The last ten minutes of the flight seemed to drag on longer than Jacob could have thought possible. The swaying of the cabin along with the patches of green passing was starting to lull him to sleep. It wasn't until he felt a sudden jolt that he realized that they were preparing to land.
Descending was just as uncomfortable as takeoff. The teenager felt his grip on the seat tighten as the rapidly approaching village grew closer. From the looks of it, the architects that built the town were in love with beige colored material and thatched roofing. The dirt roads that littered the street weren't too populated, leaving Jacob to believe that Ponyville was in fact a pretty small and quiet town.
Jacob rested his head on the seat and waited for the butterflies in his stomach to settle. Just as takeoff had been a little disorientating, the landing’s sudden lurch gave him the same unsettling feeling. Although, the knowledge that he was safe back on the ground quickly overpowered his discomfort. A few quiet seconds passed before the two side doors of the carriage opened up and allowed him to disembark. His feet impacted the dirt less than a second later.
“Here we are! Home sweet home,” Twilight announced and floated Jacobs bag over to him. “For the first time flying, you took it pretty well.”
In the corner of his eyes the human could see a few ponies stop walking and stare over in his direction. The instant he turned to face them however, they rushed off in a near trot. Jacob felt a few eyes on his back, but forced himself to focus on Twilight.
“I guess. I hope I don't get used to it.” The human responded and grabbed his bag by the handle. His attention was seemingly drawn to the large tree that loomed a few stories over them. For a split second he thought that Twilight was joking, until he saw her walk towards a large red door built into the tree itself. Near the door a large sign read ‘Golden Oak Library’. With a polite smile she opened the door and motioned for him to enter first.
Still believing that this was a prank, Jacob wandered into the hollowed out oak tree and instantly found himself rubbing his eyes in disbelief. The interior was deceptively large compared to what he saw on the outside. The most eye-catching thing, besides the wooden equestrian head placed on a table in the center of the room, was the odd number of books the lined shelves built into the walls. Before Jacob had the opportunity to question why Twilight would live in a library, he heard a young sounding voice call out from another room. “Twilight? You’re back already?”
A moment later the human felt his blood run cold. A bipedal dragon slowly entered the room. The sudden appearance of a creature that he believed could roast effortlessly caused Jacob to back up a few steps and stare at the surprisingly unthreatening looking purple dragon. However. it didn't take longer than a few seconds to realize that the dragon didn't have plans to burn him to a crisp, considering the fact he was wearing an apron and clutching a broom in both hands.
“Yep! This is Jacob. Jacob, this is Spike.” Twilight introduced and smiled towards both of them.
The purple dragon looked up at the human and smiled. “Nice to meet you!”
“Er.. Yeah, same here.” Jacob responded, mentally kicking himself for his slightly awkward response.
Although Spike’s smile was genuine, Jacob found it slightly unnerving. Thankfully after a few moments the dragon turned his attention over to Twilight. “I'm going to get back to sweeping, Twi.”
"Alright Spike, thank you. Well, that was Spike! Are you alright?" Twilight asked as she saw the teenager cautiously watching the drake walk off.
"I didn't know dragons were real... What if he accidentally burns down the town or something?" Jacob questioned and looked back towards the princess of Friendship.
Twilight couldn't help but giggle at the human's ignorance. "Of course dragons are real! And I assure you, Spike won't do anything like that. He is only a baby dragon after all." She said as if Jacob was supposed to have known. "Anyway, I'll show you to your room."
"My room? I get a room?" The teenager asked as he began to follow Twilight.
"Of course. I'm not going to make you sleep on the floor! Watch your step." She warned and opened a small door that lead to stairs that descended into darkness.
Twilight casually flicked a switch and the entire stairwell erupted with light. The two made their way down the steps. Jacob felt his eyes glued to the strange objects up ahead of them. Beakers, vials, strange chemicals and even a chair with straps were visible as they reached the basement. A few rows of bookshelves clung against the walls, as well as a couple of framed pictures.
Twilight walked him into a decently sized guest room and smiled. "I'll let you unpack and get everything situated. Dinner will be ready in an hour or so."
Jacob couldn't help but feel appreciative, especially for having a roof over his head. Even if it wasn't home. "Thank you." He said as Twilight trotted off back upstairs to leave him alone.
The young man walked forward and tossed his bag onto the spacious bed and rubbed his chin. "I can't let myself get too comfortable here. But for now, I might as well make the best of this."
For the next five minutes Jacob unloaded his bag and began to neatly fold his other set of clothes and place them in a small dresser near the bed. A spare pair of clothes, including what he was wearing, an empty water bottle, and a crumbled piece of paper... He didn't have much. Curiously he began to unfold it as a slight movement stole his attention. Jacob turned just in time to see Spike slowly walk inside the room and look up at him.
"Hey, um, Jacob, right?" He asked with a small smile.
"Yeah. What's up?" Jacob asked back and tossed the piece of paper onto the dresser.
"Just wanted to say hi. So... Where are you from anyway? Canterlot? Manehatten?" The drake asked curiously.
For a few seconds Jacob stared in silence, before he broke out with a small sigh. "Let's just say I'm not from around here and leave it at that."
"Oh. Alright," Spike mumbled, clearly a tad disappointed, but he kept his small smile. "Maybe I could show you around town? Twilight is making dinner tonight, and we have a while if she doesn't set the library on fire."
"What do you mean by that? Does she not normally do the cooking?" Jacob asked as he stretched his back and glanced down at Spike.
"That's usually my thing. Not that I like to brag, but I make a mean spaghetti and hayballs." He stated proudly and grinned.
"Well, I guess there is nothing better to do. Might as well get used to this place. Ponytown, right?"
"Ponyville. Well come on then!" Spike dashed out of the room and up the basement steps.
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................
The relaxing breeze in the crisp Autumn air was greatly appreciated by the human as he and Spike walked out of the large library. From first glance, it appeared the town was nearly completely empty. Spike was confused by this, but Jacob knew exactly why they were all alone. The very moment he had stepped out of the carriage with Twilight Sparkle everypony's eyes were glued to him. A mixture of shock and fear plastered to their faces. It wasn't an easy thing to forget, that's for sure. At a subconscious level, It hurt him. Bringing fear into the hearts of dozens was something that Jacob was by no means proud of. However, there was nothing he could have done to prevent it. Spike was none the wiser to this. The human was quite skilled in hiding his emotions from others when he felt the need.
The architecture was something Jacob had not seen in person before. Wooden cottages with thatched roofs seemed to be the style that these ponies were accustomed to. Every home had its shutters shut and Jacob could swear he heard doors lock and deadbolts click.
"This is weird. Kind of reminds me of when Zecora first came to town..." Spike mumbled to himself and took a quick glance of the human behind him before the realization hit him.
To the drake, it was very frustrating to witness again. Spike knew that it would be a few days at the most and the townsponies would see that Jacob wasn't a big scary monster. At least, he hoped that would be the case.
"I didn't know this was a ghost town." Jacob stated dryly, growing tired of the awkward silence.
"Sorry Jacob, I didn't know everypony would be... Like this." Spike said sincerely and looked up to the human.
"Don’t worry about it. Let's just get going." Jacob responded shortly and looked towards a strange building that seemed to be made of gingerbread. Even the roof was frosted.
Spike quickly decided that Sugarcube Corner would be their first stop. If anypony would be able make the human's first day memorable, it was Pinkie Pie. From the looks of it, the bakery was empty as well.
"Let's head on inside. I know Pinkie will want to meet you!" Spike said with a small chuckle.
"Pinkie? She would? Well, if you think that's where we should go." The teenager responded quietly.
"I do, just... Expect... Just be ready for anything." Spike advised and walked into the rather unique, and delicious looking building.
Jacob let out a weak sigh and followed the dragon inside the bakery. Instantly the smell of fresh baked goods, namely muffins and pie, greeted them both.
The interior of the bakery wasn't too much different from what Jacob had been expecting. Lots of colorful creations lined the shelves. They all looked rather impressive. Although Jacob didn't particularly have a sweet tooth, he knew that whoever created the sugary treats had a talent in it. He trailed Spike to the counter and watched as he hopped up to ring the bell that sat on the countertop.
Before Jacob had the opportunity to blink, a flash of pink swept in from seemingly nowhere. Almost instantly a very bubbly pink mare stood behind the counter, beaming widely and bouncing in place.
"Spike! The usual? Double chocolate cupcake with gems sprinkled on-" The mile-a-minute speaking mare stopped and looked up slightly to the confused and almost horrified human. "You must be the new pony that everypony was whispering about! They seemed real excited to meet you. They were in a hurry to leave... But wait! You aren't a pony!"
Jacob just stood in shock of the impossibly hyper and overly joyful mare as she grinned up at him.
"He is a human, Pinkie. Right Jacob? Oh, and yes please!" Spike happily answered.
"Yeah. I am." Jacob eventually said and looked back to Spike. The wide smile the mare sported was beginning to make him feel uncomfortable.
The pink mare slid open a drawer near the counter and pulled out a large cupcake, completely coated in chocolate frosting. She then sprinkled a few small, shiny gemstones on top. "There you go! Did you want anything Jacob?" Pinkie Pie inquired politely.
"No thanks. I'm not really into sweets." He responded and watched as Spike happily grabbed his treat and walked towards a table.
"Not into... Ahahah! Good one Jacob! I can see you're a jokester, like me! Anyway, it's great to meet you! My name is Pinkie Pie. But my friends just call me Pinkie. I already know we are going to be great friends! I can't wait to throw you a surprise welcome to-" Pinkie quickly covered her mouth with both hooves before sniggering. "You didn't hear that! Anyway, I hope you enjoy it here!"
With that, Pinkie casually bounced out of the room, humming to herself while Spike began to dig in. Jacob just shook his head and walked back to Spike. He sat down on the other side of the table and rested his elbows on the table.
"Is Pinkie Pie always so..."
"Unpredictable? Energetic? Excitable? Yeah, pretty much." Spike laughed and took a large bite out of his cupcake and chewed the gemstones loudly. "Mmm.. This hits the spot. Want some?" The drake offered, presenting the half-eaten treat.
"I'm good. Didn't you want to wait until dinner? I mean, Twilight is cooking, isn't she?"
"She is. But I’m hungry now. Besides, there is never a bad time for cupcakes! Especially with gems sprinkled on top!" Spike retorted, licking some frosting from his lips.
“You said it, Spike!” Pinkie Pie shouted from behind the counter.
The human's eyes rolled as he glanced out the window to his left. The streets had begun to repopulate with dozens of colorful ponies. He wondered if they would scurry away the moment he left the bakery.
"How long have you lived with Twilight?" Jacob eventually asked.
"Since the day she hatched me," Spike replied happily and licked his lips clean of tiny fragments of gem and some more traces of chocolate frosting. "We have only lived in Ponyville for about three years though."
Jacob raised an eyebrow and looked back towards Spike. "Wait... She hatched you?"
"Yeah! She did. How long have you been in Equestria? Princess Celestia said you were new, but she really didn't go on much about it." Spike responded honestly, smiling up at the curious human.
"About two days. What else did she say about me?" Jacob curiously prodded.
"Not much really. Just that you needed somewhere to stay. And that you got really hurt. And... Yeah. Pretty much it. Let's go head back to the library. We can continue the tour after supper." Spike happily said and stood up.
"Lead the way then, Spike." The slightly anxious human mumbled.
.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................
The journey back towards The Golden Oaks Library was much different from what Jacob had expected. The townsfolk took one glance at him, and then at the smiling drake. Instead of running indoors or screaming over dramatically, they just watched. The tension was thick enough to cut with a knife. To make matters worse, the sound of whispers infiltrated Jacob's ears. The feeling of being the center of attention, as well as the subject to hushed conversation made the pit in his stomach deepen.
Spike wasn't oblivious to the fact the human behind him was beginning to feel uneasy. The best he could do was distract him from the locked eyes and hushed voices.
"Do you like board games? I mean, we have tons of them. We could play some later if you want?" Spike smiled weakly up at the human.
"No thanks. I’m not really into board games..." Jacob mumbled in response, his eyes trailing to his feet.
“Oh, okay then. How about-” The drake was interrupted as a flash of blue swept past and stopped directly in front of them.
Standing tall and proud, Rainbow Dash looked up at the human, then back down at Spike. "So... This is what everypony is so freaked out about? I don't see the big deal. You don't seem like a monster that would eat all the foals in town."
Spike blinked a few times and saw the confused look on Jacob, and Rainbow Dash's faces. "Ponies are saying that?" Spike asked flatly.
"Well, Rose did. But you know how she is. Anyway, I'm Rainbow Dash, element of loyalty, and the coolest, most awesome pony in Equestria!" The multi colored mare introduced.
The mare’s seemingly arrogant attitude was almost entertaining to Jacob. He couldn't help but crack a small smile. “If you say so. I'm Jacob. Wait, what do you mean by ‘the element of loyalty’?”
Rainbow Dash seemed shocked by the human's reaction. But her opportunity to explain her most prized title was too good to pass up. “Well, you see, my friends and I are the elements of harmony. I'm loyalty. We kick evil’s butt wherever it rears its ugly head! I mean, we are kind of a big deal.”
“There's more to it than that Rainbow…” Spike muttered and rolled his eyes. “Twilight can tell you all about the elements, considering she is one.”
“So, you're basically like a superhero?” Jacob curiously asked, unknowingly stroking the cyan mare’s ego further.
“The superiest of heroes! Ehhhh… Good point Spike. Twilight can give you the boring details. I got some stuff to take care of. See you around Jake. You too Spike.” With a flash, the mare was gone and was soaring into the sky.
“Yeah, that was Rainbow Dash. You alright?” Spike asked the human while he watched the mare vanish into the sky.
“Your friends are really strange.” Jacob commented.
“Heh, I guess you could say that! Anyway, let’s get back to the library.”
With nothing other than a small nod, the two resumed their trek back to the mighty oak tree that stood taller than nearly every other building in town.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………...............................................................................................
Jacob didn’t consider himself of connoisseur of Equestrian cuisine by any means. He had to admit that the addition of hay in the main course was unnecessary. Not in a million years did he expect himself to eat what Twilight Sparkle called a “hay burger”. To be polite, he forced himself to swallow the extremely unpalatable food down.
Twilight was beaming, seemingly very proud of the meal she had made. Spike mowed through his food within minutes and rushed off to wash his dishes. Once it was just him and Twilight, she cleared her throat and looked towards him.
“How was the grand tour?” Twilight asked, giggling as she wiped her muzzle with a napkin.
“It was fine, I guess. We didn’t really explore that much. Just the bakery and that area.” Jacob admitted.
“So, I take it you met Pinkie?” The alicorn questioned.
Jacob’s blue eyes trailed off, taking in the scenery of the Library-turned-home. Even the small dining room had shelves built into the walls. Naturally, most of the books were related to cuisine.
“Yeah, I did. She was… Interesting,” The human answered, glancing up from his nearly clean plate. “Is it normal for everyone to hide and gossip when someone new comes to town?”
“Of course not! I’m sorry to hear that… I take full responsibility. I should have made it a top priority to have told everypony that, well… That you would be coming. I hope they didn’t upset you?” Twilight said, genuine concern in her voice.
Jacob shrugged and slouched in his seat. “I mean... It’s whatever.” He sighed, glancing over as Spike walked back in and snatched his plate to wash.
“It’s not “whatever”, Jacob. Everypony, and everyone is welcome here. I don’t want you to think that this is a town of bigots, or anything like that. I apologize for not warning everypony-” Twilight quickly stopped herself, feeling as though she was only making it worse.
“A warning, huh?” Jacob muttered and stood up, turning away to offhandedly glance at a shelf of books nearby. “I guess I’m an alien here… Kind of makes sense.”
“You don’t need to try and make this seem right. It isn’t. Tomorrow, let me make it up to you. I will show you the best Ponyville has to offer, as well as introduce you to my friends. I’m sure you will love them. You’ve already met one of them, after all!” Twilight offered, standing up and walking to the human’s side.
“Two, actually. We came across Rainbow… something…” Jacob trailed off, trying to recall the egotistical mare’s name.
“Oh! You met Rainbow Dash! Guess we can cross two names off the list! Did you two hit it off?” Twilight prodded, smiling widely up at the teenager.
“I mean, I guess so. She seemed okay. Oh, that reminds me… She mentioned something about the Elements of Harmony?”
Twilight giggled to herself, nodding her head. “That does sound like her. She has a habit of making that her go-to when introducing herself. I’m sure she gave you the “we kick evil’s butt wherever it rears its ugly head” spiel?”
“Uh… Yeah. That’s pretty much exactly how she described it. So, you and your friends are heroes?” Jacob asked, only half interested, but that was enough to warrant his attention.
“I don’t really want to conflate what we are and what we represent… But in a way, yes. You see, my friends and I represent harmony. There are six of us. Laughter, generosity, loyalty, honesty, kindness, and magic.” Twilight Sparkle explained.
For a few seconds Jacob just stared, before blinking and nodding his head for her to continue. “Okay…”
“It all started a few years ago, when I first met my friends,” Twilight resumed, floating over a large tome and flipping through the pages. “I think a good place to start is where the elements of Harmony came from, and why they were originally discovered.”
The human let out a weak sigh, almost instantly regretting bringing the topic up. He was greeted with a scribble of what seemed to be a tree. Five large branches sprouted out, each holding what seemed to be a gem. A large star was centered in the trunk, all the branches connected to it. The teenager slowly glanced back towards the eager alicorn, knowing that he was in for a very long, very dreary story.
“It all started over a millennium ago…”
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………............................................................................................
Jacob couldn’t tell if it had only been twenty minutes, or a few hours. Princess Twilight Sparkle seemed to want to read through the entire book she had opened, as well as chime in with stories of her and her friend’s exploits. From turning bad guys into stone, to banishing the representation of evil out of Princess Luna, it seemed as though Jacob was in some kind of fantasy land. In any case, the sound of Twilight closing the heavy book woke the human out of his zoned-out state.
“That about covers it! It is a lot of information to take in. Any questions?” The alicorn asked, the book vanishing with a poof of magic.
“That… Discord guy. If he was such a pain, why not just keep him as a statue? You said he nearly ruined this whole place.” Jacob muttered, standing up out of the chair he had plopped into to stretch his legs.
“You see, if it is possible to reform one of our foes, we will do our best to do so. Sometimes all anypony needs is friendship. Discord was one of those cases,” Twilight responded, glancing out towards the window to see the sun was starting to set. “Heh… Took a tad bit longer than I expected.”
A small yawn escaped the human lips. Although he didn’t do much to warrant physical exhaustion, he still had quite a busy day. A lot was still on his busy mind. His attention briefly turned towards Twilight. “I think I’m going to go lay down,” He murmured and began towards the basement doors. “Oh, and… Thanks for dinner, and well, letting me stay here.” Jacob added.
“It’s not a problem, Jacob. Sleep well! Tomorrow I’ll be sure to change your opinion of Ponyville.” The mare said sincerely.
The teenager smiled weakly, gave small wave, and headed off down into the dimly lit basement. Although he was tired, his brain had gone into overdrive. It was surreal. He was in a world that magic was commonplace. The mare he was sharing a home with was a Princess, and the barer of a magical artifact that had the power to literally save the world. He felt like he was either in an extremely weird dream, or had gone insane. He wasn’t sure which would be better.
He slowly walked through the laboratory, taking a few glances at the beakers and colorful liquids that filled them. Deep down he was afraid, yet, desperate to remember how he got himself into such a crazy predicament. Part of him figured knowing nothing would be better than knowing at all. Once again, he found himself giving up. It destroyed his motivation to try, when his brain refused to cooperate with him.
Once inside his room, he flicked on the light switch and watched as the room lit up. Jacob kicked off his shoes and went to look in his bag for something more comfortable to sleep in. A small piece of paper, the one he had tossed aside a few hours previous laid upon the dresser. Hastily, he picked it up and unfolded the thick crumpled paper. The moment his eyes scanned to paper, he felt his heart racing. Jacob felt himself nearly forgetting to breath as his bright blue eyes absorbed every piece of information from the paper that they could. It wasn’t just a thick piece of paper. It was a photograph that had been carelessly folded up, and tossed aside hours previous. The photo itself seemed familiar, yet completely alien to him at the same time. It was a portrait, taken in front of a house. What had surprised him the most was the obvious tear in the picture. A third of the photograph had been ripped off, leaving only two figures in the picture. One of them, Jacob recognized as himself. He was smiling happily, beaming up at the camera. The version of himself had to be only ten years old, if that. The happiness displayed in the picture made him feel even more horrible. Tears swelled in his eyes as he looked at the figure that stood beside his younger self. It was a woman, in her mid-thirties. She had a beautiful smile, the same dark brown hair and blue eyes Jacob had. There was no doubt in his mind at what he was looking at.
“Mom…”