Thomas pressed the button at just the right time, prompting his character in the game to backflip over an attack, invincibility frames shielding them. "And." He struck a different button, going in for the kill with the slice of his blade. "That's." The boss' last health bar depleted. "Game!"

The big, goofy grin he'd been sporting while playing was suddenly turned down by his frown as a dark fog flooded out of the screen, spilling onto the carpet and rapidly filling the room. "The heck?" He tried to back away, but it was coming in far too quickly. It encompassed him and everything he could see, and he was gone from the world just as quickly.

This realm was unlike anything Thomas had ever seen. Everything was a cool shade of blue, like standing in the center of a glacier. This all might have been a bit more amazing if not for the fact that the dreamscape felt empty and soulless, as though this was only a facsimile of the real thing, rather than the real deal itself.

Thomas stumbled through the drifting snow. "Hello?" he called. "Is anyone here?"

"Who's there?" a voice shouted back, though they sounded more worried than aggressive.

Thomas hurried towards the voice. "Please be someone nice." Coming around the corner, he saw a mask in the snow. "What?"

"What?" echoed the mask in its own voice, the same that Thomas had just heard. It looked at him. "Can you help me find my body?"

"Um... sure?" Thomas took the mask and looked around. He spotted something else odd in the distance and approached it. "Did your head belong to this, maybe?" But it wasn't a body, it was, clearly to him, a warp point. "Never mind. This'll just send us somewhere else." He frowned at it. "Why am I in a videogame?"

"Videogame?" the mask repeated.

"Uh huh." He showed the warp to the mask. "This'll send us somewhere else."

"Well, hopefully my body's there." The mask smiled, lacking the ability to do much else.

Thomas looked around the desolate area. "Can't be too much worse." He stepped onto the pattern on the ground.

The surroundings quickly faded into darkness, only for Thomas to find himself in front of a store. From the smells, he guessed it was some kind of bakery. The door swung open, allowing someone to come out with the clip-clops of a horse. They were a horse, a small one. A pony?

The pony was white and had long blonde hair in a ponytail, much like the pink haired girl from the video game he'd just been playing. Her cutie mark was three flower petals, colored yellow, blue, and pink, representing the colors of her hair. "Oh." She inclined her head at Thomas. "What kind of creature are you?"

"I'm human." Thomas tapped his chest. "Uh, my name's Thomas. What's yours?"

"Humans," said the mask. "I've heard about them."

"Oh, how silly of me." She pointed to a crystal tower in the distance. "Princess Twilight's the human expert. I'd go talk to her if I were you."

Thomas looked at the mask. "Sure." He turned back to the pony. "But first, do you know where this guy's body is?"

She eyed the mask and shuddered. "No idea, sorry." She trotted away. "Good luck finding it."

"Might as well find this Twilight lady." Thomas looked at the mask. "By the way, what's your name?"

"I am." The mask suddenly floated up, hovering beside Thomas as he walked. "I had a name."

"Geez, you lose your body and memory, too?" Thomas looked around the village. "Is there anyone who might know?"

"Oh, they're all gone." The mask swirled around Thomas. "Ponies."

As it had said, there were ponies all over. They were in a pony town. Well, mostly. There were a few other sorts of creatures wandering about and doing business. Mostly though, they were ponies. As Thomas walked, he heard many of them talk to each other, but none of it seemed to be about the missing body.

He hurried into a jog, racing out of town and up the hill towards that castle. A little sign declared that it was 'Princess Twilight Sparkle's Castle'. He went right past the sign up to the door up a few steps. "So, did I die, or did I try some amazing new drugs?"

"No, I don't think so," said the mask.

"Yeah, me neither." Thomas shrugged and knocked on the door.

It opened on its own, and Thomas entered the front room of the castle. Inside was a dragon! Fortunately, it was a very small dragon. "Woah." Spike inclined his head at Thomas, then the hovering mask. "Double woah. What's a human doing outside the mirror?"

"I have no idea." Thomas shrugged helplessly. "Hi."

"Let us find this Twilight." The mask hovered to the left and in front of Thomas.

Spike shook his head and shut the door behind them. "Come on, Twilight's studying in the library." He shrugged as he went. "Not even the oddest thing this week. Name's Spike. Does that mask have a name?"

"He says he is." Thomas frowned at the mask. "But I don't think it's much of a name."

"Oh, not many do." The mask nodded. "A little personal nostalgia for me."

"Hey, Heyis." The mask nodded at the name as if it was correct. "This way." Spike led the way to one of many libraries in the castle. "Twi? You have guests!"

Thomas and the mask entered the library. Inside were many shelves, all loaded with books. At the center of the room was a desk with a purple alicorn sitting behind it, reading from an open book in front of her. Her coat was a lavender shade, and her snoot was in a book, at least until they showed up. "Spike?"

Twilight sat up with a start. "Oh!"

"Yeah." Spike hiked a thumb at Thomas. "Not sure how he got here, but he sure looks lost."

"Lost?" Twilight teleported beside them in a burst of magic. "In Ponyville? Oh my goodness, you must be disoriented. How'd you get here? What's that mask doing without a body?" She reached up, batting at the mask with her hoof. "It's sized for you."

Thomas hadn't even thought about that. "It is about my size." He grabbed the mask, which didn't object. "Is your name Thomas?"

The mask nodded. "I suppose it is."

Twilight grabbed Thomas' hands with her hooves. "Are you a time traveler? Can humans do that? Are you from the future? The past? You must tell me!"

"Hold your horses." He only realized the pun after saying it. "This can't be coincidence, a mask with my name complaining about missing a body. Your lucky day." He hikes a thumb at himself. "I have a body and no mask." Confident in his logic, he casually puts the mask on.

Nothing happens.

Thomas tries to take the mask off. It doesn't budge. "Why isn't this working?"

"No idea." Twilight fluttered over him and tapped the mask with her hoof. "It does appear to be stuck. Mask, Thomas, can you speak?" But the mask didn't reply. "Hm. I think, perhaps, it's become part of you?"

"That would be horrible." Thomas threw up his hands.

Twilight gently patted Thomas on the side. "Let's calm down. First thing's first. You are a migrant human. There are forms to fill."

"Forms?" Thomas tilted his head.

"Ack!" She spun around and ran back to her desk. "We can't be having you stay here without filling out all the proper paperwork." She gathered a small stack of papers. "Migrants happen at times. I have to ask, have you awakened to any new and unusual abilities? That requires a whole different set of forms."

"Nope, just stuck in a videogame..." He started filling out the forms with his pencil. "Somehow."

Twilight shook her head. "This is not a videogame."

"That is what most people living in a videogame would say." Thomas propped on one hand, feeling the mask against his hand as he filled out the form. "I just beat this really hard level and ended up here."

Spike held up a claw. "Actually, we get plenty of people coming from different worlds and universes, especially since Twilight kinda broke the mirrors."

Twilight went red at that. "It was an accident!"

"Oh, alright." Thomas shrugged and got back to filling out the forms. "We'll call it a videogame anyways." He twirled the pencil in his fingers. "Because if I don't call it that, I'm gonna start wondering how crazy I should be feeling right now." He finished the page and sat back. "All the basics are down. So, huh, humans are alright then?"

Twilight waved a hoof dismissively. "There are rules, but you shouldn't have any problems, as long as you aren't bad." She winked. "Now, these forms will determine if you're qualified to stay in Equestria for an indefinite period of time or not. It also determines if you will get, and how much, of a stipend."

None of the forms he'd just filled seemed to be about money. "How?"

"Easy." Twilight lifted that first paper over to herself. "They help determine what kind of creature you are, and if we should be scared, or happy to have you, and how much help you might need. Go ahead with the second page."

Thomas got to work. The second page asked him many questions about his home. What kind of home did he live in? How did he travel? Did he have any family? How large was his family? All manner of questions like that were defeated with slashes of his pencil and soft whistles. "One thing." He flipped to the next page. "This mask could be a secret power, right? I don't know, but it is kinda stuck to my face."

Twilight trotted up and waved a hoof over the mask. It didn't seem to do anything. "Nothing yet. Let's finish these forms before we try any experiments."

"Fair enough." Thomas worked busily until they were all filled as best he could. "So you can work with this and figure out where I stand?" He considered a moment. "And should I be freaking out about now?"

"Please don't." She collected the papers. "You are in good company, and panicking won't make anything better."

"Can do." Thomas yawned, feeling tired. "Think I could get some sleep? And something to eat? I'm pretty hungry."

"That we can do." Twilight ushered them to the door. There, Spike led the way over to the map room, with its big table and thrones. "Pick a spot and I'll get a nibble for you. Humans can eat whatever they want, right?"

"Pretty much?" Thomas sank onto a throne with a big set of apples on the back.

"Oh!" Spike clapped his claws. "I'll be right back."

Thomas closed his eyes as Spike ran off. A moment later, he heard the sound of Spike returning, though he didn't look up until a delicious smelling plate of something hit the table in front of him. Opening his eyes, he saw something like a burger with a large slice of chocolate cake sitting atop it.

He sat up, eyeing it curiously. "That smells great, but do you usually put cake on top of the food?"

Spike laughed nervously. "Sorry. That wasn't on purpose. It's just that all of this is yours." He slid the plate over to Thomas. "There's more in the kitchen. Whatever you want, we've got."

Thomas grabbed the plate and set it in his lap. He grabbed the fork. It was thankfully the right shape, but it was small. It was, he guessed, Spike-sized. "Thanks, really." He used the tines of the fork to scoop up a small bite of cake.

The flavors were sweet and exotic. It didn't taste like any cake he'd ever had before. Not that he was complaining. For a videogame it was a lot more than he would have expected.

Unless he wasn't in a videogame.

And he was stuck in an alien world.

And probably would never get home.

And had to live with horses and a dragon, forever.

"You okay?"

Thomas looked up and everything was blurry. He blinked away the tears that had been building. "Oh, crap." He shook his head firmly. "Sorry. It was just all catching up with me."

"That's why we don't like ponies freaking out," said Spike. "Especially not humans. You guys get more dangerous when you freak out."

Thomas held up his hands. "Hey, I'm not very dangerous." He went back to attacking his food, ruminating over his situation.

Spike darted off as he ate, poking back into the library with Twilight. "He's eating. Um, and a bit upset, but he doesn't seem to be angry or anything, just kinda sad."

Twilight kept her eyes on her paperwork, scribbling as she read. "That's good. Sad we can handle. Ponies do have trouble keeping their emotions under control at times."

"Yeah." Spike rubbed along an arm. "Can we help him get home?"

Twilight looked up. "The odds of that are tiny. The odds of getting him to some other world and then losing him are much higher. For his safety, I can't recommend trying. Not until we know more." She went back to her paperwork. "For now, we can be good neighbors. If he returns the favor, he'll be welcomed here."

"Alright." Spike frowned as he watched her write. "You have a plan."

"Always." She winked at him. "For today, though, I just want to finish this and show him his new home. Let's try and give him some good news for once."

When the last form was completed, Twilight stamped it and filed it away properly, as was proper. "B class." She nodded, looking confident. "Very good. Spike?" But he wasn't there anymore.

She trotted out to the main room. Empty. She searched around until she found Thomas sprawled over Spike's little bed. Spike was on top of him. They were slumbering in an awkward pile. Twilight smiled softly and covered them up with a blanket. She decided to let them sleep. There'd be plenty of time for her to find out more about this Thomas.

The following morning, Twilight, Spike, and Thomas gathered together at the table, each having some breakfast. Spike took a big bite out of her morning eggs. "Mmm, very nice, Spike. You outdid yourself today."

"It is really good." Thomas scooped up some eggs of his own. "Spike, you're going to make someone a great boyfriend someday."

Spike blushed and tapped the edge of his plate with a claw. "Aww, I don't know about that."

Thomas grinned as he shoveled some sausage into his mouth. He wasn't sure what animal it was, if it even was an animal, but it tasted great.

Twilight cleared her throat. "I have good news. Thomas, you are class B, rating 17. That has certain entitlements and responsibilities are a migrant."

Thomas eyed her carefully. "That sounds like bureaucratic stuff. So what does it mean for me?"

Twilight adjusted her glasses. "It means you're allowed to stay indefinitely, should you choose. It means, if you do stay, you will be afforded lodging and a modest stipend, as well as determining the level of that stipend. It's enough to comfortably live. Should you find employment, your stipend will be reduced by half of what you earn."

"Wow." Thomas licked his lips and bit into his toast. "So, where do I sign?"

Twilight walked over to him with a stamp. "Here, hold out your hand." She pressed the stamp to the back of his hand and pressed until a red mark was left behind. "There you go. Any pony that should react to that, will know what it means. Welcome, to Equestria." She dipped her head briefly. "I am a princess of that same nation." She pointed to herself. "Legally, that means I'm in charge of you, but Equestria is not a very authoritative place. You can largely live your life, so long as you follow the rules, and most are fairly simple, especially in a small town like this."

"I get that." Thomas smiled a little, but felt mostly numb inside. "Thanks, Twilight. For everything." He shook his head slowly. "Never thought I'd have to say those words to a horse, much less a horse with magic."

Twilight wrinkled her snout. "I am not a horse. You're not an ape. Just because we both have our ancestors doesn't mean either of us wants to be called that. It's rude." She huffed softly and took a fresh bite of her eggs. "I am a pony. An alicorn, specifically. An alicorn is a pony with both wings and a horn. Just a horn, unicorn. Just wings, pegasus. Neither, earth pony. All equal tribes. Understand?"

Thomas scratched his head. "Okay. Um, thanks." He nodded to Spike. "And thank you, Spike. And here I thought I was going to have a horrible experience." He looked around the room and took in a deep breath. "Alright. So, where do I go to get a place to live?"

"Well, there are all sorts of options." Twilight stood up on her hind legs. "We can find you a place to live, and show you how to take care of it. There are at least, hmmm." She rubbed her chin lightly. "At least five available homes in town. You can select one to move into. If you want a new home, that will take more time, and require a reason why one of the existing ones won't meet your needs."

"A place of my own, huh?" Thomas rubbed his arm nervously. "I guess I should try and get used to that."

"Oh!" Twilight levitated a small collection of books onto the table. "That reminds me, these books cover everything about how the government works. If you have any questions, you can always come and ask me."

Thomas peered at the books skeptically. He looked to Spike instead of reaching for them. "How much of that have you read?"

"None of them?" Spike shrugged lightly. "Then again, I was around the princess most of the time."

Thomas hiked a thumb at Twilight. "That one?"

"Another one." He pointed up at the unseen Canterlot. "Princess of the sun, Celestia. Nice mare! Maybe you'll meet her someday."

"Either way." He gently pushed the stack back. "Sounds like I can get by without that if I'm not a jerk." He stretched his arms. "So, what do I do until I find a place to stay?"

"Don't worry." Twilight pat his arm. "You're safe and among friends here."

Spike pointed to the door leading out. "I know where two of those houses are. Wanna check 'em out?!"

"Yeah, sounds like a plan." Thomas shrugged and got up. "Thanks, again, for the food." He stepped out of the castle and took in a deep breath of the crisp morning air. "Wow." As strange as Equestria was, it was clean, and everything hit his senses just right. "Which way?"

Spike led the way. "Well, we've got to take care of your stipend thing first. Let's head over to the bank and get that squared away." He walked down the street, with Thomas in tow. "That's the bank?" He pointed to the columned building as they approached it. "You know how banks work, right? Pretty sure humans have those."

"I think I can handle it." He patted Spike on the head. "If not, you'll be my translator, okay?"

Spike smirked. "Can do."

The two of them entered the bank, which was just as classically columned on the inside. Thomas wandered up to a mare sitting behind a counter. "Hello."

She inclined her head, then glanced down at his palm. The mark was invisible, but she seemed able to see it anyway. "Ah! A migrant, all nice and processed. Welcome." She clopped her hooves together once. "How can I help you today? Are you a sir or ma'am?"

Thomas blinked. "Sorry, male."

"And I'm a male." Spike rolled his eyes and huffed. "Gender is a hard thing to get right sometimes."

The pony nodded to them both. "I knew what you were, Spike." She started typing on a two-keyed keyboard. "Now, you appear to—" She fell to mumbles as she got all the information into place. "Name?"

"Thomas."

"Fitting." She eyed him carefully. "As it says here, your stipend is one hundred and eighty bits per week. Payable once a week, directly from this bank." She crossed her arms. "If you'd prefer, you could open an account with us, and we'd hold onto those bits until you needed them. Saves you having to stop by every week."

"Uh." Thomas considered it. "Yeah, that sounds better. Just let me know what to do."

"One moment." She started typing again. "I'll have all the paperwork prepared for you." A few minutes later, she had a card to offer him, including a picture of him snapped when he wasn't looking, so not getting his good side. "Here you are. Just come in here with that and we'll get your bits to you."

"Alright, thanks." He looked over the card curiously. "This'll be useful."

"Great!" She smiled at them. "Anything else?"

"A couple places to live," said Spike.

The bank teller shook her head. "That's not what we do here, sorry." She reached across the pat Spike on the head. "Better off asking at town hall. They know where the empty buildings are. You two have a nice day, and welcome to Ponyville."

"Thanks." Thomas inclined his head to her and followed Spike out of the bank. "So, to town hall?"

"Sure." Spike looked up and down the street as they walked. He hopped back just in time for a pink pony to land where he had been headed.

"A new friend!" Pinkie grabbed Thomas, hugging tightly. "And he has a badge." She too could see the invisible mark somehow. "B? Great! That means I can throw a party for you and you shouldn't get super mad. You ready for a welcome to Ponyville party?!"

"No, not right now." Thomas gently pushed her off. "Um, maybe later."

"I don't have parties later." Pinkie pouted and turned away, but only briefly. She spun back with a wide smile. "So I'll set it up for the end of the week." She looked down at Spike. "Are you helping, spike?"

Spike nodded. "We're looking for a place for him to stay."

"Oh! There's a bunch of places he can stay." Pinkie pointed off at random. "Like there's that house. It's not filled with changelings, so that's good."

Spike squinted at her suspiciously. "Yeah, thanks." He pulled Thomas along. "Let's visit town hall, yeah?"

"Town hall," said Pinkie, bobbing her head from side to side as she pointed again. "That way!" She grabbed Thomas by the hand and started dragging him. "We can stop by Sugar Cube Corner for some cake."

Spike tried to pull him the other way. "Town hall first, then maybe some cake!"

Thomas found himself at the mercy of the two creatures as they each tried to drag him down one street or another. "Nice to meet you, but we probably should get that house sorted before cake, sorry."

"Alright, see you later." Pinkie released his hand. "Promise to have cake?"

"Uh." Thomas smirked lightly. "I promise." He felt her watching him as he and Spike wandered away, though it didn't take long for them to vanish around a corner.

Spike rolled his eyes as he went. "Ignore her. She's always like that. And she's being serious. Hope you're ready for that party. She will throw it."

Author's Note

And so we begin a new story. Where will it go? Heck if I know. Human visitors are clearly not unknown to Equestrians.

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