>When you wake, your vision is blurred and there is a persistent throbbing in your head
>You squeeze your eyes closed and blink a few times to clear the spots away
>But when you open your eyes again, it still feels like you're seeing the world through some sort of mesh filter
>You groan and roll over
>Is your hearing off?
>The noise sounds muffled, though that might also be from whatever fluff you feel stuffed in your mouth right now
>Your limbs feel heavy and not your own, and you flop weakly against whatever soft material you're lying on
>Are you hungover?
>You try to swim through the brain fog to remember last night, but the events are blurry
>In fact, all your memories seem a bit blurry
>You can't remember any of what you've been doing, just a miasma of flashing colors and then your first thoughts as you woke up today
>Who were you?
>Where were you?
>The questions swim inside your mind, around and around
>But you feel so very nice and cozy where you're currently resting
>Warmth envelopes you, and you wouldn't mind just lying here for a very long time, but your curiosity is getting the better of you
>Unsurely, you get up as best you can
>Embarrassingly, it seems like you can't even remember how to stand, so you do it how it feels best: on four legs
>On four hooves, even
>Four plush purple hooves
>Wait a minute
>That didn't seem right
>You're not sure what you normally have, and you can't remember what they're called, either, but these appendages don't feel like something you're used to
>What an odd feeling
>You press them experimentally into the ground, observing as they squish softly
>You giggle as it causes you to feel a slight compression, almost as if you're being wrapped snugly by something else
>You're so occupied with your new hooves that you almost failed to notice you're standing on grass
>Did you fall asleep outside?
>Some part of you tells you that you normally would dislike doing such a thing, but now, for some reason, it doesn't feel so bad
>It's beautiful outside, too
>You take respite in the peaceful scenery: the rustic village behind you, a meadow of flowers and grass before you, the sleepy mountains ahead of you, a chorus of birdsong and the chirps of small critters permeating the quiet stillness
>It's beautiful, it really is
>You marvel at the fact you've never seen anything like it before
>Maybe you just never paid attention before, or maybe it was just something you forgot, but that wouldn't be the first time that happened today, anyway
>“Ah, I see you waking up from your repose, my faithful student”
>You whip your head around
>You weren't expecting company
>Beside you stands a snow-white alicorn with an ethereal mane
>She is imposing, larger than life
>She gazes at you with a smile you cannot detect the meaning behind
>You know this mare. A name pops in your head
>Princess Celestia
>You're filled with a sudden sense of anxiety, and you drop to your knees in a frenzied bow
>Something inside you desperately wants to please this mare and earn her recognition
>Though you still can't speak, a whimper escapes your throat as your breath moves quickly in and out
>You squeeze your eyes shut, waiting for the worst
>But after a few moments, you only hear soft hoofsteps and pressure on your body
>Hesitantly, you open your eyes and find that she’s doing nothing more than gently rubbing your shoulder
>Where her hoof presses, you feel your plush body squish and deform, sending tingles of pleasure through you
>It almost feels like you're being tickled through your fur
>Plush body?
>Were you always like this?
>Like most things right now, the sensation is alien, and something doesn't quite add up in your mind
>But it feels good, and the longer she massages you, the less your knees shake and the better you feel
>So you let it happen
>When you're all calmed down, she pats you twice on the head
>“There's no need to worry, my little pony,” she says
>“I'll always be here for you, and you needn't be scared of me or anything else”
>She turns her head. “Look, and your friends are waking up, too”
>More ponies?
>You follow her gaze
>She's right; there are five other blobs of bright color nearby that you hadn't noticed before, all in various states of confusion, lying down on the soft grass
>Their names come to mind quickly, too
>Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy
>You wonder where you've heard these names before, or why they're so familiar to you
>Though their names and personalities now come to mind quite easily, for some reason, it still feels like you're seeing them in person for the first time
>And something doesn't quite seem right
>They all look soft and huggable, that much is true, but almost *too* soft and huggable
>They all have adorable, wide, unblinking eyes and unmoving smiles, despite their confused demeanors
>When you look closely, there are stitches and seams covering their short fur, something your brain tells you that you haven't quite seen on a living creature before
>And despite their mouths, which are closed shut, you still hear all sorts of unsure moans and grunts, much like the ones you emitted from your own stuffed mouth when you woke up
>Wait, did Princess Celestia call these your friends?
>There did seem to be a missing pony from this pack, after all
>That couldn't mean…
>In a rush, you sit on your haunches and hold out your front hooves in front of you
>You squish them together, rubbing the ends of purple fur together
>You clumsily reach behind you and grasp your hair, and when you hold it out in front of you, you see a very familiar pattern of blues, pinks, and purples that almost don't seem like individual strands, but rather one big piece of multicolored fabric sewn together
>Your tail matches your mane, and turning around to look at your rump, it's almost no surprise that you find a six-pointed star surrounded by five other little ones
>There is one, and only one conclusion you can take from this
>Princess Celestia tilts her head at you in concern
>“Is something the matter, Twilight Sparkle?”