Run

by MonkeyNinja

Rating: teen
Tags: Other, Adventure, Twilight Sparkle, Princess Celestia, Dark, Human, Main 6, Princess Luna, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 17082

Jackson struggles to protect his sister in the land of Equestria. A slightly more realistic take on the Human in Equestria Story Concept.

After a dark force strikes, Jackson finds himself thrown into a strange world where he struggles to protect his little sister.

A somewhat more realistic take on the Human in Equestria story concept... For a given value of "realistic".

Published 2014-11-22 04:30:02 UTC
Last updated 2015-12-14 04:11:33 UTC

What have I done?

"Emily! EMILY!!!" I shouted, hurling myself at the shimmering barrier that divided me from my helpless sister. It was no use. The column of darkness slowly descended inside the cylinder of magic that surrounded her.

I threw myself once more at the wall with all of my might, and heard a 'pop'. A stab of pain shot through my shoulder and I collapsed to the ground. Emily pressed her little hands against the glass-like surface, to match mine. Her big blue eyes, shimmering with tears, locked with mine as the darkness enveloped her. Then, I was forced to watch in utter horror, as the last thing I cared about in the world was stolen from me.

Her terror-stricken eyes shrunk down to pinpricks and the tears stopped. Her mouth, quivering at the corners became still, and at length, twitched, cracked, and finally split into a manic grin the likes of which would've horrified anyone in sight, including myself.

Then came the laughing. The awful, dreadful, malevolent cackling emanating from the person I had always known to be so innocent. My sister's clothes began to ripple, as if blown by a strong wind spiraling around her being. She began to rise off of the ground, and into the sky.

What had I done? This was all my fault! I had caused all of this.

My sister didn't deserve this! No one did! Her body had been taken. Possessed by that... THING, and there was nothing I could do to stop it.

I looked around at the rubble where the others lay scattered, unconscious from the blast. How I remained awake I had no idea, but honestly, I would’ve rather been knocked out than witness this horror.

The sky grew dark, and a low thunder permeated the air, like the deep, hungry growl of a lion stalking his next meal.
My sister screamed at the top of her lungs, but it was not a cry of fear, rather one of utmost glee. It was the cackle of a monster set on destroying everything in its path for nothing more than pure satisfaction.

How had all of this come to pass? What had I done to cause such a terrible thing to befall my sister?

Author's Note

(EDIT: Ok, that's a little bit better for an intro if I do say so myself!)

Flashes in the Dark

The bedroom door closed with a resounding "thunk!". I shambled over to my bed, not bothering to even roll over, and crashed into the pillowy surface with a groan. Some vacation this was turning out to be. I had only just bid my Emily goodnight and turned in for the evening. It was like, seven o'clock. Turning over, another groan escaped my lips.

'What the hell?', I thought to myself, 'This is supposed to be the best part of the year, and I can't even find a good reason to stay up past eight!'

I flopped over again, stuffing my face into a pillow, and screamed. It wasn't loud enough to draw attention from down stairs, but it was enough to let me vent. With a surge of adrenaline, I scraped myself away from the sheets. The whole summer couldn't just pass me by like this. I had to DO something!

Ten minutes later, after a round of push-ups, video games, and gorging myself on leftover cake until fit to burst, I had run out of 'somethings'.

I returned to my bedroom, defeated, and slammed the door in frustration. There was just nothing to do! Not thinking, I angrily kicked my open closet door, which not only sent me hopping on one foot in pain, but swung into Dave's old punching bag, ricocheting back full force.

Still hopping on one leg, the wood of the door slammed into my skull with a sharp smack. Then, with all the agility and grace of a drunken sloth, my body went flying into the closet.

"Shit...", I moaned, doing my best to rub both head and foot at the same time. An assortment of clothes that had been hanging up a moment ago had nearly buried me. To top it all off the door had closed, plunging me into darkness. Now, ordinarily this wouldn't have been a problem. The only issue was that my closet door didn't have a handle on the inside. I'd discovered this problem a year or so back, by getting trapped inside and having to call out for Emily to open the door. Immediately afterward, I figured out how to pick the lock. Thankfully, it wasn't very hard. The bolt that held the door closed was left with a little bit exposed, which meant it could be forced open by shoving a small piece of metal into the gap, and levering it to the left.

Groaning once more, I shook a few pieces of clothing off of me and rose to my feet. After doing so, my head was promptly introduced to the ceiling, leaving me seeing stars. Unable to catch myself on anything stable, I fell over for the second time in as many minutes, my face leaving a small crater in the surface of the door I'm sure.

Now, I would give you accurate description of what I said, but it would probably make the grumpiest of sailor-men cringe. Suffice it to say that it wasn't, "Oh gosh darn-it!".

What on earth, had possessed the builders of this house to make the closet ceiling slanted?! I waited a minute or so before standing up, slowly, and reached for a hanger. Now thoroughly pissed, I tore the object from the rack, let out an aggravated sigh and plopped myself onto the pile of fallen clothes. Ever so carefully, I began to bend the wire straight enough to move the bolt. It was almost finished, when a bright flash illuminated the back of the closet. I spun abruptly to see what it was, slammed my head on the wall, fell onto my back, and screamed. My head was definitely aching now and the rest of my body wasn't much better off.

'We'd better have some aspirin...' I thought groggily as I tried to sit up. My hands traced along the wall and floor of the small space, but there was nothing but drywall and clothes. After a short time, the flash was passed off as just me seeing things. Eventually, after much cursing and twisting, that god-forsaken door finally relented, creaking open in the slowest way possible. I made a silent vow to myself that if I ever got trapped behind that thing again, the damn thing was getting kicked down! Clutching my head, I hobbled out of the closet and collapsed onto my bed. I still couldn't go to sleep.

'I won't let myself. It's summer and it's still only...', I rolled over to look at the clock, 'Nine thirty...'. Was that right? I blinked, unsure if my eyes were seeing things correctly, then picked up my phone. 'Nine thirty one'. I had no idea what to make of it. My little adventure in closet land had only lasted a few minutes. My head pounded.

'Maybe I blacked out?'

No. Never in the darkness did I feel myself slip into unconsciousness. Maybe I read the time wrong earlier? I racked my brain for an answer. Wrong again. Dave had said goodnight to Em' and I, right before hanging up at exactly 6:54. I'd spent maybe fifteen minutes trying to entertain myself, and about five stuck in the closet. So how then, had more than two hours passed?!

Another flash lit my room behind me as I pondered this. Looking over my shoulder, I was once again met with silence. Passing it off as the light of a passing car, I shook my head, trying to get a handle on things. Obviously, my calculations were off. The flashes were both dubbed to be passing cars and nothing more. I deliberately tried not to think about the fact that there were no windows in my closet.

Another minute later, it was set in my mind to be nothing more than a rogue set of headlights.

I flipped my phone back on. It was time. Time to do the only thing there is to do when nothing left remains. Time to delve into the one place that single-handedly holds more wonders and horrors than Heaven and Hell combined... The Internet.

Admittedly, what I should have been doing was looking for a college. Of course, that's what I was always supposed to be doing. But who has time for important decisions about the future when you have dancing cats at the press of a button?

Anyway, shortly after opening the browser, a third flash lit the other side of my room, right above my bed. I looked up quickly, but again to no avail. There was no way in hell that a car light reached that far into my room. Slowly, I scanned the room inch by inch from my bed, searching for anything bright. There was nothing.

Now hyper alert, I decided to stay on my toes about things. Looking back to my phone, I continued to surf the web, very aware that something strange was going on.

I pressed forward in my digital escapade, the strangeness of the night weighing heavily on my mind. I knew something was up, yet I continued to stubbornly push it aside. The videos I was watching were all under five minutes, and there couldn't have been more than ten.

As I reached to tap the link to yet another video, three consecutive flashes illuminated my room. That was the last straw. I threw my phone on my bed and began to scour every solitary inch of the room for something bright, something reflective, anything that could've caused the flashes. There was nothing. However, as I spun to retrieve my phone, something disturbing caught my eye. My back stiffened, as I suddenly found myself afraid to turn around. Slowly, I began to crane my head to the side, like people do in horror movies right before they see the monster. My eyes locked onto my clock.

'One forty five AM'.

I dropped onto my bed with a heavy thud, not even bothering to double check this time. It just didn't make sense! My phone hadn't even been on for an hour. Why was it almost two in the morning?!

There was a noise downstairs, followed by the sound of a door closing. I thought it strange for someone to be up at that hour but I was a bit preoccupied with a conundrum of my own.

I just wasn't thinking clearly, that had to be the answer. Standing with a sigh, I ambled over to the window, throwing it open and taking in the scent of the fresh night breeze. It was only recently that I had discovered this little escape from my stuffy room.

Up until about six months ago, I hadn't dared to venture out onto the roof. However, there came that one night, so perfectly clear and cool, that I just had to try it. Slowly, I lifted the window, careful not to make any noise. Almost shaking with anticipation, I took a deep breath and slid out onto the roof. The night air came in a strong breeze which rippled through my hair wonderfully. My second story bedroom allowed for an easy walk down to the center of the roof. In addition, the edge of the roof sloped gently downward, allowing for a safe jump if the need should arise. As I laid my head back against the roofing tiles, I was met with the most astounding display of stars I'd ever seen. There was even a full moon to top it off! I couldn't have imagined a more perfect sight. Ever since then, the night had become a regular escape of mine.

I stepped up to the open window trying to clear my head. The cool air felt nice on my skin as the breeze danced through the window. I moved to slide out, when a white flash illuminated the roof. Now absolutely sure that it wasn't just a car, I looked toward its source. I didn't see anything, but there was a rustling in the grass below.

"Hey!" I shouted into the night. The rustling stopped. With a surge of adrenaline, I pulled my head inside and darted over to my closet. As quickly my hands would allow, I pulled on a pair of jeans, a shirt, my watch, and a dark blue hoodie. My phone and day pack were snatched as afterthoughts, and shoved into my pockets. Emily and I would always grab them before heading out at night. We’d committed the bags to routine ever since “The Skunk of 07” caught us without a flashlight.

I spared one last glance at my room before turning and slipping out the window.

As I stepped into the night air, the window slid gently down behind me. I turned and dashed out across the roof, stopping to perch at the corner. For a few moments, I was perfectly still, content to enjoy the warm breeze on my neck. In stark contrast, my face was licked by the cool night air drifting by…

'Wait a second...'

That's when I froze. A cold shiver ran down my spine. There was something... right... behind me. Something big. With horror, I realized that the warm breeze I had been feeling was coming in rhythmic waves, not unlike the flow of my own breath.
The realization that Em’ was fast asleep nearby gave me some strength. Whatever was behind me, I would either lead it away from them, or kill it.

Of course, there was always the more likely outcome of me getting eaten by a terrifying creature, but I did my best not to think of that. After swallowing a few panicked breaths, I spun around to face whatever horror awaited me on this darkest of nights. Instead, I was greeted with an empty rooftop. The shock didn't even have a chance to register. As suddenly as it had disappeared, the rustle came back, this time trailing with it the sound of hollow footsteps. I shook off my moment of dread, listened for another second to pinpoint the source of the sound, then jumped.
Had been thinking clearly at the time, perhaps I would have noticed the fact that soft grass doesn't make hollow footsteps.

Rather than landing on a person's shoulders, I felt my feet connect with firm ground. I attempted to tuck and roll to cushion the landing, but ended up tripping and falling flat on my face.
On top of feeling stupid, all sense of where the intruder was had been lost. Groggily, I dragged myself to my feet. It was then, hearing that deep sinister laugh emanating from behind me, that I knew something was very, very, wrong. Before I could turn around, something flew into my back. And I don't mean in the sense that something collided with my back; I mean it literally went inside my back. It felt like being stabbed with icy needles from the inside out. I wanted to double over in agony. I wanted to cry out in pain. But I couldn't move, and I couldn't speak.

"Finally!", a horrible voice rumbled in my head, "It's been so long since I last had a body that could actually be of use to me!". Needless to say, it was god damn terrifying. I had to do something! Anything! Anything that could stop this monster that had taken over my body. With a surge of willpower, I forced all of my energy into moving just my hand. After ten seconds, I was now not only physically paralyzed, but also mentally drained. My finger had barely twitched.

"Is that all?", the voice rumbled in my ears, "The other put up a much better fight. Well, if you're quite finished resisting, we can get started!".

What was happening to me?! Other than the knowledge that something unnatural had taken control over my body, I had no clue.

As I pondered this, my hand rose to my face. At first, it seemed my efforts in moving it had succeeded, but once it began stroking my chin, I realized my assumption was dead wrong. My body was still petrified, yet my face split into a grin that would have been more than unsettling had anyone seen it. Fortunately... Or perhaps unfortunately, there was no one awake at the time. No one to get hurt, but also no one to help me escape the clutches of this... This... What the hell was this thing anyway?!

As if reading my thoughts, the voice in my head piped up.

"Oh, but of course, how rude of me,", It said in what would have been a jovial tone had it not been accompanied by a low rumble, "Allow me to introduce myself! While I have long since forgotten my name, you may come to know me as your master, The Shadow. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance human!". I'm not entirely sure why, but the formal introduction of a demon that was controlling my body like a puppet did precious little to calm my nerves.

"Let's see, where was it at this time of year?", the Shadow spoke in my head, still stroking my chin thoughtfully, "North, or maybe... Ah!". My head snapped up and turned to the forest on its own accord. "Northwest of here! Come along human, we don't want to keep the other waiting!". The entity laughed before walking off toward the woods, dragging me along for the ride.

After a few minutes of trekking through the endless see of darkened trees and underbrush, the icy pain had dulled into a cold stinging sensation, making it somewhat more bearable. However, none would call the feeling of having your body taken from your control, pleasant.

I wanted nothing more than to stop myself, to overpower the being that had stolen my body from me, but any effort was futile.

Eventually, after an eternity of hiking, the Shadow perked up, a grin plastering my face. 'We're close...', it whispered in my head, the cold undertone giving a strange depth to the sound.

It was about this time, when the demon decided it wanted to take part in the Indie 500... Minus the car.

My body lurched forward at an unnatural speed, footsteps striking the earth like the wing-beats of a hummingbird. The world around me became one giant blur, as I practically flew through the dense forest. Now, don't get me wrong, I very much wanted this shadow thing to be stopped; ejected from my body and sent off, preferably to go die in a hole somewhere. However, I ALSO wanted my body intact when this happened! At the speed my body was going, a single bump or trip would end with me in multiple pieces. Meanwhile, me being held a terror-stricken prisoner within my own body, the bastard actually seemed to be enjoying it! My body slid under low branches and swung from higher ones. Once, I swear it actually swung off of a branch completely upside down, just to scare the crap out of me! It was outstandingly effective. And the best part? It was pitch, freaking, black! I couldn't even see the trees until they were two feet away from me, making the world a dark, blurry, windy hell, for a good few seconds.

After what seemed like an eternity of flying through trees, my heels dug into the soft earth, bringing me to a skidding halt.

Thank goodness I wasn't the one in control of my body at the time. If that were the case, I probably would've either vomited, wet myself, blacked out, or some very messy combination of all three.

A few moments later, once the world stopped spinning, I was able to take in my surroundings.

My body was standing in a small clearing, only about fifteen meters wide, somewhere deep in the forest.

Just beyond the tree line, something made a low retching groan.

"Let's begin before the other gets even more restless than it already is", it hissed. What ever this "other" thing was, I wanted NO part of it. The horrible grunting it was making made my skin crawl.

Slowly, my arm begin to extend itself toward the center of the small grassy expanse. With a snap of my fingers, the Shadow stomped twice on the ground. At first nothing happened, but after a few seconds the grass in the center of the clearing began to part. Before my very eyes, a flat, round stone emerged from beneath the crumbling soil. The edges of the stone were curled slightly inward, almost like a bowl, and there was an old looking knife resting on the edge.

Shit.

I thought I had panicked when my body went from zero to sixty back in the woods. That was nothing. Only there in the clearing, Shadow bringing my helpless body closer and closer to that knife, did I truly understand what it meant to freak out.

At this point, I was absolutely positive that my body would either be a sacrifice for some demonic ritual, be cut open and left to die for the amusement of a malevolent spirit, or simply drop dead of a heart attack right then and there. None of the outcomes I could foresee had a particularly happy ending with me involved.

Shadow stopped moving. Ever so slowly, I reached down, lifting the knife to eye level to get a good long look.

"You don't mind if I borrow some of this, do you?", the monster said in a cruel mockery of my own voice as he rolled up a sleeve, "The darker arts will sometimes require a little... incentive".

The tip of the curved blade dug deeper and deeper into my arm until finally it broke the skin. Then, with a stomach-churning wrench, the knife twisted violently, unleashing a scarlet cascade from the wound. The pain was excruciating. Every nerve in my arm screamed in agony, trying in vain to numb the sting. The pain only seemed to stretch the grin that remained plastered on my stolen face.

The crimson stream ran down my arm, creating a small pool as it collected in the bowl.

'Maybe the Shadow just wants a drink of blood before it goes to bed', I thought to myself, 'Perfectly normal behavior for your average sadistic demon'. Once my body began to crouch, this actually seemed to be the case. A glimmer of hope showed the creature drinking the blood, then letting me go on my merry way. Disgusting, but a hell of a lot better than being slaughtered. Of course, this was not what happened.

As the shadow crouched, it placed a finger in the crimson pool, mumbling something that sounded foreign under its breath. An electric ripple shot down my arm, resonating in the blood. Then, I watched in terror as the blood oozed down into the stone basin. It shouldn't have been so frightening, but something deep down told me that what I had just done was unnatural, and very bad.

Standing up, the ground shook slightly as the rock sank back into the earth.

Just when it seemed over, the shadow threw my head back, shouting something strange to the heavens. Whatever it was it scared me even more than the blood. A red column of light slowly began to rise from the ground, illuminating a symbol carved into the air above the treetops.

'Yep. Demonic ritual it is...' I thought, surprisingly calm when faced with impending doom.

In an instant, the sky split open as if torn by the hands of some invisible giant.

"Now you be a good little body and don't get yourself killed while we're separated," the horrid voice whispered in my head, "I'll need you alive once we meet again!".

Then, the other stepped up behind me, still making those sounds.

"Ja... JAR... Jaja...". It was seriously unnerving to be unable to see it. As my clothes began to get lighter, the other let out a scream that terrified me more than anything that had happened so far. Not because it was loud, or because it's voice was so strained, but because it was familiar.

"Ja... Jaa... JAAACK!!!" Screamed my little sister.

With that, gravity was suddenly reversed, sending me through the tear and off into the ether.

-

Author's Note

EDIT: Fixed the issue with the first chapter... (By getting rid of the darn thing!)

Stress

I awoke that fateful morning to Spike's shouting. The sun squeezed through the gaps between my hooves and bore into my eyelids. With a groan, I rolled over and hopped off of the silk linens.

I still wasn't used to having my own personal wing, let alone living in a castle.

The little dragon's voice reverberated throughout the castle walls.

"Twilight! Twilight wake up! You really need to see this!" Came his small but incessant cries. I merely sighed, and opened the door to go see what the ruckus was all about. I got a muzzle full of scales for my troubles.

"Oof! Sorry Twilight, but this looks reeeeally important!" He babbled, handing me a scroll. I was about to scold him for running into me, when I noticed the small ribbon tied around the center of the parchment. A single strip of jet black silk.

In an instant, the paper was torn from his tiny claws and unrolled in front of me.

"My faithful student, Twilight Sparkle,

I have felt something happen. I am not entirely sure how I can best convey my feelings on the matter. I have felt this feeling once before, and it was no pleasant experience. All I will tell you is that something is coming. I have had a vision of three conscious minds entering Equestria, one not far from your castle. Be careful my student. If I am correct, these creatures have the potential to either bring much joy, or great destruction in their wake. I have already alerted Princess Cadence and Discord, as well as several other political figures from the lands beyond. I will be sending you a package to help further your knowledge of these beings. However, for now I will need you to keep everypony indoors and prevent panic from spreading.

P.S. Twilight... Be safe my dear.

Yours truly,

Princess Celestia

I blinked, barely comprehending what I had just read. A black ribbon message, creatures that could bring destruction, the contacting of all major powers in Equestria... What scared me worst was the manner in which Celestia had written the letter. It was rushed. Not at all like her previous responses to my reports. And the way she addressed me... Never once had she called me "her dear" before.

Something had terrified the princess herself. That was more than enough to worry me.

"Spike!" I shouted although he hadn't left my side, "Take a letter!". Tiny claws fumbled out rolls of parchment from the bookshelf as I plucked a violet feather to give him.

"Dear Princess Celestia,

Your message has been received and understood. Whatever is coming, Ponyville will be prepared. I will personally oversee the protection of the town and its ponies. I await your package, and pray for the best.

Your faithful student,

Twilight Sparkle"

What could possibly have happened?! My mentor, her highness herself, was scared of something?! Something was very, very wrong.

In an instant, I found myself galloping through the halls, a shaking dragon clinging to my mane.

"What's... Happening... Twilight?" He squeaked between gasps, "I thought... I thought she only sent black ribbons... If it was an emergency."

"THIS IS AN EMERGENCY!" I snapped, "we need to get all of Ponyville indoors, now!"

We had reached the main hall, and I was poised to ram the door open. However, just as I approached the entrance, the double doors swung open. There was a moment of silence as I tumbled out over the front steps, then came the splat. What a wonderful thing it was to have a nice round mud puddle right outside my front door.

"A thousand pardons your highness!" said a deep familiar voice.

"Hello Bernard," I groaned, rising to my hooves and shaking myself off, "Tavros, nice to see you as well. What's the occasion?"

"Princess Celestia hasn't been herself lately," the soldier explained, "She said that the Canterlot delivery service wasn't secure enough, so she asked the royal guard to personally fly this to you". It was then that he lifted his wing to reveal a stack of books bound with enchanted thread. "She said you needed to receive them ASAP".

"Thank you two very much for your services. You may return to the castle".

"Not at all," they said in perfect synchronization before taking to the skies.

Ten minutes later, Spike had been sent to secure the population in their respective homes. I on the other hoof，was left to ponder the pile of mysterious books.

'Mythical Creatures of Ancient Times', 'The Monster Book of Monsters', 'Close Encounters with Deadly Beasts' , and something called a 'Bible'. There was also one other book in the package. One that sent shivers up my spine. That one, I decided to save for later.

After all the pondering I could manage, it just didn't make sense! The titles were all either superstition, or completely foreign to me! With a cry of frustration, I tossed the pipe down the hall and into my bedroom with masterful arcane dexterity. I was just about to lose it, when came a loud knock.

"I'm coming!" I sighed, trotting over to door. Immediately after opening it, my ears flattened against my skull. Rage built within my chest as half the town of Ponyville stood before me.

"SPIKE!!!"

-

Lost

At first, we were attacked. Wisps of... something, came at us from all sides, trying to worm their way under my skin and into my bones. The hazy shadows were white hot to the touch and each one clung to me like Velcro, scorching my flesh. They surrounded us like antibodies attacking a virus, but something drove them off. A pulse emanating from my chest sent the specters away like roaches fleeing the light.

I tried. I tried so hard just to call out to her. Yet I still could not make a sound. Agonizingly, I was forced to watch as my little sister was dragged away from me, off into the distance.

It was no use. My course was set as was hers. The next thing I knew, Emily was gone.

Now horror stricken and alone, I was left with nothing... Nothing but the incredible show unfolding before me.

My still petrified body was flying at an incredible speed, brilliant streaks of light and smooth waves of darkness flying past in the blink of an eye. All the colors, even some I can't comprehend when I think back on it, danced around the light and darkness, bringing the two together.

It was perfect harmony.

Then, I was going left. Looking to my right, another figure was flying in the opposite direction. At the time, all that mattered to me was that whatever it was, it wasn’t my sister.
I took in the amazing scenery, and for a brief moment, all of my troubles were forgotten. I could spend an eternity in this bliss and never have a care in the world.

But of course, the moment passed.

Another tear in space appeared out of nowhere, and I was approaching it fast. The instant my body had passed through, the rift closed just as suddenly as it had appeared, leaving me hurdling through who knew where.

Inhaling, I could smell the sweet scent of grass and trees. The force of an endless wind lashed against my face. This was a sensation I was very familiar with. It was one I experienced every day, running or leaping from tree branches. It was freedom. At least... It was until I decided to open my eyes. Then it was right back to my old friend, terror. My fragile form was still flying at an incredible speed, only now there was ground below me, trying to pull me into a painful embrace. I screamed, the sound instantly lost in the wind.

'Wait... I screamed? I screamed!'

On my own power and everything. Of course, this was hardly the time to celebrate. The jealous maiden of Gravity, was angry with the sky for taking me, and she wanted me back.

'Maybe this will be one of those injuries, where you don't feel the pain until later.', thought the optimistic side of my brain. The logical side of my mind knew better. This was going to hurt. A lot.

I rolled onto my side, bracing for impact, then everything went black.

"Ugh...", I grumbled as the morning sunlight clawed its way under my eyelids.

With great effort, I sat up, rubbing the back of my head and trying to remember what had happened the night before. I could remember briefly not being in control of my body, a sharp pain, and the feeling of flying through the air… And then.... The last thought that resonated with my memory, was the blood chilling scream of my baby sister as she was tossed into the rift. After that, darkness swallowed my consciousness. Trying to recall more, I rapped on the top of my head, then froze. With a start, I extended my arm, flexing it at the elbow. It moved when it was told to. With that weight suddenly off my shoulders I collapsed in a nervous laughter, terrified for her safety, yet simply relieved to have my body back under my own control and still in perfect condition.

A stab of pain rocketed up my right shoulder causing me to wince. Alright, not perfect condition, but close enough for my liking.

With the gentlest of hands, I reached up and clutched the joint, fairly sure that it was now dislocated. It could've very easily been much worse, so I thanked my lucky stars for being born left handed and tried to get a better handle on my surroundings.

After rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I was able to finally see just where in the hell I was. The soft earth beneath me stretched into a lush field, just yards away from the treeline of a massive forest. Looking to the left, I could see intermittent gashes in the grass, where I had likely bounced and skidded to a stop upon landing. The grass itself was a thing to marvel at. So full and green. It was long too, at least four inches, but it didn't seem to grow much higher than that in this particular area.

There was something else that kept nagging at me, but it took some time to place the feeling. I stared at my feet for few minutes before realizing exactly what it was. Unsure of my assumption, I rifled through the grass beneath me. All there was to find was grass and dirt. No litter, anywhere. Not a single cigarette butt, nor coffee cup, nor scrap of artificial material had polluted the pristine earth on which I had landed. That was not natural.

'Where am I?', I mused, pulling myself to my feet. Maybe the whole thing had been a dream? Had I merely sleepwalked into a field last night? The stab of pain in my forearm said otherwise. Carefully, I pulled up the torn sleeve of my right arm to reveal a bright red gash that still hadn't fully stopped bleeding. This was definitely real. Wherever this place was, I had been brought here by that... that thing that had possessed me, and Emily was out here somewhere. Gritting my teeth, I rolled down the bloodstained sleeve, hissing as it tugged on both the wound, and my shoulder.

There had to be somewhere I could get patched up. I turned on my heel, scanning the hilltops in the distance for my sister. Next, I looked for my house. Pretty soon, I found my search had changed from the house, to any sign of life at all. Preferably, a hospital. After over a minute of staring at nothing but grass and trees, I was on the verge of just picking a direction and walking. However, before I could take my first step, a glint caught my eye. There stood a few glittering spokes of something rising over the crest of the hill, like points on an enormous silver star.

The next thing I knew, my legs were carrying me towards the star, a strange feeling bubbling in the pit of my stomach. Not fear exactly, more like a vague trepidation. It was like I had a vague idea of what I was looking at, somewhere in the back of my mind, but my brain wouldn't allow me to comprehend it.

As I slowly drew near, I began to notice three things.

Number one was that the star was actually the top of a HUGE FREAKING TREE. The thing had to be at least seventy feet tall, and contained (To my complete and utter confusion), a damn castle nestled between the branches.

Number two was that the tree was blue. It seemed like the branches were crafted of shimmering crystal, rather than wood.

Number three was that the tree was stationed in the middle of a small village. The entire thing couldn't have been more than a few miles from one end to the other, but it seemed oddly cozy.

"Welp, that settles it then," I decided out loud, "I'm dead. I've died and gone to heaven and found the magical blue tree house in the sky!". Yet another stab of pain shook me out of my little monologue.

It took me at least fifteen minutes of walking before reaching the edge of town. Immediately, I noticed how strangely the buildings were crafted. Each one bore rooftops made of nothing more than thick branches and hay, like cottages. Also, most of the houses were shaped in a somewhat more ergonomic way than the usual box-house you'd expect. I didn't know of anyplace near home that had craftsmanship resembling this. How far had I gone exactly? Wherever this place was, the streets were mostly dirt road, an occasional wooden cart sitting beside the path. hoof prints littered the ground. It was immediately apparent that horse travel was popular wherever I was, but something about them wasn't quite right. There weren't just hoof prints. There were only hoof prints. The longer I looked, the more stumped I became at the lack of any kind of human footprint. It felt... significant, in some way.

The town as a whole seemed like a quaint little village at first, but walking through the empty streets I couldn't shake the feeling of unease. Something was wrong here. I stopped beside what struck me as the center of town, and looked around. Bags full of produce lay strewn in the street. A cart filled to the brim with apples resting beside a stand in what looked like a farmers-market, was tipped over, sending the fruit tumbling across the ground. Somebody had left this place in a hurry. Craning my neck around, I inspected the buildings. All of the windows had curtains drawn. Out of curiosity, I stepped over to a public looking building and gave the door handle a tug. It was locked. I turned just in time to see a pair of curtains in the building opposite me flutter closed. That's when it hit me. These people hadn't deserted the town, they were hiding.

'But hiding from what?', I asked myself. There didn't seem to be anything threatening nearby. The sky showed no sign of rain. All in all, it was a perfect day.

A thought struck me out of the blue.

'Are they hiding from me?'

But why would they? I looked like any normal high schooler; by all accounts, I was as nonthreatening as possible. If anything, it was me who should've been afraid. As of recently, I had been possessed, taken on a joyride through a dark forest, gotten stabbed by a demon, thrown through a freaking hole in the sky, lost my sister, and slammed into the ground in who knew where!

Something else continued to bother me.

A few minutes of walking later, I ended up at the base of the crystal tree. Marveling at the incredible size, I was just about to check and see what it was made of, when I finally noticed the doors! There was a set of double doors, at least ten feet tall, seemingly carved right into the shiny bark.

Seeing no better option, I shrugged and walked up the golden steps to the entrance, careful to avoid the large mud puddle in the front yard.

As I raised my hand and prepared to knock, the thing that was bothering me made itself known. I felt two points in my brain connect. This place was familiar, and I had mentally connected my sister to it.

'But where?' I asked myself.

Letting loose an exasperated sigh, I dropped my arm down onto the shiny surface and knocked. A few moments later, footsteps could be heard from behind the door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!", called an agitated voice as the footsteps grew louder. Finally, the door began to open.

It was in that split second that one more synapse fired in the back of my head. I suddenly realized exactly where I was. I had seen this place before, not in real life, but I had seen it! The most bizarre part was exactly where I’d seen it. The answer to which being every few days on my sister’s television. The creature that stood behind the door was revealed to me before it even had the chance to open.

With a dull thud, the door was left agape. Very slowly, my gaze drifted downward.
There, standing not three feet away, was a very surprised, very purple, pony.

-

Strangers

Honestly, it's amazing how the human body can survive just fine, even after the brain has completely checked out.

My lungs inhaled. My eyes blinked. My heart continued to beat. I probably even managed a small blush, but my brain was nowhere to be found.

It was all I could do to gape at the purple creature before me, her face contorting into a confused expression to match my own. The little thing stood about four feet tall I would say, putting her head at mid-chest height.

I said something really intelligent, like, "...Guh...?", before she finally spoke up.

"What... What are you?", she whispered, equal parts fear and wonder.

My mouth must've had a mind of its own because I found myself talking.

"Um... Hi there! Do you know where I can possibly find a hospital anywhere?". The words just sort of fell out of my mouth. I blinked.

'Wait, I can't just barge in here! These things will think I'm some kind of monster!'

"Well, sure," the little alicorn said after a moment, gesturing for me to enter, "I happen to have a few skilled medical ponies on hoof at the moment. come on in".

"I'm really sorry! I'll just go. I didn't mean to... Wait, what?". Did she just let me in? I looked to her hoof, waving me inside. She was smiling nervously, but she wasn't running away or trying to possess me. That was usually a good thing for first impressions.

"You may come in," she nudged narrowing her eyes, "unless you've changed your mind?"

Hands practically shaking with utter confusion, I took a gulp of air, and stepped through the doorway.

"So," the creature said with an obvious hint of caution as she led me down yet another corridor, "you're what has everypony in an uproar?"

Uproar? As far as I could tell, the whole town was hiding from me. At least now I knew why.

"You mean everybody? And what do you mean uproar? There's no one around".

She gave me a look that seemed to say, 'You have no idea what I've just been through, shut up', and sped up her pace.

Why wasn't I losing my mind yet? I was talking to a purple unicorn that I half suspected was from a children's cartoon, like it was an everyday thing! My previous judgement must have been one hundred percent correct. Clearly, I had been killed and gone to some magical land where the characters of TV shows were real. Right? Where the hell were the Powerpuff Girls at?

Maybe I was sent to the wrong place when I died, and I ended up in some kind of heaven for little girls? Or maybe... Maybe someone had just slipped something REALLY strong into my dinner last night, putting me into some weird fever-dream! Of course! This was all just one huge, weird, terrifying, extremely painful, incredibly realistic, lucid, horse related, fever-dream! That explained everything!

My hand connected with the back of my head, eliciting a soft smack. My thoughts were beginning to sound like Dave's. If I haven't mentioned already, Dave's my brother. The guy overreacts... A lot. Can't really blame him after all that's happened to the three of us, but some of the things he comes up with are still pretty ridiculous.

Everything that had transpired in the last twenty four hours had been all too real. I was not dreaming, and I wasn't dead. Somehow, someway, my sister was taken from me, I was now in pony land walking through a castle, and coming VERY close to freaking out.

Shortly after realizing this, I began to hyperventilate, thoroughly examining everything at my disposal, just to try and prove myself wrong. Let's face it, generally when something impossible happens, it's just that. Besides, there was literally nothing that said any of this even was possible in the slightest. I began searching for potholes. Slips of the tongue. Anything at all that offered evidence that someone was screwing with me.

"Are you friendly?", she asked, "What I mean to say is, are you as big a cause for concern as everypony believes?".
I was momentarily caught off guard by the question, but I managed to respond with a fair amount of poise to my speech.

"Uh...friendly? Y-yeah! Of course I am! As for how big a cause for concern my being here is who knows, but WOO friendship! Am I right?".

...I should really just sew my lips together.

It felt like the longer we spoke, the more my wall of suspicions seemed to crumble before my eyes.

"Well then, If you're friendly," The pony said with a hint of coldness, "then you won't mind a..." Suddenly, she skidded to a halt, spinning around, her horn glowing, "POP QUIZ!"

It took everything I had just to keep myself from being impaled on the damn thing, blunt or not. The pony reared back, placing her front hooves against my chest. She then touched her horn to my forehead ever so gently, sending a flood of heat through my body. Instantly, I could feel another presence inside my mind. Was this what magic felt like?

"Question one," the alicorn said calmly, "Where are you from?"
Without hesitation, I opened my mouth to answer, but was halted by a rush of thoughts flooding to the forefront of my mind.
I saw home. Then the image zoomed out. I was looking at a view of my city. Finally, the image rocketed skyward and got a view of planet Earth from space.
"interesting..." Twilight murmured.

"Question two, what exactly are you?". Again, images filled my head. I saw an anatomical picture like you'd see in a doctor's office, of a person. Then I saw myself sitting with Ben and Chris, my best and only friends from back home. It was the day we all met. Ben had the bright idea to see just how far he could throw his milkshake and with perfect accuracy, it landed in the horn of Chris' trumpet and was promptly sprayed out at a soon-to-be furious group of cheerleaders. I couldn't stifle a chuckle at the memory.
"Strange..." The pony mused.

"Question three, how did you get here?". This one was more unpleasant. I was forced to watch as the previous night's terrors passed before my eyes. This time, the memories came with sound, hissing in that terrible voice of the shadow that had taken me here. I could feel her hooves stiffen against my chest.

"Question four," she said, inhaling, "Who came here with you?"
The only thought that popped up this time was an image of my little sister being dragged away from me as we hurdled through the void.

"Last question," she said sternly, "What are you hiding from me?"
At this, my thoughts began darting around, bringing up random memories and thoughts that had been safely tucked away. After a moment, I realized she was trying to organize the memories by category. The images that popped up now were, at first petty things, like the time I stole Dave's whole stash of Halloween candy. Next came my history of fighting, and then... Mom and Dad...

The pony stumbled back, panting and staring at me with tears in her eyes. My brow was drenched in sweat, but frankly I was just happy to still be in one piece. An unexpected mind reading was better than something like an Avada Kedavra. After giving me another look-over, she shook her head.

"I... I didn't mean..." She babbled, "I'm so sorry. I just needed to make sure you weren't hostile. It wasn't supposed to show anything... Else". The creature sat heavily, making a soft thud. "I see now why Celestia was so concerned... I just don't get it," She mused, "What happened to you?"

I rubbed the back of my head. "Well, I don't really understand myself, but what I do know is kind of a long story".

She looked at me with confusion and... Was that pity in her eyes? She was staring at me like I was a lost cat.

"You have the capacity to fight, but you don't want to hurt us..." She said, taking up an air of understanding, "You're... Afraid?". Yeah, yeah, I'll be the first one to admit that to me, being thrown into a world of little, god damn pastel ponies was mildly terrifying. So much for my man card...
And about the fighting? Yeah, I used to fight a lot in my old school. I never said I'd actually WIN the fights, but... Oh screw it, you get what I mean...

"You're not from this world, yet you're fluent in Equish... How?"

What could I say?

"I... It's hard to explain it all..." I croaked, my head beginning to ache just from thinking about it, "Everything's just been so crazy, I don't even know what's real anymore! I... I just...". The whole situation, everything... It was too much for me.

I closed my eyes and sat on the floor, resting my head in my hands. After a long moment of silence, I felt something warm on my arm. Turning to see what it was, I found a small hoof resting on my shoulder, as she sat down beside me.

"It's alright," she comforted, "I'm not sure what happened, but I can assure you that it'll be ok". She gave me a small smile, wiping a tear from the corner of my eye.

Great! Crying in front of a stranger. Yet more evidence of my unwavering masculinity.

"...Sorry," I mumbled, trying to choke back a sniffle, "I'm just confused...". she gave me a reassuring grin, and got up.

"Well then, why don't we start with this", she said, circling around to my face, "Good afternoon! My name is Twilight Sparkle! It's a pleasure to meet you mister...".

"Jackson," I finished, pulling myself to my feet, "But you can call me Jack. It's nice to meet you too"

"Jack huh? It has a nice ring to it!" She said jovially, "This is your first time in Equestria, yes?"

"Um... Yeah, this is my first time here". I futilely tried to sound calmer than I really was.

"Well in that case, welcome to Ponyville!", Twilight said, extending a hoof in greeting. She grinned up at me expectantly.

After everything that had happened so far, it's odd that this would be the thing that managed to stump me. Carefully, I sized up the marshmallowy-purple hoof, unsure of what to do with it. Should I grab it and shake it? Maybe I should go for a fist-bump type thing? Taking a deep breath, I slowly grabbed the purple hoof. It was surprisingly soft in contrast to when she had reared up on me a minute ago. After giving it a few shakes, I noticed Twilight's confused smirk. Realizing my hand was shaking, I dropped the hoof, my face turning scarlet, no doubt. Should've gone with the hoof-bump. Embarrassed though I was, she really had made me feel better.

"I... Uh... Guess you guys don't handshake, huh?". She cocked her head to the left a little, her ear twitching in confusion.

"Hand?".

"Never mind..."

After another few minutes of walking, we arrived at a very large set of double doors. The doors themselves were a sight to behold, each one crafted from some kind of emerald glass. The pains were interwoven with elegant lines of gold, turning and flowing to create a flawless surface.

"I'll be right back," Twilight called, trotting over to the glass and giving it a quick knock, "I just need to put someponies' suspicions to rest. Then I think we're in for one interesting conversation". Despite the door's crystalline features, the knock wouldn't have sounded out of place coming from solid oak.

Before I could ask what she meant meant by suspicions, the little Alicorn gave the surface a push, and slipped inside. Almost immediately, a dozen whispering voices filled the room like a swarm of bees. Unable to make out what they were saying, I crept over to the door and poked my head in. The area was fairly large, even more so now that all of the furniture had been pushed up to the walls. What surprised me though, were the occupants of the room. There had to be half the village in that one space! A huge mass of ponies sat huddled in fear around Twilight, trying desperately to get some answers out of her.

"Twilight, darling, are you all right? It didn't hurt you did it?", an alabaster pony asked in a strained whisper.

"Twi! Are y'all right?", an orange one asked, trying to put on a brave face, "Did'ja see it?"

Twilight stomped a hoof to get their attention.

"Listen up everypony," she said, breaking the chain of whispers, "I need you all to calm down! Yes, I saw it, and it is not a monster. It seems-"
But she was cut off when what seemed to be a tiny dragon, poked its head around her leg and screamed.

"TWILIGHT, BEHIND YOU!!!" The creature shouted, sending the crowd into a frenzy. I actually turned around to see what it was, when I realized it was me he was pointing at.

"Oh-" was all I managed get out, before my vision became a blur of colors. The next thing I knew, I was skidding across the castle hall with a pain in my chest. When I finally came to a halt, I tried to stand up only to have to roll out of the way of a jet of green flame. A stab of pain rocketed up my arm, blurring my vision even more than it already was. My dislocated shoulder was paying dividends.

"DAMN IT, STOP!" I shouted, running as fast as my legs would take me, "I'M A GOOD GUY! I'M A GOOD GUY!!!"

After a very exciting/terrifying minute of dodging random jets of green and rainbow, I found myself backed into a corner. Once the blur finally stopped moving, I could get a good look at what exactly had assaulted me.
A cyan pony with rainbow hair hovered in the air, not five feet away, an angry looking little dragon clutching onto her mane.

"Alright mister monster," the mare shouted, flying close enough to force my head against the wall with her muzzle, "what makes you think you have the right to barge into Ponyville and sneak into Twilight's castle?!". What was I supposed to say?

"I... I didn't... She let me in!" I babbled frantically, "Twilight! A little help here?!". As if on cue, the pegasus' wings became wrapped in a magenta aura, sending the duo crashing to the ground.

"RAINBOW DASH! SPIKE!" Twilight roared, "What's the matter with you two?!". Twilight marched over, standing in front of me protectively. It felt kind of silly to have a small purple pony as my bodyguard, but I wasn't exactly in a great position to complain.

"Both of you, apologize!" She scolded, stomping a hoof.

"But... But he..." Spike stammered, "Twilight do you-".

"NOW!"

Both the pegasus and the baby dragon sighed in defeat, looking up at me.

"Sorry..." They said in unison. Twilight gave a satisfied snort.

"That's better. Now, stand up". Begrudgingly, the two got to their feet/hooves and turned to face us. "Now, this is Jackson. He is our... Um..." She looked to me for an answer.

"Human", I offered.

"Yes. He is our human guest, and I expect you to treat him like you would any other pony!". She glanced at me.

"Nice to meet you," I said with a smile, extending my fist. At first, the cyan pony stepped back, but after a nudge from Twilight, Rainbow Dash cautiously approached and gave me a quick hoof-bump. Spike had to stand on her back just to reach, but he too gave my fist a pound. Twilight looked like she could melt with relief. Without another word, the three of us followed the tiny alicorn back to the room.

Upon arriving at the door, Twilight gave me a tentative look.

"Maybe... You should stay out here while I go and warm them up this time". I nodded and she slipped back inside the room, dropping the three of us into an awkward silence. If you listened carefully, you could just make out Twilight's voice giving some kind of lecture to the ponies. However, the emerald doors prevented me from actually understanding any of it.

We stood there for a good five minutes before Rainbow Dash cleared her throat, making me jump.

"Hey, uh...Jackson?" She said, cheeks ever so slightly reddening, "Sorry for... you know... attacking you earlier...". I would've laughed. She was apologizing for attacking an alien creature that had seemingly invaded her friend's home! But I will admit that hearing an actual apology from the mare did wonders for my mood! It felt great to know that I wasn't on bad terms with a cartoon pony... What that says about me, I haven't a clue.

"It's alright," I said with a smile, "You were just trying to protect your friends from a monster. I'd have done the same thing!".

There was a tug on my shirt. Looking down, I was met with a nervous Spike.

"But... Y-You aren't a monster, right? You... You promise?". I got down on one knee so I could be at eye level for the little guy.

"It's a promise", I said with my best reassuring grin, and patted his head. For a dragon named Spike, his crest of scales sure were floppy.

Not a moment after standing up, the door opened once more.

"Rainbow Dash, Spike, could you two step in here for a moment?" Twilight called from behind the glass.

Spike wasted no time in running over, followed shortly by a rainbow blur. Then, it was back to solitude.

I sighed and checked for the tenth time that day to see if I was still sane. Yep, I still remembered everything from the events prior, there hadn't been any crazy irrational thoughts occurring to me, and I wasn't having an emotional breakdown... I was just in a village of talking ponies... The thought felt silly to say in my head, but right now, I just had to try and make myself accept that it was a fact. Whatever had happened, whatever had possessed me, I was here now and had to convince everyone that I was not in fact, a monster.

My legs buckled as I plopped down beside the door, allowing the silence to pervade into my thoughts. All that was left for me to do was await my judgement... Of cute rainbow ponies.

I slammed my head against the wall at last. After that, it couldn't have been more than a few minutes until Twilight opened the doors again, though it felt like an eternity.

"Jack?" Twilight called, "It's time for you to come in now!". My head jerked up from the floor, almost rolling over into the pool of drool that had accumulated beside me. I rubbed my face in a futile effort to wake up.

"Okay, I'm coming," I groaned, my headache making a full recovery, "just give me a minute...". With a grunt of pain, I forced myself to stand. Twilight smiled and threw both doors open in a burst of purple light, completely exposing me to the crowd.

'So much for a minute...'

At first, everypony just stood there, gawking. Apart from one or two gasps from the crowd, they just stood still, like statues. I promptly began to impersonate a guppy, opening and closing my mouth repeatedly, trying to think of something to say. Before I could however, the clip-clop of a single set of hooves broke the silence. From the left of the group, the orange one from before had broken configuration and begun walking over.

"Howdy stranger!" She said, without an ounce of fear in her voice, "Mah friends here tell me that yer a nice fellow. That about right?". I looked down at the mare. She was only four feet tall, but she spoke with the confidence of a bear.

"Y-Yeah, I'm a little confused, but definitely friendly!" I stammered, trying to smile confidently and failing miserably.

"Great! Mah name's Applejack, but y'all can call me AJ if ya like!", she said extending a hoof.

"H-hey Applejack! My name's also Jack. It's great to meet you!" I said, reaching out to grab the hoof. The instant my hand touched the orange fur, my arm was grabbed by two hooves and pumped up and down too fast to see.

"Well ain't that just the darnedest thing?! I ain't never met another Jack before! The pleasure's all mine sugar-cube!" She said releasing my hand. It took my brain a few seconds to register that she had let go, leaving me flailing around my arm around like a lunatic for a good few seconds. By the time it had finally stopped, suppressed chuckles were leaking out of the cyan pegasus behind me. AJ grinned, and trotted over to join Twilight, Spike, and Rainbow Dash. About two seconds later, I felt something heavy land on my shoulders. What ever it was, it was giggling. It stayed away from my bad shoulder though, which I was thankful for. The instant my eyes were raised, I was nearly given a heart attack by the bright pink, upside down face that had appeared an inch from my nose.

"Gah!" I yelped, crashing to the floor. The cotton candy looking thing landed on my chest with the precision of a ballerina.

"GAH!" She shouted with a laugh, "It's nice to meet you too mister alien pony!". I blinked, not quite understanding what she was talking about. It took a second for it to click.

"That wasn't me saying hi, you just startled me! You-". I was going to say more, but I noticed the ridiculous look on the pony's face. She was staring at me, partially cross eyed, and scrunching up her nose, all the time holding onto that silly grin. With all the bizarre events that had occurred, I just couldn't couldn't help it! I burst into laughter right there on the floor!

"So what's your name?" She said, hopping off my stomach.

"Ha... My name, heheh... My name is Jack!" I said between chuckles, "It's nice to meet you!"

"Hiya Mr. Jackson Anthony Snow! My name is... Oh wait... You already know me don't you?!," she said, her grin growing larger still. With a gasp, she sprang five feet into the air. "I know that look anywhere! You think I look familiar! Are you a psychic alien pony?! That is so superly duperly AMAZING! Quick, what color am I thinking of?!"

I blinked.

'How did she... Ah who cares?'

"Uh... Pink?" I guessed. She squealed in delight, hopping back into my shoulders.

"That's SO COOL!" she shouted, hopping onto my head, "My name's Pinkie Pie! As if you didn't already know, Mr. Psychic! Hey, I've never seen you before! That means this is your first time in Ponyville, because I know EVERYPONY in Ponyville, which means you're new here, which means-". Pinkie hopped off of my head, and stared at me, wide eyed. The huge grin on her face came back, and she gasped in surprise. She immediately bolted for the door, but Twilight managed to catch her by the tail at the last second.

"Pinkie Pie!" Twilight said, exasperated once again.

"But Twilight! He hasn't even had his Welcome-to-Ponyville party yet, and I have to get ready!". Twilight gave her a look that reminded me of a mother scolding her child. Pinkie sighed, and turned back toward me.

"Well then," she said, crouching low to the ground, "This'll just have to do for now!". I didn't even get a chance to respond before the pink mass sprang toward my face, wrapping her hooves around my neck.

"WELCOME TO PONYVILLE!!!" She squealed in my ear, while possibly crushing my windpipe.

"Th... Thanks... Pinkie!" I squeaked between breaths, "Pinkie... Can't... breathe!". The pink mare finally let go, leaving me gasping for breath.

"Oops!" She giggled, "Sorry Jack!". With that, she bounded over to the others, landing on Rainbow Dash's back. The pegasus just grunted and let Pinkie get comfortable.

After finally getting control over my breathing, I noticed that the crowd of ponies on the other side of the room had noticeably relaxed. They were sharing looks, chatting amongst each other, some were even giggling at Pinkie Pie's aggressive display of affection.

Another pony broke rank and began trotting over. I didn't even need to look up to see the milky white pony approaching.

"Hello sir," said an almost regal voice, "My name is Rarity. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!". She held out her hoof. Her air of regality had given me in idea. A smirk danced across my lips as I briefly considered doing something very stupid. It was a ridiculous thought, and probably would just make me look like a moron, but hey, I already looked like an idiot anyway...

"Ah, Miss Rarity!" I said in my best 'princely' voice, "How wonderful it is to meet the main mare of Ponyville herself!".

God dammit, Ben had rubbed off on me after all.
I'm... honestly not quite sure what I was thinking at the time, but I couldn't just drop the act yet.

"I am sir Jackson Anthony Von snowenheim the third. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance!". To punctuate it I knelt low to the ground, taking her hoof in hand, and planted a small kiss on it.

To my relief, she didn't immediately kick my teeth in. Rarity actually blushed, then began to giggle uncontrollably. I don't know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't that.

"Well, well, well!" She said when the chuckles subsided, "We certainly have a gentlecolt on our hooves now, don't we?". She raised her head high, and brushed her tail by my arm as she sauntered over to the others. The alabaster mare strutted right past a very strained Twilight, who looked like she might explode into laughter at any given moment. Right beside her, a very unamused looking Spike puffed a small jet of flame in my direction.

The crowd of onlookers was now thoroughly interspersed with hearty laughter. While I took in the happy scene, an almost imperceptible sound registered in my ear. I turned to see what it was, but to no avail.

"...Um... Excuse me...". The whisper was so faint that I thought it had just been imagination until I looked down. What I saw almost broke my heart with sheer cuteness. The shaking form of a butter yellow pegasus stood cowering beside me, looking up with huge blue eyes.

I didn't even hear her come over, the little ninja.

"Oh. Hi there!" I said, doing my best to keep my voice to a minimum, "It's nice to meet you!". The poor thing was practically shivering. "I'm Jack! And you are?"

"I-I'm Flushmesh". I blinked.

"What was that?"

"I'm Flutermfluf"

"I'm sorry?". Twilight shot her an encouraging smile and nodded towards me. The yellow pony cleared her throat.

"My... My name is Fluttershy. It's nice to meet you too.". I couldn't help but smile.

"Well Fluttershy, I've seen puppies, kittens, and one adorable panda cub in my life, but I have to say, you may just be the cutest thing I've ever seen!"

"Th... That's very nice of you to say," she whispered, flashing me the tiniest of smiles.

Remember what I said before about the cuteness almost breaking my heart? It was now in about seven pieces.

I held out my hand. She eyed the appendage nervously, before giving me the most gentle hand-shake I've ever received. You know when a moth bumps against your hand? It was kind of like that.

"Welcome to Ponyville, and it's really nice to meet you andokaybyenow!". With a soft 'Eeep!', she bolted off and hid behind the other five ponies.

Looking back to the crowd, I saw that very few of the ponies still regarded me with a fearful expression. Some of them were actually smiling at me! Something in my chest broke, and I dropped to the floor. A moment later, I felt a hoof on my shoulder.

"Are y'all right sugarcube?". I looked back toward Applejack.

"Yeah," I sighed, "just tired is all". She smiled and turned toward Twilight, who seemed about to speak.

"Alright everypony, listen up!" The alicorn said, her voice carrying through the massive room effortlessly, "This is Jackson! Despite what you may have heard about him being a monster, I can assure you that he is a friend! He may look strange, but he is no different from you or me. You all saw it right here!". Twilight trotted over to my side, helping me up with a hoof. "As of now, he is my guest at the castle, so I want all rumors of 'invaders' or 'aliens' to cease immediately! That being said, there is no reason for any of you to hide in here anymore! You are all dismissed!" Twilight stomped a hoof, and it was like she flipped a switch. Everypony broke away from the crowd, laughing and smiles all around, marching past us and out the door.

A short while after the door had slammed shut, I managed to finally shake off my little stupor and bring myself to stand. Six ponies and one dragon spoke amongst one another, sparing the occasional glance in my direction. Just as I stepped over to ask what they were talking about, they all turned to face me. The sudden attention caught me off guard, and for the umpteenth time that day, I found myself falling flat on my back.

"Ugh..." I groaned, "Did... someone wax the floors?". I sat up, greeted with several chuckling ponies and one proud looking baby dragon.

"Just finished this morning!" He said, lifting his head high, "And did a mighty fine job, if I do say so myself!". I started to sit up, when something pushed me from behind. Fluttershy had come over to help me up.

"Oof... Thanks!" I rolled to my feet and stood up. All the ponies were looking at me with different amounts of confusion. "What?" I asked to no one in particular. Twilight stepped over and gave me a nudge.

"Let's go somewhere more comfortable," she said, pushing me toward the door, "Then we can get to the questions!". She said 'questions' with the same amount of excitement a child would use to describe Christmas. I let her lead me out the door, the rest of the ponies in tow. And that's how we set off. Both of us had accepted the situation, and neither of us was afraid of the other. At least... It stayed that way for a while...

-

Truth

"Are you comfortable?" Twilight asked from the chair opposite me. I shifted in the tiny wooden seat.

"Uh, it's a little short," I grunted, unable to get comfortable, "You wouldn't happen to have something bigger by any chance?".

"I've got it!" Pinkie shouted, hopping over and kicking the chair out from under me. I tried to brace for impact, before I found myself falling into a very squishy beanbag chair.

"Thanks Pinkie, "I said, my voice muffled by the walls of cushion that had begun closing in on me, "Hey, where did you get this from anyway?". As far as I could see, there hadn't been a beanbag chair in the room a second ago. Twilight shook her head at me, as if to say, "Don't ask".

The area we were situated in felt almost like a lounge. Comfortable looking chairs sat in a semicircle around me, each one occupied with a brightly colored equine. Spike stood at the ready beside Twilight, scribbling down something on a scroll. After a few seconds, he rolled it up and exhaled, sending it away in a flurry of green smoke.

"What was that?" I asked awkwardly, "The letter to the princess?". She had already told me what it was. Honestly, I was just trying to break up the silence that had settled over us. Twilight simply nodded.

"I'm just letting Celestia know we have the situation under control," she said, more to herself than anything I think, "She sounded so nervous in her letter... She always keeps such a level head...". Twilight turned to me. "Let's just hope she was wrong". With a small flash, a quill and clipboard were suddenly floating at her side. "Now, where should we begin?" She asked, jotting down something at the top of the page. I took a deep breath.

"I guess we could start with this," I said extending my arm towards the little dragon.

I still didn’t know how in hell I’d gotten here, but I did know one thing. Wherever I was, I’d seen it many times before. The creatures before me had danced on the television more times than I could count, and now that they were here, something had changed. Slowly, ever so slowly, memories of the characters before me floated up to the forefront of my mind. I began to remember a few things from the show. Those element things... and... what else could I think of...

"Spike, Twilight hatched you the day she got her cutie mark." The look on his face was priceless. 'Damn... which one did he have a crush on again?'. It took me a second to remember that was the white one. To finish it off I shifted my gaze between him and Rarity as subtly as I could, and raised an eyebrow at him. Spike's jaw literally dropped. Next, I pointed to the alicorn.

"Twilight Sparkle, you were recently crowned princess and you were the bearer of the Element of Magic."

"Both interesting and Impressive!" She said, much like a teacher to an A+ student, "Please go on". I smiled, shifting my eyes toward the cyan pony.

"Rainbow Dash, you are the fastest flyer in Equestria." She puffed her chest out proudly, obviously accepting the complement. "you were the bearer of the element of Loyalty, and you can do a...". 'Crap, what was it called?', "a sonic rain-bomb?"

"Rainboom. But that's close enough for me!"

Next, I looked to over to AJ.
"Applejack: Element of honesty, hardest working pony in town, and you live with your family on a farm. Oh! And their names all have something to do with apples."

"Land sakes, sugarcube!" AJ exclaimed once I had finished, "Ah' mean... I don' wanna boast, but that was spot on!". Pinkie started bouncing up and down in her seat.

"Do me! Do me!" She squealed, bounding higher and higher; way higher than should've been possible. I smiled.

"Pinkie Pie, you're the Element of Laughter and you love to throw parties and make ponies smile". She gave a whoop, and fell down onto her chair with a thud.

"See?" She said with a giggle, "I told you guys he was a psychic alien!". I sighed, and pointed to the next pony in the lineup.

"Rarity, you were the bearer of the element of Generosity, and you are a very talented designer and dressmaker." Rarity blushed, and made a show of swooning.

"Why, that's exactly correct!" She said with a purr, "You haven't been secretly watching me, have you darling?". I heard a soft growl to my left, telling me it was time to move on to the next pony. I made sure not to point this time, to try and make her feel a little less uncomfortable.

"And lastly, Fluttershy" I said with a reassuring smile. At least... I hoped it was reassuring and not something like, 'Scary alien wants to eat tasty pony for dinner'. That would've been a very bad thing. "Fluttershy, your special talent is the ability to communicate with animals, and you were the bearer of the Element of kindness". By the time I had stopped, Fluttershy had practically buried herself into her chair, her yellow coat turning a shade of scarlet.

I let out a breath of relief, allowing myself to sink deeper into the beanbag chair.

A few moments passed without anyone making a sound. After a minute or so of silence, Rainbow Dash spoke up.

"So... Jack. Wanna tell me how in the hey you know so much about us?". I opened my mouth to speak, but I was silenced by Twilight's outstretched hoof. Somehow, she had already filled two full pages with notes.

"We can get to that later," she said, flipping the paper, "First, I want to know exactly how you got here". I scratched my head.

"Like I said, it's kind of a long story, and I don't understand most of it myself really..." Twilight gave me a look.

"Begin at the beginning," she said with a smirk, "go on until you've reached the end, then stop".

I took a few deep breaths before speaking.

"Well, it all started last night," I said, getting comfortable, "I was lying on my bed, messing around with my phone, when things around me started getting weird". They all gave me a confused look.

"What's a phone?" Twilight asked. I groaned, dropping my head in my hands. This was going to take a while...

"... So they connect with wireless beams of data, transmitted via large electrical terminals?" Twilight asked for the third time. It was beginning to get on my nerves.

"Yes," I groaned in exasperation, "for the hundredth time, we use electricity"

"But why not just use magic? It works much better. Electricity is so hazardous and impractical-"

"Because WE aren't magic purple unicorns!" I blurted. The damn pony just wouldn't accept that fact! "We don't have magic Twilight. We just... don't".

Spike suddenly gagged like he was about to throw up, then a loud burp filled the room. Twilight quickly snagged the resulting scroll and gave it a look over. Whatever it said seemed to worry her a good deal.

She scratched her head and made a note.

"Twilight, am I ever going to get to the part about how I got here, or are we just going to talk about phones all day?" I said in exasperation. The violet alicorn blinked and looked up.

"Oh... Sorry! It was just so intriguing! Just imagining communicating with anypony in Equestria at the press of a button... Anyway, where were we?". I took a deep breath and started over from the beginning.

"I was looking for something to do then, by no fault of my own, I ended up locked in the closet. Then, the flashes started".

Twilight nodded.

"You mentioned that. What exactly did these flashes look like?" She said with curiosity.

"You know... Bright... White... Just a flash. Why?".

Did it look anything like this?" She asked, horn glowing. An enormous flash illuminated the area behind me, effectively throwing Rainbow Dash off her seat.

"I'm awake!" She shouted, scrambling back onto her chair, "I was just resting my eyes!". I looked over at Twilight in awe.

"It looked exactly like that...".

"Please continue with your story", she said, flipping to page forty-something of her notes.

"Well, after I got out a few minutes later, hours had passed, like I'd time traveled or something". This drew a look of concern on Twilight's muzzle.

"You say you don't have magic," She mused, "yet you believe you could've time traveled?". She turned toward me, "You're positive you didn't misread the time? Absolutely certain?". I nodded. The alicorn frowned in thought. "In that case," she grumbled, a strange cold glaze washing over her eyes, "something magical must've gotten into your world first."

With a prompt from Twilight, I went on to describe how I was kidnapped, nearly killed in a forest, and stabbed by a monster.

Once I had finished, Twilight had gone completely silent. Her face seemed tired, worn even. A mixture of fear and stress noticeably aged her features to that of a much older mare.

"Proof..." Came her hollow voice through the silence, "do you have proof?". I was ready to say no, when I shifted in my seat sending another stab of pain up my arm. Twilight noticed my grimace and lowered her gaze to my arm. At last, she noticed the crimson streak running down the length of the fabric.

"Celestia's mercy!" She exclaimed, perking back to her usual demeanor, "I completely forgot! Let me see!". Carefully, I eased the sleeve over the deep bloody gash for all to see. Gasps of horror could be heard from all present.

"Your story..." Twilight said, her eyes clearing, "It's all true isn't it?". I nodded and she collapsed at my feet.

"I'm so sorry for what happened... Please continue with your story Jack, then we can get that arm fixed". I took one more deep breath, and continued.

"Well, after I was stabbed, the thing yelled something, the sky opened up, and then I heard-".

My heart stopped.

'Oh no...'

I was breathing too fast. I had to stop. The room began spinning.

"Jack? Are y'all right?" AJ asked, "Ya don't look it".

I didn't hear her. Everything started to blur.

Emily... I... Forgot... How could I forget?!

"JACK!" Twilight shouted, snapping me out of it, "Relax! Whatever it is it'll be ok!"

"No it won't!" I snapped, "It's not ok! My sister's out there! She could be hurt! She could be-"

"Emily."

I my heart froze once more. Slowly, I turned to the purple mare.

"What did you just say?"

"Emily," Twilight repeated, reading off the scroll that had arrived minutes ago, "Emily Virginia Snow. Is that your sister's name?". I nodded, fearing the worst.

"It's alright Jack. I can absolutely promise you, she is in good hooves". I wanted to melt with happiness. Tears of relief spilled from my eyes, as I collapsed into the chair. It took all of my remaining strength just say "Thank you" between sobs.

I turned and was met with Twilight's smiling face.

"It's going to be alright," she comforted, "Now let's go get you cleaned up".

-

Author's Note

EDIT: Fixed bipolar-ness with Twilight

Secrets

"Okay, you can take it out now".

Immediately, I ripped my arm out of the burning lavender solution. Thankfully the wound was now replaced with a thin scar, though the rest of my arm looked like one giant tomato.

"Alright mister," Fluttershy said flapping over to my shoulder, "now hold still and this won't hurt a bit!".

"No no! That can wait! Really, it's fi-". Without warning, the butter pegasus smacked the joint back into place.

"Oww!"

"Oh I'm so sorry! Just a little to the left..."

"GAHHHH!!!"

"There! Now doesn't that feel better?"

"Oh God, why?"

Twilight trotted over and gave a satisfied snort at the appendage.

"Now, it's time for phase two of data collection!". Humming a little tune, she skipped out the door and returned a minute later with a metal square.

"A picture frame?", I asked stupidly. The mare chuckled and leapt over to my seat.

"It's made of divining silver. I'm going to project your thoughts into this square, is that ok with you Jack?". I took a look at the group of anticipating ponies and nodded.
"Jack, I'm going to need you to hold very still. In theory, this shouldn't damage any of your brain cells". I jumped back in horror and tripped over the chair in the process.

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA! What the hell do you mean by in theory!?". My brain was scrambled enough as it was, without magical interference.

“Well… It’s not that I haven’t tested it out before…”

“Go on,” I prodded.

“It’s just that the spell’s instructions kinda… sorta… call for a pony host…”. The next thing I knew, the mare had me pinned to the floor.

“But what’s a little discrepancy when we’re talking about a major scientific breakthrough?!”. Her grin would've been terrifying enough without the ominously glowing horn just inches above it. As gently as before, she lowered her horn onto my forehead. Thoughts poured from my mind, and this time, nothing was held back. Everything I knew about anything was dumped out of my mind and into the amethyst spike in the blink of an eye. I could see everything! My childhood, growing up with Dave, my first loose tooth, trying to hunt, going to school, Mom and Dad, the new house, getting sprayed by that damn skunk, the shadow, the woods, the castle, and then…

Everything faded into darkness…

“Jack…? Jack…?”

The pleasant, familiar voice danced around my head like an old friend.

“Mom?” I called out into the vast expanse. Everything had gone white for some reason, but it felt somehow comforting.

With a glow of color, my mother was suddenly standing before me in a white dress. Her face seemed blurred, but I really didn't care.

“MOM!”

“Jack, It’s time to wake up.” It was just like old times, and she sounded like she hadn't aged a day! I had to tell someone! Where was Emily? Where was Dave?! Mom was back and they needed to know!

“Wake up Jack.”

But… her words… Was I asleep? The realization struck my heart like a knife. That only made her face harder to look at.

“Jack, wake up!”, she said, reeling back. Any questions I could’ve asked her were lost to me, as the ghost of my mother punched me square in the face.

I awoke screaming into the crystalline room.

“Rainbow Dash! You didn't have to hit him!”

“You said to wake him up!”

“I meant gently!”

"Well you're the one who knocked him out in the first place!"

"I was planning on apologizing as soon as he woke up!"

I rubbed my eyes and got my bearings. The now familiar array of colored equines surrounded me, each wearing an expression of shock. Twilight gave me a sheepish look.

"I'm so sorry! I really thought it'd work flawlessly!". I groaned.

"That's the second time you've said that after reading my mind." I said grumpily, "Did it even do anything?". With a smile, she nodded over to the corner of the room. There sat the square, now glowing magenta and humming loudly.

“Um…” Was the best I could manage. I made a mental note to improve my vocabulary in confusing situations.

Out of nowhere, the square rocketed off the ground and shot forward in the blink of an eye, stopping just inches away from my face. At this point, I was so jaded that this didn't even register as bizarre.

“Cerebral identification complete,” Twilight said with a hum, “Host located”. The square made a loud mechanical noise that sounded suspiciously similar to a giggle as it bounced up and down in the air.

“What now?” I asked, “Is it supposed to do something, or-”

“Think” was all I got in reply. Instantly, I thought of my mom’s face, the same thing that always popped into my head when I was confused. The square rippled, then it hummed, then it shook, and finally, exploded into a colorful blur. Before I could say anything, the glowing image of my mother shimmered into existence for all to see. A hushed ‘wow’ escaped the surrounding equines watching the display. I reached out to touch her, but my hand passed right through like smoke.

“Well done Jack!” the alicorn praised, “Now think of something from your home. Something about the humans!”. I didn't need to. The square shifted images like a strobe light, all on it’s own, conjuring pictures of every thought that entered my mind. Airplanes, rockets, trains, schools, communities, and cities all passed by in a flash. Twilight’s face was frozen in a manic grin, her quill flying across a stack of papers in an effort to keep up.

“Wonderful job!” clapped my pseudo-teacher once the flashing had stopped, “Now more directly. Focus on the humans themselves, particularly their behavior”. Like I had the choice. Before I could even open my mouth, a familiar laughter filled the room. Chris and I sat beside an upside-down Ben, who had recently decided that air-soft guns were more accurate when hanging from a tree.

The view suddenly shifted to myself as a child. A woman walked into the cramped little room and stepped over to the bunk bed. There, she gave the two boys a kiss on the forehead before tucking them in.

I managed to keep the tears from welling up for once.

The view shifted once more, this time to my old school. One kid walked up and knocked the books out of Chris’ hands, laughing. Immediately, three kids stepped out from behind an open door and surrounded him, spearheaded by Ben of course. Not a word needed to be said. The boy just picked the books, handed them back, and walked away. Once he had left, Ben let out a hearty chuckle and patted Chris on the head, clearly enjoying his new role as senior hall monitor.

“It’s amazing!” Twilight gawked, still taking notes at the speed of light, “So different, yet you act so similar!”. The view shifted again.

'Oh no…'

I knew this day. The twenty kids all crowded around a boy, crumpled on the ground. Hockey Sticks littered the gymnasium floor. The view was shifted toward the one kid not in the crowd of kids. Toward the boy who stood, teeth bore. Toward the boy whose eyes were that of an animal.

Toward me.

“Twilight, turn it off!” I shouted, rolling out of the bed. She just stared at me with a look of confusion.

“You’re the one in control here Jack,” She stated matter-of-factly, “not me”. That was a lie! I couldn't have been more helpless to this little square betraying my mind’s secrets. I tried everything! Thinking of my family, of running, even of being possessed! It was futile. The square continued its playback of me in stunning detail. The ponies watched in horror, as the phantom me ran forward and smashed the sticks into splinters. I dropped my head in defeat and was forced to relive one of my most terrible moments played all over again.

After kneeing the kid's face, I proceeded with two savage blows to the bully’s jaw. He stumbled backwards, dazed and moaning. That’s when I rocketed forward and leapt over his head, grabbing fistfuls of hair in the process. He headbutted me in the face, giving me a bloody lip. With one swift yank, the kid tumbled backwards like a log, his head connecting with the concrete floor with a sickening crack.

Even then, the poor bastard tried to stand back up and continue the fight. He let out an animalistic roar and charged me, arms flailing. The rest was all just reflexes.
Duck… Block… Jump and kick… Block…
Finally, the fool tripped over his own legs, falling onto one knee. That’s where the fight ended.
I watched myself walk up behind the boy, slowly, and reel back. With one devastating punch to the back of the head, the bully dropped to the ground unconscious. The fight was over.
A minute later, the screen faded out with me carrying my friend out the double doors.

Twilight shot me a cold stare.

“What…” She whispered through grated teeth, “was that…?”

-

Monsters

I hung my head in shame.

The ponies stood, jaws dropped in awe, now probably terrified of the creature sitting just inches away.

Twilight’s question was still very much demanding of an answer, but what was there to say.

“I… I…” I stammered, “I’m sorry you had to see that.”

“You… You attacked that human…” Came Twilight’s voice through clenched teeth, “I thought you said you were friendly!”. She frowned, turning away a little.
“Maybe you’ve been lying to us all along, and you really are just here to-”

“No he isn’t!” Rainbow Dash shouted, flapping over to me, “You saw that human on the ground right? He was getting attacked, and Jack saved him! You might not’ve recognized it, but my old flight school had some pretty rough pegassi, just like that! Jack, can you rewind the picture?”

I don’t know why everyone just assumed I had control over the thing, but regardless, the square shimmered back into existence once more, pausing at the exact moment where things turned bad. There it was clearly visible, that the bully had his stick raised high and poised to swing downward. Below him, lay Chris.
“You see!?” She challenged the group.

Silence.

No one said a word.

I actually checked my watch to make sure time hadn’t stopped, when Applejack broke the ice.

“I don’ like the fightin’,” she said softly, “But Dash’s right. That boy’d a’ gotten hurt real bad if Jack didn’t step in.”

“Um…” came a tiny voice, “I, uh… agree with Applejack…”. Twilight looked conflicted. Biting her lip, she looked between me, her friends, and the picture still hovering beside me.

“... Play it again.” She finally said. I wasn’t positive that was a good decision.

“Are you sure that’s a good idea Twilight?” I asked, “I mean, I don’t exactly like reliving that particular-”

“Please… Just run it again. I need to see exactly what happened one more time.” Begrudgingly, I let my mind wander to the event one more time. Almost instantly, the image resumed, and the two hockey sticks shattered to bits. Twilight stared, face unreadable, as the fight ran its course. Finally, the square shimmered out of existence as the fight ended.

With a deep sigh, she turned and looked to me.

“Who was that boy on the ground?” was all she asked. I swallowed hard.

“He’s one of my best friends, Chris,” I replied as clearly as I could, willing my body to stop shaking.
Twilight looked at the others, then back to me. Finally, she reared up, looked me dead in the eyes, and just stared for a long time.

After what seemed like forever, she stepped down and smiled a small smile.

“I’ve fought manticores, dragons, ursa minors, and changelings,” she spoke softly, “and you know what? You’re not like any of them.”
I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding and dropped my shoulders.
“You’re not a monster. Fighting’s just all you thought you could do at the time, so you did it.”

“Did you just read my mind again?” I asked. Twilight shook her head and smiled at me.

“I didn’t have to that time.”

“Oh, for the love of… Hold still Jack!”

“I’m doing my best! This thing’s really heavy!”. Twilight had gotten me hooked up to some kind of helmet with blinking lights that weighed like, a million pounds. I didn’t even know what it was supposed to be measuring! All that came out of her ‘science machine’ were random zig-zag patterns.
Twilight studied the resulting paper intently, mumbling and jotting down a note every now and again.

“Pinkie Pie, you can remove the helmet and measure his height now.” Twilight called out to the pink mare, “I’ve got enough data for ten studies!”. Pinkie Pie jumped up to my shoulders and, with the greatest of ease, tossed the helmet into the air, twirled it on her nose, and jumped down, the helmet still spinning. Humming a little tune, she dropped the device on a table, pulled a measuring tape out of her hair and unrolled it until it reached the top of my head.

“He’s about five feet, nine inches Twilight!” She sang. Twilight started to write, then stopped.

“He’s five what’s?” she asked puzzled.

“Oops! Sorry Twilight! I meant thirteen and a half hooves!”. The purple pony just shook her head and scribbled down the numbers.

“Uh,” I piped up with my ever expanding vocabulary, “Now what?”

Twilight flipped through her third filled notebook.

“Let’s see… weight, height, brain wavelengths, DNA sample, and X-Rays,” She listed, “I think all that’s left now is to test your arcanic conduction levels.”
The only word I didn’t understand, was “arcanic”, but Twilight had told me she would be testing my level of magic. Maybe that was it?

“Hey Twi?” I asked, “Don’t you already know that one? I mean, I don’t have any magic, right?”. The alicorn gave a little snort.

“Just because you don’t have the capacity to control an arcane flow, doesn’t mean you can’t be affected by one!”. Without another word, her horn began to glow, sending out a stream of golden light that passed through my chest, and separated into ribbons of color as if I were a prism. I had to resist the urge to move out of the way of the tingly beam.

After taking a look at the colorful patterns, she grinned and filled yet another page with notes.

“Mmm, hmm,” She said with a nod, “Just as I suspected.”
I just stared at her, confused.

“Which means… what exactly?”

“It means, you have an unusually conductive body toward magic!” She said, as if it was obvious, “That explains why my spells have worked so effectively on you!”. I frowned.

“That, was effective?”

“Of course it was!” she said incredulously, “What do you mean?”

“You knocked me out! That, and I could barely control that stupid voodoo box thing you wired to my brain!”. Twilight sighed.

“Regardless, I’m done with data collection for now. Want to head outside and get ready for your tour?”
I didn’t waste a second.
With superhuman speed, I leapt off the little podium I had been standing on for three hours and bolted for the door, shouting, “FREEDOM!!!”.

I burst through the door and promptly tripped over a very confused Rainbow Dash.

“Why…” I groaned, “does that happen… every time?”

The tour of Ponyville lasted longer than I would’ve expected, with each stop being even more in-depth than the last. Eventually, sundown came, and with it, the chill of an evening wind. Pinkie Pie suggested that we return to the castle for dinner. My stomach began to growl.

I yawned, and nodded, turning back to the still looming castle in the distance.
“Yeah… we should probably get going.” I said, turning on my heel, “We can go and find my sister tomorrow. Twilight said she was in good hands.”

A half hour of walking later, we had reached the entrance of the castle. As I approached the great golden doors once more, a particularly chilly wind cut through my hoodie. Instinctively, I stuffed my hands into my pockets for warmth. My eyes widened, as the familiar crinkle of my day pack met my ears.

In a rush, I tore the bag from my pocket.
“YES!” I cried, holding the bag above my head triumphantly. How on earth had I forgotten something so big sitting right inside my pocket?

I was about to say more, but the golden doors opened, exposing a hundred ponies to my ridiculous pose.

“Surprise!” Shouted the crowd, and Pinkie jumped onto my shoulders.

“HAHA! Jack, you should’ve seen your face! You looked so silly!” she laughed, “ I realized that before I didn’t have time to give you a proper ‘Welcome To Ponyville’ party and so I got everypony who wasn’t scared of you, which happened to be everypony in town, to come help out with the decorations and bring dessert and cider and party games and then I figured since you were probably tired from the long tour that the seven of us could all have a sleepover and tell scary stories, unless you don’t like scary stories, in which case, we could- MMMMUPH.” I had to cover her mouth to stop the overwhelming tidal wave of words from crushing me. I smiled and ruffled her frizzy hair.

“Thank you Pinkie!” I said genuinely, “I really appreciate it!” The two of us walked into the castle and into the surge ponies that awaited.

-