Striving for Adaptation

"She should have come by now," I muttered, looking at the time on my phone. Now I was sitting on the couch in front of the TV, on which a pony movie was on pause.

It's amazing that she's already seventeen years old, and she's still a fan of little ponies. Although, I should be grateful for the easy way to spend time with my little sister. And the cartoon is not that bad.

Sighing, I leaned back on the sofa and glanced out the window, which was dripping. It was pouring rain outside and the rumble of a coffin could be heard periodically. And my sister went there to buy popcorn and Coke.

"I should have resisted your assertiveness and gone myself." I snorted, crossing my arms over my chest and holding the phone in my hand.

Suddenly, it vibrated, forcing me to quickly turn my attention to it. There was a rather brief message from my sister: "The elevator stopped working."

There was another flash of vibrations and the following message came: "You live on the seventh floor."

"Should I pick up the popcorn and Coke and just go home? It sounds simple :)" She wrote another message and stopped writing.

Well, it's not fun at all.

I glanced briefly at the corner of the room where my sister's umbrella was. Grinning, I quickly wrote: "You can. But I have your umbrella."

"Damn :(" she wrote almost instantly, making me roll my eyes. She will never grow up at all.

"And I said I'd better go get some food." I wrote back before putting the phone aside and putting my hands behind my head. Despite the fact that it's raining outside, it's still nice to spend time with my sister. It is not always possible to do this.

"It used to be a lot easier," I sighed as my gaze slid to the TV. My sister and I have watched this pony movie at least five times. Although she could have watched it on her own several times. Considering how much she likes this series with little ponies and everything related to it.

I will never forget the moment when she was about seven years old and she asked me: "How do I get to Equestria? I want to hug Rainbow Dash!"

"I wonder if she still wants to go there?" I thought aloud, turning my gaze back to the window. Covered on the other side with raindrops.

To my surprise, as if in answer to my question, lightning thundered outside. Much louder than usual. Even more strangely, the sky remained bright for more than a moment. Is it going to go out at all?

Frowning, I rubbed my eyes and looked at the window again. No, it's still bright, even white. Even more strangely, some kind of ringing began to sound in my ears, like in the movies after the explosion. Carefully getting out of bed, I rubbed my ear and started walking to the window, trying to figure out what was going on. Maybe some kids on the street turned on flashlights just for fun?

Getting as close to the window as possible, I opened it and looked out. Instantly, a few drops of rain fell on my head. Looking from side to side, I saw that, for some reason, the bright area was interrupted in some places.

And the result is a sphere. Is it a huge white sphere!? Ball lightning!?

I recoiled from the window in shock and backed away, but suddenly the ringing in my ears became much stronger, my eyelids became heavier. Due to inertia, I continued to back away and suddenly felt the ground go out from under my feet. Just a moment later, I felt a powerful pain in the back of my head join the pain in my ears. I hit my head on the couch. By the way, he is not soft at all.

"I just wanted to spend the day with my sister . . ." I could hardly say before everything went dark.

POV: Arthur Davis
Time: 6:54
Location: ???

"Aah, uhh, uff." Burst out of my mouth when I felt the sunlight begins to fall on my eyelids. Unfortunately, along with my mind, pain came to me in the back of my head and in my back. What happened?

Oh, yeah. A strange white sphere. Lightning. Ball lightning. Something like that. Although it would be much more realistic that it was just a dream. After all, I don't think a Ball lightning can be that big.

Releasing a painful groan, I opened my eyes and was instantly blinded by the bright sunlight. Turning over on my stomach, I carefully knelt down and leaned with one hand on the nearest thing I could reach. After blinking a few times, I finally saw what I was clinging to. Sofa.

"Uh, I probably just fell asleep next to the couch after college. Yes, it was. I said to myself as I slowly got to my feet. After what seemed like an eternity, I managed to straighten up enough to look at the surface of the sofa.

There was a phone there. There was a phone on the couch. Right in the very place where I threw it after I texted my sister. Taking a deep breath, I put my hands to my head and said quickly: "Okay. Okay. All right! It was a big ball lightningl. A very large and abnormal ball lightning. Yes, it was her! Some people survived from ordinary lightning. What's the problem with surviving a ball lightning?"

By the way, this explains why the TV is turned off. So my theory is absolutely correct. There is only one thing left to understand.

"Where's the sister, damn it?" I asked, putting my hands on my hips and looking around the hall. The sofa, the phone, the TV turned off, the sister's already dried umbrella. There's no sign that she's gone. Frowning, I began to think where to go to look. I can go to my room, but I don't think she's staying there. And even so, I wouldn't want to interrupt her sleep.

"That means only the hallway and the kitchen remain. Checking the bathroom will be weird. Especially if I find my sister. " I said to myself under my breath, shuddering at the thought for a moment. I am a normal, kind person. I don't have any weird or nasty thoughts.

It's just that the ball lightning strike makes me think a little weird.

With a slight nod to myself, I started to walk out of the living room, staggering slightly with each next step. This is probably absolutely normal for a person who was hit by a fireball and who hit the back of his head on the sofa. Sighing, I leaned against the wall to catch my breath and muttered, "As soon as I have the opportunity, I will have to go to the hospital."

"At least there's clearly something wrong with my back," I muttered, rubbing it lightly and wincing at it. It feels like something small and narrow is fluctuating there with every movement I make. It's probably just a consequence of the ball lightning.

"Yeah." I said slowly before finally moving away from the wall and finally leaving the hall. When I entered the hallway, I saw only my bomber jacket hanging on a hanger, which should have been put in the closet for a long time. Anyway, my sister is definitely not at home.

No, no. Don't forget the umbrella. My sister is probably in the kitchen.

"Wendy! Do you hear me?" I asked loudly while I turned right and went to the closed door to the kitchen. Unfortunately, I was not met with any response. Just silence and light coming from under the door.

"I forgot to turn off the kitchen light again. I snorted as I put my hand on the door handle and opened it. I saw a very spacious kitchen with a stove, microwave and a switched-off lamp on the ceiling. Oh, that's right. Lightning also cuts off all electricity. The light comes from the sun

"Oh, I'm really getting dumb," I said with a sigh as I sat down on one of the kitchen chairs and propped my head on my fist. My sister is nowhere to be found. Moreover, she left her umbrella here, which, well, just doesn't make sense. I don't have any ideas.

Wait. Was it my imagination, or was there something green in the window?

Turning my head quickly, I saw outside my window the only things I didn't expect. Grass, trees and small wooden houses. Grass from the window of an apartment on the seventh floor? Shaking my head in disbelief, I got up from my chair and took a few steps to the window. Before I reached it, I said to myself, "This is real grass. It's like my apartment suddenly moved to the ground floor. "

I shook my head again and said, rubbing my temples, " No, no, there must be an explanation for this. I guess I'm still sleeping. Yes, I'm still sleeping! Probably the ball lightning caused a coma or just a very well-designed dream. Yeah. "

" We still need to check what happened. " I sighed before quickly turning away from the window and quickly starting to walk towards the apartment exit. Along the way, one question couldn't help but pop up in my brain.

What are these wooden houses in the distance? I'm not sure I've ever been to the village at all.

"Although, should only familiar images be in a coma?" I thought about it when I went to the exit door, but quickly shook my head. There are more important things to do now.

Slowly, I turned the handle and the door swung open with a slight creak, since I hadn't closed it. Well, so that my sister can safely come as soon as she buys popcorn and chips. Oh, that's not really relevant right now, is it?

Sighing, I took a couple of steps outside and stopped, trying to process my surroundings. Bright green grass, lots of trees and, unusually, clear sky. There is literally not a single cloud. Only warm, but not too much, and, surprisingly, not blinding the sun. Is it... soothing?

Yes, indeed. I don't want to go. Generally.

"But we need to understand what's going on here. Maybe along the way I'll just, poof, wake up." I muttered to myself as I began to walk carefully through the grass towards the wooden houses. For some strange reason, my desire to move forward was falling from the second. And the desire to run home, on the contrary, grew.

"That's nonsense. There's nothing here at all. The only thing that threatens me is back pain." I answered by raising my hand and consciously stopped myself from rubbing it. It will only make it worse. It's just like continuing to go there.

"Okay, okay, brain. I'm standing," I muttered as I stopped and closed my eyes for a moment. Of course, it's very stupid to trust some kind of premonition. But I can't just feel something is wrong, right?

"Hi! " A female voice suddenly exclaimed right in front of me. It was so sudden that my heart skipped a beat for a moment.

Where did she come from? And why does the voice sound so familiar to me?

Frowning, I slowly opened my eyes and took a breath to start talking. But he stopped without saying a word. There was a pink horse in front of me. Considering her height, it would probably be more correct to say pony. It's already weird, but I swear I've seen her before!

In that animated series that my sister likes to watch. I saw her in that pony cartoon series! Did my brain choose this one out of all the images!? It's just weird, incomprehensible, wrong.

"Hello? Are you sleeping? Although it would be strange if you slept standing up and with your eyes open! But I've seen some ponies do that before. They probably just don't want to waste time getting out of bed in case the party starts! By the way, this reminds me of a story. " The pink pony began to rant, but my mind was completely focused on one disturbing thought.

What if, just maybe, it's not a coma? And the strange sphere was some kind of portal?

Swallowing nervously, I began to back away to the apartment. Obviously, I need to get some sleep. Get a lot of sleep. I think it will take me at least a month to comprehend the information I am receiving right now. With a slight nod to myself, I turned away from the pink pony and walked briskly towards the house.

"Um, don't you want to talk right now? It's okay, I'll prepare the party anyway! My name is Pinkie Pie, by the way!" A female voice behind me said enthusiastically, before sounds like some kind of ball or something were heard.

"Yes, I will definitely need at least a month," I muttered, speeding up my pace and trying to stabilize my breathing. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale, inhale. . .

"Oh, I almost forgot! What's your name? I need it for the poster." Pinkie asked, suddenly appearing right in front of my face and touching her hoof to my hand. This touch feels so real. My heart skipped a beat, the hairs on my body stood on end and my brain was already starting to slip, trying to process the situation.

To run. Hide. Run into the house and hide.

Barely aware of what was happening, I pushed the pony aside slightly and ran with all my might to the open door of my house. The pain in my back only got worse, either from active movement or from my panic. Although I have a feeling that both at once.

"There is no time. I exhaled sharply when I was only a couple of steps away from the door. In less than a second, this distance was covered and my hand slammed the door hard behind me. But despite this, my breathing remained rapid and my heart tried to jump out of my chest. As if there was a real danger here.

"There should be a normal explanation for this. Hallucinations caused by ball lightning, coma, sleep, what's going on!" I cried out nervously as I held my face in my hands in a desperate attempt to gather my strength. Touch, light, grass, even the air itself. It felt too real.

Slowly, I slid down the door until I was sitting on the floor. One thought in my head extremely persistently crushed any of my guesses and suggestions. And in the end, the absurd question turned into an almost rhetorical one.

Am I in the world of the pony cartoon series?

POV: Daniel Ctumer
Time: 17:24
Location: a tropical island off the eastern coast of Equestria.

"Well, in short, after that she told me that it was an incredibly stupid idea, we talked for a while and we went to do more important things." I replied while lying on a chaise lounge under the scorching sun.

"Uh, yeah. This whole redemption thing is really weird. But it's still better than if you were in prison, right, Daniel? " Bat pony, who was just sitting on a chaise lounge to my right, replied uncertainly. His name is Rising and he is, well, just good. You don't need to know more.

I raised my hand to the sky irritably and said quickly: "Of course it's all cool. But what was Celestia counting on when she decided to make Luna read me bedtime stories? I'm twenty years old!"

Rising slightly looked away and muttered softly: "I would like the princess of the night to read me a bedtime story."

I wouldn't mind giving you this opportunity.

With a snort, I adjusted my glasses and looked back at the terribly bright setting sun. Yeah, I woke up super early. Ahem, anyway, a trip to a tropical island with nice people is not a bad reward for putting up with all this redemption stuff.

"Madman!" a voice called out to me from the side. I'm still not sure that he deserves to be in the category of pleasant people.

Rolling my eyes, I glanced in the direction of the changeling and asked calmly: "What happened this time, Flying?"

"My name is Abdomen and you know it!" The changeling corrected me irritably, stamping his holey hoof on the ground.

"First of all, this is not the answer to my question. Secondly, you know perfectly well that I only talked to you while you were in disguise. It's just more familiar to me," I replied stoically without moving a single muscle.

In response, Flying snorted and with his magic brought some kind of scroll to my face. Before I could ask, he said, "While I was walking from the bar here, some mare asked me to give this letter to you. Well, I'm a kind person, so I agreed."

Yeah, you're a good guy.

Sighing, I quickly opened the scroll and quickly scanned it with my eyes. After a few seconds, I jumped up from the chaise lounge and said, stretching my back slightly, "Well, the vacation didn't last long."

"What happened?" Rising asked worriedly, sitting up slightly on his chaise lounge.

"Are you leaving here? Now who should I keep an eye on and have fun with?" Flying asked with a hint of real sadness in his voice. Don't worry. It's just a hint.

Rolling my eyes, I crumpled the scroll and said: "A new human appeared in Ponyville this afternoon and he locked himself in his house. The great heroes haven't been able to knock him out of there for hours, so I'm needed here. "

After my words, there was complete silence in the space. The only sound was the crickets waking up and music from somewhere on the other, more crowded side of the island. Finally, Rising said slowly, " You're talking about it like there's nothing special about it."

Well, that's how it is. It's elementary.

I shrugged and said, moving on to kneading my shoulders with one hand, "It's obvious. If I got into Equestria, then what prevents other humans from doing it too? That's right, nothing. So I was expecting this."

After a couple of moments, both of my interlocutors nodded slightly and Flying asked: "So what are you going to do when you come then? Will you start a philosophical speech? Will you arrange torture? Or will you just start a fight because you can? "

" Me? Never! I have a tutorial on social interaction. " I said abruptly, pulling a crumpled notebook out of my pocket and almost poking it into changeling's nose.

"This joke has never been funny." Flying replied by rolling his eyes and slightly pushing my hand away.

"But it's still good that you're trying to get better! That's great in itself, Daniel." Rising encouraged me by getting up from the chaise lounge and looking into my eyes.

It's nice to have support. After all, I really need my right hand.

Sighing, I put the manual in my pocket and said, raising my head: "So, the best in the world is back at work."

"Oh, the ultra arrogance mode is activated. Less than a day has passed." chuckled Flying.

However, Rising looked at me with concern and cautiously asked: "Aren't you afraid of the reaction of ordinary ponies? In the end, they should still remember well everything you've done. "Letting out a long exhale, I said quickly, shaking my head, " I'm moving forward. Sooner or later, the world will start spinning too. There is no fear. There is a goal, the obstacles are insignificant. The world is fair. "

" So your mantra is read. " Flying replied, putting on the most serious face possible. But just a second later, the ice cracked and the corners of his mouth lifted.

With a brief chuckle, I glanced towards the sea that separated me from Equestria and said softly: " Don't be afraid, I have everything under control."

The main thing is just don't resist.