Another day.

Another day, another paycheck.

Another day, another kickboxing lesson.

My life was a simple yet satisfying cycle of work, sleep, eat, and repeat, with kickboxing lessons interspersed thrice-weekly. Why kickboxing? Because I enjoyed it. Don’t get me wrong; I’m no tough guy. Far from it, really. I just find kickboxing to be great exercise and a great confidence-builder. The self-defense aspects of it are more or less a bonus. I had no delusions of being a fighter, and I hoped that I’d never actually have to use what I learned; the short version is that I did it ‘cause I liked it and it kept me active.

On that note, the first thing I learned when I stepped in the gym for the first time was that I had absolutely no natural talent for it. In fact, I didn’t know just how uncoordinated I was until I emerged one hour later, gasping for even the smallest breath as every muscle in my body demanded to know what they’d done to deserve such punishment.

As I pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street, I flipped on the radio and began a search for a decent station. Y’know, that rare one that doesn’t deafen you with crappy top 40s so-called ‘hits’; one that played real music, classic rock and the like.

“How would you like to spend two weeks in the most amazing vacation destination imaginable absolutely free?” a seductive voice asked over the airwaves. Ugh. It figures, I thought, rolling my eyes. The one station that isn’t playing pure shit’s gonna inundate me with some propaganda about winning a ‘free’ vacation. And here I thought Equis was a little more refined than having to resort to such an aggravating human marketing technique. Of course, I didn’t know much about the mysterious world that had appeared from out of nowhere thirty-plus years ago but still. Since when did we allow aliens to spam us?

“Yes, that’s right: free. Her Majesty Princess Celestia reminds you to participate in our 96.3 The Walrus phone-in contest, where the 1337th caller will receive a free all-inclusive vacation package to the one, the only, the fabulous…”

“Seriously?” I groused as the station suddenly became wracked with static. I shouldn’t have been too surprised, really; our city’s portal generator was notorious for wreaking havoc with everything from Wi-Fi to radio during busy hours. With more and more Equestrians and (human) people coming and going every year, such temporary losses of service were becoming more and more common. I mean, I had a Wi-Fi booster at home that mitigated the effects but that didn’t help my current problem of having nothing to listen to. With another 26 minutes to go until I reached my humble apartment, I was in for a boring commute.

First-world problems, I suppose.

A crack of thunder sounded overhead, momentarily directing my attention to the center of the city. I caught a whiff of air that smelled burnt, chocking that up to the lightning arcing around the portal generator’s twin peaks, giant towering structures that allowed travel between here and Equis. Well, that and a healthy dose of magical junk about which I knew nothing. Let’s just say that I didn’t make too many trips to Desultor Mundi, or “World Jumper”, as the massive glass and steel structure was referred to. In fact, I had never even been to the place; too occupied with Earth-based issues and life to worry about what the anthropomorphic ‘ponies’ of Equis were up to. All I knew for sure was that it was the central hub for interdimensional travel for our city and numerous surrounding small counties that made up the Greater Neo Capital area.

“Aha!” I exclaimed as the radio finally began to work again, only to follow up almost immediately with an emphatic “Damnit!” To my immediate dismay, my poor ears were beset upon by one of those awful auto-tuned top 40s pieces of rubbish that supposedly passed for music. “Great,” I muttered to no one in particular. “The only station that doesn’t usually suck and they start playing this crap?” I sighed and pressed the small button on the side of my hands-free, currently nestled on my right ear. “Call The Walrus.” I instructed. It wasn’t the first time I’d called in with a song request (which is why I had the station as a contact) but it was the first time I’d ever done so with the specific purpose of stemming the tide of noise pollution. I waited, not really expecting to get through, especially not at this hour.

“Hello there, caller!” an enthusiastic voice greeted, surprising me. “You’re live on 96.3 The Walrus! What’s your name, buddy?”

“Uh, Shawn Martin. Listen,” I began, taken off-guard. “Could you guys maybe play something that isn’t…y’know, what you’ve been playing? Like maybe some…” I winced as a series of sirens and other vaguely celebratory noises shrieked at me through my headset.

“Well, Mr. Martin, I hate to interrupt but do I have some news for you! You are caller number 1337! You’ve just won an all-inclusive, all-expenses-paid vacation to the newest and most fabulous resort in all of Equis!”

Wait…what?

I shook my head in disbelief. This had to be some kind of scam. I mean, why would a radio station be giving away a vacation, anyway? And to Equis? Besides the fact that setting foot on that planet was prohibitively expensive, taking a vacation there was usually reserved for the very rich, the very famous, or the very stupid (who were usually neither but trying to be both).

“Hello? Mr. Martin, are you there?” the voice asked, shaking me from my reverie.

“Huh? What? Yeah, I’m here,” I answered hastily.

“Well, how does it feel to know that you’ll be among the first few people from Earth to visit the most exclusive vacation destination in all of Equis?” The guy sounded like a quiz show host, which given his profession, wasn’t all that surprising. I still couldn’t help but wonder whether or not it was legit.

“Um…good I guess.” How was I supposed to react? I know that it sounds so easy to be bouncing off the walls with joy at good fortune like that but there was still real life to consider. When was this alleged ‘vacation’ supposed to happen? I still had to get the time off work, make arrangements with someone to check on the apartment periodically, water my cactuses, and so on, all whilst under the assumption that this wasn’t a load of BS.

“Glad to hear it! As the winner of our 96.3 The Walrus call-in contest, instructions along with a link to claim your electronic ticket will be sent via text message to the number you used to make this call. Just follow the instructions and let your dream vacation begin!” the voice instructed. “See you on the beach!” And with that, they were gone.

Well then.

“Okay, okay, I’m going!” I exclaimed as a couple of angry honks sounded behind me. Apparently, sitting at a green light while contemplating life’s curveballs wasn’t exactly the best way to endear myself to other homeward-bound folks, especially at this hour. “Sheesh,” I muttered as I got underway, my thought process rooted firmly in what had transpired mere minutes ago.

I started breaking it down in my head. Radio stations had goofy contests like this all the time, right? The Walrus must’ve struck some kind of deal with whoever was in charge of the new vacation spot. Maybe they got exclusive broadcast rights or something, assuming they’d invested in a trans-dimensional transceiver, still a relatively new invention. Maybe they were only able to strike such a deal if they fronted the cost to send a few human guests to check the place out and maybe bring some glowing testimonials back with them. But if that was the case, why wouldn’t they send someone famous, someone whose opinion would be heard by a lot of people? Maybe a politician or a movie star or something.

So why send an average Joe like me? But then again, it wasn’t the first time a regular person had been sent to the proverbial Garden of Eden for the Hell of it. Or maybe it was political; the more humans that visited Equis and had a good experience (and vice-versa), the better for human-equestrian relations. There, that had to be it! Politicians and famous people were less likely to be completely honest about their experiences for the sake of their images or careers. They must’ve wanted someone who would provide an unbiased opinion.

Well, if that’s what they were looking for, they’d found the right stiff for the job.

“Hmm?” I murmured as my phone suddenly buzzed in its clip on my dashboard. I double-tapped the screen and tapped the message icon, only doing so when I reached another red light. “Holy shit!” I exclaimed as my eyes beheld the message. Sure enough, there they were; instructions and a link to claim an e-ticket from a well-known travel website that I had used once or twice before, travelling back and forth across the country to visit my family. As much as I still doubted what had happened, it was starting to get difficult. It was then that I realized the only way to know for sure was to actually go to the portal center and get the ticket verified.

Which meant, if everything was green-lit, getting the necessary time off. My job as the assistant manager of a local electronics store wasn’t exactly flexible as of late when it came to hours; we had been low on staff for the past few months, not to mention quite busy thanks to a steadily growing economy, which made it difficult to justify taking a vacation, especially at such short notice. Just because I could use some time off didn’t mean I could just take off to another world on short notice.

I sighed as I pulled into my reserved parking spot at my modest apartment complex. I shut my vehicle off and sat, contemplating the events of the day. There was just no way I was gonna pull this off.

***

“Hey, watch it!” I exclaimed as someone pushed by me for the umpteenth time. Apparently, city council wasn’t kidding when they’d reported a dramatic increase in amount of traffic to Equis from Earth. “Ow, that’s my foot…hey!” As I stood in a line that I was fairly certain stretched to Venus, the gravity of the situation began to dawn on me. I was about to traverse…I dunno, the space-time continuum or something…just to spend a few days on some beach on a planet populated by two-legged ‘ponies’ (and according to the Official Equis Traveler’s Guide app I’d downloaded while in line, many other interesting beings).

But if the throng of people filling the Desultor Mundi complex was any indication, I wasn’t the only one who’d had some reservations, only to have them completely disappear the moment they’d laid eyes on the alleged paradise that was Equis. There had to be something to it if so many people were willing to spend so much time, money, and effort to experience it for themselves. Still, at least my expenses were paid, which made the sacrifice of standing in line for three solid hours a little less tedious.

And that was just to get to the ticket counter, if one could call the several dozen booths all lined up a ‘ticket counter’. It was a lot like a giant train station; heck, there were even three long trains taking people back and forth between Earth and Equis. BeingMaglevs, they rode on high-powered magnetic tracks that apparently extended into three of Equis’ major cities when the portal opened. Why Maglevs and not conventional trains or aircraft or submarines? While still new and rather expensive to build, Maglevs were (apparently) the only vehicle capable of traversing the gate between Earth and Equis, something about the lack of contact between rail and car better for magical conduction or something. I’m not an engineer.

Even so, as I gazed about and studied the complex, I couldn’t help but be impressed with the architectural style and workmanship. Like the rest of the building, the motif was primarily glass, stainless steel, and lots of interactive panels and screens, making me feel like I was on the bridge of the U.S.S. Enterprise. I watched as young children played with a holo-projector showcasing some of Equis’ more impressive vistas and destinations. I don’t know if it was the marketing or the anticipation but I could feel myself growing more and more excited. I had never thought much about Equis before (mostly ‘cause I was sure I’d never actually get to see it) but now that it was actually happening…it was enough to coax a small smile out of me.

Not to mention how easily I’d managed to get the two weeks off. My boss, bless his soul, had apparently noticed the lack of vacation days I’d used (which every employee was guaranteed) and had practically insisted I take the time off, mentioning something about “getting laid”. I had smiled and chuckled; sure, it had been a while but that wasn’t why I was going. I was going because…well, life told me I should. After all, who am I to argue with life?

Meh. Life, radio station, potato, potahto. Besides, banging an alien, even if they looked kind of like us? Yeah, okay. Not that I thought they were ugly or anything, far from it. It’s just that, well, that would be a huge step for anyone, don’t you think? A step that I wasn’t sure I was ready to take. But again, that’s not why I was going, so it wasn’t an issue.

I breathed a sigh of relief as the line began to move more steadily. They must’ve finished sending the last batch through the portal, which explained the accompanying low rumble of electricity as it sparked above us from tower to tower, signaling portal operation. I heard people oohh and awe over the spectacle as they stared up through the glass roof, marveling at the latest technological wonder humanity had to offer. Well, we’d had help of the so-called ‘magical’ variety but we still had to operate our side. Taxpayer dollars at work, I suppose.

“Mr. Martin?” a voice asked, shaking me from my thoughts (and internal monologue). I looked up to find a pretty young woman in a bottle-green Desultor Mundi uniform looking at me with a quizzical expression. “Your ticket, sir?” she asked again, prompting me to dig out my phone.

“Uh yeah, sorry ‘bout that,” I replied sheepishly. I really had to kick the habit of getting lost in thought at inopportune times. “Here, it’s an e-ticket.” I explained as she took my phone and scanned the code on the screen. I waited with baited breath as she checked her screen for confirmation.

“Oh, congratulations on winning the contest, Mr. Martin!” she exclaimed, giving me a smile. “I must’ve called The Walrus 100 times!” I felt a pang of guilt, which she noticed on my face. “Hey, it’s okay, there’ll be other chances. Besides, I’ve been saving up to go myself for almost a year now. Just a couple more months and it’ll be my turn.”

“Hey, that’s awesome,” I replied, giving her a congratulatory smile. “I hope you have an amazing time.”

“Thanks, you too.” she replied cordially. “Okay, you’re all set. Just head right on over to Gate 34 and present your ticket at the VIP desk just like you did here.” VIP desk? I liked the sound of that. “They’ll take care of you from there.”

“Uh, right on, thanks,” I answered, putting my phone back into my pocket and shouldering my backpack. “Have a good one and uh, good luck with your trip, too.”

“Thanks. Enjoy your time on Equis!” With that, she gave me a small wave, sending me on my way.

Per her instructions, I made my way over to Gate 34, a fair journey from the ticket counters. Fortunately, as with many large airports, there were copious ways to make the trip more manageable. Small courtesy carts carried the elderly and the lazy to and fro while large conveyor belts, which I dubbed ‘moving sidewalks’ performed a similar task, one that I was grateful for as I allowed it to carry me most of the way.

The first thing that came to mind when I arrived at Gate 34 was where is everyone? Given how crowded the rest of the complex was, I had expected this gate to be no different. Maybe it was for VIPs only or something, like those exclusive lounges in airports. I couldn’t help but grin at the notion that little ole’ me was now part of that. It was a little thing but hey, who doesn’t like to feel important sometimes? Not wanting to delay, I made my way up to the VIP counter.

“Um, excuse me,” I stated, prompting the clean-cut, extremely blonde man behind the counter to look up. “I’m Shawn Martin. I was told to come here. I have an e-ticket.”

“Ah yes, you’re the fellow who won The Walrus phone-in contest,” the man replied with a slight (maybe Swedish?) accent, putting on a pair of glasses. “Congratulations, Mr. Martin. May I see your ticket?”

“Thanks, just ‘Shawn’ is…is fine.” I replied as I handed him my phone, unused to being addressed as such.

“Well Shawn, your ticket checks out. We’re ready to go whenever you are.”

“Wait…what? How do you mean?” I asked, confused. “Isn’t there, like, a schedule or something?”

“Only for regular passengers,” the man informed me. “Since you’re the contest winner, we can leave at your leisure as long as it’s before 5:00 tonight.” Wow, I thought as I processed. Being a VIP sure comes with perks. I glanced at the time; 2:15 in the afternoon, as good a time as any.

“Well, I’m ready to go now if that’s okay,” I replied.

“Fantastic,” the man said with a smile, extending his hand, which I shook. “My name is Sven and I’ll be your guide for the journey there. If you require anything at all, just let me know and we’ll do our best to accommodate you.”

“Thanks, I appreciate it,” I answered honestly, having no idea of what I was getting myself into.

“If you’ll come with me, we can get underway.” With that, he led me through the large double-doors marked VIP Platform, which actually made me even more excited. Sven seemed to notice the growing smile on my face. “It’s pretty cool, isn’t it?” he asked as we made our way down a long ramp. “I’ve seen a lot of rich folks go through here and no matter what they have or what they’ve seen, they always come back with a smile. I don’t know what it is about Equis but there’s something about it that’s truly…magical.”

“That’s what I’ve heard,” I replied as Sven held a door open for me. “Still, not sure if I really believe in…magic…” I paused mid-sentence and stared at the incredible sight before my eyes. Sitting on a Maglev track was the mostextraordinary train I’d ever seen. I marveled at the streamlined chrome body of the train, admiring the forward-sweeping top part of the engine. It looked like the bow of a sleek and ultramodern ship riding the rails, slicing through the air like a hull through water.

“Mr. Martin, welcome aboard the New Harmony Express.” Sven introduced, and rather proudly at that.

“Whoa…” I murmured, taking note of the brilliant full-color Equis coat-of-arms adorning the very front of the train. As if in a trance, I walked over and gently placed my hand on it, feeling the contours and edges of the emblem, just appreciating the fine mechanical that I would soon have the privilege of boarding.

Well, suffice it to say that if I wasn’t excited before, I was now. If just the transportation was so refined, it was definitely a good sign. I shook my head to find Sven standing beside an open door on the lead car, smiling knowingly as if he’d seen this before.

“Whenever you’re ready, Mr. Martin.” he invited. “You know, you could always take a picture.”

“Don’t mind if I do,” I replied, taking a couple shots with my phone before boarding.

The odyssey continued the moment I’d set foot inside. Just like the exterior,the interior was something special. It matched the general motif but felt like the inside of a starship cruising the heavens. Large windows gave me a generous view of the outside while the spacious double-decker layout made the car feel like a mansion on magnets. Long couches, armchairs, mini-fridges, and television screens made up the simple yet modernly-luxurious décor. Again, simple yet elegant.

“Wow…” I murmured as I took a few steps inside, suddenly feeling very self-conscious about my footwear before realizing how silly it was to worry about possibly scuffing the floor. After all, I was the VIP here, right?

“This is your personal car for the duration of the trip,” Sven informed me, taking me on a tour of sorts. “The New Harmony Express is comprised of seven cars, each designed to provide the ultimate level of comfort and enjoyment.” I nodded as he led me through a sliding door and into the next car.

Over the next few minutes, Sven familiarized me with the observation car, both of the restaurants (one serving human food while the other served a range of dishes from Equis), the lounge car, the game room (billiards, video games, pinball, among others), the three Jacuzzis and spa (yes, you heard correctly), and then the cargo car at the end, filled to the brim with goods undoubtedly meant for sale on both worlds.

“Oh, looks like we’re about to get underway,” Sven informed me as we made our way back to the forward car. “Once we’re through the portal, feel free to move around and enjoy what the train has to offer but until then, we ask that you remain seated. The trip through the portal can get a little bumpy.”

“Okay,” I replied, taking a seat on one of the long couches just as the train began to move. I almost didn’t notice it; Maglevs offered about the smoothest ride you could ask for, and the Harmony Express was certainly no exception. In fact the only indication that we had moved was the view. I turned and more or less pressed my face up against the large window as the train pulled out of the platform before coming to a stop about 50 feet from where we’d started. I glanced over at Sven, seated on the opposite end of the couch, who offered me a grin.

“Whoa, hey!” I exclaimed as I felt the train rise as if perched on some kind of elevator. I quickly looked out the window and watched as the New Harmony Express emerged from its own berth underneath the portal complex before finally sitting evenly alongside another considerably less fancy train, its front aimed directly at the circular portal’s center. I looked on as several sections of track lined up before us just as the towers on either side of the portal began sparking with electricity. Sections of the tower lit up in sequence from bottom to top as the electrical arcs focused on the center of the circular portal as if they were some kind of key.

“Hey Sven, why are we so far from the portal?” I asked, wondering why the actual gate to Equis lay about a mile away, yet still easily visible due to its titanic diameter.

“In order to make it through smoothly, the train has to reach 88 miles per hour,” he informed me. “I’m not sure why that is, to be honest. Someone explained it once but I can’t remember all the technical details. Magical physics aren’t really my specialty. Just watch; it’ll be our turn right away.”

Sure enough, after a couple of minutes, the towers were alight and Equis lay before us, a picturesque vista of green framed by the huge steel circular portal. I subconsciously gripped the couch harder as we moved towards the portal; Sven noticed my anxiety and gave a small laugh.

“Don’t worry, everyone’s nervous the first time. You’ll be okay, I promise.” As if backing up his claim, a seatbelt suddenly emerged from the couch and snaked around my waist before securing itself with a click. Awe man, are we on a train or a rollercoaster, I wondered as we began to pick up speed, and rapidly at that.

Even with the seatbelt, my hand still clung to that couch for dear life, and even more so as we reached our ideal speed, which over the course of a mere mile comes at you pretty fast. Smooth but still only mildly terrifying. We were almost there; just a few more seconds until I was officially on another world. I began a silent countdown, trying to ignore the arcing electricity dancing from tower to tower and occasionally sneaking close to the tracks. Only a few more seconds, I told myself as I took a deep breath. Almost there, just a few…more…seconds…

Three…

Two…

One…

***

“You can open your eyes now,” a familiar somewhat amused voice stated from somewhere on my left. I did so, slowly at first before realizing that I wasn’t dead, at which point curiosity got the best of me and my eyes flew open.

As exotic and foreign as Equis was reported to be, my first look out the window as we sped along didn’t report anything too exotic or foreign. Forests and prairies with the occasional lake passed came into view and disappeared just as quickly as we sped along.

“So what do you think?” Sven asked, looking out the window beside me.

“Kinda reminds me of home,” I replied.

“Mind if I ask you something?” he asked.

“Shoot.”

“What were you expecting?” The bluntness of his question caught me off-guard. I paused and thought about my answer. It was a good question; what had I been expecting? Castles and stables? Maybe I should’ve made more of an effort (or made an effort at all) to learn about our new friends from another world.

“To be honest…I’m not sure,” I replied honestly. “I mean, I’d heard a few things here and there but never followed up, I guess. I probably should’ve, though.”

“Well, you’re the only one I’ve met who didn’t do at least a little bit of research, even just to satisfy their curiosity,” Sven replied. “No offense or anything.”

“None taken. Must’ve been too caught up in my own little world to think too much about a whole new one.”

“Well, that’s fair. Still, I like to keep my mind open about these things,” Sven mused thoughtfully. “I guess I was always the one with his head in the clouds. Always hoping for something crazy or dramatic to happen. Good things, of course.”

“Guess you got your wish then, huh?” It was becoming clear to me that Sven probably considered himself the luckiest guy in the world. He was clearly chasing his dream and loving every moment of it.

Then what the Hell was I doing with my life? Sure, I had enough to keep me going and pay the bills but…

“Yes, definitely.” Sven agreed. “There’s something about Equis that just…I dunno, makes you think. How amazing would life be if we followed their example more often, huh?” He then raised his hands defensively. “Don’t get me wrong, I still love Earth and I’m definitely no misanthrope but I can’t help appreciating how they live, y’know?”

“Well, I’ll see if I can figure out what you mean when I get there.” I winced slightly inwardly, hoping that Sven didn’t interpret my response as rude or curt. I just had a lot to learn about Equis and began to hope that I could get as much out of the experience as Sven did.

“Just keep your eyes and ears open and they’ll teach you anything you want to know.” he assured me.

“I think I’d like that.” Why the Hell not? There was obviously something worth learning about Equis. I just had to find it.

***

I spent the next few hours exploring the train and experiencing every indulgence it had to offer. It was then that I began to wonder when I was to arrive at my destination, the supposed ‘crown jewel of Equis tourism’ or whatever they called it. Sven had been around, mostly to answer my questions, although he spent most of the trip reading in the observation car, which I had been fine with. I didn’t need to be babysat.

“Hey Sven, um…when are we supposed to get there? Is it much farther?” I asked as I re-entered the observation car.

“I’ll check for you,” he replied, looking at his phone. “Not much longer now. I’d say about 20 minutes.”

“Really?” I asked, looking out of the glass bubble that made up the roof of the car. “‘Cause it doesn’t look there’s anything out there.”

In fact, as far as I could tell, we were headed straight for the ocean.

And a cliff overlooking said ocean.

Wait…

“Um, Sven?” I asked. He looked at me quizzically. “Why are we heading for a cliff? Aren’t we supposed to be going, y’know, to the ocean normally? Like, not off a cliff?” To my surprise (and growing fear), he simply smiled and continued to read.

“Don’t worry. The next part gets a little…interesting but you’ll be fine, I promise. Just watch.” He spoke as if he didn’t want to spoil the end of some epic movie, and it wasn’t doing anything to allay my concerns about a fiery death.

“Uh dude, seriously, what the Hell’s going on?” I asked in a near-panic as the cliff loomed ahead. At this rate, we’d at least get some great airtime before plummeting to our deaths. Still, it wasn’t how I wanted to go and certainly not the time!

“You might want to sit down for this,” he replied, still reading. I did so instinctively.

“Hey, what?” I exclaimed as a seatbelt made its way around me like before, securing me to the couch. Oh man…

“Look out your window,” Sven suggested. “And watch the magic in action.” As if on cue, a calm woman’s voice asked all passengers to return to their seats, much like on an airplane.

“Watch the magic in action!?” I yelled. “What the Hell is that supposed to mean!?” He only smiled, prompting me to stare wide-eyed at the rapidly approaching cliff edge, despite my fears. It was like one of those things that’s terrible but you can’t take your eyes off it, ironically, like a train crash. So I looked on, praying to any deity that happened to be listening that this was all a bad dream and that I’d wake up safe and sound atop my memory foam mattress.

“What the…hey, what’s going on!?” I exclaimed as wing-like extensions suddenly emerged from beneath each car’s chassis. It was then that I felt the train pick up speed at such a rapid rate I could’ve sworn it was going into warp.

Uh oh…

“Hooooolllllyyyy sshhhhiiiiittt!” I yelled as we blasted over the cliff edge.

***

Imagine my shock when I opened my eyes a few seconds later to find us climbing rather than falling to our untimely demises. As Sven resumed his book, I braved a look out the observation dome.

“Oh my God…” I murmured as the train soared over the ocean. We weren’t flying at the altitude of most human aircraft but we were still high enough that I could see pretty far in every direction. I turned to Sven. “Dude…we’re fucking flying.”

“I know.” he replied calmly, still reading.

“In a train.”

“I know.”

“That can fly.”

“Welcome to Equis,” he said with a smile. “Not a bad start, huh?”

“Well, now that I know I’m not gonna die, it is pretty cool.” I admitted. Okay, if I hadn’t spent the better part of the last 10 minutes wetting my trousers (metaphorically, of course), it would’ve been the coolest thing I’d ever experienced by far. “How…how exactly is this possible?” I asked, unable to see or hear anything resembling an engine designed for flight.

“Like I said before, magic,” Sven replied simply. “The New Harmony Express is the latest in human-Equestrian technological hybridization.” He saw my blank look and went into further detail. “It’s not that complicated, really. We humans built the train according to Equestrian specifications, and they enchanted it. Pretty cool, huh? It’s going to change the entire transportation industry someday.”

“You weren’t kidding when you said ‘magic’,” I conceded, finally starting to admire the techno-magical marvel carrying us through the sky.

“And this isn’t even the best part,” Sven added, motioning for me to look out front. “Look out there. You can almost see it.”

“See what?”

“Your destination, of course.”

I narrowed my eyes and focused on the sky ahead of us. After seeing nothing but clouds, I turned to my guide for some disclosure.

“It must be behind that cloud. Just keep watching,” he practically urged me. And watch I did. Sure enough, as soon as we emerged through the cloud…there it was.

It was an island in the sky.

A series of giant golden rings with wide interconnecting bridges made up the island itself, dividing it up into several different sections, each with a distinct geological characteristic or, from the looks of them, vacation activity. Surrounding the island on the outer ring were about a dozen spires shaped like thin elongated triangles that curved slightly inwards over the both the top and bottom of the island, each with a large diamond-like jewel at the tip. Between each vertical spire lay a horizontal one, giving the island a distinctive sun shape, while huge waterfalls flowing over the edge of the island marked the island’s northern, southern, eastern, and western points. Numerous resorts made up the other structures on the island, each one looking like a small city.

I was beyond speechless.

“Shawn Martin, welcome…to Helios!”

“Wow…” I murmured, unable to come up with the words needed to properly do the sight before me justice. “This…this is the most incredible thing I’ve ever seen.”

“I can imagine,” Sven replied, gazing out at it as well. “I remember the first time I laid eyes on her. I had the same reaction as you. I couldn’t believe something like this could exist and yet…” He gestured towards the island. “…here it is.”

“I’m starting to understand where you’re coming from,” I added. “About Equis, I mean. How there’s something about this world that’s unlike anything else.”

“Well, that’s the power of harmony for you,” Sven replied without missing a beat. I was sure he’d had this conversation with quite a few dumbstruck tourists.

“That’s for damn sure,” I murmured as we began our descent. “I just…I can’t believe I’m staying in a place like this!” I exclaimed as my dormant excitement began to surface. “I just…I don’t even know what to say!”

“Just enjoy yourself,” Sven said with a smile. “This is your time. As long as you respect the rules of the resort, you can pretty much do whatever you please.”

“Oh man…this is almost overwhelming,” I mused as we touched down in the island’s specially-designed sky-train berth with a soft bump. “There’ll be a place that I can get some info, right? I have a feeling there’s a lot to do up here.”

“Oh, absolutely. What you should do is download the Helios app. That way, you’ll have a handy quick guide to everything going on at the resort. Of course, there are also several hundred employees on the island, so feel free to ask them if you have any questions.” Sven recommended. “Once you check in to your hotel, they’ll go over everything you need to know about the island.”

“That’s great but which hotel am I staying at?” I asked just before disembarking.

“That’s actually up to you,” Sven replied rather casually. “You have your choice of any of the four hotels on the island. If you like, you can even stay in one for the first week and a different one for the second week.”

“You’ve gotta be kidding me.”

“Well, they promised you the ultimate resort experience, so that’s what you’re getting,” Sven answered with a shrug. “By the way,” he added, leaning close to me. “If you’d like to meet some nice single girls, I recommend the Astral Resort up in the north sector. That’s where I met my fiancé.”

“Wait, you met your fiancé here?” I asked. “There’s other…well, humans here?”

“Oh, she’s not human,” Sven informed me nonchalantly, so nonchalantly in fact that I did a brief double-take in surprise.

“You…you mean she’s…”

“From here? Yes, full-blooded Equestrian.” Sven confirmed, sounding rather proud. “We had just been hired to work for the resort, so we met during orientation. After that, we started hanging out and then we just…clicked. She works at the Astral Resort so if you stay there, you’ll probably meet her.”

“Um…wow, okay, I didn’t know that people…er, humans, and…Equestrians were getting together.” I admitted, trying not to sound too weirded-out.

“It’s becoming more and more common, and I suspect that it will only become even more so.” Sven informed me. “Don’t worry, though; there’s always plenty of human women around here too. If you do wind up staying at the Astral, just ask for a thestral named Evening Breeze.” A what?

“Your fiancé, I’m guessing?”

“You bet. She’ll be happy to answer any question you have, plus she’s really fun to hang out with. But don’t be getting any funny ideas, okay?” Sven finished with a look of faux severity.

“Hey man, don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll have lots of others to chase if I get the mood strikes.” I assured him, raising my hands defensively.

“I know, I know, I’m just teasing. Listen, I’ll be back in a couple of days for an employee seminar, so I’ll have an entire afternoon free. If you’d like to get together with Breeze and I, we’d be happy to show you around.” Sven offered. I thought about it.

“You know what? I’d really like that,” I replied, shaking his hand. “Listen, thank you so much for being such a great host. I can honestly say that I’m really excited about this trip now.”

“Glad to hear it,” Sven replied with a smile of his own. “Now go out there and have the time of your life!” I nodded and picked up my backpack.

“Will do. See you in a couple of days.”

“See you then.” And with that, I disembarked and took my first few steps onto the island of Helios.

Author's Note

Well, here we go, my first foray into an M-rated story here. It's not the first one I've ever written but it is the first I've ever submitted anywhere. Whether or not I continue will depend somewhat on reader reception but I really hope you all enjoy because I would like to continue it.

Quick factoid for you: it's actually based loosely on a dream I had the other night. When I woke up, I remembered about 40 percent of it, which I decided I had to write down.

Edit: okay, since this fic has received about 150 times the attention I was expecting...would anyone like to recreate the island of Helios? Maybe a drawing or Minecraft map or something? Just a thought.

Stay classy!