The sun was shining its way into my bedroom like it would on any regular June day around 6:00. The days were nice this time of year but I wasn't able to enjoy them. Recently I was contracted to help with engine code for some new game a guy was making. I am like a programmer version of a hired-gun. You need code written for something you hire me. If it’s a good job and pays fairly for what you need me to do, then I’ll take it. As long as it’s legal that is.
I graduated from college about 4 months ago. I studied computer programming at the Peter Kiewit Institute at UNO (University of Nebraska at Omaha) now I am a computer programmer who does various things. Game code, audio code, website code, security code. You name it I know something about it. Whether I can code it efficiently is another story. Like don’t try to get me to program Java for some petty mod of that popular Minecraft game. Sure Java code is easy but it’s a waste of time and work.
Anyway you might be wondering who I am by now. Well my name isn’t really important since soon you’ll be calling me something else entirely. But you should know that I am an average guy living in the middle of the United States of America. I am a computer prodigy of sorts. So my mind is the logical sorts. I have a firm grip on my life and who I am. Or so I have thought. I would summarize it but perhaps it’s better to give you the full story of how I found myself in a strange world I thought was mere fantasy.
As stated before the sun had just roused me from my sleep on this early June day. It was going to be another normal day, the last one I’d ever have here on Earth in fact. I didn’t know it at the time though. So I began my normal routine. Get showered, shave what little bit of facial hair decided to grow back since the last day, and eat. After I ate I logged on to my computer and added the finishing touches to a project I was hired for.
An MMO made by a small company I had never heard of. Pay was good though so I took the job. Today I was finishing the last six thousand lines. To put that in a simpler perspective; for what I am doing I can do about ten thousand lines in what would be a 9 to 5 time. So another day at the office you could say. I got it done and sent it to the boss.
By now it was around 6:00 at night. I gladly shut my computer down and went to the kitchen. For days when I wasn’t too hungry I kept packs of ramen. It was actually a habit I formed back in college that still kind of stuck with me. So I made a pack and sat down to watch the episode of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic that had aired last Saturday and I missed.
Happy after enjoying my ramen and MLP episode I decided to go to sleep early. So I cleaned up, turned off the TV and walked up to my room. The sun still had not set and it cast a nice radiant glow across the skyline of downtown Omaha. I looked for a minute before closing my blinds and getting changed. As I laid in my bed I sighed from exhaustion. Today was a long and hard one. I had no idea that this new engine the guy was making for his game was so complex. It would be fair to say some of the big Triple-A guys would want their share of it.
After running some jokes through my mind about the big companies like Activision, SQUARE ENIX and others I found myself drifting off into sleep. My eyelids became heavy until I could no longer keep them open. My fan’s ‘whir’ sound faded and soon it was silent. Everything was quiet… Until the fateful moment came.
“Hey are you okay?” I heard a voice ask. That voice…it sounded familiar… “Come on wake up!” there it was again. I could have sworn it sounded like…nah that’s not possible. I opened my eyes and standing over me was a lavender alicorn…it was Twilight Sparkle? Okay what was in that ramen I had? Why was I dreaming this?
“huh?” I kind of just said as I look around. I look to my left then my right… I appeared to be in the Palace of Friendship?! I look up and see the tree stump light over the gathering table…thing… then I go to rub my head and a flat hoof responds to my arm’s motion. I look at it in shock before looking to Twilight again and shouting a little. This wasn’t real! It was a dream. I was dreaming about being with Twilight.
“Are you okay?” she asks again looking me in the eye.
“Uh... yeah what happened?” I asked confused as to what was going on.
“Well I kind of tried a spell to move two objects through dimensions… and well… you came here instead of the apple returning…” Twilight says tapping her front hooves together nervously. Was she for real? Was that the best I could dream about?! What is going on with me tonight? I swear that ramen had something in it!
“Is that so?” I ask unsure. “Am I dreaming?” I ask.
“Sadly no.” Twilight answers. “I am afraid not. At least I don't think you are?” She had to be joking. There was no way this was real. I’ll hit myself! Whenever I do that I snap back to the real world in an instant! I raised what would have been my right hand if I was still…human and hit myself with all the power I could. I close my eyes from a second and then open them again…Twilight was still there! This wasn’t true! I hit myself again…still there… and again…no good. Soon I gave up…what had happened to my reality?! I got to sleep and I wake up here because of some weird experiment by Twilight?
To be fair…it made some sense. I had done some research on the M-Theory and stuff but I never took much of it seriously. Well I should have… I should be in shock and emotional distress but I am not. “I can send you back!” Twilight exclaims.
“Don’t!” I reply “I am fine.” Truth is…. I was being honest. If this really is real and not a dream, then I need to stay here. Where I can start over…make a new life…new friends…But also I now question myself…what has happened to the reality I knew? Was it gone? Was it still there? So many questions about reality and what was real or not flooded my mind. Almost as quick as they came they left.
“What…is your name?” Twilight asks me. Name? Oh crud! I need a name. I can’t use my normal name it would sound stupid! Think…a name? I look up and into a foggy reflection of myself. Crimson unicorn, black mane, very messy and a short tail. Oh! I got it!
“My name is…Crimson Shade.” I reply. “Nice to meet you...” She offers a hoof to help me and I take it. As I do so I felt a sharp pain in my well what is now my back leg. I look and noticed blood seeping out of an open wound. How could that have happened? I wondered. There was a small gathering of blood on the floor from it. This was how Twilight was able to take notice. I guess being red like I am blood isn't easy to see.
"Oh dear what happened?" she asks.
"I honestly have no clue." i reply as she calls for Spike. Soon a purple dragon comes running in with what looked to be a first aid kit. She took out a most gauze like material using her magic and dabbed my leg. I inhaled a sharp hiss of breath. That stung...like well for lack of a better term hell. Twilight then took a tape and wrapped it around my leg making a bandage
"There." she says "All better."
"Thank you" I say grateful for her help. Well I could feel pain. There was no doubt now...this was real. I truly am in Equestria.