Rearranging Perspectives

by The Dimension Traveler

The Plunge

Rearranging Perspectives

Chapter 1: The Plunge

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Samuel ‘Sam’ Hitchcock Wilson looked over the edge of High Eagle Cliff and fought off a wave of vertigo. The sharp rocks below were just waiting for some poor creature sacrifice itself to wash them in its blood. They were about to get a very rare treat: a willing victim. Or to put it more plainly, Sam was about to commit suicide.

However, Sam wasn’t one of many unfortunate souls who decide that life is too hard to continue. In actuality, Sam was there for the opposite reason: He found life to be much too easy and had grown bored with it.

Sam had graduated high school at the crisp age of 16 and was in the middle of his third semester with the local community college. Thus far, the challenge he had expected was non-existent. Therefore, he decided to see if things were more exciting on the Other Side, as it were.

This leads us back to Sam, preparing himself to jump into the deadly embrace of the rocks below. Sam’s pale-green eyes shining with apprehension and curiosity while a light breeze blew through his sandy-brown hair; his heart beating wildly in a vain attempt to keep his 5’ 11” frame alive. He thought briefly about his parents; he knew they’d be devastated, but he couldn’t bring himself to care, even though he knew he should. He pushed all those thoughts aside and jumped.

“GERONIMO!” He shouted and as he fell, in those last few seconds, he thought about the birthday cake he would never have. Today was his 18th birthday, after all.

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Rainbow Dash was doing her favorite thing in the world after sleeping and slightly above reading Daring Do: training for the Wonderbolts. She knew that even her awesomeness couldn’t get her into the Wonderbolts alone. It had only taken three rejections for her to figure that out.

In any event, Rainbow Dash was streaking through the skies, leaving a prismatic streak behind her, when she spotted something falling. She watched whatever it was until it crashed into a nearby meadow before it registered that whatever it was that had fallen would probably need help. Therefore, she flew to go do so.

When Rainbow Dash landed and got a good look at it, she didn’t like what she saw. It was some kind of animal that she had never seen before, but Fluttershy probably knew what it was. The more important thing was that it was badly hurt. It had many minor cuts all along its body and what looked to be clothes, but more worryingly was the amount of blood around the face and an arm that Rainbow Dash was sure shouldn’t be bending the way it was.

Rainbow Dash knew she was out of her depth and decided to do what she usual did when she didn’t know what was going on: get Twilight. With that choice made, she flew off to Ponyville as fast as her wings could carry her. She hoped the creature would be OK until she got back.

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Twilight Sparkle liked to keep things neat and organized as much as possible. For this reason, she found Rainbow Dash’s habit of flying in through a window willy-nilly irritating.

“Twilightthere’sathingthat’shurtandIdon’tknowwhatitisweneedFluttershyto-”

“STOP! I can’t understand a word you’re saying! Take a deep breath and talk to me in a way a pony can understand!” Twilight barked at Rainbow Dash, who complied with the order and took a deep breath before continuing.

“I was training for the Wonderbolts when something fell from nowhere and landed in that meadow that’s a mile out of town. When I went to check on it, it turned out to be a creature I’ve never seen before, but it’s really hurt and we need Fluttershy because I don’t know how much longer it’ll survive if we don’t do something!” Rainbow Dash shouted

“You go get Fluttershy and take her to the creature. I’ll go get the others,” Twilight decided and the two departed on their missions.

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Fluttershy was doing her chores when Rainbow Dash suddenly flew into her yard.

“Hello, Rainbow, what can I do for you?” Fluttershy asked

“There’s a hurt animal and we need your help!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed

“Oh my, let me get my first aid kit and you can show me where it is,” Fluttershy said and after she retrieved said first aid kit, they flew towards the meadow where the injured creature was.

Once they arrived, they found they were the last to arrive. The others were already examining the strange creature.

“Ah’ve never seen anything like it,” Applejack remarked

“It looks simply dreadful,” Rarity added

“Where do you think it came from? Do you think it came from space? Maybe it just appeared out of thin air!” Pinkie Pie gasped

“Girls! We’re here to help it, not gawk at it!” Twilight tried to retain some semblance of order, but it was a losing battle.

“We’re here with the first aid!” Rainbow announced and they all gave Fluttershy the space she needed to work her special brand of magic.

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Sam was aware of exactly two things; one, he was in pain, and two, he was conscious. Make that three; Sam was pretty sure he wasn’t dead. If he was, it sure wasn’t how people thought it was.

“Well, I don’t feel dead,” He muttered to himself

“Ya don’t look dead neither,” Replied a voice with a definite southern drawl, “But it sure was a close thing.”

“When one throws themselves off a cliff, one generally expects-” The rest of Sam’s witty and sarcastic retort died in his throat as he opened his eyes and was greeted with the sight of no less than eight very colorful equines. This was made even more unreal by the horrified expressions on most of their faces and that wasn’t even going into the one with the Stetson’s hat.

“I am going to ask this one time and one time only for the sake of my questionable sanity: why is there a pony with a cowboy hat?” Sam asked

“Ah like my hat!” The pony in question defended her favorite headwear.

“You wake up in an unfamiliar place, surrounded by unfamiliar ponies and the first thing you ask is why Applejack is wearing a cowboy hat?!” The purple unicorn exclaimed

“It’s a reasonable question and it also got me bonus information! Further, now that I think about it, talking horses is odd enough, but horses that talk in English?” Sam wondered

“Translation spell, but that’s not the point here mister! The point is-!”

“As interesting as it is to watch you two squabble, I believe there are indeed more important matters, such as how you got here,” The dark unicorn/pegasus remarked

“Beats the tar outta me. One minute I was throwing myself off a cliff,” –cue horrified faces-“And telling St. Peter to get my bed ready, the next I wake up here in the land of cowboy hat wearing ponies,” Sam remarked, resigning himself to whatever coma induced illusion/purgatory he had been sentenced to. Although, there was the chance he was simply insane. Sam wasn’t sure which option he liked better, but there was always the off chance this was real. In which case, he didn’t particularly want to offend anything by trying to invalidate his/her/its existence.

“Who is this ‘St. Peter’ and why were you throwing yourself off a cliff?” The white unicorn/pegasus asked

“St. Peter is a religious figure. As for why I was throwing myself off a cliff, well, I wasn’t exactly planning to tell anyone why and I still don’t plan to. It’s usually a rather private matter, motivations behind wanting to kill ones self. The kind of private that doesn’t include beings of unknown origin that I don’t know,” Sam snarked

“Hey! Nopony talks like that to the princess!” The cyan/rainbow colored pegasus barked

“Princess? Well then, I’d better warn you ahead of time; my psychologist says I have an unhealthy lack of respect for authority. Flippancy is to be expected at every possible turn,” Sam quipped and the purple unicorn was about to say something, but was cut off by the dark unicorn/pegasus.

“Before this devolves into one-liners, perhaps we should introduce ourselves.” She suggested, “I am Luna, alicorn princess of Equestria. I’m in charge of the moon and the night.”

“I am Celestia, alicorn princess of Equestria. I am in charge of the sun and the day. My sister and I co-rule.” Sam had to clamp down on the impulse to ask about a queen.

“My name’s Twilight Sparkle and I am Princess Celestia’s personal student.”

“Hi! I’m Pinkie Pie! When you’re all better, we’re gonna have a ‘welcome to Equestria’ party!”

“Ah’m Applejack. I run Sweet Apple Acres with mah family.”

“Rarity, darling, pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

“I’m the super-amazing Rainbow Dash, fastest flier in all of Equestria and this is Fluttershy,” The cyan/rainbow one said while motioning to the pegasus that seemed to by trying to disappear into her own mane. “She doesn’t talk much around strangers, but she’ll warm up to you. She takes care of just about every animal in and around Ponyville.”

“Looks like it’s my turn then; my name is Sam Wilson and I’m a human formerly of the planet Earth. I am the master of snarks, lord of quips, and high ruler of comebacks, or so I like to think. If I had known I was going to end up in a place other than Heaven, Hell, or Earth, I’d have packed. Brought books, pictures, and stuff. Can’t think of anything else right now, so that’s pretty much it for the moment. I don’t suppose there’s any chance of getting home?” Sam asked

“Even if we did know where exactly you came from, opening a portal like that would still be a huge risk,” Celestia answered

“Right, suppose we don’t want Cthulhu popping in for tea because someone screwed up a portal,” Sam commented offhandedly

“You know of the Old Ones?!” Celestia exclaimed

“I was joking…or I thought I was. Great, now I have to worry about Lovecraftian horrors slithering out from under my bed. What’s next, eldritch abominations wanting to play hacky sack with my head?” Sam groused

“In any event, we can make your life here easier,” Celestia said

“How so?” Sam asked

“My sister and I could turn you into a pony,” Celestia offered

“Oh yes, give up my humanity which I’ve held and cherished my whole life in exchange for becoming a member of a species I know absolutely nothing about using a magic I know just as much of. Of course, let’s not forget the hundreds upon thousands of new and exciting ways I can fail at everything pony related from mere walking to any social status quo. If nothing else, if I stay human I can claim ignorance and people will believe me. If I were to become a pony, I can’t very well claim ignorance because I’m a being from another world and/or dimension who has been turned into a pony! Not without being thrown on the tender mercies of the insane institute every other week and I’m sure you have better things to do than bail me out on a regular basis. That, and hands; I happen to be very fond of my hands and the fingers they come bundled with,” Sam quipped while wiggling said appendages. ‘I sound like the freaking Doctor!’ Sam thought to himself.

“Can we take that as a ‘no’?” Luna asked a touch sarcastically

“Indeed you can. If I ever change my mind and feel the need to become a pony, please smack some sense into me and hold nothing back, for in that case I will have clearly lost my mind temporarily,” Sam remarked

“You seem to have already lost it,” Twilight muttered

“I heard that Twilight Sparkle,” Sam said and then failed to suppress a snicker.

“What’s wrong with my name? Twilight is a perfectly respectable name!” Twilight protested

“It’s not your fault. Back home, there’s this romance novel that just about everyone hates and it’s called Twilight and it’s about vampires that sparkle. Hence, twilight sparkle. Hence, your name is an unfortunate coincidence. Ergo, I find it amusing,” Sam replied

“You must feel so awful that you’re never going to see your friends again!” Pinkie Pie interjected before Twilight could reply

“Friends? I have a cousin who puts up with me once a year for family reunions, or ‘had’ I suppose. That’s about as far as possible ‘friends’ go,” Sam said, mostly to himself, but the others all heard it and Pinkie Pie in particular seemed to find it horrific.

“Don’t worry! When go to Ponyville, we’ll make you lots and lots of friends!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed

“Speaking of Ponyville and Equestria and such, where are we exactly and how long have I been out?” Sam asked

“We’re in a private room in Canterlot Castel and you’ve been unconscious for two days since you arrived here. While they were fixing your arm, we decided to take the liberty of doing a complete medical checkup,” Luna answered

“‘Fixing my arm’? Please tell me they didn’t use magic on it,” Sam almost begged

“Of course, it’s standard practice for such a sever break,” Twilight responded and Sam facepalmed.

“Did any of you stop to think that maybe, just maybe, I’d have a horribly adverse reaction to magic, being from a different world and/or dimension? Or maybe unforeseen consequences, like I suddenly become able to use magic? Was there any thought put into this?” Sam questioned

“Probably should have thought about that beforehoof. On the bright side, the scientific data from how your body responds to magic should be fascinating!” Twilight exclaimed like a child who has been told Christmas will come early.

“Your concern is heartwarming,” Sam snarked, oozing sarcasm. The others were content to just watch the exchange like tennis fans watching the ball going back and forth between players.

“I’m glad you think so, because I’ve decided to make Twilight your teacher,” Celestia cut in

“WHAT?!” Both Twilight and Sam shouted

“I think you will make an excellent student-teacher pair,” Celestia responded

“And the rest of us will never know a moment’s rest again,” Rarity whispered to the other five and they all giggled

“I…upon review of my current situation, I have decided that, despite the fact that 90% of our time will be spent engaged in snark-to-snark combat, having someone who can teach me useful things, like how to read the native script, will be needed. It might as well be Ms. Sparkle here. At least she comes with the stamp of approval,” Sam remarked

“I don’t know, are you sure I’m ready for a student, Princess Celestia?” Twilight asked

“I trust that you will be able to teach Sam all about the magic of friendship and all the other essential things,” Celestia responded

“Wait, ‘magic of friendship’? I don’t wanna be blasted!” Sam exclaimed and everyone gave him a weird look.

“Blasted? Where’d you get that silly idea?” Pinkie Pie asked

“I don’t mean I’m worried about actually getting blasted. It’s a reference…no one will ever understand my references ever again. On second thought, no one got my references anyway. The more things change, I guess,” Sam said, “If I ever just belt out a non-sequitur like that and I don’t explain myself, just assume it’s a reference.” That’s when Sam’s stomach growled loudly.

“I imagine you must be hungry,” Celestia commented, “What does your kind eat? I imagine at least a little meat, given your dental structure and are there any food allergies?”

“Humans are omnivores. As far as allergies go, my Mom claims I’m lactose-intolerant, but I’ve yet to see an evidence materialize to support those claims,” Sam answered

“Very good, I’ll notify the kitchen. In the mean time, try to stay out of too much trouble,” Celestia remarked and then left.

“It’s like she doesn’t trust me or something,” Luna and Sam remarked at the same time and that got a round of snickers all around.

‘Well, at least I don’t think I’m in any danger of becoming bored,’ Sam thought to himself. Yes, Equestria promised to be the perfect balm for his boredom, on the off chance it didn’t kill him first.

Author's Note:

This idea just popped into my head today and it wouldn't leave me along until I wrote it. My own entry into the 'human in Equestria' community. You know things are going to be fun when names like Cthulhu are being thrown around. Whether he'll actually appear in the story itself is still up in the air.

In any event, please click on the thumbs up or down. But if you click on the thumbs down, the least you could do is explain why and help me to improve in the comments section below. ;-;

Comments

[Terrifying Space Worm]

Looks interesting.

[Terrifying Space Worm]

Yup, continue this. It's pretty damn good; seemed a bit rushed. Then again, the start was when he threw himself of a cliff, so it's to be expected. Hopefully it won't 'rush' after this chapter.

Ignore Larry, my pet tapeworm.
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[clinot]

I like the style of writing, the HiE is over done, but with a good style like this I think it could be pulled off once more.

[CaptnPenguin]

Please put Cthulhu in this, otherwise i think i will be only crazy one on this website.

[VikingOtaku6]

2863531 All in favor of Cthulhu becoming a character, say "Tekeli-Li"!