Day 1
It was a hot summer day and the skies around Chilliwack, Canada were burning with the intense heat of 100 degree Fahrenheit weather. I, Zytharros, lay in bed, thinking to myself… who in blazes decided this level of heat? Things needed to get 20% cooler for me to go outside. My trailer wasn’t any better, either – in fact if anything it was 20% hotter than outside, even with the air conditioner burning through 200 watts of cooling electricity an hour.
“I gotta get out of here and take a drive…” I said.
So I climbed into the car, started the engine, and took off, leaving a text message for my wife and letting her know I was heading for Cultus Lake to do a little swimming. She was out with her mom at a meeting for one of the organizations they volunteer their time with and would be gone all day. I made sure to tell her I would be up for going later in the evening as well or tomorrow, should she like.
As I was heading down Keith Wilson to go for a dip, I noticed two things. First, the road was unusually deserted. Second, a weird curtain of aquatic waves appeared before my eyes on the side of the road. I pulled off to the side of the road, slowed down and stopped, turning the car off and locking the door. Through the waves, I saw flickers of a pristine, cartoon town, a flash of rainbow, a castle perched impossibly on a mountain cliff, a galloping yellow mare…
Fluttershy??
Had I just stumbled on a portal to Equestria, of all places?
Swallowing, I took slow and steady steps toward the portal. I stuck my hand through first, but noticed no signs of personal disruption… maybe an interesting tingle-spike-spike-tap sensation on the ends of my nerves. I decided it was safe, and gingerly stepped my way through, closing my eyes.
A buzz-snap-snap-BANG sound confirmed that I had indeed stepped through. I collapsed onto all fours and slowly opened my eyes. My skin was a medium blue. My hooves and mane matched my dirty blonde hair…
Wait, I’m a pony!
I looked again… my back was textured funny. I tried flexing something, and the back texture exploded from my back – wings! A pegasus! Yes! I can fulfil my lifelong dream to fly now! I looked at my rump. A quill and a music note for a cutie mark? Awesome! My surroundings were a blur of apple trees, with a barn barely visible down one of the rows.
I squee’d, super excited that I had found this portal and stumbled right into Equestria. I must have been the first human to discover a genuine portal!
“What in tarnation? How’d you get this deep on our ranch?” a childlike, Missourian voice spoke from about knee level.
I jumped and whipped around. Standing behind me was a tiny filly no bigger than my knee, a redhead with a blonde fur coat and a red bow in her mane. I sighed out of relief.
“Sorry, little filly,” I said. “You startled me!”
“It’s okay,” she said. “Name’s Apple Bloom. What’s yours?”
“Zytharros,” I replied.
Apple Bloom chuckled. “The way you just… kinda… poofed outta the air like that startled me, too.”
Another, deeper Missourian voice joined hers. “Apple Bloom, who’re you talkin’ to?”
An orange mare with a blonde mane and a cowboy’s cap emerged from behind the hilltop. I immediately recognized her as Applejack, but I didn’t want to seem creepy, so I feigned ignorance.
“Hi, I’m Zytharros,” I introduced.
The mare greeted me with a hoof-shake and a smile. “Applejack. Glad to meet you, Zytharros. You new in town?”
“Actually, I arrived… less than a blink of an eye ago…” I chuckled.
Apple Bloom bounced around our legs. “He arrived in a poofy flash. I saw it myself!”
“A ‘poofy flash’?” Applejack asked. Her facial expression told me she was thinking it was her sister’s wild imagination.
I shrugged. “I kinda came through a portal.”
Applejack looked at me with the same skeptical look she had just given her sister. “Sounds like magic to me. I better bring you to see Twilight Sparkle. She knows more about it than we do.”
So Applejack and Apple Bloom began to run… while I collapsed to the dirt on my face. The elder mare heard the fall, turned around and saw me on the ground, struggling to get back up.
“You… don’t know how to run?” she asked.
“I came through a portal walking on two legs,” I informed. “This is the first time in my life on four.”
Applejack threw a resigning sigh my way. It seemed like she still didn’t believe, but had to accept that explanation as plausible for now until Twilight gave her some further information.
I thought back to how babies crawled on all fours. I got up, and tried to apply the same principle to my legs… front hoof, opposite rear hoof, other front hoof, last hoof… front hoof, opposite rear hoof, other front hoof, last hoof… Slowly I made my way towards Applejack and Apple Bloom, processing how to walk all over again. It was… incredibly awkward and a little embarrassing…
“Well, it’s a start,” Applejack commented, observing my walk pattern. “You’ll get the hang of it.”
I smiled. “Thanks. This is all so new to me.” In my thoughts, I added, and very exciting too – when do I get to meet Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash?
With Applejack and Apple Bloom coaching, eventually we made it into Ponyville. I looked around in awe, in disbelief that I was actually in the Ponyville. I saw a typical small-town environment – ponies were buzzing all over the town, in and out of various businesses and entertainment places. Applejack described for me various locations around town, some of which I knew from watching the show. I made a mental note of several locations as we proceeded past Sugarcube Corner (I have to try one of their cakes), the Bowling Alley (one of my favourite pastimes), Rarity’s dress shop (I have to buy a tuxedo from her eventually), the spa (a good soak ‘n shave will be nice on occasion), the hairdresser’s (gotta keep my mane and tail nice and trimmed), and the various fruit and vegetable stands.
Suddenly, a pink head emerged from Sugarcube Corner, spotted me, and turned into a pink streak and two bright blue eyes inches from my face in an impossibly fast record time. I flinched back, caught off-guard at the suddenness, but then I realized who I was looking at – Pinkie Pie.
“Um… I’m Zytharros,” I introduced, still sort of reeling in shock.
She looked at Applejack and asked, “Is he new?” She looked at me, and continued. “You must be new because I’ve never seen you before and I know all of the ponies in Ponyville but I’ve never seen you around! Welcome to Ponyville! Come by Sugarcube Corner tonight!”
I nervously smiled. “O-kay…”
Pinkie Pie leapt in the air with a “Yay!” and bolted off to begin preparations.
“That was… dynamic,” I commented.
Applejack chuckled. “That’s Pinkie Pie for you.”
“Yeah. She’s a little…” Applebloom said before rolling her eyes in opposite directions, “…crazy.”
“Looks like you’ll have a busy night tonight,” Applejack continued.
As the shock subsided, I laughed. “My sister has a friend who was very much like Pinkie when she was younger. She was always a pleasure to be around.”
We carried on to the other side of town, making our way to Twilight’s library. We passed by a couple other ponies who I was introduced to – Lyra and Bon Bon – and a weird, gray and blond pegasus balancing two giant anvils and a piano on a tiny box while riding a unicycle named Derpy.
Surprised, Applejack commented, “That’s a first.”
I was still wondering where Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity were.
We made it to the library where Twilight resided. It looked like she had magically moved the door again, and Applejack spent no time telling her how frustrated she was.
“Oh for the love of Pete… Twilight!” she screamed. “Can’t you just leave the door in one place for once?”
There was no sound. Applejack groaned. She walked up to the door and knocked twice. The door opened and Twilight Sparkle peeked out.
“Oh, hi, Applejack. Didn’t hear you. How long were you waiting?”
“Not long. But seriously, why do you move that dang blasted door every few weeks?” she asked.
Twilight bit her lip, then spotted me. “Oh, hi! Who are you?”
Applejack muttered, “You didn’t answer my question…”
Apple Bloom piped up. “This here’s Zytharros. He just arrived in town today.”
“Zytharros? That’s not a typical pony name,” Twilight asked. “Where are you from?”
“I’m from Earth,” I informed. Gambling that she would know something of how Earth ponies got to Equestria, I continued, “I came through a magic portal.”
“A magic portal on Earth?” Twilight asked, alarmed. “We better tell the Princess about it.” She turned her attention to a little purple dragon who had suddenly become alerted by her alarmed tone. “Spike! Take a letter!”
“On it, Twi!” he said, snatching a piece of paper and a quill off the table. Twilight began to dictate.
Dear Princess Celestia,
A new arrival in Ponyville has me concerned. His name is Zytharros, and he claims to have come from Earth. He has since been transformed into a pony – specifically a pegasus unicorn (so I do have a horn…). I suspect there may be a weakness in the barrier barring our worlds. Do you know of any incidences when this has occurred? I would advise that you speak to Zytharros directly on this matter. It may be of great importance to Equestria and Earth.
Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.
Spike blew on the letter with the fires of messaging and sent the letter onward. Within just twenty seconds, Celestia responded. I was repulsed by the fact that Spike had to barf up letters, but Twilight and Applejack acted as if it was everyday business. Twilight picked up the Princess’ latest letter and began to read…
To my faithful student Twilight,
There is indeed something dark going on in Equestria, and this time, the Elements of Harmony will not be enough. This is why I allowed him to see the portal. His peaceful heart will need to ground and amplify the power of the Elements of Harmony beyond the power you and your friends can provide to fight this latest threat.
You will be wondering why I haven’t given you any information. This is because I have little more than you do. All I have is this – this threat is going to be subtle, and you will need someone who can act as a rock for your group to rely on, a point of stability beyond what each of you can provide for each other.
My charge for you is this – get Zytharros comfortable in Ponyville, then begin looking for the new threat with his help.
I warn you to keep this within your group. Never let Zytharros’ origins be revealed to anyone outside of those who hold the Elements of Harmony!
This is urgent – I fear we may only have a few weeks to find this threat.
Princess Celestia.
I went slack-jawed. “So, not only did I get to come to Equestria, I was actually summoned by the Princess?”
“Sounds like it,” Applejack said. “Sounds like you’ll be here a while, too.”
“Well, we need to find you a place to call your own,” Twilight said. “We’ve also got to familiarize you with your abilities.”
“I need to tell my wife back home what I’m doing,” I said. “I’ve gotta get word to her.”
Twilight began walking out the door. “I don’t know if we can, Zytharros. You’re just going to have to try explaining it all when you get back home.”
“If I get back home,” I mumbled.
Applejack smiled, then wrapped a leg around me. “It’s okay, Z. We’ll get you home.”
Apple Bloom smiled with her sister. “We’ll find you a way home when we’re done. For now, we need to worry about this threat!”
“Apple Bloom, you need to get home,” Applejack ordered. “See that the farm’s in good running order. Zytharros will need some of our apples until he gets settled in with a job and all.”
“Okay, sis!” Apple Bloom said, leaving Twilight’s library.
A sudden burst of thought crossed my mind. “You think I could help out around the farm, Applejack? At least, until I get some work in town? I had an orchard of apples, pears, plums, and figs back on the farm at home.”
Applejack smiled. “It is almost apple-buckin’ season, and we could use the help.”
I nodded. “Okay. I’ll be there.”
“You can stay here in the basement, Zy,” Twilight offered. “At least, until you make enough to buy your own place.”
“Thank you, Twilight,” I gratefully said.
The sun was setting for the evening, and I hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Twilight heard the roaring of my gullet as well.
“Shall we get you something to eat?” she asked.
“That would be wonderful… I’m famished!” I said.
Twilight smiled. “No problem. Let’s head to Sugarcube Corner for supper.”
I followed the azure pony out into the evening sky towards Sugarcube Corner. Along the way, we talked about what Earth was like and what kind of skills I had. She showed me a couple of simple levitation tricks using Spike as a semi-willing assistant, and gave me some of her parchment and a couple of quills to use to write with.
We arrived at Sugarcube Corner and entered. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie and half of Ponyville leapt out and screamed “Surprise!!” A little shocked, I stumbled back a bit, but chuckled as the party resumed. I decided to mosey over to the muffin rack – I needed healthy food, not sweets.
After grabbing my first muffin, I perused the different inhabitants. I noted the presence of Derpy, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, and my accompanier Twilight, but Rainbow and Fluttershy weren’t there. Wanting to ask, but knowing I still didn’t “know” them in their minds, I kept the question to myself… but Rarity didn’t.
“So, where are Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash?” the purple-plumed pony asked. “I thought they were invited, too.”
Pinkie responded, “Oh, Rainbow’s busy in Cloudsdale at a Wonderbolts convention and won’t be back in Ponyville until late, and Fluttershy said she had a busy day and couldn’t come tonight because she was tired. Boy, did she look it when I visited her! I hear she’s been having a hard time with some of her animals.”
I listened intently.
“Angel was freaking out over something, and the animals all fled, so she spent most of the day chasing them around her land on the edge of Everfree. She managed to get them all rounded up herself, but-”
“Oh, shoot…” Applejack muttered. “I was supposed to help her with that today. I’m going to have to go and apologize to her for that tomorrow. With Zytharros here arriving at the top of the day, and with him being a first-time pony and all, it completely slipped my mind.”
Rarity’s eyes blew out of her head in surprise. “First-time pony!? I was sure I had seen him in Canterlot before today.” She turned to me. “Where do you come from?”
“I’ll tell you later,” I said. “It’s… complicated.”
Rarity thought about pushing further, but Twilight shook her head and leaned in.
“It’s… for the holders of the Elements of Harmony only,” Twilight whispered. “Come over tonight.”
Rarity stuck a drink to her lips and sipped. She never let her eyes off me the rest of the night, which I found a little… off-putting.
Pinkie noted I was eating only healthy stuff, so she ran to a cake and brought me a slice. “Here! Try the cake!”
I swallowed the last of the muffin I was eating and shook my head. “I can’t eat too much sugar. I have stomach issues. Let me enjoy the sweets at my own pace.”
Pinkie’s face shaped into a very exaggerated “oh…” which she finished off with a smiley “Okay!”
“I will take that piece of cake, though,” I said, smiling. “Thank you, Pinkie.”
“No problem!” she spoke brightly.
Twilight paid for everything I ate that night – and boy, did she pay. I had three muffins, two donuts, several different fruits, a serving of salad, and several glasses of juice. The total price amounted to nearly fifty bits. I learned more about each of the ponies I had met earlier in the day, and struck up quite a friendship with Derpy and DJ P0N-3, who was providing the tunage for the evening.
Back in Twilight’s library that night, Rarity came over and we explained everything. She was understandably horrified.
“The Princess thinks the latest threat is that bad?” she asked.
Twilight nodded. “She said we need his stability if we hope to survive.”
“We should tell Rainbow and Fluttershy when we see them tomorrow, posthaste,” Rarity declared. “We’ve nary a moment to lose!”
I simply watched, still in a bit of an amazement halo after coming through the portal. I had picked up one of Twilight’s inks and began to write a song based on my experiences.
“We’ll do that tomorrow, Rarity,” Twilight said. “For tonight, we should gather our strength to help him out as much as we can.”
“Agreed,” Rarity said. “Well, good night, Zytharros and Twilight. We’ve a lot of work ahead of us.”
“Night, Rarity,” I said.
Twilight looked over at me after seeing her friend out. She came over and sat by me.
“What are you writing?” she asked.
I shyly showed her a rough draft of one of my songs. “I… don’t normally like people watching me when I write. I get intensely personal when I do.”
Twilight smiled. “It’s not a bad song,” she complemented, returning the paper to me. “We should get some sleep, Zytharros.”
“I’ve got to show up at Applejack’s early tomorrow, so I should. I’m getting some apple-bucking lessons so I can help out there.”
With that, we said our good nights and slipped into our respective comas. I lay awake for a little bit, stretching out my wings.
They’ll get some use later, I thought.