Jake kept close to Rarity as they walked down the street and swiveled his head constantly, rubbing the sides of his new green and white outfit, smoothing out the nonexistent wrinkles, and fidgeting with the scarf around his neck.
“Are you okay, Darling? You seem strange.”
“I’m fine. I’m just nervous, that’s all.”
“What are you nervous about?”
“Well, the last time I came into town I was covered in blood, wearing tattered clothing, and carrying an unconscious Sweetie Belle. I don’t think I left the best first impression.”
“You worry too much, Darling. The girls and I will explain everything to everypony. They’ll see that you’re nothing to be afraid of.”
“I guess you’re right. I should look on the bright side. I have the support of friends like you. I’m going to be fine.” Jake enthused.
“That’s the spirit. Glad to see you’re getting more energy.”
Jake spent the rest of the walk examining the town to get used to his new surroundings. He found a simple and rustic charm to it. Most of the homes and businesses had thatched roofs while only a few were tiled. He even saw a building that looked like it was made out of desserts. The sheer ridiculousness of it brought a smile to his face.
Meanwhile, Twilight let out a sigh as she closed the book of ancient pony lore that had taught her so much in the short time since she had found it.
‘There’s no other mention of humans in this thing. How am I supposed to help Jake if I know nothing about his species? He can’t help me because of his amnesia. I guess that leaves only one choice.’
“Spike!” Twilight called. He shuffled in a few moments later from upstairs. “I need you to take a letter to Celestia.”
Twilight had Spike tell Celestia everything about Jake that she felt was important. She left out the part about his telepathy. She felt it would be easier for him to explain. It took some time but the letter was finished and Spike sent it away with a puff of his special fire. Almost immediately Celestia appeared in a flash of golden light.
“Princess, what are you doing here?”
“I read your letter. Is it true? Did you really find a human?!” Celestia asked, almost eagerly.
“Yes, my friends and I found him in the Everfree Forest last night.”
“Is he here then?”
“Well, he is staying here for the time being. But right now he’s out with Rarity.”
“Oh, well then, I’ll wait here until he comes back.”
“Don’t you have important duties back in Canterlot?”
“Twilight, a human in Equestria is a monumental occasion.”
“But Celestia, how do you know what a human is? This the only one I’ve ever met. And I only know he’s a human because he told me he was.” Twilight questioned, playing dumb.
“Umm, that’s a good question. You see, I.” Celestia stammered. Twilight was agape at that moment. She had never seen Celestia like this. “Huh, I suppose I can trust you, my most faithful student with this knowledge. Jake is not the first human to find his way to Equestria. Eight hundred years ago it seemed like we were going to lose the Griffon War. Their king had an artifact called the Eclipse Stone that cut me off from my powers if I got too close to it.
“I was scared by this development. In the past whenever something threatened my kingdom I could just go out and stop it myself.”
“Couldn’t you just use the Elements of Harmony on the king and end the war?”
“No, the Elements can only be called upon against the forces of evil. This war was not caused by greed or corruption, but by misunderstanding and political debacles. I was at a loss. Our army was ill prepared and I knew nothing about strategy. In one last ditch effort I called upon my magic and tried to find somepony that could help put an end to the war.
“However, my spell didn’t bring me a pony. Instead, I got a human, the first human to come to Equestria. His name was Alexander. At first he was angry and confused that I had taken him from his world. And when I told him that we needed his help with the war he just laughed. He told me that a nation with weak leaders deserved to fall. I begged and pleaded for him to teach me, and eventually he agreed if I would return him home.
“I learned more than just warfare from Alexander. He taught me about Philosophy, Art, and many other things that he himself had learned from a man named Aristotle. When the war was finally over I was sad to see him go. He had been a good friend. But, he told me that nothing would stop him from his goal of uniting his world into one kingdom.”
“Why doesn’t anypony know about this?”
“I felt that ponies would be uncomfortable knowing that we’re not the only universe out there. Some ponies might even try to do what I did and bring in a being out of another universe.”
“Why would you prevent research like that? Think of all the possibilities!”
“I did. Twilight, if there are an infinite number of universes than there are numerous risks of looking into them. I got lucky. I found a being that was friendly. But there are risks of bringing something evil into our world.”
“I guess I see your point, but don’t you think you should at least make this information available for ponies to learn?”
“Maybe someday Twilight, but I’ll have to think about it.”
Jake stood uncomfortably behind Rarity while she talked to the pony behind the desk. He looked around the reception area and noticed some ponies giving him strange looks. He gave them a quick smile and waved at them. They turned away, causing Jake to sigh.
“Jake, come along. Sweetie Belle is waiting to see us.” Jake nodded and followed after Rarity.
For some reason Jake felt surprisingly calm in the sterile environment. He remembered the dream about the doctor that he seemed to have been friends with and smiled at the one memory that he had. Rarity stepped in front of him and shot him an odd look.
“Are you ok, Darling? You seem to be a thousand miles away.”
“Hmm, oh, sorry about that,” Jake said with a nervous chuckle. “I just feel sort of comfortable here.”
“That’s strange. Most ponies get uncomfortable in hospitals.”
“In case you’ve forgotten, I’m not a pony. Besides, I don’t know why either, it’s just a feeling I’m getting.”
Rarity shot Jake an odd look, but decided to drop the matter and kept walking down the halls. They stopped in front of a door marked with Sweetie Belle’s name and Rarity slowly opened the door. Sweetie Belle seemed to brighten up a little but then her feature’s shifted to a more crestfallen expression.
“I’m so sorry, Sis. You must be furious with me.”
“I’m not mad at you Sweetie Belle. I’m just relieved knowing you’re safe, so don’t feel bad. You don’t want to depress your special guest, do you?”
“What do you mean “Special guest”?” Sweetie Belle asked, trying to rise in her bed a little.
“Oh just the one responsible for your safety,” Rarity said with a playful grin. “Jake, you can come in now.”
As soon as Jake walked into the room Sweetie Belle visibly brightened and got more energy. “Jake, you’re here! I knew you’d save me, you always save me! Oh, did Rarity make that outfit for you? It looks really nice.”
“Slow down there, Sweetie Belle. The doctors here worked really hard. You don’t want to pop a stitch or something.”
“Sorry,” Sweetie Belle said trying to calm down, but still giggled a little. “I’m just glad to see that my sister and her friends are helping you now.”
“Well, we had a bit of a misunderstanding.” Jake replied with a shrug.
“True, but we cleared the air and everything is fine now.”
“That’s great!” Sweetie Belle enthused. “Listen, when the doctors let me go home, maybe I could give you a tour of Ponyville.”
“Sounds good, Rarity, could you leave the room for a bit? There’s something I want to tell Sweetie Belle on my own.”
“Of course, Darling. I’ll be outside if you need me.”
As soon as Rarity closed the door, Jake took a seat next to Sweetie Belle’s bed. Without her sister’s presence, she seemed more nervous than before. It didn’t help that Jake had taken on a more somber expression.
“Thanks for the scarf by the way.” Jake said slowly, trying to find a good place to start.
“I’m glad you like it. I worked really hard on it.”
“I can tell, but why was it so important that you had to risk your life like that?”
“I made it as a Hearts and Hooves day present for you. But I forgot to give it to you when you came back. I didn’t want you to feel left out. Besides, I had to say thank you for saving my life.”
“You don’t have to thank me for that. I’m the reason you were in danger in
the first place.”
“No you aren’t. We were the ones who decided to chase you!” Sweetie Belle cried, tears welling up in her eyes.
“Sweetie Belle, please don’t try to convince me otherwise. I’ve been nothing but trouble for you since I’ve gotten here. I just wanted to apologize and to thank you. You and the Crusaders have been a big help, but I can’t cause you anymore trouble. Goodbye Sweetie Belle, I have to get as far away as I can. Please don’t come looking for me.”
With that Jake got up and left. Leaving Sweetie Belle alone in the room and crying. He brushed past Rarity without saying a word. He knew he didn’t have long before she figured out what he was planning. Jake had to hurry so could disappear into the Everfree Forest without any hindrances.
Rarity saw the stoic look on Jake’s face and instantly knew something was wrong. She looked back into the room and saw Sweetie Belle curled up in a ball and sobbing. Rarity rushed to her little sister’s side and tried to comfort her in any way she could.
“Sweetie Belle, what is it, what’s wrong?”
“It’s Jake; he said he couldn’t be around me anymore.”
“What do you mean? What did he say exactly?”
“I don’t know, he just said that it was his fault for everything that’s happened recently and that he had to go far away.”
“That boy is far too reckless. Don’t worry Sweetie Belle, I’ll try to find Jake and talk some sense into him."
Jake stood at the entrance of the Everfree with his fists clenched at his side. The foreboding darkness stretched on for what seemed like an eternity. He took a deep breath and reassured himself that it was for the best. Just as he started to walk into the forest a voice called out to him.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
Jake turned and saw Rainbow Dash suddenly descended from the sky and land a few feet away from him, giving him an annoyed look all the while.
“You were right about me. I’m a monster, and this is where monsters live.”
“Are you really that offended by what I said yesterday?”
“It’s not what you said. Those girls have been put into harm’s way twice now because of me. I can’t let that happen anymore.”
“Even if you were the one got them into those messes, you’re also the one who’s been saving them. So let Twilight help you get your memory back so we can get you back to your world. That way you you’ll stop putting them in danger.”
“But… what if who I am really is some sort of monster?”
“What are you some sort of wimp?!” Rainbow Dash boomed, getting right into Jake’s face. “Scoots told me about how you saved her and then hung out with her and the other Crusaders. She told me you were brave, a real hero, and a nice guy. I was almost considering apologizing for knocking you out. But now I see what you’re really like.
“You’re not brave, you’re a coward! You’re so scared of what you might be and what you could do that you can’t see what’s really important. Those girls think you’re some sort of hero. It doesn’t matter what you think. You have to set a good example for them. So stop acting like a foal and deal with your problems.
“We all have things from our pasts that we have to deal with. Just because you can’t remember yours doesn’t mean anything. So, start acting like the role model those girls see you as and start facing your problems. Believe it or not, Twilight and the girls are your friends. They, and even me, owe you a lot for saving the Crusaders. If you need help we won’t hesitate to come to your side. Or you could keep being a selfish foal and go rot in the forest for all I care. It’s up to you.”
Jake stared at Rainbow Dash as she flew off. He kept his eye on her until she disappeared into the clouds. He went over everything she had said in his mind, causing his brow to furrow. He looked back at the forest one last time as he mulled his decision over.