Twilight slammed her hoof on the desk in frustration, sending parchment and quills flying in every direction. She glowered at the smoke of her last failed spell attempt.

Sighing, she opened the window and with a quick spell, pushed all the smoke outside into the night. It had been a long time since a spell had given her this much trouble. Then again, it had been a long time since she had tried a spell she only knew half of.

For the past week she had been attempting to finish a spell she had discovered in a book buried deep in the library basement. The book was so old and fragile, Twilight had been afraid it would crumble to dust if she handled it roughly and had taken exquisite care when reading it.

This particular spell she was having trouble with had come from a book titled “Strange Creatures and Natural Spells.” It was a spell which was supposed to give the pony it was cast upon the same powers of transformation as a changeling, albeit only for a short time. The author had gone into great detail about changeling magic being fueled by strong emotions. He also wrote that this spell could tap into the emotions of the pony it was cast on to allow them to use a changeling’s ability without the need for a constant flow of magic.

The only problem was the spell was incomplete, as one of the pages containing the spell had met a dusty end when she first opened the book. With only half the spell to go on, Twilight had been trying to figure out the other half based on clues the book’s author had left and her prior knowledge of changelings and their nature.

Ever since the attack by Queen Chrysalis a few months back at Cadance and Shining Armor's wedding, Twilight had poured through every book on changelings she could get her hooves on. If they attacked again, she wanted to be ready. This spell might also be a valuable asset if such an event was to happen again and she was also hoping it would help her get a better understanding of changeling magic.

Twilight read the spell again for the thousandth time; she was performing it perfectly, as far as she could tell, but the spell still wasn't forming the mist that showed it had worked. She believed that once the mist was formed, all a pony had to do was step into it and the spell would take hold.

Twilight read over the page again, being careful to make sure she hadn't missed any clues about the spell.

While changelings are capable of magic, they do not rely solely on their own magical power. One way they draw power is by feeding off of the emotions of ponies. It is also believed that changelings possess the ability to siphon energy needed to maintain the transformation from an unknown source. The source is not a changeling’s body nor the area around them as no change other than the initial magic to start the spell is observed in changelings when they transform. This source of power is a complete mystery, as the amount of transformations a changeling can undergo is limited only to the magic needed to start the spell. The rest of the magic comes from—

Twilight pondered this and wished again that she had the next page which she was sure would contain the remainder of the spell. But then an idea occurred to her of a potential source of power. Maybe instead of unicorn magic, she could use a source of natural magic to power it.

Twilight’s horn lit up as she prepared two spells at the same time. The changeling transformation spell and a dimensional viewing spell that would tap into the veil between worlds. The second spell required a lot more magic than the first, but she was hoping that the energy from the veil would be enough to power the changeling spell.

The tear she was creating would only be small and was solely useful for tapping into the veil enough to assist in large spells. It was dangerous to put in too much magic as there was the potential to create a hole which would be too big to close. Or worse, she could find herself pulled through it and who knows what would happen then, as nopony had successfully created a portal through the veil to another dimension before. The most that had ever been done was to use the veil as a source of energy, a sort of magic-boost, for very complex spells.

As the light from her horn filled the room, Twilight was sure the spell would work this time. Besides, nothing should go wrong if she was careful.

On A Space Mudball Far, Far Away

My hands tapped on the steering wheel of my compact car as I followed along with the complicated drum rhythm playing over my car stereo. I could almost taste the feelings of excitement as I rode the high I had gotten from the exciting news.

Less than one hour ago, I had received a phone call that my application had been accepted. All I needed to do now was go in and fill out the final forms to start work at the Westman High School I.T. Department in two weeks.

I was thrilled, having worked at an Elementary school for three years now as the only IT technician, I was finally moving up.

Much to my surprise, I had gotten the job almost immediately after finishing my associates degree. I was worried at the time that a 20 year old guy with 2 years of college and no previous IT experience would even be able to get the job. But the school had been in desperate need of a new technician for a while and my good friend who already worked in the district's IT department had vouched for me and my love of computers.

After getting hired, they had encouraged me to go back and finish my bachelors degree. Which I did in two years without too much difficulty. The night classes hadn't been easy but the degree was necessary if I wanted to move up in the world of IT. Now I finally had a chance to get out of that crazy school.

Don't get me wrong I love my job, working with technology every day has always been my dream job. However this new position had many advantages my current one didn't. The greatest of them being that I wouldn't have to deal with children anymore.

I have nothing against kids mind you. It's actually something I enjoy, being able to interact with them on a daily basis. What I don't like, is what kids do to computers, printers, and anything else they can get their hands on. Every day consists of virus's being removed and USB drive slots being cleaned out because some first grader thinks it's funny to stick a pencil inside it. The worst had been when I had taken one of the new computers apart to fix a stuck cd drive, only to find mint gum had mucked up the inside. I had considered quitting that day.

Children just don't seem to respect technology as much as they should, and many of the teachers don't know anything about computers either. I remember fondly getting into an argument with a 5th grade teacher who insisted that the reason the internet on her laptop wasn't working was because she didn't have a cable to plug into it. No matter how hard I explained that she could use the school's WiFi, she insisted I set up a cable to her desk.

While I might have to put up with more teachers, I would hopefully be done with having to clean off monitors that had been jabbed to death by greasy candy stained fingers. That would be someone else's problem soon enough.

Waking my phone up from sleep mode I switched it to one of my favorite songs. Loyalty

I wasn't afraid for anyone to hear this song, unlike some of the other songs I listened to. Even if someone heard it they wouldn't be able to associate it with the show My Little Pony unless they knew what the song was exactly.

I had been a fan of MLP for a little over a year now but I had kept it under wraps because of my job. While it probably wouldn't get me fired, it wasn't something that you could just bring up in casual conversation with co-workers. Most people I knew didn't have a very positive view of adult fans of the show anyway.

I actually used to be one of those people who thought the adult pony fans were rather strange. I hadn't even watched the show and I had judged them as being weird or creepy. That changed one afternoon when I found myself with nothing else to watch while searching youtube. A few hours and a couple MLP episodes later and I was hooked.

I can't really explain it, but something about the show just stuck with me and I loved it. The fandom was even more interesting when I actually looked into it. The artwork, fiction, videos, and music the fans created were simply amazing. However lacking any of the skill needed to create anything decent myself, I was content to remain a spectator in the community.

The light in front of me turned red and I pulled to a stop humming along to the music when I felt something strange. A light tugging feeling on the back of my head. I tried to shake it off but the more I focused on it the stronger it got.

All the late night hours and coffee are finally catching up to me. I thought as what must be the impending migraine got stronger. The light turned green and I pulled forward through the intersection.

Tug

Woah, that was a much stronger feeling. It hadn't hurt, but it felt like someone was pulling on the inside of my head with string.

Tug

I focused on keeping my vehicle straight as my eyes watered from the feeling. It still didn't hurt, but it was not something I had ever experienced before.

Maybe it's a stroke? That thought brought panic to my mind as I searched for a place to pull over. I was only 23, but I'm pretty sure it was possible to have a stroke at an even younger age.

Tug

Gasping at my vision blurred, I slammed on the breaks to avoid hitting anything. My hands and feet felt like they were falling asleep simultaneously and I could no longer feel the steering wheel.

TUG

My vision went black and the feeling of my limbs falling asleep spread up my arms and legs and through my chest. When my vision returned, I looked up to see I was stopped in the middle of an intersection. I tried shaking my head to clear it, but the icy needles pressing on my brain dug in deeper. A light sent shadows crawling across my steering wheel and I turned to the left to see two headlights racing towards me.

TUG

My vision went black again and a huge weight seemed to compress my mind. It was like my entire being was being pushed through a straw. Time seemed to slow down and my vision returned for a split second, long enough to see the driver look up from their phone. The expression on his face was almost comical and I wanted to laugh and cry at the same time. The shock of the vehicle colliding with me sent my head into the window and I was very glad to have lost all feeling before then. My vision was lost again as the tugging sensation returned stronger than ever.

TUG

I was wrong it wasn't a straw, it was the eye of a needle, a hole the size of a grain of sand was what I was being pulled through. A bright light filled my eyes and I realized I must be dying. I hadn't put much thought into death before, but fear laced through my consciousness for a moment at my last thought.

Who's going to take care of my fish when I'm dead?

Twilight struggled to hold back the flow of magic. Her horn shined with an intensity that would have rivaled Celestia's sun as she tried to contain the spell. Something had gone wrong immediately after casting the two spells and the power coming from the dimensional tear was much higher than she had calculated. She needed to close the rift quickly before the power overwhelmed her and damaged the library or the surrounding houses.

A bright light shown from the hole in space as she tried to keep it from expanding. It hung suspended in the center of the room and seemed to pulse green with each wave of magic. A glowing mist poured out from the opening like a shower head turned on high.

Using every ounce of skill and power she possessed, Twilight cast another spell which closed the rift with a loud pop, causing it to vanish from existence just as quickly as it had appeared.

Exhausted, she collapsed on the floor. The exertion required to keep the portal from growing had strained her to her limits. If she had waited just a little bit longer or been slightly weaker, there was no way she would've been able to stop it.

Her eyes fell over where the rift had formed and Twilight's jaw dropped at what she saw. In the center of the room was a glowing cloud of mist. It was easily taller than her and looked like a thick fog but was tinted a wicked emerald green. The fog seemed to draw light into it and cast off a faint glow.

"Yes! It worked!" Twilight shouted, bouncing up and down. She had finished the spell and it had finally worked. Just what should be expected from the element of magic and Celestia's protégé.

"Twilight! Are you ok? what was that noise and-" Spike cut off what he was about to say as he entered Twilight's study. One claw rubbed sleep from his eye as he gaped at the green cloud of fog that hovered in the center of the room. "What is that?"

"This", Twilight paused gesturing her hoof at the mist "Is the result of a spell I just completed. It allows a pony to have the same powers of transformation that a changeling does."

"So it turns a pony into a changeling?" Spike scratched his head. "Why would you want to do that?"

"No spike, it doesn't turn them into a changeling it just lets them have the same powers as a changeling. Basically it lets them transform into other ponies. Or at least that's what it should do." She said frowning in thought while staring at the mist. Had she done the spell right?

"Oh" Spike said stepping forward and reaching his claw out to the mist.

"Don't touch it!" Twilight yelled scooping the purple dragon up and away from the fog with her magic. "I haven't tested it yet and I'm not sure what effect it would have on a dragon anyway." Doubt started to creep into her mind as she remembered the rift and wondered again if she had done the spell correctly.

"Well how are you going to test it unless someone touches it?"

"I'm going to have to be the one to do that Spike." Twilight said as she tentatively stepped up to the green mist. Was it humming?

"I don't know Twilight, what if something goes wrong and you can't turn back?"

"It'll be all right Spike. If anything happens I should be able to fix it. Besides I can't have any other pony test it and risk them getting hurt now can I" Twilight said confidently. She inched closer to the green mist and reached a hoof out toward it. Just as her hoof reached it instead of pushing through the mist as she expected, she was met with resistance almost as if the fog was pushing back. A bright light grew out from the center of the mist and bathed the room in a bright flash causing her to leap backwards away from the mist.

Am I dead? I was floating, or as far as I could tell it felt like I was floating I wasn't sure. I tried to feel around with my hands until I realized I didn't have hands anymore. Wait, why don't I have hands!?

Looking down I couldn't see my body. I couldn't see anything for that matter, nor could I feel anything. It was as if all my senses had been balled up with my body and tossed out with yesterdays trash. I floated in a void which seemed to go on forever in every direction.

Where am I? I pondered wondering if this was the afterlife or something. I could remember the feeling of being drawn through something and then after that nothing. Maybe I'm not dead and I'm just in a coma. That last thought was only slightly more comforting than being dead.

A warm presence surrounded me and I realized I could see again. Green, everything was green. I seemed to regain some my senses and I thought for sure that I must be floating. I could hear voices coming from all around me now but they sounded faint. Was I in the hospital? Maybe I was alive and there were doctors trying to help me.

Help! I tried to call out but without a throat it was useless. Panic rose up in me at the thought of not being able to communicate with anyone. What if I can't wake up. What if I'm trapped in my mind forever and they don't even know I'm here. What if they kill me because they think I'm just a vegetable. I have to get out of here. I have to let them know I'm still alive.

Tug I could feel that strange tugging sensation again and it seemed to envelope my whole consciousness and squeeze me.

This is it, I thought. They are killing me. They've decided they can't save me so they are putting me down. Now that I thought about it I really didn't want to die. I'd even take sticky computers over death anytime soon. I tried to cry out as suddenly a lance of light cut through my very being.

Pain filled my mind for a second and then with a soft thud I landed on something smooth and hard. Gasping I breathed deeply for what seemed like the first time in days as my vision returned. Colors and shapes swirled in front of me as my eyes focused and I blinked furiously trying to clear away the lingering fuzziness. Everything slowly cleared and I found myself staring into two huge lavender eyes.

"AH!" I screamed, a very unmanly sounding scream, as I stumbled backwards away from the eyes. My whole body moving awkwardly. I was staring at a purple unicorn. A unicorn that I knew from a cartoon. I was staring at Twilight Sparkle.

Author's Note

Finally, I have to publish this first chapter or I don't think I'm ever going to publish this story.

The inspiration for this story came to me while I was reading Dash of Humanity by world famous author Kaidan. I would like to thank him for his advice when I asked him to read my poor first draft of chapter one. I'm also thankful he didn't condemn me to the pits of hell for wasting his time with it. The fact is I loved writing this chapter(and chapter 2) and I'm definitely going to finish this story if it kills me. Writing is no where near the top of my skill list though. I haven't written in a long time but I still really want to see this story written and I want to do it well.

If there is anyone out there who is interested in editing or knows an editor who would be I would greatly appreciate it(pm me). I've currently had a lot of offers from very gracious people who have offered to help edit/proofread the story. Thanks!

Please leave me your thoughts on my very original and not even slightly overused Human in Equestria plot point. In all seriousness though I would really appreciate constructive criticism. Thanks!