Life on Earth has many definitions in my book. Mine is something of a gamble. Some days I feel lucky, others I don’t. In recent years it has been a streak of bad luck. This was one of those days as I got off the Subway in New York after a grueling work day and with my boss giving me a hard time even on my off time.

Especially on my off time.

“I told you already. You approved my PTO weeks ago and I have every right to take it,” I said into my phone.

“Look Edward, it's a busy time and the clients expect us. If you can’t show commitment then maybe we need to rethink your role here.”

“Wait til HR hears about this,” I said before getting an idea I might regret later. “You know what? How about you go and play screwball because I quit. I am not going to work for another toxic boss like yourself!” and with that I hung up. It was just a short walk to my girlfriend’s apartment.

It would be a nice night cuddling together and maybe watching some My Little Pony together. We first met at Bronycon and we have been together ever since but as I got to her apartment I felt something was off. As I walked up I saw her landlord taking out some garbage. I’d seen him chatting with my girl but we never introduced ourselves. “Hey, who are you?” he asked.

“I’m Edward, I'm the boyfriend of someone who lives in this unit.”

“Oh you with the Anime girl in room 1B?”

I looked at him confused. “No, I’m with the girl in 1C.”

The man looked at me confused. “Strange, I know that tenant. She came in with another boy.”

My eyes widened and I quickly went inside. After climbing some stairs I could hear some noise from behind the door. I then used the spare key she gave me and went inside and there all time stopped. The pegasister I knew was in bed with another guy. I knew him from another convention but we never fully introduced ourselves. They both stopped their actions and just stared. After a few moments this guy turned his head to look at her. “Boyfriend?” he asked her.

I looked around and noticed the clothes strewn about and the phone on the ground it was opened to the messages app. I knelt down and read it. ‘Can’t wait to see you, maybe you can ditch poor boy and we can flee to Cali.’ The response was a heart and excited emoji.

That explained all the times she hid her phone quickly whenever I got close. That explains all the less smiles I get from her.

“Ex,” I simply said before turning around and leaving.

I just simply walked out into the streets of New York and started making my way to the Subway Station as rain started to come down. The perfect weather for my feelings now.

Life was much worse for me after that night. I didn’t have much motivation to find work or even talk to anyone. Not even seeing those six mares on the screen didn’t help. One day I just lost my sanity and snapped. One moment I was sitting on my couch the next moment I was running out the door ignoring my Landlord’s letters of rent on the floor.

I just ran and ran through the rain. Not stopping for anything, not even to the people I nearly tripped or even the cars blaring their horns whenever I ran out in traffic. It wasn't long before I found myself on a really busy avenue. I didn’t see the light when I tripped and then I saw them. The headlights on an eighteen wheeler screaming towards me. I turned my head bracing for it. The last thing I saw before darkness was a face of fear.

Darkness all around me. Is this what death felt like? Am I heading for the pearly gates or am I heading for the fires below? I didn’t know. All I know is that it's dark. And I feel something…warm? It was like a blanket. I could hear something in the darkness too. It sounds like a faint voice.

“I did it again.” Did this trucker hit someone before?

“What were you thinking?!” a second voice called out. It sounded angry.

“I thought this could work if we just tried again,” the voice came again. “I thought I found it.”

“You already said to him it's just- nevermine! We need to get him some help now!”

I don’t know how long I was in the darkness. But then I heard a beep followed by another. I then felt the beating of my heart. It was matched with the beeping sound. ‘Oh god!’ I thought. ‘I’m still alive!’

Slowly and surely I opened my eyes. The first I saw were the lights and the ceiling. Strangely, I’ve been in the hospital before near my apartment and the ceiling was never that shade of gray. Maybe the ambulance took me to an even further one.

I looked around feeling a slight pain in my neck. First thing I noticed was the equipment. It didn’t look like the standard kind I see. It looked simpler. I looked around to see a nurse call button but I couldn’t find one. What kind of hospital is this? “Hello?” I called.

“Oh good you’re awake,” came a voice. I looked to my left at the curtains. “Now before I reveal myself can you tell me where you think you are?”

“Uh in a hospital, probably the one closer to Grand Central Terminal,” I responded.

“No you’re not,” the voice replied again. “I’ll reveal myself but don’t freak out.”

I was confused. Does this doctor have an ugly scar or something? Soon I heard steps but they didn’t sound like footsteps. They sounded like hooves. Then from behind the curtain came a familiar face. I recognize it from many episodes of a certain show. My eyes nearly popped out of my skull. A white earth pony mare with a pink mane wearing a nurses cap. Could it be? Nurse Redheart? Was I really in Equestria? Is this Heaven? Or is this a dream?

No, I shouldn’t say her name. I don’t want to sound like a spy or break the fourth wall. There were stories of the world fading out of existence if the world knew it was fiction. I just stared at the pony in both shock and amazement. “Now I know you have questions but let me tell you where you are,” Redheart began. “You are in Ponyville general hospital. Your unconscious body was brought here and we did what we could but you had sustained a bit of injury from brute force.” She then smiled a little. “Fortunately we were able to fix you up with a bit of magic but you will need to take it easy on your arms, and collarbone for a while.”

“Wait, so I was brought here? By who?” I asked.

“I’ll let your visitors explain,” she said as she turned. “I’ll let them know you’re awake. Don’t go anywhere.”

With this pain in my neck I shouldn’t. I did what she told me and stayed put. So many thoughts were now in my mind. How was I here? Is this really a figment of my imagination? If it’s not who brought me here to Ponyville? I then looked down at the hospital gown I was wearing. It fitted well on me. Like too well? Maybe this was meant for other bipedal species like Minotaurs or something.

Soon the door opened again I turned to see six more figures enter and my eyes just stared in both astonishment and wonder. There, entering the room were the main six characters. The lavender unicorn walked up to me and it was there that a thought just occurred. ‘Not an alicorn yet? I might be in season three,’ I thought. The third season of the show just ended on my world.

“Wait, you knew Twilight would get those flappers?” TD asked as he looked back towards Twilight. “How did I not question that yet? When and how did you get those anyway?”

“If you were around you would’ve seen the big events that transpired but that's a story for another time,” Twilight responded with a hint of bitterness.

“Exactly it would be thanks to a strange force that came into play,” I said as I whipped my head back towards TD. “Now hush and let me tell my story.”

The six mares looked at me. I was expecting them to look at me with curiosity, maybe fear or something you can expect out of any alien encounter. But these mares were looking at me like they knew who I was. Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat. “Greetings, I am Twilight Sparkle and these are my friends,” she said as she introduced her friends one by one even though I already knew who they were.

Eventually I cleared my throat. “Nice to meet you all, my name is Edward. Edward Richards. But you can call me Ed for short. Now the nurse told me you might know how I got here?”

“I believe I can explain that,” said a new voice. We all looked to see the tall white alicorn. She entered the room but despite her regal composure I could see her face had a hint of fear and regret. “You see young man,” she began. “I have been experimenting with portals to see into other worlds and I thought I had success in making one to your world,” she explained as she looked down and frowned. “It was…a project for a friend, but for some reason when I observed the scene of this world I saw you running through the scene like you were in trouble and I saw the large mechanical carriage about to plow into you.” How could I forget the huge truck? It was possibly a peterbilt or a kenworth. “I quickly used my magic and I pulled you in as you slipped on the road. The large machine propelled you through and my magic overloaded and actually started to crush you.”

“Wait, are you saying my injuries are not from that big rig that was about to hit me?” I asked.

“Most of them are but the injury to your neck was from when you hit your head on that ‘big rig’ if anything it was the worst you suffered from it.”

“Wait wait wait, so you're also saying despite the rocky pull that nearly crushed me, you pulled me through just to save me?”

“I swear it was an accident,” she said as she got closer. ”I didn’t mean to pull you into my world.”

As she did so I could’ve sworn I heard one of the other ponies whisper. “Is she gonna get hit like last time?”

I ignored it and stared at the alicorn as she got closer and shut her eyes. She had tears. I could tell she was upset but at the same time, for some odd reason she looked like she was bracing for something. Her eyes then opened as she felt something. That thing being my hand on her cheek. I was gently petting her face. “That’s new,” Pinkie whispered.

“I’m still alive aren’t I?” I chuckled as I petted her. “Thank you.”

Princess Celestia looked down at me and softly smiled as she leaned into the gesture.

And that's how my first encounter with ponies went and I guess you can say it was the start of something bigger in my life.

Author's Note

No punchies for Celly. Also in this universe Twilight became an alicorn ahead of schedule and not during "life of a nonbrony" and before you ask the crusaders got their show canon marks. Those well be explained at some point. Sorry Bronywriter.