Author's Note

Added after the introduction chapter, isn’t necessary but might answer some questions you have in the future so up to you!

Enjoy, and have a nice day/night

0 Prologue

It’s just after winter break, I find myself walking the halls of my college for the third year now. It’s hallways avoid of life or sound, the recent COVID outbreak breeds stillness in most places as the number of on campus students has drastically fell. I continue forward through my studies on campus however, starting the winter semester commuting. Currently I head toward the restroom to take care of some business, I gotta pee.

I look out the window at the campus grounds, fond memories come boiling up, time spent with someone close that I used to know, memories that would fill me with warmth once, now leave a different feeling of emptiness. I often contemplate switching to another school just for a fresh scenery, a change to help me move on yet here I still remain. Change can be a difficult thing and I know it’s often for the better but I simply cannot deal with the challenges it brings as of now. It’s a habit of mine, pushing problems away to deal with in the future, been so for 21 years.

I reach the bathroom and move to the urinal, taking care of my urge. As I stand there, the lights above me begin to flicker. I ignore it, finishing my piss with a good shake, don’t want a leak in my trousers now do we? The lights flicker again this time completely shutting off, the lack of windows within the room making things pitch black. I’m unable to see even my hand in front of my face.

“What the fuck?”

I reach awkwardly around the room feeling for a wall, expecting to have reached at least the sink by now. As I lean over to touch where it was before, I fall having assumed there would be a ledge. Surprisingly as I lay on the disgusting bathroom floor I realize something strange. It’s not the same tile floor that I was standing on before rather it’s some sort of slippery surface, perhaps wood? I knock on the floor expecting a certain sound of tile only to hear an echoing thud, one you would get with a wooden object. My confusion grows, as I stand up noticing a certain creaking noise with each step, something that wasn’t there before.

“Mmhmmmhm”

A muffled sound from below startles me, it’s someone speaking. I get back down placing my ear to the floor listening. I still can’t make it out however the voices appear to be getting louder.

This must be a prank or something? No that wouldn’t make sense with the schools COVID restrictions, it couldn’t be some sort of hidden camera show either

I stay low to the floor crawling on my hands and knees feeling for something, anything to help me find out where I am. Eventually after minute or two I run my hand over some sort of circle, it’s loose movement feels somewhat like a handle. The voices from earlier now seemingly just below me, their tone high pitched in nature but still indistinguishable. With nothing left to do but mess with the strange circle object, I pull it towards myself.

Immediately the floor gives way beneath me as I hold on to the handle with dear life. I swing toward the floor with such force that I lose grip, flipping myself onto my back. I hit the ground with a loud thud, the floor beneath me quite hard.

“Ughh oh my god... what the fuck just happened”

Opening my eyes to see where I had fallen from greets me with confusion, as there is nothing but a clear sky. I’m somewhere outside, nowhere near any sort of building, from where I lay the only features that are distinguishable nearby are a lake and some nearby apple trees. My body starts to assess my damages at this point, pain radiating from everywhere but mainly my left shoulder, its fiery intensity builds. I remain flat on my back.

This is what those slippery bandits felt like in the home alone movies huh?

“What in tarnation is that!” A woman with a southern draw shouts from over my head, I still lay flat on my back. Seeing how I just fell through the sky I bet the person asking that is even more confused than I am.

I look up, shifting my head so that I can see who asked that question, my eyes still blurry from the added light. As my eyes adjust I see something that brings me to chills. It’s a large colorful horse, it’s facial features staggeringly different from what I’m familiar with. It stands on four legs with large colorful eyes, and... wearing a cowboy hat?

I quickly start pushing myself backward until I bump into a tree. I gulp staring at the creature, it’s eyes and mine still interlocked, neither of us saying a word. I’m frozen in fear, cold sweat leaks across my forehead as the pony seems to take a step closer. I scrunch myself up with my feet in front of me defensively.

“Easy ther’ critter, I ain’t gonna hurt ya” She slowly leans toward me removing her Stetson.

It speaks English?

My heart is painfully racing at this point, the onset symptoms of a panic attack start to reside within me. “W-what are you!? Who are you?! How do you speak English?!” My hand grasps my chest.

The horse seems to notice my change of behavior taking a step back. “Take a breath, your the one speaking Ponish. I should be askin’ you the same question seein’ how you done fell from... well nowhere”

Yeah, I guess that makes sense. I take a few slow breaths attempting to settle myself before I’m willingly to answer. She waits patiently for me, sitting down with a worrisome yet cautious expression.

“Alright, now I’m guessing you’ve never seen anything like me before right?” She nods. “Cause I’ve never seen anything like you and us being able to understand each other might be the weirdest thing”

“Well sum pretty strange stuff happens round here given Twilight always messin with magic and that darn Discord bein free, I’d reckon this ain’t the strangest” She smiles as she says this, for some reason her demeanor comes off as honest.

“Well if this isn’t the strangest than I must be on a different planet cause this is the damndest thing I’ve ever heard of or experienced” I still remain on the floor as I speak, my back against the tree, my arms around my legs. “So where am I exactly? And what are you?”

“Well yur in Equestria of course an ima pony, names AppleJack” Pointing toward herself with her hat.

This is fucking weird, I think the only reason I’m not completely freaking out is because of how overwhelmed I am, my brain unable to process the situation. I realized I missed what she said her name was but I feel like it would be rude to ask her to repeat herself seeing how I’m socially a coward and all.

“Did you say Equestria? Where the hell is that? Is it a country or a continent?”

She chuckled to herself, “Nah sugar cube, that’s a planet”

Just like that everything sinks in. Im hit with a train of emotions from confusion, to fear, and finally settling on panic. I hate to beat a dead horse but we are on not in Kansas anymore Toto. I stand up quickly and run past the pony looking over the hill I was laying on to see a farmstead and it’s land. Past this I notice a small town, it’s homes oddly shaped and colorful, like something out of a cartoon. I feel lightheaded and lose my balance, slumping to the ground, I black out.

When I wake I find myself in a bed and it sure the hell ain’t mine. Memories of what occurred earlier come rushing back as I start to panic again. I’m on another planet and I have no idea how I got here, and how the fuck I get back home? A knock on the door startles me.

“We’re coming in, don’t be alarmed. We mean you no harm” The door opens as a purple pony walks into the room followed by 5 other ponies of varying colors. I guess if they wanted to kill me or eat me they would’ve done so by now.

The purple one stands in front facing me, she must be the leader or something. “I should introduce myself, I am Twilight Sparkle and from what I’m told your not from Equestria right?”

I’m still shocked of the whole situation, these multiple ponies now surrounding my only escape. I have no choice but to cooperate but, words can’t seem to reach my lips. I sit there with my mouth partially open for a moment before closing it all together. Instead I nod in agreement.

“Can’t he speak? AJ said he could speak when she first met him” A pony from the back speaks up, her mane covered in a rainbow pattern. They look to me for an answer, I nod yes again.

“Poor thing must be scared, he’s overwhelmed with all of this we should let him get some rest first” Another one of the group speaks up, her coat yellow with a pink mane. I can hardly see her as she cowers behind the rainbow haired one.

“How about this, you girls stay in the other room and I’ll talk with our guest. I think he just needs some space” The purple leader speaks the truth, the overcrowded room seemingly taking the air from my lungs with each inhale. I nod yes furiously.

The lead pony shoos the others out before bringing up a seat next to the bed, sitting in its place. “Are you comfortable enough to talk now?”

I try again to speak, this time finding success. “H-hi, I’m J-Joe... my names Joe” She stares at me curiously.

“Well that’s an odd name, so Joe what exactly are you?”

First off your name is much weirder

“I’m a human, it’s umm... the species name... scientific name is homo sapien” I keep my answers rather short and quick, my focus more on observing the strange pony creature up close.

She writes down what I say on a floating clipboard... wait when did that get there and how is it floating. Not only is it floating, there is also a strange translucent glow surrounding the object, struggling to form a consistent shape like the insides of a lava lamp. It carries a small shade of purple as well. I point to the clipboard stunned.

“What wrong? Have you ever seen magic before? It’s how we healed you. You had broken something in your shoulder” Her nonchalant framing of the question brings more confusion to the situation. Magic is something regular?

“Magic? You ha- that... that’s magic?” I rub my now healed shoulder in confirmation as she nods proudly. “That doesn’t exist where I’m from. We use technology to solve our issues, electronics, things powered by batteries or electricity” The pony seems amazed by my words scribbling frantically onto her clipboard.

“Oh we do too, it’s just the most complicated issues we use magic”

This whole situation is all surreal, I can barely keep myself together from freaking out. “Am I stuck here? Do you have any idea what happened or why I’m here?”

Her attitude changes to concern, “Well honestly I was hopping you could help answer some questions of your arrival here for me. My teacher is trying to find a way to return you as we speak, anything you could tell us would be helpful”

I scratch my head in thought, “I don’t think it was anything I did, I was in a room before the lights went out and I couldn’t see. After crawling around I fell right through some hole, next to that orange pony”

“Hm, I can’t say I’ve ever heard of anything like that before. I wouldn’t worry though, princesses Celestia is sure to figure out how to send you home” She smiles, clearly confident in what she says. I’m unable to reciprocate her feeling of confidence. “Actually she should be here any minute by now” Silence follows for a moment.

Princess? A matriarch?

“How long was I out for?”

“For a few hours, your body was in terrible condition! It took me a an hour just to heal most of your wounds” The bags under her eyes confirming her words.

“I’m sorry for being so much trouble, thank you for helping me. Is there some way I could repay you?”

“Seeing how your lost and confused I think we shouldn’t worry about that just yet” She giggles.

A knock comes from the door and with it a very elegant voice. “Twilight I am coming in”

The door opens revealing a large white pony, much larger than any of the others I’d seen previously. Her mane flowed sideways almost weightless, it sparkled with a rainbow like pattern however, only carried 4 shades of various teal like colors, along with a large pink streak. Not only did this pony tower over the bed I laid in, she also carried both a horn and wings, identifying her as something I had never heard of. Looking to Twilight she spoke, “Hello my dearest pupil” then looking to me continued, “Is this the creature that you spoke of in your letter? A pleasure to meet you Mr..?”

Stunned by her elegance, I shake my head in order to regain my focus. “Marshall, but I’d prefer if you called me by my first name, Joe or Joey” She lights up at my response likely due to the intrigue of meeting an alien, one that you can communicate with at that.

“Well Mr. Marshall, I am Princess Celestia in case Twilight hasn’t already introduced me. I am a ruler of Equestria with my sister Princess Luna, we govern the lands you currently reside in now”

I gulp, now realizing the situation I’m in. A ruler of the land, the PLANET in the same room as me now! If I have anything to go off of in history, she’s more than likely brutal, egotistical, cunning and deceiving. I need to be careful with my words if I want to keep my head.

“I’m incredibly sorry!” I say while lowering my head. “I didn’t know the social hierarchy of Equestria, I ask for your forgiveness” I try and give my best impression of a humble servant, squirming under the watchful eye of the matriarch. Giggles fill the room.

“Raise your head Joe, I am not like any Princess or evil dictator you would read of in an old novel. If anything I would love to talk and learn about your journey here” I raise my head to see the purple pony Twilight, as Celestia called her, covering her face with her hoof suppressing her laughter. Princess Celestia herself also carried a smile, enjoying my act.

I’m an idiot. “Sorry, umm Princess Celestia I don’t know a lot of what’s going on or really how I got here”

“Just Celestia is fine, I’m sure we will get to know each other enough to skip formalities. Now Joe, where exactly are you from?”

After answering a bunch of questions of what I remember and of Earth the Princess puts her hoof against her chin in thought. “This seems to be a concerning issue that you have presented. Can you show to me where this dark room exactly was?”

I shake my head no, “After I fell through, I looked at where I fell from and there was nothing there”

Both Celestia and Twilight look to each other frowning. This doesn’t seem good. “Are you capable of any magic?” I shake my head no again, seemingly putting a weight on the Princess. “I figured as much given how I feel none coming from you. Oh dear, this is very unfortunate” My body gets chills, worry filling my gut.

“Joe, it displeases me to say this but, without any ability to reach your portal here, and without the ability to preform reverse magic upon yourself, there is frankly nothing that I can do to return you home” As she says this, it feels as if my soul leaves my body, floating off into a void like space empty of any life.

Bile rises to the back of my throat, as I become nauseous and lightheaded. “This is a fucking nightmare...there has to be something you can do right?” The princess shakes her head no, sadness displayed across her face. Twilight looks away, tears brimming in her eyes.

My heart rate is erratic, painfully throbbing with such speed that it could burst at any moment. I can’t catch my breath, my hands quickly moving to my chest. The two others in the room are shouting to me however there words to not reach me as I am unable to hear anything at this point. I try to get out of the bed falling under the weight of my own body. I settle with curling into a ball sobbing.

This was my first day on Equestria.