Life happens. Those are the two words that everyone should understand and be ready to react to, since the unexpected can and will happen. Even if the unexpected can be improbable. Such was the case of one Jethro Magnus. His visit to a convention went sideways fast.

He arrived to the convention in his Vault 76 jumpsuit with leather armor and a bowie knife (a fake one, thankfully). His entrance was unspectacular. His browsing, however, went sideways quickly. He met a shady merchant fellow that had a C.A.M.P. (Construction and Assembly Mobile Platform), as well as a replica of an M1917 Trench Carbine and a P08 pistol replica. With the allure of those being only roughly $40, he quickly bought the items. The merchant was even kind enough to include a holster and a strap for his weapons that blended in perfectly with the leather armor.

After the money changed hands, the merchant said, “Enjoy those country roads.” Jethro thanked the man and began his long walk home.

It was a cool autumn day, the wind whistles through the leaves that had finished changing color. He chose to walk a back country trail to the convention. Trees lined both sides as leaves scattered across the ground. With the sun beginning to set he started his journey.

A replica Pip Boy rested on his arm, holding his phone in the case as he turned on a bit of music for his walk. The soft music filled the air from the small Bluetooth speaker he built into the Pip Boy. It weighed a good bit on his arm but he didn’t mind as the pistol rested on his hip and the carbine strapped to his back.

Shortly after the song stopped, Jethro noticed something. “Why does the woods look different?” He asked to himself, while looking around him. The woods he was originally in had various evergreen trees (mostly pine) in the majority. The woods he was in now, seemed to have mostly oak and birch. No evergreen trees in sight. “What’s going on?” He rushed down the path he was on until he came out of the woods. In the distance, was what looked like a European village.

“Where am I?” With a somewhat cautious start, Jethro started walking to the village. As he walked past some fields and farmhouses, he couldn’t help but taking glances at the size of the buildings and doors. “Children, dwarves, or midgets. Yeesh.” His ‘thoughts’ on the village inhabitants was proven wrong. Technicolor ponies, varying from unicorns, pegasi, and seemingly normal ponies. The top of their heads (on average) reached his chest, while their shoulders reached his waist.

His attention wasn’t very good, however, and he ended up tripping over a pegasus...that was still flying? “Oh Shoot!” The pegasus said as Jethro fell over, face first, into the dirt. “I’m sooooo sorry! I wasn’t paying attention. I just don’t know what went wrong.” The pegasus turned to where Jethro tripped, and hesitated helping, but ignored her fear. She quickly helped him up and began brushing the dirt and grass off of him.

“Just my luck,” Jethro said, as the grey coated, yellow maned pegasus kept brushing. “I’m walking along in what seems to be a new world or land or whatever, and I end up tripping over one of this place’s inhabitants...and why she’s helping me instead of getting mad-”

“It’s my fault as well,” the pegasus interjected, having finished brushing him off. “I wasn’t paying attention. Now that I think about it, why was I flying only a few centimeters off the ground?” She asked with her eyes going in different directions in confusion.

“That is something I don’t have an answer to,” he said. “Out of curiosity, what’s your name? Mine is Jethro.”

“I’m Ditzy Doo. Resident mailpony and overall optimistic one,” she said. Ditzy gave me a once over before giving a nod to herself that he was clear of dirt. “So, you new in town? I haven't seen anything like you here in Ponyville before...well except that minotaur-what's-his-name, but you only are similar in body structure.” Her eyes crossed in confusion again. “Now I'm starting to sound like my husband,” she said to herself.

“You could say I'm new in town,” Jethro said. “Although, with what I'm seeing and hearing, I think I'm new to more than just the town.”

“Like world, dimension, universe, or the like?” Ditzy asked, her face seeming to show her curiosity.

Jethro shrugged. “Maybe? Dimensional travel, or whatever isn’t what my kind deals with on a regular basis,” he supplied. With a smile Ditzy grabbed his hand and started leading him towards the town.

“Whether or not this is or isn’t dimensional travel, my husband is practically an expert on the subject,” she bragged as she pulled him along. “He devised several theories on travel through various parts of time and space...Faust, the things I pick up from him.”

“I don’t want to impose on his help,” Jethro tried to protest, but Ditzy only insisted on pulling harder at that. After a bit, she had pulled him to a cottage near the edge of the town.

“Just wait here, I’ll get my husband.” Ditzy rushed inside while shouting out for her husband. Jethro stood off to the side of the doorway while that was happening. Townsponies were taking occasional glances and momentary stares in his general direction, making him slightly uncomfortable. Just as he was ready to take a seat on the ground, Ditzy came back with a normal brown stallion with a suit collar and tie.

“Well, Great Wickering Stallions!” The stallion exclaimed. “How in all of Equis did a full on Homo Sapien end up here?!” He asked, before lifting his hoof, stopping Jethro from answering. “Don’t tell me, let me see.” He reached under his collar and grabbed a strange rod thing that suddenly glowed blue and emitted an annoying buzzing sound before he placed it back under his collar. “They’re almost uncontrollable now,” he said quietly while facehoofing.

“Who?” Ditzy and Jethro asked. The stallion went to answer, but a loud feral growl with a scream following it interrupted him. They gazed down the street and saw a gruesome sight. A pony that had seemingly lost it’s coat and was covered with green crystalline growths was standing over the bloody corpse of a grayish pink mare with two-toned dark purple mane and tail.

“Honey?” Ditzy asked her husband, but before she could say anything more, the ugly pony took notice of them...specifically Jethro. The pony gave a savage growl, drool and blood dripping from it’s mouth before charging towards them.

“Stop! Or I’ll shoot!” Jethro shouted, pulling his pistol out and pointing it at the pony. The pony didn’t stop, causing him to take a step back and trip over his feet. The sudden fall caused him to pull the trigger on accident and the bullet managed to sail into the pony’s head, causing it to explode. When Jethro hit the ground, his head hit a rock that was conveniently where his head was to land. The hard impact caused Jethro to start losing his consciousness. Before he completely blacked out, he saw a few white ponies in golden armor start running up. With a concerned shout from Ditzy, he was out.

Author's Note

Well...a good start. The M rating is necessary when doing a story about a mind robbing plague and a Vault Dweller fighting in Equestria.

If you hate the story, then stop reading it.