>It began with a kidnapping
>Just one, people would mysteriously disappear out of thin air
>No one around would remember
>Security cameras would go blank
>As the days passed by, people began to disappear more
>The faces on the news were never female
>It was always these average joes that you'd think no one would miss
>Nearly all of them single and inactive on social media
>It wasn't very long until the news stopped reporting on the wave of disappearances
>People didn't care
>You didn't care either
>None of this shit mattered anyways
>You had a job to hate
>You had a boss to bitch at you
>You had a paycheck to get
>You had bills to pay
>You had stuff to lift so you didn't shoot up that godforsaken store
>Fuck it, 2AM lifting at that crappy 24/7 gym
>There was one other person around, some weirdly buff guy wearing running shorts and a hoodie
>His face was red and veiny and he was curling a 15lb weight as fast as he possibly could
>It didn't matter
>Not in the slightest
>You put some weights onto the smith machine because there was no fucking bench
>Start doing your sets while the guy across the room makes these hissing noises likes he's a burst pipe
>You finally made it to your max as far as bench went
>Oh lord it was heavy
>Your arms quivered as you forced a second and a third rep before racking the weight
>Three was better than one
>The tv, that usually showed CNN had turned off
>Looks like Chunk across the room was resting
>He was sitting silently, weights by his feet
>Good
>Loud-ass Chunk needed to shut the fuck up for once
>You take a sip of your powdered drink mix that you brought with you
>It tasted like a raspberry punch in the mouth
>The lights flickered before resuming the usual buzzing
>The radio in the gym stopped
>Taylor Swift's Bad Blood became Silent Blood
>It was an improvement
>You looked down at your headphones
>They weren't plugged into anything but the speakers were hissing
>Spooky shit
>It was probably time to go
>You didn't want to be around for real spooky hours
>"Hey, you're Anon right?" a voice called out from somewhere unseen
"What?"
>"Yes! I was hoping I'd get to you."
"Where are you?" you looked over your shoulder and around the gym
>"Give me a moment."
>Slowly but surely a little pony materialized a few feet in front of you
>You noticed it was black and white
>A little zebra?
>You stare at it with a blank expression
>You look to see if Chunk noticed
>He was sitting silently
>The tv was blank
>Your headphones were hissing
>Your phone was dead
>"Hi." the little zebra says, shifting from side to side
>Was this some kind of hidden camera show?
>Was some youtuber going to jump out at you and shout "It's a prank ecks dee!"
>The little zebra gazed at you with an increasingly worried look
>"Are you okay? Hello?"
"Holy shit, a talking horse."
>"I'm a zebra, there's a difference. Can I talk with you for a moment?" she takes a few steps closer
>She was a cute little zeeb, you wanted to rub her cheeks and pet her
"I don't see why not."
>"So... I have a lot of explaining to do and only a little bit of time to do it."
"You do, what's going on?"
>"Okay. A really quick rundown on everything. I came here from another world using magic but it wasn't my magic so I don't really understand how it works. Basically in my world there's so few males that lots of us mares got together and started searching in other worlds and we found this one so we're here to find possible boyfriends but a lot of humans aren't really into the whole pony and human pairing so we had to use more magic to find the right pairs, and the spell thinks we might be compatible and I've never had a boyfriend and you've never had a girlfriend so will you come back to Equestria with me please?" she sputtered out at the fastest talking speed you've ever heard
>The little zebra gives you a cartoony sad look
>You don't say anything for a moment
>Check your schedule for the week
>Get up early for work
>Move heavy shit
>Pay bills
>Pay for college
>Wait a minute, she said you've never had a girlfriend
>That's a load of shit, you had a gf on Runescape when you were 12
"Alright, let's go." you shrug, resisting the need to hold the zeeb
>The little zebra began jumping in the air
>"Yes! I've been waiting for this forever! Come on!"
>She jumped up and grabbed onto your hand
>There was a white flash and you were walking with her through a bright corridor towards some bright end
>Weird day, but it's not over yet
>"I'm Azizi, I was told your name was Anon." she says, continuing to lead you towards the light
"Yeah. That's me."
>You and Azizi get to the end of the hall and the light fades
>You step out into some pony version of the DMV
"What is this?"
>"The department of husbando collection. At first ponies would open bootleg portals and rush through but this is much more organized and faster."
"Oh shit!"
>You just remembered you left your drink on Earth
>"What is it?", Azizi asks
"I left my drink!"
>"... What?"
"I always told Chunk that I was sipping Gatorade Bitter Mountain Rush but it was Kool Aid!"
>"We should be going now, I think we're holding up the line."
>A bored, chubby mare sitting at a desk looked out into the lobby
>"Now serving #162." she read into the intercom
>An excited mare stepped forward and past you and Azizi
>She gawked at you curiously before going up to the pony operating the portal and stepping through
>You and Azizi left the DHC
>Wherever you were, you weren't alone
>Little ponies and humans all walked through the streets
>You even saw a gryphon or two walk by
>Cool shit
>You kept your hand on Azizi as she navigated the village
>Twisting roads and paths formed a complicated net filled with small buildings of wood and cobblestone
>As Azizi made her way further away from town, the spaces between buildings grew and the amount of grass increased
>"Me and my family all work as doctors. My parents pass down everything they know." Azizi says, leading you past a wheat field to a large bordering forest
>Along the forest's edge was a clear border between sunny rolling hills and eerie overgrowth
>Azizi kept skirting the edge of the forest, much to your discomfort, until she came up to an alcove with a large shack built on the shoreline of a pond
>She grinned ear to ear for you
>"My family is very excited to meet you, Anon." she leaned against you happy and secure
>She lead you up a boardwalk and in through the front door
>Inside of the shack was crazy decorations, masks adorned the walls, things that could not be set anywhere were hung up in nets, and vases of exotic flowers filled the rooms with their scents
>There were also jars of various preserved or unidentifiable substances stacked up in aged cupboards
>"My father says he practices holistic medicine, but there is a lot of magic involved." Azizi says, unphased by the overwhelmingly decorated room
>She brings you to a closed door down a darkened hallway
>"This is my room." her face was a bit red, "I should have cleaned first but I didn't think I'd actually be bringing you home so soon."
>Before you could step into Azizi's room there was a heavier, slower clattering of hooves in the front room
>"Azizi? Are you home? I've brought you a new comb." a voice calls
>A figure slips into the hallway
>"Hello father." Azizi says, nudging in front of you
>The larger zebra stallion looks at you
>His eyes look you up and down, visually interrogating you
>"Who is the strange fellow? Standing here so oddly mellow." he seemed a little upset
>"Father, this is Anon. Anon this is Azama, my father."
>The larger zebra seemed to instantly light up
>"So this is the one I have heard so much about! And here I was, ready to throw him out." he extended a hoof happily
>You shook it
>"I guess I should introduce you to my family." Azizi looks down the hall, "It looks like they've just gotten home."
>Azizi and you head out into the main room again
>Before she can say anything, Azama blurts out
>"Family come here, Azizi has something to share." he announces
>You follow Azizi into the main room
>She had a little filly sister and her mom was peeking in from the kitchen
>"Welcome to our home, Anon. It is so nice to finally meet you." her mom chimed
>"That is my mom, Mozi, and my little sister, Zulu." Azizi says
>The little zebra filly rushes over to you, "He's real?! I thought you were making it all up, Azizi." she laughs
>"We didn't think our little Azizi would be able to find a mate, and you've come along before it was late, so tell me Anon, why the wait?"
"I uh... I can't say I know. I think I was in the wrong universe."
>"A weathered traveller you are, finally you've found a guiding star."
>Azizi turned red
>"Father!" she turned away from both of you to conceal her reddened cheeks
>Her mother leans in from another room, "Your father is right, you've helped him more than you know, and he's handsome too. If I were a few years younger..." she trails off