Version: 3
Kevin's day was just getting weirder and weirder.
First he woke up as a changeling, then he found himself lying on a marble floor in a grand hallway, and now he was staring at an awfully familiar stained-glass portrait of his favorite heroes. "No way," he breathed. It wasn't possible that he could be in Equestria was it?
He was staring up at a depiction of the mane six battling Nightmare Moon while angelic shafts of light bathed them in a multicolored glow. When Kevin pulled his gaze away from the image he found the rest of the hall full of other such scenes. Discord, Chrysalis, Sombra. They were all here!
The expensive red carpet dampened the clicks of his hooves as he moved to each window in turn, mouth hanging open the entire way. "But where is every... pony?" he asked, looking back the way he'd come. He hadn't seen a soul since he woke up and he was fairly certain this was Canterlot. But if that were true, if this was really the palace, it should have been absolutely swarming with ponies. Guards in particular. Yet it was empty. Deserted.
"Hello?" he tried, but received no response. "This is, like, major creepy," Kevin commented before quickly becoming lost in the maze of hollow rooms and quiet passages. It was only mildly discomforting that every last room he entered already had the lights turned on even though there was no one inside. He considered that the lights were motion sensitive and were turning themselves on before he could see that they weren't initially, but that was stretching it.
"Alright every... pony, the jokes over. You got me." No one answered him. "Yeah haha, 'let's all have fun with the changeling', I get it. You can come out now!" he yelled to make sure they heard. Again, there was no sound other than his own voice. Kevin's breathing was starting to quicken along with his pace. "There has to be someone here. Come out before I make you!" he threatened.
Nothing.
Bursting through a set of large double doors, Kevin found himself in one of the most important rooms in Canterlot: the throne room. But it too was devoid of guards and princesses. "I... I really am in Canterlot," he gaped. "But this room should always be occupied. So where are they?" he questioned. The towering columns lead up to an exquisite vaulted ceiling and tapestries hung from it in two different styles. There was the bright golden version that depicted the sun and a dark version with an imprint of the moon and several stars.
"If they're not here then where would they be?" he thought aloud. An imaginary bulb appeared above his head a moment later as an idea struck him. "It feels about mid-day, so they're probably getting LUNCH!" he declared. Kevin immediately stormed off down hallways as he searched for the cafeteria. He actually giggled at the thought of how the princesses would respond to a changeling bursting in on them during mealtime. He didn't even care that they would probably attack him, as long as he knew someone else was alive in this bizarre world. Loneliness was eating away at him and he wouldn't mind some company, even if it was a the violent kind.
He spied a wooden sign with a picture of a fork and a spoon dangling from the ceiling by an uninteresting pair of doors. Without a second thought, Kevin forced the doors open and came sliding to a halt in the spacious dining room. Numerous bench-like chairs lined simple wooden tables that were polished to a golden shimmer where he could make out his reflection. The carpets were a light beige color and were devoid of even the smallest stain. There were thin windows high on the left wall that cast beams of sunlight down on the room in a rather elegant display and there was a door at the back of the room left ajar to reveal a homely kitchen.
It would have been a nice sight if not for one key missing detail: ponies. The room was clean, well-cared for, and even smelled of fresh paint. Yet there wasn't a living thing to be seen and Kevin was left staring. He struggled to maintain his composure as he glided around the outskirts of the room and took in its minimal design. Taking a seat where he was, Kevin again tried to think of where Celestia and Luna would be. Vacation? A Holiday?
He was again suddenly struck with inspiration and rushed out into the hall as quickly as he could. Kevin wasn't exactly sure what to look for, but he'd know it when he saw it.
After a few minutes of intense exercise, Kevin spied a large obsidian door with a depiction of a silver crescent moon on it. After grinding to a stop in the middle of his rapid sprint, he allowed a smile to form on his muzzle. With a few additional shaky steps he placed himself in front of the impressive ornate doors that obviously lead to the lunar goddess's chamber. Placing a quivering hoof on the handle, he was not reassured when he found it unlocked. Carefully, as though afraid the door would fall off its hinges if he moved too quickly now, he opened the door and poked his head in.
Luna's bedroom was dark. Unlike every other room he'd been in so far. The floor was a strange black stone and the violet drapes were pulled over the windows to block all outside light. There was a vanity dresser, a writing desk, a beanbag chair, two other doors that lead to who-knows-where, a bed large enough for either princess, and a bookshelf off in the corner by itself. The one thing that Kevin had come here intending to find was not here though: Princess Luna.
Kevin quietly made his way into the middle of the room and dropped his head. "I don't understand. Where is everyone? I always wanted to go to Equestria, but not by myself." Kevin was scared. The castle had everything it needed to accommodate an army, but he was its sole occupant.
With heavy hooves, Kevin approached Luna's bed where the sheets were dark blue and extra fluffy. There were four enormous pillows and several stuffed animals of various species resting against the headboard. Instinctively, Kevin levitated one over to himself and grasped it in his hooves. It was an Ursa Minor, about the size of a basketball, with ragged fur covering it from head to toe. The cuddly toy brought memories of his little sister and her favorite stuffed bear to mind. He remembered the day she accidentally tore its leg off and cried for three hours straight. With a sad smile, he put the Ursa back where it had been and made his way to the mirror.
Even though the lights in this room weren't on, enough illumination came in from the hall that he could clearly tell what he looked like. He wasn't impressed with the image that looked back at him. It was the classic depiction of a changeling: big fangs, shredded ears and wings, hole filled hooves, big orb eyes that were unusually expressive, and a blade-like horn curving out of his forehead.
Kevin ran a hoof over the mirror and shook his head. "What was I expecting to see?" he asked no one while he turned towards the bookshelf. Raising an eyebrow, he approached the wooden structure. None of the books had a name printed on the side. Instead they sported strange symbols and varying bright colors. A boring desk lamp sat on a small table nearby and he flicked it on so he could see the shelf's contents more easily. He ran his eyes over the tomes in search of one that might catch his fancy. He hadn't been much of a reader back when he was human, but he felt drawn to read now that he had no idea what else to do.
Kevin picked a simple red book that sported a line of golden roses on the spine, but when he opened it it was blank. Scowling, Kevin flipped several dozen pages. They were all white. He rolled his eyes in annoyance and put the book back. It must have been an, as of yet, unused journal or a diary. He grabbed another book, this one a light pink color with a picture of an unfamiliar bird on the cover. Sitting where he was, Kevin opened this one to a random page near the middle and proceeded to stare.
It too was blank.
Flicking his eyes back to the shelf, Kevin dropped the previous book on the floor and grabbed yet another book. It was as blank as the first two. For several minutes Kevin went through every tome on the shelf, all of which were full of nothing but white pages. "This. Is. IMPOSSIBLE!!" Kevin screamed, throwing the last worthless book across the room where it clattered across the floor, pages crinkling and tearing.
Just before he could completely lose it and start smashing things, Kevin's gaze was drawn to the fluttering drapes. His eyes were the size of saucers in an instant and Kevin literally bounded over the bed and cast the cloth that covered the glass away. He forced the balcony doors open and took three steps out to the humble railing overlooking an alien landscape.
"No... way..." he whispered.
As far as the eye could see the land was a rolling desert and a massive storm whipped gray powder into the air. "This isn't Equestria, is it?" Kevin mumbled. Last time he checked, Canterlot sat on the side of a mountain surrounded by a beautiful city with trees, grass, and farmland. This place was some kind of cruel joke in comparison. It was nothing more than a wasteland!
Kevin lost track of time sitting on that balcony so long, just staring out. His mind was a mess. Suddenly, only a few feet out from the railing, a giant bluish-green eye appeared! Floating in space with no owner.
"Ah!" he wailed as he flew backwards into Luna's room. With his magic, he slammed the doors and pulled the blinds tight over the view-port. He then promptly dove under Luna's bed and cowered, hooves held over his head. His heart thumped like a jackhammer and his head pounded with every beat.
It had been two hours and Kevin was still hiding under the bed. He hadn't heard or seen anything out of the ordinary since taking up this strategic position, but boredom had worn away his fear. Aching legs and heavy eyelids might have also contributed. He was really beginning to think it was a good idea to lay in the bed rather than under it.
Painfully, Kevin removed himself from beneath the bed and tentatively moved to the door. He glanced down the hallway where he discovered that all the lights were now off. However, there was still a faint glow in the air that allowed him to make out shapes in the darkness. With a shiver, Kevin closed the door and turned the deadbolt. He wasn't about to take any chances with a giant eye on the loose so he also braced a nearby chair up against the door. Analyzing his setup, Kevin gave a nod of approval and crawled back over to the bed. It didn't feel quite right sleeping in someone else's bed, but Luna and everyone else were missing. So he wasn't too worried about getting in trouble.
He pulled the sweet smelling sheets aside and crawled into the warm embrace of fabric. With the aid of his magic once again, Kevin tucked himself in. Mysteriously, he found his neck bent at an uncomfortable angle, but when he went to correct the pillow he realized he'd put his head down on the stuffed Ursa Minor from before. In the most unmanly display possible, justified only by his fractured mind, he hugged the stuffed bear to his chest and snuggled into the royal bed. He really felt like crying, but his eyes were too dry to make tears.
For whatever reason, he was alone, scared, and likely being watched. One day he was dreaming of a life in Equestria, the next he was here and not at all having a good time. The cuddly toy and warm bed brought some ounce of comfort for him in the end, but he really just wanted to go home.
End?
Author's Note
Was originally going to be a longer story, but I immediately abandoned it. While it had a fun start, I wasn't really sure what to do with it. It was one of my first projects so you can't be too harsh with me.
