Journal Entry 1

Date and Time Unknown

If anyone is reading this, then I, Doctor Alexander Gabriel Weaver, am likely dead. This journal will be a collection of my experiences regarding this predicament I find myself in — namely, the fact that I appear to have been transported to a different world. This should not surprise anyone reading this.

I currently recall little of the hours leading up to and following my arrival, though certain details persist. I recall cold and snow, possibly some sort of tundra, as well as not being able to recognise the sky (though this might have been the result of stress or shock). However, I distinctly remember firing upon and maiming what I had believed to be a wolf, but was in fact a quadrupedal creature I did not recognise. It wore cold-weather clothing and had a horn on its head. The rest of the encounter escapes me, though I do recall it speaking in an unrecognisable language. Normally, I would again attribute this to shock, but my current experiences prove that unlikely.

Several hours ago, I awoke in a small stone room, and discovered myself to be in the “care” of a group of creatures like the one I recall harming, presumably having found us in the snow and treating my (thankfully minor) case of hypothermia. They express language and emotion, fully displaying sapient behaviours — one in particular appears to be in a role of leadership. In the time I have spent interacting with them, only further questions have been generated, owing to this frustrating — though equally fascinating — language barrier (see external writings for language organiser). I have set myself a goal to learn this language if at all possible, so as to hopefully learn more about this place, and how I might get back. So far, I have mostly been able to communicate through body-language and contextual speech, and am fairly confident that I have learned a small number of words in their language.

As for the creatures themselves, I have taken to referring to them as ‘ponies’ due to their diminutive stature (usually less than a metre in height) and their resemblance to said animal, though the taxonomists might beg to differ. Ponies seem to display a wide range of exotic hair pigments (dye?), as well as horns, wings, both, or neither. It is unclear whether these represent sexual morphism, some other biological distinction, or perhaps separate species entirely. They also bear different symbols on their ‘flanks’, presumably some form of identification or distinction. However, these details are eclipsed by the most inexplicable phenomenon I have witnessed here, or anywhere for that matter: the leader pony displayed to me the ability to levitate and move objects with a fine degree of control, as if by magic. My current hypotheses involve either localised, high-power electromagnetism or gravity manipulation, but such forces being produced biologically is baffling. I will describe this phenomenon further in my research notes once I’ve had a chance to examine it further.

The ponies also seem interested in studying me: they have attempted several times to communicate and learn about me. They even brought in my phone and had me attempt to explain it pictographically. I would have simply shown them its function; however, the battery has inexplicably died. The phone is quite old (nearly a decade), but has never had any issues such as this before; this leads me to believe either being exposed to the cold somehow caused the old lithium cells to die, or that the same process that brought me here also caused the battery to discharge. There is no physical damage visible.

Otherwise, the ponies have yet to show aggression or cause me harm, and have endevoured to keep me comfortable. They even brought a variety of food for me to eat, while one pony recorded my choosings. The foods brought were palatable enough, if quite alien, and my digestive system currently shows no signs of rejection, now several hours later. I would like to have run tests on the food, but given that I lack even the most basic of equipment (there is a clock, though it runs on the ponies’ time-system), I will have to set aside caution for my survival. Hopefully, the my and the ponies’ microbiomes and immune systems are sufficiently different so that we pose no microbial threat to each other.

Interestingly, I have seen no evidence of any technology more advanced than common clockwork: my guards carry only spears and swords with bronze armour, they use candles for illumination, and seem to use quills and inkwells for writing. I will avoid making conclusions until I’ve seen more of this world, but if this sample is representative of this civilization's level of material advancement, then I have found myself in the interesting position of technological superiority. Considering the implications, perhaps it would be wise to withhold my knowledge to avoid contaminating the ponies’ culture. On the other hand, it gives me the option to ‘buy’ my security with technology. Since I will be here for the foreseeable future, perhaps I should seek patronage from their government.

Given all this, I must prioritize learning all I can about the ponies and this world. I do not even know if I am on another planet, in some sort of unknown part of Earth, or a different realm of existence entirely. The different sky and moon, as well as the apparent laws of physics remaining (withholding the earlier mentioned levitation phenomenon), lead me to believe that I am still in the known universe, likely on an alien planet.

Personal Thoughts:

Well fuck me, I guess. This is what I get for doing over-time. Should have just stayed home. Now I’m probably going to die here, wherever to hell I am, being experimented on by magical alien horse-things.

Though, it’s not all bad I suppose. I’ll finally have some peace and quiet. Maybe I’ll write book.

I haven’t found anything about that pony I shot out in the snow yet, but I’ve only been awake here for a day. I’ll try to find out more once I get out of this room. Unless this is a jail cell, and I’m being held for harming one of them. In which case, I’d better get on with learning their language to see what they want from me. The honourable thing to do would be to take whatever punishment they think I deserve. Here’s hoping that pony isn’t dead, and the evidence is on my side. And I suppose even if they do kill me, at least I’ll have accomplished something — first person to be convicted of murder by aliens.

In all seriousness though, I’m going try to remain positive; this is a golden opportunity to fulfill my boyhood dreams of exploring other worlds and new life. If I can successfully integrate with the ponies, there will be so much I can learn — their “magic” abilities alone suggest new science in nearly every field. And the ponies have only been trying to communicate with me so far, so hopefully they think they same way about me. I wonder if I can convince them that I’m a god?

Either way, aggressive or not, there is much work to be done, so I’ll get on with it and stop wasting time writing shit nobody will ever read.

If any human actually is reading this, then I suppose I will have to ask you to relay my last will and testament to the relevant authorities:

Give my beloved piano to my brother, Joshua Weaver or any of his descendants. He was always jealous of that thing, the bastard.

Liquidate my assets and distribute it among my remaining family members. If I have no remaining family members, use it to throw a party for the Queen’s University physics department.

Destroy all my computers’ hard drives. All my work-related files should be on a government server.

There is a letter in my safe; if she is still alive, give it to Carly Reynolds née McKay. Otherwise, burn it.

This paper will list and describe the creatures I have come to call ‘ponies’. Despite having learned some of their names, I have assigned them unique identifications by combining their fur colour with an aspect of their flank markings, as I have not yet decided on how to transliterate the sounds of the ponies’ language. Each entry is also tagged with the pony’s apparent occupation.

White Shield (Royalty?):
White fur, blue mane; Marking - six-pointed star over a blue shield; Horn; Personality traits unknown; Health status unknown

Purple Star (Leader):
Lavender fur, dark purple mane with pink stripe section; Marking - pink, six-pointed star overtop smaller white star, surrounded by five even smaller white stars (possibly related somehow to White Shield?); Wings and horn; Actively expresses curiosity towards me; Has been active in attempting to establish communication; Has a pretty smile Seems to enjoy his or her time studying me.

Brown Slide-Rule(?) (Researcher 1):
Light brown fur, dark grey mane; Marking - what appears to be a slide-rule or similar device; No wings or horn; Positive personality; Interested in my possessions, particularly the mechanical ones.

Grey Scalpel (Researcher 2):
Light grey fur, light blue mane; Marking - likely a scalpel; Horn; Calm and authoritative attitude; In charge of my diet and health.

Crystal Eye (Guard 1):
Unique crystalline fur, light blue in colour; Marking - a pony eye; No wings or horn; Neutral attitude.

Orange Shield (Guard 2):
Orange fur, deep blue mane; Marking - lighting bolt over top blue shield; Wings; Seems untrusting of me; Behaves nervously around Purple Star; Pointed a spear at me several times.

Silent Armour (Guard 3):
Fur, mane, and marking obscured by full-body armour; Wings; Silent and intense demeanor.

Guard 4:
Only observed once; Unable to recall details due to tense contact.

Author's Note

[generic_hiatus_apology_01]