A/N - Hi there everypony! This is my first story submission, and criticism is appreciated; all I ask is that it remain courteous and polite. I hope you all enjoy, there's plenty more where this came from!

Darkness… that was the first thing I saw when I opened my eyes. I wasn't sure if I had somehow gone blind, or if all the lights were out, but I could tell that my eyes were definitely open. My first thought was that this was some sort of dream, a thought that was reinforced when small points of light began to slowly fade into existence. Along with them came cloud-like wisps of varying colors, shapes and sizes. From what I could tell, I was floating in space, which is why I believed this to be a dream, as I knew that was impossible.

I was broken from my contemplation on this by two more shapes that faded into existence right in front of me. One looked to be a soft white, and the other was a deep blue, and the only reason I could distinguish it from the blackness behind it was due to it materializing between myself and one of those nebulous wisps that I had seen a moment ago.

I was truly shocked when the shapes materialized into what appeared to be unicorns that were standing in front of me. The one on the left that had been the white shape was about the same height as me, putting it at just under two meters tall. It had a pale white coat with a long mane and tail that was striped with pink, blue, purple, and turquoise, and soft magenta eyes, all in pastel colors. It was also wearing jewelry and it had what appeared to be some sort of crown or tiara on its head, as well as what looked like a breastplate or maybe a thick necklace. Both were made of gold and had a single amethyst set in them. It also had some kind of hoofcaps on its hooves that were made out of a pale yellow metal I couldn't identify, maybe an alloy of gold and some other metal.

The other one was maybe thirty centimeters shorter than me and had a midnight blue coat. Its mane and tail were dark blue with sparkles in it and a lighter blue outline with a single pale blue lock of hair hanging down the left side of its face. It had cobalt blue eyes and was wearing similar jewelry to the one next to it, except that its crown and necklace were both black and didn't have and stones set in them. However the necklace did have a depiction of a crescent moon on it and its hoofcaps were a bluish gray color. Both of their manes and tails seemed to be billowing, as if in a breeze, even though there was no wind as far as I could tell.

"This dream just gets more and more surreal by the minute" I said under my breath.

"I can assure you that you are not dreaming, Blake Marshall" I jumped a bit as the white unicorn spoke to me in a soft, yet authoritative woman's voice.

"Ok, if I'm not dreaming, then why am I talking to a pair of unicorns in space that somehow know my name, despite the fact that I haven't introduced myself?" I wasn't ready for the answer the smaller unicorn presented.

"You are not here because you are dreaming; you are here because your time on Earth has come to its end. This realm is not the depths of space, as it appears to be. It is in fact a plane between this life and the next, a place I believe humans refer to as 'Limbo.' As for how we know your name, we have been watching you for quite some time."

I was stunned, my mind was screaming at me that this was just some weird dream, but something in my heart told me that what these two had told me was true, like I already knew it but didn't want to admit it. "However, we are being rude" the white unicorn said, "We know much about you, but you know nothing about us. I am Princess Celestia, and this is my sister, Princess Luna. Together we are the rulers of a realm known as Equestria."

"And to clear up a misconception," the smaller unicorn, who had been introduced as Princess Luna, added, "We are not unicorns, we are Alicorns." As if to emphasize her point, both flared the wings that had been tucked against their bodies out of my view.

Ok, I had heard of Alicorns before, I've seen decorative statues and other trinkets depicting them every so often, so I knew what they were talking about. What I was having trouble wrapping my head around was the fact that I had two of them in front of me, basically telling me I was dead and in Limbo for some reason. To make matters worse, something was telling me that I should believe them. "Ok, I really have no idea what's going on here right now. My mind is telling me that everything I'm seeing is part of some kind of dream or hallucination, but my heart says that you're telling the truth, and I've learned to trust my heart. So I'll bite for now. If I really am dead, what are we doing here? I mean, I doubt I'm here in Limbo conversing with two mythical beings just for kicks."

I was still understandably skeptical, but if this really was just a dream, I'd just wake up from it eventually, and if not… well, I hadn't thought that far ahead. Princess Celestia smiled, "You're quite correct Blake Marshall, we're not here to simply converse, we're here to offer you an opportunity."

"One might call it an opportunity of a lifetime." Princess Luna added, with a mischievous smile and giggle.

"Ok, if you've really been keeping an eye on me and really know as much about me as you claim, then you should already know that I don't agree to things unless I know what I'm agreeing to." I said, wondering what they could possibly have to offer that I might want.

Princess Celestia shocked me again when she said "A wise decision for anypony to make, and yes, we are aware of this, which is why we have come here to personally explain our offer to you. We have brought you here because we wish to offer you a second chance at life."

Princess Luna then added, "We have been watching you for quite some time, and we feel you are deserving of this chance. However, you are by no means being forced to do this, you are free to move to the next life if you so choose."

I was overjoyed, "You're going to send me back to be with my loved ones, why would I say no to that?!"

However, my hopes were quickly crushed when Princess Luna shook her head and said "You misunderstand, as I stated before, your time on Earth has come to its end, and it would take a power far greater than we possess to return you there. What we are offering you is a new life, on our world, living in the realm of Equestria. I know that that is not what you wished to hear, but we would like you to at least consider it."

My happiness was quickly replaced with anger, and I didn't speak until I had that anger in check, "Not to seem rude, but why would I want to live in this 'Equestria'? What benefit is there for any of us by me doing this?"

Princess Celestia replied this time, "The benefit for you is a new life, with new friends and loved ones to share it with, and a wealth of new experiences not found on Earth. I can guarantee you that we are not the only beings on our world that are no more than myths to your people. The benefit for us, however, is somewhat more complicated. You see, humans lived alongside us at one point in our history, then they vanished with scarcely a trace, and it has only been recently that we've rediscovered them on the world you call Earth. What we want is to see if we can live together once more after so much time has passed for both of our peoples. And perhaps, with your help, discover why humanity vanished off the face of Mythis nearly five thousand years ago."

My mind was having trouble processing this. According to these two, Earth isn't the homeworld of humanity like we thought it was, that we actually originated on this 'Mythis', and that we somehow mysteriously just vanished from one world and appeared on another. Though in a strange way, it made sense. It would explain the explosion of civilization, as well as the origin of some; if not all of our ancient myths, assuming what Celestia had said was true.

I decided to put that thought aside for now and move things along; I thought that if I got more answers, it might help clear things up. "Okay, I'm just going to put questions about that on the backburner for now and press on. I guess my next question would have to be; why me? What's so special about me that you chose me out of over seven billion other humans?"

Both princesses smiled at this and Princess Celestia answered. "That's because you hold many attributes that we believe exemplify your species, such as kindness, generosity, devotion, and compassion, to name but a few. While at the same time you also make mistakes, like any other sentient being. You are willing to not only learn from those mistakes, but also to guide others in avoiding those same mistakes. As well as learn from the mistakes of others."

I couldn't help but chuckle at that. "If that's what you think humanity is about, then you must not have been watching our world very closely, humans are cruel, greedy, selfish and violent."

Their smiles didn't fade, and it was Princess Luna's turn to speak. "This is true for many humans, but not all. Like you, there are others who share the capacity for good, but after watching these individuals, we felt you to be the best qualified to be the first to attempt a reintegration of our two species. In addition to your other qualities, you hold a unique quality that very few humans possess; a mind open to new experiences and ideas."

I nodded my head, "That makes sense, most people would still be freaking out about either being told they're dead or talking to a pair of Alicorns. I suppose my last question would have to be; how did I die? I mean I don't want to seem like I'm doubting your word, I just don't remember it, and I would think something like that would be hard to forget."

Both princesses frowned and looked at each other for a moment before turning back to me. Princess Luna was the first to speak, "To be honest, we do not know, although you should possess that memory. However, it would seem your mind has repressed it in death, meaning that your demise was a traumatic one. If you are willing, I can unblock that memory in your mind."

I was nervous, but at the same time, I wanted to know just what happened. "What's the catch?" I asked, having picked up on a hint of uncertainty in Princess Luna's voice.

There seemed to be a flash of apprehension across her face before she responded. "The 'catch', as you call it, is two-fold. First, you must understand that I will experience everything as you do, and there may be something private in this memory that you would wish to remain so. Secondly, there is no way for me to re-block the memory once it is unblocked, meaning that whatever choice you make after, you will always remember your demise."

I was silent for awhile, weighing the pros and cons in my mind. Finally, I came to my decision. "Alright Princess, I'd like you to unblock the memory. I would rather know what happened than spend the rest of time wondering."

Princess Luna slowly walked over to me; her horn was coated with a gently billowing cerulean aura. "Please kneel Blake Marshall, my horn must make contact with your forehead in order for the spell to work." The Princess said when she reached me.

I did as she asked and got down on one knee. Although I'm not sure at what point I went from floating to standing on something solid, but with everything else that was going on, I didn't question it. "Alright Princess Luna, and please, just call me Blake."

She smiled and replied "Thank you Blake, that will suffice. And you may refer to me simply as Luna if you wish. Now, if you are ready, we shall begin." I nodded and she touched her horn to my head.

My vision flashed white and I was suddenly back on Earth. My wife and I were leaving a movie theater and were headed back to our car. I realized I had no control over myself, I was only watching the events replay in my mind, and so I couldn't change anything, which made sense with this being a memory. I remember us laughing and talking about how good we both thought the movie was and what we each liked about it. Though for some reason I couldn't remember what movie it was, probably because it wasn't important to the memory.

We rounded the corner of the building and made our way towards our car. The lighting on this side of the building seemed poor, and that made me nervous. We froze in place as we heard a voice behind us, "All ya hafta do is gimme your wallets and jewelry, and this doesn't have to get messy."

The voice was accompanied by a series of clicks that, being somewhat of a firearms buff, I quickly identified as the sound of a revolver's hammer being drawn back and the cylinder rotating and locking into place. The sound made my blood run cold.

We turned around to face our mugger, who looked like just some guy who was down on his luck, wearing grimy torn clothes and an unkempt beard and hair that showed he hadn't washed properly in ages. He held his gun out at arm's length, swinging it between us like he didn't know who he should be worried about. In truth, he should have been worried about me, because I had a concealed pistol of my own, even though I knew I'd never have time to draw it and bring it to bear before he shot me dead.

I knew guys like this, they were desperate and they'd kill their victims to keep them from acting as witnesses if they were caught and brought to trial. I had to act fast if I was to have any hope of saving my wife. I only had one option available to me at the time, and that was to rush him and try to get the gun away from him before he had time to react. As soon as he swiveled his gun away from my wife to turn it on me again, I lunged at him and grabbed his wrist with my right hand while pulling back my left to strike him in the face. I saw a flash and felt a blinding pain in my chest, but I ignored it for the split second it took to swing my fist forward and connect with his jaw.

Fortunately my aim was true and I hit him in the sweet spot right in front of his ear and he crumpled to the ground, unconscious. Unable to properly control my body, I continued moving forward and stumbled over him and the next thing I saw was the pavement rushing up to meet me. I could hear my wife screaming, but it sounded far away, and then I felt myself being turned over and cradled.

I could see my wife crying while she cradled my head and I could faintly hear her begging me not to die. I reached my hand up to stroke her cheek and whispered "It'll be alright sweetheart; you just need to be strong."

I could still her begging and pleading, but it was getting fainter and I could tell it wouldn't be much longer. My hand slipped from her cheek when I lost the strength to hold it there and she grabbed it and held it tight, sobbing even harder. My vision began to fade, and everything went black. As my consciousness faded, I had one last lucid thought; "Please don't let her suffer because of me, even if she has to forget me." I knew then and now what that meant to me. I didn't believe in a higher power, so the only afterlife for me was in the memory of loved ones, and to be forgotten would mean that I would cease to exist.

My vision flashed white again and I was back in Limbo with the princesses. Luna was on her knees with tears streaming down her face from wide open eyes and she was breathing heavily. Celestia had knelt beside her and was offering her moral support, while looking back and forth worriedly between us. Luna looked at me and asked "I… I do not understand, how could you not only sacrifice yourself so selflessly, but do so knowing that there would be no afterlife for you according to your own beliefs?"

I smiled and answered her, "Because it was the right thing to do, and I couldn't just stand by and allow one that I loved be hurt when I could prevent it."

She shook her head to clear it and stood next to Celestia before speaking again, "You had a similar device to the one your attacker possessed, why did you not use it to defend yourself?"

I expected this question at some point. "Because I could see that there wouldn't be time for me to do so. If he noticed me reaching for it before I got it out and ready to use, he would have had plenty of time to kill me before I could do so, so I chose to rush him and take him by surprise before he had time to react. It would appear that that tactic worked out about as well as I had hoped. It was the only solution I could see to save my wife from suffering the same fate that I did."

Celestia spoke up this time, "It has been a long time since I've heard of such a noble act, and I truly commend you for your bravery and your sacrifice. Although I did not witness the events of your memory as Luna did, I can tell by her reaction that it was quite traumatic indeed. However, the time has come and you must now choose whether you wish to take our offer of a new life, or ascend to the next as you would have, had this meeting not happened."

I had almost forgotten about that. I thought for only a moment before I replied. "Alright, I accept your offer, I don't feel ready yet to move on to the next life and I would like to keep living as a mortal for awhile longer. Besides, seeing a new world full of creatures that are mere myths on Earth sounds exciting."

The princesses smiled widely at this and Luna spoke. "We are very glad to hear that this is your choice, however, there is one thing that must be done first. In your possession are all the objects that were with you at the time of your demise, and you must choose what to take and what to leave behind. Though you should know that any items you decide to leave here will be lost forever and you will be unable to retrieve them later."

I nodded and looked down at myself for the first time, and I was indeed carrying the same things I had with me, I even had on the same outfit: a dark blue button-up shirt, minus the blood and bullet hole, and blue jeans with my favorite hiking boots. I liked these boots, not only because they served their intended purpose while I was hiking or camping; but they were the only pair I could find with both a polymer shank in the sole for support as well as a polymer cap in the toe that served as a lightweight replacement for steel toes. Steel-toes had become my favorite kind of shoe or boot thanks to nearly a decade of wearing them to work as a construction worker.

I began rummaging through my pockets to pull out everything in them to decide what to take. In the end, I decided to take: my pocket knife, the multitool I always had clipped to my belt, again thanks to my construction job, my wallet, my Altoids tin survival kit, and my pocket flashlight. I decided to leave behind my keys, because well, I didn't have a car or a house or anything else that they could be used for, though I did take the carabineer clip in case I got more.

The last item that I needed to decide whether or not to take was the pistol that I had with me. I looked up to the princesses, honestly unsure whether or not they would approve of me taking such a potentially dangerous thing into their realm. "Okay, I've made my decisions on everything else, now I just need to decide whether or not to take this." I held up the holstered pistol as I said that.

Princess Celestia seemed confused as to what it was, but Luna seemed to recognize it almost instantly. "It is entirely up to you as to whether or not you feel you would need such a device." Luna said, "However, most of the inhabitants of Equestria, save for some of its wild creatures, are not inherently dangerous, and there would likely be little need for such a drastic means of self defense."

I nodded my head. "Alright, then I believe I'll leave it here." And with that I placed it and the spare magazine for it that I kept in my pocket to the side along with my keys. I sincerely hoped that they were right and I wouldn't need it.

The princesses looked to each other for a moment, as if confirming with other that my choice was the right one, before looking back to me. "Alright, if you are happy with your choices, we can send you to our realm now. You will be sent to the home of Twilight Sparkle, my personal student, who has been made aware of your imminent arrival." Princess Celestia informed me.

I nodded my head indicating that I was indeed satisfied with the choices I had made and was ready to go. With this, both of their horns were covered in billowing auras, Luna's in the same blue as before, and Celestia's in a pale golden aura. I looked down to see that I was being engulfed by those same auras, intermingling with each other and surrounding me. They felt warm and made me feel at ease, like the warmth of the soft spring sun mixed with the calm of a clear winter night.

The light surrounding me grew brighter and I could tell that whatever was going to happen was going to happen soon. As the light got almost too bright to see through, I saw… something… flash behind the princesses. They must have sensed whatever it was because I heard Luna ask "Sister, did you feel that?! It could not be-"

Luna was cut off mid-sentence when the light surrounding me hummed and flashed, and I blacked out.