A/N: Greetings one and all. To those who follow me, welcome back to another story of mine. To newcomers, welcome to the wonderful prison that is my mind. So, quite a few things to say here before we start this story proper.

1) I will try to update this story once a week, on Saturdays PST. Please forgive me if something happens and I can't make the deadlines. If for whatever reason I need to take a break or something comes up which will stop me from updating, I will be sure to let you all know.

2) While this is going to be a human in Equestria story, or 'HiE' as many know it, there will be no romantic notions between any of the ponies and the human protagonist. So if you came here looking for that, then sorry but it ain't happening.

3) To be perfectly frank, I do not consider myself a 'brony'. I have watched maybe four actual episodes. I have seen some reviews of the show and read a really epic Mario/MLP crossover story (Found here: s/8858027/1/Paper-Mario-The-Land-of-Harmony) which inspired me to try writing this. Hey, I didn't want to feel like limiting myself just because I'm not a hardcore fan. If people insist that this does in fact make me a fan, then its probably one at the bottom of the totem pole, sort to speak.

And I think that's everything. Please, enjoy the work.

My Little Pony, Friendship is Magic: Interlocking Stories

By: Snidne

MLP & Characters © Hasbro

Standard Disclaimer:

All characters are copyrighted to their respective owners and do not in any way, shape, or form reflects the nature of said owners (Unless, of course, they actually do).

This story is a work of fiction and is not meant to resemble any person, place, or situation outside of sheer coincidence.

Due to the nature of this story, it is intent for Mature Audiences. Viewer discretion is advised.

You have been warned.

We now present you our Feature Presentation with no commercial interruptions. Enjoy the story!

Prologue: My Name Is…

Anyone who said that college was a time for experimenting with your life, for making mistakes and having wild parties was either incredibly lucky or a damned liar. The twenty year old Alex Wilder could only just keep himself awake in his Calculus II class enough to take notes on what the professor was saying. His life was certainly no party, though it was on the borderline of being too stressful for his well-being. He was glad enough that he could at least sleep for a significant length of time and keep up with all his coursework.

Thankfully the class ended before he could completely slip into an education-induced coma. Seriously, how could his professor have such a boring sounding voice? He swore he could put insomniacs to sleep with his borderline emotionless droning. If it wasn't for the fact that this level of math was required for his major, he would have gladly skipped the class altogether or at least taken it at another time. Putting away his books, he gave a sigh. It certainly wasn't the most glamourous life he could have chosen, but it was his.

He had been lucky to have gotten a dorm nearby, making commute to school that much easier. He was also glad that tomorrow was Sunday, and that this was his last class of the day. He made sure to have at least the one day of the week where he could unwind and generally de-stress himself without having to resort to more dangerous habits.

He ran a hand through his dark hair, his five foot ten frame rising from his chair as he grabbed his things and began to leave the classroom. Many of his fellow students were chatting with each other about things he honestly had no concern for. He cursed the need for such difficult classwork as the bane of his non-existent social life. Granted once he finished this year's coursework it would be easy sailing up ahead and he would perhaps have a decent chance to pursue a life outside of the library. He could dream, after all.

Once out in the open campus, he made his way towards where the dorms would be at. They weren't on the campus itself, rather a few blocks away, but still easily accessible by walking there rather than having to use other means of transportation. There weren't many others going his way as he left the grounds. As he approached a nearby crosswalk, he noticed a girl with long brown hair, her head bobbing a bit to the music she was listening to. Nothing about her screamed familiar, so he assumed she wasn't in any of the classes he was in.

Thankfully he didn't have to wait long for the light to change. The two walked at a leisurely pace, when Alex noted something in his peripheral vision. A convertible, speeding down the street towards them. He instantly recognized the fact that it was moving way too fast to properly stop and avoid hitting them. He panicked, wanting to run instantly, but noticed that the girl had not even noticed the oncoming danger. Thinking quickly, he pushed her out of the way, ignoring her shout of protest as he turned to see the vehicle nearly on him. He closed his eyes quickly bracing himself for impact.

He never would have imagined that he would go out like this. But fate had different plans for him. Instead of the sickening sound of metal meeting flesh, Alex felt a hand on his shoulder and a voice whisper into his ear. "You will do nicely."

And then, his consciousness faded.

Waking up to a white ceiling wasn't exactly what Alex had been expecting, considering it didn't tell him anything about being alive or dead. How was he to know what the afterlife consisted of? He was never much of a religious person to begin with anyway. But the distinct lack of pain in his body didn't bode well for him. Unless the drugs he was on were that good. He lifted his arm, and found that he could do so without worry. No IVs were stuck in him and upon sitting up he found he was still in the same clothes he was wearing before. So he knew this place wasn't a hospital.

Still, as he looked around, he could hardly believe where he was at. It looked nothing like anything he had ever seen before. The ceiling was high and he looked to be in a rather large room that was currently devoid of anything aside from some support columns with ivy growing on them. The green of the ivy was popping out against the otherwise dull white that surrounded him. At the far end of the room he could see a set of double doors leading to who knows where.

Standing up completely, Alex shook his arms and legs to ensure they were working. Surprisingly there was no pain to be found anywhere. Deciding it to be the only course of action, he walked towards the doors with the intent of opening them.

"Leaving so soon? How rude."

Alex turned around at the voice to see a strange sight. The formerly empty room now contained a table and two chairs that he was definitely sure did not exist there before. Set on the table were two cups with a steaming hot liquid inside. In the middle of the table was a teapot on a stand. Before each chair was a small china plate complete with a slice of cake with white frosting and a luscious strawberry on top.

The only thing stranger than that was the fact the other chair was occupied. Alex had been quite certain that he had woken up alone, and while he could be forgiven for not thinking that someone could be hiding in this strange place, he was sure that this person would stand out. He wore a button down shirt and dark slacks as he casually rested on the chair. Dark blue hair adorned his head and his eyes were closed for the moment. He wore a pair of black gloves as he used one hand to stir the contents of the cup before him with a silver spoon.

Alex looked around for a moment before pointing to himself. "Were you talking to me?"

The man before him chuckled before opening his eyes to look at him. Alex noted that he had crimson colored eyes. "Well, I don't see anyone else here. Come, sit and enjoy yourself. You must have plenty of questions and I prefer that we relax a bit before you start to interrogate me." Alex hesitantly made his way to the table, sitting down on the offered chair. For a brief instance, he thought of the book Alice in Wonderland and pondered if he should be on the lookout for white rabbits. The man before him began to drink his beverage, which Alex rightfully guessed as tea. He stirred his own cup for a moment, wondering if he himself had lost his mind. This had to be a hallucination. "Something wrong with your tea?"

"Ah? No, not really. It's just I'm more of a coffee fan myself."

The man before him blinked a few times before giving a deep sigh. "Oh thank the heavens!" He immediately reached for the teapot and threw it over his shoulders violently. Alex expected to hear a crash of the delicate pot hitting the ground. Instead, where the teapot was a pot of coffee now stood. Alex looked to the cup he had and realized that it and the contents changed to match the new pot. "Honestly, I like tea as much as the next guy, but coffee is truly the superior choice in my book. Glad to meet someone who understands these things." He reached out and Alex noticed that there were now several ceramic containers filled with cream. The man poured some into his cup, stirring the contents together before taking a drink. "Ah, invigorating. Please drink up before it gets cold. And do try the cake; I made it myself."

Alex was sure of it. He had definitely lost his mind. The best thing now would be to play along.

Reaching for some cream, he poured it into his cup and stirred before taking a drink. It was a rather interesting blend, he realized, brewed not too strongly to be overpowering, but just enough that one could really feel the effects. Noting a fork by his plate, which he wasn't sure if it had always been there or just recently came into being, Alex took a bite of the cake. He was surprised to find how tasty it was. This, whatever this situation was, certainly seemed to be trying to impress him.

For a few minutes Alex and the other man merely ate and drank quietly. When the cake was gone, the man refilled his cup and gave a relaxed sigh. "See, isn't it nice to relax and enjoy yourself? Honestly, everyone seems to be in such a hurry all the time."

Deciding to no longer be quiet and hopefully get some answers Alex asks, "So who are you? And where am I?"

"Good questions! Unfortunately, I have no intention of answering the first one," he said cheerfully taking another drink of coffee. "As for where you are… well, it's a bit difficult to explain. Let's just say this is… a dimension I created."

"You created," he couldn't help but ask. The improbability of it all would have sent warning flags already, but he had no way to know if the man before him was lying. "So… what are you some kind of god or something?"

"A god? Me?" He began to laugh, as if such a suggestion would be considered foolhardy. "Please, there is nothing divine about me. I merely have power, that's all. A power far beyond what you can conceive anyway."

Alex grimaced. So far this wasn't lending itself to be anything more than the supposed workings of a delusional mind. Before he could voice this though, the man continued, "Oh don't worry. You are perfectly sane and not dead. At least not yet anyway. I may have brought you here, but I suppose you could say you were simply in the right place at the right time."

"How do I know this is even real," Alex said. The man smiled wide at this, before quickly throwing something at Alex, striking him in the chest. It took him a moment to register that there was now a knife sticking out of his body, but the moment it did, pain registered as well. He shouted in surprise and pain as he frantically tried to pull out the offending weapon. Before he could even get a proper grasp on it though, the man had already closed the gap between them, slamming his foot onto his face and knocking him and the chair back.

Alex howled in agony, clenching his eyes shut and immediately raising his arms to shield his face from further damage. More painful sensations rocked his body as he felt more knives embedding themselves into his skin. He could feel the blood leaving him as his arms and eventually his whole body shook as a result from the shock of blood loss.

And then suddenly it was over. Alex found himself back on the chair, watching the man before him take another drink of his coffee. The young man panicked as he frantically checked his body over. The pain was gone, as were the blood and wound marks. There was no sign that he had come close to losing his life. In fact the only thing that seemed to change was the fact that his plate now had a new slice of cake on it.

"Believe me now," the man asked, speaking calmly as if he had just not tried to kill him. Alex suddenly felt extremely weary of this person. Scratch that, he was downright terrified. If he wasn't crazy then whoever this person was certainly had to be. "More cake? You look like you can use it." Alex made no move to try and eat the cake. He could not take his eyes off the person before him.

"What… what the hell just happened," he practically shouted. A part of him wanted to get up and run, perhaps go through the doors behind him. Another part however was too scared to move in case the man would do something else.

"Well, I simply proved this to be real to you, that's all. Honestly, you should be lucky that we are in this place. Anywhere else and well, I may have to really try to ensure I don't accidentally kill you. Unless you need more convincing?" Alex quickly shook his head. He had no desire to go though… whatever that was again. "Excellent. Now then, I believe its time I owe you an explanation of why I brought you here."

Alex straightened up at that. Now accepting the fact that, yes, this situation wasn't a product of his overly stressed out mind, he couldn't help but wonder why he was here. "So… why am I here?"

"Well, in short… I'm bored. So I want you to entertain me."

Shock quickly changed to confusion, which changed even faster into anger. Alex slammed his hands on the table as he stood up. "WHAT!?"

"I wasn't aware that I stuttered. I'm bored, so I want you to relieve that boredom."

"Are you joking," he yelled. Anger flooded his veins. He had been essentially kidnapped just to be someone's court jester? He wouldn't stand for something like that. It had to be some sick, twisted joke the universe was playing on him. "What kind of stupid reason is that?"

"I applaud your guts in saying that to me, considering what I just demonstrated I could do to you without even trying," he said. At the mention of it, the memory quickly caused Alex to stiffen and his anger to momentarily recede. "But killing you wouldn't serve any purpose, since you would be so much more interesting alive. So from this moment on, you are going to be my new plaything."

Alex felt his anger once more reach a boiling point at the mention of being a 'plaything'. "Don't you dare patronize me! I am no one's toy! I'm a person! A person with a life and a name! My name is-!"

And suddenly Alex found he could no longer speak. In fact his body wouldn't move at all. The man before him stood up, and Alex noted that the table that had been between them had disappeared. "I don't care. Such things are meaningless to me. I don't care about your name just as you don't really care about mine." He walked forwards standing before Alex and suddenly he couldn't help but show his fear of him. An oppressive weight seemed to hang in the air between them and if not for what he assumed this man's power was Alex felt like he would have collapsed to the ground before him. "Knowing my name doesn't make you hate me any more or less. Just as me knowing your name doesn't stop you from becoming my toy. But don't worry. I take care of my toys."

Panic was running through his veins as the man before him smiled. "Now then… I'm going to be sending you off to your new home. Do try to grow accustomed to it. As for specifics… well, you don't particularly have to do anything. I trust you'll be entertaining to watch. And I will be watching."

And suddenly Alex had the sensation of falling. Darkness pressed all around him as he became lost in the sensations overwhelming him. The fear, the confusion, the anger, the stress mounting on him as he shut his eyes and once more allowed his mind to shut down.

From within the room that Alex was just in, the man smiled to himself. "Well, everything is done for now. I do hope that he can entertain me for a little while anyway." He walked towards the doors in the room which opened without a word, leading to an abyss of darkness. "Alex Wilder… I look forward to the story you will write."

The doors closed behind him with a resounding thud, locking the room into its blissful sleep once more.

Arc 1: A Call From Beyond - Begins!