Chapter One:
"Refreshed"
"…Lone Star….you're back!"
"Ah missed ya, Lone."
"Lone Star, you're new Element of Harmony is the Element of Courage!"
"Alright! Woohoo! I did it! I can't believe I di-"
I shot upward, making my body jolt alive.
"GAH!"
I suddenly gasped for air. My eyelids opened, looking around in a sudden panic. I didn't see much, other than a dark bedroom, some walls, a
window with peaks of sunshine. As my breathing calmed, I sighed a sigh of relief and rubbed my tired eyes, letting out a little stretch, sitting
upward in Twilight Sparkle's guest bed. Out of habit, I suddenly blurted out,
"Twilight! Good morning!"
I didn't hear anything. Not the sweet, calming voice of Twilight, not the birds, singing their morning songs outside my window, not the calm
breeze that ran through my ears, nothing! Extremely lost, I opened my eyes and waited for them to adjust. As they did, I began to feel…
different. Very. Different.
My eyes had finally adjusted after the few seconds of blurry darkness, mixed with the shining sunlight that peak into my window. I looked around
to make sure I was still in Twilight's room. There was the bed I was sitting upon, the desk a few feet across from me, my light stand on my left
side….a T.V. on the dresser….a pull out closet….a celling fan? When did Twilight get all this new stuff…?
Then it hit me.
"Oh no…"
I shook my head in disbelief, beginning to tense up as I said out loud,
"Wh-Where am I…?"
It couldn't be. There was no way in hell I was where I thought I was. There was just no way I could be at my real house…sitting up in my new
bed, looking at the new walls, and seeing the real sun outside.
"Th-There's just no way," I said out loud again, "Th-this can't be right…I-I was there for months! I-I KNOW I was!"
As much as I didn't want to believe it, reality had finally settled into my head. I was sitting up in my real bed, looking at my real room. I had
dreamt the whole thing. The whole DAMN thing! All the Mane 6, Applejack's love, Twilight's care, Princess Celestia's magic, my new element! All a
stupid dream! What was with me dreaming about My Little Pony?! Hell, I dreamt, dreaming about the two Princesses talking to me! What the
heck was that about?!
It really confused me. I could've sworn I was there, right in the heart of Ponyville with everypony around me! The whole thing had seemed way
too realistic. All of the conflicts, settings, everything felt like a normal day! Incredibly bummed and annoyed, I crawled out of my bed and stood
up, staring down at my own two, flat feet. I grunted in disappointment and shook my head, blinking once before walking out of my room and
down the stairs of my new house.
Damnit...
Outside from the so-called "realistic dream", other things had happened prior to it. My sister had finally came home after her and her boyfriend
split apart. The four year relationship came to a sudden close after her boyfriend moved to California for a job position. She wasn't heartbroken;
effected even. She wished the best for him on the West Coast and said her goodbyes, now focused on her college major. As a
4.0 student at one of the best college's in Ohio, she had her future in her hands, and planned on taking on the world.
My Mom was doing much better as well. After moving out of the old house, where the divorce separated her from my Dad, she started fresh. A
new job, new house, and new opportunities. She had also met a man through work, who cared for her. Though they weren't considered
"boyfriend and girlfriend", they held a strong bond that wouldn't break anytime soon. I was happy for my sister on college preparation,
but I was pleased that my Mom had found some peace of mind. She deserved it after all that's happened, and seeing her happy made me happy.
Now, me? Well, nothing much had changed since I moved out of the old house. I was still that shy, caring kid I was, but I'm now 17 instead of
15. I didn't exactly fit in at school, because I never did drugs or acted out or anything, but I wasn't treated that poorly. I never asked for it, nor
did I give it to anyone. Just a "go in, get out with a 3.65 GPA" kind of guy. But man, have the months flew by. I'm going to be a legal adult in a
year. The thought was pounding in my head, some thoughts happy, others conflicted. I didn't know what was planned for the future, hell, I don't
know what was planned for tomorrow. I've turned into more of a "go with the flow" person, rather than a "What's happening now?!" person. I
liked my new image! It gave me new confidence and joy toward people! Or hey, maybe it was my new hairstyle, but who knew, y'know?
So, as you could probably tell, things were looking up for me and my family! Nothing seemed to be that wrong or that bad since the move! New
opportunities do bring new events!
"Morning, Michael!" My Mom said cheerfully, cleaning up the supplies she used to make breakfast.
I gave her a smile and a wave, replying to her,
"Hi!"
She looked back at me and matched my smile. I could tell something was up, because it was rare to see her THIS happy at 9 AM.
I raised an eyebrow at her and smirked,
"Somethin' up?" I asked.
She laughed and walked over to her desk where she did her work. She owned her own marketing business on the computer, which was doing
quite well lately. But that "quite well" I was originally thinking wasn't the correct term after she had showed me three plane tickets.
My eyes squinted a bit in shock as I read the plane ticket. It read,
"AMERICAN AIRLINES FLIGHT 4723, DESTINATION DALLAS/FORT WORTH, TEXAS."
I gasped in joy and looked at her.
"You got us tickets to go down to Dallas!? No way!"
She grinned and nodded.
Finally, a trip to go back south. Texas screamed Applejack to me. The southern hospitality, belles and accent. All of it was amazing to experience,
and I couldn't wait to see it. A chance to get out of the area for some wide-open, dry land under the hot sun. The thought made me daydream a
little before my mom snapped me out of it.
"Look on the ticket, it says we leave tomorrow! 5:25 P.M. is when we depart. So eat some breakfast now, then start packing!"
I looked at the ticket again to clarify the departure time. It was dead on, 5:25 P.M., no earlier, no later. I then looked up at her, nodded, and set
the ticket down on the counter. I walked over to the pantry to find something to eat. But eating wasn't exactly the first thing on my mind, that
darn dream was still. How can something feel so real, without it…actually being real?
I sighed and found some cereal, milk and a spoon. Making my breakfast and sitting down at the table, I let out a quiet, smirking grunt and
grinned, thinking to myself,
"Wonder if I'll see the REAL Applejack in Texas tomorrow…"
(Hope you guys enjoyed Chapter One! This story is coming out awesome! MLP will come into play around Chapter Two or Three. Please note that this story will probably not be as long as Friendship Is TRULY Magic, but it'll still be a page turner with decently long chapters! Stay tuned for Chapter Two!)
~LS
