//------------------------------// // The Party and the Princess // Story: Spectrum // by Ponky //------------------------------// Apparently I had arrived in Ponyville mid-morning, because the party took a full day to set up. As much as I wanted to associate with the ponies and tour the streets of Ponyville, Pinkie Pie insisted I stay inside the library until it started that night. Not wanting to upset my eccentric host, I sat in Twilight Sparkle’s upstairs room and silently watched the decorations unfold down the street from the round window above her bed. She didn’t want anypony to see me before everypony got to see me, and when I tried to remind her that a large crowd had already watched Applejack guide me from the Corner to the library, she shushed me and raced back to make sure Pound Cake didn’t climb into the oven again. As I watched her gallop down the road, my eyes were redirected by a fluffy cloud in the distance. It was being pushed closer to the corner by two winged ponies; even as they approached, I didn’t recognize either pegasus. I thought I remembered Pinkie saying something about Rainbow Dash doing that job, and I wondered where the most awesome pony in Equestria could be. I was a little downtrodden that I hadn’t met either of the leading pegasus ponies. Fluttershy had always been my favorite, anyway. And Rainbow Dash was so cool! So while my gut twitched with anticipation, I took deep, patient breaths and hoped our introductions were soon to come. I was the only person in the library for several hours. Everyone else, including Spike, was helping prepare the party. To pass the time, I resorted to reading some of the books in Twilight’s room, though I was much more fascinated with their appearance than the words inside. The books truly looked animated; they had sharp lines of various colors outlining them from every angle. Riveted, I picked up a volume on the floor and turned it over in my hands, thumbing through the pages. It felt like a book; it had weight and volume and even depth to the touch, but my eyes perceived the thing as totally flat. Drawn. I started feeling dizzy after a while and had to lay down on Twilight’s bed, somewhat disturbed that it could support me at all. I must have fallen asleep—I learned later than interdimensional travel was exhausting, but I had been too excited about my new surroundings to notice—and was shaken awake by none other than Pinkie Pie. Her bright face brought a smile to mine. “Hi, Pinkie,” I croaked. “Come on, David! Your party is starting!” She helped me to my feet and we bolted down the library’s stairs together, hurrying out the front door. Her excitement was radiant and contagious, not that I needed any encouragement. Finally, I was going to meet every pony in Ponyville! The crowd was truly enormous, blossoming from Sugarcube Corner and spilling into several adjacent streets. A wave of excitement passed through it as Pinkie led me hurriedly through the sea of three-foot ponies. My height, though average on Earth, made me an easy target for the sparkling eyes of my party’s attendees. They seemed more shocked that frightened at my appearance, and I was glad for that. The sun had started to set and my adjusting eyes could barely pick out colors or cutie marks; I didn’t identify any of the waiting ponies. “Where are we going, Pinkie?” I asked the one in front of me. “Inside!” she shouted over her shoulder. “We’ll start you off there!” I wondered what she meant but decided to wait and see. Finally, we made it through the buzzing crowd and reached Ponyville’s confectionary. The inside was lit from above and I immediately spotted Applejack’s hat amidst the packed crowd of talkative ponies inside. They silenced immediately as I stooped through the front door. Pinkie rose onto her hind legs and tossed her free hooves into the air. “It’s party time!” she yelled, and a mess of confetti and streamers exploded from every square foot of the walls and ceiling. Loud, bassy music blasted from speakers just outside the shop, and the crowd outside roared with approval. They started to dance and laugh amongst themselves; the ponies inside did the same, though most eyes stayed locked on me. To my relief, their faces expressed only interest, no fear or confusion. Maybe Twilight had explained her findings while I was asleep. Thinking of Twilight, I glanced around the room for the ponies I knew the best. Applejack’s hat jumped out at me again and I waded apologetically through the throng of colorful equines to the back of the store where she stood. As I approached, I noted the whole gang had gathered by the counter, behind which stood Mr. and Mrs. Cake. I waved to them excitedly; the yellow stallion waved back and shouted something to me, drowned out by the party’s noise. I waited until I was much closer to ask for a repeat. “I said,” Carrot Cake boomed with a smile, “it’s so good to have you here! We welcome every creature from every corner to sugar up at Sugarcube!” I laughed and thanked him, squeezing past another couple of unfamiliar ponies to reach my freckled friend’s flank. “Hi, Applejack!” I called out. She turned around and grinned at me. “David! You found us! I don’t know what Pinkie was thinkin’, tryin’ to cram every pony in town together in this little place. We should’o’ held your party at Sweet Apple Acres!” “I can’t wait to visit!” I said enthusiastically. “Granny Smith is a legend, Applebloom is the cutest thing I’ve ever seen, and everybody loves Big Macintosh!” Applejack’s pupils shrunk nervously. “Boy… Twilight’s right to be a mite curious. You sure do know a thing or two more about my family than I expected.” I winced. “Sorry, Applejack. I promise it’ll all make sense in a minute, whenever Pinkie Pie has me explain.” As soon as I said it, I doubted my own conviction. How was I going to explain the show? Or even TV, for that matter? I thought back to “My Little Dashie,” remembering the filly’s detrimental reaction to discovering her image on the Hub. Would my new friends respond in the same way? I certainly didn’t want to cause a commotion, but I needed to tell the truth. I had a hard time enjoying myself at the party after that, fearing the moment when Pinkie would say— “Listen up, everypony!” The music stopped and her enormous audience turned towards the booming voice. It had come from outside. I followed the indoor crowd on their migration to join those in the streets looking up at the roof of Sugarcube Corner. Doing the same, I spotted Pinkie Pie in the upper cupcake’s balcony beaming down at us with Twilight at her side. Her horn was glowing with magic, as was Pinkie’s throat, and I assumed they were amplifying her voice to reach all of Ponyville. Behind the pair, above even the rooftop, was the cloud I had seen positioned earlier that day. From it hung a gigantic banner that read “Party Time, Every Buddy!” Despite my nervousness, I couldn’t stifle an amused smile. “We have a very special guest with us today,” Pinkie continued, squinting to scan the darkness. Just then, Luna’s magnificent moon began to break from the horizon. It was much larger than the moon I grew up admiring, and its glow bathed the land in a soft, helpful light. “There he is!” shouted Pinkie, pointing at me with one of her front hooves. “Bring him up, Twilight!” The rosy aura of Twilight’s powers surrounded my whole body. I tensed up at the unfamiliar tingle dancing over my skin and clothes, panicking even more as it lifted me off the ground. Glancing below at thousands of smiling ponies, I hoped desperately they would be understanding. What if they didn’t like what I said? What if there was a riot? Were they going to tar and feather me and chase me into the Everfree Forest? How in the world was I supposed to survive an attack from a manticore or an ursa minor? Maybe Zecora would find pity on me… My thoughts raced around my cloudy head like a Rainbow Dash routine—where was that colorful pony?—as Twilight set me down between her and Pinkie Pie on the roof of the Corner, eager for my address. “This is David,” Pinkie Pie continued. “He’s a human, from another dimension!” The crowd’s oohs and ahs were humorously in sync. “And somehow,” Twilight Sparkle added, amplifying her own voice as well, “he already knows all about Ponyville and Equestria and everypony in it!” “Not everypony…” I mumbled anxiously. Twilight’s tone was almost angry. “So we’ve brought you all together—” “To party!” Pinkie interrupted. “No!” Twilight shouted before the crowd got any ideas. “To hear David’s promised explanation.” She turned to me with an intimidating smirk. “So go on, human. How do you know so much about our world?” I swallowed hard, frozen with fear. I didn’t want to be tarred and feathered! Suddenly, the cloud above our heads exploded into hundreds of cottony tufts. Pinkie’s custom banner ripped in half and Rainbow Dash herself posed spectacularly in midair. Most of the ponies below cheered enthusiastically at her stunts. “Sorry, gang,” she yelled without Twilight’s magic. Her scratchy voice was loud enough to reach every listening ear. “I had already hit the sack for the night. Didn’t even see the party until a couple minutes ago. Pinkie Pie, what’s the big occa—” She turned around, flapping her wings lethargically, and looked down at the three of us standing on the balcony. Her jaw snapped shut and her pupils shrunk as she narrowed in on me. And almost immediately, I understood her shock. She recognized me. She knew what I was. “My Little Dashie” was a true story, and its narrator’s final speculations were right: Princess Celestia had allowed Rainbow to keep her memories of her fifteen years on Earth, but erased everyone else’s. “Rainbow Dash!” Twilight scolded. “Please take your place with the others. This creature arrived in Ponyville today, and he was just about to explain how his world already knows about ours.” I saw a lump travel down Rainbow Dash’s throat as she fluttered uncertainly to the ground, her front legs quivering. I couldn’t imagine what she was feeling; I only knew that I felt absolutely terrible for indirectly giving rise to those suppressed memories of her human dad. “Uh…” I started, unable to take my eyes off Rainbow Dash pawing miserably at the ground. “Well… see, there’s this…” I cleared my throat. Apparently Twilight was using her magic to increase my volume, too, because the ponies were startled by the grunt’s volume. I apologized quickly and opened my mouth to just start spilling details when Pinkie’s tremendous gasp caught me off guard. “Where’s Fluttershy?” she asked. I scanned the crowd eagerly, hoping to see my favorite pony, but the lovely yellow mare was nowhere to be seen. “Pinkie Pie! Just let him talk, will you?” Twilight yelled agitatedly. “No!” Pinkie defiantly denied. “We decided that everypony should be here for David’s explanation, and unless you don’t think Fluttershy is a pony, she needs to be here.” Twilight’s teeth ground together furiously. “Okay! Somebody go get Fluttershy!” She whipped a hoof in Rainbow Dash’s direction. “Rainbow, drag her over here, now!” “Gladly,” Rainbow said, crouching for just a moment before taking off through the streets of Ponyville. She disappeared from sight before I could determine which direction Fluttershy’s cottage was. A gentle murmur spread through the ponies below. Many of them shot me speculative glances. I hoped Twilight’s hostility wasn’t rubbing off on too many of them. “Twilight,” I whispered at the pony. She glared at me with fiery eyes. “I don’t know why you’re so mad at me, but will you please give me a chance to explain myself before you turn all these ponies against me? I’m sorry that it’s so confusing, but I’m not here to hurt anyone. I just want to… you know… be friends.” It wasn’t exactly what I had wanted to say, but it seemed to strike the right chord with the violet unicorn. She looked stunned for a moment, more at herself than at me, and bowed her head with a heavy sigh. “You’re right, David,” she admitted admirably. “I get so worked up when I don’t understand something. I should have learned from that time travelling incident.” I laughed heartily. “That was hilarious! You looked really cool with a spiked up mane and an eye-patch, though.” She lifted her head and furrowed her brow just as I caught my mistake. “Sorry,” I whispered. “I promise, it’ll all make sense as soon as—” “Fluttershy’s here!” Pinkie yelled, bouncing on the balcony. The pair of pegasi hurried above the rooftops and quickly took their places at the front of the crowd. I was stunned for a moment, overjoyed at the kindest of ponies below. Fluttershy had been my favorite pony since the very first episode. I wasn’t a particularly shy person, but her humility and caution was just so adorable to me. Twilight snapped me out of my trance with a sharp poke in the thigh with her horn. “Yaoh! Oh, yeah, I guess we’re all ready then.” I gave a half-hearted chuckle and drew in a deep breath, suspending it in my lungs as I formed my first sentence mentally. Then, in a torrent of somewhat pre-organized thoughts, I wove my honest, pony-tailored explanation. “I come from a world that’s a lot like this one, but we humans are the only creatures that can think or speak like you. There are no monsters or dragons, the weather controls itself, and magic doesn’t exist.” Maybe it was the dramatic wording, or the just the concept itself, but that last detail sent the crowd into a flurry of amazement. “No magic!?” I heard from several mouths below. “Instead of magic,” I continued loudly, regaining their attention, “we use science and machines to make work easier.” I noticed Twilight brighten from the corner of my eye. “One of these machines is called a television. It’s a flat screen of glass, like a window in a box, that shows moving pictures. People like me use special cameras to capture whole stories, like plays, and put them inside the box for millions of other people to watch in their houses.” Worriedly, I looked over my audience, hoping to see some encouraging nods. To my relief, most of the ponies seemed to following; some of them were whispering among themselves, trying to expound their understanding to their slower friends. The only pony with a truly unique reaction was Rainbow Dash—but she already knew about TV. She was staring dejectedly at the sky. I tried to ignore her sorrow and continue my speech. “We call these moving picture stories television shows. One of these shows is called My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. It’s about… you. All of you. Mostly Twilight Sparkle and what she learns about friendship from her five best friends. There are tons of people who love this show and watch every new story. I’m one of those fans, and that’s how I know so much about you. But that’s all I know. I didn’t know any of you were real; I thought you were just a cartoon on my television.” “But wait a minute,” Pinkie Pie asked with a hoof to her chin. “How did a show about us get inside your sciency box without us even knowing about it?” Concerned agreements rose from below. “I don’t know, Pinkie,” I admitted earnestly. “I wish I knew. I’m just as confused about the whole thing. But as long as I’m here in Ponyville, I want you all to be my friends. And I learned from your show that being honest—” I shot a glance at Applejack, who gave me an appreciative smile. “—is the only way to make real friendships.” There was silence for a long time. I turned my head to Twilight. She looked just as confused as earlier, although far less hostile. She had no instructions for me, so I leaned over the balcony and yelled to my listeners, “So, that’s the reason I know so much. I’m sure it’s still doesn’t make much sense. Does anypony have a question?” Before they could respond, a voice from afar shook the balcony on which we stood. “TWILIGHT SPARKLE!” it bellowed. All eyes swiveled toward the mountain where Canterlot hung precariously. Approaching the gathering at speeds to rival Rainbow Dash was the most gallant, magnificent equine I had ever seen: Princess Celestia, enchanted mane flowing at her side, great white wings carrying her regal frame through the crisp night sky. The ponies around and below me bowed at her presence. I dropped to my knees as well, trying to slow my heartbeat. The princess landed on the street with enough force to leave a small crater in the dirt. She snorted like an agitated horse and stomped toward the Corner. “Twilight Sparkle!” she called again. I recognized the fury in her voice now. “Bring that creature down here at once!” I had never seen or heard the princess get angry before. The only comparable moment I could conjure was when she scolded Twilight for accusing evil Cadance, but even then her tone had been gentle. According to the expressions of surprise and terror on her subjects’ faces, I was not the only one surprised at Celestia’s rage. Frantically, Twilight wrapped me in her magic and tossed me over the banister. I landed roughly before the princess’s feet. By the shuffle of hooves behind me, I guessed the crowd was watching from a good thirty feet away. I was still on my knees and beginning to shiver as I timidly lifted my gaze to meet Celestia’s. Her visible right eye seethed with fury and her lips were pursed to the point of bruising one another. Startlingly, Twilight galloped up to my side and knelt before the princess, touching her horn against the ground by her gold-encased hooves. “Princess… Celestia,” she said between gasps. She must have run through Sugarcube Corner at top speeds to be this tired. “My student,” Celestia nearly growled between gritted teeth. “What is the meaning of this?” Twilight rose from her bow with tilted eyebrows. “Of what, Princess?” “What is he doing here!?” she shrieked, pounding her hoof violently. Twilight’s knees began to shake with fear; the gleam of her eyes quivered with emotion. “I… I don’t know, Princess. He appeared this morning in Sugarcube Corner—” “He just appeared? Out of thin air? You did nothing to summon him?” “No, Princess!” Twilight cried, taking a sincere step toward her revered teacher. “I had nothing to do with it! Pinkie was the only witness.” With a sharp twist of her neck, the princess narrowed her eye at Pinkie Pie, standing frozen on the balcony. Celestia seemed to think better questioning the random pony and turned instead to me. “Human,” she addressed me sickened sneer. “How did you enter my domain?” “Princess, please understand, I’m not trying to hurt anyone—” “How did you do it?” she yelled in my face, crouching to eye level. Even in her terrifying anger, her breath smelled of sweet vanilla. “How did you breach the second dimension?” “It was an accident!” I choked past the lump of fear in my throat. “This man I didn’t know sent something into the sky, some kind of diamond. A bolt of lightning passed through it and hit me and I ended up here!” The anger in her eye melted into worry for a moment, but returned before long. “Your kind is not allowed in Equestria,” she hissed, rising to her full intimidating height. “You must return to your own dimension immediately.” I didn’t know how to react. I didn’t want to leave Ponyville already! Then again, I certainly didn’t want to face Celestia’s wrath. But how would I even return? “Says who?” Rainbow Dash’s scratchy voice interrupted my conflicting thoughts. She strode boldly to my side opposite of Twilight and glared at the princess with equal frustration. “Excuse me?” the princess breathed menacingly. “Who says his kind doesn’t belong here? Who says he can’t stay if he wants to? Can’t you see how happy he is to be here? What’s so wrong with that?” “Rainbow Dash,” Celestia warned, “you of all ponies should understand. He cannot stay.” “I of all ponies understand that he should stay! If he’s happier here than he was there, why not?” “Because it cannot be!” “I see him right here next to me, and the world’s not crumbling around us, is it?” As their voices rose with their tempers, I marveled at Rainbow Dash’s advocacy. I would have thought that she would side with the princess. After all, she was ripped from a foreign dimension despite her happiness there. Why wouldn’t she want the same for someone else? I thought back to her experience with the wild buffalo of Appleoosa. She had been quick to understand their predicament despite her initial opposition. Was this a similar case? She was the only pony who knew what I was feeling, and she was selflessly defending me from suffering her fate. We shared a strange bond, I realized at that moment: she and I were the only creatures whose hearts belonged to a dimension other than our own. We were a team in that sense, and she was loyally defending my cause. I took strength from her courage and rose to my feet. Celestia was about six feet tall at her eyes; her lengthy horn added great prestige to her already glorious form. I was only five foot ten, but tried to be as brave as Rainbow as I stared into her eye. “I am not a threat, Princess,” I said. “You have no reason to fear me and I have no reason to leave. I plan to stay in Equestria for as long as I like, perhaps until the day I die. And you have no reason or power to stop me.” Even as I said it, I knew it wasn’t true. Knowing that “My Little Dashie” was true, she clearly had the ability to transport herself and six ponies between the dimensions. Or did she? Her expressive eye betrayed her emotions, and I was certain I saw panic dance along the gleam. “Well, then,” she said slowly as her wings began to spread, “I suppose I’ll have to take a different approach.” With a flap of her wings, Celestia reared up onto her hind legs, aiming the front hooves as if to strike me. Most of the vast audience behind me screamed. I closed my eyes and braced for the fatal impact. Instead, something slammed into me from the right. I was lifted off my feet and flailed helpless in the air for a moment. A pair of cyan hooves slipped under my arms and my stomach flipped as we rocketed into the sky. “Rainbow Dash!” I squeaked through shallow breaths. “What are you doing?” “Getting us out of here!” she answered over the whipping wind just before diving toward the Everfree Forest.