“LET ME OUT OF HERE!” I shouted, my throat starting to feel sore after continuously yelling for so long. The guards had forced me to follow them to the castle so Celestia could see the “strange new creature that appeared out of nowhere”, but unfortunately for me, Celestia was visiting the Crystal Empire when we arrived. So, in her absence, they had me thrown in the dungeon without a second thought to await the princess's return. I had spent the first half-hour using some skills I had obtained from action movies, searching for weak spots in the rough, stone walls, but was unsuccessful. Then again, I wasn’t in an action movie.

This is just perfect! I thought angrily, First I fail at killing myself, I get knocked out, I end up trapped in a world that shouldn't even exist, and to top it off, I get locked in prison! If I had just dealt with my life, I wouldn't be stuck in this situation. If I had been any more stupid, I would have said something along the lines of “this couldn’t possibly get any worse”.

We all know that after that is said, things get a lot, LOT worse.

I spent about three days in that cell. I would have gone insane if it had lasted any longer, because on the morning of day three, my MP3 player died. I knew they had electricity in Equestria, but I doubted the guards would be very keen on taking a small box from a strange creature and plugging it into the nearest outlet. I tried to sleep to pass the time, but my brain is hard-wired for staying awake during daylight hours; I hadn’t been able to take a nap since I was five, unless I had stayed awake the entire previous night. I knew that wouldn’t happen, though, seeing as how I had been unconscious twice in the past few days. So I had nothing to do but pace, and think about what I would do when Celestia finally got back.
“She’s kind and understanding, right?” I asked myself aloud. The guards on patrol were confused and probably even a little bothered by my talking to myself during the first couple days, but by this time they had gotten used to it. Or, at least, learned to ignore it. “If I just explain that I’m not from around here, she’ll send me home. Piece of cake,” I said, as if trying to convince myself.
Just then, to my relief, one of the guards stood in the doorway to my cell, glaring at me. “The princess wants to see you,” he said, motioning for me to follow. I stood up slowly and followed him down the endless, twisting hallways, until we finally reached the giant double doors of the throne room.

“Right through there,” the guard said roughly, and then stood at attention next to the door.
I quietly walked down the red carpet in the center of the room, looking at the stained-glass windows that surrounded me, summarizing the great events of the past. If it weren’t for the circumstances, I probably would have been squealing like a fangirl right then.

That’s when I saw her in all her majesty. She stood before a golden throne, and her soft, purple eyes stared at me with shock. Her rainbow-hued mane flowed gently, as if a perpetual wind was blowing through it. At her sides were large, beautiful, feathery wings, and a pointed horn spiraled from her forehead.
Princess Celestia, I thought, awestruck. I couldn’t see them, but I figure my eyes looked like when Twilight saw her friends coming to help her in Friendship is Magic: Part Two. Instinctively, I got down on one knee and bowed my head respectfully.
“A human…” I heard her say quietly. “Everypony leave, now. I must speak to this creature alone,” she said, looking around at the few scattered guards that stood along the walls. They gave her looks of confusion, but obeyed nonetheless. I watched as they exited, the massive doors slamming heavily behind them. I turned back and saw Celestia was now standing over me, looking extremely angry.

“What are you doing here?” she shouted, and I noticed her horn was glowing with a yellow, mystical energy.
Better choose my next words carefully, I thought quickly, or they could be my last. I slowly rose to my feet and gave the alicorn a nervous smile. “Princess, I just want to say it’s an honor to meet you, and-” that’s all I got out before a bolt of magic slammed into me, knocking me off my feet and sending me sliding backward on my ass across the marble floor.
“Silence, human!” she commanded, “Enough with the formalities. Why have you come here? Are there more that have come with you?” Either I was imagining things, or under her anger, she sounded… afraid.
I jumped up and held my hands forward defensively. Looking back, I have no idea why I did this; had she decided to hit me again, the impact probably would have broken my arms. “Hey, take it easy. I’m the only one there is. As to how I got here, I was walking in the forest and found this old stone archway. I was feeling kind of pissed at the time, and chucked this rock I found nearby at it. Suddenly, it starts glowing pink, I’m getting dragged across the ground, and-” I stopped, suddenly realizing what might be happening. “Am I dead?” I asked finally, looking at her worriedly.

She softened her expression, maybe understanding I had no idea of what was going on, or maybe because she finally realized that I wasn’t a threat, and just a scared child. “Why would you be dead?”
I didn’t want to talk about what I had done on Earth that led me to come to this conclusion, so I gave her an alternate, mostly true explanation. “Well, as far as I know, there’s no way I could possibly be here. You, and everything here, is all fictional where I come from. Either I’m dead, or I’m dreaming,” I said flatly. I gestured at the room around me as I said this, emphasizing my point.
She raised an eyebrow. “You know what we are, but not for the same reasons that I know what you are. Tell me, what is our world to you?”
I grinned a little. “A children’s television show.”
She seemed taken aback by this. “You mean to tell me that no humans remember what happened? Between you and us?”
It was my turn to be confused. “What do you mean, ‘what happened’?”

She sighed as she walked back to the throne and sat down. She looked at me with sad eyes, as if remembering something terrible. “Long ago, not too long before my time, there was a great war. Our worlds converged for seemingly no reason, and when the humans found us, they acted violently, hoping to enslave us and harness our magic. We were unprepared, so the humans had the upper hand for quite some time. It wasn’t until many years later we finally drove them out and destroyed the portals connecting our worlds.”
I stared for a moment. “Apparently they weren’t all destroyed, huh?” I said, raising an eyebrow. “Why is that one still standing?”
Celestia looked off, deep in thought. “We left that one alone in hopes that humans would one day overcome their violent nature, and we could live together peacefully.”

I thought about all the wars, famine, and plain assholery going on back on Earth. “Yeah, peaceful. You should see the Youtube comments,” I muttered. Celestia looked confused by this, but rather than explaining myself, I went on: “Anyways, you wouldn’t happen to know of a way for me to get back home, would you?”
Celestia pondered this for a moment. “Actually, I do, but I have a favor to ask. You say in your world, we are simply a work of fiction that you enjoy?”

I nodded as she continued. “Well, then my proposition may please you. I have long awaited a chance to see how much you humans have changed. I will send you to live in Ponyville for one week, where I will watch over your actions. If you prove that humans have learned to be kind and gentle, then I will re-open the portal, and you will be free to leave. I have no doubt you will be able to prove this, but I want to see for myself. Also,” she said, looking thoughtful, “I am curious as to how my subjects will react to you.”
I considered this for a moment. Well, that shouldn’t be too hard. “What’s the catch?” I asked slowly.
She smiled gently. “There is no catch. Spend a week here, then go home.”
A whole week in Equestria? Screw Disneyland, this is the dream vacation! “Then, Princess, you’ve got yourself a deal. I do have a couple of questions, though."

Celestia sat back as I fired off a few things that were bugging me. “Does anyone- er, anypony- else know about what happened between you guys and humans?”
She shook her head. “I have kept that part of our history hidden from my subjects so they would not live in fear of the day humans would return. They may be afraid of you at first, but will no doubt approach you out of curiosity.”
I nodded, relieved that there wouldn’t be any more ponies blasting me with magic. “Where will I be staying?”
Celestia smiled comfortingly. “I think you will be quite pleased with the living arrangements I will be setting up for you. Is there anything else you would like to know?”
I shook my head. “Nope, that’s all. When do we leave?”
Celestia whistled, and a pair of guards came charging in. “Yes Princess?” they said in unison. She stood up as she gave out her commands. “Prepare a chariot for my associate and me. We leave for Ponyville immediately!”

Miles away, deep inside a dark cave, there sat a crystal obelisk. It was covered in ancient runes and symbols, and had, for the most part, been forgotten by all, even Celestia herself. It rested in this cave since the days of the great human-pony war, and had since laid dormant. Suddenly, it sensed something… a single human youth. The runes covering its sides glowed brightly, and a light-blue beam shot from the tip at the ground, and slowly moved upwards, creating a large creature as it ascended. It stood there, motionless, until its two dark-blue glowing eyes opened, and it charged out of the cave, ready to hunt its prey.

“So, I’m sitting in a chariot, flying high in the sky, sitting next to the one and only Princess Celestia, and on my way to Ponyville. BEST DAY EVER!” I shouted as I shot my fists into the air excitedly and let out a whoop, which made Celestia chuckle softly. Unfortunately, this was moments before a puff of cloud hit me in the face, causing me to break into a short coughing fit. Well, now I know what clouds taste like, I thought after I had recovered.
“Tell me, Allen, what is this work of fiction based upon our world you spoke of?”
I smiled. “A television show called ‘My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic’. It centers around six ponies that overcome various struggles and learning about the magic of friendship, all while keeping their world safe from evil.”

Celestia grinned. “Six ponies... learning about friendship? My, my, now I am convinced you will like your living arrangements for the next week.” I turned to her questioningly, but she said no more. I sighed and peeked over the edge of the chariot, and saw Ponyville below. Unfortunately, I only saw it for about three seconds, before a combination of the dizzying heights and air sickness made me return to my seat, hoping I wouldn’t blow chunks in the vehicle.

Probably not a wise thing to do in front of royalty.