The Beginning

One of the grandfoals found this buried in the Royal Archive and asked me what it was about. I've always wondered what Celestia did with it. Reading it brought Luna's promise to laugh at the 'follies of our youths' to mind. There are certainly plenty of them in these volumes. I've tried to reorganize it into more logical chapters than just dates and edit around some of my early misconceptions so that today's Ponies can get a better idea of what life was like 'way back when.' So, with hopefully no more than minor confusion, here is the story of my origins as told by the young and foolish me.

I have been asked by Princess Twilight to document my daily experiences as the only human in Equestria. As I complete each chapter I am to hand it to Princess Twilight to read and send on to Princess Celestia. I understand that Princess Celestia is going to archive them for future reference. Both Ponies hope to gain some insight into humans in general and myself in particular so they can help me adapt to life in Equestria and be ready if anyone else shows up. I’ll be using an informal, narrative format both because it’s quicker and I can waste a lot of paper trying to get it just right with a quill.

Adapting is my number one priority right now because my trip here was one way. I lived for sixty nine years on a planet called “Earth” as an unremarkable man. I have enough education to do pretty much anything I want but what I wanted most was to live on and from my own land. Like farmers in general, I was rode hard and put up wet for most of that sixty nine years but I was happy. I made enough extra money writing and consulting to have air conditioned tractors with SatNav. I had a loving wife (who is still on that farm with my eldest son and his family).

Then my body started letting me down and I’d have to quit early or sleep late. Several doctors told me it was a normal part of aging until I found one that looked deeper. I had a disease inside me that was slowly eating my guts. We tried several ways to kill it but none worked. So the final step was surgery. That worked for a few years until it came back. So we cut it out again, and again. Eventually I started running out of me. There wasn’t enough left of my internal organs to support an active life and pills can do just so much. That left me with lots of time to sit around and think.

The whole ‘let’s just get it over with’ line of thought never was my style and that left me with wallowing in misery or finding something else to occupy my mind. Luckily, I’ve always been an avid reader with Sci-Fi and Fantasy being my favorites for entertainment. Everything from Doc Smith to the Marvel Universe was on the table. After trying a couple of dozen “alternate worlds” I settled on My Little Pony. It was happy, easy on the brain, and least likely to bring up something I didn’t want to think about right now. In time I became very proficient at lucid dreaming and went to bed every night confident that I was bound for Equestria.

That particular night I found myself having lunch with the girls (the Elements) and discussing the upcoming Grand Galloping Gala. Mostly I was letting the conversation wash over me as I basked in the ambiance. Then I noticed a crack in the sky. Twilight just ignored me when I tried to ask her about it. More cracks appeared and they spread to the floor around us but what worried me the most was the girls’ complete obliviousness. Suddenly, everything was white.

I was standing on a white surface that defied description looking around at white walls/glare/clouds without any clear definition. The approaching/materializing shape resolved into a Pony, an Alicorn mare, though not one that I remembered from anywhere. She reminded me a lot of Celestia with the white coat and billowing mane but her mane had more red and orange to it. Plus she seemed more substantial than Celestia and had an air of maturity, I guess what you’d call ‘gravitas’.

After a minute of examining each other, she smiled and asked. “Do you know where you are, Jack?”

Looking back at her seriously, I ventured, “My first guess would be Limbo.”

“Very good, Jack!” she beamed. “That’s as good a name for it as any. This is the void between the universes and you are right that your mortal body has failed. Normally your soul would have gone directly to the Human Afterlife but I intercepted you so we could have this conversation.

“Your dreams happened to coincide almost perfectly with a plan from the Council of the Gods so you are being offered an opportunity. This moment was chosen because physical matter cannot move from universe to universe except in special circumstances. Your soul, however, can be easily moved but there are consequences. If I take you to Equestria, you will become part of the Universe of Equestria and subject to all of its ways and whims. If you die, you will go to the Equestrian Afterlife and never see your Earth family and friends again. Equestria has magic and magic makes many things that are impossible for humans, common. You could have and wield magic of your own but you will have to learn how by yourself and it won’t be simple or easy.

“You will be given one great gift to compensate you for taking this risk, you will have complete control of your own destiny. No being or power will be able to interfere with you unless you choose to let them. Knowing both the risks and rewards of your desire, do you accept this gift? If you decline, I will release you and you will continue on to the Human Afterlife with no memory of this conversation.”

I very carefully considered all of my options for about three seconds and said, “Yes.”

7-15
I woke up sitting on an old time park bench beside a cobblestone path as the sun was just clearing the horizon on a warm summer morning. I was dressed in my usual farm work clothes and I felt good, I mean the twenty years old and healthy kind of good. There were a lot of questions and only one way to answer them so I got up and started down the path. After a bit, it curved right and intersected with a road. In the distance, small buildings bordered the road and beyond them a single large building stood facing some kind of town square. All were colored in pastels and had a distinctly Pony look

I was still not sure where the boundary lay between dream and reality but the intensity and complexity of that moment screamed reality. It would help if I had some clue to the identity of that Alicorn beyond a family resemblance to Celestia. If I could verify her real existence, I would have some solid information on just what was happening but I didn’t even get a look at her cutie mark.

I’d been walking up the road for about a minute when I felt/heard a rush of air behind me. Turning and looking revealed nothing. When I turned back there was an ice blue Pegasus mare with a dark blue mane hovering at eye level about ten meters away.

I waved and asked, “Is this Ponyville?”

Her eyes widened as she nodded her head once then turned and zipped up the road towards the large building. She’d answered some of my biggest questions, though. I was at least close to a place where I wanted to be. Two more minutes walking up the road and I was nearing the first of the houses when I spotted my Pegasus friend returning and she had a purple escort. They both landed on the road in front of me and stood there blocking me from any further progress into town.

They were both glaring at me like I represented some kind of offense so I smiled and, in as cheery a voice as I could manage, said, “Hello. You must be Twilight Sparkle. . .”

The Pegasus interrupted me, “That’s “Princess Twilight” to you, stranger.”

Executing a small bow, I continued, “Princess Twilight. I’m Jack, a very recent arrival in Equestria.”

Twilight’s expression softened about two percent as she replied, “Hello, Jack. Now what are you and why are you here?”

“I’m a man, a male Human, technically Homo Sapiens Sapiens. And I’m here because I heard this is a good place to make a home. By the way, I’m willing to answer questions until I fall over but it will take a lot longer for me to fall over if I do it sitting down in the shade.”

Twilight’s expression hardened again, “You aren’t going anywhere, mister, until I determine what kind of threat you are to my Ponies.”

I had to laugh at that, “Princess, look at me. I have no teeth or claws to speak of, no magic, and no weapons versus an Alicorn with thirty healthy Ponies backing her up. I’m flattered that you think I could be a threat.”

She looked behind her and saw that there really were about thirty Ponies coming down the street to see what the excitement was all about.

Shaking her head, Twilight observed, “You may be right. There will certainly be fewer interruptions in the library and it will be easier to take notes. Follow me.”

The Alicorn turned and started up the road plowing through the crowd like an icebreaker. I had to stretch a little to keep up but the crowd gave me plenty of room. In a few minutes we arrived at a door in the side of a very large tree. Twilight went in and I followed but when I turned to close the door, an orange Earth Pony with a blond mane and stetson hat was following me.

“Hey, Twilight,” Applejack called, “what’cha got here?”

Twilight answered, “A new arrival and I’m glad you’re here. I was going to send Spike for you.”

I jumped in, “I’m glad too. Maybe you can help me convince Twilight that I’m not here to attack anybody.”

That earned me two strong glares so I picked a pad next to the table in the center of the library and made myself comfortable. Twilight brought a stack of paper and settled in across from me with AJ at her side. What followed was a detailed interrogation with frequent questioning glances from Twilight to AJ and nods from AJ to Twilight.

Twilight, “Where did you come from?”

Me, “A world called ‘Earth’.”

Twilight, “Where is ‘Earth’ located?”

Me, “It’s the third planet of the Sol system in the Milky Way Galaxy.”

Twilight, “In what direction is that?”

Me, “I have no idea. Probably not one that I could just point to.”

Twilight, “Then how did you get here?”

Me, “I went to sleep there and woke up here. I highly doubt that anyone is more surprised than me.”

Poor Twilight was not getting what she wanted out of this interview. I tried but so many little things just spun off in strange directions. Trying to get a handle on travel time brought up Daylight Saving time.

Twilight, “For what sane reason could you possibly want to change your clocks twice a year?”

Me, “It’s supposed to save energy by making the most people sleep through the darkest part of the day.”

Twilight blinked a few times, “You mean ‘day’ as in one complete cycle of the Sun and Moon? Not just when the Sun is in the sky?”

Me, “Correct. By having lights on for less time you save power.”

Twilight, “What kind of lights do you use that require so much magic that you have to conserve it?”

Me, “Lights don’t use magic. Daylight Saving Time was invented when most lights burned lamp oil and it wasn’t cheap. Whale oil was the most common kind and chasing whales in a row boat is not easy.”

Twilight was showing some frustration now but she was trying as hard as I.

Twilight, “And no one has managed to invent a light that could use magic?”

Me, “Of course not because there is no magic.”

I could hear Twilight’s train of thought derailing and boxcars flying everywhere so I turned to AJ.

Me, “Do you understand what I’m trying to say?”

AJ, “Sugarcube, I can see how hard you are trying to be honest and accurate but as far as understanding goes, I’m just along for the ride.”

After about twenty minutes of intellectual tail chasing, Twilight admitted that it was theoretically possible for a world with a complex civilization to exist completely without magic and we moved back to travel time.

Me, “I’m not sure how relevant it is anyway. I went to sleep in winter and woke up in summer.”

Sometime around lunch Twilight sighed mightily and started organizing her notes, “It will take me a little while to turn this into a report and forward it to Princess Celestia. She will probably send back some more questions for you. Just make yourself comfortable until then.”

AJ excused herself to go back to work and I thanked her for her help but Twilight wasn’t getting off that easy, “Just a minute, please. I have at least as many questions as you do so how about a few answers for me?”

A very conflicted Twilight explained, “What you ask is fair but I cannot delay this report for Princess Celestia.”

“Not a problem,” I replied. “This is a library, just set me up with some books on Pony history and culture. Start with simple ones and I’ll be happy for a while. And please think about stopping to eat before too long.”

Of course Twilight immediately implemented her universal solution, “Spike!”

Spike brought me grade school primers on Equestrian Geography, Pony Ancient and Modern History, and Pony Social Studies. A few minutes later, he brought me a bowl of mixed fruit and I was set for a while.

There was an obvious assumption that if I could speak the language, I could read it too and, luckily, it held. Or maybe it was part of that ‘subject to all of its ways and whims’. At any rate I could fill in a few blanks. A little later, just as I was about to finish the fourth book, someone cleared their throat across the table from me. Without looking up, I said, “Just a minute, please. I’m almost done.”

I ran through the last two pages, closed the book and put it on the pile with the rest, and looked up to see a large white Alicorn mare regarding me across the table. Shooting up out of my chair, I bowed and apologized, “Please forgive me. I’m afraid I get a little narrow focused when I’m studying.”

She settled on the pad on the opposite side of the table from me and beckoned, “Please, be seated. I’m Princess Celestia and I’m told you are Jack?”

Nodding, I replied, “Yes, Ma’am.”

Celestia continued, “And you wish to relocate permanently to Equestria?”

Again, I replied, “Yes, Ma’am.”

Focusing, Celestia explained, “We are a welcoming people and look forward to your contributions to our society but for safety reasons I must know about the path you took to get here. Could others follow? Or could somepony travel to your former home?”

I took a deep breath and answered, “Your Highness, I am absolutely sure that no one, not even me, can travel from Equestria to Earth. I am equally sure that no one can follow my path here but can’t say totally that no one else could find their own similar path. I base this on the fact that this is not the body I had on Earth, it's much younger. Evidently my original body is back on Earth being prepared for a funeral which leaves nothing to go back to.”

Regarding me thoughtfully, Celestia questioned, “That’s a pretty amazing story, Jack, especially coming from a world that you have said has no magic at all.”

Nodding my head, I ventured, “I agree. From my point of view, I went from having a fantastic dream to living the reality in the blink of an eye. I want you to put a truth spell on me so you can have confidence in my answers.”

Examining me critically, she detailed, “Jack, we only use truth spells for serious criminal matters because they allow easy violations of a Pony’s privacy.”

Looking Celestia directly in the eye, I stated, “I am waiving my right to privacy in this specific circumstance because I want you to have confidence in me as a friend.”

The Princess studied me for several minutes before coming to a decision, “Alright, Jack, we’re going to see what you’re made of.”

Her horn glowed briefly and I thought I felt a small tingle. Then the questions began, “Lie to me, Jack,” Celestia requested.

So I answered, “The sky is red. Ouch!” as an electric shock shot through my body.

Celestia just grinned, “Now, Jack, what do you want from Equestria?”

I glared at her, “You could have warned me. What I want is a safe, happy place to have family, friends, and something useful to do.”

“An unbiased verification of the effectiveness of the spell is more important,” she noted. “To whom do you owe your allegiance?”

That was a fun one, “No one. I have no access to my former home so everything there is over and done with. And I haven’t been here long enough to form an opinion of anyone or any group. I will say that anyone who wants my support will start by convincing me that we share values of honor and fairness. Generally, I will try to do what is best for family and friends as a whole.”

Celestia smiled and nodded her head then asked, “How do you feel about Ponies in general?”

“Again, I haven’t been here long enough to form a new opinion but I did live almost all of my previous life sharing a farm with some horses. Even though these horses are not Ponies they are still Equines and because of them I am familiar with the ways of Equines. I have always related well to them and, in fact, one of my greatest regrets is dying and leaving a good friend standing in the pasture waiting for me. Our relative life spans should have had us growing old together but a disease changed things.”

“That’s interesting. How do you feel about me?” Celestia inquired.

‘This is going to be living on the edge’ went through my mind, “Concerned. On the one hand, any time you concentrate so much power in the control of one individual there is enormous potential for disaster. On the other hand, your motives seem beyond reproach and your results are magnificent. The concern is because some day you are going to make a mistake and I wonder what that mistake will cost Equestria.”

Keeping a completely neutral face, she asked, “What would you do to address those concerns?”

Yep, the razor’s edge, “Given my microscopic power base, about all I could do personally is advise. I do have a broad knowledge of human history and it is mostly a list of the mistakes that rulers and cultures could make. Perhaps I could warn you of a mistake that Ponies haven’t faced yet.”

Looking a little darker, Celestia speculated, “So you think Humans are more advanced than Ponies.”

I kept calm, “No, they’re different. The technology vs magic dichotomy means that the races will experience different kinds of events at different times. That makes for great potential if knowledge can be shared.”

Back to studiously neutral, Celestia asked, “What would your first advice to me be?”

Back on safer ground, “Without taking a detailed look at what you’ve already done? Delegate. Get a large staff to help you run things and investigate problems. The more eyes you have on a problem, the more likely someone will spot a mistake before it’s irreparable.”

The Princess revealed her thoughts, “You are forthright and intelligent, Jack. I like that so I’m going to make you an offer. I want two archives made, one about humans and one containing human knowledge that might be useful to Ponies. In return you get food, shelter, a stipend, and an Equestrian education. I don’t expect any part of that to become a full time job in itself but you should get a medical baseline and any medical expertise that you may have in the first archive as quickly as possible. It could be invaluable if we have to heal you.”

“Can I get citizenship out of that too?” I asked.

Celestia beamed, “Of course you can. Just be sure you understand the responsibilities that come with it. You will lose any exceptions made under the law for visitors. You could be called into service in an emergency. And you will have to acknowledge the Princesses as your sovereigns.”

I thought about it for nearly a quarter minute before I realized that I was wasting time and said so, “I’m going to accept your offer based purely on my gut feeling about you. Your reputation is for fairness and honor so I will trust you. It’s pretty much what I would do anyway.”

“Then it is done,” Celestia pronounced. “Normally an oath would be required but since you answered under a truth spell we will dispense with that.” Looking back over her shoulder, she asked, “Twilight, do you still have that spare room available?”

Twilight replied, “I was thinking of putting Jack there.”

Swinging back to me, Celestia explained, “You’ll be staying here in the library with Princess Twilight and Spike at least until you have assimilated well enough to make your own choices. It will make building the archives and your education easier because Princess Twilight will be responsible for both. You can work with them for your food preferences and any personal items that you need.”

I could live with that, “Thank you, Princesses Celestia and Twilight. I think I’m going to like it here.”

Celestia produced a cloth bag from somewhere and set it on the table with a solid thump, saying, “This is the first installment of your stipend. It is rather generous but not entirely for your benefit. You are going to be working with Princess Twilight and that will include your introduction to Equestrian society. You will need to be able to keep up with a Noble lifestyle.

“The basic unit of currency is the bit. The copper coins are one bit, the silver are ten bits, and the gold are one hundred bits. Ten bits should get you a nice meal in a family restaurant or several meals wisely spent in the marketplace. I’m going to leave you to it while you still have enough time to get any immediately needed items.”

Celestia took Twilight to the back of the room for a conference and I started on a mental list of things I needed soon. I wonder if they use toilet paper?

7-16
I woke up feeling like I had come a meter straight up off the mattress. I hadn’t been this alert, this energetic in decades. And I was in Equestria! Or even better, I was in my room in Twilight’s library. We had enough time yesterday to get me an extra large mattress with sheets and blankets plus some toiletries. I’ve been instructed on the kitchen and bathroom and it looks like I’m the new primary dishwasher because I can reach everything without a ladder.

We made some plans for today too. First, pass through the market and see what appeals to me in the way of food. Second, meet Rarity and order additional clothes. Then spend the rest of the day in the hospital getting a medical baseline established. So I gathered my clothes and headed for the shower to begin the first full day of my new life.

Breakfast was waffles and fruit. I noticed once again how much better everything tasted. Maybe that’s because it’s not picked early, shipped halfway around the world, then processed to death to kill all of the parasites that climbed on while it was being transported. If doing the dishes is the price for food like this every day, I’ve gotten off cheap.

The trip through the market was educational. We decided on more bread, cheese, eggs, oats, and grapes. There were some other interesting things but they will be future experiments. I met Applejack again and we made a promise to get together soon and compare notes on the farming I’m used to versus the Earth Pony way. Spike headed back to the library with the groceries.

Next was a visit to the Carousel Boutique. Like most things Pony, its name is descriptive. Twilight opened the door and motioned for me to fall in behind her.

“Hello, Rarity. I’ve brought someone I want you to meet,” Twilight called.

A nearly white Unicorn with an elegantly styled purplish mane stepped in through a back door and, looking at me over her glasses, exclaimed, “Oh my. I had heard that he is tall but the reality is even more impressive.”

Twilight stepped forward, “Rarity, this is Jack. Jack is a Human and the first of his race in Equestria.

“Jack, this is Rarity, a very good friend and the go to Pony for all things high society.”

I walked around Twilight and knelt in front of Rarity, extending my right hand. Rarity lifted her foreleg and I took it, kissing her pastern. When I released her leg and stepped back, Rarity fanned herself with her hoof and smiled broadly.

“Oh, and a gentlestallion too,” She breathed.

Twilight looked at me askance but chose to continue her mission, “We are here because Jack wants to wear clothes all the time and these are all he brought with him. More are needed both for variety and convenient cleaning.”

Working with Rarity was a trip. She was elegant, polite, and determined to make formal overalls for me. I promised, “I will need dress clothes for social events and official functions later but they won’t be overalls. These are simple work clothes made to be tough and that’s what I need today. The fancy stuff won’t be needed for a while so we can take our time on it.”

She insisted on measuring me completely without clothes and was a total professional about it. File that away as another of the things I’m just going to have to get used to about Ponies. Then I had to explain ‘dress left’.

“That’s right,” I confirmed, “I can’t pull it back in. I was born without that feature so you have to allow room for it in my clothes. In fact, just assume twice what you see right now. It gets bigger and if the clothes are too tight, I get excited.”

Twilight was in the corner scribbling furiously. I pointed that out to Rarity and winked. Rarity smiled and nodded then said, “I don’t know, Jack. I hate to guess at measurements. Could you make it full sized so I could put a tape on it?”

Suppressing a laugh, I replied, “Sure but we’ll need some help. You need to do the measuring and I’ll need something to get excited about. Who do you think could help us?”

Twilight was focusing intently on her notes and had turned bright red in the face.

Rarity started out, “Well, it would have to be a young, pretty mare . . . .” and lost it to laughter as Twilight dropped her notes and quill. I couldn’t help but join in.

Twilight stomped and huffed, “Ooh!! You two. . .” and started collecting her notes.

But I wasn’t done, “Hey Rarity, do you have a camera? If you do, you might want to come with us. The next stop is the doctor for a medical baseline. I’m sure they’ll want a semen sample at some point.”

By the time I was dressed, Twilight and Rarity were giggling over Twilight’s notes. Rarity had a camera and offered to let me use it but I declined saying that it would be impractical to be both an actor and cameraman.

As Twilight and I were leaving, Rarity stopped me and offered, “Jack, you are welcome here any time for any reason. Please come just to visit.”

The hospital was, of course, on the other side of town but I didn’t mind, Ponyville and I were studying each other intently. The good news was that there was no outright fear or disgust, the bad news was that it was all from a safe distance. Twilight seemed to have forgiven me for the joke and was bubbling over with questions, “Jack, I want the truth. Spike says you read the four books he gave you in less than an hour. Did you really read them? All of each book?”

“In all honesty I don’t know the time because I didn’t have any kind of watch or clock right then. It sounds about right and I did read all of each book between when you left to make the report and when Princess Celestia came to talk to me. It’s not that hard because they were grade school text books with lots of pictures and repetition,” I explained.

Twilight had a strange expression, “Do all Humans read that fast?”

I scratched my head, “No. I’m among the fastest but far from alone. The techniques are easy to learn and very useful for students and people with technical professions.”

Twilight danced ahead a few steps then turned to face me with her eyes wide. It felt like a palpable force was working directly on my will.

“Please,” she begged, “can you teach me?”

I shook my head and said, “Of course. We can go over some of it while we are waiting for the doctors today.”

Twilight started pronking around me and I felt that same kind of force working on my heart now. She didn’t look like a noble Princess but damn she looked cute.

The hospital looked like a hospital, except . . . There was something there that did all the things that I expected to find in a hospital but it was all a little different from what I was used to. The doctors were pretty much the same, though, except for height and color. We walked out with a stuffed saddlebag full of records detailing everything anybody could ever ask about how I’m put together. Twilight, on the other hand, was having intense frustration. I guess being able to wave your horn and have whatever it is that you want come flying to you makes for poor delayed gratification skills.

The cause of Twilight’s frustration was the doctor’s efficiency. I had nurses and techs poking, measuring, recording, sampling, and testing on me non-stop. As soon as they finished a page they would pass it to the doctor and he would go down it line by line with me asking how this compared to the Human norm and what any deviation would signify. It was pretty routine as most of my guts were pretty close to Pony norms but we had to confirm that and note any variations.

Then we got to magic. Ponies have magic organs with magic ‘pressures’ and ‘temperatures’. I do not have magic organs at all but I do have magic ‘pressures’ and ‘temperatures’.

The doctor and Twilight were both confused. How could I possibly not be able to explain that? Are all Humans like this?

All I could say is, “How could I know, there’s no magic on Earth to measure.” I finally invited Twilight to run a truth spell on me to prove that I wasn’t holding out on anyone.

Anyway, while all this intense dialog was going on we did not get to talk about speed reading. Now that we were out of the hospital Twilight was back on focus. I, on the other hand, was quite aware that lunch time had come, waited impatiently, and left. We needed to combine goals.

“Hey, Twilight, why don’t we find a place where we can sit down, talk comfortably, and get some food?”

Twilight nodded and I thought I’d caught a short break but she immediately launched off on a new question, “Why do you always want to sit down?”

I snorted, “What’s the first difference you notice between me and your average Pony?”

Looking puzzled, she answered, “You’re tall.”

I smiled at Twilight, “Close. Now why am I tall?”

“Because you are standing straight up?” she ventured.

“Exactly!” I declared, “In fact, my race has been standing this way for so long that my ‘front’ limbs have evolved into arms with hands that never touch the ground. Now, what happens when you stop walking?”

Some exasperation has crept in but Twilight needs to know, “I don’t go anywhere.”

Nodding, I ask, “Yes, is that all?”

Glaring at me, she huffs, “Well, I could take a nap or get somepony to bring me food or get tired of waiting and teleport out. Why do you ask?”

“Because, I can’t do most of that,” I explained. “If I fall asleep it will only be for about three seconds. I’ll wake up when my face hits the pavement. It’s the difference between a four point stance and two. I have to consciously work all of my muscles all of the time to remain upright. It’s more work standing than walking. So being a sensible sort, I look for ways to conserve energy.”

Twilight looked shocked, “Oh. I hadn’t thought of that.”

“That’s okay. I only know about your default stability because I ran around with Equines on Earth.” As I spun completely around on one foot, “But I can do this and you can’t. I climb way better too.”

Twilight’s face lit up with realization, “You want me to put this in the archive we’re building!”

I nodded and said, “But I’m not sure if it should go in the medical file you’re carrying or the social file we are going to build. It could be important if Celestia ever has to receive a Human delegation with old Humans in it.”

Twilight smiled big at me, “That’s not a problem, we’ll put it in both.”

Spinning around had also exposed a new problem, “What’s pink and stalks Ponies? I ask because something pink is jumping from cover to cover behind us.”

Twilight laughed openly as she stopped, turned, then shouted, “Pinkie!”

A very pink mare bounced out from behind a bush and up to where we were standing. And she kept bouncing right in front of us.

“Jack, this is Pinkie Pie,” Twilight informed me. “Pinkie, this is Jack. He’s a new arrival in Equestria and Ponyville but he plans to stay. Please be gentle with him.”

Pinkie smiled and said, “Don’t worry, Twilight, I talked to Rarity and she said he was a fun loving gentlestallion. I’m going to like him.”

Carefully solemn, Twilight addressed Pinkie, “Just please don’t break him.”

So I gave Twilight a quizzical look and she elaborated, “Pinkie lives by a different logic than the rest of us. Accept it but don’t try to understand it or it will hurt your brain.”

Pinkie, on the other hand, had a plan, “Will you be ready for your party tomorrow night?”

I examined the idea cautiously, “I don’t have anything planned for tomorrow night, but, uh, what party?”

Pinkie replied, “Your ‘Welcome To Ponyville’ party, Silly. It will be in Sugarcube Corner beginning at sundown tomorrow.”

“Okay,” I surrendered, “What kind of party will it be? Should I wear a costume or a tux?”

“It will be a fun party,” Pinkie declared. “You can wear anything you want or nothing at all, just expect to be introduced to a lot of Ponies.”

Twilight nudged me, “Don’t worry. Pinkie throws happy parties and I’ll tell you everything you need to know about it. She does this to everypony when they move to Ponyville.”

As luck would have it, Sugarcube Corner was our destination anyway. We settled on a table next to a front window and started nibbling on cookies, muffins, and donuts. I laid out the elements of speed reading for Twilight and she gave me the basic Pinkie safety course. I wasn’t sure either of us fully believed the other but we agreed to give things a try and compare notes later.

We walked around town for a while, getting me familiar with the general layout and saying hello to a few startled Ponies. I’m still learning to understand cutie marks but they sure help with remembering and recognizing Ponies.

Dinner was pleasant enough though at some point I’m going to have to find a way to slip in some meat. Veggies with eggs, cheese and beans will keep me going for quite a while but not forever. We cleaned up and I retired to my room to digest the day’s events.

The depth of what I have done has finally begun to worm its way into my psyche. Dying isn’t minor but I upped the ante a lot when I jumped universes. I’m not living in the pleasant fantasy that had distracted me from my pain. This is a real world with real people in it, complete with government, society, and economy, all completely different from anything I’ve previously known. And being a happy fool, I had never thought any further ahead than ‘get there and figure it out’.

But on the plus side, every single one of those strange people that I have met has been kind, honest, and generous. I shudder to think of what would happen if our roles were reversed. I believe that I would be as kind to one of them as they have been to me but I also think I’m in the minority there. And I’d even bet that Celestia knows that.

There’s literally nothing I can do now but keep my eyes open and move carefully ahead. Or at this exact moment, I can put this paper away and get comfortable on my new bed. There’s already several adventures scheduled for tomorrow.