Following Through

by Alaborn

Rating: everyone
Tags: Slice of Life, Human, Twilight Sparkle, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Original Character, Mystery
Length: 39102

I’m about to visit the one place I swore I’d never go again. And why? An old friend is in trouble. And a new friend is about to cause trouble. Big trouble. Why? Because he wants to be there.

Falling through a portal to a land of talking ponies is not generally a good idea. It was a lesson Jonathan Lockhart learned the hard way four years ago. So why isn’t he running away from this strange glowing sphere in his friend’s apartment?

An old friend is in trouble. She has to be in trouble, if she crossed over again. Were it not for the friendships he forged on that occasion four years ago, he may never have gotten out alive. By following through, he could repay that debt.

A new friend is in trouble, too. It is his apartment where the portal appeared, and he is nowhere to be found. Jonathan’s unique experience made him realize that traveling to one’s favorite universe is never a good thing.

His new friend is in the most trouble of all. He wants to be there. And that means he might not want to be found. And if all this is part of another plot, they don’t have the luxury of waiting.

It’s enough to make a man look forward to going back to the office on Monday.

Set during Season Three.

Published 2015-08-19 19:10:01 UTC
Last updated 2015-12-14 04:20:09 UTC

Chapter 1

Following Through

By Alaborn

Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.

Chapter 1

Okay, calm down, I told myself. You’re in your friend’s apartment. He seems to have disappeared. And there’s some scientifically impossible ball of energy surrounding his computer. At least it’s not red this time.

With what I had seen yesterday, I had a bad feeling that this was a portal, and that it was linked to someplace I didn’t want to ever see again. Worse, it appears to have claimed Jason.

And that’s really bad.

I was a huge fan of the Harry Potter series from the day I picked up the first book. I still am. I was actively involved in the fan community, and of course we all thought it would be wonderful if we were transported into the wizarding world of Harry Potter. It wasn’t until that unusual experience of four years ago that I ever thought, really thought about what would have happened had I ever fulfilled my childhood wish of going to Hogwarts.

I would not have been the kind of person you’d want to meet, if you were someone from that world. And that thought echoed in my mind as I thought about my next step.

First things first: retrieve your phone. Second, lock that door. Third, think about what you learned. And try not to think about whether this is another plot to destroy the world.

The textbooks I happened to bring with me to Equestria actually helped me get home. Jason probably had some textbooks here. I also looked for a backpack.

I found the backpack. I grabbed some textbooks off a bookshelf. I then looked in his bedroom. Jason’s wallet was sitting on his nightstand. He might need that. There were more books stacked in the closet. He has the Harry Potter series? They were just the trade paperbacks, but if there was even the slightest chance I was going to be stuck in another world, I was not leaving without my favorite book series.

There’s a duffel bag, too. I’ll probably need both, to carry these books. What else? Food? I don’t remember what human foods the ponies ate. I’ll have to rely on others. Any other knowledge?

I remembered my speculation about the transformation magic. Did the material of the backpack protect its contents from being transformed? I hid a ten dollar bill in the pocket of the backpack, as a test.

Lugging two heavy bags, I returned to the glowing laptop. Here goes nothing. I leaned forward….

I cautiously opened my eyes, and then shut them against the light. My head pounded. I was no longer indoors, and the bright sunshine indicated I was far removed from an overcast December day. I opened my eyes again, this time more slowly, and saw I was flat on my stomach, my forelegs splayed in front of me, the grass beneath me tickling me. Was it really too much to ask to arrive gracefully?

I checked again, confirming my fears. Olive green forelegs, dark green hooves. Looking behind me, I saw my yellow tail and orange wand and cauldron mark. Raising my right foreleg to my head, I felt my horn. Ow. It was sensitive. Everything looked unchanged from last time I was here, except I arrived with two sets of saddlebags instead of one.

“Okay, you figured out how to stand and walk as a quadruped once before,” I muttered to myself. “Hopefully, it’s like riding a bike.” Position my forelegs under me, push up, repeat with my rear legs. A few hesitant steps, practicing the gait until it again feels natural. Finally, I strapped on my two sets of saddlebags. I immediately regretted how much I packed.

Back on my hooves, I finally looked around. I don’t think this is where I appeared last time. The terrain looks a little more tended, like a park. I spotted some ponies off in the distance. I was also close enough to town to see the rooftops. It looked like Ponyville, but for all I know, there could be hundreds of towns that look similar.

I mentally organized a checklist of goals. First, find Bobbie, and see if she knows what’s going on this time. Second, there’s a very good chance Jason is here, and he’s probably getting along a lot better that I had when I first came here. I want to find Jason, but I have no idea what he looks like. Third, try to avoid Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Last time I came here, there were potentially dire consequences for Equestria, so I’d like to see if I could figure out what’s going on first. Fourth, get home, preferably with Jason and Bobbie.

I headed in the direction of the rooftops and soon found myself in town. Everything looked vaguely familiar, although I wasn’t sure if this was the town I visited. I wandered through the town, trying to get my bearings. That round building with the carousel horses looked familiar. It was not until I saw the library built from a giant oak tree that I was sure I was in Ponyville.

As sure as I could be, that is. I looked around town. Ponies were walking around, shopping, talking, and just enjoying the day. Yesterday, according to my calendar, there was this huge battle under a darkened sky with a dome over the town. No one seemed the least bit distressed, and there was no sign of this battle.

In this world, had a lot more time passed than one day? Could I be in the past, relative to that episode? That might make it hard to find Bobbie. Or what if it is the next day, and these ponies didn’t care? Was it a sign of the typical episodic television series, where everything is back to the status quo at the end of the episode? Or did strange things happen so often, that they were used to it?

Lost in my thoughts, I didn’t notice where I was walking. I bumped into a pink pony, who dropped the watering can she held in her mouth. “Oh, I’m sorry,” I said.

“It’s okay,” she replied with a smile.

“John?”

I recognized that voice. Oh crap. “Hi, Twilight Sparkle.”

“How did you get here? We sent you home!” She looked like she was about to panic.

“Well, as for how I got here? That’s some story.” I tried to smile warmly. There were ponies all around me, though they didn’t appear to be paying me any attention. I’m just an old friend, not an alien who shouldn’t be here. “Why don’t we go to the library, and I’ll tell you all about it?”

“Right. Library.”

I followed Twilight Sparkle to the library carved into, or magically shaped from, a tree. The latter seemed more likely. It might not be a tree at all, just a magical construct resembling a tree. I never did ask last time. Twilight Sparkle flipped a sign hanging from the door from Open to Closed. Heading inside, I looked around, curious if I could see some sign of whether the tree was living or constructed.

I felt a tingle, and then my hooves lost contact with the ground. I looked down, and I was hovering a few inches off the ground, a violet glow covering me. I felt a spike of fear. Heights had never bothered me; was this reaction caused by my transformed body? “What are you doing to me?” I said nervously.

Twilight Sparkle let the spell fade, and I returned gently to the ground. “I wanted to make sure this wasn’t a repeat of last time,” she said. “I’m so relieved!”

I was breathing heavily as I planted my hooves on the ground. “Warn me first! Geez!”

“Huh? You mean that bothered you? That’s a comforting gesture for unicorns.”

“I’m not a unicorn, remember?” I reminded her. I sat on my haunches, letting my saddlebags slide off me.

“Oh, right. I just got so excited. A species from another world! I never got a chance to properly study you last time, with that whole threat to Equestria thing.” The unicorn conjured a quill and scroll. It was an actual feather quill, and the scroll looked like a scroll. It brought to mind Hogwarts, where assignments were classified by inches of parchment. I’m guessing those scrolls weren’t parchment, since that was made from animal skins, right?

“I don’t think we have time for studying. We need to find out why there were new portals appearing in my world, and then find out how to get home.”

Twilight Sparkle looked down, disappointment etched on her face. She looked heartbroken to be missing a chance to study. It was cute, in a way, but something told me that her method of studying would inevitably end with me in a mad scientist’s laboratory.

“I promise to teach you as much as I can,” I volunteered. “It’s going to take time to find a way to send us home, right?”

“Not as much as last time, since we know it can be done, and generally how to do it,” Twilight Sparkle said. Again, she sounded disappointed. She readied her quill again. “So tell me more about the portal.”

“Um, it was green, and spherical?” I had to gently remind her that I didn’t actually know anything about magic when she asked me more detailed questions. I instead focused on the details I could provide. “The portal appeared in my friend’s apartment, emanating from his computer, and I suspect he went through the portal before I did.”

“That’s a potentially troubling wrinkle,” Twilight Sparkle said. “First, can you clarify what you mean by computer? I feel like you were referring to an object, not a pony.”

Right. Whatever magic made me a pony, and had me speak their language, wouldn’t translate unknown concepts. I struggled to remember what level of technology I saw four years ago. “Do you have adding machines?”

“Yes, though it’s been a while since I read about how one works,” she replied.

“So instead of a machine that does one thing, add and subtract numbers, it’s a machine that can be programmed to do many things. You could play chess, or communicate with another computer. You could record what you’re writing now, and it would save it forever, and allow you to reread it at any time.”

“I wish I could see one of these computers.”

“If it had come through the portal, you’d have your wish.” That’s a good question. Why didn’t it?

Twilight Sparkle must have been thinking the same thing, as she answered my unspoken question. “If this computer was the focus for the portal, then that makes sense. I’ve read about mirrors being used as the focus for portals before. The magic does not consume the mirrors. It would be such a waste if it did!” She cleared her throat. “Okay, you mentioned something about a friend? Tell me about him. Or her?”

“Him. His name is Jason. He’s around my age. And, um, I really don’t know what else to say, if he’s transformed like I am.”

“Good point. Can you tell me what he’s like? We could speculate on his cutie mark. Is he a fan of fake magic like you?”

“I really don’t know.”

“Just talk it out. I remember you had a talent for speculating last time you were here.”

“Okay. He’s probably smarter than me. We both studied engineering, but he was better in school. And he’s better than me at fitting in during strange happenings,” I said. That last part might not be true, but I wanted to say something to cover his knowledge of this world.

For all of Jason’s interest in ponies, he’s never really forced the issue on me. Trying to get me to watch the show was more an ongoing joke than a serious attempt to recruit me into his fandom. If only he had told me about his OC, it might be easier for me to recognize him.

After reading far too many bad Harry Potter fanfics, I can’t believe I’m uttering those words.

Twilight Sparkle scrunched her muzzle. “That’s not much to go on. Probably our best bet is to go around town. I’ll look for ponies I don’t know, and then you can see if there’s anything familiar about them. But first, I need to write a letter to inform the princesses about this new portal.”

“Actually, there may be more than one portal,” I volunteered.

“What do you mean?”

“I saw Bobbie, one of the ponies from four… er, how long ago was I here, from your perspective?”

Twilight Sparkle looked at me strangely for a second, before remembering. “Right. There was something about time displacement. You left here almost eight months ago. So you’re saying you saw Bobbie? Did you talk to her?”

“No. I couldn’t.” I immediately regretted my words when I saw Twilight Sparkle stare at me crossly. Well, honesty served me well last time. She accepted my crazy story, after all.

“I had a vision, I think.” Okay, not total honesty. “Something about a blue unicorn, and a dark dome, storms, and a magical battle? Did something like that happen?”

“Yes, but... how in the wide wide world of Equestria did you see that?”

“I don’t know! Magic? Somehow, magic is connecting our worlds again.” I’m not sure if she totally bought my explanation, but I continued anyway. “In this vision, rather than focusing on you, I was looking in the background, where I saw Bobbie walking.”

“Oh, this is bad. This is bad!” Twilight Sparkle cried. “It has to be a plot. One portal could be chance. Two means another plot.” Looking resolute, she put quill to scroll.

Twilight Sparkle finished writing, and rolled up the scroll. “I’m going to take this to Spike and have him send it to Princess Celestia. Could you stay here?”

“Sure,” I said. Did she not want to draw attention to me? That’s not a bad idea, especially considering what happened last time I was here.

She headed up the stairs, and returned a minute later. “All right. Let’s go find your friends!”

Chapter 2

Following Through

By Alaborn

Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.

Chapter 2

“Twilight Sparkle, how many people know about what happened the last time I was here?” I kept my voice down, just loud enough for Twilight Sparkle to hear, as we walked around Ponyville.

The unicorn paused and considered my question. “Not many. Everypony that was there, of course; the researchers; and Princess Celestia probably informed high ranking members of the government. I know she ordered everypony involved not to speak about Discord’s plot.”

“Why?” I asked.

“I suspect she wants Discord to be reformed and freed.”

“WHAT?” I screamed. That got a lot of ponies to look our way. I looked away, and then stared at my hooves.

“Let’s talk,” Twilight Sparkle said as we walked down a dirt road.

“Harmony and discord are two of the eternal forces in Equestria,” Twilight Sparkle explained. “The first is represented through the princesses, and the second through the draconequus Discord. Both forces must be present in order to make the choice of harmony a meaningful one.

“Foals are taught to think of harmony and discord as two sides of the same coin, and one chooses one of the sides. It’s a simple to understand statement, but as you grow older, you see that it’s an incomplete representation of the world. There is a place for discord, in balance with harmony. When Rainbow Dash does one of her pranks, or Pinkie Pie surprises somepony with a party, they’re incorporating a hint of discord in their actions.

“I think a better way to understand it is to picture a balance, with separate coins representing harmony and discord. In the course of your life, you toss the coins of harmony into one pan, and the coins of discord into the other. There are two reasons to be wary of embracing discord. One, you do not weigh the coins of Discord; it is the pony affected by your actions that decides its weight. Two, Discord’s coins are weightier in general, so only a few can disrupt the balance, spilling all the coins.

“It’s only when you look closer at these coins that you see they still have two sides. The reverse of harmony is tyranny, and the reverse of discord is malice. You do not want to flip any of your coins, and that is a reason to shy away from discord, as disrupting the balance is the fastest route to disaster.

“So that brings us to Discord, the draconequus. When he freed himself and brought you humans here, he was dominated by malice. We, meaning the Elements of Harmony, thought there was something strange about this reappearance of Discord. Princess Celestia, on the other hoof, knew immediately that this Discord was corrupted. She knew he had to be permanently banished, and when I suggested sending him to a place without magic, she agreed.”

“Where is that? Somewhere in my world, right?” I said.

Twilight Sparkle nodded. “But discord is a fundamental force in Equestria. And as disharmony incarnate, Discord reformed, trapped once again in his original statue. But he’s now freed of malice. Princess Celestia is letting him stew, but she has dropped hints about how the time is coming for Discord’s power to be used for good.”

“You can’t be serious,” I said.

“I wish I were lying,” Twilight Sparkle said. “I learned long ago to place my trust in Princess Celestia, but if this is her plan, it worries me. It really does.”

“Do you think he’s responsible for bringing humans here this time?” I asked.

“As an act of malice, I believe the answer is no. If nothing else, you no longer have a negative effect on me. As an act of discord, possibly. I’m sure Discord will appreciate the effect you have on the world, but if he did do this, I don’t think Princess Celestia would hesitate to add a few decades to his imprisonment.”

“So, do you have any idea who else could be responsible?”

“Sorry, John. I don’t know.”

I looked up. We had arrived at a building, one I remembered. Its resemblance to a gingerbread house, and the heavenly aromas, were hard to forget. “Are we getting lunch?” I asked.

“We can if you want. But my primary reason for coming here is to talk to Pinkie Pie. She’s the mare you want to talk to if you want to find somepony, especially a new arrival to Ponyville!”

“Good idea,” I said. I remembered the party she threw for me, and that delicious cupcake I had later.

There was no party for me this time, however. The interior of the bakery resembled any other café or coffee shop, with tables and chairs arranged in the room, and baked goods in glass cases at the counter. I didn’t see the pink pony; rather, an older mare with a blue coat and pink mane was behind the counter.

“Oh, good morning, Twilight Sparkle! Would you and your friend like something to eat?” she asked.

Twilight Sparkle must have seen me drooling over the case, so she responded affirmatively. “I’ll take a blueberry muffin,” she said.

“And you?”

“Um, chocolate chip?” I said. I reached for my wallet, patting my hoof on my rump. That reminded me of two things. One, I wasn’t wearing pants; two, the money I brought was in the saddlebags I left at the library. I don’t even know if the money I brought changed to the gold coins they use here.

“Don’t worry, I got this,” Twilight Sparkle said, levitating three gold coins to the mare.

“Here you go, dearie,” the blue mare said, pushing two plates with muffins to Twilight Sparkle.

“Mrs. Cake, is Pinkie Pie here?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“She is, but I don’t know if it’s a good idea to talk to her,” the blue mare replied.

Just then, a pink blur rushed out of the kitchen, a score of boxes balanced on her back. Somehow, none of them fell as she skidded across the floor. “Hey, Twilight! Can’t talk. Party! Gotta go!” And with that, Pinkie Pie was out the door.

“What was that?” I asked.

“Normally I’d say that’s just Pinkie being Pinkie, but....” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Oh, the poor dear got so upset when she couldn’t throw her parties,” the other mare said. “I think she’s just catching up.”

“Okay, Mrs. Cake,” Twilight Sparkle said. She calmly carried the muffins to a table in her magical aura.

I stared at her, dumbfounded, before taking a seat. “What was that all about?” I said.

“Now, I’m not sure what you saw in your vision, but for several days, Pinkie Pie was unable to exercise her special talent,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Given that, I’m inclined to let her go.”

“Couldn’t she spare a few minutes to talk to us?” I said.

“You’re not a pony, John. You don’t know what it’s like to be separated from your special talent. It’s one of the worst feelings a pony can experience,” she said.

“Okay,” I said quietly.

“Besides, we have lots of other friends we can talk to!”

“No, I haven’t seen anything unusual,” Rainbow Dash said.

“Are you sure?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“Yes, I’m sure! Now, I’ve got a sky to clear.”

“I’m sorry I can’t help you, Twilight, dear,” Rarity said.

“Nothing’s happened? Really?” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Not at all. I’ve been swept up in inspiration ever since... that mare left.”

“Did she do anything when I was... indisposed?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“Nothing beyond being an affront to good taste and common decency,” Rarity said. “But if something strange happened, you might consider talking to my sister. She and her little friends are very good at finding trouble. And tree sap.”

“Sorry, can’t help you there, sugarcube,” Applejack said.

“Are you sure?”

“Nothing’s been going around the farm,” she replied. “Not since we drove away that Trixie mare,” Applejack replied.

“Is there a reason we’re ignoring most of the ponies in town?” I asked.

“I thought it would be best to start with the ponies who were involved in your first trip here,” Twilight Sparkle replied. “There’s less to explain that way.”

“Then where are we headed now?” I asked. The apple orchard faded to grassland, bordered by a surprisingly creepy forest. I noticed Twilight Sparkle was keeping us a good distance from the forest.

“Fluttershy’s cottage. She’s the last of my friends who was involved in your past journey. She was also instrumental in helping me defeat Trixie’s plot.”

“Trixie? Is that the unicorn I saw?” I said, feigning ignorance.

“Yeah,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Would you mind telling me exactly what happened? I suspect my vision didn’t have all the details. In particular, how much time actually elapsed?”

“Trixie arrived in Ponyville on Thursday, and after telling everypony her tale, immediately challenged me to a magic duel. What I didn’t know is that she was in possession of a legendary artifact called the Alicorn Amulet. With its power, she easily bested me. She banished me, and placed a magical dome over Ponyville, sealing it off from the world. Even in that short encounter, I could see something wrong with her.

“I knew I needed to best her, and so I focused on learning a particular form of magic Trixie demonstrated, age magic. I knew the theory, but I had always thought that magic beyond even my talent. And it was true. I couldn’t create a permanent age change on a flower, let alone another pony.

“I sought shelter for the night with Zecora, a zebra who lives in the Everfree Forest, and she said she would train me. On Friday, I began my training, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what Trixie did. Meanwhile, the ponies of Ponyville hunkered down, but my friends did some research, learning about the Alicorn Amulet, and how it would corrupt its user. And the only way to remove it was for its user to voluntarily remove it. Fluttershy was very brave, and her animal friends helped her sneak out, to inform me of what she learned.

“Once Saturday arrived, I was no closer to mastering the age spell, but something Zecora said reminded me that I had something more powerful than my magic. I had my friends. And I realized that with my friends’ help, and a few tricks borrowed from stage magic, I could fool Trixie.

“Fluttershy snuck back into Ponyville that morning, carrying the plan we worked out. And that afternoon, I returned to Ponyville, boldly proclaiming to Trixie that I possessed a magical amulet more powerful than her own, with magic from beyond the Everfree Forest. It worked. We had ourselves another duel.

“With the power of my amulet, I demonstrated mastery of age magic. I also duplicated a pony and changed a pony’s sex. Once Trixie saw that, she had to steal my amulet, and that meant taking off the Alicorn Amulet. Rainbow Dash snatched it up, it was secreted away, and Equestria is safe again.”

“How long ago was that?” I asked.

“Two days ago. Today is Monday,” Twilight Sparkle replied.

“Looking around town, I didn’t see any sign of all that,” I said. “So what happened afterward?”

“Everypony came out of hiding, and the town celebrated. And then we got to work. We worked late into the night, and through the next day, repairing any damages caused by Trixie, so that Ponyville would be ready for the arrival of Princess Celestia and the delegates from Saddle Arabia.” She sighed. “That was a lot of work.”

“Seriously? Everyone just worked? They were all back to normal after... after that happened?” I said.

“A lot of strange things happen in Ponyville. Granted, this was one of the worst; ponies don’t often see malice at work firsthoof. But from the ponies I talked to, they all took solace that, even if we couldn’t stop Trixie, Princess Celestia would. And in coming together to rebuild the town, everypony felt the magic of harmony, which is the best cure for something like this.”

“I just can’t understand that. There’s a lot in this world that seems familiar, but then you talk about this magic of harmony, and I’m reminded just out of place I am,” I said.

“If there’s one lesson I learned from your past visit, it’s that you humans feel harmony in a different way than ponies,” Twilight Sparkle stated.

Twilight Sparkle let us closer to the forest. I spotted a cottage up ahead, which I remembered from my past visit. There was a chicken coop and multiple bird feeders, and plenty of paw prints to suggest that this was a haven for all sorts of animals. But for now, the cottage was quiet.

Twilight Sparkle knocked on the door. “Fluttershy? Are you there?”

We heard some shuffling before the door opened. The door was a split door, something I think I’ve only seen in old cartoons. And Fluttershy opened only the top half. “Oh, hi, Twilight,” she said quietly.

“Hi, Fluttershy,” she replied. “Can we come in?”

“Of course. You’re always welcome,” Fluttershy said, opening the other half of the door. Then she noticed me. “Oh!” she said, stepping back.

“You remember John? One of our... visitors from earlier this year?” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Hi,” I uttered quickly. I probably could have handled that more smoothly.

Fluttershy extended her hoof, in what I hoped was their equivalent of a handshake. She looked nervous, and I recalled how the magic that brought me here prevented her from feeling kindness in my presence. But Twilight Sparkle was unaffected, so hopefully, that extended to Fluttershy.

My hoof touched her, and we shook. Fluttershy beamed, and flew forward, grabbing me in a hug. “Oh, I’m so sorry that I was not nice to you before.”

I stepped out of the embrace as soon as possible, knowing nothing about propriety here. “There’s no need to apologize,” I said. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“Yes. It was the fault of that meanie Discord.” She pouted cutely.

“While I’d be happy to reminisce, Fluttershy, we’re here because we may have a problem. There’s another incidence of portals dragging ponies from John’s world, and we need to find them.”

“I suspect a friend of mine came through the same portal as me, but earlier. The problem is, I don’t know what he looks like,” I explained. “Have you seen anyone new, around my age?”

“I’m sorry, I haven’t. I have been, you know, a little distracted recently.”

“John also thinks that another pony from his world came here, one of the ones we met in spring,” Twilight Sparkle added.

“A red pegasus, with tricolored hair? Have you seen her?”

I heard a thump from upstairs. My eyes went to the stairs.

“Do you have a guest visiting? Did we interrupt you?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“Um, not really. It’s not that.” Fluttershy paused, and spoke again, louder. “It’s safe to come down. These are friends.”

Another pegasus came down the stairs, stepping cautiously, as if not used to navigating stairs on four legs. I certainly recognized her; that punk mane was distinctive.

“Bobbie!” I called.

She looked at me curiously. “Wait, I’ve seen you before,” Bobbie said. She pressed her hoof to her forehead. “Sorry, I can’t remember your name,” she added.

“John Lockhart, human from Indianapolis. We met for the first time at a party. It was in a barn,” I said.

“I think I remember that. Sorry, but when you spend thirty years desperately trying to forget something, details like names tend to be forgotten,” Bobbie explained. “Oh, what’s the date where you came from? It was December 2012 when I left.”

“Same here. I was hoping to find you when I returned here,” I said.

“Wait, how did you know I came back?” Bobbie asked.

“I recognized you from the cartoon,” I admitted.

“Cartoon? You couldn’t possibly mean the one my granddaughter was watching, right?”

“Wait, what cartoon?” Twilight Sparkle interjected. “I thought you said you had a vision.”

“Hold on. Bobbie, the answer to your question is yes,” I said. “And Twilight Sparkle, it was a vision, in a way. It will be a lot easier to explain once we find my friend Jason.” I can only assume he has the whole series on his phone.

“No! We have to find Amber!” Bobbie said.

“We’ll find her,” Fluttershy said. “Don’t worry; I know she’s safe.”

“How?”

“Nopony in Equestria would let a foal come to harm,” Twilight Sparkle said. “But we’re dealing with magic of an unknown sort. Before we go dashing off, we need a plan.”

“I think it would be helpful to talk about how you got here,” I suggested. I motioned to the couch in Fluttershy’s cozy living room.

“All right,” Bobbie said. She sat down, trying to find a comfortable position.

“I’ll make tea,” Fluttershy volunteered.

I noticed Twilight Sparkle was seated and ready, with a scroll and quill in her aura. I copied her posture, and despite sitting like a dog would, it felt right.

“Okay,” Bobbie began. “It was a normal Saturday morning. I was doing chores while Amber watched cartoons. I left the room to make lunch when that cartoon came on, so I didn’t see what happened. It was early, maybe around the first commercial break. All the lights in the apartment dimmed, and I heard this strange buzzing noise. I went to see what it was, and there was this huge green buzzing light surrounding my television. And Amber was missing! I looked around, but she was nowhere to be found.”

“Was it a spherical portal? And how big?” Twilight Sparkle interrupted.

“Yes, and this big,” Bobbie said, stretching her forelegs. Twilight Sparkle looked at me, and I nodded; it sounded like the one I saw.

“And when I tried to look closer at the light, it pulled me in, and I was back here. Even worse, I was trapped in a city in a bottle! My worst fear was for this to happen again,” Bobbie said, waving her forelegs. “And somehow, it got worse!”

“Bobbie found my cottage not long afterward, and I begged her to come inside,” Fluttershy said. “I didn’t recognize her at first. While she looked familiar, she also looked like somepony from outside of town, and I didn’t want Trixie to hear about somepony finding her way into Ponyville after she put up her barrier.

“She also told me about Amber. I understood her fears, but I had to put my hoof down. Going out to look for her, while mad Trixie was around, was not a good idea. I asked my animal friends to look for a lost filly, because I knew Trixie wouldn’t notice them.”

“I take it they found no sign of her?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

Fluttershy nodded. “And when I went to find you, Twilight Sparkle, I begged Bobbie to stay in my home, where my animal friends could protect her.” She looked at Bobbie. “Did you stay?”

“I did!” Bobbie said. But Fluttershy continued to stare, and Bobbie wilted. “I stayed until you came back. When you left to face Trixie, that was my chance to search for Amber.”

“And you didn’t find her either?” I said.

“No. I didn’t know what I was looking for. I thought I’d know,” Bobbie said.

“We did have all of yesterday to look for her, as we helped repair Ponyville. And this morning, I flew around town, looking for an unfamiliar filly. I first asked Pinkie Pie, but she was so busy with her parties. Then I looked on my own, but I didn’t find anypony.”

“We also tried asking Pinkie Pie,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“I don’t get it. What’s so special about Pinkie Pie?” asked Bobbie.

“She knows everypony in Ponyville,” Fluttershy said.

“And she always throws a party for every new arrival,” Twilight Sparkle added.

“What are we waiting for? We need to talk to her!” Bobbie said.

“That would be difficult, given how busy she is,” Twilight Sparkle said. “I don’t think we’ll be able to talk to her until she’s settled down.”

“My granddaughter is missing! What if she’s hurt?”

“I trust that somepony’s keeping her safe,” Fluttershy said.

“I’m willing to spend as much time as needed to find her,” I said. “I’m looking for someone else, too.”

“Or we could, you know, talk to Pinkie at the party,” Fluttershy said quietly.

I looked at the shy pegasus. In her hoof, she held a stack of multicolored envelopes, like the ones that come with greeting cards. Each of them had a stamp of three balloons on it.

“Of course!” Twilight Sparkle shouted. “Um, which party?”

“I don’t know. I haven’t had a chance to open them. They must have just arrived.”

Fluttershy opened one of the invitations, a slow process using hooves and teeth. Twilight Sparkle handled it much faster with her magic, and went through the invitations, reading them quickly. She was probably a speed reader.

“A ‘sorry-I-missed-your-birthday’ party for Truffle Shuffle. A ‘sorry-I-missed-your-anniversary’ party for Blue Chip and Lavender Wisp. A ‘sorry-I-missed-your-welcome-to-Ponyville’ party for Stone Arch. A ‘sorry-your-bed-got-turned-into-Trixie’s-chariot’ party for Filthy Rich,” Twilight Sparkle recited.

“Is there one for Amber?” Bobbie asked.

Twilight Sparkle shook her head. “Nothing.”

“Last time, the portals opened in several cities,” I reminded everyone. “I think we should act as if Amber is here, but there’s always the possibility....”

“Don’t say that,” Bobbie said.

“I find it curious that there’s nothing for you here,” Twilight Sparkle said. “No welcome back to Ponyville party? Why is that?”

“Actually, I hope we can get home before that,” I said.

“No wonder poor Pinkie is so busy,” Fluttershy said, looking at the pile of invitations. “She has three parties every evening for the rest of the week!”

“Which one is earliest?” I asked.

“The late birthday party for Primrose,” Twilight Sparkle said. “It’s today at 5:00 PM.”

I looked at the invitation. It listed the date, strangely enough, as December 3, which is tomorrow’s date, from my perspective, and a Monday, like Twilight Sparkle said. Is that more of the translation magic?

“That gives us four hours to search,” Twilight Sparkle said. “I’m convinced that if we put our minds to it, and put together a plan, we can find your granddaughter, Bobbie. But we need to do something more than walk around the town aimlessly.”

“What would happen, on a normal day, if someone in town found a child without her guardian?” I asked.

“First, I’d help her find her guardians. But if I couldn’t, I’d take her someplace safe. To the guard post, or maybe Town Hall,” Fluttershy said.

“That’s what I would expect,” I said. “But it wasn’t a normal day. Let’s make the assumption that Amber did come to Ponyville, and it was while Trixie was doing her crazy thing. What would you do then?”

“I wouldn’t want evil Trixie to see her,” Fluttershy said.

“I think hiding her, to keep her safe, would be a reasonable decision, even if it’s not the decision I necessarily would have made,” Twilight Sparkle said. “But once things were back to normal, yesterday morning at the latest, I would have looked for the authorities.”

“So what kind of pony would step in to help a child, and then not talk to the authorities?” I asked.

“That would seem to be a foolish thing to do,” Fluttershy said.

“But who would be both helpful and foolish?” Twilight Sparkle wondered.

The two ponies looked at each other. “The Crusaders,” they said simultaneously.

“Who?” Bobbie said.

“They’re a group of three fillies with big hearts and a propensity for causing mayhem,” Twilight Sparkle replied. “And I know just where we should start looking.”

Bobbie jumped to her hooves. “Then let’s go!”

Twilight Sparkle, Bobbie, and I left Fluttershy’s cottage. She said she had to see to her animals, but she did open her home to both Bobbie and her granddaughter, once she was found. Our route looked to be retracing our steps.

“So, uh, Bobbie, how have you been?” I asked.

“I’ve been living a quiet life, or at least I was, until three days ago. It’s nothing like my life was back, what is it, thirty-two years ago?”

“Yeah, hearing you talk about your granddaughter was a bit of a shock,” I said.

“It’s been so long since I’ve thought about those days,” Bobbie said. “Back then, the scene was dying. I just hadn’t noticed. Some bands went pop. Many of the fans moved to following new wave music. I couldn’t stand either. I started to drift away. I was twenty-one, and I felt like a geezer. But looking back, I wonder if it was just me growing up, realizing that I couldn’t keep crashing on floors for the rest of my life.

“I stopped dying my hair and let it grow out. I did secretarial work, and later became a paralegal. I actually did those correspondence courses you saw advertised on TV,” she said with a chuckle.

I just stared at her blankly.

“Right. Before your time,” Bobbie quickly noted. “I was married, briefly, but for most of the time, it was just me and my daughter, in a little apartment in Brooklyn. Amber came along six years ago, and I helped Jennifer raise her. They moved out two years ago, and I thought she turned her life around but....”

“What is it?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“My daughter is... she has issues,” Bobbie finally answered. “I gained custody of Amber in October. And not more than a week later, we were forced out of our home by Superstorm Sandy. Her life was already disrupted, and then we had to move to one of my old coworkers’ home. We were fortunate, in that we were only gone for a week.”

Bobbie slowly inhaled and exhaled. “All I want is for Amber to be safe, and right now, I’m failing at that.”

“You’re not failing. We’re doing everything we can to help her,” Twilight Sparkle said.

I noticed we were heading back to the apple orchard. But we turned off the path, walking among the trees. “Where are we going?” I asked.

“If there’s one place where the Crusaders could hide a filly without an adult noticing, it’s their clubhouse,” Twilight Sparkle explained.

My ears twitched, moving of their own accord to track a strange sound. It was a high-pitched buzzing, which soon was joined by the crunching of branches and dead leaves. Someone was out here.

“Is it safe?” Bobbie asked.

“It should be,” Twilight Sparkle said.

Right after she said that, we almost got run over by an orange blur. “Coming through!” a girl’s voice said. I got the barest glimpse of a scooter, which the filly was propelling solely with her wings. She curved around us and accelerated, heading back, in the direction we were heading.

We picked up our pace, arriving just in time to see the young pegasus fly up a ramp. She kicked the scooter with a hoof, twisting it around like a freestyle motocross biker, before landing safely, kicking up a cloud of dust and leaves.

“That was awesome!” another girl said, accompanied by what I guessed was applause. It sounded like hooves clapping.

The filly on the scooter waved her forelegs. “Hide!” she hissed.

Twilight Sparkle smiled at the filly, a smile that was friendly but also said you’re busted. “I’d like to meet your new friend, Scootaloo,” she said.

All eyes went to the tree house nestled amongst the branches of a large apple tree. I remembered seeing this structure on my last trip here. But I also remembered seeing it yesterday, when I was watching... I mean doing research. It was just as bright and vivid in “real life” as in the cartoon, but there were many more details visible. For example, I could see where newer lumber had patched holes in the older, weathered planks.

This other girl leaned out the window of the tree house and waved. “Hi, Twilight!” she said enthusiastically. She was also a pegasus, looking a few years younger than Scootaloo, with a golden coat and orange mane. In fact, her coat color looked a lot like the color of....

“Amber?” Bobbie said.

The filly looked at Bobbie with a confused expression. “I’m not supposed to talk to strangers,” she said.

“Amber, this is your grandma.”

The little filly looked perplexed, and adorably so. “Gramma?”

“Amber Marie Parker, you come down here right this minute!”

Amber came down the ramp, answering, as all children do, to the power of the almighty middle name. As soon as she reached the ground, Bobbie scooped her up and hugged her tightly. “I’ve been worried sick about you,” she said.

“It’s okay. I played with the Crusaders, and we had a sleepover, and they kept me safe from the mean mare!”

“No, it’s not okay. I have to get you home safely.”

“But I don’t want this to end!” Amber said.

“End?”

“This is my best dream ever!”

Twilight Sparkle stepped up. “It’s not going to end yet, Amber. You still get to meet Fluttershy!”

The filly jumped in the air. “Yay!”

“Bobbie?” Twilight Sparkle said, motioning her closer.

“Yes?”

“Do you know the way back?” she said quietly.

“Walk with the dark forest to my left, but don’t go in it,” Bobbie replied.

“Right. Now, I’ve already sent a message to Canterlot, and our top unicorns are already working on the way to send you home. I hope it will be quicker than last time, because we’ve done it before. We’ll contact you when we know something,” Twilight Sparkle said. “And could you talk to your granddaughter? See if she can tell you anything more about the portal that appeared in your apartment. We still don’t know why this all happened.”

“Okay. I’d like to know what happened, because I don’t want it to come here ever again,” Bobbie said. “No offense.”

“I can understand. I shudder to think what would happen if I went to your world,” Twilight Sparkle said.

Bobbie rejoined her granddaughter. Amber said something I couldn’t hear, and then Bobbie kneeled down, and Amber climbed onto her back. I waved as they departed.

“Ugh. Finally!” Scootaloo said, throwing her forelegs in the air.

“Can you tell me what happened?” Twilight Sparkle asked her. “How did you meet little Amber?”

“It was the first day when Trixie showed up, right? We were crusading out here, and we saw that weird dome appear overhead. Applejack came back, and told us what happened,” Scootaloo said. “We kind of decided we wanted to stick together, and Applejack said yes, but said no leaving Sweet Apple Acres, and stay away from Trixie. So she went and told Rarity and my parents, and we were stuck here, bored.

“Then, around evening, we heard somepony approach. We hid in the clubhouse, worried it was Trixie, but when we peeked out, we saw that little filly. And she walked right up to the tree house! She was, like, really happy to see us, bouncing up and down like Pinkie Pie after twenty cupcakes. It was kind of hard to figure out what she was saying, but we gathered that she was here on her own, and appeared after the dome! Both of which said we didn’t want Trixie to find out. And so we decided to be Cutie Mark Crusader foal protectors.” She glanced back at her flank. “Didn’t work.”

She shuffled her hooves. “So, for part of the time, it was like having a little sister tagging along, but she was way more annoying than even my little brothers. And when Fluttershy came and got Sweetie Belle and Apple Bloom for your plan, she got worse! She wanted to see all my tricks, and ride my scooter with me, and then she wanted to learn to ride it like me, and use her wings like me! I mean, I like showing off, but not that much!”

“So you’ve learned what it’s like to have a little fan? One who wants to be like you? One who always wants to be around you?” Twilight Sparkle observed.

“Yeah! It was a pain!” Scootaloo looked down. “Am I like that to Rainbow Dash?”

“The best way to learn that is to talk to her. It’s good to be a fan, but don’t overdo it,” Twilight Sparkle said. “I think somepony’s learned a valuable lesson about friendship.”

“Aww. Do I have to write a letter?”

“I think Princess Celestia would love to hear from you, Scootaloo,” she replied. “Now, I think it’s time you headed home. And I’m going to talk to your parents. You did good to keep Amber safe, but this was a situation where you should have talked to an adult, as soon as Trixie was gone.”

“Okay, Twilight,” Scootaloo said. She took off on her scooter, looking a lot less enthusiastic after being chided by Twilight Sparkle.

Once the sound of Scootaloo’s wings faded, I spoke. “You didn’t want to tell her the truth about Amber?”

“Until we know what’s going on, I’d like to keep the knowledge about other worlds hidden,” Twilight Sparkle said. “If Princess Celestia wants to reveal you to the world, she will. But it’s her call.”

“Okay.” I reached for my pocket, again remembering I wasn’t wearing clothes. “What time is it?”

Twilight Sparkle glanced at the sky. “A bit after two o’clock,” she replied.

“Great. That gives us some time to look for Jason.” I started walking, hoping that I remembered the direction back to town.

“Wait.” Twilight Sparkle’s voice was firm and full of authority. I stopped, mid-step.

“Yes?”

“Before we leave, I want you to tell me something. How was it that Amber didn’t recognize her own grandmother, yet she recognized me?”

Oh, this is just wonderful.

Author's Note

I don't think I've seen a fan of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic from its target demographic in a HiE story. Anyone know of any others?

Chapter 4

Following Through

By Alaborn

Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.

Chapter 4

I stirred from sleep as I heard loud knocking from downstairs. It came from the front door, if I had to guess. I brushed the curtain aside with my hoof and looked out. A whole contingent of pegasus guards, looking identical in white coats and gold armor, stood there, some still attached to a chariot.

I let the curtain fall and ducked into bed.

I stayed in bed, listening for the sound of other ponies. After a few minutes, I heard one set of hoofsteps approaching.

“John? Are you awake?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“Are you alone?” I responded.

“Yes. Spike’s in the kitchen.”

I stayed quiet. I didn’t hear another pony.

“John? Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” I got out of bed and walked to the door, opening it a crack. It looked like it was just Twilight Sparkle.

“What’s gotten into you?” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Are the guards gone?” I said.

“Yes. They just came to drop off some files.” Her horn glowed, and she magically pushed the door open. “Why are you acting all worried?”

“You did make a big deal about how I’m not supposed to be here.”

“Relax,” she said. “While Princess Celestia is concerned about how you and your friends came to be here, she’s not worried about you. In fact, she encouraged me to work with you, since you have knowledge that nopony else has.”

“I don’t know how much I can help you,” I said. “This whole magic thing is well above my pay grade.”

“That’s just it. I need somepony who will look at this from a fresh angle. And speaking of fresh, you probably want to freshen up before breakfast. The bathroom’s set for you.”

I nodded and headed for the bathroom. Resting on the sink was a large, neatly folded towel, with a long-handled scrub brush and two other brushes on top of it. Thinking back to my last visit to Equestria, my only experience with bathrooms was using the toilet. It was as I remembered, squat toilets that resembled something I had once seen on the Internet. Something from Japan? In any case, I did my business, thankful that this body knew what to do.

The bathroom had a separate tub and shower. The tub was freestanding, made of wood, and looked decidedly old-fashioned. It was also dry, unlike the shower, which had been recently used. The shower had a narrow lip and a floor of natural stone. There were separate hot and cold water taps, with handles that called to mind the illustration on the Water Works card in Monopoly. Like a lot of things in this world, I wondered why they looked designed for creatures with hands.

My magic grasped the faucet handles fine, and I started the shower. Once the water was at a nice temperature, I stepped in, grabbing the brush in my magic. It looked like it could be held on my mouth and reach everywhere on my body. In this case, I preferred to use my magic.

Twilight Sparkle had one bottle of liquid soap or shampoo in the shower. Either it was normal to use the same soap for both mane and coat, or she didn’t care enough to get separate products. If it was the latter, I approved of the sentiment. I squeezed a good portion of the liquid onto my back; it had a floral scent that wasn’t unpleasant, but wasn’t masculine either. I then started scrubbing.

After a few tries at scrubbing using my magic, I eventually took the brush in my mouth, since I didn’t feel like I was getting myself clean. It worked; I finally built up a lot of lather. It took a lot of pressure to make me feel anything on my thicker hide. When it came to cleaning my mane, I used my hoof, which definitely wasn’t as good as fingers.

There probably were tricks to bathing oneself that ponies learned as children. But I had no intention of staying long enough to need to learn them. My only concern was to not have an offensive odor, since I was looking at a day of studying in close contact with Twilight Sparkle.

I rinsed off and stepped out of the shower. I reached with my magic and pulled the towel over my body. I had no idea how I was supposed to dry myself without magic. Rolling around on the ground like a dog?

I looked at the other two brushes. One looked like a hairbrush, so I used it to comb out my mane and tail. The other I guessed was for my coat, but I decided to skip it. I smelled something good cooking downstairs, and my stomach reminded me it was time for breakfast.

I followed my nose to the kitchen. Spike, standing on a little footstool in front of the stove, was cooking omelets. Twilight Sparkle, unsurprisingly, had her nose in a book. I smiled when I saw it was one of the Harry Potter books.

“Wait. You’re already on Prisoner of Azkaban?” I said.

“Yes. The books are a quick read. At least, once I got used to your strange font,” she replied.

“What do you mean, strange font?”

Twilight Sparkle levitated a book out of one of the cupboards, a cookbook. She moved both that book and my book to me. I looked at the cookbook. At first, something looked off, but I blinked and I read the text clearly. Curious, I tried something. I turned the book upside down and opened it to a page. Focusing on the shapes of the upside-down letters rather than trying to read them, I rotated the book. Yes, the font was different, with backwards letters and words as well as some really strange kerning. But once I tried to read it, the writing cleared up, resembling normal printed English.

“I see what you mean,” I said.

I couldn’t think of a reason for this. When I first came here, I thought I could speak and read their language because that was built into whatever spell brought me here. But if we spoke the same language because that’s how the show was written, then why have strange writing? Maybe my first thought was accurate, since something did seem to be correcting the writing in my mind.

My musing was interrupted by a plate being placed in front of me. It was a perfect omelet, fluffy and golden, stuffed with cheese, onions, and peppers. The only thing it was missing was ham. I didn’t think ponies would eat ham, but then again, I didn’t picture them eating eggs, either.

I savored the taste of the omelet. It was much better than the breakfast fare I normally prepared for myself. Twilight Sparkle was still reading Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban while she ate. There was one question I had to ask.

“So, what do you think of the Harry Potter series?”

“I like it so far,” she replied. “I have to force myself to gloss over the unrealistically complicated system of magic described in the book, but once I do that, I like the portrayal of two worlds that developed differently because they developed under different sets of rules. I just wish I knew more about your world, so I could understand Harry Potter’s reaction to the magic world.”

“Actually, my world is closer to your world than to the wizarding world,” I said. “You should be able to understand what Harry Potter is feeling.”

Twilight Sparkle frowned. “Is the treatment he received at the hooves of his aunt and uncle normal for humans?”

“No. The story casts him in the role of the underdog, which makes you want to see him succeed. Would you rather read about the exploits of Dudley Dursley?”

“Not at all!”

“The way he’s treated is a little over the top, but most people have experienced some degree of sibling rivalry,” I said. “Do you have any brothers or sisters?”

“I have an older brother. And did I ever hate it that our parents let him stay up later, just because he was older!” Twilight Sparkle said.

“There you go. You root for the character because he’s an underdog, and because you remember what it felt like to not be the favorite,” I said.

“True, but what I noticed most was the similarities to Equestrian adventure books for foals, most notably the trio of heroes. Almost all stories for foals feature a unicorn, a pegasus, and an earth pony working together, and accomplishing more because of it,” she said. “In a way, your book has the same three tribes split, with one wizard from the wizard world, one from the human world, and one split between the two.”

I wanted to quibble about some of her definitions, but the character of Harry Potter was somewhere between the extremes of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.

I heard a loud sigh from the other side of the table. Spike was there, eating his omelet with... were those gemstones? He looked bored.

“Sorry if we’re leaving you out of the conversation, Spike,” I said.

“It’s okay,” he replied.

“If you want, we can talk about Power Ponies later,” Twilight Sparkle said.

And that cheered up the little dragon.

“John, I’ve enjoyed this conversation, but we’ve got a lot of work ahead of us,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“That’s a lot of books.”

I stared at the pile of books, folios, and loose papers that the guards from Canterlot had brought.

“Where do we even start?” I asked.

“That’s a question I do know the answer to,” Twilight Sparkle said. “It’s here!”

She pulled out a scroll and unrolled it. It had some kind of line graph, reminding me of an electrocardiogram.

“This is a recording of readings from Atallama Observatory. This one shows phi energy, and there should be another one showing delta energy.”

“You’ve lost me,” I said.

“Those are two forms of magical energy. They exist in the background of the universe, but we learned they can be manipulated. Whatever ritual Discord employed eight months ago triggered an observable spike in these energies.”

Twilight Sparkle examined the scroll. She pointed to a mess of lines that covered about a third of its length. “And that’s what I was afraid of.”

“What?”

“The celestial convergence. That’s why the Saddle Arabians visited Equestria; it is considered by them to be a fortuitous sign for diplomatic negotiations. But the phi energy of the event masks the phi energy of the interdimensional magic that brought you here.”

“Does that mean that the portals would have been limited to whatever this period is?” I asked.

“Three and a half days, approximately. And yes,” she replied. “It doesn’t answer the important question, how many portals were there?” Twilight Sparkle levitated another scroll to me. “Let’s check the rest of the scrolls. Look for any spikes.”

Checking all these scrolls was tedious, but it gave me time to think. So there was magic in the background of the universe? Was it just this dimension? There was a lot still unexplained about the nature of our universe. Could it be explained by this magical energy, and if so, why did it not reach our world?

I shook my head. I was making a lot of assumptions, the biggest among them being that this was real. But I was reminded of Twilight Sparkle’s words. And this sure felt real. The peculiar aroma of this paper. The difference between the ink of the graph and the handwritten notes next to them. Just the whole level of detail that a bunch of writers would be hard-pressed to create.

After an hour, I finished reviewing the scrolls. “I didn’t see anything unusual,” I said.

Twilight Sparkle grunted. The mare was occupied with a chalkboard, a real old-fashioned green chalkboard. It was covered in equations. She held a piece of chalk, the first scroll, and a book in her aura simultaneously, and looked rather frustrated.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“I’m trying to find your portals hidden within this graph,” she replied. “But it’s a situation where the equations have too many unknown variables. I’ve been making guesses as to the unknowns, but it’s a total long shot.”

“Does it help knowing this is a portal to my world, without magic?”

“No, because this is the end with magic.” Twilight Sparkle sighed and erased the chalkboard.

“What exactly does the graph measure? I mean, what does that number represent?” I asked.

“It’s an energy reading, which is a function of magnitude and distance,” Twilight Sparkle explained. “The functions are described in this book.”

I thought for a moment. “And the celestial convergence you talked about is out in space? As in beyond the orbit of the sun and moon?”

“Orders of magnitude further.”

“Do the energy readings from our portals come from the surface?”

“Yes.” Twilight Sparkle gasped. “You’re a genius! All we need to do is get the readings from other observatories, and then....” She immediately started writing more equations on the chalkboard.

“Twilight Sparkle?”

“Oh, sorry, John. I’m just going to work out the matrix for solving these equations, and send them to each of the observatories.” She continued to write on the chalkboard. “Sorry, this will take a while.”

“Can I help?”

“I think there’s some files related to the other humans. Maybe there’s some information in there?” Twilight Sparkle suggested.

Finding these files wasn’t too hard. They may have desired to keep this whole situation a secret, but they clearly labeled the files with the names of the humans involved. I found one with the names Shannon Sullivan and Brianna Dubois, one with the names Tim Fitch and Chris Kirk, and one particularly thick file labeled Dan Brooks. I didn’t find one with my name, and though I had a morbid curiosity about what these ponies thought about me, the rational move was to read these other files, where I would be more likely to learn something important.

I started with the first file I found. It was a handwritten report from one Sheriff Silver Star in Appleloosa. His report was, well, unprofessional. He peppered his writing with observations, comments, and his opinions about everything, including the futility of official reports. But despite that, I was able to piece together the details about these two women.

Shannon and Brianna arrived on the morning of the same day, when there was a celebration for the ponies of Appleloosa and the buffalo. They attracted some attention with their different accents and the cloak that Shannon wore, but really got everyone’s attention after meeting each other and bickering. The sheriff commented that having visitors in town wasn’t that unexpected, due to the festival, but nopony saw them arrive, not even the buffalo, and the last train had arrived two days earlier.

Late that night, as the festivities were winding down, the two visitors were showing no signs of leaving. The sheriff talked to them, and heard their story (“a total load of malarkey”). While he didn’t believe their story, he did believe they had neither money nor a place to stay. And his big-hearted wife overheard the story, and the sheriff found himself with two guests until the train arrived the morning after next.

The next two pages were filled with the sheriff’s speculation on who these ponies really were. They were actors researching a role undercover. They had wedding day jitters. They were Manehattan socialites getting away from the big city.

I saw one interesting comment. He was certain the two women weren’t from another world because he overheard one of them saying “my little ponies.” “Just like Princess Celestia,” he noted, and then wondered if that was the royal sisters in disguise. “Of course, if it was, then the good princesses just had me waste the good part of a day on these papers.”

If I remembered correctly, Shannon was the one who commented on the similarity of the ponies in this world to the toys from her youth. There must have been some differences, because she didn’t seem to know the ponies. I guessed Jason might know more about that.

In any case, there wasn’t anything that stood out in that file, so I went to the next. And where the previous one was informal, this one was very official-looking, printed on numbered forms. Not surprising, since the name of the pony responsible for that filing was Triplicate Form.

Both Tim and Chris had separately sought help from the police after they arrived in Fillydelphia. I groaned when I saw how that name was spelled. Apparently, strange occurrences like what happened to them were common enough to warrant their own forms. They were interviewed (Form 0215-A, Missing Pony Report), scanned magically (Form 1134-B, Investigation of Physical and/or Temporal Displacement), and given medical and psychological exams (four more forms). It looks like medical privacy laws aren’t a thing in Equestria, because everything was in this file.

Again, I didn’t learn anything interesting. The magical scan paperwork mentioned an uncertain magical aura on them, which I guessed was Discord’s magic, but nothing that would help me today. The psychologist noted the similarity between the two ponies, in particular how they mispronounced Fillydelphia and the consistency in the details between their stories. But nothing looked relevant to my current situation.

I looked up as I heard the sound of small footsteps. Spike stopped at the edge of the staircase. “Twilight?” he said, pointing to a clock.

Twilight Sparkle looked up. “Thanks for reminding me, Spike,” she said.

“Remind you of what?” I asked.

“I promised Spike that the next time I had some big report or research project, I would take regular breaks and get out of the library. I’m thinking a walk to the park and some lunch would be good.”

I stood up, my joints creaking after spending most of the morning seated. “That’s a great idea.”

“Is this normal weather?” I asked.

“The weather team normally holds off on bringing in the really cold weather until everypony is getting ready for Hearth’s Warming, so around mid-December.

“That’s nice,” I said. Not just the warm weather, but also the shorter holiday season. I’ve been seeing Christmas decorations in the stores since September.

We walked, enjoying the nice day. Twilight Sparkle greeted a few ponies as she passed them. Again, it was mostly mares about town.

The park wasn’t as busy as yesterday. I first noticed all the young foals, running around and playing games, just like human children, though without electronic devices in hand. They looked younger.

“Is this a school day?” I asked.

“Yes. The older foals will be in school until 2:30. A few of the younger foals have specialized classes, like magic kindergarten, though those are normally after lunch.”

I nodded. “Wait, did you say magic kindergarten?”

“Yes. Do you have it in your world?”

“No, but we have kindergarten. It’s school for human children, around five years old,” I said.

“That’s an interesting parallel to our world,” Twilight Sparkle said.

I nodded. The name was most curious. Didn’t kindergarten mean child... something? Child garden? No, that couldn’t be it.

The foals squealed in delight as they managed to take down a larger filly in some kind of wrestling match. I recognized the golden pegasus as Amber, which meant that Bobbie was probably around somewhere. I looked around, and found her, standing next to a bench.

“Hi, Bobbie,” I said. “Why aren’t you sitting down?”

“I still can’t find a way to sit that feels comfortable,” she said.

“Good morning, Bobbie,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Did you learn anything more from Amber about your portal?”

“She said the commercial asked if she wanted to go to Equestria. And then the bubble appeared,” Bobbie replied.

“The commercial what?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“A commercial is a name for an advertisement on television,” I explained.

“Hm. The same message, delivered in different ways,” Twilight Sparkle observed.

Remembering that part of the reason we were out here was to give Twilight Sparkle a break from her work, I decided to change the subject. “How are you feeling, Bobbie?” I asked.

“A lot better, now that Amber’s safe. And seeing her play happily, well, that makes me happy.” She smiled. “Reminds me of running around and playing as a girl. It’s something you can’t do anymore.”

“Do you need anything, Bobbie?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“Other than a way home? I’m okay. Fluttershy gave me a few coins, for lunch.”

I sniffed, picking up a mouth-watering aroma. My stomach growled. “Lunch sounds good.”

I looked, finding something I wasn’t expecting to see, a grill. An earth pony stallion stood behind it, and whatever he was cooking smelled great.

I called to Twilight Sparkle, Bobbie called over her granddaughter, and we were soon headed to the grill. The grillmaster was preparing kebabs of grilled vegetables. I wasn’t used to seeing those without some kind of meat, but my pony body was urging me to eat them.

“How much?” I asked.

“One bit per skewer,” he replied.

I bought two, and the four of us had an impromptu picnic in the park. The vegetables were tender and flavorful, basted in vinaigrette and dusted with spice. I could see eating something like this back in the real world.

Amber finished her one kebab quickly, and Bobbie tended to her, wiping her mouth with a napkin. “Now run along and play,” she said.

“Okay, Gramma!” Amber chirped.

Once Amber was out of earshot, Bobbie looked to Twilight Sparkle. “How long until we can go home?”

“I wish I could tell you,” she replied. “John noticed something which will help us isolate the magical signature of the portals that brought you here, but there’s still a lot of calculations that can’t be rushed. All I can promise is that we’ll know more by tomorrow.”

“If there’s anything I can do to help....”

“Keep your granddaughter happy,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Okay,” she replied. She then returned to her bench, and watched the foals at play.

“Isn’t there anything she could do to help?” I asked.

“Right now, I’m wondering if there’s anything I can do to help,” Twilight Sparkle said. “I don’t say this often, but we’re dealing with magic far above my ability and understanding. What we’re doing now is for the best. And I’d like to get back to our research.”

“Actually, there’s one person I’d like to see first,” I said.

We headed to the northern end of town, following a broad dirt road that looked too wide for the traffic using it. Once we reached the end of town, the road changed to gravel. Nobody was using it, and when I tried walking on it, I understood why. The small jagged stones pressed uncomfortably into the interior of my hooves.

“Ponies who haul carts long distance wear horseshoes to protect their hooves,” Twilight Sparkle noted.

“I see. But why do you call them horseshoes? Why not ponyshoes? Or just shoes?”

“You know, I’ve never thought about that.”

We trod along the dirt next to the road. After about fifteen minutes, we heard the sound of construction, and soon saw it. A large group of ponies and machines were gathered, focused on the task of extending this road. Ponies shoveled dirt, and a pair of ponies pulled a device with a huge stone roller, something like the “wheel” of a Flintstones car, over the dirt to compact it. Other ponies applied the gravel over the compacted dirt, pouring the stones from pony-sized and pony-propelled dump trucks. A pair of ponies pored over the blueprints, Jason and a unicorn mare with a yellow coat and light green mane. It looked like Jason was holding the blueprints in his magical aura.

“Hey, Stone Arch,” I said. “How’s the horn?”

“Much better than yesterday, Strange Brew, but I’m still not at one hundred percent,” Jason replied. “What brings you out here?”

“I was curious to see where you worked.”

He waved his forehoof toward the mountain. “The Ponyville-Canterlot Road. A sign of progress, and the growing importance of the town of Ponyville. I’m glad to be a part of it, but I can’t wait until we reach the foothills.”

“Don’t be so eager to make your work harder,” the mare next to him said. “You don’t always have a chance like this to get your hooves wet.”

“But I’ve always wanted to build switchbacks like in the plans,” Jason said. He turned to us. “Strange Brew, Twilight Sparkle, this is my coworker, Lemon Spark.”

“A pleasure,” she said. “But I’m afraid work calls.”

Jason nodded. “Same here.”

“Perhaps we could catch up over dinner?” Twilight Sparkle suggested.

“I’d love to!” Jason said.

“Great! Stop by the library around 5:00,” she said.

We headed back to town. I stayed quiet, trying to process everything I’d seen.

“Something on your mind, John?”

“Is it that obvious?” I said.

“Well, you do have that faraway look of somepony lost in thought. Trust me, I’m familiar with it.”

“It’s just that Jason seems so... I don’t know, happy.”

“Isn’t that a good thing?”

“It’s unusual,” I said. “When I was younger, I wanted to be a wizard at Hogwarts. But looking back on that fantasy as an adult, it wouldn’t have been all happiness and joy, had I somehow appeared in that world. I would have been unprepared and uncertain, and I certainly would have wondered if I’d ever see home again.”

“Jason wanted to come here?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“I’m not sure,” I said. He never talked to me in detail about the show. If only he hadn’t been so conscientious!

“That’s a question we can ask at dinner,” Twilight Sparkle said. “For now, let’s get back to work.”

I stared at the overstuffed file with the name Dan Brooks. He spent less than 72 hours in this world, yet he somehow generated an inches-thick file. Time to see what was in it.

The first thing I saw was various incident reports, this time from the Royal Guard. It looked like Dan had turned himself in. He was penniless, hungry, lost, and confused about what the heck happened. Like the two men who appeared in Fillydelphia, his situation was enough to trigger an investigation for strange magical occurrences.

They also fed him, which led to another entry into his file. The guards noted he ate by lowering his muzzle to the plate, and commented that it was curious he used neither his horn nor his hooves.

I found a report which summarized the findings. Again, I saw mention of an unknown magical energy, and the writer noticed the consistency in the subject’s story. In this case, he or she noted Dan’s unponylike behavior and how that was consistent with his story of not being a pony. Apparently, several different ponies involved with his case tried things that would have an almost reflexive response in a pony, and none of them worked.

An expert with a profession I didn’t recognize (Twilight Sparkle explained that he studied other species’ cultures, so something like an anthropologist) then said his behavior reminded him of no other known species. Again, this was consistent with Dan’s story.

I then found what made this file so thick, a bound report about as thick as one of those spiral notebooks every student uses. I flipped through it, seeing that each page had a small written description and a diagram.

They looked like inventions from my world.

After reading a few, I saw that this pony wrote down, and attempted to illustrate, a variety of human inventions. They weren’t technical diagrams by any stretch of the imagination, and the descriptions were in layman’s terms, but they were surprisingly good facsimiles of an automobile, an airplane, a telephone, a photocopier, a fax machine....

I chuckled at that one.

“What’s so funny?” Twilight Sparkle said.

“It’s a facsimile of a facsimile machine,” I said.

“A what machine?”

“There’s an entire file where someone tried to describe human inventions.”

A violet aura surrounded the report, and Twilight Sparkle quickly snatched it away with her magic.

“Let me warn you not to try to build anything off those diagrams,” I said.

“Uh-huh,” Twilight Sparkle mumbled. I’m not sure if she actually heard me. She had a big smile on her face, probably coming from learning so many new things.

I went back to reading the file, not finding anything of particular interest.

“John, was AOL Instant Messenger how Jason came here?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“He said he was contacted via that program, so yes, sort of. Why do you ask?”

“Because there’s a description of it here.”

I pulled the file to me with my magic. Just like she said, there was a detailed description of an instant messaging program, with the label AOL Instant Messenger, including a sketch of its visual aspect. I didn’t know how accurate that was. Thinking back, I recalled that Dan said he came from the late 90s, which was when AOL was a big thing, so he was probably an active user.

“Who created this report?” I wondered.

Twilight Sparkle sat down beside me and grabbed the report again. “It says Stalwart Shield,” she said.

“Do you know this person?”

“No. It sounds like the name of a guardspony, though.”

“A guardspony who is interested in inventions?”

“Perhaps. These sketches suggest somepony with at least a brief instruction in drafting,” she observed.

“It just seems strange,” I said.

“When I send a report to Princess Celestia, I’ll mention this, and ask her to tell me more about this guardspony,” she said.

I nodded, and we started reviewing the file together. It was enjoyable, in a way, seeing how different some things were after just fifteen years.

The door to the library opened. “Welcome to Golden Oaks Library,” Twilight Sparkle said automatically. “Oh. Ja-Stone Arch!”

“Hello again,” Jason said. “How goes the research?”

“I’m about ready to send off a report that should help us calculate how to get you home. But it’s still going to take some unknown amount of time,” Twilight Sparkle said.

Jason frowned. “In any case, I’m looking forward to dinner.”

Twilight Sparkle led us to a small café, and requested outdoor seating. The waiter nodded and sat us.

The wind blew, and we all shivered. “Sorry, guys. It’s a bit chilly for dining outdoors, but it will be harder to overhear us out here,” Twilight Sparkle explained.

We dined on fresh baked bread and salads, with juice to drink. Judging by the menu, salads were common dinner entrees. The dish I ordered was quite filling, with some greens I recognized and plenty of grasses and flowers that were probably not edible for humans. But my pony mouth told me this salad was delicious.

Over the course of dinner, we shared what happened during our days. Jason happily recounted his workday, and then we discussed our research. To be honest, it was mostly Twilight Sparkle talking, and talking over our heads, but Jason was enjoying himself anyway. Later on, I described my review of the files concerning the humans who previously were transported to Equestria.

“Really? Somepony tried to write a report about AOL Instant Messenger?” Jason said.

“Don’t laugh. You’re here, aren’t you?” Twilight Sparkle said.

“But what does that have to do with anything?” Jason said.

“Wait. Is it possible you do have the program on your computer, even if you don’t use it?” I asked Jason.

Jason shrugged. “Maybe.”

“This is important,” I said. “What do you mean by maybe?”

“I normally go a pretty long time between upgrading computers,” Jason said. “And because hard drives increase in size so fast, it’s not a big deal to just copy everything from the old computer to the new one. So maybe, there’s a folder with AIM, copied from that computer I used as a kid.”

“Why do you think that’s important?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“Could the program be used as a focus or an anchor for the ritual that brought us here?”

“I don’t know. It’s possible. I’ll see what I can learn about the spell, but I’ll probably have to talk to Princess Celestia or one of the archmages directly.” Twilight Sparkle turned to Jason. “But enough about that. How are you doing, Stone Arch? Are you fitting in at your new job?”

“Oh, it’s wonderful. And as for fitting in, I don’t think I’ve attracted any undue attention.”

I was impressed that he managed that. I didn’t last a minute before I had ponies wondering what was wrong with me. And here Jason was, pulling it off. Except for....

“What about that mare in the park?”

“You mean Lyra?” Jason said. He looked to Twilight Sparkle for confirmation.

“Yes. That was her. She looked rather upset. What did you do?”

“I just asked why she wasn’t sitting like this.” Jason shifted in his seat, dangling his hind legs. It looked like he was trying to sit like a human would. It also looked uncomfortable.

Twilight Sparkle gasped. “You didn’t!”

“Didn’t what?” he asked.

“You brought up that horrible experience from her past.”

“What happened?” I asked.

“The only reason a pony would sit like that is after a terrible accident. Lyra was in terrible pain after an accident that threatened to leave her... lame.”

“So?” Jason said.

“So? So?? That’s one of ponykind’s greatest fears!” Twilight Sparkle took several deep breaths. “Since you’re not truly a pony, perhaps it is unfair to expect you to understand. In the past, long before the dawn of civilization, ponies roamed the land in vast herds. We lacked the physical gifts of other species on Equestria, and so we relied on the herd to protect us. To be lamed meant being left behind, where a pony would become easy prey for a predator species. We’ve long moved past abandoning the lame, but this is an instinctual fear that cannot be forgotten.”

“Oh, wow. Sorry,” Jason said.

“I’m guessing that wasn’t part of your headcanon?” I said to him.

Jason shook his head.

We fell silent as the waiter approached with the bill. Twilight Sparkle quickly placed a pile of bits on the tray.

“It was nice sharing dinner with the both of you, but I have some letters to write,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Are you ready, John?”

“Actually, John, do you want to come over and hang out?” Jason asked me.

“Sure. Don’t tell me you’ve already collected a bunch of Equestrian board games.”

“Hah! I wish. No, I just want to catch up, like we used to do in college.”

I glanced at Twilight Sparkle, who didn’t seem to object. “Sounds good,” I said. “I’ll be home later, Twilight Sparkle.”

As we walked away, Jason said “Did you really call Twilight’s library home?”

“Yeah. But I don’t intend to stay there any longer than I have to.”

Jason was staying in a cozy cottage a distance from the town center. It had wooden floors with throw rugs, simple furnishings, and small rooms. All in all, it wasn’t that different from the 1950s-era house where I grew up, save for the absence of a garage and the lack of central heating. Jason stirred the embers in the fireplace with a poker, and added another log.

“I’m hoping whatever Twilight Sparkle is working on will pan out, and we can finally go home,” I said.

“I’m sure it will. It’s Twilight Sparkle, after all,” Jason said.

“I’m afraid time is flowing back home, and that means I’m missing work. I mean, there’s always the chance that the spell to send us back will return us to the time we left, like it did last time, but if it doesn’t... I don’t want to make a bad impression!”

“Calm down, John. You’re beginning to sound like Twilight Sparkle,” Jason said.

“What?”

“Her neuroticism. Look, you have sick leave, right?”

“Just one combined time off pool, but yes, I do,” I replied.

“Did you get a flu shot this year?”

“No.”

“If you got the flu real bad and were laid up for a couple of days, so bad you couldn’t even pick up the phone, do you think your work would be upset?”

“I guess, if it only happened once,” I admitted. “But I don’t want to lie.”

“It’s not a lie. You’re just hiding the truth. And you have good reason to hide it. It’s like how you never told me you went to Equestria.”

“Point taken.”

Jason settled down on the couch and smiled. “I could stay here forever,” he said.

I knew Jason well enough to guess what he really meant. “I’m glad you’re happy here, but you can’t stay here, even if you wanted to,” I said.

“Even if I get the approval of Princess Celestia herself?”

“No! You just can’t abandon your life!”

Jason looked me in the eye and replied calmly. “A century ago, my great-great-grandfather left Slovenia for America, with the clothes on his back and a few dollars in his pocket. He abandoned his life, because he was looking for a better one. He found it. I can too.”

“But things are different now!” I protested. “You have a home and food to eat, and eventually you’ll find a job.”

“Only because my parents are helping me,” Jason replied.

“That’s not a bad thing,” I said.

“Yes it is! You don’t understand, John. All I’ve ever wanted to do was build things. Cities. Roads. Even sewers! I’ve worked all my life towards that goal. I’ve done everything right. And in the end, I’ve been stymied by a bad economy and a glacial civil service hiring process.

“But here, I can finally do the job I’ve always wanted to. And I’m willing to give up a lot to do it, just like my ancestor.”

“You still need to tell people you’re leaving. Otherwise, it will become a missing person case,” I said. “And I’m the last person to have seen you.”

“Oh.” Jason lowered his head. It looks like my words got through to him, though I doubted he was ready to give up his dream.

I heard the door rattle. A light blue glow surrounded the doorknob, and the door opened, revealing the lemon yellow unicorn I had seen earlier that day.

“Welcome home, Lemon Spark!” Jason said.

She nodded, and then noticed me. “I didn’t know you were having a friend over,” she said. Lemon Spark looked at Jason more closely and walked closer to him. “Are you okay, Stone Arch? You look a little upset.”

“Don’t worry, Lemon Spark. Strange Brew’s from my home town, and we were talking about... things from the past.”

She turned to me. “Good evening, Strange Brew. Since Stone Arch probably forgot to ask, would you like anything to drink?”

“No, thanks. We just came from dinner.”

“Well, you’re welcome to stay as long as you want, but please remember we do have work tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I said.

I looked over to see what Jason wanted to do, but Lemon Spark was in the way. I craned my neck. From what I could see, Jason didn’t look upset anymore. He was focused on Lemon Spark, and he was smiling.

“Hey, Ja-Stone Arch? I was thinking it’s time for me to head back. Okay?”

“What? Oh, sure. I’ll see you around, Strange Brew.”

“Likewise.”

I thought about my conversation with Jason as I walked home. When I first arrived, I feared he was going to try to blend in and hide. And while I found him, he did do just what I thought, starting a new life here. And that wasn’t going to end well.

I held little hope that he’d ever be allowed to come back to Equestria, even if he did go home and tell everyone he was joining the Peace Corps or something. But still, he was happy, happier than I’d seen him in a long time. In recent months, he seemed to be deriving less joy from our game days. He was becoming a sore loser, saying things like “Of course you’d roll that” whenever I got a lucky roll. And even when he successfully pulled off some strategy, he didn’t really seem happy, not like back when we played euchre in the dorm lounge or Eurogames at the game club.

I pushed open the door to the library with my magic. Twilight Sparkle was on one of the couches, finishing up Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

“John! How was your visit with your friend?”

I recounted our evening, and raised my fears about our fate. “It’s too bad, because he does seem happy.”

Twilight Sparkle gasped. “It’s cutie mark failure syndrome!”

“Huh?”

“From the way you describe it, your friend Jason showed all the signs of cutie mark failure syndrome, the condition that affects ponies who can’t or won’t act on their true special talents. And he was cured by using his special talent!”

“Yes, but he’s a human, and he doesn’t have a cutie mark,” I countered. “Still... I suppose it could be depression.” That would explain a lot.

“Then when you get home, make sure your friend seeks treatment,” Twilight Sparkle urged.

“I’ll try.”

“And what did you think of his coworker?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“I only saw a little of her,” I said. “There was something about her I didn’t like. It was like, she stayed close to Jason, and stood between him and me.”

“Did Jason mind?”

“No, I don’t think so,” I replied. “He was smiling.” I remembered that big goofy grin he was wearing.

I’d seen him with that expression before. Oh no.

“John? What’s wrong?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“I think Jason’s in love.”

Author's Note

I'm imagining the font used on the Foal Free Press as how Equestrian is written. Thus, Twilight Sparkle thinks our letters look weird.

What happened to Lyra in the background of this story is what I wrote in Two Mares on a Bench. Even back then, I was planning on the brony in Equestria making a scene because the widely accepted fanon turned out to not be what happened.

Chapter 5

Following Through

By Alaborn

Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.

Chapter 5

“I think Jason’s in love,” I said.

Jason was one of my friends who was close enough that we’d actually talk about relationships. Neither of us were particularly exceptional in that aspect of our college life, but we had multiple girlfriends over the years. When it came to relationships, I kept an open mind, but realized a college relationship probably wouldn’t last. Even a strong one might eventually end when two people move to different places after college.

Jason was different. After a few dates, he started to think of his girlfriend as “the one”. That normally led to heartbreak a few months later, but he always bounced back. Whenever he was smitten, he would get this goofy look on his face, the same one I saw when he was with Lemon Spark.

Twilight Sparkle looked at me curiously. “Normally, ponies react with joy to that kind of announcement. But you look worried.”

“The problem comes when we leave Equestria, hopefully forever. I’m sure he’ll move on, so my main worry is that he’ll fight going home. There’s also the weirdness factor. Interspecies relationships only exist in fiction in my world.”

“There are a lot of traditionalists here, and it’s still most common to marry within one’s kind, but even interspecies relationships aren’t seen as that unusual,” Twilight Sparkle said. “What I’d imagine would be hardest for Jason is explaining he wasn’t born a pony.”

“That’s a conversation we hopefully won’t have to worry about,” I commented. “Did you finish your equations?”

“Yes, and Princess Celestia contacted the various observatories directly to request their answer. Because the directive came from her, we should have our answer by morning. Sorry, but I’m not sure how long it will take to get you home. Hopefully, it’s soon.”

“Yeah,” I said. “But there’s something bothering me. We still have no idea who did this, and why.”

“What’s most important is getting you home.”

“No, you’re important, too.” Ugh. These ponies are growing on me. Ever since I stopped treating this whole situation as the universe toying with me, I’ve come to appreciate this world. And that includes not wanting to see them get hurt.

But could they get hurt, with human writers creating a television series involving them?

These are questions I never thought I’d have to ponder.

“I appreciate your concern, but I think the best thing for us to do is turn in, and see what we hear back from Princess Celestia tomorrow,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“It’s still pretty early,” I said. I smiled. “I think you want to get back to reading Harry Potter.”

Twilight Sparkle smiled sheepishly. “Guilty. But I thought of a book that you might enjoy reading.” She levitated a book to me.

Picking it up in my own aura, I inspected it. The cover had a picture of two smiling unicorns, a colt and a filly, and the title Elementary Magic. “A textbook?”

“Yes. I know it’s foalish, but every unicorn needs to start with the basics. But you should be able to teach yourself much faster than a foal, because your horn and magical core should be fully developed. Don’t worry, there’s nothing dangerous in the lessons.”

“Thanks,” I said.

I retreated to my bedroom and jumped onto my bed. I couldn’t help but smile at the thought of learning more magic.

And then I looked at the first lesson.

Apparently, there was an entire magical alphabet, each symbol with a name in Ancient Unicorn and a meaning in English. And the first lesson focused on just two of those symbols, light and motion.

Reading the lesson, I recognized those as the two forms of magic I was able to use without instruction. But now I was learning rules, rules that would help me control my energy.

In language simple enough that a child could understand it, the book taught me how to hold and shape the magic within my horn, describing each squink I would feel when successful. Each was matched to a symbol with a second, modifying symbol. The sensations I felt when I successfully channeled my magic were strange, sort of like tastes.

And, like most textbooks, there were problem sets. The exercises were like a cross between performing scales in music and practicing basic arithmetic problems.

By the time I turned in for the night, I was able to make a quill shrink, and change its color. It wasn’t quite what I imagined Transfigurations to be like, but it was a start.

I awoke to a pounding on the door. “John, time to get up!” Twilight Sparkle said, a hint of urgency in her voice.

I blinked. The sky was just beginning to lighten outside. “Is something wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, but Princess Celestia has asked me to come to Canterlot. And I’d like you to join me.”

“What’s going on?”

“I’ll explain over breakfast,” Twilight Sparkle said. “For now, go ahead and get ready.”

I headed to the bathroom, where the same challenges faced me. The faucets responded easier to my horn, and when I tried scrubbing myself with the brush held in my magic, I found myself having more control over it. Symbols indicating movement, pressure, and strength flowed from my mind and into my horn, and my magic responded.

I was thrilled, but at the same time I felt a twinge of sadness. If we’re going to Canterlot, then perhaps my time here was about to end, and so was my using magic.

I exited the bathroom and headed to the kitchen. Spike wasn’t present, so Twilight Sparkle was making what appeared to be oatmeal.

“Do you need any help?” I offered.

“No, I’m finished.” Twilight Sparkle lifted the pot off the stove with her magic, and then ladled a gloopy mass of oatmeal into two bowls.

I just stared at the bowl as she slid it to me.

“What’s the matter? Don’t you like oatmeal?” she asked.

“I do, but normally, I don’t eat it plain.” The multipack of flavored instant oatmeal was a constant presence in my pantry as a student.

“Try it,” she said. “Everypony likes oatmeal.”

I lifted the spoon to my mouth. My eyes widened. This plain oatmeal tasted great!

It was also hot, and I needed to cool off my tongue, using the traditional method of inhaling through my mouth.

Twilight Sparkle smiled. “See?” she said.

“So, why did the Princess want to see you?” I asked.

“Well, I got a response to my letter last night. Princess Celestia reported that the observatories analyzed their data, and they were able to pinpoint two and only two portals appearing during the celestial convergence. And the archmages say they should be ready with the portal home by tomorrow.”

“That’s great news!” I said. “But nothing you’ve said suggests you need to speak to the princess today.”

“I also asked about Stalwart Shield, and described the unusual reports the guard made. Princess Celestia told me that nopony knows why he did that. It’s not standard procedure, and his superior officers had no idea this file existed.”

“Then what did Stalwart Shield say about it?” I asked.

“Nothing. He’s missing in action, lost during the changeling invasion,” she replied. “Do you know about that from the cartoon?”

I nodded; it was one of the episodes I watched. “I saw part of it, but I don’t have any idea how accurate it was.”

“It was horrific,” Twilight Sparkle said. “The data in terms of property damage and loss of life are sobering. We were fortunate in that actually killing ponies would run counter to the changelings’ goal, but they were still an invading army, and they were willing to use any means necessary to reach their goals.”

That makes me glad my glimpse of the scene came in a sanitized form.

Following breakfast, we prepared to depart. Twilight Sparkle suggested bringing everything in the files relating to Stalwart Shield. I moved books and stacks of paper with my magic, only to be rewarded by everything falling over. My precision magic still needed some work.

Fortunately, Stalwart Shield’s main report was uncovered by the falling tower of paper, open to one of his diagrams. I had an idea. “Twilight Sparkle, do we have time to see Bobbie before we go?”

“We don’t have time to walk to Fluttershy’s cottage, but we can if we teleport.”

“I’m pretty sure I can’t cast that spell,” I said.

“I can take us both,” she replied. “Are you packed?”

I stuffed Stalwart Shield’s report into my saddlebags and nodded.

“Then get ready.”

I never liked the term apparate. J. K. Rowling has a gift with words, delving into the vast history of the English language, coming up with names and terminology that helped make her wizarding world its own unique and wondrous place. But renaming the spell that everyone knew as teleportation just seemed off. I mean, she didn’t change the name of levitation!

Those thoughts passed through my mind as I experienced teleportation for the first time. Perhaps it passed in the time it took to think. Perhaps several seconds passed during my transit between places. Perhaps it was both. But it was strange, going from firmly standing on my hooves, feeling twisted in directions I didn’t know existed, and ending again standing on my hooves.

The pleasant sound of birds singing and the fresh smell of dew on grass greeted me as we arrived outside Fluttershy’s cottage. I let out a breath as I got used to being corporeal again. Then I heard a pleasant squealing.

I saw Fluttershy galloping along the ground. Amber was balanced on her back, the girl turned pegasus filly flapping her wings with glee. Fluttershy saw us, and turned and came to a stop.

Fluttershy lowered herself to the ground. “Now, you go back to your grandmother, Amber,” she told her. “I need to talk to my friends.”

“Can we practice flying again?” Amber asked.

“Of course.”

“Yay!” Amber hopped off Fluttershy, and ran inside the cottage.

“Is she going to be able to fly?” I wondered.

“Probably not. She’s a little too young to control her magic,” Fluttershy responded. “But I’m willing to be patient, and teach her just like my parents taught me.” She turned to Twilight Sparkle. “Does this mean you’re ready to send them home?”

“Not yet,” Twilight Sparkle said. “We’re actually here because John wanted to talk to Bobbie.”

“She’s inside.”

It was easy to find Bobbie. We just had to follow the sound of Amber’s voice to the kitchen.

“And then Fluttershy ran around, and I flapped and flapped, and I didn’t fly, but Fluttershy said to keep trying!” Amber said excitedly.

“Hi, Bobbie,” I said.

“Hi, John,” she replied. “Are we... you know?”

“Sorry, not yet. Soon, we hope,” I said. “I came because I had a question. It’s a bit strange.”

“Okay.”

“What does your television look like? The one that you were watching?”

“It’s nothing special, just an old 19 inch picture tube television. I’ve probably had it for twenty years now.”

I pulled out Stalwart Shield’s report with my magic. That got a curious look from Bobbie. “Does this picture look like your television?” I asked, showing her one of the illustrations.

“That’s pretty close. You’re using magic now?”

“A little. Have you tried flying?”

“No. Fluttershy taught me how to move my wings, but flying just seems so... dangerous.”

“No, it’s fun!” Amber stated.

“I don’t know why I even appeared with wings,” Bobbie said. “I never dreamed of flying. I’ve only flown on an airplane twice.”

“If you change your mind, I’m sure Fluttershy will be happy to teach you,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Now, John, we have to go.”

“Good luck, you two,” Bobbie said.

The world disappeared and reappeared again. Twilight Sparkle and I were standing on the platform of the train station. Our method of arrival raised some heads, but then the ponies shrugged it off. Either teleportation is common for unicorns, or they’re used to seeing Twilight Sparkle teleport.

Twilight Sparkle kept our conversation to matters of small talk until the train arrived. We boarded and moved into a private room.

“Something on your mind?” I asked.

“I’m trying to deduce why the appearance of Bobbie’s television was important to you,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“How difficult would it be to use magic to send a message to someone in another world?” I asked. “Could you do that?”

“That would be impossible for me, not to mention completely irresponsible! Using magic that powerful and that unspecific is just asking to cause a disaster!”

“Are there ways to make it safer?”

“Yes. Use focuses for the magic. In the example of portals, using a focus, like a large mirror, is the only way to create a stable link between two dimensions. In theory, that is. Star Swirl the Bearded established the theoretical basis for this kind of magic, but rumors of him actually creating these mirrors are considered just that, rumors.”

“That a specific program was used to contact Jason struck me as strange. But then I saw it in Stalwart Shield’s report. Would it be easier to communicate with a focus on this program?”

“I think so,” Twilight Sparkle said. “It should allow the magic to cohere and anchor on a destination, a necessary step in a ritual of this nature. Well, unless you’re an eternal being like Discord.”

“Is that more evidence that Discord wasn’t involved? I remember his portals just appearing out of thin air.”

“Not evidence per se, but it does strongly suggest it was somepony of lesser power,” she corrected me.

“I just hope we can learn who.”

“Right this way,” the guard said as he opened the door.

The corridors of the castle were immaculate, the architectural details stunning, but ultimately most of the halls and doors looked the same. So one of the guards, an armored white pegasus who looked identical to dozens of other guards, guided us to our destination.

The one room I remember in particular from my last visit here was the throne room, which had a grandeur that is impossible to describe in words. The images in the cartoon don’t come close. But this room was very familiar. It featured a long table, chairs, and a chalkboard. The materials were different, but this was a normal, everyday conference room.

Princess Celestia sat at one end of the table, resting on a large cushion. Her greater size meant that even a pony sitting on a chair would have to look up to her. She was sipping from a teacup held in her magical aura; the tea service was at the center of the table.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight Sparkle said, bowing before she entered.

“It’s always a pleasure to see you, my faithful student,” she replied. She looked at me, standing awkwardly outside. “And, please, your dear friend is welcome to join us.” She said the words dear friend with a particular intonation.

Twilight Sparkle blushed. “Princess!”

Princess Celestia chuckled.

I entered the room, and the door closed behind me. I looked around nervously.

“You need not worry about matters of protocol, my little pony who is not one of my little ponies,” Celestia said warmly. “John, was it?”

“Yes, um, Your Highness.”

“I understand you come from a place where you don’t have royalty. In a meeting like this, you are free to refer to me as Princess Celestia or simply Princess. Please have a seat.” She slid a cup over to me. “Tea?”

“Sure,” I replied.

The princess poured me a cup of tea. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to say that again. I picked up the cup in my magic; I think I caught a hint of surprise in the princess’s expression.

“Twilight Sparkle, let me thank you for lending a helping hoof to these ponies in need,” Celestia started. “I’m sure you had something on your schedule other than basic research. I thank you again for so generously sharing your time.

“Now, let me state that I share your concern with these unusual happenings. It is... worrisome when something unusual happens in Equestria without my knowledge. Rest assured it is not the work of Discord; the core of his magic is safely sealed.”

“But if it wasn’t Discord, then who is it?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

Celestia took a measured sip of tea. “That I do not know.”

“It can’t be that hard to figure out! How many ponies even knew about the past portal?” Twilight Sparkle said.

“More than I would have wished,” she replied. “Dozens of ponies had direct involvement in the various incidents eight months ago, and though I commanded secrecy from everypony, I hold no illusions that this knowledge was locked away.”

“What about Stalwart Shield?” I asked.

“His actions remain a mystery,” Celestia said. “He was tasked, as all guards are, with keeping the peace around Canterlot. That would include patiently listening to the tales of ponies in need. Guards are taught to look for signs of mischief or deception, but otherwise they take down the report of anypony in custody, no matter how outlandish. But why he fixated on certain details of this human’s story is unknown.”

“And what did his superior officers say?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“They were unaware of this report.”

“And he’s missing?” I asked.

“The guard has seen no sign of him in Canterlot, nor has he been seen anywhere in Equestria,” Celestia confirmed. “We do not know if he is killed or captured, or if he abandoned his post.”

“Can’t you just cast a spell?”

I heard Twilight Sparkle inhale sharply. The look on her face told me I said something very wrong.

Princess Celestia maintained an even expression and tone of voice as she responded. “John, what magic can do is a larger set than what magic should be used to do. We do not wish to track the comings and goings of our little ponies in the physical realm. Ponies have all the skills they need to answer questions like that.”

“Like conducting an investigation?” Twilight Sparkle suggested.

“Exactly. May I suggest lunch in the Guard mess hall? I have notified the Captain of the Guard to expect you two.”

“So who are we going to see now?” I asked as we walked through the halls of the castle.

Twilight Sparkle turned red. “I... actually don’t know. I was going to say my brother, but he’s in the Crystal Empire now, and I didn’t research who was named as his replacement.”

“But you know where to go?”

“Yes. I often ate with my brother when I was Celestia’s student and he was in the Guard.”

“They allow that here?” I said. I didn’t hear many stories about the military growing up, but I always thought the bases were closed to the public.

“Of course. Guards are encouraged to mingle with the ponies who work in the castle. The friendships formed help the guards fight for them when they must act.”

“Hmm,” I muttered. Is that more of that friendship is magic at work? Friendship helps magical pony guards be more magical?

“Besides, the food’s really good!”

Okay. That was definitely not the military I knew.

We arrived in the mess hall, which looked very much like the cafeteria in my high school. There was a long line of food serving stations along one wall, complete with serving ponies wearing hairnets. There were rows of long tables with benches for seats. It even smelled like a cafeteria. The main difference was the room was filled with ponies in armor. They had their helmets off and stored under the benches, and unlike the guards I saw on duty, they ran the normal (and unnatural) range of pony colors.

“Hey, it’s little Twily!” someone shouted. A few other ponies echoed the greeting.

Twilight Sparkle flushed with embarrassment. I smiled at her.

“It was cute when I was eight years old,” she said. “Now it’s just... ugh.”

“Looks like they’re treating you like one of the guys,” I said. “Now who are we looking for?”

Twilight Sparkle scanned the room and led us to another pony. He was surprisingly young for a captain of the guard. Comparing him to the other ponies, I noticed something emblazoned on his armor. It was probably his rank insignia, but unlike most of the things in this world, this one didn’t resemble any insignia I knew.

“It’s a pleasure to see you again, Twilight Sparkle,” the guard captain said.

“Likewise,” she replied. “This is my friend, J-Strange Brew. Strange Brew, this is Silver Lance.”

“Lances? That I’ve got to see,” I said.

“The training drills are open, as always,” Silver Lance said to me. “But I understand you were inquiring about our MIA comrade?”

“We are,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“I’ve reported to Princess Celestia everything we learned in our official investigation, which isn’t much,” Silver Lance said. “But at this table are some of Stalwart Shield’s closest friends. Hopefully, you’ll learn something from them.” He turned to the other ponies. “Now, I’m going to depart, which means I won’t be around to hear about any of your questionable activities. Understood?”

“Yes, Captain!” the table chorused.

“Questionable activities?” I said.

“We recruits make a solemn pledge,” one said. “What we do when off duty never gets back to the captain.”

“Wise decision,” I said.

The ponies introduced themselves, a blur of names that I soon forgot. The group included all three kinds of ponies, as well as both mares and stallions. They looked around the same age, but I still wasn’t clear on how ponies showed their age.

“So you knew Stalwart Shield socially more than professionally?” Twilight Sparkle said.

The group nodded. “We hit the same watering holes and clubs, mostly.”

“And what did you do there?” I asked.

“Drink, play darts and billiards, shoot the breeze, complain about our COs,” another pony said.

“Brag about the mares we picked up,” a stallion added.

“You know, the usual,” a third pony said.

“He was a fun guy to be around,” another said.

“So you knew him well?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

The ponies shrugged. “Kind of?”

“He didn’t really talk about himself.”

“So, like, you didn’t know where he would have run to, if he went AWOL?” I asked.

“I don’t remember ever hearing where he’s from.”

Twilight Sparkle summoned a scroll and started writing. After a minute, she had a simple checklist, and started asking for some details about Stalwart Shield. Home town, family, hobbies, favorite book (that one didn’t surprise me), favorite food, music and art he liked.

After some discussion around the table, the only answers we got to her questions were negative ones. He wasn’t from Canterlot, didn’t care for classical music, stayed away from hard liquor, and the like.

“Doesn’t anypony know something he did like?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

The table fell silent. One of the mares, an earth pony, raised a hoof. “I guess he liked walking in the garden.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“My husband tends the hedges in the garden, and when I mentioned we lost a friend in the invasion, he mentioned that he noticed he hadn’t seen him in the garden recently.”

“The garden?” I turned to Twilight Sparkle. “Is that the place where we... you know, last time?”

Twilight Sparkle nodded.

“I think we should investigate there.”

“I’m pretty sure there’s nothing to be found there,” one of the guardsponies said.

“You never know,” Twilight Sparkle replied. “Thank you very much for your time, fillies and gentlecolts. I’ll make sure Silver Lance knows you helped us greatly.”

We departed the mess hall. I held my questions until no other ponies were in earshot. “The gardens were where we fought Discord, right?”

“Yes. Or his malice aspect, to be more specific,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“And he had a stone statue there?”

“He was the stone statue, at least until he escaped. And now he’s safely sealed again.”

“Here, in the garden?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“Why here? Don’t you have some kind of magical maximum security prison?” Surely, ponies would have their own Azkaban, right?

“Nothing like Azkaban, if that’s what you’re thinking,” Twilight Sparkle said. “The gravest threats to Equestria are bound in Tartarus, which is a separate dimension only reachable through guarded portals. Discord wouldn’t need to be held there, because at least in theory, the binding from the Elements of Harmony would be stronger than any prison.”

“I still don’t understand why such a powerful creature, even bound, would be kept out in the open.”

Twilight Sparkle thought for a moment. “He was placed in the statue garden. The statues in the garden are hippomorphic representations of ideals: Justice, Victory, Family, Hope, and the like. They are arranged in a long rectangular area, and at the two ends are two opposing statues, Harmony and Discord.

“If they were just statues, then the placement would make sense. Remember, one must make a choice to balance harmony and discord in one’s actions, and so the princess wouldn’t want ponies to forget about discord. But knowing Discord was actually the spirit of chaos and disharmony petrified... well, I don’t know. I hope it’s some very long term plan of Princess Celestia.”

“And knowing what Discord’s done, the princess is still keeping him in the garden?”

Twilight Sparkle sighed. “I really hope Princess Celestia knows what she’s doing.”

We walked straight to the statue garden. On my last trip here, I was so focused on going home that I didn’t take time to appreciate the statues. They were ponies in bold poses, with idealized physical forms that reminded me of Greek or Roman statues. Again, the craftsmanship was wonderful.

And then I saw it.

It was Discord, but it wasn’t the basalt statue that was formed after our battle. It was a lighter stone, and his expression was one of shock, not hate. Thinking back, I remembered something about that particular statue being filled with pudding.

“That’s the real Discord,” Twilight Sparkle explained. “The hateful creature you fought is banished. I witnessed the whole thing.”

“So Discord is in there?”

“Inasmuch as a fundamental force taking physical form can be said to exist, yes.”

“Is it safe to be here?” I asked.

“I’ve studied the spells used to bind him, and asked a few questions of the princesses, so yes. Well, I think so. As far as I’ve learned, Discord can sense the world, but not interact with it, even if you were to touch the statue.”

I sat on a nearby bench and gazed at Discord’s statue. I looked around the area. The statue garden was out of the way, shielded from one direction by a wall and another by the tall hedge wall of the hedge maze. And no ponies had walked through it. It was as if this part of the gardens were an unpopular museum exhibit.

“What if someone wanted to communicate with Discord?” I wondered aloud.

“What? Who would want to do that?” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Stalwart Shield, maybe. He had a strange fascination with our world. What if he wanted to learn how to bring people from my world? He spent a lot of time in the garden, and right over there just happens to be the one creature who knows how to cross between worlds. Judging by the lack of ponies here, he could talk to Discord all he wanted. If that’s possible, that is.”

She thought for a moment. “Some kind of spell that establishes a direct link between two ponies. Any should work to create a connection between somepony and Discord. I can do it right now if you want.”

“No,” I said. “I want to do it.”

“Are you sure?”

“Not at all. But I think it’s the right thing to do.”

Twilight Sparkle pulled out a scroll and quill from her endless supply and scratched some symbols onto the scroll. She sent it over to me in her magic. I recognized the strange unicorn alphabet.

“This is the simplest spell I could think of. It’s a basic empathy spell, mostly used by doctors on nonverbal patients to know where the patient is hurting. Do you think you can cast it?”

I recognized the magical gestures associated with each symbol. “I think so.”

“Test it on me.”

I concentrated, shaping the magical energies in my horn and squinked to Twilight Sparkle. She nodded. She looked around, and then got my attention. I watched as she deliberately placed her right forehoof down on a sharp stone.

As she did that, I felt a pressure in my same appendage, in the... whatever that soft part of the hoof is called. “Ow,” I said.

“No, you shouldn’t have felt pain, just pressure, if the spell worked.”

“No, you’re right. It just looked painful.”

Twilight Sparkle shook her hoof. “It hurts like the dickens.”

I took a deep breath. “I’m ready,” I said.

Slowly, I walked up to the statue of Discord.

Author's Note

I got to make up a new word! Hippomorphic is the pony equivalent of anthropomorphic.

Next time, John faces Discord once more.

Chapter 6

Following Through

By Alaborn

Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.

Chapter 6

The statue of Discord loomed over me.

He was probably a bit taller than me, in my normal form. But being on four legs meant I had to strain my neck to look in his eyes. It was a sensation I hadn’t experienced since I was a small child. I wondered if ponies, as a rule, felt the same way when seeing bipedal creatures.

I realized I was stalling. It was my old enemy, fear.

Looking back at my life, I recognized that I was often paralyzed by fear. Fear of rejection, fear of embarrassment, fear of the unknown. It impacted many of my decisions growing up. I started off at community college because of that fear. Neither of my parents went to college, so I wasn’t being pushed by them, and school counselors weren’t very forceful on the matter, either. Community college was the easy path.

Had I been pushed, I probably still would have started at community college, but because I planned it that way, to save money.

I was still stalling.

After my first trip to Equestria, I had a response to this fear. “Whatever might happen to me, it can’t be worse than facing a sadistic god of chaos.” And it worked. Taking the class with the legendarily difficult professor. Joining an organization where I knew no one. Talking to someone at a party.

Unfortunately, that response didn’t work when the event striking fear in me was facing a sadistic god of chaos.

I stomped my hoof to remind myself that I still needed to stop stalling. I looked up at Discord. Just a statue, completely incapable of harming me.

I concentrated on the arcane symbols, shaping the empathy spell in my horn. I felt the magical energy touch the statue, and then felt it returned tenfold.

I saw in my mind the image of Discord superimposed over the statue. He sneered at me. “I thought I smelled something,” I heard in my mind.

“Hey. I showered!” I responded.

Discord chuckled. “Ah, yes. Seven creatures from your world, and not one of you figured out how to use a bar of soap. And here I thought you were some sort of technologically advanced species.”

I glared at the image.

“Oh, lighten up, John. I wasn’t referring to you, or rather, not how you were thinking. You bring with you a peculiar odor, the scent of my own failure.”

“From what I’ve learned, that’s not a unique occurrence.”

“You wound me,” Discord said. In the image I saw, blood started spurting from his chest, comical giant teardrops of blood, like in a cartoon. “Yes, I’ve lost before. I lose all the time. No, this smells precisely because it was solely my failure.”

“Now you wound me. I thought I had a hand in your defeat,” I said.

“Yes, and that’s what made it worse. As an eternal being, to win against mortal ponies isn’t much of a win at all. I can squash them like bugs.” The image of Discord now held a flyswatter, and he was swiping at miniature versions of Twilight Sparkle and her friends, all with compound eyes and gossamer wings. “The only real victory comes when a pony embraces discord of her own free will.”

“Yes. None of us were buying what you were selling,” I said.

“I wasn’t talking about you, Johnny boy,” Discord said. “I said ponies. Ponies are always talking about choosing between harmony and discord, as if they were opposites or something. My brilliant plan, the one you weren’t around to see, required everypony to choose discord, with a little prodding from a certain handsome draconequus, of course.”

“So what happened?” I asked.

“My plan was working, of course, at least until I ran into a certain pegasus. She was so kind, she refused to abandon harmony, even with her friends abandoning her. And that’s when I heard a little voice in my head. ‘Why are you wasting your time? Just discord her, and move on.’ So I did.”

I thought back to Twilight Sparkle’s little lesson. “That was malice speaking?”

“Oh, certainly. But he’s like that neighbor who always crashes your party. Once he knows you, he keeps coming around. ‘You know this prison can’t hold you, Discord.’ ‘You never have to lose.’ ‘You can just defeat harmony by countering it.’ I suppose you know the rest.”

I nodded. “You know, I never thought you’d be so talkative,” I said.

“I am quite aware of the peril of the revealing monologue, but I happen not to be playing the role of villain today,” Discord replied. “And I know you know that, since I noticed I’m not surrounded by six ponies with gaudy costume jewelry.”

“And you’re doing this out of the kindness of your heart?”

“Well, you are talking about my favorite subject, moi, and my entertainment options at this time are rather limited,” Discord said. “But I do tend to grow bored after a spell.” The image of Discord pulled out a nail file, and he started sharpening the talons on his eagle claw.

“So, just to confirm, you didn’t bring any humans to Equestria?” I asked.

“A bit blunt, wouldn’t you say?” Discord said. “Well, if that’s how you want to play, then I’ll say no. I refuse to repeat myself, you know.”

“Then do you know who did?”

“I’m afraid I haven’t had any involvement with interdimensional magic since your last visit,” he replied.

I paused. That wasn’t quite an answer to the question I asked. Discord’s lips curled into a slight smile. I wondered if our connection meant he knew what I was thinking.

“Yes, I do know, and really, John, you shouldn’t be imagining Twilight Sparkle in those clothes,” Discord said.

“What? I’m not, I mean...” I sputtered, but the seed was set. The thought of Twilight Sparkle as a naughty nurse filled my mind.

Discord rolled on the floor, laughing. The letters “ROFL” blinked above him.

I scowled. I decided to share with Discord the power of human imagination, by imagining all the things I ever wanted to happen to Dolores Umbridge happening to him instead.

“Okay, okay, point taken,” Discord said. He extended his lion’s paw. “Truce?”

“Truce.” I didn’t take the bait, leaving his paw hanging there. He huffed, and his appendage popped like a balloon.

“So, do you get a lot of visitors?” I asked Discord.

“Oh, not too many,” he replied.

“Any of them talk to you? Like, try to hold a conversation?”

“There have been a few.”

“Any of them talk to you about magic? Like, how to open portals to other worlds?”

“I hardly think a kind of magic that was beyond the normal unicorn’s power would make for a good discussion,” Discord replied. “But I do happen to be quite the expert in magic. I find my chaos magic is most effective when it takes a known spell and presents it with my own little twist.”

There it was again, a non-answer to my question. “So let’s say someone did want to discuss the finer points of magic with you. You’d be up for it?”

Now Discord appeared with a tweed jacket, pipe, and bifocals. “Office hours are every day, 12:00 AM to 12:00 AM.”

“So, Professor, reaching across dimensions with magic is a difficult task?”

“Indubitably.”

“Difficult enough to challenge the magic of the average draconequus?”

“Pshaw. There’s only one draconequus, and ‘average’ is hardly a term I’d use to describe him.”

“How much more difficult would it be to cross dimensions and time at the same time?”

“To be honest, once you’re talking about crossing dimensions, it’s hard to get any more difficult,” Discord said.

I thought back to my first meeting with Discord. When he was acting the role of villain, and monologging like a bad villain would, he did reveal a few things. One was that he reached into the past because he didn’t want to get someone who wanted to be here. He had also mentioned something about a recent strong connection between my world and this one. Those were details I had written down when I documented my first trip to Equestria, even though they didn’t make any sense to me.

Now, thinking about Jason and Amber, I finally understood.

“Discord, have you ever mentioned to any of your visitors why you chose to pull us from the past?” I asked.

“I have. Bravo, John. You get a gold star. But I’m afraid office hours are now over.”

My senses shifted, the squink from my horn disappeared, and now I saw only Discord’s stone statue.

I found Twilight Sparkle a distance away, sitting on a bench. She looked a bit bored. “How long was I there?” I asked.

“No more than ten minutes,” she replied. “What did you learn?”

“I learned that Discord knows more than he’s willing to reveal. Or maybe he can’t reveal it. I don’t know how that works in this world,” I said. “But I have some suspicions.”

“Do tell,” she said eagerly.

“This goes back to my last visit. When we were all facing Discord, he said a couple of things. He said there was a strong connection between out worlds, and said he reached into the past because he didn’t want to find someone who wanted to be in Equestria. At the time, I didn’t know what he meant, but now I think he was referring to the show, and people like Jason.”

Twilight Sparkle nodded. “I think it’s possible Jason would have had the same effect as you, in that particular situation, but it makes sense that Discord would have wanted to remove that unknown.”

“As for what’s happening now, it sounds like Stalwart Shield did speak to Discord, including learning that he targeted the past because he didn’t want to bring someone who wanted to be here. I still don’t know how he, or whoever is responsible, did it, but I note that Jason was asked if he wanted to go to Equestria.”

“The opposite of what Discord wanted,” Twilight Sparkle noted.

“But who did this?” I wondered.

“That’s what we need to figure out,” she said. “To the library!”

The library, which Twilight Sparkle mentioned was technically the Canterlot Royal Library and Archives, looked exactly like an old-fashioned library one might see in a movie. The main room was two stories high, with tall bookshelves reaching to the ceiling, those ladders on wheels used to reach the books on the higher shelves, and lots of uncomfortable-looking wooden furniture. I had spent plenty of time in libraries at college, but all of my searching and a good portion of my reading was done online. Here, we’d need to use the card catalog.

I didn’t get a chance to see the card catalog, as we apparently didn’t need one. Twilight Sparkle knew what books she was looking for, and knew exactly where to find them. Well, she did live in a library, after all.

“I’ve picked up books on as many of the powerful creatures of Tartarus as I can remember,” Twilight Sparkle said. I winced as the huge stack of books landed with a thud on a wooden desk.

Sure enough, from somewhere, a librarian shushed us.

We got started, although it was mostly Twilight Sparkle quickly checking and then discarding books. Some of the creatures were just ridiculous. A demonic centaur? How would a world of ponies, but without humans, conceive of a centaur? A giant green blob, straight out of a 1950s B movie?

Twilight Sparkle sighed as the last of the books went to the discard pile. “There are only a few creatures who could even conceivably gain power of Discord’s level. But that creature would first need to escape, and surely Princess Celestia would have warned me if it did.”

“Did she tell you about Nightmare Moon? Or Discord?” I said.

“Princess Celestia was... less than forthcoming about them,” she carefully said.

“What about the changelings?”

“No, but.... Look, John, I trust that Princess Celestia has everything planned out. I know I’ve been saying this a lot, but I really hope she knows what she’s doing.”

“Wait. What about the changelings?” I said. “Could that queen of theirs....”

“She’s defeated, John,” Twilight Sparkle interrupted. But from the way she spoke, she didn’t sound convinced.

“Okay, maybe that’s so, but what about changelings working together? For that matter, what about ponies working together?”

“The ancient unity spells, used by the unicorns to raise the sun and moon in the days before the arrival of Princesses Celestia and Luna, are still taught, but never used, at least as far as anypony knows,” she replied. “Outside of that, a pony would need to gather power from a source, something like the Alicorn Amulet. And as for changelings....” Twilight Sparkle sighed again. “I just don’t know.”

“What do you mean?”

“There’s not a lot of written works about changelings. Believe me, I’ve looked,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Changelings were thought to have disappeared, and the books we do have are centuries old, which means you can expect scholarship of a dubious quality.”

“Let’s see what we can learn anyway,” I said.

It wasn’t much. There were a few consistent details in the several books Twilight Sparkle found, such as their shapeshifting power, their feeding on love energy, and their social structure, like ants or bees. But the authors were just speculating about all the hows and whys of the changeling race.

Like many of the things in this world, changelings didn’t make sense. But shapeshifting could be a useful power. It sure would be a lot more convenient than brewing a polyjuice potion for infiltrating Slytherin....

“What if Stalwart Shield were a changeling?” I asked.

“What? The Guard would be a terrible place for a changeling,” she said. “How would he feed?”

“One night stands? Would that be like junk food for a changeling?” I mused. “In any case, it looks like no one knows anything about changelings and their magic, but in my world, a character in a fantasy novel with changeling powers would make the perfect spy.”

“And then he joined in on the attack?”

“No, a spy in position is too valuable a resource to give up,” I said. At least that’s how spy movies worked, right? “But did that actually happen, that big love wave blasting the changelings?”

“Yes, the power of Princess Cadance’s and Shining Armor’s love drove away the changelings,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Which would also catch any changeling spy in Canterlot,” I said. “But not before passing on this information to his hive?”

“If so, then Queen Chrysalis didn’t act on it.” She drummed her hoof on the table. “I think we’ve learned all we can here. But there are a few questions I want to ask Princess Celestia before we go. In private.”

I waited by myself in a different cafeteria, enjoying a light snack, while Twilight Sparkle met with the princess. I was in the company of a member of the Royal Guard, who was trying his best not to look conspicuous as he kept an eye on me. It didn’t work.

About half an hour later, Twilight Sparkle returned. She grabbed a sandwich, finishing it off in less than a minute, and then we departed.

A pair of royal guards escorted us to the train station. I looked at Twilight Sparkle, but the mare shook her head slightly. Again, she talked about other things, in this case the history of Canterlot, while we were around other ponies.

We had a private compartment on the train back to Ponyville, and once we were inside, I asked her what she learned.

“I spoke to Princess Celestia, a lot more forcefully than I ever had before, and she did reveal three things. She stated Queen Chrysalis was dead, that the changelings were not, and then she mentioned that she had known many queens of the changelings in her years.”

“How does she know Queen Chrysalis was dead?”

“She didn’t say, but she said those words with the same certainty as she says ‘I have raised the sun and brought about a new morning’.”

“And the rest of it?” I asked.

“I gather she knows more on the subject than those old scholars, but I don’t think she knows the details.”

I watched as Twilight Sparkle paced around the small cabin. She was full of nervous excitement. “So what happened when you challenged Princess Celestia?” I asked.

She smiled. “Oh! I asked for a private meeting, and once we were alone, I asked her directly to tell me what happened to the changelings! I mean, I wrote out what I wanted to say several times, because it was important I stayed respectful, but talking to you reminded me that I was tired of saying that I hoped Princess Celestia knew what she was doing, when in fact I don’t know! So I said it, and waited, and Princess Celestia smiled at me! I know that smile! I passed the test!”

It looked like Twilight Sparkle wanted to jump up and down, but given the size of the cabin, all she could do was rear up.

And then she embraced me.

The hug didn’t last long. She blushed and broke it off, backing as far away from me as possible in this small room. “Sorry! I wasn’t thinking! Ponies do... I don’t know if humans... that was presumptuous of me! Sorry!”

“It’s okay, Twilight Sparkle,” I said, nervously shuffling my hooves. “I know you didn’t mean anything by it.”

I don’t really like being hugged. I have this aunt who greets me with a big bear hug, which was one thing when I was eight, but now it’s a little uncomfortable. But this wasn’t like that. The pony in me was telling me that it felt... kind of nice.

We spent the rest of the trip in the cabin, seated as far away from each other as possible.

“Spike, we’re home!” Twilight Sparkle announced as we entered the library. “Was everything okay while we were gone?”

“Sure was! Everything’s in tip-top shape, Twilight!” the young dragon said.

“Good! Well, I don’t know about you, but I’m beat,” she said.

“So what do we do now?” I said.

“I guess we wait until tomorrow, when hopefully you’ll go home.”

“But what about what brought us here? The changelings?”

“You’ll have to trust us to catch them later,” Twilight Sparkle said glumly. “We don’t have anything but suspicions, and unless you know an expert on changelings, there’s nothing we can do.”

I smiled. “You know, there’s someone who might know something.”

It was late as I walked through the quiet streets of Ponyville. Only a few ponies were out, and their hooffalls seemed muffled by the cool night air. Gas lamps and the light from the windows of the nearby houses cast a pale glow over town.

I reached my destination, Jason’s house, but paused before I reached the front door. The curtains on the nearby window were open, and inside, I could see Jason and Lemon Spark. They were seated next to each other on the same couch. A blanket covered their bodies, and they were reading from the same book by the light of a lantern. It was a scene that could have played out on Earth, save for the people being ponies, and that the book was hovering in the air, suspended in a light blue magical aura. They didn’t notice me outside.

I knocked, an action that was hard to do quietly with hooves. I heard no movement inside. Peeking in the window, I saw the two ponies look at each other, as if deciding whether or not to get up. I pounded on the door more insistently.

Finally, Jason answered the door. “Jo... Strange Brew? What do you want?”

“Can you come walk with me? I have some questions I’m hoping you can answer.”

He glanced back to Lemon Spark. “Can’t it wait?”

“It’s important,” I said. “Not as important as distracting Professor Kaplan so you could sneak your paper in and avoid having it marked late, but, you know....”

Jason grumbled. He turned to the mare. “Sorry, Sparky, but I need to go out for a bit.”

“Come back soon,” she said. “This couch is chilly without you.”

Jason closed the door behind him. I pointed to him, and then to the window. “You? Her? Already?”

“She makes me happy. I haven’t felt this happy since before graduation,” he replied. “But if all you’re going to do is criticize me, then I’ll go back inside.”

“No, I do need to talk to you,” I said. “Let’s walk.”

Once we were a distance away, and no ponies were within earshot, I spoke. “What do you know about changelings?”

Jason stopped. “What? I thought you said this was important.” He looked ready to turn around.

I placed a hoof on his shoulder. “It is important. It concerns how we got here.”

“It was changelings?”

“We don’t know. All we have are suspicions,” I said. “Whether this world is an actual separate dimension, or just the construct of a group of human television writers, there exists a library with all sorts of books, but nothing definitive about changelings. You know this world better than me, so what do you know about changelings?”

“I know very little. Changelings only appeared in the wedding episode as the villain of the week.”

“I gathered that. What about fanon? I want to know everything about how changelings work, and the ideas of your fan community are worth exploring.”

We started walking again as Jason composed his thoughts. “I normally see changelings portrayed like insects, with a hive mind controlled by Queen Chrysalis. There are often work roles, like warrior, drone, or collector. A lot of stories show them as sensing all kinds of emotions, not just love, though they vary on whether they consume only romantic love, all love, or positive emotions in general. Negative emotions are sometimes just foul tastes, and other times actively harmful.”

“Are there more changelings than just the one hive?”

“It would make sense, but then again, it would also make sense that there were more pony nations than just Equestria, which we haven’t seen, so they’re both something left to the writer’s imagination.”

“How about royal succession? How does a queen get replaced?”

“No idea,” he said quickly.

“Really? Not one story about it?”

“Well, the only ones I remember were, uh, stories of a mature nature.”

I shuddered, remembering some of the Harry Potter fanfics I had read.

“So, yeah, I don’t think there’s anything to learn, and I’d rather not talk about it,” Jason said.

I decided to try something more specific. “Say that Queen Chrysalis died in that wedding episode. What happens to the rest of the changelings?”

“There’s a power struggle, and a new queen rises?” He shrugged. “What happens when a queen bee dies?”

“Doesn’t the hive die? I don’t know,” I said. “I don’t think the changeling hive died.” I thought for a moment. “How would you identify a changeling?”

“When they change form,” Jason said. “Other than that, you can’t detect them. No magic spell or anything. It’s mostly handwaved away, because it’s the only way for that whole episode to make sense.”

“Oh.”

“Sorry I couldn’t help more,” Jason said.

“No, this helps a lot. A different perspective is what we need to get home.”

Jason came to a stop and shuffled his hooves. “Yeah, home.”

As weird as this whole situation seemed to me, I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him. “Look, Jason. Like it or not, some time tomorrow, we’re going to be summoned to Canterlot, and we’re going to be sent home. So, it’s best that you treat this like your last night in Equestria.”

“Okay.”

“Promise me you won’t do something stupid?”

“No promises, but I will go with you, and I will obey whatever Princess Celestia decides. But I’ll take your advice. I’m going home tonight, and treating it like my last night in Equestria.”

“I’ll see you tomorrow, Jason.”

And as I headed back to the library for my own last night in Equestria, I tried my hardest not to think about how Jason was going to spend his.

Author's Note

Looks like one more chapter and an epilogue before this one is finished. If I had to guess, I'll post them some time after the holidays, perhaps December 28.

Chapter 7

Following Through

By Alaborn

Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.

Chapter 7

What was hopefully my last day in Equestria began with a light rapping on my bedroom door.

“John? Spike just delivered a message from Princess Celestia,” Twilight Sparkle said. “You’re going home!”

“Does this mean another train trip?” I said.

“No, we’re going to travel by chariot,” she replied.

“Okay.”

As I showered and the fog of sleep cleared from my mind, I thought about what Twilight Sparkle said. A chariot? Wouldn’t that be slower than the train? And wasn’t there a lack of road between Ponyville and Canterlot, given that Jason was working to build it?

Well, that mystery would resolve itself soon enough.

“So, when do we leave?” I asked once I rejoined Twilight Sparkle.

“Not until 10:00,” she said. “Two guardsponies should have arrived by now, to pick up Jason and Bobbie and escort them here. Once they arrive, we can pack for the journey.”

“What do we need to pack?”

“Only everything you brought with you.”

Soon, I was packing two sets of saddlebags with all of Jason’s textbooks. “These weren’t needed?” I said.

“No. I’m guessing they had enough information to recreate the spell from last time,” Twilight Sparkle said.

I buckled one set of saddlebags, and looked for the rest of the books to fill the other. I saw them, in a stack, with Twilight Sparkle doing a bad job of trying to hide them from me.

“But I’ve just started Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix!” she protested.

“We can ask Jason if he wouldn’t mind leaving the books with you,” I said.

Twilight Sparkle beamed.

A curt knock on the door interrupted us. “Twilight Sparkle?” a gruff voice announced.

She concentrated and opened the door with her magic. A pegasus guard stood there, in armor and bearing a spear, and Jason stood behind him.

“Be prepared to leave at 10:00,” the guard stated before flying off.

“Come in, Stone Arch,” I said.

To Jason’s credit, he still had a smile on his face, even as he slumped onto the couch. “All good things must come to an end,” he said.

“But memories will remain,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Can I ask you a big favor, Jason?”

“Sure.”

“Can I keep your Harry Potter books?” Twilight Sparkle looked at him with big puppy dog eyes.

Jason laughed. “How can I say no to that? Besides, I’ve already read the books, and if I want to read them again, I can always borrow them from John.”

“Just not my Bloomsbury printings,” I said.

“Yes yes yes yes yes!” Twilight Sparkle squealed, hopping in little circles around her prized stack of paperbacks.

I sat down on the chair opposite Jason. “Did you tell Lemon Spark the truth?” I asked.

“Sort of. I said I wasn’t from Equestria originally, and that I would probably have to go home today, unless Princess Celestia personally intervened on my behalf.”

“That should work,” I said. “These ponies really love their princess.”

“Will I have a chance to meet Princess Celestia?” Jason asked.

“Yes. We’re all going to meet with the princess beforehoof,” Twilight Sparkle said.

My stomach rumbled. “Can we eat before we leave?”

“Of course,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Once Bobbie and Amber get here, I thought we’d go out for breakfast.

Around five minutes later, there was another knock on the door. Twilight Sparkle opened it, revealing another pegasus guard. Behind him stood Fluttershy and Bobbie; Amber was resting on Fluttershy’s back. The guard gave a stiff nod, turned, and departed.

“Now that we’re all here, how about a trip to Sugarcube Corner for breakfast?” Twilight Sparkle suggested.

Jason jumped up eagerly. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world!

Our little group gathered outside and departed. Amber nudged Fluttershy. “Can we fly there?”

“Only if your grandmother says it’s okay,” Fluttershy replied.

Amber looked to Bobbie. “Pleeeeeease?”

Bobbie sighed. “Okay.”

“Yay!” She focused her puppy dog eyes on Bobbie again. “Fly with us?”

“I don’t know,” Bobbie said.

Amber’s lower lip quivered.

Fluttershy smiled warmly. “Just remember the lessons I gave the two of you.”

Bobbie still looked hesitant. I walked up alongside her. “Give it a try. It’s something you’ll never have a chance to do again. If I can do magic with my horn, you can fly with your wings.”

“I’ll try.” Bobbie stopped, planting her hooves firmly on the ground, and spread her wings. She looked back, adjusted the angle of her wings, and flapped.

Bobbie rose a few feet into the air. She wobbled and had trouble maintaining a consistent altitude, but she was flying. It was fascinating to watch. There had to be some kind of magic involved, maybe telekinesis or antigravity, since a pegasus’ wings, though large when unfurled, were nowhere near large enough to support one in flight. Yet the positioning of the wings and flapping seemed important to the whole process.

The flight didn’t last long, since Sugarcube Corner wasn’t that far away. Bobbie landed, and said “Never again.”

But I saw a hint of a smile on her face.

“Hello, welcome to Sugarcube Corner,” the plump blue mare behind the counter said.

Pinkie Pie bounced up to our group. “What can I get you?” she said.

“We’re here for a quick breakfast before departing for Canterlot,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“So many choices,” Bobbie said, looking at the cases.

“Get whatever you want,” Twilight Sparkle said.

Jason grinned. “I’m really glad I get to eat here before I leave.”

“You haven’t eaten here before?” Pinkie Pie said. She looked at Jason, or rather his mark. “You’re leaving Ponyville, before I even threw you your Sorry-I-Missed-Your-Welcome-To-Ponyville party?” Pinkie Pie gasped. “This changes everything!”

In a flash, Pinkie Pie pulled out a giant cake, a bowl of punch, and party favors. I’m not sure where she got them, but in the time I took to contemplate that, I had a paper party hat placed on my head and a noisemaker placed in my mouth.

Amber sniffed. “Don’t I get a party too?”

Pinkie Pie mussed her mane. “I always give fillies and colts a party at the same time their parents or caretakers come to town.” She gasped again. “But you didn’t come to town at the same time! So that’s what that third twitch of my tail meant!” She reached back and pulled out, from somewhere.... “Strawberry cake!”

Amber gasped. “My favorite!”

We sat down and enjoyed the sweet treats at this impromptu party. As customers came in, they got cake, punch, and party hats, and were corralled into the celebration.

“Is this normal?” I asked Twilight Sparkle.

“No, but it fits in with Pinkie being Pinkie,” she said. “We’ll need to leave soon.”

“Okay.” I glanced back to the counter; with the party going on, no one was buying anything. “Let me buy something to take home.”

I walked over and eyed the case, focusing on cupcakes crowned with tall peaks of buttercream frosting. “How much are the cupcakes?”

“One bit each, dearie,” the mare said.

Four and a half years ago, I ate a cupcake made by Pinkie Pie. I have yet to find a pastry that is its equal. I was tempted to spend all the money I had on cupcakes, but I didn’t have that much room in my saddlebags. “I’ll take four to go. Chocolate, apple cinnamon, lemon, and strawberry.”

I slid over four gold coins, and took my four cupcakes, each boxed separately.

It was the best money I’ve ever spent.

When Twilight Sparkle had mentioned that we’d be traveling by chariot, I envisioned something like the chariots from some Roman Colosseum race. When we returned to the library, what I saw instead reminded me of the horse-drawn carriages I’ve seen in downtown Indianapolis. It was open to the sky, with two pairs of wheels, around the same size, and two padded bench seats, facing each other.

Six pegasus guards were waiting for us, two carrying spears, and four hitched to the chariot.

I gulped. “Are we... flying to Canterlot?” I said.

“Yes,” Twilight Sparkle said. “It’s the fastest way for a group our size to travel.”

I eyed the chariot suspiciously. Accepting that some ponies here could fly was one thing; I had seen it with my own eyes, and I was already familiar with the mythical Pegasus. But also supporting the chariot? I pictured the chariot pivoting on the hitch, tipping at a severe angle, once the pegasi took off.

Did I mention there was no roof?

“It’s perfectly safe,” Twilight Sparkle said. “I’ve traveled by chariot many times.”

Still uncertain, I stepped into the chariot and sat down. Bobbie thanked Fluttershy for her hospitality; Amber hugged the yellow pegasus’ leg. Soon, the five of us, the four transformed humans and Twilight Sparkle, were in the chariot.

I looked desperately for something to grasp. There was nothing. I felt a sinking sensation in the pit of my stomach as the pegasi lifted the chariot into the sky.

Twilight Sparkle lifted her foreleg and rapped her hoof against something invisible. “These carriages are magically shielded to prevent anypony from falling out. It also allows us to talk.”

“Oh.” Now that she mentioned that, I noticed we weren’t hearing the sound of rushing wind.

“So how did you spend your time in Equestria, Jason?” Twilight Sparkle asked. “I’m afraid I haven’t been able to speak with you much.”

“I worked most of the day. After work, I got drinks with my coworkers, saw a play in the park, and explored the town, on my own and with Lemon Spark. It’s very much like what I expected to be doing after college,” Jason said.

“Was the work helpful to you?”

“Practically, no. There’s pretty much zero chance I’d find myself building a macadamia road in my world. But it felt great to be doing the job I always wanted to do.”

“What’s a macadamia road?” I asked.

Jason smacked his forehead with a hoof. “Macadam. The packed stone road you saw me building. For some reason, it’s called macadamia here.”

“Oh! It’s named after its inventor, an earth pony named Macadamia Nut,” Twilight Sparkle volunteered.

I found myself shaking my head. Of all the possible details I could see the creator of a fictional world building into said world, that wasn’t one of them. The nature of our two worlds continued to confound me.

“Why would a pony named Macadamia Nut build roads? I thought your names all meant something,” Bobbie said.

“Not always,” Twilight Sparkle replied. “A lot of the time, a pony is named after her parents, and they share a talent in the same field. And often, a pony will change her name or adopt another name when she discovers her special talent. For example, my old friend Lyra Heartstrings was known as Heartstrings before she got her cutie mark.”

“Oh,” Bobbie said.

“There’s traditionally something of a stigma for ponies whose names don’t match their special talents, but only a few ponies still believe in that. It’s like your coat color, John.”

“What about my coat color?”

“You have an earth tone coat,” Twilight Sparkle said.

I stayed silent. I still wasn’t sure what she was talking about.

“You’re a unicorn,” she continued.

“Wait. In a world where ponies have colors much more varied than anything in my world, there are still bad colors?” I asked.

“No! It’s not bad!” she replied. “A long time ago, some ponies thought that, though.”

I looked to Jason. “Did you know that?”

He shook his head. “I’ve read a lot of theories about Equestrian society, but that one’s new to me.”

“Bobbie? How did you spend your time here?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“Well, I helped Fluttershy a bit with taking care of her animals. I don’t know how she finds the time to do it by herself. Other than that, I’ve spent my time watching Amber do all the fun things she can’t do back home.”

The little filly fluttered her wings. “It was fun!”

“And you know what I’ve been doing,” I said.

“Uh-huh,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Oh! We were so busy, I never talked about what’s changed with you! Like, you said you’re working now? Can you tell me about it?”

“Sure. I’m not sure if there’s an analog here. I’m working for a company that designs sensors for industrial machines.”

“Oh? How do they work?” she asked.

This was kind of hard to explain. “Like, if you were using a machine to stamp metal, and it needed to be done with a specific level of force, our sensors would monitor the machine, and stop the process if something was going wrong. Or it monitors pressure, or temperature, or the like.”

“Do you like it?”

“It’s interesting. There’s a lot of variety. We’re mostly working with other companies, and what we design has to integrate with their machines, so it can be challenging.”

“You know, it sounds like a kind of magic that’s very important, the magical controls that regulate ritual spells using many ponies. Historically, this kind of magic was crucial, as ritual magic was used by unicorns every day to raise the sun and moon, and the controls ensured nopony was hurt.”

“That was the time before the pony tribes united,” Jason added. “Though I kind of wonder if there’s more to the story than what we’ve seen.”

“I would love to show you some books,” Twilight Sparkle said. “It’s too bad we won’t have the chance.”

“Then why don’t you give us a lesson?” I suggested.

And so Twilight Sparkle started teaching us about ancient pony history. I listened with interest to her lecture, chuckling as she brought up stories I recognized as parallels to our own ancient history.

Anything to distract me from the fact that we were a mile above the ground in a vehicle a lot less sturdy than a 747.

A pair of massive golden doors opened. Trumpet fanfare greeted us as our eyes fell on the massive throne room. A large number of ponies, guards and civilians, were present in the room. We followed Twilight Sparkle’s lead and entered.

“Announcing Twilight Sparkle, from Ponyville, and guests.”

Twilight Sparkle bowed, lowering the front half of her body to the floor. It was a gesture that I remembered failing to accomplish when I tried to imitate it, so I didn’t. Hopefully, this wasn’t a big breach of protocol, given that we weren’t actually subjects.

“Rise, my faithful student,” Princess Celestia said warmly. “It is always good to see you, and it warms my heart to see you helping these ponies in need.”

“Thank you, Princess.”

“We shall speak in private. Court is dismissed until 12:30 this afternoon,” Celestia announced.

We followed the princess to a conference room, larger than the previous one. Perhaps twenty ponies could fit in there. Servants quickly entered the room, setting out refreshments, and just as quickly departed. Princess Celestia remained quiet until we were alone.

“The ritual is ready. We shall open the gate to your world at noon,” Celestia said.

“But that’s more than an hour away!” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Such rituals are best performed at certain times, as you well know. But I am happy that you have arrived early, as I would like to take the time to learn more about you four guests.” She turned to Amber. “I am surprised that one of my guests is one so young. What’s your name, little one?”

“A-Amber,” she stammered.

“Such a beautiful name.” Princess Celestia leaned down and nuzzled the filly. “Do not be afraid, my little pony. I would like to learn all about you and your time here.”

“But Princess! What about...” Twilight Sparkle interjected.

“Discord’s seal remains unbroken, we have no word of changeling activity, nor do we have any new worries about our common foes,” Celestia said calmly. “We have time to talk.” She turned to Amber. “So what did you do during your time in Equestria?”

“I opened my eyes and saw a hoof and then I saw my wings and then I was scared, because it was dark and it looked like it was going to rain, and then I saw I was all alone, but then I saw some apple trees, and I knew it was safe, cause Applejack was there, and then I saw the clubhouse, and then I met the Crusaders....”

I smiled as I listened to Amber’s happy recounting of her time in Equestria, a speech that I’m pretty sure didn’t have a single period anywhere in it. Bobbie followed, giving a much calmer version of some of Amber’s stories. Jason followed with his tale of living and working in Ponyville.

I told my tale last, sharing the narration with Twilight Sparkle. We were talking about searching through all of those files when we were interrupted by an urgent pounding on the door.

“Princess Celestia! A group of ponies have arrived, wishing to speak on behalf of Stone Arch,” a male voice said.

“By all means, send them in.”

I watched with curiosity. Who knew Jason, and why were they important enough to interrupt our private meeting?

The door opened, admitting five ponies, mares and stallions from a mix of tribes. I recognized Lemon Spark. Actually, I recognized all of them. They were all from that crew of ponies building that road!

“Lemon Spark!” Jason exclaimed.

The ponies bowed, and Princess Celestia ordered them to rise. “I must say, I am surprised to see such a large group come to speak on behalf of a pony like Stone Arch.”

“Lemon Spark insisted, and since we can’t work with both our engineers gone, we decided to come show our support,” an earth pony stallion said.

“This was your idea?” Celestia said to Lemon Spark.

“Yes, Your Highness,” she replied.

“Then speak. I wish to hear from all of you.”

“When Stone Arch told me that he was going to be taken to Canterlot and then sent away, I was heartbroken,” Lemon Spark said. “We’ve only known each other for a short time, but we’ve connected in a special way. And he’s a darn fine engineer.”

“When Stone Arch started, he was in the position of many ponies before him, moving from books to working with his hooves for the first time,” another earth pony stallion said. “He picked up on it quickly, even the machines many engineers look down upon.”

“Stone Arch is passionate about building. A simple stone road might not mean much to some ponies, but it matters to him,” a pegasus mare said. “You can see it’s what his cutie mark is telling him to do.”

“He’s not afraid to grab a cold one at the bar after work,” said an earth pony mare. “Heck, he even laughs at Digger’s jokes. And that’s a trait that’s hard to find.”

“Hey!” the first earth pony stallion, probably Digger, protested.

“I realize I don’t know what you know about Stone Arch’s situation, nor to I presume to know what’s best for Equestria, Your Highness,” Lemon Spark said. “But I wanted you to know how much he means to all of us, and I hope you will consider our words before you make your decision.”

“Lemon Spark, this meeting was your idea?” Celestia said.

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“It is very brave to speak on behalf of your fellow pony, when your words are presumed to be in opposition to my wishes,” Celestia said. “Lemon Spark, please stay. I wish to speak to you further. The rest of you are dismissed for now.”

The other ponies bowed and then departed. The room fell silent, all eyes on Princess Celestia.

“Lemon Spark, your devotion to Stone Arch is noted, and may well prove to be laudable,” she said. “I mean it when I say you were brave. My little ponies are quick to see me as infallible, but I am capable of making mistakes like anypony.”

Lemon Spark smiled and nodded.

“So if what I’m about to do proves to be a mistake, I will beg you for your forgiveness.” Celestia said.

“Huh?”

Lemon Spark looked up, a confused expression on her face. And that’s when Princess Celestia blasted her.

“Sparky!” Jason yelled.

Twilight Sparkle concentrated, and a violet glow surrounded Jason, holding him in place. Lemon Spark was now floating in air, suspended in some blue aura, with a white energy seeping out of her body. The mare was grimacing and gritting her teeth as she resisted the magical attack.

And then her appearance changed. The first thing I noticed was the fangs now visible in her mouth. Then I saw the shiny black shell, the twisted horn, the insect-like wings, and the holes in her legs.

Lemon Spark was a changeling! And a big one at that, standing somewhere between my height and the princess’s.

Princess Celestia released the energy from her magical attack, but followed it with conjuring some kind of magical bindings around her legs, wings, and horn.

The changeling opened her green eyes. She was panting heavily, as if just having run a marathon, but she was still able to sneer at Princess Celestia.

“Explain yourself, changeling,” Celestia ordered.

“I am no mere changeling,” the captive spat. “I am Princess Imago, future queen of the hive.”

Poor Jason was staring at the changeling. He looked like he was about to cry.

Celestia faked a yawn. “I’ve heard the story many times before. And now that you’ve been stopped, you will never claim Queen Chrysalis’ throne.”

“Chrysalis was a fool! Thanks to the efforts of the changelings under my command, the hive learned about these humans and their technology, and then about the potentially boundless source of love and joy they represented. Yet Chrysalis stupidly continued with her invasion plans.”

“Like her before you, you have failed,” Celestia said.

“I have proven my plan works! Such energy I collected!”

“You will not steal the love from my little ponies.”

“And why do you care about somepony who isn’t even one of your ponies? There is an entire world waiting to willingly give their love!” Imago said.

I walked over and embraced Jason. He buried his muzzle in the crook of my neck. I wished I knew a spell that could stop us from hearing this.

“I have heard enough. GUARDS!” Celestia shouted.

Two guards burst into the room, with more at ready behind them.

“Summon a Class A containment squad to take this prisoner away.”

The guards saluted. The pegasus guard flew off, while the unicorn teleported away.

The guards returned, a large squad this time, and took away the changeling prisoner.

“What happened?” Bobbie said. I noticed she was clutching Amber close to her, shielding her granddaughter with a wing.

“What you have just witnessed is but a hint of the drama of a changeling hive succession battle. The failed queen is slain, her essence returned to the hive, and then two or more changeling princesses battle to prove their worth to take control. It is not something I would want anypony to see,” Celestia said.

“How did you know she was a changeling?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“I didn’t. I had my suspicions, born of centuries of experience, but they were still just suspicions,” Celestia said. “And in those centuries, we have known only two ways to positively identify a changeling. A magical or physical injury sufficiently debilitating to make her lose control of her illusion, which is too cruel to be a test. Or, drain her of magic until the illusion falters. But draining a pony of magic is draining part of her life energy, which makes her sick and can kill if overdone. Yet it is better than the alternative.

“Now, Princess Cadance and your brother came up with another test, but that was a special case, not one I can replicate.”

“Oh,” Twilight Sparkle said.

The room fell quiet again. Jason sniffed. “She was the one,” he said quietly.

“You’ll find someone else. You always do,” was all I could say.

I felt a large wing wrap around me and Jason. I looked up and saw Princess Celestia, a sad but knowing expression on her face. “You’re a good friend, Jonathan Lockhart. Please be there for your friend.”

None of us really wanted to stay in that room anymore, so we immediately departed and headed to the gardens. I noticed we were positioned far away from the statue of Discord.

I looked over at Jason. He didn’t look sad any more, but rather weary, as if it was a burden he’d carried before. And knowing him, he had experienced this many times before.

A protective group of guards surrounded us, unicorns and earth ponies on the ground, pegasi in the air. Soon, a group of older unicorns arrived, many wearing robes and hats that screamed “wizard”.

“Are all the preparations made, Senior Magus?” Celestia asked.

“Yes, Your Highness. The circle has been drawn, and the ritual controls established. There are two rituals prepared. The first, which is for the two pegasi, is tuned to a time one day earlier than the other.”

Bobbie turned to me. “Did you catch the lotto numbers from Saturday night?” she asked with a smile.

“Sorry,” I said.

“Very good,” Celestia said. She turned to us. “Before you depart, I wish to offer each of you a gift.”

First, Princess Celestia levitated a large plush toy to Amber, one that resembled Fluttershy. “May you always remember our kindness, little Amber.”

The filly beamed and hugged the toy to herself.

“And now, for you, a more serious gift.” She levitated a book to each of us. They looked similar to each other, bound in blue cloth. I took the book in my magic and flipped through it. The pages were blank.

“These diaries are much like those that can be found in anypony’s home, but these books are enchanted. Whatever you write in them will appear in a partner book that will be kept here, and vice versa. Though I remain hopeful, I suspect this will not be the last time our worlds will be linked. And if it happens again, I wish to have a way to contact ponies, or rather humans, I know to be of good heart. Keep them safe.”

“Princess? When you’re ready,” one of the mages said.

Princess Celestia nodded. She stood, stretched her wings, and looked up to the sun. The unicorns concentrated, magic flowing and connecting them, forming a glowing circle on the ground. Then Princess Celestia ignited her horn, her magic empowering the circle.

A blue rectangular gate of pure magic appeared in the circle. I shook hooves with Bobbie and wished her good luck. She wrapped a wing around Amber, and the two of them stepped into the gate.

The gate winked out, and then reformed. “I guess this is my ride,” I said.

“It was nice seeing you again, and thank you again for introducing me to Harry Potter,” Twilight Sparkle said. She raised her hoof, and I shook it.

Oh, to heck with it.

I reached forward and pulled Twilight Sparkle into a hug.

“You have a real treat waiting for you in the last two books,” I said. “And maybe, one day, you can see the movie version.”

“I’d love that!” she said. “Goodbye, John.”

“Bye.”

Jason was watching us. And he was smiling.

“You have my permission to rag on me all you want,” I said. “But not until we’re home.”

Together, we stepped through the portal.

I appeared on all fours, Jason right next to me. I felt the fibers of the carpet under my hands.

Hands. I had hands again, and feet, and no tail!

I looked around. We were back in Jason’s apartment, and everything looked normal.

Jason’s laptop computer was at its normal place on his kitchen table, but fortunately there was no longer a portal. His normal desktop was visible, with no signs of AOL Instant Messenger in use. I checked the date and time, 11:38 AM on December 2, 2012.

Thankfully, no time passed here.

“Want a drink?” I asked. After what he’d been through, I didn’t care that it was before noon.

“No, I’m good.”

“What do you normally do to recover after a breakup?”

“I like to watch cartoons. Something happy. But not ponies this time.”

“That sounds good to me.”

“And how about you?” Jason said.

“What do you mean?”

“What are you going to do, now that you’re apart from Twilight Sparkle?”

I started to protest, but I realized he was right. After spending so much time with her, I saw her for the mare she was. She was smart, curious, loved magic, but still found herself plagued by worry and doubt. And she loved Harry Potter. A perfect match for me, except for the problem of being different species.

“It would never work out. It was like we were from two different worlds.”

I dumped off the bags I had taken from Jason’s apartment originally, removing the cupcakes I had bought. A few minutes later, Jason’s healing process began, with cupcakes, glasses of milk, and Monsters, Inc. on the television. I’m sure we both watched the movie dozens of times growing up, but we lost ourselves in that Pixar classic.

But ponies were still on my mind, as evidenced by my thoughts once we got to the scene where the monsters realized that laughter was a much better power source than fear. I recalled that the changeling princess said humans represented a source of love and joy. Could joy, by itself, be enough to feed the changelings?

Knowing what I know about my fandom, I suspected there were hundreds of changeling fans that would readily volunteer to answer that question.

But I was perfectly happy to leave that mystery unsolved.

Author's Note

I lied.

I'm not going to wait until after Christmas to finish this story.

I realized that if I finished this story this weekend, I could submit the first two chapters of my next story during the week, and then come back after Christmas with more chapters ready for that story.

I like the idea of changelings recruiting human changeling fans to be a source of positive emotions that wouldn't harm ponies. However, if I ever write a story along those lines, it probably won't involve these characters.

Epilogue

Following Through

By Alaborn

Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.

Epilogue

My phone rang early Saturday morning. I saw Jason’s name on the screen, and hurried to answer. “Jason? Are you okay?”

“Yeah, why?”

“You didn’t return my call, and when I went over after work, you weren’t there! I wanted to see if you were okay, and I was worried that you, you know....”

“I’m over it. It might have been my most unusual breakup, but it wasn’t my worst,” Jason said.

I wasn’t sure if I believed him, but he did sound happier. “Anyway, why didn’t you return my call, or texts?”

“Well, I’m busy with work, and so I haven’t been able to respond.”

“You couldn’t spare one minute?” I said.

“Where I was, my phone wasn’t working,” Jason replied.

“For an entire week? I mean, I joke about my lousy cell phone service, but that’s ridiculous.”

“It’s kind of hard to explain.”

Now I was worried. “Okay, what work is this?”

“Same thing I was doing before.”

I tried to remember what his last temp job was. I’m pretty sure it was in an office building on the north side. He shouldn’t have had any reception problems there. It’s not like he was working in....

Wait.

“Are you talking about your last job building a gravel road?” I said.

“Macadam.”

“What the heck, Jason? How in the world did you....”

“Calm down, John. I was asked not to reveal this to anypo-anybody, but since you already know what happened, I think I can talk about it with you.”

“Okay. Start from the beginning.”

“I was about to call into the temp agency when I noticed that diary I got was glowing. In it, there was a message, asking if I wanted to keep working on the Ponyville-Canterlot road.”

I glanced over at my bookshelf, where my diary was hiding in plain sight. It wasn’t glowing. “And you said yes?”

“Once, I confirmed it wasn’t a sick joke, yes, I did.”

“How? Why?”

“Something about how the team was down an engineer, and that I had this glowing recommendation from the team,” Jason said. “There were a few conditions, of course.”

“Like what?”

“Not talking about it, of course. I have to go home for weekends. Twice a week, I have lessons on magic and Equestrian history and culture with Twilight Sparkle. And twice a week, I meet with Open Heart.”

“Who’s Open Heart?” I asked.

“My... therapist,” Jason replied. “He’s there to make sure I recover from my relationship with Lemon Spark, but also to improve my mood. He has the difficult task of showing me how to be happy even when I’m not doing what I love.”

“How’s that work?” I asked.

“There’s a phrase he used, that ponies are happiest when doing what their cutie marks tell them. The hardest thing is when that changes. If a pony like Rainbow Dash were to lose a wing, she would need to find a way to relate her special talent to something other than flying.”

“So if you never find a civil engineering job?”

“I’ll find something. Every time I come back to town, I’ll be looking,” Jason said.

“So, do you have any plans for the holidays?” I asked.

“Christmas with the extended family in South Bend. Fortunately, Hearth’s Warming is the same time of year. You?”

“Going with my parents to visit my grandparents in Florida,” I said.

“We both have some story to tell, right?” Jason said.

“Yeah. Too bad we can’t tell anyone.”

“There’s always fanfic.”

“Come on. Who’d believe a ridiculous story like ours?” I said with a laugh. And Jason laughed too.

“Let me know if you want to get together some weekend,” I said.

“Sure. Not this weekend, though. I have a few other people to apologize to. I haven’t been the best of friends recently.”

“I understand. Hey, it was great talking to you.”

“Talk to you later.”

“Bye.”

I hung up the phone. I’d say this whole conversation was the craziest thing I’ve heard.

As long as I considered only the last week.

I looked to my diary again. I pulled it out and started writing.

I don’t know who’s holding this book, so please pass on the following message to Twilight Sparkle in Ponyville.

Dear Twilight Sparkle,

I understand you’ve been meeting with my friend, Stone Arch. Please watch over him, and let him know his friend Strange Brew is cheering for him.

And if you ever want to talk about our favorite book series, I’m all ears.

Strange Brew

Author's Note

Setting the stage for a sequel with these. It's not the story I'm going to write next, though. Right now, I have only a few details in mind (pony on Earth, locations, villain). Given how long it took this sequel to be written, look for it in, oh, May 2019.

Prologue

Following Through

By Alaborn

Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.

Prologue

I slept in this morning. That means I set my alarm for 7:30 AM instead of 6:00 AM. Another lazy Saturday for the working man. God, I miss college, where I’d more often go to bed at 7:30 AM than be awake that early. But those days were past me. In any case, I was happy to find an engineering job in this economy.

I decided the weather was good enough to go jogging. Being the first day of December, this weekend was probably going to be the last decent weather for three months. I was just getting into rhythm when my cell phone rang. I slowed down and detached the phone from the arm strap. “Hey, Jason,” I said.

“Hey, John,” Jason replied. “You interested in getting together for some games today?”

“Sure,” I replied. “I could use a break from studying. Afternoon or evening?”

“I have plans this evening. Are you free later this morning?” Jason asked.

“Sure. I could probably get there by nine,” I offered.

“Let’s make it 9:30,” he suggested.

“Okay. See you then,” I said, hanging up.

Jogging gave me time to reflect on our situations. Jason Sedmak, one of my fellow engineering students at Purdue University, was an aspiring civil engineer now. Unfortunately, he couldn’t find an appropriate position, so he was stuck doing temp work. The civil service hiring process moved glacially even in good times, and there just weren’t a lot of positions posted these days. I found a decent entry level electrical engineering position, and was now studying for my Professional Engineer license.

I was determined not to lapse back into being a loner, so I made sure to keep up with my university friends. Jason and I were among several who moved (back, in my case) to Indianapolis following college. I had a nicer apartment than back when I was attending community college, but was still driving the same old car. Even after three years, the faint odor of garlic and oregano lingered in my vehicle, a reminder of many nights delivering pizzas.

Jason had a decent collection of Euro-style board games. They weren’t my favorite pastime, but I could play once or twice a month, if it meant spending time with a friend. It also beat studying any day of the week. I drove to his apartment complex, not far off the interstate. He welcomed me in, and we pulled out the tile-laying game Carcassonne.

Our first game featured a fierce battle over a large city. When he got a tile to stop my last attempt to claim the majority in the city, the game was all but over. I was behind eighty points when the last tile was played, so we didn’t bother calculating the final tally. We shuffled up the tiles for a second game.

At 10:30, midway through our second game, Jason turned on the television. I groaned loudly.

“I’m not missing the new episode,” Jason stated.

“Just record it,” I said.

“I am recording it, but I also want to watch it now,” Jason explained.

Yes, Jason was a hard-core fan of a television series called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. He’s tried many times to convert me.

“Don’t dismiss it before you watch it,” he said. “It’s really well-written, with something for all ages.”

“I did watch the first two episodes, and I didn’t want to watch further,” I said.

“Those first two episodes really aren’t indicative of the series. Try watching some more,” he said.

“Still not interested,” I affirmed.

“They had John De Lancie do the voice for the villain Discord!” he said.

“Ugh, I’m sure I’d hate that character,” I replied.

Everything I said was absolutely true. But I always left out a teeny, tiny, minor detail.

About four and a half years ago, I spent three days in the “magical land of Equestria”. By some cruel happenstance, I was sent across time and dimensions, along with six other unfortunate souls. It was part of some plot Discord had hatched to destroy the harmony of Equestria, and prevent the use of the super-powerful Elements of Harmony. Sure, we seven humans may have been paragons of disharmony, but when we all decided we hated Discord more than anything, that was enough unity for the Elements of Harmony to work once more.

So let’s just say the series provokes a lot of bad memories for me.

The pace of the game slowed considerably as Jason focused most of his attention on the show. I briefly contemplated peeking at the face-down tiles, as I was not getting the elusive tile that would finally finish my large city. Instead, my eye was naturally drawn to the television. Even with the stormy background of the second half of the episode, it was colorful. No matter how hard I tried to avoid it, the colorful animation tried to draw me in.

I resisted, of course. Then I did a double take. “Hey, Jason, could you rewind that?” I said.

Jason looked a bit surprised to see my sudden interest in the show, but paused and then rewound the show. The miracle of TiVo allowed him to easily replay the last minute. “Pause there,” I ordered.

There, in the background, was a red pegasus pony with an unusual mane style, different in shape from all the other digital ponies, and in three colors instead of the more common one or two.

“The red pegasus with white, pink, and black hair—what character is that?” I asked Jason.

He looked at the still image closely. “It’s just a background pony. Not one of the common ones, I guess. I’d have to look up her fanon name online,” Jason said. “After the episode is over, of course.”

We finished our game just before the episode ended, with me winning primarily because my distracted friend misplayed several times. Afterwards, I watched over his shoulder as Jason navigated through a menu of bookmarked pony-related Web sites on his laptop. The first site, some Wiki, had a list of characters, some with multiple names. “She’s not listed here. Maybe it’s a new background character?” Jason offered.

Jason then went to another site. He paged through what looked like some kind of record of a live chat. At the time the red pegasus appeared on screen, there was an immediate reaction among these rabid fans. There were hundreds of posts like:

new background pony
omg future twilight mane!
punk pony

Within three minutes, the chatters had coalesced around the name Punk Heart for this new character.

I didn’t tell Jason that the character was actually named Bobbie, or that I met her four years ago.

“You’re well on your way to becoming a brony,” Jason teased me over our third game.

“Shut up,” I replied, snapping down my builder piece on the tile I just played.

“Then why the sudden interest?” Jason said.

“It just caught my attention. I don’t know why,” I lied. “The character looked different, you know? Like an olive green unicorn would look in a sea of pastel ponies.”

I watched Jason’s reaction to my seemingly random comment. His face didn’t betray any particular recognition when I mentioned my own appearance when I was in Equestria. But just because he didn’t recognize my own pony form, it didn’t mean I hadn’t appeared myself.

This game, it was my turn to be distracted and make play mistakes. How in the world did Bobbie appear on screen? Did she get sucked into the world again? Was that going to happen to me? I don’t want that to happen, especially now. I can’t miss work!

“Good thing you didn’t finish my city,” Jason said, as his play highlighted my own misplay.

Definitely distracted. “Yeah, I… I’m going to have to hit the books soon, so this will be my last game,” I said. I finished the game, accepted the inevitable loss, and headed off to study.

I returned to my apartment. After draping my sweater over the chair, I bypassed the study guide on my kitchen table and went into my bedroom. I pulled a cardboard box from under the bed, and from it pulled out a manila envelope labeled Taxes 2008-2011. Amidst photocopied 1040EZs and IT-40EZs and spare W-2 forms, I found a smaller envelope, unmarked and sealed. I opened it, and withdrew the printed pages.

For the first time in more than four years, I read my personal account of my time in Equestria. The information on these pages existed nowhere else, the old electronic version deleted off my old computer, with the hard drive wiped and reformatted. I steeled myself and faced the memories I had tried to forget.

The ponies I had met: Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack. My attempts to figure out the rules of the magic that had transported me there. The universal theory of time, space, and magic. Talking about the human world with Twilight Sparkle. The tales of Hearth’s Warming Eve and Nightmare Moon. The six other humans I had met, all taken from different places and dates in the past. Metal rods and arcane formulas. The plot of the villainous Discord. How we humans brought disharmony into the pony world, and stopped the Elements of Harmony from working, at least until we united in hatred of Discord. Our attack against Discord. And a delicious cupcake.

What did I write about Bobbie? Bobbie Jensen, a woman around my age, taken from New York City in 1980. Passionate about punk rock. Wrote for a punk rock zine. Appeared in Equestria, in Ponyville, probably around the same time as me, probably near where Fluttershy lived. Appeared as a red pegasus, with a punk-styled mane in white, black, and pink. Mark: an electric guitar over a sheet of paper or a page from a book.

One note stuck out: handled the situation very badly. I remember that she really freaked out, and essentially tried to hide from everyone. I was surprised as well, but I had read enough tales of magical transformation to accept the reality of being in a strange world, as much as “reality” could be used to describe it. She was almost in shock.

As much as I didn’t want to, I sat down to watch the cartoon. Today’s episode was already on YouTube. I watched closely, pausing frequently, looking at all the characters on the screen. Bobbie was only on screen for about five seconds, far in the background, but there was no doubt in my mind that it was her. I didn’t see myself, nor did I see any of the other humans from my trip.

I checked the rest of the episodes of Season 3. No human ponies were there.

My notes suggested the “current date” of my trip to Equestria was around April 2012. I reviewed the episodes from the second season, starting in April. Still no luck. In fact, it seemed like our entire sojourn to Equestria was absent from the cartoon. That made sense to me. What didn’t make sense was Bobbie’s sudden appearance today.

I watched today’s episode one more time. I tried to envision the scene as if I were an animator. It was an audience, ponies watching the climactic duel between Twilight Sparkle and some pony named Trixie. So to make the audience, add some group of randomly chosen background ponies. They’re waiting, watching. But Bobbie was moving. She was out of place in both appearance and action.

I had a feeling this conundrum was going to distract me for a long time.

The next morning, I realized just how distracted I was the previous day. I couldn’t find my phone anywhere. After searching my car and apartment, to no avail, I recalled that I didn’t have my winter jacket yesterday. Normally, I keep my phone in the interior pocket of my jacket, but yesterday I must have had it in my jeans pocket, and maybe I took it out at some point at Jason’s.

I sent an e-mail to Jason. About an hour later, I got a response. “Yeah, your phone is sitting on my end table. Let me know when you want to pick it up. I’ll be around all day,” he e-mailed.

“I’ll be over in an hour,” I responded.

I was about five minutes late when I knocked on Jason’s door. No answer. I knocked louder, with as much success as before. I put my ear to the door. I didn’t hear any movement inside. Hopefully, Jason had just stepped out.

After waiting five minutes, and knocking again, I checked the door. It wasn’t locked. I opened the door and stepped inside, then quietly closed it behind me. I saw my phone, but more importantly, I saw my friend’s laptop computer, sitting on the kitchen table as usual. An unnatural green glow surrounded it, spherical in shape, and it emitted a low humming noise.

That can’t be good.

Chapter 3

Following Through

By Alaborn

Standard disclaimer: This is a not for profit fan work. My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic is copyright Hasbro, Inc. I make no claim to any copyrighted material mentioned herein.

Chapter 3

“How was it that Amber didn’t recognize her own grandmother, yet she recognized me?”

I stood rigid, not sure how to respond to Twilight Sparkle’s question. On my previous trip, the mare struck me as extremely intelligent. I guess it was too much to hope for her to be an inattentive absent-minded professor type.

“Aren’t you famous? Like, you know, those stained glass windows I saw?” I sputtered.

“I suppose I should start expecting ponies to recognize me and my friends,” she replied. “But I wouldn’t expect that from a pony from another world. And given the timing of her arrival, I doubt she’s toured Canterlot Castle.” She looked in my eyes. “Is there something more you can tell me?”

“Like I said, it’s really hard to explain.”

Twilight Sparkle looked like she wasn’t going to take no for an answer. “Bobbie also mentioned a vision, a television. But since distance doesn’t make sense in the context of the discussion, I suspect it’s a term that’s not translating correctly. Perhaps you could start by talking about that?”

“It’s another technology that I’m guessing you don’t have here,” I said. “What do you use to communicate over long distances?”

“Equestria has an excellent postal system,” Twilight Sparkle replied.

“I mean instantaneous communication.”

“Oh. Dragonfire can transmit scrolls from one place to another. We have magic that duplicates this effect, without requiring a dragon. If you just want to transmit words, though, you can use the telegraph.”

Sounds like there’s no telephone, and no radio either. “Do you have movies?” I asked.

“Oh, yes! But, ah, I don’t watch many movies.”

“Okay. Now picture a movie being filmed, but instead of being captured on film, the camera transmitted the image to every movie screen, as it happened.”

“So, it’s like a movie version of a play?”

“Somewhat. Like I said, it’s hard to explain,” I said. A full explanation would end up touching on every form of media from my world. I had no intention of staying in Equestria that long.

“You, Jason, Bobbie, and Amber all saw glimpses of my battle with Trixie. They were illustrated in a cartoon, like the ones that show before movies. But this cartoon wasn’t captured on film and shown in a movie theater, but transmitted into your individual homes?”

My jaw dropped. “That’s... surprisingly accurate,” I said.

“It sounds preposterous,” Twilight Sparkle commented.

“Like I said earlier, if we can find Jason, there’s a good chance I can show it to you.”

“Right. We need a plan for that.” Out came the scroll and quill, again. “Is there anything more you can tell me about this Jason? Perhaps, something you were afraid of revealing?”

“There’s one worry I have, that Jason won’t want to leave.”

“That’s really for the princesses to decide,” Twilight Sparkle stated.

“But we have to find him first,” I said.

“If all else fails, we can ask Pinkie Pie.”

“If Jason actively tries to blend in, in particular by using a pony name and pretending to be a pony, would she know he was a transformed human?” I asked.

“That’s a good question,” Twilight Sparkle said. “I suspect she would know, but she would also respect his secret identity.” Her horn glowed, and she started writing on the scroll. “Step One: assume Jason arrived in Ponyville, sometime between the arrival of Trixie and now. If he didn’t, we will need a completely different plan, which will probably require involving the princesses. Step Two: Look for unfamiliar ponies in public. With luck, we will find him right away. Step Three: Attend each Pinkie Pie party for a new Ponyville resident. This is likely the surest way to find your friend, but we will be at the mercy of Pinkie Pie’s schedule.” She rolled up the scroll, and it disappeared... somewhere. “So let’s focus on Step Two. Any ideas, John?”

Let’s see. He would need a name to introduce himself, and a place from where he moved. I’m sure he knew enough to create a fake identity good enough to fool any pony who wasn’t suspicious. And ponies as a whole were very open. Of that I was certain, since they were welcoming even to someone like me.

“If Jason is trying to hide his presence, then you shouldn’t call me John. From what I’ve seen, my name doesn’t sound like a pony name, and hearing it would make Jason very suspicious.”

“You’re right. In the big cities, there’s something of a trend toward giving foals names without meaning, but I haven’t seen many examples either here or in Canterlot.”

“I wouldn’t say my name has no meaning,” I said. “It’s just that, where I come from, when you hear John, you think of a common male name.”

“Okay, what does it mean? Your pony name could be the meaning of your real name.”

Like most people, I’ve looked up what my name means. It still took me a moment to remember what it was, and once I did, I frowned. “It means chosen by God. But, um, I don’t know if that even translates.”

“We do have religion, speaking of the concept of a creator and eternal life beyond the mortal realm, what we call the Great Pasture. The concept of a god, an omnipotent divine being, is more closely associated with other races, particularly the griffons and the minotaurs. We ponies have two immortal rulers who, by any academic definition, are gods, but they are very clear about not wanting to be thought of as such.”

That was actually very interesting to learn. I think if I had heard that during my original visit to Equestria, I would have seen it as a fascinating aspect of the strange world to which I had been transported. And now that I knew that this world, as far as I could tell, was the one some person in our world created, that raised even more questions. I doubt religion would ever be discussed in a television show ostensibly for children.

“So, in other words, there isn’t a pony version of my name?” I asked.

Twilight Sparkle shook her head. “Sorry. Now, if I had some idea what kind of magic you specialized in, I would be able to come up with a good name.”

“No magic in my world, remember?”

“That doesn’t mean you don’t have a talent in magic! If we have time, I could teach you something. Maybe you’re good at brewing potions, like in your cutie mark.”

To be honest, the idea of learning to use actual magic was appealing to me, though it still wouldn’t make up for being sent to another world.

“Your world is such a strange one,” Twilight Sparkle mused.

That gave me an idea. “How about Strange Brew?”

Twilight Sparkle nodded. “That fits your cutie mark,” she said. “Nice to make your acquaintance, Strange Brew.”

I nodded. “Now, back to the issue at hand. We should start by looking for a pony around my age,” I said. “Last time, everyone who came here appeared as one of the three pony types, and I don’t think anyone changed age or sex. But at this point, I’m not sure that’s the case. Bobbie certainly didn’t look older.”

“You don’t look older either,” she said. “How much time passed from your perspective?”

“Four and a half years.”

“You still look nineteen. Perhaps your form is set on your first arrival to Equestria, or perhaps it ages only in accordance with the time that passes here,” Twilight Sparkle speculated.

“Okay, then, we will look for a man, or stallion, a few years older than me, one that you don’t recognize,” I said.

That shouldn’t be hard, right?

We returned to Ponyville, where we walked around the town. The quaint downtown area with its multitude of quirky shops, the open-air marketplace that resembled the farmers’ markets that pop up every summer, the parks... I saw a lot of mares, and later in the afternoon foals started running around. But there was a definite lack of ponies that could be Jason.

“Where are all the stallions?” I finally said.

“Work,” Twilight Sparkle replied.

“Work?”

“Yes. Don’t ponies work in your world?”

“Well, of course, but what does that have to do with the absence of stallions?” I asked.

“You’re only seeing the ponies who work around town, most of whom are mares,” Twilight Sparkle explained. “Stallions tend to work elsewhere. There are the offices by the train station, the silver mines over by Ghastly Gorge, and the lumber ponies working in the Whitetail Wood. And then there are the stallions in the guard who stay in the barracks in Canterlot while raising their families in Ponyville. Mares work in these jobs too, of course, but not as frequently as stallions.” She looked up. “But it’s 4:00, and we should start seeing more stallions around.”

A work day that ended at 4:00 sounded very appealing to me.

“Where do you think we should look for Jason?” she asked. “The park?”

“Probably wherever there are the most ponies,” I suggested. “I don’t think he could come here and not try to get a glimpse of his favorite ponies.”

“Oh! Do you know which pony is his favorite? We could look for her!”

I shook my head. If he had just been pushier about the show, I might have learned that. “Just look for some pony that looks upset by something.”

“Why is that?”

“It’s just something I thought about after my visit here. Had I gone to the world I really wanted to visit, I would have known a lot more about the people there than some random wizard would have known, personal information. And hearing a stranger say it would be creepy. Or worse, I could have made a wrong supposition about someone about whom little is known,” I said. My favorite example there was Parvati and Padma Patil. Twin sisters, one sorted into Gryffindor, the other into Ravenclaw? That’s a story waiting to be told! And I read many fanon interpretations, most commonly that they were identical twins expressing a desire to be treated as individuals. But others presented rivalries, or the influence of magical ancestors, or some even more bizarre plots.

And then the movies put them both in Gryffindor. Stupid Warner Bros.

I realized that I wasn’t paying much attention to the crowd. And once I did, I realized how useless I was. I just didn’t know enough about these ponies to distinguish them. The three kinds of ponies were obvious, and mares and stallions were easy enough to distinguish, with the mares having smaller and more rounded muzzles, and more prominent eyelashes. Was that natural, or mascara? But ponies’ ages... I didn’t know what I was looking for. I could identify young and old, but didn’t know the difference between a 19-year-old stallion and one in his thirties.

I was thinking we’d have to ask Pinkie Pie when a mare barreled past me. She was a unicorn, with a pastel green coat, and a mane of bluer green with a white streak. And she looked upset. She was hurrying away from something.

“Twilight Sparkle?” I said.

“On it. Where did you come from, Lyra?” she said to herself.

I searched in the direction this Lyra came from, and saw a bench, where a stallion sat. “Do you know that stallion?” I asked Twilight Sparkle.

“I’m not sure. He doesn’t look familiar, though,” she replied.

“Let’s check him out.”

We headed there, Twilight Sparkle taking the lead. I saw the mystery stallion was a unicorn, with a royal blue coat and mane of white and silver. His mark looked like an old Roman aqueduct. He grinned as he saw Twilight Sparkle approach, but didn’t glomp on her like some crazed fanboy.

Since he didn’t speak, Twilight Sparkle addressed him instead. “Good afternoon. Are you a new arrival to Ponyville?”

“That I am! I just arrived yesterday. My name’s Stone Arch.”

“Twilight Sparkle. And this is Strange Brew, a visiting researcher.”

I nodded to the stallion, paying close attention to his reaction.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Miss Twilight Sparkle. I’ve read about your heroics.”

Twilight Sparkle blushed. “It’s nothing, really,” she said. “Well, I’m sure you’re busy, so I’ll let you go. I’m sure we’ll see you around town again.”

“Nice meeting you as well,” he replied. He nodded to me as well, showing no special recognition of me.

Twilight Sparkle started to walk away. She turned to me and said “Well?”

Well indeed. It could be coincidence, as I think he was one of the ponies on the backlog of party invitations. His reaction to Twilight Sparkle was measured and reasonable, but if this were Jason, he probably was more careful with his actions, given what happened with that unicorn. But there was one thing I noticed.

His aqueduct mark. The aqueduct was one of the great advances in civil engineering from ancient times. And it seemed reasonable that an older human might be given a mark related to his career.

“Let me try something,” I told Twilight Sparkle quietly. I turned back to the stallion. “Hey, Jason?”

“Yeah?” he replied.

I walked up to him and looked him in the eye. “Why did you jump through that portal?” I said. I must have said it louder than I had planned, as I felt a number of eyes on me.

The stallion blinked. “John?”

“Yes, it’s me,” I said, hopefully quietly.

“What? Why? I mean, I didn’t think you’d want to come here.”

“Do you really think I want to be here?”

“Boys!” Twilight Sparkle hissed. “We’re going to the library. If you want to fight, do it there.”

We turned and followed Twilight Sparkle. Walking in silence, I felt myself calm down somewhat.

Jason looked at me. “So, Strange Brew, huh?”

I grunted noncommittally.

“You never told me you had a ponysona,” he needled me.

“I don’t. We just came up with the name so you wouldn’t be tipped off that I was me. So, what, is this your OC?”

“No. I’ve never made one.”

“But Stone Arch?” I said.

“I chose a name that fit the cutie mark, and came up with a brief back-story. And then I crossed my fingers that ponies were as trustworthy as they seemed on the show.”

“Were they?”

“More than I could ever have hoped,” Jason replied.

“That might not last. I think Twilight Sparkle is going to go all mad scientist on you.”

“That doesn’t surprise me. She does have the mad scientist lab in her basement.”

I blinked hard. The library approached, and I couldn’t look at it in the same way.

Twilight Sparkle started as the gracious host. She directed us to sit on the comfortable couches while she prepared some light refreshments. But as soon as she served us, she got to work. Out came a scroll, quill, and ink.

And I could tell she meant business. She also brought out extra scrolls, extra quills, and extra ink.

Jason wasn’t paying attention to Twilight Sparkle. Instead, he was looking at the library, taking in all its details. He had a big smile on his face.

Twilight Sparkle cleared her throat. “Now, Stone Arch, or is it Jason? I want you to tell me exactly how you came to Ponyville. From talking with John, I know you’ll probably use some words or concepts I’m not familiar with, but just go ahead. I’ll ask you and John to fill in the blanks later.”

“Okay. My name is Jason Sedmak, but I’ve been using the name Stone Arch, and that’s how everypony in Ponyville knows me. As for how I came here, I’m not sure. I’m guessing it was some magical portal. It dropped me somewhere near the edge of town, behind some bushes. I found a crew of ponies working on repairing a damaged road. They saw me approach, asked me to help, and that’s how I spent the day yesterday.”

“This portal, was it a green sphere?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“Yeah.”

“Do you know anything about the magic this portal used?”

“Sorry, I don’t actually know magic,” Jason said.

“So far, what you’ve told me is consistent with what John said. But what we don’t know is what caused this portal to appear, in your apartment, of all places.”

“I’m guessing it appeared sometime between when you e-mailed me and I arrived at your apartment,” I said.

“That’s right. It was right after I sent the message that I heard an unusual notification noise. I looked, and there was an AOL Instant Messenger screen, saying, ‘Would you like to go to Equestria?’”

“Wait. You clicked on a spam link?” I said.

“Of course not. It was just a message.”

“A troll message?”

“Possibly, but it piqued my interest, so I replied.”

“Why?” I asked.

“John, do you think I normally use AOL Instant Messenger?”

I had to admit, he got me there.

“Like I said, I was curious, so I replied ‘Sure’,” Jason continued. “It responded ‘Would it make you happy?’ I shrugged, typed ‘yes’, and that’s when the green sphere of energy started growing from my computer.

“To be honest, I was thinking the message was some kind of prank. And if I had just come across this portal, and given it some thought, I probably would have backed off. But I was close enough to get pulled in before I could make that decision. And that’s how I got to look like this,” Jason said, waving his hooves.

Twilight Sparkle lowered her scroll. “I wrote that all down, but I’m afraid I don’t understand any of the concepts, other than the portal itself. Can you help me?”

From there came a crash course on computers, e-mail, instant message and chat programs, and the Internet. Twilight Sparkle absorbed this information with great interest, filling a second scroll with notes.

“So, Jason, do you think it was one of your fellow humans that sent this message?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“I really don’t know,” he replied.

“On the Internet, no one knows you’re a dog,” I said.

“Wait. Dogs in your world use this Internet?” she said.

“No. That’s an old joke,” I said. “The point is, without a visual method of communication, we have no way of knowing if it was a human, a dog, or a unicorn.”

“You could possibly trace it, with the right tools, but not from Equestria,” Jason said.

“And that’s the problem,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Right now, there are at least four humans in Ponyville, arriving from two distinct portals. There could be any number of others we don’t know about. And we have no idea who is responsible for opening these portals.”

“Why is that a problem?” Jason asked.

“Last time portals to your world appeared, it was part of a plot by Discord to prevent the functioning of the Elements of Harmony, and thus secure his escape. If it wasn’t for John and his friends joining together to fight Discord, his plan may have succeeded.”

Jason blinked. “You... went to Equestria?” he said to me.

I nodded.

“And you fought Discord?”

I nodded again.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” he shouted.

I just looked at him.

“Right. Dumb question.”

We heard a thump from upstairs, followed by the pounding of steps. The softer footfalls mixed with the clacking of claws on wood told me it was Spike before I saw the small dragon. “Twilight!” he called, waving a scroll in his hand. “Reply from the princess! It’s urgent!”

“How do you know it’s urgent?” she asked.

“It gave me heartburn. All the urgent letters do!”

Twilight Sparkle plucked the scroll from Spike’s hand with her magic and unrolled it. Her eyes traced over the scroll, and then she gasped. “You shouldn’t be here!” she told us.

“I know. That’s why asked for your help to get home,” I said.

“No. I mean a portal to your world is not possible. You are not possible!”

“You said that about Future Twilight,” Jason said. That earned a shocked response from Twilight Sparkle, then a venomous glare.

“Please, Twilight Sparkle. This whole situation is strange enough without throwing around accusations. It certainly feels like we’re here,” I said. “So, what is in the letter that makes you say we couldn’t possibly be here?”

“Princess Celestia stated that neither she nor Princess Luna has observed any of the magical energy signatures that marked your transit to this world eight months ago. Then she goes on to say that, following your return, they crafted a magical barrier to prevent another interdimensional incursion. That is why you shouldn’t be here!”

“Well, since we are here, let’s think about it. You know magic, right?” I said. “So tell me all about the magic spell the princesses used.”

“Now, I can’t presume to speak for the princesses, not being involved in the crafting of the spell, but I can speculate based on my studies of multiphasic magic,” Twilight Sparkle said. She followed that statement with a lot of techonobabble, though in this world, it’s probably actual magical jargon. I had attended a number of lectures in college that went over my head, but this was another level entirely. I instead focused on the few words I did understand, and the general concepts. It sounded like this was a barrier designed to prevent the flow of magic beyond the planet.

“Wait,” I interrupted her. “Did you just say this barrier extends around the planet?”

“Yes,” she replied.

“Wouldn’t that interfere with the sun and moon? I’m remembering that correctly, that the princesses raise the sun and moon, right?” I looked to Jason, who nodded.

“Yes, but.... Hmm.” Twilight Sparkle raised a hoof to her chin and pondered. It was a surprisingly humanlike gesture. “The connection to the heavens was already firmly established. If I had to speculate, and again I was not privy to the spell being used, this barrier was designed only to prevent new magic from crossing it, like a fresh portal.”

“So if there were a firmly established connection between our two worlds, then the barrier wouldn’t do anything?”

“Most likely, but given the difficulty we had sending you home the first time, I don’t think that’s the situation.”

“Um... I think there is one, that you’re not aware of,” I said hesitantly. “Jason, do you have your phone?”

“Yeah,” he replied, pulling out a pouch that was tucked into his mane. It makes sense that ponies would have something to carry small items, given they weren’t wearing clothes with pockets. At least it wasn’t hammerspace.

“I’m going to assume you have the series on it,” I said.

“What? No, we can’t!” Jason protested.

“Look. The other humans that came through the portal are a six-year-old girl and her grandmother. And Twilight Sparkle noticed when this girl recognized her. She’s all but figured it out, so I think it’s time to be forthright. Don’t you think Twilight Sparkle deserves that?”

I felt the mare’s eyes on me. She was definitely interested, watching us like she was reading the final chapter of a mystery. Which, to her perspective, it was.

“Okay,” Jason said. He reached into his pouch and pulled out his iPhone, having no problems grasping it with his hoof. Turning it on was a trickier matter, as he awkwardly touched the circle with the edge of his hoof, once he figured out what part of his hoof was closest to an edge. He then ran his hoof over the phone’s surface, and frowned. “It doesn’t work with hooves.”

“Try using your tongue,” I suggested. I recalled holding a pencil in my mouth, and remembered that it didn’t end up with me drooling on the paper.

Jason responded with a frown, looking mildly disgusted by my suggestion. But he tried it, and it worked, judging by his continued silent effort.

“Do you have the latest episode?” I asked.

“No; they’re normally released overnight.”

“Too bad.”

With one last swipe, an episode started playing. Jason held up the phone, and Twilight Sparkle plucked it away in her magical aura.

Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land.

It was the start of the episode I watched some two years ago, when I discovered my strange magical journey was actually a preview of a cartoon world that hadn’t yet been created.

...and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since. Hmm... Elements of Harmony. I know I've heard of those before... but where?

“I do not sound like that!” Twilight Sparkle protested.

“Actually, you do,” I said. The voice in the cartoon really sounded like the Twilight Sparkle in front of me.

“Most people react that way when they hear their recorded voice played back for the first time,” Jason observed.

Twilight Sparkle huffed and watched quietly for a few more minutes. “Is this going to be the story of me meeting my friends in Ponyville and the saving of Princess Luna from the clutches of Nightmare Moon?” she asked.

“It is,” Jason said.

She levitated his phone back to him. “I think I’ve seen enough, though I really want to study that device. That’s the connection you were talking about?”

I nodded. “From our perspective, Equestria is a fictional world, created not that long ago.”

“For more than two years, we’ve seen your adventures, Twilight Sparkle,” Jason said. “Millions of humans have enjoyed this show.”

“I don’t know how this magic works, but would this qualify as a strong connection between our worlds?” I asked.

“Possibly, though it doesn’t explain how these portals were concealed from notice,” she said, making some more notes.

“Wow,” I said.

“What?” Twilight Sparkle said.

“You don’t seem fazed at all by me saying that your world is fictional.”

“I assure you, this world is very real, and you of all ponies should realize that,” she said. “Besides, I’ve already gotten used to the concept of being a character in a story.”

“What do you mean?”

Twilight Sparkle levitated a book off the shelves and floated it to me. I grabbed it and opened it. It looked just like a children’s book, each page having a picture and a small number of words, and the first character illustrated was (a very crude rendition of) Twilight Sparkle. After flipping through a few pages, I knew exactly what story the book was telling. “This is the same thing as the cartoon episode, right?”

“Correct. Most ponies knew Princess Luna only as the legendary Nightmare Moon, if they knew her at all. Princess Celestia thought it was important for everypony, especially young foals, to learn about the real Princess Luna. And so this book was commissioned days after her return.” She returned the book to its shelf. “It’s funny. All my life, I thought I’d be in a book, but as the author of a scholarly paper discussing a breakthrough in some field of magical study. I never imagined something like this.”

“But do you like it?” Jason asked.

“I don’t think I can answer that question. I’ve come to realize how important my friends are to me, but there’s always that nagging question. What did I do to deserve this?”

“Other than save Equestria?” Jason noted.

Twilight Sparkle remained silent for a moment. “I don’t think I will be able to answer that tonight.” She rolled up her scroll and stashed it away. “Let’s plan on talking again tomorrow. I assume you both will need a place to stay?”

I nodded, but Jason shook his head. “I’m good,” he said.

“What?” I and Twilight Sparkle both said.

“One of my coworkers had a spare bedroom in her house,” Jason said.

“Wait. You have a job?” I said.

Jason shrugged. “I helped fix the roads when I showed up. Somepony saw my cutie mark, and knowing my special talent, hired me to help with the expansion of Ponyville. I must say, it beats the hiring process in our world.”

I had to agree with Jason there.

“They haven’t noticed that you aren’t using magic?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“I told them I was recovering from illness.”

“The horn flu?”

“That’s what they said, so I said yes,” Jason said. “What exactly is the horn flu?”

“Well, it’s not really a version of influenza, though like the feather flu, it shares some symptoms, such as congestion and body aches. The lining of the nerves in the horn becomes inflamed, interfering with a unicorn’s use of magic. The disease lasts for one to three days, with lingering effects for up to five days.”

“So you only have a couple of days before these ponies become suspicious,” I said.

“Yeah. I just hope I can figure out this magic, but nothing’s worked.”

“I don’t see any reason why you two can’t use basic magic,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“But we’re not really unicorns,” I said.

“Well, what color is my coat?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“Pastel purple,” I replied. Jason chose lavender.

“You can see fine, so I don’t see why you can’t squink.”

“Squink?” I said. I looked to Jason, the expert here, but he was as confused as me.

“You know, squink!” she replied. “It’s one of the six senses, sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, squink—I’m using the classical definition of Mareistotle, and I know it’s a simplification, but it’s what every foal learns.”

“Humans have something similar, but we only talk of five senses,” Jason said.

“No magic, remember?” I added.

“No magic. Right. Squink is... oh, this is one of those classic conundrums! How do you explain sight to somepony who can’t see?”

“How does it work, biologically?” I asked.

“Okay. I guess it’s something between sight and touch. You can sense the magic in everything and everypony. It’s a part of all your cells, but as a unicorn, the sense is strongest in your horn. Your eyes work fine. So why wouldn’t your horns?”

That was an interesting point. But how would I know whether or not it was working? “My only thought is our minds appear to be entirely our own,” I said. “I remember only my own experiences, and have no knowledge of this world, save what I picked up four years ago. I couldn’t tell you the name of the next town to the south or what this part of my body is called.”

“Appleloosa and pastern,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“What?” I interjected.

“Appleloosa is the town to the south, although there’s a lot of dangerous terrain in between. And that area above your fetlock is called the pastern,” she explained.

“Right.” I sighed. “My point is, what’s in here is all my mind, which knows how to see, because my normal body has eyes. This?” I tapped my horn. Again, I felt the contact, but it wasn’t much different than bumping my knee. “There’s nothing equivalent.”

Twilight Sparkle raised a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. “I have an idea. Please close your eyes.”

Jason closed his eyes right away. I had my doubts, but Twilight Sparkle didn’t seem to be the kind of mare to do anything funny. I closed my eyes as well.

I felt something indescribable in my horn. The closest sensation to it was static electricity, like touching a balloon after rubbing it on your shirt. It was followed by a release that I can only classify as my horn sneezing.

“Open your eyes,” Twilight Sparkle said.

I did, and everything looked... different. Most notably, I could see something I didn’t see before, but it wasn’t really sight. Twilight Sparkle pulled out her scroll again, and I definitely saw that, bright and... with the same flavor as the mare.

“What was that?” I asked.

“The normal test of magical reflexes. It proved your magic is functioning normally,” she said.

“Things don’t look as bright anymore,” Jason noted.

I blinked. Jason was right. The books in the library didn’t look as vivid as before, now resembling the shelves of cloth-bound books in Hicks. The walls resembled normal wood. But Twilight Sparkle was still her unnatural shade of purple.

The mare scribbled some notes. “Fascinating. Of all the senses, your brains mapped squink to sight. Further study is needed to determine if this is because of the importance of sight to humans, or the importance of sight to ponies, or both.”

“Does this mean we can use magic?” Jason asked.

“The two basic forms of magic, illumination and telekinesis, are as basic as walking and talking, and are only difficult for foals until their horns fully develop. To illuminate your horn, hold the magic in your horn. And to use telekinesis, squink until you contact the aura of the object you wish to move.”

Twilight Sparkle pulled two books off the bookshelf and placed one in front of each of us. I accepted her invitation, and tried to lift the book. I looked to the book, though it wasn’t looking, and I could sense both this strange feeling reaching, and the dull, flat aura of the book. I connected the two, and then willed it up. Or, rather, I squinked it up.

The book hit the ceiling. I heard Jason grunt; across from me, he was doubled over in pain. I think he tried to bring the book to himself, and overdid it, just as I did.

“You don’t have to squink so hard,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“Noted,” Jason gasped. He caught his breath and stood up. “I think it’s time to go home. I have work tomorrow.”

I was about to mention that we didn’t know how to get home, but then I deduced he was referring to wherever it was he was staying. Just like I suspected, he was fitting into this strange world.

I jumped up. “Wait.”

“What?”

“I, uh, brought your wallet,” I said. I looked around, finding my saddlebags; they had been moved to one corner of the library. I nosed around, finding two pouches like the one Jason had around his neck. I opened the first, finding a handful of gold coins and several plastic cards, including Jason’s driver’s license, unchanged by the transit.

Jason looked at it curiously. “So my money turned into bits?”

“That’s Star Swirl’s Fourth Law of Interdimensional Travel at work,” Twilight Sparkle said. “Value cannot be created or destroyed between worlds. Although that was purely a theoretical concept, until you arrived.”

Not trusting his horn, Jason took the pouch in his hoof and put it around his neck. “What’s the rest of this?”

“Um, well, last time, the books I was carrying were instrumental in finding the way home, so I thought I’d bring some books,” I said. “They’re your books, Jason. I hope you don’t mind.”

“It’s okay.” He looked at the two sets of saddlebags, the pockets bulging. “I didn’t think I had that many books.”

“I probably took them all,” I admitted.

“In a situation like that, it’s better to overprepare than underprepare,” Twilight Sparkle said.

“We can worry about bringing them back later,” Jason said. He headed for the door.

“Do you need any help finding your way?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

“No, I’m good,” he said.

He shut the door behind him with a kick of his hoof. I just shook my head.

“What is it?” Twilight Sparkle said.

“I just don’t understand how normal Jason is acting.” I wondered just how much he thought about making it to Equestria. It was one thing to come up with a name and biography that fooled these ponies, but then to settle in like that? A home, a job?

Twilight Sparkle scraped her hoof on the wooden floor of the library. “So, John, can I see these books?”

“Of course you can.”

Twilight Sparkle squealed in delight as her magic illuminated both of my saddlebags, opening them and quickly sorting their contents. I focused on the other goods. I found my phone, unchanged by the transit, and my keys, which now resembled something from the 19th century. A pouch like the one Jason carried held my driver’s license and now-useless credit cards, along with a number of golden bit coins. Another pocket of the saddlebags held five more bit coins; that was probably the money I separated from the rest.

“I see you brought mostly textbooks. But what are these books?” Twilight Sparkle said.

I smiled. “That’s the Harry Potter series. Those are the books I mentioned last time I was here, the ones about a fictional world of magic hidden within the mundane human world.

Her eyes sparkled. “You brought human fiction books, the ones about magic?”

“It’s about more than magic. Friendship, bravery, working together, overcoming obstacles, and yes, defeating the greatest villain the magical world has ever known,” I said. “I decided that, if I ended up stuck here, I wasn’t going to be stuck without my favorite books.”

“Ooh, I can’t wait to read them!” She stamped her hoof and adopted a serious expression. “After I review everything you brought, and report to Princess Celestia, of course.”

“Of course. But please, remember that they’re not a textbook about human magic. They’re fiction. You can prepare a rebuttal all you want, but I don’t think the author is going to see it.”

“Okay. Do you remember where you stayed last time?” Twilight Sparkle asked.

I shook my head. “That was more than four years ago, remember?”

“Right. Follow me.”

Twilight Sparkle directed me to a guest bedroom. As I got ready for bed, I saw her effortlessly moving all the books I brought, her aura capable of manipulating dozens of items at once. That must be nice.

I collapsed on the bed, focusing on the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was also old-fashioned, a style I recognized only from old cartoons. It was analog, wound with a key, and with two bells and a hammer for the alarm.

I focused on the magic all around me, and reached out to the clock. I squinked, as Twilight Sparkle called it, with as light a touch as I could manage. An orange aura, the same color as my unicorn eyes, surrounded the alarm clock, and I lifted it into the air.

With a thought, the alarm clock moved across the room, powered by nothing more than my own willpower. I tested my horn, trying to move other items in the room. A book, a blanket, a chair; they all felt different as my magic touched them.

I eventually reached my limit as the nightstand slipped out of my aura, landing with a thud. The weight of the nightstand overpowered my will, and the throbbing in my horn told me it was physiological as well.

Even so, I smiled.

I still felt like smacking Jason for being so stupid as to jump through a portal to this strange world. But having a chance to use magic, real magic?

I had to admit, it was pretty neat.

Author's Note

One of the things I realized is that Jason had to have turned off his iPhone after he arrived. Because while you can have a lot of fantastical things in a story about magic talking ponies, an iPhone with a battery that lasts a day and a half is just too unbelievable.

To give you an idea of how long this story has been in the works, I made a blog post soliciting names for the sixth sense, where ponies have a name for our five senses and one for a magic sense. That blog post was in February 2013. Nemryn suggested using squink from G3 Pinkie Pie.