“Stupid alarm,” I complained as I reached over to shut it off and rolled back over. My eyes opened wide as I quickly sat up and took notice of my surroundings. I glanced over to my left and saw my dad still snoozing away. “So, it was all a dream.”

Smiling, I got out of bed and approached my father to gently shake him awake. As I did so, the face that turned to greet me was not his.

“You know you’re sleeping, right?” asked the pony’s blue face—that I’d never seen, but somehow believed was what I looked like in my dream.

Suddenly, I found myself standing before the Tree of Harmony in the Everfree Forest. Staring up at the tree, puzzled by what was happening, I was suddenly blinded by an intense bright light, which caused me to shield my eyes.

Lowering my arms as the light faded, I saw before me two ponies, both equally regal-looking in their regalia. Before I could even begin to formulate a question in my deeply confused mind, one of them spoke.

“You know what you have to do,” the image of Celestia stated before I suddenly found myself falling, screaming at the top of my lungs.

I awoke, screaming, only to feel myself being embraced from behind. I felt the gentle pull of the pony behind me as she drew me close to her, enfolding me in her wings. She gently shushed me, as she assured me that everything was all right.

Closing my eyes—as I trembled slightly in her embrace—I inquired of her, “Please tell me. What is even real anymore?” Then I began to softly cry—as she simply held me—allowing me to fall back to sleep in her loving embrace.

***

That morning, as I sat around the kitchen table waiting for Fluttershy to finish preparing breakfast, my mind reflected back to the dream last night. Needless to say, dreaming that I had woken up back home, only to find out that reality was in fact a dream, seriously messed with my head.

I decided, however, at least for the moment, to keep the contents of the dream to myself. After all, Fluttershy had gotten it into her head that I’m from their version of the human world, and that I will in fact be going home today. Until they realized that this was not the case, I seriously doubted that they would allow me to enter the Everfree Forest.

Fluttershy, who must have misinterpreted my contemplative expression as me fretting over my dream, asked, “Do you want to talk about it?”

Shaking my head, I answered, “No. I’m fine. Just lost in thought about something else. Honest. I’m not lingering on a nightmare like some scared little foal.”

“Oh?” she began adopting that tone adults use on kids who they think are deflecting. “Well, what had you so lost in thought?”

“My dad. Getting back to him.”

“Oh,” she said, her tone shifting to one of understanding. “Well, don’t worry dear. We’ll have you back home soon.”

Nodding, I waited for Fluttershy to finish making breakfast.

“Who’s hungry?” asked Fluttershy, as she approached the table with a plate of pancakes balanced on her hoof.

I smiled as I said, “Starved, actually.”

I noticed Fluttershy seemed to be musing over that comment with a slight frown on her face as she placed the plate before me. “Hmm, yes. I suppose that I should have given you more than a bit of salad last night. I’m sorry, sweetie, but I promise you can eat your fill this morning. There’s plenty of additional batter. If ya want more, then just speak up.”

Smiling, I nodded as I tucked in. These pancakes were, in a word, AWESOME! They had: whipped cream, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and chocolate chips. The cakes themselves were so fluffy and moist. I had never had pancakes this mouthwatering moist. I didn’t even know that pancakes could be this moist without being soggily undercooked.

Having finished my plate and washing it down with the sweetest, coldest-tasting milk I’ve ever had, I leaned back, patting my belly with a contented smile on my face.

“So… from your demeanor, I’m guessing that you won’t be requiring seconds after all?”

I tried and failed to give her a deadpan look and shook my head, smiling as I replied, “Can’t talk. Digesting.”

Giggling, Fluttershy carried the dishes to the sink to wash as I headed back into the living room. I hopped onto the couch and lay on my back, as I attempted to ignore the feeling of my stomach stretching to the point where I thought that it might burst.

Shortly after, Fluttershy walked up to me, “All right. You can digest on the way to the castle.” She then crouched down and waited patiently for me to roll onto her back. It took a little effort, but I finally managed it despite my complaining belly, and with me in tow, Fluttershy headed outside toward Twilight’s Castle of Friendship.

***

Knocking on the castle doors, Fluttershy patiently waited for someone to answer. Shortly after, the door began to open, and Spike appeared from within.

“Oh, hi Fluttershy. I take it you’re here to see Twilight about the newest addition to our world?”

Widening my eyes, I exclaimed, “OK. How in any world do you possibly know I’m not from here?”

Spike deadpanned, “You fell through a portal.”

Blushing, I simply nodded as Fluttershy and I were led inside.

As we walked through the Castle of Friendship, I couldn’t shake a strange sense of déjà vu. The walls, shimmering in soft lavender and pale blue, were just as I’d seen on the show—but being here, actually inside the castle, was a completely different experience. The sunlight streaming through narrow windows scattered fleeting rainbows across the polished crystal floors, and the faint hum of magic in the air gave the place a subtle, living presence that no screen could capture. Ornate pedestals with sculptures or vases of fresh flowers lined the halls, just as I’d imagined—yet everything felt larger, grander, and more alive than I could have prepared for. It was a world I knew, yet didn’t know, and the weight of that realization sent a shiver through me.

Spike eventually led us to a room and knocked on the door.

“Come in,” Twilight’s voice called from the other side, which prompted Spike to follow her instruction. As the door opened and Spike stepped inside, I could just make out Twilight from my position on Fluttershy’s back. Spike, with his back to me, waited for Twilight to acknowledge him. Raising her head from the book that she was reading, she smiled and addressed him. “Hello, Spike. I gather that we have guests.”

Inferring from his tone, I knew Spike was grinning as he asked, “How’d ya guess?”

Giggling behind her hoof, she said, “Just send them in, wise guy.”

Nodding, he ushered us in before exiting. Fluttershy greeted Twilight as I took in the room.

Stepping into the sitting room, I was struck by how it balanced royal elegance with a surprising sense of warmth. The lavender crystal walls caught the light like gemstones, their soft glow giving the space a magical, almost otherworldly ambiance. Plush seating in deep purples and blues circled a low crystal table, its surface etched with intricate star patterns. A wall of bookshelves added a cozy touch to the otherwise regal décor, their colorful spines contrasting with the gleaming crystal. Overhead, a chandelier cast golden light that danced playfully across the room, while potted plants softened the sharp angles of the structure. My eyes lingered on a silver-framed painting of the night sky on the far wall—it was beautiful, yes, but something about its serenity felt at odds with the dissonance stirring inside me.

“No need to explain; the mirror is ready to go,” Twilight said as she rose to lead us out of the room. “Seeing as he arrived via portal, it wasn’t hard to piece it together.” Here she looks directly at me, as I continue to ride Fluttershy. “We’ll have you home in just a few minutes,” she says reassuringly.

Smiling, as was to be expected of me, I simply nodded as we continued toward the room that housed the mirror portal. We arrived shortly and Twilight led us into the interior.

The portal room in Twilight’s Castle felt steeped in quiet significance, as though the very air recognized the importance of what lay within. Smooth, iridescent crystal walls shimmered between soft lavender and pale teal, catching and reflecting the faint glow of the portal at the center of the chamber. Its large, circular frame gleamed with polished silver, intricate carvings of stars and magical runes decorating its surface. The swirling energy inside pulsed faintly, almost like a heartbeat, drawing my gaze.

Sparse decorations lined the room, emphasizing the portal’s prominence. Crystalline pedestals along the edges held magical instruments, softly glowing crystals, and ancient tomes that whispered of power and knowledge. Beneath the portal, I noticed a circular design of etched glyphs radiating outward, as though the very floor was channeling energy into the gateway. Sconces cast a steady, magical glow, their light mingling with the quiet hum of power that seemed to fill every corner of the room. It was a place of reverence and wonder, and I couldn’t help but feel awed by the magnitude of what it represented.

Twilight, who had been busying herself with the portal, threw a switch and activated it. It sprang to life and as I looked on I could see the familiar color of the portal beginning to coalesce upon the mirror’s surface, obscuring it.

“All set,” Twilight declares.

Nodding, Fluttershy turns her head toward me saying, “Farewell. It was nice meeting you, Simon. Take care.”

Before I can answer, the shimmering aura of Twilight’s magic surrounded me, as she placed me in front of the portal beside her. As she turned toward me she stated, “Just follow me through. Couldn’t be simpler.” And with that, she stepped through, as I quickly followed in her wake.

A short transition later, I found myself standing in front of Canterlot High. As I got to my feet, Twilight followed suit. Remembering that I had to put on an act, I screamed as I noticed my arms.

“Gah!” Twilight exclaimed, covering her ears. “What’s wrong? I thought you were human.”

I fell silent and fumed at her. “Is this some kind of joke?”

Confusion lining her face, she replied, “I don’t understand. What’s the problem?”

“What’s the problem? What’s the PROBLEM?! I’M BLUE!”

“Yeees?” Twilight began carefully.

Sighing, I calmly stated, “Where I come from, missy, humans aren’t this color.” As I paused to stare hard at her, I continued. “And for that matter, neither are they purple.”

“Lavender,” she corrected me, as if it were a conditioned response.

“Whatever! Look, the point is, this is not my world.”

Her eyes widened as she once again queried, “You are human, right?” As I nodded in confirmation, I could see her barely restraining herself as she nearly shouted, “Then how, pray tell, are you not from here?”

“I’m not blue,” I deadpanned.

“Right. Right. So, out of curiosity, just what color were you before you came to our world?”

Before I had a chance to answer, the six counterparts to the ponies, plus Sunset Shimmer, having noticed all the commotion, approached us. “Hey Twilight. What brings you here? And who’s your friend?” Sunset said as she turned toward me.

“This is Simon, according to Fluttershy, and he… well…”

Pinkie suddenly blurted out, “He must be a human turned pony, who fell into your world yesterday, which led you to believe that he must have come from our world, only when ya got here you discovered, to your great surprise and disbelief, that he wasn’t in fact from this world at all, but from a different Earth altogether.”

As everyone looked on in stunned silence, it took all of my willpower not to bust a gut. “Classic Pinkie,” I thought to myself amusedly.

“How did you know all that?” Dash asked.

“Lucky guess.”

Dash smacked herself in the forehead. It took all I had not to say to her smugly that she should have seen that coming.

“Yup. She basically hit the nail on the head,” I stated. “To answer your question from earlier, Twilight: I’m more of what we call Caucasian, which is mistakenly referred to as white, but it’s more like ranging from light to rosy with colors that can include pinkish, reddish, or a golden hue. But not as saturated as I’m seeing here.”

Her face slowly morphed from confusion to fascination; however, before I had a chance to enjoy Twilight having a nerdgasm, Sci-Twi—this world’s Twilight—mistakenly came to my rescue. “Uh-oh. I know that look,” she said as she interjected herself between us. “I know it’s fascinating, but given the current situation, perhaps it can wait until we can figure out how to find his world.”

Looking around Sci-Twi, I could see my Twilight’s eyes lose their shine as her smile softened. Nodding, she stated, “Yeah, you’re right.” She then turned toward me, indicating toward the portal.

Nodding, I stepped back through, emerging on the other side. A few minutes later, Twilight rejoined me. She began to speak, but I interrupted her before she could finish. “Before you waste your time racking your brain, I did have what I suppose could be classified as a prophetic dream last night.”

Fluttershy, having approached us as we came back through the mirror, interjected, saying, “You mean when you woke up screaming?”

“Heh. Yeah.” I then began describing the dream as I recalled it.

Afterward, Twilight nodded, saying, “Very well. We’ll head there after lunch.”

“What? Why wait?”

“Call it a hunch, but I have a feeling we’re gonna wanna make sure we’re well-fed before we start this little adventure.”

“Oh, come on. It hasn’t even been an hour since breakfast.”

Sighing, Twilight stated in a matter-of-fact way, “Plus, the animals of that forest are less active at midday.”

I opened my mouth to protest further, but then as her words registered, I snapped my mouth shut, nodding.

“Meanwhile, seeing as we have some time to kill,” she then got that kid-in-a-candy-store look again.

Grinning, I nodded and said, “Fine. What do you want to know?”

Shortly after, the three of us were sitting comfortably back in the sitting room as I told Twilight about my world.

Author's Note

I know it’s been four days since the last chapter update, but I hope the fact that this chapter is twice as long as either of the first ones I wrote make up for it.