Chapters It's been five full years since I've died...
By now i'd have lost my sanity if i had any left to lose.
Most people would've cracked and become lost souls as I once did
But what keeps me going?
Well... This journal I've been keeping since I found it, It keeps me from losing my memories of this place.
Whoever finds this journal, don't give up hope.
Now, let me ask the reader one certain question:
What lies beyond death?
Is it and endless void?
Rainbows and happiness?
Or... is it a gateway?
I hope that these pages show whoever is reading this that death is definitely not the end.
I had woken up with a very large headache, clutching my head as it pounded like a bass drum.
After the pain had subsided, I opened my eyes I found myself in what seemed like the ruins of an old city, with busted windows, broken down automobiles and the like.
Heh... looks like I've kicked the bucket... I thought to myself.
Deciding that i'd better not hang around here, I started exploring around where I came to.
After a few minutes of exploring, I stumbled upon what looked like a robed person slumped over. Upon approaching the being I saw that it had what looked like a scythe with him.
Against my better judgement I decided to see if I could make contact with the creature and determine where I was, little did i know that the creature was hostile.
As a few minutes of vigorously poking the figure, I decided to give up when the creature opened its eyes and let out a bloodcurdling shriek that forced me to cover my ears, which in retrospect made absolutely no sense seeing as I was already dead and lacking a proper body.
The creature looked at me the same way a predator looks at it's prey and decided that I was to be it's next hunt.
Pulling my hands away from my ears I saw that the creature was raising it's scythe-like appendage in preparation to strike me, not caring whether or not i had a body i ran as fast as my legs could carry me, with the creature close behind.
After a good few minutes of running through the ruins of this old city, I finally managed to lose the creature, this made me overjoyed as I had narrowly escaped becoming that creature's lunch. While I was congratulating myself I wasn't paying attention to where I was going and tripped over a piece of concrete.
Clutching my face, I looked up to see another robed figure, Not another one... I thought to myself.
Slowly backing away from the figure, I was surprised to hear the figure speak to me.
"Peace lost one, I mean you no harm." The figure spoke in a raspy, ethereal sounding voice.
"Who are you?" I asked, shaking off my fear of the figure.
"I go by many names, Father Time, The Grim Reaper, but here, I am known just as Death." He responded.
"You... are Death?" I asked, surprised that I was, literally, staring Death in the face.
"It would seem you have escaped the clutches of one of my eviscerators... You are an interesting one indeed..."
"Why are you here? I have already died..." I questioned, curious of the entity's intentions.
"I am here to hand down your judgement." He states
Death pulls out an object vaguely resembling an hourglass from his cloak and examines it.
"You have had a troubling life, losing your family to disease, your friends to war, and your loved one to another man..."
I cringed at his words.
"...Your sanity betraying you, causing you to try to commit suicide after suicide, and all the while... your own soul was trapped inside your body, desperately fighting to regain control..."
Visually twitching, I'm made uncomfortable being made to remember my past life and all the mistakes and shortcomings that I had made.
"...And when it did, it couldn't bear the state your body and mind was in, and you decided to finally end it all... Which is how you ended up here, as a lost soul, doomed to wander this perpetual wasteland of limbo."
"..." I am left utterly speechless, being forced to recall all the horrible things my life has brought me. Has he come simply to make me relive my life?
"...I have made my decision." Death says with an ominous voice. "I have decided to give you a second chance at life, one that will end your suffering and misery."
I suddenly look up at him and my hopes begin to rise.
"But, make no mistake, due to how you have died, you are prohibited from returning to your own world."
My hopes are slightly lowered, but not completely dashed.
"Wait... If I can't return to my own world... Where am I to go?" I ask, puzzled at what he means.
With a slight chuckle, Death responds, "I have selected a world that will end your misery."
I'm still curious, but I don't feel like starting an argument with the guy who is giving me a second chance at life.
"I will warn you however, this world will not come without it's own problems, you will have many obstacles you will need to overcome if you are to be fully given this new chance." He warns. "Knowing this... would you still go?" He asks me.
I mull the question over, and moments later, I have my answer, "Yes, my world has nothing left for me, even if i was allowed to get back there, it would all end the same, leaving me here in limbo."
Death chuckles at my response "Good answer."
Walking towards a small concrete square, a question still burns in my mind.
"There's still the matter of me not having a body." I state bluntly.
"You're original body shall be given to you, in pristine condition, upon your arrival to the world." Death replies. "Now, one more issue..."
"And that would be...?" I ask.
"This world you're going to, has no human inhabitants." Death says with a devious smile as he sends me to this new world.
I hear only one thing before I leave the ruined place known as limbo.
Good Luck, you're going to need it...
Chapter 1 - The new world
As i opened my eyes i found myself in a forest at what appeared to be night.
I decided to survey my surroundings, walking around and getting familiar with where i was. It was then a realization finally dawned on me.
I was alive again...
Realizing this, i held a hand up to my face and felt my own skin...
Collecting myself after a few brief moments of just enjoying my original body again, i continued walking through the forest, eventually coming to a strange structure. It looked like an animal sanctuary back on my own world, complete with small creatures and various shelters for them.
Walking towards it, i saw a rather large cave near the main building of this sanctuary. Me being the curious type, i decided to take a small peek inside it. Seeing nothing, i took a few steps inside and heard a very loud snoring coming from deep within the cave, along with a low growling, not wanting to become some creature's lunch, i decided to leave this sanctuary place alone for the time being.
Continuing my journey, i came upon a village, with houses similar in construction to old medieval cottages. Wandering around this strange village i saw a rather large tree that had been turned into the literal definition of a tree-house.
Curious as to what type of life inhabited a village like this, i decided to sit down on a nearby bench, giving my legs a bit of a breather after what had happened.
A few minutes passed and i saw that the sun was slowly rising, and i saw... something out of the corner of my eye, it seemed quadrupedal in nature and strangely resembled a... horse?
Deciding on not to disturb the local populace, i carefully made my way to a nearby gathering of trees and, noticing i was getting extremely tired, settled on taking a small nap under one of the trees, recovering from the events of earlier.
As the hours passed and i snoozed away, i neglected to notice a rather large barn near the edge of the gathering of trees i was in.
After finally waking up and opening my eyes i found myself face-to-face with a creature similar to the one i saw back in the village.
The creature was definitely smaller than the one i had seen before and had a olive coloring to what i believe was fur, the creature also sported a slightly lighter than red mane with a large pink bow in it's hair.
The creature seemed to be very curious as to what i was, seeing as Death said there were no human inhabitants on this world. It kept staring at me and i returned the stare with caution. After a few moments, however, the creature turned and ran in the direction of the large barn which appeared to be it's home.
After the creature had left, i heard the clopping of hooves rapidly coming towards me and, without time to think, i climbed up the tree and stayed there, trying my hardest not to make a sound.
"It was right around here!" A young southern accented voice said.
"Are ya sure?" An older sounding, also southern accented voice said.
The sound of hooves approaching stopped and as i looked down, i saw the same creature from earlier and a larger one with an orange coat and what appeared to be a cowboy hat. A cowboy hat? I thought to myself.
"Yeah, it was right here! It looked like a... well i dunno, but it looked weird!" The smaller of the two said.
"I dunno Apple Bloom, doesn't seem like anythin's out of the ordinary here..." The larger one replied.
It was then i figured out what type of tree i was sitting in, it was an apple tree, discovering this, i tensed up, remembering that i had a small allergy to apples.
As the two were about to leave, i relaxed and accidentally let out a sneeze, which alerted the two creatures to my presence.
"See? There it is!"
"What in tarnation...?"
The sudden shock of sneezing and being discovered caused me to fall out of the tree and onto my back, groaning.
"Eh... heh... Hi?" I said sheepishly.
Chapter 2 - Chance encounters
I was in bigger trouble than i had been.
I was lying on my back and looking up at the larger of the two equine creatures... they didn't look pleased to see me, considering that i was a strange creature in their world.
So i did the only thing i could think of in that sort of situation: running the hell away.
Leaping to my feet, i started a mad dash out of the forest, which as i kept running, seemed like an apple orchard. As i continued running i neglected to notice that i was running toward the village i had exited a few hours earlier.
Running through the village, i found myself in the previously deserted center of the village, only this time... there were ALOT of them...
Continuing my sprint through the town, passing many of the strange creatures, i ended up tripping and banging my head on a table near what appeared to be a cafe.
Not giving myself a moment to recuperate, i continued running until i reached the exit of the village, where i looked back and saw a good few of the creatures chasing after me. Resuming my dash, i found myself in the same area as i had originated in coming to this world.
Finally being allowed a rest, i had found a nearby stump and sat on it, giving myself a few minutes to recover from the day's ordeals.
Recovering from the trials of the day, i decided to take another look around the area, where i suddenly heard a voice.
The voice was unlike the voices of the two creatures from earlier, it bore no ill will against me, nor did it have an ulterior motive... In fact, it seemed... intrigued by me.
"Is this a joke? You are not one of the usual pony folk..." The voice said.
I could tell the voice was feminine, but there was one question that entered my mind... who was this person?
"Who are you?" I asked the voice.
"Zecora is my name, now i should ask you the same." The voice replied.
"My name? It's Kyle." I answer.
"Where did you come from? You are not anything a pony through magic would become." The voice questioned.
"I'm guessing you're one of those creatures that inhabit that village over there?" I asked, pointing towards it.
"Partially and so, You have been to Ponyville no?" The voice asked with a note of intrigue.
Ponyville? So that's the name of that place...
"Yes, I have, and I must say, its an interesting place..." I say.
As i responded to the voice, i noticed that the sun was setting on the horizon, and i had neglected to find or make a shelter for the night.
"Pardon me, miss... Zecora was it? Would you mind terribly if i sought shelter at your abode for the night?" I asked.
"If shelter is what you seek, follow me and i shall fit your physique." The voice responded.
Walking towards the voice, i followed it for a few moments until i came upon a hollowed out tree and met the person who was about to allow me refuge for the night.
Seeing her, i took a slight step back, seeing that she was like the inhabitants of the village.
Examining the creature in front of me, she resembled a creature called a Zebra from my world, Her coat was two shades of gray with the darker one making up the stripes. Her mane was styled in a Mohawk with a white and gray pattern. I could see she also had a pair of golden earrings and a set of golden neck rings. The thing that struck me most odd was the strange mark on her... well... her rear. She had what appeared to be a mark on it that looked like a swirled sun.
"Your appearance is quite strange, are you a creature that was subject to change?" She asks, snapping me out of my slight daydream.
"No." I replied, "I am a human, don't they have us i-" I stopped myself in mid-sentence, remembering what death told me.
"This world you're going to, has no human inhabitants." Death says with a devious smile
"Er... Never mind, either way, i must thank you for allowing me shelter in your home." I said with a slight bow.
"You are certainly polite, you try not to give me a fright."
"I try." I say.
Considering i'm a strange creature in this world, i don't want the locals to think i'm some sort of brute. I think to myself, knowing I had screwed up on that already.
"Well, it's getting late eh?" I say, ready to start a new day.
"Yes it is, you should rest, lest your chances fizz." Zecora says, climbing into her bed.
I hope my chances don't...
Chapter 3 - Prisoner of choice
The next morning had come earlier than I had anticipated. I had woken up and started to walk around the little hollowed out tree. After a bit, I noticed Zecora still asleep... Now that I think about it... She's kinda adorable when she's asleep... I thought to myself, quickly shaking it off. That thought path is best left untraveled.
I had left without letting Zecora know, I didn't want her to worry about a stranger like me.
Today was a day that I would soon come to regret, and here's why: I'm going back into that village named ponyville.
It took me only a few minutes to get to the entrance of ponyville, it reminded me much of my first visit here, how everyone was asleep and i was free to move about the town for a while.
It didn't take me long to find posters with my face on them telling people that if they find me to bring me to the mayor's office.
It was right about then that I got a crazy idea into my head:
I was going to turn myself in.
After pacing back and forth, i decided to head over to what i believe was the mayor's office. Walking up, i had knocked on the door of the building, waiting a few minutes i finally heard the sounds of hooves getting closer to the door.
As the door opened i was greeted with a shocked stare and a jaw nearly hitting the floor from a beige pony with a graying mane.
"Hello, i'm that person you have posters of everywhere, i'm here to turn myself in." I said to the still stunned pony.
I heard a slight gasp before resuming, "I apologize deeply for the trouble i've caused, so..." I said as i held out my wrists, expecting a pair of handcuffs to slap on them.
"...Please, take me to jail, i want to make amends for what i've done."
The pony in front of me was completely speechless, but nonetheless, she placed me under arrest.
As i soon came to discover, ponyville did not have a jail because, as i had heard, crime is virtually non-existent in this village. They did however, have a penal system in place and, in a huge contrast to the penal system in my world, actually treated me with some dignity.
My place of containment wasn't a jail cell of sorts, the closest thing they had was the basement in the town library which proved quite effective at containing me.
As the pony put me in here she said, "Princess Celestia is coming to see and decide what to do with you, hang tight."
As i was put in the basement, i examined it and found that it was quite bare, save for a table and a small chair, which i decided not to sit in, favoring the floor.
Looking down at the bonds that held my hands together, i started to wonder who this Princess Celestia person is, not knowing much about her or this place for that matter, i sat quietly and waited for her to come and decide my fate.
I was snapped out of my daydream when the voice of the beige pony said "The creature is right inside, be careful."
I heard the door open, looking up i saw something that, to this day, i can't describe well enough to do it justice.
The figure i saw entering the basement was most definitely a pony, but almost double the size of the ones i had seen before. one of the first things i had noticed about it was that it had a horn on it's face and a rather large pair of folded wings on its sides, which reminded me of a combination of two mythological creatures from my world, a Pegasus and a Unicorn. As i was examining this creature i failed to notice that it was walking towards me and i could see it's soft features, giving me the feeling that this particular creature was female. I also noticed that the creature sported a rather odd, rainbow colored mane that seemed to flow in the wind despite there being absolutely no breeze.
A few seconds passed as i realized that the creature was staring at me, sizing me up for some unknown reason, and after a while, the creature spoke.
"Creature, what are you?" She asked in an authoritative tone.
"...I am a human." I respond.
"Where are you from?"
"...I'm from a world known as earth."
The creature seemed somewhat surprised that i was from another world, but quickly responded with another question.
"What is your name?" She asked.
"My name is Kyle, I'm sorry for the trouble I've caused miss..."
"Celestia, Princess Celestia." She said.
"Princess Celestia, i am truly sorry for the trouble i have caused." I said, slightly lowering my head.
The creature known as Princess Celestia nodded and said, "Follow me."
I stood up, the ropes still binding my arms behind my back.
The princess and i began to climb up the stairs as my thoughts started to arise,
Is the princess going to help me? Imprison me or... No... She wouldn't do that... would she?
I shook off these thoughts as i continued to follow the princess.