Towards A Brighter Future
Your eyes open slowly. You're in your bed, alone in your room, staring up at strange mystical lights dancing across the ceiling. Groggy and wondering what exactly woke you up in the dead of night, you roll over, only to be met with the sight of a small pastel pony. She is ethereal and indistinct, her features blurry and difficult to make out. Glowing strands of light swirl around her like rays from the sun's corona, casting strange and impossible patterns on your walls. Part of you wants to leap out of bed, wondering if you've been drugged, but you feel strangely calm. All is quiet and all is right, and you feel safe within this pony's sight. Your worries float away like bubbles in the moonlight, cast away by powerful magic.
"Your world is dying," says the pony, her voice echoing inside your head, bouncing around alien geometries.
You raise an eyebrow, and think to reply, but she continues as though she already knows what you're going to ask. "A tragedy will soon befall this land, and your civilization will slowly collapse as your species turn on each other. The fires will burn for years, and it will take nearly a millennia for any semblance of society to recover. But your race will forever be marred by its failure, and this planet cannot sustain another industrial revolution. You will be consigned to your fate, doomed to live out the rest of your existence on this rock, with only tales of past glory to comfort you."
This is somewhat alarming, and you can feel your heart starting to race despite the calming effect of the pony's presence. If the world is going to end, you'd rather not be told in advance that everyone you know was going to die. Once again, however, the pony raises her hoof before you can voice your concerns.
"I come to you as an ambassador of peace. Some of your kind have shown love and forgiveness, and I offer you a choice. Become a pony and emigrate to Equestria, leaving all you know behind, or stay here and perish in the flames of your downfall."
"You have heard tales of our land, but only some are true. We are a safe haven, a middle place, a land that exists between the cracks of the multiverse. We seek out those doomed to perish in the dying flames of their civilization's last stand and take them somewhere better, where they can be at peace. Equestria is infinite and unknowable, vast beyond measure, and generous to its denizens. It will not be what you expect, but it will be what you need. I cannot tell you what you will find in Equestria, for that is something only you can discover. If you wish to join us, you must make your decision by trusting my words beyond a shadow of a doubt, for Equestria is built on our undying trust in each other."
You sit up in bed and stare at the magical pony in front of you. You have many questions, but you're not sure what to ask first.
"What will I look like as a pony?" you blurt out, without really thinking. It seems like a silly question to ask first, but oh well.
The pony smiles. "If you choose to emigrate, we can find out."
You take a deep breath, and look around you. The familiar sight of your room seems starkly different with magical lights coloring your things. A much more appropriate question comes to mind.
"How much time do I have to choose?"
"The portal will stay open for another hour if you wish to take a moment to collect your thoughts," explained the pony. "You will need to make a decision at least 15 minutes beforehand. Don't worry, I'll warn you before I leave."
You frown. "What about my family?"
"Even if some of them are given offers to emigrate, you will have a new existence in Equestria. You will have a new body, a new name, a new purpose. Emigrating to Equestria means leaving everything behind. Your old home will be nothing more than a memory. There is no turning back."
This seems somewhat concerning. It was a fairly big decision to make in just an hour. Whether or not you accepted hinged primarily on whether or not the pony's prophecy about the end of the world was actually true. There was no set timeframe on how long it would take civilization to destroy itself, which meant you might still be able to live out your life fairly normally before everything completely imploded, but in the process you would be giving up a new life in Equestria, where you could start anew in a world free from strife.
Of course, it could all be a dream, but if it was, the choice wouldn't matter once you woke up. You might as well take the pony seriously. You swing your legs over the side of the bed and slowly walk towards your bedroom window. Outside, you see a faint glow from afar that casts the city in a new light. Several pairs of ethereal looking pastel ponies are calmly walking down the streets, which seem suspiciously empty even for this time of night.
"Some have already accepted, eager to leave an unfair and unjust world. Others will take longer, having stronger attachments to this reality. There is no right answer to this question. The choice is up to you, and only you can truly decide what you want from your life."
You stare through the window at the night sky, quietly contemplating your choice, before you finally turn back to look at the magical creature waiting silently for your answer.
“I want to emigrate to Equestria.”
She smiles, and then starts to sing.
A majestic melody wraps itself around you, caressing your soul and carrying your worries away. Strange magical symbols flow outwards from the pony in front of you, and you wonder if they are runes or just Equestrian musical notation. Impossible harmonies tickle your ears as she trots around you, fairy lights and glowing wisps swirling around you in a whirlwind of magic. Soon, all you can see are the lights dancing in front of your eyes, as your spirit is carried away by divine sounds. You feel more free than ever before, no longer weighed down by regret or fear, ready to explore a far-off land, to find a new home.
The lights fade, and the song peters out, the wonderful melodies fading into the distance. As your vision returns, you notice that everything seems bigger now, only to realize you've gotten smaller. Turning around, you find yourself walking on four hooves instead of feet. The absence of fingers is disconcerting, but somehow not unexpected. You aren't entirely sure how you're walking around without falling over, but you decide not to question it. All the magic whirling around you seems plenty capable of preventing you from clumsily fumbling around with four left hooves. You find yourself able to move your ears around, which is a strange sensation. You instinctively wag your new tail, and abruptly realize you aren't wearing anything. Then again, none of the other ponies were wearing anything either, so maybe it didn't matter.
"Follow me," says the pony, already out of your bedroom. She seems more coherent now, and something tickles the back of your mind, like a long forgotten memory of childhood. However, she is still too indistinct, and you shake your head before trotting out of your bedroom with her. Your hooves make no noise and barely seem to touch the floor, but you don't seem to be glowing nearly as much as the pony leading you out of your old home. The front door swings open on its own accord as the pony steps through it, but you pause before stepping through the frame, taking one last look at the past you have chosen to leave behind. The house is dark and quiet, more than usual, decorated with bits of memorabilia. All around you, others sleep peacefully, blissfully unaware of the rapture taking place.
"Come along now," she says, gently nuzzling your neck. It is a strange sensation, a new experience, one of many that await you in your new life, far away in a distant world. As you step over the threshold, your new heart beats against your ribcage, but you don't know if it's from excitement or nerves. You follow your companion's glowing tail as it lazily shifts back and forth, and find yourself on an empty road. The streets are completely empty, and were it not for the soft glowing light of the Equestrian immigrants dotting the grids of buildings, it would feel like an abandoned ghost town. As you trot down the silent road, you notice the ethereal glow enveloping the air getting brighter and brighter.
Finally, your companion turns a corner and you are met with an awe-inspiring sight. Before you stands a massive portal, a hole punched in reality, rippling with raw magical energy and standing nearly ten stories high. You feel a slight wind pushing you back, and you can feel the ancient power rippling through you as you draw closer. Within, you see rolling hills and billowing clouds, shining brightly with colors you didn't know existed, beckoning you to join them. Far in the distance, you think you can see a castle nestled on a tall mountain, and a small twinkle from one of the spires.
"You're almost home," says your companion, leading you towards the enormous dimensional doorway.
"What happens next?" you ask, pushing forwards against the rippling magical field permeating the air. Many others have joined you, trotting towards a new hope, a land free from the strife that had befallen our kind.
"We'll have to go through immigration." She turned and smiled. "Don't worry, I'll be there to guide you through the process."
Your gaze returns to the colossal runic gate that towers in front of you, only a block away. "What's walking through the portal like?"
"Like walking through a breeze... Wait here." She canters towards another glowing pony as you stand still, taking the time to watch several ponies walk through the gateway. Nothing special seemed to happen, other than them being on the other side of the portal. Perhaps it was that simple. A single step could take you into a faraway place, filled with hope and wonder, where the trees were green all year long and the sky blue as a crystal ocean.
"Alright," said your companion, returning to you. "We're ready."
You nod, and begin your final approach. The gate was only a few feet in front of you now, and a noticeable breeze was running through your fur. A single leaf was blown away from the portal, skittering between your hooves. At the brink, you hesitate, your hoof pausing for a moment before you take the final step and cross the threshold, into the land of Equestria.
Nothing particularly special happens. One hoof is standing on a soft grassy hillside, and three hooves are still on asphalt. Taking a deep breath, you continue onwards, and take a deep breath of fresh air, more clean than you could have ever imagined. You look behind you at a dark street in a dull world, and wonder how you could have ever considered staying.
"Come along now," your companion catches your eye, and you notice she is no longer glowing. She reminds you of somepony, but you aren't sure who. She gallops down the hillside, her mane billowing behind her, mesmerizing you. Still unfamiliar with your new body, you try to gallop alongside her, and find that your hooves always know where to go. Birds sing and wind whistles as you gallop towards the crowd of ponies below, gathered in front of a huge stone arch, carved out of ancient limestone between two massive cliffs. Looking past the arch, it seems to frame a small castle sitting on a mountain, with a twinkle still visible from one of the spires. It seems to call out to you, beckoning you towards it.
As you draw closer to the crowd, you can see several large, majestic alicorns greeting ponies one-by-one before sending them off through the archway. The crowd seemed to slowly organize itself into lines as they got near a row of desks set out before the princesses. You find your companion seated on the ground near the back of the crowd. Where is she from? Why does she remind you of something you once knew? Faint strands of memories tease you, but vanish as quickly as they come, evaporating into your subconscious.
"Sorry about the wait," says your companion, sheepishly looking at the ground. "A Rapture always clogs the system up, but we're very efficient. It shouldn't be too long."
You grin and look around you while you wait, wondering if you can spot anyone you know. Sadly, nopony seems to stand out amongst the crowd.
"You won't find your friends here, I'm afraid." Your companion rests a hoof on your shoulder. "I can assure you that many followed you here, but it is up to you to cross paths with them. Perhaps sometime after your journey of discovery, you will find them once again. I know this can be difficult, but in order to enter Equestria, you must give up the life you had planned, in order to experience the life that is waiting for you."
This is disappointing, but you take solace in the fact that one day, you might be reunited with those you knew before. You have difficulty perceiving time in this new place, where the sun doesn't seem to move like you'd expect, but you guess it's about half an hour before you finally reach one of the desks. Your companion follows you up, and a very serious looking unicorn is scribbling notes on a piece of paper. He looks up at you, jots some more notes down, then asks your companion a series of questions.
"Origin?"
"Planet Z8 Alpha, Sector C, Universe 136 B"
"Species?"
"Human"
"Temperament?"
"Tribalist"
The unicorn writes down a few more things, then nods to you. "Alright, you're checked in, wait here until one of the princesses calls you."
You step forward into the waiting area, before looking back. “Don’t they need my name, or something?” you ask, confused.
“You don’t have a name yet,” she explains. “Before you ask, the princess is not going to give you one, either. Your name is something you must discover on your own. Don’t worry, it usually doesn’t take very long,” she added.
You nod, and continue to wait for a princess to call you forward. You notice that all the other ponies talk to each princess by themselves, and are sent on their way alone. “...Am I going to see you again?”
She smiles. “My duty here is complete. The journey before you is long and wonderful, but you must take the first steps yourself. Perhaps in a distant future, we will meet again.” She nods her head towards the archway. “I do believe it is your turn. Good luck out there.”
You look back to see one of the princesses beckoning for you, and walk towards her with your head bowed.
"Rise," the princess softly commands. You stand and look up at her, nervously waiting for whatever might be in store. She looks at you with curiosity, and her horn briefly illuminates, but nothing seems to happen. After a few more moments of silence, the princess leans down and whispers in your ear, so quiet that she cannot be heard even by words on a page. Her words are for you, and you alone, unique and perfect, guiding you towards a brighter future. What she says, you will never forget.
Then, the princess lifts her head and smiles. "Welcome to Equestria," she says, and opens a wing, beckoning you through the stone archway. You cast one last glance behind you at your mysterious companion as you canter through the gate, finally free and ready to begin your life anew, in a world of magic and friendship.
Author's Note
Edited by SolidFire.
