"What do you mean 'you don't know where it came from!?'"
"I don't understand. I thought I had everything figured out." The sound of voices pulls you into consciousness. Your eyes flutter open then shut as the bright light blinds your unsuspecting eyes. You open them again, seeing blurry shapes made from bright colors.
"I.. I think he's waking up.." a third voice announced, closer and quieter than the other two, but it was enough to make them stop their arguing. That voice.. It was familiar to you. They all were. You lean on your arms and raise yourself up, trying in vain to remember how you got here.
"Where am I?" you ask, your eyes squinting, slowly adjusted to the light.
"It's ok. You're safe." the soft voice reassures you. "We're not going to hurt you." You feel something touch your leg and look down to see a yellow.. thing,
"You hear that? It talked!" you hear the first voice in an unsuccessful attempt to whisper. Suddenly, recognition clicks in your brain. You look up stare at the shapes in front of you, your eyes start to water from the light, but you keep them focused through sheer disbelief.
'Rainbow Dash.. Flutter.. Flu.' The words in your mind fade. Memories of your world, the ones involving the franchise known as My Little Pony, disappear all together. For you, the lines between reality and fiction have been blurred. You know knew these things weren't real, yet here they are. Something was wrong, so something had to be corrected.
"What are you?!" You ask, staring at each one in turn.
"That's what we should be asking YOU!" The flying blue one shouts as it swoops towards you before hovering in front of your face. "Where do you come from? How many of you are there? Wha.." A purple aura surrounds the creature and pulls her away.
"That's enough Rainbow Dash. It's our fault he's here, not his," A taller one walks closer towards you and you realize it's kind of like a horse. "My name is Twilight Sparkle, and this is Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash." The horse creature suddenly looks nervous, embarrassed maybe. "I'm really sorry to tell you this.. but I think you've been pulled into an alternate reality." You stare into the eyes of the purple horse thing.
"What?!"
"Welcome to Equestria." Rainbow Dash responds with notable sarcasm.
"But.. but how?" You ask, turning to the other two then back to Twilight.
"Well.. I'm not exactly sure. I was working on something I'd found in an old book. A long distance teleportation spell that the had never been perfected." She sighs and turns to a bunch of papers in on a nearby table, presumably her notes on the subject. "I was so concerned with the three dimensional coordinates that I didn't even consider the possibility of it passing through the interdimensional threshold." Twilight sits and lifts a couple of papers up to look at the notes below them, using the same purple aura from before. "With the mechanics of the spell the way they are, it would be next to impossible to create an accurate destination point that's anchored to this reality. The entire premise is flawed." As Twilight mumbles to herself, you take your first real look around the room you're in. Surrounded by bookshelves, you figure you're in a library of some kind. Then your mind catches up with what's been said.
"Wait, spells? You mean magic?" you stop yourself and think. "No, wait, I've transported to an alternate reality populated by talking, rainbow horses, of course magic is real." Twilight looks at you.
"Ponies.. and you don't have magic in your world?" You shake your head.
"Only in fiction.. and make believe." You reply, noticing the horn on Twilight's head and wings on her back. What did that make her, a unicorn pegasus? A pegacorn?
"A world without magic?" Twilight gets up and looks at you intently. "I've read books describing what ponies thought such a reality could operate. How do you raise the sun? Do you even have a sun?" You want to say 'of course we have a sun,' but you stop yourself. You were in an alternate reality after all, who knows what kind of differences there might be.
"Yes, and it, sorta, does it by itself."
"Fascinating, but if it was comparable to our own it would require.."
"Enough science!" Rainbow Dash flies between you, hovering a few inches away from Twilight's nose. "He's an alien. Send him back before he contacts his mothership or something!"
"I.. I don't think I can." Twilight looks at you, you can understand that she's upset. "I don't know where you came from or how to send you back."
"Can't you just.. do what you did before but in reverse?" You ask. The sigh she gives is almost heartbreaking.
"It's not that simple. You could end up anywhere. Somewhere with poisonous air or dangerous alien monsters, and you'd have no way escape." That didn't sound very appealing.
"So, rather than send him to somewhere where there might be dangerous aliens monster, we're going to keep something that might itself be a dangerous alien monster?" Rainbow Dash asks. You're starting to get the feeling she doesn't like you very much.
"Oh, I'm sure he wouldn't do anything to hurt us, would you?" Fluttershy asks, her front hoof patting your leg reassuringly. You shake your head again, hoping it means the same thing to ponies as it does to you. Rainbow Dash moves aside for Twilight to look at you face to face.
"I am really, really sorry. You must hate me." You notice her eyes starting to tear up.
"Actually.. no." You reflect on what's happened. You've been whisked away to somewhere completely alien with no hope of ever returning home. You should be livid, terrified, desperately begging to be sent back home. "I.. I feel, kinda ok." you tell Twilight, feeling as confused as she looks.
"But.. why aren't..?" Suddenly realization dawns on the creature's face and the look of sorrow and regret is temporarily replaced with one of comprehension. "Of course, basic N.C. principles. Travelling between realities would cause short-term mental dampening. It's the natural way the mind's adapts to changes in reality." She smiles to herself for a moment, happy that she was able to solve this mystery, not that the answer meant much to you. But then her face turns from satisfaction to worry.
"Oh no!" Twilight's eyes go wide and she turns, her purple aura pulling a large book from a nearby shelf. "This is bad. This is really bad."
"What is?" Rainbow Dash asks, moving to behind her to look at the book open on the desk. You turn to Fluttershy who gives you a little shrug.
"N.C. principles. Combined with a being from a magicless universe." She flips through the pages until she finds the one she was looking for. Twilight's eyes scan the page. "I need to send a letter to the princess. Spike!".
"Coming!" You turn toward the stairs to see Spike, a small bipedal lizard creature, climb down them. "What is it Twi.. whoa, what is that?!"
"This is our guest.. um." She turns to you, looking a bit embarrassed. "Sorry, I even didn't ask." You tell her your name and for her not to worry about it.
"Well, er, pleased to meet you. So what was it you wanted Twilight?"
A few hours later and you were on a train heading toward 'Canterlot,' this pony country's capital. Twilight had spoken to someone at the station and was able to get a private car, and easy feat apparently, being a princess herself. You appreciated the privacy, remembering the stares ponies gave you as you walked from Twilight's library home to the station.
You were not travelling alone however. Along with Twilight and the two pegasi from before, there were three other ponies, one of them a unicorn and the other two being 'normal.'
"So what's the big deal Twilight?" Pinkie Pie asks. You'd been introduced to everyone while waiting on the platform. "You said you'd explain everything when we got on the train. We're on the train now, so explain.. everything." Twilight sighs.
"I was trying to teleport something from Canterlot to my home in ponyville. The spell doesn't work properly, so instead I teleported our friend here from an alternate reality." Pinkie Pie was sitting next to you and gave you a hug after Twilight referred to you as 'friend.' You patted her foreleg and gently pushed her off you, eager to listen to what was going on yourself. You'd heard Twilight relay her letter to Spike, but you didn't really understand it. "I can't send him back, since he could end up anywhere in the multiverse, and because of N.C principles, him being here could have potentially disastrous affects on our reality."
"Err, Twi, what are N.C. principles?" Applejack asks. You feel relieved your not the only one out of the loop.
"It's what happens when you travel between realities. It changes you in little ways so you can get used to a new reality. That's why he hasn't freaked out about being stuck here and why he's speaking perfect pony despite having lived in a completely different universe." You finally feel like you can add something to the conversation.
"Yeah, we've got dozens of languages on my world, but to me you're all speaking English."
"Really? That's so cool! Words sound different to you? Blimp! Wigwam! Kumquat! Antidisestab.." Applejack covered Pinkie's mouth with a hoof.
"I don't really see the problem yet Twilight." She comments over Pinkie's muffled syllables.
"N.C. principles don't only affect the traveller, but the reality where he ends up. The more similar the reality of origin is, the better, but he comes from a reality without magic. Something with no magic being in a world were magic exists. That's something that could cause a lot of problems, even if you don't bring N.C. into it."
"But, it's not like there aren't things without magic here already." You look at the speaker, the unicorn that had been introduced to you as Rarity. "Rocks aren't magical, but it's not like they cause any trouble."
"Yes, but those are rocks from a world with magic, so compared to his reality, even they are magical." Twilight explains "It's like comparing zero degrees Celsius to absolute zero."
"So, what you're saying.." Pinkie Pie chimes in after Applejack had moved her hoof, "is that since a rock hasn't any magic, and he comes from a universe without magic, a rock from his universe would be double not magic?"
"What she's saying is that this guy's probably dangerous and we're taking him the princess to find out what to do with him." Rainbow Dash answering before Twilight, dampening your mood considerably.
"What's going to happen to me?" You ask, fearing the worst. Twilight looks at you and replies in a tone that sounds like it's trying to be comforting.
"I don't know. The first thing we need to do is to try and figure out how bad it might get. It's possible we maybe able to avert it or redirect the effects somehow."
"And if you can't.. are you going to send me away?" You ask sorrowfully, looking down at your feet. "I know you said that I could end up somewhere that could kill me, but if it's the only way, wouldn't it just be better for you just to.." You look up to the shocked faces of your companions. It seems even Rainbow Dash hadn't considered it after learning about the potentially lethal consequences.
"Of course not." Twilight exclaims, shutting the book that she'd brought with her. "The princess would never do that, and neither would we." Words of agreement came from all sides.
"Cheer up E.T., if anyone tries to kick you out of reality, they'll have to get through me!" Rainbow Dash's words of reassurance make you feel a little better.. and confused. How does she know the term E.T.? You decide to put it down to N.C. principles, whatever that stands for, and not worry about it for now.
Princess Celestia was tall. That was the first thing that came to mind when you saw her. Tall, with a long horn, a dazzling white coat and a rainbow mane that looked almost ethereal, blowing in the wind without their being any. Feeling like you were on the presence of divinity rather than royalty, you bow a little awkwardly as Twilight introduces you to her mentor.
"Welcome to Canterlot. I hope the journey was a pleasant one."
"You bet! I must have gotten over a hundred stars!" Pinkie yells excitedly. Without a signal, your smartphone was little use to you, but was quite the fascination for your new friends. You showed them various applications before letting Pinkie play Angry Birds until the battery died. Fluttershy hadn't approved.
"Yes, thank you princess." You reply. The seats had been fine to sit on despite being made for ponies and an lunch had been provided by train staff, who were very professional with their dealing with you.
"I'm sorry we could not meet in better circumstances." Celestia continues. "But we must work quickly. We need to ascertain what kind of a threat you being here may hold for our reality and how long until it comes into effect." Twilight turns and addresses you.
"You see, the N.C. forces that affected you mainly dealt with mental and emotional changes and would have happened within moments of your arrival. The affect you will have on the rest of the world will most likely be physical and it will take a lot longer for it to happen."
"Indeed. That is why we should first figure out how long we have until this forces take effect." Celestia moves to sit on her throne. "Once we know how much time we have, we can plan accordingly. With your permission, we will begin"
You give your consent and Celestia's horn begins to glow. You feel a tingle in your hands, feet and scalp and levitate a few inches of the floor. Suddenly, the glow fades, but the sensation remains. "Tell us when the feeling.." She stops mid sentence.
Rather than fading, the sensation feels like it's growing. A pain begins to form behind your eyes, like electricity. You rub them, then look at your hand. A white glow surrounds it, like the auras that ponies create when they use their magic, but different. You can't explain it, but it looks wrong. Unnatural.
"Twilight? Twilight!?" You turn to see her galloping towards you.
The last thing you remember before blacking out is a bright light and Twilight calling your name.
"Where am I now?" You ask after you regain consciousness with a splitting headache.
"It's ok, you're still in Equestria. You passed out." Twilight's voice echoes in your head. You pick yourself up and look around. It doesn't take you long to figure out what happened.
"Twilight.." You begin before you're interrupted.
"Twilight! I would like to speak to your friend alone please." Princess Celestia looks, not worried exactly, but anxious. Twilight turns to her and has a look of concern. After all, you did just explode then pass out.
"It's OK Twilight." You tell her. She and the rest of her friends walk out of the throne room and the door shuts behind them. You watch them leave then turn to the remaining Princess sitting on her throne. "So.."
"So." She replies.
"What happened?" You ask.
"It would appear I underestimated your origins." Celestia explained. "I tried to use magic on you and due to you coming from a place without magic, it pushed the N.C. effects to happen instantaneously."
"So now.."
"So now, everypony is human shaped," You take a good look at the princess. Despite the tail, wings and horn, she now looked human, wearing an expensive looking dress. You had seen ponies wearing clothes as you walked to the palace. It looked as though it was an indication of class. You hadn't had a long time to look, but after waking up you saw Twilight and her friends was now wearing a variety of clothing.
"I'm really sorry Princess." You begin before Celestia interrupts you with a single raised hand.
"My ponies are safe and unharmed. The biggest difference is that the Equestrian clothing industry is now considerably larger. This is as close to ideal as I could hope for." As comforting as these words were, you weren't convinced.
"But aren't people going to panic? Everyone got turned into.."
"Into ponies. They were ponies when they got up this morning and they will be ponies when they go to sleep tonight. I am very old, though I know this body does not show it." She looks at her gloved hand like someone who'd never seen it before. "Yes.. Old and very powerful. If Twilight became a princess a few years ago, perhaps she too would be aware of the change." Celestia sighs. "Not that she is completely ignorant. She will know something has changed, but she will not understand. But she'll forget her concerns soon enough."
"How can you be so calm about this?" You ask.
"Like I said, no one got hurt and nothing has been lost. Pony lives will continue as normal. I believe your continued presence will sustain this change, so in the end, things will return to the way they were, eventually." You think for a moment, wondering just how long the average pony lifespan was.
"I suppose I shouldn't tell anyone what's happened, huh?"
"Indeed, that would be for the best." She smiles at you, you feel a little embarrassed. For a woman with a horn sticking out of her head, she's quite beautiful "Now I must go. I informed my sister of the circumstances surrounding your arrival and will need to discuss this development with her when she awakens." Celestia gets up from the throne and begins making her way towards the back of the room. She stops before turning to you. "If you have no objections, I would like you to return to Ponyville with the others. I will arrange for your living expenses to be taken care of. Farewell."
Day had turned to night by the time you and your pony friends began the return trip to Ponyville. You had had an exhausting day, both mentally and physically, and was soon in a deep asleep.
"Is it just me, or does he seem a bit more.. pony-ish?" Twilight asked..
"No more than he did before. I mean, he's obviously pony shaped, but he's always been like that." Rarity replies. Pinkie was sitting in the corner trying to give the phone more energy by shaking it.
"Nevermind, it's probably nothing." Twilight closes her eyes and rests her head on her front hoof.
Far away in the Crystal Empire, Princess Candace was FREAK! ING! OUT!
