Everything was dark inside the vehicle. There were twenty-five of them in all; twenty five ponies. They huddled together in fear, the stallions wanting to comfort their mares, and the mares wanting to comfort their foals. With every turn, every bump in the road, they were startled, the elders amongst them wisely reminding them all not to panic, hiding their worries away for the sake of the younger ones.

The truck stopped sharply, throwing the lot of them against the back walls. A filly whinnied in pain but was soon comforted by her loving parents. The convoy’s rear doors opened to a blinding light, and a gruff voice sounded, though the ponies could not make out the human’s words.

The sharp snap of a crop was heard, and all lost their senses. They lost their senses for a time. They felt themselves falling. Falling through the air, falling through time, falling through the world. Then they felt nothing but peace.

~~~

A young filly was the first to wake up and look around. Lush greens and hearty browns caught her eyes. The lot of them were slowly rising to their hooves in the middle of an amazing field, a peaceful land of prosperity and abundance.

“Where are we?” a colt neighed.

“I don’t know,” a mare replied, “but it’s breathtaking.”

“This doesn’t look like any field I’ve ever seen,” an old stallion grunted, only to be cut off by his granddaughter’s whinny.

“It’s... so beautiful!”

“Look over there!” a younger mare whinnied.

Two mares were looking at them from atop a hill some distance away. The first was a mare the size of some of the larger stallions in their group. She was an unusual shade of blue, deep as the darkest of nights. Her mane seemed to flow despite the absence of wind, glittering with a myriad of stars.

The second mare was a pony larger than any of them had ever seen, larger than even the horses some of them had worked with before. She stood majestic, bearing a coat of the purest of white, and a dazzling mane that shone like the light of the rising sun.

Instinctively, the ponies bowed their heads in reverence. The two mares had a commanding presence and inspired respect; there was something simply magical about them.

“Please, my little ponies, raise your heads,” a soft voice rang. It was soothing, calming. It felt like the warmth of the summer sun after spending winter cooped up in the stable. “You have nothing to fear from us.” They saw that the majestic white mare had unfolded broad wings from her back and glided down the hill, joining their numbers.

“We know what you have been through,” the second visitor added, walking alongside the first. “We are quite distraught about the fate that has been made yours.” Her voice, in turn, recalled the twinkle of the stars in the sky and the crisp night air, distant yet refreshing.

“You have suffered a great deal and endured hard times. Some of you have known injury and illness, or endless toils and hard labor.” The white mare bowed in turn to the older stallions and mares present.

“Others have known the sorrows of neglect and abandonment and the sadness of loss.” As she spoke, the night pony bent down and gently nuzzled a lone filly, reassuring the frightened foal.

The neighs and whinnies of the two magnificent mares were full of conviction and charisma, yet charming and endearing. The ponies were happy to listen calmly, their hearts full of wonder at the marvels around them.

“Today, mares and stallions, fillies and colts, the time of your toils is over.”

“We would like to offer you a new chance at life; we would like to give you happiness.”

The two mares rejoined at the head of the group and spoke in a common voice, beckoning for the twenty-five to follow them.

“Ponies, welcome to Equestria.”