Have you ever been in the dark? No, I don’t mean that in a childish way where one needs one’s parents to come and rescue them. I mean, have you ever experienced true darkness? If you have, then you know exactly what I went through after I hit that oak tree. It was a nearly unending void where all of my life choices crawled out of the woodwork and decided to pester me for hours on end. I might have been unconscious in the outer world, but in my own little domain, I was definitely awake and alert. I saw every good and bad decision I had ever made played out against the course of my personal history. Some of them were hilarious, some embarrassing, and some were heart wrenching.

I saw the time I fell off the monkey bars in second grade and broke my arm. It was a small break, but all I remember was the pain that came with it. I also remember my mother putting me in the car and driving home on the bumpiest road that humankind has ever dreamt up. I curse the person who made that road. Either that, or I curse the road crew that failed to accomplish the basic task of maintaining the road. I also saw the homemade sling my father made out of some napkins, and the hospital room where we watched one of those police chase television shows until the x-rays came back.

I saw the time I attended my first baseball game and began a lifelong love affair with the sport. True, it was when I was four years old and I cried because the fireworks that shot off when the home team hit a home run hurt my ears, but I’ve never looked back. Baseball is the greatest sport ever invented, and whether or not it was Abner Doubleday or Alexander Joy Cartwright (hint, it was the latter) who invented it, I owe a huge part of my life to them. Nothing screams amazement quite like the smell of fresh cut grass, the crack of the pine as it hits the hide of the ball, and the roar of the crowd when something truly inspiring occurs.

I also saw the first love of my life. I’ll never forget her. She had bright, beautiful, happy blue eyes, and this long, blond hair that waved in the wind whenever she walked. If any of you have ever heard the song “Girl All the Bad Guys Want” by Bowling for Soup, where it describes the girl walking and the wind blowing constantly, then you know what I’m trying to convey here. But she wasn’t a bad girl. In fact, she was a good girl. She was a devoted religious individual, who was never quite far from some type of church. I fell in love with her quite quickly. But the love turned to heartache just as fast when she lied to me in order to be with someone who was better looking than me. I knew it was love because of the pain I endured after finding out.

So these events played out in my mind until I found myself floating towards an intensely bright light. It illuminated my thoughts like the sun, and I thought about bowing to it. It just seemed like something you would do obeisance towards, even though it also seemed to be inanimate. How the hell does a completely arbitrary light get into my head? I asked myself as I continued floating towards it. I had no idea what I would find there, but perhaps the light held an answer for the complete randomness of ending up in a world filled with talking ponies. Maybe it showed my destiny. Either that, or it was death itself coming to claim me. Whatever it was, I held my head up and bravely passed into it.

Once there, I began to hear small voices seeping through the ether. I thought they were inquiring about my well-being, but I had no idea why. They certainly had no cards to play in the game of life I was experiencing, and they didn’t need to begin adding their two cents to everything. I began to get aggravated with the voices. “I DON’T NEED YOU!” I suddenly screamed, “EVERYTHING’S ALRIGHT!” Then, suddenly, one of them took on a familiar tone. “Oh, my goodness! I think he’s coming out of it!”

I groaned as my head spun out of control a bit before I finally snapped back into consciousness. I looked around and noticed that I was in some kind of hospital room and Fluttershy was standing there. Thank GOD, a familiar face! I told myself happily. Then I took note of the new ponies who were standing next to her. They were all mares, and they looked very friendly. Wow…they’ve never even met me, I thought, and here they are worried about my condition! This really IS the friendliest town in Equestria!

The first new pony was blue, with reddish eyes and a mane that looked as if a toddler had decided to take all the colors of the rainbow and just toss them there. The pony next to her was rather elegant and well put together, with a white body, beautiful blue eyes, and a purple mane that curled gracefully off her head. The third pony was pink with joyous blue eyes and a mane that matched her body, only it looked as if someone had pumped it up and then rubbed a generous amount of static electricity on it. Fluttershy was next to her, and then finally, there came an orange pony with green eyes and a blond mane. She was wearing an old brown cowboy hat that looked like it had come from my neck of the woods.

“Are you alright, Stony Tail?” Fluttershy asked.

“Yes, darling, do tell us if you are!” The white mare said in an accent that sounded something like Tallulah Bankhead, “you took a rather nasty bump on the head!”

“Is there anything we can get ya?” The orange one drawled in an accent that immediately made me feel comfortable around her.

“No, no,” I replied, “I’m good.”

“Maybe…you need a PARTY!” The pink one suddenly yelled, startling me. Her voice was shrill and it caused my eardrums to reevaluate their existence.

“Pinkie Pie, darling!” The white one reprimanded, “Stony Tail does not need a party! Not everypony needs a party!”

“Oh, come on, Rarity!” Pinkie Pie responded, “everypony could do with a good celebration every now and then.”

“Yes, yes, I know,” Rarity said, waving a hoof as she did, “but the poor thing is injured. Can’t you show a little bit of decorum and not call for a party at the drop of a hat?”

This question seemed to quiet Pinkie, and she settled back beside her friend. I couldn’t help but feel badly for her. She was so happy a moment before, and this small exchange seemed to have dampened her spirits. So I decided to try and quell the sudden awkwardness that invaded the room. “Um…I do enjoy a good party,” I confessed, “but maybe not right now. Let me get to feeling better, and then I might want one.”

WHAT THE HELL AM I SAYING?! I screamed at myself as soon as the words left my mouth, I’M NOT TRYING TO STAY HERE! I WANT TO GO BACK HOME!

But then I looked and I saw the happiness that had settled back over the pink mare. Her smile was ear to ear and it was incredibly infectious. She was just like one of those people who’s always happy and you can’t help but garner the same emotion when you’re around them. I soon began smiling back at her, and then the rest of the group followed suit. “I guess it’s true what they say…” I said.

“What’s true, sugar cube?” The orange one asked.

“Smiles are very contagious.”

“Yep!” Pinkie said, “and it’s the best kind of contagion!”

As the happy attitude in the room began to swell, a large figure darkened the doorway. “What’s going on? I heard somepony got hurt. Is everypony okay?”

The five ponies turned and looked at the new presence before bowing in respect. I didn’t know what to do, so I offered the best bow I could. When in Rome… I told myself. I didn’t want the ponies to think that I was disrespecting some important figure. But then the silhouette moved further into the light…and there stood a pony that, by everything I had seen in Equestria so far, shouldn’t exist. She was so tall that she dwarfed the others, and her purple and pink streaked mane was consistently flowing. There was a great golden crown placed upon her head, and I noticed that she had both wings and a horn.

I couldn’t explain it, but I was captivated and intrigued by her. She smiled down at the five, who quickly rose from their bows and ran to hug her. She graciously returned their embraces and then turned up and looked at me. Her purple eyes sparkled, and she looked like the most pleasant and wonderful pony one could ever hope to meet. Who is she? I asked myself, and…why do I want to know more about her?

Author's Note

Quick note: yes, this is taking place after Twilight takes over Equestria at the end of the show. Just letting everyone know. Hope y'all are enjoying it!