Brain’s eyes darted open as a sterile scent filled his nose.  His body sprang upward, as if getting ready to leap out of harm’s way.  He hopped from the soft cushion he was laying on, spinning around to examine this new room he found himself in.  His hind hooves supported him for a moment, but he was forced to all four.  He tried to take in everything around him, trying to figure out what was going on.

The room was simple enough.  A small bed propped up on a table-like object.  A few small chairs sat in the opposite corner of the room.  There was a cabinet full of drawers, and a sink underneath it.  A few fake plants dotted the cabinets and corners of the room.  The walls, ceiling, and floor were all solid white.  Above the bed, a few random medical instruments hung from the wall.  There was a stethoscope, a blood pressure pump, and a few other instruments Brain had never seen before.

Nonetheless, he knew where he was now…  “I can’t fucking stand hospitals…  And why am I a pony…?”  He sighed deeply and bowed his head.  He stared at the things he once called hands and feet, thinking about how normal he was the night before.

Interrupting his train of thought, the door swung open, and a stallion in a white coat stepped in, carrying a clipboard in his mouth.  He placed the board on the counter by the sink, took a seat on his little rolling stool, and smiled at Brain.  “How are you doing, mister?”  

Brain sighed again, hesitant to ask, “I’m fine.  But could you please tell me where I am?”

The doctor looked at him, “Why, you’re in Ponyville!  In the hospital.  Your friends said you really started freaking out before you just collapsed.”  He placed a hoof on the table behind him, reaching for the clipboard.

Brain stared at the doctor.  He tried to hide his anger, “I don’t belong here, doctor.  I ain’t a pony, and I ain’t a cartoon character…”

The doctor couldn’t hold back a chuckle.  “Well, mister, if you aren’t a pony, just what exactly are you?  And what is a ‘cartoon’?”

Brain suddenly realized that this was really happening.  He was stuck in this strange world.  No TVs, no phones, no iPods…he whimpered…  “It’s…a show where pictures move across the stage!  And people in the back give them voices…  That’s a cartoon.”  No matter what he could’ve said to try and convince the doctor he wasn’t a pony, no one would believe him.

“Sounds like fun.  I’ve never seen one of those before.  Are they good?”  The doctor started writing notes down on the paper attached to the clipboard.

Brain looked at the paper, then back to the doctor.  “You think I’m crazy, don’t you?”

The doctor smiled, “Normally I’d be compelled to tell you no, but if it’s that obvious…”

Brain sighed, “Look, I just had a little too much fun last night, that’s all.  I’ll feel better once I get woke up…”  Brain hated lying to the doctor.  In fact, he hated lying about being a human.  He definitely hated the fact that nobody would believe his story.  Then another set of thoughts popped into his head…

I’m a pony…in my favorite cartoon world?  But if that’s the case…then does that mean this world is canon?  If so, maybe I can get some ‘spoilers’ and take some bets back home!  But first I have to get home…  And this world means no more Dan Bull or Facebook.  And what about my notebook?!  I think it’d be best if I kept a journal!  Maybe it landed here with me?

“Ahem!”  The doctor snapped Brain back to reality.  “I believe this belongs to you.”  He handed Brain a notebook, spiral bound, with a pen stuck in the spirals.

“My notebook!  Thanks!  Where’d you get it?”  Brain snatched the book from the doctor, bear-hugging it.

“Your friends said they found it next to you this morning.  It was covered in drool.”  The doctor laughed.  He opened the door and handed Brain a piece of paper.

Brain took the piece of paper from the doctor, walking out of the small room.  He followed the doctor through a long expanse of hallways, until finally reaching a larger room full of chairs and a reception desk.  In the corner of the room, six ponies sat around each other whispering.

As Brain took in the sight of the room, his mind immediately registered the six ponies.  Applejack, who had greeted him when he awoke.  Twilight Sparkle, the studious unicorn.  Rarity, the gem-loving dress maker.  Pinkie Pie, the party pony and fan-made sociopath.  Rainbow Dash, the brave and braggart pony.  And Fluttershy, the kind and gentle pony.

They saw him walk in behind the doctor, and greeted him with ‘hellos’ and a plethora of questions.  He tried to answer whatever they asked.  A few questions he avoided, but for the most part, they were satisfied.  The doctor finally stepped up and interrupted their interview.

“Excuse, mister, but I don’t believe I ever got your name.”  He extended his hoof, almost as if for a handshake.

Brain extended his hoof, performing some sort of hoof-bump, in general fashion to a human fist-bump.  “The name’s Brain.  I guess once I wake up a bit more I’ll be feeling better.”  He smiled, rubbing his head with his hoof.

Rainbow Dash asked bluntly, “What kind of name is Brain?”

Everypony in the room shot her a death stare, except for Brain himself.  “It’s okay, everybody.  I’m used to that kind of reaction.  I guess my parents just thought I’d be a genius…  Boy, were they wrong…”

Fluttershy noticed the mark on his flank.  “So you’re a writer?”

Brain’s jaw dropped in shock, “Well, sort of.  You could call it that.  How’d you know?”

Twilight Sparkle pointed at his flank.  “Your cutie mark is a pen and piece of paper.  What else would you be?”

Brain craned his neck to look at the cutie mark.  He knew that, in the My Little Pony universe, a cutie mark manifests itself on a pony’s flank when their special talent becomes apparent.  He laughed, “I guess I have talent somewhere in this noggin after all…”

Pinkie giggled, “Obviously!  It is your cutie mark!”

Brain plopped into one of the chairs beside the ponies.  He closed his eyes and muttered, “I wonder if I’ll ever see the boys again?”

The doctor looked at him in confusion, “Who are ‘the boys’, Brain?”  

Brain chuckled, “Some old buddies back home.  They’d never believe me if I told them this was happening.”  He hopped off the chair back to his hooves.  He tapped one hoof lightly on the floor, trying to get used to the feeling of being a quadruped.  “Is there any place around here I can get a beer?”

The ponies looked at him, puzzled by what he had asked.  Twilight asked, “What’s a ‘beer’?”

Brain’s jaw dropped.  “I know this is a child-friendly world, but you don’t even have beer?!”  He hung his head low, feeling an emptiness grow in his gut.  “Beer is a beverage that adults drink to become intoxicated.  It distracts the mind from daily events.”

Applejack slapped him on the back with a hoof, “You’re talking ‘bout cider ain’t ya?”  A smile grew on her face.

“Cider?  Yeah, I guess that would work.”  He lifted his head to look at her.

“You want some cider, eh?  I know just the stallion to get you a fix!  Best cider in Ponyville!”  Applejack started walking towards the door.  The other ponies followed her.

Brain looked at the doctor, “So uh…I’m safe to drink cider, right?”

The doctor chuckled, “Of course you are!   You’re what, twenty-five?”  He started walking back into his office, leaving Brain to his business.

“Yeah… Okay, take me to him, if you don’t mind.”  He turned back to the ponies behind him, and followed them out the door.

Outside the hospital, Brain’s mind was flooded with so many beautiful colors and scents and voices, it was almost overwhelming.  He stopped periodically to just sit and take in the sights.  He couldn’t believe just how picture perfect this world was compared to the show he loved so much.  He couldn’t believe he was living the life of a pony.  He tried to imagine how jealous all of the other Bronies back home would be if he could prove this was happening.

He followed the ponies- who he continued referring to as the ‘Mane Six’ in his mind- to a small white fence that surrounded a large barnyard and orchard.  He was actually standing outside Sweet Apple Acres…  The scent of apples filled his nose, and his stomach grumbled hungrily.

“Heh…I guess I didn’t get any breakfast this morning…  Come to think of it, I never ate dinner last night…”  Brain shook his head, trying to run the hunger from his mind.  He followed the ponies through the white fence and into the large barn in front of them.  

“Hey, Big Mac, you here?”  Applejack called into the barn, her voice echoing back and forth.  No voice called back, so she just shrugged her shoulders and stepped out of the barn.  “He don’t seem to be here.  He might be over at the café with Doctor Whooves.”  She turned to head back toward the main body of the town.

“Doctor…Whooves?”  Brain had heard the name so many times on the internet.  He knew Doctor Whooves simply as a background pony with an hourglass cutie mark.  He’d also read plenty of fan-fictions of Doctor Whooves being some space-time adventuring pony, in true fashion to Doctor Who.

“Yep, they get together every day for lunch.  Not sure why, but they seem to get along.”  Applejack started trotting along, following the path back into town.  The other ponies followed at an equal pace.  Brain sighed, and then followed them.  He wasn’t feeling too good about disturbing someone’s lunch rendezvous.

The group quickly approached the café Applejack had mentioned.  Sitting at one of the outdoor tables were a large red stallion and a slightly scrawnier brown one, both munching on what appeared to be flower sandwiches.  As Applejack trotted right up to the red one, Brain assumed that he was Big Macintosh.  After all, he was the only red stallion Brain could remember seeing on the show.  If the red one was Big Mac, then the brown one had to be Doctor Whooves…

Big Macintosh and Doctor Whooves sat at their usual table in the outdoor café, waiting for their food to arrive.  Every day at 11 am, the two would get together for lunch.  Though they both did two different jobs, and worked on different sides of town, they had a lot of interests in common.  For instance, they both enjoyed a game of Apple Jacks from time to time.  Other times, they enjoyed going for trots in the Everfree Forest.

“Ain’t been too much commotion ‘round here lately.  Hope it stays that way.”  Big Macintosh took a large bite from his sandwich.

Doctor Whooves took a sip from his cup, cleared his throat, and asked, “What about that monster that attacked Equestria last month?  I heard he almost took over the whole world!  Of course, that’s absurd.  The Princess would never let something like that happen.”  

Big Mac scoffed, “I don’t wanna be rude, but you can’t trust Celestia with everything.  There’s some stuff she can’t handle.  Wanna know a secret?”  Big Mac was annoyed with how little news had spread about the events from the previous month.  He had witnessed everything go down.

Doctor took a bite from his sandwich, waving his hoof, “Go ahead, shoot.”

Big Mac smiled, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told ya it was Fluttershy that saved us, would ya?”

Doctor started choking on his sandwich, laughing as he tried to swallow.  “You’re right, I wouldn’t believe you!”  He finally got the food down.

“Eeyup, I didn’t think so.”  Big Mac took another bite from his sandwich.

Doctor watched as a group of mares passed by their table, eyeballing Big Mac.  “Is it just me, or has every mare that passed by today given you a…longing…look?”  He raised an eyebrow.

Big Mac blushed, and chuckled, “Well, you ever wonder why they call me Big Macintosh?”  He winked.

Doctor’s expression twisted into one of slight disgust, “Too much information, Big Mac!”  His face flushed red.

“Ha ha ha!  Well, ya asked, didn’t ya?”  He took another bite from the sandwich.

Doctor quickly looked around for anything that could change the subject.  He noticed Applejack and her friends trotting along the road, heading straight for their table.  “Uh…isn’t that your sister?”  He pointed a hoof in her direction.

Big Mac turned his head just in time to see Applejack trot right up beside him.  “How’s it goin’, sis?  Need somethin’?”  He smiled at his little sister.

Applejack laughed, “Sure do, Big Mac!  Got a stallion that’s new in town an’ he wants to try your cider!”  She turned as Brain trailed up behind the rest of the ponies.

Big Mac and Doctor looked at the stallion.  With a chuckle, Big Mac said, “Looks like you’ve got a twin, Doctor.”  Everypony looked back and forth from Brain to Doctor.  They did look kind of alike.

“Ha ha, that’s very funny, Big Mac.  What’s your name, stranger?”  Doctor extended a hoof like the doctor did before.

Brain hoof-bumped the stallion, “My name’s Brain, and I’m guessing you’re Doctor Whooves?”  

“He sure is.  And I’m Big Macintosh.  Nice to meet ya, Brain.”  Big Mac chuckled.

Doctor squirmed uneasily in his seat, until he finally couldn’t hold it in any longer.  He laughed, “What kind of right-minded mare names their colt ‘Brain’?”  He almost fell out of his chair, until Applejack kicked him in the side.

Brain rubbed his head again, “I don’t know, maybe the same kind of mare that names their colt ‘Doctor’?”  Doctor immediately stopped laughing, whereas the whole group busted out at that.

Twilight looked at the sky.  “I hate to be rude everypony, but we’re late!”  She pulled out a map of Everfree Forest from the pouch at her side.

“Late for what, Twilight?”  Doctor asked.

Rainbow suddenly remembered, “We were supposed to meet Zecora an hour ago!”

Applejack said, “We’re gonna help her pick ingredients for some new potion she’s makin’.”  

The six ponies, without waiting for another word, darted off toward the entrance to Everfree Forest, leaving Brain all alone with the other two stallions.

Big Mac kicked a chair out from under the table, “Have a seat, Brain.  No sense in just standing like a mule.  Relax a bit.”

Doctor called the server over to them, “Three orders of Sweet Apple Cider, please.”

The server nodded, and headed straight through the doors into the café.  The trio of stallions exchanged looks in silence for a few moments.  Brain found himself tempted to stare at Doctor Whooves, to which Doctor responded negatively.

“What?  Is there something on my face?”  He had an angry frown.

Brain thought carefully about what he said next.  “What?  No…nothing.  You just look like an actor I knew back home.”  

“An actor, you say?  Mind giving me his name?”  Doctor smiled, thinking it was a complement.

Brain hesitated when he said, “I believe his name is David Tennant…  He played in a show called Doctor Who.”  The instant he said the show’s name, he slapped a hoof over his mouth.

Doctor was obviously not amused, “Ha!  That’s so funny!  You made a pun with my name!  You aren’t the first to do that.”  Big Mac chuckled at Doctor’s reaction.

Brain tried as hard as he could to make amends, adding, “I’m completely serious right now!  He was the star of a play called Doctor Who!  It was about a guy who could travel through time and fix things that went wrong!”  Brain smiled sheepishly, hoping it worked.

Big Macintosh helped him out by adding, “I’d watch it.”  

Doctor settled down.  He laughed, “Sorry for overreacting!  It’s just…ponies are all the time taking my name and making puns.  It gets old.”  He took a sip of his drink.

Brain smiled, “Believe me, I know exactly how you feel.  My name isn’t exactly normal.”  He hesitated before asking his next question, “Do you guys believe in other worlds?  You know, besides this one?”

Doctor looked at him with an eyebrow raised, “I don’t see why not.  It’s possible, but I wouldn’t expect any aliens to come raid our farms or anything.”

Big Mac added, “Of course there’re other worlds.  That’s where the monster came from.  I remember goin’ there with everyone else.  It was weird.  Eeyup, it was real weird.”  He looked at Brain intently, reading into his body language.

“You’ve seen other worlds, Big Mac?  And why didn’t you invite me?”  Doctor laughed.

“You were too busy wrecking the place to come.”  Big Mac chuckled in reply, before returning his attention to Brain.  “You ain’t from Equestria, are ya?  Ya got the same feel as the monster’s Shadows:  Otherworldly.”

Brain raised his head high, looking into Big Mac’s eyes, trying to determine whether he was teasing or being serious.

“I don’t know if you’ve ever heard of us, but I’m a human…”