"I've gotten way too used to this."

It suddenly occurred to him, standing in his kitchen with hands wiping away the still fresh sleep from his eyes. Ahead were two tiny horse-like creatures, covered in coats of bizarrely colored fur, apparently having a nice breakfast with food and coffee placed before them. One was a kind of mint or sea-foam green, with alluring golden eyes, while the other sported a milk-white coat and a two-toned pink and blue mane, done up in an almost burlesque style curl.

One of the creatures used her hooves to prop up a newspaper, thoroughly entranced by a particular article, while the other used literal magic to poke at a plate of scrambled eggs with a levitated fork. They sat upon chairs clearly too big for them, next to a comically large dining table and looking closer to stuffed animals than living beings.

To the uninitiated, such a sight was about as surreal as it was laughable, akin to a child's cough-syrup-addled fever dream. The most likely and expected response would be a shout of surprise, perhaps some double-takes while muttering in confusion. Anything to acknowledge the absurdity.

And he would have...if any of it was the least bit surprising.

The mint-green one, Lyra, perked up from her breakfast to see him standing under the kitchen archway. "Oh, Jayden, good morning!" She said with a surprised smile. Lyra, full name Lyra Heartstrings, was the first to welcome him to the magical tiny-horse kingdom known as Equestria. She found him when he stumbled into town, unsure of where he was or even how he got there, and gave him a place to stay. A generous and much appreciated gesture, despite the fact he almost couldn't get through her home's front door.

She was also human-obsessed and absolutely fucking insane.

And Rich.

It helped balance things out.

"Good...morning." He greeted back in between sudden yawns. He shuffled over to the kitchen counters and grabbed his coffee cup, intent to take his fair share of caffeine. As he reached out for the percolator it was suddenly enveloped in a golden glow, with a chime-like hum accompanying it. He looked back to Lyra and saw that her horn was was doing the same. The percolator was then lifted into the air and tipped, with coffee flowing freely into his mug.

"Thank you." Jayden said, gripping his now full cup. He turned his attention to his other housemate. "Morning Bon Bon."

The white mare responded with a 'good morning' of her own but refused to look up from her newspaper.

Nearby to his cup was a plate of untouched scrambled eggs, likely meant for him. Unlike other days, this time he was awake early enough that they were stilll warm. He grabbed the plate and joined the two at the table. "You know, I respect AJ's work ethic, but I don't think the farmer's life was ever for me."

"Why do you say that?" Lyra asked.

"It's the reason I'm up so darn early." He took a sip from his mug. "She asked if I could come by and lend a hand this morning. And considering I'm human and probably have the only pair of hands in town, I agreed. Well, that and the fact I actually like Applejack."

That seemed to puzzle Jayden's unicorn friend. "But Applejack doesn't ask for help."

"I know, but this time I think even she realized she couldn't do it all on her own."

"What do you mean?"

"The princess has asked Applejack and 'Sweet Apple Acres' if they could be the ones to set up the banquet for the Summer Sun Celebration. And, of course, it's on the same day as their planned family reunion."

"So...today?"

"Yup. As you can probably guess, it's all a bit more than she's used to."

"Why didn't they just decline the princess' request? Or move the reunion to a different day?"

"Because you know how that family is." He swallowed a bite of food. "I'd say they're as stubborn as mules, but in this world that might be racist." He looked over to the kitchen window, noting how dark it still was outside. "She told me to show up early, but I'm sure AJ won't mind if I'm not actually there at the ass-crack of dawn."

Bon Bon finally looked up from her newspaper. "Speaking of dawn, this will be your third Summer Sun celebration with us, right?" She asked.

Jayden nodded. "Yeah. Hard to believe I've only been here for three years. It actually feels longer."

There was a pause. "Do you still think we're lying when we say that Princess Celestia can control the sun and moon?" She gave him an almost smug look.

Ah...that.

He wondered when that would come up today. Most of the time they were happy to let his disbelief slide, as it didn't really matter. However, on this particular day, they felt they had enough justification to poke at his sensibilities. A fair enough assessment, considering what the holiday was all about.

Didn't stop it from sounding like crazy talk, though.

For a second, Jayden thought over his response. "Well, I never really thought you girls were lying. But that doesn't mean it's true, either." He said, trying to be diplomatic.

"How so?" She raised an eyebrow, curious as to what he was implying.

"I mean, the princess could just be making it up."

"Why would she do that?" Bon Bon appeared genuinely shocked by the notion, as if such a concept was unfathomable.

"Power? Influence?" He shrugged. "Where I'm from politicians and leaders lie all the time, for various reasons. Monarchs in particular have a bad rap, so much so that we've pretty much gotten rid of them."

"But the princess wouldn't lie to us." Lyra butted in. "At least about things not related to humans. But that's like, you know, the one thing. Besides, I've been to the Summer Sun Celebrations where Celestia showed up and I've seen her raise the sun."

Jayden gave her an accusatory look. "You've seen her do this? Or did she show up, at around dawn, and then the sun came up?"

"No, she actually did it." There was a pause. "If you want proof why don't you just ask her tonight. She'll be at town hall for the celebration."

"Oh yeah, I can see that going really well." He laid the sarcasm on thick. "Hello, your highness, I'm the local furless monkey monster and I don't buy the royal propaganda. Can you take time out of your busy schedule to prove you aren't a fraud?"

"Princess Celestia isn't like that." Bon Bon deadpanned, the smallest amount of agitation evident in her voice.

Sensing some rising tension, Jayden chose to drop it, having learned early on just how much Equestria's inhabitants trust and adore their nigh-immortal monarch.

"My point is, while I've gotten used to a lot of Equestria's...eccentricities, magic included, the ability to move the sun, or anything else like it, is a tad far-fetched. Even for this place." He thought about what to say next. "Look, it's not like I have anything against the princess. If even a fraction of what they say about her is true then she's practically a pony-shaped saint. I just have a slight distrust of authority figures. Especially when it comes to them making some pretty crazy statements."

He gave a sigh and relented. "I'll ask her, alright? I'll ask her, she'll prove me wrong and you two can lord it over me for all time. Is that better?"

"Much." Lyra replied, grinning triumphantly.

Jayden stuck out his tongue, a final act of defiance before focusing back on his food. His house-mate's trusting, almost innocent, nature was pretty much the standard of behavior for not just them but all of Equestria's inhabitants. And while he'd love to chastise them for their naivete, he knew they had every reason to not view things the same way as he did.

The world, or more specifically the country, they were from was called Equestria. A goofy combination of a medieval fantasy land smashed headlong into the saccharine sweet mentality and aesthetics of a little girl's cartoon. It was a peaceful and happy place, inhabited by small colorful horse creatures actually called ponies (their term, not his), ruled by a princess, and with an obnoxious amount of the color pink spattered on the architecture.

The ponies were naturally friendly, if somewhat skittish around those they didn't know, and often went out of their way to welcome others. Violence was quite rare for them and there haven't been any major conflicts between Equestria and its neighbors for decades. The concept of harmony was practically venerated, and the fact that they all got along so well was a point of pride for Jayden's newfound countrymen.

In short, ponies were innocent and trusting...because they could afford to be.

And Jayden absolutely hated it.

Not the ponies living in peace and happiness, that was fine and he was very happy for them. What he hated was how it all made him feel. Instead of being in tune with that 'harmony', all he felt like was a lone sour note. Equestria was such a great place, one he felt didn't need his dour, cynical opinions tainting it. He still stuck up for his beliefs and what he thought was correct, but more often than not, he had to remind himself that he shouldn't automatically think the worst of every situation.

Maybe the mare that works the carrot stall in the market actually was running out of stock, and wasn't just bumping up the price to be greedy.

Some days, if he was unlucky, he'd be taking a stroll through the park or look outside his window, and see the town where he currently lived just...getting along. Ponies giving away treats just because they want to, neighbors offering to help each other during a rough time. Constant smiling faces and friendly attitudes.

Sometimes...it felt wrong for him to be there.

Like it wasn't right.

Whatever cosmic, multi-versal entity decided that he, of all humans, ought to be tossed into pretty little pony land should get the bad end of an aluminum base-ball bat. There were obviously so many other people who deserved to be here far more than he did! It couldn't grab a suicidal person who could really use all the hugs the ponies pass around? No starving African kids who'd probably love visiting the local bakery on toss-out day? A child from an abusive home? Orphans?

And yet, here he was. The moderately happy twenty-something rando from the American Midwest. What made him so special? So worthy? Deserving?

Nothing.

"You okay?"

The voice almost startling him, Jayden looked up to see Lyra staring at him, concerned.

"You've been glaring at your plate for the past couple minutes." Lyra continued. "Was it something we said? You know it doesn't actually bother us if you don't believe the princess, right? We're just teasing you a bit."

He shook his head and replied. "I'm fine. Just...still waking up. Might get some more coffee." He held up his mug, as if it somehow made his lie more credible.

She watched him for a moment, clearly unconvinced, before shrugging and returning to her own breakfast.

The group ate and chatted for a few more minutes before Jayden stood up and placed his plate in the sink. "Alright, guess I should stop stalling and get going." He walked over to the front door and put his shoes on. "See you girls later!"

Just when he was about to leave, Lyra called out to him. "Hold up." She trotted on over to him. "Mind if I tag along? Don't really have anything else to do." She gave him a smile. "And I'd rather spend time with you anyway."

Jayden shrugged. "Sure. I don't see why it would be a problem."

The pair stepped out of the house and onto the cobblestone streets. The sun was just starting to crest the horizon, giving the world a slight blue tint and the temperature was mild, with a cool breeze grazing their skin and fur every so often. Looking around, they saw no one else and the area was quiet, save for the random bird singing somewhere off in the distance. The pair began walking.

Ponyville, despite the atrociously stupid name, was quite the charming little village, located decently close to Equestria's capitol city of Canterlot. While not the most rural place Jayden had ever been to, it was also a far cry from any modern city back on earth. Most of the houses were of the wattle and daub variety and were two stories at best. The roads, while sometimes being paved with cobble, were usually just dirt. Its outskirts were surrounded by farmland, with them fueling the bulk of the local economy.

Beyond that, though, was the intimidating Everfree Forest. A place of danger, monsters, and ferocious creatures.

That was the funny thing about Equestria. As naive as its people might behave, it was still a medieval fantasy land come-alive. The usual trappings were all there: Princesses, knights, dragons, towers, castles, magic, and pretty much anything else one could come up with that fit the theme. It had history, with its own share of villains, conflicts, dark times and golden ages.

Say what you want about all the pink...at least it was painted on something interesting.

"So, Jayden..." Lyra said, tired of the quiet, "how close are you to... you know." She wiggled her eyebrows, trying to imply something.

Jayden sighed, knowing what she was asking. "I'm...close."

"How close?" She watched him intently from the corner of her eye.

"...Pretty close."

This caused the golden-eyed unicorn to squeal and quickly stamp her hooves in excitement. "Yes, yes, yes! " She suddenly turned serious. "And you remember your promise, right?"

"Trust me, when I'm finally ready to do...that with a pony, you will have first dibs."

"Oh, I'll be getting more than just first dibs that night! I might even need to go for seconds or thirds!" Her voice deepened at the tail-end of her sentence before she broke out into an almost manic giggle.

He gave an intentionally dramatic sigh. "Congrats, Lyra, ya wore me down."

"I still don't understand what the problem is." She said, returning to normal. "Ponies have relationships outside of their species all the time. You even said that you find us attractive, so what's the big deal?"

"Well, being from a world where one's own species is the sole sapient life form tends to put a sour taste in the mouth at the thought of doing anything past the platonic with things outside of it. And, of course, old habits (and viewpoints) die hard." But he was close. Close to getting over it and finally throwing past hangups to the wind.

He could only push away the grip of loneliness for only so long.

And, as much as he hated to admit it, Lyra was right. He did find ponies attractive. Crazy, considering he found horses back on earth to be downright ugly.

But, Equestrian ponies were just built different. Large, expressive, mostly forward facing eyes gave them a natural cute factor and an incredible range of emotion. And their muzzles, adorable and stubby with a slight angle when meeting the rest of their skull. The stallions more often had straighter muzzles than the mares, but it was still far better than horses back home. There were also their legs, which mostly kept to a single size until bottoming out to appropriately sized hooves. Ponies, despite being much smaller than him at least looked sturdy. Overall, they were aesthetically pleasing to the human eye, despite not looking human.

Realizing he had been spacing out and had not answered Lyra's question, Jayden spoke up. "I...it's complicated. But the point is it's almost not an issue anymore. I'm almost there."

Lyra grinned. "Can't wait."

As they traveled, the pair passed a circular building, about two stories tall with a white, purple, and yellow color scheme. At a glance it almost looked like a circus tent. A sign near the door read 'Carousel Boutique'.

Jayden stuck his middle finger out, hoping the unicorn who lived there was awake to see it.

Lyra noticed. "Still not on good terms with Rarity?"

"What was the first clue?" He grumbled.

"Do you think she even knows what that gesture means?" Lyra continued.

"No, not specifically. But, considering the bad blood between us, I'm sure she can figure it out. It's not like I'm subtle."

Lyra chuckled. "Oh, Jayden. You and your intense and passionate human aggression. You should find something to take it all out on. Preferably something willing, pliable. Perhaps, even, a mare with the right opinions, one who knows her place under humanity's boot? A mare with gold eyes." She winked at him.

He stared at her.

She kept winking. Repeatedly.

"Stop that...you four-legged gremlin."

"Does it make me sexy?" She replied.

He shrugged."Is having a stroke sexy?"

"I'm sure it's somepony's fetish." She looked up at him. "Is it your fetish?"

He shook his head. "Can't say it is."

"Dang it." She dramatically kicked the dirt with a hoof. "Have to cross that off the list when I get home."

They walked for a few minutes longer until finally reaching 'Sweet Apple Acres', a decent chunk of farmland near Ponyville's outskirts, owned and operated by the very aptly named Apple family. At the entrance, Lyra turned to Jayden. "Well, looks like this is where we part ways."

"Not gonna stick around?"

"Sorry, I have to go and help Bon Bon with her sweet shop. Because of the celebration tonight there's a lot of orders." She got on her hind legs and gave his thigh a tight hug. "Have a good day!"

He squatted down and hugged her back. "You too."

She turned and started walking away. "I'll see you back at home!"

After waving to his departing friend, Jayden made his way onto the Apple family's property. Around him were the usual signs of farm life, such as animal pens and several barns. Though they only used the chickens for eggs and the pigs...well, they didn't really use the pigs at all. Similarly, the barns were used just for storing equipment and excess crops.

One thing he noticed early on about not just Equestria but the world, in general, was just how it played fast and loose with what was sapient and what was an animal. Normally, the rules said hooved creatures were sapient, meaning things like ponies, cows, donkeys, etc, were just as smart as humans, with their own society and culture.

However, pigs were still just as dumb as they were back on earth and goats were in this sort of grey area. Numerous other hooved creatures were also still animals, making Jayden wonder just what the rules really were. Why does one species become smart enough to make a country and the other still prefers to roll around in the mud for fun?

Questions for later.

A dirt trail led from the main gate, past the pens and barns, and stopped at the Apple's home. Beyond that lay the farm's namesake. Row after row of a seemingly endless number of apple trees. Walking further onto the farm, Jayden saw Big Macintosh, Applejack's older brother, coming back from the orchard. The stoic red stallion had a harness wrapped around his chest, with it being connected to the large wagon he was pulling behind him. Piled high upon the wagon were several wooden bins filled to the brim with apples.

"Hey, Mac, what's up?"

Big Mac gave a nod.

"AJ told me that you guys were going to be busy today and asked if I could help out. Do you know where she's at?"

Again, the tall red stallion motioned with his head, this time with a jerk to the right, directing Jayden's attention to that particular part of the farm. Squinting, Jayden could see a moving orange blob in the distance.

"Thank you kindly."

He moved deeper into the orchard, eventually finding the pony he was looking for already hard at work. The orange-colored mare currently had her back to one of the trees, her hind legs pulled inward and poised to strike. Suddenly, they shot out and she bucked the tree, the apples hidden among the leaves falling down from the shock and piling themselves nicely into the bins placed below. Pleased with her progress, she swiped her trademark stetson from her head and wiped away the sweat from her brow.

"So, you do this every day?" Jayden asked, noting how early it was. "From sun up to sun down?"

"Pretty much." Applejack responded, placing her hat back upon her blonde-maned head. She smiled at him, warmly. "Thanks for coming."

"Well, it sounded like the princess put you in a bit of a bind. I figured the least could do is haul apples for a bit. And I don't mean the currency."

She kicked another tree. "Ain't her fault. She didn't know about the family reunion."

"You could've said no, ya know?"

She sighed. "True. But it's just a bit more work, that's all." She defended. "And since when has an Apple ever shied away from work?"

Jayden shrugged. "I guess never. Surprised you still asked for help, though. No offense, AJ, but you don't do that."

She looked away, slightly embarrassed. "Somepony important...may have had to talk me into it." She quickly shifted the conversation. "Well, you're here, ain't ya? If you're gonna help then get to it. Ain't your first rodeo." She flashed a grin, letting him know she wasn't serious.

Jayden rolled his eyes and picked up one of the bins before marching over to a nearby tree. Gripping the sides, he gave it a good shake. The tree top wobbled a bit from the force before several ripe apples fell into the bin placed below. Jayden never was able to figure out just how the trees only sent down ripe apples, and nothing else. Or how they always fell right where they were supposed to.

Not that he was about to start complaining. It certainly beat picking them all by hand.

He worked for several hours, the sun soaring higher and higher and the temperature matching what was expected of a mid-summer day. Once in a while the orange country mare would trot by with a pitcher of cold apple cider and the two would have a friendly chit-chat about something or other before they'd have to get back to work.

Over time, more of Applejack's family arrived for the reunion, with the mare herself slowing down on farm work to mingle with her folks. At about noon, Jayden figured he'd been there long enough that leaving wouldn't be viewed as inappropriate. Wanting to let AJ know he was going home, he sought her out one last time, finding her back near the farmhouse.

Almost the whole Apple family was there, swapping food and chatting among themselves. Some, like Big Mac, he already knew. Others, though, were total strangers.

One pony, in particular, stuck out. A purple unicorn, whom Applejack greeted eagerly and brought over to a table which she started piling food on top of. Now, the Apple family came in all colors of the rainbow, as most ponies did, but their coats tended to stick to more grounded colors. This new pony, however, was quite purple, with a lavender mane and pink stripe running through it.

She was also the only unicorn there. He guessed there wasn't really anything saying that they couldn't have a unicorn in the family, but the Apple clan seemed to be earth pony stock through and through. Of course, he could be completely wrong and she could just be a friend of theirs. It wasn't so much of a stretch that friends of the family would show up too.

There was something else he noticed as he got closer. A small, bipedal reptilian creature was standing beside her, a plate of apple pie in one hand and a fork in the other. Even without knowing what it was, Jayden had the feeling it was pretty young, with a short and stubby body and a pair of large green eyes. Like the pony sitting next to it, the little thing was all purple, save for some rounded fringe that decorated its head, which was colored green.

As interesting as the story about the lone unicorn and her scaly companion might have been, it was still time to go. Walking over to the group, and ignoring the wide-eyed stairs from those ponies that didn't know him, he informed AJ he was heading home and that he would see her at the celebration later. The unicorn seemed to squirm in her seat at the sight of him, but a mouth stuffed with apple-themed baked goods stopped her from speaking.

He left the property and was a little ways down the dirt road when he heard a commotion behind him. A voice calling for him to wait. Turning around, he saw it was the purple unicorn from earlier, with the little lizard thing riding on her back.

She slid to a halt in front of him as a brief, awkward quiet ensued, with both sides waiting for the other to say something first.

"...What are you?"

Author's Note

Hey there, it's been a while. Bet you thought this story would never be touched again. Unless this is your first time seeing it, in which case you might be a bit confused. Though you can't tell anymore, the last chapter I made for this story came out in early 2016.

Seven years ago.

It was around that time that I really, REALLY, fell out of love for the show. I didn't like the direction it was heading in, didn't like the writing, didn't like some of the new characters (especially a certain unicorn who's name rimes with Gaslight Grifter). It was because of this falling-out that it became increasingly hard to work on my story. Sure, some people lose interest, but at least they don't go on to actively hate the thing they're working on.

Eventually, I just dropped the story and labeled it canceled. My time on Fimfiction slowly dwindled, with me no longer participating in groups or commenting on stories, and only showing up every other week or so to see if any good porn was uploaded. For the most part, I moved on from 'Friendship Is Magic'.

Then, a few months ago, I was browsing Steam, and just for shits-and-giggles I typed into the search bar 'pony'. What I got was, well, alot of trash titles and one or two official MLP games, most of them centered around G5. But, there was one that caught my eye.

A porn game called 'Friendship With Benefits.'

I must have been in a good mood, because I said 'fuck it, why not' and bought it. It had a cute art style and positive reviews, and although they weren't named correctly due to copyright, I could tell what characters were supposed to be which.

I was expecting some wank material and not much else. What I got was wank material...and a good story. In between the fetish fuel lied some sweet and wholesome moments with those anthro, offbrand ponies. It reminded me of what was great about the show, specifically its characters.

Maybe that game thawed a bit of my cold attitude towards MLP, because a while later I was browsing Youtube and, despite not really watching any videos related to it, Youtube decided to recommend something. Something I'm sure alot of you already heard. And I clicked it.

I'm talking about Jyc Row and Princewhatevrer's song 'Together, Against The Sisters'.

As I listened, I was instantly sucked back into those early days, when there was so much about the world to figure out and explore, so many stories to create and experience. It's honestly a beautiful, moving piece of music.

If 'Friendship With Benefits' reminded me of MLP's great characters, this song reminded of the shockingly good world building. It's a world so unique and exciting, yet warm and peaceful, that it practically begs you, with open arms, to enjoy it.

Once the song ended I just sat there, staring at the screen, taking in what I heard. Then, I went over to the search bar and typed 'Fimfiction'.

It feels good to be back.

So, what is 'Alternate Perspective'? It's my attempt to take my first story, a popular but ultimately terrible self-insert (don't worry, I hate myself appropriately) comedy I posted all the way back in 2014, and use the writing skills I've acquired over the years to actually make it worth a damn. I contemplated making a completely new story, but a few things made me decide to come back and work on this. For one thing, the original, called 'Three Years' because I literally chose a name at random and went with it, was nothing more than a collection of "funny moments" (heavy quotations right there) with chapters often being less than a 1,000 words. There was no real story there. Though there were some moments I was proud of, most of the characters just acted like assholes to each other and that was it. At the time, I thought it was funny.

But this is different. I finally have a story I want to tell, instead of haphazardly throwing together scenes of "comedy" so bad a chatbot could have written it. I didn't take the original seriously, but now I want to make something out of it.

There's no reason why I can't take what worked and redo what didn't and make this into an actual story, something with real purpose, meaning, and themes (hint-hint, they revolve around perspective). While some scenes will return, they'll likely be moved around a bit and not feature the toxicity that rubbed me the wrong way upon review. I want this to be good and I'll be treating it as, for the most part, a story that should be able to stand on its own without anyone having to know about the characters or the show. That means explaining concepts and characters instead of just assuming that you all know who or what they are. (Of course, if you're here, you already do.)

This will also be my way of coming to terms with what happened to MLP. As stated above, I quit the show because I really didn't like where I saw it going, and some of the characters they introduced. The lore they broke (or more accurately pounded down to a paste with a meat-mallet) became increasingly infuriating. I aim to correct what I believe to be mistakes, plotholes or pitfalls in the show through this story.

Yes, this will be, in a lot of ways, a fixfic. I'm sorry if that upsets you.

As a final word, the cover. That isn't a random picture I ripped from somewhere. That's commissioned work, by the great artist Puss Puss, and I would love to make use of it instead of just letting it stay attached to a dead fanfic.

TLDR: Former Fimfic author came back to work on his garbage-ass story and make it not suck giant horse peepee.

I hope you enjoyed what you read above and look forward to more. For those that want to see the original version, DM me. Just, be warned, it is both very bad and I have lost the first chapter. Seriously, it was on my desktop and then suddenly, poof, it's gone. I have no fucking idea how I did it.

Let me know if you see any errors.
Also, did not know that deleting chapters also deletes the comments. Sorry, that's my bad.