Propositions

My second full day in Equestria started out much like my first. Ditzy accidentally roused me from my couch-bound slumber and, after an apology on her part, we had breakfast together.

In order to avoid partaking in our morning meal in silence, I tried to strike up conversation. Like Twilight, Ditzy was quite curious about where I had come from. The only reason she waited this long was because she wanted me to feel comfortable and not hounded by questions all the time. I was grateful for this. Not that I minded answering questions the Equestrians might have, but no one likes feeling like they’re being interviewed or, heaven forbid, interrogated all the time.

In an effort to make this a real two-way conversation, I asked Ditzy things about Equestria, Ponyville in particular, and about herself. She was more than happy to tell me about the various town sites, some of which I had already noticed on my run yesterday, but some, like the apparently-dreaded Everfree Forest, that I had not.

We also talked about Dinky. Ditzy rambled on about her daughter for some time, and it was quite clear that she was very proud of the little unicorn. Of course I had questions, like who, or where, the father was, and how Amethyst fit into the family unit, but I did not know Ditzy long enough to ask such things. So I just listened to my pegasus host talk about how well Dinky did in school this year and so on.

This continued until Ditzy had to leave for work, not to mention I had to get my morning run in. To this end, we left the house at the same time. And while she flew off, I ran off.

The run was uneventful, which I took as a blessing. Running had always been my preferred way of staying in shape, and it would not do to be interrupted every day. I did notice a few more ponies around, particularly pegasi who were pushing the clouds around, managing the weather as Twilight had explained they do, to my great shock. However, none of them, nor almost any other pony I saw, interacted with me. The one exception occurred just as I was passing Sugarcube Corner the first time. I heard my name called out and found it to be Pinkie, waving at me from the window of her room. I waved and pleasantly smiled back in return, which seemed to make her smile even more.

In due time, I returned to my temporary residence, again having run from Twilight’s castle and back. I estimated it to be about a mile, which was about half of my regular routine. But it would do for now.

Upon re-entering the house, which Ditzy had left unlocked while explaining to me that nopony regularly locked their doors, I found Dinky sitting at the kitchen table, eating some cereal. This impressed me on two fronts: first, that Dinky was responsible enough to get up on her own on a school day, and second, that the cereal wasn’t glorified sugar in a bowl but actually resembled Corn Flakes. I suppose given the vegetarianism of the ponies, it shouldn’t have surprised me that much, but that rationale didn’t go through my brain at the time.

Dinky seemed pleased to see me as we exchanged pleasantries while I grabbed a glass of water. Admittedly, tap water was never my favorite, but it made due, particularly since it tasted almost like mineral water and was very clear.

“So,” I began, deciding to strike up proper conversation with the younger member of the household, “last week of school, huh?”

“Yep,” she replied, understandably cheerful, “today, tomorrow, and Friday.”

“Excited for vacation?”

“Who isn’t,” she replied matter-of-factly, “I mean, I like school, but it’s nice to have a break.”

“Can’t argue with that,” I said, before realizing something I hadn’t yesterday, “Do you normally walk to school by yourself?”

Dinky shrugged, “Sometimes. Sometimes mom finishes her route in time to take me.”

“Hmm,” I mused, mulling over an idea, “Would you mind if I went to the school with you?”

Dinky looked at me curiously, “Why?”

“Well, I haven’t been on that side of town yet, and it’s good exercise.”

“Didn’t you already go for your run?”

“Yes. But it’s not as if my legs are tired.”

Dinky shrugged, “Sure. Heh, Miss Cheerilee might even find you more interesting than Princess Twilight does.”

“Who’s Miss Cheerilee?”

“You’ll see,” Dinky said, popping out of her chair, “Come on, it’s about time we got going.”

The young unicorn quickly moved to the sink, washing out her bowl and silverware. That little chore done, she slung a satchel over her shoulder and we headed for the door. But as soon as I opened it, the two of us spotted a purple dragon on the other side, holding up one fist, as if he was about to knock.

“Hi, Spike,” Dinky greeted.

“Hey, Dinks,” Spike replied before adjusting his gaze toward me, “Hey, John, I’m glad I caught you.”

“What’s up,” I asked.

“Twilight wants you to head over to the castle again today,” Spike explained, “She said she has something really important to talk to you about.”

“Sure. But she’ll have to wait a bit. I’m going to pop over to the school. Hope that’s OK.”

“It’s cool,” Spike replied, “For once, Twilight doesn’t seem to be on some kind of do-or-die schedule.”

“Thanks for the heads-up. You gonna be over there later?”

“Nah. Applejack asked for my help in the orchard today,” Spike answered, turning to walk away, “See you two later.”

“Bye Spike,” Dinky said with a wave, “C’mon, John, I can’t be late for school.”

Dinky closed the front door and we walked off in the opposite direction of downtown Ponyville. On the way, I thought a bit about what Spike had said. Twilight wanted to speak to me, and it sounded important. Was it something she had forgotten to mention yesterday? Maybe something pertinent to life, or social structure that I should really know? And then there was the ‘Applejack’ Spike mentioned. Pinkie had said that name too, assuming it was the same pony. If I was going to be here more than a few days, I was going to have to meet some new ponies.

By the time I shook off this mental distraction, we had reached the school. Honestly, it wasn’t much to look at, a one-story building with a basic wood-wall, shingle-roof design, mostly painted red. It was topped with a small bell tower. It reminded me of a one-room schoolhouse that I had seen in many a history book.

Out in front, there were quite a number of ponies, mostly around Dinky’s age. However, one stood out. The Earth pony mare not only seemed older, but also in charge to a degree as she stood in the doorway of the school and watched over the various younger ponies outside. Her fur was a soft purple, while her mane and tail were in bands of pinkish and off-white. She was wearing a long-sleeved white shirt with a green, flower-print skirt.

By the time I had made all of these initial observations, I realized that she was looking directly at me. In a flash, she was off the school’s porch and in front of Dinky and me.

“Hello,” she greeted, hand already extended, “my name is Cheerilee. I had heard rumors, but it is so nice to actually meet you, mister…”

I completed the handshake, “John Pearson, or just John if you prefer. I see my reputation has proceeded me.”

“News travels fast in a little town,” Cheerilee continued, “Especially when it is about a new kind of being who just crashed into Ditzy’s house out of thin air.”

“Yeah,” I chuckled, “Guess that would spread like wildfire.”

“Well, you don’t know how much I would love to chat with you, but it’s about time for school to get started. Perhaps another time?”

“We’ll see,” I replied, “I don’t even know how long I’ll be here. But you can always go to Twilight for some answers, I’m pretty sure she took copious notes.”

“She wouldn’t be Twilight if she didn’t,” Cheerilee concurred, “Well it’s been a pleasure meeting you, John.”

“Likewise, Cheerilee.”

“OK everypony,” Cheerilee turned to the throng of younger ponies, “the sooner we get this day started, the better. T-minus three days until summer vacation!”

There was a cheer from the students as their teacher herded them inside. I just crossed my arms and laughed at the enthusiasm.

*-*-*-*-*

As had been the case the previous day, I found the front door of the castle open and accommodating. This is something I will always question. Ponyville seemed like a nice enough town, but to leave the door to the home of the local royalty unlocked and unguarded seemed very strange.

Nonetheless, my presence did not go unnoticed. A few brief seconds after my entrance, a purple flash of magic appeared before my eyes. After blinking my eyes a few times, I saw Twilight standing there, looking just a bit haggard, as if she had not slept well. Her head was bowed slightly so that I could not look her in the eyes.

“Good, you’re finally here,” she said in a curious monotone before grabbing my hand, “Come on, you’ll want to sit down for this.”

I gave no resistance to the young alicorn pulling me down one hallway than another. Though my mind was racing with questions, I kept my lips shut, confident that if I was just patient, they would be answered.

Eventually, we reached a kind of living room. There were a couple comfortable-looking chairs, a small table, and a fireplace. Twilight sat me down on the blue leather couch and seated herself beside me.

I expected her to immediately fly into whatever it was she wanted to speak to me about, but when nothing came from her mouth after a minute of sitting there, her hand still gripping mine, I decided to start the conversation myself.

“Twilight,” I said, “What did you need to speak to me about?”

She didn’t answer immediately. In fact, she couldn’t even look at me. I was on the verge of saying something, but my voice caught in my throat as Twilight gave the smallest of sniffles, the weakest of whimpers. Now I was concerned.

“Twi-”

“I’m so sorry!”

Twilight quickly turned toward me, her face planting into my chest and her arms wrapping around my torso. Granted, I almost missed the second detail, as I was preoccupied with making sure her horn didn’t stab my neck. But with that taken care of, I took my hand and softly patted her back, between her shoulder blades.

“Twilight,” I said softly so as not to scare her, “what are you sorry about?”

“It-It’s my fault,” she sobbed, “It’s my fault you’re *hic* here and I can’t send you back! I’m so sorry!”

My mind immediately blanked. Twilight was the reason I was here? I didn’t know what to think, so I asked something else.

“Twilight,” I maintained my previous tone, “how did you bring me here?”

“*gulp* I-I was working *hic* w-working on way to teleport objects remotely,” she explained, “Something must have gone wrong and…and it reached into your dimension. I-I couldn’t control it! I’m so, so sorry!”

Her crying resumed. To be frank, seeing and hearing Twilight cry almost made me cry. I never liked seeing girls cry, no matter the circumstances.

However, there was a part of my mind that was fuming. Twilight’s magic had ripped me from my home. Robbed me of my, admittedly, pretty comfortable life. And now that I thought about it, I was probably a missing person already. Maybe they had found my car. Maybe they thought I was dead. My friends and co-workers might think I’m dead. And it was because this magical anthropomorphic pony had used powerful magic that she couldn’t control. And, to top it off, she couldn’t send me back. Oh, she could probably attempt it, but there would be no guarantees of success.

But after about thirty seconds on this train of thought, I looked down at the mare crying into my chest, looking very upset and very pathetic. I paused and thought about Twilight. Given how she looked when I first showed up, she might have been up all night. Lying awake in bed or perhaps pacing the castle corridors, wondering how she could fix her mistake. Wondering if there was any chance of returning me home. Wondering how I would react.

And in that moment, I made a choice.

“Twilight,” I began again, attempting to maintain my earlier tone, but certainly failing, as my companion did not stop crying, “Twilight,” I said, firmer, “sit up and look at me.”

Twilight bolted upright. She looked about how I imagined. Her mane was not brushed perfectly straight as I had seen it before. Her eyes were bloodshot. Streaks lined her face where her tears had fallen.

To combat the last of these physical mars, I used my thumbs to wipe away the new tears forming under her large eyes.

“No more tears,” I said, “At this rate, you’re going to make me cry, and I think you’ve cried enough for both of us.”

Twilight gave another sniffle and used her hand to wipe her eyes.

“I’m so sorry, John,” she apologized again, “It was an accident. I didn’t mean to-”

I put a stop to that with an index finger to her lips.

“I know. I probably will never understand what exactly happened, but I know you didn’t do it on purpose,” I pulled Twilight into another hug, placing one hand on the back of her head and the other on her back under her wings. I placed her head on my shoulder and angled my head to speak as close to her ear as I could manage, “I forgive you, Twilight Sparkle.”

She gasped, “You-You…forgive me? But…but…”

“No buts. I am not angry with you. Do you know something called the Five Stages of Grief?”

“Mhmm,” I felt her nod her head on my shoulder.

“I cannot deny that what happened, happened,” I explained, “I am choosing not to be angry with you. I must accept what has happened. And I must do everything I can to have a fulfilling, meaningful, life here in Equestria. I forgive you unconditionally, and all I ask is that you help me adjust to this world.”

“Of course, John,” Twilight said, teetering on the edge of tears again, “I will do everything in my power. I’m so sorry.”

“No more apologies. What’s done is done. OK?”

“OK,” Twilight whispered as I saw her wings extend and wrap around me along with her arms.

“You want to know the first thing you can do to help,” I asked, my voice cracking under the emotion of the situation.

“What?”

“D-Don’t let go of me right now.”

The first of what would be many tears fell down my cheek.