Liam sighed as he watched the last of his wardrobe sail out of the window of his third floor apartment room. The clothing fluttered to the ground, while the shouts and screams of his now ex-girlfriend echoed out to the street below.

"Take your shit and fucking stay out!" She screamed, before slamming the window shut.

Multiple onlookers watched, part in awe, and part in amusement, as Liam slowly leaned down and picked up his belongings. Several people passed him by, barely even stopping to acknowledge the man as they were engrossed in their holo-displays, or simply not willing to pause to offer their assistance. Biting his tongue as he looked up to the window of his former apartment room, Liam gathered the last of his belongings and stood back up to his full height. He surveyed the scene for any other personal items he may have missed, before turning and making his way down the street.

Just as he took his first step, the sound of the window opening once more caught his attention, and he paused. Liam slowly turned around and looked back up to his former window, only to watch as his bed was shoved out and came crashing to the ground below. A deafening explosion of wood, metal, and plastic erupted from the bed as it smashed into the concrete, leaving only splinters and broken bits of metal lying on the street beside the now filthy mattress.

"That... was handmade..." Liam whispered to himself, before looking up to see his ex with his lips parted in exasperation.

Liam's ex only graced him with her middle finger before slamming the window shut once more and storming off back into the room. With a final, resigned sigh, Liam sluggishly turned around and walked away from the scene, leaving several curious eyes and whispers from passerby's behind.

After half an hour of aimless walking, Liam arrived at his destination of choice; a starport. Upon entering the store, he was met by a tall man with a neatly combed beard and a tailored vest over his broad chest. A badge on his chest easily identified him as the port officer, and as Liam approached, a wide smile appeared on the man's face.

"How can I help you, sir?" The man's booming voice rang out, each syllable reverberating through Liam's entire body.

"Uh, I was looking for transport off world. I don't have a ton of credits right now... so I was kinda hoping for something one-way." Liam explained, his own voice sounding meek and small compared to the port officer.

"Well, of course. Anywhere in particular you'd like to go? I hear Horizon V is lovely this time of year." The officer replied, tapping his holo-display on his wrist.

"Eh, Horizon V is kinda... expensive to live on. I was thinking something a bit more in my budget range." Liam replied, sheepishly.

"Well what's your budget, sir? I can check to see if we have any discounts running." The officer offered.

Liam set his belongings down and tapped at his own holo-display. After a few moments of searching, he bit his lip and sighed through his nose.

"Well... can I get anywhere with five hundred credits?" He asked, wincing just from having to say the words.

The port officer's eyes widened ever so slightly, "Uh... well, for five hundred credits, you could go to... uh, no, not there... maybe... nope. That one's five thousand... uhh..."

As the port officer continued, Liam felt a sad feeling well up in his chest. His eyes slowly drifted to the ground while his shoulders slumped. The officer continued to scratch his head over Liam's poor financial status, before the smaller man shook his head and turned.

"Look, I get it, I can't afford it. Don't worry about it." Liam begrudgingly replied, turning around to head out, only for the officer to stop him.

"Wait! I found something!" He happily exclaimed, making Liam spin around to face him once more.

"You did!?" Liam excitedly inquired.

"Yep! Equestria." The officer proudly proclaimed, showing off the registry and the name 'Equestria' at the absolute last spot on the bottom of the page.

"Equestri-what now?" Liam tilted his head to the side.

"It's a newly discovered world. Apparently the locals are incredibly kind and the food's great. Nice atmosphere, too." The officer responded, reading over the description of the planet and its attractions.

"It says... four hundred credits. Wouldn't a newly discovered world come at a premium with all the people crowding over each other to go there and see it? Why is it so cheap?" Liam asked, looking to the officer with confusion plastered all over his face.

The officer gave a slightly nervous chuckle, "W-well, it is a bit... behind in the technology department... plus most people are more interested in the vacation spots on Horizon V if I'm being honest." He offered with a shrug.

"How far behind are we talking?" Liam pressed.

"Well let's just say that you're gonna get used to walking if you go there."

Liam gave the officer a deadpan look for a few seconds before shrugging to himself and tapping his holo-pad once more.

"You know what? Fuck it. I could use the time away from all this tech. Who knows, maybe it'll be a nice vacation." Liam announced, transferring the credits from his account to the officer.

"Fantastic, sir! The shuttle leaves in an hour, so if you head down the hall to your right, you should be able to find it easily enough. You're the only one, so you'll have the entire shuttle to yourself." The officer cheerily replied, swiping his holo-pad to receive the credits, "Here's your ticket." He said, swiping the display from his holo-pad to Liam's.

Liam gave a thankful nod, before picking up all of his belongings once more and making his way past the officer.

"Have a good trip, sir!" The officer called after him as Liam rounded the corner.

Liam gave a quick nod over his shoulder and continued toward his destination. Within a few minutes, he arrived at the shuttle bay in question, finding his ticket off world in the process of fueling for the journey. With nothing else to do, he walked over to the nearest seat and sat down, finding no one else even in the same bay as him, save for the flight attendant typing away on their monitor.

With nothing else to do, Liam twiddled his thumbs as he sat in the hanger. He chewed his tongue in thought for several minutes, his eyes idly watching the ships taking off through the window and heading into the blood orange skyline. Eventually, he found himself staring up at the ceiling, a bored sigh escaping his lips while he simply continued to wait with nothing else to keep him occupied.

Just as Liam felt himself dozing off, the speaker system blared to life, startling him upright and nearly out of his seat.

"Flight One-Thirty-Seven to Equestria, boarding in five minutes. Would all first class passengers please come up first." The flight attendant announced, her eyes surveying the room.

Liam slowly turned left and then right, finding that he was indeed still the only passenger taking the flight to Equestria. He gazed back at the flight attendant, a deadpan expression on his face as he tapped at his holo-pad. The screen quickly appeared before him, displaying the ticket and his boarding pass that read 'Group C'.

"Now boarding all first class passengers. We'll board Group A, then B, and lastly, Group C." The flight attendant announced, a cheery smile on her face.

Liam once more gave the room a deadpan stare, before shaking his head and gathering up his belongings. He got to his feet and made his way over to the front desk, finding the attendant looking at him curiously.

"Boarding pass, sir?" She asked.

Liam tapped his holo-pad and showed his pass.

"I'm sorry sir, but you're in group C. You'll have to wait until the other groups are done boarding." She replied.

"You're kidding, right?" Liam responded.

"I'm afraid not, sir. I have to board each group in the correct order." She shook her head.

Liam let out a long suffering sigh, before stepping away from the desk. He stood in the aisle leading to the boarding dock, while he maintained a stare down with the flight attendant for several minutes. Eventually, she looked down and swiped on her kiosk.

"Group A may now begin boarding." She announced, prompting a groan from Liam.

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The shuttle landed with a heavy *thump*, jolting Liam awake from his nap. He awoke with a start, and quickly looked out the window to see the brilliant blue skies and lush greenery of the Equestrian landscape. Off in the distance, a castle jutted out from the side of a mountain, just above a large flowing river that gently careened off into the horizon where mountains reached up to touch the clouds.

Liam felt his jaw drop at the sight, before the pilot's voice chimed in on the intercom.

"We have officially reached our destination. Welcome to Equestria! Thank you for flying Milky Way Spacelines. We hope to see you again on your next flight." The pilot announced.

Liam quickly grabbed his belongings and got out of his seat. He made his way to the exit on the side of the shuttle and stepped out through the open doorway. Instantly, the fresh, crisp air filled his lungs, and he breathed deeply through his nose to savor the scent of such a clean world. A small smile formed on his face while he made his way away from the shuttle and over to the gate.

Upon arriving at the gate, he was greeted by a tall man with long sideburns, and a badge that identified him as the deck officer on his chest.

"Welcome to Equestria, sir." He greeted.

"Hi, thank you," Liam happily replied, "Are you the only one here?" He asked.

"The only human. The rest of the staff are ponies, but they don't really like the sound of the engines so they stay inside for the most part until the shuttle is completely powered down," The officer replied, before looking at his watch, or maybe they're on lunch. I dunno."

"I see," Liam slowly nodded, "Do you think I could speak with any of them about finding a place to stay, or employment?" He questioned.

"They've got job postings downtown in the center of the city. As for housing, you'd have to speak with Sky about that." The officer shrugged.

"Sky? Where can I find him?"

"Right now? In the castle up in Canterlot. He should be back any time though, if you wanna wait." The officer responded.

"Canterlot? Is that the big castle over there on the cliff?" Liam questioned, pointing to the structure hanging onto the side of a mountain.

"Sure is. Chances are Sky'll be back soon enough. Why don't you head inside and get yourself a luggage bag to carry that stuff in. Looks like you moved here with your last credits." The officer noted, nodding toward the building beside himself.

Liam nodded, "I will. Thank you for the help." He politely replied, before heading inside.

Once Liam stepped inside of the store, he found several small shops littered about its interior. Everything from a gift shop, to a coffee shop, and even a hot pretzel vendor were set up and filled with merchandise or other goods. Yet, there wasn't a single face in the building. Liam looked back and forth for any signs of life, but found simply nothing and no one. He stepped further into the store, quickly finding himself in the center of the building.

He looked back and forth at the empty stores for another minute before letting out a sigh. Just as quickly as he could open his mouth, the front door of the establishment creaked open, and the sound of hooves on cobblestone reached his ears, prompting Liam looked over to the door, just as it opened completely.

A red pegasus, with a lightning bolt cutting through a black circle on each flank, stepped into the room. Liam immediately noticed that the pony only stood at waist height, and wore a calm expression on his face as he bobbed his head to some inaudible tune that only he could hear. As the stallion stepped into the room, he quickly noticed Liam standing in the center of the lobby, his belongings still haphazardly hanging off of his arms, and a curious look in his eyes.

"Oh! Hi there! What's up?" The stallion cheerily greeted, a welcoming smile adorning his face in a matter of milliseconds.

"Uh, not too much. Are you Sky?" Liam asked.

"I sure am. How can I help you?" Sky replied, stepping toward Liam.

Liam looked at the deserted stores around him before looking back to Sky, "Well, I just got here from Earth and, well... I'm a bit confused at the moment." He admitted.

"You're from Earth!? No way, me too!" Sky exclaimed, a wide smile forming on his face.

Liam did a double take, "Wait, what? You're from Earth?"

Sky nodded, his wings ruffling in excitement, "Sure am. I was born human and after coming here, I got turned into a pony. It's a long story, about two to six stories long, depending on how you wanna splice it." He explained.

Liam gave the pegasus a confused look for several seconds, before shaking his head and clearing his throat, "R-right, well, uh... where is everyone? I just got here and the only other person was the officer outside. You're the first pony I've ever seen."

Sky looked up at the clock mounted on the wall across from them.

"Well lunch is ending so they should all be coming back in a few minutes." Sky replied.

"Wait, they all left for lunch? Doesn't that mean that anyone could just... you know, steal whatever in here?" Liam questioned, looking around at the stores and vendors once more.

Sky chuckled, "First time to Equestria, huh?"

Liam nodded, "Yeah... I bought a one way ticket."

"A one way ticket? Well that's flattering. We haven't had anyone deciding to move here permanently in months." Sky beamed.

"Really? Why not?" Liam asked.

"Eh, it's not techy enough for Earth born people these days. Fresh air, beautiful, natural skylines with no pollution and a population that doesn't have automation for pretty much anything is a pretty big deterrent for people who grew up with a hologram display glued to their face their whole lives." Sky replied, shrugging his wings.

Liam pursed his lips, "Huh... well when you put it like that, I guess it kinda does make sense. You know, if I'm going to be staying here for a bit, I did want to look for work. The officer outside said that you were the one to talk to about housing, but I figure you probably know of any jobs that I could work too." He asked, looking hopefully to the little red pegasus.

"Oh, absolutely! I can help you get situated no problem, and I think I can pull a string or two to get you a job that you'll actually really like, depending on your interests. What were you hoping to work in?" Sky responded, an eager smile on his face.

"Well, I was a physicist back on Earth, but I ended up losing my job a few months ago due to budget cuts. I missed tenure by about... fifteen years." Liam let out a mirthless chuckle.

"I'm sorry to hear that. That sucks... but you said physicist, right? Like, physics and all that sciencey stuff?" Sky pressed.

Liam nodded.

"Oh man, Twilight is gonna love you. If I can get you an audience with her today, then you'll have a job guaranteed in no time!" Sky happily explained.

"Twilight? Who's that?" Liam asked.

"She's the princess of Equestria." Sky replied, as if it were the most normal thing in the world while Liam paled.

"I have to talk with... the princess of the entire planet?" He quietly questioned, his mouth feeling dry.

Sky chuckled at Liam's nerves, "Ah, don't worry about it. Twilight is one of the nicest and friendliest ponies on the planet. Also, that's a common misconception. Equestria is just the country, the planet is called Eques." He explained.

"That's not what the port officer's holo-pad showed." Liam muttered.

"Really? They still haven't fixed that? Looks like I gotta send another email to those guys," Sky rolled his eyes, "But anyways, yeah, Twilight is super nice and easygoing. Don't even worry about it."

Liam felt his nerves relax slightly, "Do you know her personally?"

Sky nodded, "Oh yeah, Twilight and I go way back. She's one of my oldest friends here. You've got nothing to worry about."

Liam nodded, before the crimson stallion looked down at his clothes and other belongings still held in his arms.

"You, uh... got a suitcase or anything?" Sky inquired.

"I... don't," Liam sighed, "I pretty much had to pack my things and leave in a few minutes, so I didn't have time to grab much of anything... least of all a suitcase." He admitted.

"Why'd you have to pack so suddenly?" Sky tilted his head to the side, curiously.

"Long story. Ex kinda went crazy." Liam shrugged.

Sky nodded once more, "Ah, I get that. Well, we should probably get you something to carry all that in, don't you think?" He asked.

Before Liam could answer, the door behind Sky opened, revealing over a dozen more ponies that spanned every color of the rainbow. Pegasi, unicorns, earth ponies, and even a bat pony all strolled into the lobby, only to freeze once they caught sight of Liam and Sky.

"Oh! A tourist from Earth!" One stallion cheered.

"Sir, you have to try my popcorn! It's made fresh from Equestrian corn." Another mare exclaimed.

"You look like you need some help carrying your things, can I help?" A third pony questioned.

Liam struggled to respond as he was quickly surrounded by the mares and stallions trying to help or sell things to him. He looked over the crowd to find Sky standing just a few feet away, a smirk on his face.

"They should be able to help you get a bag for your things and maybe some food if you're feeling hungry. I'll be in my office right over there," Sky announced over the crowd, while pointing to a small office over by the doorway Liam entered from, "Just swing by my office when you're ready to leave."

Liam nodded as he was partially escorted, and partially dragged to the first of many vendors in the lobby.

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Liam exited the lobby door and stepped out into the sunlight once more, although this time he had a suitcase filled with all of his belongings, in his grasp. Beside him, Sky looked up to see a happy smile on the man's face.

"You tried all of the food, didn't you?" Sky chuckled.

Liam let out a satisfied sigh, "Well, I've never tried authentic popcorn before... ponies sure do know how to cook. Everything tasted... great." He replied.

Sky laughed, "Well ponies do tend to pride themselves on their work. Special talents and all that." He shrugged.

"I guess so. Well, do you think I can still meet Princess Twilight today?" Liam inquired, looking to Sky hopefully.

Sky nodded, "Oh yeah. I had a letter sent over while you were getting acquainted with the vendors. We should have a chariot here any second."

"A chariot? Isn't that a bit... extravagant?" Liam asked, tilting his head to the side.

Sky shook his head, "Don't even worry about it. She's very interested in your background, so she's making sure you get there asap. Speaking of which, I see the chariot now." He replied, pointing to a dark blob quickly approaching from the direction of the castle.

Liam watched as the chariot approached, and his jaw quickly dropped upon seeing the two pegasi pulling the vehicle, their wings beating in sync. Within a few minutes, the pegasi brought the chariot down to the ground and broke into a gentle trot up the street, until arriving just in front of the star-port.

"We have orders to pick up Sky and a human named Liam." The nearest pegasus announced, looking over Sky and Liam curiously.

"That's us," Sky replied, "Come on, Liam. Let's get you to Twilight." He said as he hopped into one of two seats in the carriage.

Liam hesitated as all three pegasi gave him expectant looks.

"Uh... are you sure this thing is... safe?" Liam asked, with a nervous gulp.

Sky laughed, "Don't even worry about it, man. These things are safe. Besides, even if something did go wrong and you fell, you've got three pegasi that could catch you." He replied with a dismissive wave of his hoof.

Liam slowly nodded and climbed aboard, taking his seat right beside Sky. Once he was situated, the two guardsponies in front gave a nod to each other and broke into a trot, their wings flapping to life as they gained speed. Within a hundred feet, they took to the sky, pulling the chariot along with them, and making Liam grab the seat tightly as he felt weightless for several seconds.

Beside him, Sky suppressed a chuckle at the man's obvious fears, while the crimson pegasus simply enjoyed the ride. Within a few moments, they were at their cruising altitude and quickly approaching the castle. Still, the undulating motions of the chariot made Liam grab the nearest thing that he could hold on to, which happened to be the pony sitting beside him. Sky opened his mouth to protest, but after seeing Liam's fearful expression, decided to let the human hold onto him like a stuffed animal for the duration of the flight.

A few minutes later, the chariot made its descent into the castle courtyard. Liam only tightened his grip as the chariot made contact with the ground, and vibrated as the wheels caught traction with the ground below. Within a few dozen feet, the vehicle came to a complete stop, and the two pegasus guards fought to hide their own laughter at Sky's disposition, while Liam still held him tightly.

"Liam, we're here. You can let go now." Sky deadpanned as the guards chuckled at him.

A moment later, Liam released his death grip on the smaller pegasus stallion and let out a sigh of relief, "Oh... oh, okay. Thank god. That is so much scarier than flying in a shuttle."

Sky chuckled, "More fun too, though. At least, for me it is."

Liam gave a nod, "Yeah... sorry about squeezing you the whole flight. I didn't really have anything else to hang on to... you're really soft, by the way."

Sky snickered, "Thank you. I try to keep myself as soft and fluffy as possible."

"Still, sorry for the squeezing." Liam offered.

Sky dismissively waved a hoof, "Eh, don't worry about it. I'm kinda used to being squeezed."

Liam laughed, "Do I wanna know?"

Sky chuckled and shook his head, "It's another long story. Regardless, let's get you to Twilight. I'm sure she's dying to meet you right now." He replied, hopping out of his seat to the ground below.

Liam followed suit, ensuring to grab his suitcase and follow the small pegasus as he was led toward the throne room. They passed several rooms that piqued the lone human's interest, but before he had a chance to even ask about any of them, they arrived at the throne room doors. A pair of guards, one pony and one griffon, opened the door, revealing the throne room itself, and the princess sitting atop the throne in the center.

Liam's jaw dropped as he gazed at the majesty that was Princess Twilight. She stood easily twice Sky's height, and her dark blue mane and tail flowed in some unseen wind that made her look even more majestic. Little white dots sparkled in her hair, as if entire galaxies were present in her mane and tail. Two hot pink streaks gave shape to her hair and nicely highlighted her lavender coat as the sun framed her in perfect bliss. Finally, her deep purple eyes looked back at Liam with the kind of interest and kindness of a long time friend, and before he could even speak, she rose from her throne, a wide smile on her kind face.

"Good afternoon. You must be Liam. I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle, but you can just call me Twilight. I've been told that you're a physicist. I think we have a lot to talk about." She greeted, her friendly tone and demeaner already making Liam smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Twilight. I'd love to talk with you."

Author's Note

Woohoo! A new story. For those of you who read The Discovery and all the other stories in that series, you all know exactly what's going on, but for the rest of you, it might be a bit confusing. I promise that this is the only chapter taking place on Earth at all, and the rest will all be Equestria based. This one's been a work in progress for a while, and it isn't completely done like I did with my last story, so I'll be uploading as I finish chapters. I don't have an editor for this story, so if I missed anything, please let me know and I will fix it. I hope you guys enjoy this one.