue to leave

>You knock on the red door and expect to be met by a purple unicorn
>Instead the door is pulled open by a small lizard
"Hey is Twilight in,"
>You waste no time with idle chit-chat
>You are on an important mission
>The princess or something is something
>You have no idea
>In the little guys favour he didn't seem the least bit shocked by your appearance
>"Yeh..Twilight's in the back, follow me."
>You follow him into the abode
>Coating every wall is shelves of books
>Just endless shelves of books
>In a big dead tree
>It had to be magic or some shit that this place hadn't burn to the ground
>It had what you worked out to be a dragon living in it aswell
>These ponies sure do love to live on the edge
>You reach a back room
>Books are spread around and a pony is in the middle feverishly reading
>She notices you walk into her room
>"Ah Anon! You finally made it! I've been reading through a whole bunch of my books and there really is nothing on what you are!"
"That's a shame."
>You tried to sound sincere but it didn't come across

"Apparently the Princess wants to see me or something?"
>"Yes she does Anon."
>She hands a letter to the young dragon
>He blows green flame over it and it dissipates into the air
"That was pretty swanky,"
>Twilight pauses
>"My magic doesn't work on you at all. You have the same immunity to magic dragons do."
"What does that mean for me?"
>"It's nothing bad, it's just a little frustrating."
>You can imagine
>"We really need you to go and visit the princess as soon as possible."
"What does she want with me?"
>"Well, first and foremost she wants to take a look at you for herself."
>"She probably wants to be sure you're not going to be a problem to us here."
>"I had sent her a letter detailing of how you'd attacked the town a while back and another when you'd attacked the Appleblooms tree house."
>"Oh, and one more when we'd run you out of Sweet Apple Acres."
"Wow."
>Your brow is firmly furrowed at this point
"You must understand I wasn't attacking the town."
>"I understand that now but at the time it was pretty convincing that you were."
"What by how I walked into town? By how I ran away when you attacked?"
>You stop yourself
"Let's leave the past in the past, eh?"

>"Please understand I only sent these things to her because I feared for the safety of the ponies here."
>"If a new magically immune creature came into town and started hurting ponies the princess would have to come and do something."
>Your brow remains furrowed
>Your jimmies are in an unspeakable state of disrepair
>"Anyhow, the letter I just sent will have a carriage sent for you."
>"This will take you to Canterlot and you can meet with the princess in person."
>A silence hangs over the room until a knock on the door is heard
>"That'll be the carriage now."
>She leads you to the front door and shows you outside
>Waiting outside is a beautifully crafted chariot
>A pair of powerful looking pegasus are reined to the front
>A stern looking pegasus greets you and directs you to the silvery chariot
>You step on
>The stern looking pegasus steps on too and closes the short door
>You sit
>The pegasus on the front begin to flap their wings at the command of the stern looking pony
>This begins your journey to meet the Celestial Goddess of this world

------------------------

>You are on your way to Canterlot
>In style
>The wind blows gently against your face
>It ripples along your bedraggled clothes
>You fly in a golden chariot pulled by two powerful pegasi
>A stern looking earth pony sits directly to your side
>You're on your way to meet the being that raises the sun over this world
>At one point you'd peered over the side of the chariot 
>You see the tiny tree tops below
>There are settlements scattered all across the forests
>You look back towards Ponyville
>It's actually pretty beautiful from this view
>The entire view was
>You can see the entirety of the Everfree
>The leaves of the trees stretch far into the distance, their expansion blocked only by a distant shimmering desert
>Canterlot quickly approaches
>It's magnificent

>The buildings are of the purest white without being blinding under the sun
>The rooftops are all of gold and purple
>A huge waterfall runs down the back of the giant cliff this city is planted into the side of
>This really is a palace city
>You land with a thump on a smooth white paved area 
>This area is filled with other chariots coming and going
>The pony you're sat with jumps up almost the moment you land
>As you roll to a halt he hops out and opens the door on your side
>The door is so short it's a non factor in stopping you climbing out
>You exit your vehicle with a hop and give a nod to the pony who sat with you
>The pegasi who were pulling your cart look extremely tired but remain standing upright and proud
>The Earth pony you came with points you in the direction of a huge archway leading into the largest of the buildings
>You give a smile and a nod to him and head on
>You hadn't noticed but the entire area was silenced by your arrival
>Some ponies had gasped and ran, others just stood and stared
>This reaction was quickly becoming the norm
>Their stares were to be expected
>At least they're more docile than the Ponyvillians

>You are pointed in the right direction by pre-informed guards
>You begin passing through the stone labyrinth
>This entire palace looked like a huge feat of engineering for creatures without hands
>Although, come to think of it, a little disappointing for creatures who can use magic
>After being bounced around a few guards you come to huge hallway
>Each side is lined with guards
>Each guard is more identical than the next
>As you walk none of them moves a single millimetre
>You approach the end of the hall and a towering set of doors
>Every guard in the hall comes to attention
>The sound of hoof on marble echoes throughout the hall
>This startles you a little
>The purple doors in front of you comes alive
>It's golden patterns begin sliding and whirling on it's surface
>The doors burst open and a gust of wind rushes forward

>You shield your eyes
>A soothing wave follows the gust
>You lower your arm and there stands she
>A pearly white furred regal creature whose hair flows seemed to flow on the still wind stands before you
>She seemed to shine out of the shadow of the doorway she stands in
>She bears a small smile
>Her melodious voice fills the entire hall
>"Anonymous. I have been expecting you. Please, step into my throne room."
>You simply comply, following the vision before you
>As you step into her sanctum  the doors close behind you
>The patterns of the door swirl back into place
>The room seems endlessly tall
>A large fire peacefully crackles in a fireplace on the furthest wall
>Covering every wall are huge stain glass windows depicting various scenes
>A large set of steps lead up to a throne
>A red carpet leads down the centre of the room
>"Do you know why you are here, Anonymous?"
"No, I don't. Twilight said something about you wanting to see me in person."
>She lets out an ariose laugh
>"Indeed she would have. I have never seen a creature like you in all my years of life. You are not a creature of Equestria, are you?"

"I don't know. I went to sleep in a forest and here I am. There was a thunderstorm and then I don't know. I'm not from anywhere around here though that's for sure."
>"How have my little ponies been treating you?"
"They've. . ."
>You pause for a moment
". . .warmed to me."
>She gives a warm smile
>"Anonymous, have you considered what you will do now? I would be more than willing to attempt to integrate you into Ponyville."
"I haven't really thought about it. I mean, while it's a great offer I'm not sure I fit in with them at all. They just stare and whisper."
>Your thoughts turn to the Apple family, of their hospitality, of Applebloom. You think of how Zecora had saved your life and insisted nothing in return.
>But then there's being run out of town. 
>Twice.
>There's the hushed whispers of judging crowds
>There's Twilight who put the word out about you being a dangerous creature without even a moments thought about an attempt to communicate

>Celestia begins to speak before you have a chance to give a definite answer
>"You must understand they are very afraid of you. You are quite a large creature, and you appear to be magically immune."
>Her horn glows and you feel a very mild tingle, much duller than before
>The tears in your clothes begin to close and repair, the dirt seeming to fade
>She maintained her appearance, the other unicorns having to screw up their face in the past it became clear she was experienced in whatever magic she was doing
>"This is the same immunity the dragons of this land have and can be very frustrating to unicorns. I think however that I can help them to change their mind on you being a monster."
>"If you choose to stay with us here, I'll ensure they do not fear you. Further than that, however, is in your own hands. I will ask my student, Twilight to, if only passively, study you and ensure you are no threat, although you seem to have proved that so far. This will be a good lesson for her."
>A silence fills the room and you consider the fork in the road
>You consider the days leading up to your near death experience
>You consider your talks with Applebloom
>Damn do you ever consider

"I will accept your offer of integration, Princess. "
>As you finish your sentence a letter bursts forth from the fire
>Celestia levitates it towards her, all the while undoing the red ribbon that binds it
>It unravels in front of her she briefly scans the page 
>She gently levitates it to a small table next to the fire
>She picks up one of two on the table and evaporates it in the air
>"Everything is in place for you. I have arranged for you to stay with Twilight until a better, more fitting resident is open to you. A job offer is open to you at a place called Sugarcube Corner, you can accept this or stay with the Apples as you have been. What you did for Applebloom has indebted them to you. It is up to you and you don't have to decide now. First we will go back to the village. Come."

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