Prologue - Worst Birthday Ever (Revised)

New Life in Equestria

Prologue - Worst Birthday Ever*Third Person P.O.V.*

This is a story about a seven-year-old human child named Joshua.  He lived a good six years and 364 days with his loving mother and father.  His parents both make their livings as scientists, and they’ve been working hard on a project since Joshua’s fourth birthday.  They both foresaw something terrible happening three years in the future, and the only way to save their son, was to build a dimension traveling portal machine.  Joshua asked what they were making and why, but they never told him straight.  They didn’t want to worry him, but they allowed him to help whenever he could.

2 years and 364 days later, they finished the machine on the night before his birthday.  The next morning, Joshua’s parents woke up to the sounds of loud explosions outside.  Just as they foresaw, giant meteorites were raining down from space.  The sky was now red with black clouds.  All around, buildings were destroyed, and no doubt the people inside them were dead.  The two of them hurried into the basement to make the final preparations for Joshua.  They wanted to go with him, but they were only able to develop enough power for Joshua alone.  Joshua’s father took out a pen and a piece of paper and wrote this down:

To whomever finds our son,

His name is Joshua, he’s seven years old, and is a human.  Our world is destroyed and we managed to send him through a dimension traveling machine in order to save him.  We are asking that whoever finds him to give him a good home and take good care of him.

Thank you.

Just as the father finished writing, Joshua burst through the door with a panicked look on his face.

"Mommy!  Daddy!" he yelled to them with a scared tremor in his voice, "What's going on?!"

His parents looked at him with sorrowful expressions.  His father walked up to him and said, "Son, this world is coming to an end."

When he said those words, Joshua became even more scared.  "Are we gonna die?" he asked.

His mother spoke up next, "No sweetie," she said as she walked up to him and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, "You're not going to."

"W-w-what do you mean, Mommy?" he asked confused.

"This is what the portal machine is for dear," she explained, "We knew this day was coming, but we didn't tell you because you were too young to understand."

"We want you to live a good long life, son," His dad said next, as tears started pouring out of their eyes, "This is why we built this.  We hope that wherever it sends you, you'll find someone who'll take care of you, just like we did."

"Why can't you two c-come with me?" Joshua asked with quiet sobs.

"The machine doesn't have enough energy for all three of us, sweetie," His mother explained, "We could only generate enough power for you.  I wish we could go with you but knowing that you'll be alive if this machine works, it will set our minds at ease." She then gave him the letter, which was now rolled up, and a heart shaped locket.  "Give this note to whomever you come across first.  It will tell them who you are.  Also, keep that locket with you, sweetie."

He opened up the locket, and more tears started pouring out of his eyes as he saw what the picture was.  It was of all three of them on his fourth birthday.  "As long as you have that with you, we'll always be in your heart," she added.

Just then, the ground started shaking.  Joshua was running out of time.  He closed the locket and put it around his neck.  He then looked up at his family as they all had tears running down their cheeks.  He ran up to father and hugged him around his neck, and he returned it with a hug of his own.

He then quickly broke away and ran to his mother with a tighter hug around her neck.  She also returned the embrace.  They then broke away, and Joshua walked toward the machine as it powered up.  A multi-colored swirl appeared in it, and he stepped through.  He looked back at his parents one last time and called back, "I love you Mommy and Daddy!  Goodbye!"  More tears came out as he sadly waved to them.

His mother called back as the swirl started closing around him, "We love you too, sweetheart."

His father waved to him and said "Goodbye" to him as well.  Suddenly, just before the swirl closed up, a meteorite crashed through the wall, and took his parents with it.  And just as the swirl closed, Joshua fell down on his bottom, tucked in his knees, put his arms around them, buried his head in his arms, and just sat there and cried.

Meanwhile, in the land of Equestria, Princess Celestia strode out to do her job in raising the sun for her country.  After she did so, Luna quickly came into the room with a worried expression on her face.

“Sister!” she said to her older sister, “Something terrible has just happened!”

“Calm down Luna,” Celestia said placing a wing over her younger sister.  Luna took deep breaths after having run all the way to her sister’s chambers.  After catching her breath, Luna explained what she just felt.

“I could feel the deaths of many lives in a different dimension, sister,” Luna explained, “I believe a world has just met a tragic end.”

“Are you quite certain Lulu?” Celestia asked.  Luna sadly nodded and let a few small tears escape her eyes.  Celestia pulled her sister closer in a comforting embrace.  Just then, Celestia felt something.

“Wait a minute,” she said pulling away from her younger sibling, “I feel a young soul out there.  And whoever it is, they are deeply troubled.”

“Where is this young soul Tia?” Luna asked.

“He is somewhere in the realm between dimensions,” Celestia explained closing her eyes and reaching out with her magic, “And it would seem he came from the world that just ended.”  Celestia then opened her eyes and looked at her sister.  “Come Luna, we must go to him at once.”  The two royal sisters lit up their horns, and in a bright flash, they disappeared from Canterlot Castle.

As Joshua sat there, still crying from his loss, he didn’t know where to go from there.  Just then he lifted his head from his arms, and saw two bright lights pulsing in front of him.  Just then they grew to a bright brilliant flash and the area around him shifted from the multi-colored swirl, to a starry area.  He looked around him confused as his tears started slowing down.  Then he saw something fade in in front of him, or rather two somethings.

Celestia and Luna appeared in the area where Celestia’s faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, had recently gained her rank as Equestria’s newest princess.  There in front of them, they saw Joshua looking up at them.  He had a scared look on his face as he eyed the two sisters.  Celestia and Luna smiled kindly at the young child and slowly trotted to him.  Joshua turned his head away, shut his eyes, and shook like a leaf.  The two ponies laid down in front of him, and Luna placed a comforting wing over Joshua.

"Calm yourself, young one," she said, "You are in no danger."

Joshua lifted his head and looked at the two ponies, confused as he heard one of them speak to him.  "Who are you two?" he asked, "What are you?  And where am I?"

"My name is Princess Luna," the night princess explained, "and this is my sister, Princess Celestia.  We are ponies, and you are in a realm between dimensions."

Joshua quickly bowed his head in respect upon hearing that he was in front of princesses.  "I’m sorry," he said, “I didn’t know.  I’m just really scared right now.”

"Don't worry child," Celestia said, "Tell us, what is troubling you."

Joshua let out a deep sigh and told them everything that happened, all the while, Luna kept her wing draped over his back as tears started falling out of his eyes again.  After he told them what had happened, he looked up and saw that Celestia and Luna had sad frowns on their faces.  At last Celestia spoke up.

"We are deeply sorry for your loss, dear one," she said.

Joshua rubbed his hands against his eyes to subdue the tears pouring from them and pulled out the rolled up piece of paper his mom gave him.  "Mommy told me to give this to the first person I find," He said to Luna.

Luna lit up her horn and lifted the rolled up letter from Joshua’s hand.  Celestia looked over at the note as they read it together in silence.  After they finished reading, the letter disappeared in a poof, and the princesses looked at Joshua again with kind smiles.  Using her wing, which was still on his back, Luna pulled Joshua closer to her in a warm and comforting embrace.

"Don't worry," she said to Joshua soothingly, "You will be taken care of."

"Will you be the ones looking after me?" he asked as he returned Luna's hug.

"No, but we know of somepony who will," she replied.  Then, Luna and Celestia's horns began glowing and they faded away from the starry realm.