I’m not where I belong, but hey, I’m not complaining. Unlike Earth, this new place – Equestria – is actually very peaceful and actually pretty fun, despite their limits on technology (so no video games or smartphones, which is a bummer). When I first arrived in this strange new land with only the clothes on my back, I was unaware of my surroundings. I landed in a dense forest filled with prickly plants, dark green vegetation, and terrifying figures at every turn. However, I wasn’t defenseless. Somehow, I had gained some magical abilities to help defend myself, although it took me a couple of days to practice and master my newfound abilities.

I soon found my way to a small town filled with ponies of all shapes, sizes, and... colors. And it wasn’t even just ponies; there were pegasi and unicorns roaming about. I must have been hallucinating or something. Out of nowhere, I saw a rainbow blur fly past me, missing my head by an inch and crashing into the woods behind me. I took a minute to register what just happened. I almost got my fucking head blown off on my first day in a new world. I looked behind me and on the ground, nearly buried in dirt, sat a pegasus with a mane and tail composed of all the colors of the rainbow, and her coat was as blue as the sky. “E-excuse me, are you okay?” I spoke to the creature with concern. It was probably hurt and needed medical attention, but I didn’t know anything about equines. I was about to slap myself for thinking a pony, let alone a pegasus, would be able to understand English, until it spoke back to me.

“I’m okay.” It had a raspy voice that, to me, sounds kind of cute. It almost makes her sound like a tomboy. I didn’t know what to do. I was shocked to hear an animal talk, I just let my jaw hang in the wind as I stared at the pegasus in disbelief. “Hey, what are you looking at?” She turned to look at me with rosy, magenta eyes. I drew myself together and picked my jaw off the floor, still looking dumbstruck at the pegasus.

“How the hell- how are you able to talk?” I spat these words out before I could think about what I had just said. The pegasus just looked at me with a confused expression on its face.

“What are you talking about? Everypony can talk!” She looked at me with a face of annoyance.

“I’m sorry, I’m not from around here.” I just looked away out of embarrassment, hoping she’d just pass on by and forget I said anything or even existed. But instead, she did the exact opposite. She came closer to me and looked me over. She looked over my features and examined my limbs, body, facial structure, even the clothes I was wearing.

“Yeah, I can see that. Where are you from, and more importantly, who are you?” Normally when I read a story or watch a show about people being transported to other realities or universes, the first question on anyone’s mind would be: “what are you?” So consider my surprise when she asked “who” I was.

I explained everything to her: my name is Samuel, I’m a human from another world called Earth in another universe, I had no idea how I came to this place; I just fell asleep one night and I found myself in this forest. I also explained the strange magical powers I had obtained when I first arrived. The sky-blue pegasus asked about the “cutie mark” I had on my shoulder: it was a design of a demon’s skull with two horns protruding from either side of its temple and curve inward. I explained to her that it’s just a tattoo, it’s sort of like a drawing that gets etched into your skin with a needle and some ink and it hurts like a bitch. The sky-blue pegasus smiled warmly towards me and introduced herself as Rainbow Dash, the awesomest pegasus in all of Equestria. “Well that just seems rather prideful, dont ya think?” I shouldn’t have said that because she turned face me with a rather stern look on her face.

“Excuse me, but nopony, and I mean nopony, can top Rainbow Dash’s speed! I’m planning on becoming a Wonderbolt, Equestria’s top notch arial team.” She was so pompous with her skills, but she seemed kind and very cute.

“Well, Rainbow Dash, do you mind showing me around my new home?” I looked at her with sincerity and she smiled back.

“Of course! Just follow me and I’ll help you get settled in.”

Over the next few weeks, Rainbow Dash has helped me fit into the small town called Ponyville and make a few friends along the way. She’s even gone out of her way to buy me food, crash at her place, and help me find a job to sustain myself. In exchange, I volunteered to show her some human fighting moves and martial art styles I’ve learned back on Earth. Dash won a few times, but mostly because her speed was able to catch me off guard and attack my unprotected areas with ease. Never, in all my 19 years of existence, have I ever thought I would make such a dependable friend.

More than a year later, I made friends with 5 more ponies of each of the three races: Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, and Twilight Sparkle. Along with me and Rainbow Dash, we each embodied the 7 Elements of Harmony: kindness, laughter, honesty, generosity, loyalty, equality (me), and magic. Together we helped save Equestria from multiple dangers through the Magic of Friendship. However, I had a feeling that me and Rainbow Dash’s relationship is becoming more than just a simple friendship.

After fighting off the changeling invasion of Canterlot, Rainbow Dash has been acting differently towards me. Lately she’s been visiting me more often, and not just weekly checkups like she normally does, now it’s daily; she’s been inviting you over to play some video games at her place in Cloudsdale (so ponies are somewhat evolved in technology), and I’ve even started to notice she loses some of her bravado whenever I’m around. If those aren’t indications of affection and my “manly charm” working, then I don’t know what is?

Author's Note

Just an introduction chapter for Samuel. How Samuel first met the love of his life, Rainbow Dash, and how their friendship bloomed into something even more.