"Welcome to our world." That was probably the single most beautiful, heart-touching sentence that had ever been spoken directly to my face.
No need to go through it all again; we know how these ponies are. They are just too sweet and welcoming to believe; I mean, it's as if they just adopted me right away! All it took was a little bit of basic friendliness and display of knowledge about them, and they don't even bother asking me if I've ever done anything threatening. It really does go a long way!
And then they know ever so well how to talk to me about the bad things I'm going through. Golden Harvest especially; coming across her turned out to be lucky.
I continue to hold all of this in me as we walk out of the awesome Sugarcube Corner; I am both full of delicious dessert and gratitude. As if the residents of Ponyville hadn't already done even more for me than I expected; like, I really didn't need a bonus free treat. I didn't resist, I'm letting the ponies be what they are, but I do feel kind of spoiled right now.
But again, they apparently don't see it that way.
"I hope we were able to satisfy you in every way you needed it, P4!", Bon Bon says to me.
"Oh, you have. 100%.", I say. "I just overall feel good right now, and it's thanks to you. I just feel good right now. I don't think anything can derail my momentum."
That's right. With things going well here in the middle of June 12, 2016, it's now time for the day's next phase.
The next phase has something to do with that "world" part of the aforementioned sentence that I named the most beautiful. Now that dessert is done, I'm about to learn some cool, and hopefully helpful, stuff about worlds. Specifically, I'm going to go to the Castle of Friendship and have a meeting session with Princess Twilight Sparkle about how I can get back to my world, and, if there's time, other things such as what Lyra and I were talking about: how two planets in completely different universes have such similar civilizations. But we'll mostly focus on how I get home.
And we begin our journey there back as a duo. By this point, Lyra and Bon Bon had left the group; they had their own things to take care of in today's second half. Bon Bon needed to go back to her candy shop to open it for the afternoon shift, and Lyra, being the shop's taste-tester, had to return as well. Looking back on the time they were with us, it was downright awesome to spend time with those two roommate ponies. I'd definitely go visit them at some point, probably starting at the candy store. I'm a candy lover; I have to get a taste of some of those bonbons one day. (Pun intended)
Oog, though. After all that dessert, even thinking of candy right now is making me a bit sick. So I think I'll... stop.
Which I can do so fairly easy, as I'm hitting a striking visual aid. Applejack and I begin to cross out of Ponyville's downtown area, reaching another outskirts part. As the number of buildings and their distance from each other continues to dwindle as we walk by, I can occupy my mind by wondering if we're in the area I think we are.
I had guessed right; we caught glimpse of the building I was thinking of. These more remote areas on this other side of town, completely opposite from where Sweet Apple Acres is, are the home of the Castle of Friendship, in all its glory.
Boy, does it really stand. Both in terms of height and standing out. It's instantly recognizable from a long distance, and you don't have to get over the planet's curve that much to see the top of it.
I do really hope Twilight has heard the news of my presence so that I don't have to explain everything again...
Yeah, I was getting a bit tired of that. Hopefully somepony has told Twilight that I'm here.
We go up and give the royal front door a knock, where it soon opens to reveal the Princess of Friendship herself. I was expecting Spike, as I know Twilight is usually busy, but that appears to not be the case right now. Maybe she, like us, had just gotten off of lunch break and hadn't had time to return to work before we knocked.
Me, not wanting to potentially give the purple alicorn too much of a shocker right now, step out of the door's view window and let Applejack kick things off; the same thing I did with Granny Smith and Pinkie Pie.
"Oh, Applejack! What brings you here?", Twilight asks in her sweet, joyful voice.
"Ah came to ask ya if you've heard the news that a human came to Equestria.", Applejack says.
"Matter of fact, I did hear about that!", Twilight responds. "Spike and I left the castle to run some errands, and a couple ponies came up to us saying things about it! Are you here at the castle because the human wants to come here?"
"Yup, and he's here right now!", Applejack says. I move over from the side into Twilight's view. "This is Player 4.", Applejack says.
"Hi there, Player 4! Nice to see you in our world!", she says, giving me a hoofshake.
"It is an honor to meet you, Your Highness.", I say, bowing.
"Oh, you don't need to be formal; just call me Twilight.", she says. "So, since you must be from another world, are you here to learn about that stuff, like alternate universes and such?"
"Yes, that's exactly it. Great guess.", I say. "For me, I have an interesting situation because I figured out the science on how to get here. I made a portal. But I can't make a reverse portal; I have no way of going back home. So I'm mainly here for that."
"Okay, that sounds good!", Twilight says. "You've come to the right place; just follow me!"
I take my first steps into the notorious Castle of Friendship; it looks even cooler in person. The whole place shines and sparkles right at you from every direction, and the color scheme of blue and purple is ever so fitting. Very Twilight-like and magical.
I don't have to worry about navigating this maze-like residence right now; Twilight, being a resident, knows exactly where our destination is. I get to do nothing but follow her down this place's massive halls into her chosen area for a long discussion to be held.
Twilight, Applejack, and myself reach a more hidden area of the castle and arrive into a dark-purple room that has less shine and sparkle, being bordered by generic walls and floors, and featuring almost nothing but a fairly large table and a couple of small bookshelves. I suppose it did make a good environment for a small-group meeting room; it's more intimate.
"Have a seat!", Twilight says to me. "We'll go through everything on your mind, one step at a time, and I'll do my best to explain everything!"
I do what she offers, getting myself situated for what should be a big game-changer in my Equestrian journey. Seated to my right on the light-brown table, Applejack faces towards me, causing me to remember what she said to me last night. Even without any words, I could tell she was saying "It's okay. You're in good hands; you'll get the problems figured out." And I know it must be true; we're talking about Twilight here. She may not be able to answer everything, but she has to have access to enough info that last night won't repeat. There's no reason to believe otherwise.
Applejack really has earned her title as the Element of Honesty!
Twilight picks out a few books from the shelves that she can decipher will be relevant to our discussion. After gathering them all, she takes her seat at the other side of the table and begins the meeting that should clear up most of the things that are still plaguing me here in the middle of Day 2 in Equestria.
"So, Player 4, you told me what's on your mind first and foremost is figuring out how to get you home, correct?", Twilight begins the conversation with.
"Correct.", I say.
"Can you tell me how exactly you got here? What you used to make that portal?", Twilight asks.
Well, this is going to be tough. I was usually able to just explain this in layman's terms, but I couldn't do that here. Twilight needs a lot of detail to give me the answers I need.
I must do it, so I give myself a push, telling myself to just say what comes to me. And this does appear to work.
"Okay, so what I did was, using the device I would watch your show on, I paused it while it was on a screenshot of Equestria, extracted out the binary code holding that image, then held the SD card carrying the code up to the sunlight, where it attached itself to a multiplying path of light, going through space, back to the point where it came from, which was here. Being overwhelmed by that desire, it exploded into a portal going here, and I jumped through it."
"I really hope you can find info about this, especially because that particular device I was talking about might not exist here. In fact, I'm not sure about binary codes either."
Right. I didn't say the word "computer", but still, now the "how do you know" question is being turned back over to me. The ponies here clearly do know that FiM exists, but as of yet, nopony had asked me how exactly I'm able to watch the show. I hadn't taken time to think of this, because I hadn't needed to. But now, with incentive to think about it, I don't suppose that TV, computers, tablets, etc. exist here. Looking at the show, they don't seem to. Owning up to that, do Equestrians have any technology that necessitates binary codes? Does Twilight know what in the world I'm talking about?
Well, we just have to wait.
I keep myself stable by reiterating "Focus on this present moment only. One step at a time, like always."
Twilight gathers this info sooner than I expected, and in fact, she found what she was looking for on the first book she tried.
"So what you were saying was, you were using some kind of video viewing device to watch our show."
Well, can't beat around the bush now.
"Yes, I was, and do you here in Equestria have anything similar? Because the technology between here and my world seems very different. Like, do you know about this thing called 'TV?'", I ask.
"TV? Yeah, it's not common here, but it exists. And we do have movie theaters in Equestria, so we know about video watching.", Twilight says.
Oh my goodness, she's right! They do have movie theaters; you can see one in the episode "Babs Seed!" How could I ever forget?
Yeah, I'm relieved, but also embarrassed.
"I just remembered, Twilight, that yes, there is an episode showing a movie theater. Somehow, I just forgot about it.", I say.
"Oh, don't worry about it.", Twilight says. "We all forget sometimes. And it doesn't matter to me what you were using; just that you have video viewing on your world, correct?"
"Yes."
Good, so I wouldn't have to explain computers yet.
Twilight switches to a different book, looking for the second puzzle piece of this study.
During these silent parts, I took time to admire this room of the castle. It had a very nice vibe to it; the dark purple color of the walls, the feeling of the carpet on the ground; the library look, with the table and bookshelves; I can definitely see why Twilight chose this as the castle's small-group meeting room. It feels very intimate and calming.
Inside that kind of environment, Applejack and I also exchange silent communication, with me knowing that she's saying in her mind "It's all coming together. Twilight will figure things out."
Yes. She definitely will; she's Twilight.
The bookworm pony takes a lot longer this time, but eventually does find some useful information about that code extraction thing.
"Okay, so what you were telling me about extracting the binary code out; I think I know what a binary code is. We use them for video games, which we also have here. That collection of 1s and 0s that determines what's on the screen, correct?"
"Correct."
That's right; they have video games too! I remember that from "Hearts and Hooves Day!" And of course there's a binary code there!
So I was getting really lucky, but this brings up even more questions: the technology thing is now looking very inconsistent. If TV and video games did exist here, then why weren't they in heavy use like they are on Earth? If they do have this technology, then why are they still using paper delivery to get the news out and conversing over long distances through physical mail?
Well, those are questions to be saved for later, as Twilight is ready again, and now is the time to focus on how fortunate it is that these ponies do have reference for the things I used to get here. Imagine what my situation would look like if they didn't!
"So, how did the knowledge come about that you could 'extract' this binary code and make a portal by holding it up to the sun?", Twilight asks me.
"It's a really long story that's hard to explain,", I sigh, "but I'll try as best as I can; I know you need this. So, back at home, I was a member of a science group where we experimented with things a lot. One day, somebody in the group hypothesized about the possibility of taking a binary code out of its system and using it elsewhere. We tried it, and it turned out to be true."
"Then, on the day I knew I really wanted to come to Equestria, I remembered this after I learned that other universes existed. Then, how I knew that light was the way to do it was because light was the only thing I knew of that could travel to another universe. I saw no reason to believe that it couldn't, but had every reason to believe that most other things couldn't. And with that, I assumed that the only thing that could possibly connect the binary code to its point of origin, when it's that far away, is to make it travel along a light source. Actually, multiple light sources, if you don't want it to take millions or billions of years."
"That was a lot of info, did you get all that?"
"Yeah, I'm good! I'm still writing it down, but you're good. I got that.", Twilight says.
She finishes writing. "So then, how did you figure out that doing this light thing would cause a portal to appear?"
"Basically, since the code naturally wants to be where it came from, allowing it a clear path to where it came from, but not allowing it to directly go there, will lead to the code doing anything it can to take itself there, which in this case, is exploding into a portal; that becomes the only pathway for the code to return to its home. And the reason I was able to go through the portal was because it was located in my world. The laws of physics and such are always confined to the location of the portal's beginning, and they change as the portal goes along. Though somehow, I didn't feel any changes while traveling through."
Yeah, that was interesting. I even still looked like my Earth self right until the end. Huh.
"And now, I can only assume that the reason I can't go back is because I no longer have the SD card. It exploded, obviously."
Twilight takes time to write all of this down.
"Is that all I need to know?", she asks.
"Yes ma'am.", I say.
Twilight takes a good look at her notes, then refers back to the books, and back again. Back and forth.
Eventually, she closes the books, and begins her part of the conversation.
"That was some really neat stuff you did there, let me tell you that. Being able to figure out all that complicated science and get here from another universe; that's really impressive, Player 4. And since you're here by your own choice, I say welcome! I hope you will love your stay here, however long it is. Now, getting into that, there is a lot going on with regards to getting you home. I do think it will take quite a long time. But again, you came here on purpose, so I hope that doesn't bother you."
Oh right, this thing!
"You're right, I did want to be here, really badly, and I am happy that I'm here. It's only the second day and I'm already loving Equestria. But what is bothering me is the fact that I can't tell my family what's going on. Because, here's the thing: on my world, it is not believed that you ponies or your land exist. You're believed to be a piece of folklore, just like humans were here. I did leave a note explaining what I was doing before I left, why I would be gone, but needless to say, they probably don't believe it, and who is to say what they're feeling right now, not being able to find me."
Twilight notices my progressively sadder face as I say this, and, being Twilight, comes up with a brilliant idea.
"How about, since you wanted to be here,", she says, in a calming demeanor, "I'll work on the family thing first. Before we figure out how to get you home, I'll figure out how you can send pictures and video to your family, so you can prove that you are here without having to leave here. You'll have that worry crossed out, but you'll still get to be in Equestria as you intended. Does that sound good?"
I recover into a happy mood very quickly, because wow. That sounds brilliant. Twilight is right; it's not that I want to go home by any stretch; I'm excited as heck to be in Equestria! It's just I want the people at home to know that I really am where I am. I want to get rid of those sleep-depriving thoughts that manifested last night.
So yes, I will go with this. For sure.
"Yes, please do that. That is what I am looking for. Thank you, Twilight."
It is what I'm looking for. That's exactly it! It will remove the problem of not being able to tell my family where I went without having to do something I can't do! My stay in Equestria wouldn't be plagued by these worries!
"You're so welcome, P4!", Twilight says. "I'll get to work on it as soon as I can. And, as soon as both of us can, how about we schedule a meetup where we can get to know each other better? Something that doesn't involve working?"
"Yes, that would be wonderful! I'll have to check my schedule, but I'll figure it out! See you then!"
"See you then, P4!"
Actually, hold on, the meeting isn't quite done yet.
"And Applejack," Twilight says, "you came here with him, so am I right that you are the one who is taking care of Four here?"
"Yup. He showed up right in Sweet Apple Acres, ah was the first to see him, we got 'im acquainted with Granny, Big Mac, and Applebloom, he's got a guest barn, he's gettin' food and water, all that. He's doing just fine at the farm, he'd say."
"She's right.", I respond. "I'm in a good place at Sweet Apple Acres."
"Well, good! I hope you two become friends!", Twilight says.
Sounds like something she would say; she was the Princess of Friendship. And I agree with her. The prospect of a friendship with Applejack sounded awesome to me well before I came here, and it has the perfect breeding ground, with me staying over at the farm!
Hmm. Will Applejack become my next best friend?
Sure was something to think about!
After a meeting and study session that clearly deserves nothing short of a "success" check mark, Twilight ends the ordeal. "Well, looks like that's it!", she says. Here, I'll walk you out."
She leads us backwards along the path where we came from, taking us through the castle and out into the sun.
"I wish you well on your adventure, P4!", Twilight says as she waves to me as we walk out the door.
I smile at her, feeling ever so good right now. Remember what I said to Bon Bon after we had just left Sugarcube Corner? Well, given that I had to talk out loud about the problems I was facing and ask if they could be solved, that statement could have aged very badly! But... it didn't! Equestria, as it turns out, does have the necessary technology, and all the info was right there in Twilight's hooves! I will get to confirm my presence in Equestria to my family! How awesome is that?
I'm happy.
Now, about that casual meet-up thing: checking my schedule was something I definitely needed to do. I had now agreed to three meet-ups with four ponies; Golden Harvest, Lyra + Bon Bon, and Twilight. And none of them gave me any scheduling on their part. Yeah, this wasn't going to be easy.
Hey, at least there was the welcome party today; I'd get to have some meet-and-greet there, and hopefully those four ponies, or at least a few of them, would be there to fill some of the space and talk to me about scheduling.
Speaking of which, how long is it until the welcome party?
I look at my watch, which Bon Bon had given to me before she left. It's 14:19, so about three hours. Pinkie Pie said it was starting at 17:20. So, what was next?
I ask Applejack. "We still have three hours until the welcome party starts, so what do we do next?", I say.
"Well, mah mission today is to have ya meet up with all of mah friends. So far, we've done Pinkie and Twilight, so we still need Rarity, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash. Ah'm thinking we go to Rarity next, cause you need some new clothes, pardner."
...Oh gosh.