The Joys and Pains of Making Things Right.
I just want to go home. I want to go home and forget everything I've seen. I want it to just be some screwed up dream.
Chapter 1: Welcome to the World
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My name is James. I'm 44, I have black hair and hazel eyes, and 23 years ago my life used to be like this:
I'd wake up at about 8:30, I'd know I was late to work but I'd guess they didn't need me because they didn't call. I'd figure I might as well just stay in, if they gave me shit about it I'd just say I was sick and my phone was dead. Oh well, not like they'd care all that much not a lot of people liked our food anyway.
"What do I have planned for today?" I'd ask myself, and then proceed to go about my day. Life wasn't fantastic, but all in all livable.
Until the day that changed my life forever. That day where I was just a 21 year old kid living life one day at a time.
That day I had just gotten back from an extra tough day at work. My everything hurt. I wondered why we were so busy. I didn't think on it too long though. I sat down to watch some TV and got about halfway through a show I was watching when I heard a noise. It was sorta like TV static but much louder, and then I heard a crash that came from my room. I ran to my room to see what happened. Nothing looked out of place at first. But then I notices something on my bed. Something living.
"What the hell is that?" I whispered to myself.
I investigated it more to find it looked like... a cartoon winged horse with rainbows jutting out of it. It was small and it looked very cold. I thought I had gone insane for a second and closed my eyes, but when I opened them the horse was still there. I panicked, I didn't know what to do. The only thing that stood out in my mind: get rid of it and never think about it again. I noticed a box I had from moving in and I grabbed a pen and said as I wrote.
"Give... to... good... Home."
I ran outside with the box and looked around for anyone. There was no one around so I just set it in the middle of the sidewalk. I ran back to my apartment and tried to get my mind off of what just happened.
"What the hell was that?! Why was it in my room?!... Just gotta calm down. That didn't really happen James, maybe it was just some bad chicken we got from work. Yeah... I just need to get some sleep."
The next day I had off from work. I didn't know why but I felt guilty about leaving that... mutant horse thing in a box in the middle of the sidewalk. I decided to just make sure it wasn't real and go out to find the box. It didn't take long to get to where I had left it. I was about to go and check inside it when I heard some footsteps. I hid myself in the shadows and waited for whoever it was to pass by. I noticed it was just some guy, and he went towards the box, opened it and froze. In that moment I knew it was there, the guy looked like he just saw a ghost. He started talking to it, then he put it in his coat, looked around and walked away.
After he left I just stood there looking into the box where that thing had resided. It took me a while before I told myself that even if it was real, even if everything that I just witnessed wasn't a figment of my imagination, It wasn't my problem anymore. I was still curious though. Why would he take that thing? I went home to try and preserve what was left of my sanity.
15 years passed and I no longer thought about the box anymore. I got home from my job, which I was a manager at then, and sat down to watch TV. A few hours passed and I went to bed as I was about to drift off to the wonders of my subconscious world I heard a noise. A familiar noise. A noise I hadn't heard in 15 years, but once I heard it, I recalled everything about the last time I heard it. I shot up from my bed to notice 6 cartoon looking horses looking at me.
"We made it Princess! This is the exact location where Rainbow was sent!" the purple one exclaimed.
"So then where's Rainbow at Twah?" the orange one asked.
"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU?!!!" I shouted as one should have done at that moment.
"Calm down dear, it's rude to shout at somepony you've just met." the white one responded.
"BEGONE DEMON HORSE!"
I then noticed a pink one on my back who decided to ask me "HI I'M PINKIE PIE! Do you know Rainbow Dash?".
"The better question is ,"How did you get behind me?", also AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUGH!!!!" I said screaming like a little girl. I was then stopped by some force I wouldn't know until later in my life. I was held until I calmed down. We all proceeded towards the living room so I could talk with them.
"So... Seeming as I'm going to the mental ward anyways, might as well get to know the voices in my head. I'm James."
"You're not crazy, I was just trying out a new spell and... well something went wrong. My name is Twilight Sparkle."
"I'M PINKIE PIE!"
"Okay let's assume I'm not crazy, which is very unlikely, why did you cast a spell that ported your friend into my world?"
"I was trying to help the weather team and, well Rainbow Dash got caught in it." Twilight said.
"Well that's a damn shame ain't it? Why don't you guys just get your friend and get the hell out of my life?"
"It'd be easier if you'd just tell me where she is!" she snapped back.
"I don't know! Some guy took her! If magic exists in your world why don't you just magic yourself up a tracking device, oh mystic unicorn from a different world?"
A much larger horse appeared in front of her, separating us.
"Why are you so angry at my student and her friends?" she said in a calm voice.
"My life was hard enough before you stupid horses intruded in on it!" in that moment all of the other horses were glaring at me with what looked like intent to kill. They all stopped when she held up a fore-hoof though.
"I'm sorry for my subjects causing you trouble James, and you are correct I suppose we could just try to use a spell to find Rainbow Dash."
I sighed. "I'm just having a bad day, I guess I'm still trying to see if I'm insane or not."
"Twilight, begin searching for Rainbow Dash. James I'd like to talk to you about your problems maybe I can help you."
We talked for about 2 hours before Twilight came back to tell Celestia that she had located Rainbow Dash. She had told everyone else to prepare to leave. She stayed with me for a moment.
"What you've told me about your life explains why you were easily angered at our intrusion James. I think I may have a way to help you."
"Help your little pony friend first then come back to tell me about it."
I didn't have to wait long. It was only a few more hours before Celestia came back and explained what happened to Rainbow Dash. I felt bad for the guy. It's like raising a lost child only to have the parents show up later to say "Hey we're back and we want our kid! Thanks though it really helped!" a damn shame really.
"If you hadn't had done what you did James, she probably wouldn't have survived long here. You save one of my subjects and I owe you so much in return. There are many different worlds and realities and I feel that you may be the key in making changes in them to set things right."
"Me? I'm just some guy who's barely getting by from a job he hates. Why would you think I'm a key to saving worlds?"
"Why did you put Rainbow Dash in that box instead of exposing her to the world to get famous?"
"I... I don't know. It's just wrong I suppose. I wouldn't do that to anyone."
"You could help yourself and start living a better life, but you choose not to. Help other worlds and soon you will find that you will live a better life from it. Come with me to Equestria I need your help."
I thought about it for a moment. Only a moment and then I stepped towards her and held out a hand.
"Lead the way."
I would regret those words years later.