The streets looked different at night, Nix realized. He had never been out this late before. Curfews, both his parents and the city’s, had kept him inside during these hours. But as he walked down the streets, lit by the fluorescent street lamps, he was noticing just how empty the streets could be.
It wouldn’t last too much longer. In a mile he’d be out of the residential area and at the corner store. He’d use some of his money to purchase some supplies, and then...
And then what?
He was already beginning to think this was a mistake. He was a teenager, and while he could pass for an adult in a pinch he had no high school diploma. The only jobs open to him were burger flipping and retail work, and neither had a reputation for being glamorous.
He stopped at the corner of his street and thought. Okay... he’d have to enroll himself in a high school. Could he do that without a parent? Probably not... he’d have to get creative. But first he needed to worry about a place to live, a steady source of income...
He took a deep breath. No problem... he could do this...
He managed to make it half a mile before his doubts caught up with him again. What was he doing? This was crazy. He should just go back home. As bad as the fate that awaited him there was, it was nothing compared to what he was setting himself up for. All he had to do was suck it up for a year and a half. It wouldn’t be so bad.
He nearly collapsed. Suddenly he was very tired. He remembered an hour ago he had been in his room, playing Tirek’s Revenge and trying to get the last of the collectibles, when he suddenly had a craving for some chips. He had gotten to the top of the stairs when he had heard them.
“It will be finalized in a few weeks,” his father had said. “The only question left is the house.”
“You realize if I don’t get it, I’m going to want a house nearby. There’s no way I’m giving up joint custody.”
“So will I... which is why my lawyer wanted to propose something.”
He felt his stomach drop. He knew what they were talking about.
He had always imagined these discussions as shouting matches, but the calm tone in which his parents were talking was so much worse. Didn’t they even care?
“We send him to my sister’s for a while. It will put him in neutral territory while we sort this out.”
“Your sister is neutral territory?” his mother had said, though it was half-hearted at best. Her sister was a bitter woman who had little to no love for her family. She stuck around largely out of family loyalty. She had paid for medical care for her mother and funeral arrangements for a few relatives, but these were out of obligation, not love. An occasional birthday party visit was about all she managed.
She would take her nephew in if it was asked of her, but there would be no love. There’d be no abuse, either, she wasn’t a cruel woman. She would use every cent her brother and former sister-in-law sent her on him, she wasn't a liar. She’d make sure he was eating right, keeping his grades up, and staying out of trouble.
But she wouldn’t love him.
“It’d be hard on him,” his mother said, amending her argument.
“So would this whole battle,” his father replied. “This is going to put him through the wringer no matter what. We can only cushion the blow. We’ll buy him a car, and a new computer. Maybe that new game console. Whatever can ease the blow.”
He felt mad. They thought they could buy him off?
“...That would soothe it. We make it an even 50-50 split? We can tell the lawyers tomorrow.”
He had run upstairs without listening to the rest. The packing had been quick: his iPod, his GameStation Portable, a few books, and $1,000 he had been saving in a jar under his bed. He waited until his parents went to bed. Then he snuck to the kitchen, grabbing whatever looked like he could eat without cooking. Then he was off into the night.
It had been an easy decision then, fueled on anger at his parents, but now reality was beginning to set in. He was a high schooler with no job and no prospects. There was nothing at his aunt’s house he was escaping from. There would be little love for him here.
But there’d be a bed and food for him there.
He had just made the decision to turn around when a voice suddenly said, “Oh, you’re giving up already? I had you pegged for someone made of harder stuff.”
Nix jumped a foot in the air and turned around. He didn’t see anyone.
“No, no, no. You were looking the right way.”
He jumped again and turned around. There, standing under a street light, was a man. He looked overdressed in a white button up shirt, dress vest, slacks, and dress shoes. A derby hat hung from his head, tilted to the side like a caricature from a cartoon.
Nix was frozen in place, a mix of shock and fear on his face. The man grinned. One long, sharp tooth jutted from his upper lip.
“Who are you?”
“Someone who wants to help you out, that’s all.” The man didn’t move from his spot. “I hear you’re running away from home.”
Nix’s eyes widened. “How’d you know that?”
“I know everything,” the man said.
Nix was scared, but the rational part of his mind calmed him down. He was a teenager out at eleven at night with a huge backpack. Of course he was running away.
“Very funny. Now what do you want?”
“You just realized that life on the streets is cold and unloving. But going to live with your aunt would also be cold and unloving.”
Okay, now he was freaked out. Far too freaked out to speak.
“What I’m offering is a third option. An option not on earth.”
Nix gaped.
“You don’t believe me, do you?” The man said. Taking the boy’s silence for an answer, he pressed his palms together. When he pulled them apart, a cane popped up from between them.
Nix’s eyes widened. He turned around and ran as fast as he could. But he didn’t get anywhere. He looked at the ground and realized he was hovering an inch above the ground.
“Now, now,” the man said, now walking over to him. Nix tried to scream for help, but no sound came out. “I’m not going to hurt you.” Suddenly, Nix was spun around, facing him. “I just want to talk.”
Nix just stared, terrified. The man sighed. “Why don’t we take this somewhere a little happier?”
And he snapped his fingers.
Suddenly, Nix was on a grassy hill in the middle of a large, open area. And it was daytime.
“If you don’t mind, I brought you to my world,” he said. Although he wasn’t a man anymore. He was a horse, with an orange coat and brown mane.
Then he saw the horn. No way...
“Unicorn?” he said, his surprise compounded when he realized he could talk again.
“Yes, I wanted to blend in when I was in your world. Now we’re in mine.” He pointed with a hoof. Across the field were three smaller horses. A unicorn, a regular horse... and a Pegasus.
“No way...”
“Way,” the unicorn answered. “Welcome to Equestria. We’re right outside Ponyville, a formerly small town that now houses one of the four princesses of this lovely little country.”
At this, Nix’s attention was diverted to his surroundings. He saw a large crystal palace rising above the trees. He saw the large mountain with another palace resting on it. He saw the clear skies, the green grass.
He took a deep breath. The air was so crisp and clean, it tasted heavenly. Everything about this place seemed good.
“Like it so far?” the creature said said.
He nodded. “I do... it’s... it’s pretty intoxicating.”
“So, now to the meat of our little discussion. You want to escape your awful situation. Well, here’s you chance to do it.” The unicorn’s horn lit up, and a scroll appeared in the air. It read “Contract” on the top. “I’m prepared to offer you a one month trial period in Equestria.”
Nix looked over the contract. A lot of it looked like standard contract stuff. “What are the conditions?”
The unicorn grinned. “The big one is this: you can’t be human.”
He stopped at that. “What?”
“You don’t get to be human. Those don’t exist in my realm. Can’t have you scaring the locals. No, I’ll be transforming you to a better form.”
Nix paused. He didn’t like the sound of that.
“Don’t worry. You’ll still be the same mentally. And it won’t hurt at all, I promise”
Nix pondered this a moment. “And if I’m not happy with it, I can change back?”
“At the end of the month, yes.”
He looked at the three small horses. “And what kind of horse will I turn into?”
“Pony. And you’ll be like me.”
Pony... that seemed girly.
“As for housing and the like, relax. I’ll make sure the local princess notices you and takes you in. She is the Princess of Friendship, after all.”
“Princess of Friendship? That’s corny.”
“I know.”
There was a moment of silence. “What’s in it for you?”
“It will entertain me,” the unicorn answered. “And because I should help people in need. It’s what my friend tells me I should do.”
Nix looked at the contract. He read it over carefully. The wording was surprisingly simple, and everything seemed to be exactly as he said it. Then there was the last provision.
“The signed may not discuss the contract with any unauthorized party?”
“Of course. This is a private matter.”
“That seems suspicious.”
"Fine. I can send you home, where the choices are the cold streets or your cold aunt.
That did it. The other options here were cold and lifeless. This place was bright and vibrant. He looked over the contract again. He made absolutely sure that he’d be allowed to back out after the thirty days was over.
He made his decision. Before he could voice it, a pen floated into his hand.
The Unicorn grinned. “Go on, sign.”
There was only a moment of hesitation before he grabbed the pen and signed.
“Excellent. Now, I can get out of this pony suit.”
There was a moment of silence. “Um... pony suit?”
The Unicorn grinned. “Oh, yes. See, I’m a resident of this world, but I’m no pony.”
Then, the most surreal thing he had seen so far happened, and that was saying a lot. A large eagle talon suddenly reached from behind the Unicorn, placing itself at the top of his head. He then pulled a zipper right down the middle, causing the unicorn’s skin to fall away like a costume.
What came out was a nightmarish mishmash of animal parts. The head of a horse, the body of a snake, hands of an eagle and lion paw, and several other components he didn’t have time to take in.
Nix’s eyes widened. He was too stunned to speak.
“Aw, don’t be scared. It’s your turn, remember?”
He stared at the creature with confusion. Then his words from earlier occurred to him.
You’ll be like me...
Before he could protest, the talon fingers snapped.
Author's Note
Well... never thought I'd see myself submitting a "Human in Equestria" story. But it got commissioned by someone, and here we are.
I should note that despite the Equestria Girls tag, Nix isn't from the EG-verse. That verse will show up later, but Nix is from a universe more like our own.