Peace begins with a smile

March 1st, 2680

I don’t know where to start. There is so much that I feel I need to write, but it’s so hard to even believe that this is real. I guess the best thing to do would be to start off with who I am. My name is James Douglass. I was born on April 2nd, 2667 in Fort Smith, Arkansas. My family left the city when I was 6 due to a war inside of the city. We moved to a village called Weathertop. My mom became a librarian and my dad one day went hunting and never returned.

My mom was more than just my mom, and I think she's probably the only person I actually trust. I helped her through hard times and she helped me through hard times. The world that we live in is essentially destroyed and ravaged thanks to the fall of the government. I was able to read about peace time and how great life used to be by the books that my mom was able to provide, but that was all either fiction or history. My mom herself is essentially what makes life in the hellhole essentially heaven, but due to some of my big social issues I don’t have any other friends. I am not proud of this.

Due to a shortage of game, food prices skyrocketed and we needed the money to keep ourselves alive so despite my social issues I got myself a job as a mailman. Even though walking around through the world was dangerous, I seldom actually got into trouble. Still, I would always keep a baseball bat at my side. Eventually I had a client named Christabel who had a strange task: she wanted me to deliver a letter to a laboratory a few miles away without me notifying anyone where I was going. It was a strange request, as first of all I don’t think anyone knew of this laboratory or else it would have been scavenged by now and second of all I usually tell someone where I’m heading in case I don’t come back.  However she offered a lot of money, so I agreed.

When I finally found this strange underground laboratory that she spoke about, I couldn’t find anyone inside the place. All I could find was a giant room with several computers and pods surrounding them. There was a room that caught my attention as it said “do not enter.” I didn’t see anyone around, and it looked like this place was shut down a long time ago so I went in and found what looked like just an ordinary rocking chair. Since I just walked a few miles, I was pretty tired and that chair certainly looked appealing so I sat down on it and fell asleep. I woke up in an entirely different land.

When I woke up, I was surrounded by these strange looking animals. They were on four legs, had hoofs, had a tail, had snouts, and had a mane. The most shocking characteristic regarding them is that they all spoke perfect English. They really remind me of the horses that I would hear about in my books, but those animals went extinct after 2158. The doctor, who happened to have a mark that resembled a plus on his leg, told me that I was found washed up on the beach and that I would soon be meeting with the ruler of the land, Princess Celestia. I really wanted to ask the doctor where I was, but the words were stuck in my throat and wouldn’t come out. I’m not sure if it is because they are another species entirely or if it’s just me and my shyness showing.

Once the doctor said it was time for me to meet the Princess, he showed me to the door and then I was led by some guards to the “grand hall.” The Princess, who was both a Unicorn and a Pegasus, was beautiful. She first asked me if I could understand what she was saying, and I just nodded my head. Her next question was “are you a maker of war or peace?” I had to say something here, but I didn’t know what to say. I wasn’t here to try and make peace or war, in fact I still don’t know why I even am here.

“M-m-mailman!” I replied, my voice being obnoxiously loud and raspy. Even though she wasn’t human, I could see that she was confused. I explained to her my entire situation in hopes that she would understand. She smiled at me, and I felt like I did something right for once. “I can’t say I’ve ever heard of this ‘laboratory,’ but I can say that the nation of Equestria had stranger things happen than another species come in from another world. Over here in the capital we are busy with something else that needs to get done sooner than later, but I can send you off to one of my students who will be able to help you.”

She told me that there was a pony in a town called Ponyville who studies every day and every night and that she would probably be the best one to talk to. She showed me to the train and told me that in the morning when the train arrives I would be meeting up with her. Before the train started she asked me if there was anything else I needed and I asked for a blank diary, and she gave me the book that I am writing in right now.

The train’s going right now, and I don’t know what to think about the whole situation. Forgetting that this place has talking animals, the fact that prewar tools and facilities including the train that I am on right now exist fascinates me. Even then, I need to find out how I got here and if there’s any chance I can go home.  This seems like a much better place than the United States, but I need to get back to my mom, where I belong. I guess I will see how things turn out in the morning when I finally get to meet the star student of the Princess. In the meantime, I should get some sleep.