Author's note: Chuck Murphy. A swing singing, joke telling, cigar smoking, liquor drowning and self deprecating chap who was just looking for a place to hang his head and maybe a few folks to call a friend. And where would this foul mouthed, sexual minded, anti politics crooner end up calling home? None other than the innocent, colorful land of Equestria. Nuts right? Well, it gets even more nuts, keep reading and find out.


Chapter 1: An Introduction

Where to begin? I don't know really, I've never been good with these sort of things really. I guess to start this off I should say that while this may not seem realistic, possible, or the slightest bit plausible, it happened. Don't believe me? Keep reading, and we'll see how this unfurls...

My story begins on a cold October evening, I was walking home from a set I did at a local bar. It wasn't much, but it was a living. It was a pretty rough show though. Honestly they'd all been rough for the past couple of months, it might have had something to do with my life itself increasingly getting more and more rough too. See, I had flunked out of college the April earlier, after that I sort of became a laughing stock among my family, My mother held academics in pretty high regard, and with my dad I had two older sisters who frequently bested me no matter how I tried, either way I couldn't really win. I wasn't a laughing stock to my mother though, her words leaned toward "wasted potential".

The highlight of my summer was my best friend from high school's wedding, I could still remember the day he and his wife started talking back in freshman year, my only thoughts back then were "Damn it, I'm on a non-stop third wheel train aren't I?" That little jerk that was my 9th grade self couldn't have been more right. After the wedding business was over, we made plans, we made plans a lot! But they never happened, it was always some couple thing happening, they were hanging out with other married friends now. And I was chopped liver.

But my life wasn't completely horrible though, my grandparents were kind enough to let me live in the spare room in their apartment when my parents wouldn't let me stay with them and I couldn't get a, how my mother says, a 'real job'. I had a job, it just didn't pay wonderful... Or much at all. I was a stand up comic at a bar, my only fan was the manager, i get paid for my time, then bonus for the laughs. But when the patrons would rather cause brawls then sit and laugh, that bonus doesn't come in for me. Little did I know however, that my world was going to completely change that night.

I was just walking home after the set, listening to my music to make me feel better, that was sort of my relief, music. I was a musical theater kid in high school, I would sing in the shower until the police were called for a disturbance, I liked to sing. It made me feel better.

Me: Why are there so many songs about rainbows and what's on the other side?

Rainbows are visions, but only illusions, and rainbows have nothing to hide.

So we've been told and some choose to believe it.

I know they're wrong wait and see.

Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.

The lovers, the dreamers and me.

/

Who said that wishes would be heard and answered when wished on the morning star?

Someone thought of that and someone believed it.

Look what it's done so far.

What's so amazing that keeps us stargazing and what do we think we might see?

Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection.

The lovers, the dreamers and me.

/

All of us under its spell.

We know that it's probably magic.

Have you been half asleep and have you heard voices?

I've heard them calling my name.

Is this the sweet sound that calls the young sailors?

The voice might be one and the same.

I've heard it too many times to ignore it.

It's something that I'm supposed to be.

Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers and me.

La-da-da, de-da-da-do
La-da-da-da-da-de-da-do

"It'll get better." I muttered to myself walking up the steps to the apartment. You may choose to scoff at me, a young adult finding his therapy through a song sung by a frog puppet, but it really helped. That Jim Henson was an absolute genius. Growing up, all I wanted to do was make people laugh, make people feel better, but it seemed all I could do was make people disappointed. I guess I wasn't meant to have the comfort of knowing my purpose, knowing what the Hell I was supposed to do with myself. All those thoughts would have to wait, time to put on a smiling face for the two people who still like me.

"Hi." I said walking through the door of the small apartment. It was a pleasantly decorated little place, always smelled like something had been baking too.

"Hi sweetheart, how was your day?" My grandmother asked giving me a hug, which was slightly awkward considering the fact I was almost a foot and a bit taller than her.

"It was alright. I used the joke you told me to use, got a better laugh than anything else I used tonight." I said.

"Oh that's wonderful." She said pouring me some coffee.

"Hiya Chuck!" My grandfather said. Chuck wasn't my real name, but it was what I went by, it was supposed to be short for Chuckles, which is kind of ironic considering how bad a comedian I seemed to be.

"Hi gramps." I grinned.

"They feed you alright tonight? Sure looks it!" He joked, it was true. I was a bit hefty but it all just made my 6'2 body look proportionate.

"Yeah, I'm fine." I smiled. They were both great people, and I loved them. But deep down I really wasn't happy with my life. These two were the only friends I had at this point, but what was I going to do after they were gone? I knew that day was going to come eventually. Everyday I tried to live in the now, but it was rough, all I wanted was friendship and compassion, love of course wouldn't hurt either.

After a cup of coffee, I decided it was time to retire for the evening.

"Goodnight you guys." I said retreating to my room. Now my room, that was a real sight to see, it was a holy grail of anyone who just wanted to get away from it all and surround themselves with toys, posters, and cartoons. Because let me tell you they were everywhere! The walls were plastered with posters and shelves dedicated to the one thing my dad and I had in common, cartoons, and toys of that cartoon. Transformers? Hell yeah. He-Man? Sort of a niche market but I loved it. The Muppets of course, Star Wars was a big one, comics too, though I leaned towards Marvel exclusively. Disney and Pixar had a big domain on my budget. But there was one that I stood apart with, one that was the difference. You can probably guess what that was, My Little Pony. I had a whole shelf dedicated to Pony merchandise, plush, the little brushable ones, plenty! Granted back in high school I was met with plenty of torment for it from those who knew. But for the most part I kept quiet about it.

"I'm home everyone." I said to the various plush toys, action figures, and vinyl figures that lived in my room. I'm not crazy I swear, it was just a habit I developed, maybe out of loneliness, maybe out of a lack of sanity. They didn't talk back, this isn't Toy Story after all. I knew the difference between fact and fiction, but every day I wished that... Maybe there wasn't a difference between the two.

"Quit livin' in the clouds." I muttered to myself opening my laptop to put some T.V. on to fall asleep to. After much deliberation I managed to decide on a show to put on, I decided to put on some My Little Pony.

"What a world..." I said to myself in admiration of the lives these technicolored ponies lead. I'd trade loneliness and politics for a life in harmony, even with the occasional attack of giant mythical beings or bug-bears...

"I wish." I muttered to myself before my eyes closed for sleep. Though I might have been sleeping when last on this life, what happened next was far from a dream.


Next morning, somewhere far, far away from home.

"Damn it... My pounding head..." I muttered to myself opening my eyes, I suddenly realized I wasn't in my bed, or at home, or in the city for all that matter. I was... In a field?

"What the hell?" I muttered getting up, when suddenly my legs gave out and I fell back down, as if my own two legs didn't work on their own. I looked down to check for injuries, when I saw a cherry red fur coat and four hooved legs where my arms and legs would be. I scrambled up and struggled to a pond I saw near me. And when I saw my reflection, I screamed. I saw a red face, blue eyes with yellow freckles and a large brown poofy mane.

"What... What... What...?" I twitched. Sudden;y I heard a rustle in a bush near me.

"Who goes there!?" I demanded. I slowly crept towards the bush. "I don't want to hurt you!" I said. "But I will if necessary!" I crept forward until I was at the bush, I brushed some leaves away to see what was behind the bush. A familiar pale yellow pegasus bolted out.

"Don't hurt me!" She exclaimed. I cocked my eyebrow and looked up at her.

"I won't." I said. "Where am I?" I asked.

"Umm... This is a field." She said.

"I know that." I said. "Where in the area am I?" I wanted to ask what the hell planet I was on.

"Oh... We're just outside Ponyville, Equestria." She said.

"It helps. It does." I was so confused. What the hell happened? How did I get here? What was going on? Was this even real? I was feeling a real ache in my head so I had a feeling it was, but how?

"Do you know how I got here?" I asked.

"I'm sorry... But no.. I just saw you passed out in the field and wanted to see if you were okay." She said.

"Well thanks." I said relaxing my aching head.

"I can take you to somepony I know, she might be able to help." She told me.

"It's worth a shot." I said following her into town.

"I'm Fluttershy by the way." She said.

"I'm Chuck." I said while trying to walk on four legs... And failing.


Castle of Friendship

I couldn't quite believe I was actually walking through the castle of friendship, it was absolutely stunning, the tapestries that hung from the walls to the crystal walls themselves. "Wow..." I whispered to myself.

"She should be in here." Fluttershy told me.

"Great." I smiled.

She knocked on the door. "Twilight? It's me, Fluttershy." She said.

"Come in!" Twilight said from behind the doors. She went in and I followed, at this point I pretty much mastered walking on all fours.

"Twilight, I was wondering if you could help me with something." She asked. Twilight looked at her, then looked at me.

"Who's that?" She asked.

"The something..." Fluttershy said. Hey! This something has a name you know.

"I'm Chuck." I bowed slightly.

"Okay... What exactly can I help with?" She asked. I then proceeded to tell her abut waking up here with absolutely no memory of how I got here.

"I... I can't say I've ever heard of that happening... Do you know where you came from?" She asked, I lied and told her I didn't.

"Odd... Perhaps I can see if Princess Celestia has heard any case of this happening." She said. Suddenly the doors burst open. A pink pony came bouncing in.

"Twiiiiiiiiilight! Have you seen those balloons I ordered? I haven;t seen them any-" She asked, when suddenly she looked and saw me.

"Hey! Who are you?" She asked.

"I... I... I am uhh." I said feeling a bit overwhelmed. Before I could answer I could feel my front leg being grabbed.

"You're new! Ooooh how exciting!" She exclaimed. "I can't wait to introduce you to everypony in town! Ooh! And we can have a welcome party tonight! Oooh this is so exciting! Come on come on!" She pulled me with her.

As the doors closed Fluttershy and Twilight exchanged looks.

"Does he seem funny to you?" Twilight asked?

"How so?" She replied.

"Nopony just appears in a field out of thin air!" Twilight exclaimed.

"I guess that's true.." Fluttershy said.

"I need to figure this out.." Twilight said to herself.


And that's our intosuction to this new and exciting world! Where are we gonna go from here? Let's find out huh?

Song used

"Rainbow Connection". By Paul Williams and Kenneth Ascher.