There I was, I was looking down at me. I had developed a terrible cough, I couldn't get enough air, my blood pressure was low, I couldn't eat, or drink. I was resting peacefully in my hospital bed. I had to guess I was a ghost at this point, looking down at my body, or this was a dream. I've had dreams like this before. And then I woke up. All I could see was light in my vision, then it cleared away. I was once again in my hospital bed, no longer floating above my body. I pressed the buzzer next to me to alert a nurse.

A nurse entered the room, I knew her, she was Sophia, we were like best friends.
"Hey". My voice was a croaked whisper.

"Hello dear, what do you need?" She asked. I explained what I had seen to her. She remained calm as she listened, telling me it was probably just a dream and that it was natural for my body to begin shutting down as I neared... death. I had asked her to be frank with me, and she was.

"How close am I, would you say?"

She sucked air in through her teeth

"Well.. you might make it to your birthday next week, hun"

This was fine with me. I felt a certain sense of peace about it, I had been feeling this peace for a month now. "Ah. OK, then. I'm not upset, so don't worry about me". Sophia smiled at me and nodded, tears in her eyes. We were good friends after all. I felt worse for others than myself. If only there was a way for me to stay longer, just for them.

"Hey, I'm sorry that I've gotta go so soon-" Gasp. "But ya gotta go when ya gotta go". I utterly failed at consoling her, but I couldn't bare to say more without passing out from lack of oxygen. Yes I was hooked up to a machine that gave me pure oxygen, but my lungs were just... deteriorating.

"So I've got... 5 days, would you say?"

"Yeah, yeah probably". She patted the top of my head and rustled my hair.

"Ah.. so uhm.. 432,000 seconds? Sounds good. I can do plenty in that time. Like uh," A wave of nausea and tiredness washed over me. "Like sleep".

I woke up almost 2 days later. Sophia was sitting next to my bed, as well as my dad. He looked to have been crying, and Sophia was trying to reassure him. My eyes were barely open and it was clear that they couldn't tell I was awake. I gave a little wave.

"Daniel? How ya feeling, buddy?" My dad asked worriedly

"Pretty good. better than last time I woke up. most of the pain is gone".

My dad offered me warm hugs and lots of his time over the next few days. I was only half conscious really, and cared less and less about the outside world and more about dying peacefully. After a while, I could feel my last moments slipping away, in the dead of night. I chuckled to myself in my mind. dying alone wasn't so bad after all. Better this way actually, I wouldn't have to feel so bad for the crying people around me, there were no people around me.

And then I woke up.

Bright white light was all that I could see, and then it cleared away just like last time. Unlike last time, I was in a field, and I was very much alive.

"What the hell?" I stood up. My body and mind were in complete working order again. I nearly had a psychotic break from all the theories I had made up a year before I died. I was slightly - no - VERY insane. I had tried to combine mathematics and magical systems to find a grand "Theory of Everything"... there was a reason all the people that tried to do that before me became fucking insane. I should have learned from other's mistakes. However, I held myself together and slapped myself in the face, thinking I was in a dream. No pain, so yes.

"I spoke to myself out loud, wondering through the field in a single direction. "So I'm dead, or dying, and this is my brain's last ditch effort to feel alive again... I'm fine with this I suppose. HEY SUBCONSCIOUS WHERE ARE YA? Can we talk?"
No response. That was weird. typically Subby was down for a chat any day. I saw a sign up ahead. Just plain wood. "I can usually read in my dreams" I thought to myself. So I began walking in the direction of the sign.

"Ponyville: 2 kilometers"

I groaned. Pony town was 1.25 miles away but, like, seriously? WHY AM I DREAMING ABOUT DAMN PONIES? I had watched the show when I was 8ish. that was 8 and a half years ago, So why was my brain pulling THIS memory of all the others? Anyway. Decided to take a left and walk to Ponyville.

I giggled a little. My body felt great and my mind was working once again, or so it seemed. I decided to run, since it appeared I was once again in shape in the dream. Everything felt very real, except for the no pain part and, ya know, I was probably dead. That got me thinking about past and future lives. I quickly ignored the thought pattern, as it would lead me down the path of insanity if I let it get too far. No hyperfocusing, Daniel.

I liked talking to myself. For some reason. "It's been what, 10 minutes? Well there's some buildings up ahead and.. No.. No please no. Don't tell me there's characters here. Damn you, Subby. Cringe my dude. I don't WANT to talk with ponies.. but I'm really bored and I don't know what else to do...".

"It's like Character.ai.. In VR.. run by my subconscious so it's a better quality" I told myself. "But like, I couldn't have dreampt of Minecraft or ROUNDS or something? That would be way more entertaining in my last moments. Although I guess if it's a dream, 'my last moments' could last days".

Every single pony stopped what they were doing and stared me right in the eyes. All their heads snapped in my direction, some in fear, some in curiosity. I started to speak but the ones that were afraid ran inside and the ones that were curious walked in after them.

"Well that's creepy. Please stop. Okay good, y'all are going inside. just don't stare at me-" They stared at me through the windows. "Nevermind". One pony approached me. I mentally died. cuteness overload, and social anxiety. It was now that I realized that the ponies were 3 dimensional. interesting. I could have easily mistaken this place for real life. It might even... I must not think that way.

"Hi. Pink One".

"OOO! I like that title, "Pink One", but my name's Pinkie Pie!"

"Yeah? What do you do for a living?"

"I Bake pastries at the shop, SugarCube Corner, and I get donations to celebrate parties here in Ponyville! I have a question for you though, what exactly are ya? Imma pony!"

"I can see that you're a pony. I'm surprised you don't know what I am. My species is recognized as "Humans". I'm a human. The others appear to be frightened by me. why's that?"

"It's because I don't think we've ever had a human before! Where are ya from?"

"Welllll... uh, I'm from.. another uhm.. Listen. This is gonna sound a little strange. I'm not exactly from this world, as a whole. you're just gonna have to believe me on that one. My place is called Earth, a Planet. I live in a state called Tennessee".

She blinked, but smiled and shook her head. "Okey dokey lokey! Well, this is Ponyville! A super-duper friendly town full of friendly ponies in a friendly country called Equestria on a not-so-friendly-but-still-pretty-good planet!" Pinkie explained in a chipper voice. I was surprised it was a planet. And i was surprised she acknowledged it's darker nature, to an extent

"What makes it not-so-friendly-but-"

"Let's not talk about that, Mister! Oh, where are my manners, what's your name? Do you want a cupcake?!" She shoved a cupcake down my throat. I began vomiting, of course. She looked slightly worried.

"No cupcakes? You don't like them?"

"PLEGH... I don't like them being shoved down my throat, no. I like to enjoy them at a slower pace".

"sorry..."

"All is well. I'm Daniel. so.. I'm dreaming right?" Except vomiting felt awfully real.

She tilted her head. other ponies began walking outside onto their porches, listening and observing. "Nope. Why would it be? this is all totally real. I think. I hope. Oh no.. No. I read the newspaper this morning. You can't read in dreams".

"Sometimes.. nevermind. You have the attention span to read a newspaper?"

"I'm sorry?"

"Sorry, no, it's just.. I thought.. nevermind". I reached out a hand and scratched behind her ears and basically pet her like one would pet a dog. she vibrated slightly, which I guessed was a type of purring. A couple other mares walked up to me in curiosity and let me pet them as well. No stallions came up to me. I decided they must not want to be seen as 'cute'.

Most of the ponies went back to doing their own business, deciding I wasn't a threat of any kind. I continued petting Pinkie. She blushed and stepped back.

"That's enough for now. I think I'm all rubbed-up for today!"

"Please don't say that".

"What?"

" 'rubbed-up' ".

"Why not?"

"It sounds weird Pinkie".

She blushed more. "I hadn't thought of that".

I laughed.

I started walking with her. "I don't have any money. you guys use bits I think? Could I maybe.. have some food?"

She gasped. "You don't have money? And you need FOOD?! Come on in to SugarCube Corner quick! We'll getcha up and running on some deliciousness in no time!"

I wondered when the dream would end. I also hoped it wasn't a dream very, very badly.

Author's Note

More chapters in a couple days.