Equestria's First Human

by Ceehoff

Chapter XVI - A New Beginning

His body awoke...

He felt the tickling smoothness of soft grass blades brushing against his entire back of his body.

The scent of newly-grown and fresh grass filled his nostrils as it was being pushed around by cool wind.

Birds were chirping lively in the distance.

His eyes cracked open only to have his retinas nearly scorched off by the bright, warm sun. He blinked repetitively until they were somewhat prepared to open again without pain. However, the sun was directly in his sight, so he rolled over to his side to face away from the shining, eternal beacon for a moment. The moment he opened his eyes again, he noticed that everything was blurry. He wiped them with his fists until his sight was crystal clear.

"Where am I?" he mumbled.

He looked slowly around to see himself sitting in a vast, grassy field with small hills and grass that stretched farther than the eye could see. There were patches of trees of various sizes, moving along with the hills. It was like sitting in the middle of a colossal, green blanket. The sky was an aquamarine blue, which gradually deepened into a darker, fuller blue further up. Small, plump clouds hovered across the sky like snails.

"What happened?" he mumbled again. "How did I get here?"

He slowly sat himself up. He felt lighter than usual, which was funny, because in moments like this, one would usually feel as heavy as lead and feeble as a sprout. However, he was able to lift himself up with hardly any restraint. Plus, he felt the breeze brush by him, which felt a lot more refreshing, feeling like it was passing through his body.

"Why does this place look so familiar?"

He had no recollection of what had happened before he arrived. His mind was blank of memory. That was, until he felt his shirt brush over a very sensitive patch of skin in his chest. He winced slightly at the sudden tingling of nerves. He gingerly placed a finger on the exact spot, which made his chest tingle once more, only with more of a tickling, stinging sensation.

"What the hell? Did I get bitten or something?"

He rolled his shirt up, exposing the black mark of Equestria's Sun imprinted on his chest.

"What the f--?"

His mind cut off his speech as a maelstrom of memories flew right into his mind, making his torso sway. He clapped his hands on his head, trying to prevent himself from swaying even more.

EEEERRRRRRRRRRT!!

"LOOK OUT!!"

"SHI--!"

CRASH!!

His breaths were labored as he shuddered. He heard the flap of the Death's long, black sleeve as it was being lifted up to expose a long, twig-like finger pointing at him.

"It is you who I come for..."

"No! You can't! Not now!"

"I'm sorry, mortal, but what's done is done. There is no turning back..."

He fell back onto the ground, automatically using his forearms to hold him up at the last minute.

"Well? What are you waiting for??" he heard himself say. "Aren't you going to take me?"

"No... Just keeping you company."

"Why are you doing that?"

"You've been granted another chance at life."

The human flinched in surprise and concern. Another chance at life?? Granted by who??

"That pony princess fancies you the most, mortal. That is why she gave you that mark on your chest. You've been enchanted..."

"What does it do??"

"You are just going to have to talk about it with her..."

"No! Wait! WAAIT! Joshuaaaaa!"

His mind became calm. There was nothing more to soak in. It all made sense. Princess Celestia was the reason why he was here.

So that meant...

"I'm back..." he mumbled. "I'm back. I'm... I'm back! In Equestria!" he said with a growing smile on his face.

But suddenly, his face faltered in thought. As much as he loved the place he was in now, why was he sent back?

Why did the Princess sneak a spell onto his body? Why didn't she tell him? Why did she have to be subtle and conspicuous?

The more he thought about this, the more it began to frustrate him. Why would the princess stoop herself so low to sneak a spell onto him without his consort? It was like he felt... violated.

Not only that, but...

... His family back on Earth.

"Oh, God..." he gasped, feeling a wave of nerves course through his chest and abdomen. He just died back on Earth and reappeared here without them knowing. It would not be long until his death has been officially proclaimed to his parents... again. The next thing he imaged was his parent's outbursts of sorrow, which made his stomach churn uneasily.

The churning peaked higher as Joshua's face floated in his eyes. His expression was so full of defeat, trauma, and the growing despair that he was never going to see his friend ever again.

Only this time, college was not the cause of their separation...

...

...

He clenched his fist.

"Princess Celestia," he whispered. "You'd better have a damn good reason for putting me through all of this..."

Then, he heard a faint noise in the wind. It faded before it slowly increased again.

FWIP! A pink bird darted directly past his head from behind. It's wings nearly slapped his cheek.

"Whoa! Easy, there," he spoke to the bird as it flew. "What's the deal?"

The bird perched itself on a tree branch belonging to one of the trees. Its small head darted to one side as it leaned forward.

That was when the faint noise came back.

The bird warbled lively in return, singing a very lovely, brief tune that lasted three seconds. Then, it flew off the branch, darting toward the thick foliage of the forest. The moment it disappeared between the trunks and branches of the forest, it peaked the human's curiosity. He slowly walked up to the very edge, careful to not just step in without any confirmation that it was safe to enter.

Erupting from behind the trees was the bird's singing.

Then, the mysterious noise sounded once again.

He leaned closer.

It sounded like singing. No words, just vocals... It matched the bird's singing perfectly, on-tune and on-tempo. It sounded so... angelic.

He gasped. Deep down inside himself, he knew that that sweet, sweet voice belonged to none other than...

"Fluttershy!" he smiled.

Without any further thought, he was racing past branches, bushes, and other foliage of the forest like a crazed deer. Oh, dear God, had it been so long since he heard that lovely voice. Ever since he had been away, he had been hearing her sweet voice in his head to remind him of the good times he had spent with her, since he knew that he was never going to see her again. However, deep down inside him, he knew that he was. Now, he was actually back.

In the distance, he saw cracks of light emerge between the tree trunks ahead of him. His smile grew wider. He was getting close.

Then, he emerged from the foliage, engulfed in sunlight. The small, quaint, homey cottage that belonged to his loved pegasus was standing forty yards away in front of him. Peeking through one of the windows in the second story was the yellow pegasus, vocalizing with much sweetness and class until the pink bird perched itself onto a hang that was directly in front of it.

"There you are, Missus Pink Jay! Are you hungry?" She pulled out a small bag of bird seed.

The bird chirped happily as the little pegasus poured a hoof-ful into a small dish.

"There you go," she smiled. "Enjoy!"

Before Connor was able to say anything, she disappeared back into the cottage, singing a tune to herself. He grunted in defeat.

Wait, she was heading downstairs, right?

He ran fully out of the foliage and up to the front door. He panted, barely containing his excitement. He was desperately wanting to give her a huge hug. Maybe even a big kiss on her forehead, cheek, or wherever. Whatever he would do, all he knew was that he was finally going to see her.

He lifted his arm to knock, until BONK!! an tortoise with a helicopter propellor strapped onto its back suddenly appeared out of nowhere, colliding headfirst into the door. It was rather loud, for he could see the door rattle for about half a second.

"Didn't see that coming..." the human muttered.

He knelt down to the downed reptile to see if it was okay, but then, the doorknob rattled, which immediately made him stand back up again.

The door opened, revealing a bewildered and concerned yellow pony.

"Oh, goodness! What was--?"

"Hi, Fluttershy!" he smiled with much enthusiasm.

Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. Her mouth creaked open, gradually opening wider. The human chuckled in delight. This is was exactly the kind of reaction he was looking for.

"Oh! Oh my goodness!!" she exclaimed, beating her wings, launching herself at him.

He extended his arms, more than ready to exchange. As soon as her nose was two inches away from his chest, he threw his arms around her.

"Tank! Are you okay?"

What the...?

He opened his arms, seeing that there was no crying pegasus being cradled in his grasp. He looked up to see that he was standing in the doorway, nearly in the foyer of the cottage. He whirled around, seeing Fluttershy standing over the small tortoise.

"Wh--What?" he muttered.

What happened? She was directly in front of him. He had her in his grasp! How the living hell did she end up over there?

"Fluttershy! It's me! I'm over he--!"

He own mind had cut him off. Something he was seeing in the corner of his eye was amiss. Looking to his side, he saw a door-side mirror, hung next to a group of coat-hanger hooks. So far, nothing was amiss...

...Until, he saw what was in the mirror.

No reflection...

"What...?" he gasped. "Wh--... Wh--... What's going on? What's happening??"

"Now be careful next time. Okay, Tank?" he heard Fluttershy speak next to him. "Rainbow Dash is depending on me to look after you while she is practicing her tricks for the Wonderbolts."

The tortoise nodded sluggishly in response before it hovered away.

"Hee, hee! Such a cutie," she giggled. She walked back into the house. Connor could only stand and watch as she passed directly through him like he was smoke.

The human's eyes widened in shock.

He was a ghost, a spectre, invisible to her eyes. He heaved a heavy, sad sigh. How cruel it was to return to a place one hasn't been to for a long time, only to not be seen by those he loves. How was he supposed to embrace her now?

However, his fretful queries had been cut off just when Fluttershy suddenly stopped halfway through him.

At first, she looked surprised. Then, two seconds later, she shuddered blissfully, rubbing her cheeks into her small, smooth, slender shoulders.

"Oooh! All of a sudden it's so warm in here," she sighed happily. "Ahhh..."

Connor smiled at her bliss as well as in relief. So, he wasn't a ghost; he was a soul. Souls were much warmer. If this was the only way he could be intimate with her, then he would gladly be able to oblige. He would keep her warm everywhere she goes.

Yet, still, he was saddened that he would never actually get to be there with her physically, to actually hold her in his arms...

Suddenly, his chest tingled again. The mark behind his shirt began to glow again.

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA! What's--?!"

He was gone in a bright flash of energy.

The little pegasus squeaked in surprise, feeling the warmth suddenly disappear.

"--Going on now?!"

...Now?!

...Now?!

...Now?!

...Now?!

"Oh..."

Looking under his feet, he saw a white, marble floor, reflective and lustrous as a mirror (even though he could not see see himself). Just to his left was a long, red carpet that extended from one end of the vast room to the door across from it on the other side of the room. He looked farther up to see gaping structures, oak-tree-trunk-sized columns and pointed arches that stared down at him like he was a little ant. Windows comprised most of the white, marble walls inside the room, allowing the sun to shine all of its light into it. The very apex of the periwinkle ceiling was nearly about one hundred feet above him.

He blew an elongated whistle, amazed by the room's size and architectural beauty.

As he slowly rotated in his spot to gaze further on, he noticed two dignified ponies exchanging a low conversation. After turning around, he noticed that there were more than just two ponies in the room. There were guards, too, standing still as statues in vigilant watch.

They still could not see him. Yet, how could they not hear him? He heard his own voice echo in the room. Then again, maybe it was just some perk that spirits have, hearing their own echoes. He did not know.

Suddenly, a small, ping-pong ball sized, pink orb of light suddenly flew up in front of his face, startling him. It rocked in the air, back and forth in a figure eight. He reached out to it until it darted past his hand, traced down his arm, and circled around his torso. Then, it disappeared into thin air, before reappearing a distance away from him.

It hovered effortlessly in the air, baiting him to follow it.

He slowly walked toward it. Who knew what its intention was? It could lead him to something good or something bad. Whatever the effect might be, he knew he had to stay on the tip of his toes. He would have be ready to react either way. As soon as reached with three feet away from it, the small orb hovered away from him, leading him up to the door on the other end of the room which the red carpet touches. The door was tall, extending about twenty feet above him before it converged into a pointed arch.

As soon as he reached the door, the glowing orb disappeared, revealing the chrome doorhandle that it was hovering in front of.

He gazed up at the door once more. The only reason a door would look as big as this was that it might be the throne room, where Princess Celestia sits. Swallowing the excess saliva in his mouth, he gripped the door handle.

He tightened his grip.

"Now I'll get to know why she put me through all of this..." he muttered to himself with increasing seriousness.

He opened the door, which creaked noisily and slowly open like it was a front door belonging to a haunted house. When it was fully open, Connor could see a tall, golden throne placed at the very top of a small, ascending, white marble stairway. Red and maroon curtains surrounded the entire back of it. Two guards stood on both sides of the throne, wearing more decorative and regal-looking armor than the ones in the last room.

After briefly noticing his surroundings, he automatically looked up to the throne, which was empty, throwing off his serious attitude.

That was, until a navy blue alicorn with a twinkling, flowing, night-sky blue mane and tail appeared from behind it. After she sharply glanced at the two guards, the two stallions nodded before slowly proceeding out, walking directly through the human like a ethereal spirit he was. The door had shut behind him, emitting a noisy echo within the room. He turned back around from looking at the guards to see the navy-blue alicorn stand directly in front of him, which startled him. Since when did she get there? He did not even hear her lift off or land.

Her blue eyes peered at him with a half-lidded, stern approach, like she was snobbishly and arrogantly inspecting him.

Wait... She could see him??

He rocked to one side, and her eyes followed suit, fixated on him. He rocked to the other side. Same result.

Impressive, but... pretty creepy.

“Uhhh… Hey!” He broke the silence. “Is Princess Celestia here?”

“SHE IS HERE, BUT IS IN ANOTHER ROOM,” her voice bellowed, nearly deafening the human standing in front of her. “BUT, DO NOT GO ANYWHERE. SHE WILL BE WITH THEE SHORTLY.”

“I’m right here, you don’t need to shout. Jeez...” he mumbled, twisting his pinky in his ear. “Okay, uhhh, how long will it take?”

“AT LEAST A MINUTE.”

He should probably stop asking her questions. His face was barraged by a huge gust of wind. However, not asking her anything did not help, because she had some other things she would like to say to him.

“SO THOU ART EQUESTRIA’S FIRST HUMAN, AS I AM TOLD? WE ARE CHARMED TO MEET THEE.”

“You sure about that?" he meekly queried. "You seem a little... unhappy about it..."

“OF COURSE, WE ARE HAPPY. HOW COULD IT BE NOT CLEAR TO THEE?”

“The shouting, for one? You look pretty irritated in my opinion,” he politely implied.

“WELL, YOU ARE MISTAKEN, HUMAN. IT IS TRADITION TO SPEAK THIS WAY WHEN ADDRESSING OUR SUBJECTS.”

“Yeah, cool, but I’m right here…”

“WE KNOW,” she nodded.

“Then, why are you still shouting?" he asked with a hint of frustration. "You could hurt somepony’s ears with that kind of volume.”

What a hypocrite. He listened to metal with that kind volume.

“NO MATTER WHAT THOU SAY, HUMAN, THIS IS HOW IT IS, WHETHER THOU LIKE IT OR NOT,” the loud alicorn sniffed, resting her case.

“I see that you’ve met my sister, Luna," said a voice to his side.

Connor turned to see Princess Celestia walk in from the balcony. About time she came; he felt like his ears were going to bleed, even if he was a spirit. It was relieving to have a pony who talked normally join the conversation.

"Luna... Okay..." he said, twisting a finger in his ear. "But why is she shouting like that?”

“It’s the traditional Royal Canterlot voice of the olden days. It was used to speak to large masses of ponies. Nowadays, it is hardly ever used anymore," she said before looking at her sister. "However, Luna still is not over it.”

“SISTER, PLEASE! NOT IN FRONT OF HIM!” the navy blue alicorn complained.

After receiving a disapproving look from the white alicorn, the night princess shrank back in shame.

“I mean, sister! Not in front of him!” she said in a smaller voice.

“Whew... Much better,” Connor smiled, lifting his hands off of his ears. “And, boy, does your voice sound pretty, now that it’s not loud and shouting.”

“Oh!" she exclaimed. "Well, thank thee kindly, human.”

“His name is Connor, Luna,” Celestia corrected.

Luna blushed in embarrassment again.

“So, why does she still speak that way?” the human asked.

“A dispute between us many years ago,” the white alicorn answered. “Because our subjects weren't very appreciative of the night, she became depressed and bitter, causing her to rebel and attempt to wreak eternal night upon all of Equestria. Because of the bitterness in her heart, she became a feared omen, Nightmare Moon. I had to banish her to the moon for a thousand years before she wreaked any more havoc onto us. When she returned a thousand years later, Twilight and the others brought her back to normal with the Elements of Harmony. Since she had been imprisoned on the moon, Luna still had the ways of olden days imprinted in her. She still has work on becoming more savvy.”

Luna hung her head. “’Tis true… I have no urge to argue. I was foolish back then.”

“But that was all in the past. It doesn't matter anymore. Now, I am just happy that I get to have my little Lulu back,” she smiled as she nuzzled her little sister’s cheek.

“Sisterrr!” Luna whined past her sister's affection. “Not in front of him, please!”

Connor awkwardly watched as the two exchanged a personal moment.

“Well, I guess we should focus more on the matter at hoof going on now,” Celestia said as she turned to Connor. "I just want to say--."

"Why?"

She paused, startled by his sudden will to speak.

"Excuse me?" she squeaked.

"Why?"

Beside her, Luna craned her neck to get a more frontal look at her sister.

"I... I don't seem to understa--."

"Why did you do it?" he asked with an increasingly serious expression. Despite the warm social bonding from earlier, he still did not forget his earlier thoughts about the princess of the Sun.

She shook her head faintly, not understanding what he was implying. Actually, she did not understand why he was acting so serious and seemingly angry. The human scowled slightly, assuming that she had forgotten.

"Why did you cast a spell on me to make me return here?"

Her lips were frozen. Why did he look so unhappy? Why did he look so unpleased? Her jaw tensed, trying to choose her words carefully.

"Because..." she said. "I felt like you... deserved it."

"What did I do to deserve this?"

The tone he used like he was being wrongfully punished hewed down the alicorn's feelings in chips and small chunks. Did he actually forget everything that he did long ago?

"You did everything," she responded. "You've done so much to change us, that I thought that you rightfully deserved it."

"Rightfully'?" he nearly shouted. "Since when did I have a right to have a spell cast on me without my consent?!"

"I..." she stammered, feeling hurt and a little scared. "I just wanted to make you happy..."

"How dare you?!" he barked. "That's--! That's just low! That's sneaky! That's... That's lowbrow! Why?! If I wanted to have a spell cast onto me, then I would've asked for it! I didn't need your decision to have me return here! But, NO! You had to do it without breathing a hint toward me! You think I feel good about this?! Well, let me tell you something, it doesn't feel convincing at all! Not one bit! It felt like I had just been goddamn violated! Do you have any idea what I have been through, ever since I found out that I have been hexed by you??"

The white alicorn wanted to answer but her newfound guilt prevented her will to speak.

"I had just witnessed myself, my own dead body, crunched to a bloody pulp from the ribs down! I witnessed my friend's husk, which was not even supposed to be dead yet! I had to witness my best friend's look of despair just before I came here! My life was doing just fine before I had to go through all of that shit! I made lots of friends! I was the fourth most popular guy at school! Jesus Christ, I was going to go to college soon! College! What I and my parents had to work so hard to--My parents! For Christ's sake, what about my parents?? My sister?? If they find out that I was killed again, they would be devastated! It'll happen all over again!! All the worrying, the crying, the despair, the freaking funeral...! Worst of all, my best friend had to witness me die once again, this time, without ever coming back! It feels like I had ditched him, my best friend, whom I trusted more than anyone else back on Earth! And you're saying that you did this just to make me happy?! Well, you're wrong! I'm hysterical! Offended! Now, you can just go--! Go--! Guh..."

He collapsed onto his knees, panting heavily.

"Connor!" Celestia exclaimed leaping up to him in fright with Luna following behind.

The human then fell onto his hands, falling on all fours. He panted heavily as if he was shot in the leg and was trying to vent the pain. His eyes became blurry with moisture, feeling a crippling wave of fading energy and growing emotion. His panting calmed as a large, white, feathered wing opened underneath him, pressing against his chest to lift him up.

Meanwhile, Celestia's mind was being tangled with questions as well as internal self-chiding. She had never expected this kind of reaction from him, yet she did sense that there would be uneasiness beforehoof. She just did not think it would turn out like this. She only wanted him to be happy that he was back. Yet...

Connor was lifted back up to his feet. His expression was blank and dark, full of trauma as he blankly stared at the ground in front of him. To the alicorn, he felt pretty stable, but she kept her wing on his chest in case he was going to collapse again.

He gently pushed her wing off. He turned around with his back facing toward the two princesses.

The room became deathly silent, which frightened Celestia. She internally braced herself for any sort of sudden outburst or any oncoming harsh mud-flinging.

Neither happened.

His lips cracked by a thread before he spoke.

"Can I just be alone for a while...?"

The alicorn's heart faltered. Apparently, he did not wish for her to console him, to have her comfort him from his traumatic moment that he mentioned earlier. However, she did not wish to make him even more upset.

She about to turn to leave, but the human walked instead, heading to the door that lead into the room just before the throne room. His feet made no sound as they slowly trudged over the carpet, making the princess feel even more emotional.

The door creaked open...

The door shut. Its echo penetrated the air, slowly dissipating into silence.

Then, that silence was broken when small sounds were heard behind the thick doors.

Bitter sniffles transitioned to pitiful moans...

Then, to bitter weeping...

Fifteen minutes had passed. However, to the princesses, it felt like an hour. The room was quiet, except for the sound of smooth, slightly-labored breathing. The pillars and domes, and pointed arches stared down at them like hungry vultures sitting on tall trees, waiting for their prey to pass away. The colored lights from the stained glass windows illuminated on the two princess' perfectly groomed coats.

Luna tilted her head to glance at her older sister, whose eyes were shut as if she were meditating.

"Sister..." she softly spoke.

Celestia's eyes opened immediately, before glancing drearily at her.

"Yes, Luna?" she replied.

"Like the human, I am gravely upset about what thou did..."

The white alicorn looked away, heaving a heavy sigh.

"Yet, I am curious as to why thou did it," Luna continued. "Why did thou go so far as to do unto him all this trouble?"

Celestia sighed again.

"I felt that he earned it," she replied, not looking at her sister. "After all that he did."

"Did what? Prithee, tell me." The dark alicorn leaned closer.

"He saved all of Equestria from a terrible threat, as well as he saved me."

"Save you?? Save thee from what?"

"I would've been brutally skewered by that falling spire if he weren't there to see it."

Her sister gulped. "Sk-skewered?? Good Goddess, sister!"

"And, he changed us ethically. He was despised by Ponyville because he was different and the only one of his kind to walk there, but after what he did, he changed them. They learned to never again avoid anypony because he or she is different. Instead, they should welcome that somepony as if he or she were their own. And..."

"Annnnnnd, what?"

"Er... Nevermind," she flinched out of her blushing trance. "It... It's nothing."

Her younger sister leaned closer to her, squinting suspiciously.

"Sisterrrr," she said. "What is it? Prithee not act that way. I know thou art hiding something."

Celestia did not forget the first time she had met Connor.

She walked into Sugarcube Corner and gasped in surprise to see him sitting among the ponies.

“Princess Celestia, this is Connor," Twilight said.

“W...what is he?” the royal pony softly asked her.

“He’s a human.”

“I...have never heard or seen this creature before. I’ve reigned for more than a thousand years, and yet, this creature is all so new! How could I not know of this? There has to be some sort of a slip-up.”

“He was brought here yesterday. He’s very new.”

“WHOA, whoa!” Connor shouted, interrupting their train of conversation. He could not withhold the urge to blurt out what he was going to say next. “You lived for more than a thousand years?? WOW! You’re OLD!”

Silence…

Twilight hid behind her mane in embarrassment. Pinkie Pie's mouth gaped open in shock, dropping the cupcake that was in her mouth. Rarity’s mouth hung wide open. Fluttershy covered her mouth with both of her front hooves. Rainbow Dash inhaled through her teeth, hissing. Applejack slapped her forehead with her hoof, groaning in her breath. Spike ducked for cover.

The princess stared blankly at the human.

He winced.

“Duh! Erm, uhh… yet, you look… You look... HOT!! You look hot! So young and so hot!" he smiled nervously. "Whoo, did it just get hot in here, or is it just you? Heh! Heh, heh, heeehhhshit..."

The white alicorn blushed. Never before did anypony, especially an unexplained creature, consider her “hot”. She liked the human already.

“Oh! Um... Thank you! Thank you, kindly!” she smiled.

Everypony sighed, including Connor. What a recovery.

"I'm not hiding anything," she argued.

"What about the blushing? Wouldst thou care to explain that?"

The white alicorn cupped her cheek. "It's hot in here. Why are you so suspecting, Luna?"

The night princess leaned even closer, squinting tighter.

"Behind every object lies a dark shadow, sister... " she purred menacingly. "Forget thee not, I am the Princess of the Night, and I am very familiar with the dark. Very familiar..."

Celestia gulped.

The sound of the opening door erupted, surprising both of them. From behind, Connor walked out, rubbing his reddened, bagged, tear-stained eyes. The white alicorn felt like she wanted to glide down and hug him, but seeing he looked somewhat unpredictable regarding emotion, she kept her distance.

"Connor?" she gingerly asked him. "Are you all right?"

Noticing her, he walked further up the red carpet path and stopped at the very base of the stairway, meekly looking at the ground.

"Yeah..." he quietly responded. "I'm fine..."

She sighed in relief.

"And..." he said. "I would like to... apologize."

"Apologize?" she asked with surprise. "Oh, no, you don't need to apologize. I understand--."

"Princess..." he gruffly spoke.

"Hm?"

"Please... Let me..."

The princess nodded obediently, sitting further more onto her haunches, cushioned comfortably by the red, silky, pillow-like pad.

Connor continued.

"I, uh... Want to apologize for those things I said to you. It was unduly harsh. I was just so scared and scarred by what I've seen earlier that I had nearly lost my composure. I was hysterical. None of what happened earlier to me was your fault. It was only a freak accident. Seeing that I can't go back, I should be more thankful for what you did for me, as hurtful as it was that you did it without my knowing it. You were really kind, compassionate and... thoughtful to offer me such a gift, and I thank you dearly. You must really care about me to do such a thing. As grateful as I say I am right now, I..."

He paused and turned to look out the window.

"I'm really going to miss them... I just wish I had a chance to say 'good-bye' to them... My family, my friends..."

"And you will..." Celestia said as she flew from her throne and landed gently next to him. "There is always a time. In fact, you can do so now, if you wish."

He looked at the princess beside him, who was smiling warmly and affectionately at him, urging him to do so. Then, he turned to walk up to the window. The sky was burning blue and the sun was glowing like a million beacons. It was certainly a beautiful day. There were hardly any clouds in the sky, which humorously notified him that he had clear path to speak to them. He placed a palm on the window.

"Good-bye, Mom... Good-bye, Dad... Good-bye, Jessie, sis... Good-bye, Joshua... Good-bye, everybody..." he softly spoke. "I love you all. Every single one of you... I'll miss you..."

His head bowed and his eyes burned as tears filled his eyes. His palm slowly trailed down the glass of the window. His shoulders began to quiver.

When he opened his eyes, he saw his cheek pressed onto the white alicorn's smooth, velvety neck. Her cheek rubbed his right temple. He felt her long and slender foreleg and large, curtain-like wings wrap around him, reeling him in for a warm and consoling hug. Feeling overwhelmed with emotion he buried his face into her neck, hiccuping for air as he cried.

"Shhhhhhhh..." she gently hushed him as she stroked his back. "Shhh... It's okay. It's okay, love. You said it now. I guarantee you that they all heard it, nice and clear."

"I hope so..." he sniffled.

"They will... I promise you..."

The teary human hugged the princess tighter. The princess allowed the tears that leaked from his eyes to stain her coat, welcoming his presence. Luna smiled at the heart-warming scene from a short distance. The way she hugged him reminded her of that very day, just a few months ago, when Nightmare Moon was no more. She did not wish to join the hug, because she had only met the human. It would push the boundaries into awkwardness.

After a minute, Connor's tears had ceased. The white alicorn princess never loosened her grip once. She still held him tightly like he was an infant pony of her own.

Then, she released her chin from his temple and craned her neck to look more into the human's damp eyes.

"Connor," she whispered.

"Hmm?" he mumbled, meeting her eyes.

"It is time for the next step."

"What next step?"

She folded her wings back to her sides, releasing him from her hug. She stepped back next to her sister.

"The next step: Incarnation. Since you will be remaining here in Equestria, you will have be put into a body. Of course, you can't stay as an invisible spirit forever. Living here wouldn't be as enjoyable if you can't be seen," she finished with a friendly giggle.

"Of... Of course," he smiled weakly, still recovering from his moment of tears.

"However, before we do that," she said with a more crucial tone. "You will have to make a decision."

Connor nodded, eager to hear it.

"You have to decide what you will incarnated as. Either you want to be a human again or a pony."

"That's it?"

"No. It's not. This is not a simple decision. You really have to look inside yourself, if you are to make your decision. Deep inside yourself," she said with much seriousness. "This is not like a test what you would take at school. This decision is the rest of your life with no turning back whatsoever..."

Now, the human's head was really itching. The crucial tone in her voice tipped his confidence over like an unstable china vase. He really had to think this through. However, he could not concentrate with the two princesses staring at him. He stepped back about four feet before he slowly turned around to think.

He always wondered what it was like to be a pony. There was never a time during a human's life where he or she never thought of what he or she would be like as a four-legged animal or any other kind of animal. However, if he became a pony, he would lose his hands. How would he play guitar? How would he hold up a glass of water? How would he do anything that would be impossible for a hoof to do? Hands were much more versatile. Yet, then again, if he was going to be a human, he would have to eat what the ponies ate: wheat, plants, vegetables, oats, hay, soy... Damn... Still, there was still Sugarcube Corner; he could eat some stuff there. Yet, then again, if he ate nothing but sweets, he would become corpulent. That was the last thing he wanted, a heartache before he turned twenty-one. But, if he became a pony, he would have to wash all of the fur that would cover every inch (not including his genitals) of his body, so it would take longer to take a bath.

He clutched his skull with his hands.

God damn it! Why couldn't he decide?!

Then, suddenly, Fluttershy's angelic singing voice resounded in his mind, putting him at ease from the stress he experienced from thinking.

He loved her very much. But, he knew that he could not be with her as a boyfriend. Still feeling his ethics take over him, he knew that he could not do anything to express his love for her back...

Not as a human, that was...

He was going to be living in Equestria from now on. Staying as a human with the kindest and sweetest pony in Ponyville was going to be like torture. He had so many feelings for her, that there would be moments that he could hardly control himself. He knew better than to be in a cross-species relationship with her.

However, if he was a pony, then...

"Princess..." He turned around.

"Yes, Connor?" Celestia responded. "Have you made your decision?"

He walked up to her.

"Yes..." he replied with a glint of confidence in his eye.

...

"I wish to be a pony..."

Celestia smiled internally. With either decision he made, she vowed to not show any trace of surprise. This was his choice, not hers.

"Is that thy final decision?" Luna asked gravely and seriously.

"Yes."

"Dost thou understand that in making this decision, there is no turning back whatsoever after the procedure hast been complete? Are thou confident with this decision?"

"Yyyes," he responded, feeling a smidgen of intimidation in the seriousness and urgency of her question. However, he was very confident in his answer.

"Very well," Celestia smiled. "Then, follow us."

The alicorn sisters and the human walked over to a door that led into another room. Celestia slid her horn into a small slot that was located in the exact middle of the door. The cracks and markings filled and glowed with glowing magic, bright enough to burn splotches into the human's eyes. The door opened, revealing a tall, circular room nearly about the size of a basketball court. There were no windows. Torches on the wall lit up the room with a warm, orange glow, revealing the black, smooth, marble walls and floor. Connor felt the soles of his sneakers catch onto a spacing that was as thin as a pencil. He followed its path to see it had curves, crossings, and perpendicular angles.

“Stand in that circle,” Celestia pointed a hoof at a carved circle in the exact middle of the room.

He obediently stepped into the circle.

“What kind of room is this?” he asked.

“This is our Meditation and Enchantment Room,” she replied. “We come in here to meditate and practice spells and other forms of magic. This will be the perfect place for the procedure. Nopony enters in here without consent. We won’t be disturbed in here.”

The sisters circled around him, stopping at opposite ends of the room with Connor standing between them. They knelt on all fours, shifting in their places to get more comfortable.

“Remember, Connor. This spell is permanent, so you'd better be sure you want this,” said Celestia sternly.

“I’m sure, he nodded.

The white alicorn smiled, pleased with his will to stick with his decision. “Before we begin, let me notify you that this spell will take some time to complete. This is crucial, if you want to become perfectly equine.”

“How long are we talking?”

“About thirty to sixty minutes.”

"That doesn't seem so bad..."

"You don't have magic to summon," she tittered ironically. "Luna! Are you ready?"

“I am ready, sister,” the night princess replied.

Bowing their heads, they pointed their horns directly at him. They emitted sparks a few times at first before they grew into swirling funnels of golden-yellow and violet lights.

“Is this going to hurt?” Connor asked.

“That, I don’t know,” replied the white alicorn.

“Well, if it does, I’m expecting a lollipop after this.”

The alicorn smiled in response.

“Now, Luna!”

Two, telephone-pole thick columns of magic shot at the human from both sides. Then, what seemed as fast as gunshot, Connor’s entire body was cocooned in a bright, white light of magic, lighting up the entire room. He floated effortlessly over the ground, circling slowly like a spinning planet. He could feel his skin tingle and tickle in a bubbly sort of way. It felt like bubbles were rising up from his insides like freshly poured soda. It felt strangely relaxing. He could even feel his bones slowly shift, stretch, and bend, centimeter-by-centimeter, rearranging themselves into his new form. He felt a wave of warmth course throughout his skin as he felt fur protrude out of his pores.

Thirty to sixty minutes.

It was going to take a while.

“Hang in there, Luna! We’re almost there!” Celestia called over the loud magic.

Luna gritted her teeth, fighting against the fatigue that coursed throughout her body. Her forehead and the base of her horn began to ache. Never before had she felt so much fatigue just from summoning magic.

Connor was still engulfed in blinding light. His silhouette was barely visible through the bright wall of magic.

Just when both of the princesses thought they were going to give out and shut down, they were suddenly blown back, resulting from a sudden outburst of energy coming from the enchantee. They both skidded on top of the floor. With cat-like reflex, Celestia jumped up onto her hooves, while Luna slid over the ground, back into a wall. Their ears were ringing from the small explosion. Their eyes were foggy from the sudden bright flash. They staggered on their feet, which resulted from the spell. Not only did their kneecaps hurt from kneeling, but they were feeble. A lot of energy was taken out of them.

It took thirty seconds for their senses to clear up.

How long had it been? Celestia closed her eyes and sensed the sun outside. Judging by the distance it had shifted, it had been an hour exactly.

Both princesses spotted a body lying in the middle of the room. The body behind the cloud of dust was silent, though not deathly silent. They crept slowly up to it, excited and slightly nervous to view their results. After a few more steps, the princesses saw a body of an earth pony, lying on its side with its eyes closed. Its fur coat was a pinkish cream-like color, a peachy color, like the color of skin. It had a short blackish-brown mane and tail. An image of Equestria's Sun was imprinted on its flanks, much like the mark it had on its chest of its previous form.

“Connor?” Celestia squeaked softly.

There was no answer. She shook him gently.

“Connor?”

Then, the pony’s eyelids wrinkled. Soft moans hummed from under his closed lips.

“Connor…” the alicorn repeated.

“Mmhhh… nuht mnow, Muhmm. Jus’ five muhr minutphhs…” the pony mumbled.

She could not help but giggle at his innocence. The pony looked so adorable to her.

“Wake up, my little pony,” she softly sang in his ear. “The spell was successful.”

Connor's eyes fluttered open. They were blurry from fatigue. He lifted his head, squinting at his surroundings. After looking around, he noticed a big white blob. After a few more blinks, his vision cleared up, and he saw the Sun Princess inspecting him. She smiled as she looked at him in the eyes. They looked exactly like his old eyes, only they were slightly larger and more circular.

The new pony was about to rub his eyes, until he saw he had a hoof instead of a hand. In utmost surprise and awe, his sight traced from his hoof to the rest of his body. He hooted in amazement. She actually did it!

He pushed himself up so he could stand. It was no problem at all, until he took his first step. He fell right back onto the floor, landing flat on his chest with his rear falling briefly after it.

Celestia offered to help him to his hooves, but he pushed her hoof gently away, physically telling her that he could do it by himself. He placed his hooves firmly on the ground by his head and pushed up. His legs trembled and quivered, awkwardly trying to hold up his new form. He tightened all of his muscles to stop himself. When he thought the trembling was over, he took a creful step forward with his foreleg. Next, he tried his back leg. After three, slow strides, he fell again, only Celestia held him up with her wing.

"Here, let me help you with that," she giggled.

Using her magic, she lifted him onto her back and walked out of the room with Luna trailing behind her. When they were back in the throne room and in front of the throne, she placed him gently down in front of her.

“How do you feel?” she asked with concern.

“Weird… but fine, I guess,” the pony replied.

“Yes, it may feel weird for a little while, but you will adjust to it in no time. It just needs some practice.”

“Yes, of course.”

Celestia smiled. She had done a fine job, indeed.

“So…” the new pony slowly said. “I guess this means I’ve gotta go now. Hopefully, my legs will let me. Thank you, Princess!”

“Actually, Connor, just call me, ‘Celestia’," she said with a wink. "You don’t have to call me ‘Princess’ anymore.”

“Oh! But, uhh... Why not? it's respectful, isn’t it?”

The alicorn smiled at his courtesy. “Indeed, it is. But for now, it would be a lot more respectful to me if you just called me ‘Celestia’ from now on. I would like that very much.”

“Okay then, Prin--... Celestia. Thank you…” He knelt on all fours (quite roughly, since he was still getting used to his new form) and gently kissed the alicorn’s hooves.

Her snow-white cheeks burned bright pink as she felt his lips press onto her slender hoof.

Once he had broke away, Connor stood back up and began to walk awkwardly out of the room.

“Wait!” Celestia called. “Before you go, I need to give you something.”

The ponified human turned back around and faced the princess, curious of what she would give him.

She held the kiss on his forehead for seven seconds before she released with an elated smile. The ponified human was flabbergasted. Princess Celestia, deity and loving ruler of Equestria, just kissed him. It was such an honor to receive such a blessing from her.

“Th-thank you, Prin—I mean, Celestia!”

“You’re very welcome,” she smiled. “Now, you may leave. I have a chariot waiting for you outside.”

“Oh, cool! Thank you! Well, I'll see you later!" he smiled.

After a few slow steps, he fell onto his front. He regained his posture and walked a little slower. He fell again… and again… and again…

"Wait. Hold on, I got this..."

Finally, at a really slow pace, he was able to trot correctly. If he were racing against a tortoise, the tortoise would probably win. Inch by inch, he slowly and awkwardly trotted toward the door. Celestia could not help but smile at his humorous pace. He was like a newborn fawn taking its first steps, which made her barely contain herself.

Clop, clop…clop….clop, clop… clop, clop, clop… cloppity cloppity… He nearly lost balance.

He reached the door, but he turned his head around to look at the two princesses again. He smiled and waved before nearly tumbling to the ground because of his lack of frontal support. They both waved back at him in response.

After a few more off-beat clops, Connor was absent from the room. Luna sensed something much affectionate looming from her sister's aura. She still had that wide smile cracked across her cheeks.

“Sister, that is not the usual blessing thou givest…” the moon princess stated.

“I know…” the sun princess responded, blushing.

The trip aboard the flying chariot did not take long at all. Since Canterlot was easily visible from Ponyville, it only took about two to three minutes for him to arrive.

The chariot lowered to the ground, foot-by-foot, toward the street containing Town Hall, because it was the widest, perfect for landings.

"Prepare to touch ground, sir," one of the Royal Guard drivers called over his shoulder to Connor.

"Oka--!"

Before he could finish responding, the chariot touched ground and bounced up underneath him, making him lurch forward and smack his face against the inside.

"D'oh!"

"Ugh..." the other guard groaned, rolling his eyes.

They pawed the earth underneath them to brake into a smooth stop. The new pony climbed out of the chariot, rubbing his sore muzzle.

"Agh... Son of a--!" he groaned. "That's gonna hurt tomorrow. I should be careful with this new face. This muzzle would be the first to get hit..."

He stopped rubbing his nose to nod at the chariot drivers in thanks. After returning the nod, the drivers flew off, careening back to the sparkling castle perched high on the side of the mountain.

He looked around to see a medium-sized crowd of ponies walking to and fro, minding their own business, while some were attracted by the chariot. Their eyes were fixed on him, tilting and scratching their heads in confusion and curiosity at the new pony standing before them.

It was just as well; he had not been in Equestria for a long period of time, so it would take a while for them to recognize him, along with the fact that he was now equine. For now, it was probably best let them figure it out, because he had some ponies he would like to visit. He would more than gladly visit Fluttershy first, but alas, he was still not apt enough to walk in his new body yet. It would take him forever to reach her cottage. He might as well visit somepony closest to him.

After turning around, he saw the library in the distance.

Twilight it was, then.

He took slow and clumsy steps, inching toward the large tree. It took him about a twenty minutes to reach the front door. However, before he knocked, (he leaned against the doorway for support) he stopped himself. Maybe he should check if she was inside. He inched to the window and looked in.

Indeed, she was in. She was lying on her stomach in the middle of the floor, looking relaxed. He smiled. That Twilight.

Should he surprise her?

...

Hell, why not? She was going to be flabbergasted either way.

He inched back up to the front door and leant against the doorway for support while he slowly pushed the door open. It creaked, but the purple was so focused into reading, that she didn't notice. He inched up to her, trying very hard to be quiet. Man, was she going to be surprised.

Soon, he was standing directly in front of her. He could see her eyes shifting left and right over the words in the book that she was reading. The library was quiet. The sounds heard in the entire library were only flipped pages and quiet, smooth breathing from the unicorn's lungs.

Twilight was reading a book written by Stephanie Mare.

“I promise you, Bella, I will love you forever. I will love you until, uhhh... you know, we die or something like that. Whatever. I love you, okay?” Edward whispered into Bella’s ear.

“Oh, Edward! Make love to me…right…NOW…” the young mare snarled saucily as she threw herself onto the vampire-pony.

CRASH!! The door exploded into splinters. A small puppy skipped happily into the room, wagging its tail and scratching its ear with its hind leg. It quickly morphed into a stallion, ripped with muscles and crusty with dried, overly-applied cologne.

“EDWARD MULLET!" the stallion shouted. "Get your filthy, undead, bony, white vampire hooves off of her! She's mine!!”

“Jacob Buck!!” the vampire stallion exclaimed, glaring at him with his red eyes. “We meet again! Your tanned coat of fur, twelve pack, and overly-gelled mane will not win Bella this time!”

“Foolish, cocky, vampire! Of course, I will win her! It's inevitable! Behold!!” he exclaimed as he ripped his shirt off, revealing a chest full of muffin-topping muscles. “Come with me, Bella! Do not linger with this foul, blood-sucking cur! I am the number-one, macho werewolf stallion! You deserve me more than that pretty-pony! I love you, Bella!” He squirted more cologne onto himself.

“No, Jacob... I can’t go with you,” Bella replied.

“WHAT?! Why must thou teaseth me, O, sweet Bella! Now is not the time! Prithee, stop it!”

“I just got married to my Mullet-Wullet just a minute ago. I’m so sorry, Jacob... You were such a good friend to me, but Edward came in first... Plus, I’m just a shallow hussy. Vampires are hotter.”

"OH! Suck it!" the vampire hooted. "Oh, wait! You can't, 'cuz you're not a vampire! BURN!"

“Edward, you wretch!" he pointed a harsh hoof at his nemesis. "You hypnotized and stole my screw-buddy! How dare you?! You will pay for your crime! HERE COMES THE JACOB CANNON, MUTHABUCKAH!!!”

“C’mere, pretty-pony!” Edward hissed.

BAM! BAM! KA-BOOM! WHACK! POK! ZINK! RATATATATATATATAT!! EEEEeeeeeeee-BOOOOOOOOOMMM!!! PUNCH! PUNCH! ZAP! BRZZZZZT! TWANG! FLUSH! QUACK! MEOW! KA-BLOOIE!!

“Wow,” Twilight spoke with a severe grimace. “This book sucks! Why do fillies even like this garbage?”

“Hey, Twilight!”

"WAUGH!"

She launched up into the air, nearly hitting the ceiling. She landed on all fours, slapping a customer-friendly smile on her face.

“Oh, hello, sir! Sorry to keep you waiting. I was doing a little… book review,” she coughed. “Welcome to the library! How can I help you?”

“Twilight, it’s me!” replied the stallion.

“You sure seem to know me… but I don’t know you," she said, inspecting him. "I haven’t seen you before. Are you new here? If you are, I would be more than happy to provide you with books about Ponyville culture! Just say the word, and I'll fetch them for you before you could even say, 'Honorificabilitudinitatibus'!"

...

"Errr... What?" Connor said, flabbergasted by the huge word that escaped her mouth. "Twilight..."

“I have books on activities, holidays, events…”

“Twilight…”

“Oh, and I even have Ponyville History books!”

“TWILIGHT!”

The unicorn froze, surprised by the sudden volume.

“Twilight, it’s me! Connor!”

The bookworm blankly stared at him. She leaned closer to inspect him. Her purple eyes zipped left and right, tracing over each feature of his face. Then, they traced to his cutie mark.

Equestria's Sun... Just like what Celestia--...

Then, her eyes widened in surprise. She cupped her mouth shut as she gasped. She could not believe what she was seeing.

"Hey, Twilight," the colt smiled.

“Omigosh, omigosh, omigosh!" she nearly shrieked as she threw her forelegs around his neck, giving him an elated hug. He hugged her back, but did not worry about falling this time, because of the unicorn holding him up.

After two seconds of squealing happily, she released her grip. "You're back!! I thought you'd never come back!"

"I thought so, too," he chuckled. "But, here I am."

"And you're a pony, too!"

Suddenly, her smiled quickly turned into a offended frown. "You're... a... a pony..."

"What's wrong?" the colt asked, concerned.

"But..." she sputtered. "Why?"

"You're saying you don't like my new form?"

"No! No, no, I like it! It's just... Why?" She looked up at him, gazing at him in sad disbelief. "We were fine with what you were before. We loved you for who you were before. Why did you change? Is it permanent?"

"It is..."

She gasped faintly in response to his brief and blunt answer. "But, why?"

Connor sighed through his nostrils, knowing what he would have to do next.

"You might want to sit down," he gestured to a stool. "It's a long story..."

The purple unicorn's eyebrows bunched together in concern. His tone waved a yellow flag, notifying her that this was going to be serious. Not only that, but his attitude made her even more concerned. He looked depressed and let down. What did he go through just to end up here in front of her as a new pony? Something really sad, maybe...

Her horn lit up and the stool was reeled in, stopping directly behind her. She pulled another stool up for Connor to sit on as well. He nodded in thanks before he sat down on it, sitting like he did as a human, directly on his haunches, leaving his hind legs to hang off the edge of the seat. He put his front hooves together and took a deep breath.

"Okay, I'll start..." he cleared his throat, taking intermittent looks at the unicorn sitting in front of him. "Of course, you know I returned home a long time ago. I was reunited with my family and best friend. They were very happy. And upon returning home, I had used everything you and the others had taught me about friendship, and I was able to make a lot more friends than I had imagined. Since then, I became the school's fourth most popular guy."

"That's wonderful!" the unicorn smiled, clapping her hooves..

"Yes, it is," he smiled back, appreciative of her support. "And I thank you all for that. Now, back to what happened. A year or two had passed, and I had graduated high school, ready to go to college. I was with Joshua, my best friend, along with two girls, one of them being my girlfriend. We were in the car, driving somewhere to celebrate our graduation, as well as a final get-together before we left for college. Everything was going fine... Then..."

SqueeeeeeeeeeeCRASH!! he heard the crunching of sheet metal in his mind.

"There was an accident. Joshua and I woke up, thinking we survived, but..."

He saw the two dead bodies in the front seat.

"We didn't. We were dead. Stripped from our bodies like weeds in a garden."

The black cloak and the long, white, bony finger of Death illuminated in his eyes.

"We were visited by Death himself..."

He could hear the creak of Twilight's seat as she leaned forward, aghast, amazed, and full of intent to listen.

"He was actually coming for me..." he continued, feeling the depression loom over him again, causing him to talk slower. "Because Joshua was not supposed to be dead yet. Then, he told me, that I had a second chance at life. Do... Do you remember that day, before I left, when Princess Celestia gave me that mark of Equestria's Sun?"

She nodded, remembering.

"He had been watching me... He knew what she did to me. He told me that she had enchanted me with a spell that would retrieve my soul after my death. I was sent back here, never to return. Even if I could return to Earth, I still could not plant myself back into my old body..."

He saw the blood and bits of organs that trailed from his mouth, down his chin, and splattered all over his side of the car.

"I was too broken..." He took a deep breath. "So, I was brought here, without ever having a chance to say goodbye to any of my loved ones back home. Plus, I was angry at Princess Celestia for enchanting me without my consent, like she had violated me. I cried and cried and cried, until i could cry no more. By then, I realized that none of what happened, my death including, back on Earth was her fault. I learned that she really cared for me to grant me this gift, and I should be thankful."

He paused.

"Then, she offered to incarnate me as either a pony or a human again. I chose to be a pony because I thought that I should move on, not linger in the past. I'll be living here for the rest of my salvaged life, so I figured I'd have to live like you. Eat what you eat, do what you do, work how you work... Plus..."

His cheeks turned pink.

"Fluttershy?" Twilight said for him.

He nodded meekly, admittedly.

"Yes... I couldn't stay as a human in a nation full of ponies, left and right, especially around her. It would be like torturing and tantalizing myself. Mind you, I couldn't return my full affection for her in my previous form. Because..." he snorted awkwardly.

"Huh? What are y--? Oh! Ohhhh, right, right. Yes, I understand completely," she nodded.

"Thanks," he said with a chortle.

Then, their small exchange of words dissipated into awkward silence.

"So..." Connor rubbed his shoulder. "That's it. That is how I'm like this."

"Oh, my gosh!" she gasped faintly. "That is so... I mean... I... I have no words to say about any of this."

"'Utterly unexpected' would fit just right," he pushed a smile.

"Yes. Yes, it would."

Connor slid his rear off the chair. "Again, I would like to thank you all for teaching me all about friendship, Twilight. Your friends, too. Back home, I didn't feel so depressed, helpless, and alone anymore. If I hadn't run into you guys, then I wouldn't have changed. I wouldn't be here talking to you. I would still be a helpless wreck. Thank you so much."

Smiling, Twilight slid off of her seat, walked closer to him, and gave him a warm hug.

"You're welcome... I'm also glad you came here, too. We wouldn't have learned to act less arrogant and prejudicial toward non-ponies, if you hadn't come along."

"You're welcome..." was all he could say, returning the hug.

The sound of a yawn coming from the top of the stairs, made their ears twitch. They broke the hug and whipped around to see Spike slowly descending down the stairs, seemingly oblivious that Connor was here. His eyes were open by a thread, still heavy from fatigue.

"Afternoon, Twi," he yawned. "Just woke up from my nap. Are there anymore chores you want me to do?"

"Oh, I've got one," she giggled, nudging Connor playfully. "You can come down here and say 'hello' to an old friend here."

He stopped in the middle of his descent, looking confused. "Old friend? Who?"

"Hey, Spike!" the colt said with a humored smile.

...

The young dragon's feet beat rapidly on the steps like a drum as he quickly descended the stairway. He tripped on the very last step, barely controlling his speed. He ran into the colt, nearly toppling him over, hugging him.

"You're back!" he exclaimed joyfully. "Oh, this is so awesome! I thought you'd never come back!"

"It's good to see you, too, buddy!" the colt laughed, giving him a noogie. "How are things?"

The little dragon shrugged. "Chores... The usual stuff."

"Awesome. Have you kissed Rarity yet?"

He bowed his scaly, chubby head. "No, unfortunately."

"Aw, come on!" he playfully punched him. "After all of this time? Not once?"

"No, but I have been helping her out with some things. Being her pin-cushion, taking out her trash, fanning her while she is in the sauna at the spa..."

"You gotta go for it, dude. I'm not joking."

"Okay, okay, I will!" he replied with much enthusiasm. "So anyway, how did you get back? Holy Guacamole, you're a pony, too! How is that even possible?"

Connor's stomach growled loudly, cutting the line of conversation short.

"Here," Twilight giggled. “We'll talk about it on the way to lunch. You must be hungry after all of what happened today."

"You know, come to think of it," the colt itched his scalp. "I really am."

"Especially with that new body of yours. Come with me, both of you," she said, walking to the front door. "We'll eat at my favorite place. I'm sure you'll enjoy it, too, Connor."

After exchanging a tolerable and nonchalant shrug, the dragon and the colt followed her out the library.

“May I take your order, madame?” the classy waiter asked Twilight with a French twist in his voice.

“I would like to have a dandelion and wheatgrass sandwich, please,” she replied.

“And would you like hay fries or cucumber chips with zat order?”

“Cucumber chips, please.”

“Exzellent selection, madame.” The waiter turned to Connor. “And for you, sir?”

“Ayyyyyyyyyeee haven’t decided,” he scratched his chin, looking at menu. “You know what? I’ll have what she is having... Please.”

“And would you like hay fries or cucumber chips with zat?”

“Fries.”

“Oh, oh, oh! Do you guys have any gems?” Spike wedged in.

The waiter raised a disapproving eyebrow at him.

“No? Okay, I’ll just have the cucumber chips then," he sighed as he handed him the menu.

“Ze order will be completed in fifteen minutes.”

Twilight nodded in response, properly excusing him.

“So, Connor, how are you feeling right now with your new self? You seemed to have a little trouble walking on the way here. Are you trying to get used to your new body?”

“Yeah," he nodded, peeking at his feet underneath the table. "I'm not falling over as much anymore, though."

“That’s good. Just take small baby steps until you get the hang of it. No need to push yourself further than you could handle. You know, if you don't mind my saying so, you look pretty good as a pony!”

“Really? You think so?"

"Well..." she blushed, thinking it sounded pretty disarming, but she had already brought it up, so she had to continue. "Of course! I mean, I'm pretty sure Princess Celestia would want to make you look at least normal and idealistic in appearance. Not like I'm saying it's not a good thing."

"Oh! Thanks," the colt smiled.

"You're welcome," she smiled. "You seem pretty tall, too. I wish I was tall. It'd be so much easier for me to find books that way."

“But, you have magic for that, right?"

“Of course, but I’m talking about looking at them. I have to know what book I’m grabbing. However, it would help Spike a lot if he was taller.”

“Yeah,” Spike joined in. “I actually got taller once.”

“Did you?” Connor tilted his head.

“Yeah! It was so awesome! I could reach things easily! Buuuut, it was not a very good cause.”

“What do you mean?”

“It was his birthday,” Twilight spoke. “He got a whole lot more presents than he did during his previous birthdays, and he got greedy. Dragons are known for that certain character trait. It’s in their nature. No offense, Spike.”

“None taken,” the dragon shook his head. "I'm just glad you raised me right."

Twilight continued. “The perk was that the greedier he got, the bigger and faster he grew. He actually grew up to the highest level of maturity. Whoo, was it a doozy!"

“Oh…” Connor said, seeing Spike in a whole new angle.

“He kidnapped Rarity right in the coil of his tail. Just before things were about to get worse, he remembered the kind, sweet dragon he was before and returned to normal, therefore saving Ponyville from anymore damage.”

“That’s good!”

“That’s not the half of it!” Spike looked excited. “Rarity said I was her hero for saving myself from myself, and she kissed me.” He sank in his chair with a dopey, lovey-dovey look on his face. “It was wonderful.”

"Wow!" the colt laughed in amazement. "That's great!"

“And did I mention that it was not the first time she kissed me? I gave her a fire ruby, and guess what?” He pointed at his cheek. “Mwah! Right there.”

“Atta boy, Spike! Now, you just gotta kiss her in return. If you do, maybe she would give you fewer menial chores to do for her. Taking out her trash? Being her pin-cushion? If that's not menial, then I don't know what is."

"Yeah, I guess so." He rested his cheek in his palm. "Though, at this point, anything for my Rarity..."

He melted in his seat once more, sighing that dreamy, smitten sigh once again.

The waiter returned, carrying a wide platter with three dishes. After distributing the food, he left with a “Bon Appetit!”. Twilight took a large bite out of her sandwich and chewed it slowly, embracing the flavor and craftsmanship of her delicious meal. Content moans escaped from her mouth as she chewed. Spike was shoveling cucumber chips into his mouth, hardly chewing at all.

Connor did nothing but stare at his food. Now that he saw it placed in front of him, he wished he had seen this kind of thing coming, yet, it snuck up on him like a nuclear bomb. His meal was nothing but plants, carbohydrates, and grains, like a meal a vegan would live off of. He could really go for some meat, maybe chicken, or fish, at least. However, if he ate that, it would probably go against the laws of pony nature. A pony... eating flesh... Now that he thought about it, it would look very controversial. Besides, he said himself that he needed to eat their food from now on.

Sooo... Bon Appetit.

He lifted his forelegs to grab it. Then, he placed them back down in slight disheartenment.

Right... No fingers... Well, whatever...

...

He twisted the shin of his left foreleg and wedged the tip between the plate and the bread. He pushed to scoop it, but the bread got caught in the grip of his hoof, pushing it nearly off the plate. He used his right hoof to push it fully back on. Then, he kept his right hoof on the other side of the sandwich while he used his left to scoop it up.

Piece of cake...

Until, the bottom slice of bread folded and bunched, not a lick of it onto his hoof.

No problem. He would just try again.

He flattened it out. Using his right hoof to hold the other side, he attempted to scoop it up with his left again.

Same result. The stupid bread bunched up again.

"Dammit..."

He flicked his left hoof, hoping that it would get on there.

...

The top slice was flipped on top of his right hoof.

"Ugh..." he grunted.

He flicked his other hoof to flip it back on...

He missed.

"Ugh, you've gotta be--..."

To pick up the slice of bread, he pinched both of his hooves together, trying to clasp the top edge of the crust. Once he got a grip of it, he lifted it up. However, he lifted it too fast, because the bit of the crust clasped in his hooves got torn from the rest of the bread, making the slice fall back onto the table.

He tried again, only slower this time. He got a good grip on it. There was no sign of bread tearing off. Like a crane, he slowly held it over the rest of the sandwich. He swung it to get the flat side facing the open-faced sandwich. When he thought it was the perfect place to release, he released...

He was wrong. He released too early, and the slice of bread landed three inches away from the sandwich.

"Dammit!"

He heard Twilight giggling from across the table. Was she looking at him the whole time?

"Aw, come onnn! Give a me break, will you?" he huffed.

"Here, let me help you with that," she tittered, lifting the top, chipped slice of bread onto his lunch.

"You could've helped," he pouted, finishing with a slight chuckle.

"I'm sorry," he smiled apologetically. "It was hard to not watch."

"Just how do you do it anyway? With hooves?"

"We just balance it on our hooves, or eat it dog-style. But, seeing you had trouble trying to get it on your hooves, I think that your best option is eating it dog-style until further notice."

Connor shrugged. "Meh. So be it."

Like a tame puppy would, he perched his hooves between his legs, staring at it before beginning to gorge.

"Well, here we go..." he mumbled.

He tipped his head down over it and slowly took a bite, feeling the crispness of the wheatgrass and dandelions snap between his teeth. He started to chew. Until it became a mushy pulp, he swallowed it.

His eyes suddenly snapped open. He sat silently for about ten seconds, which made the purple unicorn worry. Her stomach fell at the very motion of his cheeks puffing out. Was he about to puke??

Connor lurched forward, making retching noises from his throat. Twilight immediately grabbed the nearest napkin she could find and curtained it over her face.

The colt threw his forelegs in the air.

“THIS IS AMAZZZIIINGGG!! Oh, my gosh! Where have you been all my life?”

Without any further ado, he wolfed it noisily down.

The unicorn sighed in relief as she placed the napkin back onto the table. Celestia must have enhanced his sense of taste as well, making what ponies consider to be delicious the equivalent of what man consider delicious. Such a genius.

“Howdy, Twilight! Howdy, Spike!” she heard a voice beside her.

“Oh! Hello, Applejack!” the bookworm responded.

The cowmare noticed the new pony noisily wolfing down his meal.

“Who’s this, uhhh… fine and polite young colt here?” she asked with a barely straight face.

“Take a closer look, AJ. You’ll see," the librarian winked.

"Ya sure 'bout that? He's sendin' food bits flyin' everywhere like a flock o' mallards." She inched away.

"Go on," she urged her.

Applejack stared at the gorging pony. The colt seemed to sense that he was being watched and stopped gorging. His cheeks were stuffed with large bits of sandwich and hay fries. He swallowed all of it. It was such a big amount, that his throat ached as it went down. He choked down the remaining bits of his food, before saying, "Hey, Applejack!"

Her jaw slacked in an instant the moment she heard his voice. Her eyes zipped down to glance at his the mark of Equestria's Sun on his flank.

"Pickle mah ponytail, is that our ol' buckaroo, Connor??" she asked with a gradually growing smile.

Twilight nodded with pride.

The next thing the the colt knew, his scalp was being mercilessly ground by the cowmare's hoof. "Celestia's beard, you done came back!! Darn tootin'! Darn tootin', indeed!"

"It's good (ow!) to see you, too (ow!) Applejack!" he grinned through the pain in his scalp.

She immediately transitioned her from her noogie to a hug. She parted, still gripping his shoulders.

"And, my gosh! You became a pony, too! How'd that happen?"

“Princess Celestia,” the equine human replied. “Luna, too. They helped me become this way."

The cowpony changed from her smiling face to a concerned, hurt face. “But why, sugarcube? We loved ya fer who ya were before. Why’d ya hafta change?”

"(Oy... How many more times am I going to tell this story?) Well, it's a long story."

"CONNOR!" squealed a pink pony that appeared directly in front of his face.

"What the blue hell?!" he jumped. "Where did y--?"

Ah, screw it. She was Pinkie Pie. Physics meant nothing to her.

“You're back!! And you’re a pony, too! (GAAASP!) This is super-duper-luper-zuper-quper-muper-kuper-bluper-allyooper! Omigosh! We should throw a party! A Birthday party!! Well, not really a birthday, but a second birthday party! Born as a new pony! Omigosh, that means two times the cake and sweets!"

She caused such a raucous, that passersby looked towards their way. They squinted and inched their heads closer to look closer at him. Their lit-up expressions meant that they had recognized him, and they began to crowd around the four ponies and dragon. Eventually, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash sifted through the congregation to see what was happening.

"Twilight! Applejack! Pinkie Pie!" the white, purple-maned unicorn spoke. "Darlings, what in Equestria is going--?"

"Omigosh, guys!" Pinkie Pie pressed her nose onto hers. "You won't believe what happened!"

"Too close, darling! Too close!" She pushed her back. "What happened?"

"He's come back!"

"Beg pardon?"

"He's come back!"

"Who? Would you please explain in detail, darling?"

"Connor, silly! He's come back!"

The fashionista gasped loudly. "What?!"

"Eeeyuppers!" the pink pony warbled. "Plus, he's a pony, too!"

“Holy horseapples!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed.

"Rarity? Twilight? Applejack?" squeaked a small voice from the edge of the crowd. "Is that you up there? Wh-what's going on?"

She crouched low to the ground, creeping past the legs of the congregation surrounding them.

"Um, excuse me... Sorry... Sorry... Pardon me... Excuse me, ma'am... Pardon me... Excuse me..." she mumbled meekly until she reached the very inside edge.

"Girls? What's going--EEP!!"

She squeaked loudly, throwing her hooves up to her mouth.

Those eyes... That mark on his flank... His voice... It was all there in front of her. Her cheeks blushed a deep red like a rose. He was back! Equine, too!

And he looked... so handsome to her.

Connor stood up to speak. “That’s right, everyp—BURP!”

The crowd was in silence. The colt swore he heard a cricket chirp in the midst of the congregation.

He chuckled sheepishly. “Sorry… Just had a sandwich…an AMAZING sandwich, by the way. Sweet Jesus… Anyhoo, that’s right, everypony! I'm back and now equine. Now, I know what you're thinking: this is really out of the blue. I don't blame you for thinking that. All of this was out of the blue for me, too. Until my acci--..."

Boy, he really had to say the whole story again, did he?

He took a deep breath.

"Until my accident back on Earth, I though I wasn't going to return, either. Abridged version, I died back on Earth. I guess it's safe to say that I am resurrected back here, because of Princess Celestia. I will be ever grateful to her for allowing me another chance at life to live with you guys. I am so lucky to be living with you guys again."

They cheered in approval, giving him small applause.

"And for everyone back at home, whom I had been stripped away from so suddenly, I will live the rest of my live blissfully, not allowing this sudden turn of events to cripple me and keep me held back. All for you!"

Everypony exchanged conversations of consent between each other. Connor looked around, looking at the positive feedback from his speech. Then, his sight fell upon Fluttershy, the little pegasus he had been wanting to see since.

“AND,” he shouted, silencing the crowd. He took a few steps forward, nearing the yellow pony on purpose. “Now that I am like this, I can live just like you. I can eat like you, sleep like you, play with you, converse with you, a whole bunch of things with you! Plus, since I’m not a human anymore, I don’t have to regret doing this.”

Fluttershy squeaked in absolute surprise. She couldn't tell if her mind was playing with her, but the pony she loved was kissing her, full on the lips. She felt like she was going to faint, but she was too entranced by the touch of his soft lips to allow it. Connor released the kiss, looking deep into her blue eyes, lined with heavy eyelashes. Beside them, Rarity squealed in joy, Applejack laughed warmly, Rainbow Dash pumped her hoof victoriously, Twilight cooed, and Spike grinned. Pinkie Pie had a huge, goofy smile slapped on her face.

"I've waited a looonng time to do that," Connor whispered into her ear.

Fluttershy shrank down in shame.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“I… I’m sorry, Connor… It is very wonderful to see you again, but for some time, I have been doing some thinking… This…this just can’t work out… you and I,” she said sadly.

The colt felt a spear skewer his heart. She… did not love him anymore?

“I’m not into colts anymore.” Fluttershy hung her head. “I’m into mares now… I’m so sorry…”

Everypony else gasped in shock. The other five shrunk back in hurt. The ponified human inched away, shaking his head in disbelief. He could not believe what he was hearing. All that they had done together, it was gone. He felt like he was going to…

The yellow pegasus began to giggle.

“Jesus, Fluttershy! That was NOT funny!” he tried his best to hold back a chuckle.

“I got you!”

“Aw, come on! That was way too cruel!"

The yellow, adorable pony could not help but giggle. She slithered a forearm around the back of the colt’s head and pulled him in for another kiss. This time, the kiss was deeper. Their mouths were cracked open for some subtle tongue play. She moaned lightly as she kissed him, as did he. They both knew that they had been wanting to do this for a long time.

Everypony cheered at the heart-warming sight before them.

Spike's brain suddenly snapped.

"You gotta kiss her, dude..." he heard the colt's voice in his head.

He saw Rarity standing an arm's length next to him. The perfect opportunity had come! He stood on his chair, so his head was level with Rarity’s, and pressed his lips onto her cheek. Her cheek felt so smooth against his lips. The smell of her alluring perfume filled his nostrils. A surprised gasp escaped the white unicorn's mouth as the young dragon held the kiss for two seconds.

“I love you, Rarity," the young dragon smiled.

The unicorn blushed. Those words rang in her ears like bells. It sounded so musical and sweet. Never before did somepony say something like that so passionately to her. It felt so generous... like her.

Rarity smiled, put a hoof around Spike's back, and pulled him in for a hug. It was not just any hug. No, this hug put all other hugs behind. A tingling warm sensation sifted throughout their bodies as they embraced.

"Oh, Spikey-Wikey... That is so sweet and generous of you!" She spoke softly. "I love you, too."

She planted a gentle kiss on the young dragon's smooth, scaly forehead.

I did it. Spike thought, imagining that the colt was listening. I really did it. I hope you saw it, Connor.

Connor and Fluttershy broke the kiss to regain their breath, and looked deep into each other’s eyes.

"My first kiss," the yellow pegasus whispered back.

"I knew there was something special about it," the colt grinned.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders pointed at Connor's flank in excitement.

"Hey! Look at your Cutie Mark!" Scootaloo pointed at the colt's flank.

Connor craned his head around to look at it. Indeed, something had been added onto it. At first, it was just an image of the sun, but then, it suddenly had an image of a bipedal figure standing inside it. Since when did that appear? He had no idea, but he did have an idea on what it was about.

"Golly, that looks plumb tootin'! But, what does it mean?" Apple Bloom twisted her face in confusion.

"I guess it's a reminder of who I once was."

"It does! Hey, that is the Equestrian Sun! I learned about it in class. It is rewarded by the Princess herself if somepony does something extra special for the sake of Equestria. That means you're extra special!" Sweetie Belle's voice squeaked when she said "extra". "We always thought you were!"

"Thanks, Sweetie Belle!" The colt tousled her mane.

Fluttershy flapped her wings until she was afloat. She gently took one of Connor’s hooves with both of hers and pulled at him, toward the direction of her cottage.

“Where are you two going?” Rainbow Dash asked them. “You guys are going to miss the big party Pinkie is going to throw for you guys!”

“That’s okay, Rainbow. You go on and have fun. We'll catch up soon. I just…want to be alone with her for a while,” Connor said before looking up to his favorite little pegasus, who giggled bashfully. She knew exactly what he meant.

“Wow! That…that was awesome!” Connor’s voice escaped out the window to Fluttershy’s bedroom. “I mean, wow! That was so awesome!”

“Do you really think so?” Fluttershy asked.

“Do I look like I’m joking?? I mean, holy crap! That was spectacular! I can’t even think of anything else to describe how awesome that was!”

“Are you telling me that you hadn’t done this before?”

“Of course not! But now, I see this in a whole new light! I had no idea that it was going to be that exciting.”

“Well, I’m glad you like it. It was nothing, really.”

“Are you kidding? You just spelled ‘carbohydrate’ in Word-a-Palooza!”

Two ponies sat on the floor in the middle of the room with a word game placed between them.

“Applause… Freaking applause…” Connor clapped his hooves together.

“Oh, stop it! Really, it’s nothing!” she modest replied.

“I had no idea you were so good at this game. Guess that’s another thing I learned about you today. Along with the fact that you're a great kisser," he said with a wink.

The pegasus giggled. “Now you know.”

Connor slumped onto his back, staring at the ceiling. He slid his hooves behind his head and sighed comfortably.

“Ahhh… I am going to love it here.”

“I am, too, now that you’re here… with me… alone.”

Connor sat back up. He saw Fluttershy inching her head toward him. Connor felt the same urge. He leaned his head forward to meet hers. Their lips were one inch apart. Their breaths were growing more passionate and desirable.

“Wanna play Word-a-Palooza again?” Fluttershy asked.

“Hell, yeah!”

Connor loved his new home already.

The End…

...or is it??