"Wow," Scootaloo said, slack-jawed in awe, "that was the most amazing thing ever!" Looking to her friends and seeing the coy smiles on their faces, she quickly coughed into her hoof and inspected it disinterestedly. "I mean, it's second only to anything and everything Rainbow Dash does."
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "Yeah, sure Scoots." She returned her gaze to the C.V. in her living room. "Anyway, that was only the first part. Accordin' ta Twilight, there's gonna be two more parts ta this 'ere finale."
"Rarity told me that Lyra told her that it takes a lot of magic to put these episodes together," Sweetie commented. She looked up at her horn and furrowed her brows in concentration. "Hmm, I wonder . . ."
"Whatcha thinkin' 'bout Sweets?" Apple Bloom asked the unicorn filly.
"Maybe I can join the HUMAN production staff as a human puppeteer or something?" Sweetie tried channeling a little magic through her horn, only to have it sputter after a few moments. She sighed. "Never mind; I still haven't quite mastered it."
"Meh," Scootaloo said, waving a dismissive hoof, "HUMAN is more fun to watch than work for." She returned her gaze to the Crystalvision screen. "Speaking of which, the second part is starting up now."
Just then the front door opened and Applejack entered. "WHOO-we!" she exclaimed. "Workin' hard never felt so much like hardly workin' 'fore today." She stretched a bit before walking into the living room and seeing the Cutie Mark Crusaders watching the Crystalvision. "Hey sis, what'cha watchin'?"
"SHH!" Apple Bloom exclaimed. "Canyonlands part two is startin' up."
Applejack arched an eyebrow and gazed at the C.V. Immediately, she recognized what Apple Bloom was referring to. Well Ah'll be . . .
Applejack took a seat next to her sister and the four of them watched as the episode's intro played out. Warren Zaccaro and his family were driving along a dirt road winding up a very tall mountain that was lacking in vegetation. The road had a steep incline and the height at which they were driving meant that one wrong move would send the car careening over the side of the mountain. Inside the car, Warren had a look of resentment mixed with a slight hint of fear visible on his face. His brother, Kevin, looked more or less neutral while their parents, Dan and Elin, had focused expressions as they stared at the road in front of them.
Eventually, the shot faded to an overhead view of the car pulling up into a parking lot, with a sign nearby that read "Four Corners". The intro then ended and was followed by the HUMAN opening sequence. Applejack took the opportunity to talk.
"Alrigh', fill me in on all of what happened in part one," she said to the three fillies.
Sweetie Belle pursed her lips in thought as she tried to recall all of what happened. "Well, Warren and his family boarded the plane heading west to-"
"Wait, hold up," Applejack interrupted. "What's a 'plane'?"
"You know, those things humans use to fly around since they don't have wings," Scootaloo said.
"'Cause y'all are one ta talk," Apple Bloom said, smirking.
"Why you little-"
"Hey now, girls!" Applejack got between them before they could start fighting. "No roughhousin' in the house, y'all hear?"
"Yes," both AB and Scoots droned.
"Good." Applejack turned to Sweetie Belle. "Go on."
Sweetie nodded, and continued. "They landed in Las Vegas, and the first thing they saw after exiting the plane was slot machines in the waiting lobby. Then-"
"Slot machines?" Applejack interrupted again.
"Yes, sis," Apple Bloom groaned. "As in, those things humans use ta gamble away money in hopes of strikin' it rich."
". . . Of course."
"Anyway," Sweetie Belle continued, wanting to finish before the show started up again, "they went to lots of places like a bird sanctuary, Mesa Verde, the Grand Can-"
"Mesa Verde? What the heck's that-"
"What the hay, sis!?" Apple Bloom shouted, causing everypony else to flinch and fold their ears back. "Y'all helped create humans yerself! Why don't ya know this stuff already?"
Applejack got over her shock and gave her little sister a soft gaze. "Ah helped Twi an' the others create 'em, sure, but this," she pointed to the Crystalvision, still showing the (admittedly long) HUMAN intro sequence, "Ah didn't have any helpin' hoof in makin', so Ah don't rightly know what's added or changed from the books." She hung her head in slight shame. "Though, Ah suppose it would've helped if'n Ah'd kept up with the show after the premiere."
"Well whatever," Apple Bloom said, rolling her eyes. "Ah don't know what a 'Verde' is either; maybe y'all should ask Twilight."
"Eh, Ah don't need ta know that bad," Applejack finished, and turned her gaze back to the C.V. to watch the show proper which was starting up.
Sweetie Belle turned to Apple Bloom and whispered, "Why didn't Applejack help with the show?"
Apple Bloom grimaced, then whispered back, "Mah sis was still a little peeved over what happened to her at DELOS' resort. The last thing she would'a done is work fer the company, but she's over it now."
"Good to know," Sweetie Belle responded before both turned their gazes back to the C.V. to watch the show.
For the next half hour, the four girls watched the second part of "Canyonlands" in awed silence. Seeing the central characters travel throughout the titular region, visiting many different locations and attractions, in addition to experiencing many minor yet humorous setbacks was undoubtedly quite entertaining for the four of them. There were many times when Applejack saw something on-screen which she didn't recognize from the HUMAN book trilogy, but didn't question the girls so as to not interrupt the show.
"Well, that sure was somethin' special," Applejack stated once the second part finished and the commercials started.
"I liked the part where they fell into that speed trap," Scootaloo stated. "It was funny in that so-ridiculous-and-stupid-it-makes-you-laugh way."
"I don't know," Sweetie Belle said, her tone unsure, "it seemed awfully unfair to be accused of speeding through that 'town'."
"Ah agree with Sweetie," Apple Bloom stated. "If'n that officer thinks a couple a' buildings qualifies as a 'town' then he oughta get a reality check."
Applejack looked to all the fillies. "Girls, it's just a show; no need ta get all riled up over such a thin'."
"Doesn't make it any less unfair, though," Apple Bloom muttered under her breath.
Applejack just smiled and rolled her eyes. Scootaloo spoke up again. "The part I don't get is why that squirrel was so brazen as to hop up on Warren's lap; the books made it clear that rodents in their world are afraid of humans."
"I'm more confused about why Warren said he'd kill it if it 'does a crap on his lap'," Sweetie Belle said. "What does 'crap' mean, anyway?"
Applejack rubbed her chin in thought. "If Ah recall correctly, 'crap' is just human slang for feces. Don't rightly know where Twilight got the name from, but then again Ah could say the same fer darn near everythin' she came up with herself."
"Seems like a pretty extreme threat to make to that squirrel fer somethin' so minor," Apple Bloom mused.
Applejack chuckled. "Are y'all sayin' ya wouldn't be pissed if some rodent dumped its waste all over yer lap, little sis?"
"No! Of course not," Apple Bloom retorted. "Ah jus' think killin' an animal over somethin' so trivial is wrong."
"Ah'm pretty sure Warren was jus' exaggeratin', little sis," Applejack replied. "Though, it was a strange line all the same; Ah'll ask Big Mac 'bout it later."
"The third part's starting," Scootaloo said, to which everypony returned their attention to the C.V.
The four of them proceeded to watch the third and final part of 'Canyonlands'. The episode detailed the remainder of the Zaccaro family's vacation throughout the titular region, showing off many interesting locations and the family's reactions to them. Even the viewers watching through their Crystalvisions were amazed by the scale of the set designs, and couldn't for the life of them determine where in Equestria the scenes were shot. Also, the quality of HUMAN's production shined not just through the sets but through the characters as well. Throughout the entire season but especially the finale, Warren emanated a sense of hard-edged calmness mixed with the occasional bout of crude, yet hilarious comedy. His brother Kevin was quite the uppity little scamp, and many of the younger viewers (namely the fillies) thought him to be cute.
Their parents, however, were seen in a more mixed light. The two brother's dad, Daniel, was portrayed as being an all-around goofy fellow who'd invoke his authoritative side whenever he saw the boys doing something out of line, which was more often than what many viewers thought to be necessary. But Elin, their mother, was even more heavily frowned upon by the audience. Whereas her husband had a prevalent sense of likability conveyed through his sense of humor, her own was incredibly subdued to the point of being unnoticeable, but her authoritative side was heightened to the point of being overbearing. It seemed that Warren and Kevin, but especially Warren, could never act on their natural curiosity without Elin stepping in and dictating whether she approved of such. While such was only natural for a mother to do, Elin didn't seem to act out of a desire to raise her kids to be good, functioning members of society. Rather, she seemed to act out of overparanoia, and that her sons couldn't be trusted to stay out of trouble.
As soon as the third part finished, Applejack and the Cutie Mark Crusaders turned to one another. "So, was that the greatest thing since sliced bread?" Applejack asked teasingly.
"No, that would be when Rainbow Dash did the Sonic Rainboom at the wedding," Scootaloo stated matter-of-factly. "But yeah, the finale had awesome written all over it."
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes. "Seriously Scoots, can't ya go one hour without suckin' up ta Dash?"
"I can, but I won't," Scootaloo answered proudly, to which Apple Bloom facehoofed.
"I thought it was alright," Sweetie Belle said. "I just hope I don't grow up to be like Elin, though; Warren and Kevin didn't seem to enjoy their vacation whenever she was with them."
Applejack smiled softly and patted the white filly on the head. "As the former Element of Honesty, Sweetie Belle, let me say Ah don't see y'all growin' up ta be quite so despairin'."
Sweetie Belle smiled. "Thanks Applejack," she replied, and hugged the farm mare.
Apple Bloom saw this and was about to intervene when a familiar voice stopped her, one which came from the Crystalvision.
"Hello everypony!"
All four girls turned their gaze to the Crystalvision, and were collectively confused by what they saw.
"Twilight?" Applejack said to herself.
In Canterlot Castle, in a specially-reserved room for Crystalvision broadcasts, Twilight Sparkle stood in front of Boco who wore an active crystal monocle which was live broadcasting the lavender princess' message. Out of the crystal's view, Lyra Heartstrings, Princess Celestia, and Mozier stood by. Lyra had an eager grin on her face and was holding a foam finger shaped like a human hand over her hoof, Princess Celestia had a small, wistful smile on her face as she watched her student give her big announcement, and Mozier looked on with a neutral expression.
Twilight continued. "As you all know, 'Canyonlands' was the season finale, and the whole of HUMAN's production had a lot of fun putting not just it but every episode together. It was a lot of work, and I in particular suffered quite a lot to lay the foundation for the adaptation of my HUMAN book trilogy. But rest assured, none of that played a factor in what I'm about to say."
Twilight took a moment to catch her breath before dropping the ball on the entire viewing audience. "I'm leaving HUMAN's production staff permanently."
Though she had no way of seeing it herself, Twilight just knew all across Equestria ponies watching her then all collectively gasped in shock at her revelation. She could only imagine the emotional roller coaster rides everypony was experiencing right then; first shock, then rage, followed by confusion, and finishing off with concern. But Twilight intended to lay their concerns to rest, and she hoped the rest of her speech succeeded in such.
"I'm sure you're all shocked to hear me say that, and I'm also sure you're worried what it means for the show to have its creator leave." And here Twilight winked to the audience. "Well, my little humares, you'll be happy to know that HUMAN: The Crystalvision Series will indeed continue on with a second season, but instead of having me at the helm it will be somepony else beloved by you all."
"IT'S ME!"
"Ahh!" Twilight screamed and fell onto her rump.
Lyra, realizing she'd let her excitement get the better of her, blushed deeply and offered a helping hoof to the fallen alicorn. "Sorry, Twilight; my bad."
Twilight recomposed herself and took Lyra's hoof to hoist herself upright. She briefly glared at Lyra before remembering they were still on live broadcast and smiled for the crystal.
"Indeed, Miss Lyra Heartstrings will take the reins of HUMAN's production from here on out. The show will be noticeably different under her direction, I won't lie, but different doesn't mean worse. If anything, I imagine Lyra will only make season two ten times better than I made season one."
"You better bet I will!" Lyra exclaimed. She stood up on her hind legs and raised her fore legs high up into the air. "It'll be SO great your metaphorical socks won't just be blown off, they'll land all the way in kingdom come!"
Everypony else in the room smiled and rolled their eyes in response. "I don't doubt it, Lyra," Twilight stated as she looked back to the crystal. "Well, that's all I needed to . . . actually, there IS one more thing I should mention. Specifically, why I'm stepping down from my perch as HUMAN's showrunner."
Out of her eye's corner, Twilight briefed a glance to Princess Celestia and adorned a smug grin. "The reason why I needed to step down was because my duties as a princess of Equestria have become increasingly prevalent as of late, so I can't concentrate both on keeping HUMAN's production running smoothly as well as help Princess Celestia with her stacks of Day Court requests. And as you can guess, royal duties are the bigger priority of the two." Celestia didn't react in the slightest to Twilight's declaration, merely retaining her wistful expression.
Heh heh, thou shalt feel the wrath of a thousand whiny fans through thy mail in the coming weeks, dear Princess Celestia, Twilight thought, a little surprised to find herself relishing in the opportunity to screw over her former teacher.
"Well, that's all we have to say everypony," she continued. "Tune in to watch season two later this year."
With Twilight's speech over, Boco de-activated the crystal monocle. The lavender princess breathed out in exasperation and fell onto her haunches and rubbed her temples. "I'm glad that's over."
"It seems you've fully realized the value of self-sacrifice, Twilight," Celestia said, who'd walked over and draped a wing around the lavender alicorn. "The little filly I took under my wing around a decade ago could never handle the stress of making such a significant decision like you just did. To see how much you've grown since then makes me very happy, and I know beyond a shadow of a doubt now that granting you ascension wasn't a mistake." The solar alicorn smiled softly. "then again, I never did believe for a second that it was."
Twilight gave Celestia her own wry smile and stood up. "Thanks, princess."
"It was a pleasure doing business with you, Ms. Sparkle," Mozier said, trotting over to them. "As much as I wish you could stay with DELOS, your decision was most definitely the correct one and I wish you the best of luck in all of your future endeavors as a princess of Equestria."
Twilight nodded. "And the same to you, Mozier." The two exchanged a hoof shake.
"Well," Boco said, putting away the crystal monocle, "since we've been invited here to the palace, how's about we gorge on some Castle Canterlotian delicacies, your highness?"
Princess Celestia giggled and nodded. "Sure, why not? Those old coots in the kitchen need something to do most likely."
"Alright, let's eat!" Lyra exclaimed, waving her foam finger excitedly.
And with that, the group of five proceeded to the kitchens. The whole while, Twilight felt an immense sense of relief from having washed her hooves of HUMAN. She would miss it, surely, but the time to leave it in somepony else's hooves had come, and Twilight had total confidence Lyra was the pony for the job.
Twilight was in her bedroom reading over Day Court requests when a knock on the front door sounded.
"Spike!" she called. "Can you get that, please!?"
"Sure thing!" the young drake called from downstairs.
While she worked, Twilight could hear in the background sounds of the door opening, some brief chatter, the door closing and ending with footsteps coming up the stairs.
"You got a package, Twilight," Spike announced, entering the room. Twilight turned around to see that, indeed, Spike was holding a brown paper-wrapped package in his claws about as big as a medium-sized book. The baby dragon had a frown on his face. "And, well, it's a little strange."
Twilight frowned herself. "What do you mean 'strange'?" she walked over to him and examined the package. "It seems just like any other package one gets in the mail."
"Well, look at the return address," Spike said, pointing to the sticker on the package's corner.
Twilight looked herself and read the text. Once done, she arched both brows in confusion. "That is strange," she muttered.
"What would The House of Enchanted Comics want to send you?" Spike asked.
Twilight shook her head. "I have no idea." She levitated the package out of Spike's claws and began unwrapping it. "But let's find out, shall we?"
Spike nodded and used his claws to help Twilight remove the wrapping paper. When they were done removing it all that remained was a plain white cardboard box with an easily removable lid. Using her magic once more Twilight removed the lid and peered inside, only to freeze in place while her eyes widened to the size of watermelons.
"Twilight, what is it?" Spike asked, concern plainly evident on his face.
The lavender princess gave no reply as she continued staring into the box. Specifically, at its lone content. A comic book; no doubt enchanted to allow the reader to experience for themselves the story it heralded. But what drew Twilight's gaze was the title of the Enchanted Comic. It was a mere two words long, but those two words left the young alicorn at a complete loss for words herself.
HUMAN World