All stood at attention as our instructor stepped into the classroom. A bearded, long-haired man of sixty, Lt. Davies had an aura that demanded respect. Few cadets liked him—if a few hushed complaints in close-knit conversations could be extrapolated. After all, few were foolish enough to risk a demerit.
The room was adjacent to the practice gym, where we had just been. Prior exertion, combined with the summer sun beating down on the concrete floor, meant most of us were sweating heavily. Nonetheless, we stiffened our bodies and erased any signs of discomfort, saluting methodically as Lieutenant Davies passed through each row in a circuitous path to the front of the room.
Though I—a three inch-tall pony—was one of the tallest boys in the class, this short man still towered over me. As he passed, I raised my left hoof to my forehead, finding it difficult to get my bunched-up fingers into position. Fortunately, it seemed he had missed my botched salute.
After a tense minute and a half, our teacher came to a sudden stop at the front room, facing the blackboard. Suddenly, he turned on a dime and stamped his foot, commanding, “At ease, cadets!” As if a wave was rippling through the room, the class of sixty took their seats row-by-row, and he began:
“With the completion of yesterday’s practical, you should now all be thoroughly versed in channeling our planet’s energy. If by chance you are still uncomfortable, then you should be well prepared to be made mincemeat of on the practice floor.” He cleared his throat and scanned the room for the slightest sign of inattention. “Three days from now, your first official training matches will commence. These will be the backbone of your education for the next four years. Proving your mastery of geomancy through them could grant you a starting rank of sergeant or higher. Consequently, let me make myself clear: Under no circumstance will you hold back. Yes, you will be fighting your friends and brothers, but the enemy will not hold back, so neither should you! Is that understood!?”
“Yes, Sir!” the chorus of students rang out.
“Now, before we move on to combat applications of geomancy, it is imperative that you understand the nature of this conflict, the only reason you are sitting before me at this moment. After all, a soldier is not the weapon in his hand; rather, they are defined by what they protect, the ideals they uphold.”
I was excited; it wasn’t very often we would get a history lesson. Without turning my head, I was able to clearly see the reactions of my neighbors: Jerich to my left looked moved, while Marcia to my right probably thought the lieutenant was getting too full of himself again.
“Following the depletion of Rhod’s eponymous rhodium veins, our people were released from the shackles of slavery, and the world was placed under probation by the powers that govern this corner of space. Little knowledge of them remains; our entire understanding of them hinges on rumors passed down and what we can gather from the Arbiters’ Accords. Still, it is clear we were allowed to rebuild with the promise of eventually rejoining the community as equals rather than spoils of war. And in a few short centuries we had gone from what was essentially a blank slate technologically to early industrialization—that is, until they showed up.
I had to quickly stop myself from pouting; I knew exactly where this was going
“Those wild animals, suddenly awakened from their extended hibernation and wasted no time in making enemies of us. With little warning—other than tree-hugging nonsense about unsustainable practices—they began their campaign of sabotage: destroying our factories, razing our crops, caving in our mines…” Davies paused and looked over the class, his eyes shining with conviction. “This is what this is all about, cadets. We have a great dream—rebuild our culture and one day rejoin the rest of humanity in the stars—but these rabid things tell us we should be content to live in the dirt with them, never aspiring for more. “We are fighting for our right to exist! Do you understand!? To abandon progress, to abandon innovation, is to abandon being human. Rhod itself is but a means to an end. We’ll use it as we please, for this is our planet!”
“This is our planet, sir,” we boomed, echoing the slogan. However, I was a little late to respond for some reason; something just felt... off.
“They are but barbarians who seek to destroy all we have strived for! However, we would be fools not to recognize their advantages. Who can tell me what those are?”
We were silent, for he had not given anyone explicit permission to speak.
The lieutenant looked almost disappointed nobody had taken the bait. “How about you, Liu?” he said.
A dark-skinned girl of ten stood up at the front of the class and recited, “Their magic aptitude is better than ours, allowing for combination spells; their stamina is greater, limiting how long we can melee with them; and they require fewer resources to sustain due to their metabolism, rendering them hardy against attacks on their supply lines.”
“Very good. You may sit,” Davies said.
It had been a textbook answer—as in literally every word had been pulled directly from the text. Liu’s fantastic memory and overall toughness had put her at top of the class despite having joined only a few months prior. Lacking the magical ability most girls were gifted with, she had been reassigned to a career path on the frontlines. Those boys who didn’t resent her for her talent found themselves eerily drawn to her lithe body and sharp wit, myself among them. She made our hearts pound in a way we didn’t understand yet.
Come to think of it, I thought, that’s kind of weird, since I’m clearly a filly.
For a brief moment the whole scenario started to come undone at the seams.
What am I doing among a bunch of preteens? I’m just a foal.
None of it made sense, actually. Where was my mom, anyway?
But in any case, it was a matter of no importance. I was clearly a student here, so there was no point in questioning it; after all, nobody else found it weird. Realizing I had spaced out, I hopped onto the surface of my desk and crawled forward to get a better view of the instructor.
Davies still in the midst of his morale lecture: the bearmen were wicked, while we were brave, industrious fighters; we will prevail because it is our home, our planet; and one day we will beat them all the way back to their capital of Lifesberth. Thinking on it for a moment, I realized that the second point no longer made sense. We had just learned that they had been hibernating possibly before we had even settled the planet, yet he treated the matter of ownership as if it was obvious. Since the topic of the lecture was ethics, I thought it might even come up on the test.
“Now is that understood?”
“Yes, Sir!” we parroted.
“Questions?” Usually this would be met with silence and prompt dismissal, but today I raised my hoof.
“Yes?” The lieutenant seemed almost stunned.
“I know we always say Rhod is ours and the bearmen are the enemy, but you said they were hibernating for a really long time. Because I guess they were here first, why don’t they have any stake?” It was a good question. It would clarify parts of the lesson, and I was genuinely curious why dibs did not apply to the enemy.
“What do you mean?”
The lieutenant’s scowl drove those words right through me. My hooves started shaking as I stammered out, “Well, if I lost my dog… I’d want it returned—not that I’m saying we should give up the fight—more what I mean is shar—share… like a compromise…Not that we should c—compromise anything in our efforts, but why is it obvious—”
“Oh, now?” he said with disgust, taking several large strides towards me. “You’re saying you find a stray dog that is untrained, underfed and unkempt. And you spend a century training it into a loyal companion, nourishing it with the fruits of your labor and grooming it with meticulous care—and you say you would just give it back!?” He glowered at me. Standing at four-foot seven, to a child he may as well have been a giant.
“No, I sai—I wanted to say—”
“And what is this dreck about “sharing”. Did nothing I say penetrate your puerile skull!? They are the enemy—savages! We can no more share a planet with them than your dog could have two masters.. It is us! or them! Is that clear!?”
I hastily nodded before giving up and curling into a ball, sobbing. Tears stained my thin fur as it tickled my nose, like a bunch of soggy cotton tips. The insults and the dismemberment of my question continued. I was no match for an adult’s intellect; all I could do was wait for the storm to end.
The word treason had been uttered for the third time by the time I dared lift my tiny head again. Surprisingly, not only had Lt. Davies’s tirade stopped but he was seemingly frozen mid-syllable. I saw color slowly leave his face and the surroundings. This was followed by the rest of the room, the students, the bamboo desks. When everything had turned gray, the room fizzled and disappeared, taking even the concrete floor and its radiated summer heat with it.
“It is but a nightmare, young foal. Thou mayest now be at peace,” came a serene voice.
A colossal, midnight-blue horse materialized into view in a puff of white energy. I had seen similar creatures ridden by great heroes in historic images, but nevertheless, I was in awe of its sheer size, easily a head taller than the largest adult I knew. It could crush me with a single misplaced step, yet I felt strangely calm.
She continued speaking in a refined, feminine manner, but the words didn’t register, as my eye was drawn irresistibly to her forehead. Scrutinizing the long horn atop her head, I raised a hoof to my own forehead, feeling for a bump I knew was there. My attraction to her wings was even stronger; I found myself wondering what it would be like to be wrapped in them.
My stomach suddenly rumbled, and I looked to her. I thought perhaps this creature would be able take care of me. But it really was weird to think that; in fact, all of my thoughts were getting messed up. I was pretty sure I wasn’t a filly. She said it was a dream, but that’s the one thing people in dreams will never tell you.
Suddenly I felt my hooves lose their grip on the ground and gravity seemed to relax. I started to hover, ensconced by a bluish aura. I was confused and panicking, though comfort simultaneously washed through me.
Is she doing something to me? Why do I—
She opened her mouth to flash a set of herbivore teeth at me, her tongue reaching out towards my face. Sudden, rational fear took over, and a sense of helplessness gripped my heart, I could only clamp my eyes shut and prepare to be eaten.
With my heart pounding, I jolted awake. Finding myself in a finely-made but unknown bed, I exhaled in relief.
Ten years later and I still dream about that day, huh? I thought to myself.
It had easily been the worst day of my life. For borderline treasonous comments, I had been suspended for an entire week, sullying my family’s nigh-perfect reputation. And my parent-imposed punishment at home lasted several times longer. Needless to say, I had learned my lesson. But despite the traumatic memory, that day was a turning point, and afterwards, I strove to be the best I could for Rhod. Davies may have been harsh, but he had molded me into something great.
I racked my brain to recall more details about the disturbing dream, but found it quickly fading. There also had been something else—something with a horse monster. But before I could recall, it occurred to me that I had no idea where I was.
And that I was supposed to be dead.
I felt a flash of disorientation as the world shifted once more: featureless white walls melted into monumental mounds of snow, and a frosty sky painted itself into existence above me. Confused, I looked down to once more see little black hooves framed by blue fur.
Hmm, I thought, I guess I am a filly after all. Why did I think I was dead?
But this thought was interrupted as I felt my hooves squish into the snow.
Wait… this isn’t snow it’s—I licked my hoof—ice cream!
I looked down again and found I was sitting on a gigantic plastic spoon. Oblivious to any weirdness, I scanned the array of multicolored ice cream hills below, which sloped downwards into a valley of fudge.
Well, the hard stuff can wait. This looks fun!
Without a care in the world, I shifted my weight to the front of the spoon. I basked in the exuberance of the bumpy descent, giggling.
Pulling her consciousness back to the physical realm, Luna opened her eyes to look on the throne room at sunset. It was entirely devoid of ponies, save for her sister’s scribe and a few night guards. The former was too nervous to say a word, while the latter weren’t talkative at the best of times—though their lack of expression did make them neigh-unbeatable in poker.
Since the Canterlot nobility had elected to save their trifling concerns until her sister’s return, this left her with nothing to do during standard Day Court hours. Bored, she had defaulted to monitoring the newcomer through his dreams. Despite Celestia’s provisions, the magic of Equestria had already started acting on the alien: his dreams were varied and mostly nonsensical, but in a growing percentage of them, she was the filly Equestria believed her to be. This was an effect well-known to them by now, but most of the time it failed to correlate with actual acceptance of one’s new form.
Luna regretted startling the foal, but at the time, she had felt a strange instinct to lick a stray strand of her mane back into place. It didn’t help that the foal’s colors were so close to her own; though that was likely the dream reacting to the older alicorn’s presence. Still, alicorn foals were amazingly cute. She had seen pictures of Cadance, but they simply didn’t do the real thing justice.
Even though she was still angry that her sister had broken their agreement, she now better understood what had gone through her head. The Nightmare had so blinded her with selfishness that she hadn’t realized that Celestia too must have been lonely these past thousand years. As much as she loved her ponies, few would see more than infallibility. And now, recently, she had been able to watch Mi Amore Cadenza and Twilight Sparkle grow up before her eyes, but always from a distance.
Tia would love her own foal, Luna thought. When forced to choose, she was willing to risk her life for this sliver of a chance.
Pondering, she restlessly shifted her body on the throne. But she’s too self-sacrificing, always doing the right thing for everypony else and never once stopping to think of herself—that befits her so.
She scratched her chin with a wing and pursed her lips. While ‘tis noble for her to attempt to return him home, it would be a waste; an alicorn foal could bring much joy to the kingdom—and to her.
Nevertheless, she could hardly keep her here against her will, and keeping the truth from him would be no different.
How could she get him to want to stay here?
Luna smiled. The question suggested the answer—she just had to make her fall in love with Equestria! That would be the outcome best for everypony.
Excited, she immediately started devising schemes to make a most splendid first impression!
But, pulled back into the moment, she then realized she was almost late to lower the sun. Their ponies could be embarrassingly forgiving about this, chalking up most mistakes as Celestia knowing better than them. In fact, just last Thursday, Tia had overslept by almost three hours, and still, most ponies went about their morning business hours behind schedule, denying anything was out of the ordinary. Yet somehow, Luna doubted they would be as forgiving were she to blunder in her sister’s place...
Nice chapter!
(For some reason it didn't pop up on my updates... Did anyone else have this problem?)
6465043 it didn't show for me either. I just noticed it by chance when trying to find the update on The Chase.
6465043
6465215
After hitting "publish" the front page's entry on the "recently updated" column had a word count lower than expected. Sure enough, the chapter somehow was unpublished despite the story appearing updated on the front page.
My guess is that by double clicking publish, I accidentally took it down an instant later. I imagine fimfiction has some method to prevent "bumping" your story artificially by unpublishing and republishing a chapter. At least that's my guess; it could be a bug as well.
6465043 Same here. This is the second time this has happeened for a story I have watched. I only noticed when I looked at my feed. Seems like a glitch on the site, but I know it almost killed the other story. For the other story, "And its freaking cold up here" by the way, I think it was something due to the fact that the chapter was created a few days prior to being published. I think a similar thing happened here, since the chapter says it was made on the 20th but I only saw it on the 26th...
Well, I didn't think it would affect the poor lad's mind. Once he comes to I'm sure it will be different. I wonder what the foal's colors will be?
I'd have a bit more uneasiness about the whole "alicorn filly" thing myself, even if it is a dream: to me it seems like he accepted it a bit too readily without really pondering on it. Still good stuff though, keep it up!
6465379 I've been a squirrel, the opposite sex, a space commander, a child in a giant clock in the middle of the ocean and I didn't notice anything was weird until I woke up.
The few times where I did notice that I was dreaming and I wasn't myself..... I enjoyed it. (It's fun to lucid dream being a dragon) Seriously, if you were dreaming and you noticed you were dreaming and you were a <insert species here> with an endless buffet of <insert favorite food here>.... would you panic or be upset? I would be thinking.... "This is awesome!" and hope the dream would last.
6465379
I'm writing this part from personal experience. Even if I explicitly remember that I'm on vacation, I still get freaked out by the "test I didn't study for" dream. In fact, I've even gone so far as seeing a beloved pet again, acknowledging he's dead and continuing on without shaking up the dream at all.
6465356
Me too, truth be told
6465666 Meh, usually the moment I realize that I'm in a lucid dream, I end up waking up immediately
Except for this one time where I dreamed I was a pony eating at a fancy restaurant, having a nice conversation with a changeling...
6465809
It's been 5 years since I left college and I still get that dream on occasion. (And so does my dad)
6468898 Thank god, I thought I was alone in that regard!
6468898
YOu studied for tests? *WolfGrin* never had to and always got A's and B's
Nice chapter, good work.
So our human woke up once yet fell back to sleep right afterwards. How long is the time interval between this chapter and the last one? Has it been several hours? Days? Luna stated that the human has had multiple dreams, and yet she hasn't made physical contact yet... Will the human wake up fully before they are fully transformed, or are they going to be in stasis until the transformation is complete?
6471432
He didn't wake up at all. He was dreaming that he woke up from the dream that was the first part.
I probably should have put a hint about the time elapsed though. Maybe next chapter.
The human will wake before any of the changes start. The story would be too easy otherwise.
6470654
Thank you. This one was more nail-biting than the initial submission.
6467923
I can't hold lucid dreams at all; when I do realize, I start doubting my control of it, and it falls apart.
One thing I just realized about this story is that it is one of the few HiE stories where the person actually has a fairly strong obligation to go back home. In most HiE's where the human doesn't die as part of coming to Equestria, the human might bemoan losing their family and friends but more often than not they also have a fairly unremarkable life. This guy on the other hand, is leaving a war behind which is not going too well for humanity. Combined with the fact that he has over a decade's worth of conditioning, I would suspect that he might be incredibly worried about the outcome of that war. I would not be surprised if that war became a point in the "I wanna go home" column when he wakes up.
One question: This won't have a "personality death", I guess would be the best term, would it? I expect the main character to have some mental adjustments to fit into Equestria but I hope no full wipe of who he was and replaced with a new person.
6485282
That's the core issue I kept in mind throughout the development of this story. Unfortunately, if I speak my opinions on such a trope, I'll end up tipping my hand.
However, something on this page is a big hint.
I love reading stories like this. And that it is so well written also helps
6514100
Actually, I'm mixing pronouns on purpose. Though it may be a bit indulgent of me to try and do this for artistic effect.
Hmm... that's one I certainly wouldn't have considered. I'll try to cut down on conjunctions in the future. I think my problem is not trusting the flow of the paragraph unless I use them.
Why on earth did we the readers have to experience the utterly abysmal first portion of chapter three? It's completely useless since you didn't add a tragedy tag. Why did you even have to switch perspective over to dream scape? Why did you add these useless segments?
Sorry, rhetorical questions.
Additionally, while I think the sci-fi detracts from your overall work, you really aught to add it to your description as a trigger warning or something.
I fear i must agree with pretty much everyone else that this chapter was... off.
This threw me off the most as it really makes absolutely butt fuck amount of sense.
The problem with this kind of writing, spinning a twist and explaining it later, is that you have to be REALLY REALLY REALLY good at it to pull it off, and i'm sorry to say that you didn't exactly pull it off that well. The first part of this completely throws the reader off and makes no sense because it's completely out of context. We're suddenly thrown from the plotline and into some other storyline that we are trying to make sense of, that and the intermingled ponyisms and refrences to fillydom really just turns the entire chapter into one big mess.
6666223 Well it was a dream.
So many what's? And why's?
That was so very very confusing to read, then I realized it was a dream and skimmed it, nothing much ever really seems to get done in dreams
6465329 Just so I understand, this is about a human invader turning into a pony?
Frankly, at this particular point, I think it would improve the story if you took out any reference to humans or the protagonist ever having been human out of it. There is nothing about this that I can read as human. Sure, they have two legs, two arms and two hands, but that's just a shape. They might as well be hobbits or elves, because the part of being human that matters - which is to say "being from our world" - is entirely absent. For all that it may or may not be a good story, it just doesn't fulfill my expectations based on the description.
There's too much of a pronounced clash between the background I expect a human character to have and what the character's background actually is. I just can't, as a human, really identify with any part of it. I'm not enough of a magical former space slave locked in endless war with magical space bear elk for doing that.
This chapter could be cut and I wouldn't miss a thing.
It starts confusing and then turns into nonsense, ending with cliche.
And why is Luna, who is speaking very good (English) at this point in the show where this takes place, speaking thee and thou?
Dost thou hast reason to revert beyond 'it's how she talks'?
Ahoy, forward upon to thee chapter of next, lest thine scribe be wasted upon mine orbits!
Well...it's not the worst dream chapter I've ever read.
You do get the point across that Equestria is already imposing on the filly it's view of her as an alicorn filly.
I get slightly confused here, this almost sounds like the would figh against ponies and...is this him dreaming and his mind proceeding his new transformation or something while he sleeps?
At first I wanted to hate it again, some kind of old reaction I have to that it seems, since most of the time Luna dream scenes and how she behaved during them weren't sitting right with me most of the time.
Was that a timeskip? I hate those if they don't show the first meeting between important figures.
Half of the time till now I find the chapters confusing for some reason, after that I understand it better but it still isn't exactly making sense or at least I still don't know what to take as the truth.
8785341
He never actually woke up through the entire chapter. That's just different dreams.
8564071
Considering this was released years before the comment, when Luna still talked in archaic Equestrian, I'd say there's an excuse.
I'd do it out of spite