Chapter 1
Twilight Sparkle was finally ready to perform her new teleportation spell. If it worked, she would be standing in the Canterlot castle courtyard. She had already set up on an open hill, thankful it was Springtime, with the warm air and chirping birds. She laid down within her circle, surrounded by a myriad of highly complex and carefully drawn runes. She began to cast the spell, picturing her destination and focusing heavily on that image. She could feel her spell working, her body about to be pulled through space. It was then her ingloriously energetic friend Pinkie Pie bounded up.
"Hi Twilight! Whatcha doin'? 'Cause I was thinking you, me, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash and Spike would get together and do something!"
Twilight's concentration faltered under the party pony's verbal assault as the images of her six friends flashed into her mind. Just as all six images were present, the spell reached it's climax and released, throwing all seven ponies into the void, ripped from whatever tasks they were previously performing.
Twilight woke up first, the other six following soon after. They got up, and looked around. They were in a small town, like Ponyville, but the houses were more... Modern, and instead of walking paths, wide black stone paths with large, noisy contraptions traveling on it were in it's place. It was still Spring, where ever they were. They themselves were in the lawn of a particularly large house with a few trees in the yard.
As soon as Pinkie was awake, Twilight went on the attack. "Pinkie, what were you thinking!? Couldn't you see me performing that spell?!"
Pinkie looked down with a frown, then immediately perked up and said "Oh Twilight! You worry too much! I mean, nopony's hurt, right?"
Twilight sighed and stated "I guess you're right Pinkie. I'm sorry for yelling."
Applejack spoke up "Well, that's all fine and dandy, but Ah'm pretty sure were not in Equestria anymore, Sugarcube."
Rarity asked "Well, can we at least see if anypony is in that house over there?"
They all agreed to that and walked up. With one final nod from her friends, Twilight rang the doorbell.
***************
I was sitting on my couch in the living room, playing Halo: Reach on my XBOX 360 online with my friends. One of them was a brony like me, and the other was not a brony, but still liked and respected me, as well as being my neighbor. We were playing team swat on the blue team on the map called Pinnacle, and we were kicking the red team to the curb, with our team having 42 kills to their 29. My non-brony friend and I went in army-of-two style while my brony friend provided supporting fire. My non-brony friend and I had changed our service tags to BAN3 and BON3 respectively, and we called each other as such.
"Bone, on your right!" I turned and headshot some noob trying to snipe me. We continued towards the multi-level sniper tower on one side of the map. Keeping that tower gave whichever team controlled it a huge advantage. It was currently controlled by the red team. We made our way to the front door, where a red noob was camping in the corner. Thankfully, Bane was skilled in close quarters combat. With a quick pistol shot and smack to the face, the red player was no more. While he was handling that noob, I went upstairs and assassinated the red player sniping at the top level. I sniped a few more red players that have respawned on the opposite side of the map, and the game's announcer stated "Game Over." As we congratulated each other on our crushing victory, my doorbell rang. I told my friends I would be back in a minute, and got up to answer the door. When I opened it, I almost shat bricks. There, standing in front of me, was the mane six and Spike.
I said in a most intelligent manner "Uuhhhh..... " as my eyes bulged out of my head.
The ponie's (and dragon's) eyes were bulging similarly.
Finally, I shook my head to clear it and said "S'up."
Spike smiled and said "Doin' good, bro."
I grinned and said "Ladies, won't you come in?" as I stepped aside. They entered tentatively into my house. They relaxed when they saw the inside of the house was more or less familiar. As they were taking in the scene, I ran over to my living room and quickly put my headset back on.
I said quickly to my friends "Guys, you won't believe who just walked into my house!"
My non-brony friend had gotten off while I was away from the mic, leaving only my brony friend, who I called Timber, in the party with me.
He asked "Who, man?"
I released a fanboy squeal and answered "The Mane Six."
He chuckled and stated "Don't screw with me bro."
"No, really! Go to video chat, I'll prove it!"
"Alright man, see you there."
I set my mic so Timber's voice would come through the tv, then I grabbed my videocam and hooked it to my console. I went to video chat, and called into the other room "Hey, guys, come here!"
I held the camera at the door and filmed the ponies as they walked in. I heard out of the TV "HOLY HELL! Okay, I believe you. And bricks have been shat in the process."
The ponies cringed and looked around for the sound of the voice. "Hey," I said. "Lookie here." I tapped the TV screen. My friend had his own video feed up, and waved. "Yo. How's it goin'?"
Twilight asked "Are you really small and living in that box?
Timber and I busted out laughing. "No, I'm normal sized. Think of this as a window so you can see me. That camera my friend there is holding is like my eye so I can see you. It's called video chatting."
They still looked confused, but less so. Applejack looked like she had a headache. "Uugh, Ah can't keep up with all this fancy techno mumbo-jumbo."
Rarity asked "Well, since we're here, we might as well find a place to stay tonight."
"You seven can stay here." I offered. They nodded, and Twilight stated "You're very kind..."
"Jacob." I finished. Timber said "You can call me Timber, Twilight. I call Jacob Craterfist."
They looked confused. Twilight asked "You know my name?" I chuckled and answered "We know all your names, and all about you guys."
Rainbow Dash looked at me hard and began to ask "Are you-"
Timber and I said in unison "We're not spies."
I quickly explained the show and the Internet in a nutshell.
They still had confused looks, but Spike walked up to the TV and said "S'up, brother."
Timber pounded his chest with his fist twice, then pointed at Spike.
My cell phone ringed then, I answered and it was my dad. "Hey, Jacob. I'm ordering pizza, what did you want?"
I answered "Make it a supreme."
He said 'Okay', and hung up. The ponies were looking at me funny. "My dad called. He's bringing home pizza."
Twilight asked "Wait, how will your parents react to us?"
I said "Oohh, that may be a problem." How was I going to explain six talking ponies and a dragon to my parents?!
Chapter 2
"Mom, Dad, I'd like you to meet Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, and Spike."
Standing in the kitchen, I waved at each of the ponies and dragon as I listed their names. All seven plus myself had awkward smiles on our faces. My mom, after a moment of silence, just shrugged and said "Okay, have fun.", and went upstairs. It didn't surprise me; she doesn't care who I talk to, so long as we're both polite.
My dad, on the other hand, had his eyes closed and was rubbing his temples very hard. He made his way upstairs, mumbling the words "Asprin. Tylenol. Bed." over and over. I turned to the group and asked "Okay, so what do you wanna do?" The seven of them exchanged glances.
Pinkie piped up "Well it's too quiet! Let's JAM!" She punctuated the last word by striking what I assume was a dance move. I led them into the living room and turned on the stereo. I pulled my IPod from my pocket and plugged it in. I set it to play one of my favorite songs, then cranked the volume. The guitar blasted and the singer began to belch lyrics that I had yet to understand. Pinkie and I were the only ones banging our heads to the song, while the other six were desperately plugging their ears with pillows, tissues, and other things, never once resorting to hooves or claws. After about a minute in, the song suddenly cut short. I turned to see Twilight standing there, her hoof covering the pause button.
Rarity, after pulling the tissues from her ears, and obviously trying to hide her annoyance, asked "Dear, could you play something a tad... Easier on the ears?" She gave me an innocent smile, while her eyes pleaded for me not to play that four-minute hell spawn ever again.
Pinkie took up a pouting position on the couch and mumbled "Party pooper McPooper pants.... Hrrrm...."
I thought for a minute. "What kind of music were you thinking of?"
Rarity gestured at my IPod. "What do you have in your.... Device.... Over there?"
I picked it up and began scrolling through the genres, listing them off as I went.
"Thrash Metal?"
"No."
"Classic Metal?"
"Nuh-uh."
"Screamo Metal?"
"Oh Celestia, no."
"Rock?"
"Not happening."
"Alternative Rock?"
"Still no."
"80's Rock?"
"I'm sensing a theme here..."
"Rap?"
"Better, but too many swears."
"Jazz?"
Rarity stamped her hooves in happiness. "Yes! Oh Celestia, yes! Please, that would be perfect!"
I gave her a quizzical look. "You sure? I mean I could probably find a rap song without too many-"
Rarity threw her hooves on my shoulders and pulled my face near hers. "NO! WE PLAY JAZZ. EARS NO BLEED. UNDERSTAND?"
She breathed heavily, her chest visibly moving to her breathing, her eyes wide.
Twilight and Rainbow Dash took Rarity by each of her forehooves, one flying, the other using magic, and together they laid her down on the couch. Rarity's mane was frizzled, and she was mumbling incoherently. I unplugged my IPod from the stereo and pulled out my earbuds, plugging them into the IPod instead. I set it to play one of my favorite jazz songs, then I stepped over to Rarity, who was resting on her left side, her face buried in the couch cushion. I plugged one earbud into her right ear, then gently lifted her head and placed the other earbud. I hit the play button, and almost immediately saw her relax. Her breathing fell into a steady rhythm, and her body lost it's tension as she fell into a deep sleep.
I looked at the remaining six, one at a time. My eyes landed on Twilight, who I asked "So... Does Rarity get that stressed out that easily?"
Twilight shook her head. "Not usually. I guess the stress of choosing a song, small as it may be, was coupled with the stress of being in a new world, and I guess she just... couldn't take it."
Rainbow Dash asked "Well, I'm bored. Isn't there anything to do around here?"
I was about to respond, when my cell phone rang in my pocket, and the ponies jumped and began looking around.
I pulled my phone out of my pocket, whipped it open, put it to my ear, and asked "Hello?"
"Hey, Jacob. How ya doing?" It was my friend and neighbor, Will, also known as BAN3 on Xbox.
I replied "Doing good. How about you?"
"Fine. Say, you mind if I come over today?"
That was when I panicked. I placed my hand over the phone's reciever and whispered "Guys, my friend wants to come over. You need to hide or something!"
Twilight tilted her head and asked "Why?"
I replied "Unlike me, most people are not used to colorful, talking equines."
Applejack spoke up "Well, if he's yer friend, then Ah'm sure he won't do nothin stupid."
Rainbow Dash added "Yeah, and if he does, BAM!" Rainbow punched her left hoof into her right, earning her a glare from Twilight, and a look of concern from the always quiet Fluttershy.
I put the phone back to my ear and stated "Yeah man, come on over. I must warn you though, i have some... other friends over."
Will, who knew about my obsession with ponies, asked "Brony friends?"
I began to stammer. "N-not exactly, but-"
"Great, I'll be there soon."
When he siad soon, he meant it. He lived not two blocks away from me.
I looked at the ponies plus Spike and stated "Do not do anything to freak him out. He and I are used to seeing and doing strange things, but this sort of pushes the envelope for us."
The six of them nodded. I grabbed a blanket from the end of the couch and draped it over the still sleeping Rarity. I then went to the bottom of the stairs and yelled up "MOM! WILL IS COMING OVER!" This got me a simple "OKAY!" from somewhere in the upper level.
I looked out the window, and there was Will, walking down the street. I guessed i had thirty or so seconds before he reached the door. I grabbed two tall glasses from the cupboard and set them from the counter. I then grabbed a bottle of Coke from the fridge and poured it in both glasses.
Just as my hand shut the fridge door with the bottle inside, the doorbell rang. I ran over to the door and opened it. Will stood there grinning. We high-fived, and he walked in. I walked past him, grabbed the two glasses of soda, and handed one to Will as he walked into the kitchen.
I mentally prepared myself as he walked past me into the living room. Most people I know would yell, or scream, or call the police, or a combination thereof.
Will walked back into the kitchen and looked at me. He sipped his soda, his face having a look of utter annoyance on it.
"Jacob?"
I sipped my soda and asked "Yes?"
"Why are there ponies in the living room?"
"I told you I had friends here."
He blinked, his expression unchanged. "I thought you said you had no pony anything going on."
I leaned back against the counter and took another sip. "No, I said I had no brony friends over."
He sighed and said "Whatever, can we still play some Mortal Kombat?"
I nodded and we headed upstairs to my bedroom. I turned on my Xbox, popped in the disc, and handed a controller to Will. The main menu popped up with a picture of Scorpion landing a vicious uppercut to Sub-Zero's jaw. We selected one-on-one, me going with Kitana, and Will going with Scorpion. Just as we were about the start the match, a pink blur came through the door and put her face into my friends' face.
"Hi I'm Pinkie Pie! Jacob is my friend, and since you're his friend, you're my friend too! I gotta throw you a welcome party! But wait, I'm the newcomer, so I need the welcome party! But I can't throw a welcome party for myself, that's silly! Maybe you can mphmmmhphmm!" Will had placed his hand over the pink mare's mouth, though she kept talking as if he never placed his hand there. She stopped talking while the other ponies plus dragon walked into my room.
Will facepalmed. He looked at me and said "What happened to a nice afternoon gaming?"
I shrugged. Twilight Sparkle caught on and said "Oh, were you about to do something, because we can leave if-"
Will waved and said " Nah nah, you can watch. Watch me kick Jacob to the curb."
Will beat me, and the fatality he performed was none too kind. The ponies all stared with mouths agape, with Twilight Sparkle currently emptying her stomach in the toilet.
Rarity finally asked "What... Was that?"
I turned to her and stated "A fatality."
Will added "I won, so I had the option of performing a cool finisher, and I did."
Fluttershy, who was cowering under my bedsheets, just whimpered.
I looked at him and asked "How about we do something a little less bloody?"
He rolled his eyes and said "Fine, let's do Portal 2."
I grinned and grabbed the disc. Twilight walked back into the room as I put the disc in the tray and watched it slide back into the console.
The main menu with a picture of GLaDOS lying on the ground appeared. We selected co-op mode, and soon we were right where we left off last week, on a particularly hard puzzle we were working on.
Twilight, not sick anymore, seemed intrigued by our portal guns and asked "What's this?"
I explained the game to her.
"The game is called Portal, and the reason for that name is because the charcter has a Dual Portal Device, or better known simply as a portal gun. You use it to create two portals that are connected two each other. Anything going into one portal comes out the other completely unchanged."
Will added "In this mode, we work together to solve puzzles, and thus we both have portal guns, for a total of four portals."
Twilight seemed confused. "That seems too easy. Aren't there any stipulations or restrictions?"
I added "Two actually. One, we can only use our portal guns on white walls, forcing us to solve puzzles in specific ways."
Twilight pried "And the other-"
"Very good. You’ve really come together as a team. Thanks to the one of you who appears to be doing all of the work."
"We have a sarcastic computer insulting us at every turn."
Applejack asked "How do ya'll concentrate when yer bein' insulted like that?"
Will replied without turning his head from the screen. "You just tune it out after a while."
After a good hour of gaming, we went back downstairs. Will left and went back home, so I decided to just nap on the couch. As soon as I laid down and closed my eyes though, I felt a blanket being laid on top of me. I looked up to see Fluttershy with the end of the blanket in her mouth. When she realized I was looking at her, she blushed and looked away. I stood up, and did what every brony dreams of doing. I slowly wrapped my arms around the mare, eliciting a squeak. I felt her hooves tentatively place themselves on my shoulders. We stood there for a while, before Twilight looked at the clock and realized how late it had gotten.
That night, the eight of us all slept in my room, with Fluttershy sleeping on top of my bed covers. It was the best night's sleep I have ever had.
