“Because I’ve been watching you since you first arrived, little one,” a stern, yet motherly voice that seemed to come from everywhere filled the library. I felt every hair on my body begin to stand on end, partially from surprise and fear, but also from the sensation of magic I had become vaguely familiar with.
Crack!
A sudden electric burst of magic flooded the room, followed by a wave of heat and light that nearly blinded me as I scrambled to hide underneath the first available thing I could fit under. From the safety of the underside of the couch, I watched in horror as a pony more than twice my height began to apparate.
Her coat was snow white, much like Rarity’s, but with a slightly pink tinge. Her mane and tail flowed in a phantom breeze and nearly doubled her apparent size. They shimmered and sparkled as they churned, shifting through various mesmerizing hues of pinks, purples, blues, and greens. She was adorned with a golden collar or necklace, golden hoof guards, and a golden tiara, all of which were encrusted in jewels and reflected the sun-like rays of magical light that her very coat and sun themed cutie mark seemed to emit.
Something else caught my attention though, reminding me of a dream I’d had. She had both a horn and wings, and both of which were absolutely massive compared to any other pony I’d seen. Her horn was nearly as long as I was tall, and her wings when fully splayed threatened to fill the room. Memories of the pony that helped me through my nightmare came back to me, with her dark coat, long horn and wings, and star filled mane that flowed just like the current visitor’s.
My pupils shrank as the realization that this wasn’t just any other pony hit me. This was one of the rulers of the nation, it had to be, but why was she here? I tried to reason that she may just be here to check in on the library while her student was away, but the look in her eyes when they met mine as I shamelessly hid under Twilight’s furniture told me that she was here for me. The pressure of her gaze sent shivers coursing through my body and I realized that, compared to her, I was just a minnow who’d found itself staring at a shark.
It was only a brief moment, but it felt like several minutes passed by silently as she judged my reaction to her appearance. I was sure that she had discovered that I wasn’t a pony, and that I was about to be blasted to dust, or teleported to a dungeon, or some other horrible fate was to befall me as she lowered her head and a grin crept across her face. I closed my eyes and hid my face as I shuddered and awaited my judgment.
“Greetings,” She said with a tone of amusement.
“P-p-princess,” I barely managed to stammer as I removed a hoof from my face to see her return a jovial smile.
“I am, yes. I’ve seen many different greetings over the years, but hiding under furniture is a new one,” The hint of laughter in her voice did a lot to quell my anxiety and fear, but my face now burned with embarrassment, “It’s ok. You can come out. I don’t bite.”
“M-maybe not, but do you always scare the horseshoes off of ponies when you come to visit?” I asked, feeling a bit indignant. A surprise visit from royalty is enough to set anypony on edge, but that was a bit much.
“It was all in good fun. Besides, it’s not every day that I get to visit a guest from another world. First impressions are everything, wouldn’t you agree?” Her question hinted at something else, but I wasn’t too concerned with it. I was more worried about the fact she knew what I was.
“I…” I began but she stopped me before I could continue. She must have read the worry and fear on my face like words on a page, because she held up a hoof as I stumbled to come up with an excuse. “Guess I’m not getting out of it this time.”
“I understand that you have been through much since you have arrived in our world. Though I am sorry that you were subjected to the dangers of the Everfree, twice over now, I am glad to see that you aren’t worse off for it.” Her smile shifted tones as she spoke, taking on a more professional appearance.
I ventured to pull myself out from underneath the couch. On one hoof, one of the rulers of the nation was standing in front of me and hiding from her seemed rude. Besides, if her teleportation spell said anything of her magical prowess I’d have no chance of escaping her if I tried to run anyway. The least I could do would be to face her properly. On the other hoof, if she really was here to blast me to bits or imprison me somewhere, I wouldn’t want my last moments to be cowering in fear in my friend’s home.
“You know what I am?” I asked Princess Celestia as I sat a small distance from her.
“I do not. My sister’s description of you is unlike anything either of us have seen before. But as I said, first impressions are everything, and you have done much to give us a good one.”
“So you aren’t here to put me in prison or blow me up?”
Celestia seemed mildly shocked by my question. Her ears lowered ever so slightly and she raised an eyebrow, “Why would I ‘blow you up?’”
“Nevermind. Why are you here, if I may ask?”
“As a ruler of Equestria, it is my duty to look after the safety and well-being of all of my subjects; Even if some of them aren’t originally from Equestria. That, and I wanted to see the individual named ‘Zinnia’ that my student writes about so glowingly.” Again, something about how she said it told me there was more to it than that.
“You mean you wanted to make sure I wasn’t going to be a threat. So Twilight and her friends… Were they just making sure I wasn’t going to hurt anypony? Just following orders?”
Princess Celestia visibly cringed, “Not exactly. While it’s true that my sister and I were concerned about you and what your arrival here would mean for Equestria, and I did task Twilight with keeping us aware of your condition; Twilight herself was worried about you as an individual. I have not made her nor her friends aware of your origins, nor have I given them any reason to fear you. Their actions towards you are theirs alone, and the friendships you’ve made with them are as real as any other.”
“I see,” I said with a sigh. I wasn’t sure I could trust her completely, but it was at least a little reassuring to hear her say that. “What happens now?”
“That, Zinnia, is a difficult question indeed. One that only you can answer for yourself.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean that it isn’t my place to tell you how to live your life. You are free to find your own happiness here, as I believe you are just the same as anypony else.”
“Free to find my own happiness here? Why does that have a sense of finality to it?” I scrunched up my face in thought, “Does she know something she isn’t telling me?”
“That isn’t what you wanted to hear though, was it?” The Princess asked with a hint of concern.
“Princess Celestia, do you know anything about how I got here? In my dreams I see myself falling off a cliff and landing here. Is that really possible? I mean, you just teleported here, but I came from another world entirely.”
“I’m afraid that I know little about the phenomena that lead you to us. Shortly after a recent… Incident,” She seemed to wince as she remembered something I wasn’t privy to, “small magical disturbances began happening across Equestria, concentrating around the Everfree forest. What started as minor distortions worsened until the day you arrived, after which all activity ceased immediately. That is why we decided it was in everypony’s best interest if you were monitored, both for my ponies safety and for yours.”
“I think I can understand. You didn’t know who or what I was. I can’t blame you for being cautious,” I said, trying to put myself in her position. In a world as strange as this, it must be nerve wracking for her since every little oddity could be either a normal occurrence or a catastrophic event. Part of me felt bad for her. “But if the portals stopped happening, does that mean that I’m stuck here?”
“Unfortunately, yes. We currently have no way to figure out where you came from. Even if the magical disturbances began to occur once more, there is no guarantee that they would simply take you back home,” She said, confirming a suspicion that I’d long held.
“You also don’t know when the next disturbances could happen either...”
“Only time can tell when, or if, the disturbances will reappear. I truly am sorry,” Celestia's voice held a hint of sadness and sympathy for my plight.
A part of me knew that being stranded may be the case, but it didn’t help to keep the tears from falling down my face. I didn’t need to wonder if my family thought I was dead or missing anymore, because for all intents and purposes I was. I wouldn’t be going home. I would never roam the once familiar mountains, never finish college, never see my Mom and Dad’s smiling faces as I introduced them to their first grandchildren.
I was barely aware of the Princess as she laid down to wrap a wing around me. Her coat and feathers were warm and comforting, and I buried my face in her wing and cried. My entire world had caved in and collapsed, leaving me to sift through the shattered pieces. I didn’t know how long it took for my tears to stop falling, but it was long enough that I had no more tears to give.
“W-what do I do?” I muttered into the Princess’s wing, “If I can’t go back home, then where can I go?”
I felt the Princess shift and a wing tip touched my chin, bringing my head up to meet her gaze. Her royal, professional demeanor had all but melted away revealing a calm, reassuring smile and purple eyes filled with compassion. “Zinnia, I understand that this must be difficult for you. I can’t imagine how lost, or alienated you must feel being dislocated from your world. But you aren’t alone. No matter what you were originally, you are a wonderful pony. One who has already made so many friends and has a community to turn to for help.”
My ears perked up and my eyes widened in realization. I had been so focused on the things I lost, and the fear of losing what little hope I thought I had, that I forgot those around me. Six amazing friends who’d been there for me from the first step, and the whole of Ponyville who treated me like family. I remembered all of the things they’d done, and a particular conversation that nearly made me tear up once again.
“So, have you thought about staying?”
“At Sweet Apple Acres? I mean, I kind of already-”
“No, in Ponyville?” Rainbow said, cutting me off. “Have you thought about staying here instead of heading back to Manehatten?”
To be honest, I hadn’t intended to move anywhere. Not like I even knew where to go anyway. Manehatten was just a cover, so it’s not like I had any real ties there to return to. I didn’t have any family to go home to either. I was alone in this world, and I guess I was just using AJ’s hospitality as an excuse to not have to come to terms with that idea.
I watched the farm as we approached it, quickly becoming larger as we neared. It had kind of become my home since I arrived, and although I tried not to call it that, I found myself always eager to return at the end of the day. The Apples had almost become my family, in a sense, and I couldn’t imagine leaving them, even if I’d only known them for a little under a month. Apple Bloom would be devastated…
I turned back to Rainbow, who was watching me closely and waiting for a reply. “I hadn’t really thought about it, to be honest. I would like to go home and visit my family again sometime, but I’m not really sure I can do that anymore.” Rainbow seemed disappointed, but I continued, “However, I can say that since I came here, since I’ve met all of you, that I have no better friends in all of Equestria; And that leaving you all to go back to the city would be like condemning myself to Tartarus.”
Dash perked up and her eyes sparkled as I finished. “So you’ll stay?”
I rubbed my eyes and face with my hooves and steadied my voice, “Princess Celestia? I realize this may be selfish of me, and I know Mayor Mare already made it official, but it only feels right to ask you too. Is it ok for me to stay here, in Ponyville?”
The warmth and brightness of her smile rivaled the sun itself as she took in my request. For just a moment, she adopted a playfully thoughtful face before reaching out to nuzzle me. “Of course, my little pony. I don’t think your friends would have it any other way.”
“Even if I’m not really a pony?” I asked.
“What you are is not as important as who you are,” She said with a knowing grin, “I believe another friend of yours may have told you something similar.”
“Does she know about my dreams too? How…?” I stared at her in disbelief as she stifled a laugh at my bewilderment.
“I have a feeling that you two will meet again soon enough. There is one condition that I must place upon you in order to grant your request.”
I tilted my head and flattened my ears, “Condition?”
“Yes,” She replied as she stood and made her way to the middle of the room, “In order for me to allow you to stay in Ponyville, I must ask you to complete one simple task. You must tell your friends the truth about who you are.”
“There it is…” I thought as my stomach sank straight into my hooves. I knew I had to tell them eventually, but the thought of losing them still terrified me. “Princess… What if I tell them and they don’t accept it, or me? What if they don’t want to be my friends afterwards?”
“I think you’ll find them to be more tolerant than your fears would have you believe. Speaking of your friends, it would appear that they were successful in convincing the dragon to leave its roost, which means our visit is just about over,” She said as she turned to look out of the window just in time to see the smokey clouds above slowly begin to dissipate
I stepped over to the window to see a tiny red speck fly away from the distant mountain top. “One dragon caused all that smoke? What the hay was it doing up there?”
“Sleeping, of course.” Celestia replied with that same knowing look and a wink, “Now I must be off. I’m expecting a letter to arrive soon. Farewell, my little pony.” The tip of Celestia’s horn began to glow in a warm golden aura that quickly spread to the entire length of her horn as she levitated a short distance off the ground. Before I could bid her goodbye, the magic she channeled wrapped around her and with another whip-crack of magic and rush of warmth and light, she disappeared from the library as quickly as she came.
A familiar pop sounded from the other side of the library door, followed by the ringing of the doorbell as Twilight and Spike entered the room. “Oh! Hi, Zinnia. What are you doing standing in the middle of the room? And why are your eyes all red?” Spike asked as he dismounted from Twilight’s back.
“Are you ok, Zinnia? It looks like you were crying. Did something happen?” Twilight removed her saddlebags and tossed them to the floor before quickly running over to make sure I was alright.
“Nothing happened. I was just talking with a friend,” I said, unsure if I should mention that Princess Celestia herself had decided to visit without her student being there.
“A friend?! What friend makes somepony cry and then leaves?” Twilight said roughly. If only she knew who she was talking about.
“It’s ok. Really. She only told me what I needed to hear. S-speaking of which… Twilight, I have something I need to tell everypony.”