My name is David, and I'm a twenty-three-year-old in a sixteen-year-old's body.
I don't mean that I'm mature for my age; I literally WAS an adult physically until a couple months back.
It happened when I was transported to another universe, one that I'm already familiar with: a world of humans of every color, literally, and a school that had just recently had a brief visitor from another world. The school's name is Canterlot High, and I've been a fan of the fiction it's based on for some time. It's been three months since the events of the Fall Formal, along with my waking up here the next day as I found out later. Now... now I'm a long ways away from that school.
Why? Because I can't risk interfering with even the most minor of characters, because I might make a colossal change in these people's lives. Unfortunately, that's left me with nothing but the clothes on my back. Sure, I've had my nutritional needs met by the local soup kitchen--except on days when I spy certain CHS students volunteering--and there are water fountains all around, but I've been sleeping in small covered spaces across town. Add to all that the fact that I haven't said more than a few words to anybody, and you can see how depressing it can be.
I'm even more depressed since today is Christmas Eve. The time of the year that should mean being together with family and friends just makes it even harder to have a smile. As a matter of fact, I've had to use a couple restrooms so far today to hide my now-regular breakdowns into silent tears. I feel another start to rise again, and I'm about to open the door to the nearest building before I realize exactly where I am: the interior looked like a coffee shop, a woman with turquoise skin and rosy red hair behind the counter, and six very familiar girls together in a corner.
I pause to see them all focused on each other talking and smiling and laughing, a rare smile crawling onto my own face. I turn the other way and start walking again, knowing that at least those girls were enjoying the season in full. As I turn the corner, however, someone looks straight at me: one of the girls from earlier, light pink skin and curly dark pink hair.
"Hi!" she half-shouts while waving. I gives a small wave back. "Are you new here? 'Cause I've never seen you around before. You were looking lonely, and that made me sad, so I thought I'd run out here and meet you, so nice to meet you! I'm Pinkie Pie!" It took me a second to digest the information before introducing myself in kind. "Do ya wanna come inside and get something to warm up?"
"I don't have any money on me," I respond. That much was true; last I remember, all I have on me was from my last night at home, a wallet devoid of dollar bills and a purple and silver flash drive.
"No problem, it's on me!" Pinkie wraps an arm around my shoulder as we walk back to the store. As I open the door, the main thought going through my head was:
'I hope I'm not making a big mistake doing this.'
"So are you more of a coffee guy or hot cocoa guy?" she asks once we reach the counter.
"Cocoa. I can never stand that bitter taste."
"Coming right up." She proceeds to talk to the rosy-haired woman about my order. Meanwhile, I chance a look at Pinkie's group and, not surprisingly, all eyes are on me. I give a tentative wave to them, and they all wave back with smiles--well, I can't see the face on the yellow-skinned girl's face very well due to her using her pink hair as a veil. Pinkie hands me a warm white foam cup and starts pushing me again, now toward her friends. Her other hand grabs an empty chair and sets it between two of them. I take my seat, then notice who I'm sitting with: to my left is a light-blue-skinned girl with rainbow hair; and the other girl has light-yellow skin and red-gold hair.
"Everyone, this is David! David, this is Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Sunset Shimmer!" Pinkie say while pointing out each of her friends around the table. They each make their introductions while I sip my drink.
"So how long have you been in town?" Sunset asks.
"A couple days. Just trying to figure out the lay of the land, which led me to walk to... here."
"Why not just use the map on your phone?" Pinkie asks, pulling a small blueish-gray slab with three white balloons adorning the back that match the ones on her skirt.
"I don't have a phone."
"Why not?" Rainbow Dash inquires, a curious look growing on everyone's faces.
"I... it... was lost in a fire. I lost everything I don't have on me now," I fib.
"Oh my," Fluttershy exclaims. "E...even your parents?"
"No, they... they were partly to blame for it. My dad's a smoker and he left a cigarette lit, and... fwoosh. So social services had me taken out of their care and emancipated due to my age. After all that I just wanted a clean slate, so I hitchhiked to Canterlot."
Everyone took my faux-sob story to heart and offered their sympathies... all, that is, except Applejack, who remained silent.
"So... can any of you help me out?"
"But of course, darling!" Rarity proclaims. "I can never stand to see anyone out in the cold, especially a friend and DEFINITELY not on Christmas!"
Everybody else, Applejack included, agreed. Once we all finish our drinks, we exit the Shoppe.
"So, anybody have ideas on where to start?"
"I believe a change in clothing is in order," Rarity says, leading the way to our first destination.
---
Apparently, the boutique Rarity works at has a men's wear section. Who knew? I didn't, and I also didn't know we'd basically play dress-up for the first hour we were there. The fact that Pinkie was encouraging the dressmaker hasn't helped much. It also didn't help that she quickly segued from casual wear to tuxedos.
"Can we PLEASE stop, Rarity?" I groan.
"Aw, but I have just one more jacket for you to try on."
"You said that FIVE FULL SUITS AGO."
"Fair enough," she mutters before replacing coat hangers that she could somehow balance on each finger.
"YES, FINALLY!" I cheer, at the same time Rainbow Dash got up from her seat and stretched.
"Mm, what'd I miss?" the athlete says, earning a glare from the fashionista.
"Not much. Just some more odds and ends she simply HAD to see if they clashed with my eyes or that hair or some other part of the suit I probably won't wear," I say while I duck into a changing booth to switch from the suit to a newer variation of my old clothes: dark gray long-sleeve, blue jeans, black sneakers, and a thick black coat.
"Heh, ya got her to a tee. 'Rainbow Dash, could you be a dear and help model a blouse or two for me after school?' Two hours later, and I'm still stuck here."
"I do NOT sound like that," the white-skinned menace interjected, taking offense to Rainbow's butchered accent.
"Maybe not," I reply, "but you have to admit you seem to lose track of time when you're in your element." Almost on cue, my stomach starts loudly rumbling.
"Hoo-wee, is it lunchtime already?" Applejack checks her phone. "Anybody up for a meal at my place?" As I exit the booth, everyone voices in the positive, save for...
"Darling?" I turn to see Rarity holding two large shopping bags full of clothes, plus a wire hanger draped with white plastic.
"Wow, I...I can't accept that much from you."
"Nonsense! After losing all you have, you need as much as possible to help get you on your feet!"
"But-" Rainbow pulls me back.
"Listen, she's not gonna budge, so thank her and let's go. I ain't waitin' longer than I have to for some fizzy apple cider." She pushes me back towards Rarity.
"Uh... thank you, Rarity."
"You're very welcome, David." She places the bags and hanger in my hands then joins the others.
"Wait," I say while thinking it over, "where am I gonna put all this?"
---
Currently, the bags are in the trunk of Rarity's car, the hanger on a hook so that it covered the window I was next to while four of us drove to Sweet Apple Acres, the Apple family's farm-slash-residence (the others came in Applejack's pick-up). Now my stomach is unquestionably full from a nice dinner that was surprisingly sparse of apple-based fare, save for Rainbow's choice of 'nectar for the gods'. After taking care of some business in the closest bathroom, I walk out to find the farmgirl herself waiting and no one else around.
"What aren't ya tellin' me?" she says with a cooled, cross gaze.
"Hey, if you think I'm fibbing about being alone--"
"No, you're showing clear as day you'd be on your own without us, but I know you ain't being up-front about most of what ya said at the Sweet Shoppe."
She's GOOD, a lot better than is shown to me before. I take a couple seconds to form an honest reply.
"I have my reasons for not telling you... any of you... about my past. If it makes you feel better, I'll try to open up eventually."
"Eventually?" She raises an eyebrow.
"I promise." I take a second to dwell on what I said. "And I'll do what I can to keep my promises." She stays silent, almost stoically so, before replying.
"Can you handle some hard work?" I nod silently. "I'll get you something to do here in a few days." She walks past me on her way to her friends, her smile growing in an unnerving fashion. "Let's see if you can handle what I dish out."
...What does it say about me that I'm starting to become frightened for my life?
---
The rest of the day is spent generally goofing around with the six girls and running into an occasional classmate of theirs. As they tell me about themselves, I tell them some inconsequential things about myself (favorite music: hard rock--which curries some more favor with Rainbow--and some jokes I've learned that are hit and miss for the most part, yet Pinkie almost always laughs at them). Our journey ends at a second visit to the boutique, where the girls start parting ways gradually (each promising they'll see me tomorrow) until only Rarity is left. She leads me to a staircase that leads to a modest one-bed one-bath apartment.
"I've used this from time to time while working on some tight deadlines, but while you were busy with the others, I talked my boss into letting you stay here as long as you need." Needless to say, I'm awestruck by the bombshell.
"...I can't thank you enough for this."
"Just make sure you get a good shower and a good night's sleep. I believe you'll find everything quite adequate."
"Adequate? I thought it'd be better if you were using the room." That earn me a curt giggle.
"That's by MY standards. Perhaps you're aren't so refined?"
"Can't really be choosy about accommodations, can I?"
"Right..." Her demeanor softens slightly. "There's nothing in the kitchen, so I'll be around in the morning with breakfast." She walks back to the door, but pauses. "Good night, darling, and sweet dreams."
"You too. Mine may not be sugarplum-sweet, but I think I'll manage."
"Mm-mm, you still need some work on your humor." Once she closes the door behind her, however, I hear a stifled chuckle.
I shake my head with a smile before getting into a routine I haven't been accustomed to for some time: choosing clothes, taking a shower, pulling on a couple layers' worth of cloth, and sliding into a bed--but not before looking out the window to see a small speck of white pass a streetlamp below.
'Christmas snow?' The girls were saying the chances were half-and-half that Canterlot would be getting its first snow on Christmas for the first time in several years tonight, and now with confirmation of at least a brief bit of snowfall, my mood gets a bit brighter. 'Maybe there's magic at work for me,' I think as I tuck myself in for the night. 'Maybe I should have make friends with them sooner.' I close my eyes and enjoy slipping into the land of slumber for the first time in over three months.