>You never thought just looking at the horizon would take so much getting used to.
>Especially after over a year.
>But life has a way of surprising you.
>And surprise you it did.
>Well, when it comes to describing how you felt after being transported from your humble life on Earth to a pastel-colored land called Equestria filled with magical talking ponies, “surprised” would be the understatement of the century.
>The powers that be didn’t even have the decency to turn you into a magical pony like every other citizen of Equestria.
>You were dropped into this world as the lone human.
>If you were a furry, you would have been devastated by this great big cosmic accident.
>You managed to get some light shining on the greatest mystery of your life.
>Thanks to a kind yellow pegasus named Fluttershy, you were introduced to her friend Twilight Sparkle: princess of friendship (whatever that means) and “the smartest pony around”.
>It was Twilight that explained the whole deal to you: some villainous pony named Riptide got ahold of a magical artifact that could open portals to other dimensions.
>Riptide tried to open a portal to a dimension containing an army of a million minions, but they apparently weren’t as adept in the magical arts as Twilight, and the attempt resulted in space-time distortions rippling out throughout the multiverse.
>While Twilight and her friends did manage to defeat Riptide, one of those space-time distortions caused your home universe and the universe of Equestria to “overlap” just enough for you to slip from your home world to this new world like a fish being transferred to a new bowl.
>Twilight swore to you that she would do anything to get you back to your home world.
>She pinkie promised you that she would send you home.
>You found it to be an incredibly cheesy gesture, but it was serious business for her.
>That was over a year ago.
>Over a year of asking what kind of progress she’s made on sending you back home.
>Over a year of being told she’s getting closer to a breakthrough, approaching a finish line that never seems to get closer.
>Over a year of clinging onto the hope of going back to the world you belong in.
>You don’t want to sound ungrateful, and there are certainly worse worlds to have been isekai’d to, but you can’t wait for the day you get to leave Equestria.
>You don’t belong here.
>You’re an alien.
>A gargantuan hairless ape in a world of small colorful ponies.
>The ponies are generally nice to you, but it’s impossible to ignore how they look at you.
>Their eyes are so big, big enough to carry a million unspoken feelings.
>Curiosity, intrigue, apprehension, amusement, disgust, and so many other things.
>At least you have the horizon.
>The earth, the sun, and the sky are still a constant in this world.
>You’re told the sun rises and sets because of an all-powerful alicorn named Princess Celestia who rules all of Equestria, but what really matters is the sun still rises and sets.

>In your spare time, you can sit on the grass and just stare into the horizon, grounding yourself in some kind of normalcy.
>In between all the unicorns and pegasi, you still have the horizon.
>”Is everything okay, Anon?”
>Fluttershy’s gentle voice brings you back to the present moment.
>You agreed to help her build birdhouses after a bad thunderstorm destroyed one of the trees that so many of her bird friends called home.
>You nod and refocus your attention on the mostly-assembled birdhouse on your lap.
“Yeah, just taking a bit of a breather.” You answer her, turning to face her.
>Fluttershy gives you a smile as she sits down beside you.
>”That’s good! You’ve been working so hard today, it’s important you take a breather.” She says to you.
>Fluttershy is one of the ponies you’ve gotten to know over the past year and change.
>She was actually the first to get to know you after ended up in Equestria.
>She looked past your alien physique and introduced you to her friends.
>Thanks to her, you’ve found enough work to make a humble living for yourself.
>But it’s temporary at the end of the day.
“This isn’t actually super hard work for me, I could stay up all night making birdhouses if you want.” You jokingly offer with a small smile.
>”Oh, no, I would never ask you to do that!” Fluttershy hastily assures you.
>You gently laugh and add the finishing touches to your current birdhouse and present it to Fluttershy.
“You sure? Because I’m on a roll here. If you want your cottage expanded, now’s the time to ask.” You teasingly offer.
>Fluttershy gratefully accepts the birdhouse and carefully holds it in her hooves.
>”You’ve done more than I could have asked of you today, Anon. Thanks to you, all our little bird friends will have a nice, safe place to sleep tonight!” Fluttershy beams, then flapping over to her cottage to place your latest birdhouse by the thirty other birdhouses you’ve built today.
>Above her cottage, countless birds covered with feathers of all colors anxiously watch her manage the birdhouses, eager to move into their new homes.
“I can hardly accept all the praise, Flutters. You’re the one who made all of them so pretty.” You remind her, gathering your tools and getting up from the grass.
>Fluttershy’s been hard at work painting the birdhouses you build, she made sure each and every home has a unique color and decoration that makes each and every one of them beautiful in their own way.
>Butterflies, flowers, suns and clouds, and other cutesy, outdoorsy things painted onto gentle, pastel colors.
>It’s amazing how nicely she can paint when she’s holding the paintbrush with her mouth.
>Fluttershy gently blushes as she gets herself situated before the bare wood birdhouse with a freshly prepared set of paints.
>”Whatever the case may be, I can’t thank you enough for all your help today. Would you like some tea while I finish painting?” Fluttershy offers.

>You stuff your tools into your pockets as you stand up, groaning a bit as you stretch out your body.
“Wish I could stay, Twilight said she needed to see me.” You say to her.
>Fluttershy perks up at this little bit of news.
>”Do you think she’s found a way to get you back to your world?” She asks you.
>The flower of hope that’s been growing in you all day begins to blossom upon hearing someone else say it.
>It’s reassurance that what you’re hoping for is actually possible.
>Over a year of waiting is about to come to an end.
“I hope so!” You answer, feeling giddy just saying so.
>”That would be so wonderful!” Fluttershy excitedly agrees, but you detect a hint of sadness in her voice.
>”Oh, but the little birds would miss you terribly after you’ve helped give them a new home…” She adds, looking up at the birds nestled together on her roof.
>She’s right, the birds do look upon you with sad expressions like they can understand your conversation.
>It’s a sight that plucks at your heartstrings, but your heart’s soaring too high to have its chords cut.
“I’m not worried about them. With somepony as caring as you looking out for them, they’ve got nothing to worry about!” You assure Fluttershy with a smile.
>Somepony.
>It’s a bit of vernacular you picked up on.
>Everybody- ah, everypony in town uses speech like that, you do what you can to fit in.
>Fluttershy gently nods in agreement, but she’s still not entirely convinced by your stance.
>She looks to you hopefully.
>”Well… when- I mean, if you get to go home, will you stay a little longer to say goodbye to everypony?”
>You can’t imagine how many would care to see you go.
>You’ve tried to minimize your presence in Ponyville, but you couldn’t avoid making some connections.
>They’re really big on “power of friendship” stuff here.
>No doubt thanks to Twilight Sparkle, princess of friendship.
>To answer Fluttershy’s question, you give her a gentle nod and matching smile.
“Of course I will, Fluttershy. I owe it to you and your friends after everything you’ve all done for me.”
>”They’re your friends too, Anon!” Fluttershy insists, clutching the birdhouse tighter.
>You chuckle a little and gently nod.
“Right, right. Anyway, I really should be going. Rain check on the tea?”
>”It’s a deal!” Fluttershy happily agrees.
>Smiling brighter at her and with a flutter in your heart, you dust off your clothes and wave goodbye to Fluttershy.
“See you later, Fluttershy!”
>”See you later, Anon!” She happily bids farewell to you, turning her attention to painting the birdhouse as you turn to leave.

>The stroll back to Ponyville is a bit of a hike for you.
>Fluttershy lives on the outskirts of town, just like you.
>Likely for similar reasons, too.
>The warmth you felt when working with Fluttershy fades more the further you venture from her home.
>You got into the habit of taking the long path to Twilight’s castle whenever you went to visit her.
>Walking straight through town draws too much attention to you.
>Even though you’ve lived within the town limits of Ponyville for over a year, some of the townsfolk never got used to seeing you.
>You can’t blame them.
>Whenever you have to venture into town to stock up on food, you always feel like a lumbering oaf in the midst of all those ponies.
>Always having to hunch down to talk to the ponies behind the counter doesn’t make you feel any smaller.
>There’s always another pair of friends sharing hushed conversations while looking at you, or another young pony pointing you out to their parents.
>Well, not for much longer.
>Twilight had to have found a way to send you back home.
>Back to where you belong.
>A world filled with humans, just like you.
>With doors and buildings built for humans.
>You walk with more pep in your step.
>Twilight’s magnificent crystal treehouse that she calls a home beckons you forth.
>Somehow, within its walls lies your ticket back home.
>You can hardly wait.
>Your walk turns to a brisk stride as you let the excitement you feel in your heart spread to the rest of your body.
>Then your brisk stride turns to a jog.
>You don’t care about how you may look to the ponies around town, what they think won’t matter soon.
>Before you know it, you’re standing right before the golden doors of Twilight’s castle.
>Twilight’s letter said you could come right in once you get there, so you do just that.
>Pushing past the doors, you’re met with a blast of cool air circulating within the castle walls, inviting you in.
>There’s hope in the air, you can smell it.
>That hope is laced with something tantalizing: the scent of home.
>It’s impossible to describe, but something about the air lingering around you reminds you of home.
>No more waiting, let’s go home.
“Hey, Twilight? I made it! What did you wanna talk about?” You call out to her, hoping she’s nearby.
>You hear some rustling nearby like you caught someone off guard, which you quickly recognize as Twilight’s faithful aid: Spike.
>Spike’s lying on a nearby cushion with his face buried in a book as he turns to face you.
>”Huh? Oh, hey, Anon. Twilight’s just upstairs, I’ll let her know you’re here.” He says to you, using some of his magic to send Twilight a note before going right back to his book.
>His book is something you recognize: the story of Superman, written by Anon Y. Mous.

>That’s how you made your humble living in between helping out ponies like Fluttershy: writing books for stories you’ve known all your life from your time in your home world.
>You’ve written plenty of books, telling the stories of the Star Wars, the Power Rangers, the Legend of Zelda, and many more.
>Ponies kept buying them, but you have a sneaking suspicion that they’re not THAT enthralled by your retellings.
>It’s likely just the novelty of having a story from another world that gets them to spend their bits on your work.
>You get paid, that’s what matters most.
“You know, I’m struggling to remember a time when I’ve come here and you weren’t reading that book. I’m amazed you haven’t gotten tired of it yet.” You remark to the baby dragon.
>”I’ll never get tired of this book! Superman’s so cool!” Spike gushes, looking up at you with excitement.
>The little guy’s happiness is really infectious, as evidenced by how you’re smiling along with him.
“Yeah, he is! He’s one of my favorites!” 
>Spike readjusts himself on the cushion, redirecting his full attention to the written words before him.
>”No bad guys can ever stand a chance against Superman! He’s way too strong and tough to ever be beat!”
“But you’re forgetting Superman’s true power: his heart.” You remind Spike.
>Spike looks up from his book to give you a confused look.
>”What do you mean?”
>You step beside his cushion to talk more directly.
“Where I’m from, power of all kinds has been wielded by humans of all kinds. And some of those humans were truly, truly evil. What makes Superman such a great hero is how he inspires all of us to be the best versions of ourselves. Even though he born on the planet Krypton and even though he’s so drastically different from humans like me, he’s a relentlessly good person. Being a hero isn’t just fighting bad guys, sometimes being a hero is helping someone when they need help. Because that’s what a hero really is: someone who uses what they’ve been given to do the right thing, solely because it’s the right thing to do.”
>Spike blinks, then gazes down at his Superman book in amazement.
>”Woah… I never thought of it like that.”
“I mean, just look at General Zod! He was given all the same powers as Superman, and I’m sure his henchmen thought he was being heroic when he was threatening to destroy the world to bring back Krypton, but Superman was the real hero because he was always willing to fight for those who couldn’t fight for themselves.”
>”I get what you mean now!” Spike excitedly says to you.
>”Like, Hum Drum is just as much of a hero as Superman is!”
>If only you could have introduced the concept of superheroes to Equestria.
>But the Power Ponies beat you to it by several years.
“Yeah, exactly!”

>”Anon?”
>Twilight Sparkle’s voice draws your attention away from your riveting conversation with Spike.
>This is it!
>Your ticket home is moments away!
>You turn around to face the princess of friendship, bowing a little because you’re in such a good mood.
“Hey, Twilight! You wanted to see me?”
>Twilight smiles at you in return, but it looks strangely… forced.
>”Yes, um… follow me, please.” She instructs you, leading you up a set of stairs.
>Her tone doesn’t bode well.
>Even in another dimension, it’s a tone you know all too well.
>That’s the sound of someone preparing to deliver bad news.
>But whatever the truth may be, you’ll know what the deal is soon.
>”Catch you later, Anon!” Spike waves you goodbye, burying himself deep in his Superman book again.
“Yeah, see you later.” You say to him before following Twilight up the stairs.
>The staircase leads you to the throne room, where seven stunning crystal thrones, each adorned with the “cutie marks” of Twilight and her friends, surround a circular table.
>The windows have been shuttered, leaving you alone with Twilight, who you find standing beside what looks like the magical artifact that Riptide tried to use to open a portal to another dimension.
>The thing that got you here to begin with.
>Twilight sighs as she begins to speak.
>”Anon…”
“...Yes, Twilight?” You ask her, feeling the shadow of dread loom over you.
>Twilight is struggling to look at you, there’s pain written all over her.
>”...I spent all week trying to figure out how to say this, but I think the best way to do that is to just say it…”
>Twilight opens her mouth, but it takes another moment for her to actually speak.
>”...I’ll never be able to send you back to your home world.”
>...
>Time stops around you.
>Your blood runs cold.
>Your heart sinks.
>Twilight’s words echo in your mind.
>No.
>She couldn’t have said that.
>You had to have misheard her.
>That has to be it.
“...What?” You manage to say, your voice barely above a whisper.
>Twilight shrinks back in shame, her ears drooping and her head hanging low.
>”Y-You see, I thought even though your home world doesn’t have any magic for the Dimensional Scepter to connect to, we could open a portal there by honing in on your quantum resonance, but the thing about the multiverse is that… it’s infinite.”
>No.
>”I mean, even if we narrow down your precise quantum resonance down to a million digits, infinity divided by a million is still infinity…”
>No.
>”A-And even if we figure out which universe out of the infinite in existence there are, there’s still an entire universe to open a portal to! If we’re off in our calculations, even by a tiny amount, you could end up a mile underground, or on the surface of the sun!”
>No.
>No, please, no.
>This can’t be happening.

>Your head starts to feel lighter.
>The cool air around you bites at your exposed skin like millions of vicious ticks.
>The darkness of the shadows cast by the faint light peeking through the shuttered windows appears as an impossibly black void.
>And you…
>You feel so lanky.
>So strange.
>So alien.
“But… you promised.” You manage to say, your bottom lip quivering a little at the effort.
>Twilight winces upon hearing her pinkie promise invoked, but she forces herself to main eye contact and not retreat in shame.
>”I know, I…”
>Twilight hangs her head low, casting her gaze down on the floor and scraping at the polished tiles with her hoof.
>After a moment of suffocating silence, Twilight looks back up at you.
>”...I’m really sorry, Anon.”
>Now her lips are quivering.
>Tears are forming in her eyes, threatening to spill out at any moment.
>And you’re probably not far behind.
>You don’t know what to think, what to feel.
>This entire world just came crashing down around you.
>You take a shaky step back, glancing around the throne room.
>These crystal pillars and arches, you see them for what they are.
>Bars in a cage.
>You’re trapped.
>Trapped in Equestria.
>As far away from home as you possibly could be.
>Twilight takes a nervous step towards you.
>She wants to say something, but she doesn’t know what.
>The two of you just stand in silence, choking on the emotion of the moment.
>You stand tall.
>Freakishly tall.
>You and your gangly limbs, your gnarled fingers, your ape-like body covered with clothes and scant body hair.
>You want to sit down, but none of the thrones fit you, like it’s some kind of cosmic punchline.
>”...Do you wanna talk about it?” Twilight offers you, unsure of what else to do.
>Then, something comes over you.
>Numbness.
>You mentally space out from the present moment and step back, shaking your head.
“No, I’ll be fine.”

>”Are you sure? I’m one hundred percent here if you want to talk about what you’re feeling.” Twilight softly insists.
“Yes. I’m sure.”
>Like a zombie, you turn around and descend the stairs back down to the entrance of Twilight’s castle.
>The colors around you fade together, like you’re walking in a dream.
>You barely register your motions, acting on autopilot.
>You can hear Twilight start to follow you, but then she stops at the top of the stairway.
>You shamble past Spike, who peeks up from his Superman book to notice you.
>”How’d it go?” He asks you.
>Superman.
>The only things you got to bring with you to this world full of ponies: intangible stories.
“Mm.” You answer, not breaking your weak pace.
>Spike says something, but you don’t hear it.
>You push aside the doors and step outside to see the town of Ponyville.
>Then you stop.
>You just stand there and gaze out at the small, tight-knit community.
>You’ve never felt farther away from it all.
>Each house, so familiar in its architecture, yet undeniably foreign.
>Each one housing a pony or two, all with their own story.
>All of them so far away from you.
>So unlike you.
>None of them will ever be like you.
>In a world of square holes, you’re a round peg.
>You feel the urge to cry, you feel the burning pain of homesickness, but you don’t have it in you to cry.
>All you can do is stand there and look out at the town of Ponyville, the town you’re condemned to spend the rest of your life in.
>The rest of your life as an alien.
>At least you still have the horizon.