It was as if laying on a bed of clouds - floating without a care in the world, lightweight and surrounded by a soft nothing. Like flying among the stars, in the void of space. It was a black abyss - completely muffled in sound, where not even heartbeat nor breath could be noticed.
It was like floating underwater, moved by the currents, and surrounded by warm water on all sides, merely laying at the bottom of a lake on a warm spring day, without a care for the world nor a care for one's problems.
...And it happened to be as wet as floating under water. And just as devoid of oxygen.
It took some realization that the second paragraph was not a metaphor.
The human's eyes shot open, and panic had strained what little oxygen supply they had. They thrashed in the water like a person who was just frightened under their bedsheets - unable to throw off this blanket of water around them. In reflex, they looked up desperately for the surface - and there it was; with the sun glaring through the sheet of water, and the orange - warm morning sun radiating off deep into the lake.
The human swam up, limbs paddling and thrashing against the water and gravity itself, fighting back the exhaustion and exertion that came from the mere motion. It all went against the human's air supply, as the hard work actively reduced their ability to hold their breath. Vision was fading, and it had appeared as if the sun was setting much earlier than it should have - that the sheet of surface's water above was no longer sparkling.
With one triumphant stroke of their arms, the human had broken above the surface, and into the fresh air of a very, very unfamiliar land.
The human, in panic, swam to the nearest beach - which was some ten seconds of frantic swimming until their feet were able to touch the mud of the lake. They crawled onto the grass and hyperventilated, turning onto their side and coughing up the water that had been stuck in their throat. Only then did they realized they were clothed the whole time - in a pair of comfortable shoes (now sullied by mud), black pants (also sullied by mud), and a comfortable black jacket with a t-shirt underneath (partially sullied). They recognized these clothes as familiar articles, and felt relief that they wouldn't be naked out in the wilderness.
Their assumptions about the wilderness were broken as they turned to the other side, and saw it...
And now, the unfamiliar land became very, very familiar. And the human gasped, stumbling onto their feed and taking a step back in awe.
"N-No way..."
The familiar architecture, the familiar landscape - and the familiar silhouettes of the buildings they knew as a boutique, castle, and town hall confirmed it. It really was it.
Ponyville.
To hold back tears, they immediately returned to their immediate circumstances, and nearly tripped on a backpack that lay perfectly dry and untouched right under their feet. They recalled the words spoken to them by the mysterious Charon, and sat on their knees to look inside of it.
As promised, they found several objects that they indeed been considered "important". A few small beloved possessions, electronic devices that didn't include a phone - including an MP3 player that was, allegedly, filled with the most important songs. A few books had been there too, and the backpack would have at-least given the human something to hold onto. Not to the previous world, but to the things they actually enjoyed in the previous life.
The human tried their best not to admit any of it - how simply shocking it was that all of this was true. What they didn't want to interpret as an overwhelming rush of emotions, they merely played off as confusion and surprise, picking up their backpack and staring into the distance the whole time - into the town they have seen so much, and have been to - not physically, but through a screen.
And so, the human set off, treading through the outskirts of the town to enter it.
By the time they reached it, the sun had only slightly shifted - that the morning was shifting into afternoon. A deep fear had been in the back of their mind - if all of this was but a dream. They've had such moments before - a dream where upon approaching the town, it would become miles more distant with each taken step. Unreachable and untouchable.
This time, they had been able to make it face-to-face with a sign and a fence - that officially marked the entrance to Ponyville. The sign had welcomed inside the town's official perimeter, as it read...
Welcome to Ponyville! The Birthplace of Harmony!
A deep breath was cast from the human's nostrils, their body shivering in anticipation and excitement. Was this really real? Was this going to be their new reality? Would this dream finally come true?
Absorbed in this delighted thinking, and in the excitement...The human forgot the first rule of Ponyville, and allowed their foot to step an inch past the entrance.
There was an odd rumble. A weird distortion in the air. A very strange feeling that was approaching fast. A very peculiar speck of pink in the distance just down the road.
And it was getting closer.
And closer--
The first rule came back to the human's memory a nanosecond before a lighting-strike of pink struck their face, and crashed into their body like a truck, the sound produced by its speed making the engine of racing cars sound like kittens. It just so happened that the said "truck" was soft and harmless - Charon wouldn't need to visit the human again. In-fact, the "truck" wasn't nearly the size of one, and was barely the human's height, let alone overall size.
As the blur of pink finished its collision into the human, it left them laying on their back, with the wind knocked out of their lungs, and with the blur of pink now standing on top of them.
The human hadn't even registered that they were smiling, with their mouth agape. Happiness and disbelief overwhelmed down, as their vision had started to re-focus.
"No way...Y-You're..." The human whispered softly.
"Well hey there, silly! Kinda late to take a dip in ol' Saddle Lake! Unless you were looking for the Mirror Pool! In which case, I do NOT recommend trying that because I kinda tried it once and that ended in so many words that are NOT synonyms for "great". Oh! Did you anger a Pegasus and they dumped all the water in a cloud on ya!? You musta said something really rude, huh? I mean, how'd your clothes get wet? That's not how you wash 'em! I mean golly, you're soaked all over! Here!"
The pink mare started to rapidly spin her tail at a speed that rivalled a drill, before brushing it mid-spin at the human, acting as both as makeshift towel and a sort of dryer, removing the dirt and the water. With the speed, wind, and soaking-power involved in the tail, the human was suddenly completely dry, and with their hair a little fluffier to boot. A look at the tail revealed it to be utterly soaked and covered in mud, but the pony had a plan for that too. Putting her own hoof into her mouth, she blew into it - which resulted her tail in suddenly puffing out like a cotton-candy-pufferfish, and splattering all the dirt and wetness over the surrounding streets, accidentally getting some over the sign.
"Heh, whoops..." Winced the pink pony, and turned back to the human, before wrapping her hoof around their hand and starting shaking it with such power that the human was raised back onto their feet.
"Welcome to Ponyville, lake monster! I'm--"
"Pinkie Pie!" The human blurted out...And felt their heart sink at the mistake they have just made.
It made sense - Charon's words. It wasn't easy to allow another being to hear that your perception of it is that it's a mere work of fiction. The human immediately realized their error - that they have shown insight into the world that they shouldn't have had. Have they really squandered their first chance in their new life? Have they already ruined everything? The yoke of guilt had held them tightly - that two words had done such a terrible deed. Cold sweat began to ooze from their forehead, worrying about just how this would continue, and what they would need to-
"Wow! You're really good at name guessing!" Pinkie giggled. "Even I can't guess names that well! You must have a real talent for it!" She exclaimed, bouncing up and down happily from the sheer excitement of being excited. "I wanna guess your name too! Is it, uhm...Bitter Sweets? No? Uhm...Oh! Blue Monday? Nuh, that sounds like a song name...Ah! Gotcha! It's totally Anon E. Moose, right?...No, that's not right..."
The human nervously grinned. "W-Well, my name's actually--"
"NO!" Pinkie jumped up. "I'm gonna guess it, I promise! Uh, what about--...Oh! I totally forgot!" She landed. "You're a human, right? Twilight's met you guys before! But...It's kinda weird that you're a human in Equestria! I mean, the way it works that if you go into the human world you become a human, and if you go into the pony world you become a pony, and if you go into the human world you can't stay as a pony, and if you go into the pony world you can't stay as a human, and if you aren't in the human world then you're a pony - and if you aren't in the pony world then you're a human--You get it!"
"Ah, yeah-..." The human felt a bit of dizziness trying to keep up with her, but got surprised as they felt something soft and cotton-candy-consistency-like touch their hand.
"Here!" Pinkie grinned, and with her mane, produced an appendage similar to a hand, using it to hold onto the human's own hand. "Follow me! Twilight's totally gonna wanna see you! Maybe you just got lost! Don't worry! We'll figure out how to get you home any time!"
At these words, the human's heart sank. But they knew it's possibly because Pinkie was merely just so good-hearted, she immediately assumed that their wish was to return home - when it was in-fact the opposite. But as the human was led through the streets of Ponyville, they supposed that there was a chance they could explain the predicament in...some way.
They were immediately taken back and distracted however as they found themselves led through the very familiar streets of the very familiar town. Though its residents regarded the human as anything but familiar, they didn't seem terrified or disgusted by the sight. Confused and rather wondering gazes fell upon the bipedal being - eyeing the human and trying to understand just what they were. The human had considered their wonder - they supposed they'd easily be compared to a monkey, but they remembered the presence of Tirek - who's appearance was in some parts similar to the human anatomy - especially in terms of torso.
The human had even managed to spot familiar faces! There was Lyra and BonBon, sitting on the outside of the cafe and staring with dumbfounded eyes at the human - with Lyra giving BonBon a big "I told you so!" look. Big Macintosh was currently delivering something to Sugarcube corner, also staring at the human alongside Mr. and Mrs. Cake standing at the door - to whom Pinkie Pie happily waved with her hoof, mid-bounce and mid hand-to-mane holding with the human. The human even saw Derpy Hooves fly overhead - at an odd semi-diagonal angle at which she narrowly missed a wall, and instead crashed straight into a cloud with a soft poof!, a second passing before her cross-eyed face stuck out of the cloud in embarrassment.
A tear in the end did escape from the human. It was all here - all a reality - all these familiar ponies and streets, all these familiar buildings. The memories from every episode flushed back the more they looked around, the more they saw familiar ponies and other creatures - all the moments they had cherished. This felt like a fever dream in the nicest meaning of the world - impossible to imagine a scenario in which it could have happened to them, harder to believe it was real that it happened to them.
Passing by other landmarks, they had gasped when they finally looked up into the sky to see the towering grace that was indeed, Twilight's second home after the old library. The castle - standing tall and proud, sparkling gloriously under the sun - the school of Friendship practically in its backyard with its rushing waters and mighty doors.
"It's really here..." Quietly whispered the human - not even Pinkie's accurate ears catching the words.
And in the most anticipated moment, Pinkie Pie finally reached the doors.
"Here!" Pinkie grinned and produced an object from her mane. It appeared like something of a brochure - or a small map for tourists. "Welcome to Princess Twilight Sparkle's castle! It's pretty big, so in-case you run into the bathroom and you get lost, you can orient yourself with this! Or you can just yell REALLY LOUD until someone hears you and helps you navigate!...Actually, maybe Twilight's not even here right now! Hmm, let's seeeee..."
Pinkie's hoof began to strike at the large door several times while the human analyzed the small brochure given to them. They were taken back by how complex and twisted the castle really was - as the show had only really shown portions such as the kitchens, some bedrooms, and of course - the central room containing the map. There were several levels, wings, and alleged "secret rooms" that weren't marked anywhere on the map. It centered on the room where the map was, indicating it to be the "heart" of the castle.
The human's ears perked at the moment that made them freeze in place, and turn their head to the door with excitement and wonder.
Behind the door stood a horned pony - her colours pink and purple.
Indeed, that wasn't Twilight Sparkle - but that was certainly nopony other than Starlight Glimmer.
And the human was as fond of Glimmer as they were of Sparkle - suppressing a big smile by putting a hand to their face and pretending to scratch their cheek.
"Starlight! Starlight!" Pinkie started bouncing.
"Pinkie! Hey!" Starlight patiently smiled at the mare. "What's up? You don't have to knock to enter the castle, y'know."
"Starlight! Look!" She said, and used her tail to make an arrow that pointed at the human who awkwardly stood there.
Starlight blinked uncertainly - but her silence hadn't lasted long, and neither was her surprise, for she herself was rather familiar with what she saw. "Interesting. A human in Equestria...? But humans transform into ponies when they enter Equestria - and vice versa..."
"I know!" Pinkie beamed. "Super cool, right? Wait till Twi hears about this!"
"Well, let's not make our guest feel like some kinda test subject." Chuckled Starlight, and walked up to the human. "Pleased to meet you! Welcome to the castle of Princess Twilight Sparkle."
The human retracted as much of their smile as they could, which still left them with a relatively wide one on their face. "I-It's nice to meet you too St--"
The human hit the brakes harder than on a rally race gone wrong - but Starlight was still left with a momentary dumbfound look, so the human did their best to salvage the situation.
"I-I mean, yeah! Nice to meet you too - strange how all of this is happening, huh?"
"Oh." Starlight blinked, and waved her hoof with a humored laugh. "Yeah, I guess - but don't worry. I've actually been to the human world before, same as Twilight! She and I are even friends with a pony who basically lives there so much she can't even walk on four legs here - so we're really familiar with you guys!...Although, other than it being weird how you're not a pony here, you don't exactly look like the humans I'm used to seeing at CHS..." Starlight said, curiously squinting her eyes and humming thoughtfully.
The human did their best not to surrender the fact they knew all of this information - even going as far as scratching their face again to prevent their glee escaping at the mention of Sunset Shimmer and everything else.
"Anyways!" Starlight bowed her head. "My name is Starlight Glimmer. I'm a student of Twilight Sparkle...Aaand kind of her secondary assistant. What's your name?"
The human just took an inhale to say their name before they were interrupted by Pinkie, as the mare bounced in-between the two. "Starlight, c'mon! Let's show 'em the castle! Twilight's here, right!?"
"Oh." Starlight blinked in surprise at Pinkie's sudden jolt of energy. "Yeah - Twi's here! She was just writing a letter to Princess Luna, should be free any minute."
"Huuuuuh?" Pinkie scratched her chin. "But doesn't she usually write to Princess Celestia?"
"Well, that's just it." Glimmer looked at the floor of the castle's stairs in concern. "Twilight's been having some weird dreams that not even Luna has noticed - so she's writing a letter to figure that out. B-But anyways! Hey, come on in, you two! No point standing around outside."
Glimmer opened the door once more and held it for the two - Pinkie bounced inside, while the human awkwardly walked in with one hand holding the other arm anxiously. The moment they stepped in, the human was unable to prevent their gasp of amazement and awe - despite having seen the massive foyer of Twilight's Castle before. Its sheer size and grace haven't even compared to that of human architecture - the tall ceilings and the sparkling crystals decorating it, coupled with the colorful banners and the gorgeous light-green windows through which shone the godrays of the soon-setting sun, occasional dust particles floating like snowflakes in the sunlight.
"It's amazing..." Whispered the human. Pinkie Pie softly chortled, nudging the human playfully.
"Pretty cool, huh? Then again, you've been looking like that at everything ever since you got here! Don'tcha have streets or castles in your world?"
"Oh, we do!" The human blurted out. "But they're nowhere near as pretty as yours!"
"Whaaa? But Twilight told me so much about the CHS world!" Pinkie said. "She told me it's pretty cool there too! They have these weird things called "phones", and these self-driving chariots called "cars", and--"
"Uh, Pinkie - not to burst your bubble, but I don't reaallly think they're from the CHS world." Chuckled Starlight as she led the two further into the castle, the human constantly looking around in amazement, but focused on the conversation.
"Whaaa? But why not? I mean..." Pinkie slid behind the human and began to raise and present their limbs as if showing off a doll. "Look! They've got hands, fingers, they stand on two legs - and the legs have feet - and they also got no fur, just manes, and they've got these silly faces without a muzzle - just a nose and a mouth, and eyes! Oh, and they got these small ears you were talking about! How come they're not a human?"
"No no no." Starlight laughed softly. "I'm not saying they're not human, but..." Starlight took a closer look at the human and squinted her eyes thoughtfully once again. "They just look...different? Remember how both ponies and humans have the same colour schemes as their manes and coats?"
"Yeaaaaaaaaaah?" Pinkie blinked unsurely, scanning the human all over once again.
"Their skin tone and hair looks a lot more...neutral? Brownish and not as saturated in color? They just don't look like they're from CHS..." Starlight hummed - but blushed as she forgot the fact that the human listened to them. For the sake of politeness, she had included them in the conversation. "I'm curious, if you don't mind me asking. How did you get here?"
"I, uh..." The human had to spend a few solid seconds to think of an answer, hoping that the two took this as a sign of putting a complicated situation into words, instead of lying. "I woke up in the lake and just...swam up to shore. I have no idea how I actually got here..." They said - mostly saying the truth.
"Huh, so you woke up in Saddle Lake and just...Poof? Equestria?" Tilted her head the unicorn, and turned to Pinkie. "Well, it could have been a portal? Sunset Shimmer told me how back in her world, a puddle on an island ended up being a portal to Equestria. Apparently a lot of reflecting surfaces can act as portals? Even a handheld mirror like the one I faced in the human world when I encountered Juniper Montage had a lot of potent power related to dimensions...Maybe Saddle Lake acted as some kind of portal too?"
"Yeaaaaah? But then, why are they still a human?" Asked Pinkie.
"Well..." The human spoke up. "I did wake up at the bottom of the lake...And, wouldn't a portal only cover the surface of the lake? I'm probably not making much sense but, portals are kind of a flat construct, right?"
Starlight Glimmer's eyes slightly widened in surprise as the human's statements, but she found herself nodding attentively as the words registered. "Huh - in most cases they actually are. I don't get why you'd wake up at the bottom, unless you started sinking - but then you'd've woken up back home.. I guess it wasn't a portal after all. Well, thanks for not making me chase after a doomed theory." Glimmer laughed.
The human blinked at Starlight, and a warm smile came to them.
To hear the pony actually react to their words was heartwarming. To see that their actions and words have had a reaction from this world made it feel as if now they mattered, as if they were really real. Then again, it came to the human that thinking about the reality of this situation was futile - for this is what they wanted and, somehow, this is what they got.
"Saaay, you never heard of CHS in your world, right?" Starlight inquisitively asked in a futile attempt to piece together a glass jigsaw. "I mean, Canterlot High School? Maybe Crystal Prep Academy? Uh, you know, the city of Canterlot? Er, the other Canterlot?"
The names made sense, but the human resolved to shaking their head and being truthful in a partial sense - it didn't exist in their world, after all.
"Oh..." Starlight frowned. "Well, what do you have in your world?"
"Er..." The human rubbed their arm. "Maaaybe I could tell you together with Princess Twilight Sparkle?"
Starlight's inquisitive gaze turned into a warm and understanding smile, before guiding the human deeper into the castle. "Good plan, that way you won't have to say the same thing twice, huh? Pinkie! Coming along?"
"Oooon my way!" Pinkie grinned - the whole time having had raided the pantry, and licking the vanilla off of her cheeks with one big gulp, bouncing after the pony and human.
They stepped up to the familiar, tall double doors. Starlight paused before it, turning to the human and watching them with rather sparkly eyes - excitement abound. "I love to see the reaction of newcomers. What you're about to see is baaasically the heart of what Princess Twilight Sparkle and the other Elements of Harmony do. The "nerve center of Friendship", as you might consider it." She said, and opened the door.
The excitement the human saw on Starlight made them smile a little, and they saw just how eager she was to get a reaction out of them. Just as they thought they needed to fake it (due to having seen it before), they were immediately taken back by the room. It was indeed the room that had contained the Friendship Map - and the remainders of Golden Oak library, it's roots hanging from the ceiling alongside a plethora of colourful and sparkling lights. It was pretty enough in 2D. Actually seeing it with full depth perception and all the dimensions made a world of difference in comparison.
Only when the human's eyes finally came down did they gasp slightly. They saw the form of a young Alicorn - the catalyst of everything that had happened; the beginning of so many events that shaped the land, and the human themselves. A very familiar pony indeed - both to the human, and the many residents of Equestria.
Twilight Sparkle, albeit with an expression of mild anxiety and worry, sat on her designated seat at the Friendship Map - while a very familiar baby dragon wrote her words into letter.
Spike, to the human, was a heroic, supportive, and endearingly mischievous dragon. They recalled moments when Spike had done silly things - such as giving orders on the behalf of Princess Twilight Sparkle while she slept, or offering her and her friends to take care of their pets for gems, while in actuality using it as an excuse to make a gem-cake and neglecting any actual critter-caretaking - but it was impossible to say that Spike didn't have a good heart. His heroic deeds have shown immense bravery and kindness - saving the Crystal Empire (and even Canterlot, in the comics) on multiple occasions, and being there for Twilight as her loyal assistant, not to mention all the other times he had helped the ponies he had grown up with. They adored Spike, for he had a heart of gold, and a seemingly bottomless stomach for gems. In other words - he was a real bro.
The human took a glance to notice that Spike had wings, making them understand just how far enough chronologically they were. They then focused back to Twilight - who hadn't quite noticed them yet due to the quietness of the door opening, and the fact she had been thoughtfully looking at the roots.
Twilight was an icon to the human - of many things. A character who had a long journey that spanned both years in Equestria, and years in the human world. The perils, achievements, and many other moments that this unicorn-turned-alicorn faced had shaped her to be the best pony to bear the title of "Princess of Friendship". The determination, studiousness, and sheer curiosity to the world around her made her such a fascinating mare; there was an admirable drive to learn and develop, not only in regards to knowledge, but also friendship. And despite the pressure she experienced and experiences - she would never turn down a friend in need.
Perhaps those like Moondancer, or Twilight's Human counterpart were perfect examples of what she would've been if Celestia hadn't sent her to Ponyville, and it struck the human how one hot air balloon ride and one night changed her fate as it did. The human did remember how many times Twilight struggled with one common folly - that many had depended on her, and had expected success of her. It pressured the poor mare to no end - but each time she came out on top.
With the quill putting in the final period as Spike finished final the writing words, he sent the letter to Luna, having blown it into the air with his fiery, green flames.
Starlight took a step further in, and gave a slight knock to the opened doorway. "Hey Twi!"
Twilight Sparkle, Princess of Friendship - yelped in surprise and nearly fell off of her cutie-mark-marked throne as focus returned to her. While she had scrambled to get her bearings, Starlight had approached her with a humored, but kind smile, as Twilight sat back proper on her seat.
"Starlight! Hey! Sorry, I didn't see you there!" Twilight chuckled awkwardly, Spike waving to Glimmer, who waved back as he sat on the smaller throne to the right of Twilight's. "What's up? Is there an emergency in the school? Trouble in the Everfree forest? Or--"
"Twilight, calm down." Starlight disarmed her worries by softly putting her hoof on Twilight's as the Alicorn placed both on the Cutie Map. "I know these dreams have been intense and terrifying, but it doesn't mean it's a sign for bad things to come."
"But the Windigos, what if--"
"Twilight." Starlight brought her face a little closer to give her a serious, understanding - yet firm stare. "The Windigos aren't coming back. Not only ours - but the Friendship in Equestria as a whole has developed and grown so much that they wouldn't even have room to show up in the North. They simply just won't be able to get through the Friendship - and thanks to you, they won't be coming back ever, no matter how hard they try. You've made Friendship leave a permanent mark on its world - not just for Equestria, but for all the creatures that inhabit the land altogether."
Twilight wanted to find a way to counter this argument and enable her paranoia - but her exhale came harder than the inhale she would have used to present her counter-argument; which was now nonexistent. The weary and worried face turned into a soft, and genuine smile. "Heh...Thanks Starlight. That helps..."
"That's what I've been saying all day..." Spike folded his arms and rolled his eyes, earning a soft unoffended groan from Twilight, and a soft chuckle from Glimmer.
Starlight looked at Twilight with a proud and content smile, eyes half-lidded to give a look that basically screamed - "Told ya so". Now that Twilight was calm, Starlight turned her head to Pinkie and the human. "Nooow Twilight..." Starlight softly said. "Could I bring your attention to another matter?"
Curiously, Twilight looked past Starlight and beamed when she saw Pinkie Pie. "Oh! Hi Pinkie! Hi--"
The "Hi Twilight!" from Pinkie went completely muffled to the Alicorn - as her smile was dropped into a wide-eyed, baffled, and slightly shocked stare - before dropping to a mild surprise akin to finding a coin randomly on the ground.
"O-Oh..." Twilight blinked. She gently tilted her head towards Starlight and whispered. "Well...This is new."
"Pft, you're telling me." Starlight chuckled. "Hope you don't mind - but we were hoping you could help us out a little with...Well...It's not that this is an emergency but, it's really strange, isn't it? A-Anyways, you should probably introduce yourself--"
"Oh, right!" Twilight yelped and quickly stood up. She had approached the human as quickly as she could without running - not wanting to look clumsy or unofficial. "Hello! My name is Twilight Sparkle! I'm the Princess of Friendship of Equestria - b-but please--!" She noticed that the human was preparing to take a bow out of respect, so she ran up to them and placed a hoof on their shoulder to assure them it wasn't necessary.
In a brief moment, they made eye contact. The human looked at her with awe and wonder that she hadn't even seen from other ponies. In the human's eyes, saw something she wasn't able to describe. Something that wasn't repulsive nor distressing, but there was a depth in the human's eyes she wasn't able to put a hoof on. A strange glimmer of sadness and hurt that apparently had payed off. It was a curious sight - but not one she should have dwelled on in the middle of introductions.
"--there's no need to bow..." She chuckled softly. "I may be a Princess, but I am the Princess of Friendship. No need to be so formal around me, after all..."
"Y-Yeah..." Was all that the human was able to immediately blurt out. "It's...Good to see--, uh...meet you, Princess Twilight Sparkle."
"Just Twilight will do." The Alicorn softly smiled, and gave a soft nod as let go of the human's shoulder. "Welcome to Equestria. Iiiiii'm gonna go out on a limb and assume you're not really from here, huh?"
The human shook their head. "Nope...I guess it's pretty clear, huh?"
"Aaaaand I assume you're not familiar with Canterlot High School by chance?"
They were indeed familiar with it - but neither could they lie that it was the world they truly came from. "Nope - not at all..."
"That's what I was afraid of..." Frowned Twilight, her eyes cast to the floor with uncertainty, before shifting them to look at Pinkie. "Aaaand I'm gonna guess you found them, Pinkie?"
"Sure did!" Grinned the Pink Pony. "They came from Saddle Lake before they stepped into Ponyville! All wet and soaked to the bone! Huh..." Pinkie turned to the human. "You're either your world's best free diver, or the worst scuba diver!"
"Well I did wake up underwater - and I don't assume sleep-walking and diving are really safe things to put together." Chuckled the human, which had earned a giggle from Pinkie Pie, and an "Oh come on" smirk from Glimmer.
"So you just woke up at the bottom? I don't recall Saddle Lake having a portal or any such element to it..." Twilight hummed thoughtfully, Glimmer stepping up to shake her head and take initiative to speak.
"Well, that's because it doesn't - they brought up a good point." Glimmer nodded to the human. "A portal wouldn't have just made them wake up at the bottom of a lake with a risk of drowning - that's just...awful portal design. Plus...There was a thought they gave to me. Maybe you know what I'm thinking about." Glimmer said, putting a hoof to her chin.
"What's on your mind then, Starlight?" Asked the Alicorn.
"Y'know the portal to CHS you've set up? I think we might be able to use it to find a connection between them and Equestria - maybe see just where they came from relative to us. If they don't have CHS in their world, it must have been a completely different world, or maybe just from a different part of the human world we're used to? It's better than nothing, right?"
"W-Well..." Twilight blushed a little in embarrassment. "I think we're getting a little...Uh, ahead of ourselves." She whispered to Starlight.
"How so?" Whispered Starlight back, squinting her eyes curiously.
"Ahem..." Twilight made a point by turning around back to the human, and speaking. "Do you remember anything before you got here?"
This is when the human had to lie for their own gain. And although it pained them to do this, the human was still on a mild form of alert the whole time. They heard the discussion of portals - and their immediate concern was the possibility of being sent back home...
How? How were they going to do it? How were they going to convince the ponies that they didn't have to go back? They weren't prepared for this - for presenting themselves in a way that didn't cause trouble. They had a hunch that the moment they mentioned they "Chose" to come to Equestria...It would bring a whole lot of trouble.
Unable to spend more time thinking of an answer, the human resorted to merely saying - "No, I don't...."
"Well, don't worry! I-I'm sure we'll be able to get you back home!" Twilight chirped up. "Your family and friends must be worried sick, but that's okay - this won't take us too long! Come, I'm sure we'd be able to fine-tune the portal to help you go back! U-Unless of course, maybe you'd be interested in spending more time here in Equestria? There's much that we can show you here!"
"O-Oh. I, uhm, welll..."
The human wanted to say something the moment the talk of the portal came up. They didn't have an opportunity to express it - nor did they know a way to bring it up. But it was fortunate that in the same room was the guidance counselor the School of Friendship, for Starlight Glimmer saw a moment in the human's facial expression that indicated a moment of brief panic - apprehension, and disapproval. Using the skills she had learned in the school - she confidently walked up to the human, and looked at Twilight.
"Hey, Twi?" She asked with a patient smile. "Would you mind giving us a minute, please?"
Twilight blinked unsurely as to why Starlight made the request - but she had nothing but utter faith in her student, so there wasn't a second of hesitation as Twilight nodded with a warm smile, and gave Starlight the greenlight. The unicorn looked up at the human and gestured toward the door slightly, before using magic to guide them by the wrist outside of the room, leaving Pinkie, Spike, and Twilight alone.
The human had felt they had done something wrong - yet they partially felt as if they knew what they were pulled aside for. When Starlight's words came, the human blushed and their eyes widened slightly, yet still cast onto the floor.
"You don't wanna leave, huh?"
"W...H-How did you know?"
"When Twilight mentioned friends or family you seemed a little...uneasy. And the moment she mentioned returning you home you suddenly tensed up - yet you seemed pretty comfortable in being here. You seem to like it at-least based on first impressions - I'd assume anypony who up and...woke up at the bottom of a lake and appeared in an unfamiliar land would've just started freaking out and panicking, begging to be returned home. And yet, here you are..." Starlight said.
Hearing these words made the human feel oddly embarrassed - like a guest who didn't want to admit to the fact they wanted to stay longer - or even move in at this point. Yet their worries were disarmed by Starlight, who took a step further so that the human's flood-bound eyes would be able to see her - with her big, sparkling kind eyes - and an understanding smile.
"Do you have a home? Back where you came from?" Asked Starlight - her response a small shake of the human's head and a down-cast gaze.
"Only physically speaking - it's a--...was a place to sleep and eat. That's about it--"
"Don't worry." Reassuringly spoke the unicorn, voice full of understanding and empathy, which had reduced the human's tension.
She had an idea - and the meticulous planner and idealist she was, she almost understood what was going on. The idea had risks, but even on a face that didn't resemble that of a pony she was still able to pick up emotions and piece together a puzzle - a puzzle of glass that only she could really see.
"Listen..." Starlight said, using her magic to gently move the human's chin up so that they didn't have to bend their neck looking down. "If maybe you came from a world that isn't so great - maybe if going back isn't what you want at all, Twilight and the rest wouldn't mind it if you stayed! I mean, sure it's kind of weird - well, unusual to see a human here - but the School literally next to the castle is full of all creatures from around the world. And I think making you an exception would be some preeetty bad hypocrisy on our part, huh?"
"You really think that I'd be able to stay here? I mean...Twilight..."
"Hm? What about Twilight?"
"She...Really wants me to leave, doesn't she?"
"..." Starlight suppressed a small laugh, shaking her head. "Promise not to tell Twilight what I'm about to tell you?"
"H-Huh? Oh! O-Of course! I promise!"
"It's not that she wants you to leave. But she's so dedicated on doing the right thing, sometimes she might forget what the right thing to do is. Sometimes she doesn't like to take a step back and re-asses. In this case, she might actually forget to ask if it's something you really want. So, since she assumes you want to go back home, she'll do her very best to get it done - even if it means forgetting to ask if it's what you want."
"Still...Kind of awkward to tell the Princess of Friendship that "Oh, you're wrong - this isn't what I want", y-y'know?"
"Don't worry. I've got this. Just wait here." Starlight smiled, and stepped back into the room.
Twenty or so seconds passed. When the door slammed open and a pony practically drifted through like a car from Initial D, one could have assumed it was Pinkie Pie. That assumption was crushed when it was revealed that the hyper-excited pony who, out of the blue, broke through the door was none other than Princess Twilight Sparkle herself.
"F-For real!? You actually want to stay!?"
"U-Uh...Y-Yeah--"
"You won't regret it! This is so exciting! To see that a human resident will be in Equestria! Oh Celestia, this is so exciting--"
"Y-You already said that!" Yelped Spike as he attempted to run after Twilight to catch up with her.
"Oooooh I know Spike! But this is a historical moment! Humans turn into ponies when they step through portals into Equestria - and this is the first time a human would get to interact with Equestria as a human! A-And there's so much to learn about their world, since they're not from the mirror!"
The human felt a slight moment of unease at the idea of discussing their world - but Twilight's words had continued as the Alicorn bounced up and down, making Pinkie look at her with a concerned expression - irony itself all things considered.
"On top of that, I'd be happy to show you Equestria, and maybe teach you a bit about Friendship!" Twilight grinned. "Sorry if I'm getting a bit overbearing, just...I'm glad that you chose to stay! I'd really love to see what you think about Equestria! We're always happy to bring new ponies, creatures, and now - well, people here!"
"What she said!" Pinkie bounced up once to catch everyone's attention. "Okay, well, what she said aaaand - parties! There's gonna be so many parties - including surprise--...U-Uh, I mean - no surprise parties! I-I mean, wouldn't a surprise party be juuuuust soooo predictable, riiight?"
"Well..." Starlight chuckled. "How about we take it slow?" Asked the unicorn as she took a step towards the human, and turned to the other ponies. "I don't exactly know what happened, but if they're okay with staying here then, and since we're all fine with it - that must mean we're gonna have pleeeeenty of time, right? We should maybe help you get settled down, maybe give you a quick crash course on Equestria and all that - help you get your bearings."
"And a place to live, obviously!" Spike chirped up, nudging Twilight. "C'mon! We've still got tons of bedrooms free! Right?"
"Of course!" Twilight chuckled warmly at her assistant, turning back to the human with a content smile. "Then, small things first. As the Princess of Friendship, I officially declare you a citizen of Equestria, and a resident of the Castle of Friendship!"
"...Isn't there like, paperwork and stuff before you can declare someone a citizen? Or is this another Rockhoof moment when you can give ponies titles on the spot?" Spike put his hands on his hips and tilted his head, Twilight winking at Spike instead with a cocky smirk.
"Eeeh. Well once a year I can afford playing the "I'm the Princess of Friendship" card. Nopony will mind! Not like I'm going to make a newcomer fill out papers on their first day of arriving."
"Aw, not even RSVP cards?" Frowned Pinkie.
"Liiike Starlight said." Twilight approached the human. "Small things first. Let's do this - I'm gonna show them their room, and after that we could maybe have Starlight briefly tell you about Equestria! After that - maybe you could show them around Ponyville, Pinkie?"
A gasp came from the pink pony before excitedly zoomed over to Twilight. "A tour around Ponyville!? You bet I could show them around Ponyville, Twilight!"
"Great!" Twilight smiled. "In that case we'll be right back, I'll help them to their room! Come on, you'll basically be next-door to Starlight." The alicorn said. The human, unsure what to say or when to speak, gave a chipper nod, and followed the princess.
***
"Huh, I guess you really are packing light!" Said Twilight while Spike had been putting in new bedsheets and blankets for the single bed in the room about the same size as Starlight's - comfortable, with enough space for essential furniture and to indulge in hobbies and exercise - but modest and reasonable. Twilight hadn't been standing around either, opening the curtains, checking that everything was in order, and then using her magic to fumble with the door's lock to randomly generate a new pattern, and then mold a key for it, which she then levitated over to the desk.
The human indeed had few things - a few miscellaneous electronics, books of different sorts enough to fill a shelf half-way, a couple of figurines and memorophilia that could compactly be placed around the desk that was set up in their room. There were a handful of clothes that would really last the human a day or two, but it was enough to change into for the time being. The MP3 player was indeed there - holding a large selection of personally important songs to the human, alongside some comfortable human-ear-tailored headphones. Twilight took the liberty of being the one to place the books on the shelf, to peek at the titles.
Twilight smiled at the selection and was intrigued by what she saw. A mix of fiction and non-fiction that she would have used to gain insight into the guest's world - but had no time just yet. She found it admirable that they had books - even if she could struggle to understand them considering the lack of context or understanding of this "other" human world.
"I don't exactly assume there's much of a choice." The human chuckled in response to Twilight's statement as they sorted their things on the desk. "I don't really think I want to dive back to the bottom of Saddle Lake to see if there's anything else I might have arrived with. But I'm glad that most of my important things are with me..."
"Yeah..." Twilight squinted her eyes thoughtfully at the wall as she helped put up a poster of one of the human's favorite musical artists. "That's...Convenient...Hm."
"Byyyy the way..." Spike nervously asked. "What's your eating habits like? I mean, I basically cook here so I gotta know. Do you eat, uhm...You know..."
The human considered this, and ultimately decided that they had to fit in as best as they could. "Uh...Nope. I'm perfectly fine going vegetarian. I'd rather respect the ways of how things are done here, you know?"
"We cooould maybe find substitutes?" Asked Twilight. "In CHS, I heard some students have tofu. And they're even developing this technology that replicates meat."
"Yeaaaaah..." The human scratched their head. "If I had to choose between no meat and fake meat, I choose no meat. Tofu is nice but, no. I really appreciate the concern, Spike - but really, you don't have to do that for me. Whatever you guys have, I'll have it too."
Spike gave a big friendly nod as he slipped a pillow into its case. "Okay, cool. Well next meal is gonna be--...Wait, how do you know my name?"
"...O-Oh, sorry, I uh...Heard Twilight call you by it."
"...Oh." Spike blinked at a pillow, and set it on the bed. "Right. Whoops. Sorry, I got caught up, didn't have time for introductions."
"Hey, listen." Twilight turned to the human, having just levitated the last book onto the shelf, taking a short delay to briefly decide how she wanted to categorize them, and did so alphabetically by author. "If there's anything you'd like for your room, let me know. You can take any of my books, ask for new furniture - if you want I can always hire someone to style it in any way."
"Actually, for now I'm happy with the way it is." The human said, legs unable to support them from the shock that hasn't left them as they sat down on the chair of the desk. "It's definitely nicer than the room I had. Not to mention the place itself is so nice...A-Are you sure you're okay with me staying here, Twilight?"
"Aaabsolutely!" Exclaimed Twilight - her smirk confident and fiery. "This is a castle - not only is it meant for more than one resident, but I barely even use all of the rooms it has. I mainly use my room, the Cutie Map room, the library, the balconies whenever I use the telescope and...That's pretty much it! It gets lonely sometimes here, and even when Spike and Starlight live here with me I always feel like it's just so empty and spacious...Eeeh, besiiiides..."
Twilight leaned in to nudge the human with a cheeky, but playful and harmless grin. "I wouldn't mind a tertiary assistant~."
"Really? Tertiary assistant?" Spike folded his arms and rose a brow.
"I was kidding!" Twilight laughed it off and rolled her eyes. "But I'd love if you could help me out with things once in a while, if you're up for it."
"Of course I am!" The human smiled wide. "I don't think I can repay your generosity - so I'll take any chance I can get to do something in return, Twilight!"
"Great!" Said the Alicorn. "Okay! So, the room's ready! What say you join Starlight? I was thinking she could help explain some things, discuss them - help you settle down. You'll have all the privacy you'll ever want, too."
"R-Right!" The human stood up. They followed Twilight out of the room and started to follow her and Spike through the hallway. "And after that...?"
"The tour! Pinkie loves to show newcomers around Ponyville. Actually, this is how you might meet the rest of my friends. Starlight will explain in detail, buuuut--"
Spike interrupted as he nudged the human on the thigh. "She and her friends are the elements of Harmony - which are responsible for saving Equestria aaaat-least once a year, in-between going around solving Friendship problems and making Equestria a better place. That's all ya need to know!"
"Spiiiiike!" Twilight groaned. "I...Wanted to say that...Just with a bit more, oh I dunno...humility?"
"Aha, until you get their reaction." Giggled Spike. "C'mon, you can't deny it feels great when ponies are in awe when they find out you're an element of Harmony!"
"..." Twilight rolled her eyes at the ceiling, and bashfully looked at the floor - a small smile escaping her lips. "...Hrm...A little, I guess."
***
Starlight and the human sat together side by side around the Cutie Map. She would point at places and describe them, tell the human briefly of Equestria's history, and describe what the elements of Harmony are. She gave them a general crash-course on everything that the human was already aware of, but in their interest, they had pretended that all of this was new.
That didn't stop them from asking questions, out of making sure Starlight knew she had their interest, but also to fulfill personal curiosities that they otherwise hadn't known.
"So, are you sure nobody would mind my presence here? I know you've mentioned that the School of Friendship had gotten ponies used to all different sorts of creatures, but I'm not exactly...well-documented in this part of the world."
"Don't worry - you'll be fine. Matter of fact, one of our residents - Lyra Heartstrings, is pretty obsessed with you guys...Huh, now I wonder how she's feeling..." She hummed, referring to a pony who, at the moment, had been vibrating from joy and excitement, much to the dismay of their partner Bonbon.
"Anyways..." Starlight continued. "I wouldn't call humans un-documented. Buuuut it's not like we had any substantial information for any presence outside of the mirror portal in the castle here. Either way, it's not like we're gonna freak out when Ponyville's motto is all about sharing the magic of Friendship with others. Matter of fact, your opposable thumbs might actually be pretty useful around here...!"
The human blinked at Starlight.
"...Bad joke." Chuckled the unicorn, before getting back to the point.
"I do have...One last question so that I know what to do here." Muttered the human as they rubbed their neck.
"Of course! What is it?"
"...Is there anything I should be careful about? Something I should be aware of? Some sort of taboos or...Y'know..."
"...Ah." Starlight chuckled lowly, finding something in their words that helped piece her more of her glass puzzle. "I take it that it's something of a...sensitive thing in your world?"
"To an extent..." The human murmured as they rubbed their arm. "One wrong word or one wrong move and you might as well start a fight or even lose friends..."
"...Eeeesh..." Starlight winced a little at these words - but wasted no time. "Well, look - in Ponyville, the only real way of success is to just...Not be mean. That's literally the only thing that you'd need to be aware of. Even if you do something that gets you strange looks it's not like it's gonna doom your chances of making new friends. You'd just maybe be seen as, hrm...quirky!"
"Right." Said the human. "Thank you, Starlight. You've really helped me. Now I at-least know where I am and what this place is all about." They nervously smiled, trying hard to hide that, once again - they knew all of this. However, the sheer fact Starlight spared the time and effort to tell them about it all made them feel grateful - it was heartwarming to say the least.
"Hey, come to me if you ever have questions! So, how about Pinkie gives you that tour? There's so many cool places in Ponyville to check out. And, to be fair..." She leaned in to whisper. "It's much better than Canterlot, Manehattan, and Las Pegasus combined. Not to mention the ponies are a lot more...friendly."
"Well, good thing I woke up here then." The human smiled. "Thank you, Starlight, I'd love to look around the town."
"Hey, anytime." She smiled back.
"Diiiiiiiiiiid someone say touuur~?" Pinkie exclaimed as she hopped into the room.
"A-Ah! Pinkie!" Starlight yelped. "Were you listening in on us!?"
"Nope! I just had a feeling how long you two would take to finish up here! Now c'mon! Ponyville's waiting for ya! C'mon, c'mon, c'mon!" Pinkie said, rather assertively biting the collar of the human's shirt and starting to tug them - the human getting up on their legs with a yelp.
"Pinkie!" Starlight stood up, and was about to protest - but seeing as how she had already dragged the human beyond the doorway, she sighed instead. "At-least be gentle with them!"