Hello, faithful reader! As you read this, it’ll seem pretty immediate that the story continues on, like I had just finished Act 1 only yesterday!

Hahaha… Wrong!

But seriously, welcome back. As it happens, it’s been about…four or five years since I’ve actually written in this journal. You wouldn’t believe how hectic and fun-filled life in Equestria is. Actually, you probably could. If you’ve watched MLP, then you know exactly how great Equestria is. And let me tell you, having firsthand experience in the matter, I can without a doubt say that Equestria is the most fun place in the Universe/Multiverse (I believe in multiple Universes).

So yeah, I haven’t written in a while. Right now, it’s actually about nine o’clock at night. Fluttershy fell asleep sort of early, and I decided to get in bed with her. But, seeing as though I’m not tired, and I’ve been desperately wanting to get back to writing, I figured why not?!

So, where to start, I wonder? I guess I should start a couple weeks after I had arrived in Equestria. Seems as good as any other place… No, that’s a lie. If I start too late, the story will kinda suck. Yeah, actually, I know exactly where to start. I’m actually starting to get jitters! Seriously, you guys have no idea how drastically everything has changed here! So let’s begin!

So, I had been Equestria for about one month. Fluttershy and I had been alternated staying at each other’s homes. Some nights, we stayed at Fluttershy’s, and others we stayed at mine. It didn’t matter, honestly. We just needed each other. The days were filled with antics of one genre or another. Sometimes there’d be a friendship problem, which, aptly enough, would get wrapped up in about a half hour. Other times, there would be monster problems. Those were fun, actually, as I got to discover (and usually beat up) crazy creatures! And other times, the girls, Spike, and I would just have a ton of fun! Seriously, there is never a dull moment to be had in Equestria!

Of course, it took a while for all the ponies of Equestria to get used to seeing me. I was an alien to them from a world they had no knowledge of. I didn’t expect any different from them. But in time, everypony really lightened up to me. I made a ton of new friends, in fact. Almost everypony especially seemed to enjoy my taste in music, which was mostly rock and metal. I was thoroughly surprised, as the ponies of Equestria are quite gentle and peaceful, and the music I listen to is… not. But hey, who am I to complain about great tastes in music.

I think one of the biggest changes I had to make was how I ate. Obviously, meat isn’t viewed as a delicacy in Equestria, so it was goodbye hamburgers, steak, etc. basically forever. It wasn’t as tough as I thought it’d be, though. I started eating a lot healthier, what with there being an abundance of apples and other more natural foods to eat. I must have lost about twenty pounds during my first year in Equestria. I had never felt better.

Work wasn’t that much of a problem. I managed to work tons of odd jobs here and there to keep myself going. Applejack provided me with the most work, usually on the farm. I really enjoyed working with her. She was so reliable and helpful. Other times I’d help out Rarity with transporting her dresses and such. Having worked in theatre, I actually learned a thing or two about designing costumes and clothes, so I’d even help her out with some of that stuff too. I used to not really like Rarity that much, but getting to know her personally, I can say that she’s actually really kind and caring.

Other days, I’d help Twilight organize the library. You wouldn’t believe how nitpicky that pony can be. Honestly, the best part of working with Twilight was bothering her with Spike. That little dude has become my little brother at this point, something I had always wanted! Of course, our antics would always get to a semi-dangerous point, and then Twilight would blast us with magic, and then we’d have to stop. But the best part of it all was how reasonable Twilight was. Sometimes she’d even enjoy our antics.

Pinkie Pie is an atomic blast to work with! We’d usually just bake and sell delicious treats! I can say, without a doubt, Pinkie is the most fun pony in the entirety of Equestria! Seriously, she’s the most fun-loving pony I’ve ever met in my life! And I love that about her! And then, of course, there’s Rainbow Dash. We never did any work together. We just screwed around together (not like that). Most of the time, we’d go around pranking people or just racing. I never really one most of those races, but they were exhilarating nonetheless! And let me tell you, Dash is one of the most loyal friends I could ever ask for. Aside from Spike, she’s my closest friend here in Equestria.

One of the more magical things that had begun to happen was the sharing of my dreams with Fluttershy. We had already been able to do that for a while, but it didn’t happen very often. Every night we’d hope that we would be able to, but luck would often let us down. Now, in Equestria, it happened about once or twice every week.

Each time was as magical as the first.

However, the dreams led to some troubles. Emotional troubles. For me. Call it envy, if you will.

Most of the time, in our dreams, we’ll be flying together in the sky, just the two of us. Just like the first time we shared dreams. Now, however, rather than me just levitating in the air through unexplainable means, I actually have wings. Fucking wings! Sounds awesome, right!

Well, it would be, if it weren’t for the fact that in reality I didn’t have wings…

Anyway, my envy began to show. Fluttershy started to get worried, so I told her of my troubles. She was so understanding about it, whereas Rainbow Dash liked to poke fun at me. I would always bonk her on the head as retribution, and it was always so satisfying! But yeah, I had a serious case of wing envy.

For a couple of weeks, I spent hours tediously rummaging through Twilight’s library, trying to find any sort of spell that she could perform on me. All that she could really do though was give me those girly gossamer wings she gave Rarity way back when, so that was a bust. I even tried making a few contraptions, but none succeeded.

I nearly gave up, when I remembered a certain zebra friend of ours that would more than likely be able to solve my problem.

So, on a quiet Sunday morning, I told Fluttershy I was going to run a few errands. She would be out anyway, and I wanted to surprise her. I didn’t tell a soul. With my true intentions covered up properly, I set out through the Everfree Forest to Zecora’s hut. A few days prior, I had met with Zecora in Ponyville to discuss our meeting. Everything would be ready upon my arrival.

Let me tell you, the Everfree Forest flat out sucks. I mean, seriously, they made it seem bad in the show, but in actuality, it’s worse. Not by much, but trust me, it’s worse. If anything, it’s because of the smell. They never mentioned that in the show, unfortunately. Otherwise, everything else that that’s mentioned is there; muddy paths, scary plant life, foreboding nature in general, the works.

I made it to Zecora’s hut at last, eager to begin! As I entered, I looked around, eyeing many of the unusual decorative pieces littered across the walls. Most of it was really intriguing, while other stuff was rather strange. But, I had not come for tips on interior decorating, after all. I had come for wings!

“Zecora! How’s my favorite zebra?!” I cheerfully greeted her. She gave me a warm smile in return.

“Why hello, Matthew. Come for your interesting brew, have you?” she rhymed. I always loved that about her! Her traditional method of speaking was always very curious to me, and I find that it is her most salient quality.

“Indeed I have! Is everything ready?” I asked. She nodded and led me to her cauldron, which rested over a hot fire. Nothing but water was in it when I looked it. I watched for a moment before turning my gaze to see Zecora beginning to gather up the ingredients. I noticed that she had a bowl of what looked like eagle feathers, which gave me a peculiar idea. “Hey, Zecora, would it be possible to specifically give me eagle wings? I know that sounds funny, but I’ve always loved eagles. I wanted to get a pair of eagle wings tattooed on my back, but I never got around to it.” I wondered, after having asked, if it could be as simple as just adding a feather to the mix. Zecora looked at her bowl of feathers, and then back at me, with a smile on her face.

“Of course, my friend. You seek flight, so we must do it right. Grab a feather from the bowl, add it to the mix, and you shall reach your goal.” I picked up a feather and placed it on the table where she had placed the rest of the ingredients.

Shortly after, she began to mix everything together. Let me tell you, it smelt worse than any concoction man has ever come up with. I mean, this stuff smelt like ass; worse than ass, to put it bluntly. The color seemed to change slightly with every ingredient added. It went from red, to a dark yellow, to a bluish red, and finally, when Zecora added the feather, a light shade of brown. Taking another daring whiff nearly made me hurl up some chunks.

Zecora filled up a small bowl with the mixture and gave it to me. I looked down at it in discomfort and slight disdain. It almost didn’t seem worth it. I stared at Zecora with a disgruntled look. She gestured towards me, but not to drink though. I continued to stare, puzzled by her motions.

“It would be wise to remove your shirt, lest you wish the process to truly hurt,” she said, pointing at my shirt once more. I chuckled and removed it hastily. I then looked back at the mixture, and back at Zecora. She continued to gesture for me to drink it. With much acquiescence, I drank the ungodly mixture. It seemed to go down in chunks. It was straight up nasty!

When I finished, I dropped the bowl to the floor and nearly threw up once more. I shook my head and looked at Zecora. She was smiled at me and walked away.

“Hey, where are you going?” I received no answer, and suddenly, a powerful jolt of pain shot through my body. It was unbearable! I let out a ghastly cry in turmoil. I held my chest, writhing in pain as I fell to the floor. It felt as though my spine and my shoulders were doing the tango across the inside of my back. It wasn’t just painful, it was uncomfortable!

And before I could do anything else, I blacked out.