//------------------------------//
// II - Gaia 
// Story: The Conversion Bureau: El Único. 
// by Hilord17 
//------------------------------//

"Guys! Look at that!"

"That's a bugbear!"

"They seriously brought one..."

"Wait... what is that?"

"Huh? What the..."

"N-no way... No fucking way!"

"Are you seeing this!? I'm not the only one who's seeing it, right!?"

New Leaf is usually a peaceful and quiet town. However, today was going to be an exception. They knew about the Bugbear threat, and they have been helping the other nearby towns to scout for them and if necessary, defeat them.

But the bugbear was nothing compared to what was going on right now. After all, it's not every day that you see a species that is considered 'extinct'.

As the amount of ponies gathering at the town's entrance was getting bigger, the group led by Bright Lapis was watching with different reactions.

"Told ya." said Mike.

"I mean it's not a surprise." said Nick, looking at Diego. "Considering who is coming with us."

"Look at that, pal." said Crimson Starlit, looking at his friend. "You're going to be famous now."

"Si todo eso de ser el último humano es cierto, entonces no sé si deba ponerme contento..." said Diego in response.

"Let's just focus on getting this bugbear to a place where nopony gets hurt." said Bright Lapis. "We can worry about this 'human miracle' thing later."

"Yeah... good luck with that." said Mike, seeing all the ponies that were looking at Diego either in awe or like they have seen a ghost.

When they finally arrived, the ponies around were whispering a lot, but everything they were saying was related to Diego.

"My God... it is a real human!"

"It must be some sort of unicorn magic! It has to be!"

"I... I saw one of my friends die from that magic a few years ago. How is this dude... alive?"

"Look, mom! It's one of the hoomans! Didn't you tell me they moved far away?"

"Yes... they did, honey. Maybe this one is lost..."

"Look! His hand!"

"Is that..."

"What the fuck..."

"¿Me pregunto cuantos de estos ponis eran anteriormente humanos?" asked Diego, looking at the ponies around him who were still whispering.

"Who knows, pal?" said Crimson, who then focused on Bright and her friends. "He's wondering how many of these ponies around us were humans before."

"Most of the ponies living in this town are former humans." said the mare. "I am one of the few native equestrians."

"Think we can explore a bit after we deal with this bear?" asked Crimson, who was also looking around.

"Sure. Why not?" was Bright's answer. "For now, follow me. I'll show you where we can leave this creature."

"You ok there, Diego?" asked Mike, looking at the human's hand that was surrounded by the orange magic aura. The same aura that was around the floating bugbear.

"Tranquilo. Tengo energía para rato." said Diego with a proud smile and doing a thumbs up with the other hand.

"He's ok." said Crimson Starlit.

"That's still impressive." said Nick, who was looking at the bugbear which was just a few centimeters above the ground. "Considering the weight of the bugbear, and the fact that we have been walking for a while."

"Diego trains his magic every day, and I mean it." said Crimson Starlit. "Even I'm surprised at how much he can do."

"¿Qué puedo decir? ¡Me encanta la magia!" said Diego in response.

The group kept walking to New Leaf's central area. As they keep moving, Diego quickly noticed the stares from the other ponies. Some of them weren't able to react properly as if they were seeing the impossible. Others were trying to find a logical explanation. It was a human, after all. Everyone remembers the events from years ago.

A few even tried touching him to see if he was real.

"¿Que acaso soy un perro callejero?" asked Diego, who was now a bit annoyed at their behavior.

"As I said before, pal: You are famous now." said Crimson with a smirk.

"It's a good thing this is limited to the town." added Nick. "Imagine if the rest of the world knew!"

"World-class harassment." said Mike, chuckling a bit at the end.

"Yo no lo encuentro gracioso." said Diego nonchalantly. "No tengo problema si me quedan mirando como si fuera un fantasma, pero si otro poni me toca sin permiso-"

"Here we are."

The group stopped at a large building with only a couple of windows on the front and a big entrance door. Diego managed to see many ponies that were using custom armors commonly used in Equestria, while some other ponies had a more modern-looking military attire.

"Que confuso..." said Diego, looking at the ponies that he assumes are guards of some sort. "Es como si no se hubieran puesto de acuerdo en que tipo de ropa usar para la vigilancia."

"This is a containment facility for dangerous creatures." said Nick, getting the attention from both Diego and Crimson Starlit. "During the whole 'Conversion Phase', creatures from Equestria escaped to Earth's territory, and so, containment facilities became a thing. Captured creatures are contained here until a special division of soldiers from Equestria come here and take them back with a special teleport spell."

"So it's not just the bugbears. Got it." said Crimson, actually grateful for this piece of information.

"It's a good thing these facilities got everything covered. Even for big creatures like this one." said Mike, looking at the bugbear.

"Hey there. We brought a Bugbear for containment and future dispatch." said Bright Lapis to one of the ponies in the building. 

"Hey! So you guys made it! That's one less thing to worry... about." One of the ponies in armor walked to the group but stopped when he saw Diego.

"Hey t-that's..." 

"Yes. He is a human. No. It's not the end of our world." said Bright. "Trust me. I don't know how he is standing there, but he is. Don't insist."

"But... but how-"

"I'm afraid you don't have the time to worry about that." Crimson Starlit interrupted him. "You are working, after all."

"Yes... you are right." the pony took a few seconds to compose himself, and then he focused on where his coworkers were. "They brought a bugbear! Call group 3 and the boss!"

The other ponies soon noticed Diego.

"Y aquí vamos otra vez..." said the human without emotion in his voice.

"Hey... What is-"

"Dude! That's a human!"

"You serious!? 

"What if he is a changeling?"

"Don't you remember the incident about a changeling almost dying when he tried to transform into a human?"

"Oh, right. So how do you explain him?"

"No idea."

"Yo! What's he doing with his hand?"

"Is he... No. Freaking. Way."

"T-t-that's m-magic!"

Diego just let out a sigh.

"Que todo el mundo piense que debería estar muerto es un tanto deprimente. ¿Sabes?" said the human, now showing a tiny bit of sadness on his face. "Era algo extraño con Bright y los otros dos, pero ahora ya esta comenzando a ser ridículo."

"Ok. I'm starting to feel a little sorry for you." said Crimson, this time being actually serious. "You know, we don't need to explore this town today. We can always come back tomorrow."

"No lo sé. Me gustaria conseguir información sobre el planeta antes de irnos." 

While the two friends were talking, another group of ponies came from the building, along with a large cage being carried by the combined unicorn magic of three ponies.

"Heya boss. We have a bugbear here." said Mike with a confident smile.

"What the..." the pony in charge was currently seeing something bizarre, to say the least. Yes, they brought a bugbear, and they also brought a human. A human that somehow was using magic to carry the bugbear. The human was also speaking in another language with another pony that seemed to understand him.

"You do have a point. You told us a bit about this planet before, but now it has changed enough for you to be worried." said Crimson Starlit.

"Equestria es como un país, y la tierra tiene cientos de países de distintos tamaños." said Diego. "Pero ahora con todo esto del 'Buró de Conversión' y de que este lugar antes estaba bajo el mar, puede que hasta el planeta entero sea distinto a como lo recuerdo."

"Hey, Diego." Bright Lapis approached the human. "Think you can put the bugbear inside that cage?" she pointed at the cage with one of her hooves.

"Claro." was the human's answer. He did a slow movement with the hand that he was using for magic, and the bugbear moved to the only side of the cage that was open.

"Entrega especial~"

As soon as Diego finished talking, the aura around the bugbear disappeared and it became still. The ponies closed the cage and put a lock with magic. After a few seconds, the lock started to glow.

"A magic reinforcement on the lock. I see." said Crimson Starlit. "At least you guys are taking measures to prevent the creatures from escaping."

"Aunque los que haces tú son mejores." added Diego. Crimson simply smiled proudly.

"That's one less creature attacking innocent ponies." said Bright's boss, while the other ponies were taking the cage with the bugbear inside back to the building. "Thank you for your efforts. Did you use the dream smoke?"

"Actually boss, this time you have to thank these two." said Bright, pointing at Diego and his unicorn friend. "They are the ones that defeated the bugbear."

"We were just defending ourselves, really." said Crimson Starlit.

"Nos alegra haber ayudado. Incluso si fue sin querer." added Diego.

"Even when I see you in front of me, it's really hard to believe..." said Bright's boss. "It's been a few years since the last time I saw a human."

"Recuerden: Siempre esperen lo inesperado." said Diego with a smirk.

"They don't understand spanish references, Diego." said Crimson while looking at his friend unamused.

"Where do you come from, human?" asked Bright's boss. "How did you survive the spreading magic from Equestria? How can you use it?"

"We already told Bright Lapis and her friends that we come from a place similar to Cloudsdale." said Crimson Starlit. "Inside equestrian territory. Well, it was in Equestria. We didn't know that our land came to this planet, and if we add what you guys said about this planet changing..."

"Tal parece que mientras Equestria se movió, nosotros nos mantuvimos estáticos en el aire." added Diego.

"Inside Equestria? How-"

"Not going to answer that one. Sorry." said Crimson, interrupting the pony.

"So... now that the bugbear issue is solved... What are you going to do now?" asked Nick.

"Me gustaría recopilar información sobre el estado actual del planeta. Quiero saber que tanto ha cambiado desde que me fuí de él." said Diego, who was now more serious.

"He basically said he wants to gather information about the planet and how much it has changed." added Crimson.

"Hey boss. Do you mind if we show him the town's library?" asked Nick. "I'm sure that if we left them alone, everypony else will bother them."

"Well... you brought a bugbear. We can study it before the ponies of Equestria retrieve it. All right. You guys are free today."

"Ok. Since we are free now..." Bright Lapis started to walk, catching the attention of the two visitors. "Let's guide mister crimson and his walking miracle of a friend to the library in the north area."





"..."

"I see. You certainly have quite a creative way of thinking."

"..."

"Yes. For reasons that I have yet to discover, our unicorn subjects lack your way of thinking. Even when they are gifted with magic."

"..."

"I am sure that if you were a unicorn, you would enjoy our magic. It would be difficult at first, but with a mindset like yours, you would have a guaranteed improvement."

"..."

"Who knows? If it ever happens, I hope you show me how much you have learned."





"It has been a while, Twilight Sparkle."

"Nearly four months, Princess Luna."

After a little chat with her sister, the Princess of the night was on her way to her royal bedroom on the highest floor of Canterlot's castle, also known as her home. It was just a coincidence that she saw Twilight in one of the hallways. If Equestria was in its original place, Twilight would be in Canterlot more often, but due to the 'clash of worlds', as some former humans call it, several things have changed for her.

For everypony.

"I didn't know that you returned to our equestrian territory." said Princess Luna, giving Twilight a quick hug. "How is Gaia's territory treating you?"

"Better than the last time! It has been a few months since the total conversion, and there are still former humans that need to adapt to their new bodies. Not all of them are ready to accept this new change, but they are strong, and they strive to keep moving forward. Of course, we do our best to help them in this process."

"I am sure my sister appreciates all your hard work, and so do I."

Even though it has been many years since Equestria's arrival on planet Earth, there are still some problems that need to be solved, both big and small. For starters, the planet itself has changed due to Equestria's magic: Tremors and earthquakes in various areas around the world, even in places where there was no precedent. The good news is that since two years ago, there has not been a single earthquake reported on the planet.

There is also the problem that large portions of land in many countries began to move, separate, or even collapse and fall to the ocean. Luna knew that the two major changes were in the human continents of 'Africa' and 'Asia', but that doesn't mean that the other changes weren't an issue. The now-former humans had a very chaotic situation a few years ago. There are even lands that were previously on the ocean and now they resurfaced. This is obviously related to the global seismic activity issue.

Several animals around the world changed, possibly for being in contact with the magic of Equestria. Some were unaffected by it, and while there is not enough evidence, it is believed that some of them died just like humans. The ones who changed, though, are the biggest surprise, because they didn't change equally. Some animals of the same species became bigger, while others developed another trait or a 'skill', as some former humans say as a joke. That also means that there is a chance for undiscovered changes that the human, or pony eye cannot see. There have been endless reports about animals of different colors, various sizes or that can change their size, or with a more developed body. Some of them became dangerous and had to be contained. Not many cases of that last one are known, but both equestrians and former humans are constantly on the watch in case a new dangerous beast appears. 

Not to mention that many of the magical creatures native to Equestria have wandered into the human territory since the first months of the 'event' where the land of Equestria appeared in what the humans call the 'South Atlantic Ocean'. During the years there have been numerous incidents where creatures like timberwolves, manticores, cockatrices, and even dangerous beasts such as bugbears, cragadiles, and even ursa minors have been seen in the human territory. Sadly, some of them started to breed with the animals from the human territory, adding more magical creatures to the wild.

And those are just the most known issues.

"And what about your best friends? Have you reunited with the other Elements of Harmony?" asked Princess Luna. "I know that all of you were among the first ponies to help us when we were sent to this world, and it's no surprise that even to this day, you still do."

"Well, sort of." was Twilight's answer. "Thanks to the former human's technology, we keep in touch using special cell phones and sometimes we use laptops to make a... video call? I think that's how they call it."

"That is good to know. Places like Manehattan and Fillydelphia rely a bit more on technology, but even then, humanity's technology is way more advanced. It is good that you and your friends can benefit from it."

"It's such a shame that it can also harm others." said Twilight. "Now that they are ponies, maybe now they can put their differences aside and work together for a peaceful lifestyle."

"Yes. Their technology is both a blessing and a curse. Their past is proof enough of that." said Luna. Both Celestia and her have read countless books about the history of mankind. They were surprised that they had information from even millions of years ago, and can even predict events from the far future based on what they know now. 

There have been times of peace and war. Of fortune and famine. Of joy and sadness.

Despite everything, humanity is strong. They have the strength to keep moving and overcome any challenge. This is the reason why both sisters believe that humanity, now ponykind, will stand up once more and be strong. These years have been proof of that.

"A lot has happened in these ten years." said Twilight, looking at one of the many windows. "This planet is so much bigger and has a lot to offer. Some former humans were damaging it, but others were doing their best to protect it. Princess Celestia told me about their potential. That a push in the right direction can help them."

"We have been helping their countries and now we have a bond. We are also happy to receive former humans that need help with their lives." Luna's expression changed, now looking a bit sad. "I just wish that humanity didn't have to change species just to survive. Even if the mystery of how we arrived in this world remains unsolved, it was our fault that our magic changed it."

"We did everything we could, Princess Luna." said Twilight, trying to reassure the sister of Celestia. "In the end, the conversion initiative was our only chance, and even then, some humans refused to change..."

"They had the right to choose, and they did." said Princess Luna. "We can only hope for a better future for all of us."

For a few seconds, both of them remained in silence. That is until Twilight focused on the Princess.

"May ask you something, Princess Luna?"

"What is it?"

"Princess Celestia told me that you had a special connection with humanity. Does that mean that you met them before?"

To Twilight's surprise, the Princess began to smile.

"In a way, you are correct. If you follow me, I can tell you about him."

"Him?"

"Yes. The first human I met. A young human with big dreams living a harsh reality."





The small group led by Bright Lapis was now in the north area of New Leaf. Diego and Crimson noticed that this area had a more 'rural' feel. Many buildings were made of wood. Trees, bushes, and flowers were almost everywhere. And almost all the ponies around that were looking at him seemed to be older. It was clear as water that the young ones don't live here.

"So you speak spanish, yet you are not from Spain. Right? Where did you live, then?" asked Nick.

"It has the name of a spice." said Crimson Starlit with a smirk, while Diego sighed.

"A spice?"

"Yeah. A spice. Help me out, pal." said Crimson, looking at his human friend. "What was it again? Chilli pepper or-"

"Chile." said a slightly annoyed Diego, interrupting him. "Vengo de Chile. Espero que algún día se te quite ese mal habito tuyo. Yo no le digo 'Caballo-landia' a Equestria."

"Chile? Where is that?" asked Mike.

"Chile está en el continente de América del Sur. Si tuviera un mapa les mostraría la ubicación."  said Diego. "Estamos muy lejos de Estados Unidos que está en América del Norte. ¿Sabían que parte de la Antártida es territorio de mi país?"

"He said that Chile is in the continent of South America. And that a portion of the... 'Antarctica', I think he said, is also Chile's territory." added Crimson.

"Wait seriously?" said Mike, honestly surprised.

"Es la verdad." said Diego. "También tenemos la variante de español más confusa del mundo."

"Oh yeah. I tend to forget that." said Crimson, who then focused on the other three ponies. "The spanish used in Chile is... weird. It's like they have their own language or something. Good thing they don't speak like that all the time, although Diego did speak like that when we first met..."

"Con todo el tiempo que he estado fuera de mi país, ya hasta se me quitó la costumbre, pero puedo hacerlo si quiero." added Diego.

"Are you serious?" asked Bright. "Try speaking some of that unique spanish, Diego."

The human stared at the pegasus mare for a few seconds before smiling.

"Por la rechucha que pulenta e' la miel por la conchetumare. Que wea má' deliciosa weón. Puro' gile' lo' que se pierden e' ta maravilla culinaria."

"By Celestia... I couldn't understand even half of what you said." said Crimson, with a face of utter confusion.

"That... was different, no doubt." said Bright Lapis, and her two friends nodded in agreement. "So, what did you understand of that?"

"He said something about honey and something like 'culinary marvel'. I didn't get the rest." said Crimson. "Seriously, it sounds like he is speaking an ancient language or something." 

"Oye Bright. Dices que vamos a una librería, pero... ¿Tienen información actualizada?" asked Diego. "No me sirve la información previa a la llegada de Equestria. Bueno, tal vez podria revisar si ya se arregló la situación de hace unos años."

"My pal wants to know if the information in the library is recent. We need to know about the changes in this world after all." said Crimson.

"This may be just a small island, but there is useful information in the library. Enough to know the basics, at least." was Bright's answer.

"The library is over there, folks." said Mike. 

Diego saw a building not so far from their location. Even from afar, you could see the big 'LIBRARY' sign on the top.

Diego decided to ignore the stares from the other ponies, but at least their reactions weren't exaggerated. 

Surprisingly, there were a few guards near the entrance. Guards that you would see in Equestria. Gold armor included, and even using spears as weapons.

When they saw Diego, they... didn't react. They did stare, but nothing else. Crimson knew those guards couldn't believe what their eyes were seeing.

While the guards were talking among themselves, Diego and his friend decided to ignore them and enter the library.

"Hey Bright." said one of the guards, and the mare stopped while Mike and Nick followed the human. "That was-"

"A human. Yes." was her answer. "Very real, and very alive. Don't ask me how, because I don't know. I met the guy and his unicorn friend like an hour ago. The only thing I know about him is that he speaks spanish."

She does know a bit more than that, considering that he and Crimson Starlit fought a bugbear and won, but for some reason, she didn't want to give more information to them. Diego did say that this situation is weird for him, and it must be very annoying to hear everypony say that he should be dead. 

"A human... When was the last time we saw one? Three or four years ago?"

"Yeah. That guy from Australia."

"The magic reached there and he had no other choice but to ponify. Thank Celestia her wife and his child encouraged him to do it."

"And now this human... I know we just saw him, but... he just walks in, smiling like there's nothing wrong."

"We saw humans scream and get angry when the conversion bureau initiative started. This changed their lives. What I mean to say is that it feels weird to see him."

"Call it a miracle if you want." said Bright, going to the library. "Anyways, don't bother him, please. He also feels weird seeing just ponies on his world."

When she went inside the building, the guards looked at each other for a moment.

"It's not like we do it on purpose, but..."

"Some of them died with Equestria's magic, and the rest converted to ponies to stay alive."

"I guess everypony wants to know the same thing once you see him..."

...

"How did he survive?"





A few seconds after she entered the building, Bright spotted Diego and the rest of the group looking at the bulletin board. Surprisingly, the other ponies that were already inside haven't seen him yet.

"¿Entonces este mapa es real?" asked Diego.

"Seems like it." said Crimson, a bit confused. "Even if it's a drawing."

"Oh, that's because one of the guys in the local guard likes to draw the map of this 'new world'." said Nick. "Every year he draws an updated map."

"A lot of effort was needed for this, you know?" said Mike. "A ton of pegasi were needed to look and analyze the whole world in order to get this map. We don't have an image or something more professional because... well, this town is kinda far away from big countries. Besides, they do this every year."

"And how does that guy know what to draw?" asked Crimson, still a bit confused.

"Lo que él dijo." added Diego.

"That's because his cousin lives in Equestria." the answer came from Nick. "He sends pictures of every area, and he... draws it. That's it." 

"A good citizen, huh." said Crimson, who then looked at his human pal. "So... How different is your world now?"





"Los continentes no se ven tan diferentes, pero se ve como si grandes pedazos de tierra fueron removidos. Se ven pequeños trozos de tierra alrededor del mundo y parece que Africa y Asia tuvieron los cambios mas notables."

"What did he say?" asked Nick.

"He basically said that the world looks a bit different." was Crimson's answer. "He also said that Africa and Asia are the biggest changes."

"Well, he is not wrong." said Mike.

"Y esa tierra marcada con azul... ¿Tiene nombre?"

"He is asking about the land marked with blue." 

"Oh. That?" said Bright Lapis, getting the attention of the human and his unicorn friend. "That's Equestria."

"¿Eso es Equestria?" asked Diego while pointing out the map with one of his fingers.

"Se ve un poco más pequeño que America del Sur, pero sigue siendo grande." 

"Well, at least now we know where is Equestria." said Crimson. "And where are we right now?"

"In that small island right next to Australia. Here..." said Mike, pointing at a certain location with his hoof. "That one. North-west."

"No kidding when you say it's small." said Crimson. "Compared to everything else."

"Hey Diego." Bright Lapis got the human's attention. "Where's Chile?"

"¿Chile? Está aqui..." Diego pointed at a certain area of the South American continent.

"Huh. Look at that. Chile is not that far away from here." said Mike.

"Still a lot, though." said Bright. "You guys are far away from both Equestria and Chile."

"Muy bien." said Diego. "Ya sabemos algo sobre los continentes y Equestria. Es hora de investigar que cosas han cambiado."





"Man... Was that real?"

"You saw him, dude! Heck, you even touched him."

"It's been years since the last time I saw one. I can't even guess his age correctly."

"Young adult, perhaps?"

"He didn't speak english."

"I think his unicorn friend said 'spanish' at one point."

"Spanish, huh? I don't speak that one."

"Me neither."

"And his hand... Did you see what he was doing? He was carrying the bugbear!"

"Yeah! With magic! How cool is that?"

"Just by being a human is a miracle. He was healthy and with a smile on his face!"

"But to also use magic. The unicorn's magic. Equestria's magic."

"But... If he is a living human, then..."

...

"Was the 'Conversion Bureau' initiative really necessary?"

Many ponies were talking about the human that appeared in their town. Many of them were still having a hard time believing what they saw. Most of the ponies living in the town are former humans, and they know that Equestria's magic was lethal to every human. It's the whole reason the Conversion Bureau initiative was proposed.

And yet they saw one. Healthy and even happy.

Worst of all, they know nothing about him. 

As the ponies in town kept talking about him, a certain pony overheard the group. When he heard of a 'human' suddenly appearing in town, he asked about him to the group, and once he got all the information the group had to offer, which was not so much, he thanked them all and hurried to his house in the west area.

Without wasting time, he went to his bedroom and took something from one of his drawers: A piece of jewelry. A ruby amulet with golden decorations around it. Once he touched the amulet, it started to emit a faint glow.

"Please, please, someone..."

...

[Hello?]

"Hello. What is your code?"

[...]

"Good. You shouldn't answer that to everypony just because they ask. I am in a hurry though. This is 'Ruby-seven'. What is yours?"

[The Ruby division? But that-]

"I am retired, I know. However, this is an emergency."

[This is Opal-ten, sir]

"Nice to meet you, Opal-ten. I'll make this quick: There is a rumor here that I believe it's worth investigating."

[Your amulet... you are in Australia!]

"That is correct. As I was saying, there's a rumor here. Something that may interest the Princesses."

[The Princesses? So... you know about it, too.]

"Indeed."

[What is this rumor, then?]

"The ponies of my current home in 'New Leaf' are talking about... a human."





"Are you really sure about this, pal?"

"Entiendo que suena loco, pero... no puedo encontrar otra explicación que tenga sentido."

"Hey. I don't think you are lying to me. We can keep looking for clues later."

"Tenemos que saber que año es este."

"Yeah. It's the only way."

"Como dije... es posible, y no encuentro otra explicación."

Crimson looked at his human friend, and for the first time today, he was looking truly concerned. If what he says is true... then he would be in the same condition. It was then, that Bright Lapis and her two friends came to see them.

"I know we said that we would give you some space to do your research, but Diego looks worried about something. Like, really worried." said Bright.

"Did something happen?" asked Nick.

"Something about his country, perhaps?" said Mike.

"Not exactly." was Crimson's answer. "If it is what he suspects, then it's worse."

"Worse? What could be worse for him? He's a human in a world full of ponies, and let's not forget that this world is his world." 

"¿Qué año es este?"

The sudden question from Diego caught the trio's attention.

"He's asking what year is this." added Crimson.

"The year? It's 2025." the answer came from Nick. "I suppose that if you arrived in Equestria before all of this happened, you must be from... 2015 perhaps?"

"Conchesumadre..." Diego put his left hand on his face, clearly frustrated.

"Oh boy..." now it was Crimson's turn to show that he was really concerned about something.

"What's wrong? And what did Diego say?" asked Bright. Mike and Nick were also curious because it was obvious that something was going on.

"Don't worry about what he said. It was a slur. I think. It's from his country." said Crimson, looking at the trio. "We do have a problem, though: The years don't add up. I know that when we found him, Equestria was not on this world, and you guys say that it has been like ten years. Right?"

"Yup. I still don't see what's the problem. He is back. Right?" said Nick.

"Thanks to my pal, I know that we share the number of days that equal a year. When we found Diego, he was... younger."

"Han pasado casi diez años." added the human.

"Yeah... nearly ten years have passed since we found him." said Crimson.

"See? It makes sense!" said Mike. "And now with Equestria here, he is back to planet Earth! Well... planet Gaia. You know, the change and all that."

"Yeah, it should." Crimson had a neutral expression, but it quickly changed to that same concern from moments ago. "But here is the thing: We had a bit of trouble in the first weeks. Remember that he is from Chile, so his english at the time was almost nonexistent. Luckily, we had somepony who knew his language. Well, the equestrian equivalent of spanish. Thanks to that, we knew his name, where he was from, all that stuff. Most of it didn't make sense to us at the time, but after a few months, Diego was more relaxed and told us about the day he appeared in Equestria. About his wish..."

"I fail to see the pro-"

"About what happened on that day: June 17, 2021."

...

...

...

The silence was well justified.

"You see now?" asked Crimson. "As I said, the years don't add up."

"Oh wow..." Bright was at a loss of words. "Sorry, I just don't know what else to say. I mean, that is weird."

"But there has to be an explanation, right?" asked Mike.

"Maybe..." Nick took everyone's attention. "Maybe this is some kind of... time travel situation?"

"You know... in the past, I would be laughing at what you just said." Mike then looked at Diego. "But with Equestria in our world, and with magic being a real thing now, a part of me can actually believe that."

"Yeah. Nice theory." said Crimson. "But we believe it's something else. You see, when we found Diego, just by looking at him, we knew he was sick. Very sick. We took him to our hospital, and it took almost three days for him to wake up, and even then, he could barely move. To be honest, his fate was uncertain, but thankfully he got better. At one point we asked him about his sickness. He said that it was some disease that originated in a place called 'China', but then spread to almost every country in the world. The name was..." 

Crimson turned to see his human friend.

"What was it called?"

"Se llama 'COVID19'. Se le solía decir 'Corona Virus'." said Diego, still looking concerned.

"That! COVID19." said Crimson, looking at the other ponies again. "Started in China, spread to the world, and even the day Diego came to Equestria, it was still a threat."

"That sounds horrible." said Nick. "I assume this disease managed to kill many humans, and Diego got really lucky."

"Yeah. He got lucky with us." said Crimson, although there was no emotion in his voice. "According to Diego, this COVID thing killed millions worldwide."

The silence returned. This time, it took several seconds before anyone said anything. However, a thought came to the mind of the three ponies. While the arrival of Equestria is and will be the biggest event in human history for the years to come, a disease like that, killing that many people across the world would surely be covered by the news, newspapers, and every form of social media.

And yet...

"No hay datos de ello aquí. Nada. No hay mención de que siquiera haya ocurrido. ¡No hay nada!" Diego's sudden outburst caught Bright and her friends off guard. "No hay nada en en los libros, ni en la internet. Nada..."

"Diego... says that we searched everything. Every book that we found about recent changes in the world was filled with mentions of Equestria and the magic spreading to this world. Everything else was normal. Diego also used the computer they have here to look on the internet. There is no mention of anything related to COVID19. No disease, no victims, nothing..."

Crimson looked at his friend, knowing that he had a mix of emotions right now, even if he doesn't show that much. He is sure that Diego must be a bit confused, but also a bit angry because this looks like a mess from fate. 

"As if it never happened."

"What? How does that work?" asked Bright. "I don't think Diego would lie about that, especially because he suffered from that disease."

"Which is why my partner has another theory." was Crimson's answer. "He says that this is indeed planet Earth... but not his planet Earth."

...

"WHAT?"