My friends used to tell me that I should always be prepared for the unexpected. To me, it was pretty vague advice, but now, I kind of wished that I was more prepared. I’m not entirely sure what led to my current situation, but I can garner a few guesses. My name is Mark, and I’m in a hospital. Being in the hospital wouldn’t seem like such a bad thing, unless you were there for a serious surgery, or from having an accident. The thing that makes it bad is that I’m in a hospital on an entirely different planet.

I can only blame my friends for somehow getting me sent to this world. I’ve been here for at least seven months now, and I’ve grown used to speaking with the ponies of this world. Oh, did I not mention they were ponies? Either way, that’s not even the weird part. The weird part is that all the ponies here can talk like a regular human. They even come in a wide variety of colors that you would find in a crayon box. Besides the fact that they talk, and are brightly colored, they also have a few ponies that were just myths from fantasy novels back home. Earth ponies exist, but there also happens to be unicorns and even pegasi.

I didn’t get to meet these other pony types, until after I met Twilight Sparkle. She’s actually a very kind and caring mare that helped me when I arrived here. Twilight is an alicorn, and from what she taught me, they are a combination of all three races. She also happens to be a princess. When she told me that, I started to freak out. I arrived here, and I did the one thing anyone in my situation would. I punched the nearest creature that looked threatening, and cowered in a corner. The icing to that cake, though, was that I ended up punching the lavender princess herself.

I apologized for a week after learning about her title, even after she told me that everything was fine. She understood that I was probably having a mini freak-out, and that my reaction was understandable. I didn’t feel fine with getting away with punching her in the snout, and said that she was offered one free hit on me. Twilight didn’t take me up on that offer, but one of her other friends did. I really wasn’t expecting that punch, and I don’t really think there was a way I could have defended myself from it even if I saw it coming. The only thing I knew at the time was that I was walking next to Twilight, then I’m on the floor, clutching my left cheek in pain.

Shaking my head from all the stars, I looked up from the floor at a cyan mare with a rainbow mane and tail. Her magenta eyes stared down at me, as I took a quick peek to see her wings tucked against her side. I was pulled from my slight staring as a purple aura surrounded my body. I was placed back on my feet as Twilight cleaned some of the dust off my pants. While she did this, she turned to the other pony with a slight frown.

“Rainbow Dash, why did you hit Mark?”

“I heard that he was offering a free hit against him after hitting you, and you’re too nice to take him up on that offer. So I did it for you. Now you’re both even,” Rainbow said as she gave a warm smile.

Twilight turned around as she looked up at me with slight sadness. “I’m very sorry about that, Mark.”

“It’s fine, Twilight.” I assured her. “Rainbow is right, though. Granted, I wanted you to be the one to hit me, but I guess everything is even.”

Rainbow gave a quick nod before unfurling her wings, and lifting into the air. “Now let’s get going. The others are waiting for us in the throne room.”

Rainbow was soon long gone after that, and we both sighed as we walked towards the throne room. Twilight was a little upset with the way her friend acted, but I really found it hard to be mad at her. I met all the alicorn’s friends a few days after my appearance, and it went by pretty well. There were only two that were hard to get along with in the beginning, and they were a pink earth pony named Pinkie Pie, and a butterscotch pegasus named Fluttershy. Pinkie nearly gave me a heart attack when she appeared in front of me during our introduction, and speaking faster than most people could probably comprehend.

Fluttershy was extremely shy, as her named pretty much suggested, but after a few small conversations, she seemed to be a little more outspoken. Applejack is an orange earth mare that runs an apple farm down in Ponyville. Rarity is a white unicorn mare who does pretty well in terms of fashion. Granted, I don’t see many ponies wearing clothing, unless you’re in Canterlot, but Rarity was generous enough to make me a few articles of clothing. Rainbow Dash was pretty headstrong and stubborn, but she was a great friend to have.

Twilight and I walked in silence to the throne room. It was only my first two months of staying in Equestria, and Princess Celestia and Princess Luna asked to meet me. I wasn’t really sure what they wanted with me, but I could hazard a guess that they just wanted to meet the new alien creature. I personally didn’t give myself that title, but after arriving in Canterlot, a few ponies thought it was appropriate to call me that. I pushed aside their rude remarks, wanting to see what the princesses wanted. I also didn’t want to make a scene with hitting one of these stuck up snobs before meeting the two other alicorns.

Twilight had shared a bit of information on the alicorn sisters, and I was a little amazed at what they could do. Celestia, an alabaster white alicorn, could raise the sun. Luna, a midnight blue alicorn, could raise the moon. I was skeptical at first, but they were understanding of it. They promised to show me that they were capable of doing such a feat, and when night came, I really wanted to just go back to bed and hope this was all a bad dream. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve enjoyed my time here, but once you see that the moon and sun don’t orbit freely, you come to a few realizations.

I didn’t even know that I spaced off after seeing the sun set, and the moon rise, but a prodding hoof from Twilight pulled me back down. The small lavender mare giggled at my reaction and I couldn’t help but laugh as well. The princesses and I went back into the throne room, and conversed for probably about ten minutes. I learned from them that I wasn’t the first human to arrive, but I probably wouldn’t be the last. Most of their questions were centered around myself, and what I did. They wanted to make sure I was like the last few humans that have entered their world, and they seemed pleased that I was similar.

They offered me a place to stay at the castle until they could get someone to house me. Life at the castle wasn’t too boring, as I kept myself entertained with various activities. Through my stay at the castle, I learned about a fourth alicorn named Cadence. Her full name was Mi Amore Cadenza, and I really wanted to laugh because of how that translated, but a glare from her husband kept me from letting as much as a chuckle out. Her husband happened to be Twilight’s older brother, Shining Armor. He was the Captain of the Royal Guard, along with being prince of the Crystal Kingdom. Shining wasn’t that bad to get along with, and we actually became easy friends.

I later learned of Prince Blueblood, and I really wish that I never met that stallion. I know I mentioned that most of the ponies in Canterlot are really uptight, but after meeting Blueblood, he was the king of all assholes. It was actually through an incident with the pompous prince that I was given a further questioning by the princesses.

“So, Mark, you’ve already told us your name, place of origin, and what you eat.” Celestia said as she started flipping through her notes. “What kind of occupation did you have before arriving here?”

“My current occupation was a student,” I answered.

“What were you studying?” Luna asked with a warm smile.

“Well, I only turned twenty-one a few months back, and I was just kind of testing out what I can do.” I explained as I scratched my chin in thought.

“Anything that you were particularly fond of? It might help to find you a place to stay,” Celestia asked, genuinely intrigued

“I minored in photography, stunt coordination, and botany,” I answered.

Celestia and Luna nodded as they wrote down what I told them. A few seconds of silence lingered between us before the princesses dismissed me. I was confused as to why they were letting me go. I mean, I did punch their nephew in the face, but in my defense, he deserved it. The two sisters looked at each other, before bursting out in complete laughter. They explained that I was in the right, and that they would deal with the arrogant prince later. I gave a simple shrug to their response, and left them to their work. As I was now on my seventh month of staying here, I was interrupted from my peaceful sleep. I could hear a sharp rapping at the door across from me, and I knew it wouldn’t stop until I answered.

“It’s open!” I yelled out.

The sound of hooves lightly clopping on the tile floor could be heard before Twilight’s voice spoke out, blocking out any other noise. “Good morning, Mark. I bring great news.” Twilight was smiling brightly as I rubbed away the last of the sleep from my eyes.

“What makes this news so great?” I asked groggily, trying to sit up.

“We found somepony that will take you in,” Twilight said, her smile never wavering.

“Who are the brave ponies that want to take in, the freakishly tall alien?” I joked.

Twilight could only roll her eyes at my bad joke as she ushered me out of bed. “Spitfire and Fleetfoot came forward, offering to look after you.”

I nodded my head as I started getting dressed. The names sounded awfully familiar, but I wasn’t entirely sure why they were. I just gave a big yawn as I finished getting dressed. While I stumbled through the room in my half dazed sleep, Twilight went about packing my belongings. Once everything of mine was packed away, the lavender alicorn poofed my bag away. I was finished dressing, but I was still moving at a snail’s pace. Twilight only shook her head as she started pushing against the back of my legs, making me move towards the door.

“Let’s get going. I want to introduce you to the two ponies that are watching over you before they fly off for practice.”

I was soon packed away in the carriage and heading off to the middle area of Canterlot. It was weird to see such a prosperous city be divided into three sections. It was similar in the way Earth had lower, middle, and high class people. Even in the low class, though, it was still a nice place to be as the ponies over there were friendlier than the high class. I saw that the carriage was going at a steady pace, and decided to pass some time by conversing with Twilight about who I would be staying with.

“So, what can you tell me about these two ponies I’m going to be staying with? I heard you say something about them flying off to work, so I can safely assume that they’re pegasi, right?” I asked, easily getting the alicorn’s attention.

“You are correct, they are both pegasi. They’re both part of the aerobatics team that Rainbow has told you so much about,” Twilight said, giving a small giggle.

“It still amazes me on how much she knows about the Wonderbolts, and she isn’t even a part of them,” I replied.

“Well, I believe that she’ll make it one day, and then she can really talk your ear off,” Twilight joked.

“Like it wasn’t bad enough getting my ears talked off during your lectures, but if she joins, I’ll probably have to buy earplugs,” I joked back. Twilight gave a little shove for my ‘lecture’ statement, but she couldn’t help but laugh.

“Anyway, Spitfire is the Captain of the Wonderbolts, while Fleetfoot is her wingpony,” Twilight explained.

The names were starting to sound familiar, but I still couldn’t place a face with the name. “What do they look like?”

“Spitfire has a fiery red and orange mane and tail, with her coat being a golden color, and her eyes are a bright orange. Fleetfoot has a white mane and tail, with her coat being an arctic blue, and light purple eyes,” Twilight said as she tried to recall everything she could about the pegasi.

Things were now starting to get a little weird for me. The way Twilight described Spitfire seemed awfully familiar, while Fleetfoot seemed to be a new pony for me to meet. I could already feel a headache starting to form as I tried to figure out who these mares were exactly, but it seems I would get to find out soon. We were flying for several minutes before finally landing on the cobblestone path. Once we stopped, I noticed we were outside of a house, I opened the door and let Twilight out first. I exited right behind her, stretching my back from being hunched over for so long. Equestria wasn’t bad, but everything was made if you were the size of a pony.

I took in the features of the house while Twilight walked up the stone path. It wasn’t anything extravagant, but it did stand out somewhat in the middle district. There were a few open windows, and a few clouds lingered near the house. I assumed it was to add some kind of comfort for the pegasus mares that lived there. The house itself was a dark shade of blue, and appeared to be at least two stories tall. I gave a few final stretches, a few bones popping loudly as I groaned in delight, before I walked up to the house. Twilight was already knocking on the door as I looked at the few flower beds that were placed along with windows and base of the house.

Twilight waited patiently in front of the door, smiling in excitement. I stood next to the happy alicorn, listening to a set of hooves running around the house. Whoever was in there clearly heard the knocking, and we waited patiently for the door to open. Seeing I had a few seconds to pass the time, I went back to figuring out how I might know these mares. The only thing that really came to me though was that they were both part of the Wonderbolts, and that the Captain’s discerning features were familiar. I was pulled from my thoughts when the door opened, and I saw, who I assumed, was Fleetfoot.

“Good afternoon, Fleetfoot,” Twilight greeted warmly.

“Good afternoon to you as well, Princess Twilight Sparkle,” Fleetfoot greeted, giving a small bow.

“Please don’t do that, Fleetfoot. You know I don’t like other ponies bowing before me,” Twilight said as she rubbed the back of her head, blushing a little in embarrassment.

Fleetfoot glanced up at Twilight before bringing her head up. She was silent for a few seconds before giving a warm smile. “Very well, Twilight.”

The pegasus’ attention then went towards me, her eyes giving me a critical look. Her eyes wandered up and down my body a few times before her gaze finally softened. She gave a small smile as she greeted me.

“Hello. You must be Mark,” Fleetfoot said as she extended a hoof.

I looked at the hoof for a few seconds before reaching out for it. I grasped around her hoof and shook it, smiling back at her while doing so.

“You are correct,” I said as I let go of her hoof.

Fleetfoot stepped aside, allowing me to enter her house. I gave her a smile as I walked through the door. The inside of the house was pretty dull compared to a few others I’ve seen. I wasn’t surprised by the lack of furniture, since I knew that the Wonderbolts did travel a lot for their performances. The few things that were noticeable at least made the home a little more comfortable. There was a coffee table in the middle of the living room with a couch and two chairs surrounding it. The kitchen had a refrigerator and a table with four chairs. Fleetfoot was talking with Twilight about something, and I continued to scan around the lower level of the house.

I found the stairs that led to the second floor but didn’t go up until Fleetfoot was ready to show me more around the house. There were a few magazines laying on the table, and a few Daring Do books as well. I looked through the magazine pile to find one fashion magazine, and a couple of exercise and food magazines. I stopped my search around the house and started heading back to Fleetfoot. I was stopped when I heard another mare’s voice call out from upstairs.

“Hey, Fleet. Who’s at the door?” The voice was a little gruff sounding, but I could make it out to be female.

“Princess Twilight and our new roommate,” Fleetfoot called back up the stairs.

“Sweet, I’ll be down in a few seconds,” the gruff mare said.

Fleetfoot shook her head a little as she trotted up next to me. She gave a nervous smile as we waited for the other pony to come down. I could hear clopping of hooves upstairs, signaling that the mare was probably heading down. I rocked a little back and forth, letting my mind wander to thoughts about random things. The sound of clopping hooves grew louder as the mare finally neared the top of the stairs. I looked up, and my eyes widened as big as dinner plates at who else was living here. Everything came rushing back from before, and I remembered where I knew the mare from.

The mare had the same surprised look as I had. Her surprise, though, soon turned into a sharp scowl as her wings flared to her side. I knew exactly what she was angry about, but it was not my fault in the slightest. During my first month at the castle, I was hanging with Twilight and her dragon assistant, Spike. I left to find something to eat, and ended up getting lost. I walked around the castle for a couple hours, trying to find my way back to the lavender alicorn. I decided to take a gamble with one of the many doors, and I really wish I hadn’t.

I ended up walking into a small shower room, and there also happened to be one occupant in the room besides myself. I saw the golden mare, and when her orange eyes met my green eyes, I heard her give a low growl. I didn’t even wait around to see what she was going to do, and ran out of the room. I really didn’t care where I was going at the time, as long as I got as far away from the mare as I could. I was pulled from my thoughts when Spitfire shouted at me, her hoof pointing menacingly at me.

“You!”

Spitfire soon launched from the top step, flying straight towards me. I felt the mare collide with my body, sending me sliding across the floor. During my slide, my head slammed against the wall, and I was out cold.

“… and that’s why I’m in this hospital,” I said, taking a drink from a glass of water. There was a white mare with a red mane and nurse cap on her head looking at me with disinterest.

“That’s a riveting tale, Mark, but I asked how you were feeling and if you needed anything,” Redheart said with a small scowl.

“Oh, uh… I’m feeling fine, and I was just wondering if maybe you can keep her a few more feet away from me,” I answered, gesturing to Spitfire who was standing behind the door.

“You should really count yourself lucky. The last stallion that ended up walking in on Spitfire in the shower room had a few broken bones. You got away with a few minor cuts,” Redheart said happily as she signed off on a few papers.

“So, am I free to go, or do I need to stay here a little while longer?” I asked, noticing Spitfire pacing in front of the door.

“Everything seems to be in order. I’ll just need you to sign these papers, and you’re free to go,” Redheart smiled as she handed me the documents.

“Can I possibly get an escort back to the house?” I asked, a little frightened, looking to the side to make sure that Spitfire was still near the door.

“You don’t need an escort. If Spitfire wanted to cause you any real harm, then she would have done so now, or even before,” Redheart said, trying to be reassuring.

“Maybe the reason why she didn’t keep wailing on me was because I was unconscious. Let’s also add the fact that Twilight was kind enough to pull her off of me,” I said, gesturing to the alicorn sitting in a nearby chair.

Redheart frowned as she handed me a pen. “Stop being overdramatic and just sign the papers.”

I grumbled under my breath as I put my signature on the papers. Redheart took the signed paper, and trotted out of the room. I sighed heavily as I got out of the bed and grabbed a few of my items that Twilight brought. Fleetfoot waved at me, acting like nothing happened at all. Spitfire was making threatening gestures with her hooves, I didn’t need a pony to tell me that she was threatening to beat my ass into the ground again. What really surprised me was that none of the other ponies noticed her doing this. I took a few steps back towards Twilight, hoping to at least live a few minutes longer before the alicorn had to leave.

“Well, let’s head back to your house,” Twilight said cheerily.

Twilight hopped out of her chair as I followed right behind her. Spitfire seemed very aware of my plan, and she seemed ready to play this game. I was glad that I didn’t really have anything to give away in case of my death, but I was hoping to live a few years longer. I followed behind Twilight, Fleetfoot standing next to her, and Spitfire right behind me. I swear I could feel her eyes burn a hole in my back as we exited the hospital. Fleetfoot and Twilight were busy talking again, and I kept quiet, hoping to keep from angering the mare behind me.

Twilight glanced over her shoulder, speaking to me to break the small tension that was starting to form. “I guess introductions are finished. When we get back to the house, I’ll leave everything up to you, Mark.”

“Can you maybe stay for a bit longer?” I asked, my eyes pleading with the lavender mare to stay.

“You should really take Redheart’s advice and stop being overdramatic. I’ve seen Spitfire get in a few fights, and that you’re out of the hospital the same day you get put in shows that you’ll be fine,” Twilight said reassuringly.

“Maybe that’s because she wants a round two,” I said as I gestured to the mare behind me. I quickly regretted that when Spitfire spoke up.

“I’m ready whenever you are,” Spitfire said as she trotted closer to me.

“That wasn’t even my fault. I was just trying to get back to Twilight, and I just made a bad choice in what door to open,” I defended.

“That’s what they all say,” Spitfire shot back as she glared at me.

I decided to just drop the argument there. I hoped that if I gave the mare some space, then she might lighten up on me. After several minutes of walking, and a few glares pointed towards me, we finally made it back to the house. Spitfire went inside the house, and I assumed it was probably to head to her own room. Fleetfoot gave a nervous smile as she walked inside the house. I looked at Twilight, who was smiling brightly at me.

“Well, this is where I take my leave. Everything you had should already be in your room, and if you ever need anything, don’t hesitate to come by the castle,” Twilight said, her wings unfurling as she prepared for flight. “Please take care of yourself, and I’ll see you later.” Twilight took to the air, and flew towards the castle.

I watched as the lavender mare flew away, waving slowly as I prepared a mental will. I took a deep breath as I turned towards the open door, and walked inside. Once I was inside the house, I gently closed the door, trying anything to keep the fiery mare from being any more irritated. Fleetfoot trotted next to me, and gestured towards the couch.

“Please, have a seat, and we can talk about the ground rules,” Fleetfoot said as she gave a small smile.

I gave a slight nod as I walked towards the black couch. I took a seat in the middle, and the pegasus sat right next to me. I looked at her with a raised brow, before remembering that ponies had a different definition on personal space. I didn’t say anything so we could get through this discussion faster, and so I could head to bed quicker.

“The only thing that we really ask of you is that you at least help around the house. Make sure the house stays clean, cook every once in a while, and stay out of Spitfire’s room,” Fleetfoot said.

I looked at the pegasus with a raised brow as I asked a question that I knew I really didn’t want an answer to. “Why do I need to stay out of Spitfire’s room?”

Fleetfoot seemed to have lost her smile now as she looked up at the stairs, then back at me. I heard her give a heavy sigh as she spoke. “A few ponies here like to spread gossip, and one of the latest ones is that Spits and I are a couple.”

“So, you’re just best friends that room together?” I asked, leaning against the couch’s back.

“Pretty much.” Fleetfoot answered as she continued on with her explanation. “Once that gossip started getting around, the media became a big problem for us. I may sleep in the same bed with her, but we’ve known each other since our flight school days. Now, if anypony besides myself and a few of her friends enter her room, she believes that they are trying to find a way to enhance that bit of gossip.” Fleetfoot gave a small scowl as I nodded my head.

I was no stranger of how bad gossip could get, especially when it gets blown out of proportion to what is really going on. I never really planned on going into Spitfire’s room, but after hearing that, I made sure not to break that rule. Now that I actually thought about it, if the rumor was as bad as I assumed it was, it might slightly explain the golden mare’s behavior. I was pulled from my thoughts when I felt a hoof poking against my side. Fleetfoot was looking up at me with a neutral expression, trying to gauge my thoughts. I shook my head to clear it of my running thoughts before hearing the mare speak again.

“Do you think you can follow these rules?”

I nodded my head as I smiled at the pegasus. “Yeah, I can follow those.” The mare gave a quick nod before jumping off the couch. I watched as she started for the stairs, but stopped her before she stepped on the first one. “Hey, want me to make breakfast tomorrow?”

“Nah, I usually handle breakfast. Spits and I are early risers, and the princesses’ notes explained that you liked to sleep in a lot,” Fleetfoot said as she gave a light hearted chuckle.

“That’s only because I had nothing to do at the castle. Now that I’m living with two other people, I need to pull my share around here,” I said.

“Maybe next time. You can cook lunch for now, and after a couple of weeks, I’ll let you cook breakfast,” Fleetfoot said, still chuckling warmly as she ascended the stairs.

I remained seated on the couch, looking out the nearby window and up at the moon. My first day with a new pair of ponies, and I’m already starting on thin ice. It might take a bit of time before Spitfire calms down, plus there was something about Fleetfoot that I couldn’t place. The mare seemed interested in talking with me, but I had a feeling that it was more about appearances than anything. It seemed like she had a feeling of indifference towards me, but I couldn’t really say for sure. Letting out a deep sigh, I got from the couch and decided to get ready for bed.

I made a quick stop by the kitchen and grabbed an apple from the fruit basket. As I walked up the stairs, I looked at the few doors that were on the second floor. Most of the doors were closed, except for the bathroom, and another that I assumed to be my room. I walked towards the bedroom and saw my bag laying on top of my bed. A dresser was next to the bed, and a small nightstand was on the other side. It still wasn’t much from what I was used to at the castle, but it was enough. I continued to munch on my apple as I grabbed my sleeping clothes and threw them on the bed. I grabbed the bag, and started sorting through my clothes as I put them in the dresser. Once my clothes were sorted, I placed the bag on top of the dresser and grabbed my sleeping clothes.

I exited my room and headed for the shower. I stood next to the doorframe of the shower room, and gave a little knock. I did not want to repeat the incident with Spitfire, and I didn’t need another trip to the hospital. After waiting for a few seconds for a response, I was met with nothing. I let out a sigh of relief as I walked into the bathroom. There was a simple granite sink to my right, a toilet next to it, and a shower. I closed the door behind me as I started to take off my clothes. The shower was pretty basic like the rest of the house, but it was nice to see it could also be a bath if one wanted to have one.

I turned on the hot water, as I took care of business at the toilet. Once I was finished, I entered the shower, and started cleaning myself off. During my shower, I realized I forgot to grab my shampoo and body wash. I gave a low grumble at my forgetfulness as I started looking around the shower. I saw a few bottles of shampoo and body wash, but I assumed they belonged to the mares. Not really wanting to go to bed still smelling like a hospital, I grabbed a bottle of shampoo and body wash. I was living here, and if either of them were going to complain about me using their stuff, then I would offer to go out and buy them some more.

I lathered the soap on my body, and let it wash away under the warm water. Once I was finished cleaning, I turned the water off and stepped out. I grabbed one of the many towels that were hanging in the bathroom and started drying myself off. Once I was dry, I got dressed for the night and exited the bathroom. I saw Spitfire’s door slightly cracked open, but didn’t stop to check inside. I entered my own room, closing the door until there was a little crack between the door and doorframe, before throwing my dirty clothes into a corner. I crawled under the covers of my bed and started to feel my eyelids close. As I prepared for a peaceful slumber, I had a strange feeling that my morning was going to be a little hectic.